With arrangements made by Gibbs for Andrew's car to be delivered to his driveway, Shyanne's car seat is retrieved and installed in Tim's car. Noticing the shakiness of his agent's hands, the Team Leader switches things up and quickly has both Tim and the now awake but eerily silent five year old sitting in his own back seat as he drives them to the hospital to await word on Andrew's condition.

When they arrive at the hospital, Gibbs wastes no time finding a parking space in the emergency room parking lot and the three of them silently head inside. Walking beside Tim as the younger man carries Shyanne on his shoulder, Gibbs silently hands Tim back his phone.

Speaking for the first time since they got in the car, Tim quietly thanks him. For Gibbs, this is too unreal the quietness of the preschooler as well as the pall of sadness that's hovering like a shroud over his too quiet agent. But, he says nothing because he knows the only thing that can change this is good news from the doctors about the little girl's father.

Metro's case against the man's brother is air-tight thanks to Tim's quick action so there is nothing NCIS needs to do there. Children's' Services has promised to turn over every rock possible for more members of Shyanne's family and get back in touch with Gibbs when they find someone. In the meantime, all Tim, Gibbs and little Shyanne can do is wait.

***NCIS***

Standing against the wall several hours later, watching his agent as the young man sits stubbornly holding Shyanne as she falls back asleep Gibbs frowns. He's not sure what he should do right now because while he wants to be setting up his house for the little girls stay, he doesn't want to leave them here alone. The worst part is that none of his team is available to help him with this right now. Sighing, Gibbs straightens up and changes his focus. They can take care of setting up for her later. Right now, their focus should be on Andrew.

Sitting here in the hospital waiting room, holding Shyanne as she sleeps, Tim realizes her bottom is wet – and tacky as if she'd sat in….oh, God, she got her father's blood on her, which means…..oh, God, no!

"Andrew Edwards?" A doctor wearing the standard white coat now stands in front of him, Gibbs already on his feet next to Tim, asking the question they both want answers to. "What can you tell us?"

"We're here for Andrew." Tim throws out there. Getting to his feet, he turns and sets the child down on the seats before turning back to the doctor.

"Are you family?"

"Uncle." Gibbs says without batting an eye.

"Brother." Tim joins the charade without missing a beat.

With a look that says he clearly doesn't believe them, the doctor sighs. "He's in for a fight. He's lost a lot of blood. Also have to keep an eye out for infection, so we're keeping him in Intensive Care overnight. No visitors."

"Wait, no!" Tim argues as a reflex, thinking of Shyanne's need to see that her father's alive.

"I already told you – he cannot have visitors" The doctor insists firmly.

"His daughter." Tim points to Shyanne on the chairs behind him. "Has the right to see that he's still alive!"

The doctor glances over at the sleeping child and pauses. It's obvious he's actually hearing what Tim's telling him. His attention goes back to the young man as Tim throws something else out there.

"His room has a window, right? A door with a window? Something that will let her at least see him?"

"All right. Yes, his room has a glass wall." The doctor gives in. "Usually, we don't allow children back there, but I will make an exception; just this once. But, she has to stay quiet! And she has to stay with you! Five minutes – outside his room. That's all I can give you."

"Thank you." Tim's response is quiet and genuinely full of gratitude. Turning, he gently wakes Shyanne up with some movement of her shoulders and his announcement. "C'mon, Shyanne. Time to go see how Daddy's doing."

The little girl's head pops up off the chair and she quickly sits up. "Daddy?"

"Yes, Sweetheart. The Doctor said you could go see him now. For a few minutes."

"Just for a few minutes?" Shyanne asks sleepily as Tim picks her up. Snuggling her head tiredly on his shoulder, she yawns and reaches out to wrap her arm around his neck to hold on.

"That's right, sweetie. Five minutes."

The look on the boss' face says it all. Tim breathes easier. Since he's not an expert at reading him, the best he can take away from the look on the man's face is just that; this was the right thing to do.

