A/N: This chapter was wonderfully written by Shelbylou.
Three Cheers for her continued brilliance and another job well done!
Tim was sitting at the veterinary hospital waiting room, with Abby curled up around him at his side. She was whimpering slightly and every now then she raised her head as if to say something but stopped herself, and went right back to using Tim as a prop in her comfort. There was nothing he could do, her kind nature to man and beast, often offset her from the norm and clouded her judgement in ways that were unexplainable. Today however, she was scared. Scared for Jethro; scared for her Timmy; and Scared for herself. Tim found he couldn't do or say anything to make her feel better so just carried on with the tiresome reassurances that did nothing to ease his own mind, let alone his little Goth, he was at an impasse, a complete quandary as he sat there and waited for the Vet to come out and tell him how his dog was.
It had originally amazed him, that when the incident happened, he found himself going straight into agent mode, that stoic methodology that just takes over and he had let his instincts guide him. It was a far cry from that shy little agent of yesteryear that would have tried to melt into the floor in a bid to keep himself safe. He had helped Jethro with an almost robotic hand, and driven him to this hospital at top speed, it was a wonder he didn't get pulled over by the traffic cops, no, it was a miracle because he was sure he'd broken just about every traffic law to get here. Abby stirred at his side and he felt her grip tighten on his side where her hand was clutching his shirt.
"Shh Abbs, he's going to be fine. Jethro's a tough old thing."
"Why haven't they come out yet? He's going to be ok, he has to be. Timmy, promise me he'll be ok."
Tim's face darkened, he wanted to believe in what he was telling Abby, he wanted nothing more that for the reassurances to be true. Right now the words were hollow and empty, but she needed to hear them. He reached over with his right hand and wiped the moisture away from Abby's eyes.
"Abbs, he's in the best hands right now. They'll help him as much as they can and before you know it, he'll be running round the park without a care in the world."
"I know. If he can survive it once, he can survive it again right?"
Tim frowned at the comment as it bought back memories of that time when Jethro had lunged at him, the razor sharp teeth tearing at his arm and his neck. No! He wasn't going there, it's in the past and that drug crazed dog was gone. In its place was Jethro, his beautiful, lovable, doe eyed German Sheppard who didn't deserve to go through this crap again.
"He's tough, Abbs."
He felt Abby sit up and pull away slightly.
"I know he's tough, it's just that...Timmy, there was so much blood."
Her wail rang through the waiting room and Tim found himself lunging forward to capture her in her arms, wrapping her in a hug so tight that he thought he might suffocate her. He shoulder felt wet where she had sobbed into it and he did the only thing he could think of........He held on.
Two hours ago.......
"Jethro!"
Tim's heart stuttered at the sight of his faithful German Sheppard lying on the ground with blood completely covering his flank, he had already made sure Abby was ok and that she was still laying low. There was no chance in hell he was letting her become a target, the fact that he was exposed in the worst way possible was bad enough, he thought about his boss and the headslap he would receive at putting himself in direct fire, but didn't care, Jethro needed help.
In no time at all, Tim was by his side trying to assess the damage, he blanched at Jethro's low growl of warning, the memories of the last time the large dog had actually done that, resurfaced briefly before being pushed down enough for him to help.
Grabbing a handful of the paper napkins that he had bought with him, Tim wasted no time at all and pushed them onto the wound. He had no idea as to whether or not it was the right thing to do, it was for humans, but for dogs? The training kicked in and he winced at the yelping that escaped Jethro as Tim applied slight pressure to the wound. As he sat there and crooned at his beloved pet, he remembered the days when he would be physically frightened at the sight of being greeted by an overly excited, large German Sheppard. That fear was something that had stayed with him for months after the attack but he soon started to believe what everyone had been telling him, that the dog's reaction had been due to the cocaine that had been found in his system.
He ignored the yelps and kept his left hand pressed firmly onto the wound whilst trying to recover something out of his pocket. Jethro growled at the movement, but Tim knew it was nothing but a response to the pain that the animal must have been feeling. He stopped his search momentarily and reached down to lovingly stroke Jethro's head.
"Shh Jethro, I know it hurts and I'm sorry , boy. We'll get you fixed up soon, ok?"
