A/N: Please forgive the delay.
Buckle up, it's a bumpy ride for this chapter
Pain was starting to seep his subconscious and slowly started to exacerbate the troubled dream he was already in the midst of. His mind began to meld his physical pain into every troubled stumble down memory lane; full of stumbling blocks and things he'd left behind him long ago. Even now, some of the things weren't so far behind and left him reeling with the sheer impact they were having.
Tim was pulled painfully out of sleep and lay there gasping as sudden, intense chest pain ripped through him; stealing his breath away long enough for him to lose the grogginess that sleeping had left him with. He was gasping for air like a fish out of water, something which only served to intensify the agony he felt as shooting shards of pain rendered him immobile. He held his breath in an attempt to ease the stabbing pain and for a short while it worked; or at least until his body's need to breathe took over and he inhaled deeply.
"Arghhh, crap!" The whispered curse that slipped from his mouth was an involuntary reaction as he clasped his hand firmly over the site of the pain and tried to squirm away from it.
Moaning loudly, he fumble blindly on the nightstand until his hand came into contact with something solid. Opening his eyes long enough to see what it was, he managed to make out the bottle of water that Gibbs had left there for him earlier that morning. With what little strength he could muster as he lay there fighting against the pain that assaulted him, he held his breath again to ease his discomfort. It was then he made the decision and leeched that strength away from his attempts to avoid the pain so he could pick up the water bottle and throw it against the wall; hoping and praying that it would bring Tony running when he heard it impact with the wall.
Tony was sitting on the bottom step of Gibbs' staircase with his phone was just finishing giving his boss the update that the older man had asked for earlier. Sighing heavily when the line went dead, he put his phone away and stood up to stretch out the kinks sitting there had created. He was mid stretch when an ominous bang from the bedroom above him stopped his heart momentarily and he soon found himself bolting up the stairs; taking them two at a time so he could get there faster. It didn't take long for Tony to reach his goal and he burst through the door to find Tim lying on the bed with the covers twisted around him. One hand was pushing against his chest and the other was fisting the sheets as wave after wave or sheer agony assaulted him. The thing that worried Tony the most was the fact that his friend was struggling to pull in breath and every inhalation was obviously causing his Probie inordinate amounts of pain; that in itself raised his panic to a whole new level, especially seeing as Tony had been there himself before.
"McGee! Hey, what's going on? Talk to me?" Tony had moved over to the bed and was currently perching on the edge with his hand squeezing Tim's shoulder.
"Ton….urts." Tim's answer was punctuated by harsh gasps and made Tony flinch with sympathy.
Digging his phone back out of his pocket, Tony quickly punched the button for Ducky's speed dial before hitting the speaker phone button. He set the phone down on the bed next to him so they could both hear the conversation. The phone started to ring and Tony placed himself in front of Tim; knowing that it was the only way Tim would listen to him or Ducky. He was completely taken back when he noticed Tim's chest had stopped heaving.
"McGee, you've gotta breathe, man." Tony grasped Tim's shoulder harder and gave him a sharp shake. "Hey! quit holding your breath!"
Tim shook his head in distressed denial of what Tony was telling him he had to do. It hurt far too much to breathe and it really wasn't worth it if it meant the agony would keep ripping through him. Unstoppable tears ran down his face and gave evidence to the immense experience he was having.
"Damn it, McGee! Take a breath!" Tony demanded urgently as panic started to bubble up. "PROBIE!..."
"Dr. Mallard" Ducky answered his cell as he headed up to the squad room and frowned heavily when the first thing he heard was Tony shouting firmly at Tim.
"Ducky, you're on speaker; You gotta tell McGee to breathe, he's fighting it." Tony's anxious voice came through the phone loud and clear
"Anthony? What on earth is the matter? Why is Timothy fighting to breathe?" Ducky sharp tone stopped the conversation that Gibbs and Ziva's were having mid word. Gibbs turned his focus onto his old friend and noticed the anxiety that etched the M.E's face. Ducky kept moving towards Gibbs and Ziva as he talked.
"I dunno. I heard a bang, came up here and found him in bed in pain and holding his damn breath. McGee! I swear if you don't breathe I'm gonna….." Tony was cut short by Tim finally giving in to his body's natural urges to inhale and he finally took in a long, loud torturous breath that was soon followed by a loud groan.
"Whatever's going on?" The M.E. asked urgently as he pointed to the elevator and kept going; knowing Jethro would follow him.
'Hurts." It was the only thing Tim could say because every breath felt as though someone was driving small daggers through his chest.
