Gibbs leaned against the wall and let out the breath he hadn't even realised he'd been holding…Andrew was right, his son had deserved better, much better, and the way he had treated Tim in those dark days was a burden Gibbs would carry for a long, long time.

"Jethro, is there something wrong? Is Timothy...?"

He looked up to see Ducky hurrying toward him with a slim, auburn haired woman.

"No, he's still sleeping, I got kicked out."

Theresa held out her hand.

"I'm Theresa, Tim's mom, Andrew told you to leave?"

Gibbs nodded and shook her hand.

"Yes. I understand why...but I do have to ask Tim some questions, he could help us with the investigation."

"We'll go back in together. Don't think badly of my husband Agent Gibbs, no one wants these people caught more than him. When Tim came home...and told us...it was hard on all of us...Tim most of all, and what hurts Tim, hurts us, can you understand? Oh…of course you can, you had a daughter."

They went in and Theresa rushed to her husband's side.

"Before you say anything Andrew, I said he could come. You want them to find who did this to Tim don't you?"

"You know I do, but does it have to be him asking the questions?"

They were so intent on each other that they hadn't noticed the swollen eyelids flickering open. Tim tried to say something, but his attempted whisper turned into a hoarse cough.

"Timothy, steady lad, take it easy. I'll get you some ice chips."

Ducky carefully put a few chips in Tim's mouth.

"Better? Now...Jethro is here."

"B...Boss?"

"I'm here Tim; I need to ask you some questions, if you're up to it?"

"'kay..."

"Do you know the men who did this to you?"

Tim's heart rate started to increase and his fingers were twitching on the bed sheet.

"Can't...'member."

"Don't force it Tim, take it easy. Can you tell me the last thing you remember? And don't say waking up here."

"Tony would."

"I know, and I don't want you turning into Tony, one DiNozzo is plenty!"

Gibbs' attempt at lightening the mood appeared to be working; Tim relaxed a little, and his heart-rate settled back into a regular rhythm. Andrew had been ready to put an end to this; he knew it was important for Tim to answer Gibbs' questions. He just wasn't sure his son was ready for this, not yet; but he knew better than anyone, he'd told Gibbs...Tim didn't back down.

"You need more ice chips son?"

"No thanks. I...was driving...just passed...Bentonville...the car...stopped, wouldn't...start again"

Gibbs stood closer by the bed.

"That's good Tim, real good; you called AAA, we know that."

"I called...Mom...sat back to wait...an hour they said..."

His eyes started to droop as the pain meds did their work. But with a gasp he was awake again, reaching out his hand frantically to Gibbs.

"There was...a truck...I thought...that was quick...men got out...I saw..."

Tim's breathing was getting more erratic; Theresa leaned over and stroked his hair.

"Take your time honey, we can wait, you sleep now."

"No…can't wait...Boss...it was...the FBI tech...When we...those pictures…"

That was a day Gibbs would never forget, when Tim had demanded that Gibbs show him the evidence that had ripped his world apart.

"Tim, was it the guy who set up the playback, the one who was in the office with us?"

"Yes."

Tim's eyes closed, and his breathing deepened as he slept once more. Andrew turned to Gibbs.

"You know that guy?"

"Don't know his name, but I'm going to find him, and he's going to pay for what he did...Commander, I know I did wrong by Tim, and it's a wrong I can never put right...I know my word means nothing to you, but I give you my word; we are going to find everyone who did this to Tim, and put them away for a very long time."

Andrew turned once more to his son.

"It won't be long enough."

Gibbs was in his car once more, on his way back to DC, he needed to get the name of that technician without alerting him to NCIS interest. A couple of months ago he would have called Fornell; but that was before Fornell hit Tim. Gibbs hadn't spoken to him since, still didn't trust himself to be in the same room. So he called Vance.

"Any chance you could speak to the FBI Director? I need ID on an IT technician."

"Let me have the details Gibbs, I'll call him right away."

He was still an hour away from NCIS when Vance called with a name, Leonard Baker.

"Can you give Tony the address? Have him take Ziva; I don't want this guy getting away."

"Consider it done Gibbs; Baker should be waiting in interrogation when you get back."

Gibbs' first stop was the lab; as expected Abby and Jimmy were still there, even though the chance of getting any more from the meagre evidence at their disposal was slight. Abby ran to Gibbs and treated him to a bone crushing hug.

"How is he? When can we see him again?"

Gibbs returned her hug and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"He...Tim still looks...well, you saw him, but Ducky's happy with his progress, and he was able to help us with another lead."

"Tony told us, they brought him in...I wanted to go see him, but Jimmy wouldn't let me."

Jimmy looked a little shamefaced.

"It was just...I wasn't sure what you would do."

Gibbs let go of Abby and smiled at Jimmy.

