Chapter Two

"He's not dead." Gibbs didn't even realise he's spoken aloud until he saw the others staring at him. Ducky tightened his grip on Abby's hand.

"That's what I told you, isn't it my dear? Timothy has held out this long, he's not going to give up now. Jimmy knows the ER Resident, he's going to have a word with her and see if he can get some detail on Timothy's condition…."

Abby found her voice at last. "Ziva said...she said Tim wasn't breathing…"

"That is true Abigail, but Tony and Jimmy, they did CPR, they never gave up on him."

Ducky knew he would never forget the scene that had greeted him as he followed Ziva through the trees, there was just enough light to see an exhausted Tony giving everything he had to prevent his friend from dying. Gibbs was trying to get Tony to rest.

"Let me take over."

"No, this is my job, I have to do this."

Ducky tried to understand what he was seeing as Gibbs reached into his pocket, took out his keys and unlocked the handcuffs around Tim's wrists…handcuffs…what on earth had happened here?

"Tony, we saw the dead guy back there…"

"Should have called Boss…he said we should, but I said no…"

Ducky fell to his knees beside Tim, checked for any signs of life and shivered as he felt the cold skin against his own warm hand. "Anthony, you should…."

Tony ignored him and continued his metronomic compressions. Jimmy knelt beside him and after a moment of stunned disbelief whispered. "Tony, I'll take over."

"No! Why won't you all leave me alone? I have to do this."

"You're getting tired, you don't want something bad to happen because you didn't work hard enough, do you?"

Tony looked at Jimmy with stricken eyes. He knew Jimmy was right, his arms felt like rubber, but he didn't want to let Tim down, not again.

Jimmy took up his position right beside Tony and as Tony raised his hands from the latest series of compressions Jimmy placed his own mouth over Tim's and gave two breaths, he then placed his hands on Tim's chest and took over the rhythm.

Ducky had been so proud of his assistant but there was no time to show it. They had to keep working on Tim, keep hoping that what they were doing was enough to keep the life giving oxygen getting to Tim's brain. Under Ducky's instruction they had cut off Tim's wet clothes and after another moment of stunned shock when they saw the stab wound in his back they had wrapped him in blankets, all the while Jimmy and Tony took turns to keep up the CPR. Gibbs and Ducky had tried to keep some pressure on the wound, but it was difficult when the priority was to maintain the chest compressions.

Ziva had gone back to the parking lot to await the ambulance, and to Ducky's ears there had never been a more welcome sound than the harsh sirens piercing the evening air.

He glanced at the clock, that had been almost three hours ago, and still they had no details on Tim's condition. Ducky was worried about Tony, he had barely said a word since Tim had been strapped on the gurney and the ambulance had pulled out of the parking lot.

They had stood in silence until they could no longer hear the sirens. Jimmy was shaking, and it wasn't with cold. "Do you think we did enough?"

Ducky tugged gently on Jimmy's arm. "We should get you somewhere warm, you too Tony, you must be exhausted. Oh Tony! Your clothes, we have to get you out of those wet things."

"Not here…the hospital, I have to get to the hospital. Boss, I can't stay here…"

"We're not going to Tony; I'll have another team process the scene. Ziva, get him back to the truck, I'll make the call."

Like an automaton Tony followed Ziva, he wasn't thinking, wasn't really functioning, his head was filled with the sounds and images of a friend dying…and it was on him…

"Tony, you are hurt!" Ziva had only just noticed the dark stain on Tony's neck.

"It's nothing."

Ziva stopped briefly and shone her flashlight on Tony's face. "It is definitely something, you may need stitches…" She reached up in an attempt to move his collar and get a better look, but Tony brushed her hand away.

"Why won't anyone listen to me? I said it's nothing…did you see him Ziva? Did you see what I did to Tim? And you think I care about a scratch, I've been trying to get him to breathe, to keep his heart beating…to stop him dying…nothing else matters."

Coming up behind them, Ducky and Jimmy had heard Tony's anguished outburst, oh yes, thought Ducky…the sooner they all got to the hospital the better it would be.

Except it hadn't been better, because they had to face Abby and her tearful, breathless questions; what could they tell her? That Tim hadn't taken a breath on his own since Tony dragged him out of the creek, that watching his body arch as the electric shocks from the defibrillator coursed through his body had been almost as painful as having it happen to themselves, that when the full beams of their flashlights focussed on Tim he hadn't looked so much like a man as a ghostly apparition…They had told her none of that, but she knew…they all knew each other too well to hide the important things…

Abby held tighter to Ducky's hand. "Why isn't Jimmy back yet? I'm scared Ducky."

Ducky had no words for her, because he was worried too, so he simply held her closer and offered up another silent prayer. He was startled out of his reverie by the opening of the door; Jimmy slowly made his way toward them.

"Sorry I took so long, I had to wait until Joanne was on her break." He tried not to look at Gibbs, he always got tongue-tied in front of him, and what he had to say was too important to mess up. "McG…Tim, he's in surgery; it took a while to get him stabilized. When they got a good sinus rhythm…heartbeat…the knife wound started bleeding again, it had stopped for a while when…when he was in the water, and the cold…I'm sorry, I wanted to do this right."

