The Ordeal

by DreamWvr73

A simple trip to see a friend causes trouble for GIllian and only Mac can help her.

Gillian put her small overnight in the backseat of the Jeep and sighed. She had an appointment with her old friend Dr. Paul Matney. He was thinking about starting up a new research project and Gillian always was his favorite subject.

MacGyver was standing in her driveway; he had his hands tucked into the pockets of his blue jeans.

"Are you sure you don't want me to go with you?"

"Positive, it's only for one night at Paul's house in West Covina. I'll be back tomorrow morning. Besides, you and Pete have been working extra hard on that new inventory program. He couldn't spare you even if he wanted to."

MacGyver sighed. "I know I just don't like the idea of you going all the way to West Covina by yourself."

Gillian smiled. "It's not that far Mac I'll be fine." She looked at her watch and it was almost 7 30 am. "I better go if I want to beat the traffic." She saw how he was frowning and she touched his cheek. "I'll be fine; I'll call you when I get there, okay?"

He nodded. "Okay, you just be careful."

The couple kissed and MacGyver gave her a hug. "I'll see you first thing in the morning."

"First thing." She climbed halfway in the front seat of the Jeep and blew him a kiss; she touched her hand to her silver heart locket and pointed to him.  He smiled and put up two fingers, this meant that she loved him and he loved her too.

Gillian smiled and closed the driver's side door; she started up the Jeep and backed out of the driveway.

MacGyver was pinching the bridge of his nose. He was getting frustrated, the new inventory program had a lot of bugs and he and Pete were trying to get them all worked out with the software designers. Pete came into the room and saw his friend.

"Let me guess, another bug right?"

"Right." He took his hand away from his face and sighed. "Why don't we just call in an exterminator to get the bugs out, it'd be less frustrating."

Pete laughed. "I wish it was that easy but we aren't dealing with those kinds of bugs."

MacGyver looked at the clock on Pete's desk, it read that it was almost 11 30. "That's strange."

"What is?"

"The time."

Pete looked at the clock on his desk. "It's 11 30, what's wrong with that?"

"Gillian said she would call me when she got to Dr. Matney's house. She should have called already."

"Maybe she got busy doing something with him and it slipped her mind."

Mac rubbed his hands over his face. "Maybe."

"If it bothers you that much why don't you call her?"

"I don't want to seem like I'm checking up on her."

Pete shrugged his shoulders. "Then don't worry about it, I'm sure you'll hear from her soon."

The two men had their lunch sent up to Pete's office, one of the lunch room workers brought in two foil covered plates. Pete lifted one corner and inhaled deeply, the food smelled delicious.

"So what's for lunch?" MacGyver was typing on the keyboard; the program was finally running the right way.

"Lasagna and garlic bread." Pete set one tray down near his friend.

"Thanks." Mac pulled back the foil. Tthe food looked good but he didn't have much of an appetite.

"Are you still waiting to hear from Gillian?" Pete was sitting on the chair in front of his desk and had a knife and fork in his hand.

"Yeah, still waiting."

The phone on Pete's desk buzzed and he reached over the desk and hit the button. "Yes Sandra?"

"Mr. Thornton, Dr. Matney is on the phone."

The two men looked at each other. "I'll take it Sandra." He picked up the receiver. "Dr. Matney? This is Pete Thornton what can I do for you?"

The stout man's brow creased. "She hasn't? I know for a fact she left early this morning." Pete looked at his friend. "Can you hold on for a second Dr?" He took the receiver away from his ear and covered it with his hand. "Gillian isn't at Dr. Matney's house yet."

Mac's eyes grew wide and he took the phone from his friend. "Dr. Matney this is MacGyver. I was there this morning when Gillian left, it was 7 30 when she headed out to your place." He listened and sighed. "Okay if I hear from her I'll let you know. Thank you Dr. Matney, bye."

MacGyver hung up the phone. "She should have been there hours ago Pete, it's only 20 miles to West Covina."

Pete nodded. "Maybe she had car trouble."

"I checked over my Jeep, it was running just fine."

Pete saw the way his friend looked, his face was very serious. "Now don't panic Mac I'm sure she's fine, there has to be a logical explanation for why she isn't there."

MacGyver ran his fingers through his hair. "Yeah that's what I'm afraid of."

Mac was a bundle of nerves, he went to Gillian's office and was lying down on her couch. He still hadn't heard anything and he was downright scared. He was looking up at the ceiling trying not to think the worst but that was impossible, his imagination was painting all kinds of terrible pictures. The door to Gillian's office opened and Pete walked in, his face was totally blank.

"MacGyver?"

He looked up and saw the look on his friend's face; he sat up and swung his legs around. "Any word?"

"I think we need to go to my office."

It was the tone and the pity in his eyes that made MacGyver's blood turn to ice. "Why?"

"MacGyver."

"Whatever you have to tell me Pete you tell me right here right now."

The stout man nodded his head slowly and swallowed hard. "I called the West Covina police and told them about Gillian, I gave a description of her and your Jeep."

"And?"

"They said that a Jeep matching that description was found at the bottom of a ravine about 10 miles outside of town, it was burned and a body was found inside of it."

Mac swallowed hard, his throat felt like it was filled with sand. "Is it…?"

"They seem to think so."

MacGyver got up and headed for the door. Pete tried to touch his shoulder but he wouldn't let him, he just kept right on walking. Pete followed him out the door. "Mac wait a minute where are you going?"

He had stopped and his back was turned to his friend. "West Covina."

"Do you want me to come with you?"

Mac did say a word he just nodded his head. Pete took his keys out of his pocket. "We can take my car."

MacGyver didn't acknowledge this; he headed for the elevator with Pete in tow.

Pete drove his dark gray Volvo down the highway. It was a nice day, the weather was clear but neither man seemed to be enjoying the ride. Pete kept glancing at his friend; he didn't like the way Mac was behaving. He was very quiet, just looking out the window.

"Mac?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah." But he wouldn't look at his friend; he just kept staring out the window, watching the scenery go whipping by.

MacGyver was trying to not let what Pete told him affect him. They didn't know for sure who was behind the wheel of the Jeep. That thought was the only hope that MacGyver had. He didn't want to think about anything else, not when there were so many questions hanging in the air.

