McGee didn't know why he was awake. But he knew it was early morning from the little bit of light filtering into the room. He could tell it was overcast from the grey color of it.
He looked around and saw the other bed empty..
Tony must have gotten up. Maybe for a run. He did that in the mornings whenever he could.
But then McGee saw the sneakers still on the floor, where Tony had kicked them off last night.
He did hear a noise from down the hall, but it was Gibbs, not Tony, who passed by the door.
Gibbs noticed McGee's eyes open. "Hey," he greeted.
"Morning Boss...what time is it?" McGee asked sleepily, rubbing his face.
"Oh six hundred. Where'd Tony get to?"
"He's not up here?" McGee sat up, a little confused now that he saw Gibbs had that longer-than-necessary calculating stare focused on the empty bed.
"No."
"Maybe he went for a swim?"
"Maybe," Gibbs turned and walked into the living room. His footsteps fading out of the hallway and into the living room.
"McGee!" he heard Gibbs grunt urgently.
He heard Gibbs quickly open the sliding doors and run down the deck steps in his bare feet.
Tim hurried out himself, and followed, looking out the windows and seeing Tony's supine form down on the dock, unmoving.
Tony was still in his flannel pants and tee shirt.
When did he come down here? Gibbs wondered as he took the last few steps on the path with a leap.
"Tony!" he called arriving at the dock. But there was no movement from his friend.
He was lying face down, facing the lake, with one arm lazily draped over the edges of the planks. His hand was almost touching the water. The other arm was underneath him, and his head was resting on it.
"Tony," Gibbs said again, as he crouched down next to his friend. Could he have been drinking? He gut was coiled up inside, and if DiNozzo had been that careless to drink and come down for a swim...he was going to flay him alive.
As McGee also arrived now behind Gibbs, he saw the older man place a hand on the back of Tony's neck. Since his face was turned towards the lake, McGee couldn't even see if Tony was awake or not.
"He's burning up," Gibbs muttered, removing his hand and then nodding to McGee to carefully turn the man over.
Tony groaned a little, as he frowned and he started to slowly blink awake. As Gibbs compulsively place a hand on his forehead, the opening green eyes looked to be under very shiny glass.
"Boss," he breathed, "are you in my dream too?"
Gibbs sighed heavily, relieved Tony was responsive. And there was definitely no alcohol involved. He could feel the heat coming off the younger man as if in pulsing waves.
"No, DiNozzo. Not a dream. Why'd you come down here? You're obviously not feeling well."
Tony looked at Gibbs for a moment, concentrating. "She...was calling me...I had to help...help her...I think. I dunno..." his eyes started to drift closed.
The older man frowned at the words, which made little sense. "McGee," Gibbs ordered, and they both pulled him up to sitting. He woke a little more again, and slowly stood up with their help when they asked him to.
"What is wrong?" Ziva asked tensely from up on the path, with Abby trailing behind her.
Tony picked up his head, as they almost dragged him up off the dock to walk back towards the cottage. "Nothing to worry about," he said weakly. "Must have been...sleepwalking...I used to do it here and there when I was a kid."
"He's sick," Gibbs stated plainly and frowned as it started to drizzle on them. "C'mon DiNozzo, pick up your feet. We need to get you back inside."
"Anyone ever tell you, you're bossy, Boss?" Tony snorted softly, almost seemingly a little drunk with the fever.
They all smiled a little, though it didn't mask the worry in their eyes.
"Now I know you're really sick, Tony," McGee said, trying to hold up his side of the staggering agent, "cos' you're begging Gibbs for a headslap."
Just as they got to the lower sliding doors of the cottage, with Ziva and Abby watching them from just a few feet within, Tony became much heavier.
"Hey!" Gibbs called worriedly. "DiNozzo!" He tapped the younger man's face while McGee tried his best to help keep Tony up. Tony was struggling to open his eyes, and for just a moment, Gibbs thought he was really going to pass out cold.
But Tony took a deep shuddering breath and muttered, "Onnit Boss..." and seemed to come around again, back on his feet. He still looked dazed, but then pushed forward with them into the cottage.
Luckily, the stairs inside that went between the floors were wide, enabling them to help him slowly to the upstairs bedroom.
"Ziva, look in the bathrooms for a thermometer," Gibbs ordered, grunting a little getting Tony around the corner to his room.
Abby was pacing in the hall a little frantically. "Gibbs, should we call an ambulance or something? What's wrong with him? Is Tony okay?"
Ziva was rummaging around in the bathroom at the end of the hall. "I found it," she said triumphantly.
As they laid Tony onto the bed, Gibbs said, "I dunno yet. Let's give him a few minutes here and see what the temperature is. Meantime, get a washcloth, bowl of cold water, and also a glass of water, Abby."
