Farewell Mrs. Mallard
Author: Lawral
Rating: FR13
Summary: In Memory of Nina Foch (AKA: Mrs. Mallard)
Note: Written as Hangman Prize for Cassy.
Warning: Minor Character death
"Donald, ask the woman to get me a drink." Victoria Mallard said as she was led by her son into a beautiful, bright room.
"Yes, Mother." Ducky said as he glanced out the door to the nurse and gave her an apologetic smile.
"I thought you were taking me to dinner?" She said.
"I am, Mother." Ducky said as he collected her coat from the small closet in her room.
"What about my dogs?"
"They're at home, Mother. Remember, you moved here so the nurses can take care of you."
Ducky gathered the remaining items that he'd need to take her out for a birthday dinner. He'd bypassed the usual meeting at the bar with his coworkers to take his mother to dinner. She was getting worse and needed round the clock attention. That was when he'd put her in the Nursing Home; he couldn't take care of her anymore, even with a nurse coming to their home in the day time. She'd gotten to where she wondered more and more. He couldn't count the amount of times his neighbor would bring her home in the middle of the night after finding her taking a bath in his fountain.
Ducky escorted her out of her room and outside to his Morgan. After he'd declined to join the others, and explaining his reason ("This could quite possibly be her last birthday."), the others asked if they could accompany him and his mother to dinner. Ziva had even offered to pay for Ducky while McGee said he'd be glad to buy Mrs. Mallard's birthday meal. They all knew how important this birthday could be.
Arriving at the restaurant, he saw his colleagues standing outside. Ducky was impressed and thankful that they had all seemed to dress up. Victoria seemed to perk up when she saw them all standing there.
"Oh Donald! You've got me a date?"
She smiled flirtatiously when she approached Gibbs and she released her hold on Ducky and linked her arm in Gibbs' elbow. She then turned and saw Abby.
"Oh! Any grandchildren yet, dearie?"
Abby smiled and replaced her at Ducky's, now empty, hand. Victoria sighed and almost jumped up and down with enthusiasm.
"Abby, you're only insinuating…"
"Why, Ducky, haven't you told her yet?" Abby smiled.
The group walked inside as Mrs. Mallard continued to speak to Gibbs using the name of Matthew. "I'm finally going to be a Grandmother, you know? What do you say we ditch Donald and find a nice, quiet table?"
Ziva had linked her arms into the arms of duel escorts: McGee on her left and Palmer on her right. Tony had joined Abby and Ducky as they all followed Gibbs inside.
***
"You'll be eager to know that Mother was very excited that you are "with child," Abby. And has told me that if it is a girl, we are to name her Contessa."
Abby giggled as she watched Ducky filing through requisition forms. "Tyson if it's a boy?"
Ducky joined her laughter. The dinner had been a success, aside from his mother telling everyone numerous stories of Ducky's youth and the problems of their family over the years. He'd spent most of the night trying to keep her off Gibbs and getting her so tired that she'd start falling asleep and he'd have an excuse to take her home.
"Yes, she does miss those dogs so. I think the idea of staying at the home is playing with her temper." Ducky said as his phone rang.
He picked it up and Abby continued to look over his shoulder as he suddenly stopped rifling through the papers and seemed to lose all color in his face.
"Ducky?" Abby asked as she saw him lower his phone slowly.
"It's Mother. She's… passed." Ducky said as tears seemed to fill his eyes.
Abby circled her arms around him and could feel his silent shudders as he cried. Even knowing that it was coming didn't make it easier to actually hear that she'd died. He could only be thankful that she'd gone in her sleep, peacefully and with a soft smile on her face.
***
A few days later Donald Mallard buried his beloved mother. Having little family left, the ceremony was relatively small, intimate. As the end of the ceremony came, the team, Ducky's friends passed by one at a time, grazing their fingertips over the casket. Abby and Ziva had added a white rose on top of the wood. Ducky brought up the rear of the precession. He could feel his friends all standing behind him as he said his final goodbye to Victoria Mallard. The jazz music from Abby's tape recorder filled the quiet air as Ducky first kissed his fingertips and then placed them where he knew her head would be inside the coffin, laying atop a pink satin pillow a photo of her with her Corgi's protectively clutched in her hands.