The day Tim McGee was released from the hospital was also the first day Tony DiNozzo managed to stay awake and also be half-lucid. Abby had excitedly informed Tim of the fact, apparently forgiving him completely for his breakdown two days before. McGee had nodded, truly happy, but also scared.
"Timmy," Abby said now, looking sternly at the agent standing in front of her, arms on her hips. "You should go see him." McGee shook his head, smiling placatingly at Abby.
"No, Abs, not yet," he murmured, and Abby's look turned into a full on glare.
"Why not, McGee?" She demanded angrily. McGee wiped a hand over his face and shrugged.
"I'm tired, Abby. I'm going to go home and get some sleep. And when Tony can stay awake for longer than five minutes at a time, I'll come see him, okay? But I can't handle it right now, to be honest, and I'm exhausted." He gathered the few items he needed to take home and started out the door. Abby watched him go, shaking her head, then turned and went upstairs. She would have to tell Tony.
Tony groaned as he woke for the second time. It was easier this time, everything more clear and understandable, the bright lights and myriad of noises less overwhelming than before. Blinking, he noticed Gibbs sitting in the chair next to the bed, Ziva talking quietly to Ducky next to him.
"Hey DiNozzo, good to see you again," Gibbs said, brushing a strand of hair from Tony's forehead.
"Yeah. McGee?" He murmured, looking around the room in obvious bewilderment. He started to try to sit up, wincing as it pulled at his stitches.
"He's…okay. He's a little emotionally unstable right now, but Timothy is doing quite well," Ducky said, coming to Tony's side. DiNozzo frowned.
""motionally unstable?" He slurred, brow furrowed in confusion.
"He is blaming himself," Ziva offered, and Tony closed his eyes, muttering something that sounded strangely like 'idiot' under his breath.
"'s not his fault," DiNozzo said, and Gibbs nodded.
"I know, DiNozzo. Tried to tell him but he didn't listen." Gibbs studied his senior agent intently as he saw the guilty expression that crossed over his face. "It wasn't your fault either. Get some rest and don't worry about it, okay? McGee will come around eventually." Tony showed no expression but allowed himself to relax into the bed. Abby came in, more subdued than usual, catching Gibbs' eye and gently shaking her head. She turned to Tony, smiling.
"Hey Tony! It's good to see you awake!" She would normally have thrown her arms around him, but noted the pallor of his skin and the bandages swathing his abdomen and settled for a kiss on the cheek. Tony smiled tiredly.
"Hi, Abs," he whispered. "You talk to McGeek?" Abby nodded slowly, biting her lip. Tony looked away. "Didn't want to see me, huh?" He tried to keep his tone light, tried not to let how much it hurt show, but he was failing miserably and could tell by Abby's face that everyone knew. DiNozzo shrugged, allowing his eyes to close.
"Oh well," he murmured. "He'll come around eventually." He echoed Gibbs' earlier words before falling asleep. Abby looked at him worriedly, exchanged glances with Gibbs. Gibbs felt his jaw tightening in anger. McGee had better get himself sorted out, and soon, or Gibbs would be doing the sorting himself.
Three days later, McGee was starting to feel bad about not seeing Tony, but he still couldn't bring himself to go to the hospital. Abby had stopped calling completely after the second day, obviously completely fed up with his failure to see his friend. Gibbs had yelled at him once over the phone, Ziva had asked him to come, and Ducky had launched into a story about someone he knew once, but McGee just wasn't ready. He honestly couldn't force himself to face down the man who he had grown to regard with the same fondness as he would an older brother, the man who he had nearly killed. Lying lethargically on his couch, flipping tiredly through his few channels, he was startled by the knock on his door, a rather insistent knock that had him leaping to his feet and opening the door quickly.
"McGee," Gibbs said, looking sternly at him. There was something else there, though, some other emotion trying to come through, and when Tim looked at his face, he suspected the worst. "Tim." McGee cringed. Definitely bad.
