Recommended Daily Dosage (pinch hit)
Oct. 3rd, 2009 02:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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ncisficathonTitle: Recommended Daily Dosage
Author: Gaby
Pinch hit written for:nightshadow_t2
Prompt: After a series of long cases in bad weather, Gibbs collapses. He has pneumonia. After he checks himself out of the hospital against advice, he gets home by Ducky only to find Tony there with coffee in hand. He's moved into the guest room and plans to stay to look after Gibbs. Get together fic, please?
Archive: Nah, I'll post it myself.
Word count: around 7,000
Pairing: pre-Gibbs/Tony
Genre: hurt/comfort, schmoop
Rating: R, to be on the safe side
Author's Notes: I'm sorry I couldn't write any of your "first choice" prompts, but the crossovers didn't work for me. :-( I intented to write the "Turner & Hooch" prompt, but the darn mutt was being recalcitrant to the point that I finally threw my hands in the air in frustration and grabbed another prompt. But I swear I'm going to write the Hooch one someday, it's just too good to pass up! LOL!
Also sorry that it took me so long to finish this, but I hope you like it anyway. :-)
Special thanks to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
redblack32 for beta and medical advice. :-)
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. Woe is me! :-(
Summary: Sometimes, TLC is the best medicine.
The bickering could be heard coming up the driveway, even though the rant was interspersed by a nasty bout of coughing.
"I keep telling you that this is not a good idea, Jethro," Ducky said for the umpteenth time, watching his friend slowly but stubbornly make his way towards his front door.
"I'm fine, Duck," Gibbs muttered, holding his head to keep it from exploding when the next coughing fit hit. Then he determinedly opened the door, inwardly thanking himself that he never locked it - he was pretty damn sure that he wouldn't have managed something as intricate and complicated as pushing a key into a lock right now. "I can lie in bed and sleep right here. Don't need a damn hospital bed for that."
"Jethro, it's not just sleep that you need, it's also--"
But Ducky was interrupted by Gibbs' outraged growl of, "DiNozzo!"
Tony was casually leaning against the frame of the kitchen door, a cup of steaming coffee in hand. "Hey, Boss," he greeted with a broad smile on his face. "May I just say, you look like shit."
"What are you doing in my home?" Gibbs rasped, frowning in displeasure at the uninvited houseguest, then he turned to Ducky. "What's he doing here?"
"Our dear Anthony has volunteered to look after you during your recuperation," Ducky replied while he kept a steadying hand helpfully on his sick friend's back. Gibbs glowered at that information. Tony, still leaning casually against the door frame, just smiled and silently saluted the statement with his cup of coffee. Gibbs glowered even more.
"I don't need a fucking babysitter," Gibbs muttered with an almost petulant sulk on his face. "Go 'way, DiNozzo."
Ducky and Tony exchanged a long look. Tony chuckled, not the least bit intimidated. "Got the bedroom ready for ya, Boss. Want me to help you upstairs?"
Gibbs only growled like a wounded bear and tried to send one of his death glares, though he was too preoccupied with keeping himself upright to really pull it off.
"Okay," Tony said agreeably. "Suit yourself." He turned back around and disappeared into the kitchen.
Ducky steered Gibbs towards the stairs. "Let's get you into bed, Jethro," he said placatively.
In the bedroom, Tony had prepared everything, just like he had promised. The bed was turned down, the drapes were drawn, there was a bottle of water and a glass waiting on the nightstand for any medication Gibbs might need to take.
"You really should have stayed in that hospital another night or two, Jethro," Ducky began again, but his friend cut him off with a surly grunt. "Well, then at least lie down and rest. I'm sure Tony will be up with your lunch later, but until then you need to rest. Sleep a little, if you can." Ducky patted the mattress invitingly, and even though Gibbs wanted nothing more than to engage in some good old fashioned macho postering, he let himself plop down on the bed with an exhausted sigh, which promptly turned into another bout of coughing.
"I hate being sick, Duck," Gibbs complained when he could finally catch his breath.
"I know, Jethro, I know." Ducky patted his friend's shoulder comfortingly. "We'll get you well again, don't you worry. Now, get in bed and rest while I go talk to Anthony, alright?"
Gibbs didn't react until Ducky was already at the door. "Hey, Duck?"
"Yes?"
"What...what's DiNozzo really doing here?"
"As I said, he volunteered to take care of you. Someone has to, Jethro, and while I would gladly take over the duty, I must think of Mother. She cannot be left alone at night, I'm afraid. So instead I called Tony and asked for his help, and he was only too eager to move in."
"Move in?" Gibbs asked incredulously.
"Yes, temporarily." Ducky jerked his thumb in the general direction of the guest room. "He has spent time in your house before, Jethro, he knows his way around the place. And, more importantly, he knows you. Even though I know that the hospital staff opposed to you leaving so early, I'm quite certain the nurses are relieved to have you gone. You were quite the grouch, Jethro." Ducky frowned disapprovingly, but Gibbs was just too sick to care. He wiped his sweaty brow and then awkwardly pulled on the collar of his sweater in a desperate attempt to take the garment off. He was so hot. Damn fever.
Ducky sighed and felt helpless, knowing his assistance would neither be welcomed nor taken.
"Go home, Duck. And take DiNozzo with you."
"I'm sorry, Jethro, but I cannot do that. You need someone to look after you the next couple of days." Gibbs glowered darkly at his friend at hearing that, but Ducky only smiled. "Remember to take your medication," he said, placing the bottle of pills on the bedside table next to the glass of water. Gibbs glowered again, and once again, Ducky wasn't the least bit intimidated. "I'll see myself out, Jethro. Take it easy and get some rest. I'll check up on you tomorrow."
Gibbs sent his friend off with a snarled growl, which turned into a nasty bout of coughing. Ducky, already on the stairs, listened to the other man wheezing and couldn't help but smile. Sure served him right.
Ducky found Tony in the kitchen, busily arranging vegetables on the counter and hunting down knives and pots.
The younger man looked up and smiled. "Hey, Ducky."
"Anthony," Ducky greeted almost formally, then he sighed. "Jethro needs to take his medication religiously, Tony," Ducky said. "He's got Erythromycin, which he needs to take orally four times a day. Since we both know that the dear lad thinks he's invincible, I really urge you to keep an eye on him."
"Oh, don't worry, Ducky. Nurse Tony will make sure that the growly bear takes his drugs per doctor's orders." Tony grinned and waggled his eyebrows.
"Are you sure?" Ducky asked doubtfully. "Jethro is a bit of a grouch on a good day, but ever since he's been strickened by this nasty bout of pneumonia, he's downright..." He trailed off, at a loss for a good word to describe the incredibly bad mood Gibbs was in. But Tony only shrugged.
"I've seen the worst of him, I'll survive this as well, don't worry. I'm not gonna be intimidated by Grumpy up there." Tony nodded towards the ceiling and in the general direction of Gibbs' bedroom. "You'll be surprised." There was another broad grin, and Tony's eyes twinkled mischievously.
Ducky raised his eyebrows in surprise, then shook his head with a chuckle. "I do not even want to know," he said, holding up his hands in mock defeat. "I need to get home to Mother, but I will call in the morning to check up on our patient. Try to survive until then, won't you?"
Tony laughed out loud at that and then made a shooing motion towards the front door. "Out, Dr. Mallard. Don't worry about me. I've got a gun and know how to use it."
And somehow, Ducky found himself convinced that Leroy Jethro Gibbs had found his master in young Anthony DiNozzo.
Gibbs heaved a deep sigh, which immediately caused another bout of coughing. He was so damn bored. Being sick, lying in bed, doing nothing - that was definitely not for him.
And worse still, DiNozzo had taken up residence in his house; judging by the banging and clanging, apparently in the kitchen.
Gibbs grumbled and stared at the alarm clock on his nightstand. He had unsuccessfully tried to nap, but he just wasn't made to doze in the middle of the day. And he wasn't even really tired anyway.
This being sick thing sucked.
Gibbs thought about his options, and finally decided to sneak down to the basement to work on his boat a little. He may not have all of his strength back yet, but an hour or two of woodwork should at least help him relax a little. Because he was going downright crazy, just lying in bed and doing nothing.
And so he quietly made his way down the stairs, one ear trained on a rather boisterous DiNozzo in the kitchen, and tiptoed towards the door to the basement, inwardly berating himself for skulking in his own home where he had every damn right to go to every damn place he pleased.
But at the same time, there was no need to unnecessarily lock horns with Nurse Tony, and what DiNozzo didn't know wouldn't hurt him.
A second later, Gibbs stood in his kitchen, fists on his hips and a scowl on his face.
"There's a padlock on the basement door!" he bellowed in outrage, pointing accusingly at the door in question.
Tony turned around from chopping carrots and smiled broadly. "Hey, Boss," he greeted cheerfully. "I see you're up. Had a nice nap?"
"I repeat: There's a padlock on the basement door!" Gibbs glowered, more frustrated by Tony's apparent lack of panic in the face of his boss' ire than by the fact that he couldn't get down into his basement.