He heard Abby shuffling nearby and finally fished his car keys out of his pocket. Tossing them over to her he looked over to her and made the decision that it would be ok for her to move.
"Abbs, we need to get him to the veterinary hospital. I need you to go and get the car. There's a road just up there, you should be ok to stop there whilst we load him.........ABBY!"
Abby pulled herself back to reality and pushed the shocked stillness down to grab the keys that had landed near her arm. She acknowledged Tim with a sharp nod of her head, stood up and ran to the car park as fast as her legs would physically carry her. She finally found the car and wasted no time at all in driving it to the spot that Tim had previously pointed out.
By the time she arrived, Tim had haphazardly packed up the picnic and wrapped Jethro lovingly in the plush blanket he had bought with him for them to sit on. And so it was, that she found Tim standing there holding his beloved dog with tears in his eyes. Fear prickled inside her and she jumped out of the driving seat and stood staring at the scene.
"Timmy?"
"He's ok, Abbs, he just got a bit feisty and it scared me. No harm done. Abbs, he usually sits in the middle when there's a passenger, you going to be ok with him in your lap?"
"Timmy, of course! Please, can we go, he really needs help."
Tim waited or Abby to get in the car and gently laid Jethro across her lap. Jethro whimpered slightly and he prayed that the bullet didn't do any serious damage. He had found, that in the years following the biting incident, Jethro had become his companion, his best friend and he found himself looking forward to spending time with his dog. He had no idea what he would do if Jethro didn't make it, it would tear at his heart just as much as losing a friend, or family member. Jethro was going to make it, he had to.
***********
Present time.......
Tim pulled away from Abby and guided her back to the chair that she had been sitting. He crouched down in front of her, and with both hands resting on her thighs, he leaned in to talk to her quietly.
"Hey Abbs, I'm gonna go call Gibbs, ok? You gonna be all right for a minute?"
Abby's eyes went wide at the thought of informing Gibbs, though she understood that if they didn't, their lives wouldn't be worth living for the next few days. She nodded morosely and felt Tim squeeze her hand in a bid to offer comfort and reassurance. It didn't, nothing ever did until she knew for sure, that her family were safe. She gazed at Tim as he walked out of the door with hunched shoulders, he was already hitting buttons on his phone and so had his head bowed. Turning her attention back to the door that Jethro had been take through when he came in and waited patiently, praying that everything would be all right.
***********
Tim found a bench just outside the front entrance and sat down heavily whilst waiting for the phone to be answered. He didn't have to wait long and soon found himself dreading the difficult conversation he was about to have.
"Yeah. Gibbs."
"Hey, Boss, it's Tim"
"Well yeah, McGee, I know that."
"Oh. Anyway, Boss, I think we may have a problem." Tim heard the sharp intake of impatient breath and cringed.
"You better not be ringing me to tell me something went wrong with Abby, McGee! Damn it, you know how much was at stake!"
"No, Boss, everything's fine with me and Abbs." The pain in Tim's voice was impossible to miss. Gibbs still doubted him; that much was obvious.
"Then what's the problem." Tim felt as though he was pulling teeth, sometimes Gibbs could be easy to talk to, this was one of the times that his boss was being plain awkward.
"We were at Anacostia with Jethro having a picnic when we heard shots fired. I moved for my backup but saw a kid walk out of the trees with a toy gun. I thought it was fine but......."
"You and Abby ok, McGee?" The concern in Gibbs' voice practically dripped down the phone into Tim's ear. Tim sighed heavily knowing that this was going to be a tough conversation to have.
"Yeah, we're okay. Jethro took a hit though. We're at the veterinary hospital now waiting to hear how he's doing."
"Which one?"
"Friendship Hospital for Animals on Brandywine Street NW, Boss."
"Ok, McGee, hang tight and we'll be there soon."
"Thanks, Boss."
He heard the phone click off and sat there hanging onto his cell. It took a couple of minutes before he felt as though he could go back in and stood wearily. He turned to walk back into the waiting area and as he walked in, he saw Abby talking to one of the vets on duty.
"Timmy, you're here. Doctor, this is Timothy McGee, Jethro's owner."
