Chapter 20

Gibbs went down and found McGee back at the computer. Abby was watching him more than the screen. She glanced back and noticed Gibbs. She sent him a worried look. He nodded.

"McGee, why don't you get some rest while Abby takes a shot?"

Tim didn't even stop typing. "I'm fine, boss."

"No, you're not, McGee. How long has it been since you took a break?"

Before he could answer, Abby jumped in. "Yesterday."

"Abby–" he began.

"No, McGee. You won't do us any good if you kill yourself trying to help. Go and get some rest."

"But, boss!"

"That wasn't a suggestion, McGee. You're done for now. In fact, Ducky told me he wanted a look at you, to make sure everything is healing."

"I feel fine."

"Go."

"Okay, boss." He stood and headed to the morgue.

"Abby, get Ducky on this thing, quick."

Wordlessly, she reached out and turned on the camera.

"What can I do for you, Abby?"

"Ducky, I just sent McGee down to you. I told him you wanted to look at his injuries. Please give him a checkup and find out what else is wrong," Gibbs said.

"Thanks for the advance warning, Jethro," Ducky said a little sarcastically, "Couldn't you have told me this a little earlier?"

"No. I just thought of it."

"Fine." Ducky looked off the screen. "Ah, McGee, I was just going to make the trip up to the lab. You save me the effort." He glanced back at the screen for a split second then turned it off.

"What's been going on in here, Abby?"

"I couldn't get him to stop, Gibbs. He'd go and lay down, but within a half an hour he'd be back up again. He's barely sleeping at all. He still doesn't want to although he won't admit that he's still scared. He's kind of scaring me."

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As soon as Tim came into the morgue, Ducky had the same thought as Abby. Tim was a little scary. He was full of manic energy, fidgeting constantly. He was pale and his eyes continually darted around. He'd obviously been trying to channel his energy into something constructive, but he seemed to have no control over himself.

"Timothy, why don't you take a seat on the exam table. I'll be right over."

"I feel a little weird being examined in a morgue."

"I know what I'm doing, McGee."

"I don't doubt that, Ducky."

"Then, the location shouldn't make much difference."

Ducky examined Tim's injuries in uncharacteristic silence. It made Tim uncomfortable.

"Well, Ducky? I'm fine, right?" He was already halfway off the table.

"Wait a moment, McGee. You're still not looking very good. You're too pale for one thing. Sit still for a few minutes, take a breath. You're pushing yourself too hard."

"There's so much to do, Ducky. I can't sit around and let others do my work."

"It's everyone's work, not just yours. We're a team here. Or have you forgotten that?"

Tim slid off the table and paused, feeling slightly dizzy. "I haven't forgotten, but I have to do my part, too. I can't slack off just because of what happened."

"It's not slacking off. It's giving yourself a chance to heal."

"Tony was back pretty quickly after having the plague and then when he and Ziva went undercover."

"And he was not much help either." Ducky could see that Tim wasn't really listening to him. "Just take it easy, Timothy."

"I will, Ducky. When this is over." He walked out.

"But when will it be over?" Ducky asked himself.

Tim stopped as soon as he got out of the morgue. He had been feeling dizzy more and more often over the last few hours. He really needed to sleep, but what was the point? He never got any rest anyway. His sleep was filled with nightmares. He hadn't been very hungry of late either. Abby had sent him to eat a few times. Usually, he just got a drink of water because just the thought of eating made him feel a little sick. The spell passed and he straightened. He stepped into the elevator and pushed the button for Abby's lab. As the doors started to open, Tim took a step and felt a sudden weakness come over him. He tried to push it away, but black spots floated in his vision. He took another step and his legs buckled underneath him. Finally, everything went black and he fell to the floor, unconscious.

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"I mean it, Jethro. Tell McGee that he has to stop. I'm worried that he'll hurt himself. There's no reason for him to work himself like this."

"I'll tell him, Ducky, but I don't know if he'll listen to me either."

"Make it an order then. He's so afraid that Robertson will get away or that he's not doing his job that he's ignoring how worn out he is."

"Okay. Where is he? He's not still in the morgue is he?"

"No. He left a good ten minutes ago."

"Great. He would have only come back up here."

"Gibbs!"

"What is it, Abby?"

"It's Tim!"

Gibbs followed her voice and found her kneeling on the floor by the elevators... holding Tim's head in her lap. He turned back to the camera. "Ducky, get up here! Quick!"

When Ducky arrived he took one look at Tim and ordered Gibbs and Abby to carry him into the lab and lay him on the cot. "He must have been worse than I thought. I knew he was worn out, but not to this extent. I was worrying more about his mental state."

Abby asked, "What's wrong with him, Ducky?"

"He's probably weak from a lack of sleep, judging by what you've told me. How much has he eaten?"

"I sent him for meal breaks three times every day."

"Did you ever go with him?"

"No. He was so insistent that someone be working on it all the time. I said that if he'd go and eat I'd keep working until he got back. I thought he'd do it, Ducky. I really did. Otherwise, I'd have gone with him."

"It's not your fault, Abby. I should have noticed. By rights we should send him back to the hospital, but I know that's not an option. He needs an IV at the very least."

"Done," Gibbs said and left. He was back with an IV in twenty minutes. Ducky didn't even bother to ask where he had found it. Sometimes Gibbs acted like a magician. Tim hadn't moved in that time.

"I'm a little rusty at sticking needles into living bodies, Jethro." He carefully inserted the needle into McGee's hand and hooked up the bag. "Now, even when he wakes up, he's not to get up. He needs at least a day of rest. If he won't sleep on his own, I'll get him some sleeping pills. Has he been taking the pain medication?"

Abby nodded. "Yes. I've seen him."

"Of course. He'd want to be able to keep working. Well, I'll stay here to watch for now. Mr. Palmer can handle the morgue without me for a few hours." Ducky sat down by the cot. Abby went back to work and Gibbs went back to check on Tony and Ziva. Ducky looked at the prone figure. "Timothy, what were you thinking?"