Chapter 2

Click. Click. Click. Click.

"You can stop shooting Mr. Palmer."

"Oh my god, I got him!"

Ducky chuckled breathlessly.

"I got him."

They both looked at the motionless captor on the ground. Jimmy couldn't believe he had actually used a real gun…he couldn't believe he just killed somebody. He almost felt like crying.

"Mr. Palmer?"

"I-I thought I'd feel relieved, but this feels much, much worse…I've n-never…I've never…"

They suddenly heard groaning and they looked over just in time to see Lincoln raise from the ground, looking more pissed than ever. "And you still haven't."

"Run, Mr. Palmer while you can!"

"No, I'm not leaving you. Just like you told McGee, we need to stick together…to the end…I just…I thought I got him."

Lincoln limped closer to them, the gun raised and aimed, ready to kill. They closed their eyes and waited for the gunshot and the instant oblivion. And then…

"NCIS, hands up!"

"Don't move!"

Opening their eyes, they saw that Tony, Ziva, and Gibbs had surrounded the area, guns aimed at Lincoln. They had survived! But what about Tim?

"Drop it!" Ziva yelled.

"Okay, okay." The captor placed the weapon on the ground and surrendered. Tony came up behind him and tightly wrapped the cuffs around the man's wrist.

"You two okay?"

"We've certainly been cleaner."

Tony looked around and realized someone was missing. Dread filled his chest and he asked the question he didn't know he wanted the answer to.

"Where's Tim?"

Ducky gasped. "Jethro, Timothy's been severely injured; we need to go get him to a hospital now."

"How bad, Duck?" Gibbs sighed. He was afraid of this the moment they knew it was Tim's blood on that pavement.

"He was shot."

"Son of a bitch," Tony growled. He wanted to beat the cuffed guy senseless. No one was allowed to hurt his friend…his little brother. "Where is he?"

"Right this way…he was going into hypovolemic shock; let's just pray he hasn't given up."

"He better not have or he'll have me to answer to," Gibbs stated. "Ziva, take Palmer and the suspect back to where the van is and put the suspect in custody back at the Yard, then you can meet us at the hospital."

"On it, Gibbs."

The three disappeared one way while Gibbs, Ducky, and Tony went back to find Tim.

"Oh Jethro, there is another one still out there, but I know where she's heading."

"I'll call Balboa to finish up the case."

"Of course, we need to be with Timothy right now."

When Gibbs caught sight of his youngest agent, his heart broke and he ran up to the man. He shone his flashlight in Tim's extremely pale face, seeing that the man's eyes were closed and his body deathly still. Dark shadows underlined the man's eyes and once he moved the light down, he caught sight of the dark patch on Tim's shirt.

"Ah hell…McGee? Tim, can you hear me?" Gibbs pressed a finger to Tim's neck and thankfully there was a pulse…it was way too fast, but at least he was alive. "Tim!"

McGee's right eye cracked open, squinting at the harsh light that burned his retinas. He was gonna die; Lincoln had found him. The light moved out of his face and he was shocked, yet relieved to see Gibbs squatting in front of him.

"B-Boss?"

Gibbs cursed inwardly at his agent's weak voice. "Yeah, I'm right here, Tim. How're you doing?"

Tim coughed and shivered even with Ducky's jacket. He blinked and looked around.

"Where am I? I-Is Ducky…Jimmy…?"

"Right here, lad and Jimmy is with Ziva," Ducky said moving into Tim's line of vision, his voice laced with worry. "Jethro, we need to get him out of here now."

"Working on it Ducky." Suddenly, Tim's eyes began to roll to the back of his head while his head tipped to the side. "Hey McGee, eyes open."

"S-S'rry b'ss."

"You're gonna be okay, just stay with me."

Tony stood behind his boss, mentally slapping himself harshly. This was his fault; Tim was never gonna forgive him. Why did he make such a big deal about concert tickets? He had money and it wasn't like he did things anymore. It was like Tim's book all over again; why hadn't he learned…and his selfishness and anger had caused Tim to get hurt.

"DiNozzo, pay attention!"

