McGee, Dinozzo and the boy, now dressed in an oversized NCIS gray tee shirt and shorts exited the elevator in the part of the office that held autopsy and Ducky's lab.
The boy stopped short when he saw the sign that identified the Autopsy. Gibbs' head poked out from a room across the hall and barked, "Hey, over here." The three turned and quickly joined Gibbs. Ducky was already in the room that he used as a spare examining room. There was a steel table in the middle of the room and the doctor's black bag sat on the table.
"Ah, you first Timothy," Dr. Mallard said indicating the table he wanted McGee to sit on. McGee shot a worried look over at Gibbs and silently went over and sat on the table.
As Ducky began his examination of McGee, Gibbs' phone rang. He stepped to the far corner of the room to answer leaving Dinozzo standing next to the boy. Dinozzo glared at the boy who wouldn't look up at him, instead shifted his weight uncomfortably between his two feet. In a scared, tight voice, and still not looking at the Agent, said softly, "Sir, I'm really sorry for hurting you. I … I ….," Kevin looked down at his feet obviously trying to hold his composure. From across the room Gibbs hung up the phone and looked over at the two.
Dinozzo, softened slightly, then said to the boy, "Hey, don't ever say you're sorry, it's a sign of weakness. And, I'll tell you what, I'll forget it ever happened if you'll show me the slick ninja moves you used to take me out," then in his typically joking style added, "or at least I will after it stops hurting," He rubbed his wrist and grinned at Kevin who had finally looked up and sighed with a breath of relief.
"Ok Tony, your next," Ducky said completing his work with McGee.
As the doctor began to examine Tony's fat lip and checked his wrist, McGee walked over to Kevin.
Kevin looked at him and started with the same, "Sir, I'm sorr…" but before he get any further McGee interrupted with, "don't be, and you better stop saying your sorry, doesn't go over well around here," McGee said and with his eyes indicated towards Gibbs. "And you can call me Tim."
McGee lowered his voice in a conspiratorial tone and said looking at the boy, "Heck, you're my hero. I've never seen anyone get the upper hand with Gibbs before." He looked at the boy with true amazement. Gibbs appeared suddenly next to McGee and lifted his hand as if to smack McGee on the back of the head but paused looking at Ducky.
"Not yet Jethro, it appears as if Timothy has had a minor concussion, I wouldn't recommend any additional head trauma for at least another day."
"Hey, how 'bout me? He's already smacked me twice," DiNozzo broke in tenderly feeling the back of his head.
"You're fine Tony. Oh, you'll be sore for a few days, but no concussion," Ducky replied. "Now Jethro, how about you?" the doctor asked.
"I'm fine Ducky," Gibbs replied.
"I'm surprised he's not singing soprano." DiNozzo quipped, a grin spreading across his face.
Gibbs walked over and smacked DiNozzo on the back of the head. DiNozzo winced and Kevin looked shocked and a little scared. Gibbs growled, "I don't sing, DiNozzo."
"Ah, yeah Boss, I knew that," DiNozzo said sliding off the table and out of reach.
"Oh, my, really?" the doctor looked at Gibbs with concern. "Jethro, if you have any swelling or blood in …" the doctor started but stopped when Gibbs cut him a sharp look and said, "I'm fine doctor."
"Ah, yes, well, your next son," Ducky looked away from Gibbs and over to the boy. Kevin was just standing there staring at Gibbs. "I've noticed you tensing your left shoulders as if in pain, does it bother you?" Ducky questioned.
Kevin just stood there, staring at Gibbs not hearing the doctor, took in a short breath and said, "I'm …," he stopped realizing he was about to say 'sorry' again. "I….uh, I didn't mean to hurt you, sir"
"Yes you did," Gibbs said evenly. Kevin stopped breathing, a look of fear passing over his face. Gibbs continued looking directly at him, "you reacted the way I would expect any marine to. And I agree with DiNozzo, you need to show him your moves, maybe you can teach him something."
DiNozzo looked at Gibbs with a playful look of surprise, hurt and then confusion on his face.
