AN: This is a long one — almost double the length of the other chapters. A couple of you have been asking for what's in this chapter - hope it lives up to expectations. :) After this, we just have two chapters left in this adventure.
Chapter 14
Gibbs forced himself to keep his attention on the road. After everything that had happened, the last thing they needed was to wreck the car. He couldn't hear Tony wheezing anymore, and he was grateful for one less thing to worry about. He spared a glance in the rearview mirror and was glad to see Brad seemed to be holding up OK. He wanted, needed, details on what had happened to the doctor, but that could wait. Right now, Tim was the only thing that mattered.
When they got to the hospital, Gibbs dropped both men at the entrance to the ER and parked the car. When he walked into the hospital a few minutes later, neither one was in sight. He stopped the first nurse he saw. He would have preferred one who knew better than to block him from his team, but none were in sight.
"Dr. Brad Pitt, NCIS Special Agent Timothy McGee, and NCIS Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo. Where are they?"
She walked to a computer behind the nurses station and started tapping keys.
"DiNozzo is in Exam Room 1, and McGee is in Trauma 1. Pitt isn't working on either of them, though. He's not an ER doctor."
Gibbs fought the urge to growl. "No, he's a patient. He was kidnapped this morning, and we just rescued him. DiNozzo and McGee were hurt in the shootout." He restrained himself from kicking the desk.
A few more taps. "Dr. Pitt is in Exam Room 2."
"I need to see him and DiNozzo."
"Sir, you can't."
Gibbs pulled out his badge. "I've got a victim and an agent who got hurt saving him and another agent who is under his care for long-term health issues. Which way?" This time he did growl, and the nurse hesitantly pointed down a hallway.
He found the two rooms and stuck his head in Tony's first. Tony sat on the examining table, his jacket and tie tossed onto his bloodstained NCIS jacket, all lying on the chair in the corner.
"You OK?"
Tony shrugged. "Tim?"
Gibbs wished he had news. "I don't know anything. The nurse said he was in Trauma 1. Ducky should be here soon, he can get more information. Or Brad. He's right next door."
"No, I'm right here."
Gibbs turned to see the doctor, battered and bruised, standing in the hallway. He pressed a hand into the wall for support, and Gibbs cursed and stepped into the exam room, dragging Brad with him. "You look worse than Tony. Sit down before you fall down."
Brad sank into the chair inside the door. "I have to admit, it does feel good to sit." He looked up at Gibbs. "Gibbs, if you don't ditch that jacket before you go tell Sean, he's going to think the worst. Not to mention Abby."
Gibbs looked down, realizing for the first time that blood covered not only his jacket, but his jeans as well.
"I've got some extra clothes in my office," Brad said. "Go change. I can snag some scrubs for Tony and me, but you need normal clothes before you see Sean."
"And he's not going to know something's wrong when he sees the Boss wearing a Michigan sweatshirt?" Tony scrubbed his face with his hands. "God, where's the doctor? I want to get out of here so I can find out what's happening to Tim."
"You're just here because you had an attack, right?" Brad said. At Tony's nod, he went on, "I can check you out for that. I know your lungs better than anybody here, and I'm probably not top priority right now."
"You'd think being a doctor would get you some perks." Tony tried to flash a big grin, but it was his fake one, the one he used when he was trying to hide. Gibbs let it go. What else could he expect from Tony after watching Tim almost bleed to- He forced himself to stop that train of thought.
"Brad, I'll be back. I'm going to get changed, call Abby and Vance, then go see Sean. I'll meet you both back in the waiting room." He walked off without waiting for a reply.
He started with Vance as he walked through the halls of Bethesda. "McGee's been shot, almost bled out. We've got Brad and the dirtbag. Pitt's checking out DiNozzo - he breathed in some dust - while he waits for another doctor to see him. Ziva shot the dirtbag in the knee and is waiting with him at Potomac Hospital. We need MPs over there."
"McGee going to be OK?"
"Don't know. Duck should be here soon. He and Brad can get answers. I'm going to tell McGee's dad."
"I'll go tell Miss Scuito and bring her over."
"Thanks, Leon." He paused before warning, "She'll probably hug you."
"I'll survive."
Gibbs hung up. The duty station at the head of the hallway leading to Brad's office was unmanned, which made sense since it was after hours. He couldn't believe it was so late, but then he started to think over everything they had done that day and wasn't sure how they had fit it all in.
