AN:
Hey guys, I hope you had a great time watching the first episode of season 4 in America. I think there isn't even a date set, when it will be aired in Germany. So enjoy the next chapter and leave me a few words
Chapter 5
Cold. Wet. Why was he cold and wet, Mac wondered when he slowly came to. He recognized his partners voice and tried to make out the words.
„…sleeping beauty, you have slept long enough. Mac, can you hear me. Come on man, you're scaring me!" The Deltas voice was dark with concern, while he gently washed his friends face.
„ˋm here Jack," Mac managed and coughed, the motion sending sparks of agony through his skull as well as his ribs. There was something wrong with his leg, too. He moaned and closed his eyes, gulping hard and forcing the bile that was rising back down.
„Easy Mac, I'm gonna sit you up a bit, so you can breathe better, ok? You with me bud?" Worry and pain were visible on Jacks features.
Mac nodded and forced his eyes open again and Jacks face came slowly into focus. The Delta eased one arm under Macs shoulders and slowly moved him into a sitting position. He couldn't suppress a grunt of pain as the motion jarred his bad arm. Mac was breathing heavily, obviously fighting nausea.
„Do you want some water Mac?" Jack asked and held out a cup, but his partner shoved it away. After a few minutes all his pains had settled to a tolerable level and he looked at Jack.
„What happened?" The blond asked puzzled, his leg hurt like a mother, but he couldn't remember why.
„Well, we tried to escape, but only made it as far as the hallway outside our cell. There were simply too much of the bad guys. Looks like they broke your leg, but I was already out, when it happened. Sounds familiar?" Jack asked not liking how pale and confused his partner was. Mac was clearly concussed and his breathing was not sounding right, with the broken leg on top Mac must be miserable as hell.
The blond thought for a moment, then the events of the day came back. He rubbed his aching head and said. „Yeah, I remember now. They dislocated your shoulder, right?" He looked at his partner and noticed the lines of pain deeply embedded in the Deltas face.
Jack nodded. „Popped it out and then smashed my arm it with a fucking pipe, I think both ulna and radius are broken. Hey at least it's my left arm." He tried to sound optimistic, but failed when another grunt escaped this throat.
„I need to set and bandage your leg, but you have to put my shoulder back in first," Jack explained.
Mac slowly nodded. „You know this always sucks, right? But with the broken arm on top, this will hurt like hell." He shuddered, Mac didn't know if it was because of the fever or the task he would have to perform on his partner.
Jack answered with a grin. „Hey, you'll get in on the fun too brother. I have to set you leg afterwards."
Mac looked down and saw that Jack was right, the angle his leg was bent was not right. He sighed. „At least one of us is happy about it." The blond commented sarcastically and continued. „Let's make a contest. The one who passes out will have to pay for the beer for the next month."
„Dude, great idea," Jack smirked.
Mac rolled his eyes. „That was a joke Jack! Ok, sit down on my other side, where I can reach your arm better." Mac painfully lowered his legs from the cot and made room for Jack.
„You ready?" the blond asked and Jack nodded. Carefully Mac grabbed the broken arm and tried to ignore his partners sounds of pain.
Mac took a deep breath and said. „On the count of" he yanked the limb back suddenly and the soft plop of the shoulder slipping back into its socket was almost tuned out by the cry Jack couldn't suppress, before he passed out. The blond worked quickly and felt along Jacks forearm, it seemed he managed to realign the broken bones too. Mac was grateful he was spared to inflict more pain on his partner. He reached out and pulled over one of the cots. The legs of the cots were thin hollow pipes, they didn't work as a weapon, but for splinting they were great. Mac removed two of them and ripped the blanket into stripes and had Jacks arm stabilized and wrapped in no time. With stripes of the blanket Mac managed to fashion a sling, where he gently placed the injured limb in. He sat back with a sigh and waited for his friend to wake up.
A low moan indicated that Jack was coming to. The Delta blinked and it took him a moment to get his bearings. Mac smiled at his partner. „You lost. The beer for the next month is on you Jack."
„So, I passed out huh?" With a grunt of pain and some help of Mac he managed to sit up.
„Yeah, you did. How does the arm feel?" Mac asked.
„Hurts like a mother, but at least the shoulder is better. Thanks bud." Jack was pale and shaking. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. „Just give me a few minutes and I'm gonna take care of your leg."
