A story is like a business. When it is only one person buying objects from the business it's time to shut down.

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As soon as his shift ended Matthew went down to see Emma. It had been hectic on his ward and he felt guilty over not coming sooner. He knew she was being taken care of and Gibbs was there so it made him feel slightly better.

"So how is she?" Matthew asked Gibbs.

"Better. She woke up and is now sleeping. I didn't tell her about you. I think it's better if you talk to her instead. I think you should also talk to the doctor first. He wanted to talk to you." Gibbs explained to him.

"I will. Thank you for everything you've done. I won't let this happen again." Matthew told him. He wanted to make her better so badly. He didn't want her to spend her birthday in the hospital. Matthew knew how much she disliked hospitals after everything she's been through from the first operation she had as a child to the latest one she had to go through because of the kidnapping. He promised himself to always be there for her. Now he had to tell her. He wished he had the ring on him but as soon as he could he would put it on her.

"You better not. I'll see soon. Everyone is worried so I need to tell them how she is." Gibbs said saying goodbye.

"Bye father-in-law…" Matthew said joking again.

"Another Dinozzo type in the family…The women sure pick them." Gibbs said.

When he turned around he saw most of the family there and he knew they had heard him.

"If you don't want him to slap you, don't say a thing Tony and you too Matt…" Kate warned them. She had seen Gibbs' big eyes when he saw Tony. Tony couldn't help but to burst into laughter but he managed not to say anything. He didn't laugh for long because this was a serious moment because Emma was sick.

"We're here to see how she is. We stopped by your apartment too." Kate told Matt. Then she gave him the rings. Emma had given her friends extra keys because it was good if they had them in case something happens.

"I was just on my way to talk to the doctors. Thank you everyone. I'll be back soon." Matt said to them.

……………..A while later………

The doctors were hopeful about Emma's condition. They thought she would go home in a day or two which would mean she would be home in time for her birthday. The happy news made them all feel better.

Everyone talked and Tony told them all about Emma and Gibbs talked about in the toilet. It seemed quite amusing afterwards. Gibbs then saw why Matthew and Tony had hit it off as soon as they were introduced to each other. As it wasn't enough Tony told him about a house which was on sale in their neighbourhood. When Emma woke up the date of the wedding was soon set. The 6th of June and it is Sweden's national day.

Gibbs wondered how things would be if he hadn't told Matt to send Emma home a year ago.

………….The 5th of September…………..

At first it looked Emma would quickly get better as soon as she got the right medicines but it didn't happen. She never got better so she had to stay at the hospital. Today it was Emma's birthday and she had urged no one to come. Matthew wasn't happy about the situation and how Emma tackled it. He knew she did as she always had done but it wasn't good for her.

Matt knew he hadn't been the perfect fiancé either. He had worked his shifts because everyone had been so hopeful in the beginning and then he continued to do it because Emma said it was better he worked than sat with her doing nothing important. The days he had been off and the time between his shifts he had been with her. It got really hard for him and he knew Emma felt guilty about it. Nothing they could do would make the situation better.

"Matt…Thanks for coming." Emma said to him but it was a little hard for her to say. A few hours ago they suspected she had got an infection so they've started to pump in some medicines against that too. Her previous medicines could conflict with the new ones but the risk were higher if they stopped giving her them. All the doctors could do now was to wait and see. All this was now really taking a toll on Emma.

"You don't have to speak. It's your birthday and I'm going to be here all day. I've taken a few days off so I can be with you." Matt told her.

"Then it must be really serious…" Emma said to him with a low and raspy voice.

"No…It's just because I love you and it's your birthday. You should drink some water." Matt said while holding the cup with a straw in it so she could drink easier.

"I don't celebrate my birthday…You know that." Emma said to him. It was a bit easier to talk after drinking the water.

"It's a silly tradition. I can't believe you've have it for ten years. From today it's going to change. I have a few plans for today." Matthew explained to her. He had wanted to have a party for her but her sickness made her modify his plans.

"No." Emma protested. She hadn't the energy to say more.

"It's nothing extravagant. That isn't until our engagement party." Matt said with a little smile.

Emma looked at him and smiled a little. She had always wanted a reason to celebrate her birthday but in her whole life it was only connected to misery. Today was probably the same but she didn't feel that way. Her reason was sitting beside her and it was the best reason she had had in her whole life. When she saw him she didn't think about the bad things in her life just how great it was to have him. On her previous birthdays she had always thought that her parents wasted money on her which her siblings could do something with so she always wanted money so she could give to them. The same with Christmas presents. When she got older and earned more money she told them not to waste money on her. Presents never were important to her just how people treated her on her birthday. She had never been treated the way she wanted and it led her to stop celebrating her birthday which was the only day she could remotely control. Now she couldn't control it any longer but for the first time she was happy about that fact. Emma knew Matt knew her so well so everything he would do would be just right.

