Gibbs shifted in the hard plastic chair in the hospital waiting room. The place was packed with friends and family of victims of the explosion. Gibbs had managed to snag a couple of chairs for himself and Abby who now sat curled up beside him, Bert the hippo still firmly held in the crook of her arm. She was snoring softly. It had taken awhile to track her down after he received the terrible news from Jimmy.

"Gibbs!" Abby cried when she'd spotted him trudging across the Navy Yard. She had tried to remain as close to where he'd left her as possible. "Did you find them? They're alive, right?" She threw herself into his arms, as if she couldn't bear to hear whatever new he had.

"Tony got a nasty hit to the head, and Ziva broke her arm. They were both trapped in the elevator." Obviously, he'd have to go over emergency safety procedures with them again. "It took some work to get them out, but they should be fine." He felt her relax slightly then her muffled voice came again.

"And…and Tim? Did you find Tim?"

Gibbs wrapped his arms around Abby just a little tighter. "Yeah, I found him, Abs. He's been hurt pretty bad. He was in the squadroom which took a big hit. But, he was alive when the paramedics took him out. So don't give up."

Abby was quietly sobbing now. "Oh, Gibbs, why did this have to happen?" Then she looked up at him, hate blazing in her eyes. "We need to get that Dearing and make him pay for what he's done. He tried to kill Timmy and Tony and Ziva. He tried to kill us. We've got to stop him before he hurts anyone else."

Gibbs sighed. "We will, Abby, don't you worry."" He paused. "But there's more bad news. Jimmy called me. Ducky's had a heart attack."

Abby's eyes went wide as her mouth formed a perfect circle. She just gaped at Gibbs, unable to speak for several seconds. "Ducky…a heart attack? But…but he's safe in Florida! He can't have a heart attack! No!"

She was shaking violently now, her teeth actually chattering. Gibbs kept his arms tightly wrapped around her. "Jimmy is with him at the hospital. He'll let us know how Ducky is doing as soon as he hears anything. He thinks it was the shock of the news about the bombing." He stroked her hair. "Don't worry, Abs, he's a tough old bird. He won't let this stop him."

Abby tried to smile through her tears, but the grief never left her eyes. "But what about Timmy? He's not a tough old bird. I can't bear to lose another one, Gibbs. Not after Kate."

"I know, Abs, I know. But it's out of our hands." It was then she'd insisted on accompanying him to the hospital to wait for Tony and Ziva and hopefully hear something about McGee. It was just pure luck that all three of them had been taken to the same hospital. Due to the number of casualties, numerous area hospitals were taking in the injured.

It was eight hours before they finally heard anything. Tony had managed to text them. The doctors decided to keep both him and Ziva at least overnight. Ziva underwent surgery on her arm and Tony had suffered a minor, albeit potentially serious, skull fracture. The doctors wanted to keep him under observation. But still there was no word about McGee. Gibbs' concern was growing with each passing hour.

Through the night, the crowd dwindled as people received news concerning their loved ones. Not all the news was good. Gibbs dozed off and on. He occasionally checked in with the nurses' station just in case they'd forgotten there was someone waiting to hear about Timothy McGee.

"I'm sorry, Agent Gibbs," said the head nurse of the night shift. "Things are so crazy right now, the doctors are going from one patient to another without thinking about informing waiting family members. I'm guessing that if he was that seriously injured, he's been treated but the paperwork hasn't been submitted so he's not officially in the records yet." She eyed him sympathetically. "I'll try and find out what I can as soon as I get a moment free."

That was all Gibbs could ask. He knew how busy all the medical personnel were with the huge influx of seriously injured victims. It was just so hard to be patient.

xxxxxxx

"Agent Gibbs?"

Gibbs eyes snapped open. He hadn't meant to fall asleep but the stress of the events over the past several days had caught up with him. He looked up to see the head nurse watching him, an apologetic smile on her face.

"I'm sorry to wake you, but I finally found out something about your missing agent, Timothy McGee."

Gibbs was instantly awake. "Is he alive?"

The nurse nodded. "Yes, at least I believe so. He was in surgery earlier but suffered some kind of set back while in recovery and he's back in surgery again. Blast injuries are notoriously unpredictable. I wish I had better news for you." She sighed. "Another agent has asked to see you. Anthony DiNozzo? He's awake."

Gibbs leaned over and gently shook the sleeping Abby. She opened her eyes and stared at him in confusion. "C'mon, Abs, Tony wants to see us."

Abby struggled to sit up and take stock of the situation. "Tony? We can see him? What about Ziva? And Tim? Have you heard anything about Tim?"

"Tim is in surgery," replied Gibbs pulling Abby to her feet. He looked at the nurse. "Do you know know anything about Ziva David?"

"Uh, yes. I forgot. She underwent surgery for a compound fracture of the left arm. She's sleeping but I'm sure you'll be able to see her later. I expect she'll be discharged in the morning if there are no complications."

