DISCLAIMER:- I do not own NCIS or its characters and no copyright infringement is intended.
Chapter 4
"What kind of trouble?" Gibbs asked him.
"The van's broken down and Tony's really sick," McGee replied. "Boss, we need Ducky back here right away."
"I'm gonna put you on speaker so Ducky can hear," Gibbs said pressing the speaker button. "How bad is DiNozzo?"
McGee handed the phone so Palmer could answer.
"Vomiting, headaches, severe abdominal pain and a fever of 102," Jimmy reported. "Doctor Mallard, Tony thinks he has food poisoning but…I think this may be appendicitis."
"Yes, yes. You could be right, my boy," Ducky replied. "Have you performed an abdominal examination yet?"
"Not yet Doctor," Palmer replied. "He's in the bathroom…er… throwing up again. When he's finished I'll examine him, then I'll call you back."
"Very well Mr Palmer," Ducky replied.
The call ended and Gibbs, Ziva and Ducky exchanged worried glances.
"Dammit DiNozzo!" Gibbs cursed.
"Now, Jethro, I'm sure the poor boy wasn't planning this," Ducky reasoned. "We are going to need some medical supplies. Do you think young Deputy Lewis can assist us?"
"He is helping the tow truck driver," Ziva said getting out of the SUV. "I will get him."
She cautiously negotiated the embankment and told the Deputy of Tony's situation.
"I knew he was sick, Duck," Gibbs said angrily. "I should have brought him with us. I thought he'd be better off out of the storm where he'd be warm and dry."
"Given Anthony's previous respiratory complications, I'd say that was a wise choice," Ducky told him. "This is not your fault, Jethro, I'd have made the same decision."
Ziva arrived back with the Deputy just as Gibbs' phone rang again. He recognised the caller ID and immediately placed the call on speaker.
"How is he?" he asked.
Palmer answered tentatively. "I've just completed the abdominal examination. Tony is suffering from severe pain in the lower right quadrant of the abdomen and acute rebound tenderness," Palmer advised. "His temperature is holding at 102, his skin is hot and clammy and he is still nauseas…Doctor?"
All eyes went to Ducky as he responded to his young assistant.
"I concur with your earlier diagnosis, Mr Palmer. I believe Anthony has an acute case of appendicitis. Jethro and I will return at once."
Ducky had already begun writing a list of necessary supplies as he instructed Jimmy calmly.
"Mr Palmer, you must keep Anthony lying down. Monitor his vitals every 15 minutes. Try to bring his fever down with ice packs and cool cloths. You can moisten his lips when he's thirsty but nothing else to eat or drink since he will more than likely require surgery once we get him to a hospital."
"Understood, Doctor," Palmer acknowledged.
"McGee!" Gibbs barked.
"I'm here, Boss."
"Ducky and I will be there in 45 minutes. Keep me apprised of his condition." He snapped the cell shut and turned to see Ducky give the Deputy the list of equipment and medical supplies.
"Deputy Lewis, can you get these supplies?" Ducky asked.
"The nearest hospital is an hour from here and close to two hours from Agent DiNozzo," Deputy Lewis advised. "We have an emergency clinic and pharmacy in town that should stock most of this stuff. I'll call ahead so they have the supplies ready when we get there. That will put me about one hour behind you."
Gibbs nodded.
"Ziva, go with him," he instructed.
Ziva hesitated briefly, torn between her need to see Tony and the knowledge that without medical supplies, he would die. She nodded an acknowledgement to Gibbs and accompanied the Deputy to Fredricktown while Gibbs and Ducky headed back to the Kirby property and Tony.
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"How bad can this get, Duck?" Gibbs asked, driving as fast as he dared in the appalling conditions.
"Well, Jethro, appendicitis it quite a common affliction and a relatively minor surgery in the preferred medical environment."
"What about when stuck in the middle of nowhere without a doctor or medical supplies?"
Ducky paused before answering. "Then it becomes a matter of life or death, I'm afraid. Should the appendix rupture, it can cause infection and peritonitis. If left untreated it can cause organ failure and eventually, death."
Gibbs just nodded. They drove on in silence for a while before Gibbs spoke again.
"You think Palmer can handle this until we get there, Duck?"
"Jethro!" Ducky said defensively. "Jimmy Palmer is quite possibly the best young assistant I have ever had. He is eager to learn, has a keen mind and enormous potential. However, you must keep in mind that he is also a young man, still in medical school who is faced with a critical patient and no medical supplies or equipment!" His voice softened as he added. "Whatever happens, Jethro, you can be sure that young Mr Palmer will do everything he can to help Anthony."
"I know, Duck," Gibbs said. "I just needed to hear it from you."
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McGee had been trying to prepare the house for the onslaught of the hurricane. He shored up window shutters and checked for candles, lanterns, matches and flashlights in case of a power outage. As he walked into the living room from the back of the house he saw Tony was laying full length on the couch, his skin slicked with sweat and his eyes closed. Palmer was wringing a face cloth over a basin of cool water. He placed it on Tony's forehead.
"How is he?" McGee asked quietly, knowing that the senior agent would never allow the ministrations unless he was too ill to argue.
"He's sleeping," Jimmy whispered. "He's feverish and exhausted."
Rising to his feet he collected the basin of water and headed for the kitchen. With the kettle just boiled he poured the water into the coffee cups and handed one to McGee.
The storm had increased its intensity and the sky lit up as lightning struck followed almost immediately by the roar of thunder.
"How long until they get here?" Jimmy asked.
McGee checked his watch.
"Gibbs said 45 minutes…that was 15 minutes ago," he eyed Palmer with concern. "You okay Jimmy?"
"I'm just worried about Tony," he shrugged. "I wish Doctor Mallard was here. He'd know what to do. He's amazing – no matter what the situation, Doctor Mallard always knows what to do."
