Hospital Room

Gibbs looked up again to see both McGee and Ziva standing in the doorway. He got up quickly and headed for the door.

"What happened?" McGee asked in concern. Ziva looked back and forth from them to Tony laying in the hospital bed, as Gibbs explained the details of the night. Ziva turned and joined in on the conversation when she learned that Stratton, the person responsible for killing Cade and almost killing Tony had recently been at the hospital.

"So are we assigned to protect him then?" Ziva asked. "Is he going for that?"

"He'll be here at least one more night." Gibbs said but nodding in agreement of Ziva question. "He will have to."

"I no longer have a gun. It is in the chain of evidence." DiNozzo added to the conversation, as he joined them in the hallway.

"DiNozzo stop doing that." Gibbs raised his voice again at DiNozzo, pointing him in the direction of the bed. Ziva and McGee noticed the strain in Gibbs' voice.

"Gibbs, why don't you go home? I can stay with him now." Ziva said, sitting down looking Tony over with her own critical stare. She put her hand out about to touch his head wound, but he backed away from her.

"How are you doing, Tony?" McGee asked with noticeable concern, which made Tony uncomfortable. He did not like everyone regarding him this way.

"I got a concussion again. Now all I see are football plays in my head, reminding me of my time playing varsity football. I just have this incredible urge to sack the quarterback." DiNozzo said looking at McGee, which then changed to a smile. He was treated with three solemn faces, not finding the situation at all amusing.

"He has been a real handful Ziva. Did you want McGee to stay too?" Gibbs said eyeing DiNozzo.

"Oh, no I can definitely handle him Gibbs." Ziva said with a determined and devious smile.

"Not that he has been sleeping anyway. However, check with the new nurse when she comes in if he can sleep for more than two hours at a time. Apparently, he had a little insomnia thing going on before this all happened last night." Gibbs said with an irritated tone, watching DiNozzo critically. DiNozzo made a loud, short grunting sound, in response to Gibbs' comment. Gibbs noticed how his body tensed, and he was becoming agitated from the attention.

"All right Tony." Gibbs said standing over him. "You behave yourself." Gibbs said with noticeable concern. DiNozzo caught Gibbs' flinch as he looked at DiNozzo's head injury again.

"See ya Boss." DiNozzo said watching as Gibbs left the room with McGee.

"So, as the agent in charge now. . ." Ziva started to say forcefully. ". . .I am ordering you to go to sleep."

Several Hours Later

"You are disgusting." Ziva said loudly with a laugh.

"Why? What do you have against jello, Ziva?" Tony asked defensively, as he sat on the bed flipping through television channels.

"What is going on in here?" McGee asked, walking in with a grin. When he entered, the laughing and the talking stopped, which intrigued McGee even more about the topic being discussed. "What about jello?"

After a long silence, McGee redirected the conversation.

"How are you Tony?" McGee asked.

"I am doing just great, Tim. Thanks for asking." Tony said, as he sat up straight up still flipping through the channels.

"He has not slept since I got here." Ziva turned DiNozzo in. "I have ordered him repeatedly to get some eye shut."

"That is "shut eye" Ziva." McGee corrected. Ziva threw her arms up in the air in response to the comment.

"Ziva, you can go home. I will just stay with Tony for a little while until Gibbs gets here." McGee stated. "Besides you have been with Tony all day, so you should be exhausted."

"It is unfortunate that he is not exhausted from being with me all day. He needs to get some sleep." Ziva snarled, directing her frustration at Tony again.

"That is bad Tony. You need to sleep. Gibbs said you did not sleep last night either." McGee supported Ziva's concerns.

"Gibbs even said that he suffered from insomnia before the concussion." Ziva added.

"Does your doctor know about that, Tony?" McGee asked, showing even more concern. McGee's serious tone and the attention that Tony was getting from both of them were making him squirm.

"Tony?" McGee repeated.

"His doctor was in here just a little while ago. I believe that he knows." Ziva stated, looking him over with a critical eye. "You wait until Gibbs gets here."

"And, Gibbs will be coming with Vance." McGee added. This news shot a chill up DiNozzo spine.

"Why? What did I do?" DiNozzo shot back in a whiny voice. Normally, they would tease him about his worry, but they were becoming increasingly concerned about his current state.

