Truth 8
"Welcome back, Agent DiNozzo. Please take a seat. This meeting is going to be information overload and will move through a lot of topics, extremely fast. Please try to keep up, I have somewhere I need to be." Vance spoke to him super-fast. He had only recalled Tony DiNozzo this morning, but the ship he had been on, had been docked in LA and Spec Ops had collected him from dockside, and he had hitched a ride with SecNav on his Golf stream back to DC with an hour of his reassignment.
"Thank you, Director. I am a little curious as to why I was recalled from my agent afloat assignment rather quickly." Tony said to him, confused. "Your instructions to me before I left were crystal clear. Six months aboard ship, no less."
"The situation has changed, Agent DiNozzo. Agent Gibbs is on temporary leave until further notice, and I need an experienced team leader to temporarily lead the MCRT in his absence."
"When you say, temporary leave? Where exactly is he and what exactly is he doing?" he asked, thinking back to Gibbs' Mexican margaritas safari.
"That's his story to tell notmne or anyone else's. But I highly doubt you'll have much interference from him. He is truly focused on his task at hand." Vance surmised, remembering the anxiety that crossed his face when he had to step away from his son's bed last night.
"OK then, can I bring Probie back to the MCRT as my SFA? He did a great job and I had come to rely on him as my second in command last time." Tony asked, seriously. "Eventually, he will be ready to step up. It will be a good learning experience for him."
"I'm afraid that's not possible. That is the part of the return to the Navy yard, that I mentioned was delicate. McGee's in the hospital, he's in ICU in a medically induced coma on a vent." Leon Vance immediately filled Tony in on the accident that had put Tim there and the injuries he had sustained. "The case the MCRT were working on, I handballed to Balboa, I want you and Ziva on the accident. I have recalled her, too. Abby has the evidence. The state trooper told us there was evidence and an eyewitness that claimed he had been tailgated by a blue Chevy suburban. I want that driver found, yesterday. Am I clear?"
"Holy shit!" Tony exclaimed. "Wait, where's Gibbs? I highly doubt he had left town when Tim's injured that badly. OK, he's not as close as Zee and I are to Gibbs. But Gibbs does care about the man."
"He is at the hospital, with Tim." Vance closed his eyes and thought about the difficult call Gibbs had made to the Admiral and the callous reaction he recieved. "His family aren't coming. He is literally fighting for his life and not one McGee family member can come and be by his side while he fights to survive."
"I know the investigation is going to be time consuming, but can I see him first?" Tony asked, the shock and worry about Tim was evidence of the prankster's face. "Need to see him, I know I haze and ride him, but he's like my kid brother. We've had each other's back, no matter what."
"Doctor Mallard has medical proxy and Gibbs is making decisions on behalf of the family." Vance said delicately, tiptoeing around the truth. "Check in with them off the clock, right now I need you on the accident."
Gibbs had barely left Tim's side except for a bathroom or coffee break. He didn't want to miss a moment or an update. He was afraid if he did, he might lose Tim. For the first time since he lost the girls he realised, throwing himself into his work wasn't the answer here. He had to be here, not just to prove to Tim he wanted the relationship to work, or to prove to him, that he did care about his son, but because the thought of leaving his son like this, was literally killing him. Gibbs was afraid his heart couldn't take the pain, so he was staying put.
Vance had told him the plan, that Tony and Ziva would be recalled, they would discreetly work with Balboa to find out which one of those agents were the mole. It'd hurt the agency, not having Tim's cyber skills to help them. But maybe, just maybe they could see how much Tim actually provided on any given case and appreciate him a little more.
"Gibbs?" A voice startled him. Looking up and brushing the sleep away from his face. "How's he doing? Ducky said it'd be OK to stop by for a minute, that you haven't left yet." Tony asked, handing his boss the coffee cup.
"Not leaving him alone, Tony." Gibbs grumbled, taking the offered coffee cup. Tony noticed that Gibbs held Tim's hand in his. He saw that even as Gibbs drank his offered coffee, Gibbs didn't let go of Tim's fingers.
"This was no accident, boss." Tony declared. "McGee's the most careful driver I know. But where the hell is his Porsche. Why was he driving that beat up, old range Rover? Why were all his belongings in there?"
"Ask his roommate Sam? She'd know about his living situation." Tony looked at him, wide-eyed. He didn't know that Tim had a roommate or had even moved from Silver Spring. "The address is in his employee 201 file. Did Vance say if he had any luck with the Admiral? I tried, but ... "
"He didn't say much. Just the basic facts. No one is coming, it's just us. " Tony said softly. He was struggling to comprehend who would do this to a man like Timothy McGee. "Tell me he's going to be, OK?"
