disclaimer: I don't own NCIS or its characters...
Gibbs brought Kate back a white paper bag from the hospital cafeteria and handed it to her. She noticed that his cup was steaming from being freshly refilled. She said a hurried but polite 'thank you' before opening the bag and ravenously exploring its contents. There was an apple, a banana, a bagel, a container of strawberry yogurt with a spoon, and a half-pint of milk. It was apparent that Gibbs had put some thought into it, instead of just grabbing for her a simple slice of toast or the like. She looked at him, but he avoided making eye contact with her. He didn't want her to think that he had gone soft or anything.
Her stomach growled at her and she grabbed the bagel. It had looked the most tempting to her appetite. She devoured half of it before she realized that Abby was staring at her. Remembering her manners, she offered part of the other half of bagel to the wide-eyed young women.
"Uh, No thanks, Kate," Abby replied to Kate's muted offering of bagel. She watched the pregnant woman chew vigorously on her mouthful of bagel, then continue to finish off the unfortunate bread product. She couldn't help but think that it deserved so much better, perhaps to be served with coffee to some PhD candidates discussing their doctoral work, or to writers who sipped herbal tea and listened to improv poetry. However, the bagel met its fate at the insatiable appetite of a rather worn and tired-looking hormonal woman, who now began to attack an ill-fated banana.
And it was at that moment that Tony's body chose to regain consciousness.
"I should've known that I'd wake up to you stuffing your face," a weak voice commented from where Tony lay. It distracted the two horrified onlookers who had been entranced by the massacring of breakfast foods. They turned to find their friend and co-worker had finally awoken.
Kate jumped up, forgetting about her earlier fatigue and rushed to Tony's bedside as she managed to swallow the last but of the ravaged banana. She was so happy that he was awake, but she couldn't let the insult go unchecked.
"I should have known that you'd pull something like this to get out of taking care of me," she said to him as she tried to take in every detail of his enlivened but groggy face. Her own glowing and relieved smile betrayed any gruffness or scolding the statement was meant to convey. He reached a hand out to her and she caught it, placing a kiss on its palm. He cradled her cheek with his hand, her own hand placed gently on the outside of his where the IV was taped to his skin. She smiled at him and tried to blink back the tears. Why was she behaving so emotional? He was fine. And she had just seen him right before he had left for work last night. He moved his hand and she let it slide down to rest upon her round belly, where her tank-top failed to cover her entire stomach.
Abby smiled at the engrossed couple, while Gibbs shifted uneasily at the tender moment they had witnessed. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy seeing kindness between people. God only knew that he had seen too many acts of hate. In fact, he secretly reveled in the fact that two good people that he knew could bring each other happiness. It was just that he felt like he had witnessed a moment so emotionally intimate that it wasn't meant for others to see. That made him uncomfortable. Knowing that he could have been responsible for ending their moments, such as the one he had just witnessed, forever, that bothered him even more. But it was their job. It was a risk they knew about. And it was his job to make sure that they did their jobs, despite how much watching this moment between them made him want to protect them from ever feeling hurt, from taking the risks. He took another drink of coffee to clear the thought from his head. He was in charge here, and these were his agents, none of which who ere getting anything done.
"Okay, now that we know Dinozzo is his usual self, some of us have work to get back to," he said interrupting the affectionate couple and their rapt spectator. "Abby, I believe you have evidence in need of your singular attention."
"Oh, yeah, Gibbs," Abby said looking at her boss with an I-hope-this-doesn't-mean-I'm-in-trouble face. "I'll get right on it as soon as we get back."
"Does that mean visiting hours are over?" Tony asked faintly, trying to maintain his usual flair for the absurd.
"I guess it does, Dinozzo," Gibbs replied. "That means you, too, Kate," he added sending a strict look in her direction. How could he ask her to leave Tony now that he had just woken up? She sent him a defiant look in return. Deciding that pissing off a hormonal woman wouldn't be the most effective route, Gibbs decided to change tactics and reason with her. "Kate, you don't look very well. It would be best for you to go home, get some rest, eat a real meal, and then come spend time with Tony-I don't know why you'd want to-after you feel better."
Kate sighed in response to her boss' litany. He was right, as usual. But she had just gotten Tony back after being threatened with never seeing him again. And she knew how he hated being alone. He'd especially hate being alone and confined to a hospital bed while in pain. She knew that he'd prefer her to be there, doting over him. However, maybe this small torture would pay him back for scaring her like he had. Maybe being left alone to suffer was just what he needed to appreciate her more. Then again, the pathetic look on his face, the dark circles under his eyes, the obvious presence of pain despite the medication, all made her want to comfort him. She was about to ask him permission to leave, more of a fish for an excuse to stay, when he spoke up first.