"Ahh, Mr McGee, well its good news. The bullet seemed to have grazed the flank as opposed to actually penetrating it, but it did cause some very minor damage which we have repaired. He lost some blood so we would like to keep him in overnight to replenish his fluids."
The relief on Tim's face was evident and he felt Abby's fingers curl around his hand. He held onto her tightly as if she was his lifeline that anchored him.
"So he's going to be ok, Doc, I mean, there's not going to be any lasting effects?"
"He'll be weak and sore for a few days, but there shouldn't be any lingering effects. I couldn't tell you at this stage what the weapon was, but I can tell you it was small caliber. He'll have to wear a collar for a few days to stop him licking the wound and you'll have to keep an eye on him for signs of infection."
Tim knew that Jethro would hate the horrible coned collar and got ready to ask the vet another question when he was interrupted Tony's voice ringing through the waiting room.
"Probielicious! You can't go on one little date without getting into trouble can ya?" Tony's jovial voice lifted Tim's spirits only slightly. This barb hit too close to the one Gibbs had already lobbyed at him earlier, though, and it took some doing to force the hurt back down so he could think straight. He would always play the wounded comrade about the comments, and normally, they would make him smile before it was all over. But, not this time. He turned to face Tony and frowned at Abby as she tried to stifle her relieved laugh.
"Obviously not ,Tony." Tony's face fell slightly at the deadness of Tim's voice and he slipped on his mask of concern.
"How's McMutt doing, he gonna be okay?"
"Yeah, they're keepin' him in but it was just a graze. Jesus, it could have been Abby." Tim said with a mountain of guilt radiating off of him.
Gibbs walked into the conversation at that very moment and gave Tim a hard slap on the back of his head. He knew exactly where Tim's head was at and he also knew he was partly to blame. It needed to be stopped, now!
"Ow, Boss. What was that for?" Tim's yelp turned the heads of nearly everyone in the waiting room.
"THAT was for forgetting someone else that could have been hurt, Tim." Gibbs told him quietly with a hint of compassion in his eyes.
"There was no one else with us, Boss." Tim's face crumpled with confusion which bought a small smile to Gibbs' face.
"You, McGee, I'm talking about you!" Gibbs reminded seriously.
Tim quietly and gratefully accepted Gibbs' screwed version of concern mixed with an apology for his initial jump to the conclusion that Tim had somehow screwed things up with Abby already. It took a large chunk of the weight off his heart. Unfortunately, there was still plenty of weight left.
"Ok, people, now we know the dog's gonna be fine we've got a case." Gibbs' no nonsense tone rang clear.
There was a collective gasp of "no way" from Tony and Ziva that followed Gibbs out of the vets office. This one was going to be tough, it wasn't your standard murder enquiry, it was a case involving two members of his team, his family.
The team walked into the squad room and deposited their bags down on next to their desks. Gibbs had gone directly to the Director with his coffee to bat out the details that Abby and Tim had given him. Truth be told, he had nothing. No leads, no clues, hell, he had no idea why someone would be taking pot shots at his people. What he did know was that he wanted to get out there as soon as possible to hunt for the clues.
"Gibbs, there had better be a damn good reason why you have got me missing the opportunity to spend the day with my family. Sunday's pretty much the only time with them I have."
Leon had come straight from home, but hadn't bothered to dress in his usual snappy suits. He looked odd somehow standing there in Jeans and a polo shirt, but this didn't seem to faze Gibbs as he explained the events leading up to them being in the office on their 'off duty' weekend.
"McGee and Abby were shot at in the park, Leon. The shooter hit McGee's dog."
Vance pondered the short statement for a moment.
"Ok, and I'm guessing you want to take your team out there. Gibbs, I can put another team on this, yours is too close to this."
"Go it in one Leon, and I don't want another team working it. I can leave McGee at his desk, but I want the best. My people were shot at!"
Leon moved over to his desk and sat down slowly.
"Take your team. You think McGee's going to be left behind without an argument, because I sure as hell don't. Make sure he's wearing a vest. Second thoughts make sure you're all wearing vests, if there's someone out there taking pot shots at my agents, then I want you to have a fighting chance."
