SATURDAY

Tony had slept pretty well on Friday night. He'd woken up a couple of times with enough dryness in his throat to require something to up his fluid level, which of course led to waking up one more time for a bathroom run. No matter what he did, his system still had the upper hand.

He hadn't had even a dreamlet that related to the whole pirate experience he'd dreamed about Friday afternoon, for which he was thankful. Gibbs as Barbossa wasn't something he wanted to think too much about. "Then again," he said to himself with a chuckle, "you can't spell 'Barbossa' without 'boss'."

Looking back, Tony realized that it had all started to go wrong when he'd ordered the pizza and Chinese food on Wednesday night and stayed up until 3 a.m. playing video games. While it had seemed like a good idea at the time, that deviation from the "healthy food and lots of rest" regimen had cost him. As much as he hated to admit it, he wasn't quite as resilient as he thought he'd be. Tony was determined to get back on track.

At about 9:30 a.m., Tony rolled out of bed and took a shower and then shaved for the first time in three days. He felt more human already. He made the bed, tossed the towels in the wash, did a once-over of the apartment to get everything back in order, and fixed himself a hot breakfast for a change – an egg white omelet filled with tomatoes, onions, peppers, and zucchini. A couple of pieces of whole-wheat toast and a banana, and he was feeling pretty darn good. He felt energized by his new "healthy" mindset.

An hour later, Tony was at the computer, answering e-mails. He was sending a quick thank you to his frat brothers for the Xbox (or, as he referred to it in the e-mail, "the evil box of sleep deprivation") when there was a knock on the door. As he quickly logged off, he just missed an incoming e-mail from Kate that was titled 'TRYING TO CALL YOU!' Tony flipped the laptop closed and opened the door, both surprised and delighted to see Dr. Pitt and Nurse Emma standing on the stoop.

"Brad, Emma – hey!" Tony said with a smile. "What's up doc?"

Emma laughed, and Pitt rolled his eyes. "Very original, Tony," he said with a grin. "I know it's a cliché to say 'we were in the neighborhood'," Pitt began, "but … we were."

"We're on our way to a consultation at University Hospital, so we thought we'd swing by and see how you were doing," Emma added.

"Come on in," Tony said. "Can I get you anything?"

"No, thanks," Brad said. "We can't stay. I just wanted to make sure you were behaving yourself." He surveyed his patient. "You look good." Then, a small frown. "A little tired, maybe. Are you not sleeping?"

"I was doing pretty good until last night, actually," Tony said, surprised that Pitt had caught the subtle signs. "My throat's been really dry," he continued, "which isn't helping the whole coughing thing, and so I get up to get fluids and then end up waking up a few hours later to pee." Tony glanced at Emma. "Sorry," he said with a smile and a shrug.

"I've changed your catheter bags, Tony," she said with a light laugh.

"Right," Tony said slowly, with a nod and a grin that was somewhere between amused and embarrassed.

"You do sound a little raspy," Pitt said. "Might just be dry air. Tell you what," he continued, as he pulled out his Palm Pilot and wrote himself a note, "there's a medical supply place not far from here. I'll give them a call and have them drop off a humidifier a little later today. Put it in your bedroom – it should help you breathe easier when you sleep."

"Thanks, Brad," Tony said, sincerely. "That'll be great." He looked at Emma, "I probably would have come up with that eventually." She laughed.

"Well, that's why I get the big bucks," Pitt said with a small chuckle. "To think of those things first."

Emma looked at her watch and then glanced up to Pitt. "We need to get going if we're going to be on time." She looked up at Tony. "Sorry," she said.

Tony opened the door. "No problem," he said, as they headed back outside. "I'm just glad you stopped by. It's so seldom you've been able to see me when I'm vertical."

Emma laughed. "Take care," she said. He smiled.

"Remember Tony," Pitt said, in a tone of voice that made Tony listen. "There's no rush to get back to work. You take the time you need."

"Will do, doc," Tony said. They got into the car and waved as they drove off.

