Chapter 2
After that, everything moved quickly. The ambulance crew filed in, also assessed Tim, got him on the stretcher, and out of the building ... all while his team looked on, full of guilt.
Eventually, they all ended up at the hospital. Ducky and Palmer in the emergency room, the rest sitting in the waiting room, very still and quiet, except for Abby. She was crying and trying to grill everyone about what happened, but couldn't get anyone to answer her pleas.
The hours stretched and inched along before Ducky came back out. He looked grave as he came up to the mainly silent group, bringing a hospital doctor in tow. "This is Dr. Samuel Montague, he has been treating Timothy since he was brought in."
The grim faced, dark skinned, lithe, short doctor address the group. "Please call me Sammy, I've been told all my life that I look like Sammy Davis, Jr.", he tried to lift the heaviness sitting over the group. When no one responded, he let out a long sigh. "Which one of you is Leroy Gibbs?"
"It's Jethro." Gibbs said as he stood and approached the doctor with an outstretched hand.
Dr. Montague nodded as they shook hands. "Okay, here's the situation ..."
"We haven't contacted his family yet, should we wait?" Gibbs questioned.
"No, I've double check the records, you're not only his medical proxy, but the sole person responsible for making any medical decision concerning Tim."
"I am?" Gibbs knitted his brow together. He knew control like that took the signing of legal forms by both sides.
The doctor frowned and went through his paperwork. When he came to the right page, he showed it to Gibbs. "Is this your signature?"
He grabbed the clip board from the doctor and tried to bring it into focus, by pulling it close to his face and then back out, not having brought his glasses. "Yes, that's mine. When ..." Then the memory came back to him. It was about a year after McGee had joined the team. The kid was so nervous around Gibbs at the time that he could barely understand what Tim had wanted him to sign. He now remembered something about 'medical', 'instead of family', and 'best person'. "I remember."
Dr. Montague let out a breath. "Good. I wish I had something to tell you. As of right now, I can't find anything: no hemorrhaging or disease, no poison or physical trauma, nothing that would cause this condition."
"What condition?" Gibbs asked briskly.
The doctor took a moment before answering. "He is in a very deep coma ... and I have no idea why."
"You've been in there for hours! How could you not know something!?" Abby cried.
Ducky placed a calming arm around the upset Goth. "Comas are difficult. Sometimes the reason are very obvious, such as physical trauma. Other times, ..." he gave a deep sigh, "... other times, not so obvious."
Gibbs wanted to yell and rant like he usually did, but he didn't, because he knew the reason for McGee's coma. He lowered his head and closed his eyes as guilt washed over him anew.
"There are other tests we could run. They are a bit more ... invasive, but ..."
"No."
"Mr. Gibbs ..."
"Jethro ..."
"NO!" Gibbs' head snapped up. "I don't want him poked and prodded like a damn science experiment!" He turned and stormed out of the waiting room.
The heavy silence descended again over the group.
Ducky gave a weary sigh, a one arm hug to Abby, and turned back to the ER doctor. "Give him some time. Jethro is very protective of his people. Once he realizes the tests may actually help ..."
"It's alright." Dr. Montague sadly responded. "His reaction is understandable." He looked at each of them. "We have done all the conventional tests, what's left ... well some of them can have lasting side affects. Maybe once he talks to Tim's family ..." The doctor shrugged then shook his head. "We are getting him settled in a room. You should be able to see him shortly. I will have someone come and get you when he's ready." He turned and quietly left the group to their own thoughts.
XXXX
Gibbs fought with a vending machine to get a half-way bad cup of coffee, then leaned against a nearby window.
This is my punishment. Death took Tim's soul and left his body behind as a constant reminder of my idiocy. He closed his eyes. He thought back to Death's angry words, not just about the team, but also everyone is his life. He said no one valued Tim's life ... that can't be right ... I'm sure someone ... his parents, his sister ... he and Abby were always close ... surely ... Gibbs sighed, he knew there had been some strain on the relationship between the two in the past years.
At least he's in a ... better ... place ... aw hell! He remembered how angry Death was even with Tim. 'The worst part of all of this... HE LETS ALL OF YOU!' Gibbs crushed the paper cup in his hand, causing the lukewarm coffee to spill all over his pants and the floor. No way! Tim doesn't deserve an eternity of torment because he thought the wrong people cared about him! Damn it!
He opened his eyes and stared out the window. There was only one other time when he felt like such a failure ... he had lost his family then too.
XXXX
Tim's family was scheduled to arrive in two days. During that time, the team actually stayed away from each other. Gibbs and Tony were dealing with their guilt; Ziva was trying to figure out what Death's last words to her meant. The three of them didn't even go back to the hospital, each feeling as if they were desecrating sacred ground by being there.
Abby, Duck and Jimmy on the other hand wouldn't leave. None of them wanted Tim to be alone, in case he woke up. Abby and Ducky made constant calls to Team Gibbs, wondering why none of them were there ... where they were needed most. They were met with voice-mails and ignored calls.
When the day arrived, each came to the hospital on their own ... and got an earful from Abby. She was so distraught and stressed from the whole situation, that Ducky had to give her a mild sedative to get her to calm down before meeting McGee's family.
It was Director Leon Vance who escorted the McGees to Dr. Montague's office: Penny, Sarah, ... and Victor, Tim's dad.
