Chapter 27
Gibbs pushed his drink away and stood up; he looked down at Liz silently for a moment, before walking out of the bar. Liz watched him go, knowing that Gibbs was in his own personal hell. She sat back and took another sip of her drink and wondered how she would react if she found out she was more like her enemy than she thought possible. Liz put her elbow on the table and leant her head in the palm of her hand. Perhaps that was the problem she thought, perhaps everyone was more like their enemy than they believed. She smiled at something her father had told her when she joined the army, something he had told her never to forget, and something she had forgotten. One mans resistance fight is another's treason, one mans holy war is another's terrorist action. And he was right, she thought, nothing was ever black and white because every truth and wrong had two interpretations, two sides. And Gibbs had just met his other side head on.
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Gibbs walked along the corridor slowly, his mind turning over what Liz had said to him. He felt the bourbon begin to take hold and damned himself for being every kind of fool. He stopped as he heard Tony and McGee's voice, talking quietly with the woman, Shirleen. He walked over to the waiting room and entered silently, ashamed at the way Tony looked at him with nervous eyes. Gibbs squared his shoulders and walked in, none of his emotions showing. He crossed over to where Tony stood with Shirleen, McGee to the right of them.
"You ok boss?" Tony asked softly, breaking away from the other two, Gibbs just nodded.
"About what happened…?" Gibbs started to say, not sure where he was going with this. Tony smiled sadly,
"Yeah, look, I'm sorry boss, I was out of line with my comment" Tony said sincerely, "I deserved it" he added on. Gibbs just stared at the young man silently, the respect he already felt for him growing.
"No you didn't" Gibbs said softly, his eyes searching Tony's for a moment before he turned and left the room again.
Shirleen watched the by-play silently; as Gibbs left she made her excuses to McGee and followed him into the corridor.
"Agent Gibbs" Shirleen called out, wanting to speak to him before he reached Abby's room. Hearing her voice Gibbs sighed and turned around.
"Ma'am" he greeted her courteously, inside seething at the delay.
"Oh honey, don't you Ma'am me it's Shirleen or Shir for my good friends" she informed him linking her arm through his. "and I wont keep you for long, cos I'm just sure y want to get in to see that pretty little filly" she told him, fluttering her impossibly long eyelashes at him. Gibbs remained silent, hoping that if he didn't participate in the conversation it would end quicker.
"I just wanted to tell you not to hurt that sweet little girl in there" she told him softly, her blue eyes under the shocking blue eye shadow suddenly serious. "I'm properly sticking my nose where it sure don't belong, but I always have, and I always will. But that little girl sure is in love with you honey. She wouldn't stop talking about you in the car, telling me that you would come and get her, and everything would be ok when you got there." Shirleen said softly, smiling as she looked Gibbs up and down "and I don't blame her" she grinned "but she sure don't think you are." Shirleen added turning serious again. Gibbs stared at the woman before him in shock, not sure whether to laugh, listen or shoot her. "I've missed too many boats to let that girl do the same thing, so you go in there and you make her all better, y'hear?" Shirleen told Gibbs, turning him towards Abby's door, and patting his backside for good measure, before walking off down the corridor.
Gibbs stood there in shock, sure that he had just hallucinated the strange women; Swearing that he was never going to set foot in Texas again, just in case he met her there. Gibbs shook his head and slowly crossed to Abby's room, growling in frustration as his phone began to ring.
"Gibbs" he snapped angrily into the phone as he answered it, his eyes searching the corridor for any hospital staff who would tell him to turn it off.
"Hello Gibbs" Ari greeted him calmly. "How is Abby?" he asked seemingly in genuine concern.
"Go to hell you bastard" Gibbs growled down the phone, stepping back from Abby's door and searching for a more private location, settling on an empty room across the hallway.
"I am sure I will one day, but not yet Gibbs" Ari informed him, his tone neutral and calm, in stark contrast to the seething anger in Gibbs's. "Again, how is Abby?" Ari continued.
"She's just fine, no thanks to you," Gibbs ground out slowly gaining control of his anger.
"Ah but it is thanks to me Gibbs, Abby would be dead if it were not for me" Ari responded "I cared for your injured Abby and I made sure she had every opportunity to escape my 'friends'." Ari paused, a smile in his voice. "Although I did not expect her to jump out of a moving truck" he said with admiration "She truly is a remarkable woman Gibbs, you are a very lucky man"
"What the hell do you want Ari?" Gibbs asked, wanting to smash the phone to pieces every time Ari said Abby's name.
"To meet with you" Ari said softly.