McGee's back was aching from taking Tony's weight all the way up from the dock with Gibbs, but he was only worried about his friend so ignored it.
"Tony?" called McGee softly, putting a hand on his shoulder and squeezing.
Tony flinched a little and opened his eyes to look at McGee, "Hey Probie. What's...oh yeah," he smiled, a little embarrassed. "I was on the dock," suddenly he frowned and looked around as if trying to remember something. "I'm...it was a dream right?" He rubbed his tired eyes. "Wow, that's trippy..."
"Hush up," Gibbs told him, sticking the thermometer in his mouth. He was worried, but Tony seemed a bit more lucid, so that at least was comforting.
Ziva was sitting on the other bed with McGee now next to her.
Abby came in with the wash cloth and bowl of water. "Here, Gibbs," she said, placing them on the nightstand that sat between the two beds.
They were all silent, as Gibbs eventually took out the thermometer, squinting to read it without his glasses. After just a few seconds of frustration, he handed it to Abby. "Read it."
She looked at it.
"101.5," and then she sighed. "Oh Tonyyy," she looked at him sadly. "You are sick. You can't be sick. THis is vacation!"
Tony smiled weakly at her and shrugged.
"Anything hurting you, Tony?" Gibbs asked gently, as he sat at the edge of the bed, looking into the tired green eyes.
He pulled a face as he concentrated on the rest of his body. "No, just a headache. And I feel hot. And...maybe like I wanna puke a little...but no pain. Anywhere."
Gibbs continued to stare at him.
"Seriously, Boss. No other pain. I swear," TOny said, slurring the last few words as his eyelids slid down again.
Gibbs tilted his head and studied Tony for a moment.
"Okay," he announced, looking towards the others. "Since we're all up now, someone can make coffee and breakfast, but take your time. It's not gonna clear up til' tomorrow."
They all hesitated.
"But, Gibbs-" Abby began.
"He's just got a bug Abbs, and likely walked in his sleep," he looked back down at Tony, whose eyes were closed again, "which is…different…and it was cool last night...which didn't help him any. If he gets any worse we'll take him to a doc or hospital up here."
She swallowed and nodded, not looking convinced. But she said, "Okay. But I'm gonna' make breakfast. Abby-cakes will make him better."
He smiled at her, wondering if he should ask what was in an "Abby-cake".
They all left the room, leaving Gibbs to stare at Tony. He appeared to have fallen asleep.
He sighed, wringing out the cloth and placing it on the man's head. He chuckled to himself at how Tony would normally be embarrassed by that little offering of care from his mentor, and how he would also not usually do something like it. But a small sigh of relief passed through the younger man at the cool contact of the wet fabric.
He smiled warmly and studied Tony a while longer. But then his eyes turned serious again, as his brow creased as he ran a hand through his silvery grey hair.
Something told Gibbs there was trouble here. That something was wrong. He hoped it wasn't that Tony would get worse and need the ER. But he didn't really think so.
Tony twitched a little, and then murmured something, turning his head a bit to the side.
"Relaxing vacation, huh, Tony?" he said softly, before leaving the room and closing the door behind him.
It was quiet outside except for the sounds of falling rain. The birds had taken a break from their normally incessant chirping.
Abby tried to get Tony to eat, which didn't work out so well, but his fever had come down a little so they felt less worried.
Ziva beat McGee and Abby at Scrabble, and Gibbs caught bits of their conversation as he sat on a chair reading a book in the living room.
"You're really good at this game!" Abby laughed.
"Well, I played with my grandmother all the time when I was a child."
Gibbs snorted from behind his book.
McGee and Abby looked at Gibbs for a moment, and then back to ZIva for an explanation.
"Oh, yes, well…Tony thought he would…kick my ass – I believe that is the correct phrase for this- at Scrabble. He did not realize that the game is so widely known. I won with a very high score when I played him last night. He was...not so happy."
McGee laughed. "That's awesome!"
Then they put Scrabble away in favor of poker.
As they concentrated on their cards, Abby asked, "So, did anyone know Tony was a sleep-walker?"
Ziva shook her head no, and McGee replied, "No idea. Knowing Tony, it's just one of those things he hides because he knows we'll tease him with it to exact revenge for some of his antics."
"You wouldn't do that really, would you Tim?" Abby asked, sounding concerned. And then smiled, "Because I think I'd be the more likely to do it. Or Gibbs."
They all smiled, even Gibbs behind his book.
After a moment, Abby said more thoughtfully, "You think…it's because of that girl, the French case? I mean…that could be why he's sleepwalking? People tend to do it more when they're stressed…and finding that girl…"her voice became sad and soft, "for any of us would have been so horrible…but how her mother let her die…"
"Maybe that's what he was dreaming about. Maybe he was going to help her," McGee said, also saddened by the case and his SFA's distress over it.
