It had been a long few days at the Phoenix Foundation. About three days ago the team had been sent overseas to deal with some threat that, quite honestly, I now couldn't even remember. While they were away, the rest of the organisation had started coming in for routine check- ups, a full physical and blood works. None of this was urgent work, but with people working a variety of shifts and coming in from other unrelated assignments, it did make for some longer than usual days for me.
I had been coming home to an empty house, Bozer having been sent with Mac overseas. The quiet had me contemplating the feasibility of getting a pet, something living to greet me at home in the instances that I was the only one in LA. The thought was short lived when I nearly tripped over a motorcycle part that Mac had left on the lounge room floor.
At least Bozer had left meals in the freezer that I could pull out and reheat before falling into bed. I pulled out a container of lasagne, flicking my eyes between the oven and the microwave before checking the time on my watch. It was past my normal dinner time and I really couldn't be bothered waiting for the oven to heat up. Bozer would forgive me. Or not. But what he didn't know, wouldn't hurt him.

Not long after the warm meal was consumed, I was curled up in bed, flicking through social media before I went to sleep. That was when my phone started ringing in my hand.
"Hey Mac," I answered with a smile.
"Hey to you, too." His voiced floated through the speaker.
"Please tell me this call is because you've finished up and are on your way home." I said.
He laughed. "Pretty much. We'll be on our way home within the next couple of hours."
"Good, it's lonely here without you." I told him. "Are you alright? Your voice sounds rough."
"I'm fine, just tired." He replied. "I'll see you in about 15 hours."
"What's the time there?" I asked. There was a mumble in the background.
"About 6am," he relayed back to me.
"Okay. Get some sleep on the plane then. I'll see you back at the Foundation," I said, before ending the call.
Smiling, I lay down and closed my eyes. Soon they'd be back and I could stop worrying.

I was sitting in the lab, running samples through the machine when the door hissed open. I looked up to see the figure of Matty Webber, Director of the Phoenix Foundation, walk through the door.
"Morning Matty," I called out.
"Morning."
She walked up to my desk. "I've just had word that MacGyver's plane has touched down. They should be arriving back at the Foundation in about half an hour."
I nodded at her. "Debrief first?"
She confirmed that and then told me that the team would be free for the rest of the day.
I tidied up a bit then waited for Mac to say he was back in the building. Debrief or no, he always stopped by my lab to greet me first, unless he was made to go to medical.

About 40 minutes later, my phone chimed as I was going through some results on my computer. I slid the device towards me, unlocking it as I did so.
'Open the door' my message read.
Quickly standing, I walked to the lab door and opened it. In front of me was MacGyver, smiling and holding a small bunch of flowers.
"You have access to my lab, you know," I grinned, taking the flowers.
"I know," he replied, "but isn't this a nicer surprise?"
I nodded as he pulled me into a hug. He smelt of motor oil (nothing new), his leather jacket and sweat. He was wearing the spare shirt he had packed, so I was guessing the team hadn't had a chance to shower before they got on the plane. Riley wouldn't be happy.
"You'd best get down to Matty," I said as I took a step back. "You know she doesn't like waiting and she's perfectly capable of keeping me here late in retaliation." I smiled at him.
Now that I was over the rush of seeing my boyfriend for the first time in about three days, I noticed a few things. His normally neat hair was sticking up in all directions and there were bags under his eyes. Also, his usually precise movements were just a tad slower. Before I could say anything though, Mac had kissed me and then let me out of the hug.
"You're right. I'd better go debrief," he said. "We should be done by lunch. I'll come by and get you."
And with that he walked out of the lab, leaving me with a bunch of flowers and feeling a little worried.

Just as Mac thought, they were done with the debriefing in time for lunch. He came up to my lab, Riley and Hack tiredly trailing in his wake. Bozer had apparently given in to the jetlag and had gone straight home after the debriefing. We sat as a group in the Phoenix foundation cafeteria. Jack had quickly eaten his food and gone to grab a dessert; while Riley was picking at hers with a large cup of coffee clutched in her other hand.
As someone who knew them well, I could tell all three were suffering from jetlag and sleep deprivation. It was obvious in the way Riley was blinking owlishly, in the cheerful way Jack was talking as if he was worried he'd crash if he didn't, and in the overly controlled movements of MacGyver's hands.
"You guys should go home and sleep," I told them.
That comment got shakes of heads and murmured negatives.
"Don't wanna mess up my body clock," Jack commented. "My jetlag is bad enough as it is."
"What he said," Riley added.
"You could at least take a short nap," I reasoned. "Set a timer or something. You all look dead on your feet."
Riley was nodding slowly, the idea growing on her.
"I might do that…" she said.
Jack shook his head again. "Nah, I'll go spend some times down in the gym and then head home. Make it an early night."
Mac was too busy scribbling something on a napkin to notice that our attention had turned to him.
"Sweetie, why don't you go home?" I said. He looked up at me, blinking a few times as his eyes focussed.
"No, no I'm good," he replied. "I've got stuff I can work on in my lab. Plus, Bozer took the car, so I was hoping we could head home together."
I nodded slowly. "Sure, I finish at four today anyway."

