Glass Rain
Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard stepped happily in to Autopsy greeted his assistant Jimmy Palmer cordially, as he did every morning.
He noticed the young man looked a bit ruffled.
"Mr. Palmer, are you feeling alright?"
"Oh yes… yes, Dr. Mallard, perfectly fine," Jimmy answered, a little out of breath. The truth was that Michelle Lee had just left, mere seconds before the good doctor
had made his entrance into their work place. They needed to stop doing what they were doing; someone was going to catch them any day now.
Jimmy realized that the doctor was talking again.
"What do you say Mr. Palmer if we dig into the boring paperwork we have been forgetting conveniently every day?" Ducky asked hanging his coat on the rack.
"Great idea Doctor, we have no bodies to work on anyway."
"Very well Mr. Palmer, please retrieve our "work to do" box from the file room."
"Right away Doctor," Jimmy said already on his way to the storage room at the back; he returned a few minutes later carrying a big cardboard box overflowing with documents and placed it on an autopsy table.
Ducky settled himself on one side of the table with Jimmy sitting in front of him; they both sighted and started working.
Half an hour later Ducky's cell phone rang…
"Jethro? Yes of course, we will be right there," Ducky said before closing his phone. "Well, Mr. Palmer, it looks like this activity will have to be postpone again, we
have two bodies to pick up."
"Very well, Dr. Mallard," Jimmy said with a huge smile. They both hated paper work with passion.
They quickly gather their stuff and proceeded to the parking lot and their truck.
Jimmy Palmer was a good driver; his problem was orientation. He was incapable of getting from one place to another without a detailed map.
"Do you know where the address is Mr. Palmer?"
"I have my maps, Doctor; so we should be there in no time," Jimmy pressed the gas pedal and they sped down the street. Ducky started with one of his stories as
they cruised through several intersections.
"You know, Jimmy, your lack of sense of direction reminds me of my grandfather; he was an extremely talented hunter, but each time he went out on a hunting
party, he would get lost and…" Jimmy had heard the story many times, but he loved his mentor dearly and knew how much he enjoyed telling that particular tale
every time they were on their way to a crime scene.
Jimmy awed in the right parts and asked "Really?" from time to time making the old ME a happy man.
The road took them to a bushy area; Jimmy hoped he had taken the correct turn when getting off the highway, because the area seemed very strange for a crime scene.
A very loud crashing sound stopped Ducky's tale, and Jimmy stepped on the brakes. Down the road they saw a big gasoline truck suddenly lose control and crash.
To Jimmy, everything was happening in slow motion.
The truck rolled, rupturing the huge gas tank, and a strong smelling cascade erupted from the tanker rushing over the road.
Two cars in front of the NCIS vehicle slipped and crashed into each other with a horrible metallic sound, and Palmer quickly turned the steering wheel to avoid hitting
any of them.
"Mr. Palmer! Look out!" yelled Ducky as their truck reached the gasoline spill and slid off the road, practically flying, and then landed in a deep ravine several feet down .
On its way down, the truck rammed through a succession of trees. Strapped in their seats, Jimmy and Ducky could only scream as the windshield exploded into a
million tiny fragments, raining glass down on them and opening the truck to an invasion of branches. Medical supplies flew in every direction, and the metal gurney
crashed time and time again against the walls of the truck.
Finally, the crazy ride came to a stop against a fallen tree.
Jimmy heard noises far above him. His head hurt terribly and he couldn't see much because he had lost his glasses. For a few seconds he couldn't remember where he was or what had happened. He was only aware of pain and the taste of blood on his lips.
Then he remembered, the events coming to him like a wave, bringing his full attention to the passenger next to him.
"Doctor Mallard! Doctor, answer me please!" he yelled looking at the unconscious man next to him. Ducky was slumped over the dashboard, his face covered in
blood. Jimmy extended his arm to feel for a pulse, and he found one, a strong one.
"Thank heavens, he's alive," Jimmy said out loud, and started to unbuckle his seat belt, not an easy task. His fingers were bloody, tiny pieces of glass imbedded in
his wounds, causing him terrible pain, but he didn't stop. He had to get his mentor out of the truck. There was no way of knowing if it would explode or not, but the
smell of gasoline was overwhelming.
Ambulance sirens wailed above them. All the noise and commotion seemed to be centered on the semi and the two destroyed cars. Somehow, Jimmy realized that
no one knew they were down in the ravine. He had no way of knowing whether or not someone saw them fly off the road.
He would have to get help, for both Ducky and himself, but first things first.
Jimmy managed to free himself and proceeded to open the battered door, again not an easy thing to do. He turned on his side and with both feet kicked the door
opened; choosing not to look at the deep gash on his right knee.
"Was that bone poking out?" he thought, swallowing hard
The young medical examiner fell down from the crushed vehicle on to the ground, pain clouding his senses as his injured knee hit the forest floor. He screamed and
for a few seconds he couldn't move.
Breathing unevenly he stood and managed to drag himself around the truck until he reached the passengers side. Ducky was coming around.
"Doctor Mallard, can you hear me?" he asked, shaking the old man just a little.
