Tony sickfic

Chalter 13

"Well, hello there, cutie. To what do we owe the pleasure? What are you in for?" she asked, taking his chart and looking at it. After reading the chart she walked over to the corner where there was a blood pressure machine and brought it back to the bed where Tony lay.

"Okay let's see about getting a BP."

She put the cuff on Tony's arm, looking at him from under her eyes when he flexed his muscle.

"Honey," she said, patting his rock-hard bicep, "it's going to take more than that to impress me."

Tony grinned and relaxed his arm so she could take his blood pressure reading. She made a note of the reading on his chart, then took out the digital thermometer and put the probe in a new plastic sleeve before putting it in Tony's mouth.

"Under your tongue please."

"Is that all it takes to keep you quiet?" Gibbs asked, making a joke about Tony not talking.

Tony started to say something but the nurse said, "No, Mr. DiNozzo, not till you're done."

Tony rolled his eyes but didn't try to speak again.

Looking at the good-looking silver-haired man she said, "You must be Special Agent Gibbs."

"Yes, ma'am." Gibbs was brought upright. He extended a hand for shaking, pleased when the nurse took it with a firm grip. A handshake could say a lot about a person.

"Dr. Craft said you would be staying with our young stud here."

Tony grinned around the probe.

"Yes, ma'am."

"One rule: stay out of the way and listen to what the doctor says. Are we clear?"

"Crystal, ma'am," Gibbs answered. He'd met a woman like her once before when wife number three had hit him over the head with a golf club.

The thermometer beeped. The nurse checked the display as she removed the probe from Tony's mouth and ejected the plastic sleeve.

"Okay, your temp has come down a little. It's only 101.8 now. That's down more than two points since you first came in. That's good." She patted the back of Tony's hand. "I'll be back in a minute with an IV kit so we can get you all hydrated and run some antibiotics through you to be safe. With your history, the doctor doesn't want to leave anything to chance."

When the nurse left, Gibbs looked at Ducky.

"Antibiotics?"

"Yes, Jethro. I told Dr. Craft about Tony's history with Y-Pestis and he is just being precautionary. They will also give him some steroids as well and an IV solution for getting fluids back into Tony."
"Boss, can you get me-"

Before Tony could finish he began to vomit, a small amount of the yellowish liquid splashing on Gibbs. Ducky quickly handed Gibbs a basin to hold under Tony for whatever else might come up. Gibbs held Tony with one hand and the basin with the other.

"Boss, I'm sorry," Tony said after he was lying back on the bed.

"Shh, don't think about it at all, you got me?" Gibbs said, making eye contact.

Ducky brought over a small glass of water. "Here, Anthony. Wash your mouth out with this and take a small sip. The doctor is going to give you something for the vomiting and the acid that has affected your esophagus."

"Boss, I'm tired."

"Okay, try to get a little sleep, but I will be waking you up soon to ask you the questions."

"Yes, Mom." Tony scooted down a little, still holding onto Gibbs' hand.

The nurse walked back in, noticing the wet spot on Gibbs' shirt and the basin on the nightstand next to the bed.

"Special Agent."

"Just Gibbs."

"Okay, Gibbs. You can go out to the nurses' station and ask for a scrub top if you want."

"Thanks. After we're done here I might do that."

The nurse took Tony's left hand, the one Gibbs didn't have. This woke Tony up from the momentary nap he'd just had.

"Okay, cutie, let's get the IV in."

Tony squeezed Gibbs' hand harder when the nurse stuck Tony with the butterfly needle. She attached the IV and then hung up a bag of saline. She injected something else into Tony's IV.

"Okay, cutie, all set. Try to get some sleep and I'll be back in half an hour to ask you a few questions."

"Ma'am, if you would like I will be happy to do that for you. No need to bother you with them."

Ducky was watching the interaction between Gibbs and the nurse, then picked up Tony's chart and began to read.

"Sir, that's privileged information," the nurse said sternly, giving him a hard look.

"I quite understand, but I am young Anthony's personal physician, Dr. Donald Mallard."

She looked him over once again as if to judge him for the truth, then turned her attention back to Gibbs. "You've obviously done this before, Gibbs."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Okay then, for the time being, wake him up every half hour. After a few hours, if he is still okay, we can go to every hour. Think you can handle that?"

"Yes, ma'am, just inform me please when we can change the times."

"Oh, joy," Tony muttered, glaring at Gibbs. "How can I get the rest my poor abused body needs if you're waking me up every half hour?"

"You'll know what abuse is, DiNozzo, if you don't behave."

Tony grinned and wiggled his eyebrows. "Is that a promise, Boss?"

The nurse smiled. "You two are cute together. I'll have someone come clean this up " she said as she left the room.

"Well, Jethro, I will be heading out as well," Ducky said as Tony drifted to sleep again. Before he could leave, Abby and McGee were walking into the room.

"Boss-man, here are your clothes," she said, putting the bags down on a chair and Gibbs' shoes on the floor.

"Thanks, Abby, Tim." Gibbs was still holding Tony's hand.

"He, okay, Gibbs?" Abby asked, worried that Tony was so out of it that he didn't even hear them come in.