"Now there isnt much I can tell you of our John Doe. His fingers taken and his teeth nearly shattered." Duck informs Jethro, his long time colleague and best friend. Only a nod from him. He rarely ever says anything. Especially on a case. They sit there in the bleak silence then the autopsy doors open. Jethro turns and rolls his eyes. "Jethro." The Director of NCIS greets in a cool almost harsh tone. Jennifer Sheppard. Also known as Jenny. "Jen." He responds then leaves. Both Ducky and Director Sheppard watch him leave. 'What the hells his problem?' Jen asks herself. "Ducky, Hows your mother?" she asks him in a smooth friendly tone. He looks up to her. "Doing well. My name she has forgotten." He chuckles at the end. "What can I do for you Director?" He asks. Everyone comes to him for something. Questions, comments and advice or sometimes someone to just listen. It must be a special request though. Or maybe private. The Director never comes to the basement. "I wondered if you had the autopsy report done yet. Its crucial." She says in a flat tone. Duck looks up to her and smiles. 'Shes getting involved in the case.'
"They will be on your desk in the morning. And about my mother, her days are near." Jenny looks to Duck thinking to herself.
"You should take some time off and be with her." She offers and patiently waits. "I couldnt leave everything here. Besides I'm needed." He gently smiles sitting on his stool. She smiles and chuckles, understanding. He tries to read her face. Calm and collected. Straight. No hint of emotion. Later he finishes the report and lays it on her desk. She left hours ago.
Her life and love life no one knows about. Well, Kate and Abby do. He was sure of it. Duck goes down the steps and goes home. Its an empty home.
Quiet, all except the Corgis. The dogs that protected his frail mother. Duck takes a shower letting all the stress of the day wash off of him. Late that night Duck got a call from the local hospital. His mother has grown ill and her life is being held onto by monitors and tubes. After hearing the message,
Duck gets ready for work and heads in. Director Sheppard hears three raps on her office door. 'Its not Jethro. He just barges through.' She thinks to herself. "Come in." She calls signing off a case file from last week. She looks up and her door opens to Doctor Mallard, or as her workers call him, Ducky. He slowly walks in and sits in front of her desk, she smiles. "What can I do for you Ducky?" She kindly askes. 'Shes too kind.' He thinks to himself.
"My mother." He started slowly. Her eyes grew more kind and maybe concerned. "Yes?" She gently pushed. "Has grown ill. She's now in the hospital. Wont be long." He tells her hurt. She stands from her chair and circles the desk. "I'm so sorry Duck. Would you like me to come by and hang out there with you?" She asks laying a hand on his. He smiles weakly up to her. "If you wouldnt mind. Di..Jenny. I have no family here." She hugs him and he hugs her back. "We are all family here. You head in and be alone with your mother. I'll be in later." She tells him in a sweet as honey tone. Duck smiles and stands. 'Family..'
"Thank you Jenny. I appreciate it." She smiles and looks down from his eyes.
"No need to thank me." He smiles, nods and heads out of her office. He goes down the steps and out of NCIS HQ.
"All I want for you Donald is to have a girl, and be happy with her." Victoria Mallard tells Ducky before drifting into sleep. He sighs and mumbles to himself.
"I dont think anyone is fit for me." He stands and goes down the hall and heads to the cafeteria. XX NCIS HQ XX Director Sheppard gets ready and leaves her office. She decends the steps and goes past the major case squad or Team Gibbs. "Heading somewhere Director?" Agent Gibbs asks standing at his desk. She stops dead in her tracks and turns to him. "Yes, Jethro. I'm heading out to the hosipital." She said in a warm voice. Caring even. Jethro comes over to her. "Whats wrong?" He worridly asks. She smiles and looks down. 'Oh Jethro..' "Nothings wrong. Ducky asked me to come in and be with him." She looked up to him. 'Duckys in the hospital?' He thought to himself. 'Looked fine earlier.' He thought again.
