A/N - So, it's been a minute. How's everybody doing?

Unfortunately for me, it's been a complicated and painful… however long it's been. On the plus side, I feel well enough again for Mac to share my misery.

0-0-0

"Where the Hell have you been?" Riley demanded when Jack finally showed up at Mac's place, several hours, and dozens of unreturned phone calls and texts, later.

Jack held up a bag of takeout, the aroma of which advertised that it included some hot and sour soup from the little place up the street, which Jack swore had healing properties, and despite being an otherwise rational guy, Riley had never heard Mac argue with him over it.

"I meant why weren't you on mission?!" she hissed as though he'd shoved Mac directly into the path of a bullet.

"I am!" Jack grinned as he sat the bag on the counter. "I got Bozer and Sparky keepin' Big Mac under drone surveillance. He's been at that diner since him and I talked, flirtin' with that waitress … Daisy." He whipped out his phone and curd up the live feed via the security app Riley herself had installed for him, which did indeed show Jim MacGyver on a stool at his favorite diner, one where he and his son had been managing semi-regular lunches, and up until this recent bump in the road, an improved relationship.

"Great!" Riley whispered sarcastically, then gestured toward the deck. "Then how do you explain that?"

First, Mac's raised voice reached Jack's ears, slightly hoarse though it was. "It's not any of your concern unless it impacts a mission, sir. Which it hasn't and won't."

Then Jack understood why Riley looked a little wild eyed. He caught the shape of Oversight's shadow move between the fire and the door to the inside. "That's right. Because you're absolutely getting that surgery. Like you should have done twenty five years ago."

As far as Jack knew, Mac and Steve had already agreed on that. Of course Steve encouraged him to see an independent specialist, to get a second opinion, but he was recommending surgery and Mac knew he was right. You could go around on antibiotics like eighty percent of your life. That wasn't much better for you than a constant slew of infections. He had said as much when he called to tell Jack that Riley offered to drive him home instead of … what'd she say..? … Oh, 'letting you wrap yourself around someone's midlife crisis on Sunset because tonsillitis combined with Mac squirrel brain behind the wheel is bad,'" Mac had laughed.

Jack didn't get a chance for any more speculation, or even to ask Ri, because Mac's voice from the porch took on an unfamiliar edge.

Mac could burn hot, Lord knew. They'd said some genuinely nasty stuff to one another when one or both of them was pissed off over the years, the way brothers always do. But Mac didn't sound hot under the collar when he spoke again. He sounded colder than that stuff they wouldn't let Jack touch at the lab any more. Liquid Nigeria or something.

"No. What I'm getting, is a second opinion, like any other sane adult who's been in charge of their own medical decisions for over a decade when presented with major surgery as an option. What I meant was it has no bearing on work because Matty already approved my time off request."

Since Mac had already agreed with Steve that surgery was the best idea (probably - Mac had been pretty emphatic about the probably), Jack wasn't sure why he was arguing with the boss about it until he heard Oversight's imperious tone.

"That's not up to her! Not when it involves a decision of this magnitude that—"

Mac interrupted, his tone suddenly dangerously pleasant. "Take it up with her then, sir. I'll be off for the weekend and then depending on what I decide, possibly a week to ten days more, most likely. Steve'll decide when to clear me for duty beyond that."

There was a heavy silence.

Mac went on, just as pleasantly, "I'm sorry, sir. I don't have any more time to discuss it with you tonight. As I've mentioned, I'm getting a second opinion. From a private physician so it's hardly a work matter."

"So late in the day … and so quickly? What does—"

"Do you need me to walk you to the door or can you find your own way out?"

"Angus…."

"Hey, Ri!" Mac called, "Are you available to show Oversight to the door?"

Riley plastered on a big plastic grin and practically skipped out onto the deck. "Right this way, sir," she said like a practiced flight attendant. As they passed through the living room Jack slipped out of sight. If Oversight tried to drag him into this, he'd probably wind up with a busted lip and Jack would wind up very unemployed. And possibly facing charges. Riley showed what a pro she was by not even looking in the direction Jack had gone. "Mac has given you all the time he can this evening, sir. He's got an appointment shortly."

Oversight gave her a tight smile. "Aren't you going to ask?"

"Ask what, sir?"

"How I'm doing the trick at the diner with your drone?"

Riley laughed lightly. "Don't you mean your drone? Boze and Sparky are just testing out some security software for you, sir. If the program is so easy to hack Boze and Sparky can redeploy it and leave you not knowing who set it up, I'd be a lot more worried about that than my employee's tonsils if I were you, sir."

"He's my son!" Oversight snapped.

"He's also thirty years old and looked after himself for a long time. If he hasn't asked your opinion? I don't think he's interested it. I noticed he didn't call you Dad today."

"And what do you call your father these days, Ms. Davis?" he asked sharply.

"Not much. Last I checked, he's officially CDCR 108-761. Grand theft auto this time. So, I think I'm safe from ever having to worry about his misusing his position as my boss to get what he wants outta me as his kid. And he's all the proof anyone needs that leopards can't change their spots."

Oversight actually looked taken somewhat aback. "I'm sorry, Riley," he said sincerely. "I didn't know."

She looked at him thoughtfully. "I only found out recently. I shouldn't have snapped at you." She sighed as she opened the front door. "It's too easy for me to get my stuff tangled with yours and Mac's."

"I shouldn't have come. I've never been very good at this and I can see why…."

"Why what?"

"Why Mac assumed this wasn't a visit of good intention. Mostly because the second he pushed back at me suggesting he'd run out of excuses to get this done, I'm the one who made it about work and…."

"Crossed the streams?" She smiled slightly.

