Chapter 46
AN: I so totally love the friendship/father/son thing going on between Gibbs and Tony that I thought I would just devote a chapter to it. Enjoy. Jackie
Gibbs opened his eyes and looked around him. He groaned. He remembered it all now. Damnet! He looked to the right of him and saw the person he expected to see smiling at him.
“Hey, DiNozzo.” Gibbs sighed.
“Boss,” Tony laid the magazine he was looking at down and stood up. He moved to Gibbs’ bedside. “Do you remember…?”
Gibbs nodded. “Every damned bit of it.” He tried to move and hissed at the pain he caused himself.
“Careful.” Tony said. “You’re not doing those busted ribs of yours any favors.
Gibbs glared at him.
Tony smiled. “Save it for Tim or Kate. I’m immune.”
Gibbs then started to get up. Tony stopped him.
“You just woke up.” Tony said gently pushing him back down into the hospital bed.
“I’m fine.” Gibbs said, trying again.
“Your ribs are broken.”
“I’m fine.” Gibbs tried again.
“You dislocated your shoulder.” Tony continued.
“I’m fine.” Gibbs said again.
“And you reinjured your knee.”
Gibbs turned the glare on, full strength. “ARE you finished?”
Tony smiled.
“Good, because I’m leaving.” Gibbs again pulled the cover off of him. He swung his legs out of the bed. And he stood, for about half a second. He then found the arms of a strong, young Italian man helping him back into the bed, saving him from, not-so-gracefully hitting the floor.
“DAMNET!” Gibbs cried out in pain and frustration.
“Let’s get you back in bed, before you flash the whole ward.” Tony said, trying to keep Gibbs’ gown closed and get him back into bed. “The world is just not ready for ‘old man butt.’”
“You call me old again DiNozzo and I will head-slap you so hard the guy in the next bed over will feel it. Then I will kick you in your BUTT.” Gibbs growled.
Tony looked at him and laughed.
“You don’t have to enjoy this so much.” Gibbs replied, straightening his covers and making himself comfortable.
“Actually, I kind of do.” Tony replied. “I’ve lost count of the times you’ve told me to ‘stay in bed,’ ‘listen to your doctor’…. Well, in this case, I’m the doctor. You need to listen to me.”
“I want Ducky.” Gibbs replied.
“He’s gonna tell you the same thing.” Tony replied, smugly.
“Anybody ever tell you that you are an enormous pain in the ass?” Gibbs said, highly agitated.
“Not today.” Tony replied smiling.
“You can’t be my doctor, that’s a conflict of interest.” Gibbs stated.
“Only if we’re related, we’re not blood, and you didn’t adopt me.”
Gibbs groaned in response.
“Ducky and I agree you can get out of here in a couple of days.”
“I need coffee.” Gibbs replied.
“You can have clear liquid, only.”
“Well, hello Jethro. Hello, Anthony.” Ducky replied, walking into the room and immediately picking up on the tension.
Ducky watched both men for just a moment.
“He is being uncooperative, I take it.” Ducky replied.
Tony nodded.
“I’m ready to go home. Doctor DiNozzo, here, won’t let me.” Gibbs explained.
“A couple of days, Jethro.” Ducky said, echoing Tony’s words.
“Ducky, I….” Gibbs started.
“You were in a bad car accident.” Ducky said. “You had some significant injuries.”
“I don’t have a head injury. My shoulder was put back into place. And my knee feels fine.”
“You are pumped full of some very good drugs, Boss.” Tony said pushing Gibbs gently back onto the bed as he, again, tried to get up. “But when they wear off….”
“It’s just a couple of days, Jethro.” Ducky said, reasoning with Gibbs.
Gibbs finally consented. He knew that Tony and Ducky would put him under 24 hour watch, if they had to. He nodded and settled back into his bed and the nurse brought him his lunch tray. He lifted the lid on his ‘Clear Liquid Diet’ and made a sour face as he put the lid down again.
NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS
“DiNozzo, I’m fine. I’m home. You don’t have to stay with me.” Gibbs said, as he made his way to his couch and sat down. His mood not much improved from his time in the hospital.
“You can’t make you own food. You can barely get to the bathroom by yourself. You can barely get around at all.”
“Pizza, Chinese takeout, and Home Health services.” Gibbs answered.
“I’m staying.” Tony announced. He carried his bag into the spare bedroom and put it down on the bed. He re-emerged seconds later.
