Not beta'd; standard disclaimer applies

Next of Kin, Chapter 4 Close to Home

Tim silently grumbled to himself as he left the breakroom and returned to the bullpen, heading towards his desk. It seemed like everyone else had seen Gibbs in the hospital but him and Ziva. The director and Abby had arrived at the hospital the same evening as the incident, both of them staying the night, and neither one of them had reported to work when he and Ziva returned with the ship's captain. Abby had arrived an hour after they had, but no one had seen or heard from the Director today. After assigning Tim and Ziva the task of bringing the captain into custody for additional questioning, Tony had left for the hospital. At first Tim had thought it was a seniority thing. After all, with the exception of Ducky, Director Shepherd, Abby, and Tony had known Gibbs much longer than he or Ziva had. No doubt to everyone else, it made sense for those three to be the ones to visit him first.

That theory had taken a serious hit when Ziva had casually mentioned that she volunteered for this task so Tony could check on Gibbs. Tim didn't know how to respond to that. Why couldn't Tim be the one to check on the team leader and Ziva and Tony return to NCIS? He had known the team leader for longer than Ziva; why wasn't he given that same opportunity? As it was, he didn't know when he would get the opportunity to see Gibbs, not with Portsmouth being over three hours away.

Nothing was happening as it was supposed to, Tim realized, still wondering how this happened. Gibbs was supposed to meet and arrest an undercover agent, on suspicions of a forged passport and get the intel he uncovered during his stint as a sailor. The two of them hiding in a laundry room and having a bomb detonate in said room was the last thing anyone expected. During the three-hour drive back to the yard, Tim wondered if the body in autopsy was really their fellow agent, or if it was, if he had been injured or murdered before the bomb had a chance to kill him.

Tim knew that there had to be a reason why things hadn't gone as planned. All they knew was what they had been told by the crew: when confronted, Abog Galib ran and Gibbs gave chase. With Gibbs unconscious, and Galib presumed dead and in autopsy, what they didn't know was why the plan changed. Was Gibbs lured into the laundry room as a trap to kill him? Was their undercover agent identified and tricked into killing himself and potentially his contact at NCIS?

Since Tim couldn't rule anything out, when he and Ziva first arrived at HQ, the list of things to do was longer than his arm. But now, all he had to do was wait until the many searches he initiated found something. Looking at his desk, he sighed again. It would be so easy to sit down, fiddle with his computer, pretend to work on something while in reality he allowed his mind to think about Gibbs's condition. But that wouldn't do anyone any good. Not to mention the head slap he'd receive if what he had done became discovered. Changing direction, he walked over to Gibbs's desk and checked on his computer. He decided to use the boss's computer as well as his own in case he thought of additional searches that could be run. He suspected his computer could probably handle all of them, after all, it usually did, but with something this important, he didn't want to take the chance. The fact that he might've felt a little more connected to Gibbs sitting at his desk, in his chair was just a coincidence. After all, what other computer would he have used? He knew better than to touch Tony's, especially when the other man could be back at any time, and there was no way he was going to risk running something this important on Ziva's computer. If she didn't know what it was, she would have no questions deleting it first and asking questions later. No, it was only common sense and rational thinking that had him using the boss's computer. He frowned, he supposed he could've used Abby's, he thought before shaking his head. No, not if she wasn't there, that wouldn't feel right. Abby was very protective of her computers and her 'babies'. He would never have heard the end of it if something had gotten messed up.

Of course, she was back now. Maybe he should go visit Abby. Perhaps he could help her, it would be something to keep his mind off of how Gibbs was faring. Sitting up here alone sure wasn't working. With a sigh, he removed himself from Gibbs desk before stopping quickly by his own check the status of the searches. He then wrote a quick note for Ziva that he left on her desk, letting her know where he was before heading downstairs.

As a distraction, it didn't really work. First, he seemed to annoy her when he commented on something personal, then Abby suspected him of keeping something from her, which was never a good idea, but probably worse when she suspected it had something to do with her silver fox, especially since he was injured. He had been grateful when Ziva entered the room, hoping that they could get back to the case. He had been momentarily distracted when the two got into a cat fight before realizing that this actually wasn't a good thing. He tried to redirect the conversation, but Abby wouldn't let it go. Then Ziva made it worse by making a flippant comment, resulting in the two women exchanging slaps. It had shocked him and given him something else to think about, even if temporarily.

