Chapter 13

Pneumonia could kill Tony. Gibbs knew that as he waited for Ziva, giving her some time alone with Tony before he ordered Palmer to take her home to get some rest. He rubbed his hands over his face, wishing that he had some coffee. As if anticipating Gibbs' need, Jimmy suddenly stood before him, holding a cup of coffee. He gratefully took the liquid and watched as the younger man went over to sit across the room, giving Gibbs some space. About twenty minutes later, Ziva emerged from Tony's room and went over to stand in front of Gibbs. He quickly got to his feet, seeing the concerned look on her face.

"Tony needs you. He is agitated and trying to fight the ventilator. I cannot calm him down right now."

Gibbs pulled her into a tight hug. "Palmer can take you home."

"Gibbs – I"

"It's not a suggestion. You need to get some sleep. I'll watch over Tony."

"I will sleep some, but here. I am not leaving the hospital. I can sleep in McGee's room; I do not mind sleeping on the floor."

Breaking the embrace, Gibbs led her over to Jimmy. He jumped to his feet, almost falling over in the process and dropping the women's magazine he had been flipping through.

"What can I do for you sir? I mean, Agent Gibbs. I know you don't like to be called sir and I probably shouldn't call you boss since you're not my boss. Technically, Doctor Mallard is my boss and I don't call him that. I call him –"

"Palmer," Gibbs interrupted.

"Sorry Agent Gibbs."

"I need you to take Ziva to McGee's room, make sure that she gets something to eat and some sleep."

Palmer nodded. Gibbs turned to Ziva, forcing her to look in his eyes. Unwillingly, Ziva silently agreed and followed Jimmy to the elevator. Gibbs headed straight towards Tony's room, desperate to see his agent. An alarm was going off as Gibbs entered the room and a nurse was attempting to calm down the young man as he gagged, feeling the tube in his throat. Doctor Pitt stepped around Gibbs and went to Tony's side, checking his stats. Sweat was dripping down Tony's forehead and into his feverish eyes. The dim light in the room made his agent look even sicker, accenting his pale skin. Tony's chest was contacting like he was coughing, but there was no sound escaping because of the ventilator.

"You need to relax Tony. The ventilator is just helping you to breathe easier," Brad comforted.

No effect. Tony's eyes searched around the room until he found Gibbs standing near the door. Tears were pooled in his eyes and Gibbs couldn't stand it. He rushed up to the bed, running his hand through Tony's hair with one hand and holding his other hand. The nurse backed up a little as Tony's pulse started to fall back to a normal level and he stopped trying to spit out the tube. Gibbs remembered the feeling of being intubated before and it burned his throat. With Tony struggling not to cough, it only made the situation worse.

"It's okay… I'm right here Tony. Shh, I'm here."

Instantly, Tony's movement stilled and his eyes blinked heavily before closing and it appeared as if he fell back asleep.

"Wow," the nurse mused. "He responded so well to your presence. I've never seen a patient calm so quickly."

Gibbs didn't speak at first. "He knows I've got his six."

"His what?"

"I've got his back," the older man said with a small smile.

The nurse smiled, leaving him alone in the room with Brad. Brad put one hand on Gibbs' shoulder for a moment before exiting. Tony remained silent in the bed, save the sound of his forced breathing. Gibbs picked up the cold cloth sitting next to the bed and draped it across Tony's forehead, stopping the sweat from dripping into his eyes. The young man opened his eyes again, looking at his boss as he cared for him.

"Hey Tony."

Moisture pooled in Tony's eyes as he weakly lifted one hand and pointed to the tube in his mouth. Gibbs grabbed his hand and held it in his to keep him from pulling on the ventilator tube.

"I know it hurts, but you have to leave it in until Brad says your oxygen levels are up."

Tony nodded once, letting him know that he understood. He pulled his hand back from Gibbs and made a writing motion with his wrist. Gibbs found a pad of paper and a pencil, putting it in Tony's hand and helping him as he wrote on the paper.

