Kate leaves the elevator just as I am walking by it and I smirk to see she's wiping her nose, looking tired, her eyes red.
"Did you spend the night Sake bombing last night Kate?" I ask
We turn into the bullpen "It's just a cold, Tony." She answers, rolling her eyes "Sake bombing?" she questions
"Come on Kate, don't tell me you've never heard of Sake bombing?" I ask, amazed
"Would I ask if-" she stops, putting her hands up "Forget it. I don't want to know."
"You take a cup of hot Sake, you toss it in a beer, you throw it back and kaboom." I explain
"Sake Bombing." She repeats
"Great for a cold." I add
"I'll stick to honey, and hot tea, thanks." She smirks, sitting at her desk
"McGee!" I call, looking for back up "Kate's never been Sake bombing"
"Yeah, I don't think I have either." he answers, confused
"I work with a pair of wankers." I sigh
"And you make three, Dinozzo." Gibbs says, as he walks in from behind me. "Morning."
"Morning." Kate responds, sounding very stuffy. Gibbs pauses as walks back to her.
"Cold or flu?" he asks
"It's just a cold." She quickly answers, "I promise I will sneeze only into my tissues. Unlike some people." She looks meaningfully at me.
"Hey!" I start to argue but Gibbs interrupts
"If you two are done, we have a body. Grab your gear."
Kate, McGee and I all grab our stuff and hurry into the elevator, where Kate starts coughing and hacking into her tissues. When she finishes, she heaves in air, wheezing slightly.
"You okay Kate?" double-checks Gibbs
"I'm fine Gibbs." She answers, weakly "It's just a cold."
We get to the crime scene half an hour later. It's 95 degrees out, and the warehouse where the Ensign was killed has no air conditioning.
"Kate, Dinozzo, take measurements and pictures. McGee, question the witness." Orders Gibbs.
Kate and I begin to wander, taking photos of the body, which has a very obvious bullet hole in the neck. About five minutes later Kate comes over, and we double-check our measurements.
"Ugh." She groans, wrapping her arms around her chest. "It's freezing." She mutters.
I look at her in shock. "Kate, it's like 95 degrees in here, and humid. Look how badly I'm sweating." I say, indicating to the sweat that stains the front of my shirt.
"No, it's like 30 degrees in here." She mutters, now starting to shiver
Uncharacteristic, genuine worry for Kate consumes me.
"Maybe you should let Ducky check you out." I say, lifting my hand to her forehead. She jerks away from me, glaring at me, but not before I feel that her head is burning up.
"I'm fine, Tony. It's just a cold." She snarls, before storming away.
Knowing she'll just get herself worked up if I follow her, I continue taking photos, until I hear her hacking and coughing again. I look over my shoulder to see her body shake with spasms from the force of the cough.
When she finishes, she is breathing very quickly, and shallowly, as if she can't take a deep breath.
Ignoring my brain telling me "Bad Idea" I walk over to her and take her arm
"Kate. We're going to the doctor. Now." I say, becoming more worried as I see that the tissues she just coughed into are slightly spotted red, with blood.
"Leave me alone! I'm fine." She snaps at me, twisting my hand painfully.
"Okay, okay!" I say, frantic to get her to stop
She releases me and I head outside and to Gibbs, knowing he can knock some sense into her.
Gibbs is busy arguing with one of the LEO's about something, when I walk up behind him.
I pause, and wait as I catch the end of Gibbs' scolding
"-and do your job, am I understood Barnet?"
"Yes sir." Answers the young man, looking very much like he just wet himself, before the man hurries away.
Gibbs turns around and sees me. "What, Dinozzo?"
"It's Kate. I think she's sicker than she's letting on and she won't listen to me. She's freezing despite how hot it is, I felt her head for a second and it's clammy and on fire, she's unable to take a deep breath and coughing so forcefully she almost falls over with the force, and I thought I saw blood on her tissues last time she coughed into them" I explain, and Gibbs' eyes grow dark with worry.
"Where is she?"
