Jack woke before Mac did the next morning, using the bathroom and then coming to stand over the kid, he wanted so badly to rip the restraints off but knew he'd better wait. He sighed, sitting back on the recliner and getting out his phone, giving everyone an update. It was tough for the rest of the team not to be able to see Mac, but Jack's regular texts seemed to help and Vanessa had said that in the next couple of days she wanted to bring them in one at a time and see how Mac responded.
There was movement to his left and Jack smiled when Mac opened his eyes, turning to look at him.
"Morning kid, did you sleep ok?" He imagined it wasn't fun to sleep when you could hardly move, but the kid had looked peaceful.
"Fine thank you," Mac replied, noticing he was still restrained. He needed to go to the bathroom, but he didn't want to say anything, there had to be a reason Jack hadn't released him yet.
"I'll go find the doc ok, see if you're allowed to get up," Jack said, slipping out the door, feeling bad that he'd not let the kid up.
Dr Fray wasn't in yet, so Jack decided to just undo the restraints and hope that the doc was happy with it, the kid had worn them all night, surely it was ok for him to get up now. He walked back into the room to see Mac squirming; he knew what that meant.
"Why didn't you tell me you had to go kiddo? I would have undone these straightaway."
"I'm sorry," Mac said, stilling the minute Jack approached.
Jack took off the restraints and Mac headed for the bathroom, soon he was back, and he laid on the bed. "You can put them back on now."
"I don't think so buddy, if you wanna stay on the bed you can, if not you can sit on the recliner. They'll be serving breakfast soon." Jack couldn't believe Mac had asked him to put his restraints back on, the sooner they didn't have to use them the better.
Mac got off the bed slowly and sat on the recliner, hoping he hadn't just made Jack mad. He ate breakfast quietly when it came and then started playing with his hoody when his hands were free. He looked up when the TV went on, guessing Jack wanted to watch something, he wouldn't disturb him.
An hour later Dr Fray came in to ask how he was feeling, he did another quick exam and then told him that another day and night of rest and he hoped the injuries would be healing themselves nicely. Mac was told that Dr Barnes wouldn't be seeing him until the following day, which relaxed him a little, leaving him to spend the whole day just him and Jack.
They didn't talk much, but they watched a lot of TV and played a couple of games of Battleship that Jack had found in a cupboard. By the time it was night Mac was relaxed enough to get into bed and not be so tense. Dr Fray had come back at that point to see if he needed any medicine.
"No thank you," Mac replied, he wasn't in as much pain as he had been. He waited patiently while the doctor put the restraints on.
"I won't be here until tomorrow early evening, so we'll do the tests then before you go to bed. Dr Pann is on tomorrow so if you need anything then you'll have to speak to him," Dr Fray explained, walking towards the door.
Mac nodded, not sure if he wanted to see another doctor, he saw that Jack was sleeping in the recliner again and that made him happy, the day had been the best he'd had here, even having to sleep tied up wasn't going to spoil anything.
At about 3am Mac woke up with cramp and a sudden need to urinate, he didn't want to wake Jack but knew he'd wet himself if not. "Jack."
Jack was awake straight away, his years in the army making him a light sleeper. "You ok buddy?"
"I need to pee." Mac said.
Jack undid his restraints and Mac hurried to the bathroom, his leg almost giving way because of the cramp. When he returned he laid down ready, but Jack looked reluctant to tie him down again. "You have to." Mac said, closing his eyes.
Jack couldn't believe Mac was reassuring him about something like that, it wasn't right, but he knew unless he wanted to stay up all night to watch Mac, the restraints would have to go back on. He fastened them and got back onto the recliner. The doc seemed to think they wouldn't have to use them again the next night, he was also confident that Mac would stay on the bed without them.
"I'm gonna be a few hours ok, if you need anything then just press the call button," Jack said the following morning.
Breakfast was over and Mac had decided to stay on the bed, seeming comfortable. Jack was going home to shower and do some laundry, he'd persuaded Mac to let him take the hoody, promising he could have it back later. It just meant that Jack would have to make sure it went in the dryer, that meant he would be gone longer than he'd hoped. Vanessa was coming in after lunch to talk to Mac about the team visiting and then Dr Fray was going to run tests that evening to see how Mac was healing after he'd been resting so well. It meant he was going to be alone at least until lunchtime.
"I'll be ok," Mac said, still hesitant to speak unless he'd been asked a question.
Jack nodded and left, letting one of the nurses know. An hour later and Mac was dozing, he wasn't feeling too bad being on the bed now, no one seemed to mind him sleeping there, they seemed to prefer it. It still confused him how different his father treated him to everyone else, surely there wasn't any truth to what Vanessa had said about him, that he hurt him when he shouldn't have.
Mac woke with a start feeling someone over him, opening his eyes he realised he recognised him, it was Derek the man who was there when he had his scans, why was he in his room.
The man laughed. "Couldn't resist." He then walked out of the door, making sure it was shut all the way.