*****NCIS*****

"Is Daddy sleeping?" Shyanne's question is quietly asked, as if she understands that it's not okay to be loud in this part of the hospital as they stand outside the patient's room, looking in.

"Yes, Honey. Daddy is sleeping." Tim answers her just as quietly, his eyes watching her for any signs of stress at what she's seeing.

"What are all those things?" She points to the IV monitor and the other machines near the bed.

"The machines around his bed?" Tim questions so he'll know exactly what she's looking for.

"Yes. What are they doing to him?" Her tone's not panicked, but it is getting a little louder as if she is getting upset.

"They're helping him. Sweetie. I promise. Daddy's going to be taken care of really good here, okay?"

Calmer now, Shyanne looks at Tim for the first time since coming to a stop outside Andrew's glass wall. "Okay. We're not supposed to wake Daddy up. We're not!"

With a small quiet laugh at her sudden take charge demeanor, Tim answers her. "You're right, we're not. And now that we've seen him, we're gonna go and get something to eat and get some sleep. Okay?"

"Okay."

Turning to leave, Tim leads the way with Shyanne now walking on her own, holding his hand. Trailing behind them, Gibbs senses the need to look back. What he sees when he does, causes him to stop in his tracks. "Take her to the cafeteria, Tim. I'll be there in 5."

Turning to look back at the boss in surprise, Tim's eyes widen at what he sees. A firm shake of the boss' head and a pointed look down at Shyanne and Tim gets the message. She's already seen him and has settled peacefully into the understanding that her daddy's sleeping and will be taken care of here. There's no need to tell her that he's opened his eyes because he's probably barely awake and barely cognizant. That disorientation would surely scare her more than anything.

Nodding in understanding, Tim leads Shyanne away as Gibbs turns to watch the patient at the center of all their concern, through the window. He feels for him, the loss of his wife and child already connecting them on the degree of shared grief few others the older man is surrounded by on a daily basis can ever hope to understand. Losing your mother at the same time, in the same tragic accident had to have been pure hell for this young man. And if he had a good relationship with his daughters' other grandmother, well, then the hell he'd gone through had to be even greater. This guy's been through the wringer. You can't help but feel for him.

Unexpectedly, a voice close by him breaks into Gibbs' thoughts. "Looks like he's wanting to talk to you. You can go on in. But keep it brief."

Glancing at the nurse that's come to stand beside him, Gibbs nods. "Thanks."

He heads into the room and walks over to the bed. Sure enough, Andrew is awake and looking like he's got something important to say. Before the agent can say anything, the patient begins to speak.

"Shy….ok?"

"She's fine."

"Who….you?"

"NCIS Special Agent Gibbs. You met Agent McGee at the park. He works for me."

"My keys and wallet?"

I'm sure they're with the rest of your clothes."

"Key… my house… you can….take….keep Shy….there..."

"We'll take care of it. We'll take care of her."

Andrew nods, his eyes beginning to slide closed again. "Plse….don't let….my famly….get Shy."

"No one is taking your daughter away from you, Mr. Edwards. " Gibbs vows. "We'll keep her safe until you're out of here and ready to have her back."

"Thank….u."

Watching as the wounded man is pulled back under by the exhaustion and need for healing sleep his body is craving, Gibbs stands to his feet and heads out, needing to locate the man's belongings. As soon as he gets what they need, they can head out. Whipping out his phone, he makes a few calls as he walks; one to put in a request to Metro to secure the patient's well-being with a guard outside his hospital room and the other to the woman from Children's' Services, offering her the update on this family's obviously complicated situation.

*****NCIS*****

"What's your name?" Shyanne asks boldly as Gibbs joins the quiet pair at the table in the dining room some fifteen minutes later.

"Gibbs." The silver-haired man answers her with a gentle smile as he watches her gulp down her cup of milk.

