A/N: We apologise for the delay.

The searing pain in his chest dragged Tim from the darkness back to the waking world around him. It took a moment for the painful spasm to dull to a constant ache and his breathing soon regulated under….What the hell is that?. He had noticed the steady rush of cool air on his face and reached up to find an oxygen mask planted firmly over his mouth and nose; Huh? Ok, that can't be a good sign. He turned his head and caught sight of his boss sleeping in the chair next to his bed. Unwilling to disturb the man who had been his rock in recent days, he lay there and thought about everything that had happened in the last couple of days….. jeez, had it really only been a couple? It feels like a lifetime.

He silently hoped and prayed that the nightmare was over because in all honestly, there wasn't a whole lot more he could handle; either emotionally or physically. He was drained and Abby's harsh words resounding in his head seemed to compound his physical ailments, leaving him feeling completely wrung out. He had to admit though, having Gibbs watching over him the way he had been through all this, seemed to settle the fear that had attempted the creeping slide into his heart. The slippery fear of what the older man probably thought about him and his ability to do his job on Gibbs' team sat like a lead weight in his gut. Sure it was temporary, but after everything that had happened, had his boss lost all faith in him through all this? Tim vaguely recalled waking earlier and hearing Tony talk to him while Gibbs' had held his panicked stricken and most likely emotionally filled eyes as he'd been roused from his initial sleep. What was it Tony had been saying?

"Having Gibbs' okay to date Abby again should have been a walk in the park, not this nightmare. I'm sorry I ever spent a minute feeling jealous of you and Abby having his okay about it. I know you've earned it."

"You know, Probie, I never meant for you to get hurt like this. I'm so sorry, man. We almost lost you. And now you're even more sick than you were before and I'd give anything to have handled this better so you wouldn't have gotten hurt."

It felt so very wrong to know that Tony was feeling responsible for all of this. None of this was his fault! It wasn't Ducky's either; they were all simply innocent bystanders in one man's torrid onslaught against him….. Wait, what about Ducky? Ducky was there; his friend had been there! What happened to Ducky? Oh, God, Alex had hurt the M.E.! Was he okay?

Harsh labored breathing dragged Gibbs from his sleep. He glanced over at his agent, only to be shocked to find Tim in the midst of an all consuming panic attack. The young man's eyes were wide open and his ragged breathing rasped loudly in the quiet room; it was getting more and more worrisome by the minute leaving Gibbs with no choice but to quickly move over to him and attempt to calm him.

"Hey, McGee! Relax. You're fine. Look at me."

Tim gave one short nod to show he'd heard his boss and tried his hardest to calm down at Gibbs' bidding. He worked at forcing his breathing to calm and after a tense few minutes where Gibbs let his finger hover over the nurse's call button, Tim finally regained a semblance of control. Before this whole mess; he'd slowly been getting to the point where he could verbalize his worries instead of letting the silent fears drag him into that very place that caused his panic and left him feeling sick and unable to draw in the much needed oxygen. Now, before his breathing was completely calmed, he finally let his worry be known.

"Ducky?" he rasped out.

"Ducky? That what's got you so panicked? Relax. Ducky's fine. Alex knocked him out for a bit with some kind of drug but he's gonna be fine."

Tim nodded ruefully even as relief flowed through his veins while he absorbed his boss' words. He felt fear begin to creep in as he realized he was still getting a handle on things and it seemed to take slightly longer than usual.

"Why the hell didn't you just ask me?" Gibbs demanded as his relief at Tim's finally calming down soon gave way to anger with his agent. How could he let himself to get this upset without asking him first?

"Didn't wanna wake you." Tim choked out, not wanting the man to think he was ignoring the question.

"Well, ya did, anyway, McGee. Next time, just ask the damn question, all right?"

Tim nodded remorsefully, knowing he'd done the one thing he hated and worked hard not to do; he'd pissed the boss off. Gibbs saw the look of dejection flash across Tim's face and placed his hand on the ailing man's shoulder.

"Okay now?" Gibbs' dropped his tone to a more normal one and offered Tim a small smile.

"Yeah. Thanks."

"Um hmm. How you feelin'?"

"Okay." Tim sighed heavily and winced at the pain that stabbed at his chest.

"Wouldn't be tryin to hide how you're really feelin' now would you?"

The pain was getting worse and Tim was trying his damndest not to cough. He soon lost the battle and felt like screaming as the convulsing, wet coughs jarred his already fragile feeling chest. He felt himself being pulled upright and held as Gibbs gently thumped at the centre of his back to dislodge the fluid from Tim's lungs.

