Gibbs hurried from the back yard to answer the pounding at his front door, but when he arrived he found no one standing there. He peered around to see Ducky's car parked at the curb, and let out a holler. "Duck?" He shrugged his shoulders and headed to his back yard, almost running over Ducky as he turned around from closing the screen door.
"Jethro." He nodded in greetings.
Gibbs nodded in return. "Dr. Mallard." He grabbed his phone to make sure he hadn't missed a call, and shot a look back at his friend.
"I would have called, but I feared you may have turned me away…"
He sighed. "I wouldn't…"
"You would…"
Gibbs smiled. "You know me too well…"
The older man grinned slightly. "And that Jethro will be the death of me…"
The two friends chuckled a bit. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" Gibbs asked curious.
"Nothing really…other than I usually don't hear that a dear friend of mine was dead on a dock somewhere, from a gothic girl with mascara running down her face…and between short sobs also telling me, that you were in fact alive and well…"
"Duck…"
"No it's fine Jethro, something as minuscule as you being dead for a few seconds, that's nothing that would concern me…after all, I'm just a measly old medical examiner that works with you…"
"Easy…listen, I couldn't come back to the office, I had to come back here and do something important…something very important." He stood up and paced towards the hole in the dirt behind a few plants, a small lunch pail sitting near it.
"It was Kelly's?" Ducky responded as he followed behind his friend. "Wasn't it Jethro?"
A small smile fell across his face as he remembered… "It was…"
"Have you opened it?" He knew he was prying but he wasn't trying to satisfy his own curiosity, only help his friend. Or perhaps it was his own curiosity.
"No." He said simply and started to prepare the dirt for the boxes entry.
"Perhaps…"
"I can't…" He responded quickly.
Ducky placed a hand on his friends shoulder and squeezed it tightly, speaking softly.
"You can."
Gibbs turned to look up at him; trying to keep himself from showing any emotion.
"Some things are just irreversible right?"
Ducky nodded. "And some wounds are just too deep to heal."
"You have a touch of the poet in you Duck."
He smiled slightly and squeezed his friends shoulder again. "You can Jethro."
Gibbs nodded, and settled himself on the ground, his friend taking a seat beside him. Ducky's head shifted slightly, as if telling Gibbs it was okay to open it. He slowly lifted the top and began to sift through the items, reviewing each of them with his friend. The final was a letter from Kelly, that read they would open this time capsule together when he came home…Gibbs closed his eyes and could hear his daughters voice pleading with him not to go…and as the guilt started to rise up inside him he remembered the words of his friend sitting beside him.
Gibbs may have not shed a tear, but his friend had. He took out a handkerchief and blew his nose, rather loudly, causing Gibbs to smile. "You alright Duck?"
"Me…oh yes…I'm fine Jethro…are you alright?" He sniffled a bit and tried to play off his tears as being allergic to the plants behind him.
Gibbs thought for a moment before responding. "I am now." He folded the letter and put it in his back pocket; closing the lid he placed the box back into the ground. As he patted down the last amount of dirt, he stood up in accomplishment.
"What do you say I make us some tea Jethro?" He was still sniffling.
Gibbs smiled and put his arm around his friends shoulder, giving him a look.
"Right…well coffee it is then."
The two exchanged a smile and headed back towards the house, Gibbs glancing behind him a last time.
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"You'll be alright then?" Ducky asked as he put his hat and coat on rather slowly.
Gibbs nodded. "For the last time…Yes." He finished with a glare.
"Alright alright…" he put his hands up in defense. "It's just…"
"Just what Duck?"
He sighed heavily. "It's hard for me to come to terms with the fact that I could've been talking to a dead Gibbs today, instead of the dear living friend standing in front of me now."
He put both his hands on Ducks shoulders. "It's hard for me to come to terms with the fact that I have kept such a dear friend as you, all these years."
He chuckled a bit. "Ah, yes. That, my boy, is a great mystery in and of itself." He turned to leave, waving a goodbye to his friend.
"And uh…tell Abby thanks…"
Ducky turned around. "You knew…"
"She had you come check on me…Yeah." Gibbs finished his friend's sentence.
He smiled. "Actually Jethro…they all did."
He grinned back at the old Doctor, letting him know how thankful he was for the visit. He closed the door slowly as he watched his friend get into his car and drive away into the darkness; it was time for some much needed rest.
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