Chapter 9
Abby sat at her desk and stared at the results; she crossed over to the other side of the room and turned down her CD player. Slowly she picked up her phone, checking her watch as she did so, silently working out the time difference as she waited for the call to connect.
She heard the male voice answer with a distracted air and wondered what he was doing.
"Hey gruesome" she said softly, waiting as the often distracted mind of Gil Grissom processed who was calling him.
"Abby" she heard him say, his tone changing to what passed as pleased for him.
She heard the pause on his end of the line before he spoke again.
"Are you ok?" he asked, his tone telling her he had noticed something was the matter. It was the small things that made Gil a fantastic CSI, things like recognising tone inflections in people.
"No" Abby said softly "But I will be" she added on, knowing that he was to far away in Vegas to be worrying about her. "I need a favour" she said coming to the point of her call, in an unusually fast manner for Abby.
"Ok" Gil responded instantly, fewer words were his style as opposed to Abby's verbal diarrhoea. "If I can" he added on with his usual reserve and innate carefulness.
"If I send you some samples, can you get your lab to double check them for me?" She asked as her eyes drifted down to stare at the slide that held a sample of Gibbs's blood.
Abby could almost picture Gil sitting at his desk at CSI Las Vegas; she found herself smiling slightly as she saw him sitting at his desk with a slightly troubled expression on his face, his eyes narrowed and his head tilted slightly.
"Ok, but first you tell me why" Gil asked gently.
Abby hung up the phone, and knew that she had done the right thing in calling Grissom. When they caught whoever had done this to Gibbs she wanted to make damn sure that they wouldn't be able to use her relationship as a technicality. And Gil was the best. She had attended a guest lecture he presented whilst she was in college, and they had found a mutual admiration for each other that had remained to this day.
Abby stood up and stretched out her muscles, almost touching the floor behind her in her stretch, then deciding impishly to go all the way and turned the stretch into a back limber and handstand. As Abby came upright she turned and stared about her, wondering whether to call it quits for awhile, and head out to the hospital to see Gibbs. But as she did so her eye caught sight of an empty Caf Pow cup in the corner of the lab. Slowly Abby approached it. Her mind racing ahead of her she quickly spun on her heel and headed for her computer station instead.
Her hands flew over her keys as she pulled up a computer programme that she had used a few times before. She paused for a few seconds, conjuring up in her mind an image of a redhead, and then quickly she manipulated keys and mouse to produce an image of the woman from the coffee shop. After about 20 minutes of tweaking and manipulating it she sat back and stared at a good likeness of Rose Stellar. With a surety and strength of conviction Abby hit the print key and waited while the printer churned out a paper copy of the woman she knew had poisoned Gibbs. Know all they had to do was find her and prove it, she thought with satisfaction. Never doubting that they would, that Rose Stellar would pay for what she had done to Gibbs.
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Abby ran out of the elevator at a dead run, nearly crashing into the group of people waiting to board it.
"Sorry" she threw over her shoulder as she carried on at full speed to the area that Gibbs and his team inhabited. She skidded to a halt as she reached Liz's desk, not registering the two people standing in front of it.
"This is her, this is the carrot that poisoned Gibbs" she blurted out, thrusting the sheet of paper in her hand out to Liz. Unable to stand still, Abby hopped from foot to foot, not taking any notice of anything around her.
"This is the woman that Gibbs and I helped the other day, and I knew then that there was something totally hinky about her. Just knew it" she added on more to herself than to anyone else.
"Gibbs told me that she bought him a coffee yesterday, and I just bet that the red headed witch poisoned him." She continued, pacing to Tony's empty desk and back before finally noticing the two men standing at Liz's desk. Abby halted in mid stride, her feet planted at odd angles but managing to stay upright, before standing almost to attention.
"Director Morrow" she said with a big grin, unperturbed by his frown. "I know it's her" she added on, nodding at the paper Liz handed over to him. Morrow took the sheet and stared at it, not saying anything as he handed it to FBI special agent Fornell.
"Julie Writer" Fornell said quietly handing back the sheet to Abby "FBI agent working undercover, she's one of the good guys" he said with concern in his eyes for Abby.
Abby stared at the image of the woman she knew as Rose Stellar, then back at the trio before her.
"No she isn't" she said softly, with conviction "She poisoned Gibbs" she said her eyes flashing her anger.
"Do you have any proof?" Morrow asked Abby, his tone rich and smooth as he frowned at Abby. He was aware of the relationship between Gibbs and this young woman, had even asked Gibbs if it was a wise course of action. But Gibbs's reaction and answer had made him decide to turn a blind eye to it, now he wondered if he had done the right thing.
"No but I will" Abby said, her chin lifting slightly in defiance. Her black eye lined eyes showing her determination and conviction as Morrow stared at her, assessing her.