Brad's door was locked, but he had his picks in the inner pocket of his NCIS jacket. Once inside, he quickly found a pair of Navy sweatpants and the predicted Michigan sweatshirt. There were jeans in the pile of spare clothes too, but Gibbs didn't think they would fit him. He quickly changed and snagged a plastic grocery bag from Brad's desk, dumping out cans of soup on the desk. Once he stashed his stained gear, he headed back to the ER to see if there was news on Tim before he went to find Sean.
Palmer was sitting in the waiting room alone when he arrived.
"Agent Gibbs," he said, jumping up.
"Any news?"
"Dr. Mallard is back there now looking at Tony and Dr. Pitt. He said Tim's been moved to surgery and they won't know anything for a while. But they're worried about the blood supply. He's O-negative, which means that's the only blood type he can get, and they're low. He's going to need a lot of units, and they aren't sure they have enough." The ME's assistant gulped. "Neither Dr. Mallard or I are O-negative, or we'd donate."
Gibbs shook his head. "AB-positive."
"Tony's A-positive," Jimmy said. "I remember from when we thought he'd been blown up."
Gibbs just opened his phone and punched in Vance's number.
"Vance."
"McGee's going to need more blood than Bethesda has on hand. Any way to see if anybody at the Navy Yard is O-negative and willing to donate?"
"No need. I'm O-negative."
Gibbs could hear a murmur of voices on the other end of the line.
"Miss Scuito is as well. Tell Bethesda to get ready for two donors. We'll be there in 20 minutes."
"Thanks. And tell Abby thanks, too. Tim will appreciate it."
As he hung up, he relayed Vance's message to Palmer. "Tell whoever needs to be told. I need to go tell Sean about Tim."
Palmer nodded and chewed his lower lip. "Dr. Mallard said Tim's going to make it. He's lost a lot of blood, and his shoulder might not be as good, but he's going to make it."
Gibbs clapped a hand on the young man's shoulder. "Thanks, Jimmy. Make sure you tell Abby that, too. She's going to need to hear it." He didn't wait for a response, but headed to the fifth floor. He found Sean in his room.
"Jethro?" Sean was sitting in bed reading. "What's wrong?"
Gibbs opened his mouth, but couldn't force himself to say the words.
"Tim? Tony? Are they OK?" Sean's wide eyes, so like Tim's, snapped him out of it.
"Tim's been shot," he said, crossing the room to stand by the bed. It took all his effort to keep his voice even and calm, not wanting to worry Sean by losing his usually unflappable demeanor. "They're operating on him now."
The book slipped from Sean's hands to lie open on the bed. "Is he-? Where was he hit?"
"Took one to the shoulder." Gibbs swallowed. "He's a hero, got winged pushing me out of the way of a head shot."
Sean looked at him, pinning Gibbs with his gaze. "Jethro, Tim would be the first one to tell me he wasn't being a hero. He was just doing his job, watching your six."
Gibbs wanted to look away, but couldn't. Tried to speak, but couldn't find the words.
"Did you find Brad?"
Gibbs nodded. "He was in another part of the building. Tim and Tony found him while the dirtbag had Ziva and I pinned down in another part of the building."
"Is he OK? What about Tony and Ziva?"
"Brad's banged up, but he said other than the concussion and some bruises, he's OK. Tony..." He sighed. "Tony had an attack. He was trying to get the drop on the guy from behind while Tim came to try and find an angle to get him from the front, even things up a bit."
"And then Tim got hit." Sean's voice was even, but not flat. He didn't sound mad, and Gibbs wished he would be, just a bit.
"Tim got hit, but then Ziva took out the guy's kneecap."
"And Tony?" Sean got up and walked over to stand by Gibbs.
"The warehouse was dusty. Brad's checking him out now."
Sean put a hand on Gibbs' shoulder. "He'll be all right — he's a tough kid. Tim's going to be fine." He paused. "He is going to be OK, right?"
Gibbs frowned, looking for the words. "Tim lost a lot of blood, but Brad and Ducky say he'll make it. Abby and Vance are his blood type, and they're on their way here to donate since he needs O-negative. With the storm, the hospital's running low."
