Gibbs glanced at the clock and noticed that morning had soon crept up on him. He looked over at the hospital bed and sighed heavily at the sight of Tim laying there, lost in the sleep world that would hopefully bring with it the start of the road to recovery for the poor guy who'd already been through more in the last month than any one person deserved to have to go through in a lifetime.

Thinking back to the moment when Gibbs could finally see Tim after that lunatic managed to get his hands on him again, Gibbs found that the sight of his agent propped up on pillows with a tube trailing from the dressed incision in his side, no less disturbing or shocking than the first time he laid eyes on him. He remembered talking to the doctor about an hour after starting his vigil and still couldn't fully understand why Tim's chest wasn't bound tightly to stop the broken ribs from moving more.

Four hours ago…

"Doc?" Gibbs followed the doctor out of the room so he didn't disturb Tim. "He gonna be okay?"

"Agent Gibbs, he's gonna be fine. He's got quite a few weeks of healing to get through but all in all I think his lungs will heal with no lingering effects. That is, if the pneumonia doesn't get worse. The pleurisy is being treated with intravenous anti-inflammatory medication along with Antibiotics for the infection he presented with when he was bought in. That's all we can do for him right now. The best thing for him right now is restriction of movement and rest." The doctor paused briefly to let Gibbs take in the information he was presented with before adding a little covert warning at the end, "And plenty of both."

"What about pain? He's been through enough and I don't want him being in pain anymore than he has to be."

"We've got him on a morphine pump and oxygen. We're going to be monitoring him closely for the foreseeable future to make sure the medication doesn't cause any more respiratory issues. Don't worry; we don't want him to be in pain any more than you do so we'll keep doing what we can to manage that." The doctor smiled warmly at Gibbs. "He really will be alright. If he does exactly what we tell him to and rests then he should be out of here inside of two weeks. However, if he can be confined to complete bed rest, it's possible to release him into someone's care after just one. But it will mean strict adherence to medical recommendations upon his release."

"Thanks, Doc. One more question. Why haven't you taped his ribs? I mean, they're broken so won't leaving them unbound cause more problems?"

"No. In fact taping them can cause more issues especially with his difficulty breathing. If it was merely a case of his ribs being injured, then maybe they could be wrapped up; but the extra stress on his lungs by breathing whilst constricted could cause problems. That's why I stressed restriction of his movements. Just try to keep him still so he doesn't dislodge anything and if he shows any distress whether it be pain or trouble breathing, then you make sure and let someone know."

"Thanks, Doc." Gibbs turned and started to walk back into the room before another piece of equipment flashed through his mind. "Doc! What about the tube?"

"That stays in I'm afraid. At least until his lungs are strong enough to expel the fluid on their own. The injuries combined with the pneumonia have left his lungs seriously weakened and need all the help we can give them right now. So, for the next few days your young man will have to put up with the chest tube and the catheter as well as the numerous other wires too. Just keep in mind, that the chest tube is actually helping ease some of his pain. If he had to do all the breathing on his own, he'd be hurting a lot worse than he is with it in." The doctor offered a small smile of encouragement and walked away with a small shake to his head.

Present time…..

Gibbs stretched his aching, cramped muscles and flexed his legs to get the circulation flowing again; after having spent almost the entire night barely moving while watching over his agent. They protested angrily at the movement forced on them now, but he'd refused to move around much earlier for fear of waking Tim who desperately needed the healing power of a restful sleep. Even the brief walk to the hallway to talk to Tim's doctor earlier hadn't eased his body's complaints of stiffness.

Gibbs had to admit to having felt torn between his kids and for a minute he didn't know who to stay with; Tim or Abby. He hated the fact that two of his surrogate kids were in the same hospital with injuries that had frightened the life out of him but the severity of Tim's previous injuries and illness, which he knew were seriously complicated by the young man's newest injuries, made his decision an easy one to reach. Tim needed him, not just so that he wouldn't be alone, but so that he would know he was important, too.

Even so, it had been a relief when the doctor walked in and told him his two hurt people were as resilient and stubborn as the rest of his team. She also told him that she'd agreed to let Tony watch over Abby. Apparently, the pressure that Tony had put the harassed young Doctor under was accentuated by whispered begging from Abby who had woken up just long enough to let them know that she was gonna be alright and that all that was wrong was that she had the killer headache from hell; that and she desperately wanted one of her friends to keep her company.

