Just a one-shot about another way that Ducky and Gibbs could've made up after Gibbs returned from Mexico­. One more painful for Gibbs, of course! SPOILERS for the last two episodes of season 3 and the first few of season 4. I was trying a new writing style, so I hope it's not too bad. It'll probably be edited at some point when it's not obscenely early in the morning. I'm aware that it's a little rough around the edges.

I don't own anything except the plot. Also, this is NOT a medically accurate fic. Sorry. I tried, but it just didn't want to be restrained by facts.

Anyway, hope you enjoy! Let me know.

The first time the pain comes, he ignores it. They are working a tough case, made even tougher by his team's unease at having him back again after all these months, and he just hasn't got time for a stomach ache. So he locks away the pain and carries on with his work, as he always does, and eventually, it fades.

It comes back days later. The case is complete; he has a few days off, and he can only think that it's just his luck that he gets his first stomach bug in years exactly when he least wants it. Perhaps this is punishment for leaving. He knows he deserves it. He spends the weekend at home, curled up on the couch, with a few failed tries at working on his boat. He doesn't eat much. He isn't really hungry, and making food seems like too much effort at the moment. He drinks a lot, though.

He feels a little better on Monday. Well enough to keep his discomfort from his team, at any rate. He knows that he mustn't allow them to see his weakness. Bad enough that they had seen him after the explosion, before he escaped to Mexico where he could howl all night at the unfairness of his life and there was no one to hear him, or judge him. Mike had made sure he didn't starve, but other than that, he had left him alone to mourn his old family and piece together the memories of his new one. He is glad to be back with them, but knows that they cannot handle seeing him ill again, so close to the last time. He needs to make sure that they truly believe he is not going to leave again, and so he needs to be his normal self. And Gibbs is never sick. He will not scare them. Nor will he force them into caring roles that he knows they will no longer be comfortable with. He accepts that it will take time for them to be a team again. But that doesn't stop the ache.

Over the week, the pain comes and goes, spiking to a crippling peak and fading to a dull ache. He finds his appetite is almost non-existent, and there is a faint but constant nausea clawing at him. Two days after the vomiting starts, he decides that it might be time to visit Ducky. He knows the other man is still angry with him for leaving, but hopes that the fact that Gibbs is complying with the order the elderly Doctor gave him the last time he was ill - to come to him when sick, and admit the problem before he landed in the hospital - will be enough to persuade the man to give him at least a cursory examination.

He is to be disappointed. Ducky is halfway through an autopsy when he arrives, and doesn't even look up as Gibbs states the reason for his visit in a flat tone, desperately fighting back the humiliation that threatens to overwhelm him as he reveals his weakness. Ducky weighs the corpse's liver as he replies, his voice cold and professional, as Gibbs has become accustomed to over the last few weeks. "It sounds like a mild stomach bug, Agent Gibbs. Most people in this world fall victim to illness every so often. I daresay it is a foreign feeling to you, but I assure you, it is quite normal." A flash of conscious, and he continues in a slightly less hostile tone. "If you are concerned, Agent Gibbs, I would advise you to see your own Doctor. I am just a lowly medical examiner. My skills are for the dead, not the living." He records the weight of the kidneys, and moves up to examine the lungs.

Gibbs stares at him for a few brief moments, surprised. Ducky has always put his medical concerns above personal feelings. He realises that he has done more damage to their friendship than he originally thought. He was wrong to come here. To Ducky, it must have looked like he was just strolling back in to his life, demanding favours. And, really, isn't that what he was doing? Ducky is right, he is a medical examiner, and has no obligation to act as Doctor to reckless Agents. He ignores the small part of him that is angry at Ducky for ignoring his attempt at reconciliation. The man is not aware how hard it is for him to admit to illness, but this is because Gibbs has never told him. The small part argues that it is obvious, that Ducky should, after over fifteen years of friendship, know such things, but he ignores it. He nods at Ducky, even though the man's back is to him, and says "Of course. Thank you for your time, Doctor." He leaves, moving stiffly, without looking back, and so misses the look of slight surprise that Ducky shoots at his retreating form.

