Tony finished putting his uniform on and made his way out on to the playing field to warm up. He received a steady round of boos from the hostile Michigan fans and felt a few articles pelt him that were thrown from the stands near the tunnel entrance. He wanted to tell them what he thought of Michigan and give them all the finger but he had a feeling Coach Tressel would not appreciate the gesture so instead he just ran to the safety of the middle of the field to stretch. He watched as some of his team mates had to endure the same harassment before joining him on the field. He knew that many of the Ohio State fans would be doing the same thing if the game was played in Columbus so he took it all in stride and accepted it as part of the game.

The stadium was packed and the Michigan fans cheered as their team ran out and each player and coach jumped up to touch the Michigan banner as they made their way to the center of the field. The Buckeyes made their traditional team entrance and both teams taunted each other at the 50 yard line. The teams were told to break it up and they each separated to their own sidelines as the Captains from each team met in the center of the field for the coin toss. Tony was one of the four Captains for the Buckeyes and he laughed when he shook hands with one of the four Michigan Captains named Brad Pitt. Brad smiled back at Tony and said, "Laugh all you want, I've heard all the jokes." The Buckeyes won the coin toss and decided to let Michigan have the ball first and the game was underway.

The DiNozzo family cheered from their home in Baltimore as the Buckeye defense held the Wolverines 3 and out their first possession and Alyssa cheered from the Varsity Club where she and her girlfriends were watching the game with the brothers from Tony's fraternity. The game was close with Michigan holding the lead at halftime by a field goal.

Both teams came out fighting in the third quarter. Ohio State took the lead 21-17 after Tony caught a pass and ran 38 yards for a touchdown. The DiNozzo family cheered as they watched Tony jump in the air and chest bump one of his teammates in the end zone. Tony's two brothers, Michael and Frank tried to copy the move themselves by chest bumping each other but they wound up knocking over one of their mothers favorite lamps.

Alyssa and her girlfriends cheered and ordered another round of jello shots to celebrate the Buckeyes taking the lead. Alyssa blew a kiss at the screen when the camera showed Tony sitting on the sideline smiling with his team mates. She gently ran her finger over her engagement ring as she thought about the man she loved.

By the end of the third quarter the game was tied 24-24. Michigan scored a touchdown early in the fourth quarter but the Buckeyes answered right back with Tony catching a pass on the sideline and just keeping his toes inbound, broke a tackle and then another and scored another touchdown. The Michigan coaches wanted the play reviewed because they thought Tony had stepped out of bounds but after the review from the booth the touchdown was confirmed and Josh kicked the extra point to tie the game 31-31...

Michigan scored a field goal with less then four minutes to play to take the lead 34-31. The Buckeyes were penalized on the kick return and found themselves backed up to their own 10 yard line with a little over 3 minutes to play. The quarterback connected with two different receivers for a first down then the running backs pushed the ball up field for another good gain and the Buckeyes found themselves at midfield with 2 minutes to play.

The Michigan defense dug in deep as the Buckeyes called a run play on first and ten only gaining 2 yards. On second and eight the quarterback had to throw the ball away to avoid the Michigan blitz. It was now third and eight and only a minute thirty seconds left to play. Again the Michigan defense held their ground and the Buckeyes had their backs to the wall at fourth and long. They called a timeout knowing this could be the last offensive play of the game and they needed to make sure all the players knew what the next play would be.

The coach called for a pass play with the quarterback making the decision on which receiver to throw to depending on the Michigan defense. One receiver went short but was well covered, Tony went long because he had the speed to beat the defense. The quarterback saw that both players were well covered and decided to throw the ball to the player he had the most confidence in and that was Tony. The quarterback threw the ball a little higher then he had intended and Tony ran as hard and fast as he had ever run, he turned his shoulder to gage the distance of the ball and saw that it was too high. He did the only thing he could do, he leaped in the air stretching his 6'4" frame as far as he could and just got his fingertips on the ball to slow it down, it bobbled in the air and he somehow managed to pull the ball securely to his chest then he felt like he had been hit by a bus. Two Michigan defenders had jumped for the ball at the same time that Tony did, one hitting him high and one hitting him low. His body was twisted in mid air and he fell to the ground at a bad angle, the sound of the bone breaking in his leg could be heard by all the players and the medical staff from both teams immediately ran out on to the field to help the injured player.

