Chapter 10 - Gibbs Has a Fever

Trisha woke up to something warm and fuzzy rubbing on her chin. It took her a little while, but then she realized that it was her cat. She pushed it away and reached for her alarm clock, only to have her arm hit the carpet. Boy was she surprised when that happened. She thought that the whole thing had been one strange dream. She turned her head and saw Rochelle sitting on the couch, flipping through channels on the television. Trisha sat up to check on Gibbs, whom she had fallen asleep next to.

"He's sound asleep," Rochelle told her. "As far as I know, he hasn't woken up at all since last night. That's probably a good thing… did you see those bruises he has? He has to hurt," Rochelle said.

"Yea, I noticed them, how could I miss them? Poor guy," Trisha exclaimed softly. "Still, he looks a lot better than when we found him. At least his lips are a normal color again." Trisha had gotten up and clambered to the bathroom, then the kitchen. She grabbed a bowl and put some Frosted Flakes in it, then added some milk. Inhaling it fairly quickly, she came back to the living room and plopped herself next to Gibbs.

Gibbs was indeed sound asleep. Minus the cuts and dried blood that remained on his face, he looked quite peaceful. He was snoring softly. He lay on his back with his head resting on Trisha's pillow that Rochelle had gotten the night before. He was covered in a mound of blankets.

Rochelle was still channel surfing. She stopped at The Weather Channel and waited for the local forecast. Instead, a winter weather warning flashed across the screen: "A Winter Weather Advisory has been issued for the following northeastern states - New York and Pennsylvania. Snow will begin to fall at 10PM EST; snow will be heavy at times and will produce blizzard and whiteout conditions…"

"You've got to be kidding me," Trish said while looking at the TV. "Just great. You know we're gonna lose power, especially if it's a wet snow. Some tree will fall over onto the power lines; happens every time. I mean, someone sneezes the wrong direction out here and the power goes out… this sucks," Trisha stated.

Rochelle looked over at Trisha. "Well, what are we gonna do? It's cold outside and I don't think Gibbs needs to cool off anytime soon…"

Trisha nodded, then told Rochelle to get dressed. They went outside and brought chopped wood into the garage from the shed so they could start a fire in the fireplace if necessary. Trisha had filled the generator up with gasoline and got it ready. That way, they could hook up the appliances in the kitchen and be able to use the stove and the fridge. Once they had gotten everything together, they both came back to the living room. Trisha sat next to Gibbs on the floor and Chelle took the Lay-Z Boy.

"Hey, we should probably wake him up. He needs to get some fluids in him, you know," Rochelle told Trish.

Trisha looked at Gibbs, who was still sleeping. "Yea, I know. I almost want to let him alone; if he wakes up he's just gonna feel the pain." Trisha sighed, "Should we do it now?"

Rochelle looked at her friend and said, "We? It's up to you to wake him up! He's a special agent. Who knows, maybe he'll wake up and go into 'kill mode' or something!"

Trisha just shook her head as Rochelle went to the kitchen. She reached over and began to run her hand through Gibbs' silver hair. "Agent Gibbs," she called softly. "Hey Gibbs, you gotta wake up for a little bit. Come on, buddy, time to wake up…"

Gibbs opened his blue eyes and blinked a few times. He looked at the girl who was kneeling over him and running her hand through his hair. He went to talk, but his voice was raspy and his throat hurt.

"Hey sleepy head," Trish said to Gibbs. "You've been sleeping for like the last 15 hours. We thought it would be a good idea to wake you up for a little bit. You want something to drink?" she asked him.

Gibbs nodded as Rochelle came out of the kitchen with a water bottle. She knelt next to Gibbs as Trisha put her arm under his head, propping him up a little bit so he wouldn't choke.

Gibbs took small sips of the water. He closed his eyes; the coolness felt good against his sore throat. He soon finished off the bottle, and Trisha gently put his head back on the pillow. He felt much better than last night. After both kids went back into the kitchen, Gibbs decided that he was sick of laying down; he needed to get in contact with his team - especially Kate.'God, she must be worried,' he thought to himself.He rolled over on his side and attempted to sit up; he had no problem until he was actually sitting. Gibbs moaned as he closed his eyes tightly and tried to block the pain. He wished he hadn't moved. His ribs began to throb in time with his heart beat. He groaned again, but this time it was loud enough that Trisha and Rochelle had heard it. They both came running into the living room. Gibbs had started gasping continuously. His shoulders were rising and falling fast.

