Four days. Four extremely long days. That was how long it had been since Tony had fallen in the NCIS gym. Gibbs was growing a beard now, having not shaved since before Tony had gotten hurt. He hadn't left the hospital since the previous morning, despite Ducky and Edith working together to try and get him into the fresh air. Abby had stopped by a few times to visit with Tony and bring food to Gibbs, which he hadn't touched anyway. Morrow had been there all day long that day, trying to get Gibbs to sleep. But nothing worked. The one thing that would help Gibbs rest and take care of himself was the one thing he couldn't have- Tony.

Gibbs felt his eyes closing as he picked up Tony's left hand. He was glad that his fingers had healed, though they were still somewhat fragile. His nose had healed well too, the swelling had come down completely. Edith had said that Tony's teeth were healed as well, but he would have to be careful for a few more days when he was eating so that he didn't knock them loose again. She had said she would get the oral surgeon that had fixed Tony's teeth to come and have a look in the next day or so. But the best part of it was that she had taken Tony off the ventilator that morning. Gibbs let his eyes close as he put his head down on Tony's bed for the fifth time that day, and was asleep almost instantly.

It was dark, too dark. That wasn't normal. Tony tried to move his head, but it was heavy, so he stopped. He tried to move his mouth, but it was painful. Then he tried to blink. For a moment, he thought nothing was happening, but then he felt his eyes open. Tony blinked as light hit his partially open eyes. It was a little too bright for his liking, but he wasn't going to let that stop him from figuring out where he was. What was stopping him was the fact that he didn't recognise his surroundings. He knew he wasn't at home or work, but the place was unfamiliar.

Blinking again, Tony moved his left hand to try and release the pressure that was there, but nothing changed. He knew his hand had moved, but the pressure was still there. He moved his head a little bit and looked at his hand to see what was there.

"Ibbs…?" he managed to say.

Tony saw his boss move a little. He could see Gibbs' eyes opening, so he tried again.

"Ibbs…"

"Tony?" asked Gibbs, though he clearly didn't realise Tony was talking to him. "I miss you, buddy. Please wake up." Gibbs put his head a little closer to Tony's hand. "Wake up," he said as he closed his eyes again.

"Ibbs…" Tony said for the third time.

This time, Gibbs reacted. Tony saw him startle awake, so he closed his fingers as best as possible around the older man's hand.

"Tony, buddy, thank god!" Gibbs breathed as he quickly pushed the call button. "Keep your eyes open, okay? Just stay awake for me."

The door opened and two nurses ran in. One of them was paging the doctor already.

"Agent Gibbs, what's wrong?"

"Tony… he's awake," said Gibbs as he fought back tears.

The nurses were surprised. They both looked at Tony and smiled.

"I'll get Dr Swan," said one, and she left.

"Hi, Tony," the remaining nurse said in a soft, kind tone. "I'm Amy. How about we take off that oxygen mask?"

Tony blinked and watched the nurse as she took the mask off his face.

"Great job, Tony. I'm going to put a nasal cannula on so you can still breathe comfortably, alright?"

"Gibbs…" Tony mumbled.

"I'm here, Tony. I'm not going anywhere." Gibbs smiled his first real smile in days.

"Tired…"

"I know you are." Gibbs turned to the nurse. "Can Tony sleep?"

"Not yet. Dr Swan will need to examine him, make sure that if he does have a concussion, it won't send him back into a coma."

"Okay." Gibbs turned to Tony. "Buddy, stay awake and talk to me, alright?"

"Where… am I?"

"Bethesda. You're in the intensive care unit."

"Why?"

"You had an accident. Do you remember that?"

"No. Gibbs?"

"Yeah?"

"Hurts…" Tony coughed.

"I know. I'm sorry."

"No, you… hand…"

Gibbs frowned, then looked down, realising he had a tight grip on Tony's injured fingers. "Sorry," he said as he let go.

"It's okay… Don't leave?"

"I'm not."

"Agent Gibbs hasn't left your side in days, Tony," said Amy. "He sleeps here, when he actually sleeps, that is, and he spent the last four days talking to you so that you would be able to find your way back to us."

Tony looked at his boss, a small smile appearing. "Thank you," he said.

The door opened again, and Edith came rushing in. Relief filled her face when she saw Tony talking to Gibbs and Amy.

"Hi, Tony. Do you remember me?" Edith asked, giving him a wide smile.

Tony nodded. "Edith."

"Good memory."

"I don't know what happened to me."

"That's alright. You've had quite a traumatic accident. Let's get you better, and then we can discuss what you went through, alright?"

"My mouth and… nose… they hurt."

"Your nose was shattered when you were injured, and three of your molars were knocked loose. The teeth have healed quite well, but you do need to take it easy in the next few days. I'll get the surgeon to come and check for you. And your nose was surgically repaired too. The swelling has come down in the last two days, so it may be sore for a little longer. I'll give you some morphine after I check you."

"Tired…"

"I know you are. Let's make sure you don't have a concussion or anything first."

"Gibbs can stay?"

"Of course. I wouldn't dream of sending Gibbs home, though maybe he'll get some sleep and eat properly now."

"Gibbs… sick?"

"No."

Tony nodded. He found his boss' hand again and gripped it. "I'm scared."

Gibbs felt his heart break yet again. He lightly squeezed Tony's hand reassuringly. "Bud, you don't need to be scared, okay? You're safe in here."

"Kay…"

Gibbs looked at Edith. "How are you going to know the extent of his injuries?"

"I'll get his team together after I finish in here and we'll make a plan. Tony's going to need a lot of care, even if he is conscious now."

"What can I do?"

"Be there to reassure him. You are the father figure in his life, Gibbs. It's time for you to embrace it and show Tony how much he means to you. I know you have been doing that lately, but Tony didn't see any of it while he was out."

Gibbs nodded. "Whatever he needs, I'll be here."

Edith smiled. "Good to hear. Now, Tony, I'm going to check you for a concussion. The light may hurt your eyes, so just tell me if I need to stop."

Tony looked to Edith. She had a bright smile on her face that helped him relax, so he nodded. Edith quickly checked his eyes.

"From what I can see, you have a minor concussion. I'd say that has been healing over the last few days. You should be fine to sleep, but we'll wake you every couple of hours just to be sure."

"I can sleep?"

"In a moment. Can you turn your head to the left for me?"

Tony turned to face Gibbs. His boss was smiling at him while Edith quickly checked his head.

"Look at me now."

Tony turned back. Edith pressed on his forehead gently, but it hurt, and Tony couldn't stop himself from crying out.

"Okay, it's okay. I'm done. Your skull is cracked, and your brain is bruised and still partially swollen. Pain is expected." Edith gently patted Tony's shoulder. "You'll be okay, no matter how long it takes for you to recover. I'm not going anywhere, neither is Gibbs. And you have an excellent team of doctors waiting to help."

Tony nodded. "Sleep?"

"Of course. Close your eyes and rest. I'll get a nurse to check on you in two hours." Edith waited until Tony was sleeping. "Gibbs, can you step outside for a second?"

Gibbs nodded. "Is everything okay?"