Truth 11

"That's a hell of a story, Jethro!" Tobias exclaimed, in a low voice. In between the ten minute visits with his son, Jethro had spoken with Tobias. Relayed the whole story to him of what happened. All the way back to Jenny making him the executor of her estate. "Congratulations, by the way. I have some questions, as a friend who is investigating your lab tech's attack on you and your son."

"As a friend they'll have to wait." Gibbs pointed to the watch face on his left hand. Tobias didn't comment on the watch, but he recognised it as Tim's watch, the one the man had been wearing for the last two years. "Top of the hour, time for another visit."

Gibbs slipped back into his son's room for another visit. He was getting fed up with only being allowed to visit for ten minutes out of every hour, but it was better than nothing, so he kept visiting. He needed Tim to know he was here for him, no matter what. He had to make sure that his son knew he wasn't alone. That now they had each other, they'd never be alone again.

"Wow." Tobias commented to himself, out loud. "I didn't know Jethro knew how to use so many words to anyone. He is usually a man of such brevity."

"Yes, Jethro does prefer to be succinct as possible." Ducky agreed, sidling up beside the FBI agent. "It seems to me that Timothy is forcing Jethro to open up to him, in a way that Jethro hasn't been able to open up, in a very long time."

"Since Shannon?" he asked, knowing that Ducky and his friend Jethro go back a long way, longer than either of them care to admit.

"Perhaps longer." Ducky whispered. "Jack told me that Jethro was fourteen when Anne took her own life. Anne's death left a void our friend's heart that no one has been able to fill."

"Another red head, I assume?" Tobias asked, sarcastically. Everyone knew that the one thing Jethro Gibbs was infamous for, was his attraction to red haired women.

"The original, I suspect." Ducky smiled, as he thought of his own mother. "His mother, Agent Fornell. Jack had once mentioned that she was very ill, cancer and when it progressed, she didn't want Jethro to see her get sick. When she felt she was done, struggling with the pain and with no treatment options left for her, she chose to go out on her own terms."

"A mother's last sacrifice was the sacrifice of time with her child." Tobias murmured, imagining his friend at fourteen years of age, in pain at his mother's tragic death.

"He's never said a bad word against her. The one and only time he has ever mentioned his mother to me, at all. He said she was special and that he loved her." Ducky recalled. "That particular conversation had taken place over Thanksgiving, last year. Tony was with the Senior DiNozzo and Ziva had gone home to Israel for a visit. Abigail had been in New Orleans, with her adopted family. When I asked Timothy why he didn't go home, he'd just sighed and said it hadn't been worth the drama. At dinner my mother, bless her kind heart, had managed to get the truth out of young Timothy. It was the anniversary of his mother's death. He didn't want to be there. That was how the conversation had turned to mothers. Jethro asked him what his mother was like and Tim told us that he barely remembered her. Seems he had lost her when he was very young. That was when Jethro gave us that little insight into his own mother."

"Like I said, McGee... Ah, Tim. He tends to bring that out in Jethro." Tobias reiterated to Ducky. He and Tobias went back a long way too and Tobias knew first hand, that getting his friend to open up, it was like pulling teeth. Difficult and painful, much more successful when he was feeling numb.

Ducky and Tobias continued to watch as Gibbs carded his sons hair back off his face and held his son's hands. All as he began telling his son, everything that they should do, to make up for all of their lost time together.

A knock on the window from Ducky signalling that he was out of time, for this hour. He verbally promised Tim he would be back soon. He kissing his son's head, he gave Tim's hands that were in his own, a final squeeze and he was surprised to feel that squeeze returned.

"Ducky!" Gibbs called out, in a panicked voice. That tone of voice had the good doctor scrambling to get into room as fast as his aged body would take him. "He squeezed my hand. I swear. I told him our time was up and I'd be back soon and I squeezed his hand. He squeezed it back."

"It could be just a muscle reflex, Jethro. Please don't get your hopes up, just yet. He is still sedated, it hasn't been long enough for him to be waking up." Ducky said softly and Tobias swore to himself, he could hear his friend's heart break. "It could be a muscle reflex ... Or like I said, Timothy is a lot like his father. Never count him out of anything, yet. Let's get his medical team in here and get him assessed."

Ducky had a hard time of it, but he managed to lure Gibbs away from Timothy's bedside. To let his doctor's and the nurses, assess his son. But the belief that Tim was getting better, had Jethro complying with his friend's wishes.

"What have we got?" Leon barked, as he arrived in the squad room. He was getting anxious, he had turned Abby over the FBI for her actions on Tim and Gibbs. But not the initial attack on Tim. He was positive Abby and Keating we were in on it together, it was just a matter of gathering the evidence up and making the charges stick. The question of what charges still lingered and would continue to linger until there was a prognosis available or the young agent.

"Working on back-tracing those payments." Tony muttered, as he was hard at work at his desk. He had barely acknowledged the Director's presence in front of the plasma, filling in for Gibbs' usual position.

