Tony stood under scalding hot water in his shower for countless minutes. His sleep had been numbingly dreamless, but hardly refreshing. He finished his toilette then dressed and headed to the hospital to see his teammates. Smiling his first genuine smile in hours as he realized how much good it would do them all to be together for a little while.

When he arrived, laden with flowers and bags, he approached the main desk. Before he asked to be directed to Agents Gibbs' and Todd's rooms however, he inquired after the victims he'd helped to rescue earlier. As the older nurse began to cite hospital security regulations, he fished out his badge, and explained that he just wanted to know how they were doing. The nurse gave Tony a thorough once over before calling up to the victims' floor and speaking to the officer in charge of the protective detail. Once assured she could pass on the requested information, she turned back to Tony with a softer look in her eyes and said, I'm sorry to tell you, Agent DiNozzo, but one of them died in transit.

He nodded his thanks, took the directions to find Kate and Gibbs and headed down the indicated corridor. He wasn't surprised, it hadn't looked good for the woman. But he had hoped. Remembering her injuries, wondering what else she had suffered, maybe she had hoped, too. Tony wished her peace.

As he approached the nurses' desk near Kate's and Gibbs' room he saw Abby headed toward him, similarly laden. he called, the sight of her lifting his spirits immensely.

She held back from throwing herself into his arms, but only out of respect for the parcels they each carried. It is so good to just see you and know you're all right. I've taken a quick look at the evidence you guys sent back. It's amazing what you found there.

Everybody did good work. And I never want a job like that again. Tony's voice had gone oddly quiet. Let's go see those two lazybones. Didn't I tell you this is how you'd see me again? He perked right back up, led Abby over to the nurses' station and found himself face to face with a very athletic blonde nurse.

Agent DiNozzo, how good to see you. Abby, glad you're here. They should be just about done with lunch, and probably more than ready for some company. If you'll just follow me?

Tony was taken aback that she knew his name and had just handled him like the greenest rookie. Good Lord, was that a tall woman! The urge to take a step backward just to get a better view was overwhelming! She moved from behind the desk and into the doorway with a grace that belied her stature, and as she did so, Tony whispered to Abby, You know her?

Mm Hm. Her name's Laurel. Best nurse on the whole staff. Abby replied.

Laurel looked in the room at her two patients. Both wore identical mutinous expressions directed at the hospital lunch trays. Both were viciously stabbing their forks at various hapless items on said trays and shoving them around in great disgust. What made the scene perfectly comical was the curtain between them, clearly they had no idea they virtually mirrored each other's behavior. Schooling her face to the ideal professional visage, Laurel gently cleared her throat and said, Agents Gibbs and Todd, you have some visitors, if you would care for some company.

Gibbs' fork had lethally speared a carrot and had just lifted its kill from the tray. Kate was caught with the fork in her mouth, being pulled out as if unhappily leaving its cargo behind. Both froze as Laurel pushed back the curtain separating the room while Tony and Abby appeared at the doorway. Taking in the scene from their vantage point they looked at each other and let out a snort of laughter.

Gibbs dropped the offensive utensil. Glad you're amused, DiNozzo. Why aren't the two of you at the office? Don't you have any work to do?

Kate swallowed hastily. Tony, Abby! Thanks for coming to visit. We were starting to go stir crazy in here. Weren't we Gibbs? She rolled her eyes when all she received in response from him was silence.

Boss, you'll be glad to know that we got everything out of Erickson's place. Tony waited for Gibbs to turn that piercing gaze on him.

Everything? Define everything', DiNozzo. The eyes watched intently as Tony gave a brief report.

We recovered the poison lab, pretty extensive one, too. Shales found the Lasix that we suspect was used on the Marines. We also got the benzene hexachloride he used on you two. There were a number of notebooks, a thorough videotape library, and some correspondence. I glanced through what I could, considering the time constraints.

What time constraints? Gibbs shot out, succinct as ever.

What did he use videotapes for? asked Kate at the same time.

