A/N: First off - Review Reply is still broken and reviews that have been submitted since the 9th are 'non-existent' on the FanFic site, but I'm still getting the emails with them so don't be disheartened if you don't see your review pop up.

Secondly - Huge thanks to all of you that reviewed last chapter (and again my apologies if I haven't gotten back to you) - Aussielover, diana teo, Gloworm41, twomoms, inkpen1, bookworm2dance, Krows Scared, louise, silvanelf and XX-Samantha-XX. The 'Loyals'! xD :D

Anyway, here's the next chapter. It's a bit longer than my recent ones which will hopefully excuse me slightly if I don't get the chance to update tomorrow.

Read, enjoy, review. - Leroy Jethro Gibbs (ok, so I'm joking, but still...).

As he woke, he became painfully aware of an annoyingly shrill cry of indignation emanating a few metres to his right. Gibbs could only recognise the high-pitched nature of the sound and the hint of frustration that encircled it – the rest was muffled and barely audible, but he could work out who was making the noise.

DiNozzo, Kate, I swear, if you don't get your asses in gear and work as a team, you won't be able to think for a month!

There was something brushing lightly against the tip of his nose, but Gibbs did not have the strength to move a hand to swipe it away. Instead, despite the rest of his body screaming at him to stop looking out for the team – they could handle themselves for a while – and to just rest, he forced his eyes open, squinting against the glare.

I don't remember there being a light source near us in the building... Oh crap, I'm hallucinating!

His hearing gradually returned to normal and he could make out what the people were saying. "...Tony! Why do you always try and destroy my army?" That was Kate, although he had no idea what she was talking about. He could just make out the dark silhouette of a figure sitting upright on a bed and shrugging with half its body. "Because it's fun..." There was short burst of laughter from a third figure on the bed before the second silhouette looked away from the table swung across its legs and directly at Gibbs, who was lying in the next bed and looking at the scene before him in utter confusion. "Oh, hey boss! We're just playing Risk. Want to join?" Gibbs had just enough strength to glare at the young man and convey his resounding 'No' before his eyes threatened to close on him again. Moments later, from the other bed, there was a low level of rustling and conspiring whispers and Kate began carefully sorting through all the different coloured plastic pieces strewn across the board and Tony's bed, shoving them into their own little packets.

Abby, meanwhile, leapt from the bed and, in two short bounds, was standing next to Gibbs, bouncing on the spot. Gibbs, unable to reach the bed control, stared up at her, attempting to smile warmly at the young goth. Abby smiled wholeheartedly back – not fazed by Gibbs' lack of strength to even smile properly and sending waves of guilt crashing through Gibbs' brain as her smile outstripped his by several nautical miles. "Hey, Abbs..." He croaked, his eyes scanning the room for a glass of water and finally settling on a large jug balancing on Tony's bedside table.

"Do you want a drink, Bossman?" Abby asked quietly, obviously endeavouring to stop herself from exploding in joy at finally being able to talk to a conscious Jethro Gibbs. His throat dry, Gibbs replied, "...Lease..." As Abby reached for the water, Kate finished folding the board away and, after managing to retrieve the dice from Tony – he was trying to sneak them under his pillow, although Kate could not figure out why – turned to Gibbs, a playful smile on her face. "He must be sick – he said 'please'!" Tony, in the middle of taking a rather large gulp of water, snorted then proceeded to cough violently as he tried to expel the water that had slipped down his trachea. Gibbs could only watch in tired amusement as Abby slapped Tony on the back, mindful of his shoulder injury, until he stopped. "Thanks, Abby..." Tony wheezed. The coughing had sparked off new pain in his shoulder and, sitting up, he felt dizzy and light-headed. Kate, noticing Tony's slightly glazed look, gently pushed him back so that he was resting against the numerous pillows stacked behind him. Gibbs wanted to ask him if he was ok, but Abby was already back at his side, a small cup half-full of water in one hand and slowly raising the head of the bed with the other.

