Jack braced his knees to keep from falling over in the ambulance. He shot the back of the paramedic's head a glare when he saw Mac's body tighten and flinch with pain. He knew ambulances were not built for comfort, but he was beginning to wonder if the driver wasn't deliberately aiming for every dip and pothole on the road.
The other paramedic glanced at Jack out of the corner of his eyes several times. He was hunched and obviously afraid of the Delta. Jack narrowed his eyes at the man who shrank back and took too long to take Mac's blood pressure.
Jack's attention returned to Mac as the kid squirmed. Jack gritted his teeth.
"Move back, unless you wanna get popped." Jack said. The paramedic's eyes were wide with terror as he scurried to the other corner of the ambulance. Jack rolled his eyes. What the hell had they told this poor kid about him? Jack was fine with most of the people at Phoenix thinking he was a badass, and a few being afraid of him proved useful, but Jeez, this kid was going to wet himself and all Jack did was insist on riding with Mac. He hadn't even threatened the kid, much.
"Hey, brother." Jack said louder than he normally would have. He knew Mac's hearing had been affected. He hoped it wasn't permanent. All the explosions they had been around it was a miracle they weren't deaf already. Mac's eyes sprang open and he flailed to sitting. Jack ducked an elbow as Mac fought to get free of the strap holding him to the gurney. He put a hand on Mac's shoulder ready to duck. Mac turned to him with wild eyes.
"Mac, you're ok…" Jack began. Mac reached up and yanked the oxygen and heart monitor leads off. He scrambled at the belt holding him down. Jack leaned forward and captured his partner's hands.
"Mac, Mac, C'mon…" Mac looked up and grabbed Jack's jacket shoulder his fingers digging painfully into the older man's shoulder. Jack grimaced but didn't shrug the grip away.
"Hanika! She's in trouble, Jack! We have to go back and find her!" Jack put his hands on both of Mac's shoulders. He winced a the blood seeping through bandages covering the deeper slices in the kid's arms. Mac felt cool to the touch and was trembling. Jack grabbed the blanket Mac had tossed aside and wrapped it around the kid's shoulders.
"Mac, calm down." Jack tried. Mac blinked at him then turned back feverishly trying to open the buckle on the belt across his waist.
"I knew something was wrong...the bomb...she was grabbed, I know it!" Jack shook Mac's shoulders, stopping the blonde from his panicked need to escape. Jack did not like how fast the kid's breathing was getting.
"Stop it!" Jack snapped. Mac paused a long minute then dropped his hands from the belt. Jack frowned. A look of emotional torment seeped into Mac's eyes, "Mac, use your words, kiddo. What's going on?" Mac leaned his head forward and cradled it in his hands.
"The bomb." Mac moaned gingerly feeling the back of his head. Jack reached up and caught Mac's hand. He winced at how cold the kid was. Jack pulled the blanket tighter around Mac's shoulders. Mac offered a weak smile then slumped back closing his eyes.
"Mac?" Mac frowned then looked up at Jack.
"You followed me, didn't you?" Jack looked back at the petrified paramedic not wanting to meet his partner's eyes. He turned back when Mac burst out laughing. Jack wondered if Mac had been hit harder than he first thought. Mac shook his head wincing. He stared up at the ambulance ceiling.
"I'm not surprised, but all of you. Seriously? I'm surprised Matty and Cage weren't with you." Mac gave Jack a wry half smile. Jack shrugged.
"They had plans." Mac's face grew somber.
"Well, for once, and only this one time, I am glad you did." Mac's voice was low and sad. Jack leaned forward.
"So what happened? We were cruising the block in the Shelby looking for a place to park…"
"Spy."
"Whatever, when there was this huge explosion. I knew it had to be you. What happened?" Mac shrugged and itched his neck.
"Well either someone threatened and kidnapped my date or my date tried to kill me with an explosive." Jack's eyes widened. Mac began to laugh again. This time there was a hysterical note Jack didn't like. He reached out and took his partner's hand trying to bring the kid back to something solid.
