Chapter 7
It was an excruciatingly long car ride, about four hours. It was made shorter, but not any easier, by the fact that it was Gibbs who was driving. Ziva was in the front, after a short fight with Tony, in which he tried to explain the concept of ‘shotgun' and she explained that she would kick him in a very unpleasant place if he didn't let her ride in the front. Tony sat sulking in the back with McGee, who was glaring out of the window. He hadn't said a word since they had left, and the others let him brood.
It was clear to all of them that he loved her, more than everyone else. He loved her more than a sister, like Tony, more than a daughter, like Gibbs, but he would never admit it to her. He knew that everyone else knew. That to them it was obvious, to them, but not to Abby. Sweet, oblivious Abby. He missed the sound of her voice, her laugh, the way her silky black pigtails fell, the concentration in her beautiful eyes, when she was working. What hell was she enduring as they sped on their way? Was she even alive? An image of her, lying spread eagled on the floor, flashed before his eyes. Blood was blossoming over her chest from the bullet wound in her shoulder. Her eyes were pale and lifeless.
He closed his own eyes, and shook himself mentally to get rid of the horrific image. They were now driving through the mountains, the scenery was beautiful, but he didn't notice. All he could think of was Abby. He was going to kill Wesley if he found out that he had hurt her.
Abby didn't know how long she had sat there. All she knew was that something was up. She heard voices, and pounding footsteps running past the cell. Shots were fired, and slowly the noise faded away. Why hadn't someone come for her? Hours passed and soon there appeared to be no one in the house. They hadn't found her, they might never find her.
They had been lucky. When they arrived there had only been Wesley, and a few servants, who had given up right away. Wesley hadn't wanted to come easily, even though he was surrounded. He tried to shoot Tony, but missed, so McGee had shot him, twice in the heart. He had died immediately. Gibbs was slightly disappointed that he hadn't gotten a go at Wesley, but couldn't care much for the loss. The only problem now was, they soon realized, that they couldn't find Abby.
"She's not here," Tony was saying, "We searched every freakin' room."
"Then where is she?" asked Ziva argumentatively.
"She's got to be here," Gibbs said firmly.
"He could have moved her on our way here," debated Tony. They all looked at McGee, awaiting his opinion, but he said nothing at all. He still hadn't spoken since he had shot Wesley.
"What do you think," Tony finally resorted to asking, tired of just waiting for a response. McGee still remained silent; instead he turned away and stomped off. Tony was about to follow him, but Gibbs laid a hand on his shoulder.
"Let him go," he said, "He needs some time." Tony nodded, and watched the younger agent walk off.
McGee couldn't shake the feeling that all of this was his fault. If only he had figured the whole thing out sooner, she might be safe by now. He wandered into the room that they had found her clothes in. It was completely destroyed, except for the pile of her clothes and Bert. He absentmindedly picked Bert up, and left the room. He continued down the hallway. Soon the walls turned white and the carpet floor turned to tile. He stopped walking; there was nothing to see there. As the echo of his footsteps faded away, he heard another sound, a muffled crying.
Was he imagining it? He listened hard. Trying to tell where it came from. There were no doors nearby, just a large wooden bookshelf, looking very out of place on the plain white wall. He went over to it and the sound got louder. He looked at the floor; there were scuff marks on the tile. It looked as though it had been recently moved. He put his shoulder against the side of it and pushed. It moved a few inches, and he pushed harder, it moved a few feet more. Finally he had moved it several feet, so he stopped and looked at the wall. It was no longer just a wall, but a door.
Knowing what he would find on the other side, he pulled it open. There was Abby, his sweet, precious Abby, crying and taped to a chair, a large, purple bruise was partially covered up, by the tape over her mouth. He rushed in and embraced her.
"It's okay now, "he murmured in her ear, "I found you, it's alright." He slowly pulled the tape off of her mouth, but this made her cry harder. Her body shook with sobs. Pulling out his cell and his pocket knife simultaneously, he dialed Gibbs, while cutting Abby free of the silver tape.
"Gibbs," came a terse answer.
"I found her," McGee told him, and explained where he was. He hung up before Gibbs could reply, not really caring what he was going to say. All that mattered now was that his precious Abby was safe.
Author's Chapter Notes:
When the team arrives, will they be able to find her at all, let alone in time?