A/N: Just wanna point out that I know some of the symptoms Mac experiences here are completely irrelevant to the actual thing, but for the sake of this story, it had to happen. Sorry! Also, I apologize if the story seems a little dry. This was just a plot bunny that came to me in the middle of the night and I had to write it. I tried to bring the emotion to life here, but, personally, I think it could use more. Either way, I hope you enjoy and thanks for all the feedback!

Tuyo

Mac groaned in pain when he finally came too. The poor kid whimpered when unfamiliar faces blocked his view of the blinding white lights overhead. It made his eyes and head hurt. He pinched them closed when a mild spike throbbed in his head. Voices floated above him. It surprised him how hard it was to focus in on what they were saying. Mac tried to speak but found his throat was on fire and all that came out was a pained squeak. He saw a dark head swivel his direction through his blurry vision.

"You're ok, Mr. MacGyver." A voice said calmly. "Just stay calm." But he couldn't.

As he became more and more aware of his surroundings, the pain in his head and throat turned unbearable. Tears leaked out from the corner of his eyes. Mac writhed on the stretcher, trying to get away from the pain. Strangers' hands firmly held him down. The need to flee temporarily blinded the pain. It didn't matter who these people were anymore. In his disoriented mind, all that registered was that he needed to get back to Jack. . . .

Jack.

Oh god, where was Jack?

His voice made weird squeaky noises when he attempted to call out to Jack. Another bolt of pain skyrocketed through his skull. He rolled from side to side, trying to deal with the pain. More tears streamed down the boy's face. A doctor's blurry face came into view and swiftly injected something into Mac's IV.

Within minutes, Mac was dead to the world.

/ * /

Mac woke up to the same group of faces. Only this time he had one of those annoying oxygen masks over his face. His eyes were a little more focused this time. He searched the room desperately for his partner, even though he instinctively knew Jack would've been the first person in his line of sight had he been there. He'd blame the stinging in his eyes on the drugs they had him on. Mac looked towards the ceiling again, his body tense with tremors. The background noise of the medical personnel faded until all he could hear was the wild beating of his heart.

Mac closed his eyes and tried to calm down, even though he knew it'd be futile. The boy was scared to be alone. He didn't remember how he got here, nor what had happened to him. Usually Jack would be right there beside him, holding his hand and talking to him softly. But his partner was nowhere to be found. What happened to him? Was he hurt? Or was he . . .?

Mac shook his head tearfully, as if that alone could get the thought out of his head. It was something Mac couldn't even imagine having to go through. But at the same time, it was equally possible. Right then, Mac just couldn't find another sufficient reason as to why Jack wouldn't be there.

Mac demanded his clumsy limbs to work to get out of the bed. This caused an automatic uproar with the few people still in his room. Once again, many hands helped to hold him down. Mac thrashed and felt his fist connect with someone's jaw. There was more shouting and more pressure added to his body. Mac fought with all the remaining strength he had left in him. Warm tears were streaming down his face.

Then suddenly, everything was gone. No more shouting. No more hands. No more pressure. No more noise. It was all peaceful once more. Warm hands softly cupped his face, calloused thumbs gently rubbing away the flow of tears. Mac sniffled and opened his eyes. The once harsh lighting was dimmed down to a reasonable level, ending the painful spikes behind his eyes. The room was completely vacant except for the mass of human standing over him.

Jack.

Mac's eyes watered in relief and he gripped Jack's hands tightly. Happy to see his partner there and not six feet under or in danger somewhere alone. His partner just smiled reassuringly, running his hands through the kid's hair in a soothing gesture. Mac leaned into his partner's touch, relishing in the immediate comfort his partner brought. He whimpered and clung to Jack's arm with his own.

"Hey, hey," Jack said softly, soothingly. "It's ok. It's alright. I'm here."

Mac sniffled and tried to talk. But his voice came out as a squeak once again. Mac trembled and began to panic. What the hell happened to me?

"Mac, it's ok. Just take a breath, alright?" Jack's solid presence against him grounded Mac and allowed him to get a grip. He did as he was told, ignoring the faint burn in his throat. Jack started to ghost his fingers over the kid's arm soothingly.

"Good. Now what do you remember?" He received a glare in return from the blonde. "Oh. Right. Can't talk. Well, how 'bout I start there then, eh? We had a mission in Peru to track down a drug lord. Our intel was pretty sketchy so we ended up getting caught. One of the guy's goons had you in a choke hold. I couldn't get to you in time before he did some major damage."

He felt a faint squeeze on his arm at the guilt Jack knew was lacing his voice. He looked into Mac's eyes that clearly said, 'This wasn't your fault.' Jack sighed.

"I know, Mac. But you're still my partner. Had I paid more attention, I could've saved you from having your vocal cords damaged." Mac's eyes widened and his hands went to his throat. "Yeah, that's why you can't talk. Don't worry though. The Doc said that'll pass in six to twelve weeks. Knowing you though, you'll probably be ready to go by tonight." Jack chuckled. Mac managed a small smile in return.

There was a knock on the door and a nurse walked in to check Mac's vitals. The blonde's hand absently reached for Jack's. The Delta smiled and sat on the edge of the bed on the other side, gripping the kid's hand securely. It only took a few moments and the nurse left after giving Mac some more pain meds in his IV. The drugs quickly kicked in and Mac felt his eyes begin to droop. Jack noticed this and carefully got up from where he was seated so Mac could sleep more comfortably. But that idea was trashed when Mac's eyes flew back open and he gripped Jack's wrist.

"Hey, it's ok." Jack soothed. "I'm not leavin' ya. I was just gonna sit in the poor excuse for chairs this place has."

Mac shook his head and gave a little tug on Jack's hand. Almost shyly.

"What? You want me to stay?" Mac nodded.

"O-k," Jack relented. "I'll stay. But if you start drooling on me, I'm out." Jack even jutted his thumb in the direction of the door for emphasis. Mac smiled in amusement, knowing that was his partner's goal all along. Jack grinned as well and settled in next to his partner, carefully snaking his arm around Mac's shoulders protectively. Mac sighed contently and snuggled up to Jack's side, soaking up the warmth.

"Good night, kiddo." Jack whispered into his hair.

Mac smiled sleepily and squeezed Jack's hand before letting the drugs pull him under.