Tony spent the rest of the morning doing some laundry, paying a few bills, and sorting through the food in the fridge to get rid of anything that was a color it wasn't supposed to be. He looked at the cards on the refrigerator door and started randomly pulling them off and reading them again. There were cards there that he didn't remember getting. One from Director Morrow, for instance, and one from his father, that had come with the plant. He was struck by how similar the two cards were – 'cut from the same cloth', Tony thought. His confrontations with his father suddenly seemed remarkably like Gibbs' disagreements with the Director. He'd never thought of it that way, until he looked at the cards.

The not-quite-religious-but-really-close card from Kate contrasted sharply with the Halloween-card-that-had-been-turned-into-a-get-well-card from Abby. Ducky and his mother had sent a proper get well wish with a proper poetic sentiment inside, while McGee's card had obviously come from the "Humorous Masculine" side of the aisle. Gibbs, of course, hadn't sent one at all, which was … well … Gibbs – the very absence of a card was the thing that clearly defined him. All the other cards, whether from friends, family or work acquaintances, were just as easy to place. Peoples' personalities were plainly reflected in their card choices, even Bobbi from Personnel and Jorge the gardener. Tony could look at the refrigerator door and see tangible proof of how many people from all facets of his life cared about him. The thought made him smile, and he decided to leave them up for a little while longer.

It was just after noon when Tony finished all of his "apartment stuff," and he was getting a little stir-crazy. It was a cloudy Saturday, not the best for hanging out in the park or spending time outdoors – with his luck, it would start raining and then he'd have the whole "I can't believe you were standing out in the rain while you were recovering from the plague" lecture from Ducky, Gibbs AND Dr. Pitt. But Tony wanted to do something. Anything. He hadn't been to a movie in ages, and figured that would be a good idea; a nice safe amusement. He'd be indoors if it rained, he could doze off unnoticed if he got tired, and … well … you never knew who you might meet at the movies. Not that he had that kind of stamina yet.

He fixed himself a sandwich and some soup while he perused the movie listings. After a short search, Tony had it narrowed down. Originally, he had been eager to see "Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith", but it clocked in at 2 hours and 20 min, and he wasn't sure he'd be able to last that long. He did still have an annoying habit of needing a nap in the middle of the afternoon. Besides, he'd really have to watch and concentrate on "Star Wars," not to mention that he'd have to do a little homework beforehand just to remember where the story left off in Episode II. He decided to go for something a little less labor-intensive. He settled on "Monster-In-Law." A nice light, fluffy comedy without any real socially significant issues that would keep him awake at night. Besides, Tony thought, 'I haven't seen a good Jennifer Lopez movie since 'Gigli'.'

He had a plan, and he was eager to put it into action. He was almost as giddy at the prospect of going outside today as he had been about the prospect of coming home earlier in the week. Every single experience seemed new somehow. He knew it was corny, and he'd probably be scoffing at it if someone else were telling him the same thing, but Tony couldn't help but feel that the whole "Today is the first day of the rest of your life" thing actually had some merit.

He opened the door, savoring the feel of the breeze on his face – this was, after all, his first real post-plague outing. A suddenly cooler burst of air made him shiver slightly, and he turned to see Gibbs, Fornell and six other feds walking up the sidewalk. The opening riff from "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" ran through his head. "This can't be good," Tony said to himself.

It was just a little too late to turn back into his apartment and pretend he wasn't there, not that it would do much good. If Gibbs wanted to get in, he could get in. Tony also considered breaking into a coughing fit, for the sympathy points if nothing else. He dismissed that as another bad idea. He looked and felt pretty good today, and he didn't need the bad karma. And, well … if Gibbs and Fornell and the accompanying six feds needed him for something, a few coughs weren't likely to stop them.

'Evasion', Tony thought. 'That's the way to go.' And, wishing more than ever that he had an invisibility cloak, Tony pulled his door closed and headed to his car, as if there were nothing odd about eight federal agents on his apartment complex lawn on a Saturday afternoon. Any hopes that Tony had about Gibbs and Fornell getting the hint that he was going somewhere were dashed as Gibbs turned to Tony and barked his name.

"DiNozzo," Gibbs said, in full Marine voice. "Don't even think we believe that you don't see us. Unless, of course, you want to re-do your observation quals."

