Take It From M.E. - An NCIS Fan Fiction

Chapter 7 - Don't Apologize

"I'm sorry we're..." I start, jumping out of the van at the crime scene.

"Late. Yeah, we know Palmer." Gibbs says, walking by.

"I really didn't mean to... I'm sorry, Agent Gibbs." I ramble.

"Just don't let it happen again... Doctor." Gibbs says with a smirk and walks away.

"Did he just say..." Tony started.

"Doctor?" Ziva interrupted him to finish.

"He did." I gulped, "I passed my boards... Six months ago."

"Six months?! Palmer, why didn't you tell us?" Tim spit out.

"Because I didn't want things to change, alright? I wanted things to stay the way they were. I didn't want to have you guys treating me any differently. I like the way things have been, and I don't want to lose that dynamic, okay?" I say almost passive aggressively.

"Woah. Calm down there Autopsy Gremlin. If you don't want things to change, they don't have to." Tony says before he slaps me in the head, "Now get to work!"

"Thanks, Tony." I smile but quickly drop the smile and grab my head, "But maybe no more head slaps?" I call after him.

"In your dreams, Doctor Palmer." Gibbs says as he smacks me on the back of the head, "Like DiNozzo said, get to work!"

"On it, Gibbs!" I say.

I run to the back of the van and pull out the gurney and all of the other equipment Ducky and I will need. Making my way around the scene, I can't seem to find Ducky until I hear him call my name.

"Dr. Palmer! Down here!" Ducky calls, standing at the bottom of a steep hill.

"How am I supposed to get all of this down there?" I ask, confused. Looking around there doesn't seem to be an easy access point.

"The hard way, Dr. Palmer." Ducky chuckles.

"Alright... But I am leaving the gurney up here." I laugh. I start to make my way down the hill, but almost immediately catch my foot on a rock and fall down the rest of the rough terrain.

"Dr. Palmer! Are you alright?" Ducky asks running over to me.

"Yeah... I'm fine, Dr. Mallard... I just broke my glasses and hit my head on that rock over there." I say pointing to a large rock about ten feet away, "I know it is that one because... Well, for obvious reasons."

"Jimmy! Let me see your head!" Ducky says upon realizing that there is blood on the rock.

"Oh! Ow!" I cringe as Ducky lays his hands on the back of my head.

"You need stitches, my friend... I'll get Jethro to have one of the team drive you to the hospital."

"Ducky, I'm fine. Honest." I say, resting my blood drenched hands at my side.

"Jimmy. You listen to me. Just because you are a doctor, doesn't mean that you can contradict whatever I say, do I make myself clear?" Ducky says in a harsher tone than I've ever heard him use before.

"Of course, Ducky... I apologize." I say.

"Don't apologize. Just don't do it."