Just before we all separated, Jack grabbed me by the shoulder.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
"Yea, I'm fine. Just had a few nights where I didn't sleep all the way through."
Jack nodded in understanding.
"Keep an eye on Mac, yea? I don't think he slept so well either and I can't tell how much sleep he got on the plane."
That would explain a lot, actually.
"I'll get him to come up and help me in my lab," I told Jack.
He clapped me on the shoulder and we parted ways.

I did succeed in eventually getting Mac to come up to my lab. There wasn't really anything I needed help with, but it was always interesting to see where or how Mac thought he could improve the efficiency of the tests.
For the last half hour, Mac had been sitting by one of the computers but his head was resting on one hand. His gaze was unfocused when he tracked my movement around the room. But he hadn't actually been watching me for the last ten minutes. That in itself wasn't unusual, but the fact he also wasn't working on something was.
When the clock ticked over to 4pm, I shut down the computer and checked that the machines were okay to run on their own.
"Home time," I said, tapping Mac on the shoulder.
As I hung my coat up, Mac got up. He wobbled a little as he stood, hand going to the bench to steady himself.
"Bit tired?" I said casually, grabbing the car keys.
"Only a little bit. I'll be fine, really."
I linked my free hand with his as we made our way out, but held onto the keys. He may have thought he was only a little bit tired, but there was no way I was going to let him drive.

Mac started dozing off in the car, head resting against the window, but every time it looked like he was about to drop off to sleep he jerked his head up.
Thankfully the roads were fairly quiet for LA and it wasn't long before I was pulling the car into the driveway.
Mac sat up when I switched off the engine, looking across to me.
"Home now," I grinned. "And tomorrow's Saturday so we don't have to go anywhere."
Mac smiled back at me, but it held a brittle edge.
As we got out of the car, I noticed he was still a little unsteady on his feet.
Just how little sleep did he get these last few days?

When we made our way inside, Bozer greeted us in the kitchen where he was making something as a snack. I stopped in the kitchen dropping my bag on a bar stool for the moment.
"Grilled three cheese?" Bozer asked, holding up the plate by the stove.
"Yes, thanks," I replied. "Wait, we had three types of cheese in the fridge?"
"Yea, Philly cheese, cheddar and the mozzarella was in the freezer."
"Huh, there you go," I laughed.
"Hey Mac, want a grilled cheese?" Bozer called.
There was a muffled reply from the direction of the lounge, but neither Bozer nor I were able to make out what was said.
I made my way into the room to find Mac sitting on the couch, wedged between the back and the arm rest with his legs pulled up onto the seat. A frown crossed my face as I went to him.
"You good?" I asked in concern.
He scrunched up his eyes and then rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Just a headache. I probably didn't drink enough water these past few days."
He tried to sound off handed, but his voice was gravelly and his speech slower than normal. Personally, I thought the headache was from a lack of sleep, but I could tell Mac was being stubborn about readjusting to SoCal time.
"Glass of water and a grilled cheese sandwich?" I asked instead.
"Sure."
"I was thinking after maybe we could try building the Lego Curiosity Rover that I got?"
I rolled my eyes with a smile.
"Okay, but only if you don't start replacing Lego pieces with your own."
"Deal," he agreed before sealing it with a kiss.
I got up to go grab the food and Mac leant back against the couch and tried not to wince at the crash that sounded from the kitchen.

"Is he alright?" Bozer asked as I walking back in.
"He says it's a headache from not enough water," I replied, filling a glass. "But I think he needs sleep. He did want a grilled cheese though, thanks."
Bozer turned back to the ingredients, making another sandwich up. "I don't reckon he slept much on the plane."
I hummed thoughtfully. By the sound of it Mac was running on very little sleep, maybe even less than he could cope with. All I could hope was to convince him to have an early night, and hope his stubborn ass didn't pass out before then.

