M.E. assistant, Jimmy Palmer stood in the autopsy room in utter shock. There lay on the cold metal table his secret girlfriend, Michelle Lee. The Medical Examiner, Doctor Mallard who is called Ducky by fellow NCIS workers, was across from him talking to the poor deceased girl. Palmer could barely hear what the old man was saying. Everything seemed so distant. He felt cold and all alone. The one girl in his life he loved (besides his mother) was… dead.

Jimmy hadn’t known he was holding his breath until his lungs practically screamed for it. He let out a trembling breath and shallowly breathed in clean air. Ducky stopped his chat with the corpse and looked to his trembling assistant. The thin boy looked grief-stricken more than anyone else who had perceived the news about agent Lee. That’s when something struck him.

How did he possibly not recognize this before? Mr. Palmer was in love with Agent Lee! That could only explain the rather peculiar vanishings of his aide and the intimate pieces of clothing he had found around the building. Ducky watched as the scrawny lad slumped to the ground. He covered Lee up and shuffled over to him.

“My dear boy” Ducky began softly “how about you take a day or two off? You’ve never taken a sick day as far as I can remember.” Palmer peered up at the kneeling Englishman through his teary eyes, messing up his glasses. He nodded as he cleaned them with his scrub shirt and shakily stood. Ducky lent him his hand so Palmer wouldn’t collapse once again. He knew how hard it was to lose someone so close to you.

“Thank you Doctor Mallard but I can’t except that offer.” Jimmy drew out between rigid breaths. He tried to suppress the tears that threatened to over flow. The doctor patted his back gently.
“You can take as long as you want off Jimmy. But I insist that you take the rest of the day off. I don’t think you should be here while I do the examination.” He soothed him. Palmer turned to face the M.E. and wrapped him into an Abby-like hug. Ducky returned the gesture. The embrace didn’t last long. It certainly helped him. Now he just had to face the rest of the team. That meant even Gibbs, the person who had shot his lover.