Sean nodded. "Eileen will be glad to hear that. Not the blood — that will worry her. But she trusts Brad and Ducky. If they say Tim's going to be OK, she's only going to worry a little on the way here." He paused. "She can get here, right? The storm-"
"I can put in a call to a Gunny I know in the Annapolis motor pool," Gibbs said. "They have heavy equipment there that can handle the snow. He'll get Eileen and Sarah here."
Sean just nodded. "Let me call them and let them know." He thought for a second. "How much should I tell them? I don't want them to worry, but they're going to know it's bad because we're trying to get them here despite the storm."
Gibbs frowned. "Use the storm as the reason. If we don't get them here now, they won't get in until Tuesday or Wednesday at the earliest. Just tell them he's been shot and give them Brad and Ducky's prognosis."
Sean nodded again. "That should work." He swallowed. "Maybe by the time they get here, he'll be out of surgery." He swallowed again. "And I'll ask them to donate blood. The hospital needs it and if Tim's still in surgery, it will give them something to do."
Gibbs nodded, not surprised at all. He had a feeling the McGees would do the same for any member of the team. It explained a lot about his young agent. "Can you leave the room? We're over at the ER waiting on them to finish. You can wait with us."
Sean nodded. "Just need to take one of these so I don't end up back here next week." he said, holding up a surgical mask. "Brad might kill me for that."
Gibbs held out his cell phone. "Do you want to call Eileen and Sarah before we go over?"
Sean nodded and took the phone. Gibbs stepped outside to give him some privacy. Sean joined him a few minutes later, wearing slippers and a robe, carrying the mask. They headed to the waiting room, two fathers worried about their son.
When they arrived, Tony and Brad were slumped in chairs.
"You two OK?"
Tony just stared at the ground, but Brad nodded. "Dr. Mallard promised the doctor he would make sure I got concussion checks, and the gash on my head had already started scabbing. Other than that, I'm just battered and bruised. Tony's fine — he had his inhaler and used it right away."
Sean sat down next to his son-in-law and slipped an arm around him. "Tony?"
The senior field agent looked over. "Dad?" He let out his breath in a shuddering gasp. "Tim... He's..."
"Gibbs told me," Sean said, his voice breaking. "Eileen and Sarah are on the way."
Brad pushed himself up from his chair. "I'm going to check in with Dr. Mallard," he said.
As Brad left the waiting room, Palmer almost bowled him over. He rushed over to Gibbs.
"Agent Gibbs, Vance and Abby are looking for you." He lowered his voice. "They're in one of the exam rooms."
Gibbs just glared until Palmer turned and led the way back to where Vance and Abby were hooked up to lines collecting the blood pumping from their arms.
"Gibbs! Tell me Timmy's going to be OK! And Tony! Because if anything happens to Timmy, Tony's going to be heartbroken." Abby was practically vibrating in her seat since the tubing kept her from jumping up to cling to Gibbs.
He knelt down next to her and wrapped his arms around her, looking over her shoulder at Vance. "Ducky and Brad said he's going to be OK. It was his left shoulder, so it will be a while before he's cleared for the field, but he'll be fine, Abs." As he said the words, Gibbs hoped to hell he was telling the truth. That bullet had come awfully close to the actual joint, and Gibbs didn't want to think about how long it had taken Gerald to even come back to work after Ari had shot him. He pulled back. "Tony and Sean are out there, and they're having a rough time. If you're going to fall apart, do it now while they're not around."
She took him at his word, sobbing into his shoulder, soaking the borrowed sweatshirt. As she cried, the nurse came in to check on them. She unhooked Vance from the collection rig and gave both of them some cookies and juice.
"Gibbs, I'm going out there," he said. "I'll come get you when there's news."
Gibbs just nodded as Abby clung to him. He wanted to be out there with Tony and the others, but he knew Abby needed to get everything out before she joined them, and he didn't want to put Vance in that position. A bit later, the nurse came in to check on Abby and unhook her from the line, but after seeing evidence of the crying, insisted she drink several glasses of juice and rest before getting up. Gibbs kept one arm around her as she sniffled between bites of the cookies the nurse gave her.
Before too long, Jimmy walked in. "Agent Gibbs? Dr. Mallard sent me back here to stay with Abby until the nurse lets her join us."
"Jimmy? Is something wrong?" Abby chewed her lower lip as Gibbs hoped for once the ME's assistant could keep his foot out of his mouth.