"Mr. Gibbs, are we going to stay with you?" Shyanne asks without a hint of sadness as soon as she's done drinking. She knows Daddy is upstairs sleeping and safe so she's calm now.

Tim's eyes come off the child and move over to his boss' expression. Gibbs appears to be silently waiting for him to respond to that. "I can take care of her at my place. If I can get a few days off, Boss. If need be I can get Sarah to help look after her so I don't have to miss much work at all."

Shyanne's eyes go wide. "Who's Sara? Oops. I'm sorry. Shyanne's not suppsd to interrupt."

"Thank you for the apology, Shyanne. Sarah is my sister." Tim replies without missing a beat. He did, after all, help instill manners in his sister when he spent countless hours babysitting her and helping to raise her while his father was away. He knows the value of maintaining consistency in child rearing rules. Hearing what the child is already familiar with just made it all that much more simple to get in line with it without missing a step.

"Do you give me?" Shyanne asks hesitantly.

"Do I give you what, Sweetie?" The young man asks with confusion.

"Do you give me for interrupting you?" Shyanne asks with worry in her tone.

"Oh. Yes. I for give you." Tim offers with a smile as he realizes what she means. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you that already."

"It's okay. I give you." She replies without hesitation and a slight shrug of her shoulders that rustles a smirk out of Gibbs.

The child's cheerfulness is contagious and soon both men sitting there with her are sporting small smiles of their own as they watch her dig in hungrily to the plate of French fries and grilled chicken strips Tim had gotten for her to eat. Seeing her licking her fingers with utter enjoyment broadens those smiles as they revel in her ability to enjoy the moment to the fullest.

Seeing that Tim has no food or even coffee in front of him, Gibbs silently gets up from the table and goes in search of something the younger man can put on his stomach. The guy's a bundle of nerves; that much is obvious, but he's still gotta eat. A few minutes later, the Team Leader returns to the table with a pre-wrapped sandwich and a cup of coffee, sweetened heavily and lightened with a double shot of cream, setting the items down in front of his agent without saying a word.

As the sandwich and coffee appear in front of him, Tim's focus shifts back to Gibbs. "Thanks, Boss."

He's not sure why but he feels like he's walking in quicksand here. For the umpteenth time since this first happened, he's grateful beyond measure that the boss is here. What's even more helpful is the feeling that the man's not planning on going anywhere just yet.

With just a nod, Gibbs accepts the thanks and sits back down and scrutinizes the younger man silently for a minute.

It's not long before Tim's next observation proves that he's clued in to what Gibbs is thinking. "You don't agree with that idea."

"Got more room at my place and a yard. Closer to everything…the team...here." Gibbs observes. With Andrew's request that he and Tim not let anyone in his family get their hands on his daughter, there's no way they're staying at the man's house, but that doesn't mean they can't go there and get what they need to take care of the little girl. The phone call's already been made, securing Metro's cooperation in clearing the house and keeping watch so that when they get there, no surprises will jump out at them.

Looking down at his coffee, Tim thinks about this and the fact that this man in front of him who has suffered the soul-wrenching loss of a daughter himself, is opening his home and himself up to another child; one that's not his own. The last thing Tim wants to do is make light of that. Raising his head up, he nods as he looks his boss straight on. "Thank you."

Another short nod is all there is left on that conversation before the Team Leader diverts their discussion to moving forward. "Team's not available so it's just you and me. Feel like shopping?"

"Sure. Guess we need a lot of stuff. What store do you have in mind?"

"Not a store." Gibbs says with a slight smirk as he holds out his hand with a key in it. "Ready to go?" He asks Shyanne with an encouraging smile. The Team Leader once again mentally sends up a silent thank you that it had been easy to pick the house key from he few others on the sparsely populated key chain in Andrew's belongings. The only two other keys on there had been obvious in their own rite; a truck key and a storage lock key that looked anything but like a house key.

"You got the key to his place?" Tim's shocked and relieved all at the same time.

