Burnt Hands and Best Friends

by I'mcalledZorro

An episode tag to Marti Gras Chair

A/N A huge thanks to gaelicspirit for the terrific beta work! She is a real gem! I sadly do not own MacGyver, but I did use a bit of the dialogue from the episode in this fic. Any mistakes are solely mine, if you see any glaring inaccuracies please let me know! I hope you enjoy, and have a Happy New Year!

Right after bumping fists with Jack, searing paint suddenly shot through Mac's hands. Without meaning to he fell to his knees, clutching his mangled hands to his chest, trying to do anything to stop the throbbing pain. He vaguely heard Jack questioning what had happened. After what felt like an eternity later but was actually probably only a few seconds, the SWAT team—along with Matty-came pouring into the room.

Mac was pretty sure he heard Matty ask what had happened, and Jack telling her that he just went down. He felt hands helping him stand up and Matty ordering someone to take him to the paramedics outside. He was able to gain a little control over the pain coursing through his hands and half walked, was half dragged to the waiting ambulance.

The SWAT member deposited him on the bumper and disappeared. The paramedic stepped into Mac's line of sight and introduced himself.

"Hi, I'm Andy, can you tell me what hurts the most and how bad the pain is?"

Mac drew in a deep breath; he could do this without screaming in pain. "Hands. Bad." Mac tried to uncurl his hands so the paramedic could evaluate them and hopefully make it feel better. A gloved hand gently took his hand.

"Ok, I have a spray that will help with a lot of this pain. I also want you to take a pain pill." Andy must have noticed that he was about to protest because he said, "It's not a high-powered, just enough to take the edge off, OK?"

Mac nodded his acceptance, and Andy scrambled inside the ambulance and gathered the supplies he needed. Returning he set everything down, and calmly talked to Mac.

"I need you to hold your hands out, palms up so I can get this numbing spray on them."

Mac slowly obeyed. Andy sprayed both hands generously; at first, they burned like the devil but after a few seconds the throbbing pain abated. He slowly exhaled, feeling his body relax. "Better?" Andy asked.

"Much."

"I am going to put these two pills in your mouth then I'll give you a drink."

"It's ok; I can dry-swallow them," Mac replied.

Andy shook his head but did as Mac requested. After making sure that Mac swallowed the meds, Andy went to work on the burns covering Mac's hands.

"So, the good news is that it looks like your fingers mainly suffered first-degree burns, but your palms are mostly second degree; that's why they are already blistering."

Mac hadn't looked at his hands, scared of what he might see, but after hearing that he looked down. The palms of both hands were red and had several blisters all over, while his fingers were a deep red with a few splotches of what looked like scrapes.

Andy continued, "I'm going put a topical burn cream and then wrap them, when we get to the hospital then they'll do a more thorough examination."

Mac was about to explain that he wouldn't be going to the hospital, at least not here, when he heard Matty's voice.

"I have another patient for you."

Jack was standing beside her looking all types of uneasy. She continued, "I think he may have roasted his feet."

Andy looked up from where he was slathering burn cream on Mac's hands. "If you would help his sit beside this gentleman, I'll get to him next."

Matty helped Jack sit, then turned back to where Andy was getting bandages. "I'll need both of them ready to leave in about a half an hour." She turned on heel, walking off barking orders.

Andy smiled up at Jack from where he was winding the bandages around Mac's hands. "Hi, I'm Andy. What is hurting and how bad is it?"

"I'm Jack." Then nudging his partner, "And in case he forgot to mention it, this is Mac. And it's my feet man. They are burnin' worse than that time I got athlete's foot."

Mac gave Jack a look. "What? It's not like we share boots!"

Mac had to laugh at Jack's thought process and realized that he was feeling a lot better. The pain from his hands was down to a manageable level.

Andy secured the last piece of bandage on Mac's hand and stepped over to Jack who had just taken off his boots, frowning he examined Jack's feet.

"The damage is not too bad, but you have some slight blistering on the footpad, so I'm going to put some numbing spray, then burn cream, and bandage it. Then you both should be ready to go as your boss requested."

Andy knelt and begin to do what he had just described. Both agents sat quietly for a second before Jack began to talk. "Thanks for getting me out of there buddy; it was getting a little warm."

Then to Andy, who was spreading the burn cream, "Easy with the tootsies there, bud."

To which Andy just shook his head and continued doing his job. Jack continued talking to Mac, "So, what kind of gadget did you come up with to bust me out?"

Mac was pretty sure Jack already knew the answer but wanted to make him say it, just so he would know how reckless he had been. Sighing, he said, "Drove that Cadillac through the building, and I pulled you out with my bare hands." Mac couldn't look Jack in the eye while he confessed, choosing to examine his bandaged hands instead.

When he didn't hear an admonishment from his partner, he looked up, detecting a hit of pride in Jack's mischievous eyes.

"Sounds like I'm rubbing off on you. What, did you run out of paper clips and bubble gum or something?" Jack joked.

"Yeah, something like that." Smiling, Mac didn't want to admit that he had simply panicked.

Jack turned sincere. "Thanks, man." He automatically brought his hand up for another fist bump, forgetting about Mac's hands. When Mac showed him his hands, he looked repentant, saying, "Oh Yeah." Matty returned. "Cute mittens, Blondie."

Smiling through the pain Mac said, "Thanks."

To which Jack had to show off his war wounds. "Like my socks?" He held up one of his feet.

Mac could feel the exasperation rolling off their boss.

"No, Jack. I was just kidding. But seriously, you guys are luck to be alive. Unfortunately, Duke Jacoby can't say the same thing, because he never made it out of that coffin. I just got off the phone with the CIA, and Duke Jacoby is now officially KIA."