"I told him he has to be OK." Gibbs supplied. He looked up at Tony and saw Tony motion to the hallway. Gibbs reluctantly released Tim's fingers from his. He carded Tim's hair off his face slightly and whispered in Tim's ear before joining Tony in the hallway. "The doctors told me that I should get his family in to say goodbye. When Ziva gets here, I'll get you all some time with him, but I'm not letting him go that easily. It's barely been forty-eight hours. He hasn't had a chance to fight his way back to us yet."
"Gibbs, can the Admiral make decisions for Tim from aboard ship? As in call up and demand they turn off his machine without being here?" Tony asked, the very few things that Tim had ever said about his father, made Tony fear he would do just that. "I wouldn't put it past him."
"Ducky is his medical proxy, all decisions go through him and recently, he listed me as his next of kin. His EC is Penny Langston and Sarah McGee. There's no mention of the Admiral on anything legal. So, from a legal standpoint, no. But we're in a military hospital and we all know people will do a favour for a buddy, especially if that buddy is an Admiral. Duck's trying to get him moved to Georgetown Med. There's a top-of-the-line neurologist there. Plus, Ducky has privileges there too. Ducky and I are prepared for any legal battle the family throws at us or at NCIS. We won't back down without a fight, Tony."
"Gibbs, as much as it will hurt everyone, promise me you'll let him go if he can't fight his way back to us. If he's tired and doesn't have the fight left in him?" he asked, and Gibbs shook his head no.
"I can't Tony." he said truthfully. "I just can't. I hope you never understand why, but I just can't. Don't ask me to do it." Gibbs snapped. Tony's question had hurt Gibbs. A man he thought of as a son had effectively just asked him to let go of his biological son. He could not do it. He would not do it. Not after losing Shannon and not being there for Kelly. He couldn't sae them, but he could try like hell to save Tim.
"Ok, ok. It was just a suggestion. I just don't want to see him linger, Gibbs, that's all. I'm not asking you to pull the plug on him." Tony defended himself. He probably should have held his tongue. He had seen that Gibbs seemed more short-tempered than usual.
"You have an accident to investigate, DiNozzo." Gibbs said, his tone of voice and expression now ice cold. "I think you had better get to it."
Tony was shocked, he had never heard that icy cold tone of voice directed at him, no matter how much he screwed up. Even when he had gone undercover for the previous Director and not informed Gibbs. That was a tone of voice that Gibbs reserved for the truly despisable people. Not for him. But Tony figured that it was the Admiral who had pissed him of that Gibbs hadn't meant to take it out on him.
Of course, the fact that man is still walking around. This pitiful excuse for a father and for once, Tony was thankful to have the father that he has. Senior may be flawed, but at least he made an effort, even if it was his secretary who reminded him, unlike the cold-hearted Admiral McGee that Tim had.
Gibbs went back to Tim's room, effectively dismissing Tony. "Something is eating Gibbs. It's not just, Tim." he muttered to himself as he was turned on his heel to walk away and as turned, he ran into Leon Vance.
"Never underestimate the pain of a man who is grieving, Agent DiNozzo. Losing a subordinate, it's like losing a child. I imagine Kelly and McGee would have been fairly close in age, if she were alive today." Vance commented, dropping a subtle hint to Tony.
"Kelly would be four years younger." Tony managed to get out, his throat thick with emotion. He hadn't made the connection or done the math before, but the Director had. Gibbs hadn't been like this when Kate died... But maybe Tim had been onto something back then, that Kate was more than a friend and subordinate to him. "In another time, they could have been siblings." he admitted softly.
"Get some sleep, DiNozzo. This is going to be a marathon, not a sprint." Vance said, dismissing the recalled agent before stepping into the agent's room. "How's he doing?"
"No change, the doctors want to give him another twenty-four hours, if there's no improvement...wh..w.." Gibbs paused to recompose himself. He couldn't believe he was stammering over words. He hadn't done that since he lost the girls and before that, since he lost his mom. Tim got the stammering from him, he knew that. "We both know Tim does things in his own and ways. He just needs time, if you rush him, he shuts down."
"NCIS will stand behind you, Jethro. No matter what. But I know it's hard." Vance reiterated to the father of the man lying in the bed before him. "But you might have to let go, for the greater good."
