Nurse/Patient 3

It was getting dark outside was the first thing Tony noted when he opened his eyes. He was half covered in a blanket and had a damp facecloth on his forehead.

"Welcome back DiNozzo." Gibbs said to him.

Ducky had let himself into Gibbs' house and now was standing over Tony with a concerned look on his face. "You're definitely not looking good Anthony." It was one of Ducky's blatant observations. "First things first, you need to get cleaned up and out of those clothes."

Tony stood to his feet unevenly and quickly brushed away any offers of assistance and mumbled something about being able to make the stairs on the power of his own two legs. He half used the wall to support himself since the room wouldn't stop spinning. The two were slowly following him up the stairs and when he collapsed to his knees halfway up.

"I don't need help." Tony was going to commando crawl up the stairs if he had to. But there was no chance to resist when Ducky and Gibbs picked him by the armpits and wrapped his arms around their necks and dragged him up the stairs. "I told you I'm-."

"Shut up DiNozzo." Gibbs told him.

Tony sat down up against the wall of the bathroom as Gibbs ran the bath. "God, I feel like such a child." Tony sighed as he held his head in his hands. "You're not going to bathe me are you?" Tony asked cringing at the thought.

"I think I'll pass on that DiNozzo." Gibbs responded, "Unless you want me to start stripping you down… I suggest you begin taking your clothes off."

"Yes Boss." Tony said.

Ducky couldn't help but smile as he stood at the doorway. He'd often had the opportunity to observe the Jethro/Anthony relationship in a way that no other person was able to. Jethro was a very private person around others but around Ducky he showed his true colors. From early on, their relationship had grown from a boss/agent relationship to one that was akin to father and son. Now, one of his children was sick and even though his demeanor hadn't changed too much, it was obvious to the observer that he was concerned with his field agent.

But Ducky wondered how long the concern would last if Tony kept protesting every inch of the way.

It felt as if the cold air immediately centered on Tony's body as soon as he took all his clothes off and he began to shiver. The water made it worse, he knew his fever temperature was making everything feel colder than it actually was. After he'd finished washing thoroughly, he drew his knees up to his chest and whimpered as he really began to feel really bad. To hell with modesty he thought to himself, it felt like the room was spinning out of control and he grabbed the edge of the bath to hold on for dear life.

"Boss!" He fought against every natural urge in his body and called out for Gibbs.

Gibbs strode into the bathroom and grabbed a towel before helping Tony to his feet. There was nothing said between them as he dried him nor did he say anything when Tony leant on him slightly to keep his balance.

"I think I can take it from here." Tony broke the silence as if realizing that he was naked in front of his superior for the first time.

"Are you sure?" Gibbs asked.

"Yes Boss." Tony said weakly but smiling, "Give me a moment and I'll be right out."

Tony put on his pajamas and entered the bedroom that he had been unofficially his since he kept getting physically hurt since joining NCIS. He walked in and lay on the bed to get the once over from Ducky the ME who'd somehow become the NCIS' physician as well.

"Do you mind warming that thing up a bit first?" Tony said as Ducky used the stethoscope to listen to his heartbeat as he breathed in and out as instructed. There was definitely a problem breathing and it sounded raspy. After a couple of goes he started coughing up again. "I don't think I nee-."

Tony's words were cut off when Ducky shoved the thermometer into his mouth, "You know you're the only one of my patients that complains." Ducky told him.

"That's because they're all dead." Tony laughed, that was something he shouldn't do too often, "What does that say about your physician skills." He tightened his lips around the end of the thermometer to keep it from falling out.

Finally he withdrew the thing and checked it before frowning in Gibbs' direction which meant it wasn't good at all. "He has a fever… I suggest plenty of bed rest, fluids and some nourishment." He explained as he put his equipment back into the bag, "And also keep him as cool as possible."

"Yes Ducky." Gibbs said as he led him out of the door, "Anything else I can do for him?"

"Just make sure he stays rested Jethro. You know what he's like. I'll pick him up some medicine and drop it around later." Ducky told him.

"Thanks Duck." Gibbs said as he left.

"Drink this DiNozzo." Gibbs ordered him when he went into the bedroom and offered Tony a glass of water.

"Thanks Boss." Tony said shakily.

"Ducky's going to drop around some medicine later." Gibbs said to Tony, "You holding up?"

"Sorry Boss." Tony said closing his eyes, drifting off to sleep.

"For what DiNozzo?" Gibbs smiled pointlessly.

"Wasting your time Boss." Tony answered as if it was a well known fact, "It's precious, I should be able to look after myself… I'm supposed to be strong, your senior agent not a patient."

"DiNozzo…" Tony nodded to Gibbs' words sleepily. "When you're feeling better we're going to have a long talk."

Gibbs sat on the chair beside the bed for some time keeping a watchful eye on the sleeping Tony. This wasn't the first time he'd seen him downed and he was willing to be that it wasn't the last. It seemed that Tony acted more worried about his external appearance instead of his health and that was definitely a worry.

A/N: Thanks for the reviews people... I didn't think this would be as popular as it is. Hope it doesn't become a disappointment.