CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Gibbs and Tony returned to the ICU waiting area just as Admiral McGee stepped out. He stopped short upon seeing them. The three men regarded each other warily.
Finally, Admiral McGee took a few tentative steps towards the others.
"Agent Gibbs, I…, well, I owe you and your agents a huge apology for my behavior."
Gibbs tilted his head. "Yeah, Admiral, I think you do."
Admiral McGee blinked, then looked away as he tightened his grip on his cap. "Gibbs, I could give a whole laundry list of reasons why I behaved the way I did, but I know you aren't interested. I made some huge mistakes, especially concerning Tim, and well, this incident has finally opened my eyes to how wrong I've been."
Tony inhaled sharply about to speak when Gibbs elbowed him in the side. Startled, Tony bit back his words looking in surprise at Gibbs.
"Admiral," began Gibbs his voice even but his eyes were hard. "You don't own me a thing. Sure, you should apologize to the agents who were part of your protection detail. They were willing to put their lives on the line for you and you treated them like crap. But the one you really need to apologize to is your son. Frankly, if I were Tim, I'd boot your ass out the door and be done with it. But I'm not Tim. Tim is a good man and all he's ever wanted was your respect and approval."
The admiral shook his head and sighed. "I know that, Gibbs. I've just been blind." He lifted his eyes to meet Gibbs'. "You have any children, Agent Gibbs?"
Tony glanced at Gibbs, noting the tightness in the other man's jaw. This was a touchy subject.
"I had a daughter. She died a long time ago."
The admiral looked nonplused for a moment. "I…I'm sorry."
"Admiral, if there is one thing I've learned over the years is that life is precious. Once you've lost someone, they're gone for good. You've wasted your life trying to make Tim into something he's not. Now, you may not get a second chance to change that."
"I know." The admiral ran a hand through his gray hair. "I just hope he'll forgive me for the way I've treated him."
"He might," replied Gibbs flatly. "But I sure as hell won't." He then turned and brushed past the admiral towards McGee's room.
Tony stood silently watching an array of emotions cross the admiral's face. There was a part of him that felt sorry for the older man, just like he periodically found himself feeling sorry for his own dad, but it passed when he remembered finding McGee lying in pain, bound and gagged, left on the floor by his own uncaring father. Like Gibbs, it would be a cold day in hell before he'd forgive and forget.
xxx
Lt. Owens sat rigidly as the ER doctor carefully set his nose. He refused to even flinch or make the slightest noise. He was furious with himself for letting that punk NCIS agent get the drop on him. Not that he really blamed DiNozzo. Owens was perfectly aware that he had been pushing some mighty sensitive buttons when he made his comment about Tim McGee.
McGee. Life had been pretty good up until Agent Timothy McGee showed up.
Owens had admired Admiral McGee for some time. The man was a legend. When the admiral had specifically asked for him, Lt. Jason Owens, to be his aide, Owens immediately understood he was now on the fast track. The world was his oyster. Some day, maybe he'd even be Secretary of the Navy or perhaps some other political posting. So, the higher profile he kept, all the better.
Admiral McGee made sure he met the right people, got invited to the right functions, and was more than generous with his praise. He was not only a valuable mentor, but a father figure as well. After his parents' divorce, Jason's father quickly remarried and when he and his new wife produced a new son, well, there wasn't much time left in his father's life for Jason.
But Jason was no fool. He could see the handwriting on the wall. Tim McGee had been grievously wounded while protecting the admiral from a vengeful killer while Owens stood uselessly in the background. It had been fine when the admiral held nothing but disdain for his only son. It just made Jason look that much better by comparison. Sure, Tim McGee was smart, but he was hardly the whole package. Jason had it all. But then the idiot had to go and get himself shot protecting the admiral. If he'd been injured under almost any other circumstances, the admiral would have been less likely to do a 180. Now, he was full of remorse and regrets and was going to do whatever was necessary to redeem himself in his son's eyes.
So, DiNozzo had a point. Where did that leave him?
"All right, Lt. Owens," said the doctor peeling off his gloves. "You're good to go. You can stop by the pharmacy and pick up your prescription for painkillers. Just take it easy."
Owens grunted his thanks and slid off the table. The throbbing in his head made him dizzy for moment, but he shrugged it off and strode from the ER. He'd be damned if he needed painkillers for something as minor as a broken nose.
"Owens? My god, Jason, what happened to you?"