After making sure that Ziva was out of the lab, Tim rushed upstairs, hoping to take a break, grab some fresh air, and contact the hospital regarding Gibbs's status. He had talked to Ducky earlier, but if he couldn't see Gibbs with his own eyes, at the least he would like to hear it from the doctor directly. Rushing about lead to a disaster of another kind, when he slammed into Tony and caused the older man's nose to bleed. After apologizing repeatedly, Tim blurted out the first thing he could think of that wouldn't reveal his worry for Gibbs. He hadn't meant to tell Tony what happened, but by trying to prevent one thing from slipping, he inadvertently spoke of another. Tony immediately told him to assemble the team and Abby. He felt like a fool asking them up to the bullpen only for all of them to sit around waiting for Tony to return something he finally did, coffee cup in hand.

Tony began the conference in true Tony fashion, getting the girls to make up and then requesting that they get in a little tongue action. That had Abby and Ziva united more than anything else had, and they both turned on him, much to Tim's amusement. Tony then asked for an update, attempting to channel Gibbs with every word and gesture. Tim had finally had enough and couldn't keep himself from barking at Tony, which seemed to set Tony off even more. It wasn't like they were resisting Tony's leadership, they just wanted him to act like himself and not like Gibbs. Imitating the Boss only reminded Tim even more about the absent man.

He had hoped to escape to the hospital to visit Gibbs, but between the earlier incident with the elevator, as well as what happened during the 'conference' suspected that Tony would never allow that to happen now.

"Ah, Timothy, Ziva," Ducky greeted, as he entered the bullpen, jacket draped over his arm, and his hat in his hand. "I am on my way to visit Jethro, I was wondering if one or both of you would like to join me? I know that neither of you have had a chance to visit with him either."

"Unfortunately, I am unable to do so," Ziva replied, her eyes on the in printed photos laid out in front of her. "As soon as Tony returns, we are interrogating the captain. We are hoping he would be able to identify our suspect so we can get his picture sent to possible targets."

"I see," Ducky nodded in understanding. "Timothy?"

Tim was already standing up, "I would love to accompany you,"

"But he can't," Tony added, entering the bullpen, in a manner that mimicked their boss, "There is too much to do and he is needed here."

Tim sighed and sat back down, "Yeah," he reluctantly agreed. Even if he just popped into the hospital to talk to the doctor and visibly see for himself that Gibbs was alive and stable, he would be gone for over six hours. "I'm sorry," he sadly said, "Looks like you'll have to make that drive by yourself. Be careful," he added.

"Oh, it is no problem," Ducky replied, already heading towards the elevator so that the team could continue working. "I can make that drive in my sleep," he commented, before turning around and looking at them. "In fact, that reminds me of a time when I did do such a thing. It was a little after midnight when I re-"

"Ducky," Tony interrupted, pointedly looking at the man then turning his glance to the pictures on Ziva's desk.

"Right, another time then," he promised, reaching the elevator and pressing the button to summon it. "You best be off to interrogation, while I head to Bethesda," he commented as the doors opened and he stepped inside.

Tony grinned, "You heard the man, interrogation," he ordered good-naturedly.

Ziva gathered her pictures and notes and began the walk down the hallway.

Frowning, Tim turned to Tony and asked, "What did he mean, he was off to Bethesda? Gibbs was taken to Portsmouth, wasn't he?"

"He was," Tony confirmed, "But they transferred him this morning."

"What? Why?" Tim questioned. "I wasn't told," he muttered, cursing himself once again that his phone was temporarily out of commission.

"You're being told now," Tony informed the younger man. "The doc felt that it was best for Gibbs."

"But why? How was he doing when you saw him earlier?"

The answer he received, "Same," wasn't helpful at all, especially when Tony looked like there was something he wasn't saying.

"Same as in unconscious?" Tim asked, seeking clarification. Tony nodded. "But he's stable?" Tim questioned, staring at Tony, "Vitals are okay?"

"Yes, Probie," Tony replied, rolling his eyes. "The trauma doc said everything looked fine. All tests, scans, everything came back normal. Not much else to do unl-until he wakes."

