Thank you for your reviews. EarthDragon, I hadn't yet gotten to that part of the story. But thank you for pointing that out. Yes peritonitis, is extremely dangerous and can be life threatening.
Fornell was relieved it was something simple as appendicitis. Tim had gotten sick whilst in his care. It wasn't on him, as such, sicknesses do happen but he'd been going over last night in his head, looking for any clue that something had been off. But nothing stood out in Fornell's mind.
As soon as the doctor left the group in the waiting room Gibbs turned to Tobias. "Damn it Tobias," Gibbs swore, before looking over to his niece. "Sorry Em, What the hell happened?"
"He woke at 0200, trying to get up. He must have fell, he was on the floor when I got in there. Got him back to bed, he had a fever, nothing was bringing it down."
"How the hell did he get to your place anyway?" Gibbs asked, then apologised again to Emily for swearing. She waved it off, she was used to Uncle Gibbs dropping the 'h word'.
"We ate the pizza after DiNozzo bailed and talked about the non-specifics of the case. By the time, we were ready to leave, the heat, alcohol and exhaustion had taken its toll. We caught a cab to my place and I put him in the guest bed. Never thought we'd end up here." Tobias explained. He didn't tell Gibbs anything that he and Tim discussed, sensing the young man's need for privacy.
"I fear if he had of been at his own apartment, it may have been too late. We could have lost him Jethro. Thank you, Tobias." Ducky added into the conversation. "A burst appendix can be life threatening. It sounds as if he would have struggled to make it to his cell to call for help."
"Is he going to be ok, Daddy?" Emily asked in a small voice, as she cuddled into her Dad's side.
"He sure is Em." Gibbs answered for him.
"When he's out of surgery, I will let ya see him too." Fornell added, proving to Gibbs that he wasn't leaving the boy until he knew he was ok.
"Thanks for having his back." Ziva said softly after they'd been waiting an hour or so already. She kissed his cheek. "We could have lost Tim." Tobias noticed a softness around Ziva's eyes when she said his name.
"Anytime," he caught her eyes, trying to get a read on her. "Ziva" he said with a small smile.
Ducky went to talk with the nurse at the surgical reception desk, hoping for an update. While he was gone, Gibbs stood in the corner and took Tony to task for leaving McGee behind at the bar. Even though he was with Fornell.
"Where's his sig?" Gibbs suddenly asked, remembering they were off to the range today and he would have had it with him.
"It wasn't on him." Tobias said softly. "I stripped him down and put him to bed. Plenty of knives, no sig."
"I didn't see Tim grab it when he left." Ziva told them.
"He usually doesn't take his gun if we are going to drink, he double backs to HQ for it on his way home." Tony added
"I'll go to his place and pack a bag, no doubt he'll be here a day or two, before he's released." Gibbs said, "Check his desk at HQ too and make sure his weapon's secure too."
"His bag is at my place, you can drop his bag off there." Tobias said firmly. "He'll stay with Em and I until he can move better. He'll be pretty tender for a bit."
"He's my agent, Tobias, he'll stay with me if he can't stay at home." Gibbs reiterated. "My agent, I don't come sniffing around your agents."
"My friend, Jethro!" Tobias argued. "We don't have stairs or steps in our home, it'll be easier to move around in."
"Gentlemen!" Ducky chastised the rivals. Although they've been friends many years, they, on occasion still behave like adversaries. "Do I need to separate you two? Let's see what the surgeon says and go from there."
The surgeon came out shortly after Ducky broke up the disagreement and told them the operation was successful. Tim was in recovery and doing well considering his allergies to some types of anaesthesia. They had him on a broad spectrum antibiotic and some fluids due to mild dehydration. "What's his restrictions, doc?" Gibbs asked, wondering if he needed Vance to bring in a TAD or if they'd get by.
"He has four keyhole wounds, he should be back to full strength in approximately three weeks time and back to pre-injury fitness by six weeks. He'll have to follow up with me and have a clearance from me first." The surgeon looked around the waiting room at the people waiting for news. "He's very lucky you know, peritonitis can be life threatening. Generally it's fatal, if left untreated."