"Oh? There is?" Tony frowned in mock concentration, then snapped his fingers a few seconds later. "Oh yeah, there is!" He smiled broadly again and began to fish in his jeans pocket. "And look, here's the key. Which will stay right here for the time being." He pushed it back into the pocket, actually sucking in his stomach and pulling on his waistband to manage the tight fit of his hand in that pocket. "So, unless you wanna cop a very generous feel in an attempt to get to that key, you're sheer out of luck, Boss." Tony grinned and waggled his eyebrows. "Of course, personally I'm looking forward to that copping."
Gibbs continued to glower, trying his best to intimidate the younger man into turning over the key. A second later, he had to reach out so he could steady himself on the back of a chair.
"Easy, easy," Tony said, immediately at his side. He guided the older man into the chair and rubbed Gibbs' back for a moment. "You're in no condition to do anything as strenuous as standing upright, Gibbs. You can't seriously tell me you think you could work on your boat."
"I'm bored!" Gibbs muttered, sounding like a petulant five year old even to his own ears.
"Well, then read a book. Do crosswords. Sit here and keep me company." Tony shrugged and placed a glass of water in front of Gibbs. "As long as you stay away from your boat. You can't manage a minute without coughing, do you really think sawdust will help?" For a moment, Tony's hand itched to land a headslap for the idiocy of the idea alone, but he wasn't suicidal. "Drink. Ducky told me to keep you hydrated." He pointed demandingly at the glass of water, making it clear there would be no coffee forthcoming. Then he turned around and continued chopping the rest of the carrots, which he then threw into a large pot that sat simmering on the stove.
"What are you doing there anyway?" Gibbs asked after a minute of watching the younger man.
"Riding a bike. What does it look like?" Tony sent a confused look over his shoulder. "I'm making an old DiNozzo family recipe for you. Chicken soup, made from scratch. Best remedy against flu, so I'm thinking it won't be bad against pneumonia either." He shrugged and then stirred the contents of the pot. "My Nonna used to make this for me when I was a kid," he added quietly after a long moment, almost talking to himself.
Gibbs blinked in surprise and slowly took a sip of his water. "I thought you came from a rich family, DiNozzo. Didn't you have cooks and maids and this sort of thing?"
Tony startled out of his reverie, his face open and vulnerable for a long moment before he grinned at the older man. "Sure do and sure did. But my father's family came to this great nation with nothing but the clothes on their backs. The DiNozzos worked hard for their success, and my Nonna raised six kids all on her own, working three jobs to keep all those mouths fed. Now, my mother's side of the family, they were rich. Old English money. In fact, I'm probably some kind of Earl or Count or some other noble title, or a cousin twice removed from one. I'm not sure, I was never much of a friend of family trees." Tony shrugged and then grinned at Gibbs again. "But anyway. Chicken soup. It's gotta simmer for a few hours until it's really good, so I suggest I make you something else for lunch. You hungry?"
"Not really." Gibbs sighed softly and grimaced. Swallowing hurt. Breathing hurt. Being alive sucked right now.
"Ducky's gonna have my hide if you lose more weight," Tony warned.
"Well, guess that's a risk I'm willing to take, DiNozzo." Gibbs managed a smirk, feeling immensely pleased that he had managed to pulled one over on the younger man.
Tony frowned in disapproval and then pointed towards the stairs. "Alright, that's it. Someone's obviously cranky. Bedtime for Jethro."
Gibbs blinked at that and stared, open-mouthed, for once not knowing what to say. And then he was gently but firmly pulled to his feet and walked upstairs, with Tony's arm wrapped around his middle to keep him steady. Gibbs would've been pissed off by that if he hadn't realized that he honestly needed the extra help.
Once in the bedroom, Tony held up the covers and waited until Gibbs had crawled into bed. The younger man shook a pill out of the bottle. "Time for your medicine anyway, Boss," he said, offering the pill and the glass of water with a sweet smile.
Gibbs took the medicine with a muttered protest. "If you kiss me good night, I'll deck you," he warned.
Tony only continued to smile. "I'll kiss you good night when you ask me to, and not a moment sooner," he replied, tucking his patient in with obvious caring. "Sleep, Gibbs. I mean it. It's the best remedy. I'll check up on you later, but if you need anything, call me." He held up his cell phone, then pointed at the older man's phone on the nightstand. "Literally. Call me. Don't yell for me, your lungs won't make it. And don't go traipsing around, you'll only fall down the stairs. I'll come upstairs and help you with anything you need. Got me?"
Gibbs just stared, once again at a loss for words. He had never expected Tony to be so...professional and compassionate. He had expected silly jokes and being made gentle fun of. He had expected the younger man to lounge on his couch and watch DVD's on his laptop, munching popcorn and pizza and making a mess. But this? This was... Gibbs had no idea what exactly it was, but he liked it. Though he would never admit that.
"You got me, Gibbs? Use your cell and call me. If you misbehave, I'll sic Ducky and Abby on you." Tony wagged a stern finger under Gibbs' nose. "Now, before you take your nap, do you need to hit the head?"
Gibbs' eyes widened in shock at the realization that Tony would probably hover right behind him while he was...taking care of business. He shook his head frantically.
Tony wasn't fooled. "Okay," he said with a frown. "Fine. I'll either hear you flush or hear you land on the bathroom floor with a dull thud. In either case, I'll come running to read you the riot act afterwards. Deal?" He smiled sweetly again.
"Bastard," Gibbs muttered, which caused Tony's smile to widen. The older man sighed. "I'll call when I need ya," he finally admitted defeat.
"Great!" Tony beamed and patted Gibbs' shoulder. "Get some rest in the meantime. I'll be downstairs."
Gibbs glared at Tony's retreating back, feeling out of control and hating it. He was not going to ask for help to go potty, for crying out loud, no matter how impossible it was to stay upright - and he had to admit to himself that his little trip downstairs had drained him of any residual strength. And he was not tired either, so being brought to bed for "nap time" was the last thing he needed, damn it.
Less than a minute later, Gibbs was out like a light.
When Gibbs woke up an hour or so later, he realized that Tony must have been in his bedroom while he was sleeping. For a long moment, he frowned in consternation - he was a light sleeper, always had been, so how come someone had managed to sneak into his bedroom without him waking up over it?
But then he saw something on the nightstand, and he couldn't help but smile. There, neatly stacked, was his favorite boat building magazine, a crossword puzzle magazine, the book he was currently reading and which had been on the couch table in the living room, a pen and his reading glasses. There was new water in his glass and a bowl with something light brown in it. A note was propped up against it that said "Eat me!" A big smiley face was drawn in the lower right corner.
Gibbs reached out and took the bowl, giving the contents a speculative look. It seemed to be some kind of yoghurt - something Gibbs usually gave a wide berth. He sniffed it experimentally, then smiled. It smelled faintly like coffee. Well, more like one of those fancy latte macchiato things that Tony liked to drink, but it was better than nothing, especially considering the fact that he hadn't had a coffee in at least three days.
His stomach growled slightly, and Gibbs had to admit that he was definitely getting a bit hungry, so he grabbed the spoon that was waiting patiently on his nightstand, and gave the weird concoction a try.
It didn't exactly taste like coffee - in fact, it was as far away from a typical Gibbs coffee as humanly possible - but there was a definite coffee-like aftertaste to this snack, and that made Gibbs happy.
The bowl was empty in record time.
Afterwards, Gibbs decided to make the most of his enforced time in bed and grabbed his book. Might as well finally finish the damn thing, now that he had nothing better to do.
Sometime later, Tony poked his head in and said, "Ah, you're awake. And I see you had a little snack." He smiled approvingly and came into the bedroom. Gibbs looked up with a frown, for a long moment not sure what Tony was referring to, but then he saw the younger man reaching for the empty bowl.
"Oh. That. Yeah. Was a little hungry." He shrugged, surprised to see that he had apparently spent a couple of hours reading. Time was flying when you were having fun, he thought sarcastically.
"Got your appetite back?" Tony looked pleased. "Feeling up to eating dinner downstairs, or should I bring you the soup up?"
Gibbs looked shocked. "Hell, no! I need to move. I'm going stir crazy in here."
"Yeah, you looked anything but peaceful, propped up and reading quietly in that big comfy bed," Tony teased, then held out his hand to help the older man out of bed.
Gibbs glowered and put his book on the nightstand. "Don't need your help, DiNozzo."
"Suit yourself." Tony shrugged and stepped back to give Gibbs more room. A few seconds later, he held an armful of Gibbs after the older man had stumbled, not managing to keep his balance when he got dizzy. "You shouldn't move so fast, Boss. Nice and easy. There, there." Tony steadied the older man and then stepped back again once he was sure that Gibbs could stand on his own two feet. He was deliberately not making a big deal out of this, something Gibbs was really grateful for.
"So, chicken soup ready?" Gibbs asked, trying to focus on something other than the fact that he was as weak as a damn kitten.
