For a WIP of mine (well, obviously...) there's a character who gets shot in the abdominal area... She's left to die (would it be possible to intentionally shoot in an attempt to avoid internal organs for her to simply [and painfully] bleed to death?), but is actually found not long after and taken to surgery. Supposing she survives this, how long would recovery take? I mean all the way from the wound healing to physical therapy (It's kind of relevant to the story that she can't do the things she was used to physically... she was very skilled at acrobatics and fighting, but now she can't do it because of pain from the wound... is that realistic? Would such wound leave her permanently impaled?)
By the way, the character is around 18 years old and a female... Very good physical condition prior to (as mentioned above).
»Sam.
Shooting someone with a handgun* in order to make them bleed to death is not a good idea. A 9mm bullet might drift five inches sideways on it's way through the torso and if it hits bone even more so.
If you shoot her through the guts, she will most likely be incapacitated by pain, and there will be a lot of blood. the attacker might well believe that she will bleed out if left alone.
(Note "Will" below should be read "depending on the exact circumstances odds are between zero and one hundred")
A gunshot through the lower abdomen will tear through muscle and intestines, possibly cutting arteries. Intestinal bacteria will enter the blood stream causing sepsis and inflammation. If the bullet is a large caliber hollow point, the exit wound will be large and some muscle will be destroyed.
With regards to the degree of impairment, that varies dramatically. A strong willed person with good basic health and access to therapy and luck might recover to the point that only they notice some movement loss or pain. Others might have permanent disabilities from even a small wound, such as nerve damage, phantom pains, cramps, secondary infection might make it necessary to remove muscle or intestines.
You can pick whatever you feel is ok for the story, because all of it might happen.
*If you decide to use a rifle like a 7.62NATO or .30-06, the above is aggravated by several magnitudes. Rifles are VERY much more deadly than hand gins. If you elect to use one of them, I would suggest a protective vest to slow the bullet a bit before penetration.