Chapter Eight

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Just because it was Sunday didn't keep the team from working. Gibbs was in the officer early, shortly before 5a.m. but left without explanation around 7:30.

He was glad they didn't ask where he was headed, though he was sure they would understand. He pulled into the church parking lot and parked by the exit so he wouldn't have to fight traffic afterward. He waited in his truck until just before the service was to start and then snuck into the back row.

He didn't need to deal with the questions from Sister Rosita or any of the other nuns that would recognize him. It was rare that Abby missed a Sunday service and with Gibbs there without her, he knew the nuns would worry. He couldn't lie to them, and he didn't have time to answer their questions, so he planned to slip out quietly.

He listened to the sermon, but the words washed over him without meaning. He wasn't sure if he believed in God, not after what happened to Shannon and Kelly, but he needed all the help, luck - whatever God was offering - he could get.

He settled back into the pew and sighed as a wave of calmness washed over him. He was so lost in the sensation that he didn't realize the service was over until a soft hand landed on his shoulder.

"Jethro?"

Gibbs startled and looked up at the woman standing beside him.

"Something is wrong with Abigail, isn't it?" She didn't hide the worry on her face.

"She's missing."

"Oh dear," she clutched her hands to her chest. "What can we do?"

"Pray." Gibbs looked upward. "I think he'll listen to you more than me."

"I will, but he listens to all of us. He'll listen to you."

Gibbs looked at the older woman. She looked confident and it settled the sick feeling in his gut. "I can't lose her too." Rosita knew about Shannon and Kelly and what he had been through. "I can't."

"We cannot change what God has planned for us, but I choose to believe that Abby is a strong woman and a fighter." Rosita sat beside him. "I also choose to believe that if anyone can find her, it is you."

Gibbs nodded. "I won't give up. Ever."

"Pray with me?" Rosita held out her hand. After a moment's hesitation, Gibbs took her hand and bowed his head. "Heavenly Father, we ask that you look out for our Abigail and that you protect her from any harm that may come. We pray that you lead us to her and allow us to bring her home safely…"

Gibbs couldn't hold back the tears as they built up and slowly ran down over his cheeks. He dropped Rosita's hand to scrub his hands over his face, but the tears wouldn't stop. The tears he shed for Abby turned into tears for Shannon and Kelly, Jenny and Kate.

He couldn't stand to lose the woman he loved all over again. The tears burned a hot path down his face and it hurt the same way it had 18 years ago. "I don't know what to…" Gibbs looked up to see that Rosita was no longer beside him. Looking around, he noticed the church was empty. Heading back to the truck, he stopped in the lobby and smiled. There was a photo posted to the community bulletin board of Abby and the nuns at one of their bowling practices. "I'll bring you home, Abbs. I'll bring you home."

---

"Yeah, Gibbs." Gibbs sighed and ran a hand through his hair as he answered his phone. It had been nearly 72 hours since Abby had been taken, and the chanced of her being found alive were lessening with every hour.

"I'm Sheriff Luke Hansen from Saranac Lake, New York."

"Look, let me put you through to one of our other teams, I-"

"Is this NCIS agent Jethro Gibbs?"

"Yes."

"Your name and number were listed on a recent BOLO, I thought…"

"The BOLO for the missing woman?"

"One of the rangers patrolling the parks came across a young woman last night. We actually are out of range for the BOLO, but I was talking to a buddy of mine in Baltimore and he mentioned it, but anyway, we don't have any missing person cases locally and… could you fax an image? We have no I.D. for her."

Saranac Lake was at least 9 hours from D.C. He doubted it was her, but he wasn't going to brush off any possible information. "Yeah, got a number?"

Gibbs scribbled down the number and tossed it to McGee. "Fax Abby's photo."

"Alright Mr. Gibbs, I'm gonna have to let you go. This is the same line for the fax. I'll call ya right back once I get the picture to let you know either way."

"Yeah, okay." Gibbs hung up. "You get her picture sent?"

"Yeah." McGee combed his fingers through his hair. He hadn't slept more than an hour at a time since Thursday night. "What was that about?"

"Found someone up near Saranac."

"Saranac? That's nine hours from here. You think-" Tony was cut off by Gibbs' phone ringing. He recognized the number as the same number Sheriff Hansen had called from.

"Agent Gibbs," he answered.

"I think we have your missing person. Yeah, in fact I'm pretty certain."

Gibbs nearly choked. "Is she… Is she still alive?"

"You know, I haven't spoken to the hospital since I left last night. I'm pretty sure she's still alive. She was when I left, I think. It drug related? Should I post security at her door so she doesn't escape?"

Tony, McGee, and Ziva eyed him carefully. When Gibbs scrubbed a hand over his face, panic started to set in.

"Where is she at?" His voice waivered and he swallowed against the lump in his throat.

"Adirondack Medical Center. You need directions?"

"No. No I'll find it." Gibbs didn't offer a goodbye or wait for one, instead hanging up. "It's her."

The three agents jumped to their feet and rushed toward their boss' desk, a million questions rolling off their tongues.

"Stop!" Gibbs yelled above the noise. "I don't know her condition; all I know is that she was alive as of last night."

"Boss, she's all the way up near Saranac? That'll take all day to get there."

"I have an idea," he pushed through the group of agents. "Stay."

His whole body was trembling as he took the stairs to the director's office. He refused to let himself believe she was fine, he couldn't put himself through that. If he showed up and it turned out that she was dead...

