Chapter 7

After a brief argument with the head nurse concerning the breach of visiting protocol, and Ducky's assurances that they would keep their visit as short as possible, the group made their way to McGee's hospital room. Before they even reached the door they were greeted by Abby.

"Gibbs! Did it work? Did you get her?"

"Like a charm, Abbs, and ex-Agent Connor is in federal custody."

"Good. Otherwise I would have had to go after her myself for what she did to Timmy."

"How is he, Abby?" asked Tony, concerned that she had been in the hall instead of the room itself.

"He's getting better. The doctor is in with him now." A brief flash of worry crossed her face. "He's still really weak, but…this was way too close, Gibbs."

"Yeah. Yeah, it was."

"But he will be all right, yes?" asked Ziva, just as the door to Tim's room opened and the doctor emerged, obviously surprised by the large group of people in the hallway.

"You're here to see Agent McGee? All of you?" They nodded. "How did you manage…never mind. Agent Gibbs, right?" Gibbs nodded. The doctor shook his head, barely hiding a smile.

"How is he, Doc?"

"Considering what he's been through, fairly well. We will need to keep him here for a few days to monitor him for infection and other complications, and he's not going to be able to do much with his arms for awhile, but the total damage is not as bad as it could have been. Physically, he should make a full recovery, although it will take time."

"What about…?"

"Psychologically? That's going to be a little more difficult, but I think he will manage."

"He will. And we will help."

The doctor smiled at Ziva. "From what I have heard about your team, I wouldn't have expected anything less." He stepped away from the door. "You can go see him now. I only ask that if he is asleep, not to wake him up. He needs his rest."

"Thanks, Doc," said Gibbs. He opened the door and held it while the rest of the group filed in, forming a circle around McGee's bed. They all stared down at the sleeping man, and while they felt relief that he was in much better shape than they had found him, he was still way too pale and still for their liking.

After a few minutes, McGee's eyelids fluttered and he slowly opened them. His gaze moved to each member of the team and a look of relief crossed his face.

"Hi…"

"Hey, McGee, how are you feeling?" Tony was the first to speak and McGee focused on the older man for several moments before he responded.

"Kinda…drained."

Tony stared at him for a few seconds and then groaned when he saw McGee's weak smile. "Oh God, Tim. That was...that was bad, even for you."

"Thanks…"

"Hey, at least you kept your sense of humor, right?" An awkward silence followed. "I'm sorry, man."

"You know…rule…"

"Yeah, I know."

"What…happened?"

They took turns explaining what had occurred. It was obvious that McGee was trying to focus on their words, but by the end of the narrative his eyelids were starting to drift shut.

"Sorry, McGee. You should get some rest." Tony patted him on the shoulder and stepped back, but paused when he saw McGee's expression. "What's wrong?"

"Why…?"

"You have a rather arduous recovery ahead of you, Timothy," responded Ducky. "You need as much sleep as possible in order to regain your strength."

"No…why did she…we did all we could…with that case, so why…?"

"'Only a fool looks for logic in the chambers of the human heart'," quipped Tony, and winced. "Thanks, Boss."

"She was wrong, Tim," said Gibbs. "About a lot of things."

"Oh…"

Gibbs turned to stare at the rest of his team and they quickly got the message.

"We really should go, McGee. We will be back later," said Ziva as she leaned forward and kissed his forehead. Abby gave him a very gentle hug and kissed him as well.

"It's good to have you back, McGee," said Palmer and waved as he backed out of the room, followed by Abby and Ziva. Tony clapped McGee on the shoulder and gave it a brief squeeze before leaving as well.

"If you need anything, Timothy, do not hesitate to ask. I will do what I can."

"I know…you always do, Ducky."

The M.E. patted his hand and then left, leaving McGee alone with Gibbs.

"Boss?"

"Yeah, McGee?"

"Thanks…for finding me."

Gibbs smirked. "Couldn't leave you behind, Tim. You know that."

"Yeah…but this…this was pretty bad…wasn't it?"

Gibbs was silent for a few moments. "Abby was right."

"About?"

"It was too close."

"Sorry…"

"Not your fault, Tim. Now get some sleep."

When McGee didn't respond, Gibbs took a closer look at the younger man and saw that he was finally getting the rest he needed. The Lead Agent sat down in one of the chairs, leaned back and briefly closed his eyes. The worry he had experienced for the past day finally caught up with him and he let out a shaky sigh. What had happened, what he had almost lost, bothered him a lot more than he was able to show on the surface.

"How does it feel, Agent Gibbs?"

He hated how it felt, even though he had managed to get his agent back alive, it still hurt, re-awakening a pain he had felt long ago: the loss of family.

Even though he knew it was unlikely, hoped he would never feel it again.

XXX

McGee awoke with a start, his breath coming in short gasps as he looked around for the scalpel he could still see so clearly. When he realized what had happened, he worked to slow his breathing and groaned. The nightmares that had occurred whenever he tried to sleep had not abated, despite several talks with Ducky about his experiences. The M.E. had assured him that the dreams would become less frequent, and even though they would probably never disappear completely, McGee would certainly learn to deal with them, as he had managed to deal with everything else that had been thrown his way over the years.

Take it one day at a time, his mother had advised on the rare occasions he had let something slip about his work. It will be OK.

"God, I hope so," muttered McGee, and was startled by a light knock on the door. He looked up and stared at the man in the doorway for a few seconds before his was able to match a name to the face in front of him.

"Agent Keating? What are you doing here?"

"I, uh, just came by to wish you a speedy recovery."

"Thanks…" McGee noticed the embarrassed expression on the other man's face and managed a faint smirk. "You're still working with Gibbs, aren't you?"

"Yeah…kind of the major reason why I want you to get well, and back, as soon as possible." He blushed slightly and looked at the floor.

"Yeah, I can kind of understand that. You haven't had the greatest of luck in being part of Gibbs' team."

"Yeah, tell me about it. You know…I'm almost jealous of you, and then again…I'd never want to be in your shoes."

McGee was surprised at the agent's candor. "Why?"

"You guys, your team, you're…you all belong together. You're a real team. I've never seen another one like it, in all the years I've been at NCIS. I never fit with a team like yours, and it's…it's nice that you do have that. But then again, you guys get caught up in some of the worst stuff. How do you deal with it?"

Tim looked back, over all the things that had happened to him, the good and the bad, since he had joined Gibbs' team. Keating was right: they did get dealt a lot of crap, but overall, despite everything, they were there for each other. Sure, there had been some bumps in the road, but there wasn't another group of people he trusted more to have his back…no matter what.

He looked up at Keating and answered, as much for the other man as for himself.

"How do I deal with it?" He managed a smile. "One day at a time, Keating…one day at a time."

THE END

A/N: The movie Tony quoted in this chapter was O Brother, Where Art Thou (one of my favorites, and I thought the title sort of fit).

Thanks for reading!