Tony did something very uncharacteristic and it was something he never thought he'd ever do for a teammate. He went to Dulles International Airport and met Ziva's flight. Right now, they had an extremely shattered team and a teammate's life was perilously hanging in the balance. "How is he?" Ziva asked immediately, forgoing all pleasantries. As soon as her father had given her the message, she was immediately on the phone with the airline, booking her seat back to the states.
"No change." Tony said, pulling her into a soft hug as they made their way to baggage claim. "I saw him briefly. Gibbs is at the hospital. He won't leave."
"As soon as we have my bags, take me to him." Ziva demanded, storming ahead of Tony. She was itching to get to her injured teammate.
Tony and Ziva made light work of grabbing her bags and Tony literally shoved them into his car, as they tore out of the carpark and floored it towards the hospital.
"How is Gibbs?" Ziva asked. It seemed like a good question. Vance had told her that Tony would be team leader and that Gibbs was on leave. Ziva had no doubt that, that had meant, by Tim's bedside.
"Something is eating Gibbs and I think it's probie." Tony explained. "Gibbs is ... concerned. Concerned is not the right word, but perhaps, just perhaps it is. Gibbs seems to be grieving. Director Vance suggested it had something to do with how if Kelly were alive today, how she and McGoo would be the same age."
"It is possible. He has never referred to us as kids, but we know we are. And Timothy is the youngest of us all." Ziva supplied.
"Yeah, he was a young, green probie when we met too." Tony added, remembering the day they met Timothy McGee on the dock in Norfolk, with his mask and gloves on and how young he looked. He was barely twenty-one years old, back then.
"Maybe Gibbs is feeling paternal." Ziva suggested. There had been times, when she or one of the boys had been in trouble, that she had the feeling that Gibbs would feel paternal, when he tried to help the situation. "As i said, he has never referred to us as his kids, but we all know how he feels about us. That's no secret."
"Or he's feeling guilty. Did you know why you were sent to Israel? Why was I sent aboard ship? What exactly was probie working on in the basement? I highly doubt it had anything to do with what went down in LA and everything to do with the secret assignments we weren't given." Tony thought out loud. "If Gibbs had not of allowed Vance to break up our team, then Probie would never have got hurt."
"Sounds like you're blaming Gibbs, there Tony." Ziva accused. She knew Tony well and he was probably accusing Gibbs. Tony tended to lash out instead of reining in his emotions and compartmentalise them.
"Well Zee-Vah" Tony began, drawing out her name, the way she hated him doing. "He was here, and we weren't. Probie never ended up in a medically induced coma on our watch, did he?"
Arriving at the hospital, Tony led Ziva to the Intensive Care Unit, and he found that Gibbs had barely shifted from the position he had left Gibbs in. His fingers, still interlaced with Tims and low mumblings that couldn't be deciphered.
"How is he, Gibbs?" Ziva whispered and his head shot up. Gibbs wiped his eyes, not even bothering pretending that he hadn't been shedding tears.
"No change, Zee." he said, kissing the Israeli's cheek and pulling her in for a comforting hug. "Thank you for coming back, so quickly. I know you barely had time to settle in and see your family."
"It is our team, Gibbs. I would go to the edge of the world if I had to for anyone." Ziva promised. "Especially for him." She pointed towards Tim in the bed.
Tony and Gibbs exchanged glares out in the hall. "You can blame me all you want, DiNozzo. But just make sure you catch the bastard that's responsible for this." Gibbs seethed at his senior agent.
"At least let the woman get some sleep and food before we put her to work." Tony stood up to Gibbs.
"Goes without saying." Gibbs snapped with a glare. He had felt slighted that DiNozzo had really thought him to be that heartless.
The doctors came by again, but nothing new was said about Tim's condition. It was still wait and see. Ducky relieved Gibbs from sitting with him, while Gibbs went to his home and showered and changed his clothes. He packed a small bag for himself, vowing not to leave the hospital room again until Tim was awake.
Returning to Tim's room, he was surprised to find no Tim and no Ducky. He went to ask where Tim was, if he had been moved and the kind nurse half his age told him that Tim was taken downstairs so they could do an MRI of his brain. While he waited for Tim and Ducky to return, he paced the length of the room, from wall to wall and then door to window. Gibbs knew something was bothering him. He just couldn't put his finger on it.
"Gibbs?" Ziva asked, joining him in Tim's room. "Where is he?" she asked, quite concerned that he wasn't in there. She had taken Gibbs' appearance in, and he seemed agitated that Tim wasn't there, not to mention very stressed and not his calm and collected self.