Ziva had finally been convinced that there was nothing she could do that Tony couldn't do for Abby just as well and that she needed to go and get some rest. Gibbs and Tony were slightly shocked when she agreed that her help would be needed more later on than now and she had hugged them before heading off to stay with Ducky until they both felt ready to head home for some sleep, with the promise of returning in the morning before work. So, Tony had stayed with Abby feeling the knot of tension release slightly knowing that his family was safe and none of them would be left to work through any of this alone.

Now, here it was; 0600 and Gibbs was glad to see Tim still sleeping peacefully and, at least for the moment, pain free. He scowled slightly at the empty coffee cup sitting on the nightstand and shook his head. As badly as he wanted coffee, he refused to leave Tim alone. After everything the young man had been through, the last thing he needed to experience was waking up to find no one here with him and knowing his luck, Tim would wake up in the ten or fifteen minutes it would take him to go get a refill.

Thankfully, Ducky and Ziva arrived bearing a selection of Danishes and several cups of his favorite blend of coffee. It was fresh, hot and had an aroma that made his mouth water. With the grin that could rival a Cheshire cat, Gibbs thanked them both and took some time to take a walk with his refreshments while Ducky looked over Tim's chart and Ziva sat by his bed watching him breathe steadily; the motion of his chest soothing her need to know that this man who was a cherished friend was in fact, alive.

Just down the hall, another vigil was still in full force as Tony woke up slumped down low in the hard, hospital chair where he had been napping. Sitting up, he couldn't help the groan of discomfort that escaped his lips when his muscles protested loudly against the long hours he'd spent in the cramped chair. But, with a resolve that would have made his boss proud, he stayed firm and was unwilling to leave Abby alone. He rubbed a hand over his eyes to try to get rid of the foggy, haziness of exhaustion and caught a slight movement out of the corner of his eye. Glancing up, he looked over to the door, to find Gibbs gazing in through the large window in the door.

Tony stood up and quietly made his way over as far as he needed to so he could talk to his boss. "Hey, Boss. How's McGee?"

"No change. At least he slept through the night without any problem. I'm hopin' he'll be out for a few more hours yet."

"You left him alone?" Tony asked with a surprised, disappointed tone.

"Not likely, DiNozzo. Ducky and Ziva are with him." Gibbs answered him scowling at the question that almost sounded like an accusation. He let his eyes trail to bed. "How's she doing?"

"Same. No change. Once she woke up to harass the Doc into lettin' me stay, they've been waking her up every half hour or so. They said they're gonna change it to every hour now so she can get more sleep." Tony stifled a yawn and stretched his aching back which gave way with a pop.

"Good. They should be in to take her up for a CAT scan soon. Stay with her."

"Another one? They did one last night and didn't find anything."

"They just wanna make sure the swelling's gone down, Tony. Let them do their jobs. Believe it or not, they know what they're doing." Gibbs reached out and placed his hand firmly on Tony's shoulder. "Just a precaution, okay?"

"Yeah. Guess so. Probie's rea…"

"It's gonna be a long time before he's 100% but he's hanging in there. Just don't leave her alone, DiNozzo." Gibbs almost anticipated the doubt that Tony harbored with Tim's recovery and had expected the question about whether or not Tim was alright. He chose to interrupt it in an attempt to soothe his Agent quickly.

"I'm not goin' anywhere. Keep me posted on McGee?"

"Sure. Ducky'll be here in a few minutes because he'll wanna see how she's doin' for himself. He won't rest till he does" Gibbs smiled at Tony's chuckle.

"Yeah. Okay. You tell Probie I'm here for him when he wakes up? I don't want him thinkin I don't wanna be there for him."

"I don't think he'll think that."

"Just tell him for me, Boss. Please." Tony's beseeching eyes bore through Gibbs and the older man relented without hesitation.

"Okay. I'll tell him."

Gibbs wasn't surprised to find Ziva still sitting by Tim's bed, holding his hand when he returned 15 minutes after he'd left out. What he was surprised at was that Ducky was waiting for him despite not seeing Abby yet.

"Duck? What is it? I thought you were gonna go see Abby."