"Timothy, breathing is causing you pain?" Ducky asked loudly so the young man wouldn't have to strain to hear his question. There was a brief pause in which Ducky could hear Tim's shallow breathing.
"Yeah." Tim wheezed out before his breathing became erratic once again as he tried to fight a way through the pain without holding his breath.
Gibbs caught up to Ducky and pushed the elevator button whilst Ducky continued to try to calm both the younger agents down. With every second that passed, he found himself getting more and more antsy and couldn't help fidgeting as they waited for the elevator to come. As soon as it was there, both men climbed in and Gibbs pushed the button to send it on its way; all the while keeping his ear trained to the conversation Ducky was having. He felt his heart start climbing up into his throat at Ducky's frantic attempts.
"Oh, Dear! Anthony, I think I may know what is causing this but I can't be sure until I see Timothy. For now you must help him regulate his breathing. No matter how much it hurts him at the moment, don't let him hold his breath and try to get him to breathe normally; it's too shallow right now."
"You hear that Probie. You can't hold your breath and you need to quit with the shallow breathing. Come on McGee, you can do it." Ducky waited patiently for Tony to finish before continuing.
"I want you to give him Tylenol right away, as soon as he takes them help him lie on the side that is causing him the most pain." Ducky instructed sternly.
"Ducky, won't that make it hurt more?" The panic was becoming more and more evident in Tony's voice.
"No, believe it or not lying like that helps alleviate the pain. If the pain is being caused by what I think it is that is. It I'm right then you will have to trust that it is the right thing to do. Place a pillow between Timothy and the bed if that makes it easier."
"Ducky, Doesn't he need to be in the hospital? I'm an idiot, I should have rang and ambulance first."
"For heaven's sake, calm down, Anthony!. Timothy needs you to keep a level head right now. I don't think he needs to be in the hospital and Jethro and I shall be there very shortly, Anthony. Don't leave him alone."
"I won't."
Gibbs reached over and plucked the phone out of Ducky's hand.
"DiNozzo." Gibbs forced himself to speak calmly, knowing Tony needed some reinforcement with this situation.
"Boss?"
"Stay calm. You can do this."
"Ok. Stay calm, Right." Tony's voice was anything but calm and Gibbs knew his agent was a bundle of nerves as his quick thinking mind thought the worst. He could almost hear what Tony was thinking and cringed when he heard Tim struggling in the background.
"Tony."
"Boss?"
"Calm. Down. Tim needs you." Gibbs reiterated his point and used Tim's first name hoping the repetition and the deliberate change of name for McGee would finally have the desired effect.
"On it, Boss. It's just hard you know. I remember what this was like and …."
"It's not the plague Tony." There it was, Tony's real fear laid out for all to hear.
"I know, Boss. Doesn't make it any easier for Probie though."
"We'll be there soon. Do what Ducky said and help McGee breathe. All right?"
"Gotcha, Boss. I gotta go." Gibbs heard the phone go dead and snapped Ducky's shut. He turned to his friend with a somber expression.
"How bad is this, Duck?"
"If it is what I think it is, then it's early enough to be able to treat it at home. Don't get me wrong, Jethro, it's extremely painful and Timothy will need to do exactly what I tell him."
"If it's not?"
"Then I foresee a trip to Bethesda in the not too distant future."
Tony took a deep breath and turned his focus back towards Tim. Luckily, Tim's medication was still sitting on the nightstand and Tony was pleased to see a box of Tylenol amongst them.
"Right ,McGee, you heard Ducky. I need you to take some meds." When Tim didn't answer Tony looked more closely and found him holding his breath again "HEY! Would you quit that! Jeez McGee, you heard the doc so cut it out already!"
Tim exhaled sharply and felt himself being pulled up by two strong arms.
"Tony….No stop….Stop please…hurts so bad….stop." Tim's pleading broke Tony's heart as he moved behind Tim to hold him. He popped 3 tables out of the blister pack and opened the retrieved bottle of water.
"Sorry, Tim, but I need you to take these. Ducky says you've gotta so no arguing with me all right?" Tony slipped the first of the Tylenol past Tim's lips and helped him take a swig out of the water bottle. "Good job. Two more to go."
Tony's coaxing finally paid off and before he knew it all three Tylenol had been taken. He shifted from behind the bed and gently laid Tim back down.
"All right, buddy, I need you to help me here." Tony grasped Tim's arm and exhaled loudly as he rolled Tim over to his side. He hadn't realized that Tim had been holding his breath again until he heard Tim letting go of it. As Tim's breath rushed out, so did the agonized moan of pain that went with it causing Tony to wince with sympathy. He'd been here before, sure it was a Dark Age disease and the symptoms were different, but he knew what it was like to struggle with every breath and it was something he wouldn't wish on his worst enemy, let alone his best friend.
