Chapter 27 - Doctor's Orders
Ducky was in the thirtieth minute of his story. McGee, Abby, and Rochelle were off in the cafeteria. Kate was snoozing in a waiting room chair and Trisha was feigning interest in Ducky's tale. Ducky finally stopped talking when Dr. Williams and Gibbs walked back into the waiting room. Gibbs, who was now wearing one of those green shirts the doctors wore, plunked down next to Kate and locked his fingers with hers.
She sleepily opened her eyes and smiled at him. "So, what's the verdict Gibbs?"
"Everything's fine, nothing to worry about," he told Kate.
Dr. Williams sighed and turned to Ducky. "Is Agent Gibbs always so stubborn?" he asked the medical examiner.
"Yes, I'm afraid so, Doctor. Would you be so kind as to divulge us with the real diagnosis?" Ducky inquired.
Dr. Williams nodded, "The X-rays all came back negative for any fractures or breaks. I must say, however, that this is one of the worst cases of bruising over the rib cage that I have ever seen. To tell you the truth, I have no idea how Agent Gibbs didn't even sustain so much as a hairline fracture. He did manage to come away with a slight concussion from the knock on the head he received. I also gave himseven stitches to fix the laceration above his eyebrow. I have a pain killer prescription here for Oxy-codone and I actually administered a local anesthetic to his ribs to hold him over until you can get this prescription filled out."
Ducky took the prescription from Dr. Williams and read it over. He nodded in agreement when he got to the end of the paper, then looked up to the doctor. "What about returning to work - how long should he take off?"
Dr. Williams thought for a moment, "I'd say between three to three and a half weeks until he can return to active duty. No strenuous activity until then." He looked directly at Gibbs and Kate before walking to them. "There is no room for negotiations, Agent Gibbs. You cannot afford to be hit on the head, let alone the ribs, anytime soon. No matter how much you deny your injuries, they are still there. If you were to get hit again, and with the way your ribs are weakened, there's no telling what the consequences would be. But I can assure you that they wouldn't be pretty. Do you understand me?"
Gibbs met the doctor's gaze with a cold stare before Kate hit him on the arm. "Oh he understands perfectly, don't you, Agent Gibbs?" Kate glared at Gibbs until he accepted defeat.
"Yea, I get it," he muttered.
"Very good, Agent Gibbs," Dr. Williams stated. "Now, Agent Todd, this is where you come in. Honey," he said to Trisha, "pay attention to this, too. You can do this if Agent Todd is unavailable, ok? Come over here next to your dad."
Trisha nodded and got up. She went to the unoccupied chair next to Gibbs and sat on the edge of it. Gibbs reached over and ruffled her hair.
Dr. Williams had Gibbs sit on the edge of the chair and pull up the green scrub shirt he was wearing. An ACE bandage was snugly wrapped around Gibbs' ribs. The doctor removed the bandage. "Alright," he said, holding up a large white pad. "This is a single-use heating pad. I'll be giving you a large supply of them before you leave. I've found that these actually help along the healing process and also help to relax the muscles. The R.I.C.E. method doesn't always work, you know."
Kate wrinkled her nose, "The rice method?"
Dr. Williams was about to explain when Trisha chipped in. "Yea, R.I.C.E. stands for Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation," she said matter-of-factly.
Ducky smiled, "Why how did you know about that, my dear?"
Trisha rolled her eyes, "I've had more sports injuries than I care to remember."
Dr. Williams smiled and nodded. "Right. Anyway, take one of these pads and place it in the middle of his body like so," the doctor said as he demonstrated. "Hold it in place with one hand, but be sure not to press too hard. Now simply wrap Agent Gibbs back up with the ACE bandage. Again, don't make it too tight or it will be uncomfortable. Lastly, take a piece of white adhesive tape, about 5 inches long, and place it partially on the end of the bandage like this. That's all there is to it. Not too difficult, right?"
"Got it," Kate and Trisha said in unison.
"Good, now wait here for a minute and I'll go get everything you need." Dr. Williams walked out of the waiting room and down the hall. He ducked into a supply closet.
"Can I put my shirt down now?" Gibbs asked. "People are looking at me funny."
Trisha snorted softly, "Yea, that's probably because they can't comprehend how furry you are, Gibbs!"
Gibbs pretended to look hurt. "I am not that hairy!"
Dr. Williams came back into the waiting room and handed Kate a bag filled with bandages, tape, and heating pads. He gave her a few more instructions before shaking everyones hands and getting back to work.
Gibbs, Kate, Trisha, and Ducky all walked out of the waiting room together. They found McGee, Abby, and Rochelle waiting for them in the lobby.
A/N: All good things must eventually come to an end, lol. Only one chapter to go with this story. I hope everyone enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it! As always, the reviews are greatly appreciated.