„Easy Jack, take your time. Wait until the pain settled down a bit." The blond soothed, before he continued. „The legs of the cot are good to use for splints and there's enough of the blanket left to wrap it." Mac pointed at the items he had already prepared.
„Can't wait to get started, can you?" Jack said with a wry grin after composing himself.
Mac shrugged. „No use in putting it up much longer. What I can't wait for is to get out of here. But I don't think we're able to pull it off. They'll watch us even more closely now and there are simply too much of them around. Jack, I … I don't know how much more I can take. I just want you to know, if the worst…"
„Hey, hey none of that talk hoss! We will get out of here. Or do you think that Matty, Riley and Bozer are giving up on us? Nope, not gonna happen. I bet Rileys rig is running hot and Matty is calling in every favour possible. And Bozer, well you know Bozer is doing his thing, whatever it is." Jack interrupted his partners dark speech.
„You're right Jack. I'm sorry." Mac sighed and coughed again.
Jack laid the back of his hand against the blonds forehead. „Jeez, you're burning up Mac. Let's get this thing with the leg over, so you can rest a bit."
The setting of Macs leg was an unpleasant task, but it wasn't the first time Jack had done this in the field. Mac screamed, but didn't pass out. He was hovering between consciousness and oblivion for a few minutes until his glance cleared up and he managed to speak again.
„I don't know, why I'm always resenting drugs. Right now I could kill for a couple of Tylenol." The blond admitted.
„I'll remind you the next time you fight Doc Ward while in Medical. You know, I really don't want that much practice at field medicine, but with you I'm already halfway to my doctors degree." Jack joked.
Mac chuckled, but sobered quickly. „Thanks Jack."
The Delta was puzzled. „What for?"
Mac shivered and reached out a shaking hand and laid it on his partners. „For always being there for me. You know, in moments like this … when everything becomes too much … when I don't know how to keep it together. You always know the right things to say, the things I need to hear. Keep me grounded and keep me going. I couldn't do this without you Jack. Thanks."
Jack couldn't talk for a moment, because of the lump in his throat. He sqeezed Macs hand hard and said. „You're welcome Mac. I don't know if you are aware, but you do the same for me. You see possibilities, find solutions and create opportunities where nobody else would find a way out. You never quit. You have a strength I can draw from, you may be beaten, but you're never broken." Jack was too worn out to keep his feelings hidden. He wiped away a few tears and smiled. „I guess, Riley is right with this co-depency thing, isn't she?"
Mac nodded. „Absolutely, but we won't tell them." He coughed again and shivered and Jack grabbed the last blanket and pulled it tight around Mac. The blonds eyes were dropping.
„Try to get some rest buddy. I'll watch your back." Jack encouraged and soon Mac had slipped into a restless slumber. His breathing didn't sound right and his face showed the pain he was in, even while sleeping. „Now would be a great time to get us out of here Matty," Jack whispered and leaned back to rest a bit as well.
Riley was pacing the war room nervously. The waiting was weighing heavily on her.
„How long until the tac teams are there?" Bozer asked once more.
Matty answered. „They'll be at the compound in an hour. Sit down Riley. I've sent all of our tac teams and the CIA supports them with 20 men." She tried to soothe her agents.
Riley stumbled, but found her balance a moment later. The hacker quickly sat down, she wasn't keen on being lectured by her friends. Luckily neither Matty nor Bozer hadn't noticed, because their eyes were fixated on the big screen.
There was something going on. Normally is was pretty quiet in the building, but Jack could hear gunfire and heavy boots as well as shouting. „Mac, I think the cavalry is here." The Delta exclaimed excited. He tried to rouse his partner, but the blond was in a confused feverish state. „Hang in there hoss. Help is coming."
Jack rose to his feet and swayed. „Damn," he cursed his bodys weakness as he stumbled in the direction of the door. „In here. Help!" He yelled and leaned against the wall as dark spots danced before his eyes. A moment later the door opened and Jack let out a sigh of relief when he recognized his guys from Phoenix. „You are a sight for sore eyes," he said and spotted Gabe, one of the medics of the tac teams, who immediately stepped towards the Delta. Jack waved him off. „Take care of Mac first. He's bad off. He has a concussion, maybe broken ribs, his leg is smashed and I think the beginnings of pneumonia as he's running a pretty good fever." Jack rattled off all of Macs symptoms, because the room was spinning and he had to make sure that Gabe had all the intel about his partners health.