Now that was something Mac wanted to hear. "That's fantastic news!" He looked at Jack not wanting to upset him. "No offense."

"No, none taken. RIP. No one's happier to see him in the rearview than me. But… ummm." He looked over to where Dawn was being arrested. "What's gonna happen to her?"

"Dixie Lee Jacoby will be buried here, right alongside her husband, Duke. But as far as the unidentified con woman in handcuffs over there, we're going to put her skills to good use. I just negotiated a deal to have her charges dropped in exchange for her helping the CIA to make better cover identities."

Mac was truly shocked and turned to look at Jack as Matty continued talking.

"NOPD should be getting the word right… about…now."

Mac saw the officer who had been arresting Dawn un-cuff her and let her go.

Jack seemed to be touched. "Matty that's the nicest thing you've ever done for me—thank you."

Matty replied in her usually witty fashion. "You must have left some brain cells back in the box, Dalton. I did it for national security, not for you."

Mac was as thoroughly amused as he always was when Matty was handing it to Jack.

"Speaking of which," Matty continued, "the very first thing I am doing when we get home is ordering a full review of your after-action reports. Every. Last. One."

Jack looked relieved to be put on desk duty. "Yeah, well, as horrible as that sounds, it's better than being barbequed alive. I look forward to what should be an unending ass whooping."

Dawn then came over to apologize, and Jack melted into a puddle of goo. Mac decided to leave the two of them alone.

"Hey, Matty. I think SWAT has some more questions about the seismic shutoff valves."

He booked it out of there, not wanting to hear Jack try his romance moves on his pseudo-late wife.

On the plane back to LA

Mac lay on the couch sleeping the sleep of the dead with his hands curled up on his chest, looking all of sixteen. Matty could tell when the adrenaline had fully drained from his system. He went from joking with Jack to pale and tired looking, to asleep, in the matter of minutes. She could tell Jack had noticed it, too, because he quit talking and told Mac to lie down. Within seconds, Mac was asleep.

Matty noticed that Jack was not too far behind Mac in the napping department. He had been talking to Dawn, and just drifted off, leaving only her and Dawn as the only passengers awake on the plane. She was just about to start asking some questions, when she heard the subtle sounds of snoring.

Sighing, Matty got out her laptop, deciding to get some of the backlog of work that had acuminated during her absence done before she got back to the office. One thing was certain: Mac and Jack were reporting to the infirmary first thing, no delays!

On the ground.

"Rise and shine, lazy birds. We are in sunny LA. Time to exit the plane and receive medical treatment!"

Mac groaned. Sitting up was not pleasant, he couldn't find a single place that didn't hurt. His hands were throbbing, his chest was aching, and his shoulder where he had went out the window was making itself known. He clumsily sat up, almost tried to rub his eyes, but saw the bandages and stopped himself.

Matty barked. "Hurry up, Blondie. The car's waiting to take us back to the Phoenix, and you and Jack straight to medical."

Mac opened his mouth to protest when Matty interrupted him. "Before you start complaining, yesterday you went out a window, drove a speeding car into a building, and pulled a coffin out of a crematorium with your bare hands. You're going to Medical if I have to tranq you and drag you there myself. I can't have my best agent dying on me."

"I thought I was your best agent?" Whined Jack from the bulkhead door where he was waiting on his tender feet.

"Keep dreaming, Dalton. I like my agents with actual brain cells." With that Matty hoisted Mac to his feet, and the two of them made their way to Jack, joining Dawn in the car for a ride to the Phoenix.

It felt like seconds later that the driver pulled into the parking garage for the Phoenix parking at the nearest entrance to the medical floor. Mac couldn't help the groan that escaped when he attempted to climb out of the car. He kind of slithered out and just stood there a second gathering his bearings.

Matty instructed them, "Jack make sure Mac here gets to Medical, and get your feet checked out. Dawn, you are with me." She marched off, Dawn trailing after her like a lost puppy.

Jack hobbled over to Mac. "OK, Hoss, we might as well get this over with. Who do you suppose is on duty? Dr. Dufus, or Dr. Feelgood?"

Mac couldn't help but to snort. "It's Dr. Feltman, but I won't disagree with you about the other one." With a sigh he slowly trailed after his best friend.

Upon arriving in Medical, his favorite nurse was there to greet them. "Hey, Mac. Jack. I would ask what brings you in today, but Matty already filled us in. Mac, you are in cubical one, and Jack you are in two."

"Thanks, Justin," Mac wearily responded. He made his way over to the cubical containing a hospital bed and all sorts of diagnostic material.

"Welcome. Once you get seated, go ahead and strip your clothes off down to your boxers."

Mac opened his mouth to protest. He just needed a bandage change then he would be on his way.

Justin cut off anything he was prepared to say by declaring, "I'm sure you have some significant bruising from both the window and accident."

Mac growled, mad at Matty for informing medical of everything that had happened. He was hoping for a quick bandage change and then to sleep it off at home. Not wanting to incur Matty's wrath, he decided to comply and quickly realized that he wasn't going to be able to take his shirt or pants off by himself. Justin, who had been writing in a chart, was apparently waiting for this moment.

"Need help?" He asked gently.

"Yeah," Mac responded dejectedly.

Between the two of them they quickly got Mac stripped and the severity of his bruising became apparent. Mac looked down and could easily see where he had been wearing his seat belt because it had left some very dark bruises. His shoulder and right side from where he landed on the porch after going flying out the window were also bruised, but not as bad. Justin hummed and wrote a couple more things in the chart after getting his vitals.

