Not beta'd; standard disclaimer applies; long a/n at bottom of chapter


Next of Kin, Chapter 1 Acknowledgement


Tony's eyes travelled back to the Emergency Room doors where they once more remained fixed for several minutes. His probie, his partner, the kid he was beginning to think of as a pesky little brother was behind those doors and he didn't know why.

"Boss, what happened?" Tony asked the man next to him for the third time, hoping for an answer. Again, silence was the only response.

It wasn't unusual for Leroy Jethro Gibbs to be silent, however for him to not give any indication that he heard his teammate's question, especially one regarding the health and status of another teammate was very suspicious.

Not much had changed since Tony arrived at the hospital an hour ago. All he knew on the drive here was that McGee was being rushed to Bethesda. He didn't even give Ducky a chance to say anything else. He immediately grabbed his keys, said "Meet you there," as he hung up and pocketed his phone and rushed out the door.

He was the last one to arrive. Abby had been curled up on a seat on the other side of Gibbs, clutching Bert, her stuffed hippo. A position she was still in, even an hour later. Little movement came from her. Occasionally there was the turning of her head as she looked towards the older man, seeking reassurance, but Gibbs was acting like she wasn't there, like he wasn't even sure where he was. This caused the scientist to clutch the animal tighter as she rocked back and forth in her chair.

Ziva was on the other side of the room, pacing back and forth. She occasionally could be heard whispering something in Hebrew as she clutched her necklace, no doubt saying a prayer for their injured friend. Part of Tony was curious if it was the same prayer whispered over and over or a different one each time.

Ducky, the one who had called the team to inform them of McGee's location was stationed by the nurse's desk, trying to persuade the nurse that as McGee's physician he should have access to his file, if not the man himself. Jimmy stood silently by his side in support.

Gibbs hadn't moved from the chair he was in, not to greet any new arrivals, nor to take a sip of the coffee down by his feet, that had no doubt gone cold by now. He just sat there, elbows on knees, face bent and buried in his hands, completely still, as if afraid to move. Which was ridiculous, right? Boss wasn't afraid of anything. Yeah, it sucked when a teammate was injured, but that's when you rally together in support and to find the one who caused it.

The fact that Gibbs hadn't spoken to anyone, not to respond to their questions, or even comfort Abby, greatly worried the Senior Agent. Standing up, he walked towards the nurses' desk, intending to ask Ducky to exam the boss and make sure he was okay. After all, without knowing why McPatient was there, they couldn't rule out that Gibbs had been affected.

"Duck," Tony interrupted, "Can I talk to you for a second?"

"Anthony, I do not know what is going on with Timothy, I have been unsuccessful in obtaining any information."

"Yeah, I know, but I wanted to know about Gibbs."

"Jethro? What is wrong with Jethro?"

Tony shook his head, "I don't know. All I know is that he hasn't said a word the entire time we've been here."

Ducky smiled at the younger agent, "Anthony, you know Gibbs isn't one for talking."

"This is different. He hasn't responded to any of our questions or comments. Hell, he hasn't even greeted Abby," Tony argued, no sign of amusement on his face. "Something is going on."

Ducky looked troubled for a moment, but before he could reply, a voice called out, "Family of Timothy McGee?" There in the doorway that Tony had spent so much time staring at earlier stood a Doctor, holding a medical chart.

Gibbs stood up so fast, Tony was surprised he wasn't dizzy or swaying. Before anyone else could speak, Gibbs did, "Yeah," he croaked out, "How is he?" For a moment Tony wondered if he needed his hearing checked, because to him it sounded as if Boss's voice was tinged with fear, concern, and a desperate need for information.

As he spoke, the rest of the team gathered around, eager to hear the news of their friend. The doctor looked at the attentive faces focused on him before glancing at the file in his hands.

"I'm sorry, I can only share this information with family," he announced, "Is J-"

"I'm Dr. Donald Mallard, Timothy's primary physician, could you share this information with me?" Ducky inquired.

The doctor flipped though the forms on the chart, "Unfortunately no. I do not have confirmation of that fact," he replied, invoking strong reactions from the team.

Abby clutched Bert tighter, causing him to noisily protest. Automatically she grabbed onto the person next to her, in this case, Jimmy, for support.

"Damn it," Tony muttered, turning away.

Ziva muttered some more in Hebrew, though Tony suspected it was not a prayer this time.

