A/N EnJoY!

Gibbs motioned for Brad to meet him outside in a minute and stood. With one last look at his agent he walked out the door and down the hall a bit. He waited patiently for Pitt to make his way to him.

"He didn't look there." Gibbs stated in a cold voice.

"I know, but it's still early." Pitt said, worry in his voice. "The drugs might still be clouding his mind. Or the painkillers might be making him this way. He is still on extensive pain meds. Or his mind could still be waking up. He was out pretty deeply."

Gibbs nodded. "When will we know?""I think within the next few hours. Once he is more alert I am going to take more scans." Brad said. "for now don't worry. Go back in and relax."

Gibbs nodded and turned.

"Let me know if anything changes." Brad said as Gibbs slipped inside.

Abby glanced at him from her spot right next to Tony her eyes happy. Gibbs smiled back at her in reassurances while hoping that Tony would be all right himself. Once again settling in his chair he watched his agent breath. Gibbs still hated the color his agent was. Pale and asleep in a hospital bed did not suit Tony.

His eyes fluttered open and closed for the next hour or so with no changes other than every couple of times he would look them all over for a minute before closing his eyes again.

"Well Tony. This is getting boring. You're alright." Abby said her voice full of steel. "We're all waiting for you to open your eyes up already." Abby leaned forward.

"Tony. C'mon." McGee said from beside Abby.

"Stop sleeping on the job, DiNozzo." Ziva commanded.

"Tony wake up for us." Gibbs added his order to the others. Tony's eyes flickered open. "Nah sleep…." Tony's breathless voice mumbled from underneath the mask. Abby smiled brightly through a fresh round of tears when Tony's hand weakly squeezed her own.

"How are you feeling Tony?" Abby demanded.

"Li… crap." his voice came out muffled again. This time as he spoke he coughed weakly. Gibbs fiddled with the control until Tony was in halfway to sitting up to ease the pressure on his lungs before calling Brad with the little light.

"Wha… happened?" Tony sounded breathless and tired.

"Stay awake until Brad comes to see you Anthony." Ducky ordered.

"Kay." Tony finally dragged his eyes opened and looked at them all. Gibbs was relieved to see someone in those eyes.

"You came to work sick DiNozzo." Gibbs said letting the irritation show in his voice.

"S'rry Boss." Tony nearly whispered before coughing again.

"No more talking DiNozzo."

"Kay." Tony said a cocky grin lifting the corners of his mouth.

"DiNozzo." Gibbs said sternly, only to be betrayed by an answering smile flashing across his face briefly.

Brad choose that moment to walk in. He relaxed his tense shoulders at the relief on everyone's faces his eyes turning questioningly to Gibbs.

Gibbs nodded.

"Tony you gave us quite a scare. Again." Brad said.

Tony's eyes turned to the doctor his face growing more weary with each second.

"I know your tired but I need to do a few things first." he waited until Tony nodded before turning to the team. "He's going to need to rest. If you could say good-bye we'll allow visitors again tomorrow."

"I'll stay Gibbs." Ziva said. Gibbs nodded. "Get well Tony. Rest." He ordered before patting his agents hand.

"Bye Tony." McGee said following his boss outside.

"I'm staying too." Abby declared her eyes steely.

"Abb.." Brad started.

"I'm not going anywhere. I have to be sure." Abby said her voice like ice her eyes narrowed into dangerous slits.

"Fine." Brad relented knowing a loosing battle when he saw one. He knew nothing short of security could drag the woman from this room and he doubted all the excitement would be good for his patient.

"Get well soon." Ducky said with a chuckle.

"I am going to have to ask the two of you to step outside while I check up on Tony." Brad said in his best authoritive doctors voice. The two women nodded and stepped outside.

"I better be allowed back in." Abby said to Brad, giving him a dangerous look, before leaving.

"And people say that I am a scary person." Ziva said to Abby as they stood watching the quiet efficient hustle of the ICU.

Abby smiled and looked around.

"I don't think I even like hospitals." she declared.

"Why not?"

"Being in one reminds me that someone I care about is hurt or sick. Every time you go out on a case I wonder if I'm going to end up in a waiting room in the hospital." Abby said looking away from Ziva. "Or worse."

"Abby. We are good at getting each other out." Ziva said quietly.

"I know. I just worry because I can't be there to protect you myself."

Ziva laughed quietly.

"Abby, I am a trained Musuad agent. Gibbs Tony and McGee are trained agents. We can take care of ourselves."

Abby said nothing but looked silently into the window where Brad was bent over Tony talking quietly to him.

"He's fine Abby. Relax." Ziva ordered.

(---------------------------------------)

"She can be scary sometimes." Brad said to Tony as he bent over the man to listen to his lungs. Tony chuckled weakly that turned to an even weaker cough.

"Just breathe in and out deeply Tony I need to hear your lungs."

Tony lay patiently while breathing as deeply as he could. He was confused at the pressure on his lungs.

"Wha…" He stopped to breath deeply. "Happ'ned?"

"No talking unless I ask you to." Brad ordered then sat in the chair next to Tony. "As near as I can tell you took that little hike without a jacket in the cold while you had a cold developing. The cold turned into a mild case of pneumonia that your lungs couldn't handle. They collapsed while you were chasing a suspect. McGee told me Gibbs cuffed him to a mailbox." He stopped while Tony chuckled again.

"He got to you pretty fast and started CPR, which is pretty lucky for you." Brad added. "He got you breathing but on the way to the hospital you stopped again the lungs finally had enough. We put you on the vent and kept you in a coma to reduce the shock." Brad explained while checking the vital signs.

He stopped when he saw the panicked look in the eyes of the agent.

"You were only out for about four days. And you lungs are better. You O2 stats are back up into the acceptable range and your body is no longer oxygen starved."

A question lingered in the young mans eyes as well as a hint of fear.

"Gibbs already asked." Brad said in a comforting tone. "It will keep you out of the office for about two weeks or more depending on your recovery, and another two weeks or so of desk duty. I'll be starting you on drugs to strengthen your lungs and we'll do X-Rays twice a year at my office."

Tony breathed a little deeper and relaxed again into the pillows. Tony looked at the garbage full of coffee cups and back at Brad an eyebrow raised.

"Gibbs for the most part he only left when another member of the team was here to watch you. They were all worried."

Tony raised his eyebrows farther with a grin on his face.

"Rules are made to be broken DiNozzo. It wasn't the first time I broke the rules for you." He chuckled then turned serious.

"I was sorry to her about Agent Todd." Brad said watching the brief flash of old pain cross his face. "She was a wonderful person and a great agent."

Tony nodded and sunk further into the pillows his eyes sinking shut.

"Next time your up to it we are going to run a few scans and take some X-Rays." Brad told him. Tony raised his hand in a lazy gesture not opening his eyes.

Brad exited and motioned for the two women to enter again.

They sat quiet in the chairs on either side. Abby again claimed the hand while Ziva leaned back.

She watched Tony's mouth rise into a smile before relaxing into sleep.