A/N: Sorry this took so long. I'm getting slammed over her with RL stuff. But thanks so much for everyone's kind words and reviews and alerts and so on and so forth. Next chapter shouldn't take as long to get up, hopefully I can have it up by Friday. :)

Chapter Ten

I don't see Abby, McGee, Ziva, Jimmy and Ducky a lot because they go to work.

They work at the same place Boss works at when he's not on vacation and they called Boss "Boss" too. They work all day and by the time they're done, sometimes I'm already asleep so I don't get to see them.

I have to be really careful about when I sleep and stuff because after the last time I went to see the doctor for my brain he said that I was getting too tired and had to sleep more. Boss got worried and mad at himself I think cause before he use to let me stay up and watch movies with him or let me sit outside and we would look at the stars.

So now I have to sleep more and sometimes it's hard falling asleep so when that happens, I think about work.

Boss doesn't go to work, not right now, but he has a job like Abby and Probie and everyone else. I don't think I have a job anymore.

I remember that I was a cop and I asked Boss if we were cops and he said that we were kinda like cops, but we only were cops to people in the Navy or the Marines and that we were better than cops.

I figured out Boss was a Marine. That's why he had dog tags, at least he had them till he gave them to me. They make a clink clink noise when I walk because I still walk a bit funny and I think it's getting worse even though my therapist says that it's not getting worse. She says I only think that because I'm getting better at seeing it's worse only it's been the same since I left the rehab hospital.

But people don't work all the time. Like Probie. When he doesn't work, he goes home and at his apartment, he has a dog.

And since he doesn't have to work today, I finally get to meet his dog.

I'm gonna get my dog soon I think. I hope he's a nice dog.

"Hey Tony," McGee said, making his way around the couch to greet Tony, who was sitting on the couch, eating his snack, "Remember what's today?"

"Work. Yes," Tony answered after he swallowed his mouthful because it wasn't polite to talk when your mouth was full, "Polite. I get to meet your dog. It's on the calendar." Tony looked around McGee to the large erasable calendar that Gibbs had hung in the kitchen before smiling at Tim, "See?"

"Yeah," Tim turned and looked at today's date. Sure enough, Gibbs had written his visit on the large white square, "So, how have you been?"

Tony furrowed his brow, thinking Tim's question over. Tony didn't like these kinds of questions cause he didn't know exactly how to answer them.

"Tony," Gibbs reached up and gently lowered Tony's hand. Tony had recently developed a habit of practically pulling his hair out when he was deep in thought. He didn't mean to hurt himself, but he had already pulled out a few strands of his barely long enough hair.

"Sorry Boss," Tony looked sheepishly at his hand, "Blue. Um, I'm not sick anymore."

"Ah," Tim nodded, giving Gibbs a quick apologetic glance for asking a question that had caused the new unwanted behavior, "Boss said you got sick. No more wheezing?"

Gibbs shook his head, communicating to McGee that an apology wasn't necessary. Tony would just have to learn to curb this self-harming habit. It wasn't Tim's fault that he had asked the question that had set it off this time.

"Nope," Tony answered, then glanced around McGee, "Sick. Where's your dog?"

"He's at my house," Tim smiled, "Did Boss tell you that you were coming with me today?"

Tony's eyes widen slightly, "Stay. Just me?"

McGee nodded and smiled reassuringly to the man who had been his former partner but would always be his friend, "Yeah. Boss is going to stay here and you get to come with me for a bit. But then we'll come back here and tell Boss what we did all day." McGee wanted to make sure that Tony understood that he would come back home and Boss would be here waiting for him.

"Home. Do you have stairs?" Tony asked, biting his lip.

"Yes," McGee answered, expecting the question, "I have fifteen stairs."

"Tall. Up. Boss, can I go up that many?" Tony asked Boss nervously. Fifteen was three more than twelve. Could he go up that many?

"Yeah Tony, you can do it," Gibbs agreed, "You've been working really hard in therapy."

"Push. Therapy's hard," Tony nodded and turned to McGee, "I have a bad side that doesn't work right. But I can go up the stairs now."

"That's great Tony," McGee smiled, "As soon as you finish your snack, we can leave okay?"

"Apples. Yep," Tony lifted another apple slice to his mouth with his good hand before looking back at the movie that was on the TV screen.

Following Gibbs towards the kitchen, McGee watched as Gibbs wrote something down on a notebook.

