Tap13 -
"Pete, I found him." Tobias said breathlessly into his own cell. "He's on route to the University of Maryland hospital, over in Largo."
"Tell me he's OK?" Pete begged, as he started his truck and threw it in reverse.
"They don't know much yet." Tobias lied. He didn't want Pete getting into a wreck on his way over. He certainly wasn't going to tell him over the phone that Tim was critically injured. "I don't know much, either."
"I'll meet you there." Pete snapped, hanging up on Tobias. He was appreciative that Tobias had found Tim, but he could tell that Tim's friend Tobias had been protecting him, by not telling him the truth.
Tobias had to wait for the FBI, he had managed to get the scene released to him from the LEO'S and Tom Stewart was going to have his team process the scene, as a favour to Tobias.
Tobias already had a copy of the CCTV from the whole night thus far, including the parking lot. He had taken Tim's weapon, as he had been armed when he'd come in for his order. "Go on, get to the hospital already, Tobias." Tom Stewart told him. "That's where your head is at, I'll get your statement there."
Tobias didn't need to be told twice, before snagging Tim's carry out order and leaving. He and Pete could eat that while they waited for news on Tim. He highly doubted that his friend would be getting discharged tonight. "Crap, Gibbs!" Tobias exclaimed to himself on his way down the road to the hospital. Pulling out his cell, he hit speed dial three for Gibbs. "Can't make dinner. Something came up, talk soon." He rushed out into the phone. Not giving the man a chance to answer. Before disconnecting.
It was Tuesday and on Tuesday nights, he and Gibbs usually had a meal together. Tobias had actually been looking forward to it, this time he had the golden boy McGee and would have been doing the bragging.
He pulled up into a park, beside the black truck he recognised as Pete's and rushed into the waiting room. "They won't tell me anything." Pete said, glad to see Tobias had arrived.
"That's because they're still assessing him, relax." Tobias chastised him, gently. "Eat. Tim got your favourite for you. Don't let his effort go to waste."
"He got Mamamia's." Pete said with a sappy smile and a little cheeky grin thrown in for good measure. "I take it that he missed me."
"He did." Tobias confirmed with a wink. "He kept it cool and he didn't say anything, but I knew. I could tell."
"What was it? Robbery?" Pete asked Tobias, directly. "Or was this a targeted attack against him?"
"I can't talk about it." Tobias muttered. "Agent Stewart has just started the investigation and we both will need to be questioned."
Sitting and sighing, Tobias wondered if he should call Ducky. The doctor and Tim were close and had left things in a good place. But he didn't want to out his friend to the good doctor. The hospital weren't being very forthcoming with answers. They did learn from a very pretty, young nurse that Tim hadn't changed his details since he worked for NCIS. So, Doctor Mallard had received a call and they'd have to wait for him to arrive before they could get any information on Tim.
"Doc?" Tobias called out, see Ducky in his trademark cap, coat and bow-tie. "Over here."
"Agent Fornell, is Timothy OK? I must say that I was surprised to be called." Ducky asked, offering a handshake to the FBI agent. He wanted to show that he held no animosity towards the FBI agent for how Timothy's departure from NCIS played out. "Do you have any updates?"
"No, they won't tell me anything." Tobias sighed. "I am his next of kin and they refused to tell me because they had my date of birth wrong in the system. I highly doubt Tim would make an error like that."
"I don't have practicing privileges here, but I will see what I can find out. I will use my medical proxy, if need be." Ducky reassured the FBI agent and his friend. His friend looked distraught and extremely worried. Tobias hadn't introduced Ducky to their friend, but he'd bet his last dollar that whoever he was, he wasn't FBI like those two.
Ducky made his way over to the admitting desk to speak with the nurse. The nurse correctly identified that Ducky was whom he claimed to be, she led him through the doors to the examination room and into Tim's cubicle, before promising that she would page the neurologist treating Tim.
"Oh my dear lad, what in the world happened to you?" Ducky muttered, as he entered Tim's cubicle. Tim was unconscious, his skin an ashen grey in colour. A large knot at the back of his head, near the occipital lobe and a large laceration on his temple. His shirt had been cut away and Ducky could see where the blood flow had stained his skin.