"Jethro, I've been looking at Timothy's chart and the young man faces a long recovery before he will ready for Field Agent status. You will speak to Vance about this, won't you? Timothy will need to receive paid leave and he will not ask for it for himself." Ducky looked at Gibbs with concern etched into his face.

"Yeah, Duck, I know. Relax. He'll have the mandatory amount of time for sick pay and I'll take care of anything that runs over that. You goin' to check on Abby before you head into work?"

"Yes. Timothy seems to be holding steady, which in itself is good news. I shall go and see how Abigail is doing now." Ducky turned towards Ziva. "Ziva, would you like to come with me?"

"I will come see her in a minute, Ducky."

"Alright, my dear. I shall see you in a short while."

Ducky left the room and Gibbs watched Ziva fight to rein in her emotions as she sat with Tim. Moving over to her; he placed both hands on her shoulders and kneaded them gently to release some of the tension there. It was something he wouldn't ordinarily do, but he knew that she needed something to ground her and there was no point in her walking around aching all day because she was wound tighter than a spring.

"Ziva?" he prodded her gently to let what she was feeling out. He watched with fondness as Ziva gently laid Tim's hand back down on the bed and stood up so she could face him.

"Yes, Gibbs?"

"Ziva. Don't hide behind that wall of yours. Talk to me" He watched as Ziva turned and walked away to start pacing at the end of the bed. Oh yeah, something was definitely wrong and it wasn't just what had happened to her team mates…to her friends.

"I do not know if I can help with Abby, Gibbs. I fear I am still far too angry with her, despite the fact that she was also seriously hurt"

"Ziva, you can't think like that right now. They both need you and those feelings are going to cause problems in the long run." Gibbs understood where she was coming from but knew that it was that kind of deep rooted resentment that could tear them all apart.

"I can not help it. Do you think I want to feel this way? McGee has suffered too much as a result of this and now we need to be strong for him, yes?"

"Yeah, we do. But whatever happened, Abby is sorry for it. We've gotta give her that."

"I know, but…"

"Ze…Plea…Please don't." Tim's weak voice startled them both from their discussion and Gibbs noticed that he had moved the oxygen mask down so that it now hung loose around his neck. Springing into action, he quickly moved over to his ailing agent and placed the oxygen mask back over the young man's face.

"Hey, Tim." He watched as Tim moved slightly and caught the wince as it jolted his chest. "Easy, you need to keep that on, alright. You've been through the wringer and it's gonna hurt so don't move around too much. Doctor's orders."

"Boss….Ab..Abb's?" Tim's voice sounded dry and weak through the mask and Gibbs glanced over at the cup of ice chips that one of the nurses had bought in whilst he'd been out.

"She's alright. Gonna have one hell of a headache and will probably be here for a few days but she's okay." Gibbs reached over and grabbed the cup of ice chips off the nightstand. "You want some ice? It'll help."

Tim nodded and sighed with contentment when Gibbs pushed the mask aside and dropped an ice chip in his mouth. He felt grateful as the cold moisture soothed his dry mouth and throat. "Thanks."

"How're you feeling?"

"Okay." Tim drew his gaze away from his boss and locked onto Ziva. "Please, Zee…..Don't…you need …forgive her. Please." As he struggled to get the words out, Gibbs frowned at the serious shortness of pained breaths that were hampering him; he leaned forward and laid a restraining hand on his arm.

"McGee. Relax. Stop wearing yourself out like this."

"You can ask me to do that after everything you have gone through because of her refusal to cooperate? If it means that much to you, I have no choice but to try, for you." Ziva offered quietly as she looked him straight in the eye, worry in her eyes for the lengths he was obviously willing to go for Abby.

"Not…me..for…you.. Please." Tim pleaded again before exhaustion won out and pulled him back under leaving Ziva standing there to battle with the internal struggle of what Tim was asking of her.

"If he can forgive her, the rest of us don't have the right to hold a grudge." Gibbs quietly reasoned with her as he stepped away from the bed with her and edged her toward the door.

"That is the problem. He always forgives her, Gibbs. She is just going to hurt him again, like she always does!" Ziva said with a vehemence that made her boss flinch.

"He obviously needs this from you or he wouldn't have asked you to do it."

