Not Beta'd; Standard Disclaimer applies
Next of Kin, chapter 5, A place to start
"Where's Shannon? Where's Kelly?" Gibbs asked as soon as the tube was removed from his throat and he was able to speak.
"I…I will find out," a confused Ducky promised, in an attempt to comfort his injured friend. He did not know of anyone by those names.
"Where's my boy? My son?" Gibbs asked, his tone filled with desperation.
Ducky's eyes widened in surprise at those words. Seeing his reaction, the doctor motioned with his head towards the door before giving some instructions to the nurse, who quickly left the room, and joining his patient's visitor. Once the two doctors were out of hearing, Todd asked, "Do you know who Shannon and Kelly are?"
"No idea," Ducky admitted. "And as I said, I have known him for almost 15 years."
The neurologist nodded, "But then you must know his son," he commented. "Is he on his way?"
Ducky gave him a blank stare before shaking his head, confused by the situation. "As far as I know, Jethro doesn't have any children," he explained, his eyes momentarily glancing towards the hospital bed. Worry, concern, and bewilderment etched on his face.
"Is he married?" the doctor asked.
"Not currently," came the dry reply, explaining further when giving an inquisitive look. "Divorced three times."
Todd nodded, thinking about the situation. "Could there have been a child?" he asked. "Perhaps a step-child?"
Ducky shook his head. Given how Gibbs felt about children, if he had become a father, even a stepfather, he was sure they would've heard about it. "I was with him through all three divorces and two of the courtships and subsequent weddings," he stated. "There was no stepchildren. One of his exes was pregnant before the divorce was finalized, but not with Jethro's child," he replied, thinking about Diane.
"Are you sure? Maybe that is the son he is talking about?"
"The child is a girl," Ducky replied.
Todd frowned for a moment before perking back up as an idea came to him, "Shannon or Kelly?"
Another shake of the head, "Emily."
The two fell for a moment before the neurologist spoke again, "Could there have been a child?" he softly asked. "Perhaps one who did not reach adult hood?"
"Oh, dear," Ducky commiserated as his mind filled in the missing pieces. That would explain so much, including why Gibbs was so much worse when a case involved a child. He frowned in sadness at the thought that his friend had so much heartbreak in his life. "Perhaps," he agreed, believing that the doctor's hypothesis was correct. Death of a child often leads to estrangement between couples. Very few marriages can survive something that tragic. Infertility, miscarriage, as well as stilllbirths also place stress on matrimonial unions that can be difficult to overcome."
The neurologist nodded absently. "You said he hadn't talked much about his past, that could be why."
"Yes," Ducky sadly agreed. "Having a past filled with such sorry gives a very valid reason for not wanting to talk about said past. But if that was the case, why would he be asking about a child that never lived? He would he remember that, right?" Ducky stated with a frown.
"He should," the doctor worriedly agreed before returning to his patient's side to seek additional information.
"You remember the explosion?" The doctor asked.
Gibbs nodded.
"Good, good. Where were you when it happened?"
"Kuwait," Gibbs replied, giving the doctor an odd look.
Both doctors stepped back in shock, surprised by the unhesitant response.
"Oh, Jethro," Ducky murmured, wondering how to explain recent events.
Gibbs frowned, "Do I know you?"
A sad smile graced the ME's face, "For quite awhile now," he replied, before sharing many amusing anecdotes about his own past and their friendship.
"Nothing?" Ducky quietly asked. "Not even a bit familiar?"
Gibbs shook his head.
Ducky sighed, not sure how to help. "We work together at NCIS, though it was known as NIS when we first started there," he began to explain. "Have for almost 15 years after you retired from the Marines. I am Donald Mallard, the medical examiner. You, and almost everyone, calls me Ducky," he said, watching his friend for a hint of recognition. "I have an assistant, James Palmer. An eager, young thing," he added. "Quite nervous around you, actually," he shared, grinning at his friend. "You began your career at NIS headquarters on the Navy Yard. You became friends with many of your fellow agents and teammates, myself included," he added. "One of the most surprising relationships is the one you have with a young forensic scientist,"
"Scientist," he repeated in shock. What could he and a scientist have in common, he wondered.
