Tony froze as he listened intently to the scuffling in the room behind him. He could hear Abby repeating Gibbs’ name and Ziva telling him to wake up, but strangely there was a silence where the Director’s voice should be. Even though he couldn’t hear her, he could imagine her face. She would be relieved at the thought of him waking up, but she was too thorough to put herself in false hope. So instead she had resorted to a silent prayer, asking for him to return to them. Tony admired that of her " that she could be hopeful yet realistic at the same time; but he knew that this was of little comfort to the Director from the constant pain etched on her face.
Tony’s silence, on the other hand, was a completely different mater entirely. His heart pounded joyfully at the thought of Gibbs returning to them, to him; but his fear stopped him from jumping up and running into the room to watch him wake. An icy dread filled his stomach as he thought of the disappointed look he would get when Gibbs awoke to find that Tony had failed him. A grim expression carved its way across Tony’s face as he remembered all too well the man that he had let past him, the man that had taken the gun from his jacket and shot the bullet straight into Gibbs’ chest. He curled his hand into a tight fist and jabbed himself in the leg in self-loathing. He just couldn’t handle Gibbs finding out. It would never be the same again, Gibbs wouldn’t trust him, and that closeness that Tony had always felt between them would vanish, replaced by a distant familiarity.
At that moment, several nurses and the doctor ran past him, making their way into the room. Tony listened to the hectic commotion with bated breath as he waited for any sign that Gibbs had awakened from his coma.
***
“Is he waking up?” asked Abby loudly as she watched the doctor shine a light in each of Gibbs’ eyes.
“I don’t know,” he replied truthfully. “This might be a false alarm. Patients sometimes experience involuntary muscle spasms and…”
“No! He held my hand!” Ziva said from the side of the bed. “Look he’s still doing it now.” She lifted her hand and the doctor’s jaw dropped as Gibbs hand clung on to her. She straightened her fingers and still Gibbs clutched her, his fingers tightly wrapped around her palm.
The doctor looked back at Gibbs and pointed the light into his eyes. “Still no response,” he said quietly to the nurse on his left.
“Of course there is a response!” shouted Abby. “He’s holding onto Ziva’s hand.”
“His pupils aren’t responding. The only explanation I can give is prolonged muscular spasm, Miss Scuito. There is really no indication that he is waking up, although I admit this is a very rare situation and…”
“No indication?” Abby shouted in astonishment. “Look! He’s holding her hand.”
“I can see that, but I really can’t see any other reason…”
“His eyes just moved.” Director Shepard said somewhat quietly from the foot of the bed.
Abby and Ziva spun around to face the Director, who ignored them and continued to stare at the man lying in the bed in front of her.
“His eyes are moving, look,” she repeated, and everybody turned to look at Gibbs’ eyes, which were rolling around behind closed eyelids.
The doctor then turned to face everyone with a slightly pained expression. “I’m afraid that’s what we call REM, Rapid Eye…”
“Movement,” finished Abby, “But it doesn’t mean that he’s not waking up.”
“No, but it doesn’t show any evidence to say that he is.”
“You don’t know Gibbs; he’s trying to get back to us,” said Abby defiantly.
“And he will,” said Ziva, grabbing even harder onto Gibbs’ hand.
“Is he still holding onto your hand, Miss David?”
“Well…no,” Ziva admitted slowly, “but he was.”
“Then all I can say is that there is nothing to suggest that Mr Gibbs is waking up. I’m sorry to tell you, but this is a false alarm.”
“No!” said Abby loudly. “He’s coming back; I know it.”
“Not right now, Miss Scuito.”
“You have no proof that says that he isn’t.”
“And you have no proof that he is.”
“He’s right, Abby,” said the Director. “Gibbs will come back to us when he is ready, and not before. You of all people should know that. Gibbs only does things on his terms.”
“Yes but…”
“Abby, he is coming back to us, but just not right now.”
Abby looked like she was bursting to argue, but maturity got the better of her, and she kept quiet. It was probably not the best idea to argue with the Director, even at a time like this.
“I’m afraid the nurses have a few things they would like to do, so if you could all leave the room for a while, we would appreciate it.”
“Certainly doctor,” said the Director, taking charge. “Ziva, Abby, lets leave the nurses to do what they need.”
The Director left the room followed by a sullen looking Abby. Ziva took one last look at Gibbs before slowly removing her hand from his. Her fingertips lost the feel of his skin, and with shining eyes she left the room.
***
Author's Chapter Notes:
The doctora deny that Gibbs is waking up, much to the anger and disappointment of his team...