Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS or any of these characters.
This story is set in an AU where Ari did shoot Kate, but the bullet only grazed her head and she is in a coma throughout season three. And, since this is my story and I can do whatever I want, I've made it Kibbs.
Last chapter! *squeals*
Ok, so I may have lost control of this one, it is most definitely not a short drabble. But it's the last chapter, and I wanted to tie up all the loose ends. Don't judge me.
After 'Hiatus Part 2'
Abby stared blankly at the doors of the elevator. They had just closed, and Gibbs had been behind them. Abby was a very good scientist, she had a particular gift for being very thorough and thinking outside the box, but her brilliant mind was not computing. Gibbs was gone. He had left NCIS, he had left his team, and he had left her. She wanted to scream. She wanted to cry. She wanted to laugh at the look on McGee's face. But nothing was happening. Her brain seemed to have disconnected from her body, leaving her consciousness to float freely.
Everyone else was also staring at the elevator. Everyone, that is, except Ziva. She was smiling slightly and staring at the ground. Abby knew she should be mad, and she tried to summon up the hot, raging emotion she knew she should be feeling, but she couldn't. She sucked in a shuddering breath, and Ziva looked up curiously at the sound. The Israeli woman's eyes softened. She can't know what I'm feeling, Abby thought. Only Gibbs could tell how I feel. Only Gibbs would know how to make me feel better. Ziva smiled gently and stepped in front of Abby. She squeezed Abby arm. Only Gibbs. Only Gibbs. Ziva opened her mouth to speak. Only Gibbs. Ziva couldn't know what to say. Abby knew she was going to try to say something to make her feel better, but she would just close her mouth and walk away, leaving Abby in her misery. But that's not what happened.
"Do you want to go see Kate with me, Abby?" Only Gibbs would know the perfect thing to say. But, that was the perfect thing for Ziva to say. Abby stared at her and Ziva raised her eyebrows, silently repeating her question. Abby nodded absentmindedly, and Ziva began to gently pull her towards the elevator.
Abby would never remember how Ziva managed to get them both to the hospital, all she knew was that suddenly they were in Kate's room, and that Ziva was speaking softly.
"Hello, Kate, I'm back again." If Abby had been thinking clearly, that sentence would have set off alarm bells in her head. Again? But Abby wasn't thinking clearly. She wasn't thinking at all, her mind was completely empty. "Abby is with me this time. Say hello, Abby."
"Hello, Kate." Abby automatically obeyed. At that moment, Abby finally began to process that Gibbs was gone, and that he wasn't coming back. She lurched forward, tears forming in her eyes. "Gibbs is gone, Kate!" Kate heart rate dropped for a second, before speeding up. Abby didn't notice, but Ziva did, and she frowned, wondering.
"Abby," she said. Abby didn't answer. "Abby!" Abby looked up. "Did you- have you ever told her that Gibbs needs her?" Abby frowned.
"Of course, every time I came I always said that we all needed her." Ziva grimaced.
"But not Gibbs specifically?" Abby frowned and shook her head. Her frown grew more pronounced when Ziva threw her head back and laughed.
"You-little-" Ziva gasped.
"What? What did I do?" Ziva waved a hand at her.
"Not you." Ziva stepped forward and leaned in close to Kate's face. "Kate. That's not fair. No one knew about you two. Or maybe you wanted him to say it, yes?" Ziva chuckled. "Well, I will have to be enough." She whispered something in Kate's ear. Abby was lost. Him? Suddenly she heard a murmur that was not Ziva's voice.
"Gibbs..." It was quiet. So quiet, in fact that Abby almost missed it.
"Kate?" she gasped. "Ziva, was that her?" Ziva stood up and nodded, a satisfied look on her face. Abby's hands flew to her mouth. Then she was yelling, hardly aware of what she was saying. "Kate! Kate! You said something! You heard us! You said-" she paused. "Gibbs?" She looked questioningly at Ziva. "Why did she say Gibbs? What did you say to her?"
"I told her that 'Jethro needs her, but he was never going to admit it. So she would have to trust me.'"
"I trust you." Ziva and Abby froze, then slowly turned to the woman who had, until that moment, not said anything in a year. Brown eyes blinked sleepily at them. "I trust you, Ziva," Kate repeated. Then she looked at Abby. "I'm sorry, Abbs. I wanted to open my eyes every time you asked me to, I promise..." Kate's eyes were closing, and her words were slurred. Ziva stumbled back and yelled out the door for a doctor, and Abby attacked Kate with a ferocious hug.
"Stay awake, Kate! Please!" she begged. Reflexively, and wincing in pain, Kate tried to reach up and hug her back, but the IV offered too much resistance.
