Tony lay in his hospital bed staring out the window into the grey car park but not seeing it. It was day eleven of his hospital stay and he had been told he should be getting out soon, into the real world. At least the real world had good food that didn't taste as though somebody had eaten it before he had, or had television that wasn't limited to the one channel that constantly played Shrek2. He couldn't say he wasn't scared, he was terrified. He knew his team mates – friends were preparing for his homecoming, it was impossible not to notice their planning, he had hardly had a minute alone which was all he really wanted. He couldn't deal with this with McGee hanging over his shoulder or Ducky asking if he wanted to play checkers. Gibbs was alright, Tony didn't groan inwardly when he awoke to the smell of coffee and sawdust. All Gibbs did was sit and drink coffee at his bedside, not attempting to communicate except for the occasional eyebrow raise or hard stare.

Gibbs just sat. Abby was comforting. Ziva was all business. Ducky was a medical translator. McGee was awkward and nervous. And he was a specimen in a test tube.

He jumped a mile high and gasped as a hand grabbed his shoulder, he had been so caught up in his thoughts he hadn't seen McGee enter the room, obviously it was going to be much easier for people to sneak up on him now.

SORRY McGee mouthed when Tony had composed himself. He rolled his eyes and straightened in his bed, turning to his coworker who was settling himself into the light green chair.

"Jesus, Elflord! Learn to knock." Tony said aloud, his voice sounding as though he had a cold.

McGee looked uncomfortable at Tony's suggestion but Tony didn't seem to mind. He hoped he had made the man feel uncomfortable, it should serve him right for sneaking up on him.

McGee reached for the now slightly battered, notebook on Tony's bedside and began to scribble.

Nice to see you too, I thought DiNozzo's were fearless?

Tony raised an eyebrow and gave him a hard look.

Moving on then.. I heard you were getting out soon?

Tony nodded

I hope you don't mind.. Abby and I collected a bag of clothes. Thought you might want a change, even though those floral backless gowns really do bring out your eyes.

Tony read it and childishly poked his tongue out at his coworker, before batting his eyelids at the duffel bag on the floor.

So…. When did the catheter come out?

Tony's head whipped up, causing him to wince slightly. He grabbed the pen off McGee with his good hand and began scrawling on the note, not bothering to embarrass himself by screwing up an insult by saying it aloud.

Dearest Probie/ McGonagall/ Elflord/ Scum,

Remember the time when I stole all your Wolverine action figures and super glued them and your posters all over your desk and then took photos of you working there when you couldn't get them off? Or that time that I filmed you at karaoke singing 'dancing queen'? Remember how I still have those files hidden away?

Good reminiscing old times. Nice seeing you Probie.

McGee chucked the duffel bag onto the other side of the bed and put his feet up on rail of the bed surveying his partner. Tony's bandages had been slightly reduced and the ones that covered the lesser burns would be removed soon. The bandage around his head was gone and the bruises were healing, though the patches on his face and neck remained. Tony was going to be released soon though would have to return every few days for another few weeks to have his burns redressed. McGee couldn't imagine what the burns looked and felt like. He had researched third degree burns on the computer and was horrified by some of the ghastly injuries that came up in Google Images. Abby had assured him that Tony's burns were not as bad as those were, and did not require any grafting. But he could not get the images out of his mind.

The whole team had been affected by the incident, and half the office had come by his desk over the past week asking for news on Tony. He could tell easily how thrown off Gibbs was. He was constantly distracted and calling for updates every time somebody visited. Gibbs hadn't gone in much himself though, and whenever he did come to visit his senior field agent it was when he was sure Tony was asleep or after his dose of pain relief. McGee was aware of an ongoing fight Gibbs was having with the director. Negotiating a way of having DiNozzo on the team despite his deafness. Nobody could really take in the apparent permanence of his hearing loss, every minute that passed it grew less and less likely that DiNozzo would magically recover. The one person that seemed to be taking it best was Tony himself and seemed to be the one reassuring everybody that he was okay. He was obviously not okay, something had died inside his eyes, a light had gone out and was replaced by a blank hopelessness that he seemed to desperately be trying to cover. McGee was not fooled by the obvious mask, nobody was. It was just too hard to approach the uneven topic of DiNozzo's feelings. Tony was always the strong one, the one that never gave in and the one that hid behind his own personal mask. Nobody talked emotion with Tony, even when he lay helpless, deaf and injured in a hospital bed. But Mcgee was going to give it ago, after all - he pretty much hated him anyway. Right?

