Fic: Hiatus Revisited. (1/6)
Gibbs was dazed as he looked up at the medics rolling him in through the hospital doors. The sight was dizzying as they passed people in the hospital and a deafening buzz rang through his ears. When the bed stopped moving there was a constant blur of people moving around him, and it didn’t take long before the pain he felt throughout his body began to fade and his world started to go black. This is it, he thought. I can finally be with my girls.
-----
The loud shrill of a ringing phone startled the young woman hunched over the desk and she rubbed the spot on her cheek where she’d fallen asleep on the pencil she’d been using. “Mm, hello?” It was the last time she would spend the entire night reading over the latest advances in technology concerning cochlear implants - It wasn’t as if she couldn’t do it during the day.
“Is this Ms. Sciuto?”
“Yeah, Abby Sciuto.” Abby glance at the clock, it was just past 9 a.m. “What can I do for you?”
“Wonderful, I wasn’t sure if I had the right number. I’m calling from Bethesda Medical Center, and we received a patient last night who received some trauma to his ears, well, and body and we are searching for a caregiver for the next few weeks. He’ll likely need to stay in the hospital for the next few days due to some of the burns he’s received, but after that he needs help to keep his wounds clean and also an interpreter. I was told to contact you and that you are fluent in ASL and are a licensed R.N.?”
“I am.”
“Wonderful. From what I understand you currently work and teach at the University Medical Center in Lafayette?”
“I’d call it my home base, but I travel around a lot depending on where I’m needed. I do a lot of ASL teaching in rehab centers for those who lose their hearing as well as their families. You said this patient’s hearing loss was temporary?”
“From what we can tell, yes, but he already has a strong knowledge of ASL. We haven’t had any luck with finding anyone closer that is available who can both sign and tend to the physical wounds that he’ll need help with.”
“Okay, well, when do I need to be there?”
“If you can, as soon as possible? If you need a chance to look over your schedule, you can e-mail me and then I can go ahead and book your flight.”
“Sounds good.”
----
Gibbs didn’t find it odd that he woke to find his good friend Ducky looking down at him, what was odd was that his friend hadn’t launched into some long-winded explanation as to what had happened. He blinked twice and his vision cleared. Suddenly panic washed over him as he realized that Ducky was in fact off on a tangent. Gibbs could see his lips moving, he just couldn’t hear it.
As he tried to speak, a second wave of panic washed over him when he realized he couldn’t speak around the tube down his throat. A doctor appeared in his line of sight, his lips moving, but his words never reaching Gibbs’ ears. As he continued to panic, a look of understanding crossed the doctor’s face.
“He can’t hear?” Ducky looked to the doctor.
“It’s to be expected. He needs time to heal, the sheer volume of the blast was quite traumatic for his ear drums and the flame looks to have done a bit of damage as well.” The doctor, who had introduced himself to Ducky, grabbed a piece of paper and scribbled a quick note to Gibbs.
-I’m Dr. Carter Smith. Do you remember what happened?-
Gibbs grabbed the pen and paper and wrote sloppily. -I can’t hear.-
-I know- The doctor wrote back. -Can you remember what happened?
-Explosion. Will I hear again?-
-I can’t say for certain, but I th-
Gibbs watched the doctor write and then grabbed the paper before he could finish. Just let me die. He was starting to lift from the fog of the pain medicine he had received.
“Now, now Jethro.” Ducky didn’t care if his friend could hear or not. He only needed to share a harsh look.
Gibbs looked away.
----
Tony, Ziva, McGee and Director Shepard paced the waiting room waiting for Ducky to return to give them the all clear to visit.
“I shouldn’t have let him go aboard the boat alone.”
“You can’t beat yourself up, Tony. Gibbs gave you direct orders to wait behind. If that blast hadn’t have killed you, Gibbs would have for disobeying.” McGee tried to comfort his friend.
“Now he might not make it!”
“Nonsense,” Ducky stepped into the waiting room.
“He’s okay?” Everyone rushed Ducky. “He’ll make it?”
“Slow down, one at a time. They are taking him off the ventilator now that he’s awake. There is one thing…” Ducky shifted uncomfortably. “He’s lost his hearing for the time being.”
