AN: Spoilers for 3.18, Murdoc + Helman + Hit, both in the story and the AN at the end.
'…I will remember that there is art to medicine as well as science, and that warmth, sympathy and understanding may outweigh the surgeon's knife or the chemist's drug…'
Maybe there's a lesson in the Hippocratic Oath. Or two.
TROUT LAKE
CALIFORNIA
After casting his line, Mac put his fishing rod into the holder that he and his dad had put together (with some debate about the exact design and construction, of course), then reached into their also-improvised cooler, pulled out a couple of beers, opened them with his Swiss Army knife and handed one to his dad.
His dad raised an eyebrow at him.
'You're letting me drink?'
Mac held up one finger, very firmly.
'Based on my research and a word with your doctors, you can have one.'
Jim rolled his eyes in a way that was full of fond exasperation, but smiled and reached out and clinked his beer to his son's anyway.
Mac smiled too, soft and broad, then quickly reached out and grabbed his line, passing his beer off to his dad, as it had started to jump.
'…I will remember that I do not treat a fever chart, a cancerous growth, but a sick human being…'
DESI'S RESIDENCE
LA
Desi walked into her apartment, dumped her jacket on the back of her couch, then grabbed her phone and shot off a text.
Give him a call ASAP.
She got a reply back a few minutes later, after she'd taken off her boots and put them away, along with her jacket, and grabbed herself a bowl of spicy ranch chips from the pantry.
Might be a while, but I can count on you guys to hold down the fort. :)
Desi crunched loudly on a couple of chips, then replied.
Yeah, I heard Bozer is planning an 'epic' fish boil.
She put her feet up on the coffee table, and turned on her TV. Her phone chimed again.
You going?
Desi sighed, rolling her eyes. She could just hear him asking that, and see the look on his face.
I kept my promise, Dalton. No more, no less.
This time, the reply was faster. She hadn't even gotten Netflix up.
Hey, every lone wolf needs its pack, Dez. Wise man once said that.
Desi stared at the text for a long moment, far longer than it warranted.
Jack was never going to let up about 'joining the family' and 'finding her pack'.
Just like Mac was never going to stop reaching out, in that so-earnest-and-heartfelt-it-made-her-sick, would-be-cheesy-in-normal-people way of his.
Just like Bozer wasn't going to stop describing his meal plans in a way that admittedly did make her mouth water (not that she was letting them know it), or Riley wasn't going to stop shooting her unsubtle pointed looks or hints, or Matty wasn't going to stop doing that in a much subtler way.
Desi took a deep breath, mentally told herself to snap out of it.
She had made her decision a long time ago. She had made a promise to herself.
(She had had no choice. Lives were at stake. Someone was going to get killed.)
Desiree Nguyen was a woman of her word.
She shot off a reply.
That 'wise' man was you, Dalton. You're not fooling me.
Then, she tossed her phone aside onto the coffee table, grabbed her bowl of chips and the remote and started looking for her evening's entertainment in earnest.
'…I will remember that I remain a member of society, with special obligations to all my fellow human beings…'
AN ORDINARY SUBURBAN HOME
(GREAT PLACE TO RAISE KIDS!)
LOCATION: CLASSIFIED
In the front passenger seat of a nondescript vehicle, Matty glanced at Riley, who was driving, then at Bozer, in the back seat.
Both of them looked sympathetic, and also uncomfortable, just like she felt (even if it didn't show). Bozer raised his shoulders helplessly, before wincing as the motion tugged on his still-healing wound. Riley glanced over at Matty and spoke, gesturing with her head towards the house.
'Want us to come with you, boss?'
Matty shook her head.
'I think Cassian would prefer not having an audience.'
With that, she got out of the car, shoulders feeling just that little bit heavier.
Bozer and Riley exchanged a glance as she walked up the path, both feeling like there was a heavier burden for them to carry too.
How did you tell an eleven-year-old he was never going to see his father again?
How did you live with the fact that you were partially responsible?
Especially when you were the girl who'd been let down by one dad over and over again, and lost another (possibly twice)? Or the boy who'd seen his best friend abandoned by his father, seen the heartbreak and the scars and the struggles?
'…I will respect the hard-won scientific gains of those physicians in the steps I walk, and gladly share such knowledge as is mine with those who are to follow…'
SIX DAYS LATER
PHOENIX JET
SOMEWHERE OVER THE PACIFIC OCEAN
'…I don't know, Jack, it just…it just doesn't feel like enough.'
Mac sighed, running his hand through his hair as he video-chatted with his partner (for the first time in nearly three weeks) in the jet's bathroom.
His head hadn't been completely in the game today. He knew that, and Desi had, of course, given him a hard shove to get him back into it.
(He never thought he'd describe Jack's methods in anything as subtle and gentle, but here he was.)
His dad was starting a new round of chemo, and he wasn't there.
(He felt like he wasn't spending enough time – precious time, time that had a 50/50 chance of running out fast – with his dad. He'd been to four different countries in the last five days, been mostly halfway around the world from his father.)
He hadn't even had time to chase up another lead or two on new, improved treatments.
(He had to keep looking, he had to keep trying to fix this problem. He just had to.)
Jack gave a little smile, fond and long-suffering and tinged with admiration, before his expression shifted into something more serious.
