Abby heard the shot ringing through her head. She heard the shot. Heard his body fall to the ground. Heard the silence afterwards.
Timmytimmytimmytimmytimmytimmytimmytimmytimmytimmytimmy
Not now. Please God not now. The last time she had seen him he had kissed her and smiled that light up the room smile that just squeezed at her heart. He loved her. He always had. She had been the one to ask him out again. A date. Not exclusive she wanted to be clear on that but a date. She had missed him so much and now….
She burst through the Bethesda Emergency hospital doors and nearly skidded past the Nurses Station in her haste.
"Timothy McGee! NCIS Special Agent McGee. Gunshot wound to the chest. Where is he? Is he ok? Don't answer that. I know he's not ok he's been shot. But you know he will be alright won't he? Cause I don't think I could handle it. I know that's selfish but I can't loose anyone else. Kate, Jenny even Paula but you know this is McGee! You know he is just always there. Always…. I'm sorry I'm Abigail Scuito. I'm his….. girlfriend "
There she had said it.
The nurse smiled and checked her charts. "He's in surgery at the moment. The Doctor will come and speak to you when they have any news for you. I'm sorry I don't know anymore"
Abby nodded, suddenly not trusting herself to speak. She bit her lip her eyes filling with fresh tears and turned to sit down. Surgery. Where was everyone? He would need to know they were all there for him. McGee was always there for her and now when she needed his comfort he wasn't able to give it.
Gibbs had only just got him back from the Cyber Crime Unit. He had been looking forward to going back into the field. It was going to be like old times. She had missed him. She had heard Tony laughing quietly when he tripped over something. Suddenly it was on. There were running footsteps and yelling. Confusion. Doors slamming. And then she had heard it. A gunshot. A cry. And the sound of a body falling.
She had called his name urgently, demanding that he get up and tell her what went wrong. She forgot that he wouldn't be able to hear her. That she had diverted the operations audio down to her lab so she could hear him, hear them, her team together again.
"McGee!McGee! Answer me McGee! Right now you hear me !"
She had called his name over and over, tears spilling down her face until she had heard Tony call for an ambulance.
She sat down into the hard plastic chairs to wait.
Ducky and Jimmy arrived minutes later. "Oh my dear" Abby felt Ducky's arms wrap around her. His arms were shorter and smaller than McGee's were but she still felt the firm warmth.
Gibbs suddenly burst through the doors, still wearing
his vest his forearms covered in blood. In Timothy's blood. Abby
couldn't stop staring. Gibbs was talking to Ducky, she could see
his mouth move but all she could see was the blood. It was such a
rich red. Timmy never wore red, it wasn't his color.
But that
was his color.
That was his blood.
Tony and Ziva weren't far behind him. Ziva looked shocked and Tony seemed grim. Tony was always smiling, always joking so to see him so serious scared her. Ziva sat down next to her. She had a smear of blood on her cheek. Had McGee put it there? Had Gibbs? Her face seemed pale under her frame of dark hair.
There was nothing to be said. They all just waited.
An hour of agony ticked slowly by. Abby trembled as a Doctor walked towards them still in his surgical scrubs. She tried to read his face while her mind couldn't form a thought other than 'pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease
"Are you Agent McGee's colleagues? He has come through surgery well. He was very lucky. He lost a lot of blood but the bullet missed a lot of vital points. There is still a risk of infection and he will be in considerable pain for some time but given the situation it was the best we could hope for."
Six held breathes were released and Tony smiled again. The Doctor assured them he would speak to them again if there were any further developments and he walked away. There seemed to be a lot of back slapping and grinning. Only Ziva didn't move, her hands wedged between her knees, her face covered by her long thick hair.
Another woman strode into the Emergency Department. She was older, well dressed and carried herself with authority. There was something about her that seemed familiar but she couldn't pick where she had seen her before.
"Timothy McGee. Brought in recently with a gunshot wound."
There was a new nurse at the station and Abby watched as she checked his file. "Are you family?'
"No. I'm his… for want of a better word, Mistress."
"Ah, he has come out of surgery and is in recovery. I'm sorry but at this stage only immediate kin will be allowed in to see him."
"Has his wife been in to see him yet?"
Her quiet words seem to ricochet around the bare walls.
Mistress?
Wife?
The nurse picked up McGee's file and flicked through the chart, searching for details.
"Oh here it is. Mrs. Ziva David McGee. No I don't believe she has…."
Ziva stood up, silent tears spilling out of her eyes. "I'm Mrs. Ziva David McGee. Can I see him please?" Her voice was quiet. She stepped forward and didn't look at any of the others as the nurse led her down the hallway.