"Abbs," she rasped. "I'll stay awake, I promise, but you're hurting me." Abby stepped back as though she had been burned.
"I'm sorry!" she squealed as a doctor and three nurses came rushing in. Abby stepped back and Ziva pulled her into a hug as the nurses immediately began evaluating Kate's vital signs and the doctor spoke quietly to her.
"Hello, I'm Dr. Todd Gelfand, do you know your name?"
"Caitlin Rose Todd," she answered quietly. The doctor smiled encouragingly.
"What's the last thing you remember?"Kate frowned as memories she had been blocking while she was unconscious flooded her mind.
"I was- I was on a rooftop," she began slowly. "I jumped in front of Gibbs to stop a bullet from hitting him, and then-" She stopped, unable to remember what had happened next. Ziva finished her sentence for her, filling in the gap. It was the first time she had responded to something Kate had actually said out loud.
"Ari shot you, grazing your head." Kate's eyes widened.
"You killed him, didn't you?" Ziva nodded mutely. "I remember you told me that. I'm sorry, Ziva."
"Woah, hold on, when did Ziva tell you that?" Abby asked. Dr. Gelfand grimaced, annoyed at the interruption.
"Miss Todd, do you-"
"Agent Todd," Kate interjected. She swallowed. "Why does it hurt to try to move my arms?
"Your muscles have atrophied. You have been here for a year." Kate's eyes widened. She was about to speak, but the doctor plowed on. "You'll need a few months of physical therapy-"
"Months?" Kate asked incredulously. "I'm sorry, but I have to get back to work before that." Abby blinked and Ziva tried to stifle a laugh. Kate sat up, wincing at the effort it took. She gestured at a nurse, asking silently for her to remove the IV. The nurse chuckled and obliged. Kate painfully swung her legs off of the bed, ignoring the Dr. Gelfand's protests, and pushed herself to her feet. Her knees buckled, and Abby and Ziva surged forward to catch her. When she was steady, she waved the two women off and took a shaky step. Abby and Ziva hovered protectively on either side of her, but Kate was determined walk by herself. After a moment, the doctor forced Kate back into her bed, easily withstanding her feeble attempts at resistance, and rolled his eyes. Kate leaned back with a huff, and noticed for the first time that her mouth tasted terrible.
"Eck. Can I have a mint?" Dr. Gelfand smacked his forehead and two of the nurses burst out laughing. Abby rooted one out of her purse and handed it to Kate. She sucked on it with some difficulty, as her mouth wasn't used to food anymore. When it was gone, she turned to one of the nurses and asked if she could take a shower. "I feel disgusting," she admitted when the nurse raised her eyebrows. Dr. Gelfand sighed, running a hand through his hair.
"You're worse than Gibbs," he muttered, and Kate instantly snapped her head around to look at him.
"What? What happened to Gibbs?" Abby hurriedly stepped forward and squeezed Kate's hand.
"He was in a coma, Kate, now he's fine," she said reassuringly before Ziva cut in.
"He's at home, they discharged him." Abby nodded in confirmation of Ziva's words. Kate immediately started to struggle out of bed again.
"I have to go see him." Dr. Gelfand opened his mouth to object, but the nurse beat him to it.
"What about your shower?" she asked gently, aware that the doctor would want to keep Kate there for observation. Kate grimaced. She really did want to wash off a year in a hospital before anything else. So, after a moment of deliberation, she sighed and nodded. The nurse smiled and carefully helped Kate out of the bed. She was leading her out of the room, walking slowly and subtly taking most of Kate's weight onto herself, when Abby cleared her throat.
"Can I hug you now?" she asked in a small voice. Kate grinned and held out the arm that the nurse wasn't holding on to. Abby squealed and pulled Kate into a crushing hug, tears squeezing out of her eyes. "I'm really glad you're awake, Kate," she whispered. Kate hugged her back as well as she could, then gently pushed her away when Abby squeezed her tighter. Then she allowed the nurse to lead her away. Abby and Ziva stared after them for a moment, before Abby stumbled back a little. Ziva caught her before she actually fell over. Abby began hyperventilating, and Ziva's eyes widened.
"Abby, calm down, she'll be back in a bit-"
"She's awake! She's back! Oh my gosh! I have to-I have to-" Ziva pinned Abby's flailing arms to her sides.
"Abby! I will call Gibbs, all right? You go sit down and wait for Kate to come back." Abby nodded mutely and toddled down the hall to a chair and sat down. Ziva watched her until Abby sat down, then she pulled out her phone and dialed Gibbs' number. Then she called again. And again. Ziva called him five times before giving up. Abby jumped up when she saw her coming, but her face fell when she took in the disappointment on Ziva's face.