"Don't hold it in, McGee. That's it….damn." Tim felt Gibbs move slightly and soon felt an emesis basin being thrust into his hands. "Use that! You've gotta get it out."

Tim coughed a few times and gagged slightly as his lungs gave up their tenuous hold on the thick mucus that lined them. It took a good five minutes for Tim to finally calm down and he slumped heavily against his boss.

"Sorry."

"What for?" Gibbs was confused and had no idea what Tim had to apologize for.

"This. Everything. You shouldn't have to…..see that." Tim coughed slightly half way through and felt a straw being held to his lips.

"Small sips. Been through this once before. It's nothing new to me." Gibbs' gentle reminder of the days after Tony's release from the isolation room at Bethesda didn't make Tim feel any better.

"Shouldn't…have…to do it…again."

"Hey, how about we put that oxygen back in place?" Tim was panting leaving Gibbs feeling worried as he gently replaced the mask. "You haven't answered my question, McGee. You wouldn't be tryin' to hide how you're really feelin' would ya; though I think that little episode pretty much answered it already."

Tim looked away and winced when the ache escalated into full blown stabbing.

"Yeah. That's what I figured." Gibbs said as he hit the call button and told the answering nurse that Tim was in need of more pain meds.

The nurse was soon there and checked on Tim's vitals before increasing the oxygen flow and injecting the pain meds into the I.V. lie that snaked into Tim's arm. The young man offered a small smile of thanks to both the nurse and his boss, and slipped back into a medicated, pain free sleep.

"I take it he had a rough one?" The nurse glanced up at Gibbs and offered him a smile.

"Yeah. Never thought I'd be here again."

"Again? He's been through this before?" The nurse held his gaze with a look of wonder and sympathy.

"Not him. One of my other agents had the plague a couple of years back; taught me what I needed to know then."

"Brad Pitt's patient? That guy was famous around here. Hell, he still is! First guy in recent times to get a disease from the dark ages." Gibbs glared at the nurse "Sorry. I'm sure Tim's glad you are here."

"Yeah. The kid's been through the ringer lately."

"Well, I've just given him some pretty strong meds and he'll be out for a while. Why don't you go and get some rest; or at the very least a coffee." Gibbs smiled at the nurse's comment and shook his head.

"I'm gonna stay with him in case he wakes up. Coffee would be good thought."

"Sure. Tell you what, how about I get you one from the nurse's lounge? We're all big caffeine junkies around here, but at least we've all got a bit of taste when it comes to good Java."

"Thanks. I'd appreciated that. Just black." He smiled at the nurse and sat back down with a heavy sigh.

"I'll be right back." The nurse left and returned a couple of minutes later with a tall, steaming cup of coffee that was good; even by Gibbs' standards. He settled further into the chair and sipped at the coffee; all the while, watching Tim and making sure his surrogate son was all right.

Gibbs had no idea how long he had sat there for, but it didn't seem long before Tony and Ducky arrived to relieve him so he could go home and get some rest. Gibbs stood up and stretched out his stiff muscles.

"How's he doin', Boss?"

"His lungs are starting to clear, DiNozzo. You remember the drill?" Gibbs kept his gaze firmly on his senior agent.

"I remember bits, Boss. I was kind of at the receiving end of that fun filled journey." Gibbs strode over to Tony and…..

Thwack

"Hey! I was just saying…"

"Do you remember or no DiNozzo? If not then say so and I'll tell ya what you need to do." Gibbs had kept the head slap light and wanted to get Tony's attention rather than berate him.

"Yeah, Boss. I remember. If he starts coughing, prop up the Probie and gently thump in the centre of his back. Is that alright? Because you know, the plague was pretty painful." Tony's brow creased into a frown and he glanced down at Tim's sleeping form.

"It's fine, Tony. The pain's on the side so you shouldn't hurt him anymore than the coughing fit will. You need to be strong because between the pneumonia and the damn pleurisy, he's in a lot of pain."

"Anthony, I am sure you are more than capable of helping Timothy right now. If anything, you are sympathetic to his plight which will no doubt help him in the long run." Ducky intervened and managed to curtail Tony's worry as much as he could.

"Yeah, alright. You not staying, Ducky?"

"Of course, my dear boy. I would like to go and speak to Timothy's doctor first thought." Tony nodded and sat down in the seat Gibbs had vacated.

