"I must warn you, sir, when she was admitted she was very disturbed and dangerous, and she's been put under restraint accordingly - "
The warning was wasted on Gibbs, who had long ago strode past the nurse into the ward.
There was only one patient in this room, though it could have housed ten. The high windows allowed plenty of light through their grilles, but the climate-controlled air compensated for any accompanying heat.
Gibbs had many images burned into his eyelids. When he slept, he saw the blank eyes of dead friends, enemies, civilians - none compared, though, to the blank eyes of the living. For the first time that he could remember, the sight before him made him hesitate.
That was okay though. Nobody noticed but him. She didn't notice. Gibbs wondered if she even knew he was there. He pulled himself together and went to her side.
"Abby?" he quietly asked, placing one hand on her shoulder. She jumped and pulled away as far as her restraints would let her.
"Abby, Abby look at me." Gibbs gently turned her face to his and smiled at her. She blinked and gazed at him with surprised recognition.
"Gibbs..." she rasped. Gibbs' smile turned into a grin.
"You ready to come home now?" he asked playfully. She just stared, eyes empty again. Admittedly, he thought, there was little she could really have answered to that. "Let's get rid of these," he said to no-one in particular as he fumbled with her arm restraints.
Underneath, her tiny wrists were covered with sores. When had she last been let out of these? God...
Her ankles were the same. He looked more carefully at his favourite lab tech; she was much thinner and paler, too, and there were bruises... she needed to get out of here, now.
"Abbs, I'm going to pick you up," he warned as he gathered her up into his arms. "We're leaving now. Find somewhere nicer." She was so light. Still so unresponsive. But as he strode from the ward, he felt her hand on his jumper and breathed a little easier.
Gibbs didn't even acknowledge the hospital staff as he walked out. He was vaguely aware of them milling around him and getting in his way, but the only thing on his mind was the importance of getting Abby to a safe place, where only he and those he trusted would have anything to do with her.