6 weeks later...
After his conversation with Gibbs, McGee tried to settle into a routine at home, but failed; Gibbs had given him the okay to go back to work, and a mixture of anticipation and boredom was making it hard for him to settle to anything.
The date set for his return to NCIS- on light duties- was fast approaching. For now, he had to be content with only working 2 days a week; his physiotherapy schedule just wouldn't allow for him to work more days than that, and he didn't want to jeopardise his chances of recovery.
He hadn't told anyone when he was returning to work, not even his family. Gibbs had questioned his readiness, and he didn't want everyone else reacting the same way. He'd finally convinced Gibbs that it wasn't going to hurt his shoulder any more to sit at a desk at work than it would at home, and he was quite frankly going stir crazy. It was almost as bad now that he was home as it had been in the hospital- the only difference was at home he had a few more distractions. But even those were frustrating him. He didn't want to be stuck at home when he knew how overworked the team was.
So he was in an irritable state of mind as he got out of the shower after yet another physio session and began the long process of towelling off. It was small, everyday things like this that annoyed him the most about his lack of mobility; you didn't notice how much you used your shoulder, he thought, until you couldn't move it properly any more. He paused as he awkwardly dried his hair; he thought for a moment that he'd heard a door close in his apartment. Pulling on his trousers, he exited the bathroom just in time to come face to face with Sarah.
"Tim. I was just coming to find you."
He saw her eyes dart to his shoulder. He knew without looking that the scars that made it misshapen would be vivid red and purple, courtesy of the hot shower, which made them look worse than they already were, and he knew that Sarah hadn't seen the mess that the shrapnel had made of his arm. But nothing could have prepared him for the way she reacted. He watched as her mouth twisted with something akin to disgust, and saw the pity in her eyes.
It hurt, more than he thought it would. She was his little sister; if she reacted like this, how would everyone else? Swallowing hard, he picked up his shirt off the bed and pulled it on over his head hastily, trying to conceal the wince of pain as he moved his bad shoulder too fast.
"Tim..." Sarah's voice was apologetic; she must have seen the flash of pain he'd been unable to hide.
"It's ok" he reassured her. It wasn't, not really, but he didn't want her to see how much her recoiling from him had hurt. He racked his brain for something to say to cover the awkward moment.
"I'm going back to work next week" he blurted out; it was the only thing he could think of that would distract Sarah enough.
She stared at him for a long moment. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"
He rolled his eyes. This was exactly why he wasn't intending on telling anybody. "I can't just sit around here and do nothing, Sarah. They've still got a lot of work to do on the Adams case, and it's not like I'll be going back into the field, not yet" he pointed out.
"Have you told your team yet?"
He shook his head. "Only Gibbs. And you" he added. She cocked her head a little, giving him an odd look. "You haven't told Abby?"
He snorted. "Abby is almost as protective as Mum. I can imagine her reaction if she thinks it's too soon." He couldn't stop himself from picturing her reaction as he spoke; eyes narrowed, hands on her hips as she told him exactly what she thought. She wasn't exactly known for her restraint when one of the team put themselves in danger. Unconsciously he smiled. Sarah saw it and seized on it.
"What was that?" she asked suspiciously. Assuming a straight face hurriedly, he asked "What was what?"
"That smile."
"What smile?"
It was no good; he could see the pieces coming together in Sarah's mind.
"You're in love with her."
It was a statement, not a question. He didn't know why he admitted it; the emotional rollercoaster of the last couple of months must have had his guard down. "Yeah, Sarah, I am."
"Have you told her?"
"No, and I'm not going to."
"Tim-"she sounded exasperated as he cut her off. "I'm not going to tell her, Sarah. Abby does not feel the same way. And even if she did... I couldn't tell her. What woman would want me like this?"