"Doctor Mallard, I am Dr Melissa Bryant, Neurologist. I understand that you are the medical proxy for Timothy McGee." She said warmly, as she entered the room. "Do you know if the family are here? A Tobias Fornell? He is the next of kin."
"Ah yes, your front of house staff would not let him in." Ducky replied, relaying Tobias' earlier dramas to the young woman in front of him.
"It is government auditing time and we must get stricter to meet protocols, in order to be eligible for the latest funding." The doctor supplied with false bravado. "Let me go call him in and the three of us can have a chat."
With the doctor gone again, Ducky took advantage the moment and looked carefully at his friend. He too, like the rest of the NCIS personnel, had watched the news telecast yesterday and been proud of their friend at how far he had come.
Ducky looked up and saw Tobias and the doctor coming down hallway with the tall sandy blonde haired stranger behind them. "Pete, visit with Tim while we speak with the doc." Tobias instructed the other man.
Now Ducky had a name for the young man and he filed it away for a later date. He just hoped that by the time the night was out, he would be officially introduced.
"Gentlemen, it's seems that Tim McGee has a concussion. I've graded it to be severe. He has some interracial pressure in the occipital lobe that is impacting his vision. The temporal lobe injury did bleed quite heavily, but that is to be expected. We've got him in a natural sedation while he is monitored." She began telling Ducky and Tobias. "We've also started him on a cocktail of steroids and anti-inflammatory drugs to hopefully reduce the swelling. As well IV and oxygen therapy to assist the drugs. When Tim was conscious briefly, he was rather incoherent, his speech was slight impaired, too. Gentlemen the concerning part for me was, that Tim couldn't see anything. He claimed it was worse than blurred vision, but not totally black. That statement gives me hope that once the swelling comes down, his vision will return. "
"What is the management and treatment plan?" Ducky immediately asked, Tobias was still taking it all in and was thankful to have Ducky on his side.
"Timothy McGee has been admitted into our neurological ward and will be monitored. We scanned him on arrival at 2000hours. We will scan again at midnight, with a bit of luck we can begin to see some signs of improvement. If not, then I am afraid that we will have to do surgery and relieve that pressure before a cerebral event takes place. We will drill burr holes to relieve the pressure."
"What is the recovery time if they have to do surgery?" A very shaken Fornell asked. He couldn't believe that Ducky and the doctor were talking about drilling holes into his skull as if they'd just grab the power tool and start drilling.
"Burr hole trephinations have a success rate of approximately ninety-four percent and approximately seventeen to twenty days." The neurologist told him, factually. "The concussion can last anywhere from a couple of days to six months. He will have regular appointments with me to follow up."
"Timothy is in good hands, Tobias." Ducky reassured him. "Dr Bryant is one of the leading neurologists on the East Coast."
"I'll need copies of Tim McGee's medical notes and of the test results, plus photographs of the injuries for the victim report. The FBI are investigating this incident."
"The FBI?" Dr Bryant asked. "Is my patient mixed up with someone dangerous?"
"Ma'am, Tim is FBI Senior Field Agent Timothy McGee. He deals with criminals. Until we can narrow it down, we are treating this as an attack on a federal officer."
Neither Ducky nor Tobias commented on the relief they could see leaving the specialist's face before she told them that she would be back with the next results at approximately 0100 hours.
The nurses came and transferred Tim to the Neurological ward and they were informed he was only allowed two visitors at a time, before Tobias explained that he was here in an official capacity as FBI. The head nurse allowed him to stay too, but reminded the men to keep the volume to a minimum.
Pete hadn't said much since Tobias briefly filled him in on Tim's injuries and prognosis. He still hadn't officially been introduced to Ducky and as soon as Tim was settled, planned to introduce himself to the man that he'd head heard so much about.
Tobias excused himself to check in with Tom Stewart and left the two men alone. "Dr Mallard, I have heard so much about you from Tim and all good. He talks about you so much I feel like I already know you. I'm Pete." he whispered, offering a handshake. "Pete Kennedy."
"Please call me Ducky." Ducky grinned, taking his hand. Ducky noticed that Pete had wanted to touch Tim and reach out to him, but seemed to remember where he was and stop himself. "It is a pleasure to meet you. Pete, feel free to reach out and touch Tim, let him hear your voice and let him know that you're here. I am going in search of a cup of tea. Can I get you anything?"
