It's a strange feeling, sitting in the hospital cafeteria across the table from the Director of the Agency he works for, but Tony's actually happy to be here because it means his questions are about to be answered. Vance appraises the younger man with a scrutiny that would make Gibbs proud and mentally relaxes because the Senior Agent on his MCRT does genuinely seem fine. "What's on your mind, Tony?"

Taken aback at the use of his first name, the younger man struggles to find the words. "I guess, I'm just looking for answers and I thought you were the best person to ask."

"Answers about what, exactly?" Vance asks without any inflection of authority or censure in his tone.

"What exactly happened the day we were found. What exactly happened to which one of us; who had to do what to get us out of there, those kinds of missing details."

"I see."

"Director, I know you've checked on Tim already and I know that he's okay. He's doing better than okay. He's got less than 24 hours left in here and he's on the road to recovery, same as the rest of us."

"And?"

"And, it's time for me to get back to work. I just need to get everything sorted out first, you know, fit all the pieces together."

"Understandable. Except, what does this have to do with your partner?"

"I'd rather have this sorted out and me back at work while he's still out, instead of waiting until he's ready to come back? AND I know he's gonna want the answers too."

"And Ziva?"

"Probably already chomping at the bit to get back to work. I dunno. I haven't heard anything from her about it in the last day or so. I mean, once she leaves out in the morning I call, but I get her voicemail." Tony replies. And when she comes back at the end of the day, somehow it doesn't come up.

"All right, Agent DiNozzo. I'll fill in what blanks for you that I can. But not here. And not just for you."

"Right. "I wouldn't be surprised if she's already asking the same questions." The younger man acknowledges begrudgingly. "We all need to hear what you have on it."

Vance looks at him strangely. "Not hear. Read. The report that's not leaving the building; isn't leaving my office. Stop by any time, read through it."

"Thank you, Director." Several heartbeats later, a question isn't quite as much as a surprise as Tony might think. "I'm ready whenever you are."

"Head on in, I'll be right behind you."

"Thank you, Sir."

"No, Tony. Thank you!"

"Director?"

"For your dedication, your commitment, your integrity, and for all you've held onto after all you went through."

"Not just me." Tony quietly reminds him as in tandem, they get to their feet.

Gesturing for Tony to head out ahead of him, Vance answers him with the same solomn tone, Tony's talking in. "I know. I know."

********NCIS**********

"Thanks, Leon." Gibbs snaps his phone shut and slips it back into his pocket. He's relieved to hear that Tony's asking for answers to his questions. It's no surprise that Vance is going to read the rest of the group into what answers he has about the day of their rescue, at the same time. As for him, he's not leaving Tim's room any time soon. The younger man is trusting him to be there for him, even if he didn't say so.

The fact that Tim's admitted to still having the nightmares, is anchoring Gibbs' feet to the young man's room tonight. While he's been here every night, he's apparently been stepping out for coffee refills at just the wrong time since he's not caught any of these nightmares yet. He should talk to the head nurse about his not being told about them by the staff.

As if on cue, Tim's head begins to toss on the pillow, his face etched in distress as his arms begin to flail as broken phrases and muttered words break through the silence in the room.

"No! leave them alone…don't hurt them!...got me…don't need …hurt them….not kill….them….blame me…."

Without hesitation, Gibbs reaches the bed quickly, only vaguely aware of someone rushing into the room to offer their own assistance. "Easy, Tim. Not there, son. C'mon back."

Instantly, calmness returns to the patient; all signs of distress filtering into the wind. Taking a minute to further instill that calmness into his surrogate son's subconsciousness, Gibbs cards Tim's hair as he speaks quietly in his ear. "That's it, Tim. Hang onto that. Okay? I'm right here with ya. Not leavin' ya, Son."

*********NCIS*********

"Try as I might, I've not had that calming effect on him a single time." Nancy Schmidt offers quietly into the once again quiet room.

"Why didn't you tell me about his nightmares still houndin' him?" Gibbs asks without raising his voice.

"I've been a nurse for a long time, Agent Gibbs. I learned long ago, long before I became Head Nurse, that it's important to look after the families of the patients, as much as we do the patients." She answers soothingly. "Believe me, if these nightmares had been more than what I could help him with, I would have told you. But what little coffee breaks you've taken during your time with him, were crucial for you."

