Mac groaned again, hands gripping the rails on the side of his hospital bed, knuckles white as he squeezed his eyes shut and tried to ride out the pain. His stomach cramped muscles rigid and twisting over his abdomen as a result of the nerve gas he'd been exposed to.
Jack hovered nearby, hands fluttering around, not knowing how to help as he muttered reassurances. "You're okay, just breathe through the pain. It'll pass, it always does."
The pain was so sharp, twisting his insides to make him feel as though his stomach was tearing itself apart, that he could barely get a breath in at all. But he tried to follow Jacks advice and dragged thin breaths through his clenched teeth.
It lasted for a minute or so, with Jack rubbing soothingly at the kid's shoulder to try and distract him before the pain finally eased. Mac slumped back into his pillows, panting and lightheaded. He uncurled his, now stiff, fingers from the bed rails and reached for the cup of water at his bedside table, gratefully taking it Jack passed it over.
"You okay, buddy?" Jack was worried, had been since their disastrous missions end. Mac opened his eyes, looking up tiredly as sweat dripped down his forehead.
"I will be."
Jack's forehead was creased in concern as he grabbed a cool cloth and wiped it across the kids heated skin. "You need anything? I hate seeing you like this."
Mac sighed, appreciating the coolness on his face. Who knew it was so exhausting to be in so much pain?
Actually, they both did. They'd been in enough painful situations to know how to deal with pain and how taxing it could be.
Mac lifted a hand, Jack taking it in his immediately and gripping tight. "Help me roll over? I just want to curl up."
Jack nodded, quickly manoeuvring the young agent in the bed. "Okay, but just let me do all the work, okay? You lay back, don't you dare move that leg on your own."
Mac nodded, not wanting to move it ever, and allowed Jack to turn him in his bed. For someone that had killed so many people, and was such a good shot with a gun, Jacks hands were surprisingly gentle as they slipped under Mac's injured leg and lifted it as he turned.
Mac winced and tried to breathe as he carefully curled onto his side, hands pulling at the bed rail to help him pull his weight. Jack pulled up an extra pillow and slid it under the injured limb before pulling Mac's blankets back up and tucking him in.
Mac seemed happier on his side and Jack took a seat as Mac watched him, eyes droopy with fatigue. "I know you were protecting everyone else from the gas but Mac, if you ever do anything as stupid as that again, I will kill you. And then I'll bring you back just to yell at you some more."
They'd already been over this but Mac humoured him anyway, voice low and rumbly. "The canister was shot, what else was I supposed to do?"
Jack pointed a finger at him. "You throw the thing in a sealed room and close the door, you don't get in there with it."
Mac was about to explain, again, that he had to dispose of the gas, he couldn't just let it fill up the room because it still would have killed anyone that opened the door to try and clean it up. But Jack was already talking again.
"I never want to see you stab yourself with a pair of scissors again. Do you know how terrifying that was to watch? I mean, I'll give you the credit for not even hesitating, like damn, but don't you do that again, Mac. I mean it."
His tone began to lose some of its stability, words wobbling and making Mac feel guilty. "You know how much I worry about you. I can't keep watching you get hurt, it kills me to see you in pain and know I can do nothing to stop it."
Mac watched his partners eyes shine with unshed tears. "Jack-"
Jack held up a hand, shaking his head. "It's not your fault, I'm just sorry I couldn't help you. You know I'd have jumped in that room with you if I could have."
Mac nodded, knowing what Jack was trying to say. Even if he couldn't make planes out of microwaves or calculate ridiculous equations like Mac could, he would always be right by his side. Mac could get himself into whatever ridiculous and dangerous situation he wanted and Jack would still be there to protect him in whatever way he could.
Macs voice wasn't too steady either as he answered. "I know. Thank you."
Jack nodded, clearing his throat as he tried to regain his composure. "Good."
It was a nice moment between the two, especially given their aversion to talking about their feelings, but of course, it had to be ruined by Mac's stomach cramping up again.
He let out a gasp and closed his eyes, hands going back to the bed rail and squeezing as hard as he could. He knew it would be easier to ride out the pain if he relaxed as much as he could and breathed, but he didn't have any room to think with pain taking up every available brain cell and making it scream. God, it hurt so bad.
Mac's eyes squeezed shut and his stomach was so tight he couldn't get any air in. At all.
