A/N: Here we go with another chapter. Thank you for the massive amount of encouragement, everyone
Special thanks to Meiveva, for beta reading this for me
F.
Gibbs kept a careful eye on Abby. After the doctor left, she'd dissolved into tears. It had taken the combined effort of Ducky and himself to calm her down. He knew it took a lot to make Abby cry; the stress of having to make that sort of decision about McGee had pushed her to breaking point. She needed something to occupy her, to stop her from dwelling on whether she'd made the right choice. As much as he hated to do it to her, he needed answers about the bomb that had damn near killed his youngest agent.
"Abs"
She raised her head, looking at him.
"Yeah Gibbs?"
"I need you to go back to the lab." Seeing her start to protest, he held up his hand. "We need to find out who planted that bomb". He could see the resistance on her face, torn between staying at the hospital and the search for the people that had put McGee there.
"I will call you as soon as we know anything" he told her.
"You promise, Gibbs?"
"I promise, Abs."
Gibbs looked at Ducky, a silent question in his eyes. The elderly Scotsman stood, picking up his hat and coat from the empty seat next to him.
"Come on, Abigail; I'll drive you."
...
Hours passed; it felt more like days before the door opened. The remaining team members looked up expectantly as the same doctor re-entered the waiting room. Gibbs stood, facing him squarely.
"You got news for us, Doc?"
The doctor nodded.
"I'm Doctor Richardson, I led the team that operated on Agent McGee" he introduced himself "He's stable now, and in recovery."
"His arm?"
Richardson scrubbed a tired hand across his head, dislodging the surgical cap
"It's hard to say at the moment. We've removed the damaged bone and tissue from the shoulder joint, but he'll need major reconstructive surgery before we'll know for sure. At this stage, he's not out of the woods yet. He may not recover the use of his arm even with the reconstructive surgery."
"How soon will he get that?" Tony asked, his voice slightly hoarse. Ziva glanced at him in surprise—thosewere the first words he'd said since they'd entered the waiting room—before turning her attention back to the doctor.
"We've scheduled the surgery for tomorrow morning. We'll have a better idea of his condition afterwards."
"How soon can we see him?" Gibbs asked.
"Once he's been moved out of recovery and into a room. I'll send someone to get you."
"Thanks, Doc"
Doctor Richardson nodded and left the room.
Gibbs pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, ignoring the warning signs posted on the walls of the waiting room, and hit the speed dial for Abby's lab.
"Gibbs! How's Timmy?"
"He's out of surgery"
"Is he going to be ok?"
"They're not sure yet, Abs. He has to have another round of surgery in the morning before they can tell us anything."
There was silence at the other end of the phone.
"He'll be ok, Abby" Gibbs reassured her. "Do you have anything yet?"
She sounded slightly choked up as she answered.
"I tested the residue. The explosive was C4, Gibbs. I traced the chemical markers back to a batch that was bought by the Department of Defence."
"It was our C4?"
"I'm not done, Gibbs. The military keeps tabs on all the explosives it receives, but part of this particular batch was recorded as missing from Quantico two weeks ago. It was stolen, Gibbs."
Gibbs hung up the phone, turning to the remainder of his team.
"DiNozzo, stay here. Get in touch with McGee's family. Call me as soon as he wakes. David, you're with me."
...
Abby entered the room, trying to move as quietly as she could in her platform boots. She pulled up short when she realised that Tim wasn't alone in the room. A young woman sat by his bed, turning her head towards the door as it opened. Abby instantly recognised her from the evidence garage at NCIS. It was Sarah.
Torn between not wanting to intrude and wanting to see her best friend, she hovered indecisively in the doorway.
"Sorry" she half whispered "I didn't know anyone was with him."
"It's ok, come in" Sarah replied in a quiet voice.
Thankful for the permission, she quickly went to the bed, bending to gently kiss Tim's forehead, taking in the bandages that covered his left side. She knew she'd made the right choice, denying permission to amputate. Carefully, she smoothed the covers over his injured arm, smiling in relief. Logically, she knew he might still lose the use of his arm, but she refused to believe it while his arm was still part of him.
"I remember you. You're Abby, aren't you?" Sarah asked from behind her.
"Yeah, that's me" she replied, still watching Tim.
"Tim's told me a lot about you" Sarah continued.
"All good, I hope."
"He said that I should thank you; that you're the one that figured out that I'd been drugged when Jeff was killed."
Abby spun towards her
"He told you that?"
Sarah nodded.
"It's not me you should thank, Sarah. If he hadn't been so insistent that you'd been drugged, I may not have ever run that test" she turned back to the bed, unwilling to take her attention away from Tim. "You've got a really good big brother."
"You really care about him, don't you?"
"We all do" Abby replied "He's my best friend." Feeling tears spring to her eyes, she went to leave. Sarah's soft voice stopped her.
"Abby?"
"Yeah?" she asked, trying not to sniffle
"Thank you"
At Abby's quizzical look, Sarah continued.
"Thank you for caring enough not to let them take his arm"
Unable to speak for the lump in her throat, Abby nodded, closing the door gently behind her.