The next week he was able to stay awake all day. He slept great at night, the nightmares were few and in between. They decided that only one person needed to stay with him at night. McGee stayed on Mondays, Tony on Tuesdays, Ellie on Wednesdays, Abby on Thursday, Ducky on Fridays. The weekends Brenna and Jimmy stayed together on Saturday. Abby made a chart and coerced Gibbs to agree. They all knew it was a show to let them know he was fine because he actually wanted them there. Gibbs only condition was everyone had Sundays off. They could come for meals but sleep at home. It was Wednesday morning; 6 a.m. the usual time Ellie got up but Gibbs had slept in an hour. At 6:25 he was momentarily alone. Ellie came in carrying two cups of large coffee, she had offered to go get it for them.
"Here you go." She handed him his coffee while sitting down.
"Thanks." He inhales savoring the smell before drinking.
They sat down watching t.v. in comfortable silence. They went between western movies, comedy movies, and football. They shared jokes or commented on a play every once in a while. They were just hanging out and relaxing. They enjoyed the quiet and were ready to enjoy everyone else's company when they showed up, at 7.
"Hello Jethro, Eleanor" Ducky addressed him.
"Hey Gibbs, Bish." they said.
He nodded back, "Mornin'."
"Hey." Bishop said.
"We've going between watching westerns, comedies, and football." Gibbs said.
"Sounds good" said McGee.
"Yes that sounds good, much better than watching WWE with mother." Ducky said making everyone laugh and Gibbs ended up coughing violently. Gibbs leaned back into the pillows and breathed deeply and carefully.
"You need the pump?" Abby's the only one who could actually show concerned. He shook his head already relaxing. He opened his eyes and they continued watching the game. They decided to order breakfast at 7:30, a half hour later.
"Meat omelet, rye toast, ham, hash, a fruit bowl and another coffee." Gibbs said.
"Same." Tony said.
"Eggs, sausage, hash, rye toast, fruit bowl, and orange juice." Ellie said.
"Oatmeal, bacon, hash, white toast, an apple, and apple juice." McGee said.
"Pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, homemade toast, apple sauce, and chocolate milk." Abby said.
They ate in peace while watching movies. They decided on westerns. They were happy to eat and joke around. It was easy for them to relax together. It would have been fun if they weren't in the hospital. They enjoyed each other's company.