Chapter 47
AN: I do apologize for leaving the doctor in limbo for so long. I want to assure you all that I would never leave a story unfinished. I was just busy writing for my other favorite shows. But now I’m back. In case you hadn’t guessed this does indeed parallel the S9 season finale. I, however, will not leave our beloved Ducky on a beach in Florida. (Cruel and unusual punishment for us viewers. SHAME on you, NCIS execs and writers. And SHAME on CBS.) Anyway, I am using the scenario with a few, obvious, modifications. Enjoy!
“Kate!” Tony yelled. The earth was shaking under them. It felt like an earthquake was rocking the NCIS headquarters.
Kate turned at the sound of Tony’s voice. Tony ran to her, pressing her against the wall as a beam fell from the ceiling barely missing them both.
Tony sighed. He looked down at Kate and backed away. “Are you okay?”
Kate nodded. “What the…!?”
Tony shook his head. “We need to get back to the bullpen.” Tony said. He grabbed Kate’s hand and led her around and over the debris that blocked their path.
They were nearly back when a large part of the ceiling collapsed. They were both knocked to the ground, unconscious.
NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS
Gibbs tried to keep calm during the chaos. But he knew only one thing. Abby was safe. He and Abby were in the lab when the building began to shake. Gibbs pulled Abby away from the external windows. They retreated to her back office.
Gibbs had no idea where the rest of his team was. Tony and Kate had headed to Autopsy. He prayed that they were not trapped in the elevator. He had left McGee at his desk. And he hoped that the young man had taken cover when this, whatever this was, happened. He knew Ducky didn’t usually come into work until after 12 noon. It was now 12:05 p.m. He prayed that Ducky was late. And he hoped that today was one of the days Jimmy had off.
Gibbs dialed Tony’s phone. It went to voicemail, the same with Kate’s. He got Tim on the third ring.
“McGee, are you okay?” Gibbs asked as an introduction.
“Yeah, Boss.” Tim said as he peered, shaken, from under his desk. He looked up to see that part of the skylight had fallen. “What the…? What is going on?”
“Who’s with you?” Gibbs asked.
Tim hesitated for a second. He then came, slowly, out from under his desk. He looked around. “Nobody, I don’t see Tony or Kate.” Tim replied. There was no one in the bullpen with him, and there were few people on their feet around him. He saw many of his fellow agents covered in debris, lying on the floor. “But we have a lot of hurt people up here, Boss.”
Gibbs nodded, though Tim couldn’t see him. Gibbs was shaken, but he couldn’t give in to his fears. “Look for Tony and Kate. Help who you can, I’m with Abby, we’re okay.”
“Ducky? Jimmy?”
“Don’t know, Tim. But I hope, to hell, they were late today.” Gibbs replied.
NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS
The traffic into the Naval Yard was unusually heavy. It was not until Ducky got close to the NCIS headquarters that he saw what the problem was. There was the shell of an SUV sitting only feet from the front entrance. It was no longer easy to tell what color the vehicle had been. But the real devastation had been to the building itself. The blast had been big enough to create a small crater around the car. It had destroyed the parked cars around it for at least 10 feet. And it had made the front of the NCIS building look eerily similar to the pictures of the Oklahoma City bombing. Though this bomb, thankfully, didn’t pack nearly as much power.
“I need to get in there!” Ducky asserted to the FBI agent and police officers on the scene.
“We cannot let anyone into the building.” A police officer said to Ducky as he tried to walk past the line of officers and agents that had formed in front of the building.
“I need to get in there!” Ducky repeated.
“The building is not secure!” The officer shouted to be heard over the clamor of voices.
“I am a doctor! I can help!” Ducky pressed. “I need to get in there!”
“Mr….” The policeman started, he had underestimated the man’s determination. “The structure is not secure. We have people going through it as we speak.”
“The name is Dr. Donald Mallard.” Ducky growled. “I need to get into that building to assist my co-workers! Now…you can kindly step aside or you can escort me in!”
The officer relented and escorted Ducky into the building as many of the workers with less serious injuries were escorted out of the building. He looked for the members of his special NCIS family in the faces of all that left. His stomach tightened when he realized that they must still be in the building.
NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS
Tony opened his eyes. A blinding bolt of pain shot through his right shoulder and wrist as he tried to move. He groaned. There was an immediate shift beside him. He felt Kate’s hand on his face. She used her sleeve to wipe away the blood oozing from a massive head wound on the left side of his face. Kate had come around only moments before. She had been watching her partner for any signs of life. She helped him to try to sit up beside her. She pushed a mound of debris out of the way.
“You okay?” Tony asked, seeing the blood trail on the right side of Kate’s face. She had a small gash near the hairline. The rest of her injuries were minor, cuts and bruises.
Tony had landed on his right hand when they had been knocked to the floor. His wrist throbbed, and he was afraid to try to move it. He carefully moved his injured arm onto his lap.
“What about you, your wrist?” Kate asked. She had noticed he had not tried to move it.
“…might be broken.” Tony replied. “…hurts like hell.” Tony leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes.