"Sure is," Tony replied, leading them out of the bedroom. "Potty break first?" He pointed towards the bathroom, but Gibbs shook his head.
"Nah. I'm good to go."
"Suit yourself." Tony shrugged agreeably.
Gibbs frowned. "What's with your obsession with me hitting the head anyway?"
"No obsession, Boss. Just wanting to make sure you're not going face first into the bowl, is all." Tony shrugged again and grinned, then walked towards the stairs. Gibbs could feel the younger man watching him out of the corner of his eye, as if not trusting the patient to make it safely to the stairs, much less down said stairs.
A second later, Gibbs stumbled because of a flash of dizziness, and had to take a deep breath to calm himself. He slowly straightened his spine and made sure to have his equilibrium back before following Tony, who, of course, had seen Gibbs' less than stellar performance.
Instead of commenting or - even worse - offering assistance, Tony just smiled and began a mindless babble that Gibbs immediately tuned out. He was too preoccupied judging the distance to the top of the stairs, and he inwardly cursed himself for feeling so damn weak.
"...and so, when I saw you taking that involuntary headdive into that lake, I knew you'd catch something, and by that I don't mean the bad guy that tried to escape. I mean, you've been under the weather anyway, but jumping into ice cold water in December was pretty...well, I wouldn't say stupid because, you know, you're Gibbs, and you don't ever do anything stupid, but...let's say it was...risky." Tony grinned up at Gibbs, who only now realized that the younger man was making his way down the stairs by going backwards. He frowned inwardly, wondering what the hell was up with that, but a second later, he understood Tony's motive: the younger man walked at a slow, steady pace, making sure that he was able to catch Gibbs in case he stumbled and threatened to fall down the stairs. He was close enough to Gibbs to be able to immediately reach out with a steadying hand but without actually hovering or touching him on their way down.
Tony might be walking in front of him, but he clearly had Gibbs' six. The older man couldn't help but smile slightly at that. Tony managed to surprise him yet again.
"...and I'm pretty sure that the ride back to DC in those wet, frozen clothes gave you the rest. Why are you smiling, Boss?" Tony blinked, slightly confused to see the usually stern face crease into a soft smile. Gibbs blinked as well, realized that Tony had basically caught him in the act, and frowned disapprovingly at the younger man. Tony blinked again, confused by the sudden change of mood, and then shrugged mentally. "Anyway, when Ducky told me you had caught hypothermia on top of pneumonia, I wasn't the least bit surprised. Let that be a lesson to you, Gibbs. No more jumping into freezing lakes for the Bossman. That's what Probies are for." Tony grinned mischievously, then made a sweeping hand gesture. "Hey look, we're downstairs already! Alrighty, who's hungry?" And off he went to the kitchen, ignoring his patient, now that he knew that Gibbs was safely on the ground floor.
Gibbs had to admit that the chicken soup was pretty much the best damn thing he had ever tasted.
"Looks like someone's got his appetite back," Tony teased good-naturedly while dishing up a second bowl for his patient.
"This is really good, Tony," Gibbs mumbled around his spoon. "I can't believe you made this."
Instead of feeling hurt, Tony just grinned. "I'm a man of many talents, Boss," he announced with an eyebrow waggle. Then he grew serious. "Just wanna make sure you're back on your feet soon." He checked his watch. "Speaking of, time for your medicine again soon."
Gibbs immediately frowned. "Not gonna go back to bed again though," he growled, barely suppressing a coughing fit.
"Look who's a cranky five year old," Tony replied mildly, but then smiled. "If you want, we can just kick back and relax in the living room for a while. Got my portable DVD player with me. We could watch a movie. 'cause you're not gonna get downstairs to your boat and that sorry excuse for a TV, Boss."
Gibbs scowled at that, but took whatever was offered. Anything, as long as he could stay out of the damn bedroom. "First dibs on the easy chair," he said warningly. "And no movies. Lemme read for a while."
"Sure thing." Tony shrugged agreeably and got up. "Want me to bring you something in particular, or just everything that's on the nightstand?"
"I can get the damn book myself, DiNozzo," Gibbs growled, immediately pissed off at being treated like an invalid.
"You could but you won't. You wanna help, you put everything into the sink so I can do the dishes later. And seriously, Gibbs, who doesn't own a dishwasher these days?" Tony rolled his eyes at that. "After that, it's straight to that easy chair of yours. Got me?"
Gibbs glowered, but once again Tony was clearly not intimidated by the famous death glare. "On it, Boss," Gibbs muttered sarcastically, which caused Tony to flash a mega-watt smile.
"That's the spirit," he replied with a wink, and ran upstairs to get Gibbs' medicine and the book.
Gibbs had to admit that even sitting quietly and reading a book could be exhausting. Tony was uncharacteristically quiet, having curled up on the couch and reading - Gibbs squinted, trying to decipher the title of the thing in the younger man's hands, and then raised a surprised eyebrow when he realized that it was a textbook on ballistics. So much for light bedtime reading material.
"Gotta hit the head," he announced and made to slowly get up.
Tony immediately looked up. "Need a hand?" he asked, clearly worried that Gibbs would take a nosedive.
"No, I think I'll manage with my own two hands," Gibbs muttered sarcastically.
"That's not what I meant," Tony replied with a frown, putting down his textbook and - Gibbs realized in surprise - a textmarker. The younger man had apparently even been taking notes.
"I know what you meant. But I'll manage. Be right back." Gibbs straightened his spine again and then slowly but steadily made his way out of the living room and down the corridor towards the half bath. Where the room proceeded to spin all of a sudden when he looked down to tuck himself back in. "Shit," he muttered, reaching out blindly to steady himself against the nearest wall. He really hated being sick and feeling so damn weak.
The way back to the living room seemed much longer, and by the time he let himself plop into his easy chair, Gibbs was sweating slightly from exhaustion.
"Time for little Jethros to go to bed," Tony announced after giving Gibbs a long look. When all he received was a mutinous glare, he added, "You need your strength, Boss. Abby called while you were sleeping this afternoon, she said she was gonna come visit tomorrow morning. Trust me, you'll need your strength when she comes whirling in here. Get some much needed rest. Not a sign of weakness, I promise you." Tony stood up and made a shooing motion towards the stairs, smiling encouragingly.
Gibbs continued to glare mutinously, but the mere idea of a bouncy Abby in the morning had him heading towards the stairs.
This time, Tony literally had his six, walking closely behind Gibbs without actually touching, and keeping up a cheerful chatter to distract them both from the very obvious fact that Gibbs literally dragged himself up those stairs in agonizingly slow motion because he suddenly felt so drained.
In the bedroom, Gibbs almost fell into bed, grateful to have actually made it.
"There you go," Tony said encouragingly, once again tucking his patient in.
"Still gonna deck you if you give me a good night kiss," Gibbs warned.
"Still only gonna give you a good night kiss when you ask me to," Tony replied with a grin. He made sure that the glass of water was full. "Try to get some sleep," he urged. "I'm gonna have to wake you again around midnight for your medicine, but you should be allowed to sleep through tomorrow night. Okay?" Gibbs sighed, which turned into a coughing fit, but then he nodded tiredly. "Goody. Don't let the bed bugs bite ya, and all that. If you need anything, call." Tony pointed to the cell phone on the nightstand, then made his way towards the door, which he left ajar. "Night, Boss."
"Night, Tony."
But sleep eluded him for some reason. Gibbs was tired and downright exhausted, and continuously yawned jaw-breakingly, but as soon as he lay down, he couldn't seem to breathe easily. So he propped himself up against the headboard, but he only had two pillows, and after a few minutes, they were all scrunched up so the hard wood of the headboard dug painfully into his back. He tried sitting up, but that was not only uncomfortable, it also prevented him from falling asleep.
Gibbs was annoyed.
He tried lying on his back, his front and on both of his sides, but his lungs protested any kind of horizontal lying. He stood up and walked up and down the length of his bedroom. He sat on his bed. He got up again, only to sit down in the old rocker that he had built for Shannon when she had been pregnant with Kelly. Slowly rocking back and forth helped him relax a little, and at one time he actually managed to doze off, probably because he was in a mostly upright position, but he woke up less than half an hour later with the nastiest cramp in his neck. So he got up again and began to walk, only to stumble from sheer exhaustion after two steps.
He propped himself back up against the headboard and turned on the reading lamp. He had left the book downstairs, but maybe he could do a crossword or two. Hell, he might actually fall asleep over it. Anything, as long as he managed to catch some shut-eye, preferably without a coughing fit that had him spit out his lungs.
Gibbs could hear soft voices from across the floor - obviously Tony watching a movie in the guest room. He smiled at that and looked at the alarm clock on his nightstand. Obviously, the younger man had decided to stay up until midnight to give Gibbs his medicine. Then he'd had to get back up again at six to deliver the next round of pills. Gibbs knew that Tony was dedicated, but this really surprised him. What had Abby once said so eloquently? 'Tony is a really good egg, Gibbs.' Yeah, that about summed it up.