"OK, Mac, here is our treatment plan for now. I want to get you hooked up to an IV." Justin headed off his protest. "I know you don't want it, or think you need it, but burns are not to be messed with. They can easily cause dehydration and infection. So, we want to head that off. I also want to get some pain meds on board." Again, Mac had an argument prepared. "I know you don't think you need it, but you need to get sleep to heal and as bruised as you are, you are going to need some pain management. I promise I won't give you the hard stuff, and I'll add a little muscle relaxer."

Mac reluctantly agreed with a, "Fine."

"Good. After the IV, I want to get an ultrasound to make sure there is no internal bleeding from the car accident. Then we will examine your hands. OK?"

While he wasn't happy with what Justin said, it made sense to him. Soon enough, Justin had gotten the supplies out for the IV and had Mac stick his arm out. Justin quickly and efficiently got it started on the first stick.

Grinning at Mac he said, "I still got it!"

Mac knew he was a notoriously hard stick and liked that Justin could almost always get it in the first try. Justin once told him that when he was a medic in Afghanistan he couldn't get a line in and a soldier died. On his next patient, his sergeant got up in his face and told him that if he couldn't get that line in he'd be thrown out of the plane, and Justin believed him. Thankfully, he got it, and was always able to get it after that. Justin taped down the IV and injected the medicines into the bag.

Very soon Mac could feel the medicines working, because he felt more relaxed, and laid back into the bed instead of sitting on it like he had been. Justin rolled the ultrasound machine in and positioned it beside Mac. Justin had also brought one of the nice, fuzzy blankets, and a hospital robe.

"I know you're not a fan, sorry dude. Once the ultrasound is done, we'll get the gown on and I even brought your favorite blanket!"

Mac didn't bother to reply; he was in that nice floaty place where he knew what was going on but didn't care.

Justin smiled, "OK, Mac, this might hurt in a few places, so I'm just going to go ahead and apologize now." Justin didn't lie, and some of the spots he had to press on were very sore, but Mac got through it with only the slightest of whimpers.

"Good news: I don't see any signs of internal bleeding, but that could present its self for up to 48 hours, so we'll have to retest tomorrow. Let's get you in that gown and cover you up with the blanket so we can examine your hands."

Mac sighed; he hated having to move but he wanted the warmth of the gown and blanket. It truly was his favorite blanket. It was lightweight, blue, the perfect softness, and was warm without being hot. Once Mac sat up, Justin unhooked the IV, slid the gown on, and reattached the IV. Mac clumsily tried to put his other arm in the gown, but with the muscle relaxers is was like trying to thread a noodle, and he soon gave up. Sighing he sat still and waited for Justin to finish with the gown; he hated feeling helpless.

Soon, he was situated with the blanket over him and he was so drowsy he didn't hear what Justin asked him the first time. Smiling Justin repeated, "Do you want some warmer socks?"

Mac looked down and saw his threadbare white socks sticking out of the end of the blanket. The socks Medical provided were the fuzzy kind with the grippers on the bottom that looked like ones you would find in a nursing home, but they were warm and comfortable.

He sighed. "I guess."

Justin laughed, "I'll be right back with a pair; I think Jack's just about done, so I'm guessing he'll be in here in a few." Then Justin disappeared.

Mac closed his tired eyes for what felt like a second when he heard Jack's southern drawl. Cracking an eyelid, he saw his partner had pulled up a chair to sit beside him.

"I'm supposed to stay off my feat for a couple of hours," Jack complained. "How about you, Bud?" Jack was giving him his worried face.

Mac opened his mouth to reassure Jack that he was, in fact, just fine, when a jaw popping yawn came out. Jack chuckled, and patted his arm, "Don't worry about it, I'll just get it out of Justin when he comes back."

Mac hummed a response and closed his eyes again. When he next opened them, it was because Justin had started unwinding the bandage on his right hand, while Jack was helping by unwinding the one on the left. His little cat nap had helped un-muddle his head, and he cleared his throat, getting their attention.

"Can you let me sit up? I want to see how my hands look."

"Of course you do, Hoss." Jack said, and Justin raised the bed to a more comfortable sitting position.

Once the bandages were off, he could see his fingers. They actually looked a tad bit better. They were still red, but there wasn't as much heat coming off them. Then Justin removed the bandages on both palms. Jack hissed at all the damage that his friend had done to himself for Jack's expense.

Both palms were mottled with blisters, the biggest one on both hands was right under his fingers. "Next time, Bud, how about you don't do it the Dalton way? "

MacGyver chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind for the next time you are about to be burned alive."

"Once was enough, thank you very much!"

Justin interrupted the partner's banter. "I'm going to put some burn salve on both the hands and then rebadged them. Your fingers have mostly first-degree burns, but your palms got the worst of it. Blisters indicate second-degree burns, and with a large surface area affected, infection can be a concern. I'm going to let Dr. Feltman know what's going on and we'll be back in a minute."

Mac sighed, just wanting to get the IV finished and get out of there back to his own bed. He looked over at Jack who had his phone out texting someone, probably Dawn.

"Dawn?"

Jack grinned up at him. "Yeah? I don't know what it is about her, but I like her!"

Mac raised a skeptical brow. "She almost got you burnt to a crisp."

"Duke almost got me burnt to a crisp."

"But without Dawn bringing Duke back, you wouldn't have almost been burnt to a crisp."

Jack rubbed his head. "Even drugged up, you're giving me a headache."

Mac laughed. "All seriousness, dude, if she makes you happy, go for it. Just be prepared."