As it got closer to 45 degrees, Gibbs gasped, his left arm shooting across his body and grabbing Abby's arm and making her stop immediately. She also dropped the cup, but it was fortunately made of plastic and did not shatter, leaving Abby with wet feet only and not serious cuts. "Oh God, Gibbs, are you alright?" She sounded on the verge of tears and it took most of Gibbs' diminished strength to just force open his eyes and look at her. He could see the tears forming as they locked eyes and he forced his mouth into a reassuring smile. "...It's nothin', Abbs... Jus' my ribs..." She did not look reassured but after a while, when Gibbs had finally stopped squeezing her arm, she grimaced and leant closer to the marine to whisper, "Sorry, Gibbs. I'd hug you but then I'd only hurt you again." Instead of a hug, she slipped her hand into his right hand.

"Drink?" Gibbs asked again, deciding that Abby had said enough – she had not needed to apologise: he had forgiven her as soon as she asked if he was alright. The young woman nodded and bent down to pick up the cup she had dropped, bringing her eyes level with the back of Gibbs' left hand – his left arm still draped across his body. "Uh... Gibbs, you sure you're alright?" She asked nervously. At her tone, Tony – who had been lying back with his eyes closed and trying to shut out the pain – and Kate, who had been keeping a silent but watchful eye on Tony, turned to the pair at the other bed. "Boss?"

"Yeah... Why?" Gibbs queried, slightly distracted by a stinging sensation in his hand.

"Well, you've ripped the cannula out, that's why, Gibbs, and it's bleeding." Abby stated with her hands on her hips. Sighing, Kate reached for another button at Tony's bedside.

"I'll call the nurse."

"...There you are, Agent Gibbs. I'll leave Nurse Donaldson to get you comfortable again." Gibbs rolled his eyes as soon as the doctor broke eye contact.

Gee, thanks...

Nodding to Dr. Koertig as he left, Gibbs glared at the woman standing to his left. He had a new cannula inserted into his left elbow and his left hand had a thin layer of bandage wrapped round it. The doctor had been kind and careful not to cause too much pain but it still throbbed, and his ribs were not feeling any better. He tried to hide the pain, but, unfortunately for the marine, Nurse Donaldson had noticed his pinched expression. "Let me guess: you're too stubborn to admit when you're in pain. Well, if you won't tell my nurses then there's nothing I can do."

"You could stop sticking me with unnecessary needles." Gibbs retorted, maintaining as intense a glare as he could.

"Not going to happen, Gibbs." She replied brusquely. "And you'll leave that nasal cannula alone too!" Donaldson added, catching his hand just as he reached to pull it off. From the other bed, there was a snort of laughter as, in awe, Tony watched the woman treating Gibbs like a child. "One word, DiNozzo, and I'll stick my boot so far up your a—" Another woman, thicker-set than the head nurse but not as stern-looking, stepped between the two beds, cutting off Gibbs' view of Tony, but it was Donaldson that spoke. "You'll do no such thing, Gibbs. Not only would that constitute assault but it would also involve you getting out of your bed – an action which I, as boss on this ward, have strictly forbidden. Nurse Owens..." She nodded to the woman between the two men – a movement Gibbs found oddly intimidating – and a set of restraints appeared. There was another snort of laughter from Tony's bed as he watched Gibbs turn very pale.

"I did warn you and your team what would happen if either you or Agent DiNozzo over there did yourselves further injury while enjoying yet another stay at Bethesda naval hospital, Agent Gibbs. So I'm afraid I've no other choice but to have you restrained until your wounds have healed sufficiently for you to attend physiotherapy sessions." She said this with a pleased smile and a frightening glare. Gibbs could barely stutter out an excuse as she continued to lock his eyes to hers. "But I..."

"No 'buts', Leroy." She replied, completely ignoring Gibbs' scowl at her use of his first name.

"It's not like I did it on purpose, and you said if I tried to get out of bed, which I didn't." Gibbs explained, Tony sniggering loudly from his bed, ignoring his boss' glowers telling him to shut up.

He sounds like some indignant teenager – I guess he needs his coffee.