Tony answered Gibbs first, holding up a finger to Kate, He had a bomb in the basement. A very big bomb. The EOD guys said they couldn't defuse it, best they could do was to put it in stasis. Gibbs, you'd have been proud. We hauled ass getting everything out and we did it all by the book. He turned to Kate. The videotapes were for research. He had some nasty torture and poison testing he was filming. The survivors are upstairs under protective custody at the moment.

Who found them, Tony? Kate shuddered to think of anything that horrific; she felt for the agents who were at the house.

I did. He bowed his head for a moment to compose himself, not wanting to see the looks in the others' eyes. He took a deep breath then looked Gibbs in the eye to continue. As far as what I found in the correspondence; it looks like Erickson was paid to prove that it was possible to poison large numbers of military troops at a time. Pulling that off would earn him a larger mission.

He was paid to poison all those Marines? That's it? He did it for the money? Abby's voice was rich with disbelief.

Kate's profiling abilities clarified Erickson's motives. No, Abby. He poisoned them because he enjoyed it. Erickson has been diagnosed as sociopath by two experts in the field. He has no conscience, no capability of emotion, other than the pleasure he derives from inflicting pain or death upon another being. He didn't do it for the money. He just took the money and accepted set of victims from someone else. The poisoning was something he'd have happily done for free.

Who hired him? Once again, Gibbs cut right to the heart of the matter.

I didn't have time to read that far. A lot of it was in code, only parts were left untranslated. All the evidence is back at HQ and Owens' team is sorting it out. I'm sure they've already got someone in crypto on it, Boss, the younger man said.

I don't think I know Owens' team, Tony. Are they any good? Kate inquired.

Abby jumped in with the answer. Dave Owens, Pete Harrison and Christie Shales. Dave's not bad, but he's a grumbler. Always wants to get ahead but doesn't always want to do the work. Pete's an okay guy. Smart, but lacks some self-confidence. He'd do a lot better with a different leader. Christie is supposed to be a real promising talent, but Dave treats her like a secretary, so she'll probably quit before we ever find out. Shame, too. She's smart. She eyed Tony, and a hottie, eh?

Gibbs, who had been about to answer Kate's question in a slightly different manner, found he truthfully couldn't disagree with Abby's assessments. What concerned him more was the look on Tony's face as she described the team. He had become very shuttered, almost angry at the mention of their names. Better lance this boil before it festers,' he thought.

Whatsa matter, Tony? Didn't you like working with Owens and his team? I'd've thought you'd really enjoy working side by side with another pretty girl.

Pete and Christie worked hard, Christie especially. It was a very long, tiring, nerve-wracking experience and I think we all four did especially well given the circumstances. They've asked if they can follow the money trail as to who hired Erickson. I'm personally fine with that, seeing as how we have enough on our desks with the Marines, you two and the victims I found. But if it's all the same to you, I really have no desire to work with Owens' team again in the near future. There was almost no inflection whatsoever to his voice.

Gibbs spoke before anyone else could, Okay, Tony.

Hey, Boss. I saw a Starbucks a block away. I'm going for coffee; shall I smuggle you a cup of the good stuff? Tony saw the blue eyes light up at the mention of something besides hospital sludge. Be right back.

After he had left the room, the two women rounded on Gibbs. What was that all about anyway? Kate got her shot off first.

Gibbs held up his hands to ward off the anger radiating from the two women. I've seen it happen before. We don't know what happened after we left, but it must have been rather traumatic. Tony's afraid that every time he looks at a member of the other team he's going to relive those events. I don't know how they will feel about him. It might be the same way, it might not. I've met them, and Abby's right about Pete and Christie. After working under Dave and then having Tony take charge, Pete and Christie may look at Tony as their new best friend, or even a mentor of sorts. He can't handle that right now. I'm going to ask someone, maybe Ducky, to talk to them.

Ducky?? Why him? Why not Director Morrow? Abby was clearly lost now.

Coming from the director it sounds too much like a reprimand. Coming from Ducky, Tony's as much a casualty as the rest of us. And that's exactly what he is, another one of Erickson's victims. Poisoning of the mind, in his case.