“He’s deaf?” Jenny asked. Although their relationship had ended years ago, there had been a few sparks over the past few weeks. She knew he could handle being deaf, though losing his hearing would cause him to lose his status and he would no longer be allowed in the field and that, he couldn’t handle.
“The doctors assume it’s only temporary, but it might be a few weeks until they know for sure,” Ducky explained. “They are working on finding someone who can sign and that can help him through recovery. I let them know he was fluent in ASL.”
---
Gibbs couldn’t hear any footsteps, but suddenly he was aware that someone was in his room. He didn’t know how long he’d been asleep; as soon as Ducky had left, the doctor had given him more pain meds and he had vaguely been aware of his team visiting as he fell into a deep, dreamless sleep. He opened his eyes and couldn’t help but give a quick smirk. The angel of death, he was sure of it.
He waited for her to say something. If she was the angel of death, he figured he’d be able to hear her. He looked her over as he waited for her to speak. She was dressed almost head to toe in black, a few yellow stars scattered across her shirt. Her black pants were covered in shiny, silvery buckles that he was sure people could hear clanking together half a mile away when she walked.
His eyes traveled back up and he noticed that her hair was pulled up into pigtails, much like a little girl. Her fair skin was contrasted greatly with her black hair. He locked his eyes on her and watched as her bright green eyes grew wide. Just as he was sure she would speak, a large smile spread across her face and she lifted hand hands. Hi, I’m Abby.
Gibbs glared. His hope that she was the angel of death, there to take him away, quickly faded. The tattoos he spotted should have been a give-away.
A flicker of doubt crossed Abby’s face before her smile returned. You sign, right?
Gibbs gave a curt nod and started to look away, but Abby’s hands started to move again and curiosity got the best of him.
Oh good, for a second I thought I might have gotten the wrong room, but the doctors warned me that you were a little… Abby’s hands stilled as she thought. Then, with a little shrug she finished her train of thought. Cranky.
I don’t need your help. Gibbs’ movements were slow and stiff. It’d been years since he’d had to sign.
You want to stay here and use this the next few weeks? Abby held up the paper and a pen and then set them aside to sign again. Be my guest. But you need someone to look after your wounds and answer the phone and take you to your doctor appointments and interpret.
Just let me die.
At first she thought he was joking. Nonsense. I can bring you home tomorrow, but you have to sign the forms. And don’t worry, the service is being provided through your work.
When he didn’t respond she set the papers on his bedside table and shrugged. Think about it. Your doctor will call me if you decide you want to leave.
Gibbs watched her head toward the door. As she reached the threshold, a nurse stepped in. They were talking too fast for him to try and read their lips.
---
It wasn’t the first time she’d seen someone want to give up on life. Usually it was because the person feared a life without sound, but this man, this Leroy Jethro Gibbs, wanted to give up and she suspected it had nothing to do with the possibility of being deaf.
After her brief visit with him, Abby headed for the pediatric unit. She loved spending time with the kids, playing games, reading and applying temporary tattoos to the older kids. It was nearly five hours later when Gibbs’ doctor, Dr. Smith, found her. Beside him was an older gentleman - Abby couldn’t help but smile at the bow-tie he was wearing.
“Ms. Scuito, Agent Gibbs has decided that he would like to go home. Dr. Mallard here, a good friend of Agent Gibbs, will get you set up in the guest room at Agent Gibbs’ place.”
“Please, call me Ducky.” Ducky extended his hand to Abby.
“I’m Abby, nice to meet you.” The three chatted a few moments longer before Ducky gave Abby Gibbs’ address so she could meet him there in her rental car.
---
Abby smiled up at the house she would call home the next few weeks. Normally she didn’t stay overnight with the people she was working with, but since Gibbs lived alone, everyone, except Gibbs, thought it was for the best that she stay with him overnight. Just in case.
The house had character, she decided. It obviously lacked a woman’s touch, the front was over-run with weeds and when she walked into the living room, it was obvious he’d lived alone for several years, if not forever.
After a quick tour of the house and being shown the guest room, Ducky brought her to the kitchen to show her where Gibbs kept the coffee, informing her that coffee would be an important factor in dealing with Gibbs.
---
Before he was able to go home, Director Shepard and Tony DiNozzo arrived with a thick pad of paper and a couple of pens. Gibbs was irritated, but willing to communicate with them about the case. He had trusted Galib to be telling the truth, then it was moments after he disappeared that the explosion went off. He hated the way Jenny looked at him, her eyes full of pity.