Tony had come down with the ball on the 3 yard line giving the Buckeyes a chance for the win with a first and goal opportunity with a minute and eighteen seconds to go but at what cost? Tony cried out in pain as soon as his leg hit the ground then went silent, his body unmoving as his team mates gathered around him. The medical staff were careful not to move him until they had the proper equipment. The broken bone had torn through the skin likely causing more problems but their main concern at the moment was assessing other injuries the still unconscious player may have.

The DiNozzo family watched in horror as the scene played out before them. Jethro held Marie as she cried, "Why doesn't he move?" she repeated over and over. Michael and his wife comforted their two young children who were old enough to understand that something bad had just happened to Uncle Tony. Kate took hold of Frank's hand when she noticed he was crying and the grandparents hugged each other as they prayed for their grandson. Tony's two sister's Gina and Nicole were both clinging to Nicole's husband Dominic as he kept telling them Tony would be okay.

Back in Ohio, Alyssa was hysterical and her friends and the brothers from Alpha Chi Delta tried to console her as she screamed over and over, "I need to be with him, I need to be with him."

An ambulance arrived at the scene and a backboard was placed next to Tony. The Doctor's from both team's assisted the EMT's in rolling Tony over on his back, being sure to keep his neck and body moving in the same direction. He was placed on the backboard and his helmet was carefully removed. His body was then strapped down from head to toe to keep him immobile for transport to the hospital. As the ambulance made it's way off the field the Michigan fans stood and gave Tony a standing ovation to show their support.

The Buckeye players were in shock, some knelt in prayer while others hugged each other crying. The referees allowed the Buckeyes a few moments to gather themselves before the game was resumed. The Buckeye players huddled together and said "Lets win this for Tony," and they did just that by scoring a touchdown on the very next play and then the Buckeye defense stopped Michigan by not allowing a single yard gained in their last attempt to score. The final score was Ohio State 38 and Michigan 34. The Buckeyes were heading to the Rose Bowl but not a single player celebrated.

The television broadcasters spoke in a reserved manner and said their thoughts and prayers were with the DiNozzo family and they hoped to have an update on the players condition during the post game show.

The family could only sit and wait for the phone call they knew was coming and prayed that there would be some good news. The phone rang and Marie answered after the first ring. It was Alyssa calling to see if there was any news yet from the team about Tony. Marie told her they were waiting and as soon as they heard anything they would call her. Alyssa told Marie her friends were driving her to Ann Arbor to be with Tony and she wanted Marie to let the hospital know who she was so she could see him. Marie told her she would and also asked that if Alyssa had any news to please call the family. Marie hung up the phone and told everyone, "That was Alyssa, she's on her way to Ann Arbor." Jethro once again wrapped his wife in a hug and consoled her as she cried.

The ambulance arrived at the hospital and the emergency room staff was ready and waiting. The University Medical Center had a team of Doctors on hand to assist the injured player and they immediately began to examine Tony. One of the Doctors tried to see if he could get a response by saying his name loudly several times, but Tony did not respond. He was taken to radiology and an assortment of different images were taken. It was nearly an hour later as the Doctors discussed the test results with each other. They now felt it was safe enough for Tony to go into surgery to have the broken leg repaired.

One of the Doctors treating Tony wanted to speak with the family as he knew they must be very worried. He dialed the family number the Buckeye team Doctor gave him and waited for someone to answer. "Marie DiNozzo please," the Doctor asked.

