"Gotcha," there was a voice from behind him, and then an arm around his neck, choking the life from him. McGee clawed at the arm, trying to loosen its hold, trying to take just one more breath. There were spots in front of his eyes, bright spots exploding in his vision and still the arm stayed around his neck, rock hard and just as immovable.

"Nothing personal, Agent McGee," the voice in his ear said, "You just have the bad luck of working with Agent Jethro Gibbs. Isn't it a bitch when you get into trouble for something someone else did?"

It was surreal, to stand there, clawing at the arm, gasping for breath, and have that calm voice in his ear. Like the other guy wasn't even breaking a sweat, like they were talking about the weather.

"I'dask you to tell Jethro 'hi' for me, but very soon now you're not going to be able to say anything ever again. Too bad, really. You didn't have anything to do with this."

McGee could feel the darkness getting closer, dragging him down into its embrace. He struggled harder, fighting against the arm holding him. It loosened its grip, just a little. He sucked in a breath before it tightened again.

The voice laughed, "It's just like Jethro to let someone take the payment for him That bullet I took was meant for him you know. I should have just let him have it, let him die in the Iraqi sand. You know what he cost me? My son."

McGee could feel his knees give out and the world was spinning around him. "I've never gotten to take my son fishing or hunting… do the things that my dad did with me, you know. You know, you really shouldn't try to come between a father and his son."

And the darkness took him as the evil laughter rang in his head.

McGee awoke with a jerk, the laughter ringing in his ears, half expecting that arm to still be around his neck, choking the life from him.

There was a moment of dislocation as he tried to figure out where he was. Then he caught the distinct odor of disinfectant and he remembered that he was in the hospital after a nightmare encounter with a madman. He had thought he was dead. Breathing became difficult just thinking about it.

He was safe, he kept telling himself that. But what about Tony? He had left Tony alone with no one watching his back. Vaguely he recalled communicating something important to Abby, fathers and sons, but had she understood it?

It was dark and quiet in his room and there was a weight on his arm. He looked down to discover a dark head lying there. It was Abby, sleeping with her head on the side of his bed. Her hair was down, spread across the sheets like a silky curtain.

He reached out to tentatively touch a silky strand, just let it slide through his fingers. He smoothed a hand over her head, so glad to find her there. She fascinated him. She had a perpetual frenetic quality about her, she was always in motion, except when she slept. She slept with abandon, limbs askew as if she were embracing whatever the universe was sending her way. He loved to watch her sleep.

She stirred under his hand and turned to peer up at him with sleepy eyes.

"Hey, McGee."

"Hey, Abby." His lips moved, but no sound came out, she seemed to hear him anyway. Reaching up, she entwined her fingers with his.

"Tony?" he asked hoping she would understand.

"Gibbs found him," she said soothingly. "He's in surgery now."

"Surgery?"

Abby seemed adept at reading lips. She frowned, "It was bad, Tim, I don't know all the details, but he's been in there for a while now."

She smiled at him, trying to ease his anxiety, "You should have seen Gibbs. He wouldn't let anyone in or out of the operating room without proper ID and a blood test until Ducky went in to keep an eye on things. He promised to come and give me an update when they're done."

McGee's fingers tightened around her hand, "happened?"

"I don't know the whole story, but Gibbs said to tell you that you did good. Coffee's on him."

"Really?"

She smiled, "Really." She brushed his forehead with her fingertips, "You really need to go back to sleep. The docs threatened to throw me out the last time you were awake."

He could still hear the maniacal laughter ringing in his ears. He didn't want to go back to sleep.

His fingers tightened on hers and she knew instinctively what he needed to hear, "Don't worry, I'll be here when you wake up."

He closed his eyes then and floated off into sleep, sure in the knowledge that she was there to keep the bad man away.

It had been a long night. And it looked like it might be just as long a day, but for the moment Gibbs sat next to DiNozzo's bedside, just watching the other man breathe, feeling fortunate that all of his people were still alive.