"Wrong? No, nothing's wrong. I mean, yes, Tim's hurt so something's wrong, but nothing new is wrong. Tony was just starting to wonder where Gibbs was, and after Director Vance said something to him, he sent me back here." Jimmy's words spilled out, but none of them were ones Gibbs wanted to shove back down his throat.
"Abs, I'd better go. Remember what I said."
She nodded. "I'll be fine. I'll just cry on Jimmy's shoulder for a while."
"You will?" Jimmy's face flushed pink. "I mean, OK. You will. That's fine. Whatever I can do to help."
As dire as the situation was, Gibbs couldn't help a quick grin after leaving the room. Palmer, even more than Tim, was so young sometimes. He sighed. They were young, too young. How did he get to be this old? They two men were young enough to be his kids. Abby and Tony, for all they filled that role in Gibbs' life, were really only about 10 years younger than he.
As he stepped into the waiting room, he noticed that Tony looked every one of his years. The animation that normally filled him had vanished as he sat, arms propped on his knees, shoulders bowed. Fatigue and worry lined his face. Next to him, Sean slumped back in the chair, the blue of the surgical mask highlighting how pale his skin was. Brad and Ducky sat together over by the windows, talking in low voices. Vance just leaned against the wall, surveying the other men. Gibbs looked for a clue in his expression, but the director had a poker face that rivaled his own. Before he could walk over to join Tony and Sean, offer what little comfort he could, Vance tipped his head to the adjoining hallway.
Once beyond earshot of the others, Gibbs turned to Vance.
"McGee's still in surgery. Dr. Mallard said they've patched up the torn blood vessels and stopped the bleeding, but the bullet got into the rotator cuff and nicked the joint capsule, whatever that is. He said the surgery will take several more hours to repair the damage, and McGee will probably be out of the field for several months in rehabilitation." He paused. "There's a chance he could never regain full mobility in his shoulder. I don't understand the connection, exactly, but he said McGee could end up with frozen shoulder depending on how much scar tissue formed as it healed and how badly the capsule was damaged." The director looked at Gibbs. "We haven't told DiNozzo yet, or Commander McGee."
Gibbs nodded. "Better let Duck handle that. Not until McGee's out of surgery, though. Too much."
"I agree. Mrs. McGee and her daughter are about 15 miles away. The roads are getting worse, but they'll get them here. The MPs reached Potomac, and Agent David is on her way over." Vance inclined his head. "Your team always does a good job, Gibbs, but you outdid yourselves this time. You were right to make me reassemble them last year. I never said that, and I should have."
Gibbs tipped his head at the acknowledgement and led the way back into the room. He took the seat next to Tony and slipped his arm across the man's shoulders, picking up a faint tremor he'd missed just watching him.
"He's going to be OK, Tony," he whispered in his honorary son's ear. "In a couple of days he's going to be grumbling about wanting to go home to you and Jethro, and you're going to be calling him McCranky."
Tony turned to look at him, fear haunting his eyes, fear Gibbs had seen only once before, when Tony was kneeling over him and Maddie on the dock after pulling them out of the water. "You promise, Boss?"
Gibbs nodded. "I promise." Ducky was never wrong, and he said Tim would make it. He knew that was all Tony cared about now. The shoulder issues were for later.
Time ticked by slowly, the snow visible through the windows outside rising faster than the hands of the clock could move. Abby and Jimmy joined them after a while, Abby taking a spot on the floor leaning against Tony's legs. Jimmy kept her talking any time she started to slip into sniffles. Throughout the evening, first the McGees, then Brad and Ducky, and finally Ziva joined them. Vance stayed busy rounding up decent coffee and semi-edible food for all of them. Outside the blizzard raged, snow swirling as fast as the thoughts of each person in the waiting room. But conversations were quiet, just as the snow muffled noise outside. Tony didn't say a word, which worried Gibbs more than anything. A quiet Tony was unnatural.
-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS-
Tony had lost all track of time when he heard somebody enter the room. He looked up to see a lanky doctor in scrubs, a serious expression set on his weary face.
"Dr. Winslow," Ducky said, getting up. Brad started to join him, but staggered until Vance gave him a hand.
"Brad, sit down," Winslow said. "You should be in bed."