"I am still comparing Keating and Sciuto's adoption records to see where else they overlap." Ziva added, also not looking up from her work station. Leon was impressed with both gents, the attention and effort they were putting in on this case. It was a true team effort.

"I have something to add." Palmer said, standing up and stretching as he retrieved his cell phone from his pocket. "Text message from Doctor Mallard. Half an hour ago, Gibbs claimed that Tim squeezed his hand in response to something he said. The doctors have examined him and they are quietly confident that Tim might be preparing his body to wake up soon."

"That is excellent news Mr Palmer." Vance added. "Thank you everyone, your efforts have not gone undetected or unnoticed. Keep up the good work."

"That's great news." Ziva echoing the Director's sentiments.

"Thank god for that." Tony said out loud, letting out a sigh of relief.

Once again, after Leon's departure, the squad room was silent. It was several hours. It wasn't until Jimmy spoke up. "Ah... you guys, what was the license plate of the blue Chevy suburban that ran Tim off the road, again?"

Tobias watched, as his friend made his second trip back into his son's room, at the allotted time. He watched through the observation room as his friend pushed his son's hair off his face and he began talking to him in a slow, smooth, low tone of voice. He didn't know what the MCRT team leader was saying, he had never been able to read lips. But whatever it was, his son was beginning to respond. First Tim had squeezed his hand, then his eyelids had fluttered, now he was mumbling incoherently.

Jethro had hoped that they would lift the ten minutes every hour visiting limit, but they didn't. They were cautiously optimistic and Ducky had told him not to get his hopes up. But Jethro was, his son had been responding to him further in this hour than he had when he squeezed his hand. But before he knew it, his ten minutes were up and he was reluctant to leave him. But he knew he had to, he didn't want to risk getting thrown out of the hospital and not be able to see his son.

As soon as he had reassured Tim, yet again, that he would be back for the next ten minutes in the next hour. He reported the changes to Ducky. Immediately, Tim's room was flooded with medical personnel with Dr John Holland recommending that Tim have another MRI.

Within two minutes, he was disconnected from everything and Tim was whisked away from his room, leaving Jethro alone in it. Watching Tim get wheeled away made his heart hurt physically. Everything had been building up inside him, since this nightmare began and he just wished for Tim to open his eyes. To be OK.

Suddenly, he felt the air leave his body. A hot tear splashed down his face, followed by another and another, until he was openly weeping and sank to the ground against the wall. "I've got you, Jethro. I've got you." Tobias reassured him, verbally, as he put his arms around him, in support of his best friend.

Tobias felt shaken to his very core, whoever had done this to his friend's son had to pay and pay dearly. It had been truly surreal to witness Leroy Jethro Gibbs lose control of his tightly wound emotions like that. He had known Gibbs for almost twenty years and he had never seen him fall apart like that before. Until now. "W ...Wh... What if ...?" Gibbs began and it broke Tobias' heart to hear his usually stoic friend so unsure of himself. "I'm not strong enough to bury another child, Tobias"

"Everything is going to be OK, Jethro." Tobias reassured him. "Tim's a strong man, just like his father. He's going to get through this. You're doing everything you can. He knows you're here for him and you can't do anything more than that until he wakes up and he will wake up."

"Thanks." Jethro smile at him, as he wiped furiously at his eyes. He was embarrassed that he had lost his composure, but he was thankful that it hadn't been in front of Ziva, Tony or even the Director.

"Hey, when he wakes up. He's going to look up at you with those big green eyes that belong to him. You're gonna let go of that breath you're still holding in. The one your body refuses to let go of until you can see that your son will be OK. When you do, remind him that you love him. Trust me, kids need to hear that their parents love them." Tobias reminded his friend. It had been a long time, a lifetime, since his friend had a living child that needed his help. "Remind him that he is always loved. That you're always going to be there for him and that no matter what happens you'll back him, all the way."

"That is some sage advice, Agent Fornell." Leon said, as he offered his hand out to help the men off the floor. "As parents, it's our job to reassure our children that they are loved, no matter what."

A hype of activity, as they bought Tim back to his room. "We're lifting the ban on ten minute visits, but we do ask you keep to one visitor at a time." The doctor began. "Timothy is showing signs that his body is beginning to wake up. He was distressed in the MRI machine. He kept asking for D'd. We assume he meant Dad."

"That's you, my friend." Tobias grinned excitedly and patted his friend on the back. "Congratulations, Jethro. Now remember to breathe, my friend."

"We've got it! We've got him!" Tony exclaimed, as he, Ziva and Jimmy jumped up and down for joy. Jimmy Palmer had just cracked the case for them.

Best of all, the blue Chevy Suburban in question, was parked in the employee lot, today. Tony suddenly remembered that they had to report to Vance and snatched up his desk line to call the Director's cell.