Gibbs sighed, barely suppressing another coughing fit, and then decided to get up and search for a couple more pillows. Maybe, if he had enough pillows, he could just recline against the headboard comfortably and sleep that way...
He made it as far as the bedroom door before he got dizzy again and felt his legs give way.
A second later, two strong arms wrapped around his torso and propped him up. "Someone's being naughty," Tony chided into Gibbs' ear. "What the hell were you thinking?" He carefully wrestled the older man around and steered him back towards the bed.
"Wanted to get more pillows," Gibbs muttered, feeling foolish. "Couldn't sleep lying down. Headboard is too hard." He made a feeble hand gesture towards the recalcitrant wood.
Tony frowned in obvious confusion, trying hard to decipher what Gibbs meant. After a long moment, he ventured, "Propping up didn't work?" Gibbs shook his head, letting himself sag slightly into the younger man's strong embrace. It felt good, being held safely like that. "Needed more pillows to be comfy?" Tony asked, carefully sitting Gibbs down on the bed.
"Yeah. Was on my way to get a couple." Gibbs looked slightly miffed that Tony had stopped him from that.
"And why didn't you call me?" Tony asked exasperatedly, holding up both his and Gibbs' cell phones. "Geez, Boss, I swear, you seriously need a headslap."
Gibbs narrowed his eyes in warning.
Tony put the phones down and then held his hands up in surrender. "Not gonna slap you, Boss. Just saying you could use it." He sighed and looked at the headboard. "Okay, we'll try something else," he announced, then climbed matter-of-factly into the bed. Gibbs looked on in surprised confusion. Tony wiggled a little, fluffed the pillows and propped them up against the headboard before leaning against them. "There. Better. Now c'mere." He opened his arms invitingly and nodded towards the V made by his legs. "Huddle up, Boss."
Gibbs' eyebrows shot up at that, but then he mentally shrugged and carefully scooted backwards until he was sitting between Tony's spread legs.
"Relax," Tony ordered with a chuckle. "I'm not gonna hurt you." He wrapped his arms around Gibbs and gently pulled him back against his chest. Gibbs took a deep breath experimentally and found that he could actually breathe easily. And Tony felt really comfortable. And so he relaxed, truly relaxed, for the first time that night.
"Thanks," Gibbs muttered after a long minute, letting his head rest on Tony's shoulder. He could only hope that nobody would decide to barge into his house right now, because the idea of anyone seeing him lying in Tony's arms like that...well, if he were absolutely honest with himself, he didn't really think that was such a bad idea, but nobody else needed to know that.
Tony smiled to himself when he felt the wiry body in his arms slowly relax. What he didn't like was the obvious heat coming off said body. When Gibbs placed his head on his shoulder, Tony pressed a gentle kiss to the older man's temple.
"Kissed me good night without me asking you to," Gibbs mumbled, his eyes closed. "Gotta deck you now."
"Didn't kiss you, just felt your temp," Tony replied. "That's how my Nonna used to do it. You're running a fever, Boss, and I really don't like that. Maybe we should call Ducky..."
"No!" Gibbs tilted his head back and opened his eyes, then squinted in a desperate attempt to focus through the wave of sudden dizziness. "I'm okay. Comfy like that. Might take a nap now. That'll help."
Tony sighed softly, causing Gibbs' body to rise almost comically. "Sleep'll help, not a nap. Okay, tell you what. It's almost midnight. You take your medicine, then you try to sleep. Really sleep, not just nap. Maybe the fever will be gone again in a few hours, I remember always having a fever spike in the evening or at night when I was sick. But if this isn't gonna get better, I'll call Ducky."
Gibbs mulled this over for a long moment, then reached out with a trembling hand to grab the bottle of pills. Tony batted the hand away and handfed the older man his medicine, then held up the glass of water which Gibbs would've probably spilled anyway. "Thanks."
"You're welcome. Sleep now." Tony turned off the light and loosely wrapped his arms around Gibbs, folding his hands over the older man's stomach.
"I might, but you won't. This can't be comfortable for you."
"Don't you worry about me, Boss. You worry about getting well again. I'm comfy. I'm holding you in my arms, so I can be sure you're not gonna run off and do something foolish. That alone will let me sleep soundly, trust me." Tony chuckled low in his throat, which vibrated through Gibbs' entire body.
Gibbs liked the little tingle. "Hmm. Sharing a bed with the boss, DiNozzo?" he asked through a yawn, but Tony could clearly hear the slight tease in the older man's voice.
"Yeah, I'm kinky like that. Now shut it. Sleep."
But Gibbs was already out like a light, his head lolling to the side, safely cradled under Tony's chin.
The next morning, Gibbs woke up gradually, not with a start, as he usually did. He blinked his eyes open slowly and frowned, trying to figure out where he was.
It took him a long moment to realize that he was still mostly lying on top of Tony, propped up back to chest, though they seemed to have moved in their sleep so that their legs were now entwined and one of Tony's hands was proprietarily resting on Gibbs' hip.
Gibbs decided that he definitely liked that.
And Gibbs realized that he had actually had a pretty damn good night's sleep, all things considered. But poor Tony must have had a terrible night, in the position he was lying in. Gibbs wondered if the younger man would even be able to move much.
A second later, Tony's watch beeped, causing Tony to startle awake. "Uh...six o'clock already?" he asked with a sleepy voice that Gibbs found strangely enticing. "Oh, hey, Boss. Morning. Slept okay?" Tony carefully stretched a little, his spine popping audibly in a couple of places.
"More than," Gibbs admitted and sat up carefully to give Tony room to move. "Thanks again for...you know."
Tony blinked, then smiled. "De nada." He reached for the bottle of pills and shook one out. "Here ya go, Boss. Breakfast for the champions."
Gibbs sighed but obediently took his medicine without fussing overmuch. "Speaking of breakfast..." he began, his stomach growling meaningfully.
Tony chuckled. "Great. Now even Bossman's stomach growls as menacingly as Bossman does." He grinned and wiggled out from under Gibbs, then climbed out of bed.
The older man purposefully overlooked the fact that Tony's morning wood had poked him in the back during that maneuver. He himself was throwing a bit of wood himself, which surprised him, considering he still felt like death warmed over. Must be the fact that he slept in Tony's arms, he surmised.
"Mind if I take a shower first or do you want me to get breakfast ready right away?" Tony asked, and it was obvious that he wouldn't mind doing either, as long as it made Gibbs happy.
"Need a shower myself," Gibbs admitted, then added after a long moment, "Might need a helping hand, though. Just to be on the safe side." He grimaced a little, not because he didn't like the idea of Tony helping, but because he didn't like being weak and dependant on anyone, period.
But Tony only grinned good-naturedly. "Mind taking a shower together after breakfast?" he suggested. "Kill two birds with one stone, and all that." He offered Gibbs a hand up. "No peeking or copping of feels, generous or otherwise, I promise." Tony winked. "Just getting us both squeaky clean and looking mighty sexy for when Abby comes a-visitin' later. What say?"
Gibbs nodded and got up, but for some absurd reason refused to let go of Tony's hand. "Sounds good. Too bad about the lack of feel copping though. You kinda promised yesterday already." He managed a grin, suddenly feeling a damn good deal better already.
Tony looked at their joined hands for a long moment, then raised a teasing eyebrow. "Won't have any keys hidden on my body, Boss, not in the shower, at least. What, you up for a full body cavity search all of a sudden or something? That's definitely kinky." He squeezed Gibbs' hand and led the older man towards the bedroom door by their joined hands.
"Nah, not my cup of coffee. Speaking of..."
"Nope, not gonna get any coffee. Ducky said so. Tea, if you're a good boy, or water, but that's it." Tony shook his head and squeezed Gibbs' hand again, this time apologetically. "Anything else I could offer? To make it up to you?" Tony stopped at the top of the stairs and turned around to look at the older man expectantly.
Gibbs looked back calmly, trying to read Tony, the man he thought he knew so damn well. The man who had constantly surprised him throughout the previous day, and especially the night. The man who was still holding his hand. "Yeah," Gibbs finally said simply.
"Alright," Tony said agreeably. "Spill."
Taking his life into his hands, Gibbs pulled himself up to his full height and asked solemnly, "Give me a good morning kiss?"
Tony blinked, clearly not having expected that in a million years. His jaw actually dropped and he stared at Gibbs with wide eyes.
The older man immediately berated himself for having gone too far. He was just about to open his mouth, though he had no idea what to say, when Tony leaned in and stopped Gibbs from apologizing with the sweetest, gentlest kiss. His free hand came up to cup Gibbs' face and caress one cheekbone with a thumb.
When he pulled back, Tony graced Gibbs with a brilliant smile. "How's that for starters?" he asked, suddenly almost shy.
And for the first time in almost a week, Gibbs felt fantastic. "Better than coffee," he said, clearly meaning it.
