Chapter 1 - A surprise call

Jimmy looked up hopefully from his computer as the Autopsy phone rang. It had been a quiet week and, although he never wished brutal murder on anyone, right now anything was better than stocktaking. Unfortunately Ducky was closer to the phone and Jimmy could have sworn the old ME shot him a smirk of satisfaction at being first to answer the call. Jimmy saw Ducky's shoulders slump as he spoke: apparently all Navy personal were staying stubbornly alive today.

"I'll be right up," Ducky sighed, hanging up the phone. "You know, Mr Palmer," he mused, "one of these days, people in this building are going to realise that I am a Federal Medical Examiner, not their personal physician. Someone faints in Legal and it's 'let's get Ducky up here'."

"Legal?" Jimmy asked hesitatingly. Since he had started seeing Michelle, he had found many varied reasons to visit the Legal department and had got to know most of the staff quite well. "Who was it?"

"Agent Lee, apparently," said Ducky absently, picking up his battered doctor's bag. "I'll be back momentarily…"

Before he could finish his sentence, Palmer was off his chair and had snatched the bag from his startled grasp.

"I'll do it," he called, disappearing out the door.

Ducky followed with a bemused air and observed Jimmy stabbing the elevator button repeatedly. "Is there anything you feel you ought to tell me, Mr Palmer?" he inquired.

"Not really," Jimmy cringed, watching the descending numbers impatiently. "Oh forget this, I'll take the stairs."

No sooner had Jimmy disappeared from view than the elevator arrived, opening its doors invitingly to Ducky. "Why not?" he thought and climbed on board.

Ducky arrived at Legal just in time to watch Palmer burst through the stairwell door, pause, catch his breath and adopt a more profession demeanour. Striding past with more haste than the urgency of the situation warranted towards the small group in Legal surrounding the fallen Miss Lee, Palmer didn't even register Ducky shadowing him.

When he arrived on the scene, Ducky parked himself against a convenient partition and watched proceedings unfold.

Jimmy was squatting at Agent Lee's side. "You OK?" he asked.

Ducky smiled knowingly. There was more sympathy and tenderness in that question that he thought possible from his young protégée for a mere colleague. His suspicions were confirmed – and now he could return that pile of undergarments.

"I'm fine," she assured him, her voice so quiet that Ducky had to almost give away his position to detect it.

"I'll take your blood pressure," Palmer said. "Still feeling dizzy?"

"Yes, really light headed, even lying here."

Palmer frowned as he waited for the monitor to read. "You haven't been sick or anything, have you?" It started as a statement and ended as a question.

"I've been a little nauseous the last couple of days."

Slowly, Palmer froze. "You don't think?"

Agent Lee's expression transformed into one of fear. "Oh, Jimmy," she breathed.

Palmer took a shaky breath. "There's no need to worry right now. It could just be the flu." It was unclear who he was trying to calm with his monologue. "Yes – the flu…." Now it was almost a prayer.

Ducky noticed Palmer, himself, was starting to compete in pallor with his patient. As he watched, Palmer shifted from squatting to crouching to all fours.

"I think, I'll join you," he said lightly to Agent Lee before rolling gently onto his back beside her.

Ducky decided it was time to intervene. "What are you doing, Mr Palmer?" he inquired.

"Ah, empathising with my patient."

"Not a tactic usually employed by people in the Medical Examination field," Ducky observed. He turned his attention to Agent Lee. "How are you feeling?"

Jimmy answered immediately. "A little light-headed but I'll be fine in a moment."

Both Ducky and Agent Lee turned to look at him.

"Ah, sorry," he blanched.

"I was going to ask Mr Palmer to drive you to the infirmary," Ducky continued.

"I'm feeling a lot better now, thanks doctor," Michelle replied.

"Then perhaps you could drive him, he's still looking a little peaked. In any case, we might just get you down to Autopsy for a quick check up."

Author note: my plan on this one is to put the first chapter up for a little bit so it stays on the new story list then pour out the other 5 chapters all at once, or as fast as I can edit then post.