Mac was confused, what did he mean, he then looked and understood, his restraints had been put back on and they were tight. He pulled but that only seemed to make it worse, he didn't know what to do. A small part of him wondered whether he had done something to deserve this, why else would someone from medical tie him down. He wracked his brain thinking, he didn't think he'd done anything wrong. He'd soon know when Jack or one of his doctors came in, if they saw him and didn't say anything about the restraints then he'd know that he deserved to have them on.
Mac lay there, not being able to do anything, he was sure it was hours later, and he was desperate for the toilet, he wanted to call out, but he might get in trouble for it. Soon he knew he couldn't hold it and he wet himself, he knew when Jack came back he would be disgusted with him. He started crying, his day was so good yesterday, why did it never last.
While Mac was miserable Jack was just coming back into The Phoenix, bumping into Vanessa as he got off the elevator.
"Hey, you going to see Mac?" Jack asked, walking beside her.
"Yes, I thought we could have some lunch and then we could talk about Riley and Bozer coming to see him. I've spoken to them both, made sure they're aware of the situation, they seem to understand what they can and can't say. I think they're just eager to see him," Vanessa said, opening the door to the medical wing.
"Oh, they are believe me, they both text me non-stop for updates. I just hope Mac will be ok having them around."
They reached the door, surprised to see it closed, they'd been trying to leave it open at least a bit so that Mac didn't feel so closed in. Jack shrugged, maybe Mac had closed it.
"Hey Mac, we're back…" Jack stopped frozen at the sight before him.
"Oh my god, what happened?" Vanessa exclaimed, rushing past Jack to pull the restraints off a shivering Mac. "Jack help me."
Jack snapped himself out of it and helped Vanessa, who'd ever put on the restraints had put them on tight and Jack was glad Mac was still wearing his cuffs, (he never thought he'd say that,) otherwise his skin would probably be red raw.
Mac was muttering now. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
"It's ok kiddo, it's not your fault. Who did this?" Jack asked, knowing that Mac was apologising for wetting himself.
As soon as he was released Mac curled up shaking. Jack couldn't take seeing him like that, he crouched down so his face was inches from Mac's running his hand through his hair. "Shh kiddo, it's ok. You're ok, I'm here now."
"I'm going to go and speak to whoever's in charge, this is not acceptable. When he's calmed down get him in the shower, I'll bring some clean sheets back with me," Vanessa said, anger pouring off of her, she took out her phone to call Dr Fray, she knew he'd want to know straight away.
"You wanna clean up and get into some dry clothes?" Jack asked, still running his hand through Mac's hair. "I brought back your hoody; you can put that on too."
Mac opened his eyes, looking at Jack, nodding his head, he didn't know why Jack wasn't disgusted by him. "I'm disgusting."
"You are not disgusting; you had an accident and that wasn't your fault. Oh kiddo, did this happen before and that's what your father told you?"
Mac closed his eyes nodding again, more tears leaking out. "He said I was disgusting, and he hit me, then I had to clean it up."
Jack kept his anger inside, knowing that if it showed on his face that Mac would think it was directed at him. "That was wrong Mac, he shouldn't have said that, and he definitely shouldn't have hit you. Now come on, let's get you out of these wet clothes."
Jack helped Mac to the shower and then left him to clean up, stripping the bed so that it was ready for the fresh sheets.
"Apparently no one thought to check on him thinking that you were in here, no one has any idea who could have put on the restraints. The nurse in charge asked me if maybe his doctor had ordered it for some reason, which I told her wasn't the case as he's furious," Vanessa explained as she started making the bed. "How is he?"
"He told me he was disgusting. I asked him if this had happened before and he said his father had told him he was disgusting, hit him and then made him clean up," Jack replied, sitting down and putting his face into his hands.
"At least he opened up, before he would have just apologised and then expected some sort of punishment. It's a start."
Jack nodded. "I hope he wasn't like that for long, lying in his own urine, not able to move. It makes me sick, who could have done it, and why?"
"I've no idea, Dr Fray is coming in, he's going to hold a meeting with all The Phoenix medical staff, he won't rest until he's got to the bottom of this. He said to tell Mac he'll hold off on the tests until the morning, he doesn't want to put him through it tonight."
The door to the bathroom opened and Mac came out, standing in the doorway looking lost.
"Hey buddy, why don't you come get comfy on the recliner and we'll have some lunch," Jack said, watching Mac playing with his hoody.
"I'm not hungry," Mac said, walking over and doing what Jack said. "I'm sorry."
"Kiddo, you need to stop apologizing. If something isn't you fault then you don't need to say sorry."
"How do I know if it's my fault?" Mac asked, the question genuine.
"That's a tough one buddy, I'm not sure how to answer that. Usually if someone is mad at you then it's best to say you're sorry, am I mad at you?"
Mac shook his head.
"Then you don't have to say sorry," Jack smiled, glad he'd managed to put the kids mind at ease. "Mac, I do have to ask you about what happened."
Mac looked up, checking to see if Jack was mad now or not.
"Do you know who did that to you?"
Mac didn't know what to do, the man had told him not to cause any trouble or he'd come back, he reminded him of his father, Mac's breathing started speeding up, his heart racing.