Jen spoke before Jethro could. "His mother is ill. He wanted some company. I should go." She started to the elevator and waited for it to open. As she got in she looked over to Jethro who looked a bit worried. The doors closed and she went down to her car, then to the hospital. Jen walks in and runs into Ducky. "Hey Do..Duck." She greets. He smiles a grim smile. "Hello Jenny. Come, we will go up together." He heads to the elevator and she follows. "How is she?" Jen asks breaking the silence. "Slow and painful death. With the moniters and tubes. Might just ask to pull the plug." He answers in a low hurt voice. She doesnt know how to respond.
She wraps her arms around him and a tear falls from his eye. He backs away from her warm embrace. "I'm sorry Jen." He wipes his face and he calms down.
"Its ok. I'm here for you Duck." She smiles to him. He looks over to her and the doors open. They get out and go to his mothers room. The *Beep beep* of the heart monitor and the *drip Drip* of the IV are the only thing that told you a human being was there. The only sounds you heard. Jen sat in one of the chairs and took in this site. She loved Mrs. Mallard.
Everyone did. Kate would be heartbroken when Duck tells her of this. Jenny watched over Duck as he went and held onto his mothers hand. Her heart rate lowers and breathing shallows. Duck comes back over to jen and sighs. "I'm going to pull the plug." He informs. Her face becomes ashen and she nods. Jen stands and whispers to Duck.
"I'll be in the hall." She whispers then leaves. He sighs and turns to the doctor who came in as she left. "Pull it." He says hurting. He goes and sits at his mothers side, and the doctor starts taking the tubes and monitors off. Jen sits out in the hall, waiting for the news she knew was coming. She watches the nursing staff walk down the halls then a familiar face. "Hey Jen." Jethro greets. She looks up to him.
"Jethro, what are you doing here?" She made room for him to sit with her. He sits down and watches people, just like she. "Same as you. Being here for a friend." Jen smiles and looks away. They sit there in silence for what seemed like forever. After half an hour Duck came out to the two of them, his face grim. Jen and Gibbs both stand and come to his side. "I'm sorry Ducky" Jenny sympathizes hugging him. "Sorry Duck." Jethro goes along and hugs also. He hugs both of them back. "Thank you. Both of you." He sighs. The nursing staff walk past them and into Mrs. Mallards' room. He watches sad. "Mothers gone." He sighs sitting down. Jen sits next to him and puts an arm around his shoulder. 'What am I going to do without her?' He thinks to himself, a tear streaking his face. Jethro starts down the hall and leaves the building.
He hates seeing his friend like that. Depressed. And he's going to miss his friends mother. She was always good to him. She was good to everyone. "Duck I'm here for you." Jenny whispers laying his head on her shoulder. He starts to silently cry, she held him there comforting him. "Thank you Jen. I...I should head home." He looked down to his hands. Jenny watched over him carefully. She worried for him, the little doctor, whose strange and out of place stories facinated them all.
"Let me drive you home. You shouldnt be alone. You need someone there for you." He weakly smiled to her. "Thank you, But I think I'll be fine." He excused. She stood next to him and smiled.
"I insist. Please let me drive you home." She begged and pleaded. She never used her harsh tone with him, she didnt even now. "If you insist." He smiles to her. She smiled and put an arm around his shoulder and started down the hallway. 'Why is she doing this?' Duck thought to himself.
'I'm just an old doctor who works for her.' He thought again. As the doors opened they walked in and Jenny chuckled. "Very quiet Duck. What are you thinking about?" She quietly asks. "Your being very kind. Taking care of me." He whispers. She smiles and has a hot firey emotion. One she thought she'd never feel. Especially after Jethro. After she dumped him in Paris, she never had time to love.
But does the Director of NCIS for two months have time now? She started thinking about this and wondered what he thought. After dropping Duck off and accepted his invite for brunch the next day she went home. Duck sat at home, going through mothers recipes. He had to find the perfect one for tomorrow. He finally found the one and started putting it together. Soon after he went to bed.
The next morning Ducky go tup and started his brunch bake, after he showered he cleaned a bit then waited for Jenny to arrive. Jen knocked on the front door around 11:30. Duck smiled as he opened the door.
