Tony’s face was buried against Gibbs’ chest as he silently cried. Gibbs held him as he cried, rubbing his back soothingly and murmuring quietly to him.

"Shh," Gibbs whispered, trying to calm his lover down.

The heart monitor reading was higher than normal, but it wasn’t enough to bring the nurse back into the room. She knew what had happened and that the young man was crying, mourning for the loss of a beautiful woman.

"B-b-b-boss," Tony managed into Gibbs’ shirt, his voice muffled.

"Yes, Tony?"

"I want to see her."

"Tony, they won’t let you down there," Gibbs said reasonably, still holding Tony, glad he wasn’t crying as much and that his breathing seemed to be okay.

"Oh, God, I’m going to be sick," Tony said.

Gibbs reached behind him for the clean basin, holding it for Tony as he emptied his stomach. He held the basin with one hand and Tony with the other, keeping Tony’s back pressed against him comfortingly. After Tony was done Gibbs took the basin to the bathroom and emptied it, then took the bottle of water off the food tray and took it to Tony.

"Here, rinse your mouth out," Gibbs said, handing him the bottle, then holding the basin for him again to spit in. "You need to take a few sips if you can."

Tony finally leaned back against the bed, looking at Gibbs through tear-glazed green eyes. "Boss, I want to be there."

"Tony, that’s not the best idea you’ve had."

"Boss," Tony said pleadingly.

Gibbs had never met the little girl or her mother till that day, but he knew to Tony they were special.

"Honey-" Gibbs froze when that word fell from his lips. He wasn’t the kind of person to use endearments or give cute names for someone, but it somehow felt right. Smiling gently, he cupped Tony’s face with one hand.

"Gibbs, she needs someone. Her mom was the only person that little girl had," Tony managed to say despite the fact that he was crying again.

"Okay, Tony, I’ll ask, but don’t expect too much. "

"You’re Leroy Jethro Gibbs. You can make anything happen." Tony tried to shoot him a smile, but he was hurting too much right now.

Gibbs kissed the man, softly and passionately, his tongue invading Tony’s mouth. Tony returned the favor, his tongue already knowing just the right spots to hit in Gibbs’ mouth to make the man moan softly; the feel and taste of it caused Tony to moan, too.

Gibbs moved his free hand to the back of Tony’s head, pulling him into the kiss more. The hand that was cupping his face moved, stroking from temple to jaw line, stopping at the chin. After he traced Tony’s face he broke the kiss.

"I’ll try, okay, but" -Gibbs hand on Tony’s chin lifted his face so they were looking eye to eye- "and this is a very big but, if the doctor says no, we listen to him. But then we have Ducky come by in the morning and fry them all."

Gibbs smiled when he said the last, bringing a smile to Tony’s face, too. He placed a quick kiss on Tony’s lips before heading out the door. Gibbs then did a strange thing; he shut the door behind him.

Gibbs walked over to the older lady who seemed to be in charge tonight. Tony could see Gibbs as he said something to her and her moving her head in a negative motion. Gibbs kept talking, gesturing with his hands and from the looks of him not liking what the nurse had to say.

Tony continued to watch, even though that was a bit difficult through wet, scratchy eyes, but whatever was being said, Gibbs was not happy. He seemed to be getting louder, his gestures more animated. Tony could see the woman wasn’t backing down from Gibbs, even though he was towering over her.

From what he could see, Gibbs seemed to be yelling. The woman wasn’t backing down; instead she seemed to be trying to calm an angry Gibbs. Tony shook his head, thinking the woman couldn’t be the brightest bulb in the chandelier. No one in his or her right mind went toe-to-toe with an angry Jethro Gibbs.

Eventually the woman turned and picked up the phone, glancing at Gibbs with a scowl as she spoke. After hanging up she said something to Gibbs. With a nod he turned and walked back into Tony’s room, leaving the door open once again.

"What was that?" Tony asked. His tears had dried up, even though he was still concerned for the little girl who had just lost everything. But he was also concerned for his lover.

"Just putting the second B to good use. She put a call into Dr. Craft to see about getting you in to see Jenny. Since your temp is still elevated, she didn’t want to, but I convinced her to make the call," Gibbs said with a smile.

"You know," Tony said, holding out a hand, "you’re kind of cute when you get all manly on me."