"Look," The doctor began sympathetically.

"I'm his father," Gibbs informed the doctor unhesitatingly, meeting his gaze. The two stared at one another before the Doctor nodded, "Follow me," he ordered, as he spun on his heel, Jethro right behind him, leaving a speechless and shell-shocked team behind.

"Wow!" Jimmy exclaimed softly, mindful of the fact that they were in the hospital, breaking the silence. "I had no idea," he whispered, his voice emitting the shock he felt. "Did you guys?" he asked, receiving glares from his coworkers that were left in the room.

"Ducky, why would the doctor not talk to any of us? Why only family? What is going on?" Ziva asked.

"I do not know, my dear," Ducky admitted, shaking his head.

"Oh, this is bad, this is bad," Abby muttered, as she started pacing, "He didn't even tell us if Timmy's alive."

"Ducky?" Tony croaked as Abby's words penetrated. "Is he…Could he be…" Tony's voice trailed off unable to speak the words due to the fear running through him.

"I do not know," he repeated mournfully, "Hopefully Jethro can find out."

Tony nodded, before the hope he briefly felt faded away, "Do you think the doctor will tell him anything? I mean, obviously they are not related."

"I am hoping Jethro can persuade him," Ducky admitted. "In the meantime, I will contact NCIS and see if I can locate the forms that list me as his Primary Doctor, as well as find out who his medical proxy is."

Tony nodded, "What should we do?"

Ducky sighed, "The only thing you can, wait," he advised. "Sit down and try to keep Abby calm. Hopefully we will have information soon," he ordered before heading to a corner and pulling out his phone.

Twenty minutes later when the doors opened, eager faces turned, only to freeze in panic when Gibbs was revealed alone.

"Boss," Tony spoke for all of them.

"He's hurting, but going to be okay," Gibbs replied. "Duck, you should be able to review his file shortly. I was able get the paperwork that listed you as his doctor."

"Ah, thank you Jethro," Ducky replied, holding up his phone, "I was trying to do that myself but wasn't having much luck."

"Can we see him?" Abby eagerly asked.

Ducky shook his head, "Not yet," he responded before Gibbs could speak. "You would need to wait until he is moved into a room," he clarified, turning to Jethro, "They will be keeping him overnight?"

Gibbs swallowed and nodded, "A few days, at least," he admitted. Turning to Abby, he took her in his arms, giving her a hug, "Unfortunately, Tim is restricted to medical personnel and family only at the moment," he informed the team.

"But-"

"Abby," Gibbs stated, shaking his head when she turned to him. "Hopefully this will be temporary and you guys will be allowed to visit soon."

The team nodded as his words. "Us?" Tony questioned, realizing Gibbs did not include himself, "Does that mean they believe you are his father and are allowed in?"

Gibbs nodded before turning around and heading back through the double doors.

"At least Timothy will not be alone," Ziva offered as everyone watched Gibbs disappear from their view.


Ducky, as his primary physician, was able to see Timothy while the others were still restricted. Understanding how concerned Abby, Ziva, and Tony were, he carried messages between Tim's room and the waiting area, as well as updated them regarding McGee's injuries and the plan for his recovery. During those first few days, they rarely saw Gibbs. Ducky confirmed that he only left McGee's hospital room when forced to by his friend or his boss. The team figured he was playing the role of 'concerned father' for the hospital staff. After all, what father would leave his son alone in the hospital? Not to mention, the likelihood that if he left, he might not be granted re-admittance if the truth was revealed.

By the end of the second day, the restrictions had been lifted and everyone was allowed access. Gibbs was in what Abby called full 'papa bear' mode. He still only left Tim's room when Ducky had agreed to stay. Tony had offered to stay with Probie so the older man could either run home to change or check in at work. The look Gibbs shot Tony seemed a mix of anger and disgust and shocked most of the team.

Tony was weary about that look. Usually if he annoyed Gibbs he received a slap to the back of the head. This look was different, it almost felt like his boss didn't trust him. Ziva wondered if they were missing links to this puzzle, something that had Tony shaking his head and laughing when she mentioned that to him. Abby just awed and teased her silver fox about how protective he was regarding the health of 'his son'. Gibbs, as usual, didn't respond, but once more focused on the man laying on the hospital bed.