"Daddy's key?" Shyanne speaks for the first time in a few minutes. She excitedly gets to her feet, jumping up and down in place. "We're going to my house?"

"We'll talk about it on the way." Gibbs reassures her as he waits to see whose hand she'll take. It's a lift to his heart when she takes both of their hands in hers, the three of them walking together through the halls of the hospital as they head out.

*****NCIS*****

As Gibbs drives, Tim's lost in his thoughts while Shyanne sings to herself in the backseat. If they have a key to the house, why would Gibbs suggest they keep the preschooler at his house instead of her own? Right, Shyanne's uncle did try to kill her father today. So is she in danger now? Wait does that mean….

"Boss,…?"

"Metro's got it covered. He's fine. House is secure." The Team Leader offers quietly so as to not draw the five year old in the back seat into the conversation or give her something to worry about. "We go in, get what we need, get out."

Tim nods, in awe of the fact that not only has Gibbs read his mind without being off base; but also has gotten ahead of the situation, apparently. This also brings to mind that there's obviously a lot more going on here than Tim's aware of. He hopes that gets cleared up before too much more time goes by.

*****NCIS*****

Reaching the house a short time later, Tim is shocked to see that although it's small, it's absolutely spotless inside, the walls covered in photos of the once happy family of four in all typical stages of the two beautiful little girls' lives. It's clear that the five-year old's little sister was just as precious and gorgeous as Shyanne; her blue eyes and blonde hair a surprise from two dark haired parents.

Another wall full of photos showcases the little girls' mother's family. Just as the younger child obviously inherited her looks from her uncle and maternal grandmother, it's obvious that Shyanne got hers from her maternal grandfather in addition to her father, if the photos told the story correctly. Still more photos with Andrew and his wife along with their mothers with both little girls testify to just how much both grandmothers were loved by all four members of this immediate family.

An Armed Services Flag is framed with the wife's father's name engraved on it, along with a framed print dated a year before Shyanne was born, that cites cancer's unfortunate double-barreled win over the man's life drives home to both agents, just how much this little girl has lost; how much her father has lost.

There are very few photos here of Andrew's side of the family. In fact there are only two. One is that of the same slender, good-looking woman found in the other photos with the girls; this time with three young men surrounding her in a way that makes it clear she is their mother. It's easy to see Andrew in the photo and his attacker as well. But there's a third young man here and that bears investigating later. The second photo seems to make a mockery of the here and now, showing two baby boys one much older but still very much a baby in his own rite. It's a sad situation spelled out in photographs.

****NCIS****

Following Shyanne up the stairs when she says her bedroom is up there, Tim glances back at the boss where he's perusing the family's photographic history, before focusing once again on the little girl running up the stairs before him. When they reach her bedroom, Tim has to blink away the blurriness from his vision at the sight of the huge portrait hanging there of both little girls with the beautiful woman who Shyanne strongly resembles.

"That's me and Kira with Mommy." Shyanne says sadly as she takes Tim's hand while still holding her doll from the car ride in her other hand. "I really miss them."

"I know, Honey." Tim tries to soothe her as he leads her away from the photo. He knows he has to keep her thinking in the here and now to save her from getting bogged down in the sadness and grief. Keeping his voice as cheerful as he can, he turns her attention where he needs it to go. "You ready to get some of your things so we can go to Agent Gibbs' house?"

"Why can't Shyanne sleep in her own bed?" The little girl asks in confusion.

"Well, because your daddy wanted us to keep you company while he can't. And we want to do that where we'll be a lot closer to your daddy. That way when he's ready for visitors tomorrow, you can go see him sooner."

"I can go see him?" Shyanne's hope just to be able to see her father in the hospital is heartbreaking when the proof of everything else she's already lost surrounds them here.

"Yes." Tim manages while swallowing hard around the lump in his throat.