"He has to take this after lunch," Gibbs handed Tim an orange medication bottle, "He might not remember but just remind him about it and he should take it without a problem. And if you have any problems, just call me. I'll be running some errands but I'll have my phone."

"Okay Boss," McGee nodded, use to seeing Gibbs act this way when it concerned Tony, "But we'll be okay. Abby is meeting me at the pizza parlor."

"Oh and another thing," Gibbs said as he ran through his mental checklist, "Don't forget-"

"To cut his pizza. Don't worry Boss. It'll be okay."

Gibbs nodded and tried to calm his churning gut, "Alright."

Jethro padded into the living room quickly, only his well trimmed nails making noised as he crossed Tim's apartment.

Smelling Tim right behind the door with someone else, Jethro pawed happily at the door and jumped into Tim's arms when he finally opened the door.

"Hey Jeth," Tim smiled and gave his dog a quick head rub before commanding the dog to sit.

"Come on Tony, it's alright," Tim opened the door wider so Tony could make his way slowly into Tim's apartment.

"Stairs. Up. Dog!" Tony said that last part excitedly when he saw Jethro sitting at Tim's heel, "Dog. He's big Probie."

"Yeah," Tim said, waving Tony to move in closer, "But he's really nice." Tim knew it was smart to not bmention how Jethro and he had met. If Tony didn't remember, Tim didn't see why he had to tell him about Jethro biting him.

"Brown. Does he lick too?" Tony asked as he shuffled closer, his good hand holding on desperately to his memory book.

"Yeah," McGee laughed, "Want to pet him?"

"Lick. Can I sit down?" Tony asked Tim hopefully. His legs hurt from walking and going up, up, up Probie's stairs. There were a lot of stairs.

"Sure," Tim showed Tony his couch and his friend sat down, "Tell him "Jethro, come" And he'll come right to you. Then tell him to sit."

Tony bit his lip, "Sit. Um, come Jethro." Tony glanced nervously at Tim, as if worried he had done something wrong.

Jethro padded over and sat comfortably in front of his master and Tony, his sensitive nose sniffing Tony's front shirt. If the small stains were anything to go by, Jethro was probably smelling Tony's snack and breakfast.

"Sit. Nice Jethro," Tony petted the top of the dog's head gently, "Nice. He's smelling me."

Tim laughed before standing suddenly to retrieve his cell phone that was ringing, "Hold on Tony, that might be work."

Tony flinched at the sudden ringing of the cell phone but instead of covering his ears, Tony bit his lip and kept petting Jethro on the head.

Probie might have to those things that made a lot of noise but Jethro was a good dog.

Even if his nose was sorta cold.

I had a job before I got in my accident. I went to work with Boss. I worked for Boss and I worked with Abby, Probie, Ziva, Ducky, Jimmy and Kate when she was alive.

Boss doesn't work though, because he's helping me get better and he says that it's going to take a long time to get better.

I don't know if I'll work for Boss ever again though. I think that the work Boss does has to do a lot with remembering things and I'm not so good at that anymore.

But I still want to work but I haven't told Boss cause I don't know what he's going to say.

I'm going to get my dog soon. I don't know if he'll be a girl or if he'll be a boy dog and I don't know if he'll be big or small. I hope he's big so he can play with me like Sam did or like Jethro did why Probie talked in the other room. After Probie talked and talked I had to say goodbye to Jethro and I got to go eat pizza with Probie and Abby.

I got to eat pizza with Probie and Abby. It was really fun. Probie had to help with the pizza but he didn't mind and I didn't get mad because if he didn't help with the pizza, I would have a hard time eating the pizza. And I really like the pizza.

I wish I could eat pizza with them ever day but Abby and Probie have to work like Boss use to work.

But Boss still works but he works on different things. He works on his boat in the basement and he fixed the sink when it stopped working.

He even fixed the stairs cause they would squeak a lot and he made it to where they don't squeak anymore.

So even though Boss isn't at his job, he still works. But I don't.

Boss says I work. He says I'm working on getting better but it doesn't feel like work. I remembered yesterday that my old job meant that I could sing and say stuff from movies. But I don't remember stuff people stay in movies unless I'm watching the movie. And I haven't tried to sing in a long time.

But I don't work cause my hand is still bad and my leg doesn't always work right and sometimes my tongue says stuff I didn't want it to stay.

But I'm getting a dog. And Probie has a job and a dog too.

And maybe, if I get better enough, I can go to work after I get my dog.

Because I use to work and I think I want to work again.

And I'm getting my dog soon.