A/N: I apologise if this is not 100% perfect in spelling or grammer. I do try very hard to edit it before I post it.
For those of you who are along for the ride, I thank you.
Also: For any inaccurate medical jargon or detalis; I humbly apologise. I am not a medical person.

Enjoy!


Fifteen tense silent minutes later, Gibbs' phone rang again. Looking at his caller id., his heart stopped for a second as he answered

"You found him." Gibbs stated in a shaky voice.

The long tense silence had stripped him of the conviction that they would find Tim alive. His gut was churning and his heart was breaking. Tim had just gotten his life back after that assassin had almost taken it from him; not to mention succeeding in damn near breaking his spirit. Gibbs knew that Tim had fought hard to get his life back, to find happiness. To see that life once again hurled into pain and trauma, and so soon, twisted Gibbs heart something fierce. No one deserved to keep getting kicked like Tim had been; was continuing to be.

"Just pulling up now, his car's in the river. Five miles east of the Quickstop on Second Ave. Apparently he hit the place in the curve that took the car out over the water, instead of back toward the road." the Sherriff's Officer told him, breaking into the agent's thoughts.

"In the river?" Gibbs asked incredulously. "How high's the water?"

"It's up to the door handles. EMT's are enroute." the man promised.

"What's his condition?" Gibbs asked with his heart in his throat.

"Don't know yet, Gibbs." The voice on the other end remained calm; the voice of reason.

The siren of the ambulance reached Gibbs through the phone and he issued one last request. "Keep me updated!"

As the call was disconnected, Gibbs breathed a sigh of relief and quickly called Tony to relay the only piece of good news they'd gotten so far; Tim had been found before the river had taken him away from them. Listening with relief as Gibbs' let them in on the news, Ducky, in turn, called Abby.

As she listened to the first conversation, Ziva put her foot to the floor, wanting to get them there right now. Apparently, Tony shared in her emotions because he stayed right with her, the two vehicles careening around corners and hurtling down the straightaways in a blur of motion, even before Gibbs had hung up from his call with Tony.


Freezing!
Wet!
PAIN! Oh my God, everything's on fire!
What the hell happened?
OH MY GOD IT HURTS! EVERYTHING'S ON FIRE!

"Easy, son. relax. We've got you now."

Tim's eyes popped open at the words spoken in his ear. He'd felt the return to consciousness in a blanket of pain that seemed to squeeze more and more breath from his lungs with each passing second. Only the knowledge that there were strong hands touching him; that he was no longer alone, were keeping him away from the blessed numbness of that blackness he'd been cocooned in. For the life of him, he didn't understand what had roused him from that place.

As physical excruciating pain began to rip through him and take over every one of his nerve sensors, an overload waiting to suck him under again, he remembered one thing, "Gibbs." He wasn't even aware he'd said it out loud or that it had been spoken with a voice so shaken, pain filled and low, it had almost been missed.

"Called him. He's on the way, don't you worry." came the comforting reply.

Tim crawled back into the welcoming arms of blackness that had stood by waiting to take him back.

"Don't lose him!" Sheriff's Officer, Kevin Baker, barked. There was no way he wanted to have to explain to Leroy Jethro Gibbs that they'd found his man, only to have lost him before they'd even gotten him rescued!

"It's better that he's out cold right now. We still have to move him."Senior EMT, Sam Trapp, told the law officer.

"Yeah, I wouldn't want to be feeling what he's feeling right now, myself." Junior EMT, Jim Bane., explained compassionately.

"Give me a minute to photograph this scene for the Navy cops he works for. They'll wanna know exactly what happened to their man." Officer Baker ordered.

"Make it quick! We gotta get him outta here. It's gonna be hard enough with the water already this high." Jim answered snappishly. If they lost this guy for the sake of the photos, he doubted they'd care one whit about those photos.

"Yeah, but at least the water being this frigid saved his life." Sam reminded him. bringing Jim's temper back under control. The hypothermia had slowed the patient's metabolism enough; he hadn't bled out and in all likelihood, had been numb from the cold, instead of feeling the pain he would later.

Ten stress filled minutes later the photos were taken and Agent Tim McGee had successfully removed from his car, wrapped in heat blankets, and was being hooked up to several i.v's to supply him with enough fluids to hopefully get him stabilized so they could load him up and transport him to the nearest hospital. Suddenly, the air was filled with the sights and sounds of two flying sedans roaring up out of nowhere, all eight tires screaming to a halt, four car doors flying open, all seemingly in tandem, and suddenly the gurney was surrounded by NCIS Agents and a medical examiner.

