They waited in Abby's room.
McGee's crumpled form had been found when the nursing staff had brought Abby back from her CT scan. That fact had brought Gibbs to boiling point, demanding an explanation from the hapless nursing staff; the fact that they'd thought her room was empty didn't cut much ice with him. After his initial outburst, he'd returned to his silent brooding. Abby was almost as glad for the silence as she was for their presence.
The sight of Timmy lying motionless on the floor had sent a stab of pure terror through her. He was so still, she'd thought he was dead. Her first thought was that Townell had gotten to him while she was out. She'd made him tell her what the laptop he was working on was from, and even helped him a little when he got stuck on the decryption. Maybe Townell had accessed the device remotely somehow and figured out what they were doing? The medical staff rushing to Tim's aid had wiped the thought from her mind for the moment while she watched helplessly as they laid her best friend on a gurney and took him away.
The dread that she tried so hard to push away had flooded back as they left her alone. But this time it was coupled with fear for Tim's life. By the time Gibbs and Ducky had arrived, she'd worked herself into full blown panic. Gibbs had managed to calm her down, as always, but still, she worried. Is this how they'd felt while they waited for news when Tim found her? She shifted restlessly, mentally cursing the traction frame she was stuck in. She was used to pacing when she was upset. Being forced into immobility was driving her crazy.
Gibbs moved, getting up and heading out the doorway without speaking. They could hear his voice indistinctly from down the hallway for a few minutes before he re-entered her room, this time with an orderly in tow.
"Good news" he announced
"Tim?" Abby asked eagerly. Her face fell as Gibbs shook his head "They said they could move you to a regular room now"
...
The move took a lot of organising and a small amount of pain, courtesy of the traction frame. They'd given her some more pain meds so they could shift her, and they'd made her a little spacey. That's why she didn't notice that the second bed in the small room was occupied. She'd barely even glanced towards that side of the room at first, slightly annoyed that she hadn't been put somewhere private. When she did, her heart gave a massive leap.
It was Tim.
She wanted so badly to rush to him, to reassure herself that he was ok, but she was stuck in the frame. She shot a look at Gibbs, who was grinning slightly. He'd planned this, she just knew it.
"He's asleep, Abs. He's going to be just fine"
"His doctor said it was just exhaustion" Ducky chimed in "He'll have to stay for a day or so, for fluids and observation". At the mention of fluids, she noticed the IV bag attached to his bed for the first time.
"He needs sleep, Abs" Gibbs told her sternly "Don't pester him when he wakes up"
She nodded, not taking her eyes away from the other bed as they made their excuses and left the room.
...
Gibbs drove back to the Navy Yard, lost in thought. While Abby was being moved, McGee's doctor had caught him and updated them on his condition. He alternated between anger and compassion for the young agent. The doctor had told them that it appeared that McGee had neither eaten or slept for at least 3 days, which had led to his collapse. McGee was a reserved guy, but Gibbs didn't make the mistake of believing that his quiet nature made him any less complex. He knew that it was a combination of love, guilt, anger and determination that had brought McGee to this point, and he understood that motivation. That didn't stop him from being any less pissed off however. Part of him was angry with himself; he should have known that McGee wouldn't rest until he broke through the laptop's protective walls. But McGee still should have known better than to let his feelings cloud his judgement. He gave a self-deprecating smirk at that. He wasn't one to talk about that, come to think of it.
He shot a glance at the laptop that rested on Ducky's knees. The staff had given it to him, along with the rest of McGee's personal effects. He wanted to get it back to NCIS and see what, if anything, McGee had uncovered. He pressed the accelerator closer to the floor. Townell and Jacobi had hurt two of his people now. The bastards would pay for that.
...
She watched him sleep. Relief had her wide awake and thinking. This was her fault, at least partially. She shouldn't have asked him to stay with her. She known he wouldn't refuse, he never refused her anything. Look what she'd done to him! He was pale and drawn, his eyes so deeply shadowed they looked bruised, and he had an IV line feeding god knows what into his arm. She wanted him to wake up so she could apologise for putting him through so much this week. She'd seen the pain n he'd tried to mask when he'd explained that he'd found her, the guilt he felt at almost killing a defenceless man, the anger with which he'd attacked the problem of Townell's laptop. And now this.