Abby clasped Bert to her and looked at Gibbs. "Let's go see Tony. I have to see he's okay."

The nurse nodded and led them down a labyrinth of hallways. There were numerous patients on gurneys still awaiting attention. Most were minor injuries but still needed care. One called to Gibbs.

"Jethro!" called the man. "Any word on what's going on? What the hell happened?"

Gibbs paused and spat one word. "Dearing."

The man's eyes went wide, then narrowed. "Goddam sonofabitch! Two members of my team were killed in that blast!" His voice broke.

Gibbs put a comforting hand on the man's bloodstained arm. "Don't worry, Mark, we'll get him. Even if it's the last thing I ever do."

"I'll be right beside you, Gibbs."

Gibbs nodded and hurried on. Sometimes it was hard to remember that this blast had affected others just as hard, if not worse, than himself. He wondered if killing so many NCIS personnel would appease Dearing's lust for revenge, or would he continue his reign of terror?

Tony sat up in bed, a snowy white bandage wrapped around his brow. He grinned widely as Abby and Gibbs entered his room.

"Tony! Tony! Tony!" wailed Abby as she threw herself in his arms. Tony winced but he tightly hugged her. "Oh, god, Tony, I was so worried about you and Ziva! But you're okay, right? Please tell me you're okay!"

"I'm fine, Abs," said Tony softly as he stroked her hair. "Really, other than a bump on the head, I'm right as rain."

"Oh, your poor head!" Abby gently touched the bandage.

"Really, Abby, it's nothing. Just a bad headache and a few stitches. As soon as they let me out of here, I'll be back on the case." He turned to Gibbs. "Have you seen Ziva? Or Tim?"

"The nurse told us Ziva is still sleeping off the anesthesia from surgery on her arm. Compound fracture, but she'll be fine." Gibbs noted the look of relief in Tony's eyes. "Tim is back in surgery. That's all I know right now." He started to say more when he was interrupted by the soft trill of his cell phone. Heart pounding, he stared at the caller ID. It was Jimmy. He flipped it open, trying to steel himself for the worst.

"Gibbs here."

Agent Gibbs, this is Jimmy Palmer. I'm sorry it's so late but I knew you'd want to know the minute I heard anything about Dr. Mallard. The doctors said he suffered a mild myocardial infarction, but they performed an angioplasty and inserted a stent. They say he should make a complete recovery.

Gibbs closed his eyes for a moment as he felt a flood of relief course through his body. Ducky was going to be all right. He hadn't wanted to admit, even to himself, how scared he was over the possibility of losing the older man.

Agent Gibbs? Are you there? Dr. Mallard will be okay! The joy and relief in Jimmy's voice was unmistakable.

"Yeah, Jimmy, I heard you. That's great news. Thank you for letting me know right away. When you see him, tell Ducky I'll call him as soon as I can."

I knew you'd want to know. I plan to stay another day or two until I'm sure the doctor will be alright and then return to Washington. Breena offered to stay here to look after Dr. Mallard. Now there was a note of pride in Jimmy's tone. Gibbs had to agree. Breena was a real find.

Agent Gibbs? Jimmy's voice continued. Have you learned anymore about Tim? How are Abby, Tony, and Ziva?

"Tony and Abby are right here, Jimmy. All I know about McGee is he's back in surgery. Here, Abby wants to talk to you." He handed the phone to the eager Abby.

Tony was watching Gibbs suspiciously. "What's going on with the autopsy gremlin? Shouldn't he be on his honeymoon?"

Gibbs gave him a small smile. "He called to tell me that Ducky is going to be okay."

Tony sat up straighter, his eyes wide. "Ducky? What's wrong with Ducky?"

"Apparently, Ducky had a heart attack when he heard the news about the bombing. Fortunately, Jimmy found him in time and called an ambulance. Just told me the doctors there say he should make a complete recovery."

Tony's breath came out in a whoosh as he settled back against his pillow. "Damn. I figured nothing bad could happen to Ducky and Jimmy down there in Florida. A heart attack?" He shook his head in disbelief. "Damn." He looked back to Gibbs. "But you're sure he'll be all right?"

"That's what Jimmy said."

Tony was silent as he digested this. "Poor Ducky. Not much of a wedding day for Jimmy, huh?"

"No, it wasn't"

Abby handed the phone back to Gibbs. "Jimmy said he'd tell Ducky that you'd call when he's allowed. I feel so bad that all this happened on Jimmy's wedding day."

"How are you feeling, Tony?" asked Gibbs, changing the subject. He felt oddly at a loss of what to do next. Yes, they had to get Dearing, but where should they look now? Had the data on the case been lost? Vance had said he saw McGee downloading something off of his computer. Knowing Tim's conscientious nature, Gibbs would bet it was that data. Question was, where was it now? Had Tim had it on him or had it been lost in the explosion? He'd need to look through Tim's personal belongings to answer that question.