"That's awesome!" She cheers. In the next breath, she drops the doll from her hand and dances in place on both feet before running out of the room, calling out as she moves. "Shyanne has to go potty first!"

*****NCIS*****

Tim's breathing out a sigh of relief that he finally got Shyanne to change into a fresh pair of underwear and pants by getting her to show him where they were kept and asking her tell him which ones she wanted while she was in the bathroom. A quick open of the door and tossing the clothes inside the bathroom before shutting the door had gotten the job done, with a peal of laughter from the child. "Mr. Tim, you're so silly! You threw my panties in the tub."

"Sorry, Shyanne. Can you get them without falling in?" Tim had asked with worry he hadn't been able to hide.

"Yes! Shyanne's a big girl!"

"I know, Honey. But I need you to be careful anyway Okay?"

"Yes. Sir."

"Thank you."

A few minutes later and a quick request that she put the wet ones in the bag he handed her, and everything there is okay now.

****NCIS****

With a suitcase full of Shyanne's clothes and big gym bag full of toys and games that are familiar and comforting to her, they're on their way to Gibbs' house. Tim's not surprised to see that the boss had raided the kitchen cabinets and freezer while he and Shyanne had been busy upstairs. With food that the preschooler s already used to eating, this temporary situation should go over easier for her.

It's been a long day but she slept for a long time earlier so there's no telling when she'll fall asleep. Carrying her in the house, Tim sets her down on her feet inside the front door. Gibbs beckons to her as he heads to the living room floor, where he sets one of the gym bags with her toys in it down in front of her. "Have at it." He smiles at her before he walks over to the television and turns it on low enough that she can still hear it for background noise. She's used to a noisy house in all probability so if it's too quiet here, it might spook her.

Bringing in the rest of Shyanne's stuff, Tim's shocked to find a Disney movie playing on the boss' television when he comes inside for the last time, shucking off his coat inside the front door. Hearing the familiar music, he takes himself to the living room to check on the little girl's reaction to a movie versus the toys. He's pleasantly surprised to find she's engrossed in her toys even as she sings to the music.

Gesturing from beside him, Gibbs draws the younger man into the kitchen where he points him toward the freshly made coffee. Watching Tim fix himself a cup of caffeine the way he likes it, the Team Leader lays everything out on the table that he knows about this situation. Filling Tim in on what Andrew has requested means knowing that it will amp up the younger man's concern for the little girl playing safely in the next room. That's a good thing. It will keep them both on their toes. With one spoken concern regarding the accident that claimed four lives, all of whom were extremely close to Shyanne, Tim lets the rest sink in without comment.

A few short moments later, Tim's once again watching the preschooler play while Gibbs heads upstairs to get the guest room ready for his pint sized guest. It's not long before the boss comes back down stairs, bringing him a fresh cup of coffee as he joins them in the living room. They don't interfere with her and they're not surprised she's become at ease with individual play. Becoming an only child has obviously made that necessary. Silently, the two of them watch Shyanne play herself and her stuffed animals and dolls into sleep long after 2300 hours.

Without a word, Gibbs gets to his feet and scoops the little girl up, carrying her up to her temporary bed, leaving Tim downstairs with time to think and a hell of a lot to think about.

.

******NCIS******

"Somethin' on your mind?" Gibbs asks into the silence that has taken over his living room. He's come back downstairs from making sure Shyanne was sleeping deeply enough that she wasn't going to wake up soon, to find the young man standing at his sliding glass doors, looking anything but all right.

Tim sighs as he shakes his head, turning to face the boss. He's upset with himself because if Gibbs hadn't shown up when he had….well, there's no question he'd have lost control of the situation – and been forced to break his promise to Shyanne. On top of that, the sinking suspicion that Shyanne should never have been left to deal with her father's injury on her own is beginning to weigh on him like a huge anchor.

