Just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone for such awesome reviews:) Especially gsr4ever, sparkiebunny, ncischick09, jgomez921, STLFAN, Cutezipie, Betherzz (All my regulars that keep me going!) and lareinaSelena, Phlanges1, NerdGurl89, JoyBean (newer fans!) (OMG fans! That just made me grin wildly!) Anyway, you all keep me typing and smiling and happy to do it! Thanks so much, and hope you enjoy!
Tony quietly entered Abby's hospital room, surprised to see that Ziva wasn't there, and that Abby was wide awake and staring up at the ceiling. "Hey, Abby," he smiled as he approached the bed. Abby glanced in his direction, then sat straight up in the bed and reached over to hug him. He sunk down to sit on the edge of the bed as he held her. "How are you feeling?" he asked, and felt her gently pull away and give him the 'okay' thumbs up.
He swallowed and glanced over at the side table, noticing a legal pad and pen. "Where'd Ziva go? Do you know?" he looked at her again and she reached out to grab the pad and pen and started jotting something down.
More coffee and to check on you and Tim.
"Oh. Well, I guess she'll figure out what's happened once she gets in there. He woke up, by the way," he told her. She gave a relieved smile. "I know Gibbs didn't tell you the whole story," he began as he looked down at his lap. "But I think you deserve to know..." she cocked her head at him. "McGee went to Sampson's house to kill him," he looked back at her. "But he wasn't supposed to be there at all. He was supposed to be home, sleeping..." he continued the short story, trying to read her expression as he went.
As he finished, she looked down at the pen in her hand for a long moment. She couldn't decide how to respond, and was frustrated that she wasn't able to ramble like she normally would be right now. The usual way she would sort out the massive amounts of thoughts that floated through her mind was to spit out as many of them as she could in one breath. But getting them out onto paper wasn't going to happen...it was another thing she would have to concentrate on, and the thoughts had taken up all of that capacity.
Eventually, she set the pen down and pulled Tony into another hug. It was strange to feel her body sobbing against him, but hear no voicing of tears. "I'm sorry, Abs..." he said. "Sorry for everything...it's not fair..." he felt her squeeze him tighter before loosening her grasp and backing out of the hug. He furrowed a brow when he saw the tears on her face and he reached for a tissue, "Don't cry," he said in barely a whisper as he began wiping them away. Then he smirked as he recalled the last movie they had watched together. "Ery tings gon be ary," he said. This earned him a huge smile.
She recalled the moment in 'Meet Joe Black' when Death had spoken to the dying woman in the hospital. It meant 'everything's going to be alright'. She started writing on her pad of paper and he watched as she scribbled.
Can I go see him?
"He's sleeping right now," he told her. "He's been up for two days, so we should let him sleep," he watched as she scribbled.
I can't sleep till I know he's okay.
He smirked, understanding completely how that felt. "I don't think I can get you outta here, Abby," he motioned to all the monitors and IV line she was hooked up to. She cocked her jaw at him and squinted. "Okay, I'll ask the nurse if it's possible, alright?"
"Hey, Ziva," McGee startled her as she entered the room.
"McGee! You are awake!" she grinned and went to his bedside. "Where is Tony?"
"I told him to go home 'cause I was just gonna go back to sleep."
"I probably missed him then," she said. "He probably went up to see Abby after I left to get coffee." His gaze fell back up to the ceiling. "Why are you not asleep, then?" she asked.
"I dunno..."
"He told you about Abby..." she concluded. She watched his eyes dart a bit before settling back on the ceiling.
"Not fair what happened to her..." he said and his gaze drifted somewhere in front of him.
"She is going to be okay," she said, setting her coffee down and laying her warm hand over his. He looked up at her.
"Can you imagine," he said in barely a whisper, "Experiencing what she did, and remembering it?" his brow furrowed. "She's gotta be freaking out inside...and she can't express it," he looked away again. Ziva considered his words. She didn't know how to respond. But she was pulled from her thoughts as she heard the door open.
"Oh, good, you're still up," Tony said as he wheeled Abby into the room. "Someone wanted to see you."
"Abby!" McGee sat up in the bed, wincing and grabbing his head. Ziva went to help him, "No, I'm okay," he said and Abby sprung up from the chair and went to him, giving him a big hug. His arms went around her back; his eyes drifted closed as he felt the warmth of her, her breathing and her heartbeat a reminder that she was okay.
Tony and Ziva stood against the wall next to each other, watching them communicate. Abby scribbled on the pad and Tim would ask questions of his own after answering hers. Tony shared small happy glances with Ziva as their faith in life seemed to climb a few notches.
After a few minutes, McGee was unable to stifle a yawn. Abby straightened and glanced over at Tony.
"Okay, Probie, visiting hours are over," he said as he went to help Abby back to her chair. McGee willingly laid back down in his bed and looked at Abby.
"See you tomorrow, Abs," he smiled. She returned the smile before she was turned in the chair toward the door. As they left, Ziva came to get her coffee from the table.
