Set after the recent episode "Bounce" in which Tony gets to lead the case.
"What happened when I was in Mexico?"
"A lot happened." Ducky replied and than continued. "Can I assume you're not talking about the case that the team just re-solved?" he asked.
"I'm talking about how everyone assumed I was about to run off to Mexico when I put Tony in charge." The statement said very little. However, Ducky had years of experience at interpreting Gibbs statements. He knew how to translate the sentence into the thought behind it.
"Ah, and the members of your team were upset by the idea of you leaving and that's why you are wondering what happened while you were gone."
"I know Tony did a good job while I was gone. So why" Gibbs asked "is everyone so worried?"
"They missed you, Jethro. Is that really so surprising?"
"No, but that still doesn't explain why all of them look like they had just finished drinking Tabasco when they thought I was going. DiNozzo looked like he was going to be sick."
"You still don't get it, do you?" Ducky asked in astonishment.
Gibbs glared back, confirming that he didn't understand the team's reactions.
"I know you would give your life for each and everyone of them. I've heard you hand out affection just as often as you hand out instruction. You care a lot about them."
"Yeah?" Gibbs confirmed Ducky's statements while asking him to continue.
"Do you think that they care less for you than you do for them?" Ducky asked exasperated. He gave Gibbs a moment to ponder the statement before he continued.
Gibbs spent the minute mulling over Ducky's statement. He was surprised that he had never wondered just how much his team cared for him. Subconsciously, of course he knew, but strangely he had never wondered how much they cared about him. This brought him back to thoughts of leaving for Mexico. If his team really cared about him they would have wanted him to recover from his accident.
"I had to go Ducky. I had stuff to deal with. I'm not a super hero." He tried to explain.
"I know that Jethro, but we don't often think about what someone else is going through when that person hurts us."
"I hurt them?" Gibbs asked with sudden recognition that his time in Mexico had affected agents more than he realized.
"You abandoned them all. Now, they understand why. But, at the time, all of them felt rather deserted by the incident."
"I left Tony in charge. He was capable and ready to lead." Gibbs again defended.
"Jethro, they didn't just miss you because of your amazing case solving skills. They missed your presence. They all look up to you. You know that. And Tony, he missed you most of all. He may have been ready to lead, but he wasn't ready for you to go."
"He handled it."
"Yes he did. And he did a magnificent job. But it hurt him. After all, the first time his father abandoned him, all he had to take care of was himself." Ducky left the rest of the statement unsaid. Gibbs would fill in the blanks.
Gibbs realized quickly that his abandonment of the team had in many ways paralleled the abandonment of a young Tony by his father. However, when Gibbs ran off to Mexico, Tony had to deal with both the abandonment of Gibbs and taking care of the rest of the team. DiNozzo certainly was an amazing individual. Gibbs turned to leave, thinking that the conversation was over, but heard Ducky's voice as he headed for the door.
"Just remember Jethro, they care about you just as much as you care about them. They would give up there lives for you too."
Gibbs only grunted in response. One of them giving their life to save him was unquestionably his worst fear.
