Very plausible!
It's true that Tony gets hit practically every episode, sometimes more than once.
I'm glad somebody thought to actually deal with the plot hole of what cumulative blows would do to him.
This was really sad, but also morbidly satisfying because the issue was addressed.
Great job on this poignant oneshot ;)

AWESOME.

what's wrong with him?

This was a great story, but really besides all the head injuries Tony should have told the doctor about the constant head slaps from Gibbs, and never less than one a day but more like several times a day. You would think that Ducky as an ME but also a doctor would have put a stop to Gibbs doing so. Ducky would know the risks of constants hits to the head.

This is amazing and heartbreaking. And seriously, the head slaps need to stop! For so many reasons, but mostly this. It's just never, ever, ever a good idea to hit someone in the head. I don't even care if it's called a slap. It's dangerous. Such a dumb thing to have as a running gag on the show. I know you focused on Tony's actual concussions, but still, the head slaps are bad news.
I just love that you brought attention to the brain inury issue that is completely overlooked on the show. You did an amazing job. It's a really touching, thought provoking story. xo

I know I've read this before, and if I haven't already told you, it's sad and perfect. And sad.

No more head-slaps for Tony? How ever will Gibbs show that he cares?
Good idea for a story! Thanks and cheers!

This was heartbreaking - not least because along with Tony's own tragedy, you just know that the rest of the team are going to be heartbroken, too, and Gibbs is probably going to feel guilty about the fact he's head slapped Tony so many times in case that was a contributory factor, AND Tony will feel Ll the worse that he's causing them distress, too.

Poor Tony. A beautiful story.

I have been reading your old stuff, and it's all great, but this is mr favorite. Any chance of talking you into a follow up chapter? Virtual begging?

This was a gorgeous piece of writing. My only disappointment was that it ended. I must now indulge myself in other examples of your wonderful gift.

This was amazing, and also very believable given the number of times he's been whacked in the head.

Oh my, I love it!

Ok.

I just recently got into the whole NCIS fan fiction thing, so long story short... This old story is a new one to me. And UGH! I love it. Girl, you are a good writer.

This is a totally plausible situation, and really heartbreaking, because we know that this job is pretty much Tony's life. It was very selfless of him to get this problem checked out. Actually, selflessness is one of this character's best traits.

I like the way you wrote this. Very spartan-esque. Little bits and pieces that culminate into a coherent and powerful whole. The ending was perfect. Open-ended, but it points us in an obvious direction.

Bits that made my soul ache:

"Or once, in the car with McGee, he looked at the address on the GPS and said, "I don't know how to get there," and Tim had to remind him that the directions were to the place they had already been."

"But Gibbs was surprisingly gentle. "Tony, I think you need to see someone. Ducky has a name for you.""

""Tony," the doctor informed him as kindly as possible, "you left your gun at home.""

"he was going to forget his mother eventually, and that sucked"

"And it wasn't like he didn't have an easy way out. He still carried a weapon; it would be the simplest thing in the world."

ARGHHHH MY SOUL!

I was reading through the reviews and saw that LOTS of folks seemed to have no clue what was going on with Tony. Basically, this is the end result (the "cumulative effect" -great title btw) of repeated brain trauma. There's been a lot of research into this recently as it pertains to athletes. Individuals who have experienced multiple concussions will often develop something called dementia pugilistica.

From Wikipedia (because it's good to believe everything Wikipedia says *sarcasm*):

"Chronic encephalopathy is an example of the cumulative damage that can occur as the result of multiple concussions or less severe blows to the head. The condition called dementia pugilistica, or "punch drunk" syndrome, which is associated with boxers, can result in cognitive and physical deficits such as parkinsonism, speech and memory problems, slowed mental processing, tremor, and inappropriate behavior.[85] It shares features with Alzheimer's disease.[86]"

So, no. In my opinion, Tony will not be getting better. He will probably either retire or take on a desk job. Which is why this is so sad because we know Tony has too much spirit to ever enjoy pushing papers around. And it's also sad because he has such a great mind, and he's losing it to something beyond his control.

Bravo! Never stop writing.

This is a great one shot! Well written and poignant. I do wish we knew what he had exactly, and wondered if you'd considered a follow up or sequel?