Brad sank back into his chair and voiced the question Tony was afraid to ask. "How's Tim?"
"The good news is that Agent McGee is out of surgery."
"And the bad news?" Tony tried to hide the fatigue and worry in his voice, but as Abby hugged him and Gibbs tightened a hand on his shoulder, he knew he'd failed. "Don't look at me like that, doc. You said good news, and that means bad news is coming."
"Yes, well..." He sighed. "Agent McGee appears to have hit his head when he was injured. We can't tell until the anesthesia wears off if he's actually in a coma or not, but he is somewhat less responsive than we would expect at this stage."
Tony opened his mouth, but the words lodged in his throat. Gibbs pushed his chair back and stood, leaving his hand on Tony's shoulder. "When will that be?"
"Not until the morning, I'm afraid," Winslow said. "We're moving him to an ICU unit for now. I understand his parents are here."
Now it was Sean's turn to stand. "Right here," he said, gesturing to himself and Eileen.
"You two can sit with him if you like, but we need to limit visitation to one person for no more than 10 minutes every hour."
Tony froze. He couldn't be serious. Sure, Sean and Eileen should be able to sit with Tim, but what about him and Sarah? He felt Gibbs hand tighten again and knew he wasn't the only one remembering how hospital policy had blocked him from Sean's room last weekend.
Sean spoke up. "Dr. Winslow, Tim's partner is here, too. He should be allowed in as well."
"Immediate family only," Winslow said. "Agent McGee's condition is still critical, and while I appreciate that Agent-?"
"DiNozzo," Gibbs said.
"Agent DiNozzo is a close friend, it really needs to be just family."
Tony opened his mouth, but couldn't figure out what to say. His thumb worked over the band on his ring finger, but that wouldn't carry any weight. He realized it didn't matter that Tim was his medical proxy if they didn't have it set up the other way too. Without that, they were just two co-workers in the eyes of this doctor. He curled his hands into fists, wishing he'd brought this up Monday after talking to Ducky, wishing he wasn't here, wishing Tim was sitting next to him and they didn't have to deal with this because he wasn't lying in the hospital in a coma after almost bleeding to death.
He could dimly hear Gibbs stepping into the fight. "Agents McGee and DiNozzo are partners at work, but Commander McGee was referring to Tony as his son-in-law, not his son's co-worker," he said. He walked over and got nose to nose with the surgeon. "You will allow Agent DiNozzo to visit along with Commander and Mrs. McGee."
As Gibbs glared, the tension in the room cut through the fog enveloping Tony. He gave the doctor credit for not backing down. The guy actually drew himself up to loom over Gibbs.
"Certainly not," he said. "Even beyond Don't Ask, Don't Tell, they can't be legally married, and I don't see Agent DiNozzo listed as Agent McGee's medical proxy. Just an Agent Gibbs."
"I'm Agent Gibbs," he said. "I'm medical proxy for all my team members. I'll gladly let Agent DiNozzo take my place."
Tony swallowed, knowing Gibbs would do it in a heartbeat no matter how much he was worried about Tim.
"It doesn't work like that." The doctor stood firm, and Tony felt his chest begin to tighten, bands squeezing the air from his lungs. He could feel Abby's hand rubbing circles on his back, and Ziva came to stand behind him, her small hands massaging his shoulders. Sarah reached up from her spot on the floor and gripped his hand. Tony appreciated the girls' support, but wanted to find the strength to get into this fight. Tim had fought for him through his nightmares; it was time for him to fight for Tim.
He pushed on the arms of the chair to stand, but before he could join Gibbs, Brad and Sean were there.
"Dr. Winslow, I agree with Agent Gibbs," Sean said. "Tony is more than welcome to take my place in the room."
Tony almost sank back down as he realized what Sean was offering. While his own father would never sit by his bed and wait, Sean and Tim were close, closer than Tony had ever thought a parent and child could be. Sean was willing to give up his place for Tony? This time the lump in his throat had nothing to do with Tim. He walked over to stand by Sean.
"Dad..." He knew what he had to do. "You don't have to do that. Tim needs you there."
Sean wrapped one arm around his shoulder. "He needs you more," he said. "He'll understand if I'm not there. I'll just tell him Brad was worried about me wearing myself out. If he doesn't see you, he'll think you got shot, too."
Before Tony could figure out how to respond, Brad stepped into the discussion.