"Too bad, Gibbs." Donaldson growled, taking the opportunity while Gibbs was distracted by Tony's noise-making to fasten one of the brown leather restraints round Gibbs' left wrist and attach it to the bed. She was either very well trained or had timed it perfectly because Gibbs did not even have time to whip his hand away after he realised what she was doing. He rattled it relentlessly, trying in vain to find a weakness in the strong material, but the restraints were doing their job and not letting him move his arm much – stopping him from pulling the IV out and also from grabbing at the nasal cannula supplying a small volume of extra oxygen to him. Gibbs thrashed again, this time more violently; cursing as pain exploded through his chest, then lay still – wordlessly admitting defeat to the restraint.

"Do I need to do your other arm too?" Owens asked, cocking one eyebrow as she took in the thin sheen of sweat that coated Gibbs forehead. Grudgingly and through gritted teeth, Gibbs grunted, "No." Tony sat there in shock: his amusement at the situation completely gone – replaced by a stunned silence that rattled through his brain.

After checking Gibbs' IV and his nasal cannula for the last time, the two stocky nurses started towards the door only to be stopped by a quiet request from the stubborn marine. "Now can you let my team back in?" He regretted even opening his mouth when Donaldson turned round, smirking.

"Say 'please', Agent Gibbs." Once again she took Gibbs' death-scowl in her stride and continued smiling. Tony coughed to cover yet another snort of laughter.

Oh you're an evil woman... Evil, but very good at controlling Gibbs. I wonder if that's what his ex-wives were like.

Gibbs, having already been embarrassed enough by this terror of a woman, refused to be humiliated further and just closed his eyes, trusting Tony to get the team back together. He was surprised at how drained he felt and simply drifted into a light doze.

After Tony had successfully asked if the team could come back in – Nurse Donaldson allowing it not only because he said 'please' but also because, now that the younger agent was sharing a room with his boss, he seemed to have stopped harassing her nurses - they gathered around Tony's bed once more, watching Gibbs as Tony related the more humorous aspects of his latest encounter with the head nurse. Gibbs grunted in Russian frequently as he slept and, each time, Abby would get up and place a gentle hand in his unrestrained one, calming him instantly. Eventually she just stayed at his side, sitting on the edge of the bed and smiling each time he woke and gradually became lucid again. "Hey, Gibbs." He blinked up at her, slightly confused at how she had managed to get in to his room. "Tony asked for you." She replied in answer to his silent question. "And before you ask: no, I cannot take that off for you... And I won't." The young goth pointed at Gibbs' left wrist – obviously meaning the restraint. "It's for your own good, and if she hadn't done, it then I would have."

"I know, Abbs, but it makes talking to you a lot more difficult." Gibbs sighed, pulling at his restraint to scrub a hand down his face, but it would not give. Abby smiled roguishly and raised her hands so that Gibbs could see them and then started signing. *Yeah, but I can still talk to you easily* Gibbs rolled his eyes, smiling again.

"I know..." She watched him struggle to keep his eyes open and then turned to Tony and Kate, who were bickering about something Tony had said that was 'insensitive to women'.

"Kate, we should give the guys... ok, Gibbs some rest. Do you want anything, Tony?" Abby asked, gathering her coat from the empty chair next to Tony's bed. Tony glanced nervously at Kate and then smiled. "Erm... You know where I keep my magazines in my apartment, right Abby?"

"No, but I'm sure it can't be too hard – your place must be full of them!" Abby chuckled, watching as Kate slapped Tony on the back of his head. "Ow! What was that for, Kate?" Tony whined, rubbing his sore head with his hand. "For asking Abby to get your dirty magazines for you." She answered curtly, folding her arms across her chest.

"You don't mind, do you, Abbs?" Tony asked, pleading for her to agree while also smiling sweetly at Kate.

"Nope. I'll bring them in when I come back later... Anything else, my lord?" Abby joked, setting off Kate, who, despite her annoyance at Tony's comments, fell about in fits of giggles. Playing along, Tony answered, "No. Now, be gone!" And, with a mock-impatient and rather flamboyant wave of his hand, the still tittering young women rolled their eyes simultaneously and then left, the Risk box stowed safely under Abby's arm.

A/N: Ooh isn't that Nurse Donaldson mean? I have NO idea what makes me write her as if she's a matron from 60 years ago! *shrugs*

Depending on how the 'revision' goes tomorrow, I may or may not update, but you won't have to wait more than a day and a half for the next chapter.

Reviews?