A/N: Okay so this is one of my late night updates again :D I needed to get this chapter written an posted because SOMEONE is threatening me with half rotten tomatoes :D Lol, Okay but seriously , I hope you like the chappie :) Can't say when the next chapter will be up, it may take a few days so I'm going to set the deadline on... Tuesday evening. That should give me enough time so I wont have to be afraid of rotten tomatoes or those onions I hate so much :D Oh and I think we're nearing the end guys... A chapter or two and then I'm done for now, and I know I've said that before but this time I mean it ;D
Gibbs sighed with relief as he got out of his car in the NCIS parking garage and saw the unmistakable form of Tony's beloved vehicle in the distance. If the car was still here, then most likely DiNozzo was too and knowing the younger man, he was in the bullpen typing up his resignation.
He heard another car pull up next to his and as he looked up he wondered how fast the ME had been driving to reach the headquarters so fast. He raised an eyebrow at the older man as the ME got out of his own car and moved to get his medical bag from the back seat.
"Well under the circumstances I decided to take a page out of your book Jethro." The worry in the older man's eyes made the urgency Gibbs had been feeling flare up again and with a quick motion towards the elevators he began walking in that direction, trusting his friend to follow.
The men rounded their cars and headed towards the lifts when Gibbs noticed something lying on the garage floor, half hidden behind one of the parked cars. It took him a second to realize that the something wasn't a thing at all but rather a someone and he took of at the direction of the person.
It took him a minute or less to reach the fallen figure and when he saw who it was he turned to yell for Ducky, only to find that the older man had followed him.
As one the men gently turned Tony over and maneuvered the limp body so that Gibbs was sitting behind him and holding the young man up against his chest so that the unconscious man wasn't completely lying on the cold floor. As Gibbs pulled out his cell to call an ambulance, Ducky busied himself with taking the younger man's vitals.
"What's wrong with him Duck? " Gibbs asked anxiously as he hung up and watched he ME take Tony's blood pressure and temperature after feeling his pulse. He ran a soothing hand through Tony's hair, the action making him feel better even if it evoked no response from the unconscious figure.
"He's running a low-grade fever and his heart rate is up whereas his blood pressure is significantly lower than it should be." Ducky moved to check the younger man's eyes and his lips pursed as he noticed how sunken the eyes had become.
Jethro noticed the change in his friend's expression and felt himself tense in response.
"What is it?" Unconsciously he tightened his hold on the young man he was holding as he waited for the response.
Instead of answering directly the older man started looking frantically around, wishing the EMT's would hurry. "Where are the paramedics? We need to get an IV going before-" He didn't get a chance to finish when Tony's body started twitching in Jethro's arms, causing the team leader's eyes to widen in shock.
"Lay him down Jethro, Quickly! Make sure he doesn't hit his head during the seizure." The doctor counted the time in his head while watching the seizure run it's course. He didn't take his eyes of his charge even when he heard the sirens of the approaching ambulance.
Only when the seizing started to die down and Tony's body lay limply on the ground did he acknowledge the men pulling a stretcher to their location.
Ducky rose to his feet to fill in one of the medics while the other made his way to Tony and knelt beside him, spearing a quick look at Gibbs who was now holding Tony's hand and running a hand through his hair.
"What have we got?" The paramedic called out to his partner who had just received the report from Ducky.
"Possible case of severe dehydration and malnourishment. Need to keep a close eye on the ox-levels too." The older of the two medics answered as he came to kneel beside his partner who nodded his head at the information.
"Agent DiNozzo? Can you hear me?" The older medic tried to rouse their patient as the younger one started an IV and placed an ox-sat meter on Tony's finger.
Tony only groaned in response to the man pressing his finger nail but didn't wake up, satisfied with the knowledge that the patient was responding to pain and with the IV going, the medics rolled Tony onto the stretcher and moved to wheel him in the ambulance.
Gibbs had watched the proceedings while clutching the younger man's cool hand in his and once Tony was safely on the stretcher he moved to follow it into the ambulance.