He shook out of his thoughts and saw Gibbs looking at him heatedly. Next to him, Tim was barely able to keep his eyes open; they were losing him. Gibbs wrapped one of Tim's arms around his shoulder and gestured Tony to come over.

"Grab his other arm, Ducky said his ankle is possibly sprained. We need to drive him to the hospital since there's no reception out here."

Nodding silently, Tony went over to Tim's blood covered side and wrapped the man's left arm around his shoulder. He grimaced in sympathy as McGee weakly groaned when his wound was touched.

"Sorry buddy; we're gonna get you out of here…I promise."

McGee grunted in response as he let the two older men carry him out of the dreaded woods that he thought he'd spend his last hours in. He didn't know how much time went by, but they'd finally reached the agency car, Tim out of breath when he wasn't even the one walking.

"Lay him down in the back and I'll get in after," Ducky said.

"Ducky…can I…can I go in instead?"

Gibbs got to the driver's side. "DiNozzo-"

"Boss please."

"Fine, if it's okay will Duck."

"I certainly don't mind; just keep him awake."

"What about the gunshot wound?"

"It already stopped bleeding."

Once they were in the car, Gibbs started the engine and got out of there as fast as he could.

"That's a good thing, right?" Tony asked as he laid Tim's head on his thigh.

"Not at all; he's already lost a lot. In fact I'm surprised his heart hasn't stopped already."

"It doesn't have permission to; and Tim doesn't have permission to die," Gibbs stated before picking up his cell and dialing Balboa. This woman, Ducky mentioned, had to be caught even though he could care less about the case right now.

Tony swallowed nervously as he looked down at his unusually pale friend and down to the red soaked shirt.

"Oh god," he whispered. There was so much blood; too much blood. Ducky was right, he was surprised Tim didn't…he couldn't even say the word. The thought of his best friend dying made him sick.

"I'm so sorry, Tim."

Tim's eyes slid up to meet Tony's. "N-Not your…f-fault, Tony."

"Of course it's my fault, McGeek; if I hadn't made such a big deal about the tickets, you would've ridden back with Ziva and me."

"T-Than Ducky…or Jimmy…would've been s-shot."

"No, they didn't have a gun like you; the kidnappers wouldn't have seen Ducky or, especially, Jimmy as a threat; no offense Ducky."

"None taken, Anthony," the old doctor chuckled. "How's he doing?"

Tim tensed up a little as the car hit a bump and the pain- as dull as it was; was that a bad thing?- coursed through his body. He tried to keep his breathing in control, but it was difficult. Tony placed a hand on Tim's clammy forehead to try and ease the kid's discomfort, feeling worse than ever.

"Not good, Duck."

"We'll be at the hospital soon."

Tony looked back down at McGee and his heart jumped into his throat. Tim's eyes were closing and if he didn't keep the man awake, it could be the last time Tim closed his eyes…forever. He roughly patted his cheek and Tim's eyes blinked open.

"Come on man, you gotta stay awake."

"I…can't…Tony. S-So tired."

"I know, but just wait a little while longer. Talk to me."

"'B-bout what?"

"I don't know…talk to Gabriella lately?"

"H-Haven't we gone over this already?" Tim rolled his eyes but the corner of his mouth twitched upwards. "F-Flirting is a weapon in our-"

"Our arsenal, I know; but she seemed really into you…Timmy."

"Maxine s-seemed…really into me and…look how that…t-turned out."

"You just have to find the right one, McGee; she's out there…or maybe she's down in a certain lab."

"S-Shut it…T-Tony."

"Alright, alright."

"C-Can we stop talking now, Tony? T-t'red."

"No, McGee. You know what Ducky said."

"I d-don't care." Suddenly, Tim's eyes closed and his head fell limp to the side.

"Tim?" His breath caught in his throat as his panic started to rise. He shook Tim's shoulders and slapped the man's face, but it did nothing. "No, no, no, Tim! Ducky, he won't wake up."

"Oh dear." The older man turned around in his seat and looked at the unresponsive agent. "Did you check to see if he is breathing?"