"Duck, I'll walk out with you." Gibbs headed towards the door and waited for his old friend to follow "DiNozzo, you hit that call button if he starts to struggle again."

"Yes, Boss." Gibbs and Ducky walked out into the corridor and the senior field agent placed his hand on Ducky's shoulder to stop him.

"Jethro?"

"Duck, you need to talk to Tim. Damn near had himself a panic attack when he woke up and remembered that bastard knocking you out."

"Oh, my. As if that poor boy hasn't got enough to contend with. I will certainly take care of it, Jethro. You really do need to go on home and get some sleep." Ducky patted the hand that rested on his shoulder and smiled at Gibbs "He really is his own worst enemy sometimes. I'm afraid our Timothy certainly does like to worry."

"I know, Duck. That's why I need you to do this. You know what he was like when he first shot someone. He was withdrawn for weeks. He's sick and worried about you right now, but you can bet your bottom dollar he'll start worrying about what the hell went wrong between him and Abby once he knows you are all right."

"No doubt. All we can do is be there for him and try to keep him on track. Right now, I would prefer it if he concentrated on getting better. You say his lungs are starting to clear?"

"He's coughing stuff up which is a good sign, right?" Gibbs looked at Ducky for clarification.

"It's a step in the right direction, though I think he may have a different opinion on that right now." Ducky smiled ruefully at Gibbs and shook his head.

"How are you doing?" Gibbs' tone softened as he took in his friend's tired appearance.

"Ah, Jethro, I am fine. Just a little tired but all in all, I am actually feeling rather good." Ducky managed to waylay Gibbs concern.

"That's good. Don't overdo it, Duck."

"Jethro, will you please go home and get some rest before we have another member of our family falling ill through exhaustion?" Ducky couldn't keep the amusement out of his voice and hoped it had the desired effect of calming his old friend.

"Yeah. I'm goin'." Gibb's turned back to Tim's room and poked his head through the door "Tony, stay here with Ducky but keep checking in on Abby and Ziva. Abby's friend is on her way and I've told Abbs to call you when she gets here. Need to question her involvement, so call me as soon as she's at NCIS."

"On it, Boss." Tony answered seriously, knowing full well that he would not be waking Gibbs up for what would amount to a routine interrogation. "Why not just get Abby to ca…"

"Because, DiNozzo, I don't want to know until she's there and Abby will call as soon as her friend's landed."

"Got it, Boss."

Time seemed to come to a screeching halt a good three hours later. Ducky was silently keeping vigil over Tim; who was thankfully still sleeping peacefully. Tony had checked in with Ziva and Abby several times; something he soon stopped doing after being admonished by a rather pissed of ex-mossad officer. He couldn't help but grin when he remembered the last conversation with her.

"Tony, if you phone me one more time, then I will not be held accountable for my actions. If you do not wish for your phone to be pushed somewhere uncomfortable, then I suggest you let us sleep. It is not only I that you keep waking up, but Abby as well."

"Aww, come on Zeevah. I worry about my girls."

"And there is no other reason?" Ziva sounded incredulous at the fact that Tony was ringing purely to see how they were doing.

"Well, there is the matter of Abby's friend."

"And I have told you that we will contact you when she arrives. If you ring one more time, I will harm you,understand?"

"Gotcha." Tony gulped audibly for effect "But just for the record, I called you all night because Gibbs won't be happy."

Ziva hung up leaving him standing there mid conversation.

Tony had taken to pacing the halls in the past half hour and was startled by his cell phone ringing loudly as he passed the nurse's station. He offered them a small, tight smile and walked down the empty corridor towards Tim's room to answer it. He paced nervously outside as he flipped it open.

"DiNozzo!" he snapped, already worked into a restless mess.

"Tony, Abby's friend has arrived for her questioning." Ziva's crystal clear voice gave the impression she had been awake for a while.

"Okay, Let Vance know, but don't call Gibbs. He needs the sleep."

"Vance has already gone in to interrogate her. He made a point of telling us he was handling it from here." Ziva told him. Tony could detect a hint of bitterness in her voice at that nugget of information.

"Oh, Were you gonna tell me that or were you just gonna let me find out by wasting a trip over there?"

"Wasting a trip? Tony there is no need to be so abstract."

"Damn it Ziva, it's obtuse and until we get the all clear, Ziva, Probie's not being left unguarded." Tony's voice was dangerously low and angry; something that was bound to come back and bit him in the ass at a later date.

"AH. I see. Yes, well, I guess we should be thankful that Vance has interfered then, yes?"