"Yes. Abigail Sciuto," Ducky replied, shocking the injured man by providing him with a feminine name. "Very good at what she does, though she often behaves and looks, decades younger than she actually is," he replied humorously. "Abigail is quite unique. She listens to noise that she identifies as music; the louder, the better in her opinion," he dryly added. "Has many visible tattoos, and rumored to have more that are not readily visible. Dyed black hair she wears in pigtails, and an unusual sense of fashion, dislikes the sun and if she has to be outdoors, uses a black parasol."
Gibbs frowned, not sure how to respond. She sounded more like a character in a book or movie than a coworker, especially one that he would have some type of friendship with. He eyed the man next to him suspiciously. He couldn't detect any falsehoods coming from him, but then again, Gibbs didn't know, or rather, didn't remember Ducky, and so couldn't be sure his read was accurate.
"The Director, Jennifer Shepherd, is another friend of yours. A previous partner, actually, the two of you worked together for years. Often just the two of you on undercover or covert missions. The most memorable of these is probably Paris," he said before falling silent to give Gibbs a chance to say something or ask a question.
When no response was forthcoming, he continued. "After multiple offers and several years, you finally accepted the promotion to lead the MCRT. Major Crime Response Team," Ducky clarified, noticing the puzzled look on the injured man's face. He then gave a brief description regarding the types of cases his team had investigated. "You and your team have a high case closure rate, like the mounties, you always get your man...or woman," he added. "You currently have three agents working under you. Well, technically, two," he clarified. "Ziva David, is a Mossad office, acting as liaison to NCIS."
"Mossad." Gibbs repeated. Ducky straightened at that, hopeful that he remembered something. "That must be quite the story," was all Gibbs said.
"It is," Ducky confirmed. "And not one for the faint of heart, or today," he added. "Now, where was I? Oh, yes, your team. Ziva, lethal with weapons and paperclips, has been a part of your team for less than a year.
"The senior and junior agent on your team were both hand-picked by you. Your second in command is Anthony DiNozzo. He's been a part of your team for...oh my," Ducky replied. "You know, I cannot remember the exact time frame," he muttered, quietly mumbling and ticking off his fingers as if counting.
"Doesn't matter," Gibbs tiredly commented.
Ducky frowned, "No, I suppose it does not," he reluctantly agreed, "Though it has been at least five years," he couldn't help but comment. "Anthony is a superb investigator, though quite immature and insensitive at times," he admitted. "His main source of amusement seems to be pranking his teammates. His curiosity knows no limits, and I mean that. There isn't much that Tony thinks of as sacred or off-limits and he will not stop until he has the information he seeks. Great quality in an investigator," he stated, "But as a friend or teammate, not as much.
"Now, the newest member of your team is rather young. Like most of that age, computers are a big part of his life. Ti-"
"Ducky," Gibbs interrupted, "I don't remember any of that. Not working for NCIS, having partners, leading a team. Not a vampire scientist, a paperclip killer, a practical jokester, or a human computer," he calmly stated.
Ducky would've felt better if Jethro had screamed or shouted those words. He could only imagine the frustration that would be present if you didn't remember details about your life. The fact that his friend remains so calm after learning that he lost 15 years of his life is alarming.
"But I remember my son," Gibbs stated softly, firmly. He looked up and met the eyes of the man sitting by his bed. "If you know me, you must know my son, must know where he is."
Ducky shook his head.
"But you know about him, right?" Gibbs asked, his tone desolate.
Another head shake.
"But he's my son. I would've talked about him, would've introduced him to you."
Ducky frowned, "I don't know what to tell you, Jethro,"
"Tell me you'll find my son," Gibbs loudly replied, causing the doctor to rush back into the room. "I want my son. He should be here. I need to see that he's okay. What if he's hurt, too? I need to see him. I need-"
"You need to remain calm," Dr Gelfund instructed his patient. "We will figure it out, but you need to stay calm. Now are you going to calm down and rest or do we need to administer some medication to assist with that?"