‘Hey Boss, we haven’t been able to find the body of Galib. Was he with you?’ Tony pushed the pad of paper towards Gibbs, careful not to push it against the small burn on his hand.
Gibbs thought a moment. ‘He left just before the bomb went off. You think he survived?’
‘We can’t find anything to suggest he died in the blast. We’re starting to suspect that he wasn’t on our side. He may have been playing both sides.’
‘But what about the information he gave me?’
Tony thought a moment. ‘Maybe he wasn’t counting on you making it out alive?’
Gibbs nodded. ‘They are going to blow up Cape Fear.’
Jenny and Tony shared a saddened look, neither wanting to comment on the subject. Tony took a deep breath and pulled the pad of paper back and started to write, crossing out the first few words and starting over. ‘They already did.’
----
Abby arrived at the hospital at noon the following day and met Agent Gibbs’ doctor in the hallway. “Ah, Ms. Sciuto, perfect timing.”
“Dr. Smith,” Abby greeted warmly.
“I have a packet for you,” he held the door to Gibbs’ room open for her. “Dr. Mallard put together a list of names and numbers. Agent Gibbs has made it quite clear that he wants no visitors, but Dr. Mallard has said he will be calling daily to check in.”
No visitors? He needs his friends. Abby gave Gibbs a sad look as she stepped up to his beside, and signed. Ready to go?
Before he could answer, the doctor handed him his discharge papers and then turned to Abby. “The nurse gave you a list of supplies yesterday, correct?”
“Yes, I went and picked everything up last night.”
“Good, and here is his prescription for the meds he’s on.”
---
The drive home was long and quiet, though Abby refused to let it feel awkward. She had her bags in the trunk and the Dr. Mallard had stocked Gibbs’ kitchen the day before so their only stop was the pharmacy. Need anything else?
Gibbs didn’t reply, so Abby assumed that was a no.
When she pulled up to Gibbs’ home, she heard him give a soft sigh. She wasn’t surprised that he refused any help to the door, walking slowly and stiffly up the front step. Abby was slightly surprised that his doctors had discharged him only days after a head trauma like that, but she gathered that he was the type of person who got what he demanded and if the gossip she’d picked up from the nurses was correct, it wasn’t his first trip to the hospital. Once inside, Gibbs made a bee-line for the basement, but Abby put a firm hand against the door, keeping him from opening it. When he turned to glare at her she dropped her hands to sign. Where do you think you’re going?
Basement. Boat.
Both will wait. Abby pointed to the stairs leading up to his bedroom. You need to rest. Are you hungry?
Gibbs shook his head and headed up the stairs. As much as he craved the rough grain of wood under his hands, he didn’t have the strength to argue. Abby hesitated a moment and then started after him. She caught up to him in the hallway and motioned to the door at the end of the hallway, just past the guest room. What’s in there? Ducky said it was locked.
Nothing, just stay out of there, ok?
Sorry. She followed him into his room and pulled back the covers before setting a pain pill on the nightstand and grabbing a glass of water from the bathroom. Sleep now. I will be back to change the bandages in a few hours.
Gibbs climbed into bed without a second glance.
Once Gibbs was settled, Abby went to retrieve her bags from the trunk of her rental and hauled them up to the guest room. Ducky called shortly after, and they chatted a few moments, but he had to end the call abruptly after his assistant alerted him to a dead petty officer they needed to tend to.
She puttered around the house for a few hours and then put together a simple dinner for Gibbs and brought it upstairs. He was awake and staring at the ceiling when she stepped inside. She set the food on his bedside table and then grabbed the bag of gauze and the salve she’d received for his burns. He ignored her until she reached for the bandage wrapped around his ears and head. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand away. Don’t.
I need to apply some of this, Abby held up the small tube. It will help the healing process.
He stared at her, so she stared back. If he thought he was going to scare her into leaving him alone, he was wrong. I’ll be gentle, I promise.
Gibbs dropped his hold on her and closed his eyes. He didn’t care anymore.
Abby peeled the gauze from his burns as gently as possible, cleaned them and then reapplied fresh bandages. The burns weren’t bad, would likely be pain free within a week or so, but his eardrums would take substantially longer to heal. When she was done, she tapped his chest lightly to get him to open his eyes again. Pain pill?