"Jim… my, what?"
"We crashed, Doctor. Are you alright?" he managed to say, the pain in his leg was increasing by the second.
"I…think so, where are we?" Ducky asked, but Jimmy ignored the question, there was only one thing on his mind.
"Have… to get you … out" Jimmy muttered making Ducky look at him closely.
" Jimmy, are you alright, my boy?"
"Don't worry Doctor, just a scratch."
Jimmy tried to get himself together, pushing the burning pain to the back of his mind, and started pulling at Ducky's door with all the force he could muster. Finally,
after several agonizing minutes, he succeeded.
He instantly knew he was not going to be able to pull the old doctor out from the car. Ducky's legs where trapped under the collapsed dashboard, and Jimmy's heart
sank at the sight.
"Oh my!" Ducky said looking down at his legs. He didn't think they were broken, but he couldn't get out.
"Mr. Palmer … Jimmy," he said looking at his young assistant with worried expression. By now, he realized Jimmy was badly hurt.
"Yes Doctor?"
"You have to get out of here, my boy, and get some help."
Ducky's voice was calm and reassuring, but in reality, he felt concerned, not for himself but for the young man looking at him. He didn't look well at all. However there
was nothing else to do; Jimmy Palmer had to get help for both of them.
Jimmy turned to look at the steep climb ahead of him; he wasn't about to disappoint the man he admire most in the world.
"I will. Don't worry, Doctor. I'll come back soon."
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Leroy Jethro Gibbs was not a patient man. He looked at his watch for the fifth time and turned to stare at Tony, who was busy taking pictures of the two dead men
sprawled on the forest floor.
"DiNozzo!!" he yelled
"Yeah, Boss?" he said jumping back in surprise.
"Call Ducky again; he should be here by now!"
"Right away, Boss," Tony answered, taking out his cell phone at the same time.
Ziva approached them carrying a bag full of evidence.
"How strange; Ducky would have called if he was going to be late," she said. All of them knew Palmer was directionally- challenged. He usually got them lost, but
Ducky always called to let the others know.
"Palmer must have gotten lost again, Ziva," Tim said, as he started collecting evidence, from the crime scene.
Tony turned to look at them, his expression concerned.
"No answer Boss, and I've tried both of their cell phones. Something is not right."
"McGee, call Abby, and have her trace the GPS in the truck," Gibbs instructed.
"Right away, Boss!" Tim said, punching the speed dial button for Abby's lab.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Jimmy started to climb, each step was pure torture. He couldn't lean on his injured led, so he dragged it behind him.
He constantly fell and got back up again, images jumbling inside his brain, mostly of Michelle Lee, he loved her so much.
Jimmy sat on a rock, to regain his breath. Waves of pain came and went along his leg. He didn't have to be an expert to see, that his knee was pretty much
destroyed, but, he chose to ignore it.
"I have to make it! Doctor Mallard is counting on me, and Agent Gibbs will murder me for sure if I fail. I don't think I can walk anymore I'll have to crawl." Jimmy said
to himself. If only he had his glasses on; everything was somewhat blurry around him. He only knew he had to continue to move upwards, where he could find some
help.
Jimmy could still hear the commotion above on the road; he had already tried shouting for help, several times, but there was too much noise for his voice to be
heard. There was no visible sign that a truck had fallen.
Taking a deep breath, Jimmy started crawling, painfully slowly towards the road.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Abby was watching dozens of fingerprints, flash on the screen in front of her, suddenly her cell phone started ringing.
"Abby, the miracle worker speaking," she said in to the receiver.
"Abs, we can't find Ducky. He hasn't arrived at the crime scene," McGee's worried voice said. "Track the GPS signal on the truck and Ducky's cell phone; Palmer's too
he is not answering either."
"Ducky and Jimmy are missing?"
"Yes, Abs, hurry."
Immediately, she turned to her second monitor, and started typing on the keyboard like a maniac. Maps and coordinates started to come up on the flat screen.
"Here, I got the signal for the truck. I'm sending you the coordinates now …" Abby said, pressing the a key on her board.
"Timmy, there is a news flash attached to them, a gasoline truck crashed; there are several people injured, some dead, but no mention is made about a NCIS vehicle
on the area. Find them, Timmy!" She said, very very fast, her words mixing one into the next. Tim, however, had no problem understanding every single one of them.
"Got them Abs, I'll call you as soon as we get there. We will find them; don't worry." McGee answered, cutting the transmission.
He turned to look at Gibbs are repeated everything Abby had told him. Tony was already contacting another team, to take over the crime scene.
"Ziva, you are with me! DiNozzo, McGee, you wait for Alexander's team to arrive, and then join us!" Gibbs ordered already on his way to the car.
Tony and Tim just stared, as the agency-issued car disappeared on the distance.
"I hope Alexander gets here soon Tony, I am really worried for Ducky and Palmer," Tim said.
"Don't worry, Probie; he's already on his way here" Tony answered, closing his cell phone.
