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

Chapter 8 - Bubbly

"Thanks for driving me McGee." I say awkwardly to break the looming silence. The rag Ducky gave me to catch my blood was soaked through and sticky.

"No problem, Dr. Palmer." Tim chuckles. I sigh, leaning my shoulder onto the window. "What's wrong? Did I say something."

"No... It's just... I wish I would have never taken my boards, you know? Left things how they were. I don't want to mess up the dynamic we have." I look out the window to avoid making eye contact.

"Hey... That's not going to happen... As long as you are not leaving things won't change, got it?" Tim says, obviously just trying to make me feel better.

"That's not true though, McGee. I am already being treated differently. I'm being called Doctor. Ducky has changed too. I think he is getting ready to retire now, knowing that I am a doctor now and all. I'm not ready for him to leave."

"Is that what this is all about? You're scared to be on your own?"

"I guess... Yeah." I say sheepishly turning to face him.

"Palmer... Ducky wouldn't leave you unless he knows that you're going to be alright... Besides, he loves his job. I doubt he would quit until he absolutely had to." Tim says as he pulls into the hospital parking lot.

Just as he pulls into a spot in front of the emergency room, two nurses come rushing out with a wheelchair. Tim comes around and opens my door as the nurses get to the car. "Gibbs called." Tim says peeking through the nurses shoulders as they help me out of the car.

"I'm fine... Really. Just busted glasses. Honest." I say once I'm in the wheelchair.

"I don't know, Palmer... It might be more than that." Tim smirks as they push me towards the sliding doors.

"Just like I told Ducky about my nose. I will be fine just give me some time to heal." I say, becoming ever more loopy as time goes on.

"You had surgery, Jimmy! It didn't heal over time."

"I think you are wrong with that, Timothy." I say as my head droops forward.

"He's going to go unconscious." One of the nurses says to Tim as they wheel me into s room.

"I am...am... am not." I say and with that I close my eyes.

"Concussion?" I hear a bubbly, almost dream like voice coming from Tim.

"More than likely. Hopefully no internal bleeding that would cause a stroke." The second nurse says also in a bubbly voice.

"I promise. I'm fine." I try to speak, but nothing is coming out.

Tim and the two nurses go on as if I'm not there, until finally a doctor walks in. "We need to do a brain scan... Most likely a concussion. Possibly some clotting in the brain. Hopefully nothing to hard to fix." The doctor says walking over to me.