Gibbs has gone to a lot of trouble to keep Tony alive and in reasonable health. Tony is sitting at his desk leaning back in his chair. He held a bag of peanuts in his hand. Gibbs continued the work on his computer. Tony started to eat, and he stared at the ceiling. As everyone is working the only sound that is heard are the computer keys being pressed.
A minute later, Tony began coughing violently.
"DiNozzo!"
Gibbs reacted instinctively. In a flash, he was up out of his chair and at Tony's side, grabbing the peanuts from his grasp before they spilled everywhere. He then hauled Tony upright by the collar of his shirt. McGee and Ziva were watching curiously and were waiting by Tony's desk.
"Tony?" Ziva asked.
"Tony are you okay?" McGee asked.
Ominously, the coughing had now stopped. Tony was desperately and fruitlessly gasping for air, with his hands at his throat. He was choking.
A kind of clinical automation took over, pushing Gibbs's fear to the back of his mind. He started by slapping Tony between his shoulder blades, hoping to see the problematic morsel of food expelled. Nothing appeared. Gibbs tilted Tony's torso forward and then hit him again and again, applying more pressure each time, but without result.
Tony's eyes were wide and panicky, his complexion even paler than usual. How long had he been deprived of oxygen now? It was time for step two.
Gibbs stood behind his agent, and got his arms around him. He arranged his hands under Tony's ribcage and pressed forcefully, inward and upward. He did this four more times, progressively harder.
Finally, a whole peanut popped out of Tony's mouth and fell on to the carpet. Gibbs stared at it dumbly. Did nobody ever teach that bloody idiot to chew his food before swallowing? Honestly, it was a miracle he'd survived this long.
Tony collapsed on to the floor, curled in a ball and wheezing with all his might. Gibbs moved him into a sitting position, back propped against the desk, so his thoracic cavity could expand properly. Then he kneeled beside Tony and tugged his shirt open to check for damage.
There was a large reddened patch on his upper abdomen, which would become a spectacular bruise. But there was no visible sign of broken ribs, and he could tell from the sound of Tony's breathing that neither lung was punctured.
"DiNozzo, you're meant to chew food, before swallowing!" Gibbs said firmly.
"Sorry boss," Tony replied.
Gibbs's hand then met Tony's head and he flinched and knew he had deserved it. Gibbs then hugged his agent with a fatherly hug and stared at him.
"Don't do that ever again!"