They made it to the West Covina Police Department and Pete was barely getting out of the driver's seat, MacGyver had already gone inside. He told the desk clerk who he was and why he was there. The young man in a blue uniform pointed out an older man with a bald head and small round glasses.

"That's Detective Phillips; he should be able to help you."

MacGyver thanked him and walked through the little swinging wooden doors and walked straight over to him. The bald man was getting himself some coffee.

"Detective Phillips?"

He stopped pouring sugar into his coffee and raised his head. "Yes?"

"My name is MacGyver you spoke to my friend Pete Thornton earlier about the Jeep that was found?"

"Oh right." He stirred his coffee with a white plastic spoon. "Why don't you step into my office?"

Pete had finally caught up with Mac and the two men followed the man that had a remarkable resemblance to Mr. Clean into his office. He sat down in his chair and handed MacGyver a folder. "Take a look at these."

MacGyver opened the folder and looked at what was inside. It was photos of a Jeep that was totally burned, it was against a tree and looked more like a pile of burnt paper then a Jeep. "Did you run the plates?"

The Detective nodded and handed him another paper. "It's registered to you; the wrecking company took the Jeep to the junkyard."

This news made Mac's heart sink down into the pit of his stomach but his face registered nothing. "And the body?"

"As far we can tell it is a woman, in her mid to late 20s, that's all we have for now. We will have to wait for the autopsy; it's going on right now at West Covina General."

MacGyver swallowed hard and set the folder down on the edge of the desk. "Did you find anything?"

Mr. Clean shook his head. "No, nothing, the Jeep was empty except for the person behind the wheel."

This struck MacGyver as odd. "Detective, I watched Gillian put a small overnight bag in the backseat of my Jeep this morning before she left."

"We found no overnight bag; we're assuming it was destroyed."

MacGyver nodded and stood up. "Thank you very much for your help." He shook the man's hand and left, Pete did the same and followed him all the way outside, he saw that his friend was not walking back towards the car. "Mac, where are you going?"

"There are some things I have to do."

Pete was tired of chasing him. "MacGyver, stop!"

That froze Mac in his tracks; he turned around slowly, his face still very passive. Pete walked up to him and stood face to face with him, he was annoyed but at the same time he couldn't help but see something in his friend's dark eyes. "Have you thought of…"

"No." He turned away from his friend. "I'm not going to think that, I'm not going to think anything, not until I know for sure."

Pete reached out and gently touched his friend on the shoulder. "Okay, what can I do to help?"

"Call the hospital Detective Phillips said the autopsy is taking place in, see if they have been able to identify the body."

Pete nodded. "Okay, what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to go to the junkyard; I want to see if I can piece together what happened."

He reached inside his pocket and took out his keys. "I'll be here, you take my car."

"Thanks." Mac turned around and took the keys. He lifted his head and tried to give his friend a smile but he couldn't do it. He patted the hand that was on his shoulder and walked away.

It was easy to find the junkyard; West Covina was not that big of a place so there was only one. MacGyver parked Pete's Volvo and got out. He looked out at the sea of sun damaged, rusty, broken down vehicles. The car cemetery was quiet and there was an eerie feel to it, this was a sad place of broken dreams and Mac could feel it right in the pit of his stomach. He spotted a white single wide trailer that looked just as messed up as the cars around him. He walked over to it and knocked on the door, a voice called from inside to open it. To his surprise it was a young girl, she looked to be about 18, she had bright blonde hair that hung loosely to her shoulders. "Hi."

"Hi."

"What can I do for you?"
"Did a tow truck bring a burnt out Jeep about an hour or two ago?"
Her face wasn't so perky anymore. "Yeah, it's pretty messed up. I heard some young woman died in it, it's just around the corner towards the middle of the yard."

"Thanks."

Mac left the office and walked around the corner, he saw the Jeep and once again his heart sank. The damage looked much worse in person then it did in the photos. The top of it was gone, the doors were gone, the only thing he really recognized was the driver side, which remained remarkably intact. The grill and the wench that was on the front bumper, everything else was charred and melted.

"Pretty bad isn't it?"

Mac jumped and whipped around, he saw that young girl was now behind him. "Yeah."

"Don't look like anyone in there could have made it."

"Yeah, can I use your phone?"

"Sure, use the one in my Dad's office."

Mac went back into the dilapidated trailer and sat on the edge of the desk; he got the number to the police department and dialed it.

"Yeah MacGyver I spoke to a Dr. Turner. He said that he has the young woman's possession if you want to see them."

"I want to see them; I'll pick you up in 10 minutes."

MacGyver didn't even give his friend a chance to answer him, he hung up the phone.

Pete was waiting outside the police department, Mac stopped the Volvo and its owner got in. "What did you find out at the junkyard?"

"Not much, the Jeep is totally destroyed."

"No clues as to what happened?"

"None that I could see." Mac put it in gear. "Did Phillips say where this hospital was?"

"Yeah he said it's off the main street back through town, we can't miss it."

MacGyver was driving the Volvo, the conversation had stopped. Pete couldn't help but notice how tense the air was. "Mac are you okay?"

"Yeah."

Pete thought it best not to press the issue; he let it go and decided to leave his friend alone. Pete felt like he was sitting next to an active volcano that could erupt at anytime.

Dr. Frank Turner was a pretty young guy that looked like he could still be wet behind the ears. He was short with dark hair that was cut very short and neat. He was wearing a snow white coat and handed MacGyver a large manila envelope.

"I'm afraid there wasn't much. Despite the fire she died of smoke inhalation, she was burned but not that badly; her possessions remained intact and so did most of her clothing."

Mac took the envelope and dumped its contents out onto Dr. Turner's desk. There was a wallet, a lipstick and a pair of sunglasses. "These things were found on her or her purse?"

"On her."

MacGyver picked up the wallet and opened it. He saw Gillian's license and he closed his eyes for a moment. He closed it and tucked everything back into the envelope. "Will you excuse me?"

Dr. Turner nodded. "Of course."

MacGyver walked out the main doors to the morgue and crossed his arms; he wiped one hand across his mouth.

"Mac?" Pete came out of the swinging doors; he saw the black leather cladded back of his friend.

"Pete…just give me a second, all right?"

"No, I've been watching you ever since we found out about this and the last thing I think I should do is leave you alone."

His back was still turned to his friend. "I shouldn't have let her go alone."

