There was no way in hell Tony was going to tell Gibbs where the doctor had stuck that needle. But judging by the look on Gibbs' face it was apparent that he already knew and just wanted to hear Tony complain about it. The car trip back seemed longer on the way back and was beginning to feel boring for both.
"How you feeling?" Gibbs was the one who broke the silence.
"I'm a little hungry." Tony answered… He hadn't felt like anything to eat for quite some time and now the hunger gremlins were getting feisty.
"What do you feel like eating?" Gibbs asked.
"Pizza sounds nice." Tony answered immediately.
Gibbs studied his young senior field agent momentarily. Tony still looked weak and extremely pale and the previous fever had taken a hell of a lot out of him. The blocked nose made him sound really bad. He looked well enough for a…
"Hey…" Tony said as he felt the familiar pain of a headslap.
"When you're with me you're going to eat something more substantial." Gibbs explained the reason for his action.
"You're suppose to go easy on me, I'm sick remember?" Tony said.
Gibbs turned his head to the side. "You are telling me to remember that you're sick?" Gibbs asked. "Anyway, let's get you home and I'll make you something to eat."
Tony has seen the different faces of Gibbs through the years… Angry Gibbs, troubled Gibbs, pleased Gibbs and extremely pissed off Gibbs… But the face he was seeing now was completely foreign to him and this frightened him. This was unknown Gibbs.
"Yes Boss." He said.
Tony had only half finished the meal that Gibbs had cooked him and he sat on the couch trying not to fall asleep while they watched a movie. He'd become really bored with it, a movie about a couple that are spies on maternity leave wasn't really holding his attention and was having trouble holding his eyes open.
"Why don't you go off to bed DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked noting the heavy eyelids that were occasionally dropping on Tony's face.
"I'm right Boss." Tony said and was surprised to see Gibbs place the pills on his lap and a glass of water was placed in his hand.
"Take it and then off to bed." Gibbs said. "How you feeling?"
"You already asked me that today." Tony answered.
Gibbs thought for a moment as Tony swallowed the pills as instructed. "It's just I put on a movie for you and you haven't been watching it."
"Sorry Boss." Tony said.
"I'm just curious DiNozzo… What is it with you and hospitals?" Gibbs asked.
"Huh?" Tony replied.
"You and hospitals? You know, I would've thought you'd love hospital stays." Gibbs said. "Especially with the Candy Stripers and cute nurses."
Tony snorted which brought on a coughing which eventually subsided. "Yeah, they're only one small step away from being Candy Strippers. Now there's a happy thought." He answered. "They are for the weak and dying… Accepting help from people outside the family was a big no-no." Tony was surprised how easily the words come out.
"You accept help from me." Gibbs had stopped the movie.
"Reluctantly." Tony grinned. "And you'll kick my ass."
"You got that straight… So what happened between your father and you?" He asked while Tony was still in a relaxed mood.
Tony closed his eyes. Perhaps if he'd pretend to be asleep, Gibbs might forget about the question. Yeah right. "I can't tell you Boss." Tony said eventually with his eyes still closed.
"Why not?" Gibbs asked. "You know you can tell me anything right?"
Tony waited awhile before answering again. "You're a marine Boss."
Gibbs thought hard and wondered why that had anything to do with it. "Believe it or not DiNozzo… I'm human as well."
Tony laughed. "Ok then… I was caught making out with the maid and was very well warned about that. Daddy dearest loved to give warnings with the back of his hand or his belt. You shouldn't touch that Tony… Whack! You should take better care of your stuff Tony… Whack!" Tony adjusted his seating position as he took time out to regulate his breathing. "And when he caught me in bed with the nanny he went ape and the rest as they say is history."
"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Gibbs asked.
Tony finished off the glass of water which hid a half smile from his boss. For some reason, Gibbs couldn't bring himself to believe him fully. But on the other hand it sounded like Tony through and through.
"I'm going to bed." Tony said to escape Gibbs' interrogation.
"Night DiNozzo." He said.
The smell of sizzling bacon filled the air early in the morning. Gibbs rolled over in his sleep before the smell tickled his nostrils and woke him up. He cursed as he seriously thought about ringing his senior agent's neck. Of course Gibbs was no doctor but he knew that Tony needed rest… One morning he's doing laundry and disappearing. Another morning he's cooking breakfast. Gibbs quickly dressed and walked down the stairs in a deliberate, purposeful pace.
"DiNozzo!" Gibbs shouted.
This startled Tony and he entered a coughing fit which came on suddenly. "Breakfast Boss." He smiled. Gibbs noted that Tony's voice was sounding rather weak.
Gibbs rubbed his face as he was rapidly losing patience with Tony. "What part of rest don't you understand?"
Tony lowered his eyes submissively before responding. "You've been so good to me, I wanted to return the favor." He said, expecting Gibbs to fly off the handle at him. Instead he was greeted by a warm smile.
"Thanks." Tony cautiously watched Gibbs sit down at the dining room table. "I have to go and see the director this morning… You think you can behave yourself until Abbs gets here." Gibbs said.