When there was no answer, Tony ordered Ziva to shadow Keating and make sure he didn't leave the yard, Tony was going to hound the Director's PA, while Jimmy headed to the hospital, in case the Director was there.

Ziva was taking her assignment very seriously and had enlisted the help of Balboa and Carson. Putting them on the stake out of the Blue Chevy Suburban, making sure that it didn't disappear while Keating was in CCU, where she could keep an eye on him.

Tony had no luck with Pam Cooke, the Director's PA. She refused to tell him Vance's schedule. He took a calculated guess and called Palmer, to hurry him along. It was almost 1730 and he didn't want to run the risk of Keating clocking out and losing their best opportunity to pick him up.

Palmer struck pay dirt at the hospital, arriving only ten minutes after the Director. "Director Vance, you are one hard man to track down." Palmer told him, approaching the Director, Gibbs and Tobias Fornell.

"That was kind of the point, Mr Palmer." Vance admonished him lightly, before he realised that maybe, just maybe, he was here to notify him of a break in the case. Especially since, in the hospital, they had to have their cell phone's switched off.

"Agent DiNozzo sent me, he has a suspect in custody. He needs you to phone him." Jimmy announced with glee. "Immediately."

Vance rapped his knuckles against the glass and Gibbs looked up at the window. Seeing the grinning faces, he said he'd be right back and he went out to see what all the noise was about. "We got him, Gibbs. Want to sit in on the interrogation?" Vance asked, already knowing what the team leader would say.

"No, I need to be here. Tim needs me more." Gibbs replied and Tobias patted him on the back, in support. Tobias was glad to see that his friend was putting his son first. "He needs to know that he comes before my job."

"If Jethro doesn't want to sit in, can I?" Tobias asked Leon Vance. "After all, this was an attack on a federal officer and is tied into Miss Sciuto's attack on both Tim and Jethro."

"Done!" Vance exclaimed, grinning at the FBI agent, before he double checked with Gibbs that he was happy with the outcome. "Let's go, Fornell. We've got an interrogation waiting for us."

Finally, all the hub-bub had died down, Gibbs had been for a coffee and to stretch his legs, leaving Ducky to sit with Tim. He hadn't so much as stirred. Jethro Gibbs was holding his son's hand and leaning on the bed, against his forearms, praying that his son would wake up, soon.

Tim let his eyes flutter could feel the pressure of someone holding his hand. He let his body and mind do the heavy lifting, letting them come online before he tried to move or talk. He tried to remember what had happened, but it was just a big blank. Looking again at the hunched over figure, Tim recognised it to be his Dad. "D'd" Tim tried to say, his voice was hoarse and scratchy. Tim couldn't believe he'd made that sound. It sounded like a screechy cat.

"Tim?" Gibbs asked, looking down at his son. Seeing his emerald green eyes staring back at him, he smiled at his son. "Welcome back, my boy. Don't try to talk."

Tim tried to speak in instinct, but gagged and coughed on the breathing tube in his throat. He had questions about everything. "Relax Tim, I'm going to push the call bell for the doctor. We'll get that tube out of your throat. Just relax."

Within sixty seconds, Dr John Holland was back in Tim's room and they were removing the breathing tube. "Is that better, Agent McGee?" he asked, looking down at his patient. This was the first time that he had seen him awake. "Relax yourself and rest your throat."

Once the doctor left the father and son alone, Gibbs retook his spot sitting beside his son on the bed, facing him, as Gibbs helped him sit more slightly upright, bit by bit. Just in case nausea decided to make an appearance. "How's that feel? Just nod, save your voice, Tim." Tim sighed and put his head back on the pillow. He had been OK, until he had sat up that last notch, then the nausea kicked in. "It's alright son, I've got you." Gibbs softly murmured as he readjusted the bed back down.

"Where ... am?" Tim tried to struggle out. His throat was still inflamed, dry and it felt itchy. Tim's head felt fuzzy, he was struggling to remember what had happened and how he ended up where he was. "Dad? You are my dad, aren't you?"

Gibbs was surprised, before the accident he and Tim hadn't been that receptive to Gibbs' new role in his life. Sure he had been coming around but he wasn't there yet. "Tim? What's the last thing you remember?" Gibbs was suspicious. He had been there himself. He had had amnesia too.

"Didn't I wave to you by the elevators?" Tim asked, closing his eyes, trying hard to remember. "We passed each other. It was a Thursday."

"That was six weeks ago, son." Gibbs told him gently, keeping his tone reassuring. He didn't want to rattle the young man, he knew what it was like to awaken and have no memory or warped memories of certain events. "Do you remember anything else?"

"Sam's pregnant. It's not mine." Tim smiled at his father. "I'm homeless. I had to move to make room for the baby. It's that idiot, Austin's baby."

"No, you're not homeless. You always have a home with me." Gibbs chastised his son, lightly. "Whether you are my agent or my son, you will always have a home with me. You just focus on getting better."