"You've been here for all of them." Gibbs surmises.

"I have."

"Does Tim know that?"

"No. He's never once woken up completely."

"Thank you. For helping him while I…."

Taking his arm, she gently tugs him back toward the door as she jumps into his thought pattern. "Don't you say abandoned him, Agent Gibbs. That line of thought is only going to hurt the both of you and you know that."

With a tiny smile of acknowledgement that she's right, Gibbs stops walking as they step outside Tim's door.

"Tim will be fine for a little while. Let's go sit and talk in my office. Video monitor will let us watch over him from there."

Hesitating Gibbs is obviously not sure about the idea.

"Got better coffee than that old vending machine motor oil." Nancy offers with a grin.

Nodding in agreement, more due to the fact that he needs genuine coffee, than the willingness to be alone with this woman even if she is a nurse, Gibbs follows her to her office.

"My girls are doing their rotation through the ward. I'm monitoring Tim. Regular routine for this time of night." She shares with him. "you're usually too wrapped up in your thoughts to notice as you come and go for your coffee run."

Gibbs smiles vaguely, the from out of nowhere thought that this woman is beautiful, despite being completely white haired. "You've been makin' sure he got his rest while I was getting' coffee every night." He acknowledges that he hasn't forgotten her previous statement in that regard. It's obvious that she's taken that part of her job very seriously and he appreciates it.

"Just doing my best to care for my patient the way he deserves to be looked after, Agent Gibbs. And his family." Nancy relays to him as she hands him a piping hot cup of fresh coffee. Sitting down in her chair, she leans forward across her desk, leaning closer to where he sits across from her now. Her genuine interest in whatever he has to say is obvious. "I hear he's checking out in the morning. We've done all we can for him here. My concern now, is for you."

*******NCIS******

Not at all surprised to see the plethora of emotions cross the expressions of the group of people currently camped out in his office, Vance sighs. Yeah, he'd known this day was coming, but it still felt heavy and painful to see them have to wade through the details of how they were found; what it had taken to rescue them. He's not sure if it's those details that worry him more or the state that their Team Leader had been found in.

All of it's going to be extremely difficult for them to swallow. Hell, Vance will be surprised if any of them ever look at Gibbs as the cold, hard-ass they've always thought him to be after this. He's pretty certain, that they certainly understand the man's changed personality more now. The group in this room will most likely be the only ones in the Agency that stop looking at the man like he's grown a second head!

Speaking of Gibbs, he probably doesn't need to stress what he's getting ready to say, but he feels the need to do so anyway, quite strongly. "None of this gets repeated back to him."

"Why would we force him to relive this by speaking of it to him, Director?" Ziva questions in genuine confusion.

"Glad we're on the same page." Vance offers, willing to leave it there. He knows they care too much about Gibbs to do what he'd just suggested, but only feels confident about it now that they've addressed it. Watching as first Ziva and then Tony get to their feet, he's immediately concerned about their intentions now that they know more than they'd realized they hadn't known. Before he could even ask where they were going, they volunteered, their words proving they were in obvious agreement.

"I think I need to go hit something." Ziva quietly admits.

"Yeah. Same here. Let's go hit the gym." Tony walks with her to the door. His hand on the door, he turns to look back at Vance while sparing a glance for the M.E. "Hope you're not plannin' on lettin' Abby read that. She's already overwhelmed with tryin' to find herself again. Hell, she can't even bring herself to talk to any of us yet or visit Tim."

"If she asks." Vance lets him know she's entitled to the same truths they just got.

Tony nods. "Might wanna make sure Ducky's here when she does." Without saying anything else, he's gone from the room, leaving the M.E and his assistant alone in the room with Vance.

With his focus zoomed in on his Assistant, Ducky refrains from speaking to anything Tony has just stated although he's got plenty to say on the matter. He remains sitting next to Jimmy, patiently waiting for the younger man to speak.

Jimmy seems to realize this as he glances at his mentor. "Wow. I can't imagine what that must have been like for Agent Gibbs."

"Indeed." Ducky meekly agrees.

"I think I'm going to go on home now. Spend some time with Breena. It's been a long day." Jimmy informs them as he gets to his feet.

"Mr. Palmer." Ducky offers as he watches the younger man walk to the door, his posture erect to the point of near stiffness.

