It was early, but Tony made his way into the court room. He found a seat at the front where he could see Brad, but, with luck, the defence team wouldn't be able to see him. He had had enough of their staring the day before.

"Hey Tony, I wasn't expecting to see you here after yesterday," said Harm ten minutes later.

"Brad's up there this morning. I wanted to watch. Is that okay?"

"Of course it is. How are you doing this morning?"

"Alright. I'm trying to stay strong, but it isn't easy."

"Have you spoken to that doctor you were telling me about?"

"Rachel? Yeah, I called her. Earliest appointment I could get was Monday."

"That's alright. It's better if you talk to someone."

"I know. Harm, how long is this going to go for?"

"The trial? Hopefully not too long. Brad is up there today, then Zoe is up this afternoon. After that, we only have a few people left."

"What about the defence team?"

"They only have their clients."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I know, it shocked me too. But, hey, if they don't want anymore than that, it's fine with me. How long before you can go back to work?"

"Still three weeks. If I can finish with the physical therapy before that, I might get to go back earlier."

"I hope you can go earlier. You seem like you're getting bored at home."

"I am. It's funny. Last week I wasn't interested in work yet, but now I can't wait."

"That's because you're getting better. That's what happens when you start to heal. And seeing Zoe go to prison would have lifted a huge weight from your shoulders."

"It did."

"Then you'll be happy when these two go to jail as well."

"Harm, why are you and Bud taking this case? I'm not a Marine or a Navy officer."

"No, but you do work for NCIS. That still comes under JAG's jurisdiction."

"Oh, I didn't know that. So, how's Mac?"

"She's good. I spoke to her last night, she wants me to let her know how the trial's going."

"Is she in DC?"

"Not at the moment. She had a case in Florida to deal with, but she'll be back on Monday. If the trial is still on, she'll come."

"I'd like to see her, it's been a while."

"Well," said Harm, noticing that the jury was entering. "When this is over, you should come and visit us for a day. Bring Emma with you."

"Maybe I will." Tony smiled at his friend.

Bud waited until Brad was seated, and then he stood.

"Dr Pitt, could you please explain to the court what Tony's injuries are."

"Sure." Brad took the chart that Bud had set up next to the witness stand and pointed at an x-ray of Tony's head. He moved his finger along the x-ray as he spoke. "Tony has what is known as a depressed fracture. Basically, it's a fracture where some of the bone breaks off or presses against the brain, causing swelling. It's not something that you can leave to heal on its own, because it won't heal. The only way to fix it is with surgery."

"So you performed surgery on Tony?"

"Not me, a neurologist. I'm not a neurologist, even though I do know some skills that they require. The surgery was done in LA, where Tony was found after he had been kidnapped, and then I flew back to DC with Tony."

"And was Tony awake for the flight?"

"No. He was unconscious before the surgery, and he was unconscious after the surgery. He didn't wake up for two days, by which time we were back in DC."

"What were Tony's other injuries?"

"Like I said earlier, he has a depressed fracture to the back of his skull, which hasn't healed yet. He also had significant swelling on his brain, directly below the fracture. Though we didn't know it for several days, he also had bruising covering a majority of the swollen area, as well as bruising around the back of his brain. When he woke up, we also found out that he had lost two years of memory- which was a result of the swelling pressing on a small section of the area of the brain that controls our memory, and the brain injuries he sustained have caused him to have problems with not only his memory, but also with mobility and simple tasks."

"Have these problems resolved themselves?"

"Not completely. Over the last month, Tony has improved very much, but he'll continue to have some problems until his brain has fully recovered. I spoke with his physical therapist last week, and we agreed that Tony's regained nearly all of his mobility, his memory has definitely improved to the point that he's almost back to what he had been before these injuries occurred, and he's able to perform the same simple tasks that he had trouble with while he was in the hospital and in the first few days of him being home."

"What are the chances of Tony getting back to his full capacity and abilities?"

"We would like to hope that he has a hundred percent chance, but the reality is that it's more like sixty percent. It's not unheard of for a patient with these types of injuries to completely recover, but it isn't common either."

"Is there a risk that these injuries could reoccur?"

"Of course. Anyone can be at risk. But, for people that have had these injuries, the risk is heightened. There's not really anything that can be done about it other than educating the person about how best to stay safe."

"I have one more question, Dr Pitt. Is there any chance these injuries could have occurred by accident?"

"No. The back of a human skull is very thick. You can't break the bone by accident. And the area that is broken for Tony is the thickest part of the skull. The only way to cause a depressed fracture like the one Tony's sustained can only be caused by intense pressure. A hit with a hand or fist could cause a fracture on the front or sides of the skull, but it's almost like a fly hitting the windshield of a car at the back of the end. Pressure that would cause an injury like this is more likely a result of being hit with something heavy and hard."

"Such as a rock?"

"A rock would definitely cause this type of fracturing."

"How long does it take for a fractured skull to heal?"

"For a full recovery, it would take roughly five to six months, depending on the person. In Tony's case, I would say it'd be more like six or seven months."

"Is it possible for Tony to go back to his normal life before these fractures have finished healing?"

"Yes. I wouldn't suggest him going back into the field for some time, but desk work wouldn't be a problem."

"How long would it be before he could be back in the field?"

"Again, it would depend on how well Tony is doing after his skull has healed. "It could be a couple of months, or it could be several months. I've had a patient that wasn't able to go back to work for a year after they healed."

"Thank you. Nothing further." Bud sat down, his mind reeling from what he had just heard. He felt sorry for Tony, and it was all because of the two people sitting smugly across from him.