Rekindling the Flame

A Tiny Flame

"Sore loser," said Tony laughing. "Ok, so I just need to stay alive longer than thirty seconds and I'll win."

Gibbs rolled his eyes and waited for the inevitable.

"I've won!" declared Tony.

"Gee, there's a shock," muttered Gibbs. He laughed at Tony. "Well, looks like the challenge is yours. Well done!"

"Thanks Dad," said Tony. "So I'm guessing you don't want to play again."

"Ah...you'd be guessing right," said Gibbs.

Tony shrugged and set the game to individual play. He sat back on the sofa and was soon absorbed in the game.

Gibbs looked at his watch. It had been a couple of hours since he'd last checked on Jenny and decided it was probably time to do so again.

As he shifted ever to slightly in order to stand, Ziva jumped and said, "Are you going to check on Jenny? Can I bring her some water now?"

Laughing at her eagerness, Gibbs said, "Yes, Ziva. You can bring her some water. But," he looked sternly at her. "If she's asleep, we leave straight away ok?"

She nodded happily and jumped of the couch, running into the kitchen to grab some water from the fridge. Within twenty seconds she was standing in front of him, water at the ready and a huge grin on her face.

"Come on Florence," he said smiling at her.

"Florence?" she asked frowning up at him.

"Yeah, Florence Nightingale, she was a famous nurse during the war." As she continued to frown at him, he said, "Never mind," and led her up the stairs.

Opening the bedroom door, Gibbs put his finger to his mouth to remind Ziva to be quiet before they both entered the darkened room. As he looked over towards the bed, he saw that it was empty. Scanning the room, he noticed a flicker of movement from the bathroom.

"Ziva, Jenny's in the bathroom. How about you wait in here for a minute?" When Ziva nodded, he headed over to the bathroom door.

"Jen," he said softly as he knocked on the door. "Are you ok,"

"Come in," he heard her say weakly.

Opening the door, he saw her slumped next to the toilet, head resting on her arms as she lay on the floor. Going over to her he said a little crossly, "What are you doing there?"

"I started throwing up and I couldn't be bothered going back to bed. Besides it's nice and cool down here." Her voice was croaky and weak.

"I'm calling Ducky," he said giving no room for argument.

He stepped out the bathroom and, walking back to Ziva, said, "Sweetie, can you get my cell for me? It's on the kitchen bench."

"Is Jenny OK?" she asked.

"She will be. She's throwing up and I need to call Ducky so he can come and give her some medicine." Gibbs replied, leading Ziva out of the room.

"Ok, I'll be back soon," Ziva said and turned to leave. Then, remembering the water she said, "Can you give this to Jenny? She may want it to rinse her mouth."

"Good thinking Sweet Pea," said Gibbs smiling at her. He took the water and, once Ziva had left, he went back into the bathroom.

Crouching down next to Jenny he said, "Do you want a sip of water? It's cold."

Sighing gratefully she took the bottle and closed her eyes as the cool liquid slid down her throat. "Thanks," she croaked handing it back to him.

Running his fingers through her hair, he couldn't help but be concerned at how hot she felt. Her face was flushed and the darkness under her eyes was deep.