A/N: Okay, I really wanted more reviews after chapter 5, simply because I thought that it was one of the best ones. I'm posting this only because I feel like I've sort of neglected you all in posting and I feel bad about it. Please review more... Even though the next few chapters (up 'til about Chapter 11 or 12, really) are kind of sluggish. Sorry... They had to be written in order for it to make sense... Oh- and to all of you who were shocked by Gibbs's reaction, please remember, it was only his opinion... You don't know if he's right or not. Who do you trust? Abby the unbiased scientist, or Gibbs and his infamous gut? Then again... maybe Gibbs was right...?
"Ducky, could you tell Gibbs to leave me alone please?" begged Abby as she half walked and half stormed into autopsy with Gibbs following closely on her tail.
"Ducky, tell Abby that I'm not even going to think about leaving her alone until I'm sure that she's okay," retorted Gibbs. He had already decided to let Abby have the benefit of the doubt and therefore was not going to mention his deductions on what had actually happened to her.
Ducky shook his head. "Abby, tell Jethro yourself; Jethro, tell Abby yourself. You're civilized adults, not mindless teenagers."
"Well, actually Ducky, that's debatable because-"
"Abby, you know Gibbs is only doing this because he cares, though even I have to admit that he's got a funny way of showing it." Ducky gave Gibbs a pointed look. "Jethro, leave poor Abby to me… I promise you that the second I get the results, I'll call you, okay?"
"Sorry Duck, no can do. The art of compromise won't work this time," Gibbs decided firmly.
Ducky studied him for several minutes before finally answering. "Very well Jethro, provided that Abby gives her consent, of course." He looked to Abby for her permission.
"Do I really have a choice in the matter?" she asked good naturedly, even though she was only half-kidding.
"No," replied Gibbs.
"Of course you do!" Ducky assured her at the same time.
Abby giggled in spite of her self and then sighed when she realized that she really did have to make a decision. There was no point in arguing with Gibbs when he was in one of his moods such as he was now… Bad things would happen if she made an attempt, she was sure. "Fine, he can stay…" She grinned. "As long as he behaves himself, of course," she teased.
"In other words, play nicely Jethro…"
"Yeah, yeah, I get it you two, thanks," retorted Gibbs, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
Ducky chose to ignore his friend and turned to Abby, who was feeling bad for ignoring her boss. "Alright my dear, hop up," he ordered, indicating the cold metal table. "Perhaps if you're a good girl, we can arrange a lollipop or some other treat, okay?"
Abby grinned and lifted herself onto Ducky's autopsy table.
"She's going to freeze up there Ducky!" objected Gibbs. He had slept on that same table countless times in the past, and it was always unbearably cold. Until you got used to it, of course, but he didn't want her to be cold at all.
"And what exactly do you propose that we do about that Jethro?"
Gibbs hadn't thought about that. All he knew was that he wasn't about to let Abby lie on an enlarged, cold metal dissecting tray. He searched the autopsy suite with his eyes and came up with absolutely nothing. He looked down at himself and shrugged. Oh well, when he had said that he would do anything for Abby, he hadn't been kidding. "Here," he replied, handing Ducky his black overcoat.
Abby looked at him sternly. "No way! Gibbs, I can't take your jacket; now you're going to freeze!" She swung her legs nervously.
"Yeah? Well, better me than you."
"Ducky! Please tell Gibbs to put his jacket thingy back on!" demanded Abby stubbornly. Maybe she couldn't make Gibbs do what she wanted, but she knew that Ducky could, if he was so inclined.
"Abby, you know I can't make him do something he doesn't want to do; especially not if I agree with him. You know how stubborn he is," Ducky reminded her. "Now, shell we continue? Or, rather, shall we begin?"
Abby nodded, still swinging her legs back and forth.
"Very well, I'll be right back, okay?"
She nodded again, lost in her own little world inside of her head where her thoughts were swimming in and out of her view. Mental note to Abby: Clean out your head!
Ducky returned soon after pressing numerous buttons and flipping several switches.
"Hey Ducky, who's going to play the part of the nurse?" she asked as the whirs of machinery coming to life filled the room.
He came back to her and there was suddenly a light or something that looked suspiciously like the ones that the dentist used. If Abby hadn't been so jumpy and slightly worried, she almost definitely would've asked what it was. But, naturally, she was too distracted.
"To answer your question my dear, I was going to play the part of the doctor and the nurse… But I suppose if you really want a nurse, we could make an attempt to get Gibbs to do it for us." Ducky shrugged. "But if he needs persuading, I think I'd better let you handle that one."
Abby grinned. "Fair enough… Please be the nurse Gibbs?"
Gibbs looked at her puppy dog face with the obviously fake trembling of her bottom lip. Still, she looked so sweet and endearing. He chuckled. "Wow, do I actually get to make a decision down here? In which case, I'd better not take advantage of the situation or abuse my privileges. So yes, I agree to be the nurse."
Abby bit her lip. "Well, the term 'nurse' sounds a bit too feminine, especially for you, so how about we use the term 'assistant' instead?"
"Good point," admitted Gibbs. He didn't even want to think about Kate or Tony's reaction to him being a 'nurse'.
"Well my dear, as I tend to work mainly with the dead as opposed to the living, I don't exactly have the necessary things to take your blood pressure with, nor do I have a stethoscope. So we'll have to skip your breathing and blood pressure, and all of that for now. And I know how much you hate being poked and prodded, so we'll skip straight to the X-rays, alright?"
She shrugged casually. "Hey, this is your area of expertise. Besides, I trust you Ducky…"
Ducky looked away, not wanting her to see how such a casual comment affected him. God, he loved her so much. Not in a sick, perverted way, but just as a father looking out for his little girl. He was going to kill McGee…