Mac's hope was quickly fading; Pete could hear it in his voice. He walked over to his friend and put both hands on his shoulders. He knew nothing he could say would be of any help.

MacGyver covered his eyes and sighed, he wanted to do a lot of things but not in front of his friend.

MacGyver and Pete had checked into a hotel, it was about a mile away from the hospital. It was called the West Covina Inn; the two men were in one room. The room was number 105, it had dark brown carpeting and totally blank white walls. It had a pair of double beds that were covered with dark brown comforters. Pete was sitting on his bed; he was flipping through the television. There was nothing on, and he tossed the remote on the bed, not that he felt much like watching television. He was worried about his friend, he had not seen MacGyver since they checked in and that was two hours ago.

The answer to his question came crashing through the door. MacGyver was against it, a bottle of what looked to be whiskey in his hand. Pete saw this and his eyes bugged out of his head, he knew MacGyver never touched a drop yet here he was with a bottle. Pete knew that Gillian's death had to be the reason.

"MacGyver?"

The extremely intoxicated man smiled as he pushed himself off of the door. "That's the name they gave me."

He wasn't walking straight but he somehow made it to the other bed and plopped down on it. He had another swig from his bottle. Pete was watching his friend, he had known MacGyver for years and he had never seen him this way. There was pain brewing in MacGyver's eyes that he was obviously trying to drown.

"Mac?"

"Yeah?"

"I know why you're doing this."

MacGyver took another swig; the whiskey burned his throat like he was swallowing fire. "Oh you do?"

Pete nodded. "Gillian."

The mention of her name made Mac take another drink. "She's dead." He looked down at the bed. "She burned up." He put his hand to his eyes, it looked a though he was going to break down but instead he shook it off. He took his hand away from his face and chugged his bottle.

Pete got up from his bed and walked around to the side of MacGyver's bed, he sat down next to him. "I know you're hurting but that isn't going to make you feel better."

MacGyver scoffed, his eyes looked bloodshot. "You don't think so?"

"No."

MacGyver turned and leaned back against the headboard and closed his eyes for a moment. "I should have gone with her."

Pete saw MacGyver's eyes grow shiny, he turned his head away. The Director of Operations saw the wet trails that went down Mac's cheeks; he felt a great amount of pity and sorrow for his friend.

Mac sniffed and wiped his face, he turned back to look at his friend. "Do you know what she did to me?"

Pete shook his head. "No."

Mac thumped his head back against the wall. "She made me fall in love with her."

"I know."

MacGyver took another swig from his bottle. "No you don't, you don't even know the half of it."

"Why don't you explain it to me?"

The booze Mac was drinking was not only clouding up his head but it was also adding fuel to the fire of anger that was burning in him. He sighed and wiped his hand down his face. "She showed me things that I never really thought of before."

"Like what?"

"Like being a husband, she even had me thinking about the possibility of being a father." He drained the rest of his bottle and dropped it in his lap, his head was really spinning. "But now that's all gone, it burned up along with Gillian."

The back of his head hit the wall again, which did not help any. He closed his eyes and saw Gillian's pretty face. The image was too much to bear and he shook his head. "No."  He sat up and grabbed the bottle that was on his lap and hurled it as hard as he could against the door. The bottle hit it hard enough to shatter it into a million pieces; they rained down all over the floor. "No!" MacGyver covered his eyes with his hands. "I can't take this."

Pete reached out to comfort his friend but Mac uncovered his face and got up. "Where are you going?"

"I need a drink."

He stumbled towards the door; Pete got off of the bed and blocked his path. "No, I think you've had enough."

Mac scowled, his face grew angry. "You're not my father Pete."

"No I'm not, but I'm your friend."

MacGyver's face changed quick as a flash from angry and hostile to almost happy. "Ha! You're my friend? That's a laugh! You don't care about me; you don't give a damn about me!" He tried to push his way past Pete but the stout man grabbed his arm and spun him around. "That's not true, you're my best friend and I do give a damn about you!"

MacGyver shook his head. "It's always MacGyver can handle it, oh give it to MacGyver he'll take care of you." He grabbed Pete by the lapels of his gray suit. "Did it ever occur to you that maybe, just maybe I want someone to take care of me?"

The smell of booze was strong and Pete knew that's what was doing the talking, not MacGyver. "No I guess it didn't occur to me."

"Well I do." His face went from angry to sad. "That's all Gillian wanted to do. She wanted to take care of me, but that's all gone now." The tears were once again running down his face and he hung his head for a moment. "It went up in smoke."

Mac pushed Pete back and let go of his suit, he turned to leave again. Pete couldn't let him go, not in his condition; he grabbed Mac by the arm. "I can't let you go Mac, you're drunk."

Mac's eyes narrowed. "Get your hand off of me, I'm going."

Pete shook his head. "No, you're not."

Mac stepped back and Pete saw him ball up his fist. He took a swing at his best friend but in his inebriated state he missed by a mile. Pete barely had to move out of the way, he hated to do this but he gave Mac a right cross, it hit him on the left side of his jaw. MacGyver did an about face and dropped like a stone, he landed flat on his face. He wasn't moving and Pete crouched down and rolled him onto his back, he was out like a light.

"Sorry Mac, that hurt me more than it hurt you." He grabbed Mac by the wrist and pulled him to a sitting position, he walked behind him and put his hands underneath his arms and dragged Mac back over to his bed.

Pete didn't go anywhere, he stayed watching over MacGyver. It was almost 5 o'clock and Pete had dozed off. MacGyver opened his eyes, he was very aware of three things, his head was pounding, there was a dull ache that wrapped around his head like a bandage. The second thing he was aware of was the pain in his jaw, and the third thing was that he was about to become extremely sick.

MacGyver was not a drinker and he had drunk that whole bottle of whiskey, how quickly he realized what a bad idea this had been. He was lying on his side and he managed to sit up. He got up and started to walk towards the bathroom, his shoes felt like they were filled with cement. He opened the bathroom door and dropped to his knees, he was in front of the toilet bowl.

The sound of someone in the bathroom and very ill, woke Pete up. He looked and saw that MacGyver was not in his bed. He got up and peeked in the bathroom. MacGyver was bent over, his forehead was against the side of the toilet, he had never felt so horrible in his entire life.

"Are you okay?"