"This is Marie."

"This is Doctor Price from The University of Michigan Medical Center."

"How is my son?" Marie asked as her family gathered around her, she then put the call on speaker phone so everyone could hear.

Doctor Price continued, "Right now he is in surgery getting the broken bone in his leg repaired and there appears to be muscle and ligament damage as well, I won't know for certain until after I speak with the surgeon. Your son also has a very serious concussion and our initial tests indicate swelling in the brain, which we will be monitoring closely."

Marie choked back a sob, "Was he awake at all?"

Doctor Price answered, "No Mrs. DiNozzo we were not able to get any response from him. I can tell you that the tests we ran show no sign of trauma to the spinal column and his neck is only slightly bruised due to the way he fell but I saw nothing to indicate that we have anything to worry about in that area. Our main concern is the head trauma, right now we know there is some swelling and that he has a serious concussion as I told you earlier. We may not be able to assess the full extent of the damage until he wakes up."

Marie thanked the Doctor for the update and told him that Tony's fiancee was on her way and that she and her husband would also be there as soon as possible. She gave the Doctor the necessary information to allow Alyssa full visiting privileges. After the phone call the family hugged each other for support and reassured each other that Tony would get through this. Jethro called the Director at NCIS and explained to him what had happened and asked if there was any way to arrange fast transportation for he and his wife to get to Michigan. The Director made a few calls and soon a Navy Helicopter was standing by. Gibb's and Marie packed quickly and drove to the Navy Yard and were soon on their way to the hospital.

When Alyssa arrived at the hospital she was told that Tony was just being moved to ICU after surgery that repaired the broken leg. She met with the surgeon and he gave her an update on Tony's condition.

"We were able to reset the leg, however we encountered a great deal of muscle and ligament damage. We did the best we could but I have to say I believe his football playing days are over."

Alyssa nodded that she understood, "This is going to be so hard for him."

The Surgeon looked at Alyssa and said, "That's why it's important for you to be here with him. Normally we do not allow visits in ICU to last longer then 10 minutes but in this case I am going to make an exception and will allow a few family members to be with him at all times."

"Thank you Doctor, when can I see him?"

"Just as soon as you speak with Doctor Price, he wants to give you an update on Tony's other injuries."

Alyssa waited and was thankful Doctor Price did not make her wait long. "Miss Cardullo?" Doctor price inquired.

"Yes, you can call me Alyssa."

The Doctor said, "Please sit, I want to give you an update on what we know so far."

Doctor Price looked over Tony's chart, "He made it through surgery just fine and I am happy to say it appears the swelling in his brain is already subsiding. Our neurologist just performed some tests on Tony and she tells me her initial findings look promising, his body reacted to the electric impulses indicating he does have feeling in his arms and legs but she also found that there was some impairment, most likely due to the head injury."

Alyssa gasped placing a hand to her mouth, "What kind of impairment?"

Doctor Price placed his hand on her shoulder to comfort her, "It's too early to tell."

Alyssa asked, "Can I see him now?"

"Yes, of course," The Doctor said as he led Alyssa to ICU.

Alyssa walked into the room and the sound of the equipment humming was a little unsettling. She saw Tony's right leg immobilized and elevated on two pillows. She took ahold of his hand and leaned over the bed railing and placed a kiss on the side of his mouth. She began to talk to him, telling him about the game and that The Buckeyes won and were heading to the Rose Bowl.

Marie and Gibb's arrived a short while later and that's how they found Alyssa, sitting at the side of Tony's bed, holding his hand and gently stroking his hair as she talked to him about anything that came to mind. She only stopped when she saw Marie and Gibb's enter the room. She immediately got up and went to Marie seeking comfort. Alyssa asked, "Did Doctor Price give you an update?"

Marie nodded yes. Doctor Price had told Marie and Gibb's the same thing he told Alyssa. Now it seemed the only thing they could do was wait for Tony to wake up.