He opened his eyes and blinked. He looked around in confusion for a minute before remembering that he was in Phoenix Medical and not his own room. He sighed and turned his head slowly towards his left; there, curled up in the recliner customarily provided to visitors in hospital rooms was Jack, snoring softly. He looked up at the clock on the wall and realized that 6 hours had passed since he was driven here from his room; he also realized that Nature was calling so he started his trek upward and off the bed slowly and quietly so as not to wake Jack. Of course, that did not work, he had barely moved an inch when Jack's Papa-Bear's senses immediately woke him, and he bolted up off the chair and beside Mac's bedside all in one elegant, quick move.
"Hey Mac!" Jack smiled down at him, "good to see you awake son", "where you are going kid?" "Hey" Mac tried to say, but his throat was dry. He gratefully drank water from the cup that Jack passed over to him and tried again; "Hey Jack", Mac glanced in the general direction of the bathroom, Jack nodded with understanding. "OK, let me help you up then" Jack said, grabbing hold of Mac's shoulders and helping the boy to a sitting position. "Take it slow OK Mac, you've been horizontal for hours, give your body a chance to adjust to the shift in position"
Mac nodded and once he was sitting up he gave himself a minute to take a deep breath and let things settle down before standing, Jack's hand on his elbow just in case he decided to face-plant. Jack looked at him, "you good?"
"Yeah, I'm good" Mac nodded and started towards the bathroom.
"Don't lock the door kid" Jack told him as he started to close it upon reaching the bathroom, Mac rolled his eyes and disappeared inside the bathroom. Jack smiled; at least the kid was finally awake, it had been a very long day.
While the kid was out of the bed, he pressed the call button and alerted the Staff of the fact Mac was awake and walking, he then proceeded to fluffing his pillows and shaking the blankets to make the bed more comfy for the kid, also bringing up the back of the bed so it was more a chair than a bed, figuring that the kid must be tired of lying down by now.
Mac shuffled back to the bed a few minutes later, Jack smiled at him and patted the bed signaling for Mac to take a seat; just then the nurse and the doctor came into the room.
"Hello Mr. MacGyver", I'm doctor Sloan, how are you feeling today?
"I'm OK actually, feeling a lot better; not dizzy or nauseated at all" Mac sat down on the bed, allowing the nurse to take his vitals while the doctor and him spoke.
Jack hovered close to Mac's bed but stayed silent.
"We did a battery of tests on you last night, blood, imaging, etc., and there was nothing found that could explain your episode from last night" the doctor spoke while shinning a light right in Mac's eyes which did make him wince, the doctor frowned; "does the light bother you?"
Mac thought about lying but thought better of it given the fact that he had already worried Jack and the others enough. He nodded.
He felt Jack come closer to the bed at that, worry spewing from his body in waves.
"Any other symptoms I need to be aware of?" the doctor asked.
Mac took a breath and figured he might as well come clean, he was still feeling the tingling sensation in his arms and legs, so he told the doctor as much and cringed when Jack's voice bellowed in his head.
"What do you mean you felt it yesterday?" Jack asked Mac, anger barely at bay.
"I'm sorry, I figured it was because I'd not eaten much yesterday and my sugar was a little low or something" Mac explained, using his "I'm cute and you love me" look on Jack.
Jack ran a hand over his face, "damn it kiddo!" He said in exasperation, "one of these days…."
He turned to the doctor, "so what's next doc?"
The doctor blinked at Jack, not a 100% sure whom he should be speaking to, Mac was an adult after all, and then turned back to Mac; "I will have them run some tests on your extremities to check your blood flow, make sure I'm not missing a clot, then we will have a Neurologist run some tests to rule out a neurological reason for the tingling and then we will speak again"
Mac opened his mouth about to protest, but closed it again after one look from Jack that silently said "go ahead, complain, I dare you", and nodded instead.
"So, um… what is the ETA for me to go home doc?"
Jack stopped the doctor as he began to speak and turned to glare a Mac; "You will STAY HERE until such time as all tests are done and the doctor or doctors ALL agree it is safe for you to leave; you clear on that Mac?" in a tone of voice that left no room for any arguing.
Mac looked down at his hands, suddenly fascinated by the blanket laying on it, "Yes, I'm clear" He sighed… "I was just asking…"
Jack shook his head and exhaled loudly, then put one hand on the back of Mac's neck and used the other to turn the kid so that he was looking right at him; he smiled at him and then much more tenderly than even Mac thought he, a Delta, could ever sound, said: "We just need you to be OK Mac, just give it time kiddo, OK" then he squeezed Mac's neck for good measure.
"Yeah" Mac said, swallowing down a lump in his throat; it was never easy for him to deal with emotions, and the love that Jack had for him was evident and hard for him to compartmentalize.
Mac yawned, the doctor finished scribbling something on Mac's chart and then turned back to him,
"I will put in the orders for the tests then and will come back after to discuss the results" with that he left the room.
Mac turned his attention to the nurse who was waiting patiently to ask him what he wanted to eat, once Mac asked for a turkey sandwich, some soup and tea, she left to get that for him.
Mack climbed fully back onto the bed and Jack sat back down on the recliner. Mac knew he might as well just wait patiently for the additional tests to see what was going on, not like Jack was going to let him do anything but that anyway; he looked over towards the older man who was busy playing on his phone. He sighed and closed his eyes as he waited for lunch.
To be continued….