"You did the right thing Jimmy. Abs, do you have anything more?"

Abby shook her head sadly.

"We have two more samples, no hits on any databases. If you get someone, I can match their DNA; still nothing on Tim's car. We're hoping it's been abandoned somewhere...if we get it back, there could be more evidence."

"You two get some rest...there's nothing more you can do tonight. Go home."

Gibbs caught up with Ziva and Tony in the observation room. He forestalled the inevitable question.

"Tim's doing better, still a long way to go, but it's looking good. Did Shaw give you anything?"

"Nada, we're getting the strong, silent treatment. But, from the looks of this Baker guy we'll be getting something. I thought he was going to pee his pants when Ziva cuffed him."

"I have no interest in treating with kid gloves any person who is involved in what happened to Tim, however, I did notice there were no marks on his hands."

Gibbs took the case file from Tony and headed for the door.

"He was there Ziva, and he didn't stop them, Tim's blood is on his hands, even if we can't see it."

Ziva and Tony took up their positions in the observation room, they saw Gibbs enter the interrogation room and carefully place the file on the table.

"Thanks, Agent Miller; I'll take it from here."

As the door closed behind the departing agent Gibbs opened the file and began taking out photographs which he laid out on the table one by one. They were pictures that had been taken in the ER documenting Tim's injuries; each one further illustrating the horrors that Tim had endured Friday night. Baker closed his eyes and lowered his head.

"Do not dare look away from this; you did this, at least have the guts to look at the consequences of your actions."

"I didn't...why would you think that?"

"I have an eye witness, he saw you out near Bentonville."

A sudden look of panic crossed Baker's face; they wouldn't talk, they'd all promised, no one would say a word about that night.

"You're lying!"

Gibbs pushed one of the photographs closer to Baker.

"He doesn't lie, he saw you."

"No! He's dead, we left him..."

"I know where you left him, and I know what you did to him, but you did not kill him."

Baker sat back in his chair; he simply could not believe what he was being told. Mitch had said McGee was dead. Baker had watched them hit him, kick him...how could anyone have survived that? This was bad, if McGee had identified him, the others wore masks...they were safe...He could see the way Gibbs was looking at him, this was really bad.

"If...say I was to give you their names...they wouldn't need to know I told you...would they? McGee couldn't identify them, they wore masks, but I could tell you, then...Maybe we could reach an understanding…"

"How many? How many cowards did it take?"

Ziva and Tiny watched Baker sink deeper in the chair and try to take a deep breath. They had never been on the receiving end of that tone of voice from their boss, but they knew the stare he would be giving, and they knew Baker wouldn't hold out against that.

"There...there were four..."

Gibbs leaned over the table.

"Shaw and Freeman we know about...the others, give me their names...now!"

Baker tried to swallow his fear, the others had said if they stuck together they'd be safe; but they weren't sitting here, he was.

"Steve Cable, Frank Nye...they...we're part of a group of concerned citizens trying to stop men like McGee preying on children."

Gibbs slammed down his fist on the table.

"Men like McGee? You should wish there were more men like McGee, he has done nothing wrong…"

"But I saw…those pictures he'd been looking at, the girls he was grooming, I saw it all."

"He was framed! You must have been told that; when we came to see the footage that day, didn't they tell you he's innocent?"

Baker gave a bitter laugh.

"Come on man! That's what every two bit crook says, 'it wasn't me, I didn't do it'. I knew what was happening, NCIS covering for one of their own."

"There was nothing to cover, he was wrongly accused by…by someone who should have known better. McGee did absolutely nothing wrong."

Baker was trembling now.

"He…he really didn't? But I told them in good faith, you have to believe that."

Gibbs' whisper was laced with venom.

"No, I don't have to believe that. What you see at work should never leave those walls, never…you almost caused the death of a good man, and for that you are going to prison for a very long time, and who knows? You may get to meet some of the men you helped to put in there, I'm pretty sure they'll give you a very warm welcome…we're done here."

Almost immediately the door opened, Tony and Ziva lifted Baker from his chair and clipped the handcuffs back on his wrists. As they started to lead him out of the room, Baker turned one last time to Gibbs.

"You said…if I gave you the names, you'd help me!"

Tony dragged him to the door.

"Didn't we tell you? Gibbs doesn't make deals."

Gibbs sat down in the now silent interrogation room and started to put the photographs back in the file. Tim's bruises and cuts were etched in his mind; he didn't need the pictures to remind him of what these men had done to Tim; nor did he need anyone to remind him why Tim had become the target of these 'concerned citizens'. Gibbs couldn't undo the terrible wrong he had done; what he could do was take these men off the streets so that they couldn't inflict pain and suffering on the innocent. And he wasn't going to rest until the others were in custody. Two down; three to go…