"You will be able to sleep now, yes?" she smirked at him.
"I think so," he grinned.
Gibbs woke up as sunlight filled his bedroom, and he glanced at the clock. Seven, already, he sprang up from his bed and headed toward the shower. He glanced at his cell to see if he'd missed any calls, before reaching to turn on the water.
As the hot water beat down on his tense shoulders, his eyes drifted closed. His thoughts drifted immediately to Abby, and he recalled the dream he'd had that night. A smile played on his lips as he recalled that she'd spoken to him...he remembered her voice clearly. God did he miss that voice...
He quickly washed his hair and body and turned off the water before stepping out and grabbing a towel. His cell phone began to chirp as he wrapped the blue cloth around himself and dried his hands before picking it up.
"Yeah, Gibbs."
"Good morning, Jethro," Ducky sounded on the other line, "Thought I'd let you know the doctors have scheduled Abigail for surgery."
"Surgery for what?" he felt a churn in his gut.
"To remove the trach tube, and do a second procedure on the larynx. I sent Ziva and Anthony home. I'll be sitting with Timothy once they Abby to prep."
"What time is the surgery?"
"In an hour. Don't worry yourself, Jethro. She'll be fine."
"I know, Duck. But I need to be there..."
Gibbs couldn't recall ever having encountered as much traffic in all his life. Between school buses and an accident on Arlington, it took him thirty minutes to get to the hospital. And another five to find a parking spot in the garage.
But it only took him a few minutes to get up to Abby's room from there, and when he walked in, Abby was being talked to by a surgeon and a nurse. Abby was signing, and he realized the nurse was translating for the surgeon. He stood against the wall as he waited for them to finish. From where he was, he couldn't see their hands, but he listened to the nurse and surgeon.
"Will I be able to speak again?" the nurse interpreted. Gibbs' heart sank at the question.
"We'll only know after you've completely healed," the doctor told her.
"How long will that take?"
"Maybe two weeks...possibly not that long. But we'll know for sure by then." There was some silence. "Some nurses will be in shortly to bring you down for prep in the O.R, okay?" Abby nodded nervously. "I'll see you in a little while," he said and he and the nurse made their way out of the room.
Abby's eyes met Gibbs' as he approached the side of the bed. He could sense the apprehension on her face.
"I'm scared," she signed.
"Don't be. It'll be okay," he signed as he sat down on the bed.
"I don't want to be under the knife again, Gibbs." He squinted, understanding now what she was afraid of.
"They're not gonna hurt you. They're gonna help you. Don't be afraid," he stopped signing when a tear fell to her cheek, and he wiped it with his thumb. "Abs, you'll be okay. I'm gonna be here the whole time. I won't let anything happen to you." Her eyes searched his as he lead her to lay back down on her pillow.
Some nurses came into the room, ready to move her out, and Gibbs stood from the bed. He felt Abby's hand around his wrist and he looked at her face. It was begging him to stay. He leaned down close to her face and kissed her cheek, "I love you," he whispered in her ear and kissed her againbefore standing up. Her hand loosened its grasp and he pulled his wrist free as the nurses took both sides of the bed and released the wheel-brakes.
As they wheeled her out, he watched Abby sign, "I love you, too," before disappearing out the door. His gaze fell to the floor. She hadn't understood exactly what he meant...but he wasn't going to chase after them now. It wasn't the right time. And he had to keep reminding himself that this wasn't goodbye. She was going to be fine. This isn't goodbye...
"Hey, Ducky," McGee looked up from his breakfast tray as Doctor Mallard entered the room. "What're you doing here?"
"Just came to sit here with you, Timothy. How are you feeling?" he asked as he sat in the chair next to his bed.
"Besides a pounding headache? Pretty good, actually. How's Abby?" he asked as he took a bite of his toast.
"She's doing quite well," Ducky replied. "She's going into surgery soon; they'll be finishing with repairing her larynx."
"She's going into surgery now? This morning?" he seemed nervous. Ducky nodded, though he was concerned by Tim's sudden look of fear.
"Can I go see her before they start?"
"I'm afraid it's a bit late for that," he said, "But don't worry. They're very capable surgeons. She'll be fine." McGee nervously scratched underneath the bandage on his head. Ducky leaned forward in the chair and patted Tim's knee. "Abigail is a very strong woman," he reassured him, "Look at what she's come through. Same old Abby the very next day after such a traumatic event." McGee looked at him as he considered his words. "Whatever it is you think you need to tell her, I'm sure she already knows." After a moment, McGee gave him a small smile.
Ducky leaned back in his chair as he observed the lad. "So, tell me, Timothy," he said. "How is your memory of last night?" McGee blinked a few times to clear his head.
"Well," he began, "I've been thinking about it since I got up this morning. I remember being at the house. I remember earlier in the day, decided that that was what I was going to do. But what happened in between, I can't seem to put my finger on it. I don't remember leaving NCIS or where I parked the car. Don't even remember getting into the house at all. I just remember turning on the light and aiming my gun..."
