What Mrs. Mallard Said --6
Author: GataChica
Rating: M/FR18
Spoilers: Untouchable
Disclaimer: My writing is not-for-profit and I don't own the characters or anything else besides my ideas.
Abby woke in a hospital bed with electrodes adhering to her scalp and hair, pulling at the roots. "Ow," she muttered.
Ducky, who had fallen asleep in the chair beside her bed, woke instantly at the sound. "Abby? Are you awake?"
She slowly opened her eyes, smiling when she saw his face. "Ducky," she whispered. "I'm glad you're here."
"So am I," he replied fervently, taking her hand, "but I wish neither one of us were here."
"Why am I here?" she asked, having suddenly realized where she was.
"You have a concussion, but thankfully it isn't serious, according to your MRI."
"How did I get a concussion?"
"By doing cartwheels in your lab," Gibbs answered as he walked into the room. "Not a good idea, Abbs." He gave her a little half smile and took a sip from the cup of coffee that seemed to be melded to his hand.
"Oh." She smiled sheepishly.
"Yes, fortunately young Timothy was there at the time; he and Jethro brought you to me. When you began convulsing, I summoned an ambulance. You can never be sure about a head injury without looking inside the skull. I remember the case of a cricket player who was hit in the head with a bat, continued playing the remainder of the game, then dropped dead as soon as his team won. Autopsy showed the blow to the head caused a berry aneurysm at the base of his brain to burst."
Abby smiled and squeezed his hand. "Is that meant to make me feel better, Ducky?"
"Erm… well, no, not really, but in any case you needn't worry about it. The doctors checked you thoroughly for bleeding, aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations, and so forth. Your seizure was caused by swelling, and since the swelling has gone down, there have been no more."
"Great!" Abby moved as if to climb out of bed.
"Whoa!"
"Wait a minute, my dear," they said simultaneously. Ducky continued, "You're being kept for observation overnight."
"Oh." She seemed to deflate as she leaned back against the bed. "I hate hospitals!"
"So do I," agreed Gibbs, "but you're staying here anyway."
"Spoilsport!" she grumbled.
Just then Tony, Ziva, and Tim walked in, each bearing a gift for Abby. There were the obligatory black roses, a stuffed Ebola virus, and something wrapped up which Ziva said she should wait to open. Abby looked at Ziva, bemused, and Ziva winked. Abby nodded, knowing what was meant by that. She was anxious to get that present (and Ducky!) home as soon as possible!
"You guys, I'm only going to be here overnight," she said.
"You can take the flowers home, can't you?" asked Tony. At the looks he got from his co-workers, he added, "And the other presents, too, of course."
"Yeah." Abby glanced at Ducky and saw the sparkle in his eyes. She knew he saw it in hers as well. "You know how I feel about hospitals. I can't wait to get out of here!"
Abby's EEG's the rest of the day and through the night remained normal. The swelling that caused the initial seizure had clearly resolved and no further complications developed. At noon the next day a nurse was completing her discharge paperwork while Abby contemplated how she would carry everything to the car. More gifts had arrived the evening before, which wasn't surprising considering how popular she was at NCIS. Some of her "outside" friends sent flowers or balloons also.
The nurse saw her frowning as she looked around, and smiled at Abby. "We'll get you a cart, Ms. Sciuto. Don't worry."
"Oh. Thanks." Abby remembered something from her childhood and added, "Do I have to leave in a wheelchair?"
"No, we stopped that some time ago. If you don't need it, you don't get it. And you don't need it." She handed a clipboard to Abby. "Sign here, please."
Even with the cart, Abby and Ducky each had to carry something to Ducky's car when he came to pick her up. He had not brought the Morgan, choosing the larger sedan instead, but it was full when they left – there was barely enough room for the two of them.
Both were quiet on the ride back to his house. Abby was not allowed to go back to work for two more days, a restriction which she disliked very strongly but recognized as necessary. There was too much danger in that lab to take a chance on having a late complication such as another seizure, no matter how unlikely it might be.
"Ducky," she said, when they were almost there, "I know you can't stay home with me. But I really wish you could."
"Actually, I can and I intend to," he told her with a smile. "Like Gibbs' team, I have a great deal of unused vacation time. And I have the best possible reason to use it. I have a surprise for you, Abby."
"Really?" Abby's voice changed immediately from sad to excited. "I have that box from Ziva to open, too."
"Yes, I was wondering about that. Why did Ziva ask you not to open it before you went home?"
"Hmm, maybe I won't tell you. Then I'll have a surprise for you too!"
Ducky chuckled. "That sounds delightful, dear one."
Ducky's mother seemed excited by the flowers, balloons, and other gifts that Abby and Ducky brought in from the car. "Donald, is it my birthday?" she asked, clapping her hands together. Her nurse smiled. "But why are my flowers dead?"
"It's not your birthday, Mother, those are Abby's."
"Abby? Who is that?"
"Me, Mrs. Mallard," said Abby, setting down a vase of black carnations. "Remember me?"
The elderly woman stared blankly at her for a few seconds, then her expression cleared and she smiled. "Yes, my dear. I remember you. You are Donald's true love." The brief moment of lucidity passed and she began talking again about the "dead flowers."
"Mrs. Mallard, it's time for your tea," the nurse told her, leading her into the next room.
Ducky took Abby's hand. "Well, she certainly got that one right," he told her, his voice somewhat husky with emotion. He drew Abby closer to him and kissed her, first chastely then when her tongue touched his lips tentatively he opened his mouth to her, feeling a sudden need to hold her close and kiss her breathless.
She was indeed breathless when they finally broke apart. "I love you, too, Ducky."
He led her to sit on a nearby couch. "I know, my lotus blossom. I can see it in every move you make, in every touch, in every word you speak to me. Can you see my love for you?"
Abby nodded and rested her head against his shoulder, holding him closer. "I see it Ducky," she replied softly, a slight catch in her voice.
After a few moments she sat back. "Ducky, I –"
"You know –"
They spoke simultaneously, then both apologized and told the other to continue. They laughed, and Abby said, "You first, Ducky."
He hesitated for a moment, then realized he already knew the answer to the question he was about to ask. Wordlessly, he stood up, still holding her hand, and led her towards the staircase. Along the way, Abby grabbed the package from Ziva and smiled.