a/n - I'll probably update twice a week, unless I get really far ahead. Thanks for all the reviews, it's going to be quite a journey.

A call to Ducky gave Vance a quick report on what had happened overnight, so he wasn't surprised to see Jackson dozing in the waiting room. Letting the elderly man rest, Vance sat next to Ziva. "Was it Sarah that came back with you?"

If she was surprised by his knowledge, she didn't show it. "She is with her brother now. Only family is allowed to visit while he's in intensive care."

Vance knew that McGee could add non-family to his visitor list, but as long as Gibbs was in with him, he wasn't too worried. "What was your impression of McGee's parents? Any chance you got through to them?"

Ziva smiled, despite her worry. "They were a..." she paused, trying to find the right word, "a surprise. He is Bear, she is Muffin, and he calls McGee his little cub."

"His little cub?" Vance couldn't help but grin. Jackson opened his eyes as he listened to the conversation. Ziva smiled wider as she shook her head.

"They were nothing like I imagined. I do not believe that his father had any idea that McGee even was a field agent. He thought his son worked at a computer all day and never left the office."

"According to his records, McGee hasn't been a case agent for years, and except for when I had him in cybercrimes, he's never been totally out of the field. Why would his father make that kind of assumption?"

"I believe McGee encouraged it, but I am not sure I understand why. His sister told me that he still emails with his mother, despite what his father said to him, but he did not want his mother to worry about him being in danger. I do not know why he never told his father more about his work with NCIS. Agreed, much of what we do is classified, but George knew nothing about a single case."

"The relationship between a father and his son can get pretty damn complicated, Ziva." Both Ziva and Vance looked up when Jackson joined the discussion. He gave Vance a pointed look. "You've got a boy of your own, if he was doing something you thought was dangerous, you'd stick your head in it, right?"

"Jared is still a child." Even as he protested, Vance started to understand. "You believe his father still thinks of him as a child?"

"His little cub?"

Vance shook his head. "Point taken, guess we'll play it by ear."

-NCIS-

When the cab dropped George and Brenda McGee at the departures gate, Bear just shoved a wad of bills at the man and told him to keep the change. He went straight for the first ticket counter and demanded a flight to DC. Brenda was soothing nerves before he even finished talking. "Please, don't mind my husband. Our son is in a hospital and we have to get to him."

Bear rubbed his face before dropping his ID and credit card on the counter. "Yeah, yeah, I'm sorry. Quickest flight, I don't care what it costs."

That startled Brenda. In all the years they'd been married, he'd never once made a purchase like this without haggling over the price. She rubbed his back as they waited for the ticket agent to work her magic on the computer. "We'll get there soon. I know how much you hate to fly when you're not in the cockpit."

The pretty blonde made small talk as she typed in their information. "So you're a pilot?"

"Spent half my life as a Navy fighter pilot." A pained look crossed his face. "Most of my son's life, too."

The printer started spitting out their boarding passes. "I've got you on a direct flight, leaves at gate B5 in twenty minutes, but we're holding the flight to give you time to get through security. All that was left was first class, so I've given you a complimentary upgrade." Much to her surprise, Bear leaned across the counter and kissed her cheek.

"Thank you, darlin'. It's too bad my boy's already spoken for."

They were already settling into their seats when Brenda turned to him. "What do you mean, our Timmy's spoken for?"

-NCIS-

"Hey, big brother, you ready to wake up for me?"

It took a minute for his eyes to clear, and then he smiled. "Sarah, you're really here? They told me, but I couldn't stay awake... sorry."

Sarah gently brushed his hair back. "It's okay, Tim, you've been through something awful. You need your rest."

"How'd you..."

"I was home when Director Vance called Daddy to tell him you were in trouble. Daddy had just spent the morning with Uncle Denny, so you know what kind of mood he was in. He wouldn't talk to him, so I called back later. He explained that you were trapped up on a mountain and they were trying to rescue you. After you were safe, Ziva came and made Daddy listen to why you didn't come home when Mama was sick"

"What?" Tim tried to sit up, but Sarah pushed him back down. "But that means..."