Gibbs took the offered hand in his own and sat on the edge of the bed. Tony leaned over on him and almost before Gibbs was settled comfortably, Tony was sleeping. About thirty minutes later the head nurse came into the room softly.

"Special Agent Gibbs, the doctor said Mr. DiNozzo can go over and see the young girl, but he will not be allowed in her room. He’ll have to stay in the hallway and see her through the window. She’s recovering from surgery and can’t be exposed to Mr. DiNozzo’s germs. Dr. Craft-"

‘Thank you," Gibbs cut her off. "If you can get me a wheel chair, I’ll take him over."

"I’ll have one brought in. ICU is on this floor, just at the other end. I’ll call ahead for you."

She walked out of the room, and Tony was reminded of someone trying to keep from pissing their pants. He was even more assured Gibbs had truly intimidated her when she kept glancing back at him as she picked up the phone in the nurse’s station and made a call.

Gibbs’ hand stroked up and down Tony’s arm, lulling him to sleep once again. Before too much time had passed a tiny Asian woman entered the room pushing a wheelchair. Gibbs shook Tony a bit to wake him.

"Tony, come on, let’s wake up," he said, mouth against Tony’s ear.

Tony moved his head, turning away from the voice.

"Honey," Gibbs said again, again not forcing it out, it just came naturally out of the mouth of the ex-Marine.

Tony looked up into the electric blue eyes of his new lover. "Jethro, she has no one now."

"That’s not true, Tony," Gibbs said, kissing the tip of Tony’s nose. "She has you and me."

Tony looked shocked.

"What?"

"You don’t even know her, Boss."

"You do, and that’s all that matters in my book."

Tony leaned up and kissed the man.

The young Asian woman unplugged the wires to Tony’s heart monitor but left them attached to his chest, warning, "Sir, you’ll have to be careful of the loose wires."

"I’ll make sure he’s fine. Thank you, ma’am."

With a nod the nurse’s aide hooked his IV bag to a pole that would fit into the back of the wheelchair, then left the room.

"Tony, they said you can go down, but you can’t go into the room, okay?"

"But-"

"Tony."

"Okay, fine, Boss."

Gibbs helped Tony out of bed, the first time he’d been up since being admitted the day before.

"Um, Boss."

"Yes, DiNozzo."

"I’ve got to go."

Tony was shaky and was basically being held up by Gibbs.

"Okay, this is a good sign, Tony."

He helped Tony to the bathroom. The light was kept on, so all he had to do was help him inside and hook the IV bag to the hook on the wall that was there just for that purpose.

"I have to GO."

Gibbs took the cue, helping Tony sit down to use the facilities. Gibbs waited outside the door, happy Tony’s body was beginning to process the broth he’d eaten earlier. He was already moving inside when he heard the toilet flush, before Tony even called him back.

"Okay, let’s go."

"You have to wash your hands first," Gibbs ordered, always the Marine.

He helped Tony over to the sink, pulling the wheelchair close and hooking the bag to it while he held a weakened Tony up as he washed his hands. Once he was finished, Tony turned slightly, leaning against Gibbs and lifting a hand to turn the older man’s face towards him.

Tilting his head, he leaned closer, meeting Gibbs’ mouth with his own. Gibbs didn’t pull away. When the kiss turned hard and fast he moved into it, meeting Tony halfway. One of Tony’s hands went around his waist while the other flattened on his chest, caressing the still-firm muscles.

Gibbs already had one hand around Tony’s waist, and now the other one went around it as well, moving down and working it’s way into the open back of the gown. Tony groaned when that work-roughened hand grasped his right cheek, kneading the firmness.

Tony’s hand moved from Gibbs’ chest to the front of his pants. When Tony touched the hardness behind his fly, Gibbs gasped for air. He didn’t break the kiss, just moaned into Tony’s mouth as his erection was petted and stroked. When Tony squeezed the thick shaft he gasped, eyes popping open. That was when he realized just where they were and what they were doing. He didn’t want to, but he had no choice but to break the kiss.

"No. Not here. Not like this."

"But, Boss-"

"Tony, I love you. I’m not saying no, I’m just saying not like this. I don’t want our first time to be outside the bathroom of a room in the local hospital. I want to make love to you, slowly and filled with passion. I love you, Tony. I want to be inside you, and I want you inside of me."

