**January 3rdâ€"1630 Hours Bethesda Hospital**
Shifting just slightly in the hard, plastic chair, Gibbs lowered his newspaper at the sound of Tony's quiet moan. The younger man had been out of it for most of the day, thanks to the light sedative the doctors had given him upon his arrival. While he'd lost consciousness briefly in the warehouse, he'd come around almost as soon as they loaded him into the ambulance and it was all anybody could do to keep him calm.
In addition to a dangerously low body temperature, his lover had suffered a concussion that left him hazy and frightened. By the time they'd reached the hospital, he was downright combative and the doctor hadn't thought twice about sedating him.
He'd come around a few times over the course of the afternoon, but never for very long; usually only long enough to make sure that Gibbs had kept his promise, and once he was sure he was safe, he'd give back in to the medication flowing through his veins.
But he'd never made a peep. Suffice it to say, the noise startled him.
Dropping his newspaper to the small table beside his chair, he pushed himself to his feet and crossed the room quickly, a frown darkening his face when he realized just how red his agent's cheeks were. He'd been covered with warming blankets from the moment he'd arrived at the hospital in an attempt to stabilize his temperature, but the nurses had removed those almost an hour ago.
Reaching out, he dropped his large hand to the younger man's forehead, a quiet gasp escaping him when he felt the heat radiating from his skin.
"Tony?"
Another quiet moan escaped him as he turned into the touch, forcing his heavy eyes open. "'S hot," he complained, his voice raspy and thick with sleep. "Tell 'em to turn down the heat, Jet."
He was just reaching for the call button on the wall when the sound of footsteps reached his ears. Turning to the doorway, he felt a sense of relief wash over his body as the nurse stepped into the room.
"He's got a fever."
"I know," she responded, her frown matching his. "I've been monitoring him. I'm going to give him something to see if it'll help."
Gibbs watched closely as the nurse administered the medication into Tony's IV, despite his weak protests.
"Tony, it's just somethin' to help with your fever, alright? You'll feel better in a few minutes." He reassured the younger man, squeezing his hand gently. Turning to the nurse as she disposed of the needle, the frown that had been on his face moments before returned. "Is he gonna be alright?"
"His doctor will be here in twenty minutes and I'm going to send him in to see what the problem is. He may have developed pneumonia, being out in the cold."
The silver-haired man dropped into the chair next to his lover's bed unceremoniously, taking deep breaths to control his sudden flood of emotions. He wasn't usually an emotional man, he usually saved that for McGee or Tony, but in this case, he couldn't help it.
He knew how serious pneumonia could be for his agent, especially considering the state of his lungs after having suffered the pneumonic plague. What was bothering him about this particular situation was that if he had simply swallowed his pride and apologized, the whole thing could have potentially been avoided.
"He's going to be fine, Agent Gibbs," the young nurse said quietly as she made her way to the door. "We're going to take good care of him."
He said nothing, though he offered the younger woman a curt nod before turning his attention back to his ill lover. For a moment, it appeared as though he'd fallen back to sleep and it startled Gibbs when he spoke quietly, his voice hoarse.
"Quit doin' that," Tony managed.
"Quit doin' what?"
"Beat… beatin' yourself up. Y'know as well as I do that he…" he trailed off, releasing a wet cough that left him slightly breathless. "He woulda found a way regardless of the circumstances."
"I don't know what you're talkin' about. Just thinkin' about you bein' a trouble magnet."
Despite the fact that he felt like complete and utter crap, he managed a bored look for his older lover. "C'mon, Jet."
"Y'know, don't know if I like the idea of you bein' a mind reader. That's my job."
"That's… that's where I learned it from." Releasing a quiet sigh, Tony allowed his eyes to close sleepily, barely stifling a yawn.
"You need to get some rest," the older man said, leaning over to press a gentle kiss to his forehead.
"Promise you'll stay?"
"You got it. Feel better, Tony."
**1900 Hoursâ€"Bethesda Hospital**
"Jethro?"
Glancing up at the sound of the voice, Gibbs released a quiet sigh and sagged just a bit in his chair. "Hey, Duck."
"How is Anthony?" The older Medical Examiner asked as he stepped into the hospital room, a slight frown on his face at the sight of the slight sheen of sweat coating the younger agent's forehead and cheeks. He'd been in constant contact with Anthony's doctors throughout the course of the day, and the latest update he'd received was not very good.
"They're concerned about pneumonia," Gibbs responded, closing his eyes briefly as he inhaled a deep breath. "And they're havin' a hard time with his temperature again. What are the docs sayin', Duck? They come in here and start rattlin' off stuff I don't understand. They said this is because he threw up? How the hell does that cause pneumonia?"