He doesn't see his own Doctor. Has never seen him, in fact. He has always gone to Ducky for any medical requirements, and the other man has happily provided his services, and so Gibbs has never given it much thought. Even so, as he makes his way back to his desk, body aching, he is seriously contemplating making an appointment for that evening. Perhaps the Doctor can give him something for the nausea, at least. The retching makes his already painful stomach spasm in agony.

His cell rings as he exit's the elevator, though, and it's dispatch, informing him of a new case. There is a child involved, a little girl, and Gibbs instantly forgets the pain and focuses his entire being on his work. Anything he eats comes straight back up again, so he doesn't eat, instead consuming large amounts of coffee and water, to his team's surprise.

After the third day, he knows they have realised that something is wrong. The pain is no longer coming in bursts; instead, it is constant, and gradually getting worse. When he glances in a mirror at one of the crime scenes, a pale, drawn face stares back at him, dark circles under it's eyes. He's lost weight, too - he's had to tighten his belt several notches over the past few weeks, and he knows that he is moving slowly. He ignores the tentative queries, angry at himself for not being strong enough to hide his weakness. He tries to act healthy around them, but is not sure if it is working.

By the sixth day, he no longer cares. He is at the very end of his strength, the pain and lack of food taking it's toll. The questions from his team have become more insistent, and he doubts his ability to hold them off for much longer. But they are close, now, to discovering the identity of their criminal, and it distracts them. He is looking forward to finishing this. For once, he wants to go home; cannot wait for his bed, and the quiet and sanctity of his basement.

He is in interrogation with a suspect when they finally get the break they need. He plays him well, despite the pain, and the man stumbles and gives them the vital clue that they have been looking for. He will be in prison for a long time. His friend, who has perpetrated the whole thing, will be there even longer. Gibbs will make sure that the other prisoners know that he had abducted a small child. He will ensure that they are aware that he was about to kill said child when NCIS caught him. He will not have a good time in jail.

It is late in the evening, and he is sitting behind his desk, pretending to be going through paperwork. In fact, he is trying to close off the pain shooting through him, using the method he learnt as a marine. It is not working as it should. He can feel himself trembling, and cold sweat runs down the back of his neck. He is not prepared for his team's visit. He has sent them home hours ago, and would be there himself if he could only dim the pain long enough to move.

They gather round him, and he tries to answer their questions, to tell them that he is okay, that he is juts tired, that it is only a mild stomach bug, but they don't listen, and he is not even sure that he has spoken out loud. His head feels heavy, and everything is a little blurry round the edges. He feels a hand on his forehead and hears a gasp, followed by a few short beeps that he recognises as someone making a phone call. It seems like only a second later that Ducky is there, and he turns bleary eyes towards him, and smiles through the pain, because Ducky is looking at him in concern instead of anger, and Gibbs has missed this. He hears Ducky's voice. "Jethro? Can you hear me?" And there is a hand on his forehead again, and one on his wrist, and then Ducky's voice is there again. "Good Lord, Jethro, I am so sorry." He smiles a little more, to show him that it's okay, and manages to rasp out a few words of reassurance to his team too. They smile at him shakily, and he wonders absently why Abby is crying. He realises that he is looking up at them, and wonders how he got on the floor. Then the pain sends a bolt through him that is like nothing he has ever felt before, and then there is only darkness.

When he wakes up again, he is in the hospital. He knows this before he has even opened his eyes; he is intimately familiar with the sounds and smells of medical establishments. He feels weak and limp, but there is no pain, which is good. There are voices, though, and he listens to them without opening his eyes. They are familiar, he realises, and a moment later things slot into place and he remembers why he is here. It is reassuring that his team are in the room with him; it means that he has not lost his memory again; the voices are the ones he would have expected to hear, had he considered the possibility of anyone being at his bedside.

