Okay. So… Another chapter… GREAT.

"Whoa… Steady there big guy…" Jack held up one hand in case he had to catch Alex if he stumbled.

" 'm doin' fine…" the words oozed of stubbornness.

For Jack it was like seeing himself at that age, as the younger special agent hobbled up the stairs from the fourth to the fifth floor. They were headed towards the cafeteria. Hell, he was still like that sometimes. Too stubborn for his own good, he knew it...

"You could opt for a wheelchair… It'd be easier y'know…"

"Nah… Wheelchairs suck…" Alex ground out as he took a small break on the plateau between the floors. "Besides, it's good exercise…"

"Wheelchairs don't suck…" Jack shot back, just as Alex continued his journey up the stairs, "Wheelchairs are a very useful help when you need them…"

"Yeah, when you need them…" Alex spoke over his breath, "I can use these, I don't need one…"

"Also, the elevator could have been easier on you…"

"Exercise."

"That's bullsh-" Jack started, before he realized that there probably was a reason for why the young agent outright refused to consider a wheelchair. "-it… What's your deal with wheelchairs anyway?"

"Nothing…" Alex drew a deep breath as he conquered the last of the steps and made it to the fifth floor. "Just don't need one…"

Jack made a mental note to check with Kim, if there was a deep seated issue his twin probably knew what it was. Jack guessed that it wouldn't exactly be a secret per se. No, most likely it was something Alex didn't exactly realize himself.

MACGYVERxLAB

"So, given any thought to who's gonna fix up your leg?" Jack asked as he chewed on some vegetables. Alex sat sideways at the other side of the table with his injured leg stretched out on a chair in front of him.

Alex shrugged as he lifted some meatloaf with his fork, "Guess I'll let our team take care of that. Even though it'll be a week or two before I'm back at the headquarters…"

Jack nodded, "I'm having a friend over to take a look at my shoulder. He's a really great Ortho surgeon, incredibly good with legs. He borrows one of the surgery rooms at the Phoenix Foundation when he's by."

"He's good?" Alex asked before bringing his fork to his mouth.

"Not good. Great." Jack corrected, "Fixed my knee up two years ago, trust me… It's SOLID."

Alex chewed and swallowed, then he placed his fork back down on the plate and abandoned it there for the time being.

"I don't know…" Alex ran a hand through his hair, "The medical staff at LAB are real good too…"

"Yeah, I know that…" Jack nodded, "But like you said, it's gonna be a week, at least… My guy is coming to LA tomorrow."

"It's kinda tempting…"

"At least have him take a look at your knee. If you don't feel perfectly safe having him fixing you up, you could always wait for the LAB guys…"

Alex looked towards his knee, and the brace stretching the length of his leg. "I could always have him take a look at it…"

"You should…"

"Wait, coming to LA…? He's not there already?"

"Nah…" Jack shook his head, "He lives upstate New York, but I sent him a text saying that I messed up my shoulder. Y'know, when, what and where…"

Alex smirked.

"And he answered half an hour later that he could take a few days off, come over to LA and see what he could do."

"Where'd you find this guy anyway?"

"Oh, he was the medic on our squad for a whole bunch of years when I was with the Delta Force."

"So he's a tough guy?"

"Damn straight he is…" Jack nodded proudly, "One of the most badass men I know."

"That means a lot coming from a guy like you…" Alex noted, "You said he was your medic… He liked patching people up enough to go further within the medical field when he got too old to be with the Unit or something? Must be pretty old then…"

"No… He's…" Jack tried to think out how old he had to be, but came up empty. "He's younger than me…"

"Decided to quit when his first contract was up then? You sign up for 10 years or something the first time don't you?"

"No… He didn't quit." Jack shook his head, "Pete's no quitter… Never have been, never will be…"

"He had a medical degree and decided to join Special Forces?"

"No…" Jack shook his head again, starting to understand why Kim sometimes called Alex dense. "He got injured, badly. He couldn't continue."

"Oh…" Alex nodded and looked down at his leg, concern broadcasting on his face.

"Hey, nothing like that… Okay?" Jack reached out and nudged Alex's shoulder, "Pete had his lower leg blown off. Your leg will be fine."

"You sure?" Alex flexed his jaw, "Cause I think I might have hit a whole new level of fucked up this time…"

"I'm sure kid…" Jack nodded, "He has really made a name for himself back in New York…"

"Okay, if he's already going to LA. And if it's not too much trouble for him… I guess it wouldn't hurt if he just took a look at my leg… If he's got the time…"

"He has…"

"He has?" Alex raised his eyebrows, "How do you know?"

"Oh, I mentioned that I might have a friend that could use him too. He's prepared…"

"I could have refused…"

"Yeah, he knew that it wasn't decided yet…" Jack shrugged one shoulder, "He said he could always find something else to do if he suddenly got a bit extra time on his hands. But he's prepared if you decide you want his help…"

Alex nodded and leaned his head against the wall, "Okay… This could be interesting…"

"It'll work out…"

Okay, another chapter down. Hope you enjoyed.

Next few chapters could be interesting… My 'enabler' might regret her decisions… hahaha
Oh dear… First I've gotta sort through my idea…