He lifted his head and looked up at Pete. "No." His throat felt like he had swallowed sand paper, it hurt a little to talk.

Pete saw his friend's ashen face. "Why don't you wash your face and maybe come lay back down."

Mac put his hand over his eyes and sat back on his haunches. "I don't think I can."

Pete stepped into the bathroom and took Mac by the arm. He helped him get to his feet and led him over to the sink, he turned on the faucet. "Uncover your eyes and wash your face."

Mac lowered his hand from his eyes; he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror and noticed the purple mark on his jaw. He bent over and splashed his face, the cold water made him feel more awake. He straightened up; water was dripping from his chin. Pete turned off the faucet and handed him a towel. "Here."

MacGyver dried his face and looked at his friend. He remembered everything that had happened, including the fact Pete had put his lights out. He felt very ashamed for what he had said and for how he had treated his best friend. "I'm sorry Pete; I know I was being a jerk."

Pete gave him a little smile and patted his back. "It's okay Mac, I know why you were. I mean besides the booze, you were hurting." He motioned to the door. "Come on."

Pete led his friend out of the bathroom. Mac walked over to his bed and sat down, his head was still throbbing and he laid back on the bed.

Pete sat down next to him. "You want to try and eat something?"

"No, I don't think my stomach could take it."

"You feel that bad huh?"

Mac wiped his hand down his face. "I feel like I died and forgot to lay down. I don't know what I was thinking."

"You weren't thinking, you were very upset."

MacGyver sighed. "I couldn't face the truth; I tried to use the booze to make it go away."

"It's not going to just go away Mac." Pete patted his friend's hand.

"I know."

"Why don't you get some sleep?"

Mac nodded and closed his eyes.

"Mac?"

MacGyver heard someone softly calling his name. He opened his eyes and saw Gillian sitting on the bed, she was dressed in a long white gown. Mac's eyes grew wide. "Gillian?"

She nodded and he sat up fast and grabbed her, putting his arms around her. "But I thought-"

Gillian pulled back and shook her head. "I can't stay very long."

He looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"I'm not really here."

"But you are." Mac touched her face, she felt real. "I don't understand."

She took his hand from her cheek and held it. "I'm a dream Mac."

MacGyver closed his eyes, the realization that she was dead caused a huge lump to start to form in his throat; he didn't want her to just be a dream. "I should have gone with you, it's all my fault."

Gillian shook her head. "No, it isn't. You're forgetting something."

His face grew puzzled. "What?"

"I can't tell you, you have to figure that out."

Mac swallowed hard. "Don't go, please stay with me."

Gillian smiled and gently kissed him, for not being real her kiss was warm. She put both hands on his shoulders and eased him back onto the bed. "Just close your eyes and go to sleep."

His eyes started to droop; he couldn't help but close them.

MacGyver felt someone shaking him; he opened his eyes and saw Pete above him. "Are you okay?"

He blinked a few times. "Yeah."

"You were talking in your sleep."

Mac propped himself up on his elbows, he thought about the dream he had. Pete saw he was thinking about something. "What?"

He sat up and looked down at himself; he was wearing a gray long sleeved shirt. "Have you seen my jacket?"

Pete had taken it off of him when he was passed out. He had draped it over a chair, he pointed to it.

Mac got up and grabbed it, he pulled it and the large manila envelope with Gillian's possessions fell out of it. He honestly couldn't recall taking it with him. Mac picked it up and looked at it; he went back to the bed and took everything out.

Pete creased his brow. "What are you doing?"

Mac was sitting on the bed looking at the wallet, the lipstick and the sunglasses. "I had a dream. Gillian was in it, she told me I was missing something."

"I hate to say this Mac but what good is it going to do, Gillian is dead."

MacGyver sighed. "I just have to figure out what I'm forgetting."

Pete thought that maybe his friend was still feeling the affects of his earlier bender. "Mac are you still feeling bad?"

"No, actually I feel a lot better."

There were three objects lying on the bed, he went from one to the other. "What am I missing? Come on MacGyver!" He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. He was beginning to think that maybe he was just grasping at straws, maybe it had only been a dream. He thought about the last time he saw Gillian. They were saying goodbye; she touched her hand to her necklace and pointed to him.

MacGyver's mouth dropped open and his breath stopped in his chest. The necklace.

Pete watched his friend suddenly stop breathing; he put his hands on Mac's shoulders. "Mac? Are you okay?"

His breath finally came back to him and the temporary lack of oxygen had him breathing hard. "The necklace."

"What necklace?"

"The necklace I gave to Gillian for her birthday!"

MacGyver's face suddenly bloomed into a huge grin, he grabbed his friend by the lapels, he was excited. "Do you realize what this means?"

It took Pete a few seconds to catch up; he looked down at what was on the bed, and what wasn't among them, when it hit him he grinned. "That wasn't Gillian? She wasn't in the Jeep?"

MacGyver shook his head slowly. "No it wasn't, she's alive." He started to laugh and Pete joined him.

"She's alive!" MacGyver hugged his friend. He felt a thousand percent better but his relief faded fast, he pulled back from his friend's hug. "But where is she?"

It was growing dark and Gillian was walking along the highway, every step made her entire body ache. She reached up and touched the large gash on her head but the nerves were flaring and just the simple touch of her hand sent bolts of pain that went straight into her brain like an arrow. She didn't feel good at all, her stomach was doing back flips and she felt weary and exhausted.  She spotted a truck stop up ahead and headed towards it. She looked down at herself and realized for the first time what a mess she was. Her black skirt was dirty and torn, her panty house that she had put on that morning were shredded. Her legs were scratched and bloody and so where her arms. She had on a light blue ribbed knit shirt, it was dirty and there was blood on it from the wound in her head. Her face was as pale as milk; there was dried blood that trailed down the right side of her face and neck. Her eyelids felt like they could drop at any moment but she had to make it to the truck stop, she needed help.

MacGyver and Pete were back at the police station. He had the manila envelope with him, it was tucked into his pocket. He was sitting in a creaky and uncomfortable wooden chair; he was waiting for any word about the effort to find Gillian. He was antsy, he kept playing with his fingers and his legs were bouncing up and down.

"Mac?"

Pete came out of Detective Phillips office, he didn't look too happy; MacGyver sat up in the chair. "Any word?"

