AN: Written as part of the GAbby Forum Hiatus Drabble Prompt for "Wood".
I don't mind reviews, however, unless it is helpful in any way don't bother, as the saying goes "If you have nothing nice to say don't say it at all!" I use a professional program to review, check, and rate all my documents. I typically write with a specific form and flow to it which some may not like but it is my way to write short stories like poetry.
As she held it, she thought to most they would see it as just a simple piece of wood, however, she knew to him it was part of his soul, it was his escape, his therapy, his life. She placed it back on the table and continued to straight things up as best she could for his return. The place was a mess after what had happened a week ago and she had never thought he would ever get so destructive of his Basement and just smashing almost everything that he could, but having a young child die in his arms after finally finding her did. She knew it had been a tough case a young Marines wife is car-jacked with their 6 year old daughter strapped in her car-seat in the back would become the victim of senseless violence that would cause Gibbs to spin out of control and almost get himself killed.
It had taken 3 ½ hours to track the car and when they did the guy had driven off the road down an embankment and left the little girl severely injured inside all alone for who knows how long by the time they got there. Gibbs was the first to reach the car once it was found and he crawled in to get to the poor little girl out. She was no longer in her booster-seat covered in blood and unresponsive and by the time the ambulance had arrived 10 minutes later she had expired in his arms. After handing her lifeless body to the Medics, he had left DiNozzo in charge of the scene so he could go tell the parents personally what happen. Abby knew it to have been so very difficult for him in so many ways and the worst being the little girl's name was Kelly. He had called her after seeing the parents and told her he was going home; she could hear the pain in his voice and had told him not to be so hard on himself that he did all he could and that she would see him when she got home.
A little while later, Abby called Gibbs to tell him she had identified the guy from his fingerprints. He forced her to tell him over the phone and that he would contact the team as soon as he hung-up with her. She remembers how at the time when she hung up with him that he had sounded winded, looking about the room she now knew why. Also, he didn't call the team as promised and went to get the guy himself as Abby found out when she was making her way home and entered the bullpen 20 minutes later finding the team at their desk and how she yelled at Tony for why he was still here and was not backing Gibbs up, realizing they had no idea what she was talking about that's when her heart jumped to her throat. Gibbs went "Lone Wolf" on them once again and they all grabbed their gear and ran to the car with Abby programming the address she had given Gibbs into her phones GPS while following behind the team. Even with Tony and Tim telling her she couldn't go Abby didn't listen as she climbed into the car and stated "I'm the one with the address so drive!"
As they arrived they heard the gunfire coming from the third floor, Tony cursed as they all ran for the door to the building. At this point Abby's eyes were beginning to tear up with fear. As they reached the third floor Tony told Bishop to stay with Abby and to hang back till he and Tim secured the scene. As Tony and Tim entered the apartment, guns at the ready they see Gibbs and the Perp down and a woman with gun pointed at Gibbs still pulling the trigger of the now empty gun yelling at Gibbs, calling him every name in the book. Tony ran over and disarmed, and cuffed the woman and Tim quickly checks the Perp finding him still breathing and alive and cuffed him, at that moment they hear Abby scream "Jethro" as she ran to his lifeless looking body on the floor.
As Abby turned his head to look at his face, Gibbs eyes open slowly and looked her straight in the eyes and breaking one of his rules softly says "Sorry". Abby had told him to shut up as Bishop rushed over with towels from the bathroom to press against the multiple bullet wounds. The sound of sirens heading their way are heard as Gibbs struggled to breathe while coughing up blood, his right hand slowly finding on of Abby's hands and grabs it tight as if it was the only thing holding him to life. Even as the Medics worked on him, he refused to let go no matter how hard they try to separate them and after several minutes of fighting with the couple Tony yelled at the Medics "If he needs to hold on to her work around it because at this point they will both just keep fighting you!" They ended up holding on to each other the whole way to the hospital their hands linked till Abby had to let go once in the Emergency Room but not before she leaned down and kissed Gibbs and told him that she loved him and that he did not have her permission to die yet.
She remembers that once the team, Ducky, Palmer and Breena and so many others from NCIS arrived a Nurse brought her out the bag of his personal items. She looked at the items, his wallet, badge and ID and various other items, she opens it to retrieve the most important thing the blooded white gold and titanium wedding band and put it on her thumb dropping the bag on the chair next to her and clasped her hands to her chest. Everyone surrounded her in a large group hug to support her. The vivid remembrance of the Doctors coming to her hours later explaining they had done their best and now it was up to him to fight the explanation of "He was lucky every shot missed his heart, 'however', two went through his left lung and it collapsed, one had nicked his liver, another tore through his upper arm along with one that was in his shoulder breaking several bones and one went through the left side of his neck and amazingly missed hitting anything vital".
She spent five days in the room with him touching his face, holding his hand, talking to him and a lot of time crying telling him not to die to keep fighting for her. Others from NCIS took turns bringing her food and spending time with the couple and reassuring Abby that Gibbs is tough and he will pull through. Then after six and a half days later he finally opened his eyes to Abby right there chatting away to him and some of her grief and fear subsided at that moment. The next day, Ducky convinced her to go home to take a break and that he would stay with Jethro, she needs to get away just for a bit and now here she is standing in his sanctuary thanking God that her Gibbs is alive and would be coming back to whatever projects the wood would ask of him.