Jack stood again, mumbling soothing reassurances that Mac couldn't hear over the sudden rushing in his ears.
His head spun dangerously, and it took far too long for the pain to ease enough for Mac to drag in air.
Jack wiped the cool cloth across the kid's temple again, before brushing his hair back. "There you go, just ride it out. I'm here, just breathe."
Mac blinked away the black spots at the edges of his vision, breathing heavily as the room seemed to wobble around him.
Jack noticed and leant down, clicking his fingers in front of Mac's face as he tried not to panic. "Mac? Look at me, man. Say something."
Mac wanted to, he wanted to take the worried tremble from Jacks' voice but he was just so dizzy.
His vision was hazy and his head spun on his shoulders and he couldn't concentrate on anything. He felt as if he were about to pass out.
One of the monitors began to beep and Jack did not like how pale his boy was. He pushed the call button and shook Mac's shoulder a little, trying to get his glassy eyes to focus.
"Come on, Mac. You're freaking me out."
When the nurse arrived he stepped hesitantly back, rubbing his hands together anxiously. The nurse looked at the beeping machine and pushed a button to make it stop before she leant down and quickly shone a penlight in the blonde's eyes, frowning at what she found.
Jack didn't want to nag or interrupt but he couldn't help it. "Um, excuse me, Ma'am. Is he okay?"
The nurse, Anne her name tag said, turned and smiled at him kindly. "He'll be alright. The effects of the gas are extremely painful and makes it hard to breathe during the muscle spasms. I'll up his dose of pain meds and give him a nasal cannula to help him get the extra oxygen he needs."
Jack nodded, not really comforted but more informed at least, and took his seat back as the nurse fiddled with Mac's IV. The blonde was beginning to come back around and mumbled unhappily, waving a shaky hand towards the nurse.
"No, I don't want any more drugs. They make me loopy. I don't like-"
Jack pulled his arm back to his chest and rubbed his hand over the pale skin. "Mac, listen to the nurse. She knows what she's doing and she said you need it."
Anne smiled and expertly placed the nasal cannula under Mac's nose, winding it around his ears. "Matty has given me strict orders to do whatever I need to in order to get you better, even if you tried to wiggle your way out of it. You need rest and you can't do that if you're in pain."
Mac may not have liked it, but he had to admit he felt better. The cannula provided fresh oxygen to his brain, clearing the dizziness from his head and he could feel the drugs seep into his system and melt his muscles.
Jack watched Mac's eyes roll back a little as the drug took effect and brushed his hair back to see a smile curl up the corners of his mouth.
"That feel better?"
Mac nodded, a giggle falling from his Cheshire cat grin. "Yeaahhh. Feels funny."
Jack smiled and raised his eyebrows at the nurse as she left. "Thank you, very much."
Mac sighed, all lines of pain gone from his face, making him look like a very large child as his eyes shone, huge and happy. "You're so great, Jack. Did you know that?"
Jack laughed and patted the kid's hand. "Yes, I did actually but thanks for reminding me Mac, I appreciate it."
Mac grabbed his hand, fingers clumsy. "No, I mean it. And I need you to know it. Because you say you're dumb but you're not. You save me all the time and you take care of me and Riley. And you're the best dad ever."
Jack nodded along, trying to keep the kid in his bed as he rambled on. "Thank you, now just lay back and go to sleep."
Mac let himself be pushed back into his pillows but wouldn't stop, hands grabbing at Jacks' arms to pull him close so he would listen.
"I was scared when the canister started leaking but I knew I had to save you and everyone else. And then I had to stab myself with the scissors but I didn't want to. And it hurt so bad. I didn't mean to make you worry, Jack. I'm sorry."
Jack froze, staring at Mac's huge, honest, eyes. "I know, buddy. It's okay. It's over now and I'm here. You don't have to be scared."
Mac seemed satisfied and sank back into his pillows, bringing his arms up to hug one of them as he closed his eyes, ready to go to sleep.
His voice was quiet, nothing but mumbles as he began to drift off. "Jack, my tummy hurts."
Jack ran a hand over the kid's hair, keeping his voice hushed as he replied, not wanting to wake the sleeping beauty. "I know, it's alright. You just go to sleep. It'll be better in the morning."
Mac didn't reply, already fast asleep and Jack was just grateful he was safe.