He shook his head. "No, not a word. Phillips said they would let us know in the morning if they find anything."

"The morning?" MacGyver slumped back in his chair. "She could be hurt or who knows what else." He rubbed his hands over his face. "Did he say where they were going to look?"

There was a map of the area that was on a nearby wall and Pete went over to it. "He said they are going to concentrate their efforts around the area where your Jeep was found."

Mac got up from the chair. "That's not the only place they should be looking. They should also check the areas between from her house and where the Jeep was found."

Pete creased his brow. "Why?"

MacGyver sighed. "Pete, there is no way Gillian was in that Jeep when it crashed. If she was then there would have been two bodies lying on that table. The nearest I can figure is she was car jacked, someone may have forced themselves into my Jeep. Something happened along the way and she either was forced out or she jumped out."

Pete nodded. "Makes sense."

MacGyver was studying the map; he was looking at how many hospitals were in the area between Gillian's house and the ravine where the Jeep crashed. "They should be calling hospitals in the area."

"You think she could be hurt?"

Mac ran his hand across his eyes. "Its something I don't want to think about but yeah she very well could be. We don't know how bad and without her wallet she could be listed as a Jane Doe."

The idea that his girlfriend could be wandering out there somewhere in the dark  hurt badly and far from help got to him, he sat down on the edge of the desk. "And I'm sitting here on my can waiting for the police to let me know in the morning." He said that last part with a lot of sarcasm.

Pete patted him on the back. "Why don't you call the local hospitals, it'll take your mind off of it and you won't feel so helpless."

"I think I will." Mac got up from the desk and walked back around it; he sat back down in that uncomfortable chair and started dialing information.

The truck stop parking lot was filled with vehicles; there were huge dump trucks, 18 wheelers, and cars all over it. The parking lot was brightly lit, like it was still daytime.

Gillian was trying to get to the small bright green building that was in the center of this diesel scented circus. She came out from between a bright red semi, there was a guy that had the hood open and was working on it. The man did a double take when he saw Gillian; he pulled the bill of his blue cap up.

"Excuse me, Miss?"

Gillian slowly turned around and looked at him. She watched as his eyes went from normal to the size of dinner plates. The man in grungy blue jeans and a white oil smeared t-shirt jumped down from where he was working. He stood in front of her, his eyes spotting the huge gash that was in on the side of her head and the blood trail that went down her face. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah…" Her knees suddenly felt very rubbery, she started to fall back and the man grabbed her by the arm and pulled her towards him. She slumped forward, her head on his shoulder. He bent down a little and scooped her up and carried the unconscious young woman in his arms towards the truck stop.

"Thank you, I appreciate it."

MacGyver hung up the phone and crossed another hospital off of his list; he leaned back in that terrible chair and sighed.

Pete had been watching his friend call hospital after hospital; he never realized there were so many in such a small town. "Any luck?"

Mac shook his head. "No."

"How many more are on your list?"

"A few."

"Why don't you take a break and maybe go outside for some fresh air?"

"Yeah, good idea."

Mac got up from that torturous chair and went outside. The night was almost cold and lightening was flashing off in the distance. He thought about Gillian and he wondered if she was all right.

The dark clouds looming on the horizon were not the only ones close by, the rest were inside and he could feel them slowly eating away at his hope. Gillian was out there somewhere between 1 and 10 miles away. That was a lot of space, a person could fall off the face of the earth in less than that. That was something he really didn't want to think about. He didn't want her to just disappear; he wanted her back with him. MacGyver took a deep breath. He had enough fresh air; it was time to get back on the phone.

Gillian slowly opened her eyes, the world was fuzzy and it took a few seconds for her eyes to focus. The blurriness disappeared and the pretty face of a dark haired woman became clear. She had long straight hair that was a little curly on the ends of it. She had big blue eyes, and had a very soft friendly face; she smiled when she saw her patient was awake.

"Hi."

Gillian wanted to close her eyes again but she forced them to stay open. "Hi."

"I'm Dr. Renee Collins." She took a penlight and checked her pupils, they weren't reacting the way they should be. "Do you know where you are?"

Gillian looked around the plain white room; she saw a chair near the bathroom door and a tray near her bed. "Hospital?"

"Right, but do you know where this hospital is?" She had put butterfly bandages along the large cut; she carefully turned Gillian's face and checked to make sure they were okay.

Gillian shook her head, her mind felt totally blank, like a clean slate. "No."

The doctor nodded. "Okay, what about your name?"

Again she shook her head. "No." Her head felt like it was going to explode. It was hurting so bad she wished it would just fall off and be done with it.

"What was the last thing you do remember?"

Gillian closed her eyes, she remembered being behind the wheel of the Jeep. "I was driving." She got flashes like someone was taking her picture; the flashes were of a face in her driver's side window, the feeling of falling. The flashes were gone before she could totally acknowledge them. "My Jeep."

"Is that all you remember?"

"There is something else but I couldn't get a hold of it."

"Okay." Rene smiled and stroked her hair. She saw the something shining around her neck and she moved the edge of her white hospital gown down and spotted a silver heart. She opened it and saw the inscription. "Gillian…does that sound familiar?"

The young woman closed her eyes. "No." The whole right side of her head felt like it was split open, it throbbed and the tiny jolts of pain made her squint her eyes.

"Are you in pain?"

"A little."

Renee nodded. "Okay, I'll have a nurse give you something for the pain." She reached out and touched the young woman's hand. "I want you to rest okay?"

"Okay." Her eyes were still closed and her breathing eased out. This told the trained medical professional that she had fallen asleep. Renee scribbled some things in her chart as she walked out of the room and closed the door.

MacGyver's head also felt like it was going to explode. It was pounding but not for the same reason that Gillian's was. He had grown frustrated and annoyed, he had two more hospitals on the list and he really didn't want to dial them, but he knew he had to. He dialed the hospital and asked for admissions. The voice of an older woman came over the line, he asked about the admissions of any Jane Doe's. He heard the sound of a typing in the background.

"Yes we do have a Jane Doe; she was brought in an hour ago."

That news sat MacGyver up in his chair. "You do? How is she?"

"We cannot release that information at this time, it is hospital policy."

"Okay then I'll be right down; can you tell me the name of her doctor?"

There was more sounds of typing on a keyboard. "Her doctor is Renee Collins; she is on the 3rd floor."

