Author's Note: Why hello there! I'm back again with another installment of "Lonely Lullaby." I really hope you love it!
I'll dissolve when the rain pours in,
When the nightmares take me
I will scream with the howling wind,
Because it's a bitter world,
And I'd rather dream
"I'm sorry. We weren't able to bring her back."
"No… That has to be a mistake. Are you sure? Abby Sciuto?"
"I'm sorry."
"But you have to try again!"
"We've done everything in our power, Mr. McGee. I'm sorry, but she's dead."
The words in his mind jolted him upright out of his chair, away from his nightmare, and he awakened with a gasp and cold sweat beading at the threshold of his forehead.
He swallowed and looked to Abby; she seemed to be sleeping peacefully. Relieved, he took a deep breath.
A firm hand pressed into his shoulder, and he looked up. "Hey, Boss," he greeted Gibbs dryly, his eyes blank and emotionless.
"Why don't you go and grab something to eat?" Gibbs suggested. "I'll take over until you get back."
McGee shrugged halfheartedly. "I'm not really hungry…" he lied.
Gibbs sighed. "I figured you wouldn't wanna leave." He fished a pack of Nutter Butters out of his pocket and held it out in front of McGee.
McGee gave him a confused look.
Gibbs shrugged. "Just in case you get hungry."
McGee warily accepted it and placed it on his lap. "Thanks."
Gibbs made his way to the other side of Abby and looked down at her, crossing his arms. "Hey there," he smiled at her, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "How are you?"
"She's not about to reply," McGee bit sarcastically.
Gibbs took a deep breath and blew it out. "Yeah. Yeah, I know."
"I think I'm going to take another walk," McGee decided out loud.
Gibbs nodded. "I'll stay with her."
McGee pushed himself off his chair and exited the hospital, where he was met by a refreshingly light sprinkle of rain falling from the sky.
He paced the length of the hospital a few times as the light rain grew heavier and heavier, until finally it turned into sheets as it came down.
"I'm so stupid," he muttered to himself as a clap of thunder sounded loudly above him. "You should've been with her. It should've been you."
Moments later, he heard a car engine around the corner.
Heart beating fast, he waited for the exact moment the driver would be most vulnerable- the moment when the car would be speeding around the sidewalk fastest.
Without another thought, he dashed out to meet the bright headlights of the car, rolling into the glass while simultaneously smashing it.
The last thing McGee saw was a pair of shiny black loafers- Gibbs' shoes- approaching him, and with that, his vision went blurry and he blacked out.
-6:30 p.m., West Wing of the hospital-
"Ugh," McGee groaned quietly as the harsh hospital lights violated his eyes.
Guarding his eyes with his hand, he blinked rapidly to greet the image of Tony's face staring down at him.
"You took quite the spill, Probie." Tony tapped his finger on the edge of McGee's bed.
McGee shot up like a rocket, provoking his oncoming migraine. "Abby," he breathed, wincing. "Where's Abby?"
"She's still in pretty much the same condition," Tony informed him bitterly. "Don't you want to know how the driver's doing? You ended up in his lap."
McGee muttered a few curses under his breath. "Get me out of here," he demanded, turning his head wildly, completely ignoring Tony.
Tony shrugged. "You have to be cleared by a doctor first."
McGee glared at him. "Do you think I give a damn? Quite frankly, I really don't. So get me out of this stupid dress and give me my clothes."
"There were glass shards up your asshole, so I suggest you wait until they remove them." Tony smirked.
McGee wriggled for a moment, then stared back up at him. "They're gone."
Tony sighed and shook his head. "There really is no stopping you," he muttered, handing McGee his clothes.
"It's about damn time," McGee mumbled. He quickly switched from the airy hospital gown into his slacks and half-buttoned shirt. He stalked down the hallway as fast as he could and stopped dead in front of Abby's room.
"Is she okay?" McGee asked, his eyes frantic.
The nurse looked up at him. "Have you been cleared by a doctor yet?" she eyed him warily.
He dismissed her question and jabbed his pointer finger in Abby's direction. "Is she okay?"
The nurse took a deep breath and read off a clipboard. "We heavily dosed her with anesthesia and managed to remove a vast majority of the glass shards that were impaled into her cerebral cortex. The doctor has also somehow repaired most of the nerves in her neck. She'll be just fine, actually, from what I'm seeing."
On impulse, McGee scooped up the nurse in his arms and kissed her hard on the forehead. "Thank you… Thank you!"
He ran down the hallway and met Tony, who was standing closely next to Ziva.
"You look well, Timothy," Ziva offered after a moment of silence.
"She… She's gonna be okay…" McGee managed. He sank to his knees in the middle of the hall.
Tony and Ziva knelt down next to him, unable to contain the wide grins spreading on their faces.
"Everything's gonna be okay," Tony smiled widely. They helped McGee up and leaned him against the wall.
Gibbs walked up to the trio huddled on the wall. "I'm assuming you heard?" he addressed McGee stoically, sipping his black coffee.
McGee looked down and cleared his throat nervously. "Yeah… Yeah, I did. She's gonna be just fine…" he let out breathily.
"When do they estimate she will be out?" Ziva inquired, folding her arms over her chest.
Gibbs sipped from his coffee again and shrugged. "It might be a week until she comes out of the hospital. But the good thing is that she's gonna be just fine."
"For… Abby Sciuto?" a younger nurse- most likely an intern, walked past them.
McGee leaped and stood straight, staring the young intern in the eye intently. "What's the news?"
"Miss Sciuto is resting now, and she has to go through a few sessions of laser therapy with a resident physical therapist, but other than that, she'll be out of here in at least a week," the nurse explained.
A smile broke out on Gibbs' face. He shook the nurses hand, and Tony and Ziva followed suit.
McGee was stunned. Just as the nurse was walking away, he turned to Gibbs, Tony, and Ziva, who were rejoicing with hugs.
Ziva motioned him in, but he shook his head. "There's something I need to do, and I need to do it now," he began, "You guys know I love Abby, with all my heart. You also know that I would never do anything to hurt her," he directed his gaze at Gibbs.
Tony raised an eyebrow. "Is this going where I think it's going, Probie?"
McGee wetted his lips and nodded. "I'm going to ask her t-to marry me," he managed.
Ziva began to clap and threw her arms around McGee's neck. "Oh, Timothy! Congratulations. You're a wonderful man- Abby is very lucky," she smiled.
Tony stood still for a moment, but an even brighter smile spread onto his face. He clapped McGee's shoulder, pulling him into a hug. "I don't know what to say… Congratulations," Tony said eagerly.
McGee nodded, then turned to Gibbs. "Boss?"
Gibbs looked at him apprehensively for a moment, then broke out into a smile and nodded quickly. "Yeah, McGee. Yeah, you do that." He shook McGee's hand firmly and gave him a tight hug.
McGee took a deep breath and nodded. Everything was going to be okay, at least for now.
And he was okay with that.
Author's Note: And that's the end of Chapter Three! I hope you guys love the miracle recovery. No way I could kill off sweet little Abby! Anyway, drop something in the review box, and I hope y'all stick around for the next and final installment!