A/N : Thank you so much kind reviewers. I am glad you are enjoying this. Hope this chapter lives up to your expectations!
Chapter 7
The next morning, Don found Mac sitting up in bed nursing a cup of coffee.
"Hey Mac, How you feeling?" Don didn't know why he bothered asking as the ubiquitous 'I'm fine' was all the answer he received.
"I need a statement. I have most of it. I just need you to fill in a few gaps. You up to it?" Mac nodded and gestured to the chair. Don sat down and opened his note book.
"Okay, we know you were on your way to Cozy's." At Mac's look of surprise, Don added "Lindsay worked that one out and your guitar is safely at the lab by the way. She and Danny will be by later. So … you saw Jethro Mullet stab Molly?"
Mac flinched and turned away for a moment. He sighed deeply before speaking, his voice soft and low. "No. I heard a scream and saw her pulling at his coat. She was yelling at Jacob to hide." Mac closed his eyes for second as he recalled her desperate pleas for Jethro not to hurt Jacob.
"It was only when I intervened that I realised he had a knife. I disarmed him and the knife spun away among the dumpsters." As he spoke he looked at his bandaged hand as if to remind himself how that injury had occurred. Don nodded, noting that that explained the blood on the trash can lid and in Molly's hair and waited for Mac to continue.
"Jethro went for the knife. I was going after him but Molly grabbed my sleeve begging me to help Jacob." Mac hesitated before continuing. "She collapsed into my arms … I lifted her and placed her against the dumpster by the wall. It was then I saw the stab wound. I was about to staunch the flow but I heard Jacob cry. Then I was jumped from behind."
Mac suddenly looked away, running his hand down the back of head as he did when he was frustrated. It was as though he was trying to conjure up the memories … or perhaps trying to erase them. Don could tell he was angry, not with the brothers but with himself.
"Jethro's brother Oscar?" Don prompted.
Mac nodded "I didn't know that at the time. I just reacted. We fought. He pulled me over backwards. I grabbed the first thing that came to hand."
"The trash can lid?"
"Yeah, he seemed out for the count. I was stunned to find that it wasn't Jethro and that he was nowhere in sight. I went back to Molly, took off my coat and tried to stem the blood ….." Mac broke off. Don looked at him in concern. In all the years he'd known Mac he'd never seen him lose it so he was surprised to see Mac barely holding it together. "I should have stayed with her Don. I should have called it in myself but … but Jethro suddenly appeared from among the dumpsters with the boy in his arms and the knife ... Don she begged me …"
Don could see the guilt and the regret in Mac's face before he closed his eyes, his left hand covering his face as his thumb and forefinger pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Mac, don't do this. You couldn't save them both. It was a hard call."
Don could see that Mac was struggling to keep his composure but he didn't know what else to say. Fortunately he was saved by the arrival of Adam.
"Hey Boss. I ..er .. I just wanted to bring you your new phone. I put your SIM card in it." he approached nervously. "Where's Jacob?"
His interruption gave Mac the few seconds he needed to compose himself. "Adam. That's great thanks! Jo's taken Jacob to see his dad."
Don consulted his notes once more glad that the moment had passed and Mac seemed in control once more. "Okay so we know the next bit thanks to Adam. He found a traffic cam showing your impressive stunt with the cab." Adam beamed.
"Awesome! How did you know to cut through the shop?" asked Adam.
"It was my first solo crime scene. Robbery gone bad, the perp made his escape through the back door into the alley. I thought that I could cut Jethro off by the park but I collided with a guy emptying beer dregs into the drain out back."
Don sniggered. "Oh so that's why they though you were a D&D?"
"Huh?" asked Adam.
Mac's cheeks coloured. "Oh yeah, that!"
Don turned to Adam. "You should have heard Jo let rip into the new triage nurse about that one. Seems that he assumed dishevelled appearance, inability to walk in a straight line, slurred speech, combined with smell of beer was obviously a drunk and disorderly vagrant with his bundle and not an NYPD police officer with hypothermia and knife wounds who had just walked six blocks with a five year old kidnap victim. So he pushed them into a treatment room without further investigation."
Mac cleared his throat evidently embarrassed and desperate to change the topic of conversation. "Six blocks? I don't remember that bit. I remember getting to the park and panicking as I'd lost sight of Jethro. I thought he must have got ahead of me but by the time I reached the other side of the park I knew that wasn't possible. So I doubled back..."
After a moment he continued, "I remember hearing Jacob crying. I knew I had to keep looking …." he paused in thought but it was Adam who continued for him.
"You caught up with him by the park bench near the phone booth. I found blood and the knife in the bushes."
Mac nodded. "He'd put Jacob down by the bench. He was angry, pacing up and down. I tackled him and had just got the knife off him when this crazy guy comes up pointing a revolver and shouting "Stop in the name of the law!" of all things. The distraction was enough for Jethro to throw me off." Mac rubbed his jaw as recalled the elbow to the jaw that made him see stars. "He must have taken off with this guy in pursuit. I thought I heard shots but I couldn't leave Jacob ..." Mac's voice trailed off as he recalled seeing the little boy's tear-stained face looking up at him from behind the park bench.
"You tried to use the phone but it wasn't working." prompted Adam.
Mac's voice took on a pensive tone. "Yes. There was a coat on the ground. I wrapped it around Jacob. He was only wearing pyjamas. There was blood on them. He was shaking. It was cold. So cold..."
Don realised that at this point the adrenaline must have worn off and that Mac must have started to succumb to his injuries. He made some notes as Mac continued. "I remember thinking that I must get him to a hospital. I remember heading to the north of the park ... and …" he lloked at Don. "... to be honest, after that everything's a little fuzzy."
Don filled in the rest :"The crazy guy was Benny Waters, Fugitive Recovery Agent." Don made little quotes in the air. It suddenly dawned on Mac who he was. Don continued "Yeah that Benny Waters. He must have caught Jethro in the thigh with that pea-shooter of his, decided to tackle him but somehow they both ended up in the river. And you … huh … you walk six blocks while we're out there dredging the river for your sorry ass!"
Don grinned at Mac pleased to see a small smile on his face as he muttered "Sorry!" He looked totally drained. Don shook his head in resignation. "Mac get some rest. I'll get this typed up and we can smooth out the details later."
"Yeah and perhaps you can show us that cool Ninja move with the trash can lid?" asked Adam enthusiastically. Mac stared at Adam as though he'd gone completely mad and, he and Don could only watch in astonishment as Adam drew a half circle with his arms mimicking a kung fu chop that almost collided with the nurse entering the room. The items on the metal tray she was carrying wobbled precariously.
"Er oh, sorry, I was … er … was just …." he stammered.
"Leaving?" suggested the nurse.
"Yeah! Absolutely. I'll … er … catch you later boss." Adam decided that a rapid exit was his best move. Don chuckled as he nodded his goodbyes to Mac. "I'm going to go see Oscar. I'll be back later." he mouthed.
Elspeth Granger continued to watch Adam as he and Don left. She placed the tray on the side table, pulled out a pillow from under her arm, laid it on the edge of the bed and covered it with a cloth indicating that Mac should place his injured hand on it. She sat down on the edge of the bed and slipped on some gloves. "He works for you?" she asked.
"Yes he does. He's ..." Mac smiled. "... a genius. I don't know what I'd do without him."
The nurse looked at him for a moment. "Mmm. They say genius lies on the verge of insanity."
Mac laughed. "So I've been told."