MacGyver's heart was pounding hard in his chest. "Dr. Collins, 3rd floor, thank you very much Ma'am."

He hung up the phone and jumped out of his chair. He ran over to the Detective Phillips office and threw open the door. The two men were talking and when Pete saw MacGyver's face, he smiled.

"Good news?"

"There is a Jane Doe over at West Covina Memorial; she was admitted an hour ago."

Pete got up out of his chair. "That's great! Did they say how she is?"

"They wouldn't release that information."

"Go ahead and go Mac I'll stay here with Detective Phillips."

MacGyver smiled and nodded. "Okay, I'll give you a call when I find out more."

He closed the door and was gone.

Gillian woke up, she sat straight up and looked around. She had no clue as to where she was or what was going on. Her head still felt like it was going to fall off. She had a nightmare about being trapped somewhere and it had left her shaken up and sweaty. She suddenly got very scared, she had a strong sense of danger and she flipped back the sheet and got up. The moment her feet touched the ground, her knees felt rubbery again. She stood still and waited for the feeling to pass.

Gillian saw a metal locker; she opened it and saw her torn and tattered clothes. She picked them up and started to change back into them.

MacGyver had made it to West Covina Memorial. He parked Pete's Volvo and ran into the hospital. He found the elevator and pressed the button for the third floor. He was anxious, the elevator wasn't moving fast enough for him.

"Come on…"

He watched as the numbers went up to 3, the elevator bell rang out and the doors opened. He saw a nurse's station and asked the woman behind the desk for Dr. Collins. The older woman pointed around the corner and MacGyver thanked her and followed her directions. He saw a beige door with a bright red name plate, it said DR. RENEE COLLINS on it and he knocked.

"Come in."

MacGyver opened the door and walked in. He was surprised at what he saw, the walls were covered in posters that depicted Ireland. A woman that looked way too young to be a doctor spun around in her chair. She had on the traditional white coat and crossed her legs under her gray skirt. "Hi, how may I help you?"

"My name is MacGyver and I was told by Admissions that you are treating a Jane Doe?"

"That's right."

MacGyver reached behind him and took his brown leather wallet out of his back pocket and opened it. He took out a picture of him and Gillian. His hands were slightly shaking as he handed her the photo. "Is this her?"

Dr. Collins looked the photo over. "Yeah that's her."

MacGyver breathed a huge sigh of relief and looked down at the ground for a moment. "Can you tell me where she is?"

The doctor nodded. "I suppose there would be no harm in that." She got up from her chair. "Follow me."

Dr. Collins led MacGyver down the hall and over to room 305. She opened the door and much to her surprise, the bed was empty. This made the doctor's eyes go wide. She went into the room and looked in the bathroom. She noticed the door to the metal locker was open, it was empty too.

"Oh no." She looked at MacGyver. "She's gone."

MacGyver was sitting on Gillian's bed; he was watching as Dr. Collins spoke to every nurse on that floor and to the security guards. He knew that eventually she would get back to him.

"Thank you; let me know at once if you find her." The older man nodded and left the room; she closed the door and rubbed her hand over her face.

"You're worried about her aren't you?"

Renee turned around. "Yeah I am, she was in pretty bad shape."

"Can you tell me about it?"

She stuck her hands in her coat pocket. "I was told by my nurses that she was brought in by a man that found her at a truck stop, it's about 5 miles from here. The man said that she was wandering around and she didn't look right, the whole side of her head was bloody. She passed out in his arms and he brought her to us.  I examined her when she was brought in; her appearance was what I would call battered. She had scrapes all over her body, and there were bruises too. Her clothes were torn, she had stockings on and they were also torn, she had a large gash on her head." Renee turned her face. "From here." She pointed to her right temple. "To about here." She traced her finger down to the area right beside her ear lobe. "I put butterfly bandages on it because I figured it was not that deep."

"Was she okay other than that?"

Renee shook her head. "No, I asked her several questions when she finally regained consciousness and there was not a whole lot she knew. She could not tell me who or where she was. I asked her about the locket she was wearing, the name Gillian was engraved in it and she said it wasn't familiar."

MacGyver sighed. "Gillian is her first name."

"That is what I figured."

MacGyver started to get up but she put her hand out. "Wait a second, before you leave to go find her I think there are some things I should tell you."

He sat back down on the bed. "Okay."

Renee sighed. "The traumatized brain can be a very unstable one. When the brain has been injured it tends to resort back to its very basic instinct, survival. Right now Gillian sees the world as her enemy. She's only sure of two things, that she's afraid and that she's in pain. This can be a very bad combination, right now she is running on pure adrenaline; technically she shouldn't even be awake. If you are going to go after her I strongly suggest you be careful. Right now she is delusional, paranoid, and terrified, this is normal behavior for someone who has retrograde amnesia."

MacGyver swallowed hard. "What do you think happened to cause it?"

"I believe she jumped out of a moving vehicle, the way she looks leads me to believe it. The gash was probably caused by a rock that she hit when she jumped. I want you to know something; the woman you knew is not herself right now. The old Gillian is floating on a sea of terror and pain, she's lost. When you find her you need to be aware of the fact that she is probably not going to know you. She will probably see you as a threat to her; she saw his hospital as one, that's why she left. If she sees you as a threat she could very well respond violently to you."

MacGyver got up from the bed and stretched out his hand. "Thank you Dr. Collins. I'm going to find her and bring her back here."

Renee shook his hand. "Check back alleys and back roads, any place she can move around and not be seen by anyone. I suggest you treat her like an escaped mental patient, on the run and out of her mind."

Gillian had fallen asleep again, she was but a few blocks away from the hospital. She was lying on a filthy mattress in an alley that was strewn with garbage cans, newspapers and old cardboard boxes. She was cold, she could see the flashes in her mind again but this time there were more of them. She saw herself driving, the face that appeared in her driver side window; the shine of a gun that was suddenly stuck in her face. The gun waved her over to the passenger side, the Jeep swerving hard and the passenger side opening. She hit the ground hard and tumbled down a rocky hill. She hit something very hard and the whole side of her face erupted in pain. She opened her eyes and looked around.

The nauseating smell of rotten food hit her nose and it made her already sour stomach twist. She carefully sat up, her body felt stiff and broken. Her head felt like it was hollow and the gash on the side of her head throbbed miserably. She touched it and the pain was so intense her stomach did another back flip and the world took on a dim shadow.  