"Not for me, thank-you." He replied, curtly to Ducky. Pete watched as Ducky left the room and he pulled his chair closer to him. Taking Tim's hand in his, he raised it and kissed it gently. "Oh Tim, this was not in the plans. You certainly know how to make my heart worry though. You're going to get through this because you're a fighter, Tim."
Ducky had turned back, to ask the young man he had just met Pete, if he could get him some water and he saw Pete take Tim's hand and kiss it. Grinning to himself, he continued on his way to find a cup of tea.
When Ducky returned, Tim was half awake and that soft smile he was giving the man holding hand was a look that Ducky had never seen a smile like that, on the younger man's face before. A look of contentment. "Go h'me, P'te." Tim smiled at him. "Got must'r e'rly. You need your rest."
"I am not leaving you, Tim." Pete said, kissing Tim's hand again. "I'm on liberty leave until 0700 Friday, I can take additional leave if I need to. Here is where I want to be, ok?"
"St'bb'rn." Tim murmured and Pete smiled in reply.
"I get that from you, now just relax." Pete said soothingly, with a slight chuckle. He tried not to let his fear of what his boyfriend was going through colour his words, but Pete was scared for Tim. "Ducky is here and Tobias is around here somewhere. You're safe, just promise me you will rest. Let that big brain of yours, heal itself."
Pete saw that Ducky had returned and noticed that Tim was awake now. Ducky smiled at the men before him. "Hello Timothy." Ducky handed Pete a bottle of water. He was relieved to hear that the man, Pete that he had just met was going to stick by his young FBI friend. "How are you feeling?"
"Duck?" Tim asked, confused. "W'ere'd you come from?"
"The hospital telephoned me and I am glad they did. I would have been most upset if they hadn't and I found out else where that you had been injured and didn't seek out my assistance." Ducky reassured the lad. "I have been keeping young Pete here, company. I am liasioning between your medical staff and Pete and Tobias. You're in good hands, now tell me if you have pain."
"Ch'st. Hurts." Tim managed out, closing his eyes again. He screwed up his eyes tight and Ducky suspected the dimmed overhead lights were hurting his friend's eyes.
"Let's take a look, lad." Ducky instructed, as Pete moved to allow him unfettered access to Tim. "How is your vision?"
Ducky examined the young man's chest and saw a boot shaped bruise forming on the diaphram area and pursed his lips, keeping his opinion to himself. He heard Pete suck in a harsh breath at the formation of the bruise. "This was no accident." Pete murmured. Ducky nodded at him, not wanting to verbally agree with him, in case his friend heard him.
"I shall just photograph this bruise for Agent Fornell and I will organise for him to have a chest x-ray, just to be sure that his ribs are in tact."
Tobias rubbed his hand over his face and cursed. Why did everything lead back to NCIS? Tim's last incoming call was Director Vance and Tim had returned that call. But judging by the call lengths, the two men were playing phone tag with one another. He needed to know what the calls were about as they may be relevant to the investigation. Tobias returned to Tim's room, to find Ducky relaxing in the arm chair in the corner of the room.
Pete was in the chair beside Tim, his fingers intertwined with Tim's. Pete's head was resting on the pillow beside Tim and every time Tim moaned in his sleep, Pete reached out and soothed him, instinctively.
Ducky had been watching the men from his vantage point in the corner of the room. It was almost 0100 and soon Tim would be taken for another scan and they would have a clearer picture of how Tim's head injury was playing out. Ducky raised his head, noticing Tobias by the door to Tim's room.
"Agent Fornell?" Ducky's soft whisper summoned his attention in the dark, giving him a little start. "They are together, aren't they? Why didn't they just tell me?" He asked, indicating to the man half on the bed, sharing his partner's pillow. "you could have given me a heads up."
"It wasn't my place to say anything." Tobias murmured in a voice that was only low enough for Ducky to hear. He didn't want his voice to carry and wake the sleeping men. It was almost 0100 and he would wake Pete soon, when Tim was taken for the next scan. "I believe only myself, Vance and now you are in the know. I believe that Vance only knows because they went to the see the same movie at the same theatre as Vance and his wife and Vance saw them. Neither of them are out."