“Tony!” Kate put her hand on Tony’s arm and gently shook him. She was afraid he had passed out again.
“…killer headache.” Tony explained. He sat still for a moment. “There are a lot of hurt people here, Kate.” Tony said as he heard movement coming from somewhere near them. Tony managed to stand up. He and Kate made their way over and through the rubble. The bullpen was a sea of injured co-workers. Tony dropped down beside the first injured person he saw.
“Kate, go get our first aid kits.” Tony said as he tried to assess injuries and inspect wounds with his one good hand.
Kate hurried to her desk. All around her were people in various degrees of pain and injury. Those whose injuries were minor were helping the ones whose injuries were serious. She found the kits and turned to head back to where Tony was.
“Kate!” Tim said, relieved to have found her. He noticed blood on her face and clothes.
“Tim!” Kate replied. “You okay?”
“Yeah, just looking for you guys. Tony with you?” Tim paused. “Are you okay?”
Kate nodded. “Tony’s helping somebody right now. He told me to get these.” Kate referred to the kits. “I’m alright. It’s a lot of blood for a little cut. Come on.”
Tim followed Kate and they both returned to where Kate had left Tony.
“Your wrist.” Tim said, looking at the black and blue coloration and the amount of swelling.
“I need you two to be my hands.” Tony said in obvious pain. “My wrist…I think it’s broken. I can’t move my right arm at all. I….”
“Tony?!” Tim started.
“You can do this, Tim.” Tony replied. “All you have to do is listen to me. You’re just going to clean and bandage some wounds. We can’t do much here, anyway.” Tony looked around the room. “How is…everybody else?”
“Gibbs and Abby are down in the lab.” Tim stated. “I don’t know about Ducky or Jimmy.”
“Jimmy’s at home today. He had a big test to study for, midterm or something like that.” Tony paused. “But you haven’t heard from Ducky?”
Both Tony and Kate looked at Tim.
Tim shook his head. “Gibbs called. But he didn’t know anything. I tried to call down to autopsy and nobody answered.” Tim paused. “Gibbs hasn’t called back. The structural engineers are telling everybody to stay put. They are saying the damage is mostly to the front of the building.”
“Gibbs is trying to find the rest of us.” Tony stated.
“But somebody needs to check on Ducky.” Tim stated as he turned to leave.
Tony shook his head. “We need to stay put. I need you here. Gibbs will check on Ducky. That’s probably the first place he went.”
Tony, Tim and Kate went from injured person to injured person. Tony giving instructions as Tim and Kate followed his orders. An hour later the most serious had been taken to local hospitals. The less serious were being taken to the mobile clinics, which had set up shop in the NCIS parking lot.
The building had been declared safe. Those who worked in certain departments were allowed to return to get their personal belongings. Those who worked in the areas directly affected by the blast would have to wait a little longer. The rubble was still being sorted through and personal belongings were still being identified.
Tony, Tim and Kate were some of the last people out of the building. Kate had talked Tony into being seen, though it really didn’t take much convincing.
Tony looked at the short distance he would have to walk to the clinic. It seemed like a million miles away, and his legs suddenly felt like Jello. He swayed on his feet and both Kate and Tim grabbed him, preventing his fall.
Tony shook his head. “I can’t….”
Kate nodded. “I know. I’ll go get somebody.” She and Tim got Tony settled on the ground before she went for help.
Gibbs had not seen his team, and he was getting anxious. By the time he got to the fourth floor it had been cleared. He was now outside, looking. Gibbs had sent Abby out earlier. She was now, also, lost in the crowd of people milling around the outside of the building.
“Ducky?” Kate said as she spotted him on her way to get help.
“Caitlyn?” Ducky replied, overjoyed to see her. “How are you, my dear?” He asked, eyeing her bandage. Kate had been Tony’s first patient, and Tim had done the handiwork.
Kate shook her head. “Small cut, lots of blood. I’m okay.” She turned back the way she had come. “Tony needs help.”
Ducky followed Kate over to where Tony sat. Ducky grinned as he admired Kate’s bandaging techniques.
“It would have been a lot easier if he had held still and not complained the whole time.” Kate explained.
Abby finally spotted Kate and Tim in the crowd and came running. She stopped short when she saw Tony sitting on the ground. Abby squealed with delight that she had found them. She gave quick hugs. Then she dropped to the ground and sat down beside Tony.
Ducky nodded. “Anthony is a difficult patient in the best of times.”
“Hey!” Tony said from his spot on the ground.
Ducky knelt down beside Tony. “How are you, dear boy?”
Tony shook his head. “I can’t move my wrist or my arm.”
“Well, you needed ice on them long ago.” Ducky replied.
“There wasn’t time, we….”
Ducky nodded. “I know what you did. I heard it all. You are quite the hero of the fourth floor.”
“Were you inside?” Tony asked.
Ducky shook his head. “I am very fortunate to have been running late. I am told there is a lot of damage in Autopsy. And I am so very grateful Mr. Palmer is home studying for his midterms.”
Gibbs finally located his team. They were all on the front lawn, staring at what was left of NCIS Headquarters.
TBC
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