NCIS (2003–…): Season 14, Episode 13 - Keep Going - full transcript

SMITH:
Why you? What did you say?

RYAN:
I didn't say anything.

Well, then why'd
you get fired?

I didn't get fired,
I got laid off.

Fired, laid off,
it's all the same.

No, it's not, Dad.

The company had cutbacks,

and they had to trim
five people.

I was one of them.

It was nothing that I did wrong.

Of course not.
Never is.

They only trim
their best people.

Don't you think
that I feel bad enough?!

I don't know, Ryan, do you?

Dad, look out!

(tires screeching,
horns blaring)

You all right?

Damn maniacs.

Drive like idiots.

There was a stop sign.

Behind a tree maybe.

Where do you want to eat?

I'm not hungry.

Come on, tonight of all nights?

Especially tonight.

All I want for you
is to be happy.

Just... get your act together.

Nobody wants that more than me.

Things just haven't
worked out yet.

How you fixed for cash?

I don't know.
I got rent covered.

There's an ATM here.

Dad, no.
I'll figure it out.

SMITH:
Just take it.

For me.

Okay.

Believe me,
I long for the day

that I can stop
worrying about you.

Yeah, well, I long for the day

that you can finally
butt out of my life.

Oh, my God. Dad!

Oh! Ah.

No, no. Dad. Dad.

Oh, my God, Dad.

Dad? Dad.

Dad, no.

(crying)

*

Hey, Ducky.

Oh, yay, Jimmy,
you're still here.

Yeah, just
finishing up. I...

Oh, man, are those
Abby's Famous?

Yup.

The Bunsen burner was still hot,

so I figured
I'd whip you up a batch.

Oh, they got little
skulls on them.

Little smiley-face skulls.

You can take them home
for your girls.

Oh, don't I wish.

Yeah, Breena took Victoria
up to visit her aunt's house

in Syracuse this week,

so I am a
swinging bachelor.

That explains it.

Explains what?

Your lack of
swinging lately.

You've been pouting for days.

Have I?
Yeah.

Oh, so much for my poker face.

I mean, it's understandable.
You miss them when they're gone.

Yeah, especially
this time of year.

Getting your
mid-winter blues?

It's not blues,
it's just, it's blah.

It's darker, it's colder,
minor annoyances seem bigger.

I start questioning
everything

from politics to "Why did I wear
these itchy socks today?"

Forgive me, Mr. Palmer,
but I can't resist the urge

to give you one of my all-time
favorite pieces of advice.

"If you're going through hell,
keep going."

I wonder if I could
fit that on a cookie.

(ringtone playing)
JIMMY: That is a good one,

but I'm not going
through hell, Abby,

not by a long shot.
(Ducky talking quietly)

You know, it's-it's more
just, uh, I don't know,

heck.

So, you're gonna be okay?

Heck yeah.

And now that I got your cookies,

I will be even better.

DUCKY:
And busier.

That was Jethro.

Yeah, he's requesting
our services

a scant three blocks from here.

JIMMY:
Thanks, Abby.

(sirens wailing,
urgent chatter)

(camera clicking)

GIBBS:
What's his name?

Navy Captain Paul Smith.

He landed a long way
from his car.

Left his key in the ignition.

Quinn, check out those
surveillance cameras.

I've often said this street
needs a speed bump.

Or at least a speed limit.

It's like the Indy 500
here during the day.

Now, get the gurney, please,

would you, Mr. Palmer?

Boss, this is Renee Prewdome.

She's our one
and only witness.

RENEE:
It's these kids

and their texting.

And-and it's
not just kids.

Grown-ups are looking
at their phones

instead of the road.

Is that what you saw, ma'am?

Oh, no, we-we
didn't see anything.

Bruce and I were checking
our balance over at the ATM

when all of a sudden, the most
ungodly sound behind us.

The car was gone
before we even turned.

No one else here?

No, the-the man's son.

I tried to talk to him,
but he-he was crying so hard.

And how did you know
that it was the man's son?

Oh, the poor kid just kept
saying "Dad" over and over.

Where's the son now?

I lost track of him
when the cops got here,

but he's in his
mid-20s maybe, and, uh,

he had on a-a red, uh,
plaid jacket.

