Second Thoughts

MacGyver felt like he was walking on air as he headed back to Jack's room. He didn't even bother to try and hide the goofy grin he must be wearing. Joanna had just confirmed his greatest hope. He couldn't wait to get back to Milwaukee. Back to her.

"Wow, that must have been one heck of a phone call," Jack observed when Mac returned. "Or did that cute little nurse give you her number?"

"It's none of your business, Jack," Mac replied, trying to keep the frustration with his friend out of his voice.

"You wound me, compadre! Since when do we keep secrets from each other?"

Mac's jaw went slack. How many times had Jack told him half-truths or downright lies to get him to go along with a crazy scheme?

"Fine!" Mac sat down in his chair, jamming his fingers through his hair. "Joanna just said she loved me."

Jack's happy-go-lucky expression quickly faded. "Aw man, I'm so sorry."

"Sorry? Why?"

"I'm sure Joanna's a great girl to hang out with, but now you're gonna break her heart."

"I am?"

"Earth to Mac! After love comes commitment and we both know you can't do that! You need to set that girl straight. Pronto!"

"You don't get it, Jack. I was in the middle of proposing to her when your mom called and told me about your accident."

"Proposing? As in marriage?!" Jack's eyes grew so wide Mac thought they might fall out of their sockets. "Lucky Mom called you when she did! Guys like you and me need to be free, go where life takes us, not get tied down with a wife, two point five kids, and a nine-to-five job!"

"You may still need that, but I'm done living like a nomad. I want to settle down. Put down real roots. And I want to do it with Joanna."

"All right, man. If that's what you want," Jack shrugged nonchalantly.

"That's it?" Mac asked suspiciously. "You're not gonna try to talk me out of it?"

"Nope," Jack replied smugly. "I'll let your commitment-phobic DNA do it for me."

XXXXX

Two days later, Jack was released from the hospital into Francine's care. MacGyver had called in a few favors and pulled some strings to get access to a private plane so he could fulfill the reservations Jack had scheduled before the crash. He had forgotten how much he loved flying. The freedom he felt when it was just him and the big blue sky, all concerns and obligations anchored firmly to the ground where they couldn't reach him. In an effort to keep Jack's dream alive, MacGyver continued to book and pilot flights in the hopes of raising enough money so Jack could take out a loan and make a down payment on a new plane.

With Jack making steady progress in his recovery and no flights booked for the day, Mac decided to stop by the Challengers Club. He wondered if anyone, with the exception of Hines, would remember him. He walked through the door and into the controlled chaos that was the teen youth center and shelter service.

"MacGyver?! As I live and breathe is that you?!"

Mac turned toward the familiar voice. "Hey Cynthia! How're you doin'?"

The spunky, African-American woman ran into his open arms and embraced him warmly.

"What brings you back to Los Angeles?"

"I'm helpin' out a friend who had a little accident," Mac replied casually. "A better question is what are you doin' back at Challengers?"

Cynthia laughed. "Hines is out of town for the holidays and you know I just can't stay away from these kids. Not to mention that this time of year we are always overcrowded and understaffed. I don't suppose you'd be willing to stick around and help out a bit while you're here?"

"What do you need me to do, Cynthia?" Mac asked with a grin.

"Well, since you asked…" She reached into the pocket of her sweater, pulled out a list and handed it to MacGyver.

Mac laughed. "Okay, I'm on it!"

The next several days passed quickly for MacGyver. When he wasn't flying charters he was either helping out at Challengers or visiting with Jack and Francine. When he had resigned from Phoenix, Mac had sworn he would never again call L.A. home, yet here he was, slipping back into aspects of his old life that fit like a well-worn pair of jeans. He thought back to Jack's words in the hospital on New Year's Eve. Perhaps he was right. Perhaps guys like him and Jack weren't meant to stay in one place too long regardless of who or what they left behind.

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The day after New Year's Joanna arrived at work to find the office abuzz, her colleagues already working in high gear.

"Hey, what's going on?" Joanna asked, snagging Mike Harlow's arm as he hurried past her.

"Emergency meeting in five minutes," he replied. "And I wouldn't be late if I were you."

Five minutes later Joanna found herself scrunched next to her co-workers in a small conference room. Their new boss, Carlos Hernandez, stepped to the front and asked for silence.

"Welcome back, people," he began. "Just as the first snowfall brings a ton of accident cases, the new year brings a blizzard of divorce petitions. That being said, I'm going to need extra hands on these cases."

Carlos read the list of paralegals, assistants, and investigators who would now be assigned to familial law. Joanna's and Mike's names were both called.

"And Mike," Carlos added, "Since MacGyver is still on vacation, why don't you use his office. It'll make it easier for you and Ms. Fairfax to tag team if needed."

Joanna's hackles raised, but she stayed quiet. Granted, she hadn't been looking forward to spending her days next to Mac's empty room, but she certainly didn't want someone else claiming the space instead! Mac was coming back, after all. Wasn't he?

"I hope you don't mind." Mike's voice broke into Jo's thoughts.

"Of course not," she responded politely before heading back to her own office.

The following week flew by as Joanna interviewed disgruntled husbands and wives. Their reasons for ending their marriage ranged from the mundane to the ridiculous. Like the woman whose husband had been leaving the toilet seat up for the last thirty years and suddenly she decided she couldn't take it anymore.