"How long have they been together?" Ducky asked, trying to remember if he had picked up any clues that Timothy had been seeing someone new, prior to him leaving NCIS. Ducky recollected that at the dinner they shared last week, Tim seemed happier and more at peace and he suspected that Timothy either had decided to try and meet someone new or he had begun to see someone new.
"It's been about two and a half months." Tobias told Ducky, honestly. "They're taking it really slow and just seeing where it goes. But Pete is good for Tim, just as Timmo is good for Pete. I met Pete about seven, eight weeks ago now. They're happy together."
"I can see that." Ducky grinned at the FBI agent. "New car, new job, new house, new partner. It's like a whole new Timothy."
"Nah, he's the same smart, sarcastic, card-counting wise-ass, genius, that he has always been." Tobias jested in a low chuckle, careful not to disturb the slumbering men. "He hasn't changed."
"You seem to know Timothy rather well." Ducky surmised, feeling Tobias out. Ducky had originally suspected that it was Ziva that had put in the time and effort to train the young, green and inexperienced agent, turning him into the agent he is today, but he was revising that assumption now.
"We have been friends a long time. Since the very first case we worked together." Tobias grinned at Tim, proud of how far the young man had come under his tutelage. "We've saved one another more times than I can count. Jethro might be my oldest friend, but when the chips are down, Tim is the one who always has my back. He will go toe to toe with Diane and not back down, unlike a certain stubborn former Marine we both know."
"That is a lot more credit than any of us have ever given the young man." Ducky stated, feeling guilty. Although he was fond of Tim and tried to support him in being hazed and bullied by Tony and being emotionally manipulated, blackmailed and gaslit by Abby, Ducky felt he had done a disservice to the young man. A disservice to the man out of his friendship with Jethro Gibbs.
"Any idea why your Director and McGee were playing phone tag this afternoon?" Tobias asked, using the pause in the conversation to ask Ducky some questions of his own. At Ducky's nod of no, Tobias muttered that he was going to have to wake Leon Vance up from his peaceful sleep.
"As soon as you wake the Director up from his sleep and he finds out that Timothy is injured, he is going to want in on the investigation. As is Jethro." Ducky reminded Tobias. "But I would certainly think twice about waking our beloved Director. He was a former boxing champ."
"A former boxing champ, who has a soft spot for Tim." Fornell reminded him. "Besides the FBI have launched a formal investigation and the agent in charge of the investigation has just formally turned the investigation over to me. Now that I have been officially cleared as a threat. I promise I really was, just that I was the one who found him."
0100 arrived and the orderly was prompt in his job to retrieve Tim and take him to be scanned. Pete wearily rubbed his eyes and looked Tobias over. "Tell me this isn't real." He begged.
"They're doing everything they can for him, Pete. He will be ok, if I have to order him to be, I will." Tobias swore. It was just the two of them, Ducky had accompanied Tim downstairs to the imaging department, so he could see the images for himself, before the report was available. "A heads up, the Director of NCIS and Agent Gibbs will be here in the morning at 0700 hours."
"I will leave before they arrived. Tim may be ok with Vance knowing, but he wouldn't be ok with Gibbs knowing yet." Pete sighed, he had been hoping not to leave Tim's side, but he wouldn't willingly out his boyfriend to his former boss. "I will head home, take a shower and get some proper sleep. I trust that you will keep me posted on Tim. If he goes into surgery, please wake me. I want to be here for him."
"He tell you anything we don't already know?" Tobias asked, seeing Pete looking down the corridor where they had lead Tim away. "He doesn't remember anything about the attack, but did he say anything else?"
"Just that he is scared, that they will have to operate." Pete muttered and he saw Tobias nod. If Tobias was honest enough with himself, he was worried about that too and he was scared for his friend. "You look like you're worrying too."
"I am." Tobias admitted, softly.
A noise and movement up the corridor saw Tim being wheeled back in to the room, with Ducky and Tim's neurologist closely following behind. Both Pete and Tobias took one look at the two doctors, who were deep in discussion and sighed. It did not look like they were bringing the news that the two men hoped for. "There is an improvement, but it is slight. Not enough to avoid surgery." Ducky announced with a resigned sigh, he too had been hoping for a better outcome and had been upset by what he had seen on the scan. "We have decided to give him another six hours and scan again. We hope by then, the drugs will have had a longer chance to start working and he can avoid surgery."