Okay, ma'am.

And let's-let's step back here.

Okay.

Gibbs, look.

(people gasping, murmuring)

GIBBS:
McGee, fire department.

Ducky, get that body
off the street.

Torres, you're with me.

DUCKY:
Quickly, Mr. Palmer,

let's get him into the van.

Mr. Palmer? Jimmy?

Oh, my God.

(gasping)

What the hell
are you doing?

Don't, don't, don't,
don't, don't, don't.

(grunting)

Palmer!

(sobbing):
Please let go.

What are you doing?

I'm not exactly sure.
No.

Please let me go.

(panting)

(siren wailing)

Let me go! I don't
want to hurt you!

I would love
to help you not hurt me,

so please don't jump, okay?
GIBBS: Palmer.

What are you thinking?

I wasn't thinking anything,
Agent Gibbs.

I just reacted, and before
I knew it, I was out here.

Okay, come on.
Change places with me.

RYAN:
No!

No, stay back!
I'll take him with me!

No, please don't.
Please don't. Please don't.

(crying):
My dad's dead

and it's my fault.

Come on.

Let me trade
places with him.

I'm not afraid of heights.
No, no, no.

I can pull them both
in if I have to.
Yeah, yeah,
but Palmer's got it.

He's got it.

Palmer.

Keep talking.

Okay, hey, listen, listen.

If you won't come inside,
let's just sit down

and we'll talk
about this.

No, I'm not sitting
or talking, man.

I'm jumping.

No hero's
gonna stop me.

No, no, no, I'm no hero!
I'm no hero. My name is Jimmy.

My name is Jimmy.
What's your name, huh?

Tell me your name.

(panting)

It's Ryan.
Ryan.

Ryan, okay, good, Ryan, Ryan.

Listen, Ryan,
I-I never thought

that I would be a hero.

Especially after
I screwed up really bad

a couple of years ago

when I chickened out, but...

then a very good friend of mine
set me straight.

DUCKY:
Yeah, there was a time when

I thought I would be
an archeologist.

Yeah, what happened?

Why did you decide
to go to medical school?

Well, although archeology

carried a certain
romantic appeal,

I soon realized
it wasn't in my bones,

so to speak.

You have to decide what's
in your bones, Mr. Palmer.

Not a spine.

Nonsense.

You just have
a-a well-developed sense

of self-preservation.

You're training to be
a medical examiner,

not an NCIS field agent.

I have no doubt that you have it
in you to die a hero's death,

but, for the time being,
I'd appreciate it

if you could stay alive
to help me examine the dead.

JIMMY: And with that
very healthy sense

of self-preservation,

I ask you to please
stay alive,

so that we can both die like
heroes a very long time from now

when we're old and gray,
all right?

My dad was 53.

He was an actual war hero.

Thanks to me, he
didn't die like one.

Why? Why thanks to you? Why?

Everything I touch...

(crying):
I swear.

Please, let me go.

(siren wailing,
emergency horn honking)

(crying):
Oh, no.

(line ringing)

GIBBS:
Hey, Quinn.

Keep fire down below.

We can't risk spooking this kid

while Palmer's
hanging onto him.

Okay, Gibbs. Yeah, you got it.

Um, excuse me.
Uh, Lieutenant?

I'm gonna have to ask you
not to go up there.

Excuse me?

Yeah, crazy, I know,
but Navy interests.

But that's a city building.

Yeah, I know that,
but that's

one of our team
members up there,

and if he dies,
you're gonna be dealing

with the whole U.S. Navy.

(helicopter passing overhead)

Engine 52 to all units.

Stand down for now.
Wait for my command.

But if you have
one of those big bags,

you know, just in case.

All right, boys, let's get
the air cushion prepped.

Check out these skid marks.

McGEE:
I don't see any skid marks.

Exactly.

(grunting)
No, no, no, no, no, Ryan.

You know, you know, it's funny,
it's funny, Ryan, Ryan.

Not ha-ha funny,
when I think about my wife

and my young daughter,

who wouldn't think that
this is very funny at all,

but if I had to do
this all over again...

