Wow! Thanks for the kind reviews and encouragement to keep going; much appreciate the "love".
He was laying on the plane's couch looking up at the sterile ceiling, listening to Jack, Bozer and Riley talk; they were trying to figure out what to do with him basically. Mac normally would not really allow people to talk about him as if he was not there, but right now he was just tired and wanted to find a small dark corner somewhere where he could hide out and recharge in peace, so he just laid there quietly and waited.
Jack had called Matty and told her they were turning around and heading back to the States because Mac was not doing so well and needed to rest. Matty, in typical Matty fashion blew a few fuses in the process, but eventually agreed to allow the plane to land in Florida where Jack and Mac would get off the plane and Riley and Bozer would be joined by another Phoenix Team who would then retake the path to the now seriously delayed mission abroad. Jack agreed.
"Are you going to be OK alone with him Jack?" Bozer asked, glancing in Mac's direction.
"We will be fine Bozer, I will take care of our boy" Jack patted Bozer's shoulder. He then turned to Riley, "Riley, you and Bozer be careful out there, Matty said you should both be able to stay on the plane and help coordinate things from here, but still, stay sharp, OK?" Riley nodded.
"Where are you taking Mac?" she asked, worry for her friend tinting her words.
"First, we are going to see a doctor, then I have booked a beach house for us for a few days, Matty gave me a week to get Mac back on his feet so I plan on taking full advantage of that time and figure out what the hell is going on with him" Jack leaned in a bit closer and lowered his voice as he spoke, "I think there is more to this than just the beating, it is not like him to be this pliable or quiet" Bozer and Riley nodded.
Bozer walked over to where Mac was laying on the couch, still not moving or speaking, which was freaking him out honestly. Mac looked up at him as he approached.
"Hey Bozer" Mac said tiredly. "Hey Mac" Bozer said. You and Jack enjoy the time off brother, and don't overdo the sun exposure because you know you turn beat read like instead of golden brown my friend" Mac could not help but chuckle at that. He turned his head as Riley and Jack approached as well.
"Hey Mac, you rest OK" Riley said as she bent down and kissed his cheek. Mac nodded.
"OK kiddo, you ready to go?" Jack asked him while simultaneously stretching a hand out to Mac and helping him to a standing position, steadying him when Mac falter slightly with the change in position.
"Yeah Jack, I'm ready" Mac responded, taking his Go-Bag from Riley as Jack took his from Bozer. "See you guys soon and be careful" he said to his friends as they exited the plane onto the tarmac where a Phoenix car awaited; Matty was not happy, but she was efficient.
Jack took Mac's bag from him as they approached the car and threw them in the open trunk, he then took the keys from the waiting Phoenix team mate nodding a greeting to the young Marine who was about 3 inches taller than Jack. "Get in kid" he said to Mac, who slid into the front passenger seat of the sedan, slowly, trying not to aggravate his ribs.
He felt Jack reach over and buckle him up since once he was seated a wave of nausea hit him and he was busy breathing through it, eyes closed; he then felt Jack's hand squeeze his arm before they began to drive away. Mac kept his eyes closed. He probably should ask where they were headed, but he figured he would just let Jack be the one that made the decisions for a while.
Jack glanced over at his young friend every few minutes as he navigated through the heavy Miami traffic. Mac had yet to say a word even though they had been in the car now for 20 minutes. Mac had his head against the window of the car, eyes closed, breathing regular, hands on his lap; he was not asleep, but he was not aware either, it was like the boy was in another place and time, stuck in some sort of dark place he did not know how to exit. Jack was glad when he finally saw the exit that would take them to the clinic Matty had told him to take Mac to while in Miami, promising to call ahead and make sure they were seeing immediately.
As he parked the car around the back of the building he sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. He braced himself for a fight when he told Mac he was going to be checked out by actual medical professionals and that was non-negotiable. Mac never did well accepting medical care, so this was surely not going to end well.
"Hey kiddo, you with me?" Jack asked as he gently shook Mac's shoulder. "They are waiting for us inside, we have to go get you checked out bud"
Mac opened his eyes and looked out the window, he saw the clinic's sign, he then looked over at Jack and nodded; without saying a word he undid his seat belt and exited the car slowly, wincing as his ribs protested and the world shifted slightly.
Jack's mouth was agape when the kid offered no resistance at all about being seen at a clinic; "What the hell is going on Mac?" he asked himself as he too exited the car and walked around to Mac's side.
"Ready?" Mac asked Jack?
"Yeah kid, lets go inside" Jack said, walking beside his friend, ready to offer support if needed.
One hour later they were in an exam room, Mac was laying down snoring softly, IV in his arm, an IV he did not fight, at all, pushing fluids and some pain meds into him, Jack was sitting in the very uncomfortable plastic chair beside the bed, waiting for the doctor to return with test results. Mac had been more than docile during the entire process, he answered the doctor's questions honestly about what was hurting and how he felt, admitting to aches, pains, dizziness, nausea, etc.; when it came time for the IV, he laid there quietly as the nurse found a vein and hooked everything up.
"OK" the doctor entered the room; Jack stood glancing at Mac who hadn't woken up; "He is asleep doc" Jack reiterated, the doctor nodded and lowered his voice some.
"We have the results of the tests, he is dehydrated and showing signs of exhaustion; he has 3 bruised ribs, a mild concussion, and some bruising around his kidneys that have caused some inflammation and pain, although there does not appear to be any issues with kidney function" the doctor explained.
"So, what do we do now?" Jack asked, glancing at his friend again. "Does the kid need to stay?"
"No, I don't think he needs to stay at the hospital, but he does need to take it easy for a few days, allow his body to heal", the doctor hesitated, Jack noticed and asked, "And?" making eye contact with the doctor.
"The boy seems a bit sad to me; his affect is a bit flat", the doctor looked over his chart's notes, "I don't see any history of Depression in his records though, has that ever been an issue with him?"
"No, not that I am aware of" Jack answered, "I mean, after Afghanistan it took some time for him to get his bearing stateside, but that is not unusual for most of us coming back from active duty", Jack looked at the doctor straight on and asked, "is this something serious? Do we need medications, therapy, what?"
The doctor shook his head. "No, not sure that is needed, not quiet yet anyway; maybe he is just going through something he has to work out", the doctor glanced at Mac, "he is very young, young men his age still sometimes go through some growing pains of sorts, mood swings can happen", the doctor paused and looked at Jack, "let's give him sometime and see; it seems to me you know your boy well and you can probably, better than anyone, tell if we need to reconsider the wait-and-see approach at some point"
Jack nodded, "I do". "Let him work through this himself; give him some space, but stay close", the doctor gave Jack a slight smile, "I think your boy will be OK once he finds his balance again; he may need to talk through some stuff at some point, but it is likely he will be OK on his own"
"OK doc, you're the doctor" Jack stated.
"You can take him home whenever he wakes, the nurse will give you some paperwork to sign, along with my contact information if you feel something is not right, please call me, anytime"
"Thank you, doctor, I will" Jack shook the doctor's hand and watched him leave, leaving him alone with Mac in the exam room again.
Jack walked over to the gurney where his friend slept on, oblivious of the conversation he just had with the doctor. Jack brushed a stray hair off Mac's forehead, then started to card his fingers through the blonde's hair…" What is going on in that genius brain of yours kiddo?" Jack whispered, "What is this? What are we facing here? You're going to have to talk to me bud, let me in so I can help you"
Mac slept on…