Tony slept most of Friday morning. He had been woken up a few times during the night by nurses for checkups, and he hadn't been able to get much sleep. He had woken to eat breakfast, which had been toast again, then went back to sleep. He was awake now, eating a BLT that he had gotten as his lunch. It was nice, and he was half way through it when Brad came into the room.

"You must be enjoying that," said Brad cheerfully.

"It actually tastes pretty good. Do you want to try some?" Tony asked.

"No. I'm going to have lunch in a few minutes. I just wanted to see how you're feeling now."

"I'm okay. I don't enjoy the checkups in the middle of the night though."

"I figured you wouldn't. But that won't happen again. I just needed to make sure everything was okay."

"I know." Tony finished the last bite of his sandwich. "When do you want to do my x-rays?"

"This afternoon. I want to get you up and out of bed again when I get back from lunch. Is that alright with you?"

"Yes. I feel good today. I don't feel sick or dizzy. And I'd like to get up."

"You don't have to wait for me. If you want to get out of bed, just get up. The heart monitor cords are long enough to allow you to move around."

"Can we take the monitor off yet?"

"After we get your x-rays done. That way, you can be free of cords while walking around. I was thinking of taking out that IV as well after we do the x-rays, as long as your lunch stays inside your stomach."

"Cool." Tony grinned. "I can't wait."

Brad laughed. "It's good to see you in high spirits. If you stay happy, you'll get better quicker, and the quicker you heal, the quicker we can get out on a basketball court."

"You actually want to play?"

"Of course I do. Not yet, not until you are one hundred percent healthy, but yes."

"I'm holding you to that, Brad."

"Holding him to what?" Gibbs asked as he came in.

"Playing a game of basketball with me when I'm better."

"Sounds like something to look forward to."

Brad nodded. "It is. I'm going to leave you with Gibbs while I have lunch, Tony, but then I'll be back to get you walking. Emma will come by in a little while to take you for your x-rays."


An hour and a half later, Tony's x-rays had been completed and he was relaxing in bed, watching a movie with Gibbs. It was quiet, the only noise coming from the TV, until the door opened and Brad walked in, holding Tony's x-rays.

"Good afternoon. I heard you had some fun with Emma today," said Brad with a grin.

"Yes. Nurse Emma and I shared a few jokes. Of course, that was when we weren't laughing at each other," said Tony. He sat himself up properly to look at the x-rays Brad had put up on a light box.

"She tells me that you were a good patient for her."

"Well, of course I am. For Nurse Emma anyway," Tony grinned cheekily.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know you like Emma more than you like me."

"Not true. I like you both the same, just in a different way."

"Sure. Anyway, let's change the topic. You're x-rays are looking good. Your lungs are doing much better, though there is some scarring."

"Is scarring bad?" Gibbs asked when he saw Tony's smile fade.

"Not necessarily. Considering the condition Tony was in when this started, the scarring is minimal. I would recommend yearly checkups, just to make sure that it doesn't get worse or cause problems, but it's not a worry. The scarring won't do much, and you won't need to change your lifestyle."

"Are you sure?" asked Tony.

"Very sure. You don't need to worry unless I tell you to, okay?"

"Okay." Tony visibly relaxed once he knew that Brad was being honest.

"Earlier, when I checked your breathing, I was pleased to find that your lungs sounded clear. Judging by these x-rays, I was right."

"That sounds good."

"It is very good. For someone that was deathly ill just three days ago, you're doing extremely well." Brad took down the x-rays and slipped them into Tony's file. "But enough about that. Let's get you out of that bed."

Tony nodded. He pushed away the blankets and swung his legs over the side of the bed, ready to get up.

"Hold on a minute, Tony. Weren't you the one asking to be taken off the heart monitor this morning?"

"You said maybe."

"I did. But now that I've looked at your x-rays, I've decided that I'm going to take you off the monitor and the IV."

Tony's face split into a big smile. "You're not joking, are you?"

"Of course not." Brad pressed a button on the heart monitor and the screen turned off. Then he undid Tony's gown so he could take the electrodes off Tony's stomach and chest. After a minute, he was done and the gown was done up again. "Let's get that needle out of your hand. Put your hand in mine for a moment, and try to keep it relaxed."

Tony did as he was told, watching as Brad undid the bandage and carefully slid the needle out. He relaxed the muscles in his hand as a band-aid was put on, then took his hand back, amazed at how he hadn't felt any pain from the needle.

"Alright. Let's get you up. Do you think you can do that on your own today?"

"I want to try," said Tony. He put his feet on the ground and lifted himself into a standing position. He could feel himself swaying slightly, but he quickly righted himself and took a step.

"Good job, Tony. You're doing much better than you did yesterday." Brad was walking alongside Tony, his hand out in case help was required.

"I feel better than yesterday. Stronger," said Tony as he concentrated on walking to the patient chair.

"I can see that." Brad watched as Tony reached the chair and stopped. "Try walking to the window behind Gibbs." It would require Tony to turn around and take several more steps.

Tony turned and walked to the window. He was smiling happily by the time he reached it.

"Great. How are you feeling?" Brad asked as he joined Tony.

"Good. I'm not tired, if that's what you mean."

"What about your breathing? Are you comfortable with breathing?"

"Yes. I'm not even out of breath."

"Good. That's what I want to hear. Now, I was thinking of sending you home on Monday. Would you like that?"

"Of course I would."

"It depends on your health though. I won't be here this weekend, so I will be relying on the nurses' notes to determine if you're ready to go home."

"Okay."

"If you need me over the weekend, let the nurses know and they'll call me. I think you'll be fine. You're getting stronger each day, but if you need me, don't hesitate to tell someone."

"Thank you, Brad." Tony smiled. "I was thinking, do I have to go back to the bed now?"

"No. Do you want to sit outside the bed?"

"Yes. That patient chair is quite comfortable."

"Alright. Make yourself comfortable. I'll be back to check on you before I leave tonight." Brad smiled and left, looking back before closing the door behind him to find Tony in the patient chair, talking to Gibbs.