Drowning

Hi. After this chapter, the actual case progresses. Thank you for the lovely reviews and all the encouragement I've received via PM's. And I second Laine's wish to all fellow Aussies for a happy Australia Day tomorrow. Zan.

Chapter 16

Gibbs woke and immediately wished that he hadn't. Someone had stuffed his head full of cotton wool and his body was affected by an unpleasant, dull ache. Opening his eyes a crack, he confirmed that he was in a hospital bed. He hated hospitals – possibly as much as Dinozzo claimed to, but probably for different reasons. Gibbs detested being inactive and out of the loop whenever he was confined to a hospital bed. It annoyed him intensely more than any ailment or injury he was suffering. Dinozzo, on the other hand, always seemed fearful of hospitals, yet Gibbs knew Tony Dinozzo to be a very courageous man. Gibbs sighed when he recalled the genuine fear he had seen on Tony's face when he had last seen him. Gibbs' heart lurched when he thought about Tony being so distraught. He was actually shocked by the depth of feeling Tony had expressed, as well as by his own feelings of concern for the younger man. Gibbs realized that he really didn't have a rule that covered his relationship (or whatever it was) with Dinozzo. And if there was a rule forbidding what seemed to exist between them, the horse had already well and truly bolted. There had been few people whose welfare had concerned Gibbs more.

Gibbs wondered how long he had been asleep. He had a fuzzy memory of having Ducky and another doctor speak to him after the surgery. He even had vague notions of being offered water to sip and of having someone apply a cool cloth to his forehead. Opening his eyes a little wider, Gibbs tried to glimpse anything that looked like a button he could press to summon the nurse or his doctor. He wasn't in any particular pain. He needed information: When was he going to be discharged? What were the developments in the case? What was going on with Dinozzo? Before Gibbs could see what he was looking for, his need for it was gone. The door to his room was opened quietly by Ducky.

'Ah, excellent,' said the ME as he approached the bed. 'I see you're awake.'

'Hey Duck', croaked Gibbs. God his throat was dry! He gratefully took a sip of the offered water.

'You're very, very fortunate,' Ducky told his friend. 'The bullet lodged itself just below your clavicle, missing pretty much anything too serious. The removal was quite straightforward and expertly performed.'

'How long?' asked Gibbs, feeling anything but fortunate. How Ducky could sound so damned cheerful was beyond him. His voice was less croaky but still hoarse.

'Surgery took a couple of hours,' replied Ducky.

'No. How long before I get out of here?' said Gibbs, impatiently.

'Really, Jethro,' Ducky admonished him. 'You've taken a bullet and suffered a nasty concussion on top of that. Little wonder Dinozzo's always trying to get himself discharged before he's even been admitted with anything serious. Look at the terrible example you set!'

'How's Dinozzo doing?' asked Gibbs, moving on to his second question, even though the first had not been answered to his satisfaction.

'Well, he was surprisingly compliant about being examined until he heard YOU were out of danger,' explained Ducky, sending Gibbs a meaningful look. 'Dr. Pitt wanted to keep him overnight and get some antibiotics into his system. Tony wasn't keen, to say the least.'

'And?' demanded Gibbs.

'Oh, he stayed,' said Ducky. 'Only after a stern lecture, mind you. He does worry me, Jethro. That boy's far too flippant about his own health. He reminds me very much of you at times.'

'Did they get the shooter?' asked Gibbs, moving on to question three. He was unwilling to be drawn into a full blown comparison between himself and Tony. There were times he wished Ducky had never taken that psychology course. Ducky shook his head.

'Not yet. Although I believe Timothy did an excellent job of having the scene examined and all relevant items sent to Abigail.'

Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of a nurse who appeared to be of Ducky's vintage with a no-nonsense attitude.

'How are we feeling this morning, Mr. Gibbs?' she asked brusquely as she checked his chart. 'Any pain? Headache? Nausea?'

'Negative to all three,' said Gibbs, which was two-thirds true. A drum was beating at his temples and he ached all over, but there was no point telling the nurse either of these facts given that his mission was to get out of hospital ASAP.

'And I'm 21 next birthday,' she told Gibbs, causing Ducky to smile behind his raised hand.

'I'll bring you some breakfast once the doctor's given you the all clear,' she said as she opened the curtains. 'In the mean-time, are you well enough to receive some visitors?'

'Sure, why not,' said Gibbs, casting a look at Ducky who shrugged.

'Good, said the nurse, although she looked far from pleased. 'It's nowhere near visiting hours, but the four of them have been hassling the nursing staff for the last hour, so I'd rather they see you and then leave.'

With that, she left the room. Moments later, Abby, Ziva, McGee and Tony entered.

'Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs!' exclaimed Abby, predictably. She immediately went to his bedside, stretched an arm across his pillow and planted a kiss on his forehead. 'Gibbs! We were so worried!'

'Ab's, I'm, fine,' Gibbs told her. 'Just turn the volume down a bit, would ya?'

'I am glad to see that you are okay,' said Ziva as she came to stand next to Abby. She found it unnerving to see Gibbs incapacitated and grey, but she was pleased to see with her own eyes that he was alive. McGee nodded to agree with Ziva's comment and chose to sit down in the chair next to Ducky's.

Gibbs gave both agents a nod before seeing out Tony who was hovering behind Ducky. He was dressed in clothes that someone had obviously brought in for him. Probably Abby. The predominance of black was the giveaway.

'Dinozzo, what are you doing out of bed?' Gibbs barked.

'Ah, it's nice to see you too, Boss,' said Tony. 'Brad checked me out this morning. I'm fine. I rang Abby to bring me some clothes. It was a relief to get out of the PJ's. No offence Ducky.'

'None taken, my dear boy,' said Ducky.

'I thought the stripes were rather fetching,' said Abby, cheekily.

Gibbs listened and watched while some lively banter went back and forth about pyjama patterns. Dinozzo, he mused, was an absolute expert at diverting attention from his own health. Gibbs decided there and then that he'd be grilling Dr. Pitt personally about Tony's physical state, and he'd be taking full advantage of his status as Tony's next of kin to get all the information he wanted.

'Perhaps we should leave Gibbs to get some rest,' Ziva said. He had, after all, received a serious injury, within the last twenty-four hours.

'I don't want rest,' said Gibbs, testily. 'I wanna know what the hell's happening with the case.'

'Exactly!' said Tony, his eyes bright. 'Which is why we're all here, Agent David.'

Ziva looked at Tony, her eyes narrowing before she opened her mouth to begin a protest.

'No, Tony. I don't think this is the time for…'

'Oh, yes it is!' said Tony, as he sat on the arm of Ducky's chair and produced a notepad from his back pocket. 'It's time for a campfire.'