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They waited for another hour and a half before the doctor finally came out. The team ambushed him before he finished asking if there was anyone there for Timothy McGee.

The doctor held up his hand to silence the bombardment of questions.

"First off. Agent McGee should be fine. Baring any post op complications, he should make it through with no permanent damage, other then a few scars. Agent McGee has been very lucky. Most of the cuts were superficial and will heal quickly with minimal scaring. The main concern was the stab wounds to his sides. The left one was simple to close, hitting no major organs. The right was a little more complicated. This one was done in an upper motion" the doctor demonstrated, his hands showing the knife entering the skin and curving the blade upwards once inside. "This injury presented the most problems, deflating his right lung and causing massive bleeding."

The group gasped together, in any other setting it would have been comical.

The doctor held up a calming hand, waiting for silence before continuing, "We were able to stop the bleeding, re-inflate the lung and close up the wound. They will hurt for a while, and both will scar, but other then that, he should be fine. He'll be moved into the ICU once they finish with the last blood transfusion in about twenty minutes. Though only family are allowed to visit him."

Sarah smiled, "I'm his sister" she pointed to Gibbs, "this is our father," to Ducky, "our uncle," to Tony, Abby and Ziva, "my brother, sister and adoptive sister." and to Palmer, "and our cousin."

The doctor smiled, he could tell they weren't blood relatives, but family nonetheless. 'A rose by any other name' the doctor thought as he nodded, "But no more then three at a time, you have to be quiet and you can't wake him. The best thing for Agent McGee now is sleep."

The group nodded in acceptance and went to take their seats.

"I'll send a nurse out to get the first three when he's ready."

Half an hour later, the group was getting worried. Jumping every nurse who walked through the doors. Finally, a nurse walked out and asked for the three visitors for Timothy McGee.

Sarah, Gibbs and Abby stood. It had been wordlessly decided that they would go in first, then Tony and Ziva would take Sarah and Abby's places. Then Ducky and Palmer for a short visit as they had bodies waiting for them in the morgue. Throughout, Gibbs refused to leave his agents room. They all knew why but no one commented.

Gibbs had been there when McGee was stabbed, he felt it was his fault that his youngest agent was hurt, even if it wasn't.

The first thee entered McGee's room, Sarah first then Abby, Gibbs holding back till last. When both women saw Tim, they broke down crying.

McGee looked incredibly small, so many tubes and wires covered his body. The white bandages that could be seen over his shoulders and chest extending down his abdomen and under the sheet that covered his lower ribs and below.

Abby grasped Tim's right hand and Sarah, his left. They whispered words of encouragement through their tears and promised to visit every day.

"You'll be fine Tim, everything will be ok." became Abby's mantra by the end of the fifteen minute visit, Sarah's wasn't much different.

With one last kiss on his forehead and cheek, the two women left, clutching each other for support as they left Tim with Gibbs. Thought out the visit, Gibbs stood silently in the background.

Tony and Ziva's visits weren't much better, but there was much less crying. Though neither agent shed a tear, Gibbs could see their eyes were shining and near the end, Tony surreptitiously wiped away a rebellious tear, both Ziva and Gibbs pretended not to notice.

Gibbs ordered them to go home, rest and be at the office at ten the next morning to do their reports. Both agents nodded and reluctantly left.

Duck and Palmer's was the shortest visit, lasting no more then ten minutes.

Gibbs had expected Ducky to be emotional, but seeing Palmer almost cry as he held Tim's hand and told him they could always play the new computer game next weekend warmed his heart.

Ducky smiled down at McGee for most of the time, in between reading the boys chart and looking worriedly at Gibbs. Palmer and Ducky left together, Ducky with a comforting hand on Palmers shoulder and Palmer again trying not to cry in front of his mentor or agent Gibbs.

Finally, it was just Gibbs and McGee.

The doctor had said Tim wouldn't wakeup until the next morning at the earliest, so when McGee started moaning and rolling his head from side to side, Gibbs knew his youngest agent was in the throws of a nightmare. Whenever Kelly had been having a nightmare, Gibbs had always sat on the bed, stroked her hair and whispered reassuring words to her. So he followed his parental instincts.

Sitting beside his agent, he ran his fingers through McGee's hair and whispered to him until he stilled.

It didn't take long for McGee to fall back into a dreamless sleep. Comforted by the words and touch he hadn't felt since he was a child.