Turning back to look into his mentor's eyes, Jimmy stops moving and silently waits to hear what he has to say.

"You will call me, if you wish to discuss….anything?"

"Yes, Dr. Mallard. I will. Thank you. G'night."

This time when the young man turns to go, the older two let him go without further discussion.

******NCIS******

Stiff from sleeping on the basement steps, Abby gingerly gets to her feet and climbs the steps to the Boss man's kitchen. Without even thinking about it, she passes through his kitchen and takes herself to his couch. She's too tired to drive and there's no way he'd be mad for her being here now. Tugging the pillow he'd left on the couch up under her head more securely, she's fast asleep in less than a minute, a frown plastered on her face.

*******NCIS******

A tender smile plays on Nancy's face as she heads out of her office on silent feet enclosed in her nurse's shoes. She hadn't expected the man to actually fall asleep in her office but then again, she isn't completely surprised either. What had surprised her is the way she's been able to draw him into conversation, revealing little pieces of himself without him realizing it enough to feel self-conscious about it while they traded little tid-bits of their life history with each other It came as no surprise to hear that he'd been married – and widowed. The mutual loss of a child caught her breath in her throat and she'd struggled to stow it away for further discussion, if it ever should come up again. Through all of what he's revealed about himself, she's found that she's warmed by his mannerism and his deep blue eyes that are so beautiful, it almost takes her breath away.

As Tim's restlessness begins to manifest itself again, she hurries to his side; anxious to let Gibbs actually sleep. Double timing her steps she reaches her patient's bedside in a flash, once again, calming him the usual way she'd been doing it in Gibbs' absence all this week. Sure enough, with her usual array of calming words, Tim is once again sleeping peacefully, this time, with his boss doing likewise in the seclusion and quietness of the Head Nurse's office, merely thirty feet away.

*******NCIS******

"Dr. Mallard?" Vance asks quietly, completely keyed in to the fact that the older man has a lot on his mind in regard to what he's just read and what he's just heard from the others on Gibbs' team.

"Jethro certainly never spoke of this"

"I'd be shocked if he had." Vance remarks seriously. "Was a hell of traumatic day for him."

"For you as well, Director." The Medical Examiner reminds his boss solemnly.

Leaning back in his chair, Vance breathes out a heavy sight. "Yeah. That it was"

"Director, might I ask you a personal question?"

"You can ask."

"I know that you enforced the requirement that all of us speak to a Professional before stepping foot back inside these walls. Have you enforced that for yourself? Have YOU spoken with someone?"

Tossing his pen down on his desk, Vance closes his eyes in surprise. When he opens his eyes again, he looks directly at the Medical Examiner. "As a matter of fact, I have. It's the only reason I was able to step foot back inside these walls, myself….after that day."

His heart in his throat, Ducky stands to his feet and approaches the Director of the Agency. "I commend you for your sense of responsibility and your dedication to this team."

"They've earned it. You've earned it." Leon dismisses the compliment off hand.

"Nevertheless, I thank you." Ducky offers as he turns to leave. "As will the others when the dust has settled, though it may be quite some time before it does, I'm afraid."

"Good night, Dr. Mallard."

With his hand on the door, Ducky responds before heading out himself. "Good night, Director."

*********NCIS*******

Something pulls him from unconsciousness into full wakefulness in short order, leaving him feeling disjointed and confused as he looks around and realizes he's in the Head Nurse's office. Awkwardly getting to his feet, Gibbs stretches his back and rolls his head around on his shoulders to work out the kinks. Glancing at his watch, he's shocked to see that he's been asleep for the past two hours.

Without wasting any time, he heads to Tim's room, his eyes taking in what he can see through the door's window. Head nurse Nancy is sitting watch over Tim as the young man sleeps. With a smile of gratitude finding its' way to his face, he quietly steps into the room and nods at her in silent appreciation and acceptance of what she's done once again for Tim and this time for him as well.

Nancy gets to her feet and pats Gibbs on the arm as she passes him on the way out of the room. She's confident that he's rested enough to take over and she's done all she can for both of them so far. With a quiet few words, she lets it be known that she's going to be in her office, available for further help if he needs her.

"Thanks." He offers as he takes the chair she was just sitting in and sets it closer to the bed, straddling it and resting his arms across the back.

Smiling, she heads out of the room, closing the door behind her as she goes.