What are you going to do?

Tony smiled cheekily and misread the question. "Email all the photos and videos to the whole NCIS building of course."

And what are you going to do about your deafness? Tony stared at the words and then at the blankets of his bed which had suddenly become incredibly interesting.

"Still planning that one out."

Care to share?

"Not particularly, no."

You have no plan then?

"Go home, watch Magnum. Peperoni pizza. Bath. Work at 0700 the next day. Haven't you got some troll soldiers to fight off or something?"

You think they'll let you back into NCIS?

"Gibbs." - Enough said.

How will you answer the phone? How will you interrogate a suspect? How will chase down a suspect in the dark?

"... With great difficulty."

Are you okay?

"Yes McGoo, I'm just peachy."

No your not.

"WELL OBVIOUSLY. " Tony hoped that he was yelling, McGee was doing what nobody else had yet done.

Yeah, that's what I thought. I can't convince you that it will be okay, it might not be. It isn't at the moment. You are going to have to work hard to get back to living a normal life.

"I know McGee! I'm not stupid! I wont be able to work, you can't be a freaking deaf field agent! How the hell am I supposed to get up in the morning? Alarm clock, door bell, telephone, oven timer! PEOPLE? This is a freaking nightmare! I LOOK like a freaking nightmare!"

Yeah.

A silence fell between the two of them. Tony lent his head back onto the pillow before switching on the television and passing the remote to McGee who fumbled with the volume which had been turned down all the way. They watched the final scene of Shrek2 with the subtitles on before the movie switched off and a message came onto the screen explaining to the patients how they can request to watch their choice of movie from the list at their bedside by telling one of the nurses.

Tony reached forward and dragged the bag containing his belongings up the bed so he could go through it. He pulled out a couple of loose tee-shirts, a few pairs of tracksuit pants, boxers, socks, his deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste and an unidentified bag filled to the top. He snickered slightly at the joke Abby and McGee had made. The was an entire shopping bag brimming with different brands and types of male hair care products.

He kicked down the sheets and swung his legs over the bed, grabbing the sports bag. "Shove over Probie" He ordered as the junior agent watched him leaving his bed for the first time in front of him. He walked steadily yet stiffly to the bathroom keeping himself upright and minding his bandages.

"Should I get a nurse or somebody to help you?" He called to the closed bathroom door. Before stopping short. Tony couldn't hear him.

He stood up and walked over to the door, unsure whether to open it or not. He listened silently to the noises coming from within, he heard his partners breathing becoming heavier and some quiet curses, he waited there for what seemed like ages before he stepped away from the door as it opened.

Tony stepped out dressed in some sweat pants and a loose tee shirt over his bandages. He had beads of sweat on his forehead and around the outside of his patches and he made his way over to his bed with more difficulty than he had done when he left it.

"That hurt" He mumbled before carefully stretching his body out over the sheets.

Want me to get a nurse? McGee wasn't sure what to do, his partner seemed to be falling asleep after the effort he had put into simply getting dressed.

"Naah" Tony said, though it was barely audible and was mainly mouthed he shook his head. "Thanks Tim, sorry about before." He said a little louder this time. McGee didn't reply but let Tony keep talking.

"I know you pulled me out of that place. This might sound kind of corny and awkward.. But thanks for saving my life Probie. This has got to be what? The second or third time now?"

McGee smirked and wrote down quickly.

What? No 'I love you's? No promises never to give me a hard time again?

Tony smiled 'I don't make promises I can't be bothered to keep, Probie.. But if you really want an 'I love you' I'm sure I can muster something up?"

I'm good.

Wow! Thank you all for actually reading, i feel kind of flattered. Any tips or anything?