No.
Come on, you’re due for another one now. Don’t suffer any more than you have to.
He glared at her but took the pill. Then she held up the food, but he pushed it away.
You need to eat.
No.
Yes. You need to keep up your strength to heal.
No.
You’ll get sick to your stomach by not having anything in your stomach and taking pain meds.
I don’t want it! Gibbs grabbed the plate and launched it across the room, the plate shattering against the wall. Abby looked at the broken plate and then walked over to clean it up. Gibbs slapped his hand on the table to get her attention. Just leave it. He almost looked as if he was sorry.
She raised a hand, he thought to sign, but instead she flipped him off and picked up what she could before returning to clean up the rest, wiping salad dressing from the wall with a wet paper-towel.
He tried to catch her gaze before she left the room again, possibly to apologize, but failed. He could’ve tried to speak, but he knew what it sounded like when someone who couldn’t hear themselves tried to speak, and he was stubborn. Any sign of weakness was a sign too many. He was a little shocked that he lost it in front of this woman he didn’t know.
He lay back and wondered if he should go after her, he wasn’t sure he could actually apologize, but… as he continued to think, his stomach began to twist and turn. He grimaced when he realized that Abby was right, taking pain medication on an empty stomach hadn’t been a good idea. He gently eased himself from the bed and headed to the master bathroom, lowering himself beside the toilet.
Abby watched quietly from the hallway as he made his way to the bathroom. He was mad, as most patients were, but rather than being angry with whatever or whoever had caused the damage, Abby suspected that he was angry with himself. She just didn’t understand why. When she heard him start to wretch and gag, she headed downstairs to gather some crackers and soda and then returned to his bedroom.
Gibbs was just stepping out of the bathroom as Abby placed the crackers, soda and a new pain pill on his table. He lifted his hand to sign, but dropped it when she ignored him and busied herself fluffing his pillow. He was surprised that she pulled the blanket up around him as though she were tucking him in once he lay back down. He was even more surprised when she sat on the edge of his bed and looked at him. Why are you so angry?
A bomb went off. I can’t hear. Was she really that clueless?
I know that, but you are angry about something else. What is it?
Nothing. Gibbs closed his eyes, but his hands repeated the motion. Nothing.
----
Part Two
-----
The loud shrill of a ringing phone startled the young woman hunched over the desk and she rubbed the spot on her cheek where she’d fallen asleep on the pencil she’d been using. “Mm, hello?” It was the last time she would spend the entire night reading over the latest advances in technology concerning cochlear implants - It wasn’t as if she couldn’t do it during the day.
“Is this Ms. Sciuto?”
“Yeah, Abby Sciuto.” Abby glance at the clock, it was just past 9 a.m. “What can I do for you?”
“Wonderful, I wasn’t sure if I had the right number. I’m calling from Bethesda Medical Center, and we received a patient last night who received some trauma to his ears, well, and body and we are searching for a caregiver for the next few weeks. He’ll likely need to stay in the hospital for the next few days due to some of the burns he’s received, but after that he needs help to keep his wounds clean and also an interpreter. I was told to contact you and that you are fluent in ASL and are a licensed R.N.?”
“I am.”
“Wonderful. From what I understand you currently work and teach at the University Medical Center in Lafayette?”
“I’d call it my home base, but I travel around a lot depending on where I’m needed. I do a lot of ASL teaching in rehab centers for those who lose their hearing as well as their families. You said this patient’s hearing loss was temporary?”
“From what we can tell, yes, but he already has a strong knowledge of ASL. We haven’t had any luck with finding anyone closer that is available who can both sign and tend to the physical wounds that he’ll need help with.”
“Okay, well, when do I need to be there?”
“If you can, as soon as possible? If you need a chance to look over your schedule, you can e-mail me and then I can go ahead and book your flight.”
“Sounds good.”
----
Gibbs didn’t find it odd that he woke to find his good friend Ducky looking down at him, what was odd was that his friend hadn’t launched into some long-winded explanation as to what had happened. He blinked twice and his vision cleared. Suddenly panic washed over him as he realized that Ducky was in fact off on a tangent. Gibbs could see his lips moving, he just couldn’t hear it.
