Well, this story is taking its own twists and turns on me. Not sure how well Abby works for me, but here we go with it. I have no idea how long this fic will be when it's all said and done, but thanks for coming along for the ride. Enjoy..
"Hey, Kate," Abby greeted quietly, muting the already low volume on the television and perching on the edge of the hospital bed. Her morning had been busy- the boss calling her to come to the hospital, followed by handing her a sample and sending her to the lab, only to recall her back to the hospital shortly before lunch- but the early afternoon had passed slowly as she sat at Kate's bedside.
Until now, the special agent had spent the afternoon asleep, her system still sluggish as it worked to rid itself of the pain meds gone bad. Abby pressed the call button and smoothed the un-rumpled sheet that covered her friend. "How do you feel?"
Amber eyes blinked slowly, still a little glassy as they roamed the room. She lifted one hand to feel at the line that was providing a steady stream of oxygen to her nose. "Feel like crap." Her gaze still wandered, though her body didn't really move. "Thirsty. Everything's achy..."
"Well, you're awake and that's a good sign," the nurse answered from the doorway. He moved into the room and came to join them, checking her monitors for current stats heart rates and oxygenation. "Abby, you can give her some water. If that goes okay, we'll see about juice in a little while. Does that work for you, Agent Todd?"
Kate nodded weakly, relaxing back into the pillows and accepting the cup. She sipped from it, draining almost half of it before she slowed down a little. "Sorry... I don't remember much about how I got here. Did... Gibbs? Or maybe, was it ..."
"Gibbs and Ducky brought you in," Abby answered, moving aside to let the nurse in. "Kyle's going to check your blood pressure. You've been sleeping half the day." She watched as Kate took a slow, hard swallow and stared up at her as the nurse wrapped the cuff around her arm and began to inflate it.
"What happened?" Kate asked, watching the nurse as he worked, gaze occasionally flickering to Abby.
"You got hurt the other day, and they gave you the wrong pain meds. You had a bad reaction to it. It looks like your prescription was too much, but they haven't ruled out anaphylaxis, yet."
Kate was quiet for a few moments, and Abby wondered if she was trying to process this information or if her brain was still foggy from the medication. She finally settled on a reply of, "oh." It sounded uncertain, and Kate looked at her for assurance. It was nothing like the Kate she knew- this lost looking person who seemed smaller surrounded by the hospital equipment.
"It's okay. You're doing a lot better. Isn't she, Kyle." Her gaze met his, and she gave him a hard stare. It was true- Kate was doing better, but considering what Gibbs had told her about Kate's condition when they arrived this morning... anything but improved would have been really, really bad. Currently her official status was 'guarded,' but she might get upgraded and moved to a normal room before the day was through.
The ringing phone cut into her deep sleep, demanding a reply. "Gibbs?" Abby mumbled, pushing back her hair and trying to get a sense of what time of day it was.
"I need you to come to Bethesda as soon as you can."
Those words alone launched her out of bed in an instant, throwing on the light as she searched for trousers and a shirt. "What happened?"
He hesitated half a second, and her gut twisted. Good news waited until normal hours. This was not good. Before she could speak another word, he had said, "It's Kate. Ducky came over to check up on her, and we took her in right away. They overmedicated her. And they haven't ruled out head trauma, either."
She had clicked speaker phone long enough to tug a shirt over her head and pull her hair into quick ponytails. "Is she-"
"Ducky's in there with her right now. He didn't know if they would have to pump her stomach or give her something else that's supposed to counter act it. I need you to get over here, Abbs."
"On my way!"
"She's doing much better. You're on the upside of it, and everything is stabilizing." Kyle's voice brought her back to the present. He was one of those laid-back types, serious and studious and a little like McGee. Eager to assure. Okay, he was more confident than McGee, more self-assured. It was exactly the kind of nurse they needed right now. These were the assurances that Kate needed to hear right now-that Gibbs and Ducky would need to hear. "Dr. Merch will probably want to keep you overnight for observation, though you can probably go home tomorrow."
"Still hurts," Kate whispered, taking a slow breath and plucking at the sheet. "I hurt my ribs? Didn't that... wasn't that on the rooftop? Why do they still hurt this bad?"