Gillian sat very still until the world grew brighter again, her stomach calmed down and she carefully stood up. The sudden movement brought on another wave of dizziness and she stumbled back against the alley wall, it was made of brick and her back let her know it did not approve. She regained her balance and pushed herself off of the wall, she started to walk out of the alley.

MacGyver was driving very slow, he was searching the area around the hospital. That was where Doctor Collins suggested he start since Gillian had only escaped a few minutes before he got there. She said that Gillian was in no condition to get very far so he figured he was in the right place. The Volvo was moving at about 15 miles an hour, there were many buildings around the hospital and they each had their own alley. Mac rounded the corner; someone caught the beams of his headlights. They looked like they were drunk, this person was holding onto everything as they walked.

Mac stopped the car and was watching this person, it suddenly dawned on him that he had found his girlfriend. He quickly put the Volvo in gear and jumped out of the car.

"Gillian!"

The shout got this person to turn around and look at the running figure that was coming closer. The young woman gasped and turned back to try and run. Her legs wouldn't cooperate and she fell hard right onto her stomach, her air was knocked out of her and it took a few seconds to get it back. She didn't have time or the strength to get back up so she started to crawl. She made it into an alley way and grabbed the nearest thing she could fine, it was a glass bottle. She ducked behind a dumpster and waited, she could feel her adrenaline starting to kick in.

Mac was so happy to see her that he temporarily forgot what the doctor had told him, when it came back to him he calmed down. He walked into the alley and started to look around.

"Gillian, I know you don't remember me, but that's okay. I'm not going to hurt you."

He was slowly walking, checking every possible hiding place that she could be in. "I'm not a threat Gillian I only want to help you."

He passed the dumpster and heard a sound. He turned just in time to see Gillian coming at him with a bottle in her hand. He grabbed her by the wrist and they both went tumbling to the ground.

MacGyver was shocked at how bad she looked, especially that cut on her head. He was struggling with her, he didn't want to hurt her even more and at the same time he didn't want to get crowned with a bottle. They rolled over once and MacGyver was the one that had the upper hand. He got the bottle away from her.

"Gillian its okay, its Mac!"

The young woman's eyes were wide and filled with terror; she turned her head away from him. "Please…don't hurt me!" She was breathing hard and MacGyver shook his head and touched her face gently. "No, I would never hurt you."

She was crying and her eyes were closed, her whole body was trembling from both fear and cold. "Don't hurt me."

MacGyver got off of her and picked her up. She put up no resistance, she didn't have the strength to; her adrenaline rush was gone. "I got ya Gillian; it's going to be okay." He carried her to his car and laid her down in the backseat, he got back behind the wheel of it and started it up.

Dr. Collins came out of the hospital room. MacGyver had fallen asleep in the waiting room, he was stretched out on the couch. Pete had gone to the cafeteria to get some coffee.

Renee saw him and crouched down beside his head, she reached out and shook his shoulder. "MacGyver?"

He sat up before he was really awake. "Yeah?" He saw who it was that had woken him up. "How is she?"

Renee didn't look too optimistic. "Physically I think she is going to be okay, but her memory is what I am concerned with. I think you should go see her and try to jog her memory."

"Is she awake?"

"Not now but I think she will be soon."

MacGyver nodded. "Okay, when she wakes up I'll try."

Renee patted his arm. "Good."

Pete came back in carrying a cup of coffee and a cup of hot chocolate; he saw that his friend was awake. "Here Mac I brought you some hot chocolate."

"Thanks." MacGyver took the cup from him and sipped it.

"Any word?" He sat down on the couch beside his friend.

"Yeah Dr. Collins was just here, she said Gillian's memory is still gone. She wants me to go see her when she wakes up."

"I think seeing you will help."

"It didn't help earlier; she came at me with a bottle."

"You can't take it personally Mac, she was probably terrified."

Mac had another sip of his hot chocolate. "She had this look in her eyes like a wild animal."

"Considering her injury, I'm surprised she could attack you."

"Her strength surprised me too." He set his cup down on the coffee table. "I just hope I can bring her memory back."

Gillian opened her eyes, she saw that she was back in that white room. She lifted her hand to rub her eyes and much to her surprise she was restrained. She looked down at the thick leather straps that were around each of her wrists, she pulled at them but they were not going to give.

"Hi."

She saw a man walk into her room. The same one she had swung that bottle at, her first instinct was to run but her restraints were not about to let her. She didn't say anything to him.

He pointed at the chair that was near the bathroom. "Mind if I sit?"

Again she said nothing.

"I'll take that as a yes."

MacGyver picked up the chair and brought it beside her bed. His girlfriend looked like a scared rabbit so he gently sat down, he didn't want to frighten her even further. He noticed her dark eyes were watching his every move. He sat back in his chair. "My name is MacGyver."

Gillian licked her lips. She pressed them together; it was obvious that he was not going to hurt her. He would have done so already, her fear began to subside. "Hi."

This made Mac smile. "Do you know what happened to you?"

She shook her head. "No."

"What do you remember?"

"Driving in a Jeep."

Mac folded his hands in his lap and nodded his head. "It's a start."

Gillian suddenly seemed interested in this man. "That lady doctor said the cut on my head is the reason I don't remember anything."

"She's right."

"But you know who I am, don't you?"

MacGyver reached into the pocket of his leather jacket and took out his wallet, he took a picture out. The photo was of the two of them and he handed it to her.

Gillian took the photo and looked at it, it was both of them in Santa Fe, they were both wearing shorts and looked rather tan. She had her arms around him and was smiling.

Gillian lifted her head. "We are boyfriend girlfriend?"

He nodded. "Yes, a little more than that actually."

Gillian got his meaning. She studied the photo carefully, it was the only link she had to her past. "I look very happy."

"You seem to be." Mac remembered the manila envelope, he got it out and reached in and took her wallet out. He handed it to her. "Here take a look at this."

She set the photo down on the bed and took the wallet; she opened it and saw her license. "Gillian Elizabeth MacKenzie, 10204 Sparkleberry Rd." She saw that the wallet had a photo section and began to flip through them. It had a photo of her parents, Duncan, and the same one that Mac had showed her.

