Grim News

Tony DiNozzo had just arrived home after a short vacation. He had nothing better to do, so he decided to pop into the office to surprise his colleagues, a day early. No sooner had he dropped his luggage inside the doorway, however, than his cell phone rang.

"Tony, it's McGee," he heard the familiar voice say. "Where are you?"

"Home, McGee. Just got in. What's going on? You sound agitated." Tony started to worry. McGee was finally getting to the point where it took more than it used to, to stir him up. Probie was finally toughening up, and not a moment too soon, either.

"Gibbs has been shot," Tim said, quickly. "Kate and I are at Bethesda right now. He's in surgery."

Tony gasped. "Shot? McGee, what the hell are you talking about?" Tim sighed impatiently. "Shot, Tony, you know, with a gun?" The younger agent paused a moment, regaining his composure, then his voice became calmer and gentler, more like himself. "Tony, it's a head shot. No exit wound. Abby and Ducky are on their way. Get here quickly, please?"

Tony blinked. "I'm on my way, McGee," he said.

…………………………………………………………………………………

Tony arrived at Bethesda to find the team in the waiting room. Kate sat, leaning up against Ducky, her head resting on his chest, and Tim on her other side, holding her hand. On Tim's other side sat Abby, her arm wrapped under and around his, holding his hand and resting against his shoulder. Palmer sat back quietly, not sure what to do or say, but nonetheless feeling compelled to be there.

Abby looked up first, and motioned Tony to her other side. He sat carefully, and she reached over with her free hand and grasped his in her own. They all sat silently for what seemed an eternity, until finally, the surgeon arrived.

"I'm Cmdr. Tristan Webster, I'm a neurosurgeon. Agent Gibbs made it through surgery with no complications. It was a serious wound, I won't lie to you. But he was very very lucky. Had it not been for Agents Todd and McGee, he may not have made it." Kate looked up at Tim, who glanced down at her, wordlessly.

"He should make a full recovery, but…" he trailed off suddenly.

"But what?" Tony said suddenly, impatient.

"This kind of GSW to the head can be unpredictable. It's impossible to tell what, if any kind of adverse affects it might have on him."

"What are you saying, exactly?" Tim asked, sounding worried.

"He's saying, Timothy, that Jethro may have lost any number of functions. Amnesia, his hearing, perhaps his sight… At least, temporarily," Ducky said. An audible gasp made its way through the stunned group, as they took in the latest bit of news, trying to process it. "Temporary?" Tony asked, hopefully. "When will we know, I mean, at what point does "temporary" become "permanent?"

The surgeon sighed. "We won't know anything until he wakes up. Once he's conscious, we'll be better able to assess the situation and figure out where to go from there." He looked around at the worried group. "I want to stress to you all that Special Agent Gibbs is showing every optimistic sign we can possibly see. He's stable, there were no complications during surgery, and the bullet seemed to do minimal damage."

Palmer spoke, for the first time. "But it still did damage. And his cardiovascular functions did stop for a time." Cmdr. Webster nodded. "Yes, they did. But Special Agents Todd and McGee acted quickly. From what I can see, his system likely wasn't without oxygen long enough to do any real harm," he reassured the group."

"When can we see him?" Abby asked, squeezing Tim's hand a little tighter. Tim sensed her apprehension and squeezed back, reassuringly.

"He's in recovery now. I don't want him to have a lot of visitors, he's stable now, but these first 48 hours will be critical. Anything that could still go wrong will probably do it in the next couple of days."

"Well, can we at least see him, one at a time?" Tony asked. Tim nodded, adding, "For just a few minutes? Please?"

The surgeon considered a moment. "Okay, but only once he's awake. No more than two of you at once, and no more than 5 minutes. Clear?" Ducky nodded. "We are VERY clear, Doctor. Aren't we?" he said sternly, glancing at the team one by one. The group nodded.

"He probably won't be awake for several hours. There's really nothing any of you can do right now. For everyone's sake, I really must insist you all go home and get some rest. I'll be sure to tell him that you all stayed for him, though, when he wakes up."

"Thank you, Cmdr. Webster," Kate said, relief and exhaustion peppering her voice. She slowly got up, allowing Ducky to move for the first time in several hours, and Tony arose as well, and took Kate by the arm, leading her out. Abby stood, leading Tim up with her, and the two exited as well, still hand in hand. Finally, Palmer left, followed by Ducky.