Four

Tony's snoring woke Ziva up. She looked down at her watch; seven o'clock. She had gotten a total of three hours of sleep all night. Tony was still sleeping peacefully with his head on Ziva's chest. She grabbed her phone off of the chair beside the bed to see if she had missed any calls.

Abby called her at six thirty. She dialed her number and put the phone to her ear.

"Ziva, is he okay? I got the evidence, how's he doing? What happened? Is he okay?" Abby asked a she picked up the phone.

Ziva smiled. "He will be okay Abby. He is asleep right now, which is probably the best thing for him. He was attacked behind a bar, did Gibbs or McGee not tell you anything?" She asked.

"Of course they did, but you're the one who's with him. You're the one who's talked to him, I just needed to hear it from you." Abby said.

Ziva nodded. "He's okay Abby." She told her.

"Okay, I just needed to hear it for sure. I'm gonna start processing the evidence, I'll talk to you later." Abby said.

"Okay." Ziva said, and then hung up the phone.

There was a knock at the door, and Doctor Roberts poked her head into the room.

"Come in." Ziva said as she reached over to turn on the lamp.

"I just wanna check his head, and then he can go if he's got someone to stay with him." Doctor Roberts said.

"I'll stay with him." Ziva told her.

Doctor Roberts smiled. "How long have you been together?" She asked.

"We are not together, he is my partner." Ziva said.

"You obviously care about him greatly." Doctor Roberts said.

Ziva smiled. "I do." She told the doctor before she turned to look at Tony, gently shaking his shoulder. "Tony, Doctor Roberts is here."

Tony groaned, and turned his head to avoid the light before he opened his eyes.

"Good morning Agent DiNozzo. I'm just going to check a few things, and if anything is good you are free to go." Doctor Roberts said.

Ziva sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Tony's grip on Ziva's waist tightened. She turned to look at him.

"I am just going to sit in the chair, I won't leave." Ziva told him softly.

Tony's arm relaxed, and he reached for her hand as she sat in the chair. Ziva took his hand in both of hers, smiling what she hoped what a reassuring smile. She couldn't remember a time when she had seen Tony this scared, and she was learning very quickly that she didn't like to see him scared.

"You can call me Tony doc, I'm not really in an agent type of position right now." Tony said.

"Okay, Tony, do you have a headache?" Doctor Roberts asked.

Tony nodded. "A small one."

"Is your vision blurry?"

Tony shook his head no.

"Are you nauseous or dizzy?" She asked.

"A little dizzy but not nauseous." He said.

"Okay, I'm just gonna check your eyes, alright?"

Tony nodded, and Doctor Roberts grabbed her pen light out of her coat pocket. She shined the light in Tony's right eye, then his left, and then his right again.

"Your right pupil is a little bit slower to react than your left, but I don't think it's anything to worry too much about." She said as she clicked the light off. "You're free to go, if you're in any pain, Tylenol or Advil, and you need someone to stay with you for about a week, just in case."

A look of fear crossed Tony's face. "I don't have anyone."

Ziva squeezed his hand. "Yes, you do."

He looked over at her. "Really?" He asked, relieved.

Ziva nodded. "I would not have offered if I did not mean it."

Tony nodded. "Thanks."

"I told you I would not leave if you did not want me to. I did not mean just last night." Ziva told him.

"I don't have any clothes to change into." Tony said.

Doctor Roberts nodded. "I can get you some scrubs if you want to leave, or you can see if someone can bring you some clothes?"

"I want to go home." Tony said.

Doctor Roberts nodded. "I'm early, so I'll go see if I can get you some scrubs."

"Thanks doc." Tony said as he watched her walk out of the room.

"Do you want to go to your place or mine?" Ziva asked.

"I don't know."

Ziva nodded. "Okay, how about we go to mine, and if you don't feel comfortable we can go to yours?"

Tony nodded. "Alright."

Tony swung his legs over the side of the bed, with his back facing Ziva. "Undo me?" He asked.

Ziva reached out and untied the knot near his tailbone. She stood up and placed her hand on his shoulder to steady herself. He flinched. "It's just me." She said as she rubbed his shoulder softly.

He nodded. "I know, I just…" He trailed off.

"I know." Ziva said as she untied the knot at the top of the gown.

The gown fell open to reveal the bruises on his back.

"How does it look?" He asked.

"Painful." Ziva said.

Tony laughed lightly. "They feel painful."

"Okay Tony, they might be a little bit big, but I figured too big was better than too small." Doctor Roberts said as she walked back into the room.

"It's fine. I'll only be in them for a little while." Tony said.

"I have some instructions for Ziva, so we'll wait out in the hall while you change, okay?"

Tony nodded. "Okay."

Ziva followed Doctor Roberts out of the room, and stood in the hallway, leaning against the door frame.

"Instructions?" Ziva asked.

Doctor Roberts nodded. "He has a mild concussion, nothing too serious, but if he develops a bad headache, or starts slurring his words, bring him back immediately and have them page me."

Ziva nodded. "Alright. Anything else?"

"No heavy exercise until the bruises are healed a bit more, no Aspirin, and I don't suggest tight clothing for a while, but I think he could have figured out that that might hurt." She said.

"Okay." Ziva said.

"And be close to the bathroom when he showers, just in case he gets dizzy, there's a good chance he'll fall."

Ziva nodded. "Is anything broken?" She asked.

Doctor Roberts shook her head. "I don't believe so, the worst it might be is a cracked rib, other than that it's just scrapes and bruises from being on the ground."

The door opened, and Tony stepped out. "You ready?" He asked.

Ziva nodded.

"I just need you to sign this, Tony." Doctor Roberts said, holding up her clipboard.

Tony took her pen and signed his name and handed it back to her.

"Let's get out of here." Tony said.

Ziva smiled. "Alright, I think that's for you." She said, pointing at the nurse who was walking toward them with a wheelchair.

"I don't need that." He said, trying to appear tougher than he felt.

"It's hospital policy Tony." Doctor Roberts said.

Tony looked almost thankful that he didn't have to play tough and resigned his position. "Alright." He said as he lowered himself down into the chair carefully.

"Can I go now?" He asked.

Doctor Roberts smiled. "Yes. Goodbye Tony."

"Bye doc." Tony said as the nurse started to wheel him down the hall toward the Emergency Room doors.

"I'll get the car." Ziva said when they reached the doors.

"I'll be here." Tony replied.

Ziva jogged to her car and got into the driver's seat and backed out of the parking spot. She drove around the parking lot until she got back to the doors where Tony was sitting with the nurse.

She put the car in park and got out to help him.

The nurse put the brakes on on the wheelchair and lifted the foot pedals. Ziva held her arm out for Tony to take. He held onto her arm and stood up. She led him over to the car and steadied him as he lowered himself into the passenger seat.

"Can you do the seatbelt? It hurts to twist." Tony said.

Ziva grabbed the seatbelt and leaned into the car, overtop of Tony and pushed the clip into the buckle and got out.

She closed the door and walked around to the driver's side and got in.

"I'm gonna need clothes." Tony said.

"When we get to my apartment, I will call McGee and see if he will get some of your clothes for you." Ziva told him

"Alright, let's go then. I'm sick of this place."