Title: Not Okay
Author: Ihave207Bones, SplishySplash
Pairing: Tony/Ziva
Rating: T
Spoiler: Up to season 7
Summary: Tony is really sick. It's Ziva's turn to see what Kate went through during S.W.A.K.
Ziva sat on the bed with Tony for hours, through Palmer finally waking up and having a conversation about the last time the man asleep on her shoulder was in this situation and something that she didn't know. It was one of his first times working at NCIS, but at the time it was only temporary because the aide before him was out for medical leave.
The conversation grew awkward when she connected the pieces. She had done a lot of research about the NCIS before she arrived and knew that the aide before him was shot by her half brother. But before they could go into detail, the younger doctor came in with their rounds of a precautionary cocktail and a stack of magazines.
Palmer picked up one about sports and Ziva didn't move only shifting slightly as her legs was falling asleep. The slight shift was enough for Tony's grip on her waist to tighten and his eyes to open slowly. Ziva smiled softly. "I'm sorry, my legs were falling asleep."
"You didn't have to stay. . ." He said weakly, his voice was hoarse and Ziva reached behind her for the pitcher of water and shifted to pour him a glass. She placed it the cup to his lips and he took a sip with a wince, the cold water irritated his sore throat but it felt welcomed.
"It is quite alright, I can move if you would like." She said, moving to sit up and he tugged on her hand not allowing her to get up. "Or I can stay right here."
"Don't please." He said and looked down to their joined hands, it was comforting to him and it was something he was denied last time. "Kate only complained about . . ." He coughed again. "Movie quotes."
She shrugged and slid down the bed, resting her head on his shoulder. "Kate did not know what she was missing." She answered and found it odd that they had never really talked openly about the woman who was before her until now. "You are a quite comfortable."
He tried to shrug it off, but his achy muscles wouldn't allow for it. "I do what I can." He said as Dr. Pitt came in. Slowly Ziva got up to allow for him to check him over, leaving him missing the warmth her tiny body provided. "How do you find all of these pretty women, Tony?"
"My charm." He answered with another cough/groan mix.
Ziva let a laugh escape her lips, gaining both pairs of eyes as she sat on the bed next to Tony with a magazine in her hand. She curled on her side facing him and turned her attention to the magazine to give him a little bit of privacy. "How are you feeling Tony?" The doctor asked a little more seriously.
"No change." He answered hoarsely. Dr. Pitt checked him over, running his hands over his swollen glands and checked his throat before writing on his chart. Ziva's interests peaked as she kept her eyes on the colorful celebrity filled pages Tony hadn't said anything about being in pain. The doctor placed the stethoscope in his ears and listened to his chest.
"Breath in." The doctor said and Tony took a deep breath, it was shallow and noisy. "Again. I am going to have Doctor Miller give something to help with the pain that won't knock you out and I am going to check on the blood results."
Tony leaned back as the resident placed the medication through his IV port to look at Ziva, whose eyes had closed with her hair tangled hair resting on her shoulders, the magazine lay abandoned on the bed about to fall onto the floor. When Dr. Miller finished, he muttered something about coming back later or something and Tony searched the small box for Palmer.
The autopsy gremlin got up and came over to his bed. "How are you feeling?" He asked awkwardly.
Tony shrugged. "Can't complain." He said hoarsely. "Could be worse."
Palmer smiled and pulled out something from behind his back. "I had Dr. Pitt sneak this in for you." It was the newest edition of GSM, which was probably waiting for him in his mailbox.
Tony smiled brightly. "You know me too well." Tony said, taking the magazine into his hand and began to flip through the pages. "Thank you."
Palmer nodded and turned to go back to his bed when a knock on the glass made him look up. Gibbs, McGee and Ducky stood on the other side of the glass and Gibbs pointed towards Ziva after he returned Tony's wave and Palmer shook her awake, much to Tony's displeasure. She jumped up, as he had seen her do a million times, and move into a defensive position before Palmer pointed towards their friends outside.
She crossed the box and pressed the intercom button. "Did you find anything?" She asked in a whisper, turning to see Palmer and Tony reading from the same magazine, Tony looked up and caught her eye before she turned back to Gibbs.