(laughs)

...you would definitely
be out here on your own.

No, I'd be dead by now.

You're nuts.
You have a wife and kid?

Yes, and I love them
very much, Ryan.

Then let me go.

You got too much
to live for, man.

I don't.
No. I'm sure
that you do, too, man.

No, not anymore.

I'm tired of screwing up.

What's wrong
with screwing up?

It's fine. It's fine.

I-It's evidence
that y-you're trying.

I just got my dad killed.

Ryan, what happened?
Why are you blaming yourself?

If I hadn't been laid off,
I wouldn't have needed cash.

My dad wouldn't
have stopped.

He'd be alive right now
if not for me!

BISHOP:
Gibbs.

Take a look.

No skid marks.

McGEE:
Whoever hit Captain Smith

never so much as tapped
their brakes

before or after
the hit.

Not even a swerving
tire pattern

to suggest
he lost control.

So either we're
dealing with

the steadiest drunk driver
in history...

Or it was no accident.

Ryan, you get
a look at the car

that hit your father?

No, it was going
too fast.

Any disagreements
your father had?

Just with me.

GIBBS:
Think. Any enemies?

Did he have
any enemies?

No way.

Not the Captain.

Everybody loved my dad.

He was perfect.

He was perfect.

No, no.

Hang on, Jimmy, I'm coming!

Stop, or I'm taking him
with me, I swear!

GIBBS:
Don't do it, Ryan.

Then get away,
both of you.

I don't trust
either of you.

Palmer, don't you
let him jump.

On it, Gibbs.
(grunts)

And you do not
let him fall.

Where you going?
Boss, we can set up

a command post downstairs.
No, there's no time.

The squad room's
three blocks away.

The kid blames himself.

Let's go find out
who killed his dad.

TORRES (over phone):
Bishop, you there?

Just getting back
now, Nick. Hold on.

What do we know, Quinn?
Victim is Captain Paul Smith.

53, widowed, one child.

Gulf War hero, and stationed
here at the Navy Yard since May.

Anything on the son?
I'm still digging.

Uh, so far I've got
Ryan Smith, 27.

Listed as employed by

Kelb Technologies
in Annandale.

BISHOP: Whoa, check out his
date of birth-- that's today.

Guy lost his dad
on his birthday?

Hey, Nick, do you know
if he's told Jimmy that?

To be honest,
I can't really hear much.

Pretty noisy up here.

McGee, we need
to hear him.
On it.

Poor Jimmy.
What can we do?

What do you mean?
DUCKY:
To help Mr. Palmer.

I need to get
back there.

We all gonna fit on the ledge
and hold hands?

You want to help Palmer?
Do your job.

Right. Well, Captain Smith
is down on my table.

Perhaps he can help.

I can be your Jimmy, Ducky.

QUINN:
Not while we still

need Abby, Abby.

I spoke to the ATM company.

They're sending security footage
over to you any moment.

Okay.

Gibbs, we've got
Captain Smith's

operation officer
waiting in the conference room.

Quinn, come on. You're with me.

I came as soon as I heard.

I've been working
with Captain Smith

on the Freehold
for the last three years.

He was such a great man.

You know anything about his son?

Cap talked about him
quite a bit.

I know that they maintained

regular phone contact
when we were at sea.

Is he okay?

I heard it was
some sort of car accident.

Uh, well,
we're still determining

just how accidental.

Seriously?

The captain,
did he have any issues

or conflicts with anyone?

Never. No.

Everybody loved...

Everybody?

I mean,

there... there was an...

No. No, I can't
imagine Morgan...

Who's Morgan?

Commander Morgan, our X.O.

The captain gave him

an unfavorable
FITREP last week,

and Morgan took it hard.

I know words were exchanged.

What words?

Strong words, apparently.

Bad enough for the captain
to threaten Morgan

with a court-martial.

A court-martial?

A threat.

I hear they worked it out,

but things have been icy
ever since.

Morgan's career
took a major hit.

We need Morgan's number
and address.

Of course.

(sirens wailing,
helicopter passing overhead)

Well, on the bright side,
at least there's no pigeons.

They must have, uh, flown south
for the winter, I guess.

