Ducky took the cane from his assistant's trembling hand and gestured him towards the desk. He resolutely ignored Jimmy's desperate pleas and promises that he'd learned his lesson. He cared too much about the lad to let him get away with repeated deliberate lies.
He waited patiently until the frightened younger man bent over, his hands clenched hard around the edges of the desktop. Then he brought the cane down with a loud crack. Jimmy shrieked in pain, and would have bolted upright, but Ducky stopped him with a hand in the middle of his back. He quickly delivered two more strokes, then turned away to return the cane to its place in the umbrella stand, giving Jimmy some time to start to pull himself together before helping him to his feet and propelling him firmly into a corner.
He waited until his sobbing had turned to quiet sniffles before pressing some tissues into his hand and setting him to work washing a large pile of scientific glassware.
Once he was satisfied that he could leave Jimmy alone, he strode purposefully towards the elevator.
He needed to have a few words with Special Agent Gibbs.