"Hey hey kiddo, breath, it's ok. In and out, in and out, that's it. You need to calm down buddy, no one can hurt you while I'm here."
"Mac, was it someone you've met before?" Vanessa asked. "You don't have to worry; you won't get in trouble."
Mac nodded, speaking so quietly that they had to listen closely. "His name's Derek, he was there when I had my tests."
"He was the one who put you in restraints after your tests?" Vanessa asked, getting up.
Once again Mac nodded, a few tears falling down his cheeks. "He said.. I.. got his… friend fired," he stuttered out through his tears.
Vanessa and Jack looked at each other, knowing exactly what man that was. "I'll be back," Vanessa said, needing to fill in Dr Fray, wanting to find this Derek guy and tie him up and see how he liked it.
Jack got up and perched on the arm of the recliner, wiping Mac's tears away, running his hand through his hair again, it seemed to sooth him before.
"Why are you being so nice to me?" Mac asked, his father would never do this.
"Mac, this is what fathers are supposed to do when their kid is upset. I'm sorry that yours just hurt you more."
Mac leaned into the touch, needing it. It had been so long since he'd felt any comfort, so long since someone touching him didn't end in pain. He soon fell asleep, safe, knowing that Jack was there.
Mac opened his eyes and looked around and realised he was alone, had he imagined Jack being there, he wasn't sure, he had been emotional, maybe it was like when he'd imagined Jack while his father was beating him. He sighed, he always seemed to be alone, maybe Jack had finally decided he'd had enough, he was nothing but trouble after all.
"Hey kiddo, I thought you'd be hungry when you woke up, so I went to get you something to eat," Jack said, walking through the door, tray in hand.
"You didn't leave?" Mac asked, sounding surprised.
"Now why would I do that?"
"Because all I do is cause trouble, why would you want to stay," Mac replied, looking down, playing with his hoody again, a clear sign he was upset.
Jack put down the tray and crouched down by the recliner, gently raising Mac's chin. "Because I love you Mac and people who love each other don't leave because things get bad. And I promise you that you are not causing trouble."
"You love me?" Mac's eyes were wide, unbelieving.
"I do." Jack smiled. "Now how about some lunch."
Mac nodded, biting his lip, he still couldn't understand why Jack wanted to stay, no matter what he said. He promised himself that he would try to do better, so he wasn't as much trouble as he knew he was.
After lunch and another game of Battleship, Jack took out his phone frowning. "Hey bud, will you be ok for a little while by yourself? I need to go speak to Vanessa and Dr Fray."
Mac nodded, he hadn't said more than a few words since Jack came back from his lunch and Jack was worried, they had to get him talking again. Hopefully when Riley and Bozer came to visit he would have a chance.
As Jack walked out the door, Mac started to worry what they were meeting about, all kinds of things ran through his head, and he spent the next hour biting his lip so much that it bled.
Jack hoped the meeting was about this Derek guy, he just couldn't believe there were two bad apples at The Phoenix, and both seemed to have it out for Mac.
"Glad you could join us Jack," Dr Fray said when he sat down. "How's Mac?"
"Quiet, even more than usual if that's possible."
"It's just added to his trauma," Vanessa replied, hating that her patient was having such a terrible time. "I thought he would safer here than a normal hospital, but I'm starting to have my doubts."
"Well hopefully things should get better, we've established that Frank and Derek are new joins and they were brought in without any of the normal checks, apparently their fathers friend is our head of hiring and he owed him a favour."
"You're kidding?" Jack asked, shocked that it could have happened.
"I wish I were," Dr Fray replied. "The matter has been handled, all three have been fired and Matilda is making sure that they each get a criminal record as well."
"Couldn't have happened to nicer people!" Jack added sarcastically. "What now?"
"We stick to the plan. If Mac's up to it I'll run those tests now, if not they can wait until the morning. Vanessa?"
"All go from me, Riley and Bozer are coming over tomorrow after lunch, I'll make sure Mac's prepared in the morning."
"Good, he needs something good to happen," Jack said, filling them in on what Mac had told him earlier.
"Cause trouble? He's been nothing but the model patient," Dr Fray responded. "He really needs to get some confidence back."
Mac had agreed to the tests, wanting to get them out of the way. No one had mentioned his bleeding lip, Dr Fray had just told him they'd put some ice on it later and they all seemed happy, so Mac had assumed he'd worried for nothing.
He'd been sedated again for the scans, the doctor not wanting to put Mac under any unnecessary stress , he was too out of it to walk back so the whole bed was wheeled into his room and he was transferred onto his bed.
"It's still not as healed as I'd like, but it's much better," Dr Fray asked, after they'd got Mac settled.
"Great, so we can lose the restraints then," Jack said, smiling.
"I'm afraid not just yet. I'm not going to have him wear them, if he stays in the bed and doesn't sleep on the floor for a couple more nights then I've no issue with his sleeping unaided. If we find he's left the bed then I'll have to use them. He's healing, a hard floor is only going to make things worse."
Jack sighed, shaking his head, he understood where they doc was coming from, didn't mean he had to like it. Looking down at his sleeping kid, he just hoped he'd be able to stay in the bed on his own.