A/N: So I guess angst can happen in this. :') Requested by Project7723 on AO3, who asked for a scene to go with S1E11: Nightmares!
Lisa had no idea about most of what had happened in the last few hours, but she did know one thing: MacGyver needed her help. He'd taken the antidote he'd so desperately needed, but he was still weak and slumped against Lisa's side.
Sirens wailed nearby. Lisa's hand clenched in MacGyver's jacket. Were the sirens from the man MacGyver had had her try to call, Pete Thornton? She didn't know, and she remembered MacGyver's earlier fear of the police.
"MacGyver," Lisa whispered, shaking his shoulder, "MacGyver, we have to move."
Until she could be sure, MacGyver couldn't afford to be found by the police. Neither of them could.
MacGyver stirred with a low groan. When he opened his eyes, they were glazed and distant. But he followed Lisa's urgings, and the two of them got MacGyver on his feet.
Lisa grit her teeth at the pressure of MacGyver's weight across her shoulders, but took a determined step. MacGyver's feet scuffed against the pavement as he slowly followed suit.
"That's it." Lisa glanced in the direction of the nearing sirens. "C'mon, MacGyver, that's it. Just a little faster."
The pair shuffled down the road, Lisa searching nervously for someplace to hide. Halfway down the road, MacGyver suddenly groaned and his weight doubled. Lisa gasped in shock and wrapped her arms around MacGyver's middle.
"Not yet," Lisa grunted. She spotted a small alley behind two warehouses and turned MacGyver toward it. "Just a little further, okay? Just a few more steps."
MacGyver mumbled something incoherent, but his feet resumed moving. Lisa half-carried, half-dragged MacGyver into the dark, dirty alley. She got him behind a dumpster before he gave out completely, and it was all Lisa could do to keep him from hitting his head on the ground.
Something beeped shrilly, making Lisa jump. She lurched toward the sound, clamping her hand over the watch on MacGyver's wrist. She eyed the flashing zeros on the tiny screen, but the sirens were too close for her to worry about the watch.
Lisa spent a few anxious minutes dragging MacGyver's legs behind the dumpster before leaning against the wall with a sigh. They were still too close for her liking, but the two of them were decently hidden at least. She crouched beside MacGyver and shook his shoulder.
MacGyver didn't respond. He was painfully pale from the short walk and his breathing was ragged, but at least he was breathing.
"Come here," Lisa said softly.
Lisa settled MacGyver as comfortably as she could. She laid discarded newspapers across him, both to try to give his shivering frame a bit of warmth and to give him an appearance of a random homeless person if the police investigated the alley.
Tires screeched outside, making Lisa stiffen. She slipped to MacGyver's head and sat to lay his head on her lap.
Voices drifted into the alley, overlapping and harsh. Lisa shivered, then startled when MacGyver groaned.
"It's okay," Lisa whispered soothingly. "It's okay, MacGyver. We're safe."
MacGyver stilled. Lisa thought he was breathing a bit easier, at least. She ran her fingers softly through his sweaty hair, feeling him relax further.
Lisa waited until MacGyver was laying limp and breathing easily before moving. She carefully lifted his head from her lap and moved aside, then took off her jacket to bundle under his head. MacGyver moaned softly at the movement, but calmed when Lisa stroked his hair and whispered to him.
Once he was sleeping soundly again, Lisa rose to silent feet and crept along the alley wall. She peered around the corner.
A half-dozen police cars were parked haphazardly in the road. Officers moved quickly back-and-forth, talking into radios and peering into shadowed corners. Several men were being firmly escorted into police cars, though one was led away from the others.
Lisa focused on the handcuffed man who was being kept separate from the others. She recognized him as the man with whom MacGyver had been fighting. He'd been holding the antidote, mocking MacGyver with it.
The man was led to one of another man who was directing everyone one-handed with his other arm in a sling. Lisa was too far away to hear what was said, but the man with the sling became noticeably angry, advancing on the handcuffed man before two officers stopped him. The man with the sling said something with a harsh wave of his hand, and the man in handcuffs was brought to one of the police cars.
Lisa bit her lip as the officers spread out. Most of them went inside the warehouse, but a few checked under the cars and around loading docks.
Lisa gathered her resolve and crept out of the alley. She jumped behind a pile of boards and used it as cover. Her best plan was to approach the officers with some distance between her and MacGyver. If she was spotted and thought the officers weren't trying to help her friend, she could lead them away, then double back to get MacGyver away.
The boards ended, and Lisa moved behind a long row of metal drums. She hurried to the end and glanced around it to see the man with the sling talking to an officer less than ten feet away.
"Set up a perimeter of two -no, three- blocks. If MacGyver's as bad as he said, he couldn't have gotten far."
Lisa caught her breath. Okay, that didn't sound too good.
