A/N: Hi all. This is an idea I had that I wanted to write out. Right now it is a one-shot. I know it might work better as a whole story, with a beginning and an end! I tried to write more, but I just couldn't come up with anything good and original! I wasn't going to post it at all, but I do like this part, so I decided to post it as a one-shot. However, maybe if enough people like it I will try harder to come up with a better beginning and end to it. I've written some, but I just feel like it is boring and the "same old thing." So let me know what you think, and if you have more ideas!
Warning: There is violence and reference to rape in this!
Also, I'm not sure why only Gibbs, Abby, Tony, and Ziva are in this. I just didn't feel like writing McGee for some reason. He is back at the office, I guess.
Hope you like it! It's only my second posting, so I hope it's a bit better than my first. Suggestions appreciated.
"Where the hell is she?" Came Gibbs' "don't mess with me" voice, his eyes piercing the uniformed officer behind the desk. Ziva and Tony stood slightly behind him, both just as furious, but carefully watching the situation to make sure their boss didn't do anything he would later regret. No matter how much they all wanted to murder this man, they knew that wouldn't help the situation. Right now, their efforts were aimed towards retrieving their wrongly imprisoned forensic scientist.
Officer Wilder rose from his chair, knowing he didn't have a choice right now but to release his prisoner. He glared at the three NCIS agents.
"Follow me." Bitterness laced his voice as he led the way into the main prison corridor.
As they walked through the hall, the three agents took in the scene before them. Prison cells lined the walls, some empty, some housing sleeping women. A common area contained prisoners who freely walked around, some stopping to stare at the newcomers. Two female guards lounged at the central station, seemingly relaxed and not concerned about the intensity of their surveillance.
"Tough joint you run here," said Tony sarcastically, watching the slacking guards.
"This is the minimum security unit. These are short-term prisoners who have not been deemed dangerous to others." Officer Wilder answered curtly, and continued walking straight ahead to a locked door.
Gibbs clenched his jaw. "And is there a reason we aren't retrieving Abby from this unit?"
Officer Wilder punched in a pass-code and swiped his ID card. "She is in maximum security." The door opened and they all walked through.
Gibbs knew the type of women who were in maximum security. These were women who committed violent crimes, often showing no compassion for others, and processing no moral judgment. These women were dangerous, violent, and angry. They would be less than kind to any type of officer or agent who fell in among them. Abby wasn't technically an agent, but she worked for NCIS and was responsible for the convictions of many criminals. If Gibbs' hunch was right, Abby was placed in this unit for a reason. And he would bet on the fact that the other prisoners were let in on the details of her work.
All of a sudden, Officer Wilder was pressed up against a wall, Gibbs' arms at his throat. "You son of a bitch! I swear to God, if she has a single scratch on her body…"
Ziva and Tony rushed towards the two men, one on either side of Gibbs, trying to pry him away from Wilder, who's face was slowly turning a dark shade of red. Gibbs released his grip and Wilder raised his hand to his neck, massaging the area and trying to seem as un-phased as possible.
"We can not kill him yet, Gibbs" said Ziva, through clenched teeth. Gibbs continued to glare at the officer.
"I cannot assure you she is unharmed. The other prisoners' actions are not my responsibility." Said Wilder, hoarsely.
"Like hell they aren't! This is your prison, and you put a member of my team in with a bunch of murderers!" Gibbs steeled his nerves for what was to come. "Let's go," he grunted, walking ahead of Wilder.
As they made their way into the maximum security unit, the sight they took in was much different than the relaxed atmosphere of the short-term unit. Inmates were still allowed to roam freely during this time of day, but they were surveyed by armed guards. Gibbs took note that these guards were male, and quickly pushed back an uneasiness he felt rising in his gut. Some prisoners stood talking to others and some sat quietly on their own. Most gave the team suspicious glances.
Wilder looked at one of his guards. "Scuito?" He asked, inquiring about her location.
"The yard, sir." Replied the guard, formally.
