Jack did an admirable job of not bringing up his talk with Patty on the long ride back. Mac kept glancing at him, but he didn't ask about it either, thinking that even if no one else ever knew they'd discussed it, he'd made a point of the principle of the thing and going back on it already was no way to step into his role as an agent in charge, which was a hell of a step up from just taking the lead on an op someone else designed and was calling the shots on (usually the DO). Besides, the fact that Steve was listening to his own music on his earbuds didn't mean the man wouldn't hear them talking behind him. Because he knew Jack would hate a fuss getting kicked up over an old injury, Mac had tried to assure the medic that their need for a driver was simply because they might want to discuss their short interview with Patty, but he knew something was up. Mac was also feeling like even thinking about what Jack and Patty might have talked about would trigger Steve's weird almost psychic-seeming ability to detect when his teammates were up to something.

When they'd been chatting in the lobby, having a coffee and waiting for Jack and Patty to return with her belongings, Steve had given Mac a sort of squinting appraisal and said, "You went for a run this morning." Mac had nearly spit out his coffee before skirting around a denial, being given a dad stare that was almost as good as Jack's, and then doubling back and admitting to a slight run. Instead of a lecture, which was what Mac knew he probably deserved, Steve just grinned and told him that if he came in before work in the morning, he would see if they could get him cleared for ditching the sling and upping his activity, maybe starting some physical therapy, before Matty caught wind of him playing fast and loose with orders. Mac was somewhat relieved, both at the prospect of getting back to normal and having a distraction from what he was feeling, about Nikki, Patricia, Murdoc … about his father.

When they returned to Phoenix and started talking it became clear that teasing out what Patricia knew about the Organization, the players involved, how they had been able to target her, and why they might be so interested in Mac was going to take weeks. Matty wanted the details most relevant to the current actions by the Organization first, meaning what led to them framing Thornton and engaging in their most recent wave of activity. Mac's curiosity about this father and the nature of his relationship with Thornton was driven into the background when Riley finally cracked the last layer of encryption on Nikki's phone and computer and the team was pulled down the rabbit hole of the mission to target Bethlehem and a fifty state strategy to spread an infectious disease. The discovery of several active cells working in different areas attempting to accomplish similar objectives quickly derailed any plans Mac had to get to the bottom of his father's confusing role in this. Despite him not being medically cleared for field work, Matty was firm in her support of Mac's status as the agent in charge and he put in long hours at the office and in the War Room overseeing what needed to be done to shut down current threats. Jack was an able and dedicated second in command, acting as the liaison with the tactical units and keeping Mac fed and full of coffee.

Matty was more than a little impressed with the work the team was doing and was glad she'd gone against what would have been typical protocol and instead of excluding Mac because it might intersect with his personal life, giving him control of the mission. She passed by his office on her way to meet with an outside contractor one evening after nearly everyone else had cleared out for the night due to her admonishment that since everyone was in from related field ops for the moment they should all head out early and take a slightly extended weekend. Of course, counter to her strongly worded suggestion, that for a minute she considered reframing as an order, she saw Mac sitting at his desk, staring intently his laptop screen and absently massaging his shoulder. At least that indicated that he'd taken a break to go to mandatory physical therapy at some point today. Instead of immediately chasing him out, she checked her watch and realized she had a few minutes before her 7 pm appointment would arrive, so she just tapped on the door frame. Mac glanced up, and she was almost gratified to see a sheepish expression flit across his face; she could see him mentally testing scenarios that his boss might find acceptable as reasons he was still here.

Before he could fumble an excuse she just walked in, sat down across from him, and said, "Hey, Mac. Did you at least stop for dinner?"

"Hey, Matty. Yeah. Um, Jack brought me … something."

For the life of him he couldn't remember what he'd eaten, but he was fairly certain that he'd finished whatever it was. It must have come with a large coffee, because the cup was still sitting, half-finished, next to his computer and although it was cold, he took a drink of it anyway. He couldn't walk away from this file just yet. And it would be dangerous to take information like this out of the office.

She tipped him a kind, if reserved smile. "Well, good. I was ready to yell at him. The fact that you're still here made me think he was derelict in his duties of looking after you." She paused and her voice took on a more teasing note. "I almost feel sorry for him right now with you out of the field. Keeping you from getting riddled with holes by other people who want to kill you seems like it might be easier than getting you to take care of yourself right now, Mac."

His mouth curved into a smile. "You're probably right. I really did mean to go home … But, Riley just sent me the last of the files off Nikki's computer and I've just started going through the stuff you collated from your interviews with Patricia … It's a lot of material and I …"

"You need to get started on this. I understand. It's why I'm teasing instead of yelling at you." She looked around Mac's office, frowning. "Where is Dalton anyway?"

