The soft "hey" was recognizable even to his cotton-stuffed brain but Tony wasn't sure why Gibbs' bed felt so uncomfortable. Not sure, either, why moving his right hand hurt or why, when he did move it, Gibbs clasped his fingers, but the clasp was nice. Soothing.
"You ready to stay awake this time?"
"This time?" Tony didn't open his eyes but his brows drew toward each other, leaving a little vertical frown mark between them.
"Yeah, the last two times you sort of mumbled at me and went back to sleep."
Eyes still not opening, Tony responded with an "mmmm" then, when his sluggish brain decided that was probably what Gibbs was talking about, murmured, "Wha'did I say?"
The mattress shifted as Gibbs took a seat on it, the warmth of his body pressed to Tony's hip.
"Not our bed, is it?" Tony finally deduced.
"Nope." Gibbs' clasp still held his right one, but now his other hand drew through Tony's hair.
Braving it, knowing what he was going to probably find given the rough sheets and what would, inevitably, turn out to be a hollow needle stuck in the back of his hand, Tony cracked open reluctant eyes. "Hospital?"
Gibbs looked tired, he decided, studying the man.
"You collapsed. Doc says you've got some kind of infection." Gibbs pointed at the small bags hanging piggybacked on the IV.
Tony groaned and rolled his head against the pillow. "Sherri's shot?"
"Could be," conceded Gibbs, his fingers squeezing Tony's lightly. "She's going to make some calls, see if this has happened before this quickly."
"Tony?"
Guiltily, Tony stopped picking at the edge of the tape holding the IV in place and peered myopically at McGee -- only all he could make out was the younger agent's head visible as he peeked almost cautiously around the door.
"Hey, McGee."
The muted greeting was less than cheerful.
"I can come back later," McGee offered.
Tony waved him in. "It's not you, McGee. I just hate hospitals."
"So, you ... okay?"
"Yeah." Tony made a vague gesture toward the plastic bags of fluid hanging above him. "They come and refuel me every few hours. And, of course," his left hand tugged at the top of the hospital gown, "there's always the flattering attire."
McGee shuffled his feet uncomfortably, his hands jammed into the pockets of his rumpled suit. "You, uh, kind of gave me a scare."
Tony frowned. "I don't remember anything except driving in with Gibbs this morning."
"Yesterday," corrected McGee.
"Yesterday?" repeated Tony warily.
"I went into the head and you just kind of collapsed. Ended up on my lap."
Tony shifted to view him more fully. "Your lap?"
"Well, it was either go down with you or let you crack your head on the sink."
"Oh," Tony's fingers returned to worrying the loose corner of white tape, "... thanks."
"Gibbs went a little..."
"...ballistic?" supplied Tony when he paused.
"Yeah," McGee admitted. "That's why I made Kate go get him."
Tony grinned, although it was a bit weaker than his normal smile. "Good move."
"Tony ... I ...," McGee coughed self-consciously. "What I said that day in the car ... I didn't mean for you to think I ... I'm not a homophobe and if it came off like I ..."
"It's okay, McGee. I know you're a good guy. A little ... nervous, but a good guy."
"Okay," agreed McGee. "Then we're," his hand did a little side-to-side, "you and me ... we're okay."
"Yeah, McGee, we're okay. And Gibbs is okay with you, too. You wouldn't be here if he didn't want you here. The bark is nothing he doesn't do to the rest of us."
McGee's nose wrinkled. "He doesn't really do it to Abby and Ducky."
"We're field agents. They're science-types. He knows they know more about what they're doing than he does. With us, he knows more."
"Damn right I do," observed Gibbs, fully opening the door he'd been standing behind for more than a few seconds.
Tony watched as McGee flushed.
"McGee," Gibbs greeted.
"I just dropped in to see how Tony was doing. I'll just ... I'll go back to work now."
"That would be good, McGee," observed Gibbs but the tone was just a bit gentler.
Tony watched the younger man leave stoop-shouldered before fixing Gibbs with an appraising look. "Okay, it's bad when I think you should give the new guy a break."
"He'll live," observed Gibbs sipping the last of a cup of hospital-issued coffee and frowning at the bitter edge to it.
"He just won't enjoy it," Tony completed for him, enjoying the wry grin that Gibbs tried to hide behind the upturned bottom of the styrofoam cup.
"How are you doing?"
When Tony shrugged, Gibbs moved closer.
"Still feel kind of shitty but at least everything isn't spinning."
"You scared me," admitted Gibbs.
"So I heard," said Tony, patting the side of the bed. He put a hand on Gibbs' thigh when the older man settled beside him. "Heard I ended up in McGee's lap, too."
"Missed that," mused Gibbs, covering Tony's hand with his own.
Tony almost wanted to squirm under the intensity of the gaze Gibbs fixed on him. "What?"
"Just wanted to look at you."
"If that's just looking at me, I'd really hate to be on the receiving end of one of your interrogations."
In reply, Gibbs leaned over and placed a soft kiss on Tony's forehead. "I just dropped by to check on you. I got to go see what else Kate turned up on our missing Major Odom and the Constantines. Looks like you were right, by the way."