Jack gave Mac his dirtiest grin. "I'm always prepared."

"You're disgusting, old man."

Jack's phone dinged with another text.

"Go," Mac grinned. "Have fun."

Jack looked at him. "You sure? I know how much you hate being in Medical."

"I'm fine," Mac replied automatically. Off Jack's look, he amended, "I will be fine. I am a big boy, and hopefully I'll be discharged after Dr. Feltman gets back, go and let me know how it goes tomorrow."

Jack slowly got up, the lascivious grin back on his face. "Oh, I'll be sure to take notes!"

"Go!" Mac was laughing at his friend's antics.

Jack paused at the door. "You know, if you need me I'm only a phone call away."

"I know."

"'K, Bud. Get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow."

With that Jack limped out, leaving Mac by himself. Looking down, Mac noticed that he was now sporting the medical socks. At least he was warm. He sighed again, hoping to be able to leave soon. He looked up and saw that his IV was almost finished; once it was done he hoped to be able to call Bozer and get the heck out of there.

While he was waiting, he decided to examine his hands. Most of his fingers were a dull red color that reminded him of the sunburns he had gotten as a child, but there were some small spots where the fire had burned through the top layer and drawn blood. His palms, though, were what really horrified him.

The blisters were of various sizes and covered most of his palms. He didn't even want to think about how he was going to pick things up. He experimentally moved his hands a little. It hurt, but not too bad. Rationally thinking, the pain meds were probably masking most of the pain.

Right then Dr. Feltman walked in with Justin right behind him. "How are we doing Mac?" Dr. Feltman asked.

Mac smiled at the Doctor. He genuinely liked the guy; he just hated seeing him in a professional setting. "I've been better, but I've also been worse."

Both Dr. Feltman and Justin laughed; they had seen Mac at some of his worst.

"Ok Mac, let me get a look at the damage you did this time." First Dr Feltman retook his vitals, then examined Mac's hands. He moved a couple of the fingers and palpated some of the blisters on the palms. "Alright let's see that bruising."

Justin helped Mac slip one arm out of the gown so Dr. Feltman could see the full effect.

The doctor felt around Mac's abdomen where the lap belt had been, then moved his right arm to make sure there was no damage to the shoulder from flying through the window. When he was done, he sat in the chair that Jack had been in while Justin leaned at the foot of the bed.

"It's my professional assessment that you don't go flying out anymore windows, drive anymore cars into building, or touching anything that's burning with your bare hands. That being said," Dr. Feltman continued, "you are one lucky guy. While the bruising is bad, I'm pretty sure it will resolve on its own, and I'm not worried about internal bleeding. Your shoulder moved well. I'm also not worried about that. Your hands concern me, though. I'm hoping that the burns on your fingers will resolve themselves in a couple of days, but they will be very tender for a while. The blisters on your palms are more of a problem, and infection is a huge concern. For the next couple of days, it will be next to impossible for you to do any task that requires any amount of dexterity. So, with that being said, I'm going to recommend you stay here in Medical for the next couple of days."

Mac started shaking his head almost as soon as Dr. Feltman gave his recommendation. "Come on, Doc! I don't feel that bad; I promise I'll go straight to bed and stay there!"

Dr. Feltman sighed, "Normally I'd probably let you go ahead, but with the damage to your hands, I am worried that you could over use them, and cause infection to set in."

"I promise I'll be careful Doc. No working on anything." This time, he actually meant it.

Doc sighed, "How about this. Stay here overnight; we can get some more antibiotics on board, and if your fingers are looking better say around lunch tomorrow, I'll release you. I don't think you understand that right now your hands are pretty much useless. That means you won't be able to go to the bathroom by yourself, hold utensils, or anything like that."

Mac deflated. He had avoided thinking about that and unfortunately, they had a valid point. "OK, I'll stay overnight."

He was not happy; right then he just wanted to be left alone so he could sleep.

Dr. Feltman got up, "I'm leaving on vacation in a few hours, Dr. McKay will be on duty. Sorry! But it's the girls first Disney trip and we've been postponing…."

Mac suppressed a grimace; he and Dr. McKay didn't see eye to eye on anything. He found the guy to be loathsome and arrogant to the point of being harmful to his patients.

But, for the sake of Dr. Feltman, Mac tried to smile, failing miserably. "I truly hope you have a great time." "Thanks, Mac. I'll check in on you when I get back next week." With that, Dr. Feltman walked out.

Justin grabbed the burn cream and bandages and went to sit on the chair to re-bandage Mac's hands. Mac asked, "At least you'll still be on duty?"

"I've got you, Mac! You know you are my favorite patient!"

That got a chuckle out of Mac. Justin went on, "So, I figure you are probably due for a bathroom break. I'll get you set up with some supper, and then hang a new IV and hopefully you can get a good night's sleep."

"Sounds good." Mac didn't want to admit it, but nature was starting to call, and he wasn't sure how he was going to manage it.

Once Justin was finished with the bandages, he capped off the now empty IV and helped Mac to a standing position. He was wobblier than he'd anticipated. Apparently reading Mac's mind Justin volunteered, "It's probably the muscle relaxer that is making you feel off-balance."

As they walked to the patient bathrooms, Justin told him what was going to happen. "When we got to the bathroom, I'm going to pull down your underwear and help you sit. Then I'll step out. Once you are done, just call for me. If there is any cleanup needed, I'll help with that and back to bed we go."

Mac knew he colored a bit but nodded his understanding. They thankfully got through the bathroom visit without a hitch and Mac was quickly back in bed. Justin disappeared to fetch him supper he was sitting propped up going to math equations in his head when Bozer walked in.

