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Tony and Ziva stood with guns drawn waiting for McGee's word to pounce, while Gibbs and Jenny stood hunched over his shoulders as they all intensely stared at the monitors in anticipation of Cathy's next move.
She heard McGee say "Abby, it's almost over, just hang in there" as she felt Cathy grab her IV line. All of the thoughts and feelings she'd had about all of this consolidated into one as she secretly peered through the eyelashes of her left eye. She watched as Cathy pulled a syringe from the pocket of her nurse's uniform and plunged it into her IV with a smile.
The smile set her off. With everything that she had, in one swift movement, she sat up and brought her clenched fist across her body landing it square between Cathy's eyes. She watched in smug satisfaction as Cathy's lymph body fell to the floor.
Just as Cathy hit the floor Tony and Ziva stormed the room with Jenny and McGee only seconds behind. Gibbs stood in the doorway watching as Tony and Ziva lifted a shocked Cathy from the floor and while Jenny and McGee went to Abby's bedside, but just as he was about to make his way to her his eyes caught sight of the syringe still stuck in Abby's IV line. It was more than he could handle. He was thankful that the plan was a success, but was pissed at the implications it had, and his exclusion from it. He left the room unnoticed.
Abby sat flanked by both Jenny and McGee on her bed waiting for Cathy to be vertical again. She stood with nothing but intimidation and force and glared at Cathy as Tony and Ziva lead her from the room.
McGee nudged Abby back to her bed as Jenny was turning to the entrance "you see Jeth…"she headed into the hallway before turning back towards McGee "where's Gibbs McGee?"
"I..he was behind you."
"Huh…he must have gone to debrief the medical staff and get a doctor to check over Abby."
She could see the confusion on Abby's face "Gibbs was here, he saw this?"
"He came back to early; Tony had to pull him into our room so he didn't interrupt Cathy."
"He must've loved that."
If there was one thing that Jenny knew it was that Gibbs would've had a doctor in here by now, even if it was at gunpoint. "McGee, stay with Abby, I'll be back in a minute."
"Well, Timmy?"
"Well what?"
"Well, now seems like as good a time as any for you to start telling me what happened between you and Gibbs."
He knew it was coming, and that there was no sense in putting it off any further. "Long story short Abbs, I was trying to protect you."
"So somewhere in that MIT head of yours you thought that fighting Gibbs was protecting me?"
"I didn't go to him with the sole purpose of fighting him Abby, but when I got to him he was so nonchalant about it that it just pissed me off more. So I hit him."
"Nonchalant! Tim he was drugged!"
"I know that now, and believe me it explains a lot, but then, all I could see was how much he hurt you, and I wanted to hurt him just as much."
"It's not your place to defend me McGee, not anymore."
"Believe me Abby, I know that we're not together, and never will be again, but I still love you, and I can't just turn that off. That's why I told him that we were back together, and maybe part of it was jealousy, or wishful thinking, but I didn't want him anywhere near you!"
They sat in silence as she tried to take in everything that had happened "I'm sorry I hurt you Tim." Pausing momentarily she continued "don't get me wrong, it hurt like hell when I saw those pictures, and I love that you were there for me, but after I calmed down and really started to think about them I knew that something was wrong, and just before I left your apartment I sent them to him so he could figure it out."
She grabbed his hand causing him to look at her "I love him Tim, I guess I always have, and even though I really don't know where things are going with us right now, I need to know that you're ok with wherever it goes."
"and if I say that I'm not?"
"Then I say that I love you Tim, and I'll be here if you change your mind."
"Abby.."
"I love our friendship Tim, I love the person you are, the person you strive to be, and what you stand for. I love that you're there for me; I'd love the chance to be there for you, but I'm in love with him, and regardless of whether or not it works out between Gibbs and I, things between you and I won't change."
He knew that they had no future together anymore, but hearing her say it still hurt as much now as it did when she first told him months ago. He brought his hand to her face and thumbed her cheek "I know Abby, I know." He dropped his hand and head before continuing "when all of this first happened and it looked like the two of you would get together, I was happy for you, for both of you, and I would be again if it works out, but when I thought he hurt you I was angry at him, and I'll admit that, but I can't promise if he or anybody else does it again that I won't feel the same. I can't make that promise, and I won't apologize for it either."
"Tim, getting upset is one thing, but telling people we are together is another. I can't have you doing that anymore."
"Yeah I know that was pushing it a bit, but I didn't want him anywhere near you until you woke up and could tell him yourself."
"So, are we ok then?"
He stood and held his arms out to her before gathering her inside of them "yeah Abbs, we're ok."
She broke the hug and sat back down on her bed "have you talked to Gibbs about any of this yet?"
"Nope. It's not exactly high on my list of things I'm dying to do."
"You know Tim, maybe 'dying' isn't the right word to be using here."
He had to chuckle "you're right, maybe I'll just put in for a transfer."
They were both laughing as Jenny reentered the room alone. Abby immediately sensed something was wrong when Jenny's eyes caught hers "where's Gibbs?"
"I'm not sure Abbs" trying to change the subject "you're doctor will be in shortly to assess your condition and pull that phony IV line. You're in capable hands here, so I'm going to head back to the office."
She knew she was avoiding the subject, but wasn't going to let her off the hook "Director! Where's Gibbs?"
Jenny didn't want to have to tell her this, she knew how much Abby had at stake with Gibbs, and knew Gibbs all to well when it came to him being manipulated. She walked to stand in front of them "Abby, he's…he's gone."
"What do mean he's gone. Where'd he go?"
"I don't know Abby. He didn't go to debrief the hospital staff, he's not answering his cell phone, I talked to Tony, and he's not at NCIS, Ducky hasn't seen him, I sent agents to his house and coffee shop and he wasn't there." She didn't want to tell her the rest but knew she had too "Abby, his neighbors told the agents that he left with a small suitcase about 30 minutes ago. I don't know where he is but I'm left with the impression that he doesn't want to be found."
Abby felt her heart drop as McGee reached over to take her hand in his.