A wiff of cinnamon and nutmeg hit Jens face. 'Smells delicious.' She thought walking in. They went to the kitchen and he poured two cups of tea. He then went to the dining room. Papers where scattered everywhere.
New reports from yesterday, bills, mail, letters from family and now funeral home papers. Duck sighs as he looks over the mess and starts to pick up. Jen came up behind him and started to pick up with him. "You dont need to help." He smiles over to her. She looks back and smiles. "I do what I have to." he goes through some papers and envelopes, finds two theater tickets. "Whatcha got there Duck?" She quietly asks behind him. He takes the tickets out of the envolope and reads them. "Tickets. For the theater downtown. Mother and I went all the time. These are tonights tickets." He half smiles and puts them back in the envelope. He stays quiet a minute debating if he should really ask this question. "Would you like to go to dinner then the show with me tonight?" He turned to her. 'Me?' She thought. 'Maybe he does like me' She debated how to answer. "I'd love to." She smiled. He smiles back and puts the tickets in his pocket. Jen sat at the table as Duck went to plate their brunch. He brought it to the table and sat it infront of Jenny and him. After sittind down they quietly started eating. Jenny glanced to him now and then. He'd feel her glance and would look up to her also. Once and a while they'd catch each other, smile and look down. Sometimes Jen would blush also. 'Its so nice of her to be here for me. She's very pretty. Especially when she blushes.' He thought eating. After he finished he sipped his tea. She stood and started to clean off the table.
"Dont have to do that." He called to her. She smiled and came back in the dining room. "But I want to help." He chuckles and sits back, watching her. She finished cleaning and came back to sit down. "That was wonderful." She complimented. He smiled to her.
"Thank you. Mothers recipe." He got up and put the five Corgis outside. All are which now his. He sat down and Jenny looked more relaxed. "I'm giving you the week off." She told him in a honey tone. One she always used with him. He nodded and looked at his watch. 1 in the afternoon.
'A nap would be nice. I'd also like to get the funeral arrangements done also.' He thought to himself. Jen looked over his face and smiled. "Your thinking again Duck." She lightly chuckles. 'I'll never get anything past her.' "Yeah. Dinner at seven show at nine. I also have other things to get done today." He told her. She smiled knowing what he meant. She had to bury her parents. Jen stood from her seat, finished her tea and looked around a bit. 'He's going to need help. Cleaning and taking care of the dogs.' she thought. He stood next to her and stayed quiet. She picked up her purse and slid her sweater on. "I'll see you later Ducky." She hugged him and he hugged back. "I'll pick you up. See you." He walked her to the door and watched her leave. He went upstiars thinking of what just happened. 'I invited her, she accepted.' He thought showering. After he shoewred he called the resteraunt, got reservations, then called the theater to make sure his seats stayed open. They were in fact. Only because of Anna. She was the lead singer. The Prima Donna. He knew her since she was little.
Jen goes home and texts her two closest friends. Abby and Kate. 'Hey Abbs. I'm going out tonight!' She sent drinking some tea. Shortly after, Abby responded. 'What! With who?' Jen smiles reading her reply. 'With Ducky.' She replies going to find her green dress. She found it and laid it on the bed. 'Ducky?' Abby responds. She chuckles and slips into the dress, then responds to Abby.
'Yes Abby. I think thats his name.' She starts putting her make up on then started on her hair. 'Ducky from Autopsy Ducky?' Abby texts back. She shakes her head and goes downstairs. 'Yes Abby. We are going to the theater tonight. After dinner.' She sends, then has close to the same conversation with Kate. She slips on her shoes and waits for Ducky to arrive.
Duck arrives at Jennys house. Right on time. He knocks on the door and she smiles and opens. He takes in the sight that was there. Beautiful, red long hair, curled and pulled back slightly,
her black rinestoned necklace laying lightly above the breast, then her beautiful green dress, or rather gown. She lightly smiled and he took her hand in his. "You look beautiful." He complimented. She blushed and looked down, Flirty.