Chapter 28

Gibbs and Donovan walked to the building again. Donovan gestured for Gibbs to go first and they headed up to the same flat they'd been to before.

Gibbs could see that Donovan was ready for everything to go wrong. He was ready for that, too. Not knowing where Tim had been, what he'd been doing, there was no way of knowing how likely it was that things would go wrong. He could only hope that they hadn't.

He knocked on the door and waited. There was movement. The door opened just slightly and then was pulled open all the way. Suhayl was standing there.

"You were able to come. Come in quickly."

Gibbs and Donovan hurried into the room. Suhayl closed and locked the door behind them. Then, he walked to the only window and closed that as well, plunging the room into dusty gloom.

"Boss."

Gibbs looked over to the corner. He hadn't even noticed anyone there, but out of a seeming pile of debris, a man stood up, pulling a long robe off his shoulders.

"Tim. You all right?" he asked.

Tim had some scratches and cuts on his face, more than a few bruises, a substantial sunburn...and a smile.

"I've been better, but I've been a lot worse," he said.

Then, before Gibbs was ready for it, Tim walked across the room and hugged him. Tim hadn't really asked for physical contact like that, not when things were going all right. In his lowest moments, he'd needed it, but now, when he was actually looking okay, it was a surprise that he would want it.

Tim let him go and then stepped back, looking a little embarrassed.

"It's good to see you, Boss."

Then, Tim looked at Donovan.

"Agent Donovan."

Donovan nodded.

"You know each other?" Gibbs asked.

"He's been one of my...watchers," Tim said. "Just in the last few months."

"You never mentioned that," Gibbs said.

"You never asked," Donovan retorted. "Makes no difference to the job that needed to be done."

"It's beside the point anyway, Boss. We have to get all of us to the plane...and one is going to be a problem."

"Why?"

"Well, he's currently in the hospital with some serious injuries, but as soon as he recovers enough, he's going to be arrested. I don't want that to happen."

Gibbs raised an eyebrow, wondering who was in danger of being arrested. He knew that Tim wouldn't want Carew arrested...or at least that he wouldn't want to allow something that he could prevent, even if it was Carew who needed the help.

"How serious?"

"Burns, bruises. It didn't look like there were any broken bones, but he's not going to be walking easily, if at all."

"And you'll be in a rush?"

Tim looked at Suhayl.

"Perhaps not at first," Suhayl said. "If all goes right, we can get him out before they realize, but it is rare that all goes right."

"That's for sure."

"So we need to get the timing pretty much exactly right," Donovan said. "Including takeoff."

"Yes."

"We have permission to be here. We're under the auspices of the CIA, but...if we're making a run for it with someone who is supposed to be arrested, that might not matter. I don't want to be responsible for starting a major international incident."

"I don't think any of us do," Tim said.

"He has said nothing to anyone," Suhayl said. "There is no reason for them to suspect the CIA right away, so long as we are able to get him out of the hospital quickly. If we had another person helping us, it would be better."

"As long as that person looks like he belongs, I'm assuming?" Donovan asked.

"Yes."

Donovan sighed. "All right. This had better be worth it. When do you want me there and which hospital?"

Suhayl gave him the address.

"There is a service entrance in the back. Our truck is parked there. If you go there this evening, I will be there."

"All right. I'll be there."

"Good. With your help, we can move him out to the truck very quickly. Yasser will be a distraction. ...and I will tell the man who owns this truck that he will need to not use it in Sana'a for a while."

Tim smiled a little. "Maybe you can trade him a camel."

"I would not waste a camel on that old truck," Suhayl said, sounding affronted.

Gibbs saw the twinkle in Suhayl's eye, even though his statement had been sincere. He was interested in seeing how Tim interacted with him. There was a lot of mutual respect between the two men. Tim also seemed to feel comfortable with the bedouin, something that Gibbs would never have expected.

"You should go, now. I will see you tonight. We will wait here and then go."

Gibbs looked at Tim and raised an eyebrow.

"I can't leave without them, Boss."