By the time Friday rolled around, Joanna was dead on her feet. Not only had she been working solid eight to ten hour days with barely a break for lunch, but MacGyver had been calling her almost every night. Unfortunately, he seemed unaware of the time difference and often kept her up late talking about anything and everything, but she didn't care. The sound of his voice soothed her and when she did sleep, she dreamed of him.

As the short January days melded together, Joanna found herself becoming depressed. She blamed it on working too much and listening to people complain about their soon-to-be ex-mates all day long, but in truth, many of their issues hit home and had her questioning the strength of her relationship with MacGyver. For example, there was the couple who had met at work and had never actually dated before getting married. Then there was the wife who complained that her husband didn't share any of her hobbies and the couple who didn't marry until they were in their fifties and found they could not stand living with and sharing their life with the other person. Last but not least were the number of couples who complained about the lack of communication in their marriage. Joanna's stomach clenched. If these relationships were any indication, she and Mac didn't stand a chance. They had met at work and their one attempt at a real date had failed miserably. Joanna's hobbies included reading and knitting while MacGyver enjoyed playing hockey and outdoor activities. Plus, they had both been single a long time. While Jo shared a house with her parents, could she stand to be in constant close proximity to Mac and him to her? To top it off, his phone calls were now few and far between. And when they did talk, they were hard pressed to talk about something other than the weather and latest sports scores. Logic told her he was just busy and preoccupied getting Jack's business up and running while also helping out at Challengers, but her heart feared he had grown bored with her since getting a taste of his old life where she did not belong.

One Tuesday afternoon Joanna sat surrounded by stacks of files furiously entering data into her computer when a knock on her door startled her.

"Sorry," Mike apologized. "You wouldn't happen to know the password to MacGyver's computer, would you?"

"No," she shook her head. "You've been working in there all this time and haven't been able to use the computer?"

"I've been using the firm's laptop. It just crashed."

"Oh. Let me see what I can do."

Joanna knew Mac's password wouldn't be complicated, it would just be odd. Something only the people closest to him would know. She sat down behind his desk and started typing. She hoped she didn't blush when she punched in her name. She held her breath and then exhaled in disappointment when access was denied. So she began the litany of names he might use: Pete, Jack, Frog, Phoenix, Duct Tape. Nothing worked. She was about to give up when she had a sudden notion. Slowly she hit the keys: A-n-g-u-s. Bingo! The computer screen sprang to life.

"Excellent!" Mike exclaimed. "Hey, how about we go out to dinner tonight?"

He must have seen the surprise on her face as he continued, "We've both been working hard and deserve a break. Besides, I'd like to get to know you better, outside of this place."

Was he asking her out on a date? Did she want to go?

"C'mon," he urged, sensing her reluctance. "We gotta eat, right?"

"Of course," Jo replied, finally finding her voice. "I'd love to."

A few hours later she found herself seated across from Mike at her favorite Italian restaurant surreptitiously studying his features. His dark brown hair was cut in a short, neat style that accentuated his bright blue eyes that lit up when he spoke of his small but loving family. As they shared stories about themselves, she learned he had lived in Milwaukee his entire life and had once turned down a lucrative job offer because it involved too much travel and time away from home. He possessed an easy sense of humor, a warm smile and, even though he had been in his suit for over twelve hours, not once did he reach up to loosen the knot in his tie. Now this was the type of guy she always imagined herself falling for. Yet when she crawled into bed that night and closed her eyes, the only face she saw was MacGyver's as a lone tear trickled down her cheek.

The next morning, Carlos was waiting for Joanna outside her office. He waved a piece of paper in front of her face as she approached.

"Do you know what this is?" he asked.

"No, sir," Joanna said softly, taken aback by her boss's behavior.

"This is yet another request for an extension to MacGyver's leave of absence! How long does he plan on being gone? Doesn't he realize that if he wants to keep his job he needs to show up once in a while?!"

Carlos was fairly yelling now and Joanna didn't have an answer for him, but she promised she would speak to Mac about it when she got a chance.

Once ensconced behind her desk, Jo eyed her phone and the number Mac had given her in case she needed to contact him. She glanced at her watch. It was still early morning in L.A. so perhaps he hadn't started his day yet. She dialed the number and was surprised when he answered on only the second ring.

"Hi! It's me," she greeted him, hoping she sounded somewhat upbeat.

"Jo? Is everything all right?"

"Yeah," she replied automatically before backpedaling. "Well, actually, no. Carlos is pretty upset that you asked to extend your leave. Do you have any idea when you might be coming home?"

There was a long silence before he spoke. "I really can't say. Business is picking up but Jack's still not ready to fly and Challengers needs all the help it can get right now."

"I understand, but I don't think Carlos will. Mac, you might lose your job here."

"Listen, I'll call Carlos and see what we can work out. Thanks for the heads up, but I have a flight to San Francisco in ten minutes."

"Mac, you are coming home, aren't you?"

"Sorry, gotta go." And the line went dead.

Joanna frowned as she hung up the phone. When she looked up, Mike Harlow was standing in her doorway.

"Bad news?" he asked.

"No. Um…it's nothing," she replied.

"I came to ask if you wanted to go out to dinner again. I really enjoyed last night."

Jo hesitated. Mac was obviously moving on with his life. She needed to do the same.

"I'd love to, Mike, but I really planned on staying late to finish up this paperwork. It's driving me nuts!"

"No problem! How about we order in and eat while we work. Do you want pizza or Chinese?"

"Your offer, your choice," she replied with a smile, sincerely glad she wouldn't be spending the evening alone.