A/N: Thanks for all of the reviews and alerts. Still not mine (full disclaimer in profile.)
Chapter 11
Gibbs could feel Tony shaking in his arms. He wanted give comfort but he wasn't sure what to say, so he (unsurprisingly) chose to remain silent. Eventually the tremors stopped and Gibbs pulled back to look Tony in the eye. "It's your decision. Abby can be part of our lives or not. And don't you dare let her guilt you into making a choice you don't really want."
Tony sighed. "I don't know what to do. While I don't want to completely push her away, I know that I'll never have the same relationship with her. She was like my sister, you know. I suppose I should have expected it – my family has always screwed me over."
"If you think you'll be okay for a few, I'm gonna go talk to her, lay down the law. How about telling her we're gonna try, but it's on your terms not hers. She comes over when invited, not whenever she wants to. And if you tell her to go, she doesn't argue."
Tony thought about it for a minute, then nodded. "That might be okay. That gives me some control but doesn't kick her to the curb. And I don't want her to touch me, either. No hugs, at least not yet."
Gibbs leaned down and kissed Tony. "I'll be back in a few. Try to get some rest."
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Abby sat quietly in the waiting room. She knew that she screwed up by going to see Tony, the question was just how badly. Gibbs was royally pissed, and with good reason. She said some horrible things to Tony, allowing her mouth (and emotions) to get ahead of her brain. She only hoped that somehow, someway, she could make it right. However, when she saw the look on Gibbs' face as he entered the waiting room, she doubted that things would ever be right again.
Abby expected him to yell, but when Gibbs spoke his tone was remarkably soft and maybe even a little sad. "I asked you not to come, Abby. Tony wasn't ready yet. I wasn't ready yet. We don't need any of your drama."
"I wasn't trying to cause any trouble," Abby argued. "I just wanted a chance to make things right, to let Tony know that I was sorry."
"Don't you get it? Saying you're sorry isn't going to cut it this time. You hurt him, Abby. Did you know that he thought of you like a sister? Like family?"
Abby winced at Gibbs' use of the past tense. "I guess I knew that. I know I think of him like a brother."
Gibbs shook his head. "Then why did you treat him like crap? You know, if it was up to me, I would say screw it and limit our relationship with you to a purely professional one." He paused when he saw Abby's eyes fill with tears, but he would not be swayed. "Lucky for you that it's not just up to me."
"What do you mean?" Abby allowed a small glimmer of hope to bloom at Gibbs' words. Maybe there was still a chance.
"Tony has agreed to give you the benefit of the doubt. But it's on his terms. You don't come over unless you are invited. You don't bombard him with emails and texts. And you don't touch him. That means no hugs unless he says it's okay. So it's up to you. Abide by the rules and we'll see how it goes. But remember this – you overstep your boundaries just one time and we're done."
"Whatever it takes, Gibbs. I just want things the way they used to be."
"I don't think that's gonna happen, Abs. It won't ever be the same. Doesn't mean it's not gonna be good. It's just gonna be different."
Abby smiled when Gibbs called her 'Abs'. To her, it was a sign that all was not lost. "I can handle different as long as I still get a chance to have you and Tony in my life."
"Go home, Abby. Think about things. Make sure you know where we stand. And when Tony's ready, we'll call." Without another word, Gibbs turned and walked out, leaving Abby alone in the waiting room. She went home knowing that she still had a long way to go but at least she now had hope.
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Tony was dozing when Gibbs returned, waking when the older man entered. "You okay?" Tony asked softly.
"I think so," Gibbs answered with a sigh. "She kept saying she was sorry, but I'm not sure she really understands what she did wrong. I think she's serious about trying to make it up to you though."
"I know. It's just going to take some time. Hey, what did the doc say?"
Gibbs smiled. He should have known that Tony wouldn't let it go. "Maybe tomorrow." He held up his hand when Tony started to speak. "But you're gonna have to do everything the doctors say. You can't push it, Tony. Not this time. You try to do too much, too soon and you could end up with permanent brain damage."
"C'mon – if I don't have brain damage from all of those head slaps. . ."
"Shut up, DiNozzo, and get some sleep. Tomorrow's gonna be a busy day."
TBC