"Perita-what now?" DiNozzo asked. He didn't recall that being mentioned earlier.
"Peritonitis, it's an inflammation of the membrane lining the abdominal wall and covering the abdominal organs. It is caused by the appendix bursting. Even if the fluid is sterile, it causes inflammation and infection." The surgeon explained.
"I'd say he's extremely lucky," the ME added. "I would not have liked to receive the call to Timothy's apartment for my services." Ziva looked distraught at that comment from Ducky. "Yes, we'll you know what I mean, Ziva." He amended himself at the look on her face.
It took another two hours before Tim was settled in his room. Gibbs took that time to slip away and pack a bag for Tim anyway. He was actually thankful for his friend, that he didn't let McGee go home by himself. He stopped by the navy yard on his way back to the hospital and checked his JFA's desk. Sure enough his sig and clip were both in there.
"Gibbs," Director Vance greeted him. "I thought you and your team were at the firing range in Quantico."
"We were, but an emergency came up. Just quickly stopped by, but gonna need a TAD for a couple of weeks, maybe more. No more than six." Gibbs explained, trying to ensure he had a full team, but not wanting McGee to feel like he's been replaced.
"What's happened?" Vance asked, suddenly worried. He took in the look on Gibbs' face too, it was full of worry and concern.
"McGee is in hospital, just had emergency surgery. Appendix burst."
"Peritonitis? Is he ok?" Vance asked. He knew a young man from the war college who died from Peritonitis.
"Going back to the hospital now, Duck's there." Gibbs answered, then thought carefully whether or not to divulge the rest of the information to Vance. "Seems McGee was lucky, both Ducky and the surgeon seem to think if he'd been home alone, he wouldn't have survived the night."
"He wasn't alone last night?" Vance asked with a cheeky, half curious smile. Vance had known that the MCRT and Fornell had hit a bar to celebrate. He'd had a glass of whiskey when he got home and silently toasted the MCRT team. That was a tough case and they handled it perfectly.
"Not like that," Gibbs laughed too. "Although I'm sure he'd have preferred that kind of company, rather than Fornell's.
"Send Agent McGee our best wishes for a speedy recovery. I'll check in with him tomorrow." Vance said trying not to laugh at the mental image of Fornell trying to move a six foot two McGee around. "I'll have your TAD arranged by Monday."
Back at the hospital, McGee was settled in his room. The anaesthesia was still working its way out of his body. He was still groggy and although the fever wasn't raging, he still had lingering effects of the infection. With Gibbs still not back, Ducky decided to let Fornell see him first. They weren't restricting his visitors as such, but Ducky didn't want to overwhelm him. Emily followed her Dad into Tim's room, slipping her hand inside her Dad's like a little girl, not the thirteen year old she was.
"Hey Tim," Tobias said, as he sat on the side of the bed facing the young man, with one hand holding Emily close and the other hand ghosting down the side of his face. "How you feeling? Gave me and Em quite the scare."
"Hey" Tim's eyes opened and they softened. "I'm ok, Emily." He reached out to her and took her hand. "Sorry I frightened you guys." Releasing her hand, with a final squeeze. She surprised him, she flung herself into his arms and hugged him tight. Then released him quickly.
"Sorry, hope I didn't hurt you more. Glad you're ok, I was scared." She admitted.
"I'm ok," Tim reiterated. Tobias released Emily and she took a seat by the bed, Tobias remained seated, but was still fussing about with his blankets and his gown. "Tobias, stop." Tim cautioned. "I'm ok, but if you need to help. Can you find me some clothes? I need to get out of here."
"Absolutely not!" Tobias lectured him. "You just had emergency surgery for Pete's sake."
"I'd listen to him, if I were you." Gibbs warned from the door. "When you're discharged, you'll be staying with him.
"Hey Tim," Tobias said, as he sat on the side of the bed facing the young man, with one hand holding Emily close and the other hand ghosting down the side of his face. "How you feeling? Gave me and Em quite the scare."
"Hey" Tim's eyes opened and they softened. "I'm ok, Emily." He reached out to her and took her hand. "Sorry I frightened you guys." Releasing her hand, with a final squeeze. She surprised him, she flung herself into his arms and hugged him tight. Then released him quickly.
