Everything had been going wrong for Jimmy since morning. The alarm clock didn't go off, I overslept, I burned myself on my morning coffee and ruined my shirt, I didn't have time to have breakfast, I forgot my coat, I got into a terrible traffic jam, I was late for work and, of course, I got two reprimands from Dr. Mallard at once. For almost an hour he pretended to listen to a lecture on the dangers of not wearing a warm coat in winter. And how irresponsibly late for work. Of course, it all ended with the older man citing his former assistant as an example. Which obviously was perfect? Unlike Jimmy. But now he didn't care. He only thought about the letter he received the other day.
"You can't be late for work all the time, besides Gerald..." Luckily Palmer was saved by a call. They had a job.
Call
But the failures of the young man did not end there. First they got lost, and then he got some rude words from Gibbs, who was obviously out of sorts. And then came the worst part of the day.
"Hey, Gremlin," Jimmy rolled his eyes imperceptibly and turned to the source of the sound. Agent DiNozzo, the most annoying person he's ever met.
"What do you want, Tony?"
"Just curious, what is your shoulder length?" He did not like the appraising look of the young agent at all.
"What does it matter?"
"Hmm... That should work," Dr. Mallard's assistant didn't have time to reply before he was roughly tugged on his arm.
"Kate! He must get through!"
"I hope Gibbs is not in a good mood today. I didn't want to piss him off even more."
Jimmy saw where they were both looking and didn't like it at all. Waste pipe.
"Cool!" The day is getting better and better, the thought flashed through Palmer's mind.
"Come on, Gremlin. Sunlight is bad for your skin. You'll feel right at home there, I'm sure." Tony pushed him closer. It was useless to argue, so the guy resigned himself to his job.
The space was narrow, but Jimmy was able to slip through the chimney with a flashlight in his mouth. An unpleasant smell of stagnant water immediately struck my nose, and a breath of dampness wafted through my nose.
"I hope there will be at least something useful here, otherwise it will just be a waste of time. Gibbs will also be out of sorts. Although, it would seem, where is it even worse?" Jimmy thought, looking at the pipe. He liked the new job, but his colleagues made everything much more difficult. What only cost one Tony. Sometimes it seemed to the young man that DiNozzo was still a high school student, but not an NCIS agent. Or the same Gibbs that Palmer tried to avoid at all costs. With Kate it was much easier, they often chatted during lunch breaks, sometimes went to cafes together for a bite to eat. Abby was very sweet from the beginning and eventually, in such a short time, they became very close. Although at first, Jimmy seemed that they could not find a common language.
But with Dr. Mallard, everything was difficult, even too much. He constantly lectured the young man. Even if it was something stupid and obviously not worth such attention from him. Like a forgotten coat. Sometimes he acted more like a worried parent. Once, the older man even threatened to leave… I mean punish Palmer. Then the guy thought it was just a bluff. As it turned out, a little later, it was far from a bluff. But Jimmy couldn't understand it. He was still confident in his precarious position on Gibbs' team.
The Gibbs team itself was strange. IN many respects. They rather resembled… A family, or something… Very strange and a bit confusing, but still a family… At least, it seemed that way from the outside.
"Well?! Did you find anything?!" Tony's voice echoed loudly through the pipe, causing the young man's ears to fill up. He looked around once more, and then something shining caught his eye.
"Looks like there's something there! It looks like a pistol! I'll try to get it!"
Indeed, there was a gun. The assistant medical examiner breathed a sigh of relief. Although the water made its own adjustments, it should have helped. Breathing became increasingly difficult, so the young man hurried back. True, in the dark, he stepped on something and immediately felt a sharp and unpleasant pain. Shining down, he saw a large black rat.
"Just great," Jimmy muttered.
To the NCIS building
Later that afternoon, the only thought on Palmer's mind was that he was desperate for cigarettes. The day didn't get better. Fortunately, the rat did not bite through his work pants, but a characteristic unpleasant bruise remained on the ankles. My hand still hurt like hell. Jimmy was not careful and Gibbs ended up yelling at him. Then Tony started acting like a teenager again and annoying him.
Dr. Mallard was talking about Gerald again. About what a good helper he was which Jimmy was getting fed up with. Besides, they had too much work to do. Therefore, the young man could not even take a break to smoke. After a while, he finally got a chance to get some rest.
"Mr. Palmer. I found something interesting on our friend's body." He gave a sympathetic look. He cast a sympathetic look at the dead man and continued, "Take this to Miss Sciuto."
"Of course, doctor." He reached out to take the jar of evidence, but was gently stopped.
"What's wrong with the hand?" The wiry hand of the older man gently lifted the sleeve of his shirt, revealing a large red stain on the young man's wrist. The boy looked away in embarrassment and said softly:
"I burned myself with hot coffee."
"Wait a second." Ducky walked over to his desk and took out a bandage with burn ointment from a drawer.