"And when she does hurt him again?" Ziva demanded angrily, forgetting to keep her voice down.

"Unfortunately, Ziva, that's not our call. All we can do is be there for them in a better way than we have been before. It's between the two of them. But, somehow, I doubt things will be the same between them after all this." Gibbs attempted to reason with her.

"Very well." Ziva finally gave in. "But, know this, Gibbs, you may not recall how difficult it was for him to risk giving her yet another chance with his heart, but I do! If you think I will stand by and watch her hurt him again, for any reason, you are wrong, Gibbs! And I am not afraid to tell her so!" Yanking the door open, Ziva headed out to clear her head and let her anger cool before going to talk to Abby.

Gibbs could only agree with her assessment as he thought back to the deeply personal revelations and conversations that Tim had shared both with Ducky and himself, as he'd let it all out and worked through his problems before giving Abby this chance. Seeing what she'd done with Tim's fragile heart made the surrogate father's heart break, for both of them. He sincerely hoped these two could fix what had been broken, but knew from experience just how fragile trust was and knew it would not be a quick fix, by any means.

Turning back toward the bed, he was brought up short at the sight of his agent watching him, eyes shining with unshed tears.

"Thought you were sleeping." Gibbs finally said quietly as he sat back down at Tim's bedside.

"Heard... she... said." Tim managed to rasp out as he tried to rein his emotions in.

"Yeah? You're in no condition to do a whole lotta talking about this right now. Why don't you go back to sleep instead of worryin' about this? You and Abby can sort through this later, when you're feelin' better." The boss's suggestion held a hint of authority to let Tim know it was a gentle order.

"Can't sleep."

"Okay. You look like you wanna talk, Tim, but I'm not sure whether you're gonna be up for it."

"Need….to."

"What, talk?" Gibbs frowned at how much it took out of his agent to just utter those two words but knew that Tim's mind wouldn't rest until he'd gotten things off his chest.

Tim nodded his head gently.

"You've obviously got Abby on your mind."

"She okay...eally?"

"Yeah, McGee, she is. Stop worryin' about that."

Tim nodded silently as a little of the fear left his eyes. "Boss…. Rule 12….you... right."

Gibbs felt his heart twist for his bruised and battered agent. It was strange hearing him try to communicate in such short bursts of words, but knowing it was the best Tim could do, he didn't mind it. He did mind the pain that he could hear loud and clear in Tim's admission though and found himself desperately wanting to take that away.

"No, Tim. This was not why Rule 12 was set down. I think you know that. If you choose to give Abby another chance then I'll still support you."

Tim's shock was clear in those dulled, sea green eyes.

"Let's face it, It's not like this is gonna happen again, McGee."

"Hope not." Tim finally said so quietly Gibbs almost missed it.

"If you don't want this relationship with her anymore, Tim you don't have to put yourself through what's on your mind? Whether or not you wanna give Abby another chance?"

Tim nodded. "Already thinking….'bout it before…this."

"And?"

"Hurts too much." Tim's face crumpled at the admission leaving Gibbs worrying about the abject misery he saw there.

"What does?"

"She didn't….put…me…first….for…him."

"Yeah, I could see where it would hurt. Seems to me you passed the 'Once bitten, twice shy' quite a ways back. "

"I... love her. Want her…my …life…future…"

"Yeah? " Gibbs paused slightly before carrying on "This will still get in the way, Tim and you're gonna need to be strong enough to weather the storms that it will bring. People don't change overnight."

"I.. l love her. I want … work."

"But?"

"Too scared, now. Not sure… I trust her…judgment…can't…need to….put me…first." Tim's continued determination to get the words out had taken a lot out him, as his face was now beginning to show lies of pain and exhaustion

"Yeah, you do and your trust is something she's going to have to earn back. If you decide you really want her, Let her try. Give her another chance. But, only if it's what you want. Don't do it for her. You have to do it for yourself. Now, settle that brain of yours down before you over do it. I'm gonna go let your nurse know they need to turn that morphine pump up a notch. I'll be right back, all right."

Tim nodded silently as he tried to process everything they'd just talked about. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. Now, go on and get some sleep. And quit worryin'!"

"Okay, Boss."

Gibbs could only smile as he watched his agent slip into slumber, finally looking at peace for the first time since this nightmare had begun.