WHAT GOES DOWN MUST COME UP
"And the winner is…Anthony DiNozzo!"
Tony raised his arms and bowed to the imaginary applause. Kate sat with her head on the desk and groaned.
"Oh God Tony, I really don't feel well, remind me again why I agreed to this?"
"You know what they say Katie. Never, ever, challenge the master"
"How can you pack so much away Tony, I mean that was like, ten burgers you just ate"
"Actually it was eleven Kate, well above your five"
There was a loud belch from the side of Tony's desk.
"Probie That's disgusting! How many did you manage?" Tony asked.
Tim McGee groaned, "eight"
Tony grinned, he was still the champion. A sharp pain in his gut, made him wince and sit down. Being the champion was beginning to have its downside. They had decided to have a burger eating competition whilst Gibbs was on a terrorism briefing with Director Morrow in MTAC. The meeting usually lasted a couple of hours, so they had had plenty of time to send McGee for thirty cheeseburgers.
Now, all three sat and groaned. Their guts felt as though they had been kicked.
Agent Gibbs bounded down the stairs and could smell the overpowering aroma of cheeseburger wafting in the air. He noticed DiNozzo, slumped over his desk, Kate at the other side equally slumped, and McGee sitting on the floor with his head bowed. It was like a crime scene.
"What the hell happened here?" he yelled as they all snapped their heads up. McGee stood up quickly and belched loudly again. Kate sniggered.
"Hi boss, how was the meeting?" Tony asked.
"DiNozzo, I want an explanation…NOW!" Gibbs snapped with increasing fury.
"We had a….burger... eating….contest….boss!"
"A what?" he barked.
"A burger eating contest. We bought thirty burgers, I managed eleven, McGee managed eight and Kate ate five…I was the… champion….boss"
"All three of you look like hell!" Gibbs answered as he made for his desk and picked up the phone and started talking quietly. They all strained to hear but couldn't. Gibbs placed the receiver down and pointed his finger.
"You three with me…move it!"
Kate Todd, Tony DiNozzo and Tim McGee accompanied Gibbs in the elevator as they made their way down to autopsy. Tony belched. McGee whispered.
"Tony, can you do your ABC's like the squirrely thing in that kid's movie?"
"No..that was a good movie though"
"I can do it!" McGee added and then demonstrated, "A….B….C"
Gibbs turned round with the well known stare which could freeze fire. They all swallowed hard, McGee nearly choked.
"Don't push it!"
The elevator door pinged and the three of them grudgingly made their way following Gibbs. Dr Mallard was waiting for them with a frown.
"Ah Jethro, you've brought down the greedy little buggers for me to deal with" he said excitedly.
The three of them lined up against the autopsy table, Gibbs started pacing up and down whilst Ducky worked away behind them.
"You are no good to me with bad guts" he ranted, "however, we are going to fix that, aren't we Duck!"
Ducky appeared in front of them carrying a small tray containing three small glasses of thick golden liquid.
"This remedy for bad stomach has been around for centuries; in fact it was common place in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century for it…"
"Ducky" Gibbs interrupted
"Get that down in one and it will do you all the power of good!" Ducky informed them.
They each took a glass from the tray and sniffed it cautiously.
"What is it Duck?" Tony asked, grimacing at the sight of it.
"It smells disgusting!" Kate added.
"It's cod liver oil" Gibbs explained trying hard not to let his grin show. He paced the line and stood next to McGee and delivered a sharp whack to the back of his head,
"Ow!" McGee yelped.
"Drink it!" Gibbs barked.
McGee gulped down the liquid in one go and then immediately clutched his mouth and ran to the sink and started throwing up.
Gibbs moved to Kate,
"Drink!" he barked.
"No way, Gibbs, it's disgusting, besides, I'll end up throwing up like McGee!"
Gibbs snatched the glass from Kate and held her nose, on opening up her mouth, he poured the thick liquid in, passed the glass to Ducky and held her mouth closed until she had swallowed.
"Gross!" Kate squealed, retching and making for the sink beside McGee who had continued to rid his stomach of its entire contents.
DiNozzo was the only one left still to take swallow down the foul liquid. As Gibbs approached him, he swigged in one go, screwed his face up and then smiled.
"No problem boss. I have a strong constitution"
Gibbs whacked him on the back of the head.
"Ow!" Tony yelped.
"I'll give you five seconds DiNozzo" Gibbs whispered.
As the oil made it's way to Tony's stomach, it started working right away.
"One…..two…..three….."
"'Scuse me boss!" Tony groaned as he made for the sink and began throwing up.
Gibbs smirked as he watched the three of them bent over the sinks, throwing up and retching violently.
"My work here is done!" he chuckled to Ducky, who grinned back at him. "Send them up in 20 minutes Duck!" he ordered. Ducky nodded.
They returned to the bullpen bang on time and walked slowly back to their desks, each paler than the other.
Gibbs had gotten rid of their trash and the remaining burgers, so there was no trace of food around to set them off again. He could not help but smile as three of them sat down sheepishly and started working away.
"I see any of you eating anything else today and it will be your last meal. Do I make myself clear"
"Sure boss!" they all replied.
About 30 minutes later, Gibbs got a call.
"McGee gas the truck, Kate get Ducky, Tony grab your gear. A marine has been found dead….at a Burger joint in Quantico!" he chuckled.
They all paled, frozen to the spot.
"Today, people….MOVE IT!" he barked and grinned as the elevator door swished closed.