Tony was still lost. Brad had finished checking him and was taking him to get scans done on his head. He wasn't bothered by it, but he wanted to know what was happening. He had asked Gibbs to get Ziva for him, and Gibbs had just nodded. He didn't say anything except that Tony didn't need to worry and that he would be waiting when Brad brought Tony back to the room.

"Alright, Tony, we're here," said Brad. He had sent Emma on an early lunch break so she could calm down, which meant that he was doing this test alone, though a nurse was on standby.

"How long does this take?" asked Tony. He let Brad and the nurse move him from his bed to the scanner's table.

"If you stay still, roughly forty minutes."

"Are you going to be here?"

"Not in the room, but I'll be watching you. If you need anything, just say so. I can hear you if you talk, alright?"

"Okay." Tony relaxed his body so that he could get comfortable. He felt a blanket being put over him, then he was moving.

Brad stopped the table once Tony's head was inside the machine. He adjusted the blankets, then carefully untangled the wires and tubes coming from Tony.

"Tony, we're starting the scan now. Stay still for me, and this will be done before you know it," Brad told his patient before leaving the room.


Gibbs walked into the waiting room, feeling tired. He looked around at all the expectant faces, but he couldn't muster a smile for them.

"Tony's awake," he said, "but he's lost his memory of the last two years. He thinks it's 2012. And he thinks Ziva is still here."

"But Ziva's not here. How are we going to tell him that? He's going to ask for her, and when she doesn't come, he'll want to know why," said Abby.

"He did ask already. When he comes back from his CT scan, I'll talk to him, but don't be surprised if he doesn't believe any of it."

"What about Bishop then? He won't know who she is."

"That's another problem. But at least, he can get to know her. She'll be there for him to talk with and meet, even if it's the second time."

Bishop smiled. "Good way to start off on the right foot then," she said.

"It'll hopefully be temporary, but there is a chance that this memory loss may be permanent."

"We need Ziva back then. She got you to remember everything, she'll be able to get Tony to remember things too," said McGee.

"No, she won't. His memory stops just before she left. She doesn't know anything that's happened in the last year or so."

Ducky stood up. "He will get his memory back. He just needs something to trigger it. Like, say, a lovely young woman he has feelings for?"

"Emma's miserable right now Duck. She's not only lost her boyfriend, but her best friend too. There's no need to make it worse for her."

"Trust me, it won't. She'll feel better for helping, and Tony will be able to get his memory back. Maybe not today, but definitely in the next few days."


Brad was relieved to find that Tony's scans showed no more damage than the swelling that was nearly gone and the minute fractures lining the back of his skull where the bones had been put back into place. It seemed as though the memory loss was just temporary, and a trigger could be the fix he needed. He turned off the machine after ordering the head scans and headed back down to Tony. He was surprised that Tony hadn't moved around as much as people did, but he was grateful. The scans had taken just over thirty minutes to complete.

"Tony, are you awake?" asked Brad curiously.

"Yes. Is it done yet? I want to go back to Gibbs now," said Tony.

"I'm done. Let me get you out and we'll get you back in bed, then we can go back upstairs." Brad pressed a button at the top of the machine and the table moved out, revealing Tony's head.

"Did you find what you were looking for?"

"I was hoping to find nothing. Yes, I found nothing, which is good."

Tony smiled a little. Does that mean I'm okay?"

"No, it means that the memory loss is temporary. If we can find a trigger, we'll be able to get you back to yourself."

"Can I go home?"

"Definitely not. Your brain and your skull need to completely heal first, and then we need to make sure that there's no permanent damage. This is going to be a long recovery Tony, and it won't always be easy."

"That's okay. Gibbs told me he would help."

"When did he say that?"

"Before you came in. He had this whole speech about how he would help me and look after me and all this stuff that he's never said before."

"That was nice of him."

Tony smiled. "That's why he's the best boss in the world."

"He certainly must be. You always want him before anyone else."

"That's because he cares. It doesn't always seem like it, but he cares a lot."

Brad smiled. Finally, he understood why Tony looked up to Gibbs so much. It must have been a relief for Tony to find his way to NCIS in the first place. Not only did he gain a brilliant boss, but he also gained a real family.


Five minutes later, Brad was wheeling Tony into his room. It was empty, except for Emma, so he put the brakes on the bed and told Tony he would be back with Gibbs soon. He closed the door behind him, but watched as Emma went to sit on the bed. When she reached out to grasp Tony's hand, Brad smiled. She had calmed down a lot and he knew she would help Tony.


Emma smiled. She had gone outside for her break and let the fresh, cool air calm her down. When she had come back up, she had gone straight to Tony's empty room, wanting to be there when he came back.

"Hi Emma," said Tony with a sheepish grin.

"Hey Tony, how are you feeling?" asked Emma.

"I could be better. I wish I knew why I've lost my memory."

"You have been through quite a bit in the last few days. Your brain needs time to finish healing."

"Is there a way to speed that up?"

Emma laughed. "No. Sorry, but that's something you need to wait for."

"Oh," said Tony, sounding genuinely disappointed.

"Don't worry, it'll come back. Did I hear you ask Gibbs to get someone named Ziva earlier?"

"Yeah. She's my partner. We've worked together for almost eight years now."

"Tony, there's no Ziva on your team."

"Are you sure?"

"Very. I've met the whole team, and there is definitely no Ziva."

"Maybe she went back home for a bit? She used to live in Israel, and Gibbs makes sure she goes home at least once a year."

"I guess that's possible." Emma felt bad for Tony, he really thought that his friend was still around. "Brad went to get Gibbs, maybe he can clarify things for you."

"You aren't staying?"

"No, Tony. I need to get back to work. I'll come back on my next break, okay? And, hey, you may see me before then, if I get to come and check on you."

"Yeah, that would be good." Tony was lost in thought. He really liked this girl.

Emma laughed. "Goodbye for now Tony." She walked out of the room, a big smile on her face.