"I can do it myself..." Palmer said weakly, blushing. When the man rolled up the boy's sleeve and began to attend to the wound.
"Shhh…" You should have taken care of this sooner. "Now stop talking." Jimmy had to comply. Still feeling awkward.
"Everything is ready."
"Thank you Dr. Mallard."
"Next time, be careful."
Laboratory
The elevator chimed, announcing a new visitor. Abby was just finishing work on the materials that Gibbs had given her. As always, hard rock resounded throughout the lab.
"Hey, Jimmy! What brings you to my humble abode?" She sang cheerfully, turning off the music to have a normal conversation with a colleague.
"Ducky found something on the victim's body, he wants you to take a look."
"Great, I just finished with what Gibbs brought me. Are you okay, Jimmy? You look somehow tense, - at that moment something clicked in the guy's head, and he couldn't think of anything better than to be rude.
"Yes, everything is just wonderful. Overslept, got burned, listened to a few lectures from Dr. Mallard, climbed in a ditch where I was bitten by a huge rat. And next week I have exams," each time he skipped these episodes in his head, he became more and more angry.
"Someone seems to be out of sorts," Abby sounded very offended.
"Sorry. Today, and the whole week as a whole, is a real nightmare. And every minute I want to smoke more and more. But I can't even take a break," Palmer sighed irritably, falling into the nearest chair.
"Nothing wrong."
"Actually, I wanted to talk to you."
"About what?" The young lady asked with curiosity.
"Recently, I received a letter… They offered me a job…" There was an oppressive silence for several minutes.
"And what do you think to do?"
"I'm not sure. To be honest, I'm not sure of anything. I really like this job, but ..." Jimmy trailed off, not usually knowing how to explain his thoughts. Abby understood this and quickly turned the conversation in a different direction.
"Does anyone else know?"
"No, just you. I don't see the point in telling anyone else."
"You should tell them. Especially Ducky, he will be upset if you leave so suddenly," Palmer smiled bitterly and shook his head.
"I don't think anyone will notice if I just disappear." Abby seemed completely shocked. She moved away from the computer and sat down across from her colleague.
"Why do you say that?" She asked, looking worriedly into her friend's eyes.
"Well, there are many reasons for this. Tony obviously hates me. I don't even know why. Gibbs... Gibbs is rough and cold. And he scares me, and he obviously doesn't like me either. I like Kate, but she's not likely to be upset if I leave, she'll just have dinner with someone else. As for Ducky, he will find a new assistant, much better than me. Or even Gerald, his ideal assistant, will return."
"Don't talk like that," Abby's pale hand fell on the guy's cheek, "Tony shows his affection like that. You are like a little brother to him. Gibbs... Well, Gibbs is just Gibbs. You need to get to know him better to understand. These dinners mean more to Kate than you think. And for Ducky, you mean more than you can even imagine. You should just talk to him."
"You only say that to make me feel better," Jimmy muttered.
"Perhaps, but you really should talk to him. It's unlikely that he would punish you if he didn't care about you." The young man blushed furiously and stared at her in complete shock.
"How do you know?" A teasing smile appeared on the girl's face.
"He was so angry that no one doubted what he would do to you."
"OK I will think about it."
By the way, before you leave. Smoking is bad, and if Ducky or Gibbs catches you, they'll skin you. But I can cover you.
"I don't think it will bother them, but will you really do it?" Palmer's mood immediately lifted.
"Certainly. You will have twenty minutes. Just don't get caught," the girl smiled, "And think about my words, okay?"
"Uh-huh," Dr. Mallard's assistant nodded softly and kissed Abby on the cheek. "Thanks..." he whispered in her ear.
"Always please, you are my friend, so I don't want you to feel bad."
Outside
Luckily the cigarettes were left in Palmer's jeans so he didn't have to go back to the autopsy. Jumping out into the street without outerwear, he immediately felt the fresh air hit his face. But this did not bother the young man in the slightest. Turning around the nearest corner, he entered an empty alleyway.
Jimmy lit a cigarette with trembling hands. And immediately all the worries vanished. Leaning against the wall, he tilted his head slightly back and took his first puff. As he inhaled the smoke, the pressure on his chest became less and less. He no longer felt so tired and frustrated. From pleasure, the guy even squatted down, his eyes closed by themselves.
"Finally…" he muttered, exhaling thick smoke. Every muscle in his tense body slowly relaxed.
"I should think about this proposal. I doubt Abby is right. I don't think anyone will notice. Dr. Mallard thinks I'm incompetent. Besides, my term of office is about to end. It is worth thinking about the future. I don't think I will be extended. Although, what's the difference. I do not care"
His thoughts were like puffs of smoke he exhaled. But he didn't worry about it at all. Cigarettes have always helped him to think clearly.
"If it's true, I don't care. Why is it hurting me so much? Why do I feel such emptiness in my chest?" Jimmy asked himself, but finding no answer; he took another puff and closed his eyes again.