Gibbs was going out of his mind with boredom. He hated hospitals. Hated that he had to stay here for 'observation'. But most of all, he hated that he couldn't check in on Tony.

Abby and Ziva had said their goodbyes about an hour ago, and Ducky was taking Jackson back to the house, after Gibbs insisted he not spend the night in one of the uncomfortable chairs that were set up beside his bed. Ducky, of course, would end up coming back. He was as easily persuaded as the rest of them.

Gibbs almost wished Palmer were still around so that he could get some help into a chair and make another expedition down the hall...

"Boss?"

Gibbs turned his head toward the door at the sound of Tim's voice. "You still here, McGee?"

"Wanted to make sure you were awake," he said as he pushed the door the rest of the way open. Gibbs narrowed his eyes in question, then watched as the younger agent pushed a wheelchair into the room containing his senior field agent, very much awake.

"Hey, boss," Tony said, grinning from ear to ear. "It's really good to see you awake," he told him as the lead agent was moving to sit up.

"Likewise, DiNozzo," was all Gibbs could think to say.

"Hey, Probie, would you mind grabbin' me a gingerale? My stomach's feelin' a little queasy."

"Are you okay?" Tim furrowed a brow.

"Yeah, just...part of the hangover, I imagine."

"Okay, sure. You want anything, boss?" Gibbs shook his head. "I'll be back in a few minutes," he told them and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Tony pushed up out of his chair cautiously, as Gibbs swung his legs over the edge of the bed. "You shouldn't be getting up," Tony told him as he approached the bed. But as he reached his boss, Gibbs unexpectedly pulled him into a fierce hug, wrapping his arms around his shoulders tightly, their temples meshing together.

Tony, at first, had caught Gibbs' sides to stabilize himself. But then wrapped his arms around the man's torso and hugged him back. The wall that had been holding back all of his fears and anxieties came crashing down suddenly, and he couldn't hold back the sobs that silently shook his shoulders. Gibbs only held him tighter.

"I thought you weren't gonna wake up," Tony said through his tears. "Thought I was gonna lose you..."

"Sshh," Gibbs brought one hand up to the back of Tony's head in effort to calm him. "It's okay, Tony. Everything's okay."

"I'm sorry... What I did was stupid, and I'm sorry... But it was an accident. I didn't mean to do it, Gibbs..."

"I know." He rocked a bit side to side. "I know you didn't mean it, but it's good to hear it from you." He pulled his arms away and laid his hands on Tony's shoulders, gently pushing him a bit so he could appraise him. "I'm glad you're okay, Tony."

Tony swiped furiously at his face to rid of the tears. "I'm really glad you're okay," he replied, adding a breathy laugh to break up the tearful reunion. "I owe you a bottle of bourbon... One I'll most likely need to pass on helping you through."

Gibbs shook his head and watched Tony half-stumble back to his chair. "You all right?"

Tony nodded. "Little light-headed and..." he held his breath as he shifted in the seat, "Nauseous... standard hangover material, ya know?"

"More than a hangover, DiNozzo," he said in a low voice.

Tony met his eyes. "You should lie back down, boss...Shouldn't be up like that. What if you get dizzy and fall over? There's no one stable enough to rescue you." He smirked.

Gibbs returned the smirk and resigned to follow the instructions...

Tbc...