Tropical Nightmare- Chapter 23: Making up (Kate´s POV)

Disclaimer: I don´t own any characters or anything!

Summary: Tony and Kate are sent to Argentina for an undercover mission, but they have to take a detour.They are bound to find out that atropical island can be a real nightmare -at least if you´re on your own out there...

Additional note: I usually don´t write 1st-person narrator, but it seemed to fit rather well for this little story as the POV changes with each chapter.Also, the use of present-tense is wanted here, eventhough it may seem a bit odd. I hope it´s still readable.

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I sense someone near me and slowly open my eyes. I´m not at the hospital anymore, that´s my first thought, but then I remember. I´m in my own bedroom. I haven´t been here for a very long time, but there is no way I could forget it. The light is dimmed, I guess Tony did that after we got here. He´s been a great help -not only today, but also on so many other occasions. I blink and turn my head a bit as I become aware of another presence in the room. First I think it´s Tony, but then I realize that the features resemble someone else, someone I never thought I would find sitting next to me in my bedroom again. "Hey, you." I say because I don´t really know what else to tell him.

Much to my surprise, there´s a smile on his face when he leans over and looks at me. I´m surprised of the warmth I can see in his eyes. I thought he would be mad at me, yelling at me or something, but he´s not saying anything right now. Only now I realize that he´s holding my hand. That´s what woke me in the first place, but I don´t mind at all. His eyes tell more than thousands of words ever could. I smile back at him and know that everything will be okay. I know we need to talk, but it´s hard to find the right words.

"Thanks for not yelling at me." I finally say and see a shadow crossing his face. "I´m sorry about what happened. I..." He raises his hand and I fall silent. It´s a sign they use in military, but I´ve grown accustomed to it somehow. I can see that he´s fighting with himself for the right words. It´s always interesting to watch him when he does that. I´ve seen it a few times only, but it´s still fascinating.

"It´s me who should be sorry. I tried to stick my head into your business without realizing how much I hurt you by doing so. I sulked like a stubborn child and kept away from you when you needed me by your side. I...I just hope it´s not too late now." He says and I listen to him with amazement. Jethro Gibbs is not someone who can talk about things like that casually. He´s never easy to talk to, even if you can count him as a friend.

We talk for a long time, I don´t really know how long it actually took, but in the end I know that we are still friends. We make up though we will never forget what happened. It´s going to be a reminder of how fragile a friendship can be. I feel tired again and start to drift back to sleep. He´s still there and I feel safe. I forget to ask him where Tony went, but it´s not important. I sink down into the land of dreams and forget about everything around me again.

When I open my eyes again, it´s morning already. For a moment I wonder what woke me up, but then I realize it´s the sound of my cell phone. It´s lying on my nightstand and I reach for it. "Yes?" I ask and notice that I still sound tired. I check my alarmclock -barely 8 am.

"Hey, Kate. It´s Tony. Uhm...do you have a clue where Gibbs could be at? Abby told me he turned up at your place last night." Oh, wonderful. I need a good story now, but then, I decide to stick with the truth.

"I´m not sure. He was here last night. Let me go check the livingroom. It got pretty late, so he might still be asleep..." I get up and make my way to the door. I still have to fight a bit to keep my balance, but it´s getting better with every step. When I open the door, I have the cutest picture in front of me. I close the door again and sit back on the bed. "He´s here all right, sound asleep on my couch. Could you ask Ducky to issue a note of absence for him for today? I think he´s a bit out of it." I tell him and can literally hear the smile on his face.

"I sure will. He behaved himself though, didn´t he? Abby told me he was pretty grumpy when he got there." I´m a bit surprised by this bit of news -I make myself a note to ask Abby about what happened later on.

"Thanks, Tony. I´ll see you later then." I tell him and put the phone down. Afterwards, I walk into the bathroom and take a hot shower. It feels great to be back at home and I start feeling better already. It seems like it´s not only a saying that the home is the best place to recover. I change into a pair of sweat pants and a green shirt before I walk into the kitchen. I try not to wake him up, but from the way he´s snoring away, even Abby´s music wouldn´t wake him yet.

I make some coffee and sit down in my favorite armchair next to the couch. Before we got on that plane, I had started to read a book, which still sits on the small table. I pick it up and start reading, taking a sip of my coffee once in a while. I´ve covered about 30 pages when I hear a sound from the couch. Looking up, I see him stirring a bit and put the book down. I have to smile when I watch him wake up. When he´s asleep, he looks peaceful -he never looks that way when he´s awake, so that´s how you can tell if he´s really sleeping or merely acting as if.

I walk into the kitchen and get a second cup of coffee, which I put onto the table for him. I settle back down and continue to watch him. His eyes finally open and he sits up with a start. "Morning, big boss. Did you sleep well?" I ask and have to smile about the look on his face.