And she wondered why she'd never seen how much he cared about her.
The rest of the team apparently had; Tony had said as much last night. They'd stopped dating years ago, their relationship changing to a deep friendship. She flirted with him occasionally, secretly loving it when he flirted back, but she'd never really thought about his feelings on the subject. He'd seemed to take their breakup so calmly; she hadn't considered the possibility of him still having feelings for her 6 years later. How had she not seen it? He was Timmy, her rock, unshakeable friend that she could always turn to. She knew he cared for her, but she'd always thought it was almost a sister-brother thing. Now she made herself ask if that was true. She'd known Tony and Gibbs for years longer than she'd known Tim. They were her substitute family, and she was closer to them than she was to her real family. Gibbs was like her dad; Tony like her elder brother. The thought of a romantic relationship with Tony was laughable. Sure, he was good looking guy, but she'd never been attracted to him. Tim, on the other hand... The thought of a romantic relationship with Tim made her smile as well, but it was a different smile. She'd buried those feelings when they broke up, although she'd never been able to contain the jealousy she'd felt when another woman paid attention to him. She'd put it down to wanting to protect him from being hurt, instead of the real reason. He was somehow, indefinably, hers.
...
He awoke suddenly. Something was wrong. He was lying in bed. Strange, he didn't remember leaving the hospital...
Abby. Frantically he went to push back the covers. Abby needed him. There was a strange, uncomfortable pulling sensation in the back of his hand; he didn't stop to consider what it was. He had to get back to the hospital
"I'm right here, Tim" her voice came from beside him. He wasn't aware he'd spoken aloud. He turned his head towards her voice. She was watching him from the bed beside the one he was in, an odd little smile on her face. He looked down at the uncomfortable spot on his hand, seeing an IV line taped to his skin. He grimaced.
"What happened?" he asked, facing her again
"You collapsed, Tim" her voice was gentle "The doctor said it was exhaustion, that you hadn't eaten or slept in days"
He remembered now; he'd been working on the laptop...
"Townell's laptop?"
"Gibbs has it" she told him, still with that small smile.
He breathed a sigh of relief and lay back. If Gibbs had the laptop, they'd hopefully have Townell very shortly, and the case part of this nightmare would be over. Abby would be on the injured list for a long time, but knowing that the people responsible were behind bars would make him feel a whole lot better.
"Timmy?" she sounded nervous now, prompting him to look at her again
"Yeah Abs?"
"Why didn't you ever tell me?"
Confused, he asked "Tell you what, Abs?"
"That you love me"
He stared at her in shock. He could feel himself paling. Who told her that?
"How- how do you know?" he croaked
"I overheard you and Tony... and you talk in your sleep, Tim". She sounded amused by that. He groaned
"So why didn't you ever tell me?" she pressed. He forced his sluggish mind to think quickly and came to the inescapable conclusion. He couldn't gloss over this; he had to tell her the truth.
"Would you have wanted to hear it if I did?" he replied
"Tim..."
"Think about it, Abby. We dated, you broke up with me. You became my best friend. You made it pretty clear that that's all you wanted from me" he could hear the pain in his own voice now. Damn it. He swallowed, trying for some self control before continuing "If I'd told you how I felt, that would have been the end of our friendship. I didn't want to lose you completely." He gave a bitter little laugh "Guess there's not much I can do about that now"
"You're wrong" she said softly "I broke up with you because I was scared, Tim, not because I didn't care. I wouldn't turn my back on my best friend just because you've got feelings for me, Tim. I've had feelings for you for years"
Stunned, he could only look at her. Had she really said what he thought she said?
"Abs-"
The moment was broken by the entrance of a nurse coming to check her patients vital signs, leaving them both relieved and disappointed.
A/N: More casefic next chapter, I promise! F.