"Easy, Tim. That's it, breathe for me, okay? Ducky and Gibbs will be here soon so I need you to keep doing what you are doing." Tony rubbed soothing circles on McGee's back whilst keeping up his comforting mantra.
Come on guys. We need you!
Ziva stood stock still in the middle of the squad room in shock. Hearing the conversation that Ducky was having shook her and knowing that McGee was having difficulty breathing did nothing but make her feel worry curling deep in her gut. She knew Tony was there, it was his turn on protection detail, and the fact that Tony was there dealing with it alone shook her. The conversation she'd been having with Gibbs a moment ago almost seemed to dissipate completely from her mind momentarily but something in her brain reached out and snagged a connection between the two. The conversation zoomed back into focus. She could see the whole scene play out in front of her as if she was watching a video.
10 minutes ago…..
Ziva had just hung up the phone with the hospital where Alex was a patient and glanced up to see Gibbs standing in front of her desk. He didn't look happy and something told her that it wouldn't be long before she shared that sentiment too.
"Ziva. I need you to keep your protection detail over Abby."
"Of course, Gibbs." Ziva answered back as if there hadn't even been any doubt that she would do that.
"Ziva, I've made a few calls and Abby's gonna be staying with her Nun friends. I need you to stay with her." Gibbs didn't think beating around the bush would be the best plan of action and got straight to the point.
"Nuns? May I ask why, Gibbs? How is it she is not staying under your roof anymore?"
"Let's just say right now, she is making that arrangement less than workable. I don't want McGee and Abbs staying under the same roof right now." Ziva's curiosity piqued at that but she stayed silent knowing that she would find out soon enough anyway.
"May I remind you that I am Jewish, Gibbs. How will the nuns feel about me sharing their convent."
"Already told them that and it's not a problem. Nun's aren't racist Ziva. The question is; Can you handle staying in a convent?" Gibbs couldn't help but smile at that and watched as Ziva returned his sentiment.
"Oh yes. If I can put up with you three on a daily basis then I am sure Abby and her Nun's will not be a problem. I will be respectful."
Ziva glanced up and saw Ducky making his way over to them.
"Anthony? What on earth is the matter? Why is Timothy fighting to breathe?" "
Present time….
As Ziva headed to Abby's lab, she was completely lost in thought and hoped that McGee would be all right. She was subconsciously fingering her gold Star of David as she offered up silent prayers for Tim. She was so lost in her own world that she was startled to find the door to Abby's lab looming in front of her; Dropping her hands down to her sides she pulled herself together and walked in with her mask slipped firmly in place.
"Abby." Ziva greeted the Goth as she walked over to the computer bench where she was sat.
"Hey, Ziva. What brings you down here?"
"You do actually. You and McGee."
"Oh? What about us? Did he say something?"
"Apparently, he is in too much pain to say anything, Abby. Ducky and Gibbs are on their way over there as we speak. Gibbs asked me to speak to you." Abby's head shot round and she glared at Ziva with fear in her eyes.
"About what? And what's wrong with Timmy?"
"We will not know what is wrong with McGee until we hear back from Gibbs. He asked me to speak to you about your protection detail. Gibbs has contacted your Nun friends and they have kindly agreed to let both you and I stay with them."
"What? Why?"
"Because for whatever reason, Gibbs does not want you and McGee staying together right now." This conversation was making Ziva feel more and more uncomfortable as it went on.
"Gibbs said that?" Ziva could hear the hurt in Abby's voice and had to stop herself from reaching over and pulling Abby into a hug.
"He did."
"Why didn't he come tell me himself?" Abby asked with obvious hurt.
"He was on his way to do just that when Ducky intervened to let us know that McGee is in trouble." Ziva explained.
"Trouble? What trouble? Talk to me, Ziva! You said he was in pain and now you're saying he's in trouble? Oh my God! Ziva, what's wrong with him." Abby stood up and started pacing.
"Apparently, he is having difficulty breathing right now." Ziva moved closer to Abby as she spoke and placed her hand on Abby's arm to still the movements.
"Oh, no! Is he gonna be okay? Please, tell me he's gonna be okay, Ziva!"
"Abby, Ducky and Gibbs will make sure he will be fine. Tony was very quick to call and alert Ducky to the problem."
"Oh no! Poor Tony. He must have been freaking out!"