"Tim!"
"Probie!"
"McGee!"
"Timothy!

The older gentleman of the group that had erupted from the cars then turned to the EMT's.

"I'm NCIS Medical Examiner, Dr. Mallard and this young man's treating physician. What's his condition, if you please?" Ducky requested firmly.

Gibbs turned his attention to what the EMT's had to say, as did Tony and Ziva.

"He's been shot. Twice. Apparently, his foot mashed the accelerator. In reflex when his body moved from the force of being shot. It's not hard to see how the car would have gone airborne and landed him in the river. I understand he managed to call you. Don't know how, but he probably saved his own life when he did." Sam replied in what he hoped was an explanation that would suffice. "We've wrapped his wounds so we could get him into the warming blankets. Even though the hypothermia saved him, his body temperature needs to come up or he won't survive much longer. Problem is as his temperature rises back up, so will the pain level he'll be feeling. I'd rather have him already at the hospital before it gets too bad for him. "

"Timothy must have regained consciousness long enough to call you, Jethro." Ducky observed as they all quickly walked toward the ambulance. Suddenly, turning to Tony and Ziva, the M.E. said something that let it show just how angry he felt on Tim's behalf.

"You find the bastard that did this to Timothy!" The uncharacteristic raging anger in the M.E.'s eyes sent home just how unjustified this attack on one of their own was.

"You can bet on it, Ducky!" Tony vowed, looking the M.E. square on with the promise in his eyes. He knew the anger Ducky was feeling because it was racing through him at the moment, too. God, hadn't Probie been through enough? They'd barely gotten him back from that crap with the assassin and now this? When would the kid's luck turn around for the better? Please let him be okay!

"He's soaked everywhere." Tony remarked, his thoughts suddenly drawn to the physical state Probie was in. "How far did the water get?"

"It was up to his upper chest when we got here. He's lucky. The river most likely saved his life." Jim replied.

Stepping up to his fallen agent, Gibbs felt his heart stop. The young man was so cold his lips were blue. Wrapped in the warming blankets, he looked so vulnerable and close to death, it scared him. Leaning close to him, he whispered in his ear.

"You don't have permission to die, you hear me, McGee?"

The EMT's were shocked to see the young patient's eyes pop open at whatever his boss had just whispered in his ear.

"Ha! Works every time." Tony chuckled with a deep sense of relief at seeing Probie's eyes open at Gibbs' standard response when ever any of them got hurt. He didn't need to hear the words this time, he knew them by heart.

Even Ziva and Ducky smiled as they watched the moment Gibbs needed whenever one of his team members was injured.

"Boss?" the whispered question kept the relieved smiles on their faces.

"Yeah, McGee. I'm right here. You're gonna be okay, you hear me? You don't have permission not to be." Gibbs told him sternly even as he put a calming comforting hand on Tim's shoulder.

"Got it... Boss. Sorry. Screwed…up…'gain" Tim's eyes closed again.

Tim's words truck Gibbs like a stake through the heart, but he'd have to deal with that later. Silently, he watched as the EMT's quickly loaded Tim up into the ambulance.

"From the looks of the car, he was shot either twice from behind or once from behind and once in the front. Guess, that's yours to figure out, Jethro." Officer Baker stated as he handed Ziva his camera. "I've taken the photos of your man the way we found him, before Jim and Sam, here moved him. Thought you'd want to preserve that part to help you catch whoever did this."

"Thanks Kevin. For everything. You getting here so quick probably helped save his life." Gibbs shook the man's hand and then turned to the EMT's "I'm riding with him. Ducky, too."

"There's not enough room, Sir." Jim responded carefully. He understood how this man's boss felt, but couldn't give him what he wanted.

"Ducky, then." Gibbs gave in with resignation There was no time to waste.

"I'll get you there right behind them, Gibbs." Kevin promised, pointing to his police cruiser and smiling as two more of his officers arrived to relieve him.

"Tony, Ziva, get this scene processed. Find out how many were following him and from how far back." Get everything sent back to Abby. Watch your backs! I'll call you with an update. One of you call Abby, let her know Tim's alive and..?" Gibbs looked to the EMT's for a condition to relay.

"Right now, guarded. And we need to move now!"

Gibbs looked at Tony and nodded, relaying his silent message that they tell Abby only the bare facts. She was needed to work on the case; not fall apart with worry. "Make sure you remind her that McGee's counting on her to help figure out who wanted him dead and why. We all know McGee doesn't make enemies."