He smiled gently as Tony pretended to preen a little.
"Get some sleep," he ordered.
"Got nothing else to do," mourned Tony.
"I'll bring you some tunes when I come back."
Tony waved him off with his palms. "Not bluegrass."
"Not bluegrass," promised Gibbs, stealing a quick kiss from dry lips. In the cool light of the fluorescent overhead, Tony's changeable eyes were deeply blue. They narrowed a little in worry as he continued to gaze into them.
"You sure you're okay?"
"Yeah," nodded Gibbs. "And I'll be back ... "He pushed off the bed. "Gotta find some better coffee anyway."
"You come back in here with a Red Eye, I expect at least a Caramel Macchiato," muttered Tony.
A goodbye was waved in his direction and the younger man good-naturedly shook his head before lying back against the pillows with a sigh.
A mournful looking Rufus thumped his tail halfheartedly at Gibbs' entrance, but he refused to give up his post beside Tony's desk.
"I tried Woof-a-Roni, but I think he wants to know where Tony is," Kate offered as she came around her desk.
"Hey, boy," Gibbs knelt down and scratched under the thick collar. "Tony's doing fine. He wants his CDs and some Starbucks," he added in Kate's direction.
"Can't keep the boy down long," observed Kate in what Gibbs knew was the younger agent's attempt at cheering them both. She wore the kind of hopeful, falsely perky expression she'd had when she'd urged him not to be such a 'Gloomy Gus' over Ari -- and he was probably wearing the same one that he'd worn after she'd said it, because she backed back toward her desk with an "I'll just go back to work."
"Come on," Gibbs slapped his hand lightly against his thigh. "Come on, boy."
Rufus laid his head back down on his paws.
Gibbs gave the short hair between Rufus' high set ears a soothing rub. "Me too, Ruf. Me too."
"What the hell is going on here?" Gibbs stood in the door glowering at the now-silent knot of people surrounding Tony's bed. At least the multi-voiced argument you could hear all the way to the elevator had been silenced.
"I'm not going anywhere," Tony re-emphasized in the break and then the cacophony started up again.
"Hold it!" Like observers at Wimbledon, they all turned back to Gibbs. "Tony?" he enquired, pushing his way to the side of the bed.
"I don't want a private room."
Gibbs looked over to the other still empty bed sitting not four feet from the one Tony occupied. He frowned at Sherri Lenz who had the chart she held tucked against her under crossed arms. "You need to move him for isolation reasons?"
"No," she said simply.
He looked over the other members of the standing foursome, picking the nurse to fix his best interrogating stare on. "You need to move him," Gibbs' gaze flicked to her ID, "Jane?"
"Not me."
Nodding at the remaining pair of well-suited attendees to the little meeting he'd interrupted, Gibbs asked silkily, "And you are?"
The shorter of the men stuck out his hand. "Douglas Majors, hospital administrator." He pulled the hand back in when Gibbs merely frowned at the offered palm and turned to the final intruder.
"And you?"
"I'm merely here to look after Anthony's best interests."
"And you are?" repeated Gibbs, tilting his head slightly to make sure the man had no choice but to meet his eyes.
"Gino Prinzi, Vice President for Corporate Affairs, NewGen BioMedical."
"Translate that to 'lackey for my father,'" put in Tony bitterly.
"How'd they find you?" asked Gibbs quietly.
Tony nodded his head toward Sherri. "The good doctor, here, reported a possible serious side effect to the ASI treatment."
"I thought you said his privacy was protected," Gibbs accused sharply, earning himself a calming pat on the arm from Tony.
"I reported by his patient number," replied the neurologist. "But their computer apparently cross-referenced the information."
"And there was a flag," finished Gibbs.
"Mr. DiNozzo is merely concerned—"began Prinzi.
"About his wallet and his community standing." Tony completed the sentence with a look of disgust then he met Gibbs' gaze with a pleading one of his own.
"Get him out of here," ordered Gibbs.
"NewGen BioMed is a major supporter –"began the administrator in protest.
"Get him out of here or I will have a restraining order and a lawyer down here within an hour."
When neither man moved, Gibbs took a step toward them. Tony's pale face lit with a grin as the pair took an instinctive step backwards then decided that, in this case, discretion was the better part of valor and retreated to the hall.
"Sweet," admired Tony before he took a deep breath, "but they'll be back."
Gibbs crossed his arms across his chest. "Not while I'm here."
Tony lay back against the pillows, the smile still on his face, but it was tighter, brittler now. "Can't stay here forever."
"Want to bet?"
Tony snorted. "What about when they call security?"
Gibbs' hand moved to his cell then, remembering where he was, he moved to the empty bed and picked up the old-fashioned handset of the room's phone. "Not going to happen."
There was another snort from the occupied bed, but a quieter one. Gibbs looked across the small space separating them and gave Tony an encouraging smile. "Go to sleep, Tony," he instructed. Then he cradled the phone closer, "Abs? I need you to do me a favor ...
Thanks to C and thanks for all the kind feedback!