"From what I've gathered, they believe it's from aspirating some of the vomit when he became ill, which is known to cause a lung infection. They're going to take him down for a CT scan of the chest and if I'm not mistaken, they've called Bradley in for a consult."
"Pitt? Can't be very good if they're callin' him in."
"They're simply covering all their bases, Jethro. He's somewhat of an expert when it comes to Anthony's lungs, and they just want to make sure they get him started on the most effective treatment possible to try and head this off before it develops any further."
"And if it does? Gets worse, I mean."
"Then we'll take that one step at a time. But for now, do yourself a favor and try to remain calm about the situation. I know that it's easier said than done, but if he senses how you are feeling, it will only serve to make things worse."
Gibbs opened his mouth to respond, though before he could, he was interrupted by a series of loud, wet coughs coming from his younger lover on the bed. Pushing himself to his feet, he crossed the room quickly, dropping a hand to Tony's shoulder as he struggled to catch his breath.
"Easy," Gibbs coached, adjusting the bed slightly in an attempt to help him breathe better. "That's right. I'm right here, Tony."
He relaxed when the coughs stopped, grateful but surprised that the Italian hadn't woken up. Leaning down, he dropped a tender kiss to his overheated forehead, a gesture that made Ducky turn toward the wall under the pretense of giving the couple some privacy.
Releasing a heavy sigh, he forced himself to return to his chair, dropping his head into his hands. "I should be stronger than this."
The ME looked at his oldest friend curiously, moving to sit in the chair next to him. "It isn't easy for anyone to see the person they love in pain. I am sure you were the same way with Shannon and Kelly, no?"
"It was different then. I was different."
Releasing a quiet sigh, Ducky pushed himself up again, dropping a reassuring hand to his shoulder. "Everything will be just fine, Jethro. Forgive me for borrowing from Abigail, but just think positive thoughts and everything will work out."
"I hope so, Duck," Gibbs responded, his eyes never leaving Tony's sleeping form as Ducky slipped out of the room quietly. "I hope so."
Settling back into his chair, the older man dropped his head back against the wall, releasing a quiet sigh. In all the years he'd known Tony, he'd never known him to have an easy time of things. He'd just hoped that this time would be different.
**2045 Hoursâ€"Bethesda Hospital**
Sitting upright at the sound of the door opening, Gibbs scrubbed a hand over his tired face and blinked away the sleep.
"Sorry to wake you up," a familiar voice said. "How's our favorite patient doin'?"
"Obviously not too good if they called you," Gibbs responded with a smirk, pushing himself to his feet. "Good to see ya again, Brad. Just wish it was under better circumstances."
"When it comes to Tony, I think this is as good as it gets." Crossing the room, Dr. Pitt paused at Tony's bed, taking in his pale face, save for his red cheeks. "We need to get that fever down."
"What about the pneumonia?"
"We haven't confirmed that yet. I will admit that from what the others have told me, his lungs don't sound good, but we won't know the exact condition of them until they get him down for that chest scan."
"Then what the hell is the hold up?" Gibbs growled.
"Because unfortunately, he's not our only patient who needs it, Jethro. And while he's a high-risk patient, we have others who are worse off than he is."
"Quit giv… givin' the good doc a hard time, Jet," Tony managed, forcing his tired eyes open.
"About time you woke up," Dr. Pitt teased, raising Tony's bed just a bit. "How ya feelin'?"
"I… I've had better days," Tony retorted, barely stifling a wet cough. "What's the verdict?"
"You look and sound like crap, but I think you're going to be just fine. We've gotta get you down for a CT scan of your chest to confirm our diagnosis, but until that machine is free, I'm going to start you on some meds to help get that fever down."
"S… safe for the baby, right?" Tony asked, his voice thick with sleep despite having slept all day.
"Of course. Congratulations on that, by the way."
A slight grin tugged at the corners of Tony's lips at that, though before he could respond, he was coughing again. His entire body tensed as he hacked and gagged, trying desperately to clear his airway. It was only after Dr. Pitt raised his bed again and Gibbs was at his side, rubbing his back reassuringly did he finally manage to get himself under control.
"F… forgot how much… that sucks," he wheezed, leaning heavily against Gibbs.
"You did good though," Gibbs said quietly, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of his head despite their audience.
"I don' feel s'good, Jet."
"I know, but Brad's gonna fix that. Aren't you?" He asked, and Dr. Pitt didn't miss the way Gibbs' eyes narrowed just slightly in warning.
"I'm certainly gonna try," he promised, patting Tony's arm reassuringly. "I'm gonna go have a quick look at your chart to find out what they've already done and then we'll go from there. I'll be right back."
Dropping his head back to the pillow, Tony released a quiet sigh, allowing his eyes to shut. A second later, he felt his lover reach for his hand, linking their fingers and squeezing gently.
