Chapter 2 – Confessions of Pride

"Good morning, Mr. Palmer," Ducky said brightly, as he breezed into the NCIS morgue the next morning. "How are you this lovely morning?"

Ducky paused a moment when he realized that Jimmy hadn't even heard him come in, so absorbed in his work was he.

"Mr. Palmer?" he asked, frowning. He sighed and shook his head, tsk tsking as he walked over to where his assistant was sitting. "Mr. Palmer. Did you hear what I just said?" Jimmy shook his head, still distracted by the previous day's revelations. "I'm sorry, Doctor. I guess I'm a little bit pre-occupied this morning."

Ducky gazed intently at the young man before him. "I see that, Jimmy. What's on your mind, my boy?" Ducky might have a hard time admitting it to himself sometimes, but Jimmy really had become like a son to him. Gone were the days when Mr. Palmer was merely a subordinate, and a student, and an assistant. Long gone were those days, in fact.

Jimmy looked up at his mentor and boss. "Have you ever been told news that just completely floored you? I mean, just totally turned your world upside down, so that everything you thought you wanted to be suddenly… wasn't quite enough for you anymore?"

Ducky started, and then sighed deeply. He stood, watching Jimmy as his troubled eyes seemed to move from one distant object to another. "Do you have something you need to tell me?" Jimmy looked at him guiltily, and nodded. "Mr. Palmer, should I sit down first?" Jimmy swallowed hard, and then nodded again, saying, "That would probably be a good idea, Sir."

When Ducky had gone off briefly to wheel a chair over, and settled his tired bones down into it, he waited a moment for the troubled young man in front of him to gather both his thoughts, and his nerve. "Doctor, have you ever wondered what your life would have been like if you'd… had children?"

Ducky smiled slightly, "Oh, I suppose. Why do you ask, Mr. Palmer? Of course, I've always assumed that you and Jasmine would start a family, after you're married, of course... Surely you're not regretting your decision to go through all of this schooling, instead of settling down and having children? No doubt some of your high-school classmates started families almost immediately."

Jimmy swallowed again. "Oh, no, Dr. Mallard… I love working here, and of course I don't regret my decisions… and Jasmine, well, she's my soul mate, and actually, we've kind've already talked about how many kids we want." Jimmy smiled bashfully, blushing slightly, then took a breath, steeling his nerve, for what he was about to say next. But… I ran into someone I used to know, last night. I used to know her quite well, actually. Doctor, she has a son, he's nine years old. His name is Christopher James." Ducky nodded thoughtfully, not quite registering what his assistant had just said to him. "I haven't seen her since… well, it's been about ten years. She was my girlfriend in high school."

Ducky looked up suddenly, his blue eyes registering shocked comprehension. "Christopher… James, you say? But… ten years?" Ducky shook his head in shock. "And the young lad is nine? Jimmy… my boy… oh my…"

Jimmy nodded. "I met him last night." Jimmy allowed himself a small smile, which quickly got away on him, morphing into a giddy, excited expression of pride. "Doctor, he's incredible. I mean, I know she could be lying about his paternity, but he just looks… Sir, he looks exactly like I did at that age. He has my eyes, my nose, my chin…" Jimmy laughed softly, as he added, "He even has the unruly curls in my hair."

"Your dimples too, no doubt?" Ducky smiled warmly and reassuringly, to try to ease any guilt that his young assistant might be feeling at this confession. "Abigail could run tests, I suppose, but there really is no doubt, Jimmy?"

Jimmy shook his head. "No, there isn't… not for me, anyway. It's just… the timing, how he looks, even how he laughs. And yeah, I think he has my dimples too." Jimmy chuckled softly. "He's me. But Nicole… that's his mother… she did offer to do a paternity test, in case I had any doubts. I guess I should take her up on the offer, just to be sure."

"I see then, Mr. Palmer. I suppose it's moot now to lecture you about precautionary measures? I assume you did take precautions, did you not?"

Jimmy cocked his head and nodded, giving his mentor and boss a raised "gimme a break" eyebrow. "Well, yeah, of course we did. We may have been a little foolish back then, but we weren't completely stupid. But obviously it wasn't 100 percent foolproof. Dr. Mallard… now that I see him... I guess maybe you really aren't the one to ask, if a father should be feeling like this. Scared to death and so proud I think I'll bust, all at the same time?"

Ducky thought back briefly, to the time when he realized that he had begun to care for Jimmy in the way he might a son. "I assume that's an accurate reaction, Jimmy. But perhaps you're right, I'm not the one to ask. But you certainly don't seem upset by the prospect of being a father." Jimmy smiled again, so proudly that Ducky swore that if his scrubs top had buttons, they'd be popping off his chest by now and flying across the morgue. "You should meet him, Sir. He's amazing."

Ducky seemed to think a moment before speaking again. "Does Jasmine know? And Timothy?"

Jimmy shook his head. "I'm still not sure how to tell her… I'm just hoping she'll understand… Nicole and I were over with ten years ago. I mean, I loved her at the time, I guess I still do, in a way… but it's more of a fondness now. We had some fun times together." Ducky snorted slightly. "Clearly you did, Mr. Palmer." Jimmy rolled his eyes and smiled, shifting in his chair. "No, Dr. Mallard. That last time was also our first time. I mean, we started out as friends, then we became best friends… then…" he shrugged. "You know how it can sometimes go."

Ducky nodded. "Yes, I do, my dear fellow. Now the question is, how do you plan to tell Jasmine?"

Jimmy shrugged. "I just suck it up and come out with it, I guess. But actually, it isn't Jaz I'm worried about so much as Tim," Jimmy finally admitted. "I mean, I'm worried about Jaz too… but Tim scares the hell out of me sometimes," he chuckled nervously.

Ducky shrugged, arising from his chair and pushing it under the desk. "And well he should, Jimmy. He's a good big brother. He loves his sister very much. I'm sure he'll understand, my boy. After all, as you said, you and Nicole broke up years ago."

"I wonder how Jaz will feel about being someone's step-mother?" Jimmy said, almost to himself. Ducky smiled as he prepared himself to get back to work. "I'm sure she'll love it immensely. And if your son is as charming as you say he is, it shouldn't take too much convincing for him to win her over."

Jimmy shook his head as he reached for a pair of gloves and a plastic face mask. "My son. That sounds so weird. It's going to take some getting used to."

Truth be told, Ducky wasn't disappointed in his young assistant. In fact, he was rather pleased that Jimmy seemed to be taking the news so well, and with an apparent enthusiasm and immediate, unquestioned willingness to take responsibility, and do right by the young lad. And if Ducky thought about it, he truly had to admit to himself, that he was rather looking forward to having a surrogate "grandson" to tell stories to, and to watch grow up for the remainder of his childhood. His young assistant really had no idea what an incredible gift he'd just given to him.

But something did bother Ducky somewhat - the timing. Why, after all of these years, was this woman coming forward with this news, now?