Wherever the boss has willingly stepped in here, Tim's stood silently by and let him because this is touching such a personal note for the man that it feels wrong to do otherwise. Sure Shyanne trusted Tm at first, but she has no problem with trusting or feeling safe with Gibbs either, so it's a win-win situation. Which means that while Gibbs has been settling her into bed Tim's been re-examining her clothes from earlier in the day. It is blood on her pants.

Which can only mean one thing. It was wrong for Tim to handle that situation by using a five year old little girl to stem the bleeding the way he did. He's damned lucky that Shyanne wasn't bothered by the state of her clothing. But, he's not letting himself off the hook nearly as easy as that. Which is why he can only shake his head in a negative answer to the boss' question. Sure, there's something on his mind, but he damned sure can't talk about it right now.

Gibbs sighs tiredly. He knows his agent enough to know guilt sitting on his shoulders when he sees it. The question is: guilt about what? Glancing around the room as a way to give himself some time to pull his thoughts together, he spies the preschooler's clothes sitting haphazardly on the bag they'd been carried here in from the child's house. Walking over to them, he looks more closely at the pants sitting on top. There's his answer because that's clearly blood and that can only mean one thing.

"She moved around, dislodged the jacket."

"It's my fault" Tim replies quietly but with enough weight that it's impossible to miss the guilt he's already feeling.

"How?"

"I never told her not to move the jacket. I only told her not to wiggle or get up. He wouldn't have lost as much blood as he did if I'd stayed with him instead of running after his attacker!"

"Second guessing yourself won't change anything. Tim. You did what you thought was right. Her father recovering and he's gonna be fine."

"Being in Intensive care because you lost too much blood is not fine, Boss!" Tim's anquish is unmistakable even as he fights to keep his voice down.

**Thwack**

The non-verbal message lacked any real strength. Tim looks intently at his boss, waiting for what he knows is the forthcoming explanation. Sure enough, less than two heartbeats later, he hears it.

"It's better than it would have been if you hadn't been there!"

The silence that descends between them as Tim processes that truth isn't a comfortable one but it does give them space to breathe. Thankfully, it's not long before that silence is broken.

"I know." The younger man sighs with resignation. The boss is right on all counts here. None of what he's thinking changes anything. Even as he mentally chastises himself, the older man begins speaking again. What he hears shocks Tim completely.

"I probably woulda done the same thing."

"Really?" Tim's response slips out without a filter. It's not like the boss to placate someone but this situation doesn't sound like something he would have handled the same way either, so skepticism is ruling the moment.

"You did good, Tim. But your focus should be on that little girl upstairs."

"I know, Boss."

With a nod, the discussion is dropped. Nodding at the clothes on the table, Gibbs heads out of the room. "Clean up. Then get some sleep. Got a long day tomorrow."

Picking up in the living room, Tim heads upstairs and plants himself in the chair by Shyanne's bed, his feet propped up on the end of the bed. If she needs someone to chase away her bad dreams, he'll be here.

***NCIS***

Checking on Shyanne a while later, Gibbs isn't surprised to find Tim sleeping in the chair by her bed with his feet propped up on the bed. But he is proud of him for it. He slips a pillow up behind the younger man's head and drapes a light blanket over the rest of him to keep off the chill before stopping in the doorway.

Standing here looking at that angelic face on the sleeping child, Gibbs smiles. It's been easy to feel like he has to be there for her. She's vulnerable and such a joy to be around and obviously in need of being given a safe environment. But he does need to back away enough to let Tim do the work on this. He's who the little girl bonded with. This is just temporary and no one is out to replace her father.

Andrew is going to recover. It's as simple as that. This….is just temporary. Besides, his focus needs to be on keeping Tim focused and steady on his feet as the younger man finds his way through this task of looking after Shyanne while her father cannot; not on running roughshod over him to do it for him. Time to back off and let his agent step up like he's fully capable of doing.

With a smile on his face, directed at both of them, he slips from the room, leaving Tim be as he keeps his promise to Shyanne, not to leave her.