"DiNozzo." Vance said approaching the hospital bed, looking him over carefully. Gibbs followed behind him. DiNozzo now had four people looking him over carefully. "How are you?"

"Gibbs brought me up to speed. Have you remembered anything else? Have you remembered seeing Agent Barrett alive or remembered anything more about this shooter?" Vance quickly added.

DiNozzo shook his head nervously before saying a quiet no.

"You all right Tony?" Gibbs asked almost stepping in front of Vance to get closer to DiNozzo. He now was standing over Tony, who still sat up on the bed. DiNozzo nodded his head hastily.

"He has not been sleeping – at all." Ziva stated with a touch of anger.

"Not at all?" Gibbs asked irritated at DiNozzo. "You should have called me." Gibbs said glaring at DiNozzo, ready to start a lecture.

McGee gave a silent signal to Ziva before he made a discreet exit. Ziva gave DiNozzo a light pat on the shoulder before leaving too. Gibbs stepped back after they left to close the door. Gibbs silently cursed because Vance had still not left.

"What is going on? Do you remember more?" Gibbs asked pushing Vance's question again.

"You have been edgy for months, Tony, since this assignment started." Gibbs stated. "Is there something else going on?"

"It is all over now." DiNozzo just stated the rather cryptic comment as he shook his head, looking down and away from them.

"You had a concussion, DiNozzo. Did you have a CT scan done?" Vance asked, reading the unspoken language between the two. DiNozzo looked up and nodded.

"I did, sir." DiNozzo said. Vance nodded treating him with his own glare.

Vance left the room as his phone started to ring. Gibbs stepped closer, examining DiNozzo appearance catching a stifled yawn in the process. DiNozzo grimaced as he thought he was about to get a head slap, but instead Gibbs just rested his hand on the back of his head before getting down right in DiNozzo's face to look straight in his eyes.

"Talk to me." He said. DiNozzo just shook his head defensively.

"You are tired. Why aren't you sleeping?" Gibbs stated but did not expect him to answer.

"You are in a hospital being watched closely. Your CT scan came back fine. What is the problem?" Gibbs tried to say without a yell. DiNozzo swallowed hard, trying to look away from Gibbs but he still gripped the back of his head. Gibbs could see him wrestling with some ideas in his head.

"I am just worried. . ." DiNozzo started to say.

"About?" An impatient Gibbs prompted.

"That what I told you might not even be . . .accurate." DiNozzo said cautiously. "I mean I did not purposely mislead you." DiNozzo added a bit frazzled now from their discussion.

"Why would you be doubting yourself?" Gibbs said, finally dropping his hand from the back of DiNozzo's head, as he pulled a chair over to the bed. Once Gibbs backed away from DiNozzo, he became more closed lipped. Gibbs stood up and bent over getting directly in DiNozzo's face again.

"Tony?" Gibbs said gently. Vance rejoined them, causing DiNozzo to tense up again. Knowing that DiNozzo would not answer the question in front of Vance, Gibbs sat back down in his chair, keeping his focus on DiNozzo.

"I just spoke with your doctor." Vance said approaching DiNozzo with his glare. "Get some sleep." He ordered.

"Gibbs." Vance said with a nod, as he left the room. DiNozzo looked back at Gibbs, who was leaning back in the chair staring at him. DiNozzo laid back in the bed and turned off the television.

"The evidence we found in that alley is consistent with your story, Tony. Stratton was really here at the hospital." Gibbs shared. "There is no reason to doubt yourself. You did a good job Tony." DiNozzo's reaction was not what Gibbs had expected from giving him such direct praise. Under normal circumstances, DiNozzo would have accepted the praise from Gibbs. Instead, Gibbs saw DiNozzo turn away from him with a look of shame again.

"What Tony? Hey. . ." Gibbs said trying to get DiNozzo to look back up at him. "What is bothering you?"

"I can't head slap you right now, so. . ." Gibbs said with a hint of humor, in attempt to redirect DiNozzo. ". . .where should I slap you instead?" Gibbs watched as DiNozzo seemed to wrestle with his own thoughts.

"Tony?" Gibbs said again sitting up closer to him.