Of course, he couldn't. While it was obvious that Tim wanted nothing more than to go with Gibbs and Donovan to the airport, he wasn't leaving the others behind. There was no point in trying to convince him; so Gibbs just nodded and left with Donovan.

They headed back together, neither of them speaking in the taxi.

Once they were at the airport and walking to the hangar, Gibbs looked at Donovan closely.

"Why you?" he asked.

"Had to be someone. Makes more sense to use someone who already knows something about Agent McGee, and I have connections out here. Not everyone can say that."

"If you've done all this work out here, why were you on the team watching McGee?"

"That's none of your business, Agent Gibbs. People don't get put on that duty if they've screwed up, if that's what you're worried about. I did nothing wrong. It wasn't a punishment."

"Not what you wanted, though, was it."

"Given the fact that Agent McGee doesn't want it, either, I don't think that matters."

Gibbs smiled a little. Donovan wasn't going to share any details that he didn't have to share, but what mattered was whether or not he had the ability to do the job. It seemed that he did. So that meant that Gibbs could wait on the plane and not be quite as frustrated as he would be, otherwise.

They got on the plane.

"How is he?"

"Was he there?"

"What's the plan?"

Gibbs suppressed a smile at how eager Tony and Ziva were to do something. They were going to be very disappointed to learn that they were staying behind, again.

"He was there. He's fine. Agent Donovan is going to meet up with Suhayl and help get everyone back here."

"Agent Donovan? Why?"

"Because I won't attract attention," Donovan said. "If we're ever in Israel, I'll let you do the work, Agent David."

He walked over to the pilot.

"He's got his panties in a bunch," Tony said. "What's up?"

"Nothing. The timing is going to be iffy, though. They have to move someone they shouldn't be moving. We're running the risk of ruining some diplomatic relations."

"How bad?"

"Depends on how much of a distraction the Yemeni government is willing to have."

"We have been talking with the pilot," Ziva said. "Things are getting worse. There is much instability in Sana'a right now."

"That's probably the best time to do something like this," Tony said.

"Possibly. Donovan will go out in the evening. We're going to have to get everyone on board as fast as we can. So we'll need to be ready. I don't know how bad the injuries are, but they're bad enough that Tim seemed a little worried about it."

"Do you know who the injured one is?"

"No. He didn't say."

"So...what do you want us to do, then, Boss?"

"Get this space ready for people who aren't going to be in the best condition. That's all we can do right now."

With a reluctant nod, the three of them began rearranging the cabin in preparation for a quick departure.

They hoped.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"How long do you want to wait here?" Tim asked.

"Just until we are sure that they have gone and we are free to move."

"Do you not trust them?"

"I trust them. It is the people I do not know who may be watching that I do not trust."

Tim smiled and then looked around.

"There's really nothing worth keeping in this place. I was wondering if maybe Ray had left anything here, but really, what's here can stand to be left behind."

"Yes. It was a place to sleep and not much more."

"Not even that sometimes, based on what Ray said."

Suhayl gave Tim a significant look. Tim avoided his eyes. He knew that his need to help Ray was about more than just helping someone who was suffering. He just wasn't sure he wanted to get into that.

"This is more than helping him," Suhayl said, going where Tim didn't really want to go.

"Yes."

"How much more?"

"When I look at Ray...I see what I could have been. He's like this because he's been alone. No one was there to help him work through what he did. I had people there for me. All the time, even when I tried to push them away. They were always there. It kept me from being like Ray is." Tim sat down on a chair and looked at his hands. "When I see him suffering like he is, I feel like...like I have to help him because it's like I'm helping myself. And it's not the same thing. Logically, I know it's not. At the same time, it doesn't matter that it's not. What matters is that I try to stop that in someone else. Maybe it's stupid. Maybe it's wrong. Maybe I should just let him suffer. ...but I can't do that. I can't leave him that way."

"I do not think it is stupid or wrong. But you should know what you are doing and why it matters."

"I do. I know."

"Good. Then, we can go."

"I'm all right with that."

Suhayl pulled Tim to his aching feet. As they headed for the door, Suhayl suddenly stopped and looked at Tim shrewdly.

"And when will you try to do this for Levi?"