The three agents stood around, speechless, in front of Gibbs' desk. In a move uncharacteristic of Tony, he pulled both McGee and Ziva into a tight hug. Neither of them protested.

"What if she's not okay? Why didn't she call us?"

"She is alive, McGee. That is all we can ask for."

"Ziva's right, probie. She probably-" Tony stopped when he saw Gibbs coming down the stairs.

"Grab your overnight bag. We've got a flight to catch." Gibbs circled the agents and sat in the chair at his desk. "McGee, get Ducky up here, make sure he's got his overnight. Ziva, run down to the lab and grab Abby's bag."

"What about me, boss? What can I do?" For once Tony couldn't anticipate what Gibbs needed him to do.

"Here," Gibbs tossed him the keys. "You drive everyone to the airfield. I'll drive myself. The FBI is giving us a lift. Plane leaves when we get there."

"On it, boss." Tony pocketed the keys and headed for the garage, his over-night bag slung over his shoulder.

---

Gibbs growled when Fornell boarded the plane.

"She was kidnapped Jethro, I've got questions."

"She isn't just some victim, Tobias. This is Abby."

"All the more reason to get this case sorted. I want justice just as much as you do, though I prefer through the law, I'm sure you've got your gun close at hand."

Gibbs just growled again.

"Look, off the record, if we get him and he tries to run, I've got no problem with you putting several rounds into this dirt bag. You just can't do it when I've got cuffs on him. I don't want to haul you in too. Don't think you'd do well behind bars with Abby needing you."

"She won't answer your questions until she's ready. Are we clear on that?"

"Jethro," Fornell lowered his voice. "I won't push her, but we need to get this guy. You want to nail this guy, don't you?"

"Yes, but I…" Gibbs clenched his fists and then relaxed. He was torn between wanting to lead his team after whoever had taken Abby from him, and wanting to curl up around Abby and never let her go. "I don't want her to hurt any more than she already does. We don't know what-"

"I know."

The two hour flight dragged on, one painfully slow minute at a time. The 'could be's' and the 'what if's' in the front of everyone's mind.

Gibbs sat with his eyes closed, but Tony knew better than to assume he was sleeping. There had always been a dance of flirtation between his best friend and his boss; you had to be blind not to see it.

He had stayed with her for a week once he had been released from the hospital after his bout with the plague. In a moment of weakness, she had confessed her feelings for their boss and then promptly swore him to secrecy.

Then Gibbs left for Mexico and Abby fell apart. When he returned a few months later and shortly there-after started dating Hollis Mann, her heart broke a second time and she swore off the idea of any sort of romantic relationship with Gibbs. But then Jenny died and the team was split up and Gibbs was the only one around to comfort her.

His first day back in the office and Tony could see she was head-over-heels for their boss. Again.

"Abby…"

"What? I'll always love him. No use in fighting it. Nothing will happen, I've accepted that. But it doesn't hurt to dream, does it?"

He eyed his boss across the aisle; his eyes were closed, but his forehead and jaw were tense. His fingers were drumming nervously against the arm-rest and Tony didn't think he'd ever seen his boss so visibly distressed. He looked like he had aged several years over the past few days, nothing that a couple of good nights' sleep could fix.

Tony had now seen them both when they thought they had lost the other for good. It wasn't pretty.

---

Once the plane landed, they were met by Sheriff Hansen and taken to a car-rental a mile down the road. From there they had an hour-long drive to Adirondack Medical Center.

"Yeah, we thought she was dead. Not sure how long she was lying out in the woods. It related to some big-city case? Drugs? You know, I heard there was a group of kids caught smoking down by…" Hansen trailed off at the look Gibbs shot him. "I assume you'll be taking over?"

"Yes." Fornell cut in and walked Hansen over a few steps to exchange numbers. "I'll call you later for all the specific details."

They split into two cars at the car-rental; Gibbs, Ducky and Tony in one, Ziva, Fornell and McGee in the other.

Gibbs slammed his hand against the steering wheel when he ended up behind a semi-truck going 5mph under the speed limit on the small road. With only one lane in each direction and a steady stream of cars coming in the opposite direction, Gibbs was unable to pass.

He surprised himself by not parking in the ambulance bay. He wanted to get in the hospital quickly, but didn't want to risk any possible delay by having the car towed.

His stomach was in knots as he headed for the front desk. He hadn't eaten anything in hours, but the urge to vomit was never far away when he thought of all the possibilities as to why Abby hadn't called him herself.

"You must be here about the un-identified woman brought in yesterday." The nurse looked bored and didn't bother to look up. "Follow me."

They followed closely behind the nurse, following her down the hall and around the corner.

"She was awake briefly a few hours ago, mumbling something about going home. We aren't sure how long she was exposed to the elements. She was bordering on phase two frost-bite, but the swelling of her fingers has gone down overnight. We've slowly warmed her core temperature to normal. She was pretty dehydrated, but we've been pushing fluids since she was brought in via IV. She'll be okay." The nurse snapped her gum as she flipped through the file. "Thought she was already dead when they brought her in last night; she was so pale." The nurse stopped and pushed open a door to one of the rooms. "She's in here. Hope she's the girl you're looking for."

It has to be her. Gibbs' hands were clenched into fists as he approached the bed. It has to be her.

"You have a name we can put on her file?"

"Yeah," Gibbs sighed. "Abigail Sciuto."

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TBC…

Hope it was worth the wait.