"Hey man, how are you feeling?" Bozer asked with trepidation. "I heard about the stunt you pulled. Man always use an oven mitt when pulling Jack's ass out of a fire!"

Mac laughed. "Actually I'm not feeling too bad right now. They gave me some painkillers; tomorrow is probably when it's really gonna hurt."

Bozer hissed in agreement. "Can I get you anything? I was about to head home and wanted to make sure that you were really ok."

"Thanks, man, but I think I'm good for right now. Justin went to get me a bite to eat. Hopefully tomorrow I can blow this popsicle stand."

Justin came back then with a can of Sprite and thermos of something. He also looked proud of himself. Rolling the bedside table over to Mac's bed, he deposited the two containers.

"So, on tonight's menu we have Sprite and Egg Drop Soup. Don't worry, it's not from the cafeteria. I had some leftover from lunch, from that awesome place down the street." He positioned the thermos within easy reach, pulled a straw from his scrub top and placed it into the Sprite. "Bon Appetite! I'll be back after awhile to gather the leftovers and the reattach the IV."

Mac nodded, his mouth watering at the smell of food so close. He didn't realize exactly how hungry he was until it was in front of him. Justin left and Bozer stood awkwardly for a few more seconds.

"I also came by to drop off your laptop." Bozer took out the laptop and looked around for a place to put it.

Mac suggested, "Why don't you just place it on the chair here?"

Bozer did as requested, was about to say something, but saw what time it was. "Oh crap, I've got to go. I've got a…ummmm…yeah, uh, see ya." Bozer hurried out of the room.

Ok, that's not weird at all, Mac thought. But food quickly pulled his attention from Brozer's abrupt departure. The soup was hot and tasted great, and the Sprite was exactly what he wanted. He quickly finished both and was trying to figure out a way to get his laptop and use it when Justin checked back in.

"All done?"

"Yes, thanks! It was perfect."

Justin smiled, "Glad you enjoyed. I tend to forget about my leftovers, and then they go bad, so you did me a favor." He pulled a new IV and a couple of vials. Pulling the medicine from the vials then he injected it into the IV bag. "Some more painkillers and another mild muscle relaxer," he explained before Mac could protest. "It's just for tonight to help you get a better night's sleep."

Mac glowered at him. "Fine. Let's get this over with so I can go home." He stuck out his arm for Justin to re-hook the IV.

"I know you don't want it, but this way you'll get a better night's sleep and hopefully you won't be as sore in the morning because your muscles haven't been tense all night."

The man did have a good point, even if Mac didn't like it. "Is there any way I can use my laptop a bit before I fall asleep?"

Justin thought for a minute. "I'll get it set up on the tray for you, and I think your right hand thumb might be ok enough to use on the track pad. Give me a minute and I'll check for you."

"Thanks."

Justin pushed the food to the other side and set Mac's computer on the tray, plugged it in and powered it up. Mac held up his right hand to remind Justin to remove the bandages from his thumb. With a shake of his head, Justin came back around the bed, took the hand in his own and gently unwound the outer wrappings that made Mac's hands look like a mummy's. When the thumb was freed Justin examined it.

"Try putting some pressure on it and move it around a bit. Let's make sure you're not going to hurt yourself more."

With a roll of his eyes Mac obeyed; putting pressure on the thumb hurt just a little bit, but nothing that he couldn't stand. Justin nodded, seemingly satisfied with the results. "Ok, I'll be in to check on you in a few hours, but I expect you to be asleep by then." He delivered the last remark with a serious look.

"Yes, mother. I promise to not stay up too late," Mac snarked.

With a roll of his eyes, Justin left. Mac was itching to check on a few problems he was working on but figured that all he would do is frustrate himself by not being able to type. He pulled up his Netflix account and started a documentary he had been wanting to watch but hadn't had the time. Soon enough, he was asleep.

When Mac woke up the next morning the first thing he noticed was that his IV was gone. The next thing was there were loud eating noises coming from beside his bed. Turning his head, he was unsurprised to find Jack sitting next to him, chowing down on a box of doughnuts. Noticing Mac looking at him Jack smiled a goofy smile with powdered sugar all over his mouth. He looked ridiculous.

"Bring any for me?"

"Of course! Who do you think I am?" Jack asked looking appalled that he might forget to bring Mac something.

He leaned over the side of the chair and picked a white bag off the floor, setting it on the tray table while Mac raised the head of the bed. Once he was in a sitting position, Mac noticed that he wasn't very sore; the muscle relaxers must have done their job. However, he suspected moving around later today was going to suck royally! He was pulled out of his thoughts when Jack pushed the tray right in front of his face.

"One pumpkin spice donut and one apple donut with your favorite brand of OJ to wash it all down. Even though I still think you are crazy for not drinking coffee or milk with doughnuts like a normal human being."

Mac rolled his eyes at the old argument, letting Jack's words slide off him, and enjoying his breakfast. Unfortunately, the peace didn't last too long before Justin came in.

"I see Jack is feeding you. I'll give you a little bit to finish up, and then we get to do a fun examination! Which will hopefully result in your release!" After his statement Justin left giving them the time to finish up.

"You want me to stay?" Jack offered.

Mac gave it only a moment's thought. He knew part of the examination would be a trip to the bathroom, which his bladder was telling him was way overdue. "No, I've got it. Hopefully it will be quick. Plus, the only person Dr. McKay dislikes more than me is you."

Jack started to argue that his dislike of McKay was warranted, but Mac shut it down. "You go ahead and work on the paperwork, and I'll come up after I'm released."

