I AM GETTING MY INTERNET BACK ON WEDNESDAY SO I WILL BE UPDATING MUCH MORE OFTEN.

ANYWAYS HERE IS THE NEXT CHAPTER, LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK.

ON WITH THE STORY!

Tim felt weak and in tremendous pain, panicking at the sensation he had something shoved down his throat. He desperately tired opening his eyes, but they wouldn't respond. 'what is happening to me? Where am I?' he soon felt a hand on his shoulder 'who is that? Please don't hurt me! Not again!'

"Tim?"

'that voice…I know that voice…but who?'

"your safe, no one will hurt you again, not while I'm here."

Tim felt the stranger's hands run thru his hair, the sense of safeness and love surrounded him. 'Gibbs? Dad! Is that you?'

"come on buddy, open your eyes. let me know you're okay." Gibbs coaxed, staring at his closed eyes. "come on Tim"

Tim fought to open his eyes, but they just wouldn't 'I'm sorry Gibbs, I can't'. losing the battle with the darkness, McGee fell back into a slumber.

Gibbs sighed, kissing him on the forehead he took a seat. He had noticed the movement behind his eyelids. He knew McGee was fighting to wake up, but he also knew what the doctors had said. McGee was both mentally and physically tired, it will take time and patient. Problem was Gibbs was not a very patient man, especially when it has to do with his family hurting. Time? They had no time, Leon had given him three days to solve this. They were still on day one and they had a lead, but neither ziva or tony had been able to find Michael. The man had just vanished.

"we will find him and he will pay for what he has done to you." Gibbs growled, squeezing his boy's hand. Just then the room's door was slammed open. Jumping up and around Gibbs huffed at the sight of admiral McGee. Behind him were his ex-wife and Sarah his daughter.

"oh god, Timmy!" Sarah rushed to his side, stroking his hair back. "what happened to him?"

Gibbs cleared his throat. "McGee was found in the middle of a road, he was tortured and left to bleed to death. someone found him saving his life, he has multiple cuts and bruises."

"but?" Tim's mother asked, she noticed the hesitation in the older man's eyes.

"Tim has three cuts along his chest and torso." Sarah and her mother gasped, shifting their gaze back to Tim.

"who did this?" Admiral McGee demanded.

Gibbs clenched his jaw, how can he just stand there while his son is laying on what might be his dead bed? "we have a lead; my team is currently looking for a man by the name of Michael rivers."

McGee turned to fully glare at the agent. "Michael? He surly had nothing to do with any of this!"

"you sound so certain." Gibbs said.

"that is because I am. Michael has done nothing, but look after timothy. He would never do anything like this. Timothy had this coming to him." Admiral snorted.

Gibbs stared at him in disbelief. "excuse me? How in the hell did Tim have this coming?!"

Admiral McGee stood his ground. "by trying to go and be a hero. If he had not gone and try to save that girl, he would not be lying in that bed."

Gibbs frowned, taking a step forward pinning him down with a stare. "how did you know what Tim did before being attacked?" the admiral dropped his mask for a second. "where is Michael?"

"I don't know."

Gibbs grabbed him from the lapel of his suite and slammed him against the wall, ignoring the admiral's guard dog. "you choose to protect a man that might be involved in the attempted murder of your SON, instead of protecting him? What kind of a father are you? Tim has done nothing but try and make you proud and you do nothing, but criticize him. Making him feel like nothing! I have been patient with you, hoping you would come around and appreciate the man you have as a son! Now I see that will not happen." Gibbs turned his around, slamming him face first against the wall. "either you tell me where Michael is or I will arrest you for accomplice to attempted murder."

Admiral tried pushing himself away from the wall, but it was all in vain. "I don't know where he is!"