How's McGee?

"He's alright. He has a moderate concussion and his shoulder is going to take a long time to heal, but he's okay."

Does he know?

"Yeah, he knows. Abby is with him, keeping him company."

Ziva?

Gibbs took a moment before answering. "Palmer is making sure that she gets some rest and something to eat. He's keeping her with McGee and Abby. You need to get some sleep."

Tony's eyes blinked heavily in silent agreement, but the young man continued to fight the exhaustion. Gibbs reached up and gently ran his fingers through Tony's hair, comforting his agent as he started to drift to sleep. Tony locked eyes with his boss, scared to fall asleep. He wanted to wake up again and not find himself unable to breathe. Gibbs murmured softly as he returned the contact. Tony let himself fall asleep, trusting that Gibbs wasn't going to let anything happen to him.

"Are you ready Tony?" Brad asked.

Tony's oxygen levels were higher and Brad wanted to try weaning him off the ventilator. Tony shook his head no and looked back at Gibbs.

"Tony, we need to try. The longer it's in, the harder it will be to remove it and it increases your chances of developing another infection on top of the pneumonia."

"Tony." All Gibbs had to do was speak his name and Tony remembered that Gibbs was watching his six.

Tony looked over at Brad and gave him a signal with his hand that he was ready. Gibbs waited across the room as Brad disconnected the tube, allowing Tony to take a breath. Several seconds passed and there was no movement. Just as Brad was about to give up, Tony took an unsteady breath. And then another. The doctor determined that it was good enough and asked Tony to cough as he prepared to remove the tube fully. Gibbs stepped up closer to the bed, taking Tony's hand and forcing him to look in his eyes and not on what Brad was about to do. Tony coughed as the tube was removed from his throat and he could breathe on his own.

"Good job Tony," Brad commented, helping Nurse Emma move the machine away and connecting a nasal canula to Tony's face, tucking it behind his ears and around his chin.

The whole process took only a few minutes before Brad and Emma were done. It was much easier to see Tony's face and he looked a little healthier. Tony coughed into his hand, grateful that the tube was gone, though it had left his throat sore. It felt good to be able to cough instead of just feeling the tickle, unable to remove the stuff from his lungs.

"Boss…" he gasped.

"Try not to talk Tony," Brad suggested, leaving the two alone.

As soon as the doctor was gone, Tony tried again to speak but only succeeded in coughing. The harsh sound ripped through the air. Gibbs put his arm around Tony, helping him into a sitting position and letting him take a sip of water.

"Thanks… Boss."

Tony lay back against the pillows and Gibbs could feel that his skin was too warm. The fever was still ragging through his weak body. He was breathing again, but the infection was still winning. The two were content to sit in silence for several minutes before Tony tried to communicate again.

"I don't…" Tony's voice was raw and hoarse.

"Shh… don't try to talk," Gibbs whispered.

"I think… I'm gonna be sick."

Gibbs picked up the bowl just in time as Tony pushed himself to his elbows and threw up the meager contents of his stomach. The poor kid just couldn't get a break. Gibbs helped Tony take a sip of water as a nurse came into the room, hearing the sounds and took away the container. He blushed, embarrassed of how much weakness he had shown to Gibbs. Tony leaned back, taking deep breaths.

"You okay?" Gibbs inquired.

"I feel… terrible. I just… want it to stop."

Gibbs had no answer for the young man. He just held his hand as Tony went back to sleep.

Just in case anyone is wondering, yes this story is listed as Tony/Gibbs, but I think it's important to have the whole team in there and maybe there has been a lot of Ziva talking with Tony, but they are partners and she's concerned. I'm a girl and if my partner was sick, I would be there taking care of him. Don't worry, there will be plenty of father/son moments. :)

Anyway, thank you for all the reviews! Hope you enjoyed the chapter! I'm gonna go watch NCIS with my stuffed Bert (not the real one from the show, but he looks almost identical).

Please review!

Emma