"Tell me what's happening," said Gibbs once he and Brad were standing outside the closed door of Tony's room.

"Tony's lungs have stopped breathing on their own," said Brad. There was no point in sugar coating the truth. "Not completely, but enough for Tony to not be able to breathe sufficiently on his own. He's on a ventilator, and will most likely stay that way until his lungs have had the chance to recover."

"How can he be so stupid?!" Gibbs exclaimed in annoyance.

"Stupid? Gibbs, that man in there," said Brad angrily, pointing towards Tony's motionless figure, "just saved the lives of five people, two of which were children! That is not stupid! Not even the slightest bit. That was heroic!"

"He could have killed himself."

"Yeah, he could have. But he could kill himself just by going to work. Would you stop him from doing his job? No. You can't tell him not to help people if he knows he can help. Tony did what you would have done, what I would have done. You don't get the right to be upset with him, Agent Gibbs. And, I suggest that either you calm down right now, or you leave the hospital. I won't allow you back in that room until I'm sure you aren't going to hurt Tony."

"Dr Pitt?" asked a nurse timidly, breaking through the staring contest that had cropped up.

"Yes, Nurse Jones?" asked Brad, giving the young woman a smile.

"I just got a call from the ER. A woman is asking to see Agent DiNozzo. They said her name is Abby."

"Tell them to send her up. She can stay with Tony for a while."

"Okay." Nurse Jones walked away, and Brad turned back to Gibbs.

"What are you going to do, Agent Gibbs?" Brad asked, his voice back to being cool.

"I want to see Tony."

"No can do. You can sit in the waiting room until I let you in."

"You're letting Abby in."

"Abby won't hurt Tony. She cares about him, and I guarantee you that she'll treat him like a hero."

"You're being ridiculous."

"Am I? I was serious about kicking you out of here. Want to try me?"

Gibbs scowled and walked away. He knew he had done the wrong thing earlier by not listening to Brad, but he wasn't going to admit it.

Sighing, Brad walked into Tony's room, giving Abby a smile as he began checking Tony to make sure that he hadn't been upset by Gibbs.

"What happened with Gibbs?" Abby asked once Brad was finished.

"He didn't listen to me," answered Brad.

"You told him to stay in the waiting room, didn't you?"

"Of course I did. I wasn't finished with Tony yet."

"Do you want me to talk to him?"

"I think I got through to him. He doesn't want to be kicked out of the hospital, after all."

"Does he know that Tony is a hero?" Abby asked after a moment.

"He thinks Tony was stupid for going into that water. Personally, I think he's a little jealous that he's not the one being hailed as a hero right now. Tony did something completely selfless- he saved children from drowning. I doubt that he cared what would happen to him."

Abby smiled. "That's Tony for you. He always puts others first. You know, the director was talking about awarding Tony a medal for bravery. Probably just a normal one, not a military one, but a medal nonetheless."

"I think that's pretty nice."

"Yeah, me too. Tony deserves to be recognised for what he's done to help all the people he's helped since starting at NCIS."

"Boss?" asked McGee when he entered the waiting room almost three hours later. "Why are you out here and not with Tony?"

"Waiting on the doctor," said Gibbs, purposely avoiding mentioning what he had done to be banished to the waiting room.

"Is Tony conscious yet? Abby said that he was still out when she left."

"I don't think so. Nobody's told me anything."

McGee sighed and took a seat. Abby had mentioned that nobody was allowed to see Tony without the doctor's permission until he was awake, but McGee really had thought that that meant people other than Gibbs. His boss had always been allowed to stay with Tony in the past; he didn't see why that should change suddenly.

"Am I wrong to think that DiNozzo doesn't deserve to be called a hero, Tim?" Gibbs asked, finally breaking the silence that had settled over the room.

"Pardon?" McGee asked, thinking he had heard wrong.

"I think that was DiNozzo did was brave, of course, but he could have killed himself. Everyone thinks he's a hero- I don't agree with them."

"Tony is a hero, boss. He didn't just save people- he saved two terrified children, one of which doesn't know how to swim. Nobody wanted to jump into that water, but Tony disregarded his own health and wellbeing to rescue those five people. He's the very definition of a hero. I thought you would understand how those people are feeling right now, what with Tony saving you and Maddie a few years ago."

Gibbs looked up, scowling at the heart-wrenching memory and scaring McGee.

"Uh... sorry boss, but you did ask..."

Gibbs sighed. "I know. You're right, I do remember how it felt to know I almost drowned. I remember how grateful I was to have been saved."

"So, does that mean you understand why Tony did what he did, and why he's being called a hero?"

"Of course."

"You need to treat him like the hero that he is, then, Gibbs," said Vance as he joined the two agents in the waiting room. "I've just seen Agent DiNozzo's doctor, by the way, and he says that DiNozzo is awake and giving them trouble."