It had been touch-and-go for a while with Tony in the early hours of the morning. His blood loss combined with shock and his other injuries had created a nightmare for the medical personnel to deal with. But now he was out of surgery and sleeping peacefully.

It was funny, but in sleep DiNozzo looked more like a ten-year old kid than ever.

He'd come so close to loosing him, Gibbs was sure of it. If DiNozzo hadn't kept his head and kept working to get himself out, Gibbs knew that he wouldn't be sitting at the younger man's bedside sipping coffee. But that's what made DiNozzo unique, he never gave up. He kept fighting long after the time when most men would just give up and accept whatever happened to them.

Gibbs had been reluctant to even let him out of his sight for the doctors to take care of his injuries. When they had wheeled him into surgery, Gibbs placed himself outside the door inspecting each and every person who went into the room until, at last, Ducky had volunteered to go in and observe. It had gone a long way to easing Gibbs' mind about the continued safety of his young agent.

Now, his team was all in one place, resting, in various degrees of comfort. Gibbs himself wouldn't budge from DiNozzo's side. He knew the other man wasn't likely to wake up for some time yet, but he just needed to be there and see to his safety, even though there was a guard on both DiNozzo's and McGee's doors.

Ben Morgan had been put in with McGee. His mother slept in the chair at her son's side. The rest of his team he'd sent to a safe house to rest, they also had a guard on their door. No way was Leo Morgan getting a chance to come at him through his team again.

He sipped his coffee just watching the rise and fall of DiNozzo's chest, listened to the hums and beeps of the machinery that surrounded him, monitored his condition, administered his medications. He kept an eagle eye on the people who came in and out of the room. There was still so many ways that Leo could get to his people. None of them were going to be truly safe until Leo Morgan was caught and put behind bars.

It was terrible what had happened to him all those years ago. Gibbs regretted it with every fiber of his being. It was one of his own personal rules, never believe what someone else tells you, always check it out for yourself. He hadn't followed his own advice that time, and his team was paying the price now.

He vowed there, in the silence of the room with the sleeping DiNozzo as his only witness that it would stop there. No more of his team would pay the price for his mistake. Leo Morgan had lost his one advantage, the element of surprise. Gibbs was ready and waiting now. And he wasn't giving up anyone else that he cared about.

A change in DiNozzo's breathing alerted Gibbs to a change in his condition. He leaned forward, watching the inert form anxiously.

"Gibbs?" Tony's voice was barely a whisper before his eyes fluttered and opened.

"You're supposed to be asleep DiNozzo, don't you ever do what you're supposed to be doing?"

"Hey, boss, gotta keep people guessing." With an effort he expanded his gaze to the rest of the room. "Hospital?"

"Oh, yeah, Tony, you're going to be here for a while."

"Nurses hot?"

"I'll leave that to you, DiNozzo. Go back to sleep."

Tony shifted restlessly and moaned a little. "Wow! That hurts."

"You really messed yourself up good, DiNozzo."

His eyes drooped and Gibbs could see that sleep was pulling at him, but he stubbornly blinked and gazed up blearily, "McGee?"

Now Gibbs understood why the other man was awake. "He's a little banged up, but he's okay. He'll be getting out of here a lot sooner than you will."

"Good." Tony gave a little nod of his chin. He was loosing his fight with sleep. He eyelids were starting to close and his voice slurred a little. Gibbs had to concentrate to understand, "He did okay tonight, boss…. I'd be a crispy critter if it weren't for him."

"From what I can see, you both did pretty good tonight, DiNozzo."

That woke him up again, "Really," Tony gazed up at him, eyes wide in startlement. "Wow, thanks, boss."

"Now, go to sleep, DiNozzo, that's an order."

"Sure thing, boss," even as his spoke, Tony's eyes shut and his breathing evened out. He slipped back into the drugged sleep his body needed to heal.

Gibbs leaned back in the chair, making himself as comfortable as possible. Outside the sky was just beginning to lighten on a new day.

To be continued...

And the story continues ;-) Thanks, as always, for reading!