"Dr. Winslow, NCIS is a civilian agency and that means we should extend the courtesies we normally extend to partners of civilians."
The doctor just shook his head. "I won't allow it. It's against hospital policy."
Before Tony could say anything, Sean straightened to his full height, two inches taller than his son. "Your rank, Dr. Winslow?"
When he didn't reply right away, Brad said "He's a lieutenant commander."
Tony clenched his fists to keep from planting one right in the doctor's smug smile.
"Well, Lt. Commander, my silver oak leaf beats your gold. Commander Sean McGee, U.S. Naval Academy."
"You're not my CO, Commander McGee," Winslow said. "No JAG panel is going to support insubordination charges when I'm following official DOD policy."
Tony felt his right hand rise as though somebody else was controlling it. He pulled back, but a strong hand around his wrist kept him from releasing all his anger on the doctor trying to keep him from Tim. He looked over to see Vance standing there, cell phone in his other hand.
"Dr. Winslow." The director's voice and face were emotionless, but Tony could feel the intensity in his grip. "Commander McGee might not be your CO, but SecNav is. I've been on the phone with him four times tonight updating him on Agent McGee's status. I do not want to have to call him to report that you are barring Agent DiNozzo from being with his husband, but I will if I have to." Vance stepped closer. "You want to do this the hard way, we'll do it the hard way. Personally, I'd let Agent DiNozzo in. Or perhaps you'd rather I let his arm go and take your chances that you can physically bar him from entering?"
Winslow stepped back. "Of... Of course. I didn't realize... Agent DiNozzo is welcome to stay with Agent McGee. Somebody will come out when he's been settled in a room to escort him there."
"It won't be you." Tony hadn't said anything, but he needed to say this. "You saved Tim's life, and that means the world to me, but I do not want to see your face again as long as he is in this hospital."
Winslow just nodded his head and backed out of the room.
Tony turned to Vance. "Director, thank you."
"I told you and McGee before, I'd keep this from coming back on you." He jerked his head in a brief nod. "Commander McGee, if he tries to cause trouble for you at the Academy, let me know. I'll make sure nothing happens." He turned to Brad. "Same for you, Dr. Pitt."
"Thanks, Director," Brad said.
Tony turned to Sean. "Thanks, Dad. You- Thank you." He hugged his father-in-law. "You didn't have to-"
Sean just smiled. "Yes, I did. You belong there." He stepped away. "Besides, after what the director did, I don't think Dr. Winslow will argue if all three of us stay."
"Dr. Winslow won't, but I will," Brad said. "Sean, I hate to ruin your willingness to give up your spot for Tony, but you can't stay with Tim all night. Your body can't take a night with no sleep. Tim isn't supposed to wake up until at least the morning, so you need to get some sleep now."
"Yes, sir." Sean smiled. "Tim told me Saturday that you were my CO in this battle and I needed to follow your orders. I'm not having him wake up to find out he needs to lecture me again."
After the tension of the last few minutes, Tony couldn't help but laugh at the picture of Tim getting in his dad's face. He wasn't the only one, either.
"All right," Ducky said. "It will be several minutes before anybody is able to see Timothy, so I suggest we all take this opportunity to rest. Jethro, why don't you figure out the order for visitors beyond Anthony and Eileen."
"Count me out, Ducky," she said. "Sean and I will check in on him once he's moved there, but Brad's right, we both need our sleep so we can be there for Tim tomorrow. We're not as young as the rest of you."
"Are you sure, Mom?" Tony asked.
She nodded. "Sarah's probably going to stay here and come in and visit, but it's been a long week even before this and I don't want to scare Tim when he wakes up."
Tony just nodded and hugged her. He noticed everybody except the doctors were saying Tim would wake up in the morning. He wanted to press Ducky and Brad for details, but he was too well trained in interrogations. If he really pushed them for an answer, he'd be able to tell if they were BSing him, and right now he wanted to keep his illusions. Tim had to wake up, his big McBrain intact. He tried not to think of the last time one of the team was in a coma. Tim didn't have the trauma in his past the way Gibbs did, and he wasn't going to wake up from a coma to run off to Mexico. He was going to wake up. Tony knew if he kept telling himself that, he might just start to believe it.
Yeah, and Abby might suddenly start to wear pastels and dye her hair blonde.