Tony’s eyes widened. "I never thought you…"

"Tony, I LOVE you. Yes, I normally top, but with you it’s different. I want to be with you in every way possible, so you think we can wait till we get back to my place?"

"Your place?"

Gibbs helped Tony into the chair, then opened the door. The nurse’s aide came back in, holding a small box no larger than a deck of cards.

"This is a portable heart monitor. Let’s plug those wires in, shall we?" She attached the wires to the box, then left the room again.

"You ready?"

"Yeah, Boss. What did you mean your place?"

Gibbs pushed him into the hallway and began moving towards the ICU. Taking a deep breath, he said, "I know I haven’t talked to you about it yet, Tony, but I want you to move in with me."

Tony took his foot off the footrest and put it on the floor to stop his forward motion. "Boss?"

Gibbs came around and crouched in front of him. They had passed the rooms and were in a hallway that only held the elevator bays.

"You okay, Tony?"

"Yes, sure fine," Tony said, but he was almost crying again.

Gibbs kissed the tear that was falling down his cheek. "So why the waterworks, DiNozzo?"

"I guess because it just hit me that you really meant what you said about loving me and not wanting to leave."

"Why would I say it if I didn’t mean it?"

Tony shrugged and looked down, pleating the hospital gown with a hand that shook. Gibbs covered that hand with one of his own big hands.

"Boss, no one has ever loved me like that since my first nanny. She would always take car of me when I was sick, sitting on the bed and holding me and doing the things a parent should do."

"Well, I mean it, Honey. See? I’ve never called anyone that. I really want you to move in."

"But you don’t have cable," Tony mock complained, smiling at the man in front of him.

"Then I guess you have lots of work to do making my house livable."

All Tony could do was smile. Gibbs kissed him once more, just a peck on the lips, then went back around and began pushing him down the hall again. But he was worried. Tony was starting to get warm again. If his fever was going up again, he had to make this a short trip and get Tony back in bed.

Gibbs walked up to the ICU nurse’s station, gave them Tony’s name and asked where Jenny was.

"Yes, sir, we’ve been expecting you. This way, please."

The nurse tried to take the handles of Tony’s chair but Gibbs waved her off, preferring to push Tony himself. The nurse shrugged and led the way to the little girl’s room. There was no door to the ICU cubicle, and they could see Jenny lying there, looking small and helpless hooked up to various machines.

"Is she okay?"

"Because of the Privacy Act I wouldn’t be able to talk about our little patient, but since you’re down as her emergency contact, I can tell you that all things considered, yes, she’s doing fine. She’ll be moved to the pediatric ward in the morning." The nurse shook her head. "It could have been a lot worse. We were told her mother wasn’t so lucky."

Tony looked up at Gibbs. "Boss, I want to hold her hand."

"I know, Tony, I know, but you can’t."

"It’s not fair. She needs someone to hold her hand, to let her know she’s going to be okay."

Gibbs patted Tony’s shoulder. "You stay right here, and stay out of trouble"

"Where are you going?"

"To hold her hand and tell her she’ll be fine."

Tony swallowed around the lump in his throat. "Thanks, Boss."

Gibbs placed a quick kiss on Tony’s lips before going into the cubicle. The ICU ward was quiet, and he could hear all the machines working. Walking to the left side of the bed, he picked up her hand.

"Jenny, I don’t know if you can hear me, but I will make sure that we do everything in our power and take care of what you need, okay?"

Gibbs ignored the lump in his own throat, pushing back the tears that were forming in his eyes. Bringing the tiny hand to his mouth, he kissed the back of it, then leaned over and kissed the little-girl cheek before leaving the room.

"Gibbs."

"Yes, Tony?"

"Never mind."

They both thanked the nurse before Gibbs pushed him back out into the hallway.

"Gibbs."

Gibbs stopped and moved around so he could see eye to eye with Tony. "Yes?"

Tony wrapped his arms around the other man and hugged him, laying his head against the flat stomach, silent tears soaking into Gibbs’ shirt. The quiet grief was too much for Gibbs. Even ex-Marines have a breaking point. Leaning over Tony, he wrapped his own arms around the younger man, unable to hold back his own tears.

