Sammychel,
It is possible to survive either a close range shooting or a stabbing to the abdomen depending on a couple of things like where the bullet/knife hit, if it remained lodged in the wound and how fast the person receives medical assistance. (It's more likely that a bullet would stay lodged in a wound They always pull the knife out. I don't know why. It's a no-no.) If the spleen is nicked, a person can start to look really pale (greyish...close to death) fast because of the blood loss, but they can be saved if they get to a hospital quickly enough. (And I mean within a few minutes.) If you want your woman to look dead, I'd go for that because they get the "dead look" (grey with pupils fixed and dilated) with massive blood loss. I've see sucking chest wounds walk in the door and say, "Wassup? I gots stabbed." I've never seen a person with a spleen laceration do this. They come in looking halfway to death's door.
Things like pertonitis and sepsis won't kill someone until days after. If brought to the hospital, the patient would immediately get fluid to support blood pressure while they tried to get a type/cross-match on blood, anti-biotics, a tetanus shot, blood transfusions if blood makes it to the ER in time, then whisked off to surgery.
Hope that helps.
km
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