"Apparently, he handled it well."
"Oh, God! Why is this happening? Everything was going great and then it all just went to hell!" Abby started to pace the lab again, she couldn't help it; it was just something that she did to help her thoughts work with the frenetic energy she carried. Ziva frowned at how upset Abby seemed at the moment.
"Abby, I must finish running this background check. Do you have more work to finish or would you like to come and sit with me in the squad room?"
"What? Uh..No I'll be fine, Ziva, I've got stuff that I need to do. I just wish someone would call with some good news on McGee."
"Ok. Do you mind if I use the spare computer down here. It is lonely upstairs when you are the only team member." Ziva sent Abby a warm smile and walked over to the computer when Abby nodded.
"Give them time, Abby," Ziva soothed as she carried on running her search for the information she needed. It would be tricky doing it right in front of Abby; but she had no choice now and opened up the software that she needed.
Gibbs and Ducky were racing towards the younger mans house when the M.E's phone rang shrilly; glancing at the caller ID, Ducky saw Tony's number flash up before answering.
"Anthony. How is Timothy?"
"Ducky, he's not good. I did what you said and the pain eased but he's running a fever now. I've got cold cloths draped over his neck and forehead but they're not doing anything." Tony's panicked voice was loud enough for Gibbs to hear.
"Duck?" Ducky held up his hand to silence Gibbs and carried on with his conversation.
"Have you taken his temperature?"
"What with? Ducky, I doubt Gibbs has a thermometer tucked away somewhere so how exactly do I do that?"
"DiNozzo! Go into my bathroom and look in the medicine cabinet. There should be one in there." Gibbs had to shout to be heard but at this moment he didn't care how loud he got. "Damn it, Duck, put that on speaker, will ya."
Ducky did what Gibbs asked and listened to the sounds of Tony rummaging through something.
"Got it! Damn, Boss, this is old!"
"DINOZZO JUST TAKE MCGEE'S TEMPERATURE, DAMN IT!"Ducky reached over and slapped Gibbs on the back of the head, the action earning him a growl in response.
"Anthony, I doubt very much you will be able to get Timothy to keep it under his tongue. Hold it in his armpit for a minute or so and that will do the trick."
The silence hung in thick in the air as Tony held the thermometer in place. He pulled it free after a minute and cursed loudly.
"102, Ducky."
"All right. Keep applying the cool compresses and we'll be there soon." He hung up and glanced over towards Gibbs "I think it may be prudent to hurry Jethro. I don't like the sound of Tim's condition right about now."
Gibbs responded by putting his foot down whilst Ducky called for the EMT's; at this point he wasn't willing to take any chances with Timothy's life and from what he'd heard over the phone, the fever had come on suddenly and that mixed with the breathing difficulties left Ducky with no choice but to get a second opinion. He was also concerned about the sudden onset of the illness giving Tim reason to panic and having that problem to deal with as well as the pain he was experiencing with every breath he was taking, didn't leave room for error by diagnosing over the phone.
Gibbs gripped the steering wheel so tight that his knuckles were pure white and he could feel ridges of the steering wheel embedding their patterns into his palm. Neither of which bothered him at the moment because his main focus was concentrating on the road ahead so he could be near his agents. His mind wouldn't stop racing any more than his heart and he felt a numbness spread downwards as he thought about how Tim was this morning. Sure the kid was upset, but who wouldn't be; there was no sign of illness though and Gibbs found the sudden change more than a little bit un-nerving. He was mentally cursing himself for not being more vigilant with Tim's health; he couldn't lose his agent…one of his sons, hell none of them could. Tim was part of their team; their family, and if he was taken from them like this then the team's ability to cope would seriously be questionable. All this from some sick grudge over his relationship with Abby; in Gibbs' mind that was not acceptable and he vowed to find the person who was putting his agent through so much emotional and physical pain.
Reaching the house in record time, Gibbs snapped off his seatbelt and tore the key out of the ignition before getting out and slamming the car door shut. He beat Ducky to the door so he could get it opened without a moment's hesitation and stepped aside to let Ducky make a beeline for Tim upstairs. He followed suit and was soon taking the stairs two at a time to see his agent.
Gibbs entered his room and saw Ducky already kneeling at the side of the bed; Tony was leaning against the window sill looking shaky as Ducky went about checking Tim. Gibbs could see the relief etched into Ducky's face at Tim getting his breathing under control; but the fact that Tim's own face was pinched with pain and tears streamed down his face worried them all. It was true testament to how much their friend was hurting at the moment so Ducky didn't waste any time in going about his ministrations, hoping he could make Tim more comfortable soon.