"You okay?"
"Shouldn't be so tired. Slept all day."
"Bein' sick kicks your ass. I'm pretty sure the concussion isn't helpin'."
"Don't you ever get tired of havin' to save me? Don't… don't know why you haven't kicked me off the team yet, Boss. Can't seem to do anything without gettin' hurt."
"You're a good agent, Tony. Best I've ever worked with, Burley included. Only problem with you is you're a trouble magnet," he said, and even as exhausted as he was, Tony caught the affectionate tone to his voice. "Most of the time, you drive me nuts with your whole savin' people thing, but this? This wasn't your fault."
"Shoulda listened to you about him. I knew somethin' wasn't right, but I'm too fuckin' stubborn to listen. All I could think about…" he trailed off, swallowing hard. "If somethin' had happened to the baby because I was too stupid to listen…"
"No use in goin' through this now, Tony. You're safe. Both of you. And right now, that's all that matters."
Offering his boss a slight nod, he sighed again, reaching up to rub his eyes tiredly. He felt Gibbs pull away momentarily and heard the scrape of the chair against the floor as he pulled it closer. At his side, the older man sank into it, reaching for his hand again.
"Hey, Jet?"
"Yeah?"
"Meant what I said earlier. Love you."
"I know. Meant it when I said it back. Love you too."
**January 11thâ€"1100 Hours Bethesda Hospital**
Pulling open the drawers of the small dresser in Tony's hospital room, Abby checked carefully to make sure she'd packed everything, though she frowned darkly when she heard her friend's deep cough through the bathroom door. It made her chest ache in sympathy, knowing that he was in so much pain, but after the week he'd had, she was glad he was finally heading back to Gibbs' house.
The infection in Tony's lungs cleared up shortly after Dr. Pitt changed his medications, but the deep, wet cough remained, and a few times, his fever spiked to a dangerously high temperature, requiring the nurses to wrap him in cooling blankets for hours at a time.
"You okay?" She asked when he pushed the bathroom door open, his cheeks still pink with a slight fever. "I heard the cough. Don't sound like it's gettin' any better."
"Brad said it might not for a week or so," he explained, rubbing his chest to alleviate the ache as he sank down onto the hospital bed, preparing to pull his shoes on. "Where's Gibbs?"
"He went to sign you out and get the car. He'll be back in a few minutes."
"I'll be so glad to get the hell out of the hospital," he said, leaning over with a groan to pull his shoes on. "As much as I've complained about it, I'm really missing that old beat up couch of Jet's."
"I'll bet," Abby responded with a quiet giggle, taking his second shoe from him to help. "Ziva mentioned something about coming by later and bringin' you guys somethin' to eat if you're feeling up to it."
"Wonder if I could talk her into fixing some of that macaroni casserole she had for Christmas," he mused, his stomach grumbling loudly at the thought.
"I'll see what I can do for you," she smirked, pulling him to his feet. "You ready to get outta here?"
"No wheelchair?"
"No such luck," a petite nurse grinned as she stepped into the room, pushing the chair in front of her. "Here's your ride."
Glancing over at his raven-haired friend, Tony offered her a slight frown. "Think I could make a run for it?"
"I wouldn't suggest trying," Abby replied in a stage whisper. "She looks like she'd have no problem taking you down."
"I have orders from Dr. Pitt to do just that if he tries to resist," the nurse teased. "Now c'mon. I have strict orders from Agent Gibbs to get you downstairs as quickly as possible."
"Bossman's anxious to get you home," Abby teased, nudging her friend playfully as she helped him over to the chair.
He offered his friend a slight smirk as he sank down into the chair with a grateful groan. Despite his slight protests, he was glad for the ride, as even standing for such a short period of time left him feeling slightly breathless. Brad had warned him that it could take a couple weeks to recover completely from the lung infection, and he just hoped that it was sooner rather than later.
"I think I can take it from here," Abby said, trading places with the nurse to grip the handles of Tony's wheelchair. "Ready to go?"
"More than ready."
Backing him out of the room carefully, she took off for the elevators, her heavy shoes clunking loudly against the floor. Punching the button for the ground floor of the hospital, she grinned when Tony looked up at her. "Five bucks if we can ditch the wheelchair as soon as the doors close."
"No such luck, Tonyboy. Besides, we'll get to Gibbs a lot faster if you let me drive," she responded with a wink, laughing as she pushed him on to the elevator. "Besides, you looked like you were two seconds from falling out back in the room, and the last thing I want is for Gibbs to have my ass because you ended up back in the hospital for passin' out."
"DiNozzos do not pass out."
"There's a whole lot of things I'm sure DiNozzos don't do, but passing out isn't one of them."