"You have 24 hours" Morrow said, his tone brooking no argument.
"She's FBI" Fornell said, his tone indicating that he thought this was a stupid idea. "You're just wasting your time" he said as he turned to Abby, his eyes taking in everyone else as well.
"My time to waste" Abby snapped back, not willing to back down, a slight grin creeping up her face "And it will give me loads of cool experience in case I want to join the FBI" she told him, her meaning clear that she thought he FBI wasted a lot of time. Morrow struggled to keep the grin of his face as he turned to leave, snapping out "24 hours" as he went, his grin finally breaking out when he had his back to them all. He now knew what Gibbs saw in the strange woman, he thought to himself chuckling slightly under his breath.
Fornell stared coldly at Abby for a moment before turning pointedly to Liz
"I came to offer the services of the FBI, but if you want to waste your time on a dead end, then you don't need my help. Call me in 24 hours" he said as he turned to leave, shooting Abby another cold look.
"You have spent too much time with Gibbs Miss Sciuto" he told Abby angrily.
Abby just grinned at him and took a bow.
"Why thank you for such a cool compliment" she informed his sweetly, her grin growing as he marched away from her.
Abby turned to Liz, her face suddenly very serious.
"So where do we start Boss lady" she said with a serious face, her tone however showing that she was in for this ride all the way, and would enjoy proving them all wrong. "Let's get the carrot FBI poison lady."
Liz stared at her in silence, not sure if she agreed with this course of action. She sighed as she stared at the photo before her, deciding to trust Abby's instincts, at least for now.
"Let's go get a cup of coffee." She said, wishing that they hadn't just alienated Fornell, knowing that their job had just got harder because of it.
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Fornell stormed out of the NCIS building, his anger fuelling his steps as he made his way to his FBI issue dark blue sedan.
"Trust Gibbs to pick her" he muttered to himself as he slammed his key ring out of his pocket, before hitting the unlock button with enough force to hurt his own hand.
He opened the driver's door and slid behind the wheel. Fornell sat there staring out of the window for a few moments before starting the car and heading out of the underground garage.
He drove with more speed than was perhaps necessary, heading across town and cursing Gibbs and his team as he drove.
Fornell finally arrived at his destination surprised that he was already there, most of the journey having passed in a blur of anger.
Fornell got out his car and made his way into the building and heading towards the elevators. He made his way to the floor he wanted without stopping to talk to anyone, concentrating only on his reason for being there.
"Fornell" Tony greeted as he looked up from his position outside of Gibbs's room. He had been unable to stay in there just watching his friend lie there silent and unmoving. It had been somehow unnerving and creepy to watch Gibbs sleep, almost as if he was a peeping tom of some kind. And so Tony had opted for maintaining his watch from outside just popping in for a few minutes every so often. Ostensibly to make sure that all was secure, but in truth because he wanted to make sure Gibbs was still breathing.
"DiNozzo" Fornell greeted, his anger having dissipated somewhat now that he was at the hospital. "Can I go in?" he queried not because he wanted Tony's permission but because he didn't want to walk in with a nurse and a needle. Fornell refused to admit to anyone that he was terrified of needles.
Tony stared at Fornell for a moment, wanting to refuse him permission but knowing that Gibbs would want to visit Fornell if the tables were turned.
"Yeah, but if anything happens to him, I know where to find you" he couldn't help needling the FBI agent.
"Funny" Fornell muttered as he stepped past Tony and entered the room.
Fornell entered the room and paused inside the doorway, checking the room out before turning his attention to the man in the bed. It was a well appointed room he noted, wasted on Gibbs he thought somewhat snidely. But what caught and held his attention most was just how much equipment was in it. This was a room designed for someone in a critical condition he thought sadly. Slowly and with more strength then he would of thought he needed he turned and looked at his nemesis and friend.
"Jesus" he whispered in silent prayer and curse at the sight of the normally commanding and intimidating Gibbs. He took in the pallor and sunken quality to his skin, and the tubes and wires attached to various parts of his body.
He hesitantly stepped forward to get a closer look at Gibbs, his breath sucking in at the fear that closer inspection brought. Fornell stood staring for what seemed like an age, his heart racing in fear and mounting anger. This was Gibbs lying in this bed, and someone had deliberately but him there.
Fornell could accept a bullet wound, or an injury obtained in the line of duty, but this had been poison. To him it was the action of a coward, someone not willing to take on Gibbs fairly. It was the action of someone who had to sneak around and not give the man a fighting chance. Fornell felt his anger increase exponentially at whoever had done this to his friend.
Without a word Fornell spun on his heel and left the room, anger once more fuelling his actions as he re-traced his steps.