Actually, pigeons don't
fly south for the winter,

Agent Torres, but I appreciate
your bright side.

Hey, how long's
he gonna be there?

My guess, as long as
we stay here.

Unbelievable.

I can't even kill myself
without messing it up.

In your defense, I'm the one
that messed this one up,

so don't go
blaming yourself.

Yeah, but I do.

This isn't the first time
I thought about doing this.

Dad was the only thing
stopping me.

You didn't want
to break his heart.

(chuckles) That and
prove him right.

I'd already disappointed
him enough.

Your dad said
he was disappointed?

He didn't have to.

He, uh, he wanted me
in the military,

and I chose college, then
he wanted me to study business,

and I switched
to architecture.

When I didn't get a job
in my chosen field,

he thought maybe

we'd wasted my tuition.

Come on, hardly anybody
gets their dream job

right out of school.
Did you?

I'm actually one of

the fortunate few.

Very fortunate,
considering I nearly blew it

on my third day on the job.

JIMMY:
I am so sorry, Dr. Mallard.

DR. MALLARD: Don't make me
have second thoughts,

Mr. Palmer.

Second thoughts, sir?

About you coming to work

full-time as my assistant.

It will never happen again,
Doctor, I promise.

It was an extremely
unusual situation.

They always are.

See, I was in the shower,
and, uh, the doorbell rang,

but I didn't know it
at the time.

I hope this won't
become a habit, Mr. Palmer.

No. See, I always
answer my door.

I was referring
to you being late.

Does this mean I have a job?

I'm glad it worked
out for you, I am.

But I've been
bouncing around between

entry-level jobs for years now,
only to get laid off yesterday.

Yeah? From what job?

Associate
Systems Engineer.

It's a fancy way of saying
"apprentice architect."

Yeah,
"Assistant Medical Examiner."

It doesn't sound
very fancy either.

Is that what you are?
(phone ringing)

PALMER:
Yeah, but I love it.

I do. Most days.

Every job has
its ups and downs.

RYAN: Yeah, I was
just starting to feel like

I was up when
they canned me.

Hey, at least
you were up, right?

Something better will
come along, it always does.

When one door closes,
another one opens.

And, uh, it's always darkest
before the dawn.

And-and they define success
by going from one failure

to another failure...
Hey, what is this, man?

Is this, uh,
self-help karaoke?

Honestly, I got
a million of these.

I could do this all night long.

Oh, my God.

Hey, are you guys
hungry?

McGee wants to
send us up some food.

I'm thinking burgers.

Yes, yes, absolutely.
Burgers.

About to die anyway, right?

Might as well have a last meal.

ABBY:
Hang on, Jimmy. Hang on, Jimmy.

Hang on, Jimmy.
Got the video?

Ugh, you'd think

ATMs would
have better cameras.

Catch our hit and run?
Barely.

Okay, so that's
Captain Smith back there

getting out of his car.

And then he starts
to cross, and wham.

Just disappears into a blur.

Slow down the blur.

ABBY:
It's just a dark SUV.

There's no plate,
no visible driver.

Not even sure
of the color.

Consider it black,
charcoal, ebony, noir.

Whatever they call
the paint.

Some of it scraped
itself off

on Captain Smith's
watch on impact.

Anything else, Duck?

No, no surprises.

The captain suffered
a crushed parietal bone,

which killed him instantly.

Poor fellow literally
never saw what hit him.

Oh, and there's this.

The son will want
his father's wallet

once Mr. Palmer has
successfully talked him down.

There's enough paint
on this watch

to match it
to a specific vehicle.

Palmer can't wait.

Match it fast!

Hang on, Jimmy. Hang on, Jimmy.
Hang on, Jimmy.

So this building, what type
of architecture is it?

It's kind of,
uh, Beaux-Arts.

Elaborate, ornamental.

Most newer buildings
don't even have ledges.

Yeah, I'm glad this one does.

I swear, I actually
thought I'd be

in Architectural
Digest by now.

Yeah, I hear you.

In my 20s,
conquering the world was

always just out of reach.

Couldn't wait to make it.

Meanwhile, everyone
on social media

is just kicking butt.