"Losing consciousness because of a concussion doesn't count," he argued, a small grin tugging on the corners of his lips as the elevator doors opened and he spotted Gibbs near the hospital exit. "You sure I can't walk? It's like fifteen steps."
"You wouldn't make it three," she teased, speeding up just a bit when she saw Gibbs.
"Took you long enough," the silver-haired man grunted, reaching down to help Tony to his feet carefully. "Ready to get outta here?"
"I've been ready. Let's go."
"Thanks for takin' care of him, Abs."
Leaning up to press a gentle kiss to the older man's cheek, she offered him a smile. "I already told Tony that Ziva mentioned stopping by later with dinner for you guys. I'll probably swing by too, if that's okay."
"We'll see. Give us a call first."
"Of course you can stop by," Tony responded, ignoring his boss as he offered his friend a smile. "See you later?"
"We'll see," she laughed, standing on her toes to press a kiss to his cheek. "Get some rest."
"I'm sure that's all I'll be doin'," Tony responded as Gibbs wrapped an arm around his waist. "Bye Abs."
"Take care of him, Gibbs."
"I always do."
**1230 Hoursâ€"Gibbs' House**
Pulling up in front of the two story house, Gibbs glanced over at his sleeping lover and grinned. After they finally left the hospital, he stopped long enough to get Tony something quick to eat before they headed back to his house. It was a short drive from Bethesda to DC, but the infection in Tony's lungs had left the younger man completely wiped and he'd barely finished his lunch before he'd passed out in the passenger seat.
Shifting the car into park, he leaned over, shaking Tony gently. "C'mon, DiNozzo. You can sleep some more when we get inside."
A quiet moan escaped the agent as he batted his lover's hands away. "Go 'way," he mumbled.
Rolling his eyes, Gibbs climbed from the car and made his way around to the passenger side. Pulling the door open, he grabbed Tony's arm, tugging on him gently. "C'mon. You'll sleep better in the house."
"Boss!" The Italian whined, forcing his heavy eyelids open to glare at his lover, though he allowed Gibbs to help him out of the car without too much protest. "I wanna sleep!"
"You can sleep in the bed," he reminded him, wrapping an arm around his waist to steady him as they made their way inside.
Though it didn't take very long, by the time they made it into the front door, Tony was wheezing slightly, his breaths coming out in short, ragged gasps.
"Living room first," Gibbs decided, rubbing the younger man's back reassuringly as they made their way into the living room, pausing at the couch. He eased Tony down gently before sinking down onto the cushion beside him, barely suppressing his grin when the younger agent leaned against him, resting his head against his shoulder.
"Th… this really sucks," he managed, just seconds before a deep cough erupted from his chest, sending him into a full-fledged coughing fit.
"Slow, deep breaths," Gibbs coached. "Easy. I'm right here."
After what felt like an eternity, the coughs finally subsided, leaving Tony even more exhausted. Slumping back against the couch, he closed his eyes, focusing on his breathing.
"You just relax for a minute, Tony. I'll be right back." Leaning over, Gibbs pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead before pushing himself up and heading up the stairs.
It wasn't long before he returned, his lover's blanket and pillow in hand as he made his way back over to the couch. Dropping the pillow to one end of the sofa, he nudged Tony gently. "C'mon. Lay down here for a bit and then we'll see about goin' upstairs."
"I wanna lay with you," the younger man protested. "Bed."
"Couch. Now quit poutin' and lay down."
Releasing a slightly irritated huff, Tony eased down against the pillow, crossing his arms over his chest indignantly. "I don't wanna lay down. That's all I've been doin' for a week," he complained.
"And until you're better, that's all you're gonna be doin'," Gibbs countered, dropping down onto the cushion beside him. "Scoot over a bit."
"Huh?"
"Did I stutter, DiNozzo? We aren't both gonna fit on here if you don't quit hoggin' it," he smirked, pleased when Tony turned onto his side to allow him a bit of room. Settling himself against the cushions, he grabbed the blanket and draped it over their bodies, grinning when Tony dropped his head to his chest. "Comfortable?"
"Very."
"Good. Get some sleep, Tony."
Not needing to be told twice, the younger man released a content sigh as he closed his eyes, allowing to sleep to claim him once more.
Chapter End Notes:
A/N: A huge thank you to Kelley for all her help with this chapter as well and to all my reviewers. You guys have been absolutely amazing so far and I'm serious when I say that I love reading and each every one of your comments! You guys keep me going even when I'm having a hard time getting the chapters finished, so thank you! I'm not 100% sure how I feel about this one, as it definitely gave me a hard time, but hopefully, you guys will enjoy! Don't forget to drop me a message when you're done, letting me know what you thought! Love you all!