"What's wrong, Gibbs?" He whispered, not really wanting to know the answer. Gibbs looked him in the eye.
"Tony's taken a turn for the worse. He's developed an infection and he's been in and out of delirium all day. He's asking for you, McGee." Tim's face paled and he looked about to cry.
"What are they saying?" He asked quietly. "Is he gonna make it?" Gibbs looked away for a second, and Tim's heart dropped.
"They're just waiting for the antibiotics to work, Tim, but he's running a high-grade fever and he's been hallucinating. It's putting a lot of strain on him, McGee." There was a hesitation, a moment when Tim McGee almost thought Gibbs was trying to hold back tears, but he brushed the thought away. Gibbs wouldn't be crying. He'd just head-smack Tony and that would be that. Still…
"You need to go see him, Tim," Gibbs said quietly, and McGee finally nodded.
"Hang on. Let me change my clothes and I'll come with you." He ran to his room and threw some clothes on, then bolted back to Gibbs' side. Gibbs didn't smile at him, but Tim saw the slight nod of his head, his stance warmer than before, and knew that, at least in Gibbs' eyes, he'd finally done the right thing.
When he entered Tony's hospital room, McGee was suddenly very uncertain about whether he'd done the right thing of not. DiNozzo looked terrible. There were bandages swathed around his abdomen, a nasal cannula in his nose, sweat trickling down his face and plastering his hair to his forehead, his face flushed and clinched in pain. Tim felt weak in the knees suddenly, had to sit down in the chair next to Tony's bedside, hesitantly reaching a hand out to touch Tony's.
"McGee?" Tony mumbled, opening bleary eyes to look at him. Tim forced himself to smile.
"Yeah, hey DiNozzo," he murmured. "You don't look so great." Gibbs came in with a coffee, handed one to Tim and then stepped outside to give them some privacy.
"I always look-good, Probie," DiNozzo huffed, each word coming painfully. McGee grinned.
"That's true." Looking at the senior agent, Tim felt the familiar twinge of guilt starting up in his stomach, and he tried to force it down. Tony seemed to notice, even through the fever haze.
"McGeek. Not-your fault," he gasped. "Both know-I was being-a pain-in-the ass." Tim had to laugh.
"Yeah, you were. But I was stupid, Tony, I shouldn't have stopped the car-"
"Probie. Don't-give-yourself so much-credit," Tony muttered, gasping for air after.
"Tony, shut up. You need to rest," Gibbs muttered, poking his head through the door. DiNozzo nodded.
"Prob'ly right," he slurred, eyelids already drooping closed. Gibbs came in and sat next to Tim, who was staring worriedly at Tony.
"You did good, McGee," Gibbs muttered, placing a hand on Tim's shoulder. "He's gonna get over this and you're gonna be fine." McGee nodded, still not taking his eyes off of the still senior agent. Suddenly, he noticed something, a slight twitch in Tony's hand that gradually got more and more pronounced.
"Gibbs," he called out, staring wide-eyed as DiNozzo started going into full-on convulsions. Gibbs slammed the call button and yelled for help as McGee sat helplessly, watching in terror as Tony's limbs flailed. A nurse hurried in followed closely by a doctor and some other people, and McGee vaguely allowed himself to be shoved out of the room with Gibbs. Standing in the hallway as they tried to get DiNozzo under control, Tim lost it. He felt the tears before he even realized he was crying, and by then he had slid down the wall with his face buried in his knees. Shoulders shaking with sobs, he was somewhat surprised when someone wrapped him in a hug, even more surprised when he realized it was Gibbs. McGee found himself curling in, shoving his wet face into Gibbs' shoulder, crying into it like a little boy, not even caring. Gibbs patted his back, and after a second, Tim realized he was whispering things to him, soothing words of comfort. With a shuddery gasp, he allowed himself to relax into Gibbs' embrace, tears still flowing down his cheeks. Gibbs didn't quit his comforting routine, stroke, whisper, stroke, whisper… They sat like that for a long time.