Jimmy was feeling dreadfully tired and his mouth was dry, all the stress from the crash and his injuries were doing nothing for his blood sugar levels, he couldn't do
anything about that though, so, he pushed the thought to the back of his mind.
"One step more, one step more," he repeated, time and time again while he made his way uphill.
The ground started to feel wet under his hands and he smiled, he was getting closer to the top.
"Firemen hoses, I am almost there." Jimmy thought breathing hard.
"Hang on Doctor Mallard, hang on." He said out loud.
Would the people on the road, hear him if he yelled for help, again?
"Heeeellp, please heeeeelp!"
He screamed as loud as he possibly could.
His vision was getting worse and his throat felt like if covered with sand paper, his body was sending warning signs, and they were not good signs.
No one answered his plea.
"They have to hear me; I am close to the road. I know I am!" Tears started to fall down his dirty face leaving small black trails on their way down.
Making an almost superhuman effort, Jimmy crawled the few feet separating him from the accident and the road.
The feel of pavement was like an electric shock for his tired brain, summoning strength from some unknown place, Jimmy stepped on the water covered road;
amazingly enough no one had seen him yet.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
A group of firemen were hosing foam over the burning tanker, two small cars appeared reduced to a mound of metal each, paramedics, police officers and more
firemen were trying to get someone out from one of them. There was still another vehicle barely visible next to the gas truck, also wrecked and in flames.
An ambulance turned on its sirens and speed away, only to be replaced by another one just arriving.
The driver, a young Asian man, looked out from his window, surveying the accident site, his eyes stopped on a figure standing unsteadily on the edge of the road. It
was his second round collecting injured people from the accident, he and his partner had left the truck's driver, in critical condition, at the hospital moments ago.
"Oh my God, Victor look!" He said to his partner pointing at Jimmy.
"Where does he come from?" Victor Lance said jumping out from the cabin, followed closely by Mark Tanaka, carrying his kit.
"Help me… Doctor… the doctor…" Jimmy muttered when he felt, more than saw, two pairs of hands grabbing him.
"We are paramedics, calm down, we are going to help you." Mark said holding him while Victor rushed off to fetch the gurney.
"No, no, the Doctor …. Down there …" Jimmy screamed pointing to the ravine as he fought Mark's grip.
"There someone else down there?" he asked, noticing for the first time, Jimmy's torn coveralls; he nodded strongly, tears falling down his face.
"Oh man! NCIS!!" he said alarmed, turning to look around for some one else.
"Chief !! Chief Sellers!!" He yelled urgently at the top of his lungs "We have more victims!!"
The screech of tires breaking filled the air for a couple of seconds.
Jimmy's brain started to shut down. He hardly heard voices yelling to one another for a rescue team, climbing equipment and the paramedics.
He wasn't completely sure, but he thought he heard agent Gibbs' voice saying he was diabetic, and a woman, Ziva? Telling him everything was going to be alright,
he felt lifted up in to an ambulance.
And then, everything went black.
4 days later
Jimmy woke up in an all white room, except for a very large vase, full of orange and yellow flowers, settled on the bed side table. A black Teddy bear was sitting right
next to the vase holding a brightly red "Get well" card between his paws.
He smiled.
Slowly, he was becoming more aware of his surroundings; there were many more cards attached to the wall before him, a warm current filled his heart.
"Feeling better, Mr. Palmer?"
Jimmy almost jumped out of bed, he hadn't realized, someone was in the room with him.
Ducky was sitting on a couch, smiling broadly at him. The good old doctor looked a bit battered, and tiny little cuts covered his face and hands, they were already
healing though.
"Doctor Mallard, you are alright!"
"Thanks to you my boy." Ducky said standing "You behaved like a hero, I am in debt." He added smiling kindly.
"Oh no. No, Doctor. I did what I had to do." Jimmy muttered looking down. He then saw his hands, all wrapped up in bandages and his eyes went wide.
"Your hands will heal Jimmy; they had to take out all the glass and dirt you had inside the wounds. Your knee was shattered, so you had surgery to reconstruct it, it
will heal as well. You will need physical therapy for a while, of course; but you will be fine, young man.
And your diabetes is under control now, you gave the paramedics quite a scare I may add my boy."
Jimmy felt a hand on his shoulder, and he looked up again.
"Now, there is a young lady quite eager to see you lad. Your doctors say, however, that you need rest, so no calisthenics, you hear." Ducky said a huge smile on his
face.
Jimmy blushed scarlet.
"No need to be ashamed, I was young once, you know?"
"Thank you, Doctor."
"What ever for?"
"For trusting me?" Jimmy asked in a small voice.
"Mr. Palmer, I never doubted you would succeed, you are a good man, and I am proud to have you as my assistant and as my friend."
Jimmy beamed.
"Now, you get some rest young man. Miss Lee is waiting outside to see you, remember what I said." Ducky said grinning, before opening the door.
By the time Michelle had stopped kissing him; Jimmy had already forgotten every recommendation made by the good doctor.
"A little exercise is always a good thing, isn't it?" Jimmy thought happily resting his head on Michelle's lap.
"A very good thing, indeed." He said out loud before closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep.
The End.