"We'll figure it out, kiddo." He said softly. Mac looked at him, his face turning hard and bitter.
"You're damn right we will." Mac growled. Jack frowned unable to tell what emotions were running through the younger man. Did he feel guilty? Angry? Did Mac even know how he felt? Jack opened his mouth to ask what was going on in the kid's beautiful mind, when the ambulance stopped in front of Phoenix's underground emergency bay. Mac shoved aside the blanket and unclicked the belt around his waist.
"Hold on now!" Jack said. The paramedic fled out the back doors. Jack grabbed Mac's arm. Mac shook the older man's grip off without turning. Jack muttered under his breath as he was forced to follow Mac out the back double doors.
Mac jumped down the four feet to the ground and winced. He held onto the door threshold waiting for everything to settle. He hurt everywhere and everything seemed to have a shaky double edge. Mac gritted his teeth. The worst was his hearing had returned with a painful vengeance. Every sound felt like a bullhorn screaming in his ear. Probably blew both ear drums. Mac sighed. It wouldn't be the first time.
"Mac, c'mon. What the hell do you think you're doing?" Mac ignored Jack and pushed away heading for the glass doors that lead into Phoenix. He was aware of people moving around him. He recognized Doc Carl, Laura and that new doctor...Izzy something. He pushed them aside ducking and weaving through their hands. He had better things to do than go to medical to be poked and prodded for no reason. He had to find Hanika, find out…
Mac froze in his step as he was blocked by the formidable face of Matty. Mac briefly thought about shoving his way around the diminutive woman. He sighed and his shoulders slumped. He might just as well think he could fly over Mt. Everest by flapping his arms.
"Where do you think you're going, blondie?" Mac crossed his arms and did nothing to hide his anger and frustration. Belatedly he realized he probably wasn't going to impress her being shirtless with torn pants and bloody bandages covering most of his arms. Not that he normally impressed her anyway. Mac sighed.
"I'm fine. I have to find Hanika she could be in trouble."
"Or she could have tried to blow you up." Mac's jaw clenched. It hadn't occurred to him that Jack would have been on coms. He didn't know why but that idea made him more angry than the fact the entire team had trailed him on his date.
"I still have to find her." Mac's voice was flat. Matty didn't like the shifting of emotion in the kid's face. She'd seen Mac hurt physically and mentally. She's seen him terrified for others. She had no idea what she was seeing now. Matty narrowed her eyes.
"Fine, get checked out then come down to the war room. We'll see what we can figure out." Mac blinked at his boss surprised then offered a small smile. Matty nodded and waved at the others. Mac turned and stalked into the ER Jack and the medical crew hot on his heels.
Jack studied his partner. Mac was almost vibrating on the examination table. He swung his feet and squirmed glancing at his watch about every 20 seconds.
"This is ridiculous!" Mac growled hopping down to his feet. Jack stepped in his way and put a hand on Mac's fish belly white chest. The number of deepening red splotches did not go unnoticed. Mac was going to be a walking bruise.
"Jack, get out of my way." Mac's voice was exasperated instead of angry. He moved to the side and looked up at the ceiling huffing in frustration when Jack moved with him.
"Just settle down there a minute, bud. Izzy will be back with those x ray results in a little while." Mac shook his head and itched at a fresh dressing put on one of the longer gashes in his side. It probably needed stitches but he argued until Izzy finally gave in and steri-stripped it. Mac began to pace hitting the blue cushion as he walked.
"Look, Mac, I know you're hurting…" Mac rolled his eyes.
"I'm fine just bumps and bruises."
"And two busted eardrums. I know your head is ringling like the dinner bell and this, Henrietta tries to blow you up."
"Hanika, Hanika Namid as I have told you seventeen times in the last hour." Mac ground his teeth together. He was pretty sure the older man was trying to get him riled and it irritated him.
