Epilogue:
Leaving The Hospital:
Three months later and Tony was leaving the hospital on crutches. He was healed enough to go home, though Gibbs wanted him to stay at his house for at least a week to make sure he really was okay. He stayed the week, knowing that if he didn't, he would never hear the end of it from any of his co-workers let alone his Boss if something happened to him within that first week of his being out of the hospital.
That week out of the hospital was worse than last time. Because now not only was he on crutches, but he also had to take a shower sitting down with his leg outside the shower and with a plastic garbage bag surrounding it. He could take the garbage bag around his casted leg; it was the sitting down part that he hated. He knew how to shower with a cast on a broken body part; he'd done it when he was fourteen.
The getting up and down the stairs on crutches was what was bothering him the most. He knew that he had better get used to them seeing as his apartment was on the fourth floor and the elevator in the building was broken. Oh well, he would just have to deal with the stairs.
DiNozzo's Apartment:
Unbeknownst to him, Gibbs and Director Sheppard had pressed the buildings manager into fixing the elevator, saying that if he didn't people with broken legs or in wheelchairs couldn't get to their apartments and would have to stay with someone else. They also threatened to keep coming by the building until the elevator was fixed as well as everything else the tenants had complained about in the last year or so. So the manager had fixed the elevator as well as the heating and the plumbing. He'd fixed the molded out apartments and made sure that those that were in wheelchairs and on crutches were able to get into the elevator with no problem whatsoever.
When Tony got back to his apartment and was able to use the elevator he was surprised. The manager just told him that it was long overdue for it to get fixed. Heating and plumbing work too he said, also something that was fixed while he had been in the hospital, or so to say [more like with pressure from Agent Gibbs & Director Sheppard, that is].
With the help of Ziva, he was able to get back into his apartment and settled in. Ziva and McGee promised to stop by everyday to see if he needed anything and to let him know what was going on at work. According to Dr. McCoy, Tony wouldn't be able to go back to work for at least another month and then he'd still be on crutches because his leg would still be in a cast. So he got comfortable as possible on his couch and sat watching TV for the remainder of that day. When he went to bed, he fell asleep almost immediately, not even realizing how tired he really was.
Back To Work On Crutches:
A month later and still on crutches, Ziva came and picked him up for work. He wouldn't be able to drive anyways since he hadn't picked out a rental car and his leg was still casted. He also wasn't going to be doing any field work so he would mostly be at his desk doing whatever was needed from him. When Ziva showed up, she helped him into the car and then first drove to get coffee for the team and then headed for NCIS. Tony grabbed his gear, his badge in his pocket and gun already on his hip and got out of the car as soon as Ziva gave him his crutches.
When they walked into the squad room, clapping ensued but it was just mostly Abby and the team. Ducky seemed happy to see him up and about and even though he was only down to one lung, he didn't seem to hampered by it, though they would have to watch out for viral infections from now on since a cold would probably leave him bedridden for a week or so.
The day went by pretty fast, though McGee did get his lunch order wrong and though he was back to talking about movies, nobody seemed to mind. The team was back and they weren't going to let Tony anywhere near a hospital while they were around, unless it was for an appointment or something like that, then one of them would go with him.
As he and Ziva left for the night, back to the car to head to his apartment, he couldn't help think about Karen and what she was doing at that exact moment. Would he ever be able to see her again? Would she be willing to come visit her brother?
Will Karen and Tony be reunited?...
Please Review…
…Look for the Sequel: A Family Reunion coming soon…