"Timothy. Let's see what you have gotten yourself into shall we." Ducky took out the electronic thermometer and placed it in Tim's ear. "Well Anthony, it looks like we'll make a nurse out of you yet. Your quick thinking with the cold compresses has dropped his temperature to 101.2."
"I'm not sure nursing's for me Ducky. He gonna be ok?"
"I believe so." Ducky pulled out his stethoscope and placed them in his ears. "Jethro, would you help me with his shirt please."
Gibbs moved forward and between the two of them, they had managed to get Tim sat up and stripped out of the sodden T-shirt he had been wearing. Gibbs knelt down on the bed and let Tim's head rest on his shoulder.
"Hold him there please." He placed the end of the stethoscope on Tim's chest and was relieved to hear the clear breath sounds as air travelled in and out of the young man's lungs. He moved the end around Tim's chest and back until he heard the distinctive dry, crunching sound he had been expecting.
"Ahh Timothy. It seems I was right, dear boy." Tim raised his head up slightly and blearily glanced over to the M.E.
"Bout…what?"
"I believe you have Pleurisy, Timothy, though I would still like to get you checked out by the paramedics."
Gibbs' brow furrowed over this new revelation and he glared at Ducky until he could get answers.
"I'll explain it later Jethro. Right now all you need to know is that whilst this illness is painful at the onset, it is far less painful to recover from in the long term. With painkillers and NSAID's, sorry anti-inflammatory's, Timothy should recover well." Ducky saw Gibbs mouth start to open but stopped him dead in his tracks "Later Jethro. Right now I suggest we let the EMT's look at Timothy and then we can talk.
Ducky felt no compulsion to call off the EMT's; knowing everyone would feel better with their professional assessment of their ailing family member and so they waited patiently for the ambulance to arrive. Once the medic's had arrived, Gibbs guided Tony out of the bedroom and watched as his senior agent shrugged of his hand and stalked downstairs leaving him standing there on his own. Following suit, he made his way to the kitchen and started brewing a fresh pot of coffee.
It was a good thirty minutes later when the paramedics left and when they did, Gibbs moved back upstairs to see Ducky.
"How's he doing Duck?" He handed his friend a cup of hot tea and glanced down at Tim who was once again, resting on his side.
"He's going to be allright Jethro. It's going to take time because whilst the symptoms tend to disappear in 10 days or so; the effects can still be felt up to two months later. Right now, he needs to take his medication and rest." Ducky sipped at the welcome cup of tea in his hand "I have already written out a prescription for various medications that will help so I'll run out and get them as soon as I finish this."
"What does he need Duck? I'll need to know."
"Quite. He's already on painkillers so I've prescribed some ibuprofen to help with the inflammation. He will also need to take a codeine based cough syrup to control the cough he will undoubtedly develop." Gibbs nodded solemnly.
"He been sleeping long?"
"Heaven's no. The EMT's carry a lovely stock of strong painkillers which have pretty much knocked our young friend here out just a few moments ago."
"What caused it?" Gibbs quick fire questions were not to be unexpected and made Ducky smile.
"Pleurisy is the inflammation of the lining of the lungs. Our lungs are lined by the pleura which is a double layer. In between them, there is a thin layer of fluid that reduces the friction whilst breathing allowing the lungs to expand with ease. If they become inflamed then they fluid is greatly reduced and the two layers rub together. What signaled this was what we call Pleural friction rub; I heard the grating his chest made and knew straight away what the problem was."
Gibbs' head was reeling with the explanation but there was just one thing he needed to know.
"Was this caused by his injury, Duck?"
"Most likely, Jethro. One of the causes of the illness is chest trauma, so I'll hedge my bets on that being the cause."
Gibbs swore under his breath and clapped his hand down on Ducky's shoulder. "Thanks, Duck. I'm gonna go talk to Tony. He's probably climbing the walls by now."
"I'll let you know when I leave." Gibbs nodded and headed out of the door.
He had no idea where Tony could be and after a careful check of the house, there was only one possible answer. Pulling open the door to the backyard, Gibbs was relieved to see his senior field agent even if he was pacing frantically on the grass in an effort to calm himself down.
"Tony!" Gibbs hoped he shouted loudly enough to be heard over what he knew had to be Tony's loudly racing thoughts., He didn't forget he had two anxious team members back at work waiting to hear this as well. Taking out his phone, he dialed Ziva's cell phone and waited for her to answer before he told them what they all needed to hear:
"He's okay. He's gonna be fine."