"In the warehouse." I answer, and he takes off at a brisk jog over to it and inside, while I follow.
When we get inside, we find Kate on the ground.
I run over to her, and roll her onto her back, to find she's passed out, blood staining her lips, and shirt and arms, as a pool of blood lies next to her, where she was laying, as if she'd thrown it up and then passed out in it.
"Kate?" I ask frantically as Gibbs kneels down beside me.
I place my ear my her mouth "She not breathing!" I say, frantically
Pressing my lips to hers, and pinching her nose shut, and give her two puffs of air
I start doing compressions on her heart, as Gibbs calls 9-1-1.
I give her two more breaths, and I hear a shaky gasp as she starts to breathe again, but remains unconscious.
"Hang on Kate, just hang on." I say, as I wipe her hair from her face.
My brain registers the sound of sirens, coming closer. I scoop her into my arms and I don't think, I just run.
I hear Gibbs calling after me, but I don't listen. I run into the parking lot where the ambulance has arrived. The paramedics hop out, and bring the bed. I lay her on it, and climb in the back with them, and just before they shut the doors I yell to Gibbs
"Finish the job, it's what Kate would've wanted. I'll stay with her."
Gibbs looks at me, and I pray he'll follow my orders.
"Alright." He answers, turning away
The ambulance takes off, and we're the hospital minutes later.
They unload her, and I jog after them as they yell orders and codes at each other, running her from one room to another. I follow as I hear them talk, X-raying her lungs, putting her on a ventilator, sticking her with needles as they draw blood, and lung fluid. I watch as they study her X-rays, and set her up in her own hospital room. I sit beside her, in a very uncomfortable metal chair, and wait for the doctors to return with the results of the blood tests and X-rays. I stare at her pale face, thanking god that she's stable and breathing normally.
I go to her bathroom to splash some water on my face. When I do, I catch sight of myself in the mirror. I look like hell. My lips, right cheek, shirt arms and hands are crusted in her blood, from the CPR and carrying her. My hair is a mess and I look exhausted. I wash the blood off my face and arms, numb as I watch it run down the drain.
"Mr. Dinozzo?" calls a voice, and I walk back into Kate's room.
A nurse with flaming red hair stands there, a clipboard in her hands.
"Do you have the results?" I demand, immediately
"No, not quite yet. The doctor should be in soon with them soon. I just need you to fill out some information, since you are the emergency contact. My name is Brooke." She says, handing me a pen and the clipboard. "Are you and Ms. Todd-" she starts, but I interrupt her
"No, we're just friends, and partners at work." I explain, a half smile on my face.
She gives me a sexy smile, placing her hand on my arm, softly, and leaning in close.
"Well then, maybe sometime soon I could buy you a drink?" she whispers, seductively
I turn away from her, and put some distance between us.
"I'm really busy right now." I say, harshly,
"Fine." Snarls the nurse, storming away
I sit beside Kate and start to fill out the information needed on her.
A small smile makes its way on my face as I remember her face when she realized that I would be the best decision for her emergency contact, and the lack of enthusiasm she had when she told me all of her personal information. True to my word though, I never told a soul.
I finish the sheet, and get up and walk to the door to look for a nurse or doctor.
As I do, I nearly run into a black, kind-looking older nurse, who was just walking in the door.
"Oh! Excuse me!" she smiles brightly, and I immediately like her
"Hi! I was wondering, could you tell me who I could give this to?" I show her the sheet
"Oh! I'll take it for you. My name is Jackie. Is there anything else I can do for you?" She answers, taking the sheet
"Yes." I say, grateful someone around here is trying to help. "First, could you find something else for me to wear, could you find my friend's doctor for an update, and a red-haired nurse named Brooke tried to seduce me a little while ago and I don't find it amusing or considerate of her to try that when I am am trying to help my friend."
The woman's eyes widen, and her mouth is set in a firm frown. "I'll see to it the head Doctor knows what Brooke's been up to again. I'll find your doctor as soon as you can, and I'll send you a fresh nurse's shirt in a few minutes." She answers, before heading off.