"Fine, this HANIKA tried to kill you…"
"We don't know that." Jack frowned. Mac had that odd tone in his voice again. It had a flatness Jack didn't like. He honestly had no idea if his partner was angry, sad, upset or all of the above. Jack didn't like knowing what was going on in Mac's skull. He decided to take things up a notch. He grabbed Mac's arm and spun the kid to face him. Jack hissed in surprise as he found himself holding Mac upright.
The kid looked green and swayed reaching out to grab Jack's jacket for support. Jack managed to scoop up the garbage can as Mac leaned forward retching up the last six months of meals. Mac held onto the bed trying to stop the world from spinnling. Black spots bobbed across his vision. When he finished puking, Mac closed his eyes and allowed Jack to help him lie down on his side. Mac put a palm across his head surprised to find it slick with sweat and cold.
"Mac?" Jack asked setting the trash can aside. Mac closed his eyes but the world continued to spin, "Hey, brother, what's going on?" Mac felt the older man's warm hand rest on his chest.
"Dizzy." Mac managed to mumble.
"Shock or concussion?" Mac moaned as his gut threatened to spasm again.
"Neither." Mac murmured. He felt like an ax was slicing into the back of his neck near the bottom of his skull.
"Talk to me, brother." Jack pleaded.
"My neck hurts and I feel dizzy."
"And?"
"And what?" Before Jack could answer the curtain was pulled back with a rusty squeal. Mac groaned the noise joining the fog horn screaming in his ears. It took him a long minute to pull voices out of the noise pulsing in his ears.
"I don't know, he just started puking and says everything is spinning."
"I'm not surprised." Izzy said. Mac lowered his arm and squinted up at her. She smiled down at him and placed her soft hand on his forehead, "You have some swelling between your cerebellum and medulla oblongata." Mac closed his eyes deciding spinning was better than doubles of everything circling.
"What does that mean?" Jack demanded. His ire had no effect on the calm older woman. She was always calm like a still pond.
"It means he's going to feel dizzy and sick." Jack rolled his eyes.
"And?"
"Mac, I'll give you a dramamine patch, but if you start getting confused or you feel your heart flutter, come back immediately, ok?"
"Yes." Mac said.
"I'll make sure of it." Jack said patting Mac's shoulder. Mac growled, but didn't want to risk opening his eyes. The dramamine took half an hour to take effect. Mac yawned feeling drowsy. He gratefully accepted the clothes Jack retrieved from his locker and took a shower. Mac bit his tongue to keep from yelling as the water seemed to pound into the bumps on his head like a sledgehammer. He blinked. The heat took away some of the soreness, but the motion sickness medicine made him feel foggy and slow. Mac sighed. He'd rather be sleepy than dizzy he decided. He left the shower and removed the plastic taped over his bandages wincing at slices of hide that went with the tape. He dressed wincing as every ache and pain assured him they hadn't gone anywhere. Mac sat on the toilet and put on his boots. He paused catching his breath.
Henrika. Where was she? Was she ok? Did she really try to kill him? Oddly, Mac didn't feel betrayed. He was worried for her safety but took her betrayal as a matter of course. No matter what he told the others, he had to admit it was unlikely she had been taken by force, but Mac knew there were many kinds of force. Was she threatened? Mac swallowed and bit back the obvious. Was she an assassin? Why did she want him dead? And why a bomb? Could Mac really have been so unaware, again?
Mac sighed and walked back to his curtained cubicle. Jack was the obvious relief on his partner's face, Mac couldn't help but smile. He had no doubt Jack was going to give him another five minutes before running into the shower and dragging him out convinced he was on the verge of dying.
"Matty call yet?" Mac asked shoving the remnants of his suit and dress shoes into his duffle.
"Just a minute ago, she said they found something you needed to know." Mac nodded.
"Ok." Jack followed Mac his brow wrinkled. Mac was too calm, too...something. And Jack didn't like it one bit.