"Having an MRI." Gibbs replied, Ziva handed him the cup of coffee she was carrying. "I need a favour. I think Tim was between places, he had his Porsche on a consignment lot and was driving that beat up, old range rover. I need you to find out where he was staying. Also, I think that you should make a visit to his former housemate and see if she knows anything. Her details are in my rolodex on my desk. Her name is Sam. See if you can speak to her boyfriend too, Tim and he had exchanged harsh words in the past. I told DiNozzo about her, but he's got his hands full with Abby."
Ziva was stunned, she didn't know that Gibbs had known anything about Tim and his life outside of NCIS. Gibbs had always paid little to no attention to the baby of their team. Their Geek. But then again, she didn't know if Timothy and Gibbs had remained in close contact while the team was split up. "I can do that. I came for an update on Timothy. Tony is antsy and getting frustrated that he has to deal with Abby's attitude and her erratic moods. She is all out of sorts because you have not been to visit her. Apparently, sitting here with McGee is not as important as her daily cafpow from you."
"I'm sure if she really needed to see me. She could come to the hospital to see me." Gibbs muttered. He realised that maybe, just maybe, if she really cared about his son the way she claimed she did. No matter how angry Tony was at Gibbs, even he had been to visit. Palmer; as busy as he is with work and school, he stopped by and dropped off a card and a balloon for his friend. "Did you get anything on the car that was seen tailgating him?"
"Blue chevy suburban." Ziva confirmed. "I am about to scour the traffic cam footage myself."
"I have someone else I need you to discreetly check out." Gibbs whispered, dropping his voice low as not to be overheard by anyone. "Agent Daniel Keating. He has been giving Tim a bit of a hard time lately and he was heard threatening and taunting him."
"If one of our own did this, he will never see the light of day." Ziva vowed to her boss. "I shall come back when I leave the office for the night. Please keep me informed if Timothy's condition improves."
All Gibbs could do was nod at her. He hoped that Tim would begin to improve soon. As much as he respects Bethesda Naval Hospital, he would be more comfortable once the transfer was complete. Once he was at Georgetown Med, he'd feel much more at ease.
He watched as his son's eyes fluttered open, not very widely, but enough to recognise him. It had been six days since the accident and three days since they had taken him out of the coma to see how he managed breathing on his own. "D'd?" a small voice from the bed asked.
Gibbs' heart was in his throat. Not only had his boy come out of this alive. He had woken up asking for him. "I'm here, son. I'm here." Gibbs answered desperately. He held onto his hands a with one hand and carded his hair with the other.
"Sl'py." Tim told him softly. His voice was raw, it sounded hoarse. Not the usual timbre his voice held.
"You can sleep, Tim. Just sleep. Soon you'll have your strength back. I'm here, not leaving you. You're safe." Gibbs reassured him using his thumb to expertly keep him calm. It had been a long time since he had used the dad thumb on anyone, but he hadn't lost he's touch. That magic touch that all dads have. Once Gibbs saw that he had successfully lulled him back under, Gibbs leaned down and kissed his son on the forehead. "I love you, Tim. Just sleep. The more rest you get, the quicker you'll get better."
Gibbs grinned like a maniac, as he pulled out his cell phone. It took three attempts to find Vance's personal cell number. Gibbs managed to send a text. It was only one word, but it conveyed so much.
Hospital
Ducky was resting in the doctor lounge when Tim's doctor had unceremoniously sat down beside him. "He's had no medication for three days and his boss won't let go. It's inhumane to keep him lingering." he sighed to the older Me. "Can't you talk to him?"
"I am on his side, three days is barely enough time, especially in light of his injuries, doctor. In particular, for that young man. He is a man that cannot be rushed." Ducky told the commander. "He's hardly lingering."
"Be that as it may, above all else, I have a duty to the Navy, first and foremost." the doctor snapped at Ducky. The elderly ME took in the doctor warily.
"I see." Ducky said before excusing himself. Tim's doctor had unwillingly told him everything he needed to without knowing, he had.
Ducky made a brisk pace, heading straight for Timothy's room. Entering it, he was relieved when he saw his dear friend Jethro, Timothy's father sitting alone in his son's room. "He woke up." Gibbs whispered, seeing his friend's concern. "He knew who I was. Called me Dad." he smiled through the tears the team leader couldn't stop from falling.
"I'm so incredibly happy for you, Jethro. But we have a situation unfolding." Ducky meant every word he was saying. Jethro took in his friend's dishevelled appearance. He was running on fumes. He hadn't taken a break since he got the call. "Can you please call the Director and request his presence here?"
"I am here, Doctor Mallard." Leon Vance had arrived at the door in time to hear that the young agent he greatly admired had briefly woken up. "What is this situation?"