And Tony rewarded that with another, soul-deep kiss before they mutually decided to forego breakfast and take that shower together instead.
THE END
Author: Gaby
Pinch hit written for:
nightshadow_t2 Prompt: After a series of long cases in bad weather, Gibbs collapses. He has pneumonia. After he checks himself out of the hospital against advice, he gets home by Ducky only to find Tony there with coffee in hand. He's moved into the guest room and plans to stay to look after Gibbs. Get together fic, please?
Archive: Nah, I'll post it myself.
Word count: around 7,000
Pairing: pre-Gibbs/Tony
Genre: hurt/comfort, schmoop
Rating: R, to be on the safe side
Author's Notes: I'm sorry I couldn't write any of your "first choice" prompts, but the crossovers didn't work for me. :-( I intented to write the "Turner & Hooch" prompt, but the darn mutt was being recalcitrant to the point that I finally threw my hands in the air in frustration and grabbed another prompt. But I swear I'm going to write the Hooch one someday, it's just too good to pass up! LOL!
Also sorry that it took me so long to finish this, but I hope you like it anyway. :-)
Special thanks to
redblack32 for beta and medical advice. :-)Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. Woe is me! :-(
Summary: Sometimes, TLC is the best medicine.
The bickering could be heard coming up the driveway, even though the rant was interspersed by a nasty bout of coughing.
"I keep telling you that this is not a good idea, Jethro," Ducky said for the umpteenth time, watching his friend slowly but stubbornly make his way towards his front door.
"I'm fine, Duck," Gibbs muttered, holding his head to keep it from exploding when the next coughing fit hit. Then he determinedly opened the door, inwardly thanking himself that he never locked it - he was pretty damn sure that he wouldn't have managed something as intricate and complicated as pushing a key into a lock right now. "I can lie in bed and sleep right here. Don't need a damn hospital bed for that."
"Jethro, it's not just sleep that you need, it's also--"
But Ducky was interrupted by Gibbs' outraged growl of, "DiNozzo!"
Tony was casually leaning against the frame of the kitchen door, a cup of steaming coffee in hand. "Hey, Boss," he greeted with a broad smile on his face. "May I just say, you look like shit."
"What are you doing in my home?" Gibbs rasped, frowning in displeasure at the uninvited houseguest, then he turned to Ducky. "What's he doing here?"
"Our dear Anthony has volunteered to look after you during your recuperation," Ducky replied while he kept a steadying hand helpfully on his sick friend's back. Gibbs glowered at that information. Tony, still leaning casually against the door frame, just smiled and silently saluted the statement with his cup of coffee. Gibbs glowered even more.
"I don't need a fucking babysitter," Gibbs muttered with an almost petulant sulk on his face. "Go 'way, DiNozzo."
Ducky and Tony exchanged a long look. Tony chuckled, not the least bit intimidated. "Got the bedroom ready for ya, Boss. Want me to help you upstairs?"
Gibbs only growled like a wounded bear and tried to send one of his death glares, though he was too preoccupied with keeping himself upright to really pull it off.
"Okay," Tony said agreeably. "Suit yourself." He turned back around and disappeared into the kitchen.
Ducky steered Gibbs towards the stairs. "Let's get you into bed, Jethro," he said placatively.
In the bedroom, Tony had prepared everything, just like he had promised. The bed was turned down, the drapes were drawn, there was a bottle of water and a glass waiting on the nightstand for any medication Gibbs might need to take.
"You really should have stayed in that hospital another night or two, Jethro," Ducky began again, but his friend cut him off with a surly grunt. "Well, then at least lie down and rest. I'm sure Tony will be up with your lunch later, but until then you need to rest. Sleep a little, if you can." Ducky patted the mattress invitingly, and even though Gibbs wanted nothing more than to engage in some good old fashioned macho postering, he let himself plop down on the bed with an exhausted sigh, which promptly turned into another bout of coughing.
"I hate being sick, Duck," Gibbs complained when he could finally catch his breath.
"I know, Jethro, I know." Ducky patted his friend's shoulder comfortingly. "We'll get you well again, don't you worry. Now, get in bed and rest while I go talk to Anthony, alright?"
Gibbs didn't react until Ducky was already at the door. "Hey, Duck?"
"Yes?"
"What...what's DiNozzo really doing here?"
"As I said, he volunteered to take care of you. Someone has to, Jethro, and while I would gladly take over the duty, I must think of Mother. She cannot be left alone at night, I'm afraid. So instead I called Tony and asked for his help, and he was only too eager to move in."
"Move in?" Gibbs asked incredulously.
"Yes, temporarily." Ducky jerked his thumb in the general direction of the guest room. "He has spent time in your house before, Jethro, he knows his way around the place. And, more importantly, he knows you. Even though I know that the hospital staff opposed to you leaving so early, I'm quite certain the nurses are relieved to have you gone. You were quite the grouch, Jethro." Ducky frowned disapprovingly, but Gibbs was just too sick to care. He wiped his sweaty brow and then awkwardly pulled on the collar of his sweater in a desperate attempt to take the garment off. He was so hot. Damn fever.
Ducky sighed and felt helpless, knowing his assistance would neither be welcomed nor taken.
"Go home, Duck. And take DiNozzo with you."
"I'm sorry, Jethro, but I cannot do that. You need someone to look after you the next couple of days." Gibbs glowered darkly at his friend at hearing that, but Ducky only smiled. "Remember to take your medication," he said, placing the bottle of pills on the bedside table next to the glass of water. Gibbs glowered again, and once again, Ducky wasn't the least bit intimidated. "I'll see myself out, Jethro. Take it easy and get some rest. I'll check up on you tomorrow."
Gibbs sent his friend off with a snarled growl, which turned into a nasty bout of coughing. Ducky, already on the stairs, listened to the other man wheezing and couldn't help but smile. Sure served him right.
Ducky found Tony in the kitchen, busily arranging vegetables on the counter and hunting down knives and pots.
The younger man looked up and smiled. "Hey, Ducky."
"Anthony," Ducky greeted almost formally, then he sighed. "Jethro needs to take his medication religiously, Tony," Ducky said. "He's got Erythromycin, which he needs to take orally four times a day. Since we both know that the dear lad thinks he's invincible, I really urge you to keep an eye on him."
"Oh, don't worry, Ducky. Nurse Tony will make sure that the growly bear takes his drugs per doctor's orders." Tony grinned and waggled his eyebrows.
"Are you sure?" Ducky asked doubtfully. "Jethro is a bit of a grouch on a good day, but ever since he's been strickened by this nasty bout of pneumonia, he's downright..." He trailed off, at a loss for a good word to describe the incredibly bad mood Gibbs was in. But Tony only shrugged.
"I've seen the worst of him, I'll survive this as well, don't worry. I'm not gonna be intimidated by Grumpy up there." Tony nodded towards the ceiling and in the general direction of Gibbs' bedroom. "You'll be surprised." There was another broad grin, and Tony's eyes twinkled mischievously.
Ducky raised his eyebrows in surprise, then shook his head with a chuckle. "I do not even want to know," he said, holding up his hands in mock defeat. "I need to get home to Mother, but I will call in the morning to check up on our patient. Try to survive until then, won't you?"
Tony laughed out loud at that and then made a shooing motion towards the front door. "Out, Dr. Mallard. Don't worry about me. I've got a gun and know how to use it."
And somehow, Ducky found himself convinced that Leroy Jethro Gibbs had found his master in young Anthony DiNozzo.
Gibbs heaved a deep sigh, which immediately caused another bout of coughing. He was so damn bored. Being sick, lying in bed, doing nothing - that was definitely not for him.
And worse still, DiNozzo had taken up residence in his house; judging by the banging and clanging, apparently in the kitchen.
Gibbs grumbled and stared at the alarm clock on his nightstand. He had unsuccessfully tried to nap, but he just wasn't made to doze in the middle of the day. And he wasn't even really tired anyway.
This being sick thing sucked.
Gibbs thought about his options, and finally decided to sneak down to the basement to work on his boat a little. He may not have all of his strength back yet, but an hour or two of woodwork should at least help him relax a little. Because he was going downright crazy, just lying in bed and doing nothing.
And so he quietly made his way down the stairs, one ear trained on a rather boisterous DiNozzo in the kitchen, and tiptoed towards the door to the basement, inwardly berating himself for skulking in his own home where he had every damn right to go to every damn place he pleased.
But at the same time, there was no need to unnecessarily lock horns with Nurse Tony, and what DiNozzo didn't know wouldn't hurt him.
A second later, Gibbs stood in his kitchen, fists on his hips and a scowl on his face.
"There's a padlock on the basement door!" he bellowed in outrage, pointing accusingly at the door in question.
Tony turned around from chopping carrots and smiled broadly. "Hey, Boss," he greeted cheerfully. "I see you're up. Had a nice nap?"
"I repeat: There's a padlock on the basement door!" Gibbs glowered, more frustrated by Tony's apparent lack of panic in the face of his boss' ire than by the fact that he couldn't get down into his basement.