"May I ask, when you made this decision, did you think about what might have happened, had you been successful?" Tim looked back at the doctor.
"At the time, I had no hope left that Abby would ever wake up," he said as his gaze drifted somewhere else between them. "Killing Sampson was...supposed to avenge her somehow." Ducky looked at McGee with an understanding beyond words.
"As valiant as that may have seemed, killing him would have been giving him the easy way out. I'm sure you're just as relieved that you managed to escape the situation with a bump on the head and perhaps some bruised pride."
"I'm glad Tony didn't kill me," he said, "Other then the obvious reason that I don't exactly wanna be dead, Tony would...well you know him."
"Yes, I was thinking the same. He would never have forgiven himself." The room grew silent for a few long moments.
"How long will Abby be in surgery?"
"Though I'm not sure to the extent of the injury, the surgeon who will be performing the procedure takes a great deal of care in his work. My estimation would be no longer then a couple of hours," he looked down at his watch. "Would you fancy a card game?" he pulled a deck from his pocket and received a grin from his friend.
Tony and Ziva had driven up and down the streets surrounding the Sampson residence in search for McGee's car, to no avail. "Perhaps he took a cab?" Ziva suggested.
"Maybe...we could go to the office and search his phone records. See if he called for one."
"Are you still okay to drive?" she asked. "Maybe we should go home and sleep a little before we continue." He glanced over at her with a smirk.
"The next time I get into bed with you, I don't intend to leave it for a very long time," he said it smoothly, with only a hint of DiNozzo charm. The corner of her mouth turned up at him. "I promised I'd figure out what happened to McForgetful's car. After I do, and bring him his bag, I promise I will be more than happy to spend the rest of the day in bed."
She laughed through her nose. He loved when she laughed through her nose. "We should hurry up and find it then..."
"Uh, Ducky..." Tim said as his grip on the cards tightened. Duck looked up at his face as McGee's eyes squeezed shut.
"Headache?" he asked.
"Feels like someone's stabbing me in the head," he squeaked out.
"I'll go see if it's time for more painkillers. You lie down," he said as he stood. Tim didn't argue. He dropped the cards, blindly, to the table and held onto his head as he slowly lowered himself down to his pillow on his side.
It seemed like a lifetime before the pain subsided...before he could stand to open his eyes again. And when he did, he saw Gibbs sitting beside the bed in the chair. "When did you get here?" Tim asked.
"'Bout twenty minutes ago," he replied.
"They gave you some morphine in your IV," Ducky said, Tim turning to see him as he came in. "They ran an MRI to make sure there weren't any serious complications."
"How long have I been out?" he seemed to panic, "I feel like I just laid my head down for a few minutes..."
"The mind sometimes has a funny way of interpreting pain, Timothy," he said as he came around to the side of his bed. "It's been a little over an hour since I first left to get the nurse. Your MRI came back showing no abnormalities. You simply required a better form of pain management."
"Seems to be working," McGee said as he pushed himself up a bit to sit.
"Tony called," Gibbs said. "He's on his way here with your overnight bag."
"He found my car?"
"Never left NCIS," Gibbs said, "Apparently you caught a cab to get to the Sampsons residence." He watched McGee's face as his eyes began to blink rapidly. "You okay, McGee?"
"I think I remember being in the cab," he said. Then he turned to Gibbs, "Boss, I'm sorry about-"
"Don't gotta explain it to me," Gibbs stopped him. "I understand." McGee shot a confused look at his boss, to which Gibbs smirked. "But if you ever do anything like that again-"
"It won't happen again, Boss..." he interrupted.
"McGee!" Tony came into the room with a grin on his face, "Boss said you were out of it when I called. Everything okay?"
"Yeah, just a headache, but I'm good now." Tony set the overnight bag down on the side table.
"Good," Tony said, seemingly a bit anxious as he stood with his hands on his hips. Gibbs noticed the finicky state of his agent.
"Somethin' botherin' you, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked.
"Just slipping slowly into a pit of delirium, Boss," he smiled. "Three hours of sleep in the last three days... Not as young as I used to be."
"Do I gotta shoot ya to get you to go home and sleep?" Gibbs cocked his head.
"No, Boss," he scratched his head and furrowed his brow. Gibbs realized that he'd taken offense at the remark. He glanced at McGee who had a blank look on his face when he'd seen Tony's reaction. Gibbs ran a hand down his face.
"Didn't mean it like that," he said. Tony smirked in his direction, a bit sheepishly. "Go home. We've got things covered here."
"Kay," he said. "I'll be by again in the morning," he turned to Tim, "If you need anything just call me." McGee nodded to him with a small smile, and Tony left the room. Gibbs glanced over at Ducky who was just getting off the phone.
"That was the surgeon," Ducky told him. "Abigail is out of surgery..."
More to come tomorrow—sorry it's taking me forever to update (for me anyway lol).