"I'm okay, Boss." Tony. "Ready to rock and roll." He grinned but Gibbs could see the strain.

"You're not going anywhere until the doctors clear you," replied Gibbs gruffly. "Head injuries are nothing to fool around with. Believe, me, I should know."

Tony sighed, knowing when he was beaten. However, Gibbs had no doubt the younger man was trying to figure out how he could convince the doctors to release him as soon as possible.

"Excuse me, are you Agent Gibbs?"

The three of them turned to see a man clad in bloodstained scrubs. The dark circles and gray cast to his stubbled face were testament to his exhaustion.

"I'm Gibbs."

The man nodded and rubbed his eyes. "I'm Dr. Stanley. I understand you've been asking about Timothy McGee?"

"Yeah," said Gibbs stepping forward. The tension and fear had returned. "He's my agent. How is he?'

The doctor ran his hand through his tousled hair. Gibbs wondered how long he'd been on duty. "Your agent's condition is critical. He sustained damage to his lungs, which we identified immediately and took steps to correct. He required surgery for a ruptured spleen and lacerated liver. Later, we discovered he had also suffered a rupture in his gastrointestinal tract and required additional surgery to repair. He has lost a significant amount of blood and there is some risk with sepsis due to the bowel injury."

The room was silent as the three stared at the weary physician.

"What are his chances, doc?" asked Tony, his voice tight.

The doctor shrugged. "Maybe 25 or 30%. He sustained a lot of damage from the impact of the blast. People think most damage is done by the flying debris, but often it's simply the concussive force of the explosion that inflicts the most serious injuries." He sighed. "Do you know how we might contact his next of kin? Someone needs to be able to make decisions concerning his care."

"His grandmother lives in the area and his father is an admiral in the Navy. I'll see that they are informed."

The doctor nodded. "Thanks." He turned but then paused to look at them. "I really am sorry. I wish I had better news for you. But, he is still alive, so that's a plus. Where there's life, there's hope. I've lost more today than I care to think about." Then he turned and wearily shuffled from the room.

xxxxxxxxxx

The morning came just as it always did. The news was filled with little besides continued coverage of the explosion in the Navy Yard. There were interviews with rescue personnel, survivors, people who had lost loved ones. It seemed the tales continually jumped from those of tragedy to those of heroic survival. Vance spoke more than once.

Gibbs had finally returned to his house to take a shower and change clothes. Then, he would return to the temporary agency headquarters that had been set up elsewhere in the Yard. He was exhausted but the few hours of fitful sleep he'd gotten at the hospital would have to be enough. He would eat a quick breakfast and grab some coffee then go back.

Before he'd left the hospital, they'd released Ziva. She had shown no signs of further injury and the hospital needed the bed. She'd been devastated by the news about Ducky and McGee. She'd lost her mother and sister in a bomb blast and this all struck to close to home. Ducky held a special place in all their hearts and they had a hard time imagining the team without McGee's steady presence.

Gibbs had managed to slip into the recovery area for just a moment to see the younger agent. Although Tim's face was somewhat bruised and there were a number of cuts caused by flying glass, there was nothing to outward to indicate how seriously he'd been injured. There were no burns orobvious broken bones. But the presence of the ventilator and all the tubes and machines told another story. He spoke a few quiet words of encouragement to Tim before the nurses chased him out. It was then he'd called Penelope Langston, Tim's irrepressible grandmother.

She'd been terribly worried as had the rest of Tim's family. No one could find out any information on what had happened to Tim and when he had failed to call and reassure them he was well, their fears only multiplied.

Gibbs sighed. It had been a painful call, but it could have so much worse. He could have been calling to tell her Tim was dead. He glanced at his watch. She was probably at the hospital by now. Tim's parents were currently in California but Gibbs was sure they would be here before the day was out. He wasn't sure where Tim's sister, Sarah, was since she'd graduated from Waverly College. But, Penny would get word to her.

So, that was it. At the moment, his team was alive if not well. Hopefully Tony would be released soon. Ziva was already chomping at the bit, ready to get back to work, as was Abby. As for Ducky and Tim, well, time would tell but one thing was certain, they were out of this fight. Even if they both survived, it would be some time before they'd be fit for duty.

Gibbs reached into his pocket and pulled out a small thumb drive. He'd found it amongst Tim's belongings. It was all the information they had put together on the Dearing case. Gibbs studied it. The information on this drive was invaluable, but was it worth McGee's life?

Well one thing was certain, he would make sure Tim's sacrifice was not wasted. Dearing was a dead man. Slipping the drive back in his pocket, Gibbs headed for the door. It was going to be a long day.

THE END

If you do not wish to read the alternated ending which includes character death, read no further!