"Sorry, hope I didn't hurt you more. Glad you're ok, I was scared." She admitted.
"I'm ok," Tim reiterated. Tobias released Emily and she took a seat by the bed, Tobias remained seated, but was still fussing about with his blankets and his gown. "Tobias, stop." Tim cautioned. "I'm ok, but if you need to help. Can you find me some clothes? I need to get out of here."
"Absolutely not!" Tobias lectured him. "You just had emergency surgery for Pete's sake."
"I'd listen to him, if I were you." Gibbs warned from the door. "When you're discharged, you'll be staying with him."
Gibbs had arrived to see Emily and Tobias slip into the room. He watched the scene from the door, silently. It made his heart ache at the thought that Tobias had managed to break through the hard exterior of his junior agent in a way that he hadn't been able to yet. But it gave him hope that maybe one day he would. Maybe Tim would let him in too.
He saw Emily fling herself into McGee's arms, watching the relief leave her body. He saw Tim reach out reassure his niece that he was ok. Tobias was fluffing around his bed trying to make him more comfortable. It made Gibbs' heart smile when Tim asked Tobias to help him get released. All his kids were the same, even if Tim didn't see him as a father figure, yet. "I'd listen to him, if I were you." Gibbs warned from the door. "When you're discharged, you'll be staying with him. How you doing, kiddo?" Gibbs asked as he took Tobias' position on the bed beside Tim.
"I'm ok," Tim reiterated again, resisting the urge to roll his eyes at the older men. "Anyone would think I'd been shot with the way you two are carrying on."
"We'll leave you in Gibbs hands, I'll pop back for a visit this evening."
"I meant what I said." Gibbs said as he helped Tim readjust his position and settled in the seat Emily vacated. "I'd prefer you were with me, but it makes sense. Tobias' house is all one level. I have steps to get up to the front porch, bedrooms on the second level and steps to get off the deck into the yard. You definitely can't go back to that shoe box of an apartment. What is it, a six floor walk up?"
"Five floors," Tim corrected, knowing Gibbs deliberately got it wrong and was rewarded with a rare grin from Gibbs. "Probably going to need some help soon, anyway. Like the whole team help."
"How can we help? Right now the teams feeling kind of useless, why didn't you tell us you were sick?"
"Didn't matter, I'd been having pains for a couple of weeks, but my doctor kept telling me it was stress, that it'd ease when we broke the case." Gibbs lightly head slapped him.
"Rule three, always double check, McGee. That's what Ducky is for." Gibbs scolded him gently. "Now what do you need help with?"
"Gotta finish packing, and find a new place. Buildings going co-op. It's ok to rent, but I'd never buy it." Tim explained. "Haven't found somewhere yet, but I've organised storage for some of my stuff. Was hoping Ziva would let me stay with her if I didn't find somewhere in time."
"Give me a list of wants and needs and we'll get you a shortlist of rentals to look through, if you promise me, you'll stay in this bed and rest."
"Promise" Tim agreed and earned himself another smile.
Gibbs stayed until he was sure Tim had gone back to sleep. He dropped the blind two thirds of the way down, lowering the lights and closed the door on his way back to the waiting room. "He's asleep now, Duck!" Gibbs said as he approached the trio and Ducky offered him a hot coffee in exchange. "We've got work to do. He needs his apartment packed up, apparently, he's got storage lined up for his belongings."
"Jethro, he will be able to return home." Ducky interrupted him. "Soon, he should be back to full duties in six weeks."
"Buildings going co-op."
"Why won't he buy in? He can afford it?" DiNozzo asked, before he could sensor himself.
"Would you buy it?" Gibbs asked and instantly they all understood. Although it was an ok rental, it didn't have a lot of natural light, it was a one bedroom and was very cluttered with all his belongings in there.
"We'll help him find something. In the mean time, let's go back to the office, there's paperwork outstanding and things to be done."
"I'll stay a wee bit longer in case Timothy needs anything." Ducky offered.
"Thank you," Ziva added. "Give him a kiss for me and tell him I shall bring him a delicious dinner this evening."