Ducky arrived at the ship quickly, and for once without getting lost along the way, ok so they hadn't gotten lost because Ducky had already known the way and hadn't had to rely on Jimmy reading the maps.
When he had gotten the call that there had been an explosion he'd hadn't been able to get much information, apart from the fact that Gibbs and his team had already been at the location of the explosion. When he'd heard that he'd been filled with a sense of dread. He'd bundled Jimmy up quickly and had been on the road in record time. They had been halfway there when he'd gotten the next call telling him that the explosion had claimed at least one life and several more people had been injured. What had concerned him was the fact that it had been McGee who had placed the call. When he'd pushed for more information, wondering why it hadn't been Gibbs calling, and also wondering why McGee had sounded so shaken, he'd been shocked to hear that Gibbs had been caught in the explosion. McGee had been quick to inform him that Gibbs was alive, but he didn't know much more than that, but he could tell by how shaken McGee was that it must have been bad.
They had reached the ship in record time, and he'd been grateful that Ziva had been there to meet them. He knew that she needed some of the equipment that they had brought with them in the truck, but he'd wanted to find out a little more about what had happened. He needed to find out if they had any news on how Gibbs was, and how the rest of them were holding up.
He knew that they would all be hurting, in all of his years he had never come across a group of people who were closer. These people had become closer even than most families that he'd had the opportunity to observe. If one of them hurt then the others hurt as well, and he was proud to be a part of this amazing group of people, and took pride in the fact that they looked up to him like a father or grandfather figure. He'd watched them all grow and develop and had even guided some of them when he thought it was needed. He'd seen people come and go from Gibbs' team over the years, but over the past four years something extra special had grown. He'd watched as all these people who were so different from one another had come together and helped each other heal. But the relationship that he'd watched and helped nurture the most had been between Gibbs and Tony. He'd noticed early on that they were good for each other, and both were interested, but it had taken time, and a lot of encouragement, and a run in with the plague for them to finally get their act together. Some people thought it was a strange match, looking at their pasts and their personalities, but Ducky just laughed at them and watched as the two men had grown closer, and become stronger for being together. Past hurts were eased and their future had looked good.
Until now.
He clambered out of the truck and met Ziva at the back. They worked quickly and efficiently and were soon making their way to the body. He had asked how Gibbs was, and wasn't surprised when she had replied as if she was giving a report, he knew that she was dealing with things the only way that she knew how, and that was to fall back into work and the formality of what they did. They had spoken about it a few times since she had joined them at NCIS, he knew how other people saw it, how they reacted to her, he knew that her emotions ran deep, and that those she called friend were close to her heard, but her upbringing and her background had taught her well that showing emotions, showing any sign of weakness could mean her death or the death of those she cared about.
He was worried about all of them, and because he'd been worried he hadn't thought before he'd spoken. When he said that he'd ask Tony or McGee about where they had taken Gibbs he'd seen the hurt that had spread across her face. He'd said it so casually, almost distracted, which if he was being honest he was, he hadn't meant to speak aloud, had meant it to be more a mental note. He knew as soon as he'd spoken that he'd hurt her, and even if most people wouldn't have even realised that she'd been hurt, he knew that his moment of distraction had cost her dearly.
But this had come at a bad time. Not that any other time would have been any better, but still. He had tried to apologise to her, but she had shut him down. So he had made a note to try and talk to her later, to explain, to make sure that she knew that he hadn't meant to hurt her and that he was still there for her if and when she needed him.
He'd been unable to get anything more from Ziva, and so he had pounced on McGee when he appeared with an order for Ziva from Tony. Ziva had taken the opportunity to leave and rushed to complete the task that Tony had asked of her.
"Is there any news?" He knew that Jimmy was eagerly hanging out for the answer as well.
McGee shook his head. "Only that the Director and Abby are both there, and the doctors are still working on him."
"I see…"
McGee had looked around the blackened room again and shuddered as he remembered the scene early when the medics had arrived.
"It's a miracle the he survived the blast." McGee whispered.
Ducky nodded, "Yes, but this is Leroy Jethro Gibbs that we are talking about, and he has some very good reasons to keep fighting. He won't give up easily."
McGee sighed and rubbed his eyes as the image of Gibbs laying burned and broken on the floor, of Tony kneeling next to him, looking so lost for a moment. A moment that has seemed to stretch to infinity until Tony had found a pulse, and then just like that Tony had been back with them, staying close to Gibbs and giving them orders, taking control again.
"How are you holding up my lad?" Ducky asked after watching the younger man for a moment, he knew that he was reliving earlier events.
McGee shrugged.
"One step at a time, ya know. The Director offered to get another team on this, but we all agreed that we needed to do this."
Ducky nodded. He knew that they would want to be with Gibbs, especially Tony, but he also knew them well enough to know that they would need to know how and why this had happened, and to know that they caught the people responsible. He reached over and gently squeezed McGee's should in support.
"If you need anything, anything at all you know where to find me."
McGee looked Ducky in the eye before sharing a shaky smile.
"How is Tony holding up?"
McGee winced, he had hoped that he had avoided that question.
"It's rough, especially when he thought Gibbs was…" he still couldn't say that out loud, when he saw Ducky nod in understanding he continued. "Once he realised that Gibbs was still alive he sort of snapped back. But not."
Ducky watched for a moment waiting for Tim to get his thoughts together. God this was going to be rough for all of them.
"He's being very official, serious." Tim shrugged. "I know that this is serious, trust me I know. But it's just not Tony."
It was Ducky's turn to sigh now. His concern s for Tony from the past few weeks, on top of the conversations he'd had with Gibbs and Abby, and now this, had alarm bells clanging in his head. He knew that he'd have to track down the young man at his first opportunity and see him for himself.
"If you see Anthony before I do, please let him know that I would like to see him before I head back to the office."
McGee nodded and rushed out as he went about his job.
