Breaking Point • NCIS fanfic

Chapter 1

"McGee....McGee...Tim......TIMOTHY!"

McGee jerked up suddenly, only to be grabbed by two sets of hands. "McGee! McGee! You're fine, it's okay." A voice told him and he slowly stopped struggling as his eyes adjusted. He looked to his right to see the familiar NCIS doctor and to the left was his boss, both a worried, gentle expression written on their faces.

"Wha—what happened?" McGee breathed out before wincing at the pain in his head. He brought his palms up and pressed them to his forehead, squinting his eyes in pain.

"Suspect got away, but not before doing some damage on you." Gibbs told him, taking McGee's right wrist and bringing it down to show it to him. McGee opened his eyes and his breath hitched for a second as he stared at it, slowly turned it for a few second before grabbing the bandages it was wrapped in and starting to gently unwrap them.

McGee breathed out as he saw the still bloody and raw tissue of his own body, in an almost perfect round home going through his hand. McGee suddenly felt uneasy and quickly wrapped it again with a wince.

"How long have I been out?" The NCIS agent asked, looking at the two men standing beside him. Ducky sighed. "A good few hours now, but not to worry, the team has been awaiting your awakening." The doctor said as he handed him an ice pack off of the table next to the table McGee laid on.

"How're you feeling?" Gibbs asked, helping McGee sit up straight while he pressed the ice pack to his head. McGee winced slightly as he pressed his on the right side of his forehead where a bruise had been forming. "My head hurts..." McGee rubbed the left side of his chest gently and winced. "And my left boob." He grumbled.

"Well, of course. The bullet went through your palm and stopped in your chest. Luckily, it penetrated it like a thorn would, it barely grazed the surface." Ducky told him and McGee looked under his shirt in surprise. Gibbs exhaled, standing up straight.

"I'm gonna go continue getting our evidence. We gotta keep tracking this guy, especially since he fled from federal agents." Gibbs said before patting McGee on the shoulder. "Welcome back McGee." He said before walking off. McGee sighed quietly.

"Thanks boss."

~

McGee grumbled while he pressed his hands to his head as he stood up the elevator. His head still pounded, and it seemed like his brain was about to explode, but he wanted to help work the case still.

No, he needed to work the case still.

All McGee had felt since he woke up, besides the pain in his body, was the pain of guilt. He almost had the guy, and if he had been more careful and taken into account that the suspect may have had a gun, then maybe he wouldn't be wounded and the suspect would be being interrogated.

Hell, maybe if he had even let the police officers shoot at him, it would've turned out better than this.

But there was no going back, he had to live with his mistake and learn from it. And he knew how to. After all, why would they have hired him at NCIS if he didn't know how to?

McGee winced at the 'ding!' Of the elevator before the doors opened, allowing him to step out onto the floor of his and his teams office.

McGee looked at the group of desks and saw his teammates, his best friends, Ziva David and Anthony DiNozzo, sitting at their desks. When he laid his eyes on the man, he suddenly realized it was as if Tony was glaring at him. And he looked at Ziva, and it seemed almost the same but with a mixture of sympathy as well.

McGee walked to the desks and sat behind his own, setting his belongings behind it nicely. "How're you...feeling, McGee?" Ziva broke the silence. McGee looked at her and he suddenly felt like it was too bright in the room as he squinted slightly and his head started to throb.

"I've had better days." He mumbled as he began to turn on his computer. As he clicked the start button for the monitor, Gibbs appeared, making his way into the bull pen and turning the monitor back off.

"No technology, Ducky's orders." His boss told him. McGee gaped. "B-but boss! I wanna help!" He told him, looking at his computer in sadness. Gibbs grabbed a stack of papers off his own desk and walked back over, plopping them in front of the Probie.

"Then start reading." McGee sighed miserably and started flipping through, reading each page one by one, all of then relating to the murders they had witnessed. McGee didn't know how long he had been reading when a pair of fingers were suddenly snapped in his face.

He looked up and Gibbs cocked an eyebrow. "You sure you're okay to be back?" He asked. McGee felt anxious. "Y-yes boss. I'm positive." Gibbs nodded slowly. "Good. I was asking for you to go see Abby to see if she's got anything." He said and McGee nodded as he set down the paper he was holding into the now half stack of papers.

"Yea, sure boss."

And with that, he got up and made his way to the goth girls lab.