"Intervened, Ziva. And yes, in this case, we should be thankful. You tell Abby?"

"Oh, she knows." He could almost see the naughty little glint in her eye at her last statement. "And will you please stop correcting my English. Now is not the time."

"Ziva? What aren't you telling me?"

"She has been very un-Abby like all morning, Tony"

"You said she's been quiet." Tony frowned deeply; if Abby was quiet, then there was definitely something wrong.

"Very quiet."

"You two have a disagreement over at the Sister's place last night?"

"No. I believe that this is the result of whatever Gibbs said to her at the hospital last night."

"Oh, well, it must be serious, if Gibbs upset her." Tony laughed sarcastically. If Gibbs was pissed enough to shout at Abby, then things were definitely bad.

"I believe seeing McGee go through this is especially difficult for her, Tony." Ziva tried to pacify Tony and make him see things from Abby's perspective. She knew it wasn't going to be easy given how her friend had acted, but then again, Tony hadn't been the one left to soothe her after the conversation with Gibbs.

"Yeah? Well, I'm sure it's no walk in the park for McGee, either." He was seriously struggling to keep the venom out of his voice. It was swings and roundabout and no matter how much they argued the point, the other person would see the arguments as moot.

"Tony, I…"

"Look, Ziva. I'm sure whatever's bugging Abby will soon come out in the light of day; she'll be letting us know soon enough. Maybe it has to do with how crappy she was to him when all of this first started, let's hope they can work it out because when it's working out between them; it's a good thing for everyone."

"Light of day?"

"Never mind." He filed that reference away for a later date; for now, he wasn't in the right frame of mind to elaborate on the finer points of the English language.

"I will come relieve you for your lunch break at 12." Ziva's tone softened slightly in the hope to calm Tony down.

"Good, bring me a pizza when you do, please."

"Do you ever eat anything else?"

"Duh, yeah! You've seen me eat Chinese, burrito's….."

"Later, Tony." Ziva chuckled slightly and interrupted his train of thought. "I have to go so I will talk to you later on."

With that, she hung up and left Tony gazing through the window at his Probie.

It was knocking on to two in the afternoon and Gibbs headed into the Lab with a huge Café-Pow for his favorite lab Rat. He wanted Abby to realize that he was no longer angry with her. The boss hoped that his surrogate daughter had had time to think about what he'd said to her as well as how she'd treated Tim; and was willing to work to make things right between herself and his agent.

"Hey, Abbs."

"Gibbs." Abby's tone was clipped and tight.

"Something wrong?"

"Are you serious? After the way you yelled at me last night? How can you ask me that?"

Well that's an improvement at least. The yelling at least let him know that she had indeed heard what he had said to her. "Come to any decisions yet? Figured anything out?"

"Well, yeah."

"Then, I did what I needed to do. How you doin?" He held her gaze while keeping his expression serious. He had done what he'd needed to do to guide her in the right direction and If that meant leaving her pissed at him then so be it.

"I feel horrible about this, Gibbs!" Abby's anger had totally ebbed away and left the Goth looking dejected and broken. She really had given his words a lot of thought and had no idea how in the world she was going to fix things with Tim.

"I know, Abbs, but the important thing here is whattaya gonna do about it so that it doesn't happen again?"

"You think I have more than 1 crazy ex-boyfriend?" She asked him incredulously.

"Not what I mean, Abby. You really think McGee's gonna keep letting you put him through the wringer like this? I happen to think you're on your last chance and only you can make sure it doesn't end badly." Gibbs was playing the voice of reason; he really didn't want to get into it again with her, but something's needed to be said and he was going to make sure she understood the sheer magnitude of the situation.

"I know. I know you're right. And I don't know what to say or do to fix it."

"That I can't tell ya Abbs, but I can tell you this much..."

"What?" She looked at him with a spark of hope in her large green eyes and wanted nothing more than for the closest thing she'd ever had to a father, to guide her. Her hope was soon extinguished, leaving her feeling numb and at a loss.

"You hurt him again, and it won't only be me you have to deal with; you'll have his team to contend with and it'll be quicker than you can think twice about things."

"Tony and Ziva?"

"They care more about him than you think, Abbs."

Abby nodded sadly and let the tears she'd been holding back fall. "Gibbs, what do I do. Please, I need you to help me figure this out." Gibbs wrapped his arms around Abby. He turned his head slightly so he could whisper In her ear.

"If you want it to mean something then you're the only that can figure that out Abbs. It's in your court now."