Kate took a moment, then asked quietly, Does anyone ever really get used to this sort of thing? We deal with it, we investigate it, we solve it, but do any of us really ever get used to it?

They all fell silent for a moment, thinking about how much one person's actions could change so many lives. The squeak of shoes on the floor brought them all out of their reverie as their heads turned to the door.

Well, all we're missing is young Anthony! Ducky happily exclaimed. Now, where have you stashed him?

Right here, Duck, said Tony, slightly out of breath, as he came up behind the coroner.

Wonderful. Now that everyone's here I can hand out all the news. First, Kate. Your tox screen levels are virtually clear. Your AST and ALT levels are perfect and so is your creatinine. How's your skin?

Kate looked around. Since Tony and Abby had come in they hadn't talked about injuries at all. Self-consciously she peeled open her robe for Ducky to check her much-bared upper chest. I think the new salve is already starting to help some, she told him. The crackly edges seemed to be softening instead of flaking away. And while it did sting when she put it on the first time, it actually felt more soothing than the first salve had.

Ooooh, Kate, that must hurt, said Abby.

It's not so bad, truthfully.

Hey, Kate. I'm really sorry. He said it quietly, but sincerity radiated from Tony's green eyes.

I know, Tony. It's okay.

Good, good. Then as long as you have a quiet night, you can go home tomorrow, my dear. Ducky's proclamation made the group smile as he turned toward the room's other resident. Now, Jethro, about your condition. First, your tox levels are down, but you're not completely clear yet. That wouldn't concern me as much, except that your creatinine levels are a touch elevated as well. I want you here for at least the next twenty-four and possibly forty-eight hours.

Gibbs groaned in response. Two more days of hell with bad food. Is this really necessary, Duck?

I need you here to monitor your fluid intake and output. Not home working on your boat! Oh, and the CT scan showed us that all the major organs looked healthy, thankfully. The lab results from your emesis this morning suggest that there is nothing serious there, either. Rather, I suspect that all the vomiting most likely irritated your upper GI tract. I've scheduled an upper GI series for tomorrow morning to verify that. You'll require a bland food diet for the next month to let that stomach heal. And no coffee for you either, Jethro, during that time! Ducky then excused himself, explaining that there was much for him to do both at the hospital and back at NCIS HQ.

Tony, Abby and Kate all gaped at each other. Gibbs without coffee for a month! Ducky must be nuts. No way they'd all survive it.

Gibbs noticed the looks they were exchanging. He'd bet anything they were figuring out how much vacation time they had.

Tony glanced toward the door to be sure he wouldn't be overheard. Hey, Boss. It's still hot. Last cup for a condemned man?

Gibbs reached out eagerly for the proffered cup just as a tall blonde whirlwind blew through the room. He silently cursed the woman's efficiency as Tony snatched the cup back.

What lovely flowers you've brought them, I'll see to it that they're displayed properly. And don't worry about the gifts, I'll take care of them, too. Now it's time that Agents Gibbs and Todd get some rest; make sure you check with Dr. Mallard about when would be the best time to visit next. Laurel began to reposition the curtain separating the two beds.

Tony, meanwhile, had caught Gibbs' eye, but thankfully not Nurse Laurel's. He sidled closer to the coffeeholic and was just about done surreptitiously stashing the precious liquid in the drawer of his night table next to the bed when the blonde Amazon stepped on his foot and crashed into him. This caused him to slam his hand in the drawer and the hot coffee, which he was still holding, sloshed down the cup, on his hand and into the drawer.

Laurel turned and looked Tony squarely in the eye. I'm terribly sorry, Agent DiNozzo, my fault. By the way, you'll want to have that hand looked at. I doubt anything is broken, but that will be a nasty coffee burn you have. She smiled and left the room.

Everyone turned and looked at Tony as he pulled his reddened hand out of the drawer. Gibbs took the nearly empty cup, drained the last few drops from it and then eyed the man next to him.

That's what you get for sticking your hand in my drawers, grinned Gibbs.