I don't own these guys - with the exception of Nicky.
Tony's POV
Settling back against the plumped up pillows, Tony felt his spirits rise as he looked around the private room he had been transferred to - although he had no fondness for hospitals in general, ICU was always the place he dreaded the most, and he could never rid himself of the memories of the plague that had become attached to it – it was no wonder that he had been unable to bring himself to relax fully in that atmosphere.
Observing his patient, Dr Pitt noted the slight but important change in Tony's attitude and the new ease in his breathing, and nodded to himself - he had made the right call, that much he was certain of - now if only Tony's blood sample would come back clear from leptospirosis bacteria, the man would be well on his way to recovery and release.
Meanwhile, Tony was staring at the vein in his left arm and trying to prepare himself for the unpleasant experience of having blood taken. And so until he heard Dr Pitt say, "Agent Gibbs, good to see you!" he was totally unaware of the older man's presence.
Snapping his head up so fast spots danced before his eyes, Tony saw Gibbs standing a couple of feet from the end of his bed, a smirk on his lips as he observed the younger man's reaction.
Gibbs' POV
Gibbs saw that Tony was staring at his arm, a small furrow between his brows and took that moment to make a quick assessment for himself of Tony's health.
His face was paler than usual, and his side was wrapped in bandages but apart from that Tony seemed to be okay and Gibbs felt some of the worry inside of him slip away.
"Agent Gibbs, good to see you!" Turning his attention to the doctor momentarily, the lead agent nodded in reply and shook the outstretched hand, a smirk playing on his lips as he watched his SFA's head shoot upward in surprise.
Making his way over to the bed, he stood within touching distance and, looking down at a Tony who was almost a picture of health, he compared him against the Tonys of various scenarios, past and imagined - for a moment, thankfulness rendered him at a complete loss as to what to say.
Luckily for him, Tony was more than proficient in that department and grinned up at him. "Hi Boss. I take it you got the pizza alright?"
Gibbs stifled the wide grin that wanted to spread across his face, and played his customary part to perfection, with an exasperated, "Do ya ever think without your stomach DiNozzo?"
Tony reeled back in mock–hurt, "Boss!"
Unfortunately, the banter didn't prevent Tony from noticing the needle that had appeared in Pitt's hand, and Gibbs saw him shy away a little, pulling his left arm towards his stomach in an unconsciously protective gesture.
The Marine thought fast. "DiNozzo!"
Tony turned to him out of force of habit, though he glanced back nervously at Pitt as the doctor swabbed the skin over the vein. "You watched all the Bond movies?"
The younger man tilted his head with a complacent smile, his complete attention now on the lead agent. "Oh come on Boss, course I have!"
"All of them?" Gibbs kept his expression decidedly disbelieving and Tony took the bait - hook, line and sinker - and began reeling off the comprehensive list.
Out of the corner of his eye, Gibbs saw Pitt move the needle towards Tony's arm and promptly broke in on Tony's spiel with a casual "Really – that's a Bond?"
The SFA turned to him in complete bewilderment as he lost track of what he had said and closed his eyes in concentration as he began to backtrack – and Pitt slipped the needle in, withdrew the blood and took it out again before he had time to react.
"What - " Tony looked from Pitt who was wearing a broad grin, a syringe full of blood in his hand, to Gibbs and pouted as he realised what had happened. "That's just sneaky Boss," he complained and Gibbs looked at him askance.
"Rather have watched it go in, would ya?"
Tony conceded the point with a slight shudder, and Gibbs placed a hand on his shoulder almost absently, as he asked, "How soon can we expect the results?"
All seriousness once more, Pitt replied, "We'll know either way by morning. As for now, I'd recommend that you get some rest Tony, and you too Agent Gibbs."
Tony didn't protest and neither did Gibbs, the latter instead pointedly hooking his foot around a nearby chair to pull it closer, and then dropping himself into it with an air of finality.
Neither Ducky nor Pitt showed any sign of surprise at this display of paternal protectiveness, although the young doctor did tell the lead agent rather firmly that, 'I'll organise for a cot be brought in, and I expect it to have been actually used come morning.'
All this while, Nicky had been standing by the door, observing the easy interaction between the three men with eyes that may have held a hint of envy.
Gibbs, who had – understandably – all but forgotten about the young man upon seeing Tony, looked up and gave himself a mental head slap as he caught sighht of Nicky shifting nervously from foot to foot, before beginning to inch towards the door, no doubt hoping to slip out unobserved.