Gibbs was surprised Tim's mom hadn't made the trip. He asked Penny about it while they were waiting for the doctor. She grimaced, "That woman knows she is not welcome anywhere near my grandson. Hasn't been for a long time. You don't have to worry about her showing up here."
Gibbs knit his brows in confusion. He was going to ask for more, but the doctor came in. Gibbs filed the information away, to save for another conversation at a different time.
Dr. Montague could barely fit into his own office. He went to his desk, pulled Tim's file and looked over it while he also looked over everyone in the room. Of course, Gibbs was there, but so was all of his team: Tony, Ziva, Abby, and Ducky. Leon Vance and Jimmy Palmer rounded out the NCIS presence. Then there was the three of Tim's family. The doctor steeled himself and went through the entire medical situation, hoping Tim's biological family would persuade Gibbs to consider the other options. He couldn't have been more wrong.
After going over everything, Dr. Montague paused and waited for the questions. The response he received shocked everyone.
"Why not just pull the plug?"
"Victor! How could you ..."
Victor looked nothing like his son. He was a good two inches shorter, his hair was such a dark brown that it was almost black, and his eyes were a cold grey. He turned to his mother. "From what the doctor said, he is already gone. Why keep the body going?"
That sparked a heated fight between the doctor, all three McGees and Gibbs. Dr. Montague trying to press the point of other options; Penny and Sarah pleading with Victor to have some faith that Tim would wake up; and Gibbs ... well Gibbs was just so shocked that a father would be willing to give up on his child. He knew there was no hope, but Victor didn't, or at least shouldn't. However, it seemed that he was willing to just write off his own son. For the first time since finding out he was responsible for Tim's medical decisions, was he glad of it.
"Mr. McGee!" Dr. Montague shouted over the bickering. "I'm NOT saying there is no hope. In fact ..."
"In fact nothing! You've basically told me that my son is a vegetable! I know him enough to know that he wouldn't want to be stuck like that! I'm sure he had a DNR."
Gibbs rounded on him. "Oh, you think so! Tell me Admiral, what do you know about your son?"
"Gentlemen, please. Mr. McGee ..."
"Who the hell do you think you are Gibbs?"
"Obviously, someone your son trusted to have his best interests in mind. Not what would be the easy way out."
"Easy! You think this is easy?"
"You didn't even blink before deciding to kill him."
"How dare ..."
"ENOUGH!" The combined voices of Ducky and Penny cut through the room. Ducky placed an arm around her shoulders for support. While, Penny had tears streaming down her cheeks, and held a sobbing Sarah.
"You two need to stop this!" Penny put her foot down both literal and figurative. She gave a quick squeeze to Ducky, then wiped her own tears away. "Doctor, is it possible for my grandson to come back to us? Yes or no?"
Dr. Montague took a deep breath and ran his had through his hair as he decided how to answer. "Mrs. Langston ..."
"Please, it's just Penny."
The doctor gave a small smile and nod. "Penny, it's hard to say. I'm not trying to be vague, but because I don't know why Tim is in a coma, I can't give a definite answer. He could wake up tomorrow ... or in fifteen years ... or never." He sighed. "It's as if something came a long, stole everything that made Tim tick and left his body behind. If that ... spark could be replaced, or well more accurately, restarted, then you could have him back."
Ziva, who had not uttered a word or looked at anyone since coming to the hospital, looked up and stared at the doctor. No one noticed.
The debate continued, voiced got raised again, and threats started to be thrown around. Ziva paid attention to none of it. She just stared at the doctor while his words rung in her head. She now knew what Death wanted of her. She knew it would take some time to get everything she would need ... and to find the contacts she hadn't ever thought she would use.
As Ziva made her plans, the fight between the two military men kept going.
Victor was pressing the fact of Tim's Do Not Resuscitate form.
Gibbs got right in his face, and hissed at the man in a low, dangerous voice. "Haven't you heard anything the doc said? There's no plug to pull, his body is going all on its own. Now, unless you are going to put a bullet in him, there is nothing we can do."
Victor gave back as good as Gibbs gave. "Is that your decision?"
"Yes, it is."
"Very well." Victor turned and strode out of Dr. Montague's office.
Sarah ran out after him. Penny took a moment to get her emotions under control, before she too went to leave the office.
Gibbs called out to her, "Penny ..."
She slowly turned to him.
"I don't care if he's your son. He is not allowed anywhere near Tim. I don't trust what he'll do."
Penny started to object, but stopped and just nodded instead. She quietly left the room.
Dr. Montague waited for a few moments before he broke the silence. "Mr. Gibbs, I am glad we are on the same page, now as for some of the other procedures ..."
"No."
"What?"
Gibbs turned back to the doctor. "I meant what I said before. He is not going to be an experiment. He is to be made comfortable, until either he wakes up or his body gives out."
The doctor sighed. "Are you sure that's what you want?"
"It is."
Dr. Montague slumped his shoulders in defeat. He sat down and typed at his computer for a moment. A few seconds later, the printer started. He reached over, grabbed the papers and handed them to Gibbs.
"These are a list of highly reputable long term care facilities. They will take care of all of Tim's needs."
Gibbs gave a quick glance at the papers in his hands. "Thank you."
"Let me know when you've made your decision and I will help with the transfer process." The doctor looked over the emotionally exhausted group. "Now, if you'll excuse me ..."
Gibbs nodded his understanding. He turned to the group and got them out of the office.