Wilder continued to lead the team through another set of locked doors and entered a central courtyard area. There were many inmates here. They seemed to form groups in different areas of the square. A group near the entrance was smoking. Another group was lounging at picnic tables. Some were working out in a fitness area. All the prisoners wore white jumpsuits. Gibbs' eyes scanned the area, frantically searching for Abby. His attention suddenly fell upon a group of inmates in a far corner, almost out of sight of the guards. Almost, but not quite. He had a feeling the guards were purposely turning a blind eye to whatever was happening in this corner.
"Shit," he mouthed, and hurriedly started over in the direction of what he could now see was a group of five well-muscled and decidedly tough-looking women… and Abby. Tony and Ziva followed quickly. Wilder hung back a bit, knowing Gibbs wasn't going to like what he was about to find, and not wanting to take the brunt of it.
Two women held Abby down on the ground and against a brick wall behind her. She had been stripped down to her underwear and bra. One woman roughly held her ankles. One held her arms twisted behind her back and her head down against the asphalt. The others had obviously been taking turns using her as a human punching bag, landing well-placed punches and kicks to Abby's stomach, arms, legs, neck, and face. They paused to casually observe the three agents coming towards them.
As he neared the group, Gibbs seemed to take in every detail of Abby's condition in slow motion. The first thing he noticed was the deep purple bruising that covered most of her body. It contrasted brightly with her "too pale even for Abby" skin. She was thin, too thin. Gibbs could have counted her ribs if he tried, and he could definitely make out some obvious deformations that suggested fractures. Her hips jutted out unnaturally and she lacked her normal healthy muscling. He didn't fail to notice the extra bruising on her thighs.
Gibbs took a deep breath to calm his fury, knowing his main goal right now was to help Abby. He let his gaze move towards her face. Her normally perky pig-tails were replaced by limp waves, her bangs messily pushed off to the side and damp with sweat. Deep bruising covered her cheek bones and crept up around her eyes. She had scrapes on her face from where it was held against the asphalt and she bled from a cut above her left eye. Her breathing was rapid and shallow. Gibbs cringed internally when Abby made eye contact with him. Her eyes always revealed a lot. Right now he saw sadness, fear, shame, and defeat. Tears leaked from the corners before she squeezed them shut and then averted her gaze towards the ground.
The five inmates stood watching the team, while still making sure Abby was pinned to the ground and unable to move.
Gibbs hesitated a moment longer than usual, trying to process his shock, anger, and concern for Abby. He had expected that she wouldn't be in the best condition, but he hadn't anticipated this degree of abuse.
Tony noted Gibbs' uncharacteristic wavering and stepped forward. "Federal Agents!" He said firmly and held out his badge. "Let her go and step back!" His voice came with all the fury that would have accompanied Gibbs'.
The inmates warily stepped aside. Gibbs snapped back into the game. "David, get all their names and make sure they don't leave this area," he instructed gruffly, while simultaneously making his way over towards Abby.
"They will not leave. Or I will make sure to break all their legs." Ziva glared at the women as she said this.
The roughest looking woman out of the group stepped forward. "Honey, your skinny ass couldn't hurt me any more than that pathetic little lab-rat over there could. She put up a good flight you know, but she's nothing more than a weak excuse for a human." She motioned to Abby, lying painfully on the ground, now curled up a bit with her arm cradling her ribs.
In an instant, the woman was pinned to the ground, her arm twisted painfully behind her back. Ziva's knee dug into her spine. "Nobody speaks about my friend like that, honey," Ziva heatedly taunted. The rest of the group backed off slightly, intimidated, but also impressed, by the female NCIS agent's prowess.
Knowing the women were being "well" taken care of, Gibbs turned all his attention to his forensic scientist. She was a vital member of this team, but more than that. She and Gibbs shared a connection. When Tony or Ziva would get a smack to the back of the head, she would get a kiss on the cheek. "That's good work Abbs," was a phrase uttered daily, and with good reason. She softened him up and could always make him smile, even when he was in the worst of moods. Abby could somehow get away with saying things to Gibbs that no other member of the team would dare to. She had even given him direct orders on occasion. Gibbs loved Abby and felt protective of her, and the fact that she was in this situation right now made him feel like he had failed her. Seeing her weak and shaking body, seeing her utterly broken and scared, tore Gibbs apart.
