A/N: Day 2: Outlook on life-bleak. Status of healing elbow-grim. Conclusion: I'm so glad it's the weekend.

In other news, if you have reviewed and I have not responded, know that I appreciate it. It is still very difficult to type with one and a half hands (it hurts to move my last two fingers on the injured hand) so typing is very slow. Good thing this story is all typed and ready to go!

Chapter Six

Tony's running up the stairs.

Ducky is at work and Tony doesn't know where Mike is or if Mike is even in the house.

Up and up Tony keeps running because he has to hurry.

Ducky is gone and Mike is not there and Tony hears something on the second floor and he has to hurry up the stairs because no one else is there.

"Tony."

Tony breaths heavily and ignores the voice because he heard something up there.

"Tony, stop, there's nothing up there," and suddenly Mike's there and he's holding Tony's arm.

"Something's up there!" Tony pulls his arm away. Can't Mike hear it? Doesn't he know that something could be up there that could hurt them?

"Tony, no one's up there. Nothing's up there. You've been doing this all day Tony, nothing's up there," Mike is gently pulling Tony away from the stairs and back towards the kitchen probably to take his medicine that he hasn't taken all day because…

"I HEARD SOMETHING UP THERE!" Tony cries. Why can't Mike hear it? It's going to blow up…it's going to-

"Tony," Mike is suddenly right in front of him and Tony is reminded that Mike is really strong, "The bomb blew up. It killed Ziva and McGee. They're gone. There's nothing you can do Tony. You didn't know. No one heard it. No one could have stopped it."

Tony tries to pull away one more time but suddenly Mike isn't just holding him, he's squeezing him and pulling him close.

And Tony crumbles.

"I should have heard Boss," Tony cries and Mike jumps in shock and looks down at Tony.

"What did you call me?" Mike asks but Tony doesn't hear because he lost in his memories.

"I was the Senior Field Agent," Tony continues to cry, "I should have known. I should have protected them but I was- I was eating and-and..."

Sighing, Mike pulls Tony in close and rubs his back, "It wasn't your fault Tony. It was never your fault."

And somewhere between the crying and the hugging, Tony begins to believe Mike.

"I don't like taking the pills," Tony mumbles, not making eye contact with Dr. Roberts. He hates coming here almost as much as he hates taking the stupid yellow pill and white and green pill.

"Tony, when you arrived here, you were on five different medications a day so you should consider it a great achievement-"

"I would consider it a great achievement if I didn't have to take anything all day," Tony interrupts Dr. Roberts. He remembers having to take five pills a day because right after he would take them, he remembers that Mike would always have to wipe the drool off his face.

"What you went through Tony, it should not be taken lightly. You must remember that it is imperative that continue to take baby steps-"

Dr. Roberts is so annoying when he starts this lecture, a lecture that Tony has probably heard ten or eleven times before. Baby steps, the doctor says day in and day out.

But Tony's tried of baby steps.

And he hates the fact that when he takes the anti-anxiety medication and the other pill that he doesn't know what's for, his thoughts become so sluggish and hazy that he starts imagining that Mike is Boss.

But Gibbs is dead, he died with McGee and Ziva in that house, and Tony hates being reminded of that fact.

"Tony."

"Tony," Dr. Roberts says in a tone that indicates he's been saying Tony's name for awhile without any response.

"What?" Tony answers, working hard to keep the frustration out of his voice.

"Why don't you tell me why you hate taking the medication and maybe we can see about finding ways to help you combat the side-effect?" Dr. Roberts says in that tone he uses that is always calm and so grating on Tony's nerves.

Tony figures that since he's already label as "insane", Dr. Roberts won't totally freak out at his answer.

"I take them and I keep seeing Boss," Tony says finally.

"Boss?" Dr. Roberts asks, his eyebrows disappearing somewhere in his neatly trimmed bangs, "Do you mean Special Agent Gibbs?"

"Yeah," Tony mumbles. Now that he's said it out loud, he realizes how crazy he really does sound.

"I see," Dr. Roberts says before shuffling papers, "And where do you see your former Boss?"

Realizing now that Dr. Roberts could lock him up again if so wanted, Tony is a bit more hesitant to reveal the last tidbit of his supposed delusion.

"I keep thinking Mike is Boss," Tony finally answers, resigned to the fact that he really is crazy.

"Tony," Dr. Roberts says slowly, talking like he use to talk when Tony thought his bracelet was red, "When the bomb exploded, you and your Boss were on the first floor correct?"

"Yeah."

"Tony," Dr. Roberts says his name again to catch his wandering attention and leans forward and starts to speak but the beeping is back and Tony knows the it isn't real but that still doesn't stop him from covering his ears and closing his eyes because he knows what's coming…he knows…

And suddenly it's so loud that Tony can't hear anything and he doesn't want them to be dead. He wants them to be here with him.

But really, Tony really just wants to go home.

A/N2: Next chapter will probably be up Sunday though if by some miracle Saturday has more than 24 hours in it, then it might be up tomorrow. On the plus side, however, no screaming 12 year old girls tomorrow. I think I'm so happy I'm gonna cry.