Promotions, weddings,
vacations.

Yeah, well,
there's no B-sides.

What?

Everyone only posts
their greatest hits.

No B-sides.

No one talks about
their lousy days.

Like when my daughter
is pitching a fit,

and my wife is trying
to reason with her

like she's a 32-year-old
instead of a two-year-old,

and I am just
the world's worst referee,

and...

Point is, you can't
compare yourself.

RYAN:
Oh.

You want to sit down?

I do.

Okay.

Ah.

That's so much better,
right?

Plus, I wore

these really itchy socks today.

Guys, food's here.

Hey, no jumping.

How they doing?

I'm not really sure,
to be honest.

We need to make
this quick.

Social media's great
for keeping in touch,

but there's no substitute
for in-person, human contact.

Like, at work, when
I'm having a lousy day,

my friends, they know
just how to lift me back up.

ABBY:
Okay, Jimmy, that does it.

Abby, listen...
No, you listen.

You know what's infectious
during the holidays?

Optimism is infectious.

Optimism and

joy.

And joy and...
Kindness.

Kindness.

Courtesy.
And charity.

Generosity.

And gratitude.

Selflessness.

And faith,

Jimmy. Faith.

Faith is infectious.

Life isn't perfect,
but sometimes things will

work out for the best
if you just have faith.

That's a very good friend.

Yeah, yeah, she really is.

I don't have friends like that.

I'm sorry.

(Jimmy gasping)

Ryan!

Hang on!

I got you!

(both panting)

Hey! Hey!

You don't want to die.

What? Yes, I do.

No, you don't.

What are you
talking about?

You saved me.

I don't want you
on my conscience.

What conscience?
If you went over with me,

you'd be dead, too.
That makes no sense.

TORRES:
All right.

Dinner's served.

You wouldn't have saved me
if you didn't want

to live yourself.
You don't know me.

TORRES:
All right, you two daredevils.

Two double cheeseburgers,

coming right up,
special delivery.

What are you doing? No!

Well, do you want to eat or not?
Not like that.

Stay back.

All right, all right.

Okay, I guess,
Jimmy, uh...

meet me halfway.

I can't, Agent Torres.

I can't risk letting him go.

Okay.

How am I supposed
to stick this to Palmer

if I can't even get close?

Okay, in the Boy Scouts,
they have a saying: be prepared.

I am prepared with a plan B.

Huh?

We're gonna tidy up?

No.

We are going to attach
this mini-mic

to the outside of the burger
box, and push that to Jimmy.

Oh, what happens
when they grab the burgers

and they chuck the box?

Jimmy never litters.
(chuckles)

Just admit it.
You saved us.

I saved you.

All right, let's try this again.

Okay, I got it. Got it.

Aw.
(chuckles)

Those near-death experiences,

they really make
you hungry, huh?

(whispers):
Nick.

Nick, we need a sound check.

Um...

Hey, uh, Ryan, by the way,
happy birthday.

Oh, hey, it's your birthday.

Yeah.

Don't remind me.

JIMMY (over speaker):
I am so sorry. I-I...

How's that sound to you, boss?

JIMMY:
This... this is just...

Yeah, good enough, McGee.
Come on back.

Tell Torres we're listening.

The X.O. is M.I.A., Gibbs.

JIMMY:
...not my intention to...
(phone beeps)

Commander Morgan.
BISHOP: No sign of him at home.

We're getting nowhere
pinging his phone.

It might just be turned off.

The neighbors say
he has a black SUV.

Get his plate. Update the BOLO.

JIMMY: You know, I-I normally
eat much healthier than this.

Under these circumstances...
(chuckles)

...nothing beats a good burger.

Yeah. Just like
mother used to make.

So, uh...
where is your mom?

You haven't
mentioned her.

She died. It was, uh, cancer
when I was 12.

Oh. I'm so sorry.

She was diagnosed in June,
dead by July.

And Dad was never the same.

Yeah? What about you?

I was mad, mostly.

My dad, he, um...

he tried to be all
things. He was, uh...

Mr. Discipline one
minute, and, uh...

the next, he'd...
(sniffles)

feel bad and baby me,
like she used to.