Gibbs walked over to him and put a protective arm around his shoulders. "You're doing great Jimmy, take all the time you need."

Jimmy almost took a step back in shock, Gibbs wasn't a tactile person, not like Abby, he must be hurting if he had let his guard down this much. He nodded his thanks and continued. "The stab wound lacerated his liver, that caused internal bleeding…you know the strangest thing is, the drowning…near drowning, that probably saved his life…he could have bled out at the scene. Oh, that's tactless…foot in mouth Palmer strikes again…He didn't though, that's what matters, and they started a transfusion right away, got him on a ventilator. Now he's having surgery…Joanne says he's got a fighting chance, you hear that Tony…because of you. If you hadn't got him out of the water and started CPR right away, we'd have lost him."

Tony didn't move, he'd only registered one thing, Tim was still alive…"When can we see him?"

"Anthony, did you hear what Jimmy said? Timothy is in surgery, we have to wait a little longer…"

"I can't wait, I have to see him…what if they're lying to us? What if he's…"

Gibbs was at Tony's side in two paces. "Tony! Calm down…no one's lying to us, come with me, I need coffee, and you need to get out of here."

They had returned with fresh drinks for everyone, and Tony seemed to have regained a little of his composure although they could all see his hands were still shaking.

The relentless clock had ticked round another hour when the door opened again and a tall dark haired man entered the waiting room. "I'm Doctor Grantham; I've been working on Agent McGee. Joanne Merill tells me he has no family, is that right?"

Gibbs nodded. "They were killed a few years back; we're all the family he has now."

"In that case, I'll give you the good news. He's come through the surgery, although he's not out of the woods by a long way, and until he wakes up we won't be able to assess him fully, but I think we can be quietly optimistic. We're getting him set up in the ICU and when he's ready you can go see him for a few minutes."

"Is he breathing unaided Doctor?" Ducky knew how important that was following a near drowning experience.

Doctor Grantham shook his head. "Not yet, like I said, he's not out of the woods…his condition is critical at this time and I don't want to take any chances that he may relapse, so we've got him on a ventilator as a precaution. You all did great work out in the field; I don't have to tell you those first minutes after rescue are vital, without you he wouldn't have made it as far as the hospital."

Tony was raising himself from his chair, but Gibbs put a restraining hand on his arm. "Not now Tony, when the doctor gives the word."

"But I have to see him Boss, you don't understand, I have to tell him…"

"I know Tony, there'll be time enough later."

Truth was Gibbs wanted to know exactly what had happened when Tony and Tim had strayed away from the crime scene, but he could wait, he was getting good at that…This time the waiting wasn't too long, and they were directed to the ICU…

How does someone ever prepare themselves to see a person they care for in this condition? The thought came unbidden into Ziva's mind as she stood with the others, almost mesmerised by the overwhelming sights and sounds of a state of the art ICU facility, by the wraith lying too still on the pristine sheets…the bruises forming on his chest, the dressing on his wound, the IVs and monitors, too many, there were too many tubes…this was wrong…How could they be optimistic when McGee looked so frail?

Ducky had taken a few minutes to take a good look at Tim, to check the monitors and IV lines, only then did he allow himself a glance at the other occupants of the room. "I know you will find it hard to believe Doctor Grantham's words, but Timothy is doing as well as we have any right to expect, given what he has been through."

Tony had barely moved into the room, he stood just inside the doorway, trying to get his breathing under control, to summon up the courage to face what he had done. Abby was already sitting beside the bed, her hand resting gently on Tim's arm, she was talking to him, Tony could see that, but he couldn't make out the words…maybe she was whispering, he didn't seem able to focus…

"Doctor Mallard said you should be admitted, Tony…do you hear me?" Jimmy had seen Tony sway and had managed to grab him before he hit the ground.

"I hear you…don't want to be admitted, I want to stay here…I have to stay here, don't you understand?"

Ducky and Gibbs exchanged a knowing glance, and Gibbs whispered a few words to Abby, she was about to protest when she saw the expression on Tony's face. With a quick nod, she relinquished her chair, kissed Tim's forehead and beckoned Tony to take her place.

"You sit here Tony before you fall down. Gibbs says we should all go home and get some rest, come back fresh tomorrow, but I guess you'll be staying here."

The faintest hint of a smile twitched at Tony's lips. "You guess right. Boss, I can't go home, not tonight."

"I know Tony, but I'm only doing this on condition you get some real sleep in the morning when we take over. We clear?"

"Clear…Boss, thanks…"

One by one they bid Tim goodnight, and eventually Tony was alone with his friend…and the machines…he tried so hard to stay awake, but the exertions of the day caught up with him, and he fell into a restless slumber, alert to any change in the sounds around him…he woke with a start…that was an alarm…what was happening?

"No…You are not dying today, you hear me Tim? Not on my watch…"

He was pushed aside as the medical team answered the alarm call, and yet again, all he could do was watch and wait…