This chapter is dedicated to shirik, for her idea on how to help Tony breathe, bringing in a new idea that I wouldn't have thought of. Thanks!
Chapter 9
Another day had passed slowly and Tony's condition was only getting worse. The frame Gibbs had built for Tony's bed was helping him breath, but it just wasn't enough. Tony's fever was up and his throat was sore from the coughing. Ducky was monitoring him closely, but there wasn't much he could do. Tony's body needed to fight this on his own. Ziva listened to the sound of the rain pouring down onto the roof and pinging off the windows as thunder rumbled in the distance. She ran her fingers through Tony's hair as he rested uneasily, struggling to breathe. He opened his eyes, making wet choking sounds.
"Tony," Ziva exclaimed, helping him sit up more.
She waited until the coughing spell passed before lying him back down and letting him take a sip of water. Ziva wiped the blood from his mouth, giving him a soft smile.
"Can't…Gibbs…"
"Shh, it is okay. Just focus on breathing. Gibbs is downstairs with Ducky and McGee. He will be up in a little bit."
Ziva placed a hand on his knee before leaving him alone for a moment. She slipped into the kitchen and went back upstairs before Gibbs even noticed her. He was too focused on his coffee as he rubbed his face in his hands. Tony watched as she dipped a piece of white cloth into a bowl of hot oil, but he was too tired to ask what she was doing. Ziva leaned over and gently pulled the blanket away from Tony's chest, folding it at his waist and helped him out of his t-shirt.
"Trying to… take advantage of… a sick guy?" Tony gasped, smiling a little at his own joke.
"Not exactly."
She lifted the cloth out of the oil and prepared to put it on his chest, wiping off the excess oil from the material.
"I hope you don't… plan on waxing my chest hair…"
"I would not do that, my little hairy butt. Unless you asked me to do it or you try to superglue any of my items like you do to McGee. My mother used to do this for me when I was sick. It will help you breathe a little better."
"If you say so… I trust you."
Ziva smiled at him as she gently placed it on his chest. He took a sharp breath at the warmth.
"Too hot?"
"No… it feels nice."
Tony closed his eyes, breathing in as deep as he could without triggering a coughing spell. It was actually helping him. He smiled, reaching out and giving Ziva's hand a gentle squeeze. The two sat in silence for a while and Ziva thought that Tony had fallen asleep until he started coughing again. It was only a few seconds, but it pained him all the same. There was a soft knock on the door frame and Gibbs poked his head into the room as Tony opened his eyes again.
"Hey Boss… did the Duckman and McWorry leave?" he whispered.
"I sent them both home for the night. Ziver, you should go home too."
"Gibbs," she protested, standing up and moving a step closer to him.
"You've been here for two days without going home and getting some rest. Go home, water your plants, eat something, take a bath and just relax. I'll stay with Tony tonight," he spoke softly so only she could hear.
Ziva knew that arguing with Gibbs wouldn't get her anywhere and agreed. She patted Tony's hand once, telling him good-night and slowly walked from the room. Gibbs nodded at her, motioning for her to leave them alone. She knew that he wouldn't let anything happen to Tony. Ziva told Gibbs to remove the cloth when the oil cooled and to wipe him clean. He promised. Gibbs turned the chair around and sat down next to Tony, watching the man blink heavily. He rested a hand on his forehead, feeling the fever burning his skin. Deciding to keep his promise, Gibbs waited until the oil was cool before lifting the cloth from Tony's skin and gently wiped him down. Tony blushed at the ministration.
"You don't… have to do this."
"Yes, I do DiNozzo. I'm watching your six."
"You could let Brad… take care of me…. And some pretty nurses."
"Are you saying that I don't make an attractive nurse?" Gibbs inquired.
Tony swallowed, not answering immediately. "Well… it's not that Boss."
Gibbs gently smacked him on the back of his sweaty head, eliciting a soft laugh from Tony. The laugh irritated his throat enough and the coughing took a hold of him. Tony made a face, fighting to breath. Gibbs moved to the side of the bed and helped Tony sit up. The young man motioned for Gibbs to get the bowl. He tried to expel the mucus from his lungs, but couldn't. Gibbs gently thumped him on the back as Tony bent over and spit into the bowl. The mixture was bloody and a trail of blood went down Tony's chin as he leaned back in his boss's arms. Gibbs gently wiped the blood from Tony's chin and lips, feeling his stomach clench in worry. He set the bowl down and picked up the oxygen mask that Ducky insisted Tony wear while he was sleeping and slipped it on his face, listening to his agent hiss in pain as the oxygen reached his lungs. He took a few shaky breaths before relaxing. Gibbs released Tony, easing him back and adjusted the blanket to cover his bare skin, deciding against putting his t-shirt back on at the moment.
"See… I told you… you don't have… to stay," Tony muttered, pulling the mask away from his face to be heard.
Gibbs slapped his hand, putting the mask back.
"You listen closely to me." Gibbs locked eyes with the younger man. "I'm not leaving you until you feel better. I need my senior agent back."
But it was deeper than that; he just couldn't say the words. Tony looked at him as moisture filled his eyes and he took an uneven breath, trying to regain control over his emotions. Gibbs knew that he needed to hear it.
"A father takes care of his son."
Tony nodded as one tear slipped out and trickled down by his nose. Gibbs reached up and wiped it away. He grabbed Tony's hand and squeezed it tight to reassure him of his words. Tony was the damn good son that he never got to have.
"If you need it, I want you to squeeze my hand when it hurts and when you can't breathe. I won't let go. Don't be afraid to hurt me; this is about you getting better, not me," he ordered.
His order was received with a little nod as the exhaustion caught up with him. Tony drifted into a light sleep with Gibbs at his side, anchoring him in the night.
It was a long, painful night. Tony's fever raged and he fought to sleep, but the coughing kept him awake. Gibbs never left his side, except to fetch more water and rinse out the bowl. He wasn't getting any better. Tony gasped, unable to get enough oxygen anymore as the mask kept him breathing. Gibbs dabbed his forehead, desperate to keep him from the hospital if at all possible. Tony wouldn't want that, to be pricked and poked again. The image of Tony lying under the blue lights with his skin turning blue still haunted him and he couldn't see Tony like that again. Around four in the morning, Gibbs picked up his cell phone and saw that Ducky was calling him, probably to check up on their patient, though it was a strange hour for him to phone.
"Hey Duck. I was just about to call you."
The other end of the line was silent for a moment before Ducky spoke. "Jethro, we have a problem."
"What kind of problem?" he tried to keep his voice quiet, but frustration crept in from his lack of sleep.
Tony opened his glassy eyes and looked at his boss, frowning slightly as his tone of voice.
"Bethesda just called me and gave me a heads-up. It turns out that Timothy was in a car accident a little while ago."
"How bad is it?"
Ducky paused. "It's not good."
First of all, to the person that reviewed anonymously with the point of telling me that Ziva is a terrible character. I'm sorry that you think that. It's not that she isn't sympathetic; she was raised to be an assassin, not an emotional woman. That's a difference in her culture and upbringing. She is not selfish or arrogant. Ziva just shows that she cares in different ways. If you don't like it, you are not being forced to read this or about her character. Please don't review if you just want to complain about something I can't control.
Anyway, I hope that you enjoyed the chapter! And I hope you review! I didn't have a good day, got shot down for an internship that I need to graduate and really wanted to do. But I guess it wasn't in God's plans for me. It still wasn't a good day though, so a review would definitely cheer me up.
Thank you!
Emma