"Daddy now knows you're not stuck behind a desk all day. Mama, too. I flew back with Ziva and she told me as much as she could about what happened to you."

"Dad knows you're here?" Tim was already struggling to keep his eyes open.

"Sure does." Sarah leaned closer as he fought to stay awake. "He and Mama will be here later, after she's through showing him the error of his ways."

A soft snort. "She must be feeling better. Said she was, but I wasn't sure." He stretched and twisted his neck in an effort to stay awake and saw the drawn curtain on the other side of the bed. "Sarah, why is the curtain there?"

-NCIS-

The coffee in the waiting room wasn't great, but it was drinkable – if you added enough creamer and sugar. Vance returned to the chairs with two cups, handing one to Jackson. Ziva was staring into the cup of tea she'd fixed earlier. She looked puzzled. "Something on your mind, Ziva?"

She looked up at Vance when he spoke. "I am curious about something Mrs. McGee said to Sarah, but if it is too personal of a question..."

Now Vance was curious, also. "If it's too personal, I just won't answer, how's that?"

Ziva's mouth twitched, but she pressed on. "Is the washing of a child's mouth a common method of discipline in this country?"

Curiosity gave way to surprise and amusement, but Leon kept a straight face. "I believe it's fallen out of fashion for the most part. Jackie and I don't do that, at least not yet. Let's see just how mouthy they get as teenagers."

That fit with what Ziva had overheard and she glanced at Jackson before returning her attention to Vance. "So it is usually a punishment for foul language? Is it effective?"

Jackson cut in, laughing. "I'll just say that Leroy only sassed his mama once."

Vance took refuge behind his cup, not wanting to imagine that scene.

-NCIS-

Sarah bit her lip, unsure of her decision in light of Tim's panicked tone. "It's okay, Tim, I'll open the curtain back up." She heard a rustle from the other bed as she stood, and wasn't surprised to see Gibbs climbing out of bed when she pushed the curtain back against the wall.

Gibbs had deliberately not listened to the siblings, but the change in McGee's tone had him tossing back the blankets before he even thought about it. "Easy, Tim, I'm right here." After his little excursion, the nurses had taken his slippers and clothes, so he held his gown tightly in the back as he walked barefoot across the floor. "I'm here, and I'm not leaving; no more broken promises." Mindful of the blackened fingertips, Gibbs grasped Tim's hand and waited for him to relax. As Sarah watched, her brother instantly calmed and within a few moments was back asleep.

"I'm sorry, closing the curtain was childish."

"You're angry, that's understandable." Gibbs gratefully sat in the chair that Sarah moved for him, never letting go of McGee's hand. "I'm not asking you to forgive, just don't let your anger at us hurt your brother."

She stared at her big brother. More gaunt than she could ever have imagined, he looked fragile enough to shatter. "I just don't understand how this happened. How could anyone think this was funny?"

Gibbs shook his head as he tried to explain. "It wasn't supposed to be like this and if it's any consolation, the guilt is tearing DiNozzo apart."

The arrival of a nurse caused Sarah to fall silent and they both watched as she carefully measured the spread of the blackened skin, taking photographs and making notations in his chart. Sarah gasped as the nurse moved the blankets back to expose the metal cage that was protecting Tim's lower right leg. The lack of body fat made the swelling and distortion even more pronounced. "Is it broken?"

The nurse gave her patient's sister a sad smile. "I'm afraid so. The doctors can give you more information, but it looks like it started as a hairline fracture that he kept putting weight on, not that he had any choice, poor thing. This will protect his leg until we can set the bone properly."

Gibbs couldn't take his eyes off the damaged limb. His medical proxy had been reinstated, but he hadn't been able to talk to the doctors yet. "When will that be?"

"After this much of a delay, the bone will have to be surgically re-broken and then set. For that, they need viable tissue at the incision site." Her patient was asleep, so she decided to be blunt with the older man, as the young woman already knew. "There's no point in putting him through that if we can't save the leg."