Gibbs nodded and stalked out of the office. Vance said McGee could go but he wasn't sure. First and foremost, Tim was Gibbs' responsibility. He'd feel safer with Tim tucked safely away in the secure confines of NCIS.
The walk to the squad room was short and he stalked over to his desk to grab his weapon and badge out of the drawer. He was amused to find Tony and Ziva hovering round Tim's desk, trying to get information out of him about his date.
"Gear up, Tony you're driving." Gibbs announced to the trio.
Tony walked over and grabbed his back pack before catching the keys that Gibbs threw at him.
"Where we going, Boss?" Tony asked in confusion.
"Anacostia, McGee's shooting is the case. McGee! You're stayin here. you got me?"
"No, Boss! Absolutely not! I'm coming with you. The chances are, the shooter is long gone now anyway." Tim fought back.
Gibbs thought back to the directors comments and sighed heavily. He picked up Tim's vest and threw it forcefully at him.
"That's the condition of you coming McGee, You even think to argue about it and you will stay here. Clear?"
Tim fingered the Kevlar vest and ripped open the Velcro so he could slip it over his t-shirt.
"Crystal, Boss."
"Good, in fact. DiNozzo, David. You're wearing vests too!"
He smiled at the collective 'No way' and walked over to the elevator to wait for his agents to catch him up. He didn't have to wait long before his team joined him in his small, unofficial office.
"So, Probie, what base did you get to last night then?" Tony asked in his normal sense of nosy humor. He knew his Probie was upset and wanted to snap him out of it, even if it was risking a head slap from the boss.
*THWACK*
"Thanks, Boss."
Tim couldn't help but grin at the normality of the action and Tony's warped gratitude at having his head slapped. He was still grinning when he reached the car, but stopped when he remembered exactly why they were going to the park in the first place; the memories themselves were still raw as he climbed in the car and threatened to overwhelm him slightly.
"McGee. No matter what, you stick close to the team out there." Gibbs ordered quietly as they drove out of the Navy Yard.
A feeling of sheer dread washed over Tim at Gibbs' concern, so he did the only thing he could at that moment, he nodded sullenly at his boss and willed the day to finally end.
All the park was quiet. A few hours had passed since the incident and so, on 1.30 PM on a Sunday afternoon, the team found themselves working the crime scene. Tim was standing in exactly the same spot that they had been lazily, enjoying the afternoon and stared down at the blood that was smeared in the green grass. Sighing heavily, he stood and looked towards river.
"Penny for em' McGee."
Tim was completely lost in thought and was staring blankly at the water. It wasn't until he felt a heavy hand rest on his shoulder that he was pulled out of his reverie; he looked behind him and saw his boss standing there with a furrowed brow of concern.
"Boss?"
"What's on your mind, McGee?" Gibbs asked quietly.
Tony had already grabbed his gear and headed to his assigned stretch of the park to search for clues, he had starting working pretty much as soon as they'd gotten there, this situation had bought with it a fierce determination within the team and that made Gibbs proud. He watched as Ziva began asking people what they'd seen, if anything. She was a full 100 yards away from the picnic spot already.
Tim realized that it was just the two of them standing there, and so he let go of what was bothering him, freely and honestly; after all, you didn't get many chances like this with Gibbs.
"Can I ask you something?" the younger agent quietly asked his boss, his heart clearly in his tone.
"I'm listening." His boss reassured him.
"Your first reaction when I told you there was a problem, why was it that I had already screwed things up with Abby?"
Gibbs sighed in frustration and shook his head.
"What would you have thought? McGee, if you were in my shoes, what would have been your first thought?"
Tim thought about it for a moment and realised that he probably would have drawn the same conclusion.
"Good point. It' just, Boss, last night was amazing. We had dinner, we went to a concert and we talked, really talked, you know. This morning we came for a picnic to finish the weekend off perfectly and it all went to hell." Tim paused briefly and frowned. "It's just, hearing that your first thought was that I'd screwed it up stung, like you'd already lost......Crap!"
Tim's gaze fell back to the point in front of him, he seemed to be completely lost in his own mind and that in itself worried Gibbs.
"What is it, McGee?"
"There was no bullet, so it has to be her somewhere. Boss, Jethro was grazed not shot. The bullet should be here somewhere but...." Tim stopped talking and left his sentence hanging in the air.