Tony hung his head and sighed. Then, putting on his most pleasant I've-just-been-interrupted-from-my-first-day-outside-in-weeks-but-as-long-as-the-feds-are-happy-who-cares smile, he turned to the assembled mob. "Hey Boss," he said, stepping away from the car and making it to Gibbs and Fornell in three long strides. "Fornell," he said, nodding to the other man. "Men in black," Tony said, acknowledging the other men standing there.

"DiNozzo," Fornell replied, surprisingly not trying to rework the pronunciation into some version of FBI humor.

"What's up, Boss?" Tony said, noting that it didn't quite have the same ring to it as the amiable "What's up, doc?" he'd given to Dr. Pitt earlier.

"Kate didn't tell you?" Gibbs said, raising his eyebrows in surprise.

"Um … no," Tony said, suddenly realizing that it was the first day that no one from the office had called to check up on him. "I haven't talked to Kate since Wednesday." He looked again at the assembled mob. "What's going on?"

"I told Kate to call you," Gibbs said, with annoyance. "To let you know we were coming."

"I might have forgotten to charge my phone," Tony said with a sheepish look. He honestly couldn't remember putting the phone in the charger since he'd been home. "I've probably got a message from her. I'm sure if you told her to warn … um, to give me a heads up, she did. Either way, you're here now, so … what can I do for you?"

Gibbs and Fornell exchanged a glance. Fornell took a step forward. "We've got a suspect holed up in a house about four blocks from here," he said, glancing back over his shoulder. "Just on the other side of the park. We've been watching him for a while now, but we figure he's going to make his break this afternoon, probably within the next couple of hours."

Gibbs picked up the explanation. "We need a base, Tony," he said. "Someplace nearby but unmarked – somewhere we can set up and manage our intel and wait for them to run." Then his brow furrowed in irritation. "Kate was supposed to tell you so that you'd be expecting us. This wasn't supposed to be a surprise."

"No problem, Boss," Tony said good-naturedly. "I was just going to go to a movie but I can always watch something here. Or … I could help you out …" Tony looked hopefully at Gibbs. While he wasn't ready for a full day in the field, a couple of hours of casework would be a good diversion. Not as good as a catfight between Jennifer Lopez and Jane Fonda, but sometimes you had to take what you could get.

"No," Gibbs said firmly. "You're still on leave. Besides, we won't be here longer than an hour or two." Fornell nodded.

There was a pause as Tony made believe he was thinking about it. He didn't really have a choice, not when he was obviously well enough for an afternoon outing. He could have gotten away with it if they'd have woken him up from a sound sleep and he was hacking up phlegm, but not now. He smiled.

"Mi casa es su casa," said Tony as he opened the door and, with a sweeping motion, invited them all in. The six FBI guys split up – four going to the van to get equipment and the other two taking another car and heading over to relieve the stake-out team at the suspect's house. They were just about finished setting up when there was a knock at the door. Gibbs, Fornell, and the four FBI techs all tensed and went for their guns.

"Expecting someone, DiNozzo?" Fornell said.

"No way to tell, Fornell," Tony said with a rueful grin. "Could be anyone." He wondered what Gibbs and Fornell would do if Nurse Bobbi and the girls had decided to make a return appearance. And then he shuddered at that thought of Gibbs opening the door and aiming a gun at a Jehovah's Witness. Or his father.

Gibbs went to the door and opened it slowly, seeing only a large box on the stoop. He pulled open the door and yelled "Freeze!" A delivery man in a white uniform was walking away from the apartment. He stood stock-still and slowly raised his hands.

"Um … Boss?" Tony said. "That's the delivery guy from the medical supply place. Brad, I mean, Dr. Pitt was sending me a humidifier. For the … um … for the … cough." His voice faded out.

Gibbs lowered his gun, took the box off the porch and slammed the door. A few seconds later, the delivery van squealed off. Tony made a mental note to send an apology to the supply store. Then he took the humidifier to his room before Gibbs decided to have it taken to NCIS and X-rayed.

