"It was one of the most fantastic things I've ever seen!" Ducky exclaimed, pacing the short hallway outside of the Operating Room. "We had gotten the poor lad on the gurney and were pushing him towards the back of our van. Mister Palmer heard something strange as we hit a bump in the concrete, so he checked inside the body bag before we loaded him up. Our victim had started breathing! Fortunately, there was an ambulance parked beside our van, so we were able to load him and transport him in seconds."
"How could that happen? He was dead!" MacGyver demanded. "I don't meant to argue with you, Doctor, but I was there when it happened. I tried to save him. He stopped breathing right there in front of me."
"I believe you," Ducky nodded. "Getting bumped around on the gurney must have stimulated his respiratory system. It's almost miraculous."
"I don't get it," DiNozzo said in confusion. "A gunshot wound to the heart is normally a one-way ticket to the morgue."
"It missed the heart by a millimeter. I remember commenting at the scene at the lack of bleeding. With a wound such as this the lad would have bled out almost instantly, and yet I saw no evidence of that. It seems there is an explanation to that after all; the piece of duct tape that someone stuffed into the wound. The surgeon just found it a few moments ago. It created a seal around the artery and kept the young man alive."
Tony's jaw hung open. "Duct tape?"
Gibbs and Ducky both turned to stare pointedly at MacGyver, who was looking away and scratching the back of his neck in embarrassment.
"Duct tape?" Tony demanded again. "Who on earth would use Duct tape to treat a gunshot wound to the chest?"
"Sounds like something you'd do, Mac!" Gibbs said with a shake of his head.
"First time that actually worked, though!" Mac returned in disbelief. "I hope somebody told his family!"
"They're on their way back," Bishop assured him.
"Jack's gonna kill me. First he gets that dreaded knock on the door and two guys in suits breaking the worst news of his life, then he gets a second knock on the door and the same two guys in suits with a retraction; 'Oops, sorry; we were wrong!'."
"You saved his son's life, Mr. MacGyver," Ducky corrected gently. "I think your friend will be extremely grateful for that."
"I guess you're right, Doctor Mallard," he said with a tired grin.
"Please, Mr. MacGyver; call me Ducky," the Scotsman offered.
"Only if you'll call me Mac," MacGyver returned.
Ducky cocked his head slightly. "Your first name is Mac?"
"My friends call me MacGyver. My close friends call me Mac," was the only answer he would give. "What do you think Andy's chances are?"
"He'll need plenty of care; survival doesn't translate directly to a pass from the consequences, unfortunately. I suspect he will be in hospital for quite a while, and will need extensive therapy and rehab later, but his chances are better than most gunshot victims."
...
Note: Standard Disclaimer: While Mac made it work, Do Not Try This At Home! According to the Society of Lab Coat Wearing Professionals, Duct Tape is not the recommended treatment for a GSW...