"Oh? There is?" Tony frowned in mock concentration, then snapped his fingers a few seconds later. "Oh yeah, there is!" He smiled broadly again and began to fish in his jeans pocket. "And look, here's the key. Which will stay right here for the time being." He pushed it back into the pocket, actually sucking in his stomach and pulling on his waistband to manage the tight fit of his hand in that pocket. "So, unless you wanna cop a very generous feel in an attempt to get to that key, you're sheer out of luck, Boss." Tony grinned and waggled his eyebrows. "Of course, personally I'm looking forward to that copping."
Gibbs continued to glower, trying his best to intimidate the younger man into turning over the key. A second later, he had to reach out so he could steady himself on the back of a chair.
"Easy, easy," Tony said, immediately at his side. He guided the older man into the chair and rubbed Gibbs' back for a moment. "You're in no condition to do anything as strenuous as standing upright, Gibbs. You can't seriously tell me you think you could work on your boat."
"I'm bored!" Gibbs muttered, sounding like a petulant five year old even to his own ears.
"Well, then read a book. Do crosswords. Sit here and keep me company." Tony shrugged and placed a glass of water in front of Gibbs. "As long as you stay away from your boat. You can't manage a minute without coughing, do you really think sawdust will help?" For a moment, Tony's hand itched to land a headslap for the idiocy of the idea alone, but he wasn't suicidal. "Drink. Ducky told me to keep you hydrated." He pointed demandingly at the glass of water, making it clear there would be no coffee forthcoming. Then he turned around and continued chopping the rest of the carrots, which he then threw into a large pot that sat simmering on the stove.
"What are you doing there anyway?" Gibbs asked after a minute of watching the younger man.
"Riding a bike. What does it look like?" Tony sent a confused look over his shoulder. "I'm making an old DiNozzo family recipe for you. Chicken soup, made from scratch. Best remedy against flu, so I'm thinking it won't be bad against pneumonia either." He shrugged and then stirred the contents of the pot. "My Nonna used to make this for me when I was a kid," he added quietly after a long moment, almost talking to himself.
Gibbs blinked in surprise and slowly took a sip of his water. "I thought you came from a rich family, DiNozzo. Didn't you have cooks and maids and this sort of thing?"
Tony startled out of his reverie, his face open and vulnerable for a long moment before he grinned at the older man. "Sure do and sure did. But my father's family came to this great nation with nothing but the clothes on their backs. The DiNozzos worked hard for their success, and my Nonna raised six kids all on her own, working three jobs to keep all those mouths fed. Now, my mother's side of the family, they were rich. Old English money. In fact, I'm probably some kind of Earl or Count or some other noble title, or a cousin twice removed from one. I'm not sure, I was never much of a friend of family trees." Tony shrugged and then grinned at Gibbs again. "But anyway. Chicken soup. It's gotta simmer for a few hours until it's really good, so I suggest I make you something else for lunch. You hungry?"
"Not really." Gibbs sighed softly and grimaced. Swallowing hurt. Breathing hurt. Being alive sucked right now.
"Ducky's gonna have my hide if you lose more weight," Tony warned.
"Well, guess that's a risk I'm willing to take, DiNozzo." Gibbs managed a smirk, feeling immensely pleased that he had managed to pulled one over on the younger man.
Tony frowned in disapproval and then pointed towards the stairs. "Alright, that's it. Someone's obviously cranky. Bedtime for Jethro."
Gibbs blinked at that and stared, open-mouthed, for once not knowing what to say. And then he was gently but firmly pulled to his feet and walked upstairs, with Tony's arm wrapped around his middle to keep him steady. Gibbs would've been pissed off by that if he hadn't realized that he honestly needed the extra help.
Once in the bedroom, Tony held up the covers and waited until Gibbs had crawled into bed. The younger man shook a pill out of the bottle. "Time for your medicine anyway, Boss," he said, offering the pill and the glass of water with a sweet smile.
Gibbs took the medicine with a muttered protest. "If you kiss me good night, I'll deck you," he warned.
Tony only continued to smile. "I'll kiss you good night when you ask me to, and not a moment sooner," he replied, tucking his patient in with obvious caring. "Sleep, Gibbs. I mean it. It's the best remedy. I'll check up on you later, but if you need anything, call me." He held up his cell phone, then pointed at the older man's phone on the nightstand. "Literally. Call me. Don't yell for me, your lungs won't make it. And don't go traipsing around, you'll only fall down the stairs. I'll come upstairs and help you with anything you need. Got me?"
Gibbs just stared, once again at a loss for words. He had never expected Tony to be so...professional and compassionate. He had expected silly jokes and being made gentle fun of. He had expected the younger man to lounge on his couch and watch DVD's on his laptop, munching popcorn and pizza and making a mess. But this? This was... Gibbs had no idea what exactly it was, but he liked it. Though he would never admit that.
"You got me, Gibbs? Use your cell and call me. If you misbehave, I'll sic Ducky and Abby on you." Tony wagged a stern finger under Gibbs' nose. "Now, before you take your nap, do you need to hit the head?"
Gibbs' eyes widened in shock at the realization that Tony would probably hover right behind him while he was...taking care of business. He shook his head frantically.
Tony wasn't fooled. "Okay," he said with a frown. "Fine. I'll either hear you flush or hear you land on the bathroom floor with a dull thud. In either case, I'll come running to read you the riot act afterwards. Deal?" He smiled sweetly again.
"Bastard," Gibbs muttered, which caused Tony's smile to widen. The older man sighed. "I'll call when I need ya," he finally admitted defeat.
"Great!" Tony beamed and patted Gibbs' shoulder. "Get some rest in the meantime. I'll be downstairs."
Gibbs glared at Tony's retreating back, feeling out of control and hating it. He was not going to ask for help to go potty, for crying out loud, no matter how impossible it was to stay upright - and he had to admit to himself that his little trip downstairs had drained him of any residual strength. And he was not tired either, so being brought to bed for "nap time" was the last thing he needed, damn it.
Less than a minute later, Gibbs was out like a light.
When Gibbs woke up an hour or so later, he realized that Tony must have been in his bedroom while he was sleeping. For a long moment, he frowned in consternation - he was a light sleeper, always had been, so how come someone had managed to sneak into his bedroom without him waking up over it?
But then he saw something on the nightstand, and he couldn't help but smile. There, neatly stacked, was his favorite boat building magazine, a crossword puzzle magazine, the book he was currently reading and which had been on the couch table in the living room, a pen and his reading glasses. There was new water in his glass and a bowl with something light brown in it. A note was propped up against it that said "Eat me!" A big smiley face was drawn in the lower right corner.
Gibbs reached out and took the bowl, giving the contents a speculative look. It seemed to be some kind of yoghurt - something Gibbs usually gave a wide berth. He sniffed it experimentally, then smiled. It smelled faintly like coffee. Well, more like one of those fancy latte macchiato things that Tony liked to drink, but it was better than nothing, especially considering the fact that he hadn't had a coffee in at least three days.
His stomach growled slightly, and Gibbs had to admit that he was definitely getting a bit hungry, so he grabbed the spoon that was waiting patiently on his nightstand, and gave the weird concoction a try.
It didn't exactly taste like coffee - in fact, it was as far away from a typical Gibbs coffee as humanly possible - but there was a definite coffee-like aftertaste to this snack, and that made Gibbs happy.
The bowl was empty in record time.
Afterwards, Gibbs decided to make the most of his enforced time in bed and grabbed his book. Might as well finally finish the damn thing, now that he had nothing better to do.
Sometime later, Tony poked his head in and said, "Ah, you're awake. And I see you had a little snack." He smiled approvingly and came into the bedroom. Gibbs looked up with a frown, for a long moment not sure what Tony was referring to, but then he saw the younger man reaching for the empty bowl.
"Oh. That. Yeah. Was a little hungry." He shrugged, surprised to see that he had apparently spent a couple of hours reading. Time was flying when you were having fun, he thought sarcastically.
"Got your appetite back?" Tony looked pleased. "Feeling up to eating dinner downstairs, or should I bring you the soup up?"
Gibbs looked shocked. "Hell, no! I need to move. I'm going stir crazy in here."
"Yeah, you looked anything but peaceful, propped up and reading quietly in that big comfy bed," Tony teased, then held out his hand to help the older man out of bed.
Gibbs glowered and put his book on the nightstand. "Don't need your help, DiNozzo."
"Suit yourself." Tony shrugged and stepped back to give Gibbs more room. A few seconds later, he held an armful of Gibbs after the older man had stumbled, not managing to keep his balance when he got dizzy. "You shouldn't move so fast, Boss. Nice and easy. There, there." Tony steadied the older man and then stepped back again once he was sure that Gibbs could stand on his own two feet. He was deliberately not making a big deal out of this, something Gibbs was really grateful for.
"So, chicken soup ready?" Gibbs asked, trying to focus on something other than the fact that he was as weak as a damn kitten.