That was how the nurse’s aide found them, wrapped around each other, silently crying, unmindful of who might happen by.

"I’m sorry, sir, but the ICU nurse called to say you were on your way back, and when you didn’t arrive, we began to worry."

They ended their comforting embrace, wiping tears from their eyes. Gibbs pushed Tony back to his room and helped him back into bed, once again sitting on the bed beside him.

The nurse’s aide hooked Tony up to the heart monitor once again and hung up his IV bag while a nurse, not the one Gibbs had threatened, took his vital signs. He frowned when the nurse said Tony’s temperature was back up to 102.8. Damn, that wasn’t good.

"Tony, I’ll call Ducky in the morning and have him check on Jenny and what happened to her," Gibbs said, but he was talking to a sleeping mound of Tony.

The night went amazingly well. Gibbs slept curled up with Tony, not waking till the sun came up. Muscles cramped, he tried to move out from under Tony, but even in his sleep Tony wouldn’t let him move. Tony’s head was on his lap, and both his arms were around Gibbs waist. Gibbs smiled. He could get use to this. And it wasn’t as if he really wanted to move either.

Looking through the window in the door towards the nurse’s station, he realized the nightshift was still there. Looking at his watch, he saw it was only 7:00 AM. He hit the call button. He hated to make them come in, but he needed help, and Tony was in no condition for that. The little Asian girl was the one who responded.

"Yes, what can I get for you?"

"I’m sorry to bother you, but can you hand me my cell phone from that bag?"

"I’m sorry, sir, but cell phones aren’t allowed in the hospital."

"Shit, right, I forgot. Okay, thanks anyway, and sorry to bother you."

"You’re welcome, sir."

Gibbs managed to move a little till he could reach the hospital phone. He dialed 9 for an outside line, then dialed Ducky’s number.

"Ducky…Yes, we’re good, thanks…That’s okay. Ducky are you busy?…Yes, I need your help…Tony’s neighbor was in an accident and she passed, but her daughter is here in the hospital. I need you to come over and make sure everything it okay…Yes, I trust them, but I want English, Ducky…Thanks, Ducky." They both hung up the phone.

Gibbs was stroking Tony’s head where it lay in his lap, playing with the dark strands of his hair. Gibbs was still new to this. Yes, he’d thought he was in love before, he really had been with his first wife, but since then he’d never really known love till now. Tony had puked on him and given him a black eye, and Gibbs hadn’t cared either time. He just wanted the man to get better so they could live the rest of their lives together, happy and in love.

"Well, isn’t this a sight."

Gibbs looked up and saw Director Jennifer Sheppard.

"Jen."

"Jethro, you’re a hard man to track down."

"Is there going to be a point to this?" Gibbs questioned, already on the defensive.

"You know the regs about fraternization with a fellow team member will not be tolerated."

"I seem to recall you forgetting rule 6 years ago, and making me make up rule 12."

"That was then, this is now, Jethro."

"You couldn’t leave it alone, could you, Jen?"

"You gave me no choice."

"And why is that?"

"Ducky removing you both from work till further notice."

"It’s not like I don’t have time coming, and so does DiNozzo."

"As a matter of fact, Agent DiNozzo is out of sick days. His contracting Y-Pestis used up the last of them."

"That’s low, even for you, Jen. That was a work-related incident."

"I don’t make the rules, Jethro."

"No, you only break them when you feel you need to."

"Jethro, you’ve tied my hands on this one."

Gibbs glared at her, wanting nothing more than to yell at this lady, and that was a term he used loosely; the same lady that he had at one time had feelings for.

"Effective now, Special Agent DiNozzo will be transferred to our San Francisco Office."

"You can’t do that," Gibbs growled.

"Watch me, Jethro. Also effective immediately, I am placing you back on active duty."

"Ducky has not cleared me for work."

"We’ll see about that. I expect you in the office and ready for work within the hour."

"If that’s the way you want it, Madame Director," Gibbs said, choosing his words carefully, knowing the wrong word would drive Madame over the edge, "effective immediately, I QUIT. Now, leave before I have security called and they take you out like trash."

The director was shocked and pissed. She’d wanted Gibbs back since she’d come back, and now she knew that wasn’t going to happen because he had found love with someone else, and that someone else was another man.