'You're burning the candle at all three ends, brother.' Jack was well-aware that Mac had been spending every minute he wasn't running around, saving the world (or at least a half-dozen lives), spending time with his dad (when his dad had time to spend with him) and researching potential treatments (when his dad didn't have time). Even someone with Mac's brain and his energy and drive couldn't keep that up for long. Mac looked like he wanted to protest that candles only had two ends, and that the saying referred to two ends, but Jack continued, pointing at him very seriously before he could say something. 'You can't keep doing that, son. You gotta keep yourself a-okay, so you can keep the world a-okay.' Besides, Mac simply needed to be a-okay, but Jack knew that saying that to him was never going to work. Self-care wasn't Mac's strong point, to say the least. Jack's voice and expression softened. 'It's what your old man would want.' Mac sighed in a way that sounded a bit like a you too?, but nodded in agreement and understanding. 'Spend every minute you can with him, son, but leave the doctor-y stuff to the doctors. Trust me, son, that's enough, that's more than enough, knowing you.' Jack's expression shifted into a teasing smirk. 'Didn't you get a C in Biology or something anyway? Whatcha doing playing doc, man?'
Mac rolled his eyes, grateful (oh, so grateful) for the way that Jack kept his mind out of the rabbit hole.
'Homework was half the grade. I had other projects that were far more interesting than drawing diagrams of the stages of mitosis or doing a half-dozen punnet squares…'
'…I will not be ashamed to say I know not, nor will I fail to call in my colleagues when the skills of another are needed for a patient's recovery…'
FIVE HOURS LATER
ST ANGELINA HOSPITAL
LA
Mac walked into the oncology ward where his dad had his treatments, to find his father hooked up to an IV line, delivering the hopefully-live-saving drugs into his system, as expected.
Unexpectedly, there was a pretty brunette woman, about Mac's age, playing chess with his dad. She was wearing casual clothing, a striped T-shirt and yoga pants, but had a hospital ID pinned to her shirt and a bag at her feet, tipped to the side in a way that let Mac see a set of scrubs and a doctor's coat inside.
His dad was focused on the game, which he could tell even from the doorway was a close one.
Then, he smiled in a way that was very familiar to Mac, and made a move.
The off-duty doctor blinked once at the board, then shook her head, a smile on her face, and reached out to shake his dad's hand in recognition of a good game.
His dad smiled a little wider as he shook the woman's hand, clearly grateful for the distraction, and the company and the intellectual stimulation.
All the things Mac had wanted to provide for his dad, but hadn't been able to.
Thus, he too was very grateful to this stranger.
He walked into the room, towards his dad's chair, just as the woman got up and picked up her bag.
'…my shift starts in twenty minutes, so excellent timing, Jim.'
His dad gestured towards Mac with his head, smile widening in greeting.
'Seems to be a family trait.'
That made the doctor smile a little wider as she glanced between them, and she started towards the door. Just as she passed him, Mac spoke, catching her eye.
'Thank you.'
There was a lot in there. Enough that it made her blink twice in surprise, before she ducked her head, cheeks flushing a bit.
'It wasn't…I mean…well, you're very welcome. Both of you.'
Then, she hurried out of the room, turning left towards the ER. Mac turned to his dad, and took a seat. He gestured towards the chessboard.
'Up for another game?'
His dad started to rearrange the pieces to their starting positions.
'Always.'
Mac started to help move the pieces, gesturing with his head towards the doorway.
'You've made a friend?'
His dad nodded, then looked pointedly at him.
'She doesn't go easy on me.'
Mac held up his hands, giving a single incredulous chuckle.
'It was once!' His dad raised an eyebrow at him. 'Okay, twice.' He raised his hands further. 'I won't do it again!'
AN: Because I now have MacGyvers!feels and Cassian!feels. Credit to Tinkerbella for why Mac got a C in Biology.
And yes, for those who read my regular stuff, there's a bit of a set-up for the version of Season 4 I plan to write when this season is done in there…
Thoughts on 3.18, Murdoc + Helman + Hit: I enjoyed the ep. Anything with Murdoc and OG!Murdoc in it is always good! The plot was full of predictable twists, and it was nice to see Mac and his dad working together in the field, too, and the tension as a result of Jim's illness. I knew Mac wouldn't be able to leave it alone! I was surprised to hear that Jim has a 50/50 chance, which I think means that they're not killing him off; the cancer storyline is to give him and Mac more bonding time. Bozer playing hero in a Bozer way was also great, as was that little smirk that Riley gave when she broke Helman's encryption. I think we saw some interesting (and necessary) character development for Desi in this ep; it's become very clear that she cares about the team, and Mac especially, even if she shows it in a very Desi way. That little moment at the end with Mac and Desi was entirely expected in a lot of ways – I totally see Desi as needing to see for herself that Murdoc and Helman are secure, and of course Mac, being Mac, says something very heartfelt and honest to thank her for what she's been doing. It's the awkward little moment after that I don't understand. What's the play there? Is it just Desi-is-emotionally-distant-and-doesn't-do-group-debriefs-and-feels? Or are they setting up for a Mac/Desi 'ship? (I do think Mac and Desi – or Lucas Till and Levy Tran, perhaps more accurately – have good chemistry in a bantering-and-bickering-partners-who-will-become-family sense, but I'm not buying it in a romantic sense. There was no charge of any kind in that moment in my opinion – not even in the way that Mac and Cage had some of those that were just slightly off and felt very forced – it was just…awkward. Perhaps they weren't trying to play it that way? I don't know…anyway, for now, I will interpret it as Desi-doesn't-do-feels and Mac-is-slightly-socially-awkward.) Also…finally a MacGyver hug! And it was slightly awkward, of course, but…aww…