As the ambulance with their fallen comrade left, screaming its way down the road, the sheriff's car following in its' wake, also blaring its siren as it went, Tony and Ziva stood watching them go. Looking at his watch, Tony was surprised to see that it had only been a short five minutes since they'd arrived, everything had seemed to be happening in slow motion. Turning to Ziva, he asked her to call Abby, as he turned to the Sherriff's officers who had been left with them to investigate this scene and discussed what needed to be done. Silently, they got to work.

"Abby Scuito" came Abby's meek response to her phone ringing. Her heart was still down in her shoes at the thought of someone hurting Tim or worse, trying to kill him. While it was good they'd found his car; the knowledge that Tim had gone airborne and landed in the river, sent shivers of fear up her spine. She'd been so worried and feeling alone she hadn't even looked at her caller id.

"Abby." Ziva's voice was a rainbow in the otherwise storm cloud riddled day.

"Ziva! Tell me, Timmy's okay!" Abby demanded as she bounced around her lab in hope.

"Yes, Abby, his condition is guarded. The EMT's said so."

"What aren't you telling me?" Abby demanded.

"Abby, we have to process the scene. Gibbs told me to remind you that McGee is counting on you to help us find who wanted to hurt him. We'll be bringing you what we find as soon as w are done here. You may want to rest up until we get back." Ziva suggested.

"Where's Ducky?"

"He has gone with McGee to the hospital." Ziva answered her. "As has Gibbs."

"Good. Okay, you and Tony be careful! Whoever did this, whoever's targeting Tim might take it out on you!' Abby warned with worry.

"Abby, we are not alone. There are two Sheriff's Officers here."

"You tell them to stand guard while you and Tony process the scene?" Abby asked.

"No. But I will share your concerns with Tony and let him make the call. He is in charge when Gibbs is not here." Ziva reminded her.

"Good! Be safe out there!" Abby demanded. "I don't wann lose any of you guys!"

"Thank you, Abby, We will be fine. I must get to work." Ziva pushed.

"Okay. Call me when you're almost here." their lab rat ordered

"I will. Bye." Ziva signed off.

"What took you so long, Zeevah?" Tony asked, drawing her name out, in the habit he knew always made Probie smile. Please let Probie be okay!

"Abby is very worried that whoever did this is still lurking and may possibly come after you or I while we are here." Ziva told him bluntly.

"She has a point, Zee." Tony said in all seriousness. Why hadn't he thought of that? Gibbs did say for us to watch our backs.

"She asked if you would have the officers 'stand guard while you and I process the scene. I agree, Tony. After all, this is the middle of nowhere and we are not familiar with places the culprit could be hiding." Ziva admitted.

"Yeah. You're right. C'mon, we'll go talk to them."


The closest hospital was a twenty minute drive and with Bethesda so close to that, Gibbs had Kevin relay the message that Tim was to be taken to Bethesda. Along the way, Gibbs called Vance.

"Leon."

"You find him?"

"Yeah, Leon, we got him, thanks to the local Sheriff here. He's got two of his men helping Tony and Ziva process the scene."

"How is he?"

"Whoever did this, shot him. Leon. Twice."

"Dear God! I thought Agent McGee didn't have any enemies!" Leon said in shocked anger.

"He doesn't Leon. We all know, Tim doesn't make enemies. He bends over backwards to help everyone who asks him for any. Kid doesn't know the meaning of the word no. This is about me. Notes that Ducky and Abby found earlier tell us that. The one that came in the mail cinches it."

"Do we know why? What case is coming back to bite you in the ass now? And why take it out on McGee?"

"Talk to Abby. Read the notes. I'll call you with an update when I have one."

"Where are they taking him?"

"Bethesda. And Leon. Don't tell Abby any details of his condition. I need her focused on finding this bastard!"

"I know, Gibbs."

"I want a protection detail at the hospital!"

"You got it. I'll send teams of two in rotating shifts."

"I'll call you when I get an update. Oh, and Leon.

"Gibbs?"

"Need to call his family."

"I"ll take care of it."

"Don't forget about his sister."

"Got it."

Gibbs ended that call and then called Fornell to ask if the FBI had any cases that matched this M.O. When the older man confirmed Gibbs' suspicion that there was none; that this was targeted strictly at NCIS, he felt his anger begin to boil over even as the hospital loomed in the distance.