Pete put his hand over his mouth, he felt like he was going to cry. He didn't want Tim to see how worried he was and distress his boyfriend further. Tim had already been drifting in and out of consciousness and had become agitated at the decision to do an additional scan. Ducky watched as his word affected the man he had just met, the man who had captured his young friend's heart. "We will do everything possible to avoid surgery." Tim's neurologist, Dr Melissa Bryant reassured the man's partner. She hadn't been introduced to him as her patient's partner, but she had witnessed his reaction to her patient's injuries and made an educated guess. "We just need to give Tim a little bit more time."
As Tim's neurologist walked away, Tobias hugged Pete with one arm. "Tim's strong, Pete. Why don't you go on in and sit with him. Ducky and I will give the two of you a moment alone."
Pete took that moment of comfort from Tobias, before nodding at Tim's best friend and heading in to be with Tim. He and Tim hadn't discussed their feelings, but Pete was feeling all sorts of feelings for the man whom had captured his heart. He was pretty sure that he had fallen in love with the emerald eyed FBI agent and he didn't know how to tell him. In Pete's brief dating history with men, he had only been in love one other time and the man had not returned his affections, breaking his heart rather spectacularly.
"Tell me the truth, Ducky." Tobias begged the kind and trustworthy ME. "What's the prognosis and recovery time if he has to have the surgery?"
"It varies from patient to patient. It can be anywhere between a few days to a few weeks in hospital and then some more recovery time at home." Ducky answered him, honestly. "I understand you are worried, as am I, Tobias. However, I have confidence that Timothy will come out of this with a glorious scar and one heck of a headache. His memories of the event may be questionable, of course. It may never come back, as with most traumatic brain injuries."
Leon Vance met Jethro Gibbs in the foyer of the University of Maryland hospital in Largo, at 0655. Both men were surprised to be summoned by the FBI agent. Jethro hadn't spoken to his friend Tobias since he had seen him at the Navy Yard in the parking lot with the other cohort of FBI agents, when they were investigating the damage to his former agent's explanation had been given to Gibbs, only a demand for his presence and the reassurance that he would want to make the trip to Largo. It certainly helped Tobias' cause when he casually mentioned that Ducky had been there all night, already.
As promised, Pete had slipped out of Tim's hospital room, an hour beforehand. He and Tim had shared a small kiss, thinking no one had seen them. But Ducky had been coming into the room. He just smiled at them and patted Pete on the back, before promising that if anything changed, Tobias would telephone him.
"Any idea what this is about?" Gibbs grumbled to Vance. It wasn't good timing for him. He had been training two seasoned agents to his standards and he'd had to leave Ziva in charge of them, while he drove an hour out of his way to help Tobias on a case.
"The FBI needs help on a case." Leon Vance replied. He knew he would experience some push back from Gibbs, but didn't expect Gibbs to be so disgruntled. "It appears that their assailant is Navy."
"Why doesn't McGee help them?" Gibbs muttered out loud, uncensored. "It's not like he doesn't know the protocols and procedures, or have the contacts at JAG to get a case to prosecution?"
"Perhaps he isn't working on this case in particular." Vance murmured in reply as they stepped off the elevator, onto the fifth floor and made their way to the neurology ward. They didn't need to ask at the front desk for directions, Leon had a room number and seeing Ducky and Tobias standing out the front of the room was like a large neon sign.
"Tobias." Gibbs greeted his friend, before he nodded at Ducky. Gibbs looked in the room and the room patient's bed was void of a patient. "What's going on?"
Before Tobias could answer, a patient was being wheeled on a gurney, back in to the room. "Agent McGee?" Vance asked, shocked. "What the hell happened to him?"
"He was attacked, picking up carry-out from a favourite restaurant of his." Ducky explained, before Tobias halted Ducky from explaining any further. It was better if it came from him. After all, it was an FBI case and he was in charge.
Tobias explained everything that they knew so far, being careful not to mention his plans with Pete or out the man in any way, as he explained how Tim had simply stopped for food on the way home and how he had been attacked in the men's room and the CCTV had shown a man in a naval uniform, fleeing the scene of the crime.
