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Title: Recovery
By: nancy
Pairing: Ducky/Gerald
Fandom: NCIS
Rating: PG
Summary: Ducky and Gerald talk after Gerald's shooting in Bete Noir.

***

Fairly well known to the hospital staff, Ducky was granted access to Gerald's room while the younger man was sleeping off the anesthesia. The surgery had gone off without a hitch, but he knew it would be a long, painful road to recovery that Gerald had to travel. His own part in that journey chafed at him, keeping Ducky awake long passed the normal time that he was sound asleep in bed. Guilt for having provoked the terrorist into shooting Gerald plagued him and only seeing Gerald's dark eyes would even slightly cause it to abate.

Not that it would ever die completely.

Gerald stirred in the hospital bed and Ducky stood from the chair, sitting on the edge of the mattress and calling softly, "Gerald? Are you awake, lad?"

Bleary brown eyes finally opened, focusing with some degree of difficulty on his face. A lopsided smile spread over Gerald's face as the black man slurred, "Evenin' Doc. Duck. Sorry."

Ducky smiled in return and had to forcibly restrain himself from caressing his assistant's face. His daydreams had no place in reality, after all. "Nothing to be sorry for, Gerald, nothing at all. I'm going to let the nurse know that you're awake."

But Gerald grabbed him with his free hand before Ducky could leave and demanded urgently, "Kate!?"

"She's fine," Ducky soothed, patting the hand on him. "The terrorist escaped, but everyone's fine. Well, Gibbs was shot, but it wasn't bad. He's going to be healed up faster than you, so really, there's nothing for you to worry about save to get better. All right?"

Gerald relaxed slowly and nodded, releasing him.

Walking from the room, Ducky found the nearest nurse and followed her back inside. He waited patiently while she checked Gerald over, even as impatient as he was to have the young man to himself again. For however a short time that he could arrange it, that was.

When she left, Gerald motioned Ducky over and said, "You should get some sleep, Doc."

"I will," Ducky promised. "I just wanted to be certain you were all right."

Gerald took his hand, lacing their fingers together as he said, "You're gonna sit up here all night. Gonna watch m'sleep. You should sleep, too, Doc. Need to."

"I will sleep, Gerald, I promise," Ducky assured him.

Or, he would have slept if Gerald hadn't brought their hands to his lips and kissed the back of Ducky's hand. Speechless, Ducky just stared at Gerald, unable to form a coherent sentence for the first time in a very long time.

"I noticed," Gerald said through a yawn. "And you're not old, Ducky. Not too old, anyhow. Like you just like this. Stories and all. We'll always have something to talk about."

It was like they'd reversed polarities or something; Ducky unable to speak and Gerald becoming positively loquacious.

Finally, Ducky managed, "You don't know what you're saying, Gerald. You've been shot and put through a terrible ordeal. You can't..."

"I can. And I am. I'm all yours, Doc. Don't know why you'd want me, but I fell for you somewhere between ThailandGeorgia

Ducky blinked, trying to remember when he'd talked about either one.

"First day we met. You said that case reminded you of two things. How bodies smell when they've been left too long in the heat and humidity, like a case in , and a tattoo artist you met in Bangkok

Astounded by the fact that Gerald had both remembered the conversation and that his quiet assistant had apparently been in love with him for two years without betraying even a hint of his feelings, Ducky again sat on the mattress. He felt dazed, like he didn't know Gerald at all, and barely managed to ask, "Why didn't you say anything?"

"'Cause you didn't want to hear it," Gerald answered through a yawn. He was clearly losing the battle to stay awake, but continued, "Not 'til now. No one's guaranteed a long life, Doc. Not me, not Gibbs, not anyone. Just 'cause you're older, doesn't mean I'll outlast you. Now you get it. And now I got a real shot at you, which I'm gonna take. But first, go home and get some sleep."

Wondering if he'd gone mad, Gerald had never ordered him to do anything in their two years of working together, Ducky said, "You can't possibly want me."

"I do. And Doc?"

"Yes, Gerald?"

"It's not the drugs talking. It's not the shooting. It's not being held hostage. It's not PTSD. It's not anything, but the fact that I love you. Understand?"

Gazing ino the dark eyes that showed exhaustion, pain, and love, Ducky finally nodded. What else could he do? Seeing that Gerald was well and truly struggling to stay awake, Ducky carefully drew up the blankets around him and ordered, "Get some sleep, Gerald. We'll talk later, after we've both rested. As a matter of fact, I have plenty to say to you, and you're going to listen to every word. The mere fact that you stood around for two years and didn't even breathe a word, all the while knowing that how I felt..."

words trailed off as he saw that Gerald had truly fallen asleep. Smiling, he leaned down and kissed Gerald's temple, pressing his lips against the dark skin. He whispered, "I love you as well, Gerald, and we're going to get through this together. I'll help Gibbs find the bastard who shot you and the two of us will get you through recovery as swiftly as possible. I need you back where you belong, after all. Beside me."

He again kissed Gerald's temple before straightening and staring down at his young lover. It had been a good long time since he'd used that word, but it applied. Caressing the handsome face, Ducky lingered a moment longer before quietly exiting the room. His steps were a lot lighter than before and he was filled with a quiet happiness that had been missing from his life for far too long.

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