"Yeah… Okay." Tony answered carefully. Ever since he'd taken a turn for the worse before, Gibbs had begun acting all funny. You've done it now DiNozzo… You've pissed him off so much that he doesn't care. His eternal dialogue spoke the truth to him. He stuck the plate with a good serving of bacon and egg on toast in front of Gibbs and waited for him to say something.
"It looks good." Gibbs said and almost laughed and cried when he saw Tony's face beam as if he'd just been rewarded for showing a good report card. "Don't forget yours."
"Right here Boss." Tony had a considerably smaller serve.
"Are you forgetting something?" Gibbs asked.
Tony looked at his plate of food, there was bacon an egg and one piece of toast. The knife and fork were on the plate and Salt and Pepper were in the middle of the table. Nope, he hadn't forgotten anything. Gibbs rolled his eyes and put the pills on the table and rolled them over to Tony.
"I'm good." Tony replied as he rolled the bottle back.
"You have to finish the bottle off." Gibbs used his finger to send them back. "And don't you think the reason you're feeling better is because you took a couple of these last night?"
"I don't need them." He dared to roll the bottle back.
Gibbs was visibly annoyed. That was a look that Tony was more familiar with. "I don't have the time to do this all day DiNozzo." A small look of panic appeared on Tony's face as Gibbs approached him. He'd done the unthinkable and stepped on Tony's foot until he opened his mouth to cry out.
"Hey!" Tony cried out.
Before he could respond any further, Gibbs had shoved two pills down his throat and held the mouth shut until Tony had no choice to swallow and they went down the hard way… That was without any water to help them down.
"That better?" Gibbs almost smirked.
"Yes Boss." Tony lied as he finally drank some of the water he had beside his plate.
"Eat it all up." Gibbs ordered. "And if I get any reports from Abbs that you're doing anything but taking it easy… I'll take you for an unsanctioned boxing lesson."
"Yes Boss." And there it was… The real Gibbs was back.
Tony was watching some old TV show on the television when he'd fell asleep on the couch. He didn't even hear Gibbs leave the house. Doesn't anybody say goodbye to me anymore? A familiar smell entered the living room and Tony sat up quickly which made him feel dizzy.
"Hey Tony!" It was Abby's cheerful voice.
"Hi Abbs." Try as he might, Tony could never match her level of enthusiasm. There was something hiding behind her back and she showed him the box. "Ah, Pizza… The food of the Gods it surely must be."
Abby laughed. "It's Dr Abbs miracle cure." She said. "But remember you didn't have any pizza. Nurse Gibbs would fly off the handle." Tony's smile matched hers. "What's wrong?" Abby asked him noticing the way he just studied the pizza slice before eating it.
"It's Gibbs." Tony sighed. "He's been acting really odd."
"How do you mean?" Abby asked with a concerned look.
"He's been really nice and I don't know what it is exactly but he's starting to treat me like a real child." Tony stated and waited for a confused reaction from Abby.
"Oh that's so sweet." Abby squealed. Tony arched his eyebrow in confusion. "You're getting the papa bear treatment."
"The 'what' treatment?" Tony asked as he ate some of the pizza.
"Bet he's been telling you what time to go to bed… What you're allowed to eat." Tony nodded to Abby's words. "I bet he won't let you do anything around the house." Abby added. "That's so sweet." She emphasized on the word 'so'.
"It's scary." Tony replied.
"You're only saying that because this is so foreign to you." Abby said. "You didn't have it growing up."
Tony sighed. There was nobody else who knew him better than Abby. "No." He sighed. "Daddy always believed that it would lead to me being babied and I'd never grow to be a man." Ever since he started working at the NCIS their relationship grew. Perhaps the fact that he'd never had any sisters so when Abby acted the way she acts to him, he'd become infatuated with her in a sibling kind of way.
"You think you've become a man." Abby said.
"I don't know." Tony said quickly.
Abby didn't know whether to hug him or slap him. "Well you're one of the best men I know." Abby told him.
Tony had a high metabolism rate usually which meant that he could devour a whole pizza without thinking. But right now he was thinking that he couldn't even make it through half of it. "I think the rest is yours Abbs." Tony pushed the box in her direction.
Either he'd eaten too much or there was something wrong with the pizza because it felt as if it wouldn't settle and he tried to keep himself from feeling the need to expel it. Abby didn't miss his discomfort.
"Are you feeling ok Tony?" Abby asked.
"Yeah." He said shifting positions.
There was another box behind Abby and Tony noticed it then. "What's that?" He asked getting her attention away from him and then he saw the green colored box.
"Scrabble!" Abby exclaimed and began setting up the Scrabble set. "I'm under strict orders to keep you indoors and rested. That's right! I'm back on DiNozzo watch."
Scrabble was the last game he wanted to play but who could ever say no to Abby when she wanted to do something. Tony looked at his letters in on the bar and sighed. This was going to be a long game.
"You first." Tony said.