Asking Gibbs when McGee's family would be showing up had triggered a similar look and caused Abby, Ziva, and Tony to exchange glances. Later that night, the trio met for drinks to discuss the absenteeism of said parents. Per the agency handbook, any injury requiring admittance to a hospital or restriction of duties had to be reported to the Director ASAP. The director and HR were then responsible for notifying the injured agent's next of kin and medical proxy. Tony was sure that the director followed protocol, but could not explain why McGee's parents were not present. Abby, remembering some tidbits that Tim had shared while they dated, speculated that as an Admiral in the Navy, perhaps his father was currently at sea or stationed overseas, making travel difficult. No doubt, they would rush to their son's bedside as soon as they could. Ziva, however, wondered if they had even been contacted since McGee's injuries happened on a Saturday when they were not working. In that situation, the agency would have no reason to become involved, she argued, other than being notified that said employee was hurt and could potentially be absent or on restricted duty.

By the end of the following week, Tim had returned to NCIS, on limited light duty. Tony watched the younger man, still curious about what had happened. As far as he knew, no one but Gibbs knew how, where, or exactly when Tim had gotten injured. He had tried to figure out what had happened, had even enlisted Ziva's and Abby's help in his investigation. Abs had tried to trace the GPS on Tim's phone, but apparently, the younger man had disabled that feature. The only thing they discovered was that McGee had called Gibbs early Saturday morning. Since Gibbs had been the first one aware of the situation, they could only conclude that McGee had called their boss for help since he would've been too injured to drive himself. Tony frowned, still not sure why Tim hadn't called for an ambulance. He had tried to ask Gibbs about that, but every time he mentioned Tim's injury, his boss glared and turned away from him. Tony, finally decided to follow Ziva's advice to let it be, when after the third comment about McGee's injuries, Gibbs not only glared, but slammed down his cup of coffee as well.

Within two weeks, Tim had returned to work, with no restrictions. At first, Tony often looked between his two male teammates, wondering if he was missing something, but nothing stood out. McGee and Gibbs acted how they always had around one another. Gibbs as boss, McGee as scared Probie, junior agent. Tony had thought about asking McGee about it. Okay, so it was more like that he thought about teasing McGee about Gibbs's 'papa bear' reaction to an injured Tim. But something held him back. He wasn't sure why, but he resisted mentioning what had happened to Probie. Maybe Tony was worried about Gibbs's reaction if he found out, after all, he still seemed to shoot Tony looks tinged with anger and disappointment. Maybe Tony worried that if Probie knew how much Gibbs did care it would upset the balance of the team's dynamics. Maybe…Tony didn't really know why he didn't want to pursue this, but after years of working with Gibbs and hearing about the ex-marine's infamous gut, Tony decided to go with his and let the matter drop.

The image of a worried and concerned Gibbs hovering over McGee was forgotten and things were back to normal when the team reconvened in the bullpen. Soon, it was like the entire incident never happened.


8-2-2020

A new story...hope you guys are interested.

So, was it just a play to find out how Tim was?

I would love to hear what you guys are thinking or even what you would like to have happen


Longish a/n: Yeah, I kinda lost the muse regarding 'No Accident'. It's not deleted and someday, hopefully, when I get 'better' I will continue it. Like everyone else, it's been a challenging 6 months (OMG is that all it's been?). I battle with mental illness, specifically bipolar disorder and everything that has happened has messed me up. Going though a time of depression (Like many others), wondering what the point and purpose of everything is. Life sucks when you really can't go anywhere except work. I've always (at least the last 15 or so years) have been kind of a solitary person. Granted,that could be because most of my hobbies are solitary ones-reading, writing, redecorating, etc, but being in house with 6 people, unsure of what's going on is challenging. At the same time, I liked going out...often went for lunch or too cafe's for hours where I would write or work on a story. My life hasn't changed too much, which is why it's so weird that it's effecting me so much, as I said, I'm usually a solitary person. It's probably the fact that I can't or shouldn't go to unnecessary places (Like Disney World) that has me so depressed and feeling disconnected.

I've spent a lot of time reading, but you can only do that so much before all the books seem to be the same. I haven't spent as much time writing, (though I do often think about the stories I have in the works), and hope that by posting this story, I can help myself get better and reconnected to life and the things I enjoy (BTW-I really enjoy reading reviews-LOL).

If anyone is feeling something similar and looking for someone to connect to, talk about things, stories, anything, I am available to PM. The only way we can get through this is together (yet separately)
W-McPenName