Gibbs visibly deflated, "I'm good," he muttered, turning his face away from them.
"Okay," Todd nodded before waving a nurse closer. "Janet is going to keep you company for a few minutes," he said turning to leave and ushering Ducky out as well.
"He really never mentioned his son?" The perplexed doctor inquired.
"As I said, he never spoke much about his past, and has never mentioned his family."
Todd nodded. When he had first learned that his previous patient was in another coma, he had worried that waking the man up would be the hardest part, he would never have imagined that his patient would wake up and not remember anything about the past 15 years except for a son that no one else knew about.
"Is there someone who would know about his son?"
Ducky paused. If Jenny had known, he was sure the woman would have contacted Jethro's family. Mike Franks had met and recruited Jethro. He was the only person Ducky knew who knew Gibbs before his first day at NCIS. "Perhaps," he admitted. "Though he is tough to get a hold of," he added. "Lives in a remote area, no telephone or computers."
The neurologist nodded, "Anything you can do to find his son, or even confirm that he exists will be helpful."
Ducky nodded, not wanting to think about the possibility that Gibbs's mind created the existence of a son. He imagined all he had to do was mention that Gibbs had family and the team would pull out all stops to get that information. Tony would search Gibbs's house for answers; Ziva would make use of the many contacts she had collected over the years; Tim would hack into every computer database in the world; Abby would use Gibb's blood and DNA looking for a match. If worse came to worse, he would ask Jenny to open Jethro's file so they could locate this missing son.
"I will also do what I can to find out the identity of Shannon and Kelly," Ducky added. "Perhaps they are the key and could help." As he moved to don his coat, he continued, "Please, keep me apprised of his condition and anything else he reveals. I will try to find out what I can and will contact you as soon as I have something."
The doctor nodded and walked with Ducky towards the elevator. "I will. We are still trying to contact his next of kin and medical proxy," the doctor informed him just as the elevator arrived and the doors opened.
After stepping into it and pressing the button for the lobby, Ducky asked, "I take it that it is not Shannon or Kelly?" he glibly commented, earning a smile from his fellow doctor. "Could it be his son?"
"I wondered about that when Jethro mentioned a son, so I looked at the name of who was listed as his proxy and next of kin while you were talking to him about his coworkers. They do not share the same last name," Todd replied. "There is also a notation that he was a coworker, though I do not believe it is one that you mentioned," he added.
"Well, I can probably be of some help there. After all, his coworkers are my coworker's," Ducky reminded him as he stepped into the elevator car that had arrived. "Who do you have listed?"
Looking down at the record again, he replied, "A Timothy J. G. McGee,"
Ducky stared at the doctor in surprise, his shock making him unable to respond as the elevator doors finally closed and transported him to the main floor.
In a preoccupied fog, Ducky automatically left the building, entered his car and drove back to work. He had been glad to learn that Jethro had been transferred to Bethesda, since it meant his friend would be much closer and easier to visit once he had woken up. Now, however, he would not have minded a three-hour drive back to the yard to help process what he had just learned.
The doctor's words, 'Timothy J. G McGee continued to echo in his mind.
'Timothy J. G. McGee'
Timothy was listed as Gibbs' next of kin and proxy. That was surprising.
'Timothy J. G. McGee'
He had never gotten the idea that Jethro and Timothy were close. In fact, during the earlier days of Timothy's probie year, he got the impression that the two could barely stand to be in the same room together.
'Timothy J. G. McGee'
If it would be anyone on the team, Ducky would've expected Tony. After all the two men had known and worked together for quite a while.
'Timothy J. G. McGee'
'Timothy J. G. McGee'
Ducky didn't recall seeing a middle initial in Timothy's file, let alone, two.
'Timothy J. G. McGee'
Yes, this recent information was surprising, but at least now he had a place to start, Ducky realized.
8-29-2020