*******NCIS*******

Morning finds Gibbs waking up before Tim and again needing to stretch out the kinks. Stepping out into the hallway, he's surprised to find Sarah and Penny coming down the hall. It's been days since he's seen them and he knows Tim will be happy they're here.

"Agent Gibbs!" Sarah's exuberant greeting brings a smile to the Team Leader's face. The young lady rushes to embrace him, reminding painfully sharply of Abby's exuberance that has been poignantly missed this past week.

"Sarah." He manages to greet her without completely losing his breath. "You doin' all right?" He smiles encouragingly at her and her grandmother while he waits for the younger woman's response and the older woman to finally reach them and stop moving.

"I'm sorry I haven't been able to be here this past week, Agent Gibbs. How is our Timothy?"

"Being released this morning after breakfast." Gibbs shares with an uplifting grin in Sarah's direction. He knows she'll be bolstered by this after the traumatic first night she went through with Tim here under his watch.

"Cool!" Sarah gloats loudly. "So, can we go get him ready?"

"He's still sleeping. Or at least he was."

"Oh." The letdown in her tone is understandable but she remains in the hallway, obviously not wanting to just rush into her brother's room before he's ready for her visit.

Gibbs inwardly smiles at her restraint, feeling proud of her for it. Glancing at both women, he frowns. There's something going on that they haven't shared yet. It's in their eyes. They are sharing looks that speak volumes of a language he has yet to translate. Before he can address it with either of them, the On call Doctor enters Tim's room, Gibbs quickly heading in on his heels.

"Sir, I'm about to discuss my patient's updated status with him, if you don't mind."

"Ask him if he minds." Gibbs turns the table on the Doctor. His medical records state he's not to be spoken to or treated with out his family express presence and support."

"Ah, yes. I do recall seeing a report on the last debacle."

"Which is why you shouldn't be attempting to repeat their mistakes." Penny chastises him as she walks into the room and circumvents the man to approach her grandson's bedside. "Good morning, Timothy."

"Hey, Penny. Sarah." Tim greets them quietly, his brain still trying to come online since being unexpectedly awakened by his sister's loud voice out in the hall.

"Wow, Tim!" Sarah gushes with relief. "You're lookin' much better!"

"Thanks. Uhm, guys, do you think you could…let the Doctor here, do his job?"

"Certainly, Timothy. We'll be right outside, sweetheart." Penny steers Sarah out of the room, closing the door firmly behind them.

Glaring at Gibbs, the doctor holds his ground.

"Doctor, please. Just get on with it. He's not going anywhere and I don't want him to if he wants to stay." Tim implores the man impatiently.

"Fine. But, I want it on record that it is against my better judgement." The doctor huffs in agitation.

"Can we just get on with it?" Gibbs growls as he watches over his agent like a hawk.

*****NCIS*****

Twenty minutes later, the doctor is gone with no new issues to discuss and a promise to have his release papers signed and handed over within the hour. Before Tim can even talk to Gibbs about any of what might be going on with his family, his door is pushed open and his overly excited sister is bursting into his room.

"Tim, aren't you excited? You're being discharged this morning!" Sarah exclaims none too quietly. "I know yo..."

"Penny Langston, it's not bad enough that I have to hear it from someone outside the family that the father of my children has less than six months to live because of cancer but to find out the same way that my own son was missing for a week and you never picked up the phone to tell me?" A medium blonde hurricane blows into the room admidst the angry words she's unleashed– freezing everyone in shock – including one horrified patient.

The look on Tim's face is enough to spur Gibbs and almost in tandem, Penny into action, both of them stepping up between the one they're safeguarding and this new arrival who's not doing Tim any good right now.

"Elaine, now is NOT the time!" Penny hisses as Sarah steps up behind her to back her up, her face awash in anger.

"Mrs. McGee, you need to go calm down. NOW!" Gibbs quietly growls as he takes another step towards her, forcing her to step back. The staredown continues for several tense heartbeats, with more backing up to the door before Penny, satisfied that her former daughter-in-law has been removed from her grandson's room, confirmed by the unexpected appearance of Tony and Ziva, just in time to see that they need to help Sarah escort the woman as far away from Tim's room as they can get her.

Her heart in her throat, Penny turns to see how Tim's doing – only to find him staring at her in heartbroken shock,

"Why didn't you tell me?"