He approached her and knelt down beside her. Slowly, he placed his hand on her shoulder, careful to avoid any bruised areas, which wasn't easy. Abby's whole body flinched at the touch, but Gibbs kept his hand there.
"Hey," he said softly, staring down intently until her tear-filled eyes came up to meet his gaze.
Abby could only manage to look at Gibbs for a few seconds before she had to squeeze her eyes shut, fighting back a barrage of anguish that seeing him stirred up.
During the past four weeks, Abby had fought hard to keep her cool and appear un-phased by what was going on. She has started to lose her mask the last week, due to fatigue and a loss of hope, but she had still held it together, never totally breaking down. She knew any show of weakness would only provoke her tormentors and give them further satisfaction. Gibbs being there instinctively made her drop that mask. He always took care of her, and she knew she could be vulnerable in front of him. Whether she wanted it or not, Gibbs being there made her release all the emotions that had been bottling up inside her. Abby's body shook harder as she fought to control her grief.
"Shhh…" Gibbs whispered, gently rubbing circles into the part of her arm he held. "It's over. We're getting you out of here." Tears continued to fall and it became more difficult for Abby to hold a regular breathing pattern. She pushed against the ground in an attempt to sit up and get more oxygen into her lungs. Gibbs supported her body and helped to right her. She gasped through her tears as her ribs protested the change in position. Gibbs' brow furrowed in concern, but Abby quickly pushed the pain away, used to it by now.
Still stripped to just her undergarments, Gibbs took off his jacket and placed it around her shoulders. Her skin was clammy and covered with a cold sweat. She sat with her back against the brick wall, knees pulled up to her chest. Gibbs still knelt before her, now with one comforting hand on her arm, the other very gently massaging her shoulder, waiting for her to calm. He would wait as long as she needed.
On the other side of the courtyard, an angry DiNozzo was attempting to question Officer Wilder.
"So, can you just explain to me one more time, why you thought it was alright to kidnap our forensic scientist, imprison her without any evidence or trial, and then turn your back when other inmates, and perhaps your own guards, were abusing her?" Tony furiously called after Wilder, who had turned to walk away.
"I don't have time for this!" He yelled back, "Bring your false accusations somewhere else! I have a prison to run! Officer George will let you out." Wilder said while walking away and motioning to a guard who had just emerged from inside.
Tony started to go after him, but Ziva's hand appeared on his shoulder to hold him back. "Let him go. We know where to find him. Right now it is more important to avoid a making a raw-crust so we can get Abby out of here."
"Huh… oh. Ruckus." Tony smiled at yet another one of Ziva's misguided attempts at the English language.
"That is what I said. What?"
"Nothing," Tony smiled sheepishly, and turned to walk across the courtyard. He glanced over at Abby and saw that Gibbs had her sitting up. That was an improvement. But even from his vantage point a few hundred feet away, he could see that she wasn't doing too well. He yearned to go help. Tony felt the same protectiveness for Abby that Gibbs did. But he knew Gibbs had the situation under control, and more people over there might make it even more overwhelming for Abby. He settled on helping Ziva finish question the inmates. Hopefully he wouldn't have the urge to kill any of them in the process. He didn't hit girls and he really didn't want to start now.
Back across the yard, Abby had managed to get her emotions in check, at least somewhat. She was now mostly just shaking and tearing up a bit, but her breathing was more regular. She kept her eyes averted towards the ground, scared that if she made eye contact with Gibbs again she would break down.
Gibbs seemed to understand this. Normally he would have wanted the eye contact, especially in this situation because he could read her better that way. But he understood and didn't press the issue.
When he sensed that Abby had settled a bit more, Gibbs went into business mode. This was partly to get the ball rolling, and partly because he didn't think he could handle his own emotions much longer. "Time to get out of here, Abbs. I have some sweats for you to put on. Let's go get you changed." He held out an arm for her to hold, and placed his other hand on the small of her back, to help lift and steady her as she got up. Abby flinched again at the contact, this time partly because she was sore and it was painful. As she rose to her feet, she let out a small involuntary moan, then glanced up and Gibbs and apologized. She quickly averted her eyes again, squeezing back tears that wanted to break through.
