What's Eating Timothy McGee? 7/? gen.
After a short lesson from one of the physical therapists, McGee was maneuvering quite well with his left leg immobilized and a crutch under his right arm, but Gibbs was still hyper-aware as he walked behind him, ready if the younger man lost his balance. Tony looked up as they entered the squad room.
"Hey, McGee, welcome back. Wasn't expecting to see you for a while."
"I can still work the computer, Tony, and it's better than sitting at home all day." Tim gratefully eased himself down into his chair and let Gibbs take his crutch.
Ziva smiled at the returning man before turning to DiNozzo. "I, for one, am glad to see you here. Besides, even with only one hand, McGee is faster at the computer than you are, Tony."
"Very funny, Ziva."
With the Director watching from the catwalk, Gibbs just rolled his eyes. "Back to work, you two. I'm going to brief the Director on McGee's status, then you can show me what you've got so far." He turned back to McGee, watching as he turned his monitor and moved his keyboard within reach. "Got everything you need?"
"I think so, Boss."
Gibbs watched for a moment before retrieving the broken chair stashed in an unused cubicle. Since it always fell to its lowest position, it was the perfect height for McGee to rest his leg. Once that was in place and Tim's leg was resting on it, he jogged up the stairs.
When she saw him coming, Jenny turned and retreated to her office, leaving the door open for him. As they sat opposite each other at the desk, she leaned forward, resting her elbows on the polished surface. "Is he up to working?"
"He needs it, Jen." Gibbs explained McGee's current medical situation in detail, watching as her eyes widened.
"They're in him now?" Jenny was clearly uncomfortable as she squirmed around in her chair. "They're not going to escape, are they?"
"Nah, they taped this fine metallic mesh over the whole area. As long as his arm stays dry, it should be fine."
"Should be?"
It was all Gibbs could do, not to roll his eyes even though he understood her squeamishness. "This is a hell of a lot harder on him than it is on any of us."
Director Shepard nodded, but didn't look totally convinced. "Can he feel them?"
There was a fleeting look on his face that told her he wasn't as comfortable as he'd like her to believe. "I haven't asked him."
---NCIS---
Tony watched his younger friend carefully. Tim was too quiet as he focused on the searches he was running. "Hey, McGee, let us bring you up to speed on the new case we caught this morning. You're probably going to be glad you had to sit this one out. Man, it was gross, you'd have lost your lunch for sure. Our DB was all bloated and covered in maggots and... ouch! Boss, didn't hear you come back."
Gibbs leaned close, taking DiNozzo's attention of of McGee, even as he was kicking himself for not realizing the problem sooner. Tony teasing Tim about the presence of any maggot at a crime scene was as regular as sunrise. "You two, go down and see what Abby's got."
One look at the thunderous face and Tony was on his way to the elevator, Ziva only a few steps behind him. Just as the elevator doors closed, he saw Gibbs bending over McGee, rubbing his back.
---NCIS---
"Easy, Tim. Nice, deep breaths, that's it." His hand was stinging from one of the hardest headslaps he'd ever doled out, but Gibbs' focus was on McGee. After a few minutes the color returned to McGee's face and he nodded to the older man.
"I'm okay now, Boss. Thanks."
"My fault, Tim. I should have realized the condition of the body would come up."
"Just Tony being Tony, Boss"
"Once he knows..."
"No." Tim shook his head, digging in his heels. "I don't want anyone to know that doesn't absolutely have to know."
Gibbs kept pushing. "He won't tease you once he knows."
"No, he'll feel guilty and that's even worse. It's better this way. He knows the subject's off-limits now and he won't bring it up again. That's all I need."
"Okay." Gibbs laid his hand on Tim's head for a moment before straightening up. McGee was right, Tony would feel horribly guilty if he knew exactly what the new treatment involved. He was proud of the younger man for taking the high road. "The Director needed to know, and Ducky should know, but it won't go any further than that. All right?"
"Thanks, Boss."
A quick phone call upstairs assured that Director Shepard wouldn't say anything, not that it was a subject she'd willingly discuss under any circumstances. Ducky would have to stay in the dark for a little bit longer.
---NCIS---
"I cannot believe you said that to McGee, Tony." Arms crossed, Ziva glared at him as the elevator descended.
"Oh, come on, I tease him about maggots all the time. We both do."
"Yes, well, perhaps with the infection in his arm he is more sensitive to those kind of jokes. We saw how bad his arm looked in those pictures."
"Yeah, I guess. I just wanted to help him loosen up a little bit, you know?"
"There is a time and place for everything, Tony." The steel doors opened and they walked down towards Abby's lab. "This is obviously not the time."
"Or the place." Tony looked into the lab to see Abby holding up an enlarged close-up of McGee's arm. "Abs, you might not want to have those out right now."
She spun around, grinning. "Hey, Tony, Ziva. Won't these be great next to the pictures of the blood splatter? The dichotomy of the juxtaposition of healthy flesh against the diseased..."
"ABBY!" If his maggot joke had been bad, having the evidence photos turned into modern art would be ten times worse. "Think about what that represents, okay?"
Ziva suppressed a shudder and turned away from the picture. "Yes, Abby, I do not think McGee would want his suffering immortalized as a piece of art. He seemed very - unsettled - when he arrived."
