He could feel his heart beating in his head, as he laid there trying to figure out what had just happened? Last thing he remembered was talking to Jack on the cell, debating on whether they would have pizza or Chinese for dinner?, now he was laying on the floor of his own living room, which was slowly spinning around him, making the throbbing in his head even worse and causing the nausea he was desperately trying to keep under control, to ebb closer to the surface with every passing moment.
"Hey Mac, I know you said nothing to spicy for dinner tonight, but Mr. Wou says this new beef dish they added to the menu, although spicy, will "rock our world", which sounded very strange coming out of the mouth of a 79 year old Chinese guy", Jack walked into Mac's kitchen as he waited for a reply, while putting the food down on the counter. "Mac!" He yelled again, "hello!" Jack yelled as he scanned the room and slowly drew his weapon, as his senses started to scream at him that somethings wasn't right.
Mac heard Jack let himself in and could smell the food he had brought in with him, which only served to make his nausea worse. He tried to yell for Jack but found that his brain and his vocal chords evidently were not working well together, and the only sound he emitted was a cross between a cough and a whimper, he was about to try again when Jack came into the room and yelled his name, running over to kneel beside him in an instant.
"Mac!, what happened? Are you alright buddy?" Jack asked while expertly running his hands all over Mac's body carefully looking for injuries, finding one as he touched the back of Mac's head, causing Mac to gasp in pain and the room to spin for him as he did so.
Mac could see the concern in Jack's eyes and was trying to answer him when Jack's hand reached the back of his head causing him to gasp in pain as Jack's hand found what evidently was a sizable lump, and causing the room to spin rapidly around him, precipitating the nausea to win the battle of wills they had been playing for the last 10 minutes. Mac groaned and started to try and move his body to shift positions from his back to his side, Jack, recognizing the look of panic on Mac's face for what it was, immediately and effortlessly yet gently helped Mac turn to his side just as all of Mac's meals for the past week reappeared.
"Easy there kid!, it's OK, I've got you", Jack was saying while holding Mac up with one hand on Mac's back, and all the while with his other hand, holding his phone which he was using to speak to the Phoenix Foundation's emergency team to tell them they needed to come to Mac's place pronto!
"I'm OK Jack; just give me a minute" Mac was finally able to utter, trying to keep Jack from getting the Calvary to come over. He made a grab for Jack's phone, which in hindsight was not a good idea, because the movement required only made the room start spinning again and the nausea return; he could not help but groan as he put a hand to the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. He could feel his body sway, just as he then felt a pair of strong hands grab his shoulders and slightly turn him so that he was almost laying on Jack's lap, with his back against the older man's chest.
"Sure, you are OK son, and I am Bruce Willi's long-lost brother; we will be having lunch Sunday, you should come" Jack said as he rolled his eyes at the kid's almost pathological need to say he was "OK" regardless of whether he had a paper cut or a missing limb. "Phoenix Medical's Team is on its way, and THAT my boy, is not open for discussion, not when I come in and find you unconscious on the floor" Jack had wrapped his arms around the kid's torso, he had his chin on top of Mac's head and he was paying close attention to how fast Mac seem to be breathing; probably to avert some of the content of his stomach from making an unscheduled appearance. Just as he was growing impatient, Phoenix's Medics came bursting through Mac's front door making Jack say a small thank you prayer in his head.
Dr. Malone approached the pair of agents, he knelt to be at eye level with Mac as his nurse began to open the med kit bag and began pulling out a BP Cuff. "So, gentlemen, long time no see; what seems to be the trouble here?"
"Nothing!", "He was passed out on the floor", both were spoken simultaneously by Jack and Mac making the doctor laugh and shake his head. Jack liked Dr. Malone, he was a good doctor, one of the best, and where Mac was concerned, only the best would do. Jack shifted Mac slightly to his right and turned his head so both Mac and the doctor could see him before he said "Mac, stop it! you are NOT fine, so unless you're going to be upfront and honest with the doctor, then I WILL do all the talking" Jack's tone was firm and commanding, not really giving the blonde any room for argument. Jack smiled when he felt Mac give a slight nod and slump further onto Jack's chest.
"OK, so unconscious on the floor, what happened young man?" Dr. Malone asked, his full attention now on MacGyver; he grabbed the boy's wrist and began to feel for a pulse, while he nodded to his nurse to begin taking the kid's BP and temperature.
"I don't really know" Mac said softly, closing his eyes at what he knew would be Jack's profuse panicked commentary about him not remembering what happened; he braced himself for the storm that was Papa-Jack.
"WHAT?" Jack shouted, "what do you mean you don't really know?", he began running a hand against the back of Mac's head looking for a huge lump or possibly leaking brain matter, who knew what could make the boy genius forget anything? "Just how hard DID YOU hit your head?"
"Jack, stop", "how about I do the asking for a bit?" Dr. Malone said, trying to calm the older man. Everyone at the Phoenix knew of the tie that bound Jack to Mac and vice versa; for all intents and purposes, in every matter that counted, Jack was Mac's dad, and no one dared question that; they knew to thread lightly when it came to treating the boy, for Jack was not one anyone would want to anger.
"Sorry doc" Jack said, but he tightened his hold on his boy.
Mac was grateful the doctor intervened before Jack went to full meltdown mode. He already had a mother of a headache, and his whole body was hurting, aching, almost with a burning sensation, it was a weird feeling. "I don't know really what happened Doc, one minute I remember I was walking towards the kitchen to grab a beer, the next thing I know Jack is here and I'm on the floor with the room spinning, so…"
"OK, let's see here" Dr. Malone grabbed a pen light and shone it in the blonde's eyes, there was a mild reaction, but nothing that would say there was a concussion that would merit unconscious Mac with memory loss. "I would like to examine you more thoroughly before transporting you", he turned to his orderlies, "help him up gentlemen, please, let's get him to his bed" the doctor said as he stood to allow them access to their patient. With Jack's help, the three men were able to get MacGyver to his room and on the bed within seconds.
Mac had to close his eyes and bite his tongue as the orderlies grabbed his arms to help him up. Both arms were tender to the touch evidently, that was new, and the men's' hands, even Jack's hands for that matter, were very painful. He was happy to finally be on a soft surface for a minute at least.
The doctor nodded thank you to the men who stepped outside to wait for further instructions. Dr. Malone turned to Jack and said, "please wait outside Jack, I have to examine him".
When the doctor asked Jack to wait outside, Jack's first instinct was to say, "Hell no, he was not going anywhere!"; but he looked down at Mac who gave him a soft nod and softly said, "it's OK Jack, I'm in good hands"; so he stepped out but remained directly by the kid's bedroom door just in case his boy needed him.
"OK Mac, let's see what we can figure out kid" Dr. Malone said as he began his examination.
Jack was growing really, really, impatient, it seemed like the doctor had been examining Mac for hours, although it was more like 15 minutes, but every minute Jack was in the dark about his boy, was like 100 years to him. Finally, probably just minutes before Jack said the hell with it and burst back into the room, the doctor and the nurse stepped out of Mac's room.
Jack damn near barreled into them, "well, what is going on Doc?", "what is wrong with Mac?"
To be continued…
What? You all know I love to leave you all hanging…. What should it be, poison, side effects of some mission, horrible illness?