Gibbs felt his gut twist, thinking back on the conversation he had with Tony in the canoe. He hoped it hadn't triggered this episode Tony was having.
"Whatever it is," Ziva said to them both gently, "Tony is always there for us. So will be there for him, if he wants to chew the fats."
"Fat," McGee said.
"What?" Ziva asked.
"I-it's fat, not fats. Chew the fat."
Tony slept. A few waves of heat seemed to disturb his peace from time to time. Along with Abby waking him up to try and eat several times.
He was somewhat aware that Gibbs and the others were coming in to check on him here and there.
By dinner time, he managed to get some soup down and toast, and felt much better.
He still opted to stay in bed while they all put a movie on in the living room. He was just still feeling sleepy, after the last big sweat wherein his fever had broken.
Sometime during the night, he heard thunder rumble, echoing around the lake and making the house vibrate a little.
Lightning flashed outside, revealing the curled up Probie, snoring soundly on the bed across from him.
Noticing suddenly he was thirsty, he got up to get a drink.
The lightning continued, flashing into the house, revealing the hall and living room, as he made his way to the kitchen.
He got a glass, and filled it from the tap.
"Tony," a low, almost whisper of a woman's voice sounded in his ear, making him turn suddenly. His heart launched into a frantic rhythm that burst through his body, and pounded in his eardrums.
She was standing, just a silhouette in the entrance to the kitchen, a slim, dark figure with long hair.
Until the lightning flashed.
And he saw her pale, bloated flesh, and deep-set grey eyes, filled with something like longing, and desperation.
She was dripping wet, with water pooling on the kitchen floor at her bare feet.
What was left of her clothing was rags, revealing black-pocked flesh that was missing pieces, as if small animals had been pecking a it.
"Tony," he heard again, but her lips never moved.
He heard a noise, and at the last flash of lightning she was gone.
Someone turned on the kitchen light, and had a hand on his arm, shaking him a little.
"Gibbs," he said, finally seeing the man in front of him, not sure if he was even still breathing. The blue eyes were boring into him.
"You okay, DiNozzo?"
Tony looked down and saw the glass, now shattered on the floor, and shuddered noticing the water around it.
"I…I dunno." He frowned, trying to figure out what had just happened. Was he losing his mind?
"I, was thirsty-"
Before he could finish, Abby appeared in the doorway of the kitchen. "What's going on?" she asked sleepily, with Ziva poking her head behind her like a ferret.
Tony seemed to pull it together. "I just dropped the glass. Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you. Go back to bed. Gibbs is already helping me with it," he smiled, looking down at Gibbs who was collecting the pieces of glass up in a paper towel.
Ziva nodded and disappeared out of sight while Abby looked at him for another minute. "You sure? You sure you're okay Tony?" She walked carefully around the glass to stand next to him and put her hand on his head. She looked up into his face. "No fever."
He smiled again, weakly trying to give something more like a grin. "I'm okay. I'm going back to bed, so don't worry. Go."
She nodded, "Okay, but you can wake me up any time for a dead of night icecream fest. We have jars of fudge, you know."
He chuckled, "Okay. I'll keep it in mind."
She left the room, as Gibbs tossed the glass into the garbage and grabbed more towels to get the water up. Tony went to help him and Gibbs shoved him away. "I got this."
"Kay Boss."
When Gibbs threw the last of the paper towels away, he turned to Tony, and took a long, appraising look at him.
Tony was pale, and when Gibbs found him standing before the broken glass just before, staring into space, he was shaking. He looked like he was almost in some kind of trance.
"Were you sleepwalking again?" Gibbs asked quietly.
Tony looked around a moment, thinking about it. "No," he said finally, "I was thirsty, and I got up to come in here for some water."
"And then?"
"I dunno…" Tony said, not wanting to tell Gibbs what he thought he saw, because it was…crazy. "I guess the lightning or thunder startled me and I dropped it." He looked at Gibbs, but away again, as the older man was just staring at him.
Gibbs knew Tony wasn't telling him something. But what it was he didn't know. And it was late.
Gibbs sighed. He turned and got a glass, filling it with water and handing it to Tony.
" bed." It was a definite order.
"Okay, Boss," Tony said, sheepishly, taking the glass from him. "I'll be good tomorrow. I'm feeling much better." He smiled, but Gibbs scowled at him.
"Okay, okay," he complained, "I'm going." He shuffled out while Gibbs watched him.
Gibbs shook his head. "Yep. Totally relaxing vacation." He snorted to himself and went back to bed.