"Gibbs is right," he said in a slightly strained voice. He could see that she was completely worn out. Her skin was pale, lacking its usual color and the warm glow it had gained from pregnancy. He didn't want her or their baby's health to become another casualty of the incident that had landed him in the hospital. "You don't look so hot. Come back when you're something more appealing to look at." He tried weakly to insult her, proving that he would be fine without her there.
"Thanks a lot, Tony!" Kate snapped back. Surprisingly enough, despite all of her insecurities, the insult did make her feel better. She looked at Abby whom was smiling at the interplay between the couple, knowing that they would both be okay. "Remind me why I put up with him again?" Kate asked rhetorically. None of them expected Abby's response.
"Because he knocked you up?" she said in her usual self-amused way. She had a flair for stating the obvious truths when no one else wanted to hear them. They had all avoided saying that type of thing openly. Kate and Tony had only discussed it at home, and tried avoiding acknowledgement of the fact in front of Gibbs at all cost. Gibbs had returned the favor by trying to ignore the situation as best as possible. Right now, he shook his head and smirked in his slightly amused manner. He loved how Abby could make people uncomfortable just by stating the truth in her loveable no-nonsense sort of way. He wondered at how people never seemed to hold it against the young woman, but despised him for basically the same behavior. He concluded that it must be the pigtails as Kate proceeded to blush and Tony turned a couple of shades paler.
The awkward moment was broken by the entrance of a nurse and the doctor they had previously met into the small space. "Have you all been here the entire night?" the rather attractive doctor scolded them sternly.
Tony smiled at the opportunity to be sarcastic. Things had been getting too serious for his liking. "No. I went out for a couple of drinks to take the edge off being shot and snuck back in while everyone was asleep."
The three people in the room that knew him rolled their eyes. Gibbs suppressed the urge to cuff him upside the head. The nurse smiled genuinely at the injured man's sense of humor and the doctor simply ignored it.
"I have to examine Mr. Dinozzo's sutures. Then, he needs to get his rest. Everyone else is to leave now." She informed them sternly.
"We were just leaving, doctor," Gibbs replied trying to maintain the illusion that he couldn't be ordered around. She gave him a look of tired frustration. It told him that she didn't want to engage in a battle of wills with him, but would if she had to. Gibbs smiled at the alluring doctor. Maybe he'd look her up later, when he wasn't so swamped with work. "Abby, Kate, Let's go."
Kate was going to object, but decided against it. She felt like an emotional and physical pile of rubble and just wanted to sleep in her own bed. With a look at Tony and a gentle squeeze of his hand she said 'goodbye', and followed Abby and Gibbs out the door.
"Well, Mr. Dinozzo," the doctor said after the bothersome man and the two women had left. "Let's take a look at those stitches."
"You can call me 'Tony'," he said with a smile as she pulled back the hospital blankets and gown enough to expose his bandaged abdomen. His smile turned into a wince as she removed the bandage and gently prodded the tender area with her gloved fingers.
"Okay, Tony," she said turning her attention to look at his face. She noticed the wince and his irregular breathing, signifying the fact that he was attempting to disguise the pain. "You're still in pain?"
"Mmph-Yes," he conceded.
"We'll get you something for that," she said with a reassuring smile. "But first we need to give you a shot of antibiotics to prevent infection."
The nurse prepared a needle and handed it to the doctor. He tried not to look at it. Needles were one of his least favorite things.
"I heard that antibiotics only last twelve months now before the bacteria become resistant," he said trying to ignore the thought of the needle piercing his flesh, as well as attempting to impress the female doctor and the pretty nurse.
"That is a growing problem," the doctor replied as she focused on injecting the antibiotic.
"You sure that you should be wasting it on me?" he asked as she removed the needle. The nurse was smiled at him again.
"My patient's health is my primary concern. That means if giving you antibiotics is going to prevent a STAPH infection, that's what I'm going to do. Let the chemists and research pharmacists worry about antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria," the doctor said flatly as she rewrapped the wound with fresh bandages. She'd never had this type of conversation with a patient before, but she wasn't going to let it show. She was known for her stoicism, and she wouldn't let this patient, or his overbearing friend, boss, colleague-whatever he was- ruin her reputation. "We'll check back in on you later. And I'll have Clarissa get you a painkiller.
Unlike the doctor, Clarissa the nurse was impressed. She smiled admiringly at Tony and he winked at her as she followed the doctor out of the room. He felt guilty for a moment and wondered why. He had never felt guilty about flirting with a pretty girl before, not even since he'd been with Kate. Although, he had never had a relationship quite like the one he had with Kate. She was different than the other women. She was important to him. But he still couldn't change who he was for her. He was a womanizer at heart, after all. He liked women; all sorts of women, all shapes and sizes. But he only loved one woman. Maybe he should to her that…