"We didn't find anything." McGee answered. "We swept his apartment, his car and the entire NCIS building for anything, it was clean."
Her hands went to her forehead as the imminent headache was setting in before she looked up. "Could he have thrown it away?" Ziva asked.
McGee shook his head. "Any residue would've left trace elements and between me and Abby and the CDC we've combed through every trace element found."
"So this could just be pneumonia?" Ziva asked almost excitedly.
Her headache was about to get worse. "Not necessarily." Said Ducky with a frown, he crossed his arms as he usually did when he was going to explain some bad news. "The Y-pestis could have made a pocket in his lungs and it could have burst, causing a relapse."
"Why now?"Ziva asked, her voice rose in pitch. "I am pretty sure Tony has done things to warrant these pockets to burst. . ."
Ducky shook his head. He didn't know either. "I could be wrong, Ziva. We need to wait for the blood results to get it." Ducky said sympathetically, his heart broke because she was in Kate's shoes this time and when she stepped out of the box and cried into his arms with all faith that he would get better gone down the drain, his own faith in the man had diminished and yet that was five years ago, how much more could his lungs take before they fail?
Ziva tiredly wiped her eyes, not allowing the tears to fall in front of her boss. "He will be alright, Ziva." Gibbs said firmly. Dr. Pitt came into the room with the folder in his hand and gained four pairs of eyes on him.
"I have the blood results." He said excitedly and Ziva held her breath. "Everyone came back negative."
"Even Tony?" Asked Gibbs for assurance.
Dr. Pitt nodded. "He just has a severe case of pneumonia." He answered with a broad smile. "We will put him on a high dose cocktail of penicillin and steroids . . ."
A loud crash from behind Ziva made her turn around to see everything around Tony was now on the floor and he had no control of his body as he was taken over by a seizure. Ziva rushed over to them as Palmer was tearing away his top as she acted without thought and pressed the emergency peddle on the floor with her foot for the bed to fall flat.
She turned to the medical cart next to her and flung open the doors, what she needed was right in front and she prepared the syringe quickly before inserting the drug into his neck.
Almost instantly he stopped convulsing and Palmer leaned in to check his breathing. "He's not breathing." He said as Ziva threw the needle on the table and he scanned the room for the doctor. Dr. Pitt stood pressing the open door button frantically and yelling instructions that were muffled by the thick glass. Ziva pressed her lips to his, blowing oxygen into his lungs and yet it wasn't enough and Palmer knew that. "We need to intubate him."
They pushed the bed out enough for Ziva to fit behind it and Palmer handed her the kit without thinking. She opened it with it ease and stuck the silver blade into Tony's mouth, pushing away the tongue and searching for opening before Palmer handed her the tube and she placed it into his airway. "Mask." She said as it was connected to the newly placed tube and squeezed the air into his lungs, finding some relief as his chest was rising with every push of air into his body.
The doctor finally made it in followed by an army of other doctors. "What the hell are you thinking? Do you even know what you are doing?" He yelled, pushing both of them away from Tony's unconscious body.
Both Palmer and Ziva were pushed of the box by a large orderly, both laced with adrenaline that she didn't realize that she was standing in the arms of her boss with a steady flow of tears running down her face. She was trembling against him so Gibbs held her tightly against his chest as she stood there quietly, willing the adrenaline to leave her body and for her to calm down before he questioned her. Gibbs looked at the younger man as he placed a supporting hand on her back with his back to the commotion behind them.
To say that he was stunned was an understatement, he was in awe as he watched her work without thinking and calming her quivering partner with a syringe as the doctor fought to catch her attention. They watched as Palmer said something to her and she pressed her mouth to his, willing the air into his lungs. Dr. Pitt yelled for help and was struggling to get inside as she placed the tube into his throat, where did she learn to do that? Tony may not be breathing on his own, but he was still alive thanks to her quick thinking, something he had always admired about her.
Gibbs pulled her back away from him for a moment to look her in the eye, his hand cupping her cheek. "Everything is going to be alright." He whispered to her, tilting her head to look up at him. "We've been through this before he will get through this again, Ziva."