"Timothy's Doctor insinuated to me that it he was frustrated that Jethro wouldn't pull the plug on Timothy. When pressed, he told me his first duty was to the Navy." Ducky informed them. The conversation wouldn't have seemed much to anyone passing by.
But to the three men gathered; it meant everything. "It's time, gentlemen. How soon can you get it set up, Doctor Mallard? Jethro, our base MP's will guard Tim's door. Only us three, plus DiNozzo and David can enter."
"I'll call my neurologist friend, Dr John immediately. He is expecting my call." Ducky said, picking up Tim's medical chart and notes from the end of the bed and taking them into the attached bathroom with him, locking the door.
"Did I hear you right?" Vance asked, then really looking at the team leader. It was clear by the watery eyes that he was right. But he wanted Gibbs to say it again, out loud. To feel the cathartic release, to make him feel better about his son's situation and become focused on the bigger picture now that Tim was awake.
"He woke up, Leon. Briefly, he knew who I was too. He asked for me, as Dad. Not Boss or Gibbs." Gibbs said, releasing the breath he had been holding in his chest. "He made his way back to us. He just needed time."
"That's great news, Jethro."
Much to Timothy's doctors at chagrin, Ducky had promptly and swiftly had Tim transferred to Georgetown Med under the personal supervision of the legendary Dr John Holland, the head of the neurology department and the most sought-after neurologist in the country.
It wasn't until the paperwork was done and Tim was settled in his new room at Georgetown Med, did they notify Tony and Ziva of the move. "McGee's old man?" Tony asked, trying to ascertain whether the Admiral had tried to intervene in his friend's care.
"Agent McGee's adoptive father is currently at sea on the USS Kittyhawk. We suspect that he has been attempting to make medical decisions from aboard his ship and against theTim's decree." Vance told Tony.
"Wait!" Tony exclaimed, holding up his hand to stop the Director. "McGee's adopted? Did we know that?"
"He didn't hide it, it's in his file. As to whether or not he trusted you with such a crucial detail or not, is another story." Vance told the senior field agent. "Now, you're in the know, it doesn't mean it's fodder for the cannon, either."
"Look, we both know that Admiral is a right royal son of a bitch. I don't have to be privy to every detail of Tim's childhood, to know that." Tony said, dropping his voice low. "You just have to listen to McGee talk about his childhood; when he mentions it, which is extremely rarely. The Admiral is always the star and it's not in a good light."
"Four years ago, he changed his file. He named Doctor Mallard as his medical proxy. Last year, after he was attacked by that dog, Ducky added Gibbs as his next of kin. His Grandmother I believed I was listed, but she is frequently out of the country." Vance explained to Tony and Ziva.
"HR wanted Kate and Ziva to both have local proxies and NOK's too. They both used Gibbs and Ducky." Tony reminded Vance. "Is he ok?"
"Update me on the case?" Leon asked, but his gruff tone made it seem more like a demand.
"Ziva's got the traffic cam footage. We found the car and have a BOLO out. Abby's working with her counterpart at the FBI to get a shot of the driver." Tony took a breath. "Spoke with the ex-roommate/ex-lover. Did you know he was sleeping with his house mate? Well, he was. She's pregnant, the baby's not his. Spoke with the baby's father and he had some not so pleasant things to say about probie. He had an alibi, he was in Canada, visiting his family. Passport stamps and INS confirmed that. As for all the belongings we found in his car, we think he was homeless." Tony had lowered his voice to make sure that anyone lurking in the hallway of the hospital didn't overhear them.
"Homeless?" Leon Vance asked, in disbelief. "How could a man like Timothy McGee be homeless?"
"I have a theory and you're not going to like it, Director." DiNozzo began and winced at the look on the Director's face. "When the team was split up; Ziva was paid by Mossad, at her usual Mossad paygrade. I was paid as a SFA agent afloat grade, and I am guessing Probie would have been paid as a probationary cyber tech grade. That wage isn't even half of what he was making as a JFA."
"Shit!" Vance swore and facepalmed himself. "I did this, I made him homeless. It was never meant to be punishment. We're hunting a mole. I had Tim in the basement on the encryptions. Ziva was following leads in Israel. You were afloat in case we needed someone to securely access any hash numbers from the pentagon."
"What we couldn't figure out was two things. One; we found some letters hidden in a false bottom of an old trunk of Probie's. why would he hide them? Two; why were they from Director Shepard?"
"I think you should call the rest of your team here and hold onto all your questions. It's time to bring Gibbs into this conversation." Leon Vance knew the truth was about to come out.