Jack shot him an 'are you kidding me' look. "Look Hoss, after you're released, you're heading home to recuperate some more."

It was Jack's turn to shut Mac down. "You have had your hands cooked and the top half of your body is one big bruise. You're allowed to take it easy for a few days, OK? Just have Justin call me when you're ready to go, and I'll come and pick you up."

Mac sighed, "Fine."

Jack smiled brightly. "There's a good boy!"

"I'm not a dog."

"Never said you were." With that Jack climbed to his feet, wincing only a little, and cleaned up his mess. "See you later, alligator." Then he was gone.

Jack hadn't even been gone a minute when Justin poked his head back in. "You done?"

"Yep."

"I figured you were probably ready for another bathroom visit."

Mac sighed, "Unfortunately."

"OK, same procedure as last time."

Mac nodded, and thankfully the visit went smoothly, and he was soon back in the bed. Overall, he wasn't as sore as he was expecting to be and mentioned that to Justin.

"See? I do know what I am doing! I told you that you would feel better here than if you had gone home."

Mac grudgingly agreed, wishing he could wipe the smirk off Justin's face.

"Next is our exam, just like last time." Justin pulled on new exam gloves and took Mac's vitals charted them, then began the physical examination starting with the bruises, which while they still looked bad, weren't as dark. Next came the unwrapping of his hands; Mac kept expecting his hands to start hurting, but they didn't.

"What are you frowning about?" Justin questioned.

"I figured the removal of the bandages would cause my hands to start throbbing again, unless there is some residual painkiller in my bloodstream?"

"I unhooked the IV about two this morning, so most of the painkillers have been metabolized by now. Since we stopped the burning, you probably won't feel any more pain unless you press on the affected areas. Your fingers are another story. Since those were a first-degree burns, they're like sunburn, but will hopefully fade as quickly as one. Plus there's this lotion that my girlfriend swears by, so I brought some for you." Justin smiled at Mac.

Mac was touched at Justin's thoughtfulness. As Justin took off the last of the bandages Mac looked at his burned hands. They looked almost the same; he thought that the blisters might be a bit fuller, and he was sure that the color had faded on his fingers. They looked just a little pink now—like under-cooked chicken, he thought. Justin hummed, seemingly content with his findings.

"Ok, wiggle your fingers and let me know how that feels," Justin instructed.

Mac did and it felt fine.

"Ok, lightly curl your fingers, slowly." Justin over enunciated the last word. Rolling his eyes, Mac obeyed.

"That stings a little." He hastily added, "But not too much."

Justin laughed, "Ready to get out of here are you?"

"You know it!"

"OK, so last test. Put your hand palm down and press one finger on your leg." Justin watched intently as Mac did as instructed. Again, Mac hissed.

"Is it about the same or worse than curling your fingers?"

"It's about the same."

"Alright, I'm going to go report my findings to Dr. McKay. Hopefully, we'll be back soon to spring you!"

"Thanks Justin. I really appreciate it." Mac leaned back against the bed again and began a closer exam of his hand to try to catalogue the differences between today's appearance and last night. He was just about to prod one of the blisters when Dr. McKay's arrogant voice filled the room.

"I wouldn't do that!"

Mac stopped and looked up at the man he would normally look down upon if he were standing. "If you pop that blister, you could develop on infection. Infections caught in a medical setting are notoriously hard to stop and dying would be a real possibility," McKay scolded. "Justin tells me you are ready to be discharged. I think I shall be the judge of that."

Mac had tried to like the man, but he felt that McKay had been out to get him ever since Mac had corrected him when McKay had been giving Matty a briefing. The man had been enraged, and Jack said he was out to get Mac ever since. He guessed now he would find out if Jack was right or not.

Dr. McKay roughly grabbed Mac's hand and began poking at it.

"OW!" Mac yelped.

McKay didn't even glance up. He poked again at another sore spot on his palm.

"That hurts," Mac reported.

McKay just sighed and dropped Mac's hand. He then stepped closer to the bed and leaned in to examine MacGyver's bruised torso. Mac had his gown off his shoulders and across his lap. McKay again insisted on poking all the sore spots.

Abruptly, Dr. McKay pulled his hand back. "It's my professional opinion that you stay in here for another three days to be monitored for signs of internal bleed or infection of the hands, which I feel need to be fully bandaged until the burns are completely healed. "

The announcement brought out Mac's fight. "I don't think so! Dr. Feltman assured me that he felt I was out of the woods for internal bleeding and my hands are already feeling better! I want to go home today."

"Well, I don't think Director Webber would want the Phoenix's most important agent to keel over due to my lack of due diligence. You are staying here." Dr. McKay wasn't budging an inch. Mac could see Justin biting his tongue, but he was going to let Mac fight his own battle.

"I don't think Matty has a most important agent, and you did your due diligence, release me. I'm going to walk out of here regardless." Mac was calm, which to anyone who knew him meant that he was serious about what he was saying.

"Fine then, Agent MacGyver, I will call up the Director and see what she says."

Justin apparently had enough because he chose that moment to jump in. "Dr. McKay, remember Director Webber requested for all medical matters to be handled here unless it was an absolute emergency. I think we can get this figured out right here without having to bother her."

"Fine, do whatever you want! I'm leaving!" With that he turned on his heel and stalked off muttering under his breath about how his last job wasn't this bad they—at least listened to him sometimes.

Mac turned his stormy glaze on Justin. "I tried, but that man is insufferable!"