"Sure is," Tony replied, leading them out of the bedroom. "Potty break first?" He pointed towards the bathroom, but Gibbs shook his head.
"Nah. I'm good to go."
"Suit yourself." Tony shrugged agreeably.
Gibbs frowned. "What's with your obsession with me hitting the head anyway?"
"No obsession, Boss. Just wanting to make sure you're not going face first into the bowl, is all." Tony shrugged again and grinned, then walked towards the stairs. Gibbs could feel the younger man watching him out of the corner of his eye, as if not trusting the patient to make it safely to the stairs, much less down said stairs.
A second later, Gibbs stumbled because of a flash of dizziness, and had to take a deep breath to calm himself. He slowly straightened his spine and made sure to have his equilibrium back before following Tony, who, of course, had seen Gibbs' less than stellar performance.
Instead of commenting or - even worse - offering assistance, Tony just smiled and began a mindless babble that Gibbs immediately tuned out. He was too preoccupied judging the distance to the top of the stairs, and he inwardly cursed himself for feeling so damn weak.
"...and so, when I saw you taking that involuntary headdive into that lake, I knew you'd catch something, and by that I don't mean the bad guy that tried to escape. I mean, you've been under the weather anyway, but jumping into ice cold water in December was pretty...well, I wouldn't say stupid because, you know, you're Gibbs, and you don't ever do anything stupid, but...let's say it was...risky." Tony grinned up at Gibbs, who only now realized that the younger man was making his way down the stairs by going backwards. He frowned inwardly, wondering what the hell was up with that, but a second later, he understood Tony's motive: the younger man walked at a slow, steady pace, making sure that he was able to catch Gibbs in case he stumbled and threatened to fall down the stairs. He was close enough to Gibbs to be able to immediately reach out with a steadying hand but without actually hovering or touching him on their way down.
Tony might be walking in front of him, but he clearly had Gibbs' six. The older man couldn't help but smile slightly at that. Tony managed to surprise him yet again.
"...and I'm pretty sure that the ride back to DC in those wet, frozen clothes gave you the rest. Why are you smiling, Boss?" Tony blinked, slightly confused to see the usually stern face crease into a soft smile. Gibbs blinked as well, realized that Tony had basically caught him in the act, and frowned disapprovingly at the younger man. Tony blinked again, confused by the sudden change of mood, and then shrugged mentally. "Anyway, when Ducky told me you had caught hypothermia on top of pneumonia, I wasn't the least bit surprised. Let that be a lesson to you, Gibbs. No more jumping into freezing lakes for the Bossman. That's what Probies are for." Tony grinned mischievously, then made a sweeping hand gesture. "Hey look, we're downstairs already! Alrighty, who's hungry?" And off he went to the kitchen, ignoring his patient, now that he knew that Gibbs was safely on the ground floor.
Gibbs had to admit that the chicken soup was pretty much the best damn thing he had ever tasted.
"Looks like someone's got his appetite back," Tony teased good-naturedly while dishing up a second bowl for his patient.
"This is really good, Tony," Gibbs mumbled around his spoon. "I can't believe you made this."
Instead of feeling hurt, Tony just grinned. "I'm a man of many talents, Boss," he announced with an eyebrow waggle. Then he grew serious. "Just wanna make sure you're back on your feet soon." He checked his watch. "Speaking of, time for your medicine again soon."
Gibbs immediately frowned. "Not gonna go back to bed again though," he growled, barely suppressing a coughing fit.
"Look who's a cranky five year old," Tony replied mildly, but then smiled. "If you want, we can just kick back and relax in the living room for a while. Got my portable DVD player with me. We could watch a movie. 'cause you're not gonna get downstairs to your boat and that sorry excuse for a TV, Boss."
Gibbs scowled at that, but took whatever was offered. Anything, as long as he could stay out of the damn bedroom. "First dibs on the easy chair," he said warningly. "And no movies. Lemme read for a while."
"Sure thing." Tony shrugged agreeably and got up. "Want me to bring you something in particular, or just everything that's on the nightstand?"
"I can get the damn book myself, DiNozzo," Gibbs growled, immediately pissed off at being treated like an invalid.
"You could but you won't. You wanna help, you put everything into the sink so I can do the dishes later. And seriously, Gibbs, who doesn't own a dishwasher these days?" Tony rolled his eyes at that. "After that, it's straight to that easy chair of yours. Got me?"
Gibbs glowered, but once again Tony was clearly not intimidated by the famous death glare. "On it, Boss," Gibbs muttered sarcastically, which caused Tony to flash a mega-watt smile.
"That's the spirit," he replied with a wink, and ran upstairs to get Gibbs' medicine and the book.
Gibbs had to admit that even sitting quietly and reading a book could be exhausting. Tony was uncharacteristically quiet, having curled up on the couch and reading - Gibbs squinted, trying to decipher the title of the thing in the younger man's hands, and then raised a surprised eyebrow when he realized that it was a textbook on ballistics. So much for light bedtime reading material.
"Gotta hit the head," he announced and made to slowly get up.
Tony immediately looked up. "Need a hand?" he asked, clearly worried that Gibbs would take a nosedive.
"No, I think I'll manage with my own two hands," Gibbs muttered sarcastically.
"That's not what I meant," Tony replied with a frown, putting down his textbook and - Gibbs realized in surprise - a textmarker. The younger man had apparently even been taking notes.
"I know what you meant. But I'll manage. Be right back." Gibbs straightened his spine again and then slowly but steadily made his way out of the living room and down the corridor towards the half bath. Where the room proceeded to spin all of a sudden when he looked down to tuck himself back in. "Shit," he muttered, reaching out blindly to steady himself against the nearest wall. He really hated being sick and feeling so damn weak.
The way back to the living room seemed much longer, and by the time he let himself plop into his easy chair, Gibbs was sweating slightly from exhaustion.
"Time for little Jethros to go to bed," Tony announced after giving Gibbs a long look. When all he received was a mutinous glare, he added, "You need your strength, Boss. Abby called while you were sleeping this afternoon, she said she was gonna come visit tomorrow morning. Trust me, you'll need your strength when she comes whirling in here. Get some much needed rest. Not a sign of weakness, I promise you." Tony stood up and made a shooing motion towards the stairs, smiling encouragingly.
Gibbs continued to glare mutinously, but the mere idea of a bouncy Abby in the morning had him heading towards the stairs.
This time, Tony literally had his six, walking closely behind Gibbs without actually touching, and keeping up a cheerful chatter to distract them both from the very obvious fact that Gibbs literally dragged himself up those stairs in agonizingly slow motion because he suddenly felt so drained.
In the bedroom, Gibbs almost fell into bed, grateful to have actually made it.
"There you go," Tony said encouragingly, once again tucking his patient in.
"Still gonna deck you if you give me a good night kiss," Gibbs warned.
"Still only gonna give you a good night kiss when you ask me to," Tony replied with a grin. He made sure that the glass of water was full. "Try to get some sleep," he urged. "I'm gonna have to wake you again around midnight for your medicine, but you should be allowed to sleep through tomorrow night. Okay?" Gibbs sighed, which turned into a coughing fit, but then he nodded tiredly. "Goody. Don't let the bed bugs bite ya, and all that. If you need anything, call." Tony pointed to the cell phone on the nightstand, then made his way towards the door, which he left ajar. "Night, Boss."
"Night, Tony."
But sleep eluded him for some reason. Gibbs was tired and downright exhausted, and continuously yawned jaw-breakingly, but as soon as he lay down, he couldn't seem to breathe easily. So he propped himself up against the headboard, but he only had two pillows, and after a few minutes, they were all scrunched up so the hard wood of the headboard dug painfully into his back. He tried sitting up, but that was not only uncomfortable, it also prevented him from falling asleep.
Gibbs was annoyed.
He tried lying on his back, his front and on both of his sides, but his lungs protested any kind of horizontal lying. He stood up and walked up and down the length of his bedroom. He sat on his bed. He got up again, only to sit down in the old rocker that he had built for Shannon when she had been pregnant with Kelly. Slowly rocking back and forth helped him relax a little, and at one time he actually managed to doze off, probably because he was in a mostly upright position, but he woke up less than half an hour later with the nastiest cramp in his neck. So he got up again and began to walk, only to stumble from sheer exhaustion after two steps.
He propped himself back up against the headboard and turned on the reading lamp. He had left the book downstairs, but maybe he could do a crossword or two. Hell, he might actually fall asleep over it. Anything, as long as he managed to catch some shut-eye, preferably without a coughing fit that had him spit out his lungs.
Gibbs could hear soft voices from across the floor - obviously Tony watching a movie in the guest room. He smiled at that and looked at the alarm clock on his nightstand. Obviously, the younger man had decided to stay up until midnight to give Gibbs his medicine. Then he'd had to get back up again at six to deliver the next round of pills. Gibbs knew that Tony was dedicated, but this really surprised him. What had Abby once said so eloquently? 'Tony is a really good egg, Gibbs.' Yeah, that about summed it up.