……………

Matt let her fall asleep again so he waited with showing her what he had bought for her. When she woke up again around lunch he decided to give her the presents.

"IKEA is a good Swedish store and I know you miss Sweden and your family. I bought some food from there but they are at home. I personally didn't go as you know but a call, credit card and FedEx you can do a lot. Then I bought two very big cards. One is a get well card and the other one a happy birthday card. Everyone signed them. Your family called as well. They wanted to talk to you but I said they could try again in a few hours. Your other family will stop by after work. My presents are something different. I went and looked at the house near Tony and Kate. I video filmed the house so when you have enough strength maybe you can look at it. I also know that two days ago you asked Kate if it was a good idea of getting married without everyone. You're not dying so please don't talk like that." Matt told her.

"I might be." Emma said to him.

"Then I figured that was what you wished for your birthday. So I still want us to get married in June but to get married as soon as possible. A real wedding then but a small one now. I've got an application for a marriage license so if you sign it now I can drop it off when you sleep. Then when you're feeling better we can get married. No one needs to know. It can be our secret…Just as your medical condition was before."

"No more…Secrets…" Emma told him. She hated secrets since it destroyed people.

"I figured so that's why we're getting married today. I've fixed everything and all they need is your signature. Will you please marry me today?" Matthew said bent down on one knee.

Emma shed a tear. She nodded being so overwhelmed by the attention he gave her and the unique present. Emma had never felt as special as she did now and she was sad she couldn't express it the way she wanted to because she was sick.

Matthew looked in her eyes and wondered if doing it today wasn't as good idea as he first thought it would be. It was her birthday and it should be the only thing celebrated on this day.

"I still want us to celebrate our wedding day on the 6th of June so if we get married tomorrow instead which makes it only nine months away to the wedding it'll be better. I'm sure some from NCIS can come too then. " Matt suggested.

Emma tried to say something but her voice wasn't holding up so well but she managed a little nod.

"I'll be back as soon as I can. I'll swing by NCIS to tell them the good news. Just concentrate on getting well.

…………At NCIS……….

Matt had registered the marriage license and they could get married straight away. He had called the minister who worked at the base and he had promised to perform the ceremony today but he didn't mind rescheduling it to tomorrow. Now Matt was going to tell the rest. He went up to Emma's office to see if the director was there but she was in a meeting. He sat down by Emma's desk and flipped through her schedule. He read what she had done the day she got sick and the two days before that. It struck him they were the three days they were fighting. Was it something there which could give him a clue on what was happening to her? Matt started to read again her plans on the day she got sick.

In the morning she had shooting practise at 7.00 Am to 7.45 AM. She started work at 8 AM before heading down to the team at 9.30. Then the rest of schedule was blank like she had forgotten to write in the things she had planned or done but most likely she started to get really sick. In the afternoon she was rushed in to hospital. He wondered if something happened at NCIS which could have triggered an allergic reaction. Was it something in the work area that day which caused to get sick? He hoped it wasn't because Emma loved working there. If it was then he hoped it was just something temporary.

Matt waited a while longer for the director. When she came out from her meeting he asked her if she could come tomorrow and she said yes. Then he went down to the rest.

……………………..

"So you recall Abby and Emma speaking with each other that day! That's really helpful. Thanks. I'll go talk to her right now…Great that you can come tomorrow, Becky." Matt said to her. Gibbs, McGee and Tony were out in the field so he couldn't talk to them but he asked Becky to pass on the message to them. While Matt waited for the director he decided to call Kate and tell her about tomorrow instead of wasting time. Now he was going to talk to Abby.

………………

"Hi! I'm going to keep it short." Matt said to her. Abby swung on her chair and looked at him.

"Keep what short?" she asked.

"We're getting married tomorrow so if you can come it'll be nice. Some from NCIS and my friends will hopefully be there. Not so many because you can't have a million people in a hospital room but enough…I hope, David and children can come. I thought we could do it in the evening. It will only take five minutes. I told the priest to be there at 7 PM."

"Of course we will come if nothing major happens. Have you told the rest?" Abby wondered.

"I've called Kate and Becky promised to pass on the message to the others since they were out…I have another question for you. I'm trying to figure out what Emma did the day she got sick. I keep thinking it was something in this building which made her sick. I haven't figured it out yet but Becky told me Emma went here to talk to you." Matt stated.