No he hadn't; he had been in such a panic, he completely forgot. Shakily, he pressed a finger to Tim's neck and waited.

"It's slow, Ducky."

"Jethro how close are we to the hospital?"

"Give me two minutes."

"Come on, Tim, don't do this." He couldn't lose his brother; he just couldn't.

Tony put his ear down to Tim's mouth to make sure he was still breathing. And just when they arrived in the hospital, he sat up with fearful eyes.

"He's not breathing!"

~+NCIS+~

Tony ran his hand through his hair and down his face, staring down at the white, pristine floor. Tim had fucking almost died in his arms; he watched his partner take his last breath and he never got to say half the things he thought about the man…no he wasn't having those feelings, but he really cared about Tim; they were brothers from another mother. Gibbs had left to go get coffee, Ducky went with Tim and now all he had to wait for was Abby, Ziva, and Jimmy.

"No, no, no, no, no; this can't be happening."

And speaking of…Tony looked up and saw Abby heading towards him with the Israeli and the autopsy gremlin in tow.

"Tony, please tell me it's not true!" Abby cried. "Please tell me he wasn't shot."

The Italian man stood up and hugged the Goth tightly; they both loved Tim in different ways and they wouldn't be able to bear losing him…same thing with Kate.

"I'm so sorry, Abs."

Abby began sobbing into his shoulder, giving the older man her famous bone-crushing hugs.

"A-Abby, I can't breathe."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

Ziva placed a hand on Abby's shoulder and lead her to a chair before turning to DiNozzo with wet eyes. "How is he? Is he…alive?"

Tony pressed his eyes and sighed. "I don't- I don't know." He glanced at Abby and then pushed Ziva to the far corner out of earshot. "He stopped breathing, Z. He nearly died in my-" He couldn't finish.

"We cannot tell Abby that. She will be hysterical."

"I know, I know."

"Where is Gibbs?"

"He went to go get coffee an hour ago; haven't seen him since."

"How is he?"

Tony just raised his eyebrows, wiping his mouth. They went back to go sit down and Gibbs finally arrived only to be tackled by a crying Abby.

"Please tell me he'll be okay, Gibbs."

"Abby, he'll be fine; he doesn't have permission to die."

"But what if that's not good enough?!"

"Tim's a fighter, Abs. He won't give up that easy."

All of a sudden, the double doors opened revealing Ducky and a taller man in blue scrubs. They both looked worn out- Ducky looking ten years older and it was saying that it had been really close…or it had been really bad.

"Duck?" Gibbs went up to the older man. "What's the deal?"

"I'll let Dr. Michaels explain Timothy's condition to you."

Gibbs shook hands with Tim's doctor before they all sat down. "Well?"

"When Tim came in, he wasn't breathing and he was unresponsive. We had to intubate him for a while when he was in surgery, but as of right now, he's able to breathe on his own."

They all sighed in relief, but knew there was more.

"Now for the gunshot wound; it was through and through, nicked the rib and hit spleen which is why he bled so much. He lost over half of his body's blood and I'm surprised he made it this far. We had to remove his spleen and we are currently giving him blood intravenously along with dopamine, epinephrine, dobutamine, and norepinephrine. The main goal is to retain his body's fluids and so far it's working."

"So he's gonna live?" Abby sniffed.

Dr. Michael smiled warmly. "Yes, he's gonna live; we'll keep him here for the next few days just to be sure, but once he's clear he can leave."

It had been really close; they had been so close to losing another agent- another family member. And Tony knew it was his own fault Tim ended up here; he just hoped the man would forgive him. It would suck to work with a person who had a grudge against you…and it was bad for the job.

"Can we see him?" He asked quietly.

"Once we get him settled in in his room, I'll have a nurse come and bring you to him. I'm not gonna lie to you though, since he lost a lot of blood, he's going to be weak and look small and sick. He probably won't wake up until tomorrow afternoon. But he's recovering nicely; Tim is very lucky."

Yes, Tim was very lucky indeed.

~+NCIS+~

"God Tim, I'm so sorry."