After a few minutes, he feels a little stronger, and opens his eyes. Immediately, there is a shriek, and a black blur is squeezing him so tightly he thinks he might pass out again. The pressure is gone in a moment, though, and he gives Abby a little grin, slipping off the oxygen mask so that she can see it.. "I'm okay, Abs." This earns him a long rant about exactly why he is not okay, and how people who are stupid enough to ignore an inflamed appendix for so long shouldn't be allowed out without someone there to stop them from doing such idiotic things. Once she has talked herself to a standstill, he turns his attention to the rest of his team, listening silently as they express their pleasure in seeing him awake again, before telling them that they should be at work, and if they don't get back to the office right now, he is going to kick their collective asses. They groan in protest, but he can see the relief in their eyes that this isn't like the last time; he is still Gibbs. They stay for a little longer, adding their agreement when Abby cheerfully informs him that he is stuck in the hospital for at least another week, probably more, and that he will be going home with an escort - he will be too weak to resist their care and she intends to make the most of it - but make sure to stay out of arm's reach. They leave with wishes of a speedy recovery, and promises to stop by again after work; he feels a little uncomfortable to realise that they have been waiting for him to wake up after his surgery. He doesn't deserve them. He can't help but notice that Ducky wasn't there.

He puts up with Abby's fussing for a while, realising that she needs confirmation that he is okay, before informing her in no uncertain terms that she is to go home and sleep, with strict orders not to consume any more caffeine for at least twelve hours. He does not want to know how much she has had already. After she leaves, he talks to his Doctor, who minces no words as she tells him exactly how close he has come to death, or, what is worse in Gibbs' book, permanent brain damage from the fever. He listens and nods as she speaks, though he has no intention of following her instructions once he leaves the hospital. He does not, after all, need six weeks off work. He does not argue, though, when she tells him she is going to give him a mild sedative to help him sleep, merely nodding and letting himself slip away into darkness.

He wakes a few hours later to find himself being watched. Without opening his eyes, he greets his visitor, carefully keeping his voice absolutely neutral. "Doctor." Opening his eyes, he meets the brown ones looking down at him. "Jethro." Ducky acknowledges, softly, and Gibbs smiles. It is the first time Ducky has called him by his chosen name since his return from Mexico, not counting the times while his appendix was rupturing in the office. There is a silence as both men consider what to say. Ducky breaks it first. "Jethro, I must apologise. However angry I was with you, I should never have turned you away when you came to me. I should have known that you would never complain about anything that wasn't serious. And even if it had just been a bug, I am a Doctor. I swore to help people." He sighs, looking away. "It was unforgivable."

Gibbs is silent for a moments, thinking. Then he says. "No, it wasn't," and smiles. "I'll forgive you, Ducky, " he continues. "Of course I will. And perhaps you'll forgive me for not telling you about my family?" He places a shaky hand on Ducky's arm. "You're my best friend. I should have told you. I'm sorry." Ducky's head jerks up at these last two words; Gibbs is famed for never apologising.

It takes some time, and more talking than he is comfortable with, but he eventually manages to convince Ducky that he is forgiven, and Ducky accepts his own apology in turn. They talk for a while about things that have happened to them both in the last few months; or rather, Ducky talks, and Gibbs listens. He has missed this more than he realised. He does not even notice that his eyes are closing until it is too late, falling into a deep, healing sleep. Ducky glances at him after a minute, and pauses in his tale, taking in his friend's relaxed features. Smiling, he sits back, and continues with his story. They are going to be okay.

Well, there you go. Hope you liked it. Reviews would be much appreciated! As an added incentive, I can tell you that I often open them at college, and the last time I may have accidentally squealed out loud. I got some rather funny looks. So your reviews will be giving my classmates something to look at so they don't have to listen to the teacher…

And I have no idea why I just wrote all that. It's 3am. I'm going to post this and go to bed.

Aqua Mage

¦lt;/p