Thank-you everyone for your kind reviews, this is my first fanfic and i have been overwhelmed with how nice everyone has been. I hope you enjoy the next installment.

Gibbs hurried after the doctor, he couldn't understand what could be so important that Tony would deny vital medical care till he got there. Gibbs was not to know, as he and the doctor entered they were met by hurrying people and a lot of noise, one of the nurses yelled to the doctor accompanying Gibbs

'We can't keep him stable he lost consciousness a couple of minutes ago and his breathing has become eratic, he does not seem to be tolerating the anaesthetic any better'

'he had the pneumonic plague a few years ago, the scarring on his lungs and anesthetic is not always a good combination' Gibbs sighed cursing that there were always more complications with Tony.

' Thanks Gibbs we will let you know as soon as we have an update'

Gibbs gave his agent a final look as a tube was being placed down his throat, silently ordering him not to die.

Gibbs wandered back to the waiting room knowing he was in for a long, difficult wait. As he walked into the room something came at him, hugging him tightly. Abby didn't let go a really long time and when she did Gbbs could see just how upset she was, the problem was Gibbs didn't know what to say to her because he wasn't sure that Tony was going to be ok this time and what really worried him was he knew there was a whole lot more going on with his agent than just his hatred of hospitals.

Whilst Gibbs and then team waited for news on Tony doctors were battling every step of the way just to keep Tony alive, there as so much internal bleeding that the surgeons were amazed that he had managed to stay conscious as long as he did. Brad joined the surgical team using his intimate knowledge of Tony's unique medical history to assist the anaesthetist to keep Tony's lungs moving air. Eventually the surgeons got ahead of the bleeding and 6 hours after they started they wheeled Tony into recovery still alive for the time being.

Gibbs was pacing the waiting room like a caged animal when the surgeons came to tell him Tony was out of surgery. The news was not good, whilst Tony was alive he was on a ventilator, he had lost his spleen, had damaged his kidneys and liver and now his lungs were struggling to recover from the anaesthetic. Added to the broken ankle and broken ribs Tony had the biggest list of injuries he had received to date.

Once he was settled into ICU Gibbs allowed Ziva, McGee and Abby visit briefly with Tony first before he and Ducky went in, Ducky quickly looked at his chart and looked very worried whilst Gibbs wearily settled into the chair beside Tony settling in for the long haul.

It was three days before Brad and Tony's other doctors agreed it was safe to reduce the sedatives and let him wake up slowly and it was another day before Tony finally began to wake up. As Tony fought back to consciousness he started to fight the tube down his throat. Gibbs quickly grabbed his hands and reassured him it was ok as slowly Tony focussed on Gibbs blue eyes. The man that Gibbs was looking at was barely recognisable as his senior field agent, he was ghostly white and instead of the usual grin his face had lines of pain.

'Tony, you have to leave the tube alone, I know you hate it but at the moment your lungs are too fragile to cope without it. I promise that as soon as possible I will make them remove it. Brad will be here in a minute and you know he will take it out if he thinks you can make it without it.

As Gibbs was talking he pressed the button for the doctor to come, he knew Tony needed pain meds and fast.

An hour later the tube was removed and Tony was pretending to sleep to avoid the questions he knew Gibbs had but he had forgotten how well his boss really knew him and wasn't fooled.

'Tony, start talking I want answers and I want them now'

The combination of the drugs, pain and fatigue greatly reduced the ability for Tony to fight Gibbs as he responded.

'he didn't mean to'