"What is it? Did he answer?" Ziva sighed and shook her head. Abby pouted. "I'll call him later, maybe he's busy." Ziva nodded in agreement. She and Abby sat down to wait for Kate together. Abby called Gibbs at regular intervals, but he never answered. After half an hour, Abby was seriously considering throwing her phone at the wall, but she was distracted when she saw Kate coming back at last, clutching to the nurse' arm. Abby jumped up and pranced down the hall, Ziva following at a slightly slower pace.
"Better?" Ziva asked quietly. Kate grinned and nodded.
"Yes, I feel clean now." Abby and Ziva walked with Kate and the nurse back to Kate's room, and the nurse let Abby help Kate sit down in the chair that Abby herself had sat in many times over the past year. Ziva snapped her phone shut. Abby grimaced in sympathy.
"He's still not answering," Ziva said in a frustrated voice.
"Who's not answering, Ziva?" someone said in her ear. Ziva jumped.
"Gibbs! We've been trying to call you for forty-five minutes! Would it have killed you to pick up your phone?" But Gibbs wasn't listening. He had noticed the empty bed within seconds of entering the room, and a second later he saw Kate sitting in the chair. She was staring at him, clutching Abby's hand so hard it was hurting her weakened muscles. For exactly three seconds, Kate and Gibbs stared at each other, before Gibbs surged forward at the exact moment Kate used Abby's hand to catapult her self out of her chair. Her knees buckled, but Gibbs caught her and pulled her against him. Kate wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself up to kiss him fiercely, not caring that they had an audience. Ziva grinned a private grin as Abby's jaw dropped to the floor. Gibbs and Kate did not break apart for a long moment, but just as Ziva was beginning to feel uncomfortable, Kate pulled back, a small smile on her face.
"Wow," she said quietly, and Gibbs grinned.
"That's what they all say," he responded, leaning his forehead against hers. Ziva had a feeling that she was watching a very private moment, but Gibbs and Kate seemed to have forgotten about her and Abby. Momentarily, anyway.
"WHAT JUST HAPPENED?" Abby, apparently, did not appreciate being forgotten. Kate winced before turning around in Gibbs' arms and smiling apologetically.
"Surprise," she said weakly, waving her hands dramatically. Abby let out a huge gasp. Kate frowned and glanced at her hands. Abby grabbed Kate's left hand and carefully examined the small diamond ring on her third finger.
"Gibbs!" Abby exclaimed in a scandalized voice. Gibbs just grinned and rested his chin on Kate's head. Ziva decided it was time to intervene.
"Abby," she said quietly, stepping forward and gently pulling Kate's hand out of Abby's vice-like grip. Abby's mouth was opening and closing, but no sound was coming out. Ziva dragged Abby out of the room, using how dumbstruck she was to her advantage. Kate and Gibbs waited for Abby to finally process the last two minutes. Sure enough, shortly after Ziva and Abby left, they both heard a roar.
"HEY!" Gibbs chuckled and Kate covered her face with her hands. Gibbs' face suddenly grew serious, and he spun Kate around so that she fell against his chest. He gently touched her face, as if she were extremely fragile and might break or disappear any moment. Kate blushed, and Gibbs laughed. Then he picked her up and spun around, holding her against his chest. Kate shrieked and hit him, demanding that he put her down. He kissed her, still holding her off of the floor. Kate smiled into the kiss.
"I missed you, Kate," Gibbs said after a moment. Kate smiled and stretched up to kiss him again.
Ziva chased Abby back down the hallway, fully intending to tackle her if necessary, but without warning, Abby stopped so suddenly that Ziva almost ran into her.
"Abby," she hissed. "Leave them alone!"
"I wasn't gonna go in," Abby protested. "I just wanted to see. And take a video. And maybe send it to all of NCIS." Ziva rolled her eyes."Ok, just the team. And the director. And Terrence from Accounting. That's all." Ziva began to drag Abby away again, muttering under her breath.
Mike Franks was waiting. He had stayed in DC long enough to know that a ship had exploded, and he knew that Jethro would have finally understood how he had been able to retire all those years ago. He also knew that his old probie would come straight to Mexico after he had retired himself. So, it was no surprise when a figure appeared walking towards his small house. The second figure beside him, though, was most definitely not anticipated. As they grew closer, Franks saw that they were holding hands, and he threw back his head and laughed. Then he started up the road to welcome his guests.
A/N: That's it! I'm finally done. This is the first muti-chapter story I've actually finished, so I'm really excited about that. Thanks for reading, and please review!