He gave Tony a gentle nudge, and when the brunette looked at him in question, tilted his head towards the door. Pitt moved from Tony's line of sight to catalogue the blood sample and get it sent to the labs, and the SFA looked up and saw the kid who was the reason for the hazy, panicked - and if he were completely honest - scary last few hours.
"Nicky!" Tony's exclamation caused the teen to stop in his tracks, a flush of embarrassment colouring his cheeks.
Gibbs winced a little, and rose from his chair in a rare show of tact to move and stand beside Ducky to give the two young men some room.
Almost reluctantly, Nicky came to stand by Tony's bedside, and the agent studied his face intently, before asking, "Alright?"
Nicky opened his mouth, and if anything, his blush deepened and he stuttered, eyes flickering briefly to the two older men on the other side of the bed.
Ducky and Gibbs exchanged a glance, and right on cue, the ME turned his back to both young men and faced Gibbs, before launching into the narration of a convoluted tale that provided enough covering noise to grant Nicky the illusion of privacy.
Tony's POV
The teenager slowly became less flustered, and rubbed a hand tiredly across his eyes, before asking with a nod towards Tony's bandaged side, almost shyly, "I'm sorry. Does it hurt much?"
Tony shrugged without thinking, and the movement sent a sharp twinge through his side. Evidently it showed on his face too, for Nicky winced and answered his own question, "I'll take that as a yes then." A pause as he studied his fingers intently, and then he swallowed and spoke once more.
"I'm really sorry," he repeated, and Tony reached out to punch his arm gently. "It's alright Nicky – it was just an accident, could've happened to anyone."
An eyebrow raised show Nicky's scepticism at that, but he didn't refute Tony's assurance.
"I'm moving," he said abruptly, "Going to live with my aunt and uncle."
"You wanna go?" The senior field agent asked just as suddenly, trying to gauge whether Nicky was happy about the change, and was somewhat relieved to see the kid's posture relax a little as he shrugged.
"I get on better with my cousins than with my older brother, and my aunt and uncle are pretty cool..." he tailed off, looking up at Tony. "It should be good, like a...a - " the teenager struggled to express his thoughts in words.
"Like a fresh start," Tony finished for him quietly, resting his head back against the propped up pillows behind his head as a wave of exhaustion washed over him.
Nicky's expression showed barely concealed surprise. "Yeah! Yeah," he said again, with less of the shock, and then added, "I'm leaving tomorrow – but, uh," his hand twitched in an abortive movement towards the pocket of his jeans where his mobile was tucked into, and Tony realised what he was trying to say.
The Italian began to pat his pockets - or at least, where his pockets would have been before realising belatedly that he was wearing a hospital gown, and casting his eyes around the room instead, with a mutter of, 'Pen, pen, pen...'
Helpfully, Ducky retrieved one from an inside pocket of his jacket, and passed it to the man along with a slip of paper, on which Tony scribbled his number and handed it to Nicky.
"Call me when you get a chance. I meant what I said back then," he added earnestly.
Dark eyes held solemn green for a moment as both of them relived those fatal few minutes in fast forward, and Nicky's head tilted slightly, as if he were trying to gauge Tony's sincerity.
"I will," he replied eventually, a small smile growing on his lips in response to Tony's hundred-watt reaction to his acquiescence.
Meanwhile, Ducky stifled a yawn of his own as the worry and need for action that had concealed the fact it was nearing late evening receded, and Gibbs looked up at his friend with an eyebrow raised. "You should be heading home Duck," he began, anticipating the ME's next words as he added, "I'll let you know if anything comes up."
The older man smiled in response and moved over to Tony, squeezing his shoulder affectionately. "Take care dear boy, and get some rest. I shall see you in the morning."
He received a quietly sincere, "Thanks Ducky," in return and inclined his head in response.
Gibbs began to get up from where he had resettled into the chair by Tony's side but the astute ME stopped him from moving from his position with a hand on his shoulder. "Stay where you are needed Jethro," he told him quietly.
"I should be going too." The teen hesitated and then leaned forward to whisper in his ear, "You're really lucky to have them to look out for you."
Then he pulled away and Tony nodded in response. "I know," he said seriously, before reaching out to shake Nicky's hand firmly. "Take care Nicky."
"You too Tony," Nicky replied, before nodding shyly to Gibbs. "Sir."
Gibbs dipped his head slightly in reply as Ducky gathered Nicky with an outstretched arm and the two left the room, the older man drawing the teenager into the beginnings of casual conversation, and dimming the lights rather pointedly on his way out.
And then, for the first time since the shot, the two agents were alone yet together.