Baby you?

Yeah, he'd bail me out.

He'd shake his head,
all pissed off,

and then bend over backwards
to fix whatever jam I was in.

You know, m-my dad was never
anything like that,

Ryan, but-but I work
with someone who's close.

Remember Agent Gibbs? Remember
him? He was here earlier.

Tell you what, he might be
the toughest guy I've ever met.

Now I know it seems, like, uh,
some people have it much easier

while others have it
much rougher, but, uh...

I think it's safe to say
that there's no one

who's has had a tougher life
than Agent Gibbs.

How does it sound?

Reception still good?
Shh!

JIMMY:
Believe it or not,

his wife and his young daughter

were both killed
on the same day.

But you never
hear him mention it.

No, he just...
buries himself in his work.

And he builds boats
in his basement.

He'll kiss Abby on the forehead
once in a while,

but h-he's not exactly
a hugger, you know.

(chuckles)
At least he's never hugged me.

We all rely on him so much.

That man has the weight
of the world on his shoulders.

You'd never know it.

I really worry about him.

But a-as tough as Gibbs is,

on my darkest day,

when our adoption fell through,
I mean, Ryan...

...I lost my kid.

Gibbs was the one
who comforted me most.

JIMMY:
Take it you heard.

Mm-hmm.
(elevator bell dings)

Yeah, she, uh, she saw
the baby and just...

I guess she felt the same way
we felt when we first saw him.

Can't fault her for that, right?

You should go home.

I will. Yeah, Breena and I,
we just wanted

to get all this stuff
out of the house, you know.

We wanted to give it back
as soon as possible.

We?

Me.

She's hurting, too, but, uh...

she is so much stronger.

(clears throat)

She's ready to try again.

And, uh, and me...

...I feel like I can't breathe.

I've never felt this bad
in my life, Gibbs.

Ah, just wait until
it's 3:00 in the morning

and your kid's running 104.

You're just getting started.

That's the point,
I'm not starting.

You know? And...
maybe I never will.

Well, then fight for it, Palmer.

That's what you do,
you fight for your family.

And sometimes

you fight like hell
just to have one.

You want me to fight?
I feel like I just went

ten rounds with Joe Louis.

Do you want to be
a dad, Palmer?!

Because, right now,
this is being a dad.

Maybe I'm not ready.

You wouldn't feel
the way you feel

right now if you weren't ready.

JIMMY:
And Gibbs was right.

The best advice
I've ever gotten.

Hugs or no hugs, I...

I will never forget
his kindness that day.

He cared. And, Ryan,
as tough as your father was,

I'm sure if you think about it,
you can think of many times

where he was just as kind.

Yeah, try all the time.

Yeah?

Yeah, if anything,
he cared too much.

I never questioned
whether he loved me, I just...

I wasn't sure whether he knew
how much I loved him back.

Oh, no, I am sure he did, Ryan.

No, I mean, we fought too much.

Right up
until today.

All he wanted was to take me out
for my birthday, and...

when he found out I'd been
laid off, he blew his top.

Damn near caused an accident,
he was so angry.

RYAN:
So pissed off,

he cut off a whole mess
of cars in an intersection.

Intersection?

What intersection?

Where? Palmer.

Ask him where.
What intersection?

Uh, Gibbs,
it's a one-way speaker.

JIMMY: What intersection?
RYAN: It was, uh...

It was around Raymere and Holt.

How does he do that?
McGee.

Traffic cams at Raymere
and Holt Street. On it, boss.

And the surrounding
intersections.

I'll call the DMV,
put a rush on it.

I'm calling, too.

Fine. Both of you call.

But we need it now.

ABBY: So, this is the
intersection in question,

about five minutes
before Captain Smith was struck.

McGEE:
Looks like his car there.

Whoa. That was close.
Black SUV.

ABBY:
Okay, I can't read the plate.

Can we I.D. the driver?

ABBY:
No.

The windows are tinted.

Boss, take a look at this.

Abby, play it back.

He's going after him.

That's our guy.

Could that be Commander Morgan?

Or is it just road rage?

Or both.

One way to know. Find that car!

Ah, that hit the spot.