Gibbs sighed, barely suppressing another coughing fit, and then decided to get up and search for a couple more pillows. Maybe, if he had enough pillows, he could just recline against the headboard comfortably and sleep that way...
He made it as far as the bedroom door before he got dizzy again and felt his legs give way.
A second later, two strong arms wrapped around his torso and propped him up. "Someone's being naughty," Tony chided into Gibbs' ear. "What the hell were you thinking?" He carefully wrestled the older man around and steered him back towards the bed.
"Wanted to get more pillows," Gibbs muttered, feeling foolish. "Couldn't sleep lying down. Headboard is too hard." He made a feeble hand gesture towards the recalcitrant wood.
Tony frowned in obvious confusion, trying hard to decipher what Gibbs meant. After a long moment, he ventured, "Propping up didn't work?" Gibbs shook his head, letting himself sag slightly into the younger man's strong embrace. It felt good, being held safely like that. "Needed more pillows to be comfy?" Tony asked, carefully sitting Gibbs down on the bed.
"Yeah. Was on my way to get a couple." Gibbs looked slightly miffed that Tony had stopped him from that.
"And why didn't you call me?" Tony asked exasperatedly, holding up both his and Gibbs' cell phones. "Geez, Boss, I swear, you seriously need a headslap."
Gibbs narrowed his eyes in warning.
Tony put the phones down and then held his hands up in surrender. "Not gonna slap you, Boss. Just saying you could use it." He sighed and looked at the headboard. "Okay, we'll try something else," he announced, then climbed matter-of-factly into the bed. Gibbs looked on in surprised confusion. Tony wiggled a little, fluffed the pillows and propped them up against the headboard before leaning against them. "There. Better. Now c'mere." He opened his arms invitingly and nodded towards the V made by his legs. "Huddle up, Boss."
Gibbs' eyebrows shot up at that, but then he mentally shrugged and carefully scooted backwards until he was sitting between Tony's spread legs.
"Relax," Tony ordered with a chuckle. "I'm not gonna hurt you." He wrapped his arms around Gibbs and gently pulled him back against his chest. Gibbs took a deep breath experimentally and found that he could actually breathe easily. And Tony felt really comfortable. And so he relaxed, truly relaxed, for the first time that night.
"Thanks," Gibbs muttered after a long minute, letting his head rest on Tony's shoulder. He could only hope that nobody would decide to barge into his house right now, because the idea of anyone seeing him lying in Tony's arms like that...well, if he were absolutely honest with himself, he didn't really think that was such a bad idea, but nobody else needed to know that.
Tony smiled to himself when he felt the wiry body in his arms slowly relax. What he didn't like was the obvious heat coming off said body. When Gibbs placed his head on his shoulder, Tony pressed a gentle kiss to the older man's temple.
"Kissed me good night without me asking you to," Gibbs mumbled, his eyes closed. "Gotta deck you now."
"Didn't kiss you, just felt your temp," Tony replied. "That's how my Nonna used to do it. You're running a fever, Boss, and I really don't like that. Maybe we should call Ducky..."
"No!" Gibbs tilted his head back and opened his eyes, then squinted in a desperate attempt to focus through the wave of sudden dizziness. "I'm okay. Comfy like that. Might take a nap now. That'll help."
Tony sighed softly, causing Gibbs' body to rise almost comically. "Sleep'll help, not a nap. Okay, tell you what. It's almost midnight. You take your medicine, then you try to sleep. Really sleep, not just nap. Maybe the fever will be gone again in a few hours, I remember always having a fever spike in the evening or at night when I was sick. But if this isn't gonna get better, I'll call Ducky."
Gibbs mulled this over for a long moment, then reached out with a trembling hand to grab the bottle of pills. Tony batted the hand away and handfed the older man his medicine, then held up the glass of water which Gibbs would've probably spilled anyway. "Thanks."
"You're welcome. Sleep now." Tony turned off the light and loosely wrapped his arms around Gibbs, folding his hands over the older man's stomach.
"I might, but you won't. This can't be comfortable for you."
"Don't you worry about me, Boss. You worry about getting well again. I'm comfy. I'm holding you in my arms, so I can be sure you're not gonna run off and do something foolish. That alone will let me sleep soundly, trust me." Tony chuckled low in his throat, which vibrated through Gibbs' entire body.
Gibbs liked the little tingle. "Hmm. Sharing a bed with the boss, DiNozzo?" he asked through a yawn, but Tony could clearly hear the slight tease in the older man's voice.
"Yeah, I'm kinky like that. Now shut it. Sleep."
But Gibbs was already out like a light, his head lolling to the side, safely cradled under Tony's chin.
The next morning, Gibbs woke up gradually, not with a start, as he usually did. He blinked his eyes open slowly and frowned, trying to figure out where he was.
It took him a long moment to realize that he was still mostly lying on top of Tony, propped up back to chest, though they seemed to have moved in their sleep so that their legs were now entwined and one of Tony's hands was proprietarily resting on Gibbs' hip.
Gibbs decided that he definitely liked that.
And Gibbs realized that he had actually had a pretty damn good night's sleep, all things considered. But poor Tony must have had a terrible night, in the position he was lying in. Gibbs wondered if the younger man would even be able to move much.
A second later, Tony's watch beeped, causing Tony to startle awake. "Uh...six o'clock already?" he asked with a sleepy voice that Gibbs found strangely enticing. "Oh, hey, Boss. Morning. Slept okay?" Tony carefully stretched a little, his spine popping audibly in a couple of places.
"More than," Gibbs admitted and sat up carefully to give Tony room to move. "Thanks again for...you know."
Tony blinked, then smiled. "De nada." He reached for the bottle of pills and shook one out. "Here ya go, Boss. Breakfast for the champions."
Gibbs sighed but obediently took his medicine without fussing overmuch. "Speaking of breakfast..." he began, his stomach growling meaningfully.
Tony chuckled. "Great. Now even Bossman's stomach growls as menacingly as Bossman does." He grinned and wiggled out from under Gibbs, then climbed out of bed.
The older man purposefully overlooked the fact that Tony's morning wood had poked him in the back during that maneuver. He himself was throwing a bit of wood himself, which surprised him, considering he still felt like death warmed over. Must be the fact that he slept in Tony's arms, he surmised.
"Mind if I take a shower first or do you want me to get breakfast ready right away?" Tony asked, and it was obvious that he wouldn't mind doing either, as long as it made Gibbs happy.
"Need a shower myself," Gibbs admitted, then added after a long moment, "Might need a helping hand, though. Just to be on the safe side." He grimaced a little, not because he didn't like the idea of Tony helping, but because he didn't like being weak and dependant on anyone, period.
But Tony only grinned good-naturedly. "Mind taking a shower together after breakfast?" he suggested. "Kill two birds with one stone, and all that." He offered Gibbs a hand up. "No peeking or copping of feels, generous or otherwise, I promise." Tony winked. "Just getting us both squeaky clean and looking mighty sexy for when Abby comes a-visitin' later. What say?"
Gibbs nodded and got up, but for some absurd reason refused to let go of Tony's hand. "Sounds good. Too bad about the lack of feel copping though. You kinda promised yesterday already." He managed a grin, suddenly feeling a damn good deal better already.
Tony looked at their joined hands for a long moment, then raised a teasing eyebrow. "Won't have any keys hidden on my body, Boss, not in the shower, at least. What, you up for a full body cavity search all of a sudden or something? That's definitely kinky." He squeezed Gibbs' hand and led the older man towards the bedroom door by their joined hands.
"Nah, not my cup of coffee. Speaking of..."
"Nope, not gonna get any coffee. Ducky said so. Tea, if you're a good boy, or water, but that's it." Tony shook his head and squeezed Gibbs' hand again, this time apologetically. "Anything else I could offer? To make it up to you?" Tony stopped at the top of the stairs and turned around to look at the older man expectantly.
Gibbs looked back calmly, trying to read Tony, the man he thought he knew so damn well. The man who had constantly surprised him throughout the previous day, and especially the night. The man who was still holding his hand. "Yeah," Gibbs finally said simply.
"Alright," Tony said agreeably. "Spill."
Taking his life into his hands, Gibbs pulled himself up to his full height and asked solemnly, "Give me a good morning kiss?"
Tony blinked, clearly not having expected that in a million years. His jaw actually dropped and he stared at Gibbs with wide eyes.
The older man immediately berated himself for having gone too far. He was just about to open his mouth, though he had no idea what to say, when Tony leaned in and stopped Gibbs from apologizing with the sweetest, gentlest kiss. His free hand came up to cup Gibbs' face and caress one cheekbone with a thumb.
When he pulled back, Tony graced Gibbs with a brilliant smile. "How's that for starters?" he asked, suddenly almost shy.
And for the first time in almost a week, Gibbs felt fantastic. "Better than coffee," he said, clearly meaning it.
And Tony rewarded that with another, soul-deep kiss before they mutually decided to forego breakfast and take that shower together instead.
THE END