McGee looked around at Tony's sleeping form. "Looks to me like you've done everything Ducky asked of you."
"Maybe, but what if something happens?" Jimmy said with a hint of panic. "What if Tony gets worse before they get here? What if I can't help him? I'm not even a doctor yet – I'm not Doctor Mallard! "
McGee took a sip from his coffee. "I know how you feel," he said. "When I first made field agent, I had very little field or investigative experience. My specialty was Computer Forensics! Then suddenly I was part of a team – not just any team but Gibbs' Major Case Response team and I really didn't think I belonged."
"What did you do?"
"I thought about it…why would Gibbs have selected me if he didn't think I was the right person for the job? If he didn't think I could handle myself? After all, Gibbs is regarded as NCIS' best agent, right? And Gibbs doesn't make mistakes."
Palmer nodded in agreement and McGee continued.
"Do you think Ducky is a good ME?"
"Oh yes!" Palmer replied emphatically. "Doctor Mallard has no peer in forensic pathology. He is renowned as the best in his field and I am so privileged to work so closely and to learn from him!"
Placing a hand on Jimmy's shoulder, McGee replied.
"Ducky doesn't make mistakes either and he chose you!"
Jimmy was still smiling at McGee's encouraging words when they heard Tony's soft moans. He was in a restless sleep and in obvious pain. Jimmy gathered more ice from the freezer, refilled the basin with tepid water and returned to Tony's side.
Another flash of lightning lit up the darkened sky causing the lights to flicker.
"I found a few cords of wood in the lean-to out the back. I'll get a fire going," McGee said.
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Despite the fact that it was barely 1600, the storm-darkened clouds had blocked the sun giving the appearance that it was much later in the evening. The howling winds forced the rain to hit the windscreen horizontally, making it almost impossible to see further than 20 feet in front of the car. Gibbs and Ducky travelled silently. Gibbs concentrating on the road and whatever hazards Mother Nature threw in their path. Ducky was holding on for dear life. He was tempted to recount a few stories of his past travels in Asia during the Monsoon season, but he decided his friend did not need the distraction. He would tuck those stories away for another day.
As they rounded the corner to the old wooden bridge, the flash of a lightning strike, too close for comfort, momentarily blinded them both. When his vision cleared, Gibbs felt his heart freeze as he noticed the fifty-foot chasm where the bridge once stood. He turned the steering wheel violently and fought for control of the vehicle.
"Hold on, Ducky!" Gibbs yelled, as the SUV aquaplaned towards the edge of the cliff with the flood-engorged river raging thirty feet below.
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McGee and Palmer watched helplessly as Tony became more and more restless. Flushed with fever, he repeatedly pushed away the blanket they had placed over him only to be cold and shivering moments later. His stomach heaved even though he had long since disgorged its contents and the excruciating pain of retching made him listless and weak.
"How much longer?" He whispered without opening his eyes.
McGee checked his watch. "About twenty minutes, Tony. Ducky and Gibbs will be here to help you."
"This reminds…. me of a…. movie," Tony gasped weakly.
Palmer and McGee exchanged a half smile.
"Of course it does," McGee replied. "Which one?"
"Houdini…1953…starred Tony Curtis and… Janet Leigh...George Marshall directed," Tony whispered.
"Hey! You love Tony Curtis!" McGee said brightly. "I never saw it, though. Why does this remind you of Houdini, Tony?"
"Tony Curtis char...character…The Great Houdini… had appendicitis."
"Most movies of that era had the famous Hollywood happy endings," Palmer said. "So, how did this one end? Did he live happily ever after?"
"No…he died." Tony's voice was barely audible. Tension weighed heavily in the air as the three men silently and reluctantly acknowledged that, unless help arrived soon, Tony's life could end the same way.
Trying to lift the spirits of his ailing partner, McGee stated.
"Tony, in the years that I've known you, I've seen you pull off some amazing, death-defying escapes but I wouldn't say you were the Great Houdini type. I've always thought of you as more of a Great Gonzo type and as far as I know, Gonzo is alive and well and living happily with Kermit and the rest of the Muppets."
Tony chuckled weakly and winced as the pain of his cramping abdomen struck again. Moments later, he gave in to his exhaustion and drifted off to a fitful sleep.
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Gibbs had a thousand thoughts, all jockeying for attention at the same time. In the poor light, he had only noticed the bridge missing at the last moment. Braking sharply and wrenching the steering wheel to the right, he felt the SUV start to aquaplane and knew he had lost control of the vehicle. There was nothing left to do but ease up on the gas; warn Ducky to hang on and brace himself as the car careened sideways towards the newly formed chasm in the road and the angry river below. His most dominant thought was of Tony and how his efforts to help the younger man had failed and had most probably cost Tony's life, his life and the life of his dear friend Ducky.
Gibbs could not resist applying the brake, despite knowing that it would make no difference to the situation. The world around him seemed to move frame by frame as his mind processed the danger of the situation. Then suddenly, it was over. The SUV slid to a stop with the driver's side of the vehicle dangerously close to the edge of the precipice. Both men sat completely still, not even daring to exhale lest it tip the delicate balance.
Ducky's eyes were screwed shut and he had a white knuckled grip on the dashboard.
Gibbs placed a reassuring hand on the older man's arm.
"It's okay, Duck," he said. "We're okay."
Ducky opened one eye first then, as if not trusting what he saw, he slowly opened the other.
"Oh my!" He managed. "That was a little too close for comfort."
"You think, Duck?"
Ducky looked to the river rushing below them.
"Looks like luck was on our side, Jethro!"
"Luck may be on our side, Duck," Gibbs said gravely, "but DiNozzo is on the other side and there's no other road in."
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