Gibbs smiled. Is this what Kelly might have been like? He grabbed the extra blankets in the corner and gently draped them over her, chest to toe. She mumbled something inaudible as she sank into in oblivion.
Gibbs sank into the chair that used to sit next to DiNozzo's hospital bed. The poker face fell and Gibbs prayed that his senior agent would beat the fever.
The two slept restlessly, unaware of Tony DiNozzo's struggle. He shook as he was lowered into one of the baths in the ICU. The tepid water was warm to the touch but to DiNozzo it was like being plunged into a bath of ice. His breathing started to worsen and he lashed out with his right arm, catching the nurse who was attending to his IV. She gently rubbed his arm as she lowered it back into the water.
"Agent DiNozzo, can you hear me?" the doctor tapped Tony' cheek gently to try and receive a response. With no indication that Tony had heard him the doctor gave the nod to one of the nurses who held him still. To determine the cause of the fever and now the difficulty breathing it was essential that Tony was motionless.
The doctor gently palpated Tony's abdomen in the water. Finding no firmness that would indicate internal bleeding he ruled it as a reaction.
"Push 10mg of brompheniramine. That temperature is a reaction to the antibiotics"
Tony groaned as his temperature was checked. The thermometer read 105 but in the few seconds the thermometer was in his ear it slowly dropped.
"Okay Agent DiNozzo, just a few more minutes in the water" The doctor comforted as Tony lashed out once again, spilling water onto the floor.
Tony could half hear what they were saying. Colours swirled and blended together as he tried to find his bearings. He could hear voices, but who did they belong to? And it was hot, too hot. His shoulder hurt. He sunk back down into semi unconsciousness.
"Samantha" the doctor called to one of the nurses. "Get a cooling blanket set up in Agent DiNozzo's room and ready some cool IV fluids instead of the room temp ones. We should have this fever down by morning"
After the nurse left and Tony had been in the bath a half hour or so it was time to take him back to his room.
"On three. One, two, THREE" the doctor ordered. Tony was lifted into a semi standing position, quickly towelled and gently spun round onto the waiting gurney. He hardly blinked, a testament to how he felt for if he had been fully conscious he surely would have protested.
A pale blue hospital gown was fitted before Tony was wheeled out of the ICU and back to his room.
Gibbs awoke when a small nurse came into the room pushing an empty hospital bed with blanket of some description and other medical equipment.
"Where's Tony?" Gibbs automatically asked, worry leaping to grasp his heart.
The nurse smiled gently. "He's okay now. The high temperature was caused by a reaction to the antibiotics he was on. Hopefully with some antihistamines it will not happen again. I'm just setting up a cooling blanket, and that combined with cool fluids should bring his temp back within the normal range."
Soon after her departure Tony was wheeled into the room. Gibbs who had been pacing around the room, stopping to watch Alex, the pacing some more immediately went to his side.
The nurses and the doctor transferred Tony to the new bed and the nurses left, leaving the doctor to attach the IV and administer adequate pain relief.
"There you go Agent DiNozzo. All set up. I know you're cold but you have a temperature so intermittently we will check it and the blanket will be removed when it's down. I'm really sorry you find it uncomfortable" the doctor talked to his semi-conscious patient as Tony shivered and lightly groaned.
"Cold" he whispered.
"DiNozzo. Listen to the doctor. Try to sleep" Gibbs gently chided him, moving to Tony's head.
"m'kay" Tony's eyes fluttered shut with a combination of the drugs and the reassurance that Gibbs had his six.
The doctor looked at Gibbs appreciatively. "He hasn't shut his eyes fully since we took him. You definitely have the right touch"
Gibbs relaxed into the chair again and looked at Tony. "I'm not surprised. He's dam stubborn"
"I'll be round again in the morning. The nurses will come take his temp and BP each hour but I think we caught it in time. He should be fine by tomorrow and be able to go home in a few days"
"Thanks Doc" Gibbs nodded as the doctor took one more look at the IV before leaving the room.
He glanced over to Alex who had stayed asleep through all the commotion in the room. She rolled over to her right as he watched, but instead of staying asleep she gasped and her hand flew to her abdomen.
Gibbs was out of the chair in a flash.
"Alex, hey Alex what's up kid!"
Alex hunched over, gasping as she tried to regain oxygen. "Nothing" she choked. "Put my weight on my bruises"
Gibbs rubbed her back comfortingly, his paternal instinct kicking in.
Finally the pain lessened and she sunk back into the pillow.
"Sorry for scaring you" she apologized.
"Rule number 6. Never say you're sorry. It's a sign of weakness" Gibbs cut across her.
"Whose rules?"
"Mine"
She smiled slightly. "So, do I need to write them down or something?"
"Just remember them" Gibbs countered.