There was also one of Mac by himself. It was a very nice photo, he was wearing the same jacket he had on now. She suddenly found herself tracing her fingers down his face.

MacGyver was watching, he couldn't recall how many times she did had done that gesture to him; seeing her do it to his picture excited him.

"Do you remember something?"

She raised her head and looked at him. "I don't know, I'm not sure."

Mac got closer to her and touched her hand; she started to feel a little bit of panic. He saw this in her eyes. "It's okay I'm not going to hurt you." He flipped her wrist over and unbuckled the restraint. He leaned forward and placed her hand on his cheek and moved it down gently, like she had done to him countless times.

Gillian closed her eyes and did it again on her own. Mac let go of her wrist, she traced her fingers down his face several times. She sighed, it was nice, the feel of his skin. The closed door in her mind opened slightly, and some of the fog on her memory started to clear. She opened her eyes and looked at him.

"Mac…"

MacGyver smiled and nodded his head. "Yes."

It was a tiny flame of remembrance, it was not much but it was another step. Gillian wanted to put both hands on his face but her other wrist was still restrained. "Can you unbuckle this one too?"

"Sure." He turned her wrist over and freed it from the restraint. Gillian place both hands on his cheeks, she moved her hands over every part of his face. There were many feelings that were going through her, they were warm and heady. She leaned towards him and gently pressed her lips against his.

MacGyver was not surprised, he knew her abilities would allow her to feel their relationship and bring it back to her. She broke the small kiss and opened her eyes, her heart was beating hard. There were so many things running through her mind she didn't know how to voice them. MacGyver saw recognition in her eyes, his idea had worked.

"Do you remember something?"

"Yes."

"Tell me about it."

Gillian was still wearing her necklace. She touched her heart locket and pointed to him. MacGyver smiled widely and held up two fingers. This made the young woman smile. "I love you and you love me too?"

MacGyver started to laugh, he felt such overwhelming relief. "Yes, that's what that means, what else do you remember?"

She shook her head. "Little bits and pieces."

"Do you remember how you got here?"

"No."

Mac picked up her hand and kissed it. "It's okay, you will."

Gillian nodded. "Will you do me a favor?"

"Sure."

She carefully scooted over some. "Will you lay down with me?"

Mac sat down on the bed and leaned back against the pillow. Gillian didn't lay her head on his chest or sleep with her arms around him like she usually did but he didn't mind. He knew there were still some holes in her memory. The young woman closed her eyes and went to sleep.

MacGyver was stretched out on half of the tiny hospital bed, he had fallen asleep. Pete had come in and saw that both of them were out and he decided to go back in the waiting room and try and catch a few winks himself. Renee had also come in to check on them. She too had decided to leave them alone and instructed her nurses to do the same.

It was in the middle of the night when Gillian opened her eyes again. She looked around, not sure exactly where she was. She looked down and saw Mac was lying beside her; he was all curled up like a tiny ball. She turned on her side and faced him; she reached out and placed her hand on his cheek.

"Mac?"

He heard his name being mentioned, it registered in his brain that someone was speaking to him. Mac slowly opened his eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Where are we?"

"West Covina Memorial Hospital, do you know why?"

It took her a few seconds to answer. "The Jeep?"

Mac propped himself up on one elbow. "What about the Jeep?"

"Where is it?"

"It got destroyed, burned up at the bottom of a ravine; can you tell me anything else about the Jeep?"

Gillian remembered the girl that had forced her way into it. "What about that girl?"

Mac's face grew serious. "She's dead, do you remember what happened?

Gillian nodded, she was the strange way he looked and she creased her brow. "What's wrong?"

He didn't say a word; he simply opened his mouth and shook his head.

Gillian thought about the fact that the girl that had car jacked her was dead. Her eyes grew wide as the realization of why he looked the way he did came to her. "Oh no."

Mac still didn't say anything, he lowered his head. Gillian thought about the hell he must have gone through and she lifted his chin with her fingers. "You thought I was dead, didn't you?"

He nodded slowly and closed his eyes; he put his head down on her chest and hugged her.

Gillian didn't say or do anything, she simply stroked his hair.

"Gillian?"

"Yeah?"

Mac lifted his head. "Today was a very bad day. When they said that the young woman that died in my Jeep was probably you, I didn't know what to do.  When I got the possessions that the girl had on her and one of them was your wallet. I thought my whole world had come crashing down." He swallowed hard. "I did something really stupid."

"What did you do?"

"I got drunk; I drank a whole bottle of whiskey."

Gillian widened her eyes at him. "You must have been upset."

"I was, I didn't know how to deal with the pain, I tried to numb it but it didn't work."

She put her fingers on his lips. "Shhh."

MacGyver kissed the fingers that were on his lips. He took her hand away from his mouth and held it. "Today really opened my eyes Gillian, it showed me that you mean everything in the world to me. I felt so lost without you, it was a terrible feeling and I never want that to happen. I want you to stay in my life."

Gillian gave him a little smile. "You know I will always stay with you."

He shook his head. "That isn't good enough."

She creased her brow. "What else can I do?"

MacGyver's face grew very serious but at the same time there was something that shined in his eyes. "You can marry me."

Gillian's dark brown eyes widened for a second or two. "What?"

Mac smiled at her. "I think you heard me."

She was completely stunned. "But I thought-"

He shook his head and put both hands on her shoulders. "It's been two months since we had that conversation and I've thought of nothing else. I want to marry you Gillian."

Gillian smiled. "I want to marry you too."

Mac laughed a little. "Although you might live to regret it, and probably want to divorce me within a month."

She shook her head. "Nah, I wouldn't regret it." Her face grew very serious and she touched his cheek. "You are the best thing that has ever happened to me."

"Me too."

Gillian moved closer to him. She wanted to lean with the right side of her face against his chest, just like she always did but with that cut it was impossible. The best she could do was lean her forehead on his chest.

Mac kissed the top of her head and touched her hair. "Just promise me one thing Gillian."

Gillian lifted her head and looked at him. "Okay what?"

He reached around her neck and picked up the silver chain. He brought the locket out from the inside of her gown and showed it to her. "Promise me you will never take this off."

She gave the locket a tiny kiss. "I promise."

MacGyver also gave the shiny silver heart a kiss and put it down gently in the center of her chest. He was very grateful to it, without that heart he never would have found his.