"I would have to agree Jethro; it is quite remarkable that you all came out of this with no serious injuries. It's likely the result of limited body mass the young man had behind his skilled attack. It was enough to disable you for a short time, but not enough to inflict any long term damage. Effective, extremely effective," he said with a great deal of sincerity.
"Well, I did have the element of surprise going for me," Kevin said with some embarrassment.
"Don't sell yourself short son, take a compliment for what it is."
Kevin shifted his feet, uncomfortable but glowing somewhat in the unexpected praise.
Ducky broke the silence, "now come on, how is that arm?"
"I'm o…." Kevin had started to say "ok", but remembering the look Gibbs had given McGee and Dinozzo earlier decided against it. "…I guess it does hurt a bit, sir," he confessed.
"Oh, please, call me 'Ducky' all my friends do," he said smiling, "ok, up on the table," Ducky indicated the exam table in the center of the room. Kevin moved over to it and as he used his arms to lift himself up, he let out an involuntary grunt of pain. Ducky cocked his head to one side. "Lift your arms over your head," he instructed. Kevin started to lift them up, when his right arm got half way between his waist and shoulders, he winced in pain. "Hmmmm…," Ducky said as he helped Kevin remove his shirt. A bruise was also developing on the small of this back, "so did you take a blow to that arm and your back?"
"I don't remember sir… umm… Ducky," was Kevin's reply.
Gibbs pointed to the boys shoulder. "That's from the arm lock Ziva put on him. And that," indicating the bruise on his back, "would be from when I held him down to cuff him."
Ducky shot a disappointed look at Gibbs.
"Well he had put three of the four of us out of commission by then," Gibbs offered up.
Gibbs hesitated for a second, and then said, "Ducky I'd like you to give him an x-ray."
The Doctor looked up in surprise. "Jethro, the x-ray machine is in…," he paused not wanting to say autopsy, where the boy's parents were. "I really don't think the boys arm is broken."
"I don't want you to x-ray his arm," Gibbs said looking straight at the boy instead of the doctor.
The boy looked up at Gibbs in surprise; a look of panic crossed his face. Without taking his eyes off the boy, Gibbs said, "DiNozzo, McGee, get back to work."
"On it Boss." The two agents scurried out of the lab.
Softly Gibbs said to the boy, "You want to trust me?" The boy took a few deep breaths considering his options.
"Agent Gibbs, they killed them looking for it." Kevin replied still looking down at his feet. "Someone knew how to find us."
"I know, and we're going to figure out who they are and how they knew, but you have to trust me." Gibbs said gravely.
Kevin looked up finally, "how did you know?"
"Because that's what I would have done. I also had Abby check your clothes and it wasn't there," Gibbs continued softly. "Kevin, trust me."
"I knew they wouldn't look there, because they didn't on my folks." The boy admitted quietly. His eyes had become blurry with tears again.
Gibbs looked over to Ducky who had walked away during the exchange and busied himself with straightening some things on a side table that didn't need straightening providing Gibbs some privacy. "Ducky, how long will it take an object that was swallowed to pass through the system?"
The doctor walked back over to the table the boy was still sitting on. "Well, it can take 12 to 36 hours depending on what it is." He looked at the boy quizzically.
"It's an SD card." The boy replied quietly. "I swallowed it this afternoon."
"Hmm… Jethro, a moment." He motioned for Gibbs to follow him. They stepped off to the side.
"He swallowed it?"
"Yeah, he knew it would be a safe place because they didn't carve up his parents looking for it." Gibbs replied.
Lowering his voice the doctor said, "we may want to do an x-ray. Do you remember the case with the interpreter?" Ducky said referred to the interpreter who had swallowed a number of emeralds and died from a perforated intestine. He added, "I can bring the x-ray machine in here."
Gibbs scratched his chin considering, "Do it," Gibbs said, then walked back over to Kevin.
"Dr. Mallard will bring you back upstairs when you're done." He looked intently at Kevin. "You did good." He ruffled the boy's hair and then left the lab.
After Gibbs left the doctor turned towards the boy. "It's not very often he compliments someone like that." The doctor said to the boy. "I think you have impressed our Agent Gibbs."
Kevin didn't reply but the Doctor saw what seemed to be the first hint of a smile coming from the boy.