Chapter Two: He Should Have Stayed an Agent

Following Hiatus Part 1 and 2

The whooshing doors alerted the aged medical examiner to the presence of another being in the room. He'd sent Mr. Palmer to Abby's lab laden with specimen jars and did not expect his return so soon.

Spinning to face his visitor, Ducky more than half expected to see Leroy Jethro Gibbs stalk silently through the door. In hindsight, the clacking heels should have given it away. As should have the fact that Gibbs was no longer employed by NCIS.

Agency director, Jenny Shepard, strutted through the doors and towards the table where Ducky was entering the final stitches in his most recent patient. The redhead slowed to a stop beside him, eyes roving over the body of the deceased.

"What a pleasant surprise!" Ducky greeted her. "Here to talk about the case, I presume."

Without looking at him, Jenny gave a curt nod. "Yes, while I'm here, I'd like an update."

The doctor gave his old colleague a puzzled look, but plowed ahead into a summary of his findings. "Poison," he said darkly. "Consistent with the chemical content of his stomach as well as the lack of external abrasion. Abby has the samples now and should be able to give us the details shortly."

She'd come a long way to be standing beside him, in more ways than one. Ducky could still recall the current director's first visit to autopsy when she'd emptied her stomach on his shoes. Now she stood without a hint of squeamishness. Jenny Shepard had seen her share of bodies in autopsy over the years. She had filled more than her share of tables.

But over a shorter span of time, it was still a long trip down from the director's office. "Following up on DiNozzo? Making sure he's settled into the job of team leader?" he queried. It would not be unusual for Jenny to check up on her agents, especially the team she followed most closely and had undergone the most recent change.

"No," Jenny answered, a small smile gracing him. "DiNozzo doesn't need me checking up on him. He's doing a fine job. And before you ask," she continued, reading his parted lips as an indication of further speech, "This case isn't particularly high priority, though I do hope you catch them."

Jenny paused. "Is it a crime to want to see an old friend?" she asked with false coyness.

Ducky managed a chuckle. "Absolutely not. I'll even forgive you that age remark." He peeled off bloody gloves and walked to the sink. "I suppose I'm the only other 'old' team member left in the building these days."

The absence of their mutual friend was weighing heavily on them both. Jenny's pent up frustration over the subject became obvious when she spoke. "He should have stayed an agent."

The doctor lifted his head at those words, the water running unnoticed. He could swear he'd heard words just like those only months earlier. With a small shake of his head, he began to scrub at his hands.

"He did just come out of a coma," he pointed out, vocalizing the litany he used to rationalize his friend's actions. "An explosion, a prolonged coma, followed by amnesia on top of that! The man does have a reason for retirement."

Jenny's emerald eyes caught fire as he watched. "Jethro didn't retire," she informed him. "He quit. And you know that."

He acknowledged the truth with a deep sigh. "He quit."

The redhead lingered by the autopsy table, but it was clear her mind was not on the current case. It was clear that her mind never had been. "And there is no excuse. He was a good agent."

"The best," his friend mustered weakly. "But a leave of absence would be imperative for any sort of lasting recovery," Ducky defended.

"Not for Gibbs." Jenny was adamant. "For anyone else, yes. But not for Gibbs. What he's looking for, he won't find in Mexico."

She was pacing now, her stylish heels beating in rhythmic staccato. "He could have taken a break, a vacation, God knows he needs one. But," she said with finality, "He should have stayed an agent."

Ducky found himself sighing again. "Is that what you mean, Jennifer? Should he have stayed an agent, or should he have stayed with you?"

It was a question he'd posed before, and he wondered how it would be received now. Jenny didn't meet his eyes, though she didn't lower hers. "It doesn't matter," she said softly. "I don't get either."

They exchanged one last sad smile before she exited the room with a whoosh of closing doors.

Fin