A/N: We have reached the end of this story and I hope you all enjoyed the read.

I wish to express my most sincere thanks for the readers and reviewers as well as the followers and those who were so kind to favorite my story.

Epilogue

June 24, 2010
Bethesda Naval Hospital

"In order to discover what was wrong with agent McGee, we needed to understand every symptom and his health history. Based on what we've learned, there was a distinct chronology in his symptoms."

When Tim shifted on the bed, his belly muscles contracted painfully. Yet, he was feeling more optimistic by the way the doctor was explaining his poor health lately. In fact, he'd already been feeling much better. He wasn't alone in thinking one particular person had been in part responsible for the positive change...since this morning.

That morning, he'd been surprised to wake up to two visitors, one of which he hadn't exactly anticipated. He'd felt an unpleasant tensing in his stomach when his eyes caught sight of Abby, hesitating by the door, as if afraid to come closer.

With a wink towards Tim, Gibbs gave Abby a little push in the back to get her feet moving.

But Tim's greatest surprise had been when she'd stood humbly beside his bed and meekly apologized for her behavior in Mexico and afterwards. She hadn't been profuse but he was convinced she had been honest.

Gibbs had been gratified to see the air visibly clear between both young people – as if an enormous weight had been lifted from their shoulders and he was pleased to leave Tim in the loving care of Abby.

Now, as the doctor continued to explain Tim's medical status, Abby leaned close to her friend and brushed back the strands of soft hair that had fallen across his face.

"To begin with," the doctor addressed Tim, "you were diagnosed with streptococcal pharyngitis and treated accordingly. Dr. Mallard has greatly helped by informing us about the excessive workload plus ensuing stress - not too mention the countless sleepless nights resulting from it – which appear to have impacted your immune system."

"But why me? Why haven't the others been affected? Surely I wasn't the only one under stress?"

"Streptococcal pharyngitis is a highly contagious disease, Agent McGee. In all likelihood, you've been infected with the causal bacteria days to months before any symptoms were observed. In your specific case, the stress of the past few months triggered off the symptoms. Now I've heard you'd been put on antibiotics to treat the infection?"

Tim nodded.

"Quite. And I've been made to believe you did complete the course?"

"I did."

"Indeed. Well, then. I also understood from your doctor you'd been experiencing some severe side-effects from the antibiotics such as nausea and vomiting? That didn't cause you to discontinue the course?"

"No, it didn't."

"I see. Well, we're getting close to the bottom of this rather special case." Dr. Urban smiled.

"I don't particularly care about whether or not my case is special, Dr. Urban," Tim replied, all but rolling his eyes. "I'm more interested in what happened to me and how I can get well again...the sooner the better. You'll understand I'm getting...pardon me...a little sick of this. Drives me nuts."

"Of course, Agent McGee. We are fairly certain you suffered an antibiotic associated irritation of the gastrointestinal tract caused by the clostridium difficile bacteria. Yes, antibiotics can, in rare cases such as yours, change the normal bacteria in your body. As a result, the treatment was disrupted to some degree by the episodes of vomiting. You went about your normal activities because your throat was 'seemingly' healed. The bacteria, however, hadn't been entirely eradicated and thus you ended up with a recurring strep infection."

"Wow! A vicious circle, that is." Tim brought out, somewhat awed.

Abby, while listening intently to what the doctor had said, had paled considerably. How could she have turned a blind eye to Tim's suffering? It hurt. A lot.

She took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze as she sadly smiled at him, conveying to him the sympathy she was feeling, as well as an apology for her ignorance throughout his ordeal and her rather uncaring treatment of him. Poor Timmy.

Tim gave her a lopsided grin and a reassuring squeeze back.

"I'll be fine, Abs. You'll see. All in all, it's nothing too bad, really."

"Nothing which can't be treated effectively, Agent McGee," the doctor agreed. "An alternative treatment combined with symptomatic relief and some proper rest should result in a quick recovery."

"But why did it take you a day before you could finally give Tim the proper treatment?"

Dr. Urban nodded as he'd expected this question would turn up, eventually. "In answer to your question on how we overlooked the symptoms he experienced, I can only offer that they were easily confused with the number of other symptoms related to a concussion, the trauma sustained to his abdomen – you should take it easy for a while so that you'd allow your abdominal muscles to heal – we were told about your seasickness."

Dr. Urban lightly patted Tim on the shoulder. "It's not every day I get a medical case in which an infection, a condition like motion sickness and a combination of injuries share more or less the same symptoms. Even we learn something new every day."

"Well, I sure have a better understanding of what and why happened to me. Let's hope I'll never have to go through this again. It was becoming rather tiresome. There simply was no end to it."

"At least now they've been able to do something about it, Timmy."

"The treatment for gastroenteritis is aimed at rehydration via IV. This administration of the lost fluids should allow your body to fight the infection more effectively and thus recuperate faster. The rehydration also takes care of the nausea and vomiting. Unfortunately, you'll be on a bland BRAT diet and slowly built it up until you can tolerate the usual."

"Bananas, rice, apples and toast, I take it?" Tim wanted to know.

"Precisely."

"And my throat? I trust I'm no longer contagious?"

"You should be okay on that account."

Dr. Urban looked at his watch and excused himself. "Well then, Agent McGee. Just enjoy some well earned rest and we'll do the rest until you leave us again. Have a nice day."

A brisk, yet friendly, nod to both Tim and Abby, and he left the room.

Tim breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, things were looking up.

He turned his head on the pillow so he could see Abby's face. The love he read on her open face, made him giddy. The pleasant butterfly-in-the-belly kind. Like he was on a date with her again. He'd never stopped loving her. That's what made it all so much more painful...her treating him the way she did.

Abby held his gaze. And she didn't falter. She wanted him to see for himself her readiness to change. To show how badly she wanted to be that girl again he'd come to love. One pair of green eyes locked into another. She could see where his mind was going. She didn't like what she saw; the doubt, the confusion...but she understood his he had to learn to trust her again, after what she'd done to him.

Things hadn't been right for a long time. And Alejandro getting all honey-tongued whenever he got in touch with her, had been the proverbial drop.

Abby recalled Tim's reaction when she first stepped inside Tim's hospital room. He had become so tense in a blink and it had taken her by surprise. And she knew it had nothing to do with his injuries and his illness.

They had talked until his energy left him and he sank back into a healing slumber.

Since talking to Gibbs, she'd had rare feelings of guilt. When she got home, that night, she'd searched for answers. How and when had it all started? Why had she been so mean to him? She still loved him, albeit no longer the passionate love they used to share when he'd been a green, puppy-face, young and inexperienced agent.

They could still be friends. As close as friends can get. And maybe...

"Abby? Abs?"

Tim's soft voice broke her reverie. She hadn't realized she'd been staring unseeingly in his emerald eyes.

"Oh Timmy..." she replied, smiling yet a little sad when she noticed he was visibly flagging.

"We're good again?" he whispered expectantly.

"Yes, Timmy."

Abby got up and bent over Tim, planting a chaste kiss on his forehead and she was rewarded with a smile of contentment as he was pulled under again, as exhaustion forced his healing body to rest.

Love is infectious and the greatest healing energy.
Sai Baba

FIN

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