The Mars Curiosity rover sat half built in the middle of the lounge floor. Scattered around the two of us were Lego pieces, and the instructions which now hold notes in Mac's scrawl, improvements for future builds. Bozer was nowhere to be seen, saying that the last time that he and Mac tried to build Lego it had ended in a minor argument. He also threatened the both of us with the fact he wouldn't cook if he stepped on a single block.
I looked over at Mac, who was trying to fit a small piece of the motor together. He rubbed his eyes for the second time in as many minutes, and then closed one eye as he brought the Lego pieces together.
"Honey, maybe you should have a quick nap?" I said gently. "Not long, just half an hour."
He shook his head. "I'm getting tired, but I can hold on until about 8." He rose. "I just need another glass of water."
Rather than heading to the kitchen straight away when he stood, Mac paused for a moment. Carefully he picked up his glass and the plate that had held the frilled cheese sandwiches. He was moving slowly, still not really steady on his feet. I rose under the pretence of stretching and watched as he made his way to the kitchen. His hands shook as he placed the placed the plate and glass on the counter. One hand gripped the counter top and I started towards the kitchen myself.
Suddenly, Mac crumpled towards the floor. I ran to the kitchen, getting there in time to grab the under his arms and lower him to the floor. As I was running I shouted to Bozer, who came running out of his room.
"What happened?" he asked, crouching down beside me.
"Not sure," I replied, trying to lay Mac on the floor comfortably. "He was really shaky when he stood up. I think he passed out."
"Probably," Bozer agreed. "Now, how are we going to get him to your room?"
"Could you support his arms and back if I carry his legs?" I asked.
"Yep. Shame neither of us are as strong as Jack."
"Jack needs to be strong enough to pick him up," I laughed. "He's had to carry Mac's unconscious ass too often already."
Gently the two of us picked Mac up and walked to the room that he and I shared. Mentally, I was hoping that he wouldn't regain consciousness until we could put him on the bed. If he woke up and started moving, we'd drop him for sure.
Thanking my laziness this morning, I pushed the bedroom door open with my foot and we lowered Mac on the bed. Our timing was perfect, because a few moments after putting him down, Mac regained consciousness.
"What happened?" He frowned.
"You passed out, man," Bozer told him. "We had to carry you to your room."
"You carried me?" Mac looked both shocked and a little guilty.
"Yea, Jack isn't here to do it," I shrugged.
"Not sure if we should be offended by his surprise," Bozer commented.
"I passed out?" Mac was still stuck on that.
Kicking off my shoes, I sat on my side of the bed as Mac pushed himself to sitting. Bozer chose to perch himself at the foot of the bed.
"Yes, you passed out. In the kitchen. As I watched." I told him.
Mac had the grace to look ashamed.
I put my hand on his thigh. "Honey, how much sleep did you get on the plane?"
"Four, five hours?"
"And the night before that?"
"Umm…"
"Three," Bozer interrupted. "We all got about three hours sleep."
I drew in a breath and let it out slowly.
"Right, Right, okay." I was rambling a bit. "You've been awake for like 13 hours, on top of a mission where you hardly got any sleep to begin with. And we were woken early by Matty when you were called in." My brain caught up with the situation. "Bloody hell, Mac."
Mac himself looked a little shocked. "Oops?"
Bozer shook his head and look at his phone.
"Look, it's nearly dinner time. I could make dinner, well, more grilled cheese. Because SOMEONE," here he broke off to look directly as me, "hasn't done the groceries."
"Didn't have time, wasn't sure when you'd be back." I said casually.
Bozer rolled his eyes at me.
"There's leftover roast beef in the fridge, at least," I told him.
"Right. BBQ roast beef toasties?" Bozer asked. "Cause really Mac, you need food and then you need to sleep."
Mac rubbed a hand over his face and nodded. I smiled gratefully at Bozer as he stood to go cook.

A short while later Bozer returned, a tray piled high with toasted sandwiches in his hands.
"Is it alright to eat on the bed?" he asked.
"Sure," I replied. "I can't see Mac moving any time soon anyway."
In the time that it had taken for Bozer to prepare the toasted sandwiches, Mac had managed to stand up long enough to quickly shower and change into track pants and a loose T-shirt. Once he sat back on the bed, he'd barely managed to keep his eyes open.
We talked quietly as we ate, both keeping an eye on Mac as we did so. We'd all eaten two or three sandwiches and the tray was now sitting empty on my bedside table. It didn't take long for Mac's speech to start slurring, his blue eyes blinking rapidly as he tried to keep them open.
In the middle of a story, Bozer paused.
"Man, you look beat." He commented.
Mac raised a hand to tell him to keep talking, but Bozer frowned.
"Nah, I'm gonna grab this tray and so dome work in that short film. I'll be off to bed early anyway. Night all."
With that he took the tray and left the room.

Mac leant back against the head board, head falling against the wall.
"Go to sleep," I said gently, running my fingers through his hair.
He turned his head, cracking his eyes open just enough that I could see the barest sliver of blue.
"I wanted to spend time with you," he whispered. "I feel like I've been gone ages."
"Tomorrow's Saturday. I don't have to be at work and neither do you." I kissed him softly.
"We can spend all our time together then, but for now, you need to rest."
Mac nodded, smiling sleepily at me. He shifted so he could kick off his track pants and slip under the covers. I stood up, intending to go and do the dishes as I wasn't feeling tired yet.
"Can you," Mac croaked as I reached the door. He stopped speaking and cleared his throat. "Stay with me."
I dropped my head from the door handle and turned around. Mac was lying on his side, one arm stretched out over my side of the bed.
Well, there weren't many dished from toasted sandwiches, they could wait until tomorrow.
I grabbed a book as I returned to the bed, reclining on top of the covers with one hand linked in Mac's.
"I missed you," he told me drowsily.
"I missed you too," I replied.
Shortly after that I heard his breath even out and in minutes he was fast asleep.