"It's okay Abbs. You have nothing to apologize for." Gibbs' said sincerely, with a hint of sadness in his voice. His heart ached for his normally confident and bubbly lab rat who was now skittish and unsure of herself. Everyone responsible for this was going to pay.
Still wearing Gibbs' jacket, Abby took a few wobbly steps, supported by Gibbs on one side. Her head was spinning and she was lightheaded. This seemed to be the norm nowadays for her, but she usually didn't have anyone to help her. Abby was glad Gibbs was next to her because she was genuinely afraid she might actually pass out this time.
Always alert, DiNozzo caught Abby's shaky movement from across the courtyard and quickly came to her other side. He plastered on a big smile, knowing Abby needed a contrast to Gibbs' concerned and angry brow, even though he felt the same way. He approached her right side and fought the urge to hold her in his arms in order to comfort and steady her. Instead, he extended his arm for her to hold onto if she wanted. He saw how she had originally flinched away from Gibbs' touch, so he decided to give her the control over whether or not she wanted to make contact with him. That, and he was actually afraid of hurting her if he touched her.
Abby saw Tony come up beside her. She gave him a quick smile. She was happy to see Tony. He always managed to stay so positive, no matter what the situation. She was grateful for that right now. She felt extremely safe between Gibbs and DiNozzo. For the first time in four weeks, she could let her guard down.
As they made their way towards the door they came in through, Ziva joined them, satisfied with the information she had collected. She really took in Abby's condition for the fist time. Before, she had been too concerned with her other duties. It saddened her to see Abby so broken. Ziva's mind flashed back to her time in Somalia. Of course her situation was different, but she could tell Abby felt similar to the way she did when she was rescued. Relieved, but still filled with a mix of a million other emotions; fear, guilt, shame, anger, to name a few. Ziva also knew that she had trained her whole life to withstand such abuse, and still came out of it scarred. Abby had no such training and Ziva could only imagine what she had gone through without the years of preparation. Ziva and Abby had become close over the years and she knew how trusting she was and what a big heart she had. She was the last person who deserved this.
Ziva looked for the guard who Wilder had said would let them out. She spotted officer George standing nervously off to the side of the other guards, who were now observing a yard full of prisoners who had all stopped what they were doing to watch the whole ordeal unfold.
"Officer George," Ziva called abruptly. He quickly made his way over to the doors, knowing what she wanted. She noticed Abby look up at George and relax a bit. Perhaps he was an honest person.
"Agent Gibbs sir, Agent DiNozzo, Agent David, Abby, follow me," George said. He had a soft tone to his voice and Ziva sensed compassion.
The team walked after Officer George. Gibbs and DiNozzo still flanked Abby, with Ziva in front of them. They walked back through the maximum security unit and to a different door than the one through which they came in. They entered into what appeared to be an office area in the back.
"George," came Gibbs' voice. "There a place she can change?"
"Oh, yes sir. Of course. The women's locker-room. This way," he led.
They walked past an area that seemed to be an officers' lounge. There were four guards there, three sitting around a table and joking, one getting a snack from the vending machine.
Abby's body tensed as she walked past them. Gibbs felt this and tightened his grip around her waist instinctively. She tensed back against his touch and her heart rate sped up.
The guard at the vending machine picked up on her discomfort and took this opportunity to taunt her, one last time. "It was great to have you here Abby." He said suggestively. "I hope you have people at home who will enjoy your… company… as much as we did."
Abby tightened her grip on Tony's arm. She knew that they couldn't hurt her anymore. But they still made her uneasy and upset. And had the rest of the team picked up on what they had done to her? Gibbs always seemed to know everything, and she was sure if he hasn't already figured it out he would soon. She hated thinking about the team knowing. She felt dirty and ashamed.
