A/N: Here's Chapter 14 guys. This story is turning into a long one, so thanks for your patience. I'm partway through writing Chapter 15; hopefully I'll have that one up for you tomorrow. F.

McGee hurried towards the elevators, shifting his grip on the laptop as he did. He was worried that he was going to get back to find Abby was alone and terrified. The only reason he'd been able to leave her before was because Gibbs was there.

He'd gone home to get a shower and change his clothes, but he'd gotten caught in one of the traffic snarls common to DC and had taken longer than he expected to get back to Bethesda. To be honest, he hadn't been concentrating while he was driving; if he had, he might have been able to take a different route instead of getting himself stuck in a notorious bottleneck. His mind had been on Gibbs' revelation when he'd pulled him aside and given him the laptop.

He'd felt the fury build up inside again as Gibbs had told him about Townell, almost as strong as it had been in the garage. He'd done his best not to let it show on his face, but Gibbs could read people like open books. He'd hesitated just a fraction before handing him the computer, as if weighing up the possibility of McGee doing something stupid. Again.

He knew that any information on the laptop was going to be hard to get to; Townell hadn't worked in Cybercrimes when he was temporarily assigned there, but anyone that lasted down there for any length of time had to be very skilled. In a way, he was thankful that Gibbs had given him the task; this way he didn't feel as if he'd completely failed to do his job.

He turned down the last corridor and quietly entered her room. She was asleep. He allowed himself a sigh of relief. He hated to think of her as terrified as she had been. He looked around, seeing Tony sitting in the semi dark, half asleep. He went over to him and lightly touched him on the shoulder, motioning that they should go into the hallway.

"How's she doing?" he asked

Tony shrugged one shoulder "She's ok, I guess. Still pretty shaken up"

"Yeah, I know. You didn't leave her alone did you?" he knew he was becoming paranoid on this point, but Abby's white, scared face was imprinted on his memory

"For about 30 seconds" Tony confirmed "She's still scared of being by herself" it was a statement, not a question.

"Yeah, she is Tony" he ran one hand through his hair. He wished he knew how to help her.

...

Abby awoke slowly. For once the first thing that came to mind wasn't the radiator grille of a speeding car, but the conversation she'd had with an extremely chatty nurse earlier in the evening. She lay with her eyes closed, trying not to lose the thread of memory.

Gibbs had taken Tim out into the corridor while the nurse came in to do her usual battery of tests. She'd glanced over to where Tim stood with his back to her, and the nurse had followed her gaze. She'd given Abby a knowing smile. "He's just gone out for a moment so I can check you over" the nurse had continued "You're lucky to have such a devoted boyfriend, you know. He's barely left since you came in" Abby had gaped at her for a second

"Tim's not my boyfriend" she'd corrected the nurse "He's my best friend, but that's it"

"Oh! Well, if I had a best friend as cute as that that looked at me the way he looks at you, I wouldn't be single" She'd re hung the IV bag that Abby hated, then left.

As she lay there, mulling over the nurse's words, she became dimly aware of voices just outside the room. Tim and Tony. Some instinct made her keep her eyes closed as they talked softly, obviously trying not to wake her

"You're really worried about her, aren't you McGee?" Tony asked

"Of course I am Tony; she's my best friend"

"Hmm, we both know that's not the reason you're spending so much time here" Tony's voice was slyly teasing. He paused, but Tim didn't reply.

"Oh come on, Probie, the whole team knows how you feel about Abby"

"Tony" Tim's reply was a warning

"Fine, fine" Tony was backing off. In a gentler tone he asked

"Have you ever told her, Tim?"

"No" Tim sounded sad "And I'm not going to Tony, so just leave it"

"Why not?"

"She doesn't feel the same way, Tony. She's made that abundantly clear over the years" there was pain in his voice this time. "Can we drop this now? I don't want her to wake up alone"

"Sure thing Probie. Oh, good news. They're moving her to a regular room tomorrow, if the CT scan they've got scheduled goes well"

"Really? That's great" he sounded like he was smiling as he entered her room. She feigned sleep. Now she had even more to think about.

...

Checking to make sure she was still asleep, he sat down in his usual chair. Balancing the laptop on his knees, he booted it up, preparing himself for the challenge it presented.

Gibbs had informed him that he would tell Abby about Jacobi's accomplice. He had mixed feelings about that. On one hand, he knew that Abby needed to know what was happening. On the other hand, he didn't want her to worry anymore than she already was. At least her knowing about Townell meant that he could work on the laptop without breaking his promise to Abby. He'd brought the laptop's charging cable, so he could work on it all night if necessary. He knew that Townell had a sizeable lead on them, so getting as much information off the laptop as he could as quickly as possible was a must. This guy may not have actually hurt Abby, but they had to bring him down.