Justin sighed, apparently torn between with agreeing with Mac to defending his boss. "I think he was in research for so long that any people or patient skills he might have once had eroded away. We're working on him. I'm going with my original treatment plan for you. I'll put that lotion on your fingers and only loosely bandage your palms. Be careful with both your hands and your torso; I am going to recommend you take some ibuprofen to help with the soreness and bruising. Any questions?"

"Do you really think he is going to call Matty?" Mac wasn't really worried what would happen, but it wouldn't be good for Dr. McKay.

"Naw, I think that wherever he used to work, the Director was much more involved in stuff like this." While he said the last part, he grabbed the bandages and the lotion and brought them over to Mac's bed. "Let's see those hands."

The bandaging went quickly; getting his street clothes however did not. Mac finally gave up and asked for a pair of sweatpants from his locker. He sat on the bed dejectedly waiting for Jack to bring his sweatpants, so he could finally go home. It was going to be good to sleep in his own bed. He laughed at himself; he was thinking about sleeping, but it wasn't yet lunch time.

"You rang, Jeeves?" Jack asked as he stepped into the room.

Mac couldn't help but to grin, and took the pants that Jack offered. He quickly put them on and slipped his feet into the shoes that Justin had already prepared for him.

"Ready to blow this pop stand?" Jack asked.

"I was born ready. Let's go." Mac stated wanting to get the heck out of there and into a nice cool shower and his own bed. Justin had given him some of the lotion for his hands and some more gauze for when he needed to change it.

Jack opened his door; suppressing the eye roll physically hurt. He knew Jack was just trying to be helpful, but he could do it. Mac let out a sigh of relief when they pulled out into the road toward his house.

"Ready to get home? Wait that was a stupid question. Was Dr. Moron as stupid as usual?" Jack glanced at Mac when they hit a stop light.

"Worse. I'm pretty sure you're right about him having it out for me. He wanted to keep me there for three additional days, and when I said I wouldn't, he threatened to call Matty."

Jack chuckled. "Doesn't he realize that is more dangerous for him?"

Mac huffed. "Apparently not. So, you never told me how last night went." He held up a hand before Jack could say anything. "But spare me the gory details, please."

Jack had a dirty smile on his face. "Everything went great, until I woke up and all my stuff was gone…again."

"Jack!"

"Yeah, I know, but at least she left my dad's dog tags."

"Did you tell Matty?"

"NO! She might get her CIA job pulled, and I can't do that to her."

This time Mac did roll his eyes. The guy was a hopeless romantic. "Let me get this straight, you go back to your place, have a great time, and you wake up to half of your things gone? Did I leave anything out?" Mac sniped.

"She left a note?" Jack made the statement come out as a question.

"I'm not even going to ask." Mac gave up on trying to understand Jack. Just when he thought he had one of his best friends figured out, he surprises him yet again. "I'm surprised I haven't seen Riley."

"I don't know what is up with that girl; she was acting kinda squirrely after we got back. I think she went down to visit you, but apparently you were sleeping adorably or something." Jack shook his head.

Mac didn't bother with a reply, they were pulling into his driveway. He sighed, happy to be back home. Jack hurried over to open his car door, then the house door.

"Jack, I'm fine."

"Your hands are hurt and It's my fault. Let me help you out a little bit, ok?"

"Fine."

Since Bozer was still at work it was just the two of them. Mac made a straight line for his room and threw what he had with him from the hospital on his bed and went into the bathroom. Jack stood at his post right outside the bathroom giving Mac privacy, but still being close by in case Mac needed help.

Before getting into the shower Mac grabbed a couple of plastic bags he kept in the bathroom for this very reason. He put them over the bandages to keep them from getting wet then Mac stepped into the shower content just to rinse the past couple of days off of him, but not bothering to even try to wash his body. First he kept the water cool, then he warmed it up to help ease the aches that were starting to present themselves. He could hear Jack out there humming some Rolling Stones song, and everything was right with his world again. After the relaxing shower he carefully pulled his boxers on and went out to Jack.

Jack held out a couple of ibuprofen and a glass of orange juice. It appeared Justin had relayed Mac's leaving instructions to Jack. He took the pills and let Jack help him with apply the lotion and rebadged his hands before kicking him out of his room.

"I love you and all, but it is super creepy to stay and watch someone sleep."

Jack left without too much complaint.

Mac climbed into his bed, relaxing with the feeling of home. It took him a little bit to find a spot that didn't put pressure on his bruises, and it was hard to not touch anything, but as soon as he was comfortable he was out like a light.

He woke up several hours later desperately needing the use the bathroom. After relieving himself, and realizing it was about six hours later, he popped another pill, lathered more lotion on his hands and went back to bed despite hearing voices coming from the deck. The next morning Mac woke up at five feeling ready to conquer the day.

He clambered out of the bed and winced at how sore he was. Checking his hands, he discovered his fingers had finally returned to their normal color, then he unwound the bandages covering his palms and found that the blisters still looked the same. Oh well, win some lose some. Hearing Bozer leave his room he figured that is was time to face the day.

Three days later

Mac bit down on the urge to throw the screwdriver into the wall. Instead he sat it on his work table and tried to calm himself down before he did something he would regret. It seemed like everything he tried to do, the blisters got in the way. He tried to work on his laptop, but where he rested his hands rubbed on the blisters, using most utensils rubbed his blisters, everything rubbed his blisters. In the days since he burned his hands, the blisters hadn't substantially gone down, and this was the straw that broke the camel's back.

Standing up, he stalked out of his lab headed to Medical. He hoped Dr. Feltman was back from his vacation but was willing to take just about any chance to get use of his hands back. Walking into the Medical wing, he was greeted by Sheila, one of the senior nurses. She smiled upon seeing MacGyver.