Dimly Jack was aware of somebody talking to him and a hand on his arm. He pushed the darkness back one more time and forced his head up, only for his eyes to roll back into his skull when he collapsed.
There was a distant beeping. It wasn't right beside him, but it was annoying nevertheless. Wait, that was a heart monitor! It took Jack a few minutes to put the pieces together. Images appeared in his mind. The compound, torture, pain, Mac coughing, the fight with the mercs, more pain and then the Phoenix guys coming for them. So they were at Medical. Jack felt a weight on his hand. He opened his eyes and everything was too bright and blurry. The Delta blinked the room into focus, but it didn't clear up completely. His tongue felt leaden. A soft voice welcomed him. „Hey big guy, how are you feeling?" Jack shifted his glance and spotted Riley sitting beside his bed and holding his hand.
„Riley," Jack croaked out and tried to clear his throat. The hacker held a cup with a straw to his mouth and helped him take a drink.
„Thanks," he managed. God was he tired. Mac! Jack sat up suddenly and a wave of pain that shot through his body threatened to take him under. Everything went gray for a long minute. Riley caressed his face and mumbled. „Easy Jack, don't move around too much. You're ok, you're safe."
Jack came back to the present. „Mac! Where is Mac? How is he? It was bad, Ri." The Delta was upset.
„He's here Jack, he's gonna be ok." Riley stood up and pulled the curtain back. And there Mac was. Looking small and pale, lying in his bed. The blond was hooked up to an IV and a heart monitor and he had a nasal canula. His leg was in a cast and elevated. Bozer was sleeping in a recliner nearby.
Jack moved to sit up and push the blanket away. He was stopped by Riley. „Oh no, you're staying right where you are. Really Jack, Mac is ok. You both are. You … you were lucky." Rileys voice was breaking and Jack took in the appearance of his surrogate daughter. Her eyes looked huge in her pale face and she looked thinner. Dark circles were visible under her eyes and worry was marking her beautiful face.
„Are you ok honey?" Jack asked concerned. Riley laughed, but it sounded somehow hysterically. „Am I ok? I am now, but you scared the hell out of me."
„I'm sorry Ri, how long have we been here?" Jack wanted to know.
„About 8 hours," Riley started, but was interrupted by Doc Ward who had entered the room.
„And before you ask, you both can go home tomorrow evening. We'll keep you here for the next 24 hours to get some antibiotics into you and watch your concussions."
„I knew Mac had a concussion, what else is wrong with him?" Jack looked over to his partner who was still sleeping.
„Well, he's bordering on pneumonia, but with the IV antibiotcs we should get ahead of it. He's still running a fever, but it has already gone down a bit. The break in his leg was a simple one and you set it right, so we only needed to cast it. He suffered two broken ribs, is exhausted and malnourished, the same as you are." Doc Ward explained Macs condition. „As for you, we needed to do surgery on your arm Jack. We put in some screws and a plate to fix the breaks, because they were bad ones, but everything went well and should heal up alright. The dislocation of your shoulder didn't cause any damage, but it will be pretty painful for a while, due to the weight of your cast. So don't take off the sling. You've got a concussion as well, but not as severe as Macs. Did I forget anything? Oh yes, three broken ribs. All in all with a few weeks of R&R you both should be good as new."
Jack nodded. „Surgery, that explains why my mouth feels like an animal died in there. You sure Mac is ok? Why hasn't he woken up?"
„He woke up briefly while you were in recovery. Don't worry Jack. You both are on heavy pain meds and your bodies demand rest, so sleep is the best thing now. Try to get some rest." The physician checked both of their IV's and left the room.
Jack yawned and snuggled into his pillow. „You don't have to stay with me sweetheart. You look beat, why don't you go home and rest up?"
The hacker shook her head. „I'm not leaving you Jack. I … I just can't, ok?" And there was so much emotion packed in that sentence, that Jack didn't press her. He knew from experience, how hard it was to see a friend lying injured in the hospital bed after being missing for some time. The need to stay close and keep physical contact, to reassure oneself that the other was really back and would be ok. Riley reached out and took his good hand again, before she got more comfortable in her chair.
Jack nodded and sqeezed her small hand, enjoying the touch and the presence of his daughter. He fought to stay awake, but his lids were dropping already. „Thanks Ri."
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