He chuckled, "That does sum it up. It seems I can't help myself."

"In our lives it's hard to always keep work and life separate." Riley glanced toward the deck where she could hear Mac pacing, his boot clad feet, that always looked just a little too big, that looked like he should trip over them instead of moving with the slightly coltish grace they were all accustomed to, thudded against the boards of the deck."But he's a big boy, sir. And if he can do it, so can you."

Oversight actually chuckled. "Point taken, Miss Davis." He paused on the stoop to face her. "Please let me know if he needs anything … that is … I mean … I meant—"

"I will." Riley interrupted, absolving him of his awkward attempt to leave on a positive note. "Really. But he's got everything he needs right here for now."

Oversight nodded, gave her a look she didn't know quite how to interpret, and left without another word.

When she turned around, Jack was standing there with his arms crossed, wearing a slight smirk. "Your old man ain't in jail."

"Still keeping tabs on Elwood, Jack?"

"Course I am. I told ya and told ya. He might be your father, but—"

"Yeah, Yeah, I'm your little girl."

"That's goddamned right," he said with a grin.

"I figured it would distract the boss, get him feeling awkward so he'd leave quicker. If he calls me out for it at some point, I'll just remind him he told me I needed to," she cleared her throat and dropped into a quick impression of Oversight, "work on your obfuscation and dissembling skills if you ever want to be truly successful in the field."

"What's he want you to disassemble?" Jack asked, genuinely confused. "An abused raven? Because that don't seem right and it definitely ain't part of your job description."

Riley snorted a laugh, not sure if he really didn't know what she was talking about or if he was just pulling her leg. "He meant I need to work on my acting skills, Jack. Basically he called me a bad liar. I promised those were skills I'd try to master." She smirked for a second, then glanced toward the deck. "Let's go see how Mac's doing."

Outside, they found him apparently tired of pacing, stirring the fire in the pit.

"Is he gone?" Mac asked without looking up.

Ri sat next to him and slung an arm around him. "Not only that but I proved he's wrong about me being a bad liar on his way out."

Mac snorted. "How about you, Jack? Have to threaten him with slow immolation or perhaps some strategic exsanguination?"

"I know what both those mean, smart ass."

Mac snorted again. "Objectively I'm very smart but I don't think my ass has anything to do with it." He managed a tired looking grin.

"Did you guys plan on messing with me in advance?" Jack demanded indignantly.

Mac shook his head, though the motion caused him to press his hand to the ear that kept popping and aching. "Just a happy accident, I guess."

"You okay?" Riley asked, feeling him stiffen slightly before his inevitable, "I'm fine," which Jack and Riley drowned out with their own perfectly synchronized hoarse Mac impression of his exact words.

Mac grinned sheepishly. "I meant about the stuff with my dad, which is what I figured you meant, too. I definitely should have seen it coming." He sighed and groaned as he got to his feet. "As far as the rest of me, if the fact that I'm ready to just call Steve right now and tell him to see when Phoenix's specialist can schedule just so I can hit the rack after I down about a bottle and a half of NyQuil instead of going out for this consult doesn't tell you I'm past saying 'I'm fine' on that front, I don't know what will."

"Is that what you're gonna do?" Jack asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I thought about it before Oversight showed up here. Now, I don't know. I might want to just keep Phoenix out of it so my da… so Oversight isn't in my business about it."

Jack was about to ask who Mac was going to see, what part of the city they were in, and if he'd rather than him or Riley chauffeur so the other could keep his soup warm and set up every humidifier in the house when the doorbell rang.

Jack followed Mac, with Riley close behind.

Both were a bit surprised when Mac let in his friend Elliot.

"Good to see you, Mac," Elliot said mildly. "You look like shit."

"I told you, didn't I?" Mac said somehow not sounding petulant when he said it.

"Tonsillitis can't kill ya, can it Mac?" Jack asked, not quite lightly. "Cuz last I checked our ole buddy Dr. Mathers here is still a coroner."

Elliot chuckled. "Indeed I am Jack. I like patients who don't talk back, and the few times I've made an exception for either one of you, all you did was talk back. And I've never been particularly interested in the ENT field." He nodded at Riley when she laughed. "A pleasure to see you here keeping them in line."

"If you're not here to see Mac…." she trailed off.

"I have an acquaintance who may just be one of the best ENT surgeons on the West Coast and he owes me a favor." He turned to Mac. "Not so big a favor that he'll want to be kept waiting after business hours though, Mac."

Mac sighed softly again, popped another cough drop, and nodded, "I'm ready. I guess." He paused. "You wanna ride along Jack?"

"You sure?"

"You'll just text me every five minutes about what the doctor says anyway. You might as well keep Elliot company in the waiting room. And Ri's got 'fuss over Mac when he gets home' covered already."

Jack turned to see she was indeed dumping the soup into a pot on the stove and bustling around the kitchen. She glanced up. "Good luck."

"Thanks, Ri. Would you …"

"Yeah?"

"Would you let Boze know I know he's not inviting his mom down to see his new office and that I know he's just trying to sneak her in the house to take care of me along with the rest of you after I have this stupid surgery. Because if I say it he'll think I'm mad at him."

She smiled. "Anything else I should tell him?"

"Yeah. That I really appreciate it."

Elliot and Jack les the way out the door and about halfway to Elliot's car mac stopped and looked around, the feeling he was being watched raising the hair on his neck. Maybe I do have a fever again, he thought. Because there's nobody here. The perimeter security would've picked it up.

He shook off the feeling and climbed into Elliot's back seat, content to let Jack ride shotgun and catch up with the doctor. Elliot's specialist friend was all the way across town. If they were busy with each other, they might not notice that he was taking a nap.