She chose to ignore the guard's comment and keep walking. Using every ounce of self control he had, Gibbs also chose to ignore it, and gave Tony and Ziva looks that said, "let it go, not now." He just wanted to get Abby out of there and didn't want to upset her further by bringing the issue to the forefront.
"Right in here," George said, coming to the women's room.
"Abbs, you need help changing?" He didn't give her a chance to answer. "Ziva." He motioned with his head for her to join Abby, and handed her a pair of NCIS sweats he had in his pack.
Ziva put her hand on Abby's back and guided her into the room.
Outside, Gibbs, DiNozzo, and George stood and waited. Gibbs and DiNozzo exchanged exhausted glances. George nervously searched for something helpful to say.
"Sir?" he said, looking at Gibbs. Gibbs had hardly acknowledged him the whole time except to ask a question, and was surprised when he spoke. He stared at George impatiently.
"Umm, I just wanted to say I'm sorry. About everything Abby had to go through." He spoke quickly.
"Well as far as I can tell," Gibbs said angrily, "You and your fellow guards have a damn good reason to be sorry."
"No, Agent Gibbs. It's not what you think… I mean… It is. But not with me, I mean."
Gibbs believed him. Heck, he sounded as unsure of himself as McGee. The other guards must give him a hard time. Gibbs just shook his head once in understanding.
"Abby's a good person. I guess I didn't do a very good job, but I tried to look out for her. At least, I think I made her smile sometimes." He added.
"Thanks, George." Tony said, sincerely.
Inside the women's room Abby lowered herself down onto a bench. "I can do it." She told Ziva, referring to changing clothes.
"I know," said Ziva. "I am just here to make sure you are okay."
There was a pause. "I'm… not okay." Abby said quietly, shaking her head back and forth.
"I know. Frankly, I would be more worried if you were fine."
Abby smiled a little, but then winced as she had to bend to put the sweatpants on. Ziva did not offer to help, knowing Abby needed to feel as if she could take care of herself.
Abby pulled the sweatpants up and sighed as they hovered around her waist. "A men's medium wouldn't fit me under normal circumstances." Ziva smiled. Abby pulled the drawstring tight and knotted it, managing to keep them up somehow. The sweatshirt was roomy, but stayed on a little bit better. She rolled up the sleeves so they weren't too long.
Abby continued to sit and looked up at Ziva. She sensed Abby's need to talk, and took a seat next to her. She knew it was just a matter of time before Abby opened up to someone, she loved to talk. Ziva was surprised it was this quick though. And that the "someone" was her.
Abby took a deep breath. "It wasn't just the female inmates, you know…"
Ziva just nodded her head and waited for Abby to continue.
"The guards. Not all of them. Like, George? He's a good guy. But a lot of the other ones. I think maybe 7 of them, in total…" She trailed off, not wanting to say what they did out loud, even though she knew Ziva knew what she was going to say. Saying it out loud just made it seem too real.
Abby just looked at Ziva, pleading for help. "How do you get through it? I mean, it's over. I know. But, I just… I just feel… so… I don't know. What's wrong with me?"
Ziva wanted to hold her, to comfort her, to tell her it would all be okay. But she knew it was not okay. And it might not be for a long time. Ziva took Abby's hand in hers. "Abby. You know this is not your fault, yes?"
"Yeah. I mean, I know technically, it's not my fault. My brain knows. But my feelings… they just keep telling me how horrible and dirty I am. And that I could have stopped them if I tried harder… and… I know, I know. I did all I could, blah, blah, blah. My brain knows what's right. But I just still feel so bad." Abby looked down at her too-long sweat pants. "How do you… get over it?"
Ziva leaned down to roll up the bottoms of Abby's pants as she spoke. "Maybe you do not ever get "over it." It will always be there. But it stops hurting. You are strong Abby. It will get better, I promise."
"Does Gibbs know?" Abby asked.
"I think so, yes." Ziva said, "But I know it will help you both if you talk to him."
Abby nodded. "And Tony knows too?"
"He assumes, as well."
Abby nodded again. Ziva finished rolling Abby's pant legs and helped her up. "Thanks, Ziva." Abby said quietly and gave a half-hearted attempt at a smile.
