Tony got to work in a much calmer mood, having had plenty of time to think about what Tim had told him; had admitted to him. Hearing Tim's conviction that his career was getting ready to take a major hit over something he truthfully couldn't completely control, really threw Tony off kilter. He needed to talk to Gibbs. Then again, he got the feeling the boss already knew exactly what was going on, which was why Tony had gotten that strange call from the man himself last night.
***Flashback***
"Agent DiNozzo."
"You stop lookin' at your caller id, DiNozzo?" Gibbs' almost scolding tone reached out and practically slapped Tony upside the head.
"Uh, no, Boss. But my hands were kinda busy and. I di…"
"Got an early morning delivery for you to make. 0730."
"Okay. Who a…"
"McGee's place. Get him to where he needs to go by 0800. Don't be late."
"I'm on it, Boss. Wait, how, wi…"
"I'll have Abby send you the directions to the place. Want you to stay there and bring him to work when he's done."
"Sure thing, Boss."
"Thanks, Tony." Gibbs ended the call, leaving Tony speechless with surprise at the man's unusual expression of gratitude, and his inclusion of himself and Tony into McGee's private affairs.
Then again, the events of this past Friday had shaken everyone just enough that they'd realized something was going on with their probie and they all needed to try and at least reach out to him, if not help with whatever he needed help with.
***End Flashback**
Strolling into the squad room now, Tony was brought to a stand still as his eyes took in the shocking changes that had taken place to the place over the weekend. Gone were the older model computer monitors and even older model desk lamps. Heck, even the desk chairs had been switched out for more ergonomic chairs that even looked a lot more comfortable than their old ones. Wait, even their desks had been switched out?
As Tony looked a second time, his brain confirmed the half-asked question. He was right. All their desks had been replaced with bigger, roomier models that now boasted high definition 17 inch flat screen computer monitors in place of the older ones. Every one of their desks now also sported a new lamp with a less glaring glow. The final kicker was that every one of their computer monitors was fitted with a glare resistant magnifying screen.
Tony looked around for any sign of life besides the changes he knew hadn't happened by themselves and breathed a sigh of relief when he noticed Gibbs and Ducky walking in from the back hallway.
"Hey, Boss, Ducky! What's with all the changes around here?"
"DiNozzo. McGee get to his appointment alright?"
"Yeah, Boss. No sweat. But, that wasn't why you had me drive him, was it?"
"Have no idea what your'e talking about, DiNozzo." Gibbs made no bones about blowing off Tony's hinting push for more information.
"So, where's the newer Probie?" Tony changed the subject as he caught the hint. "And what's with all the new stuff?"
"Ziva's helping Abby and the new stuff is compliments of the Director." Gibbs offered calmly as he sat down behind his desk and began to get busy.
"The Director?" Tony questioned in surprise.
"Yes, DiNozzo. That would be me." Vance supplied as he came out from behind Tony where he'd been standing silently observing.
Glancing across the room at the unusu'ally quiet M.E., Vance spoke his mind. "Is that everything that needed to be addressed, Doctor Mallard?"
Ducky glanced up from the piece of paper he was reading and fastened his eyes on the Director for a brief moment. "Let me double check here before I answer that, if you don't mind. I'd rather be accurate before I speak to that."
"Not at all, Dr. Mallard. In fact, go through the list with us and we'll make sure nothing got missed." Vance suggested as he walked towards the group.
"What list are we talkin' about?" Tony had to know as he leaned back against his desk, choosing to keep his distance from the pack.
"The list of ways we can change all of our working conditions that will help all of us avoid the painful mess Timothy has been suffering though with his vision and may even help prevent those problems from becoming worse for him." Ducky replied as he looked back down at the paper and began alternately reading it over and glancing around the room as he verbally clued them in to the changes.
"Eye strain is often caused by excessively bright light and since your lighting is not coming from outside enough to make a difference, the harsh interior lighting is where we needed to focus the changes on. Since you are on your computer excessively, your ambient lighting should be about half as bright as that typically found in most offices so we've changed the fluorescent tube lighting to a lower intensity and your desk lamps have been changed out as well. Also, Jethro's and Timothy's computer monitors have been moved so that they are to the side of the window at the foot of the stairwell so that what light does come from there is not adversely affecting them. Since Anthony's and Ziva's computers are already facing sideways from that window, theirs did not need to be moved."
"Thankfully, that was a relatively inexpensive remedy." Vance offered. "Go on, Dr. Mallard."
Ducky checked his list again before looking up at each of them in turn as he spoke next. "Since glare on walls and finished surfaces, as well as reflections on your computer screen also can cause computer eye strain, an anti-glare screen has been installed on all of your monitors and your old monitors have been replaced with the LCD flat-panel screens that are much easier on the eyes. Also, since the optimal position for your computer monitor is slightly below eye level, about 20 to 28 inches away from your eyes, you'll 'll find small work stands as well as a device on your desk that will support your case files standing up so that you won't have to look up at the screen and back down at the desk while you type. Between the extra stand and the piece that fits on your desk, you should be able to work out which way works best for you."
"Sounds like you've covered all the logical bases, Ducky." Tony remarked with awe.
"Not quite, Anthony. There are several changes that you must all do for yourselves. The first of which is to adjust the display settings on your computer so the brightness of the screen is about the same as your work environment."
"Blinking is another very important thing you must do when working at a computer. That simple gesture that most of us take for granted moistens your eyes to prevent dryness and you must make an effort to blink more often than you usually do – I would say at least a half-dozen more times a day, at least."
"That sounds easy enough to do." Ziva remarked from where she stood at the edge of her desk; where she'd walked to from the front elevator that none of them had heard arrive.
"It isn't difficult to do; simply hard to actively remember throughout a busy day." Ducky reminded them. "Additionally, you should try to remember that another cause of computer eye strain is focusing fatigue. To reduce your risk of tiring your eyes by constantly focusing on your screen, look away from your computer at least every 20 minutes and gaze at a distant object preferably at least 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds. Some eye doctors call this the "20-20-20 rule." This relaxes the focusing muscle inside the eye to reduce fatigue."
"Sounds easy enough to remember if we keep the Rule in mind. Lord, knows we're used to those, right?" Tony snarked with a grin, earning him an eye roll from the boss across the room.
"That everything, Duck?" Gibbs asked from behind his own desk.
"Not quite, Jethro. The last change must come from you."
"Okay."
"You will need to work on letting them take at least one more break a day than you've become accustomed to giving them, Jethro." Ducky broke the news to his friend. "Although, the discomfort and eye strain have been known to be significantly reduced with just four additional five minute breaks throughout the work day." His friend half-scolded, half encouraged with a smile.
"Just four?" Gibbs joked with a smirk.
