Then

"Dad? Daddy?"

As soon as the last phoneme entered his unconscious sleep state, Jethro Gibbs rocketed awake. Pushing the blanket from around his shoulders he shifted from the side he was facing to the other side of his bed, and pushed himself up into a sitting position. Reaching down he grabbed the back of his son's head as Tony was scooting himself onto the empty side. Once all the way on the bed, he fell flat and moaned, then turned towards his father.

"Dad, I don't feel good."

Immediately Jethro's palm brushed back Tony's bangs so that he could rest his hand on his son's forehead. The boy was burning up. Jethro sat up straighter and leaned over to cut on the lamp and check the time- 3:30 a.m. "I don't understand. You were fine at curfew, and that was just two and a half hours ago."

Tony groaned and shifted. "I know, Dad. I just feel bad now."

Jethro got off the bed and moved to the other side. "Get under the covers, Son, I'll help." With a minimum of assistance from Tony, who was attempting to just curl up and sleep, his father managed to get him under the covers, and not out and exposed to the cold air. Gibbs made his way to the bathroom, and opening the medicine cabinet, pulled out the thermometer and ibuprofen. Filling a glass with water, he reached over and grabbed a clean washcloth, which he soaked with cold water, then wrung out the excess. Bedside, he had to physically lift Tony's head and then order him to open his mouth for the thermometer. Tony finally obeyed, but Jethro had to lean over and prop it enough in his mouth to get a reading. When he got the reading, a hundred and four, he immediately felt his stomach tighten. Tony was sick, all right.

"Hey, Tony, sit up a minute. I want to give you the medicine." Tony groaned and tried to snuggle further into his cocoon. Gibbs steeled himself to get firm. "I said right now! Sit up and open your eyes and let me give you the medicine." Tony slowly obeyed, and carefully swallowed the pills and drank the water his Dad handed him. Gibbs wiped his mouth and face and Tony looked at him gratefully.

"Are you going to call the Red Cross, Dad?"

Gibbs smiled in response. "I will in a minute. I want you to tell me what hurts, though."

"Everything, Dad, I hurt all over. It feels like an elephant is sitting on my chest."

"Do you think you're going to be sick to your stomach?" Gibbs offered the glass of water again, and Tony drank.

"No, no sir."

"Ok, so you started feeling bad after you got home tonight?" Tony had the grace to blush and Gibbs amended his assumption. "No, you felt bad before you went out, but you didn't tell me, and went out anyway. Is that right?"

"Maybe-"

"No maybe. If you knew you were feeling bad you should have stayed home."

Tony sighed and answered honestly. "Dad, my curfew's at one, so it didn't give me that many hours anyway to be out- I'd be back soon. Dad, I'm a college senior- twenty one. Can't you knock off the curfew, or at least make it a reasonable time? Clubs are just starting to pop at one, and then I have to go home."

"Sure, I'll let the curfew go, but in exchange, you will give up the car. Either you have the car with the curfew, or you don't have the car at all."

"Never mind- I was just pointing out that I am the only one who has to get home at the same time as kids."

"Don't worry too much about it," Jethro smiled. Bending down, he kissed the top of Tony's head. "Go to sleep. Ducky will be here early."

Tony nodded and squirmed over until half of his body was on one side of the bed, and the other half was on the side his father had just vacated.

Jethro waited until Tony was asleep, then headed down to the kitchen, put on the coffee, and called the Red Cross. Ducky was asleep, but Jethro left the message and hung up. Ducky would come as soon as he got the call.

The Red Cross- Jethro leaned back in his chair and smiled at the memory of Tony nicknaming Dr. Mallard. Tony was around four, when one summer night past midnight, his father felt him crawl up on the other side of the bed. Gibbs had fallen asleep only a few minutes earlier and was startled to find Tony in the bed. He couldn't believe it was already morning! It took him almost a full minute to realize that it was still night.

"Daddy, I don't feel good, " Tony had crawled over one side of the bed until he was almost on top of his father. "My head hurts."

Gibbs sat up immediately and cut on the light. There was Tony, in his Batman pajamas and clutching his stuffed dog, attempting to nuzzle himself on top of his daddy. Jethro reached down and grabbed him, then settled him on top of his own body. He could feel heat radiating off him. Jethro kissed the top of Tony's head, and whispered, "Hey, I'm going to get up and get the thermometer and some med..."

Before he could finish, Tony was sick all over himself, his father, the bed, and the floor below. Jethro grabbed him quickly, and when he finished, Tony looked up sadly and said, "Daddy, you didn't ask me if I felt sick to my tummy."