Co-Authored with the very talented Smartkid37.

This story is being written for the Hope in the Darkness challenge and I want to thank Fingersnaps for the wonderful idea that it provided.

So...enjoy

Prologue

Waking up was hard and as much as he tried, he just couldn't open his eyes. Why? What happened? He sighed heavily and groaned when pain erupted in his head. This wasn't right. This wasn't one of his migraines because the symptoms were too different. He reached blindly for his head and frowned when he was met with a bandage; what confused him even more, was the soothing tone of his Boss' voice as his hand was pulled away gently.

"Leave that alone, Tim. You don't wanna undo the doc's handy work."

"Boss?" Tim's free hand groped blindly for Gibbs as panic set in. He hoped that his eyes were bandaged as well but couldn't remember hurting his eyes. Come to think of it; the beeping, the antiseptic smell, the pinch of an IV in his hand... "Hosp...Hospital?"

"Yeah. You're in the hospital. Do you remember what happened?" Gibbs watched his agent carefully knowing that head injuries could cause some degree of confusion. What he wasn't prepared for was the large green eyes that were normally filled with a vibrancy and hope, darting around but not focussing on anything specific. His gut clenched at that and he found himself gently cupping Tim's head and bending down close. "McGee? Look at me."

"Wha...How?"

That was it. Gibbs reached over and pushed the call button for the nurses' station. "What do you mean how, Tim? I'm right here."

"Eyes...covered?" Tim's voice became more and more panicked. "B...boss...Are th...they?"

Gibbs sighed heavily and he felt his eyes widen with the knowledge that his boy was laying there scared and in darkness because he couldn't see. He used his thumbs to gently rub soothingly on Tim's face. "Sorry, son. They're not covered. You've got a bandage on your forehead where the bullet grazed, but none on your eyes."

"I'm bl...blind? I can't see." A stray tear rolled out of the unseeing eyes and pooled where Gibbs hands were still holding on to ground Tim. He knew head injuries and hoped that Tim would be one of the lucky ones that wouldn't suffer with his eyes because of what happened. He sat there soothing Tim as the younger agent started to cry silently.

"Shhh. It's alright, Tim. Just wait to see what the docs say, alright?" He didn't hear the door open and turned to see who was there when they cleared their throat.

"Agent Gibbs, is everything alright here?"

"No. He's awake so can you call the doctor and get him down here ASAP." The nurse moved to assess her patient but was stopped by Gibbs' glare. "Get the doctor! NOW! And tell him my agent can't see. He's blind."