Chapter 7

"I'm looking for an ER doctor."

The nurse didn't even glance up. "Which one? We have a few here."

"Whichever one told someone named Julie to keep an eye on my agent," Gibbs said grimly.

Startled by the use of her name, Julie looked up and became helpfulness personified. "Oh, that's me. I'm Julie. Your agent would be?"

"Timothy McGee. He was in a car accident this morning."

Gibbs noted the hardening of her expression as she answered. "That would be Dr. Fowles. I can page him you'd like."

"Yes, thank you." So, she blamed Tim for the accident. It wasn't unexpected, and from what little he had been able to gather, Tim had been responsible, but not completely. However, he realized that it was going to be difficult to convince other people of the fact.

A few minutes later, a youngish doctor in scrubs came up to the station."What is it, Julie?"

"Someone here to see you about Timothy McGee."

Dr. Fowles looked over at Gibbs. "Are you his father, sir?"

In spite of himself, Gibbs laughed. "No. I'm his boss. His family is currently out of town. I need to speak to you about McGee."

"Of course...?"

"Gibbs."

"Of course, Agent Gibbs. This way, please."

When they were in the comparative privacy of an empty hallway, Gibbs asked, "How is he?"

"Physically, I'll be able to release him soon. His injuries were miraculously minor. I don't know how he managed to get out so unscathed. He'll definitely be sore and he's not to be alone overnight, but, physically at least, I would have no trouble releasing him today, pending a quick checkup."

"And mentally?"

Dr. Fowles was very solemn. "Mentally, I think he's much worse. I don't know the story, and I'm not making any judgments against him."

"But?"

He sighed. "But you talked to Julie? She's pretty typical of what I've heard from a lot of the staff today. Mr. McGee heard some of her comments, but as cruel as they were, I don't think they could possibly compare to the things he probably saying to himself. I've been trying to get someone from Psych down here, but we're a bit shorthanded today. I think he's going to need a lot of help working through this. At the very least, once he's released, I wouldn't leave him alone at all. Until he's been evaluated by someone more experienced, my diagnosis is that he's suffering from intense guilt and depression."

"Suicidal?"

"Possibly." When Gibbs raised his eyebrows, he amended, "Probably. At least right now. He needs time to work through what happened, to think objectively, and he's not doing that now."

"How long will it be before he can be evaluated?"

Dr. Fowles shrugged helplessly. "I'm not sure. I've put an urgent tag on my request for a psych evaluation, but physically, I won't have much reason to hold him in a few more hours."

"Thank you, Dr. Fowles."

"Don't mention it, Agent Gibbs. This is my job. It's not my place to pronounce judgment on my patients. I just try to heal them." He shook Gibbs' hand and returned to his work.

Gibbs, now alone in the hallway, shook his head. It was as he had feared. Quickly, he shook off his uncertainty and headed back to Tim's bed. He didn't have enough information yet to make a decision. Tim would at least clear up the events of the morning for him.