Tim raised an eyebrow.

"What are you talking about?"

"When will you try to save him as you are trying to save Ray?"

"I can't save him."

"Perhaps not. He does not seem to be seeking salvation as Ray is. It does not mean he is not in need of it."

Tim couldn't think of any response. Then, Suhayl smiled.

"I am not saying what you must do. I am simply surprised it has not crossed your mind."

"Maybe it has...but Levi's situation is so different."

"Yes, I see."

They left the flat and headed back to the hospital, but Tim couldn't help but think about Suhayl's question.

Did Carew need saving? Quite frankly, Tim had no idea. There was no question that Carew would deny it. Even if he did, was Tim the one to do it? The only reason he was so focused on helping Ray was because there was no one else to do it for him. It was something that he wanted to be able to do to keep Ray from being alone in his misery. If Carew was needing saving from something, Tim felt that it should be someone else...his family, if he'd let them.

"Tim?"

Tim looked up.

"We are back."

"Oh. Yeah. Okay."

"Is this how you have always been?"

Tim furrowed his brow in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"You are worrying about a simple question, wondering if it is your responsibility, worrying that you are not doing enough, when what you have already done is far beyond what might be necessary. Is this how you have always been?"

Tim couldn't help it. He laughed a little.

"I don't know. Maybe. I've been told that I'm too willing to feel guilty about things. An overdeveloped sense of responsibility, I guess."

"Perhaps that is something you should try to fix."

"Well, I'd rather worry too much than not enough. Not enough would make me more like Levi than I want to be."

"What is that English phrase? A happy medium?"

"Yeah, that's it."

"That is what you should be searching for."

"You're probably right."

"But for now, I will leave it to you to tell Levi what will be happening. I must see what Yasser thinks will be best for getting Ray out."

Tim nodded. Suhayl left him outside Ray's door and walked over to where Yasser had been sitting on guard duty. Tim cleared his throat and knocked on the door.

"Come in."

He took a breath and stepped into the room. Bri was lying on her bed, awake but looking beaten and worn. Her eyes followed him as he walked in, but she said nothing. Carew was still pale, but his expression was his usual.

"So what have you been doing with your time, Tim?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Making plans to get us out. You were right. My team is here. They got a ride on a CIA plane."

"Really. That's interesting. Unexpected."

"Why?"

"I rather thought they'd go through the FBI, knowing that they have friends there."

"Well, they didn't. Agent Donovan is here."

"Good choice. Well done, Director Morgan. He's more savvy than I might have thought."

"He's going to come and help us get Ray to the truck and then get us to the airport. We're leaving tonight. I don't think we can hide the fact that you're here and not in the U.S."

Carew smiled. "Well, that will be a surprise for him, won't it."

"You're not worried?"

"No. If Donovan is as good as I think he is, he'll be shocked, but he won't want to ask questions in front of other agents. It might make the CIA look bad, you see. He certainly won't share the information out to others."

"Will you both be ready to move?"

Carew didn't even look at Bri.

"Not quickly, but yes."

Tim looked at Bri. She nodded and then, her gaze flicked away from him. Tim wondered what she was thinking. Had she recovered enough to care that the man she'd helped torture before was now her rescuer? The less-charitable part of Tim hoped she felt guilty about that. While he wanted to save her and get her out of this and he didn't want her to suffer any more, he could admit to being bitter enough about all that had come before to hope she saw the irony.

"I don't know exactly how much time we'll have; so you'll need to be ready to leave at any time."

"Well, I don't have much to pack up; so I think we'll be fine. You still have your pack?"

Meaning, of course, did he still have the hard drive he'd taken from the installation.

"Yes."

"Good. Then, we're fine."

Tim nodded and left the room, trying not to limp. It was a point of pride, perhaps, but it was so rare that he was the one in the best physical condition. He didn't want Carew to know how much his feet were aching. If and when they got back to the States, Tim was planning on lying on his bed and staying there for at least a day. Maybe two or three.

Suhayl saw him and nodded. Tim nodded back and then went into his own room. He checked his pack and set it on his bed. Then, he lay down and closed his eyes. He still felt tired.