"Then why move him?" Tim asked again.

"Because his records are at Bethesda," Tony explained.

Tim frowned, at that response, trying to figure out why Gibbs's records was such a big deal. Couldn't Portsmouth just get copies of them?

"The fact that it is closer to all of us, allowing for easier visitation, was an added bonus," Tony added before Tim could say anything else. "No one saw any reason not to move him, especially since he's being treated by a doctor familiar with his history and might be better able to help him."

Green eyes narrowed in suspicion, "You're leaving something out."

Tony shook his head, "The doctor said everything looked fine, normal," he repeated, when Tim continued to stare at him.

"C'mon, we have an interrogation to watch," Tony called over his shoulder, beginning to feel uncomfortable under the weight of McGee's stare. He had already began heading towards interrogation, where Ziva was impatiently waiting for them.

With a sigh of frustration, Tim quickly caught up with his teammates. He couldn't help but wonder why he couldn't have gone to the hospital with Ducky? With Gibbs now in Bethesda, he could've been there and back in less than two hours.

"I was a bit surprised that Portsmouth transferred him here," Ducky commented to the doctor, Captain Todd Gelfund, who had interrupted his story. "They have an excellent trauma division,"

"They do," the doctor readily agreed, stopping the ME mid-sentence.

"I do not mean to infer that you and your team is not up to par. I am sure that you will provide excellent care as well," Ducky rushed to explain, once he realized how his words could've been interpreted.

"It's okay, I understand," Todd reassured him. "They say doctor's make the worst patients, however, in my experience, I often found that doctors are at their worse when someone they care about is placed in the hands of another."

Ducky gave him a grateful smile, glad he hadn't offended anyone. "Yes, well, Jethro's been a good friend of mine for almost 15 years."

The neurologist nodded, "So, after Desert Storm," he commented.

"Yes," Ducky confirmed. "I did not meet him till after he left the marines and joined NCIS."

Another nod.

"Why did they move him here?" Ducky asked, no longer able to keep ahold of his curiosity, or his tongue.

"Because of me," the doctor admitted, causing his companion to look at him speculatively. "I treated him after he was in an explosion in Kuwait. His current condition mirrors the one he was in then."

"Condition?" A worried Ducky repeated, sitting back down in the chair he had risen from earlier when he discovered he had an audience. "I thought he was stable, that all tests were normal."

"It is," Todd confirmed. "It was then, too," he added. "Yet he remained in a coma for almost three weeks."

"Oh my." Ducky was staggered by this tidbit of information. "And you-they, were worried since he hadn't yet woken."

"There's no reason to believe history will repeat itself," the doctor replied comfortingly.

"Yet he was transferred here, to your care," Ducky pointedly commented.

Todd looked at his fellow doctor, not sure how to respond. Before he had a chance to formulate a reply, their attention was drawn to the bed beside them, where his patient was struggling to sit up.

"Easy, easy," the doctor said, trying to soothe his patient. "You are in the hospital, you were in an explosion," he continued.

"Welcome back, Jethro," Ducky commented, relieved that there wouldn't be a repeat of history, he wouldn't want to be the one to share that news with the team, especially Abigail.

Gibbs opened his mouth and tried to respond before reaching for the tube that prevented him from speaking.

"Would you like the tube removed?" The neurologist asked. At his patient's nod, he issued instructions to the nurse as they worked together to remove it. "There you go," Todd murmured after the procedure had been completed. "Your throat will be a bit raw, so you should only talk when it is truly necessary," he advised, before turning to the nurse and ordering the tests that were needed now that the comatose man was awake.

"Where's Shannon? Where's Kelly?"

8-22-2020

Gibbs is awake!

I know that Dr/Captain Todd was at Portsmouth treating Gibbs, but I needed a reason to have Gibbs moved closer, so, yeah, artistic license. And I know some people mentioned how Tony/Jenny couldn't give permission for the move, and technically, they didn't. They left it to the Dr to decide. I know, the doc should contact Gibbs's family/next of kin, but the way I see it, he was taken to the trauma center, they work on the premise of it's an emergency and do the best that they can for their patient, until such time as family can/is contacted. Given gibbs's current status and his past, that meant trading to a doc familiar with his past.