The afternoon passed incredibly slowly. The suspects weren't moving. No calls, no sightings, no signs of life. The only way the FBI knew they were still in the house were heat signatures. Gibbs and Fornell were getting frustrated, and taking it out on their laptops. They started pacing through the living room until Tony made a comment about the rug, and then they moved out onto the deck. By late afternoon, they were no closer to having the suspects in custody, Tony was out of coffee, and people were getting impatient.

Tony had been sneaking peeks at the files and other evidence piled on his dining room table. Looking at it all with fresh eyes, he managed to find a tenuous connection between one of the suspects and a local police captain. Further investigation revealed that the guys in the house were being kept aware of the stake-out activities happening around them. No one at the local PD knew where Fornell's FBI ops base was, but they all knew it was nearby, so the captain was telling the suspects to hold off on their escape and to wait for a diversion before they moved.

Fornell sent two of the guys at Tony's apartment to find the Police Department mole, which meant that they were a few hands short at base. Tony stepped in, against light objections from Gibbs, who admitted they needed the help now that they had more information. There were a lot more searches to run and more intel to acquire. If the stain at the police department went deeper, they could be involved in something much bigger than they'd initially thought.

Fornell moved out onto the deck to take a phone call, and Gibbs walked over to where Tony was going through files. "That was a good catch, Tony," Gibbs said. "We'd still be watching and waiting without it."

"Thanks, Boss," Tony said, smiling a bit and feeling just a little proud of himself.

"Boss …" Tony began. "Where are Kate and McGee? Why is this just you, Fornell and the FBI?"

"It's the FBI's case," Gibbs said, drinking the last of Tony's coffee. "I'm only here because Fornell figured you wouldn't let him in the door."

Tony laughed, and then the laugh turned to a cough. Gibbs looked at him, warily. "First one today, Boss," Tony said. "I promise."

Gibbs continued to look at his senior field agent with critical eyes until Fornell came back in. Just at that moment, the two agents who had left earlier returned, and the waiting began again. The PD's mole was in interrogation and not talking. The "only an hour or two" operation stretched into the evening. The FBI ordered Chinese, Gibbs went out for coffee, and another of Fornell's assistants came by to pick up food for the guys in the car. More FBI agents showed up, and before long, there were nearly a dozen people in Tony's apartment, counting Gibbs, Fornell and Tony. They were spread out everywhere, and Tony had ceased trying to keep track of what they were all doing. As much as he hated to admit it, missing that afternoon nap was causing him to lose steam pretty quickly.

While he had been initially interested in the case and had begun to feel like his old self again as he looked for leads and ran scenarios, by 9 p.m. Tony was ready to fall over. The little cough he'd had at 3 o'clock had escalated to a point where Gibbs actually pulled him aside to be sure that he was okay.

"We'll get out of here, Tony," Gibbs said, with a tinge of apology in his voice. He could clearly see dark circles forming under Tony's eyes. "You need to get some rest." Tony could see the wheels in Gibbs' head turning, trying to figure out where else they could go that was quiet, discreet, close enough to the suspect, and a quick move. "I would have never had them set up here, but the op wasn't supposed to take this long."

"No, Boss, it's fine," Tony said, swallowing back a cough and getting a bottle of water from the fridge. "I'm just tired, that's all. I'm gonna hit the rack; you guys stay as long as you need to."

"Are you sure?" Gibbs began. Just then, Fornell snapped his phone shut.

"We've got them Jethro!" Fornell said, as he headed for the door. "They're on foot, and headed our way."

Gibbs looked at Tony and smiled a half-smile. He followed Fornell and the other agents out the door, leaving Tony standing alone in the middle of his apartment. There were floorplans, tablets, files, papers, and a laptop on his table and part of the kitchen counter. Empty food containers and soda cans were littered around the dining and living rooms. There were rings from soda cans and coffee cups on every flat surface. The last of the fruit from the guys in Baltimore was gone, although there were a couple of peach pits left in the wooden bowl. Someone had pulled the Xbox out of its hiding place, and the cases for both "Counter Strike" and "Brute Force" were on the couch. Just looking at it all made Tony even more tired. He shuffled over to the kitchen to pull out a garbage bag and a damp rag to start cleaning. Then he abandoned that thought, turned out the light and headed up the hall.

Let the FBI boys clean it up, he thought. He was going to bed.