"He's here?" Abby smiled at the news. "Then he must be better. Gibbs wouldn't let him come to work if he wasn't."
"I don't know, Abby." Tony ruefully rubbed the back of his head at the remembered pain. "Gibbs has passed Papa Bear mode and is in full Grizzly Bear mode right now. I don't know if McGee is better or if Gibbs just doesn't want him out of his sight."
"Really?"
"Really."
---NCIS---
Having been summoned up to the squad room, Ducky was surprised to be ushered to a quiet corner where they could talk in private but Gibbs could still watch McGee.
"Jethro, what on earth..."
Before Ducky could ask his question, Gibbs noticed McGee's focus waver. He immediately called out, bringing his focus to the here and now. "Tim, look at me. Breathe." Gibbs took a few deep breaths, exaggerating the movement of his chest, until McGee matched his breathing and gave a nod in return.
Once Tim was back in control and returned to his work, Gibbs brought Ducky up to speed, including the joke from DiNozzo and McGee's refusal to discuss the situation.
Ducky stared in shock before shaking his head. "I've heard of such a treatment, but I've never known of it actually being used. I can't imagine how young Timothy is feeling after everything that has happened. It might do Tony some good to know the affect such an ill-timed joke would have under the circumstances, but I do understand Timothy's reluctance to hurt his friend."
As the two older men watched, Tony and Ziva returned from the lab. Ziva went straight to her desk, while Tony walked over and squatted down in front of McGee's.
"Hey, man, I'm sorry. I was just joking around earlier, but I didn't think about how it would effect you. Same with the dog attack CD - it was a stupid thing to do."
As Gibbs and Ducky moved closer, Tim finally looked up at Tony. The weariness on his face took Tony's breath away. "I know jokes are how you deal with the job, but right now everything's too fresh, too raw to laugh about it. I feel like I'm barely hanging on."
"Yeah, I get it now, but are you sure you're up to working?" This close, Tony could see the fine tremors in McGee's hands as they hovered above his keyboard.
"I need to keep busy, Tony, so I don't think about it." He meant the maggots, of course, but Tony had no way of knowing that.
"They've got another treatment for you, right? Some other kind of antibiotic?"
Tim shuddered and closed his eyes for a second before looking back up. "Yeah, they're trying another treatment. Hopefully it'll work."
"What happens if it doesn't?"
Gibbs decided it was time to step in. "Tony, time to stop digging."
"It's okay, Boss." Tim glanced up at him before turning back to Tony. "If this doesn't work, they'll amputate my arm. That's why I really, really need this to work."
After the warning from Gibbs, Tony knew better than to ask for more details, so instead he patted Tim's good shoulder as he stood. "I'm sure it will, Tim."
---NCIS---
It was a strangely quiet day as the identity of the dead sailor was determined, giving McGee plenty to do as he ran financials and phone records. Greg Walker had been classified as UA when he failed to report for duty three days ago. The late Seaman Walker's ship was already out to sea, leaving them few people to interview directly, so Tony and Ziva went through his background as they covertly watched McGee and Gibbs.
For the most part, McGee was able to keep his focus on his work, but Gibbs noticed every distraction. Usually a word was all that was necessary, but several times he walked over to join McGee at his desk.
Still remembering the feel of Gibbs' hand against the back of his head, Tony didn't comment, even though it was a near thing when Director Shepard walked through the squad room, giving McGee's desk a wide berth. Gibbs gave her a glare usually reserved for suspects and on her return she carefully walked in a straight line. Not understanding the strange behavior, Tony filed it away for later as he started reading the details of a reprimand in Walker's jacket.
At 17.30 Gibbs straightened up and closed the folder on his desk. "Okay everybody, pack it in. We'll hit it fresh again in the morning."
Ziva started to object to the early end of the day, but Tony gave a subtle shake of his head before letting his eyes flicker over at McGee, who was obviously flagging.
"No arguments from me, Boss. See everybody in the morning." Tony stood, grabbing his backpack as he glanced over at Gibbs. In response, Gibbs jerked his head towards the elevator. Understanding the silent command, Tony hurried Ziva to the elevator, leaving Gibbs to help McGee without an audience.
McGee seemed to be tilting, so Gibbs kept a supporting hand on the younger man's back as they made their way to the elevator. Gibbs didn't need to ask how he was doing, the exhaustion and pain was evident on his face. Once they were downstairs, he kept his hand on Tim's back as they made their way to his car.
A few spaces down, Tony DiNozzo sat in his car and watched as Gibbs and McGee slowly made their way to the sedan Gibbs had checked out. Gibbs leaned McGee against the side of the car while he unlocked the vehicle, then he carefully helped him sit down in the back seat, McGee's left leg sticking out of the car. Debating whether or not he should go help them, Tony continued to watch as Gibbs quickly circled around the car. McGee was obviously at the end of his endurance because Gibbs climbed into the back seat from the other side, wrapped his arm around McGee and pulled him across the seat until he was fully in the car. In a very paternal gesture, Gibbs brushed his hand over McGee's head before climbing out of the back seat, closing the doors and driving away.
Tony sat there in his car for a long time thinking about what he'd seen and what had led them to that point. Without a clear-cut plan he finally drove home, still thinking about everything.