" What's the problem, McGee?"
"The water. I know the rough direction of the shooter based on where Jethro was and where he was hit. There are two options right now, if the bullet was slowed by the hit, then it maybe a case of it being in the trees. If it wasn't then it's in the water and any evidence has been washed away."
Gibbs nodded sullenly and called Tony over.
"DiNozzo! Go with McGee to find the bullet." Gibbs started to walk towards Ziva to help her and left Tim standing there waiting for Tony.
Tony came running over and grinned broadly at Tim.
"Just me and you, Probie. Where to?"
"The trees over near the riverbank. The chances of finding the slug are slim to none Tony."
Tony huffed out a chuckle and stared off into the trees.
"Jeez McRecusant, have some faith, will ya?" he waited for Tim to turn his attention to him. "Ambition should be made of sterner stuff, Probie "
Tim frowned at the quote that Tony had just used. He knew what it was but couldn't quite put his finger on it. Tony saw the confusion and laughed loudly.
"Julius Caesar, my good old dad used to quote it all the time. In other words, quit with the negativity and have faith. I mean sure, it's not gonna be easy and we might find nada, but it's worth the try." The smile on Tony's face seemed to do the trick and Tim felt a sharp smack on his shoulder before watching Tony move on towards the river. Tim followed with a slightly lighter heart knowing that between them, they had a fighting chance.
************
Gibbs and Ziva had finished with their questioning and walked towards Tim and Tony who were painstakingly scouring the area for the bullet, he stopped to watch his two agents who were bickering lightly. He leaned against the tree to listen.
"Tony, for Pete's sake would you quit it!"
"I'm just saying McGee. You know how you get when you fall victim to the dreaded poison ivy."
Gibbs laughed at the emphasis on 'poison Ivy' and turned his head slightly . He caught something out of the corner of his eye and whistled to his agents. He hadn't noticed the fact that Tim was moving in the opposite direction and pointed to the tree. Ziva and Tony looked followed the pointing finger expectantly before locking onto the object of Gibbs' interest. Tony's jaw dropped. There it was, as plain as day. The bullet had embedded itself in the outer layer of the tree and sat with the bottom glinting in the daylight.
"Damn, Boss, we've been looking for that little bugger for over an hour!"
"Ya think DiNozzo. Bag and tag it. Ziva, Tim, you're with me." Gibbs started to walk away but was stopped by Ziva's confident voice shouting him back.
"Gibbs, McGee is not here."
He stopped and looked around, there was no sight of his agent but managed to stop Tony with a glare. Tony carried on what he was doing and left his boss and team mate to look for Tim. He finally managed to gouge the bullet out of the tree dropped it into one of the evidence containers they carried with them.
Gibbs and Ziva searched through the trees but didn't have to look far, Tim was standing in front of a tree and they watched as his hand reached out to pull something off the trunk.
"Hey! McGee, I thought I told you to stay close."
Gibbs quickly walked towards Tim but picked up the pace when his agent turned and his face lost all color. He watched with horror as Tim's knees buckled beneath him, sending him crashing to the gound. Luckily, by then Gibbs had reached him and was able to catch his agent to ease Tim's descent in a way that he didn't get hurt by the fast approaching ground.
"McGee!" Gibbs' heart was in his throat, to him, the way Tim had gone down was exactly the same way he'd seen numerous agents fall when they'd been shot. He glanced around first and then down to his agent, to his relief there was no blood and come to think of it, there wasn't that ominous crack of a gunshot either.
"Tim, what is it?" the concern in Gibbs' voice managed to reach through whatever had caused this reaction in his agent, whatever it was, was enough for the young man to react suddenly,
"Bbb..Boss, this was pinned to the tree." Tim handed him the photograph that had been planted on the tree and started to tremble. Gibbs' hold on his young agent's shoulder got tighter and tighter when he looked down at the image before him.
Sitting in Gibbs' hand, was a photo of Tim and Abby at the concert they had gone to last night, they were hugging amidst a sea of people who had been faded using some kind of photo editing software. Written across the two figures in bold, black print were the words:
"You're Next Agent McGee!!!"