As he tried to speak, a second wave of panic washed over him when he realized he couldn’t speak around the tube down his throat. A doctor appeared in his line of sight, his lips moving, but his words never reaching Gibbs’ ears. As he continued to panic, a look of understanding crossed the doctor’s face.
“He can’t hear?” Ducky looked to the doctor.
“It’s to be expected. He needs time to heal, the sheer volume of the blast was quite traumatic for his ear drums and the flame looks to have done a bit of damage as well.” The doctor, who had introduced himself to Ducky, grabbed a piece of paper and scribbled a quick note to Gibbs.
-I’m Dr. Carter Smith. Do you remember what happened?-
Gibbs grabbed the pen and paper and wrote sloppily. -I can’t hear.-
-I know- The doctor wrote back. -Can you remember what happened?
-Explosion. Will I hear again?-
-I can’t say for certain, but I th-
Gibbs watched the doctor write and then grabbed the paper before he could finish. Just let me die. He was starting to lift from the fog of the pain medicine he had received.
“Now, now Jethro.” Ducky didn’t care if his friend could hear or not. He only needed to share a harsh look.
Gibbs looked away.
----
Tony, Ziva, McGee and Director Shepard paced the waiting room waiting for Ducky to return to give them the all clear to visit.
“I shouldn’t have let him go aboard the boat alone.”
“You can’t beat yourself up, Tony. Gibbs gave you direct orders to wait behind. If that blast hadn’t have killed you, Gibbs would have for disobeying.” McGee tried to comfort his friend.
“Now he might not make it!”
“Nonsense,” Ducky stepped into the waiting room.
“He’s okay?” Everyone rushed Ducky. “He’ll make it?”
“Slow down, one at a time. They are taking him off the ventilator now that he’s awake. There is one thing…” Ducky shifted uncomfortably. “He’s lost his hearing for the time being.”
“He’s deaf?” Jenny asked. Although their relationship had ended years ago, there had been a few sparks over the past few weeks. She knew he could handle being deaf, though losing his hearing would cause him to lose his status and he would no longer be allowed in the field and that, he couldn’t handle.
“The doctors assume it’s only temporary, but it might be a few weeks until they know for sure,” Ducky explained. “They are working on finding someone who can sign and that can help him through recovery. I let them know he was fluent in ASL.”
---
Gibbs couldn’t hear any footsteps, but suddenly he was aware that someone was in his room. He didn’t know how long he’d been asleep; as soon as Ducky had left, the doctor had given him more pain meds and he had vaguely been aware of his team visiting as he fell into a deep, dreamless sleep. He opened his eyes and couldn’t help but give a quick smirk. The angel of death, he was sure of it.
He waited for her to say something. If she was the angel of death, he figured he’d be able to hear her. He looked her over as he waited for her to speak. She was dressed almost head to toe in black, a few yellow stars scattered across her shirt. Her black pants were covered in shiny, silvery buckles that he was sure people could hear clanking together half a mile away when she walked.
His eyes traveled back up and he noticed that her hair was pulled up into pigtails, much like a little girl. Her fair skin was contrasted greatly with her black hair. He locked his eyes on her and watched as her bright green eyes grew wide. Just as he was sure she would speak, a large smile spread across her face and she lifted hand hands. Hi, I’m Abby.
Gibbs glared. His hope that she was the angel of death, there to take him away, quickly faded. The tattoos he spotted should have been a give-away.
A flicker of doubt crossed Abby’s face before her smile returned. You sign, right?
Gibbs gave a curt nod and started to look away, but Abby’s hands started to move again and curiosity got the best of him.
Oh good, for a second I thought I might have gotten the wrong room, but the doctors warned me that you were a little… Abby’s hands stilled as she thought. Then, with a little shrug she finished her train of thought. Cranky.
I don’t need your help. Gibbs’ movements were slow and stiff. It’d been years since he’d had to sign.
You want to stay here and use this the next few weeks? Abby held up the paper and a pen and then set them aside to sign again. Be my guest. But you need someone to look after your wounds and answer the phone and take you to your doctor appointments and interpret.
Just let me die.
At first she thought he was joking. Nonsense. I can bring you home tomorrow, but you have to sign the forms. And don’t worry, the service is being provided through your work.
