Tony sickfic

Chapter 2

whatever he succumbed to.

"Boss," Tony said weakly, "I'm-"

"Tony, save your strength. I'm putting you to bed and calling Ducky."

"No."

"This is not up for debate, DiNozzo."

Gibbs walked through his place and put him in the master bedroom. The bed was huge, and the room was filled with even more high tech gadgets. Gibbs put a now-sleeping Tony in the bed and pulled up the down comforter to cover the man. Gibbs noticed there was a pail next to the bed and it reeked. Gibbs looked up. Tony had been vomiting. Not good. Going into the bathroom, he found a thermometer and put it under Tony's tongue. Gibbs watched his watch, and after a minute took it out.

"102.3," he muttered. Damn, that was not good at all.

It killed Gibbs to see this man like this again. He left the room, leaving the door open a crack as he called the morgue.

"Morgue," he heard in Ducky's British-accented voice.

"Ducky."

"Jethro. Did you happen to find young Anthony?"

"Yes. I need you to get over to his place now, and bring your bag."

"Oh, dear."

"He has a temp of 102.3 right now."

"I will be right over, Jethro."

Both men hung up, then Gibbs then dialed McGee.

"McGee."
"McGee you're in charge till I get back. I want reports on my desk by end of the day and tell the director that we are not on any cases till further notice."

"B-b-b-but-"

"Out with it, McGee."

"What if she insists?"

"Then tell her to talk to me about it."

"You found Tony?"

"Yes," Gibbs answered, hanging up the phone without elaborating.

He walked into the kitchen and looked around for some fluid to put into Tony. He opened the fridge and only found take out food boxes. No food and nothing but a few beers and out of date milk.

Gibbs heard something from the bedroom and walked calmly towards the sound. When he got closer he heard Tony again vomiting but nothing coming up. Gibbs walked into the bathroom, got a damp cloth and a glass of water. He then walked into the bedroom and found Tony bent over the side of the bed, trying to vomit what was not in his stomach.

Gibbs sat on the bed behind Tony. Tony leaned back on Gibbs. Gibbs wiped his brow with the cloth. Tony leaned over till his head was in Gibbs' lap.

"Here, you need to drink something," Gibbs said, holding out the glass of water.
"Why? It'll just-" Tony didn't even finish the thought, instead leaning over again and vomiting.

Gibbs was rubbing his back and steadying him this time. Tony was still very warm to the touch. Warmer now than he'd been a few moments ago when he'd carried him into the room.

When Tony was done his head once again found its way to Gibbs' lap. Gibbs put the cold cloth on his brow this time and took his temperature again, frowning when he saw it was now up to 103.

"Damn it, Tony, if this doesn't go down I am taking you to the hospital."

"No, Boss, please not the hospital. I hate them."

"Tony your temp is 103."

"I'm fine," Tony insisted faintly.

Gibbs took the cloth and wiped Tony's face.

"You sure don't look fine to me," Gibbs muttered, but Tony was already sleeping again.

Gibbs put Tony's head on the pillow and went and got a basin of cold water and another washcloth. Ducky should be there any moment. Gibbs had left the front door slightly open. Going back to the kitchen, Gibbs got another glass of water for when Tony woke up again. This would have to do for now.

He went back to the bedroom, and Tony was dry heaving since there was nothing left in him to vomit. Gibbs put the basin of water on the floor next to the bed and was wiping Tony's back. When Tony looked up, Gibb's face was right there.

"Boss."

"Yes, DiNozzo."

"I love you," Tony said dreamily, reaching up and kissing Gibbs.

Gibbs was more shocked than anything. He didn't fight the kiss but neither was he able to get into it. Not now. Not when Tony was so sick and nearly delirious.

"Um."

Tony fell to the bed again and Gibbs saw Ducky in the doorway with that I told you so look on his face.

Ducky looked at the covered naked man in the bed and the ex-Marine on the floor. Gibbs looked back at the ME, meeting Ducky's eyes almost hesitantly. Ducky was struck by how much Gibbs resembled a dear caught in headlights, a look he never thought he'd see on his old friend's face.

"Now, Anthony, what have you gotten into this time," Ducky said as he walked closer to the bed as Gibbs helped Tony settle more fully into the depths of the plush mattress.

"Boss, I love you," Tony said again.

Gibbs didn't know what to say. He'd wanted to hear those words from the young man since that first day he'd walked into NCIS. Hell, even before that if he was truthful. He'd fallen for one Anthony DiNozzo the first time he'd seen him in Baltimore.

After Cait's death, Tony had said the words, but Gibbs had thought it was merely for the pizza he'd filched from night shift for his young agent. Abby and Ducky had insisted it was something altogether different, but he hadn't believed them. Why would someone like Tony, young and handsome, a man who could have anyone he wanted, want a broken down ex-Marine with a bad attitude?

With Ducky looking on in amusement, Gibbs felt like he was in the spotlight in a crowded auditorium. The man he'd fallen for had now said the three magic words. Twice. And he'd kissed him. Okay, so it had been after Tony had thrown up and Gibbs had been too startled to participate, but it had still been a kiss.

"I-" Gibbs stopped and looked up at the doctor standing next to the bed, not really sure what to say,