“Ducky will be over later….” Tony started.
“You’re double-teaming me?” Gibbs asked.
“We are taking care of you. We just happen to be more…persuasive as a team.”
Gibbs looked at the doors that lead to his basement.
Tony’s eyes followed his. “Don’t even think about it. You trip down those steps and you will be back in the hospital for sure, probably for a few months. That is, if you don’t break your neck, or worse.”
Gibbs glared at him, in response. He tried to make himself comfortable on the couch.
“I’ll be fine.” Gibbs stated.
“We have had this discussion already, Boss.” Tony cut him off. “I’m staying. You are going to listen to your doctors. You are going to do what they say, or you’re going back to the hospital.”
Gibbs looked at Tony. “You wouldn’t.”
“What do you think?” Tony challenged.
Gibbs searched his face for just a moment. “Damnet. Okay.”
“I’m fixing lunch. You’re gonna sit right there until Ducky gets here. WE are going to check you out. So, here…” Tony said, giving Gibbs a glass of water and pills. “…take you pills.”
Ducky took that time to make his entrance. He said nothing to either man, just smiled.
Gibbs looked at Tony, but he quietly took the pills and drank the water. Tony then went into the bathroom and then to the back bedroom as Ducky examined Gibbs.
“Doctor DiNozzo is being very…bossy here, Duck.” Gibbs replied as Ducky examined him. “He….”
“He’s your doctor. He only has your best interest at heart.” Ducky replied.
Gibbs’ gaze and mood softened a little at Ducky’s statement. “I know that. He’s, it’s just…”
Ducky nodded, encouraging him to continue.
“I don’t like him seeing me like this. I don’t like to be vulnerable, needy.” Gibbs admitted. “I hate looking weak in front of him.”
“Anthony knows you are anything but weak, Jethro.” Ducky replied.
Gibbs shook his head. “He’ll think….”
“He’ll think that you’re his friend who just happens to need a hand up.” Tony said overhearing the conversation. “And he’ll be glad to help his friend, because that is what friends do for one another,…” Tony paused. “…even the unreasonable, impatient, cranky ones.”
Gibbs smiled, despite himself. “I’m not doing this…intentionally.”
Tony nodded. “I know.”
“Well, Jethro,” Ducky said, packing up his instruments. “,you should be fine, as long as you pay attention to Anthony.”
“Anthony,” Ducky addressed Tony. “,you know where to find me.”
Tony nodded again.
“Let’s eat, food’s getting cold.” Tony said helping Gibbs up so he can sit at the table.
NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS
“Tired, DiNozzo.” Gibbs said, unable to stifle his yawn.
Tony helped him up from the couch, and they headed to the back bedroom.
“What are you doing?” Gibbs asked his eyes on the stairs.
“You can’t handle those now.” Tony explained, following his gaze. “Maybe in a few days.”
“But where will you…?”
“I’ll be in here, in the chair you usually occupy. Otherwise, I’ll sleep on the couch.” Tony said, guiding Gibbs into the room. Tony had already, when he was in the room earlier, pulled back the covers. He had also brought in a glass of water and some other things he thought Gibbs might need.
“I want to sleep in my own bed.” Gibbs protested.
“I’m sure you do.” Tony replied. “But you can’t.”
“I can make it upstairs.”
“Not unless you’re planning on crawling.” Tony stated. “And that would not be good for your knee, or anything else, for that matter.”
“I liked you better when I could boss you around.” Gibbs groaned as Tony helped him onto the bed and under the covers.
“Well, I liked you better when….” Tony stopped, he couldn’t finish the thought.
“Well?” Gibbs asked impatiently. “You liked me better when?”
Tony was silent, thinking.
“No…wait, that’s okay. You don’t have to answer that.” Gibbs said.
Tony smiled. “Get some sleep. I’ve got to clean the kitchen. Then I’ll call Tim, Kate and Abby and tell them Papa Bear is back in his den, grouchy as ever.”
“You do know that you’re the only one who can get away with saying those kinds of things to me?
“I do.” Tony replied.
“And you know, when I get back on my feet, I will make you regret every word.” Gibbs stated.
“I do.” Tony repeated.
“Just so we’re clear.” Gibbs replied.
“We are.” Tony said as he turned to leave the room.
“Tony.” Gibbs said, stopping Tony in his tracks. He turned and looked at Gibbs. “Thank you.”
Tony smiled, nodded, and headed out of the room.
TBC
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