"Hey Mac! How can I help you today?" She greeted warmly.

Mac smiled; talking to Sheila always calmed him, and today was no different. "Hey, I wanted to know if Dr. Feltman was back from vacation or if Justin was on duty today?"

"No and yes. Do you want me to get him for you?" Sheila asked.

"Please."

"Sure, sweetie. If it's a medical question, go sit in exam one. If not, you can just wait here."

"Tell him to meet me in one." He escorted himself to exam one where he had been as a patient way too many times for his comfort. He only had to wait a few minutes before Justin sauntered into the room.

"Back so soon? I knew you couldn't keep away. It was the lotion wasn't it?" Justin joked.

"Ha ha. And thanks for that lotion! That stuff really worked. I think Jack's stolen it already for when he rides with the top down." They shared a laugh.

"Ok, so I doubt you wanted to meet me here to discuss sunburn lotion, so what's up?" Justin had sat down on the extra chair facing the bed upon which Mac was sitting.

"Is there any way to drain these blisters? I can't get any work done, and it's driving me crazy." Mac said in a rush. "Please? I've been taking the antibiotics there is a much lower risk of infection. I've also kept them covered and dry besides when I shower." Mac bit his lower lip hoping that Justin would do what he wanted him to.

"Before I say something either way, let me see the hands." Mac presented his still bandaged palms for Justin's inspection. Justin unwound the bandages and took a long look at Mac's palms gently touching a couple of the blisters. "The blisters are getting smaller. I know it takes a long time, but it is generally better for your body to let it do its job. That being said, do you think that this is posing a significant amount of stress on your everyday life?"

"YES! I can't even hold a fork or knife. Bozer had to cut up my steak dinner he made the other night." Mac knew he had a disgusted look on his face.

Justin tried to stifle his laugh. "Ok, seeing as how you are on antibiotics and the blisters are interfering with your day to day life, I will drain them. But since the skin underneath is not as healed as it normally would be, your palms might be a little sore. I also want you to promise three things."

Mac did his best not to start nodding like a bobble head.

"First, make sure you put the anti-burn cream on your hands every night. Second, keep your palms covered for at least a week. And third, come back in a week and let me check it out." Justin's voice was serious.

"Done! Anything to get rid of these blisters!" Mac promised.

Justin explained what he was going to do. "I'm going to insert a needle and pull the fluid out of each blister; the overlaying skin should collapse and form a protective layer over the open wound. If that skin comes off or starts slipping or if there is a lot of drainage, let me know."

"I'll be here so quick Barry Allen would get whiplash," Mac swore.

While Justin worked on Mac's hands, the two discussed which was better: the comic versions of Flash and the Green Arrow, or the TV version. The procedure went quickly. Mac ran into Jack coming off the elevator from Medical.

"Oh my goodness! What is that on your face? It that a smile? Yours has been missing." Jack ribbed him good-naturedly.

"Ha ha, I've smiled plenty. But if you must know, I got the blisters lanced, I can actually use my hand again!"

Mac knew he was just about vibrating with excitement. He glanced down at his hands and thought that if he had to go through it again, he would. Having Jack here and unharmed was worth it.

Epilogue

"Quit picking at them!" Jack hissed. He felt like he had repeated that phrase at least a hundred times in the last couple of days.

"The skin is already healed, I'm just trying to get the top layer off so the wounds can complete the healing process," Mac whispered his explanation to Jack.

"Yeah, I ain't buying that. You're bored and restless and those scabs on your hands are easily at hand." Jack chuckled quietly at his joke. "Get it? Hand?"

Jack noticed Mac rolling his eyes but didn't call his friend on it. Heck, if he had some healed blisters he would for sure be peeling the top layer off. Plus, he was actually trying to be quiet and pay attention.

"Dalton, Jack." Called the court clerk.

"Finally! I hate it when they decide to do reverse alphabetical order," Jack whispered to Mac as he stood up to make his way to the front of the courtroom.

"I see here that you were pulled over doing 77 in a 45." The Judge read off the papers in front of her.

"Yes, ma'am, I was."

The Judge waited a beat then asked. "Care to tell me why?"

Jack wanted to just say that he was a government agent and had been pulled over while in the middle of a case, but Matty had told him it was time to pay the piper. "Well, ma'am, I had gotten a frightening call from my daughter, and I was on my way to check on her after she wouldn't answer her phone."

The Judge looked him over, he put on his best 'honest Jack' face. She flipped through the papers a couple more time before commenting, "I don't see any daughter mentioned in your file."

"Well, ma'am, she's not biologically my daughter, but I think of her like one. Her mother and I dated during her formative years so we kinda imprinted on each other." Jack sure hoped the Judge was buying what he was selling.

"Well, Mr. Dalton I can certainly understand, I'm going to let you off with a warning this time. But slow it down! Do you understand me?" She said gravely.

Jack was all smiles. "Yes, ma'am! I sure will!"

"Dismissed, Mr. Dalton, and thank you for your service to our country." The Judge banged her gavel and called the next case.

Mac joined him at the door. "Guess what?"

Jack looked at Mac suspiciously, "What?" Mac held up a long piece of skin that he had obviously pulled off his palm. Jack gave him his most disgusted look. "Dude now that is gross! Get it away from me!"

Mac laughed and dangled it in front of Jack's face. Jack shoved his partner and sped down the steps to try to put some distance between them. When he got to the bottom of the steps Jack stopped and waited on his partner, glad that Mac had healed and was back to his normal self. All was right in his world once again.