The nurse swung a questioning look in Abby's direction.
"Uh... you fractured ribs a few weeks back on the roof, but you re-injured them yesterday taking down a suspect. Tony said you would have made a great linebacker," Abby tried to joke, hoping to lighten the mood.
Her head shook slightly. "I don't play contact. My brothers took me down too many times playing football as a kid. They never would play flag."
It was a little comforting to hear Kate speak of her brothers. At least she remembered something, although it seemed like the last day or two was still a blur to Kate. Abby was glad Ducky had insisted on a sample of Kate's blood so that they could run some independent tests at NCIS. She hadn't been surprised that the doctor had prescribed an opioid, considering the cracked bones, but she had been surprised at how high a dosage had been in Kate's system. When she had called Gibbs with the update, he had shocked her by saying that he had actually missed a dosage. Kate had been sleeping so well that he hadn't wanted to wake her up, and he had assumed that as long as she was able to rest, she should.
If he had given her that missing dose, she might not have opened her eyes ever again.
Kate's left hand, the one that wasn't hooked up to an IV, tugged at the blanket. "It's so cold in here."
"I'll get another blanket for you," Kyle replied, checking the IV and noting its progress. "It's one of the side effects of your body trying to deal with the drugs you were given."
She nodded, blinking owlishly. "Thanks... do I have to keep this in, too?" she asked, slowly adjusting the oxygen tube where it hooked over her ear.
"For now, but I'll ask the doctor if we can take it off later this afternoon. I'll be right back with that extra blanket. Abby, do you need anything?"
Abby shook her head. "Thanks, I'm fine, Kyle." She gave him a small smile before turning it toward Kate, hoping it was reassuring. It was weird to see Kate like this- out of it and a little scared. Usually Kate was as solid as they came, focused. Gibbs had said once that Kate would have done well in the military, and Abby had to agree with him.
Kate's gaze was wandering again, looking around the room slowly. "Where's Gibbs?" When Abby didn't immediately reply, Kate finally moved, shifting partly onto her side. "Abby?"
"He's with Ducky, probably trying to find legal charges for the doctor who gave you that prescription. It's his new bone." She toyed with one of the spiked rings on her finger. "He's really worried about you, Kate." It wasn't news to Abby that Gibbs was extremely protective of their whole team. He might push them hard, and he often demanded more and more from them-but it was because he knew they were capable of more, and he always fought hard for each of them. Still, the only other time Abby had seen Gibbs this upset about a member of his team were two: 1. when Tony had the plague and 2. when he realized that Ari had Kate.
Any further comments were silenced for now as Kyle returned with a blanket draped over his arm. "This should do the trick," he replied, unfolding the cover. The blanket was soft and warm to the touch, and Abby smiled a little as Kate relaxed further into the bed, clearly savoring the comfort. As tough as Kate might be, she did love her creature comforts.
"Better," the special agent murmured, eyes sliding shut involuntarily. "Hard to stay awake, though."
"Let your body rest," Kyle replied, tucking the blanket up to her chin. "I'll be back in about an hour to check your heart rate and the readouts, and we'll wake you up for dinner." He glanced at Abby with a small smile. "Besides, I'm sure your friends will be around if you need anything."
Abby nodded sharply. "Right here, Kate." She dug into the bag she had brought from her friend's house. "I'll even read you to sleep. Look- that cheesy vampire romance thing you love. Seriously, Twilight? I think Anne Rice just died a little." She caught the small smile that spread across Kate's face, finally reassured that her friend was going to be okay. "Get some rest. Once the Boss-Man gets here, you're gonna have to put on that 'Special Agent Superhero No Drugs Can Get Me Down' act, okay?"
"Deal," was the last word Kate murmured before her breath evened out again and quiet filtered through the room. Abby checked her phone for calls, even though she knew she hadn't missed anything. It could be a long afternoon, and she hoped Ducky and Gibbs would be back soon. She was shocked neither had called, yet, for an update. "Please don't do anything stupid," she sighed before sinking back into the chair again and reclaiming the remote control to the television.
