Author's Note: Thank you to all of you that reviewed the last chapter. I am planning to do several chapters and I am wondering if anybody would like to volunteer to be my beta.
Loyalty
Chapter 2
Two days later.
"You now, bud. There is a silver lining if you can't defuse this bomb, it'll be over in an instant." Jack offered.
Mac didn't answer.
"Not that I'm afraid of dying, I just don't want it to hurt a whole bunch." Jack continued on, without an answer.
"There. IED defused." Mac dragged the back of his hand against his sweaty forehead.
"Come on, dude. Let's bounce." Jack thumped his shoulder. "Good job on not turning the town into a giant crater."
"Uh, thank you?" Mac answered. Macgyver repacked his gear and stood to his feet, heading to the humvee.
Two days later and Mac felt like a real pill. When he thought back on how he treated Jack after his fist fight with Specialist Johnson. Jack had been a calm presence ever since the fight, making Mac feel even worse. He wished Jack would lash out, give him some grief or insults, something. But, no. Apparently, you save a guys life while he's standing on a bomb and he gives you some leeway. No, it went past leeway, his cover was being overly nice. He glanced to his left and tried to eye Dalton out of the corner of his eye.
His partner sat in the drivers seat of their humvee, one hand on the wheel, one hand resting on his rifle which now sat between them, facing forward. Mac struggled for the words to say to apologize to Jack, but he couldn't quite figure out how to do it without telling the whole story and Jack Dalton could not know the whole story. Better to say nothing at all and go on like it didn't happen.
"It's late, we're headed back to base. You want to spar with me after chow?" Jack asked.
"You mean, do I want you to beat on me for 30 minutes in an attempt to toughen me up?" Mac turned in his seat to look at his cover. "No, thanks."
"Hey now, you know that's not true. Every now and then you pin me. I'd just like to see you be a little more aggressive than defensive, is all."
"Ugh. Will you tell me more about life in Texas and your mom's cooking?" Mac asked in a rare display of wanting anything for himself.
"Sure, bud."
An hour later had them rolling into base, Jack stopped by the EOD shack so that his partner could stow his tools.
"Go ahead, Jack. I'll meet you in the mess hall."
"You're gonna eat, right?" Jack asked. "You're too skinny."
"Of course." Mac felt irritated, "stop worrying about me. I eat when I'm hungry, not because of what the clock says it's time to do. And now I'm hungry."
Jack narrowed his eyes at Mac, then looked around. "You'll be there in five minutes?"
"Yeah, man. It'll take me a minute to organize all this stuff. No reason for you to wait and cook your old self in this heat." Jack's eyes narrowed at the 'old' comment and made to open his door. "I'll see you in five." Mac hastened away.
"Little brat," Jack muttered affectionately.
Ten minutes later and Jack had a tray full of food and no mouthy bomb nerd to eat with. The sniper told himself to settle down, reminding himself how Mac was easily distracted.
"Where's your EOD, Dalton?" Davida asked, as she sat down across from him.
Jack eyed the pretty little Sergeant, whom he'd worked with off an on for years, with a smile.
"Davida, you know I ain't his babysitter." Jack tucked into his supper.
"I know you're natural protective instincts, Dalton. Wasn't that long ago we'd go out in the same group to administer aid to the locals. I've seen you up close." She responded, she pointed her fork directly at him. "Protective."
"He should be able to stay outta trouble on base," Jack tossed back as Davida started in on her food, again. She shot him a knowing look. "You got something you want to share?"
"Not really," Davida answered.
Jack's eyes narrowed and he put his fork down.
"Look, Jack, everybody knows you're wheels up in eleven days..."
"And?"
"Everybody knows how loyal and protective you are."
"And?"
"Ross still has a bone to pick with you..."
"Davida, spit it out! I don't have all day."
"Jack, don't you see? Ross sees Mac as fair game."
"To hurt me?" Jack stood to his feet, his food forgotten. He climbed over the bench seating and headed out of the mess tent in search of his partner. He looked both ways and decided to head back to where he last saw Mac. He trudged through the sand and turned a corner, bumping chests with the man he was looking for.
"Umpf," Mac hit the sand on his rear and Jack stumbled back a step. He recovered quickly and offered Mac a hand.
"You're late," Jack told him.
"Sorry, I was busy with the...thing." Mac was breathing hard and sweat beaded his forehead. "Did you wait for me? You shouldn't have." Once Mac was on his feet again he turned his back on Jack and headed for the mess tent.
Jack narrowed his eyes at Mac's back and looked the young man up and down, following at a casual pace. Once back in the mess tent, Jack retook his seat across from Davida. Mac grabbed his food and sat down beside Dalton.
Davida raised her eyebrows in question and Jack shrugged his response.
Mac was aware of the shared looks of concern passing around him and struggled not to be insulted. He could take care of himself just fine, thank you. Had been for awhile. The three continued their meal with Davida telling Mac stories about Jack protecting her squad while administering aid. Mac laughed out loud, covering his mouth to keep from spitting food out.
"You're not serious," Mac laughed.
"Yes, sir, I am." Davida smirked at the young man.
Jack scowled at both of them.
"You expect me to believe that Jack was in charge of the security of your squad, you refused to leave the villagers and he threw you over his shoulder and ran to the truck with you?" Mac laughed.
"He sure did. I was perfectly safe, too." Davida tried to smother a smile at Jack.
"Boundaries, much?" Mac didn't even bother trying to hide his glee at the older mans expense.
"Look, you two." Jack pointed his finger at Davida and narrowed his eyes. "Satellite imagery said there we three truck loads of insurgents headed our way. This little lady wouldn't follow orders and get in the truck like a good soldier. She just had to give out one more case of water or put one more bandaid on one more boo-boo—"
"Those bad guys were still half an hour out, Dalton." She laughed.
"Yeah, the first time we were warned about them," Jack looked at Mac, "by the time I had to toss Davida into our truck they were five minutes out. And let me tell you, Mac, she didn't exactly go quietly. She fought me like I was throwing her in an alligator pit. We argued, her really screaming in my face that she wasn't ready to leave, like we were at the mall or something. Me, calmly and reasonably informing her that we didn't have the manpower or position to defend against three, three, I tell ya, truck loads of bad guys. What's a guy to do?"
"Don't you buy that good ole boy spiel, he wasn't nearly as polite as he makes it sound." Davida argued, pointing at Jack. "I was just giving last minute instructions to a very young mother on infant care-"
"That mama wasn't even listening-"
"She was too!"
"We had to go!"Jack laughed, "you crazy, little -"
"It was completely unnecessary to bodily move me."
"I tried asking nice-like."
Both Jack and Davida stopped, turning to look at Mac, who was doubled over, laughing silently, his face red.
The two pulled their attention from Mac and shared a smile.
"Thanks for the story, Davida, even though you got it half wrong." Jack smiled, standing up to go.
"Your half is the part that's wrong." Davida cleared up her tray, heading out.
"See ya later." Mac called between gasps of air, he cleaned up his mess and followed Jack out. "Work out?"
"I think I'm a little too full to work out just yet. Give me thirty minutes and I'll meet you there." Jack answered.
"Ok," Mac said, thinking nothing of it. "I'm gonna get my run out of the way. See you in thirty." Mac started running in the direction of the fence, so he could run the inside perimeter.
Jack headed in the direction of Ross's tent. If he was lucky, maybe he'd bounce Ross's head off of Johnson's.
A/N: I hope you enjoyed this addition. I'm planning for the next chapter to come much sooner than this last one. Please review.