A/N: Back to Tony's dream for the final time. The next time we see Tony, he'll be awake with Gibbs again.
"Tony, are you seeing this?" Kate asked with a laugh. "You have got to see this."
"Sorry, Kate. I was just reading something. What's so funny?" asked Tony.
"That woman. Look." Kate pointed at a random person coming out of the train station. She was pulling a suitcase behind her, and everything was flying out of it.
"I wonder if she knows what's happening," Tony mused as he also giggled. "Poor thing. Maybe we should help her?"
"You can't. She's in the real world, we're not, remember?"
"Right. I keep forgetting that I'm actually laying in a hospital bed."
"Yes. But, you're dreaming. Everything happening here is part of your dream."
"I wish it was real. Some of it, I mean."
"Like what?" Kate asked. She turned to face Tony.
"Like you. I wish you were alive so that we could have a real conversation."
"We always talk when you visit me."
"That's not what I mean. I want to have a conversation where you can actually answer me, Kate. I want to be able to call you up at any time of the day and ask you to join me for coffee or lunch so we can catch up. It's not fair."
"Life isn't fair, Tony. Look at you. Look at what you've gone through. Look at where you are now. Things don't always work out the way we want them to, and that's okay. We adjust ourselves and move on. We have chats, Tony, even if they are one-sided." Kate smiled. "I don't like seeing you upset, Tony. All joking aside, I really don't like it when you get upset."
Tony smiled back. "Thanks, Kate. I'm glad that it's you in my dream." Tony frowned. "Wait, why are you in my dream?"
"You wanted me in your dream. I couldn't have come if you didn't want me here."
"I have been wishing to see you again lately."
"Well, here I am." Kate looked off to her side, then back at Tony. "You've been unconscious for about four days now, you know?"
"Really?"
"Yeah. But, your body is starting to heal. You won't be here much longer."
"I'll be back with Gibbs?"
"Soon enough, yes."
Tony smiled. "I'll miss you when I go, but I miss Gibbs so much, Kate... Do you think he still misses me?"
"I guarantee that he still misses you. He hasn't left your hospital room for more than ten minutes at a time."
Tony nodded. "Should I talk to Rachel?"
"When you're stronger, you'll need to talk with someone. You're going to learn some things when you wake up that are going to hurt you. I wish I could prevent it, but there's nothing I can do unless it becomes life threatening."
"You really are my guardian angel, aren't you?"
Kate laughed. "I sure am. I must say, you are quite accident prone. Would you please be a little more careful in the future?"
"I'll try."
Sighing, Kate shook her head. "Come on, let's go check on Abby. She's busy, but you might still be able to see how she's feeling."
Tony sighed as he watched Abby move around her lab, checking her various machines and collecting printouts. He could tell that she had a lot of evidence- she had prioritised the remaining evidence, and the tested evidence was in a container, ready to be removed from her lab.
"She looks tired," said Tony.
"Abby doesn't sleep when her friends are hurt or in danger, you know that."
"She hasn't slept in four days?"
"I doubt it. But, then again, neither has Gibbs. We all know that Abby channels Gibbs well."
Tony smiled wryly. "Does she know I'm healing?"
"She will soon. Gibbs just found out himself and hasn't called anyone yet."
Tony nodded. "Can I let her know I'm still fighting?"
"No. You can't interact with the real world. Besides, Abby knows you're fighting. That's why she hasn't completely fallen apart."
"Can we go somewhere else now? I don't want to see Abby cry."
Kate nodded. "Sure. Follow me, I want to show you something while I have the chance."
"Show me what?"
"Remember your mother? Laura?"
"Of course I do."
"She's missed you a lot. I promised I would bring you to her before you wake up."
"She didn't care that much when she was alive," said Tony sadly.
"Maybe not, but she does miss you. Things are much clearer up here, Tony. You learn that your mistakes need to be rectified if you ever get the chance. Laura wants to fix the broken relationship between the two of you, or at least some of it."
"You aren't joking with me, are you?"
"No."
Tony smiled. "Okay. I have missed her a lot."
A/N: Sorry for the short chapter, but I don't want to continue with Tony after this point, until he wakes up in hospital. Don't worry, though. Tony will be back in a couple of chapters time!