Mac's face broke into a grin. "Patricia and Bozer are thick as thieves since she's been back. That's a dynamic I could live to be a hundred and never figure out, but they adore each other. Actually, Patricia reminds me of Bozer's mom a little. She's a surgeon and she can be so tightly controlled about work and then two seconds later laugh herself to tears about a cat video. Patricia's like that I think, now that I'm getting to know her as an equal."

Matty smiled and nodded. She'd been concerned that Mac would have a hard time treating Thornton as anything other than his boss, but in classic MacGyver style, the compartmentalization seemed to come naturally to him. "And?"

"Bozer threw down with Jack about active gaming and Patricia piled on … Of course, Riley had to get into the mix … anyway, they're all at some place over in West Hollywood called the GlowZone drinking too much beer and trying to take each other out with light amplified by stimulated emission of radiation," Mac chuckled.

Matty shook her head. "So you got abandoned for Laser tag?"

"Yeah," he grinned. Then his face fell a bit. "I've looked at the stuff on Nikki's computer from Riley, and what you forwarded on Patricia's explanation of Stace Smithee and when he went dark …"

"She wanted to talk to you in person but I thought you'd take it better in a report."

Mac nodded. "Thanks. In person is definitely not my strength." His face scrunched up for a second, then relaxed. "I spent so much time thinking he left because of Mom's death … because of me … I'm not going to pretend that I'm not still here because I'm having a hard time learning that might not have been what happened. This report seems like he got word of a burn notice, and that's why he bailed and didn't come back …" Mac squeezed his eyes shut, trying to shut off the heat behind them, to still the fluttering in his chest.

Matty looked at him for a long moment, just feeling the pain she could see on his face. Recently Jack had mentioned his personal urge to skin his knuckles on the senior MacGyver's teeth on behalf of the man that was Jack's priority mission and right now she understood that completely. She thought carefully about what to say before she spoke.

"Mac," she finally prodded gently, but he didn't open his eyes. She decided to continue anyway. "None of this is simple … but I hope you'll consider something as you sort through all this conflict in your head." This time he opened his eyes and looked at her and the Herculean effort she witnessed that kept the burning tears standing in his eyes from falling made her heart clench for just a second. "Your father may have had reasons he thought he was doing the right thing."

Mac's fervent nod almost broke her heart. He knew what being disavowed was like and she might never forgive herself for that, even though she'd done what she could to help without going down with that ship. He closed his eyes again.

"MacGyver! Look at me."

When his eyes opened, the tears he'd been fighting so valiantly to hold onto trailed down his cheeks. She pressed her lips together to hold in her own emotions when she watched him stoically not acknowledge them.

"Mac … nothing excuses how he left, or that he didn't at least offer you some solace afterward. Nothing excuses his coldness toward you. Even if he thinks he's still protecting you." She tilted her head to hold his gaze, even as he tried to look away. "You are one of the best field agents I have ever known. And you are still younger than most people who are ever allowed into the field. I stand by my decision to put you in a command position. I'm impressed, and frankly that says something since I've worked under multiple presidents from both parties and none of them has gotten that out of me yet."

Mac couldn't help his watery smile. "Thanks."

Matty got up and walked around his desk so she could put a hand on his arm. "You deserve the truth. Not just because you've always deserved it, but because withholding it from you puts you at continued risk." He frowned. "The Organization is targeting you, not just because you are in your own right a talented agent who could bring them down (and you could Mac, I believe that with all of my heart and, more importantly with all of my mind) but because you are his son. Until he tells you everything, he is putting you in the line of fire, and I won't have that … As soon as you're cleared by Medical for field work, you have my full authorization to find your father and bring him in so we can bring THEM down."

Now Mac brushed absently at his face, to wick away the moisture there. He nodded his understanding. "I'm going in to Medical first thing Monday. Steve thinks I'll be cleared, although I have to go through Foster since Rodgers is on the team."

Matty smiled at the sureness in his voice.

"I'm going to get cleared, Matty. I'm going to do whatever it takes to end this … I just want to move on …"

Matty started out the door toward her late appointment. "Mac, I know you may not always have felt this … But I believe you will … I believe in … You."

He smiled at her and looked away, feeling his cheeks warm. Her voice took on the expected harder edge. But he could easily hear the affection in it now.

"Now, wrap up what you absolutely have to and then go home. Because you know I'm going to tell Medical to put you through the wringer before they sign off on you heading back out."

Mac shook his head. "Yes, ma'am."

She left and Mac sat for a little while longer, staring at the file. His eyes kept straying to the date of the burn notice. And while he'd meant to follow Matty's orders, he was soon caught up in his all too perfect memory of his twelfth birthday.