A/N: Okay, so here's the final part, and I think it's going to be clear why this ended up needing to be two parts. See the chapter before for the disclaimer. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, and please review. :)

Looking From A Distance, Part 2

"I had the most amazing date last night," Tony said as he threw his stuff down behind the desk. He took notice as both Ziva and McGee rolled their eyes, shaking their heads. "She was gorgeous, tall, perfect in every way. The hair, those legs, the abs… I mean, she was amazing!"

"Do you ever think there's more to a woman than her looks?" Ziva countered. Tony rolled his eyes.

"Of course there is, Zee-vah." And thus, it began…

*~*~*~*

Once at the crime scene, Tony and Ziva set about work inside the building. She was taking samples while Tony was shooting the scene. The two of them were chatting amicably, his mood subdued after his minor scuffle with McGee earlier in the bullpen where McGee had told him to blow his new girlfriend out his ass. Tony had wondered what had crawled up McGee's butt and died, but let the situation drop.

"I need to get some more bags from the truck," Ziva said.

"Go for it," Tony replied. She left, leaving Tony alone with the room.

A moment later was when it happened. And Tony never knew what hit him.

*~*~*~*

He found himself sitting on a couch, watching a big screen TV. Only the show he was watching was his friends trying to pick themselves up in the aftermath. "What the heck happened?" he asked.

"You don't know?" a familiar voice asked. Tony turned his head to find Jenny walking over to him.

"Crap. I'm dead."

Jenny chuckled, smiling warmly. "Not yet, Tony."

"Great. I'm going to die."

"Perhaps," Kate said as she entered. She sat down beside him, and Jenny sat on the chair next to the couch. Paula joined them in the room, sitting on the other side of Tony.

"Surrounded by three beautiful women," Tony remarked. "So, where exactly am I?"

"Hard to say," Paula answered. Jenny and Kate nodded their agreements. Tony nodded, sighing and turning his attention back to the TV.

"So, what happened?"

"The building had a bomb in it," Kate explained. Tony looked over at her with wide eyes.

"The building blew up?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Is Ziva okay?"

"Yes."

"McGee?"

"More or less."

"Gibbs?"

"Yes."

"Am I in the building?" he asked, looking at the TV.

"No," Jenny said.

"You're with Ducky," Paula finished.

"How did I..." Tony began, before realization set in. "Never mind. Maybe I really am going to die."

"Maybe," Kate said softly.

"That's too bad." Tony sighed, looking away.

"Why's that?" Paula asked.

"Just… I left a lot of loose ends," Tony explained.

"We all did," Jenny said.

"I never did tell you how…"

"Believe me, Tony. I heard every one of your drunken ramblings."

Tony nodded, saying nothing.

"Truth is, Tony, it never was your fault," Jenny said. "I kept you and Ziva away to save you two. There was no sense in having you guys get dragged into this as well. Viggo and his men were after Decker, me, and Gibbs. I couldn't risk your involvement leading to your own deaths."

"But you were willing to risk Franks'?" Tony asked, looking over at her.

"He knew the risks. And I had rather it stay outside the agency, as it would only look bad if the truth was known."

Tony shrugged, saying nothing. He knew that Jenny was telling the truth, especially with the way they covered everything up in the end.

"What's going to happen to me?" Tony finally asked quietly, changing the subject as he looked at his feet.

"That depends," Kate said.

"On?"

"Whether or not you die," Paula said.

"Well…" Tony said.

"If you live, Tony," Jenny said. "You'll never walk again."

"At this point, the choice becomes yours," Paula said.

"Just like it was mine."

"Why'd you choose to die, Jenny?" Tony asked, looking up at her.

"I was dying anyway, Tony," she replied. "A few gunshots and bleeding to death was actually less painful."

Tony nodded. "But I wouldn't feel pain."

"Phantom pains," Kate said.

"But not real pain?" Tony asked. "How paralyzed would I be?"

"Mid-chest down," Paula said.

"There's more you should know," Jenny said. "Your brain probably won't be as good as it was, given that you took a flight into the van. Your hands were badly burned and broken, so they might not work right either."

"Are you trying to convince me to die?" Tony asked.

"Just giving you all the facts before you make your decision."

"Thanks a lot, Jenny." Tony scrubbed his fingers over his eyes, not wanting to make this decision.

"If you do decide to go back and fight," Kate began, "there's no guarantee that you'll survive."

"I never knew you missed me so much, Kate," Tony teased.

Kate shrugged. "You're like an X-rated Peter Pan."

Tony smiled at the analogy.

"Plus, you've been fun to watch as you've grown up."

"Thanks, I guess," he said. He turned back to the TV, watching his body lay in the hospital bed after they finished with him. "You said McGee was more or less okay?" he asked after a moment.

"He has no hearing," Jenny explained.

"Because of the bomb?"

Jenny nodded.

"Is it permanent?" Tony asked.

"Maybe," Jenny said.

"So even if I survived, I'd never get to apologize to him."

"You could apologize."

"How? He can't hear, and I can't move."

"Lip reading," Kate said.

"He's not Abby or Gibbs," Tony said. "He's not well versed in that."

"He'll do fine."

"I just wish I could apologize."

No sooner had the words left his mouth, Tony watched as McGee walked in the room. Tony watched as McGee hesitated, standing in the doorway before finally walking into the room. He sat in the chair beside Tony's bed and took Tony's hand in his.

Jenny, Kate, and Paula took this moment to slip out of the room, leaving Tony alone with the TV and, by extension, McGee. While Tony couldn't answer McGee, he could at least hear what the younger man had to say, and Tony realized that the women wanted him to do so in private.

"I'm sorry," McGee said. "I'm sorry this happened to you, Tony. I'm sorry I took it for granted that you had always been here. I'm sorry that I've been so hard on you the past year or so. I'm sorry it has to be this way right now…"

"I should've been there in the building with you," McGee said. "If it wasn't for the argument we had in the bullpen earlier, Gibbs might've had me in there with you. I'm sorry we fought, Tony. I'm sorry that this is going on. I know, my apologies aren't going to make anything better, and even if you were here to comment, I wouldn't hear it. But… I'm sorry, Tony. I'm really, really sorry."

McGee closed his eyes, tears streaming down his cheeks. Tony watched in silence and misery, tears forming in his own eyes. He couldn't watch McGee cry while the younger man apologized for something that wasn't even his fault. But there wasn't anything Tony could do to stop the situation from unfolding, and that hurt him even more.

"I just wish there was something I could do to make things better," McGee continued. "I wish I could make it better. But I can't, and I know I can't, and I'm sorry for that too."

Tony sniffled, closing his eyes. But McGee's voice continued.

"I'm sorry," McGee said one last time.

Tony sniffled again, wiping away his tears. After a moment, he softly whispered, "I'm sorry too, Kid."

The End.