I sit back down in my chair beside Kate. I take her hand and gently use my thumb to stroke the back of her hand.
Moments later, a male nurse appears in the doorway, a dark blue shirt with the hospital logo on it in his hand.
He hands it to me, and I thank him. I quickly change out of my blood-crusted shirt and into the soft shirt.
I hear my phone buzzing and answer it, as it is from Gibbs.
"Hey Boss. How's the case?" I ask when I pick up
"Nothing yet. Abby's running fingerprints, Bullistics, and tattoo analysis. Palmer and Ducky reassembled the body. McGee's digging up info about the man but nothing's come up yet. Except, Abby found a couple of strange marks on the body's stomach, neck, face, and chest, pink, red and purple smears. She's running chemical analysis."
That jogs my memory "Boss, have Abby run chemical analysis on the hips for residue from money."
"What?" demands Gibbs
"I'm pretty sure smears like those are lipstick. I think the petty Officer had a night job as a stripper. We were only a few miles from an area packed with strip clubs and the like."
"Nice job Dinozzo." I hear him cover the mouthpiece as his muffled voice came through, ordering McGee to tell Abby and do research on the strip clubs in the area.
"Dinozzo?" he asks when he uncovers the mouthpiece.
"Yeah?"
"How's Kate?"
"Still unconscious, but she's stable. The Doctor should be in any minute to give me an update."
"Call if her condition changes."
"Yes Boss."
"You're doing good Dinozzo." He compliments, before hanging up.
No sooner than I turn around, a blonde man in a doctor's coat appears.
"Are you Kate's doctor?" I ask, standing
He nods "I'm Dr. Brad Pitt, no relation to the actor."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Special Agent Tony Dinozzo, Kate's friend, work partner and Emergency contact." I introduce myself, shaking his hand
"Well, it appears Ms. Todd had an acute respiratory infection, which lead to pneumonia. You're lucky you brought her in when you did. We managed to break her fever, and drain her lungs of the fluid they began to fill with when they could no longer clean themselves out. Luckily it was a bacterial-based infection, so we've already administered antibiotics. Her body is healing quickly and she should wake within the next few hours, but we'll keep her here for a few days to monitor her condition. She shouldn't go back to work for at least two weeks."
A huge grin breaks out on my face at the good news "Thank you Doctor!"
"Your very welcome, Agent DiNozzo." He answers, before he leaves.
I sit down beside Kate and smile over at her
"See Katie, you're going to be just fine." I whisper
Two Hours Later
"Tony?" I hear a soft voice call.
I open my eyes, which are filmy from uncomfortable sleep. I sit up straight, muscles in my back, neck and arms protesting.
"Tony?" I hear the voice again.
My eyes follow where the voice came from and I look over to see Kate sitting up in bed, her hazel eyes looking at me in confusion.
I shoot to my feet, almost falling over as I smother her in a hug.
"Oof. Tony? What happened? Tony? Are you okay?" she manages to say as I hold tightly onto her
"Yeah I'm fine." I answer, "Why'd you ask?"
"Because you're giving me a really long actual hug." She answers, slight laughter in her voice.
I finally let go of her and sit on the side of her bed.
"I'm just so glad you're okay. You had us really worried there!" I explain "I went to tell Gibbs that you were sicker than 'just a cold' and when we came back you had thrown up a ton of blood, and passed out into it. Then you weren't breathing, which scared the shit out of me. I gave you CPR, and Gibbs called 911. I rode with you to the hospital, but I told Gibbs to get the job done. I've stayed here with you, while the rest of the team is working on the case."
Kate leans back onto the bed, in surprise. "You stayed with me?"
"Of course Kate! You're my partner, and as much as we bicker, you're still one of my best friends." I answer
She smiles "I'm glad that you stayed with me Tony. Even if you are a privacy-invaded womanizing jerk."
"Thank you, thank you very much." I bow, and she laughs "Next time, Katie, let's just assume it's not "Just a Cold" I suggest
She laughs, and I know we're in agreement
