A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed. :) And thanks for being understanding. Next chapter will hopefully be up tomorrow although it will be late (Pacific Standard Time) due to the fact that I get to spend a couple hours with lots of 12 year old girls. -cries-
Nonetheless, I will try my hardest and thanks once again to all who are reading and reviewing. :)
Chapter Four
"How did I go back to red?" Tony asks Mike later when its quiet and Mike lets Tony listen to his iPod.
Mike looks carefully at Tony's wrist before looking back up at Tony's eyes, "Tony, your bracelet has always been white. All the patients have white bracelets. You've always had a white hospital bracelet."
The admission hurts Tony's head. He knows he sick, can recognize the fact that his thought processes don't always match up, but it still pains him when he can see the fact that he's crazy.
"Where did the red come from?" Tony asks Mike who is still looking at him carefully.
Mike's frown deepens, "I don't know Tony. Maybe from your nightmare."
"It never goes away," Tony tells Mike. He likes Mike. He's glad at least, that he gets the same aid. Mike is nice and tall even though he's shorter than Tony. He's really strong and he's always really careful to keep the no touch rule.
"One day it might," Mike says hopefully, "Or at least get better."
Tony thinks about what Mike says and hopes.
"I want to go home Mike."
"I want you to go home too Tony."
"Mike," Tony says when he's sitting in the small waiting room, waiting for Abby and Ducky to walk through the door to visit him. His bracelet is white, has always been white, but Dr. Roberts hasn't moved him to the large visiting room since he had what Dr. Roberts calls a "relapse."
"Yeah Tony?" Mike says from the corner of the room. He watches everything Tony does to make sure he's safe and Tony doesn't mind because he likes Mike.
"You have a family?"
Mike's eye wrinkle like Abby's do when she's about to cry and Tony didn't mean to make Mike cry.
"Sorry I-" Tony tries to fix the mistake but Mike looses the wrinkly look and he smiles instead even though Tony can see Mike's eyes still shimmer with wetness.
"No it's okay," Mike shrugs and he adjusts the way he's sitting, rubbing his bad knee, "Yeah I have a family. A son."
"Really?" Tony asks.
"Yeah," Mike continues and he looks at Tony like he isn't seeing Tony, "But he's really sick right now."
"Oh," Tony bites his lip cause he feels bad, "Will he be okay?"
"Yes," Mike says and nods, looking right into Tony's eyes.
It that moment that Tony notices how blue Mike's eyes really are.
"I want to go home," Tony tells Dr. Roberts. It's almost been seven months since he's been here even though Tony can only remember being here five months.
"I see," Dr. Roberts says quietly and for once he doesn't have papers on his desk, "And where who you be staying with?"
"Ducky," Tony nods, "I've already asked and he said it was okay. Not forever. But for a night. You can do that right? Let me out for a couple nights?"
Dr. Roberts makes a temple out of his fingers and hums before nodding his head, "I don't know how I feel about you leaving here all alone."
"What about Mike?" Tony asks and works hard to keep his nervous hands from making too much noise, "He can help. He won't mind."
"You've asked him?" Dr. Roberts says and he leans forward into Tony's private space.
"Uh," Tony thinks really hard, "No."
"Then how do you know he won't mind?" Dr. Roberts asks and leans back this time.
So much movement makes Tony start to want to lean forward and backward too.
"Because he's Mike," Tony shrugs, "He won't."
Dr. Roberts makes that humming noise again, "I will talk to your aid. If he agrees, then I don't see why we can't switch you to outpatient therapy."
Tony smiles. Mike will agree.
He knows he will.
Tony wants to break out in song he's so happy.
"Alright so, Ducky and Abby are picking us up?" Tony asks Mike again. He's nervous about leaving and he keeps looking back like Dr. Roberts will walk out the doors and drag him back inside.
"Here they come," Mike says and gently nudges Tony forward. Tony doesn't mind being touched by Mike because Mike was the one that told him the red bracelet wasn't real.
"Home," Tony stamps his feet excitedly. Sure, it's only Ducky's house but it's away from here and best of all, Mike's coming too.
"Yeah Tony," Mike smiles and opens the door for Tony when Abby pulls up.
"Tony!" Abby squeals and Tony smiles because she's hugging him and Ducky's smiling and Abby's happy and Mike doesn't look so sad anymore.
"Pizza," Mike says and sets it down in front of the TV. Abby brought a movie over that Tony hasn't seen and Mike is going to stay and watch it with him because Tony asked.
Tony smiles when Mike sits down right next to him, "Want a slice Mike?"
"Sure," Mike takes a slice of Tony's favorite kind of pizza even thought it will probably give him heartburn later, "What are we watching?"
"I don't know," Tony shrugs because Abby is setting up the movie and hasn't let Tony see the cover.
Mike nods and looks at Abby before looking at Tony, "You like the pizza?"
"It's my favorite food," Tony smiles and looks at Mike.
"Hey Mike?" Tony asks when Abby's all snuggled up and about to start the movie.
"Yeah Tony?" Mike doesn't take a bite of pizza but instead listens to what Tony has to say.
"You have a really funny hair cut," Tony's never really noticed it before, "And your hair looks a lot more gray here than it did at the hospital."
Abby freezes next to him and even Mike's eye twitches. But the moment makes Tony uncomfortable so he shrugs again and stares at his pizza.
Sooner rather than later, Abby starts the movie.
"They made a Toy Story 3?" Tony asks and Abby laughs at him and Tony knows that Mike's smile means he's laughing too.