Tony looked down at his younger friend in sadness and guilt. McGee was so pale and so small; dark circles underlined his eyes, making them appear sunken in. A nasal cannula ran underneath Tim's nose and behind his ears, giving him the oxygen his lungs had lost. Tony stood over McGee and watched as the man's chest rose and fell steadily. He was alone with the man and that gave him time to think. Gibbs had persuaded Abby to go home to get some rest and that she'd be able to come back tomorrow when Tim awoke. Ducky and Jimmy had been checked and cleared for injuries and were probably home by now. Gibbs was somewhere in the hospital, doing whatever and Ziva had went with Abby to keep her company. Tony sat down with a heavy sigh as he ran his hand through his hair for the fifth time. He absolutely hated himself right now…and he also didn't know what to say besides 'I'm sorry.'

So instead, he just sat back in his chair and closed his eyes for a brief second. This was all so much to take in; and he was the senior agent for god sake, he was supposed to have his Probie's six. Not that Tim was a Probie anymore; the kid had proved himself an outstanding agent within the past nine years and he was proud of him. A smile played at his lips as he rubbed his mouth. Just before he started to drift off, he heard a soft groan that made him alert. Was Tim waking up even though the doctor said it wouldn't be for a while? Tony snapped his eyes open and looked at the bed to see Tim shifting around under the covers. His eyes were rolling underneath his closed lids and his heart rate was increasing

"McGee?"

Tim groaned, his brow furrowing in discomfort as he started to become agitated.

"Hey, hey, easy buddy. It's alright, you're safe." He placed a hand on Tim's forehead like he had done in the car earlier. Thankfully, it had calmed him and Tim settled back down against the pillows, the pain lines receding, and his breathing deepening. Unfortunately, Tony had been hoping the man would wake up but it'd be a long shot until late tomorrow. Sighing heavily, he stood up for the door; it was going to be a long night and he didn't plan on going anywhere until he knew his friend was okay. He needed a coffee…a strong one.

"T-Tony?"

He hadn't even reached the doorknob when a weak voice rang out. Turning around, he smiled his trademark smile as he went back to sit down. Even though Tim's green eyes were dull and tired looking along with a pale face, he looked better. "Hey buddy, how're you feeling?"

Tim shrugged. "What happened? It feels like I have a freakin' hangover."

"Yeah you drank so much, you stripped and started dancing on your car," joked Tony.

McGee's eyes went wide, believing what the older man was saying.

"I'm kidding…you seriously don't remember what happened?"

"I don't think…wait, a-are Ducky-"

"Ducky and Jimmy are fine; you're the one who got shot."

Now it was all coming back to him. He and the two autopsy dwellers had been kidnapped, but came up with a plan and escaped. "The last…the last thing I really remember is a huge explosion in that cabin I was in. Anything after that is a complete blank."

"Well, we caught the guys; turns out Roth wasn't really a Naval Officer and that Roth isn't actually his real name. He killed the real guy and took his place."

"Really? Wow, I missed a lot."

Tony remained quiet and looked down at the floor, causing Tim to frown and sit up straighter. "What is it?"

"Nothing, it's just…if I hadn't been so angry about the tickets then you wouldn't have gone with Ducky and this wouldn't have happened."

"Tony-"

"And don't say that if it wasn't you it would've been Ducky or Jimmy. You had the gun; they had to take you out. Maybe-"

"'Maybe' nothing Tony," McGee relaxed against the pillows, but looked DiNozzo in the eye with a serious expression on his face. "I don't blame you; if anyone is to blame, it's me, because I should've sucked it up and dealt with the consequences."

"No, you shouldn't have to be lead to that…and I'm sorry."

Tim sighed. "Even though I never blamed you, I forgive you."

"So we're cool?"

"We always were," Tim grinned and held out his hand. Tony grasped it and they held it there for a few moments before releasing.

"I'm glad you're okay, Tim."

"Me too."

"So…how did you guys outsmart those Cuban idiots?"

FIN

I hoped you like it! It took me forever to write and but feel like it's no good. Let me know! REVIEWS!