Half an hour later, Abby tore into the hospital still dressed in her funeral-gown pajamas, although she had had the presence of mind to throw a long trenchcoat over the ensemble. She attempted to skid to a stop halfway into the waiting room when she spotted McGee, but her shoes got no purchase on the polished hospital floors and she slid the rest of the way into him. "How is she?" she was demanding before she even got her face out of his t-shirt.
"I don't know, Abby," he admitted. "I didn't see the scene. Tony's inside with her, and I didn't get a good look when they brought her in, but..." He swallowed. "There was a lot of blood."
"Well, where's Gibbs?" She looked around the room, seeing no one else she recognized. "Is he in there too? Maybe we can send a nurse in the get him and - no," she interrupted herself absently, "why are we out here to begin with? Why is only Tony in there? I want to see her!" She gave his shoulder a shove in an attempt to get past him, but McGee refused to be moved.
"Abby. Abby!" He grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. "We are out here because there's no room in there, ok? There are doctors working on every inch of her. There's no room for spectators."
"But Tony -"
"Is Tony," he finished firmly. "He'll take care of her. You and I need to stay out here and stay calm, ok?"
Abby shook her head, refusing to take in his words. "No!" she protested, stomping her foot. "Where's Gibbs?"
"Here, Abs," Gibbs said quietly, appearing behind her.
"Gibbs!" She whirled around and had thrown herself into his arms before she was even finished saying his name. "Tell me Ziva's going to be ok!"
The cups of machine-dispensed coffee Gibbs held in both hands sloshed dangerously as Abby's weight hit him and, holding his arms out to avoid spilling on her, he motioned for McGee to take one of the cups.
McGee took a cup, then looked confusedly down at it. "You need milk in this or something, Boss?"
"No," Gibbs said simply, and lifted his own cup. "It's for you." With one hand now free, he wrapped it around Abby's shoulders reassuringly.
McGee stammered for a second, then managed an appreciative nod. "Thanks," he said, taking a sip of coffee so black he would normally have turned his nose up at it. In this situation, however, he would gladly take what Gibbs gave him.
"You're going to need it."
"Uh..." His eyes slid sideways as he instinctively sought an escape for whatever that statement was a lead-in to, and he lowered the coffee cup again suspiciously. "Why?"
"Because you and I are going over to process that store," Gibbs replied, downing the rest of his coffee in one gulp. "As soon as you're done with your coffee," he added, looking pointedly at McGee's still-full cup. "I don't trust Metro to have a handle on this."
"What?" Abby exclaimed, pulling out from under his arm to look at him incredulously. "You can't just - Ziva's in there!" she said, gesturing wildly to the closed emergency room doors. "What if she wakes up?"
"Tony's with her," Gibbs replied implacably. "He's going to stay with her. He'll keep us informed while McGee and I do what we need to do."
Abby stared at him, stung by his calm manner. "And that's fine for you?" she asked coldly. "You don't want to be with her? You just want someone to 'inform' you if she dies?" Her voice cracked on the last word.
Gibbs handed his coffee cup to McGee, who took it silently, and put his hands on Abby's shoulders. "She's not gonna die, Abs."
"Kate did!" she wailed, giving voice to the fear that all of them had been trying to suppress. She felt the tears that she had been fighting start to fall. "I don't think I can do this again, Gibbs," she whispered, pressing her face back into his shoulder.
He forced her head up again and met her eyes. "I know," he told her quietly, and wrapped her in a tight hug before turning away and heading for the waiting room exit. "Let's go, McGee. Abby," he added over his shoulder, "I'm going to need you at NCIS to process evidence when McGee and I get back there." He looked meaningfully from her to the doors leading to the emergency room area. "Don't let me down, Abs."
"I won't." Lips pressed tightly together, Abby managed a nod before returning to being afraid of what lay behind those doors.