Ziva gave her a reassuring smile back and let Abby lead the way into the hall. She kept close in case Abby became unsteady, but she seemed to be walking a little better now.
Gibbs and DiNozzo instinctively flanked Abby's sides again, ready to make up for the lack of protection during the past month. They each hated that they weren't able to shelter her from this. The team moved together out to the black-top where a military plane was waiting.
"We need to take this onto American soil where the medics will be waiting," Gibbs told Abby.
Abby looked uneasy. "I'm okay. Can we just… go back to DC?" She asked shakily. She just wanted to go home.
"Nope," came Gibb's reply.
Abby looked at him pleadingly.
"Not a discussion," he said, even though all he wanted to do was to say yes to everything Abby asked. Hadn't she gone through enough? He hated making her even more uncomfortable, but he wasn't about to put her health in jeopardy any further. She was obviously malnourished, dehydrated, and had numerous injuries.
Gibbs ushered his team onto the plane. Tony and Ziva sat on one wall against the netting, Gibbs and Abby on the other. It wasn't the most comfortable ride, especially with Abby's injuries, but she wasn't about to complain. As long as she was getting out of that place, she was happy.
"Prepare for take off," yelled one of the pilots. Tony and Ziva held onto the netting. Abby leaned in towards Gibbs. He wrapped his arm around her. Gibbs noticed she was tense, but seemed a little more comfortable with the contact. As the chopper rose into the air, it jostled Abby's ribs and aggravated her bruised back, neck, and limbs. She closed her eyes and pressed her head into Gibbs' chest. He planted a gentle kiss on the top of her head, relieved to be holding her in his arms where he knew she was safe.
As they traveled away from the prison and towards their own soil, Gibbs observed his team. Ziva stared straight ahead, seemingly lost in thought, but not showing any emotion. Tony fidgeted with the buttons on his coat, every once in a while looking up to check on Abby, who was still nestled into Gibbs' side. She looked exhausted, the adrenaline of the rescue wearing off. There was still a fine sheen of sweat on her pale forehead and her body shivered almost constantly.
"You cold Abbs?" Gibbs whispered, registering the colder temperatures in the helicopter and her lack of body fat. The rest of the team was comfortable, but she was probably freezing. He fixed his eyes on her face.
"A little," she admitted, "but I'm fine." She had been cold a lot the past four weeks and had learned to deal with it.
"Yeah well," Gibbs said standing up, "You don't have to settle for "fine" anymore. And as long as I'm around, I'm not going to let you." He retrieved a heavy wool blanket from a storage compartment and wrapped it gently around Abby. Abby relaxed into the warmth, urging her tense muscles to take a break from being constantly on edge.
Sitting back down next to her Gibbs asked, "When was the late time you ate something?"
Abby thought nervously. She wanted to give him an answer that wouldn't make him angry, but she truly couldn't even remember the last time she ate. They had withheld food from her for over a week now and truthfully, she wasn't even hungry anymore. The thought of food made her nauseous.
Not waiting for an answer, Gibbs pulled out a granola bar from his beg. "Eat," he instructed.
Abby just looked at the bar, and then to Gibbs. "I can't," she said. When Gibbs failed to react to her statement and continued to hold the bar out she added, "I think it's going to make me sick if I do."
Gibbs continued to give her his "this isn't a discussion" look. Abby looked back at Gibbs, her eyes pleading for him not to push it further. She wanted to please him, but she also knew she probably really would throw up if she tried to eat. And throwing up was going to be painful. Especially since there wasn't much of anything in her stomach.
Gibbs finally lost the battle as he noticed Abby's breathing speed up and her eyes start to dart around, looking for an answer to this predicament. She really was scared she wouldn't be able to keep it down, but also scared to tell Gibbs "no." He didn't like that he was causing her to become anxious and upset, so he put the bar away.
"Ok, but you gotta drink." He pulled out a bottle of water.
Come to think of it, Abby couldn't remember the last time she had drank anything either. That couldn't be good, she thought. She really didn't even know if she would be able to keep the water down, but there was no fighting Gibbs on this. And Abby was smart enough to know she really did need to drink something.