"Gibbs, lay back down!" Rochelle commanded.

"No!" Gibbs said with defiance. "Actually, I can't…" he said between gasps, frozen with pain.

Trisha stooped behind Gibbs and pressed her chest against his back. She reached around and put her hands on his chest, pulling him into her tiny frame. "Ok Gibbs, match my breathing. You're hyperventilating. Inhale, Gibbs," she said as she slightly moved her hands away from his chest, letting it rise. "Now let it out," she instructed as she applied pressure as his chest fell. "Breathe in… breathe out. Again. Good Gibbs. It's passing. Hang on," she whispered to him.

Exhausted, Gibbs let his head fall backwards onto Trisha's shoulder. "Damn it," he muttered as he passed out again.

Rochelle slid the Lay-Z Boy behind Trisha so she could lean back against it. She brought over some pillows from the couch so Trisha could sit on them, bringing her up to Gibbs' height. Trisha let out a heavy sigh, then rested her head against Gibbs' head.

Rochelle looked at Gibbs for a minute, then put her hand against his forehead. It was hot and clammy. "Uh oh," she said.

Trisha looked at her and waited for her to go on. She saw worry in her friend's eyes.

Rochelle had gotten up and went to the bathroom. She came back with a thermometer and stuck the end in Gibbs' mouth to take his temperature. When the thermometer beeped, Chelle took it and said, "Yep, I think we over-thawed him. His temp is 102."

Trisha shook her head. "I don't think it's our fault, Chelle. Actually, I'm not surprised. Go get a cold washcloth for him. I think his temperature will come down by itself. We'll take it again later tonight," she said. After Rochelle had gotten the washcloth and given it to Trisha, Trisha held it against Gibb's forehead.

Rochelle put in a DVD and plopped onto the couch. She glanced over at Trisha and wondered why she had taken such a liking to the man who was leaning on her. She knew her friend as the tough girl who never cried, never got too close to anyone, never showed her true feelings. 'This whole situation is just really weird,' she thought to herself. Feeling tired, Rochelle told herself that she'd just close her eyes for a few minutes.

Trisha smiled and chuckled to herself as she thought about what would happen if someone saw her like this - with some guy sleeping on her. Her reputation would be ruined. She had never been the cuddling type. Gibbs stirred and started coughing. He had gripped one of Trisha's hands. Trisha rubbed his chest and head until he had calmed down. "Easy Gibbs, try to relax," she said.

"Stay…please…" Gibbs whispered to Trisha.

She smirked, "In case you haven't noticed, you have me pinned against a chair, it's not like I have a choice." She knew that wasn't true; she could have gotten up if she wanted to. Trisha rested her chin on his shoulder. "But I'd stay with you anyway, Gibbs," she said into his shirt.

Gibbs smiled, "Thanks, kiddo." He started coughing and pain knifed through his ribs. Then he felt Trisha's hand running through his hair again. Gibbs closed his eyes. He didn't know why, but when she stroked his hair, he felt comforted. He leaned his head against Trisha's, whose rested on his shoulder. "I don't think I can sleep anymore, Trish," he said.

Trisha thought for a minute. "You know, my mom used to sing me a song when I had trouble falling asleep." She was silent for a moment, and then, very softly, she began to sing:

"Dream, child, as childhood wants to do.Dream all this night will allow. Dream, child, dream with an angel's view. Out there safe in your clouds. Wait for me now, I will be there for you. No matter what, tomorrow may bring, this I will vow: I will be there, for this child with different wings. Dream child, stars have been rumored to, see dreams within newborn eyes. And in their arms I believe they do, keep safe until you arise. Wait for me now, I will be there for you. No matter what, tomorrow may bring. This I will vow: I will be there, for this child with different wings."

She was silent again. She could tell by Gibbs' steady breathing that he was asleep. Trisha sat there and watched TV while Gibbs slept against her and Rochelle dreamed on the couch. The cat came and curled up beside Trisha, purring loudly. She put her head back on Gibbs' shoulder, soon falling asleep while listening to his breathing.