Owens turned to see Admiral McGee hurrying over, his eyes studying Owens' bruised face. Instinctively Owens reached up and touched the bandage.
"Are you all right?" Admiral McGee's voice was sharp.
Owens sighed. He felt like an idiot. "Yes, sir. Just a minor run-in with somebody's fist."
"Gibbs?" The admiral's voice sharpened further.
"DiNozzo."
The admiral's face darkened. "I'll have him up on assault charges."
"No, sir, please. It was just a misunderstanding. I know your son's teammates are on edge right now, and I may have unintentionally upset him." Owens knew he'd egged DiNozzo on and he would just as soon the entire incident be forgotten. At least by others. Personally, he had no intention of forgetting about it.
"Are you sure?" Admiral McGee continued to frown.
"Yes, sir. Really, it's nothing." He paused. "How is your son?" The words were like sawdust in his mouth.
The admiral sighed. "Not good. His blood pressure keeps falling. They think there may be some internal bleeding and will have to go back in." He looked at his watch. "I need to try calling my mother again. Let her know what's happened."
"Sir, you also have that meeting at ten with Senator McMillan."
"Damn. I'd forgotten about that. I'd cancel, but it's been hard enough nailing that bastard down. If I miss this meeting, there won't be time to reschedule before the subcommittee meeting on Tuesday. Okay. Let's head back to the office. I'll just get back here as soon as I can."
Owens smiled to himself as he followed the admiral out of the hospital. If the admiral was willing to put his critically injured son on the backburner so he could meet with some idiot senator, maybe there was still hope after all. But either way, he wasn't about to give up.
xxx
Tony followed Gibbs to the observation area and froze. Just beyond the observation window, they could see a flurry of urgent activity around McGee's bed. Tony glanced at the heart monitor. There was nothing but a flat line. He went cold.
"Clear!"
Tony cringed as Tim's body convulsed as the doctors and nurses worked to restart heart. He glanced at Gibbs. The other man stood rigid, his jaw tense. Neither said a word.
It took three more attempts to restart McGee's heart. The doctor wearily replaced the defibrillator paddles. As he listened to the nurses read off McGee's vitals.
The doctor turned to the nurse beside him. "Get him prepped. I think we've got a bleeder in there somewhere, and if we don't stop it, we're going to lose him." The nurse nodded and started barking orders to the others.
The doctor looked up and seemed to notice them for the first time. He ran a hand through his short, graying hair and made his way out to meet them.
"What's going on?" Gibbs' words were soft, a sign of his concern.
"It's not good, Agent Gibbs. We can't keep his blood pressure up. I think there must still be internal bleeding, and I need to go back in and find it. You saw what happened just now. If he keeps losing blood, we may not be able to save him next time."
Tony's mouth was dry. "What are his chances?"
The doctor shrugged. "Your guess is as good a mine at this point. But not good. However, if we don't stop the bleeding, they'll be zero. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to scrub up." He turned and hurried off.
Tony suddenly noticed his fists were clenched. He hated this. He couldn't bear the thought of losing another friend. There were no guarantees in this business, but for some reason, he never thought McGee would be the one in this position. Gibbs had been here several times before. Ziva too and even himself, but McGee lived a charmed life. Other than a dislocated shoulder thanks to a drugged up marine, Tim had managed to avoid any serious injury. Even when he'd been held hostage in a women's prison, he came out with more admirers than bruises.
"C'mon, Tony. Let's go get some coffee. There's nothing we can do here."
For a moment, Tony couldn't move. Or maybe wouldn't. If he left, what would happen to McGee? He returned his gaze to the room beyond. They were getting ready to move McGee out to the OR. Tony could just make out the bone white face beneath the ventilator tubes. He looked so fragile. Tony was terrified this would be the last time he'd see Tim alive.
"Boss…" He couldn't shift his gaze away.
Gibbs laid a hand on Tony's shoulder. "I know. But McGee's tougher than he looks. He won't give up."
Tony glanced at him and a ghost of a smile crossed his face. "After you gave him a direct order not to? He wouldn't dare."
Gibbs returned the smile. "C'mon DiNozzo, let's go. We won't go far."
Still, Tony waited until McGee and his swarm of attendants disappeared. He laid he hand against the glass of the observation window. "Good luck, buddy," he whispered. "We'll be waiting."
A/N: Sorry for the delay but youngest is now graduated and our bank account is celebrating! Thanks again for all the positive support. You guys are the best.