She took the bottle and managed a small sip, pausing to swallow, which she didn't remember as being such hard work.
Gibbs simply watched Abby, silently telling her she needed to drink more than that. She worked on the plastic bottle for the next fifteen minutes or so, managing to down about half of it. Suddenly Abby fidgeted and looked to Gibbs, distressed. She didn't look very well. Gibbs could see her shoulders starting to heave. Luckily Ziva noticed too, and ran to get a bag to hold open in front of Abby. Gibbs steadied her as she leaned forward and threw up.
He couldn't believe that small amount of water caused her body to react so violently. Abby continued to painfully dry heave for another few minutes. Her body would not relent. Gibbs rubbed her back and Tony gazed worriedly from his seat. There wasn't much he could do to help. He looked to Gibbs for any instruction, but all he got back was a look of exasperation.
As Abby's stomach calmed and the nausea passed, she leaned back against the netting. She wrapped her arms around her ribs, certain that if they weren't broken before, they were now. With every heave of her stomach, she felt her ribs pound against her skin, stressing the already unstable fractures. She was in agony. Her body shook ruthlessly, letting her know the extent of the stress it was just put through. Gibbs watched helplessly as she fought to control the pain.
"Deep breaths," he offered, immediately feeling like an idiot when he realized the pain in her ribs was preventing her from doing just that.
Abby tried to follow his advice anyway, only to wince as she tried. She now held one arm wrapped around her body while the other pressed into her forehead, her face twisted in anguish.
"Gibbs," she pleaded through ragged breaths, "help me." Abby knew full well that Gibbs couldn't do much to lessen her pain right now, but she didn't care. She needed him.
Her plea broke his heart. He had told her she was safe and everything was going to be okay, but they were far from that ideal right now. He slid closer to her and wrapped his arms around her torso, eliciting a gasp and whimper. He knew however, that the continued pressure would soothe her pain some in a few minutes time. She gripped his arm with her clammy hands, trying to stifle any more noises that were unintentionally being pushed out of her. She didn't want to distress the rest of the team any further by making more of a scene than she already had.
"It's okay Abbs. You don't have to try to hide it here. You can be in pain." Trying to appear strong and downplaying symptoms was something his whole team had somehow picked up. Maybe that was necessary while in the field or chasing a suspect, but it didn't help matters here.
Gibbs held Abby until her shaking eased some and her breathing calmed down again.
"About ten more minutes and we're there," offered the pilot sympathetically. Gibbs gave him a nod and continued rubbing Abby's back.
As they landed and made their way off the helicopter, they were met by a team of military paramedics, all men. Abby hung back a bit. This new uniformed group made her uneasy. She had learned that just because someone dressed the part of the "good guy," didn't mean they could be trusted.
"I'm not going anywhere, Abbs." Gibbs clearly saw her discomfort and reassured her before she asked. "I'm not going to let anyone hurt you."
"K," said Abby weakly, walking forward.
The paramedics laid Abby down on a stretcher and went to work checking her vitals. Her heart rate was elevated and her blood pressure was low, but that was to be expected. They inserted an IV and started fluids immediately. Abby held her breath as they poked and prodded, checking for broken ribs and internal injuries. She occasionally squeezed her eyes shut and tensed her body against pain, inducing a sympathetic "sorry" from one of the paramedics.
"Possibly 12 broken ribs," one of the paramedics offered to Gibbs, sensing he was the man in charge. "It doesn't seem like any have punctured a lung, but she will need x-rays to confirm. Possible damage to the kidneys and liver, as indicated by pain. Dehydrated and severely mal-nourished. Muscle wasting. Possible concussion. A few cuts that need stitches. Nothing immediately life threatening so we do not have to hospitalize her here. She can fly ahead to DC under the care of the aerial medics."
Gibbs sighed in relief. Although that list of injuries wasn't something most people would smile about, Gibbs was thankful there wasn't anything worse and they could head towards home. The flight was smooth and quick, with Abby hooked up to monitors and receiving fluids. She spent most of it in a much needed drug-induced sleep.