"Good morning, Jethro!" Ducky greeted in surprise as Gibbs stepped out into the hallway and nearly collided with him. The alcove Gibbs had appeared from held a coffee dispenser and a pair of vending machines, and the redness of Gibbs' eyes and quiver in the hands that held the cardboard cup indicated this wasn't Gibbs' first visit to this tiny space. "Surely you haven't been here all night?" Ducky asked in concern.

Gibbs drained the coffee dry before shaking his head. "Nope, Abby showed up a few hours ago. I went home to shower and change."

"I do hope you took the opportunity to allow yourself a brief rest," Ducky hedged.

Gibbs dropped the cup in the closest trash can. "Yeah, I racked out on the couch for a bit." He waited for Ducky to say something, but his friend was strangely silent. Gibbs gave him an appraising look, and realized Ducky was staring past his shoulder. Gibbs turned, seeing shadows playing in the doorway to MacGyver's room.

A brunette woman stepped out into the hallway, paused, and turned back to lean against the jamb. She laughed softly at something that was said inside the room, but exhaustion and recent heartbreak seemed to weigh her down. Another shadow came closer to the door, and an older man with silvery hair peeking out from beneath a battered leather airman's cap exited the room. The two linked arms and walked down the hallway.

Ducky slid a look out of the corner of his eye as Gibbs' jaw rippled. "Jethro?" Ducky asked, reading his friend's face.

"That's Dalton."

"The legendary Jack Dalton?" Ducky asked with an appraising look at the retreating figures. "An old friend of yours as well?"

Gibbs slid a gaze at him that spoke volumes. "No. An old buddy of Mac's that tried to get involved in one of our Ops."

"And I surmise that adventure was ill-advised?"

"His 'get rich quick' scheme nearly killed MacGyver'n me. I wouldn't classify him as a 'friend', no."

Ducky shelved his curiosity. "That story will wait for another day. I'm eager to check on MacGyver after his long-dreaded meeting with his 'old buddy'."

When they entered the room, MacGyver was sitting up in bed, staring out the window with a pensive look on his face. "Oh, hi, guys!" he greeted, sensing their presence and hauling himself back to the present. "Gibbs, did you run into Jack?"

When Gibbs didn't answer, Ducky spoke up on his behalf. "We decided to forgo that pleasure for the moment. We were eager to check on you; after our discussion in my office, I hope you had the answers to the right questions?"

MacGyver grinned at the memory. "Am I strong enough to say 'no' to Jack's wheedling?" When Ducky nodded and returned the grin, Mac tossed a look at Gibbs. "Jack was interested in saving a few bucks while up here; he asked where I was staying, probably hoping to scam a free room for himself and Natalie. When I told him I was crashing at your place, I wish you could have seen his face!"

Gibbs allowed a faint smile. "I can imagine."

Mac grew introspective again, but there was a peacefulness about him that both men noticed. "Jack and I had a heart-to-heart. He's always been a big kid, addicted to adventure and the next big thing… He apologized for landing me in trouble all those times. He really has changed, Gibbs. Natalie, and Andy as well, have been the best things in his life." MacGyver paused for a moment as Gibbs offered a non-committal shrug. "Apparently, when he reorganized his business, it's a privately held company. Each member of the family has stock in it. When he told me how much my share was worth, I almost needed a crash cart."

Ducky chuckled with him. "One wonders how that information wasn't brought out when McGee ran all the financials?"

"McGee caught that there were four family members holding stock," Mac admitted. "We just never figured out who that fourth family member was until right now!"

"It's nice to know old friends can still surprise you," Ducky smiled. Reading something into the change in MacGyver's expression, Ducky grew concerned. "I trust all of your visitors have not worn you out?"

Mac offered a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "To be honest, I hate having to spend down-time in hospitals. If I'm going to visit with friends, I'd like to be a decent host; not tied to a bunch of machines and wearing this stylish paisley outfit."

"Did you get any sleep at all?" Ducky asked, looking more worried.

"The medicated kind," Mac admitted, settling back against his raised mattress. The corners of his eyes wrinkled as he closed them and heaved a sigh. "There's a reason I don't like pain meds… not only am I just as tired as I was before I went under, but I wake up with the mother of all hangovers."

Gibbs tilted his head and folded his arms. "You don't drink; how would you know what a hangover feels like?"

"I went to college," Mac reminded him. "I watched my buddies drink themselves stupid and pay for it the next morning. If drinking made them feel that lousy, I was smart enough to dodge that bullet…" He winced at his choice of words as his healing injury pinged at the irony.

"We won't stay too long, then," Ducky said, taking a step toward the door.

Mac fought to open his eyes. "No, you guys are fine," he insisted. "Tim and Ellie poked their heads in earlier this morning, and we had a pleasant visit. They promised to swing by again later this afternoon." He yawned briefly. "And then Jack and Natalie showed up…"

"I know Abby has been a consistent presence," Ducky smiled, looking at all of the black spiderweb cards festooning the room. "Has Antony been by?"

The psychologist part of Ducky's training kicked in just then as he wondered how a man laying still in a hospital bed could suddenly become pointedly motionless. The only indication that Mac had heard his question was the play of muscles around his jaw as he ground his teeth. Ducky glanced at Gibbs to see if he noticed MacGyver's reaction, and by his equally active temporal mandibular joint, it was confirmed that he had.

The M.E. raised his eyebrows. "You look like you need your rest, MacGyver. Please call if you need anything." He acknowledged Mac's exhausted nod, then gave Gibbs a questioning look as his friend didn't seem to be getting to his feet.

"I'll follow you in a second, Duck," Gibbs said softly, tossing his head to encourage Ducky to start out without him.

Once Ducky was gone, Gibbs pulled his chair closer to Mac's side. When his buddy didn't open his eyes, Gibbs gave the mattress a nudge to catch his attention. "Hey… you okay?"

Mac's head rolled slowly towards him. One eye cracked open, a disbelieving 'really?' stamped all over his expression.

"Another rough night,' Gibbs mentioned. He waited for a few seconds, but Mac had closed his eye and started a slow relaxation breathing technique. "DiNozzo…"

"Learned from the Master, didn't he?" Mac interrupted shortly. "Except for the 'respect' part… he hasn't learned that yet. Do you have a rule against interrogating classified information out of friends when they're under the influence?"

Gibbs thought about that for a second. "Nope… might have to add that to the list, though."

"That, along with timing, might be the next thing I'd teach him, if I were his Boss."

"Oh, I don't think so," Gibbs disagreed. "Motives…? Questionable. Intention…? Desperate. But his timing…? Naw, that was impeccable."

If Mac's eyes had been open, his gaze would have burned a hole right through his friend's forehead. He returned to his slow, measured breathing, which eventually allowed some of the tension to bleed away from his shoulders.

"That was one heck of a nightmare," Gibbs commented, leaning back in his chair. "You stretched out my polo shirt when you grabbed me."

"Give me a receipt for the replacement, and I'll reimburse you," Mac retorted.

Gibbs ignored that. "You took the hit for someone. Saved her life…"

"Gibbs…" Mac growled in warning.

The special agent pushed himself to his feet and pushed the chair back into place with a pointed clatter. "Just wanted to say 'Thanks' for that." Stalking to the door, he paused just long enough to look back and catch MacGyver's startled stare.

We're in the home stretch, friends... three chapters to go! Will Tony get the answers he so desperately needs? Let me know your guesses!