Gibbs pulled his handcuffs out, just as he placed them he noticed the man's guard dog making his way up to him. "take another step and I will arrest you as well." That stopped him in his tracks, smirking he took his phone out. "Dinozzo, I need you send a car and pick up admiral McGee for questioning…I have him now…book him, DiNozzo as an accomplice to attempted murder of an agent…yes…have ziva pick him up." Shutting the phone off his pushed the man into the nearest chair. When suddenly Sarah started squealing.

"he's waking up! He's waking up!"

Gibbs rushed to the bed side slowly, but surly Tim was opening his eyes. "dad?"

Everyone was shocked Tim would wake up asking for his father of all people, but Gibbs knew it was meant for him. Running a hand thru his long hair he smiled down at his boy. "hey Tim, I'm here. How are you feeling?"

Tim smiled, reaching up to cup his face. It was his way of making sure it was not a dream and that he was really there. "it hurts, where am I?"

"you're in the hospital. Tim what hurts?" Gibbs asked his hands going to the hem of his gown.

Tim was quick to stop him. Looking up at him Gibbs saw fear, pure and untouched fear. "don't please…I…you can't…I don't want you to see them."

Gibbs swallowed hard, it pained him to see his youngest this way. The fear in his eyes was even greater than, that night of his nightmare. "Tim, you don't have to hide from me. No matter what they look like, that won't change the way I see you. Beside I have already seen them." McGee wouldn't budge. "timothy look at me." Getting no response, he gently cupped his chin and turned him to face him. "I love you, I don't care what they look like and never will." Tim stared into his light blue eyes, searching for any hint of falseness. He found none just love and rage, lifting his hands up, he gave Gibbs the okay. Before revealing the wounds, he turned to Sarah and her mother, jerking his head to the side they moved. He may be able to handle the sight of them, but he wasn't so sure about the females. Mentally preparing himself he lifted the gown, running his finger on the edge of each cut Gibbs was glad to see them doing well. They were still bright red and fresh, but they were clean and seemed to have begun the healing procedure. Lowering the gown back down he smiled at Tim. "they look good, the healing is staring thanks to the meds doc gave you." Before McGee could respond ziva walked in.

Ziva focused at the sight of her now awake team mate. "Tim!" rushing to his side, she gently hugged him pushing Gibbs away in the process. "thank god your awake! How are you feeling? Does it hurt? Has Gibbs been giving you a hard time?"

Tim chuckled, but soon regretted it by having felt the pain in his chest. "I'm fine just a minor pain. Gibbs has not been giving me a hard time."

"that's a first." Ziva grumbled, squealing at the pinch Gibbs gave her side. "anyways, tony told me to head over here and pick up a prisoner?"

Gibbs grabbed her by the arm and hauled her out the room. "I have admiral McGee under arrest at the moment."

Ziva felled at trying to hold back her grin. "and why?"

"the moment I told him Michael was a suspect in his son's attack, he bashed Tim and proceeded to protect the man in question." Gibbs glanced back into the room. "I just want to know what he knows and where in the hell can we find Michael."

Ziva nodded. "alright I'll take him in and have a go at him. How is Tim really doing?"

"he's okay for now. Docs are saying he's still touch and go, the fact that he woke up sooner than they thought has them worried." Gibbs ran a hand thru his marine cut. "I just don't know; one moment they say he's going to be fine then the next they are shitting their pants."

Ziva pulled him into a tight hug. "don't worry Jethro, he will be fine. Won't be long before you yelling and pulling him out of bed every morning."

Gibbs chuckled giving her a kiss on the temple. "thank you ziva, now you must get going with the admiral. I have to go back inside."

"okay, I love you." Ziva whispered.

"love you too."

Walking back into the room Gibbs spotted Tim asleep. Sarah and his mother sitting in the couch by the wall.

"what is going to happen to my dad?" Sarah asked.

"nothing if he tells us what we want to know, did Tim say anything?"

"nothing, just he just said his chest was hurting."

Gibbs nodded taking a seat on the chair and grabbing McGee's hand. "hang in there Tim."