When he didn’t respond she set the papers on his bedside table and shrugged. Think about it. Your doctor will call me if you decide you want to leave.
Gibbs watched her head toward the door. As she reached the threshold, a nurse stepped in. They were talking too fast for him to try and read their lips.
---
It wasn’t the first time she’d seen someone want to give up on life. Usually it was because the person feared a life without sound, but this man, this Leroy Jethro Gibbs, wanted to give up and she suspected it had nothing to do with the possibility of being deaf.
After her brief visit with him, Abby headed for the pediatric unit. She loved spending time with the kids, playing games, reading and applying temporary tattoos to the older kids. It was nearly five hours later when Gibbs’ doctor, Dr. Smith, found her. Beside him was an older gentleman - Abby couldn’t help but smile at the bow-tie he was wearing.
“Ms. Scuito, Agent Gibbs has decided that he would like to go home. Dr. Mallard here, a good friend of Agent Gibbs, will get you set up in the guest room at Agent Gibbs’ place.”
“Please, call me Ducky.” Ducky extended his hand to Abby.
“I’m Abby, nice to meet you.” The three chatted a few moments longer before Ducky gave Abby Gibbs’ address so she could meet him there in her rental car.
---
Abby smiled up at the house she would call home the next few weeks. Normally she didn’t stay overnight with the people she was working with, but since Gibbs lived alone, everyone, except Gibbs, thought it was for the best that she stay with him overnight. Just in case.
The house had character, she decided. It obviously lacked a woman’s touch, the front was over-run with weeds and when she walked into the living room, it was obvious he’d lived alone for several years, if not forever.
After a quick tour of the house and being shown the guest room, Ducky brought her to the kitchen to show her where Gibbs kept the coffee, informing her that coffee would be an important factor in dealing with Gibbs.
---
Before he was able to go home, Director Shepard and Tony DiNozzo arrived with a thick pad of paper and a couple of pens. Gibbs was irritated, but willing to communicate with them about the case. He had trusted Galib to be telling the truth, then it was moments after he disappeared that the explosion went off. He hated the way Jenny looked at him, her eyes full of pity.
‘Hey Boss, we haven’t been able to find the body of Galib. Was he with you?’ Tony pushed the pad of paper towards Gibbs, careful not to push it against the small burn on his hand.
Gibbs thought a moment. ‘He left just before the bomb went off. You think he survived?’
‘We can’t find anything to suggest he died in the blast. We’re starting to suspect that he wasn’t on our side. He may have been playing both sides.’
‘But what about the information he gave me?’
Tony thought a moment. ‘Maybe he wasn’t counting on you making it out alive?’
Gibbs nodded. ‘They are going to blow up Cape Fear.’
Jenny and Tony shared a saddened look, neither wanting to comment on the subject. Tony took a deep breath and pulled the pad of paper back and started to write, crossing out the first few words and starting over. ‘They already did.’
----
Abby arrived at the hospital at noon the following day and met Agent Gibbs’ doctor in the hallway. “Ah, Ms. Sciuto, perfect timing.”
“Dr. Smith,” Abby greeted warmly.
“I have a packet for you,” he held the door to Gibbs’ room open for her. “Dr. Mallard put together a list of names and numbers. Agent Gibbs has made it quite clear that he wants no visitors, but Dr. Mallard has said he will be calling daily to check in.”
No visitors? He needs his friends. Abby gave Gibbs a sad look as she stepped up to his beside, and signed. Ready to go?
Before he could answer, the doctor handed him his discharge papers and then turned to Abby. “The nurse gave you a list of supplies yesterday, correct?”
“Yes, I went and picked everything up last night.”
“Good, and here is his prescription for the meds he’s on.”
---
The drive home was long and quiet, though Abby refused to let it feel awkward. She had her bags in the trunk and the Dr. Mallard had stocked Gibbs’ kitchen the day before so their only stop was the pharmacy. Need anything else?
Gibbs didn’t reply, so Abby assumed that was a no.
When she pulled up to Gibbs’ home, she heard him give a soft sigh. She wasn’t surprised that he refused any help to the door, walking slowly and stiffly up the front step. Abby was slightly surprised that his doctors had discharged him only days after a head trauma like that, but she gathered that he was the type of person who got what he demanded and if the gossip she’d picked up from the nurses was correct, it wasn’t his first trip to the hospital. Once inside, Gibbs made a bee-line for the basement, but Abby put a firm hand against the door, keeping him from opening it. When he turned to glare at her she dropped her hands to sign. Where do you think you’re going?
