Working with Gibbs (a NCIS story)

Chapter 34: Sick part 2

-about 20 minutes later-
Of course, Grace and Gibbs got stuck at every stoplight between the house and the hospital trying to get to Tony and Mackenzie.  Tony was sitting in the waiting room when they finally got there.
"Hey, Tony" Gibbs said when they saw him.
"Hey, boss."
"How is she?" Grace asked.
"They're still running tests.  She was so pale, so weak...what am I going to do if..."
"Hey, don't start thinking like that, Dinozzo" Gibbs said with a gentle smack to the head.
"Yeah, Tony...she'll pull through" Grace added, placing a hand on his shoulder. 
"You two don't know that...I can't lose her...I...I love her..." Tony finally revealed.  To say the pair was shocked was an understatement.
"Well, it's about time" Gibbs finally said, and Grace looked at him like he was crazy.  "What? Rule 12 is basically a dead rule anyways...has been since we got together" he added, and she couldn't argue with that. 
"Just never figured you'd be the one to say that...my money would have been on McGee or Abby saying it before you" she replied.  At that time, the doctor came out.
"Which one of you brought in the young woman?"
"I did" Tony replied, standing up.
"Please, come with me" the doctor said, leading him through a door.
-about 2 hours later, Tony's POV-
When I heard what it was that Mackenzie had, I didn't know what to think - plague? I didn't understand how that could be possible.
"Did she get any bug bites that you're aware of?" The doctor asked me, and for a while, I couldn't even think of anything...then it hit me.
"Yeah, she got a flea or tick bite about 4 days ago"
"Okay, that's probably where she got it from" she replied.
"What can we do?"
"Well we're giving her multiple antibiotics, but where she waited so long to be seen, it's too early to tell.  Come on, I'll take you to her"
-a few minutes later-
"You can stay outside of the room until she starts showing improvements, so just pick up the phone and she can hear you"
"Thanks, doc..." I replied, picking up the phone when I saw her leave.  "Hey, Mack."
"Hey, Tony...what happened?"
"You were too stubborn to be seen by a doctor...it's plague, probably from that tick bite..." I told her, unable to keep all of the snippy tone out of my voice.  "...sorry, I don't mean to snap at you...it's just, it scared me to see you in the floor, out cold"
"Tony...I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you"
"Mack...in case something happens in the next few minutes, I want to tell you something"
"What is it?"
"I...I love you." I finally said.  She was silent for a moment, then I watched as she started to smile.
"I love you too, Tony" she replied and I smiled at her.
-time skip: a day or two later, no POV-
Thankfully, they caught the bacteria before it could get any worse or become contagious, so Mackenzie started feeling better.