Any chance you need
a bathroom break?

Nope.

But, uh, you go right ahead.
(laughs)

JIMMY:
No. No. I'm good.

Been up there for three hours.

QUINN: Think maybe it's time
to let the firefighters

do their jobs, Gibbs.

Tell them they can put
the pad out down below,

nothing upstairs.

Don't want to risk
Palmer's safety

with any sudden moves.

Boss, BOLO just paid off.

State police just pulled
over Commander Morgan's SUV

in Richmond;
they're holding him for us now.

McGee, we can't
get there in time.

I can set them up in MTAC.
Keep listening.

You think that's
as big as it gets?

Ah, a person could
easily miss that.

Well, with my luck,
I'd try to miss

and land square in the middle.

I would call that good luck.

I'm sure you would.

Do you ever think that maybe
you are your own worst enemy?

Constantly making fun
of yourself,

comparing yourself
on social media.

Maybe you are the only one
who's keeping score here, Ryan.

It's my life. All right?
I know the score.

Do you? Really?
What counts as a point?

How about relationships?

I've had my share.

Nothing long-term.
Can't settle down

until I get my career going.
Yeah, yeah.

Of course.
Who came up with that rule?

What do you want from me?
I want you to not jump.

This conversation's
not helping!

I-I'm just saying that if you
change how you measure success,

you might actually opt
for happiness.

What bumper sticker
laid that gem on you?

Do you "opt for happiness"

as an assistant
medical examiner?

Like you never
wanted more?

Of course I wanted more. I...

As much as it scared me,
but be-be careful

what you wish for and all that.

JIMMY: Dr. Mallard.
How awesome you're here.

Again.
Duck.

Relax, Jethro.
I'm not here as M.E.

Purely in
my consultant capacity.

Well, I was just about
to tell Agent Gibbs

about some nasty
old chemical burns

I found on Sergeant Hill,
our most recent victim.

I actually was able to work
backward from the contracture

of the scarring to
establish a likely pH

and molarity level of
the chemicals involved.

Ah. Mm. Clever.

Sergeant Hill likely got
these scars in a makeshift lab

while trying to create
this poison.

Making him our prime suspect.

Oh, that's very clever.

JIMMY:
Dr. Mallard's praise that day

convinced me to finally
finish med school,

and take the M.E. test.

Really? What happened?

What do you care, Ryan?

Oh, yeah, fine. You got me.

My dying wish is to know
whether you passed the test.

No, I didn't.

Not the first time
or the second time.

That's why I never told
anyone at work.

ABBY:
I need to talk to Gibbs.

Is he still in MTAC?

JIMMY:
They still don't know.

RYAN:
Know what?

About the third time,
when I passed.

RYAN:
You passed the M.E.'s test?

JIMMY: Yeah, I aced it.
It was so strange.

I-I had spent so long
just trying to prove myself,

trying to get ahead,

and when I finally
passed the test,

it hit me
like a ton of bricks.

I didn't want to go
anywhere else.

I didn't want
to leave my friends.

Especially not Dr. Mallard.

I was happy
where I was.

So you're an actual doctor?

(stammers, chuckles)

I am.

But still,
nobody at work knows.

We got a special dynamic;
I don't want to mess that up.

But you could go anywhere.

JIMMY: And I will one day.
Nothing lasts forever.

I have had so many friends
come and go.

And live and die.

But where I'm right now,
with Dr. Mallard and Abby

and the rest of our team

working for what I really think
is a noble cause,

why would I want
to leave that?

I'd rather be happy.

So every day, I put on my scrubs

or this-this old jumpsuit,
I-I go to work,

and I "opt for happiness."

Come on.

Uh, Abby?

What's this about?
I left D.C. a few hours ago,

heading to Carolina
to visit family.

Is that a crime?

No, sir, but may we ask

why you had your cell phone
turned off?

Didn't want any calls.

Needing a few days
to get away from it all.

Away from your run-in
with Captain Smith?

Why'd he have to bring
NCIS into this?

I apologized.
What did he tell you?

You apologized
for what?

Look, I was so blindsided
with the bad review and just...

lost my cool.

He threatened court-martial.