"I'm riding with him." He asserted with a tone that brook no arguments and since there was just enough room for him in the ambulance, the medics just shrugged and let him climb in.
"I'll meet you at Bethesda" Ducky called out before the doors closed and he watched the ambulance drive away with the lights flashing in the dimly lit garage. He looked up and send a prayer to who ever was listening that Anthony would be alright.
The drive to the hospital was a blur to Gibbs who kept his focus on the man lying on the stretcher and didn't pay attention to the gibberish the EMT was spouting. He held onto the cool hand as if he could keep Tony with him by the touch alone.
Once they reached the hospital they forced him to let go though as they wheeled Tony to the emergency room where he wasn't allowed to while they checked the younger man out. He paced the waiting room while waiting for some one to tell him how Tony was. He saw Ducky come in and offer him a small reassuring smile before disappearing behind the ER's closed doors where Gibbs himself had been denied access.
It took nearly two hours before the ME came back through the doors and made his way to his friend who had given up trying to make a dent on the floor in favor of sitting down and trying to bore a hole into the ER doors with his gaze.
As Gibbs noticed the doctor following his friend he got up and as soon as the two men were little closer he barked out the question that had been plaguing him during the whole time. "How is he?"
Not fazed by the impatient tone the young looking doctor introduced himself as Doctor Tom Sands before answering the voiced question.
"When Agent DiNozzo was brought in he was severely dehydrated causing the seizure you witnessed before the ambulance arrived. We ran a CT scan and there appears to be no damaged cause by the episode. Agent DiNozzo is also malnourished so we have him on fluids that will help both to re-hydrate his system, but also will give him some of the nutrients he needs. He is also running a fever which worsened his condition and there is some signs of congestion in his lungs so we started him on antibiotics just in case, seeing as his body is already under a lot of stress and we don't want to take the chance of him developing a chest infection. Agent DiNozzo is also clearly exhausted as is his body, so I have him on light sedative so he can rest through the remainder of the night. He's being moved to a ward as we speak, and per doctor Mallards request I have told the personnel there to let you remain with him for the time being as I was told it would be more beneficial than trying to make you stay away." There was a small smile on the doctors lips and Gibbs relaxed slightly.
"So he'd going to be okay?" He confirmed from Ducky after he's thanked the other doctor who'd disappeared back through the ER doors.
"Jethro, he will be fine. He just needs food, plenty of fluids and some TLC and he'll be back to good health. Now I can show you to his room, but then I fear I do need to get home to get some sleep before work tomorrow, I can drop by the lab first thing in the morning to tell out dear Abigail of what has transpired tonight if you'd like."
"I'd appreciate that, She will be pissed she was left out of the loop for even this long. Can you leave out Ziva's part in all of this? I'll explain that to her myself tomorrow."
"Certainly, though I do think she will be even more cross with us for not telling her immediately." The two men reached the ward that Tony had been taken to and one of the nurses pointed them to the right room.
Gibbs lead the way into the private room and he struggled to not show just how much it affected him to see Tony lying so still and pale on the hospital bed. There was a nasal cannula under his nose providing him some extra oxygen the doctor didn't want to take any chances with his plague- damages lungs.
"As I said Jethro, he will be fine. He may even be released later today or tomorrow morning if the can get him to eat and his lungs won't give him any trouble." Ducky laid a hand on Jethro's shoulder and squeezed it lightly before bidding his good nights and telling Gibbs to get some rest.
Once he was alone with Tony, Gibbs moved to sit on the chair next to the hospital bed. He carefully took the younger man's hand in his and brought it to his lips so he could place a gentle kiss on the dry knuckles.
"What the hell were you thinking?" He whispered to the sleeping figure before leaning forward as if he wanted to share some secret with him. "I love you too" Now he just had ti figure out how to convince Tony of that.
He laid his head on he bed next to Tony's hip with their joint hands under his cheek. He knew his neck would kill him in the morning, but right at the moment he couldn't care less as he let the sounds of the younger man's breathing lull him to sleep.
TBC...