Basement. Boat.
Both will wait. Abby pointed to the stairs leading up to his bedroom. You need to rest. Are you hungry?
Gibbs shook his head and headed up the stairs. As much as he craved the rough grain of wood under his hands, he didn’t have the strength to argue. Abby hesitated a moment and then started after him. She caught up to him in the hallway and motioned to the door at the end of the hallway, just past the guest room. What’s in there? Ducky said it was locked.
Nothing, just stay out of there, ok?
Sorry. She followed him into his room and pulled back the covers before setting a pain pill on the nightstand and grabbing a glass of water from the bathroom. Sleep now. I will be back to change the bandages in a few hours.
Gibbs climbed into bed without a second glance.
Once Gibbs was settled, Abby went to retrieve her bags from the trunk of her rental and hauled them up to the guest room. Ducky called shortly after, and they chatted a few moments, but he had to end the call abruptly after his assistant alerted him to a dead petty officer they needed to tend to.
She puttered around the house for a few hours and then put together a simple dinner for Gibbs and brought it upstairs. He was awake and staring at the ceiling when she stepped inside. She set the food on his bedside table and then grabbed the bag of gauze and the salve she’d received for his burns. He ignored her until she reached for the bandage wrapped around his ears and head. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand away. Don’t.
I need to apply some of this, Abby held up the small tube. It will help the healing process.
He stared at her, so she stared back. If he thought he was going to scare her into leaving him alone, he was wrong. I’ll be gentle, I promise.
Gibbs dropped his hold on her and closed his eyes. He didn’t care anymore.
Abby peeled the gauze from his burns as gently as possible, cleaned them and then reapplied fresh bandages. The burns weren’t bad, would likely be pain free within a week or so, but his eardrums would take substantially longer to heal. When she was done, she tapped his chest lightly to get him to open his eyes again. Pain pill?
No.
Come on, you’re due for another one now. Don’t suffer any more than you have to.
He glared at her but took the pill. Then she held up the food, but he pushed it away.
You need to eat.
No.
Yes. You need to keep up your strength to heal.
No.
You’ll get sick to your stomach by not having anything in your stomach and taking pain meds.
I don’t want it! Gibbs grabbed the plate and launched it across the room, the plate shattering against the wall. Abby looked at the broken plate and then walked over to clean it up. Gibbs slapped his hand on the table to get her attention. Just leave it. He almost looked as if he was sorry.
She raised a hand, he thought to sign, but instead she flipped him off and picked up what she could before returning to clean up the rest, wiping salad dressing from the wall with a wet paper-towel.
He tried to catch her gaze before she left the room again, possibly to apologize, but failed. He could’ve tried to speak, but he knew what it sounded like when someone who couldn’t hear themselves tried to speak, and he was stubborn. Any sign of weakness was a sign too many. He was a little shocked that he lost it in front of this woman he didn’t know.
He lay back and wondered if he should go after her, he wasn’t sure he could actually apologize, but… as he continued to think, his stomach began to twist and turn. He grimaced when he realized that Abby was right, taking pain medication on an empty stomach hadn’t been a good idea. He gently eased himself from the bed and headed to the master bathroom, lowering himself beside the toilet.
Abby watched quietly from the hallway as he made his way to the bathroom. He was mad, as most patients were, but rather than being angry with whatever or whoever had caused the damage, Abby suspected that he was angry with himself. She just didn’t understand why. When she heard him start to wretch and gag, she headed downstairs to gather some crackers and soda and then returned to his bedroom.
Gibbs was just stepping out of the bathroom as Abby placed the crackers, soda and a new pain pill on his table. He lifted his hand to sign, but dropped it when she ignored him and busied herself fluffing his pillow. He was surprised that she pulled the blanket up around him as though she were tucking him in once he lay back down. He was even more surprised when she sat on the edge of his bed and looked at him. Why are you so angry?
A bomb went off. I can’t hear. Was she really that clueless?
I know that, but you are angry about something else. What is it?
Nothing. Gibbs closed his eyes, but his hands repeated the motion. Nothing.
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Part Two