"Mr. Thornton," said the officer. "What if he really-"
"No," interrupted the man with the sling, Mr. Thornton. "MacGyver's tough. He'll be fine. But he might be running. Who knows what they did to him."
Lisa perked up. Now that sounded like a worried friend! And the officer had called him "Thornton," as in the Pete Thornton Lisa had tried to call?
Except, if this was MacGyver's friend and MacGyver was so afraid of the police, why would Pete have brought them?
Lisa shifted uneasily, then stilled when the officer trotted off. She peered through a gap in the barrels. Catching sight of Pete's worried face, Lisa made her decision. She cautiously stood and stepped around the barrels. Pete, turning back toward the warehouse, startled when she spoke.
"You're Pete?"
Pete spun on his heel, his face creased in confusion. "I am. How do you-" Pete's eyes widened. "You're the girl who called for me, aren't you?"
Lisa nodded. She stepped back when a couple officers, attracted by Pete talking, headed their way. Pete noticed and waved them back.
"Do you know where MacGyver is?" Pete asked.
Lisa shifted again, suddenly doubting her decision. But then she looked up at Pete's face and saw only concern in his face. She nodded, and Pete's face lit up.
"Where is he?"
Lisa glanced at the officers again. "They can't come."
One of the officers, the same one who'd been talking to Pete, strode forward. "Mr. Thornton-"
"It's fine, Robins." Pete looked back to Lisa. "But why not?"
"They hurt him," Lisa said, wary.
Pete looked at Robins, who made a noise of realization and said, "There was an officer's uniform inside. One of them must have pretended to be an officer at some point."
"But MacGyver wouldn't suddenly be against the police because of that," Pete said. He looked at Lisa. "Please. Where is MacGyver? We want to help him."
The sincerity of Pete's plea convinced Lisa. She nodded slowly and beckoned for Pete to follow her back toward the alley.
MacGyver was right where she had left him. His head moved restlessly back-and-forth, and his shifting legs had moved the newspapers off of him. He shivered, either from lack of cover or whatever had sickened him.
"Oh, Mac," Pete murmured.
Pete sank to his knees and put a hand on MacGyver's forehead. MacGyver grimaced at the touch and Pete quickly pulled back his hand, then MacGyver opened his eyes. For a long moment, the two stared silently at each other.
Then, a weary smile tilting up his mouth, MacGyver said, "Hey, Pete."
Pete gave an odd-sounding laugh and grabbed MacGyver's shoulder, hugging him close. One of MacGyver's arms clumsily wrapped around Pete's middle.
"Are you okay?" Pete asked.
"Never been better," MacGyver muttered.
Pete looked to Lisa, who shifted uncomfortably before realizing what Pete wanted.
"He was poisoned," Lisa said. "He got the antidote, but… I don't know, he doesn't look so good."
"I look fantastic, thanks," MacGyver muttered.
"We'll let a doctor decide that," Pete said. "Wait here, MacGyver."
Pete started to stand, but MacGyver putting his other arm around him stopped him.
"MacGyver-"
"Help me up, Pete, I c'n walk," MacGyver mumbled.
"You can't even sit up, never mind walk. Just take it easy for once."
MacGyver grumbled a protest, but his eyes slid shut and his grip on Pete loosened. He didn't make another sound, even when Pete softly said his name. Pete gave a long-suffering sigh, then looked at Lisa.
"I never asked your name."
Lisa hesitated, then said, "Lisa."
"Lisa, can you… can you watch him for me?"
Lisa had an odd feeling that the request took more effort on Pete's part than her own. She nodded, then knelt and carefully took Pete's place, cradling MacGyver's head and shoulders to keep him off the ground as much as she could.
Once Lisa had MacGyver settled, Pete rose to his feet. He started to turn, but hesitated.
"It's okay," Lisa told Pete. "I've got him."
Pete's smile was one of tired relief. He hurried out of the alley, his voice drifting back to Lisa.
"He's here! Get the ambulance over here!"
Lisa looked back down at her charge. She brushed MacGyver's hair away from his forehead, her gentle touch making him stir.
Lisa softly shushed him. "It's alright now, MacGyver. Pete's here. He's going to help you."
MacGyver twisted just enough to feebly raise one hand, eyes still closed and his mouth moving silently. Lisa struggled to balance MacGyver, then a quick movement flashed out of the corner of her eye, startling her so she jumped.
MacGyver, however, finally settled. His face was pale and clammy, but calm. The strain and fear Lisa had seen even when he was sleeping was completely gone.
"It's okay, Mac. I'm right here."
Pete's voice made Lisa lift her head. Pete had returned, silently, in an instant. And then Lisa saw what had calmed MacGyver so quickly.
MacGyver's hand, stretched past Lisa's head, was clasped in Pete's own.
A/N: Was that a Passages reference? Why, yes. Pete catching Mac is one of my absolute favorite scenes of the show, just amazing. That 5-10 second clip tells more of a story than I could ever hope to in 10,000 words.