"We were talking…About you actually…I was testing some things when she walked in…She decided to help out so we could talk for a bit longer. I have the special gloves which she needs so she took a pair and started to help out a bit. It couldn't be them anyway. I don't remember anything else." Abby responded.

"Did she say anything about how her shooting went? I saw in her calendar she shot a few rounds that day."

"I would have remembered if she said something unusual happened. For someone who hates weapons she is a damn good shooter. I remember she told me she was really close to her highest score ever. I think the air in the hall bothered her and yes…I remember…It got worse when she was here with me. I don't know why but it did." Abby told him.

"Did she spill something when she was here?"

"No. It went very well. I can't see anything here causing an allergic reaction."

"Unless she is allergic to something else too. Something which is here but possibly at the hospital too." Matt said thinking our loud.

"I can't see what that could be… Metal and oranges…That is what she is allergic to…I have no idea." Abby said to him while looking around the room. She desperately wanted to help Emma but she had no clue to what it could be.

"I have to get back but call me if you come up with something." Matt said before he hugged her goodbye.

………………..At the hospital……….

When Matt came back Emma had just been sent to ICU. Her condition had got worse.

It tore Matt apart to see her so helpless. He wanted to find a cure immediately. Time went so slow when he stood there watching her through the window. They weren't letting anyone in the room in case her immune system was too weak to handle normal germs.

A few hours went by and Kate and Gibbs showed up.

"Thanks for calling us. I can't believe it got worse." Kate told him.

"Me neither. It was so hard calling her sisters telling them what was happening. I'm the doctor I should now what's wrong with her." Matt said feeling so useless.

"We will find out what it is…I called her that morning…Just before 8…I know she wore gloves but the gun is of metal and so are the bullets." Kate started leaving it to Gibbs to finish.

"We thought that maybe a little bit of metal got shipped of and she breathed in it. It's possible."

"I know they've checked her lungs several times. They would have found something by now. Thanks for the suggestion." Matt said sadly. It was a good theory but it wasn't right. It had to be something else.

"Abby has still not found anything from her lab which could have caused this." Gibbs then said.

"She should go home. When Emma gets better we'll find out what caused this. You should go home too." Matt urged them.

"Just call if there is anything. We'll be here tomorrow evening." Kate told Matt.

"Thanks." Matt said still staring through the window at Emma who was unconscious.

……………………………

Matt fell asleep in the waiting room. When he woke up in the morning Abby sat there next to him with some coffee. Matt thought first a nurse woke him up but it was Abby.

"Why are you here?" he wondered.

"Because maybe it isn't only an allergic reaction…First she stopped taking her medicine which her body reacted against, then she touched her gun, the bullets, keys and door handles which are all made of metal…Then she was in the lab where she put on the right gloves but it could have been after first putting on the wrong ones but I'm not sure… I asked Ducky what she could be suffering from and he checked which medicines are related to her medicine and you better tell the doctors to check if it is the combination of medicines which are wrong. He told me it is very rare but some people to react to some things in this way." Abby said giving him a piece of paper with some information. Matt read it and it all seemed to fit Emma's symptoms.

"Did you sit up all night to do this?" Matt asked her.

"We came early to work this morning and decided to see what we could find. It went quite fast. Only two hours. I thought they would believe you if you told them and showed them this than if I told them on the phone and we wanted to see if you thought it could be this before we told her doctors." Abby told her.

…………………….Later in the day………..

Emma woke up after responding to the new treatment immediately. It was like she never had got worse yesterday. The wedding was still on and everyone prepared for it. The hours went by quite fast and suddenly it was 7.07 PM.

"I proudly present to you Mr and Mrs Andersson." The priest said to them. With a quiet cheer everyone cheered them. Around 20 people had shown up but only half of them were allowed in the room for ten minutes. The hospital made an exception for them.

Emma lay in bed feeling much better and everyone was optimistic about her leaving the hospital within a week.

…………………………………Six years down the road………………………………

Tony and Kate got one more child, a daughter names Jacqueline.

Emma and Matt got four children. First a daughter, two years later a son and a year after that another son. Their fourth child was daughter who was born two years after their last son.

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That was the ending. It's been a rollercoaster writing this which was probably good. I liked how I described Emma in it but maybe the focus on her wasn't so popular. Many stories still get many reviews so there are still people reading NCIS fics just not my fics.

The saying about going out on top really applies in my case because I didn't do it if you at least compare this fic to the last one.

It isn't that easy to come up with new storylines surrounding TATE so maybe I should retire.

I thought the ones who read my stories maybe wanted to know that if there are still people who care.

I want to thank everyone for the support.