Chapter 27

Tim cursed when he realized that he didn't have his gun. He reached the secured part of the facility and was surprised that no one was on duty. He went around the corner and tripped over a body. He pulled himself up and turned over the man who let out a faint groan. Tim sighed with relief. He wasn't dead... but he had a gun.

"Thanks," he whispered to the man, as he pulled the weapon from the holster, and then crept down the hall. As he peeked around the next corner, he saw Tony sprawled on the floor. Throwing caution to the winds, Tim ran over to Tony and shook him. There was no response, not even a groan, but he was still breathing. He checked him for injuries and found the dart. He turned quickly when he heard a footstep and a bullet whizzed by his ear. Looking for a place to hide, Tim noticed the open door and ran for it. Once he got in, all thought of the gunfire in the hallway left his mind when he saw the sight of Ziva lying on the floor and a man at the bathroom door. There were multiple bullet holes in the door already, and the man was reloading his gun as he turned toward Tim.

"NCIS, drop your weapon!" Tim shouted.

"FBI," the man said almost negligently.

Even though he knew this must be Jackson, the man who had hired the assassin, Tim hesitated. That moment of hesitation was an eternity for a man of Agent Gyllenskog's experience. He threw his gun at Tim's face causing him to flinch. In seconds, he had closed the distance between them and began to grapple with Tim for possession of the gun he held. As they struggled to get a purchase on the gun, it went off. Tim felt a searing pain in his leg, but grimly held onto the gun. His strength ebbed and black spots flickered in his eyes, but Tim would not let go. Then, the struggle flung Tim on top of Ziva's body. He remembered rule number nine and grasped desperately at Ziva's ankle. The knife was there. He pulled it out and stabbed blindly at Gyllenskog. He felt the knife penetrate and was relieved when his opponent stopped fighting for the gun. As Gyllenskog slid to the floor, Tim held onto the knife and stared sickly at the bloodstained weapon.

Finally, Tim pulled himself to his feet and, with the knife in his right hand, pointed the gun at the man on the floor, breathing heavily.

"You're... you're under arrest for-for conspiracy to commit murder and assault of federal agents," Tim panted.

Agent Gyllenskog was not in a position to disagree. He was focused on keeping himself from bleeding to death from the wound in his abdomen.

Tim heard a sound at the bathroom door and spun around, quickly regretting his action as pain lanced down his leg. He pointed the gun at the movement but moved it back to Gyllenskog when he saw Terence.

"Tim? What happened? Is it safe?"

Tim suddenly remembered the other shooter. "Get back in the bathroom, Terence. Don't come out," he said quietly.

"Are you all right?"

"Get back inside, Terence. Please."

Too late. Terence looked beyond Tim and froze.

"Don't move, Agent McGee."

Tim's eyes closed in regret. Now, Terence would die and all this would be for nothing, another death on his hands.

"Drop the gun. And the knife," Agent Lowe ordered. His voice was more cruel than Gyllenskog's had been. This was someone who enjoyed the power he had over others. Tim dropped both weapons as ordered, and like he had the day before, he felt a dull anger burning in his gut. This man was going to kill Terence and kill him whether he obeyed him or not.

Terence stood motionless. He saw the blood dripping down Tim's leg and the look of despair on his face. He knew he had made a big mistake in coming out. Suddenly, he caught a flicker of hope in Tim's expression. Terence saw him mouth the words On three. Because Agent Lowe could see his face, Terence didn't dare do anything other than blink slowly. He watched as Tim mouthed, One. Two. Three. On three, Tim lunged at Terence pushing him back into the bathroom. Terence heard the gunshot and felt Tim jerk as the two of them crashed into the wall. He waited for a shadow to come over the doorway, to kill them both, and felt Tim trying to stand to save him. The shadow appeared, but he did not hear a gunshot. Instead, Tim turned with a wordless cry and the shadow moved toward him, catching him as he collapsed.

"Boss," Tim gasped. "Agent Lowe..."

"Taken care of, as is Jackson Gyllenskog. What were you thinking, McGee?" Gibbs asked. Then, he took a better look at his agent and said, "Never mind. Tell me later. Where are you hit?"

"Leg, side. I'm sorry, Boss."

Gibbs pulled Tim out of the bathroom and to the bed recently vacated by Terence. He looked back at Terence and asked, "Are you alright, Mr. Ainsworth?"

"Yes, sir. I'm fine. A little sore, but I'll survive," Terence said as he came out of the bathroom. He looked at the two men restrained on the floor. Agent Lowe had a nasty shoulder wound. Both men were in handcuffs and moaning miserably. It was a nice sight for him.

"Good. There should be doctors and nurses in here in a few moments, but I need you to help me with McGee."

"Anything you need." Terence hurried over. One glance at Tim told him that he was in shock and losing too much blood. He put his hands over the gunshot wound on his leg and pressed hard to stop the bleeding. Tim groaned.

Now that the crisis was over, Tim felt his body rebelling at the abuses to which it had been subjected. There were too many bodies floating through his mind, too many motionless bodies.

"Tony? Ziva?" he asked.

"They'll be fine, if a little embarrassed," Gibbs commented wryly. "Just lay quietly, McGee. It would be nice if you could go for more than a day without hurting yourself."

The effort of speaking was becoming greater, but Tim responded, in a voice just above a whisper, "At least I'm already in the hospital this time."

Gibbs chuckled. "Quiet, McGee."

"There was a man in the hall..."

"He's fine. Be quiet."

"Agent Gyllenskog?"

"He'll live."

Tim closed his eyes and sighed. "Good."

"Why is that good, McGee?" Gibbs asked, although he already knew the answer.

"Justice..." he said as he slipped into unconsciousness.

Gibbs nodded. A few moments later the doctors and nurses swarmed and gently but firmly kicked Gibbs and Terence out into the hallway. Tony had already been loaded on a gurney and transported to room; so the two of them were alone.

"So, what happens now, Agent Gibbs?" Terence asked.

"Now, we get you some more guards since your current guards are either under arrest, injured, or both. Then, we find out who Gyllenskog and Lowe were working for and arrest them."

"What about me and my family?"

Gibbs looked over at Terence. He was incredibly calm for someone who had just gone through a second attempt on his life.

"That depends on who hired Gyllenskog and Lowe."

"It's not over then, is it?"

"No. I'm sorry."

"Could I at least be with my family? I haven't seen them for a few days and I really miss them."

"I think I could arrange that, Mr. Ainsworth."

"Thank you, Agent Gibbs." Terence looked back toward his room. "How did Tim know?"

"He was in an accident yesterday."

"Yes, I know. I'm afraid I hurt him by inadvertently implying that it was his fault."

"It was his fault in part, but the bulk of the blame goes to the man hired to kill you."

Terence's eyes went wide. "What do you mean?"

"An assassin was hired to kill you. He was also working with Gyllenskog and Lowe and had information on who was involved in the case. He went to McGee's apartment and threatened to kill his sister if he didn't help him kill you. He must have known that McGee was not part of the guard duty and chose him because he was a federal agent and could get him into the secure part of the hospital. McGee went along with it to save his sister, but he didn't want anyone to die. He caused the accident when he attempted to crash his car into the barriers on the Beltway. The assassin tried to stop him and made the car swerve into the other vehicles involved. McGee actually saved your life twice."

"Once would have been enough," Terence said quietly. "How can I ever repay him?"

"If you can stop him from feeling guilty about the people who died in that accident, we will all be repaid."

Terence looked toward the room again. "I'll see what I can do."