Which was the captain losing
his cool, until I apologized.

I never should have
said what I did.

What'd you say?

I called his kid a loser.

Believe me,
I said a lot of other stuff,

but that boy is his whole world.

I had no business saying that.

Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs.

Commander. Stand by.

Yeah.
Um, first, I think you should

put Jimmy in for a raise.

I'll second that.

Okay. What else?

I traced the partial plate
on from the SUV

to a car rental place in D.C.

The renter is
Edgar Stump.

He's listed
as a part-time handyman.

He has multiple DUIs

and a vehicular harassment
conviction.

So he is just a road-rager.

He didn't even know
Captain Smith.

Address.
ABBY:
Better than that.

I've got his GPS signal.

Send it to me.

Way to jack up
your prices, Abdul!

Ow, what the hell?

Take it easy, Edgar.

Why? I didn't do nothing.

No, you did a lot.

(handcuffs clicking)

(exhales)
Hey.

So nice and toasty inside.

You know, there's no failure
in not killing yourself, right?

There's not much
of a future either.

Oh, sure, there is.

Future's coming,
with or without you.

You might as well be there.

It'll be hell without my dad.

No job. I-I got
some okay friends,

but none like yours.

And look at the world. I
mean, you turn on the news,

and we're all so divided.

Yelling and pointing fingers;
there's so much

meanness out there.

Stop looking for it.

Who's looking for it?

I mean, you can't
get away from it.

Okay, well, then you look around
it. You look for the good.

It's out there. I promise.

I mean, i-if you find meanness,
you kill it with kindness.

Oh, here we go.

You're damn right, here we go.

Open doors for strangers.

You let a car go ahead of you
in traffic. Who cares?

J-Just smile more.

And if you want good friends,
be a good friend.

They will find you,
I promise.

Man, you could
go all night.

But you don't have
an answer for my dad.

(sighs) No, I...

(grunts) No, I don't.

But I have seen more dead people
than anyone you know.

All of them gone too soon

and none of them peaceful.

No.

I beg your pardon?

No. I...

I don't want to.

You don't want
to what, Mr. Palmer?

I don't want to know how
much her liver weighs.

I don't want to catalog
her scars.

(elevator bell dings)

Most of all, I don't want
to cut open another friend.

We only get the B-sides
on our table.

And it is every day.

I also see
their families, Ryan.

Some of them let their loss
just knock 'em cold.

And they drown in misery,
while others,

they choose to make
their darkest hour

their defining moment.

They choose to take
something bad

and turn it
into something good.

Like your dad did.

My dad?

When he lost your mom,

he chose to put
everything he had into you.

Ryan...

you are the something good
that he left behind.

Now you got
the same choice to make.

Ryan.

The guy
who hit your dad--

road-rager--
he didn't like being cut off.

He'd have come after
your dad's car

no matter where he stopped.

Means it wasn't
your fault, Ryan.

GIBBS:
Not your fault.

You want to get this guy,

we need you to testify
at the trial.

Palmer.

RYAN:
That's my dad's wallet.

There's something in there
you're gonna want.

My senior thesis project.

Plenty of miles
on that photo.

He showed it off
a lot.

He was proud of you.

Yeah.

And what was it that
Dr. Mallard said earlier today?

He said...

"When you're going through hell,

you keep going."

You know I never would have
taken you with me, right?

I know.

Let's go inside.

(softly):
Okay.

Thanks, Jimmy.

(whispers)

(people cheering)

I got you. (chuckles)

Thanks, Nick.

(panting)

Told me not to let him fall.

Hey.

Good job out there.

You were listening
the whole time?

We all were.

Dr. Mallard,
what are you doing here?

Where else would I be?

I'm not gonna leave you
out there alone...

Dr. Palmer.

(chuckles)

Agent Gibbs,
you wanted to see me?

Okay.

Look, first of all,
I-I didn't know

that you were listening
last night, and...

I might have said some
things, some-some highly,

deeply personal things about
you and your personal life,

but I-I just, I just
shouldn't have.

Gibbs, what I said about
your wife and daughter...

I was just pulling out
all the stops.

You know, and then once I got
on a roll, I couldn't stop.

And then I...

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