This continued the entire night, McGee would start thrashing against some invisible enemy and Gibbs would lull him back to sleep. For Gibbs, it was a tiring night as the adrenalin finally left his system completely and only McGee's distress kept him awake.

Everyone came in to visit McGee the next morning, hoping he would be awake. But none could stay as they had work, and Sarah had classes.

When Gibbs asked Sarah when they should expect Tim's parents, Sarah gave him a pitying look and told him their parents had died not long before Tim had joined Gibbs' team. Nodding, Gibbs smiled and told her he would look after McGee until the nurses kicked him out.

Tim woke at about eleven in the morning. Gibbs was coming back from getting coffee when he heard McGee moaning weakly. Gibbs hurried in, placing his coffee on the table beside McGee's bed and promptly forgetting about it.

Gibbs focused solely on Tim. The rest of the world ignored as his agent slowly pulled himself from the drug induced sleep. Gibbs had been subjected to drug induced sleep many times before and knew how disconcerting it was to wake in a completely different place from where you fell asleep with the drugs still clouding your mind.

Holding McGee's hand, Gibbs lent over the younger man and waited for Tim to wake.

McGee could feel the warmth encircling his hand, but the pain in his sides and chest took most of his attention. After the pain, came the feeling of floating, of moving when he knew he was not.

He could hear the warm, strong voice comforting him but couldn't make out the words. It took too long to wake up. Way to long. And by the time Tim could open his eyes, he knew that something was wrong.

Opening his eyes to slits, he closed them almost instantly as the bright fluorescent lights burnt his retinas. Gibbs saw the discomfort the light brought and turned the lights off and closed the curtain most of the way, leaving only enough light to see by.

Gibbs told McGee that the lights were off and he could open his eyes again, but it took a little while before Tim understood the order and even more time before he could obey.

"'oss…?" McGee asked, the word catching in his dry throat and making him cough.

Pressing the straw to McGee's mouth, Gibbs was struck by the similarity to his time with Michael after the accident.

Tim took a few sips before pulling away from the cup. Gibbs understood and replaced the cup on the table.

"How're you feeling McGee?" Gibbs asked.

"Fine." came the automatic response. At Gibbs' disbelieving look, McGee rephrased it, "I feel better…then before…" wincing as breathing in too deeply hurt. "How'd I…get here?"

"Ambulance." at McGee's blank look, Gibbs explained, "You passed out from blood loss and shock, Ziva and Tony arrived and saved us. Michael's dead and in the morgue. The EMT's arrived and took you to Bethesda where you've been for the last day and a half."

McGee took a second to possess the new information, but eventually asked, "You guy's call…my sister?"

Gibbs smiled, "You're going to have to fend Abby and Sarah off with sticks. I think they joined forces."

"Ah, shit." Tim smiled, though with his pained expression, it looked more like a grimace "not a moments peace…for a while then."

Nodding, Gibbs turned suddenly serious, "Tim…I'm sorry about what happened. It's my fault you…"

"Someone once told me," McGee interrupted, "that apologising…is a sign of weakness." Gibbs opened his mouth to interrupt but McGee continued "And none of this…is your fault, so there's nothing…to apologise for."

Gibbs lowered his head, "But if…"

McGee's voice grew stronger as he talked "No. No if's, but's or maybe's. There is not point of doing this to yourself. It is Not. Your. Fault." McGee felt back against the bed, breathing hard between pained whimpers.

"It's been a long time since someone taught me anything." Gibbs smiled, hand resting on McGee's shoulder "and it's been even longer since someone taught me my own rules." McGee smiled self-consciously. "But you're right." Gibbs conceded, "It's not really my fault, but it feels as if it is."

McGee attempted to leaver himself into a sitting position, all that accomplished was a pained cry, a coughing fit and his pounding headache increasing.

The moment Gibbs realised what his youngest was trying to do, he places his hands on McGee's shoulders and pushed him back down, being mindful of the still healing wounds on his chest.

Gibbs sat with his hand still resting on Tim's shoulder as McGee attempted to slowly his breathing.

"McGee?"

Tim smiled weakly, "I'm…alright…" McGee reassured Gibbs, "not…y'ur…fault." his words slurring as sleep pulled him under.

"I know." Gibbs whispered, he squeezed Tim's shoulder, "I know."

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