FALLOUT

30 feet, no make that 20 lousy feet, 15 feet if that. 15 fucking feet. How the hell could he have missed?

He drew his Sig Sauer and fired it twice at the leering photograph pinned to the basement wall.

Right between the eyes. So why couldn't he have down that in autopsy earlier? Wiped that grin right off that bastards face.

Jeez he was getting old.

‘You're older that I expected' the terrorists words invaded his mind.
"Older doesn't mean deaf' had been his response.
"Older doesn't mean dead," an inner voice said.
Yeah he had been lucky.

"Should've worn a vest." came DiNozzo's voice, unbidden, into his head.
Wouldn't have made any difference.

Gibbs shook his head, wincing as the motion made his shoulder throb. He reached for his coffee mug; it was empty, as was the bottle of Jack Daniels at its side.

Good old Jack, more effective than any of those painkillers the hospital had insisted on giving him.

Hospital. By rights he should have been kept in overnight, only his belligerent, ‘the second ‘B' stands for Bastard', attitude and his ordering Tony to vouch that he would be taking Gibbs home to his apartment got him out of there.

Pulling his Sig on DiNozzo to make sure he dropped him off here wasn't perhaps the best thing he'd done in a while. Nope, the whole thing stank from start to finish like de-comp.

‘Need more Jack' he thought as he climbed the stairs. Jack would make it all go away at least until the morning; when the cold light of day and the hangover would bring it back to him like a slap to the head and the coffee would take the edge off the pain and the hurt and allow him to face the world again.

He heard the guttural roar as he entered the living room. A distinctive noise for a very distinctive person. Gibbs crossed to the curtain and peered out. Sure enough, Ducky's Morgan was parked next to the kerb.

The cell phone in his pocket began to ring.
"Gibbs."
"Jethro, my dear boy, I was wondering…" Ducky's voice purred on the other end.
"Come on in Duck, the door's open." Gibbs said and snapped the phone shut.

"Have one with me Duck?" Gibbs asked, motioning with his new bottle of Jack Daniels.
"Jethro, I think you've had quite enough already," Ducky admonished.
"Hospital said plenty of fluids."
"Yes, but I don't think they intended for you to replace lost blood with pure alcohol."
Gibbs grinned.
"Aw come on Duck."
"I'll make you some coffee." Ducky said, heading for the kitchen.

"Anyway," he continued on his return "I thought you were supposed to be spending the night at young Anthony's apartment."
"My friend and I persuaded him otherwise," Gibbs said, patting his gun.
"Oh really Jethro. Threatening your subordinate really is bad form."
"Not feeling on top form right now Duck."

"It wasn't your fault." Ducky said, gently.
"I had him Duck." Jethro slammed his mug on the table "I should've killed him."
"Should have, could have, might have; it's all the same thing." Ducky said, mopping up the spilt coffee from the tabletop.
"Gerald's doing fine," he added "The doctors are very pleased with his progress. Your prompt intervention means that he should regain full use of that arm, after intensive physiotherapy of course. Although what on earth I'm going to do without him in the interim Lord only knows."

Gibbs hung his head. Here he was wallowing in self-pity whilst Ducky's assistant had faced the prospect of losing the use of his left arm.
"God I'm a selfish bastard" he murmured.
Ducky sat down next to him and gently put his arm around him, careful not to put any pressure on Gibbs injured shoulder.
"Sometimes," Ducky conceded. He ran his fingers lightly down Gibbs' face "And sometimes you are the most selfless, loving human being I have had the privilege of knowing." He felt Gibbs lean slightly into the touch.

"I was so frightened Duck." Gibbs said. He turned to look his lover in the eye "I thought he'd killed you. I don't know what I'd done without you."
Ducky leant across and gently kissed him on the lips.
"Well he didn't," he said "Although it was rather cold in the body chiller." He added.
"Want me to warm you up Duck?" Gibbs asked.
"As long as I can get you out of those dreadful scrubs Jethro" Ducky said, pulling gently on the blue surgical scrubs, which the hospital had issued to Gibbs on his release from ER.
"I think that can be arranged." Gibbs said, with a grin.