A Matter of Trust

Joanna pulled her car up to the curb in front of MacGyver's apartment building. Both she and MacGyver had been silent on the short drive to his place. Mac started to reach for the door handle as he turned to face her.

"Thanks for the ride," he replied.

"No problem," she glanced at him with weary eyes.

"You know, you didn't have to do this. I would've figured out something."

"I promised Evelyn I'd take you home," she said firmly.

MacGyver's stomach growled loudly and he glanced at the glowing clock on the dashboard. It read almost 7pm. Joanna had to be hungry as well.

"How about you come on in and I'll fix us something to eat?"

Mac held his breath as he waited for her answer.

"That's okay. I was planning on hitting a drive-thru on the way home."

Shot down again!

"Consider it a thank you," he urged.

Joanna stared out the windshield into the night. She had promised herself she would try to be nicer to Mac and she was hungry. Only a fool would pass up free food.

She sighed. "Alright. As long as you don't mind."

"I wouldn't have offered if I did."

Joanna turned off the ignition and they both climbed out of the car and headed into the building. MacGyver unlocked his apartment door and motioned Joanna to enter ahead of him. He shrugged out of his jacket and then took her coat, hanging them both in a small closet.

"Feel free to look around. I have to call Pete and let him know about the truck," Mac offered. "Don't hold the furniture against me, it came with the place."

Joanna chuckled softly causing MacGyver to grin as he headed for the phone. The light on his answering machine was blinking, indicating he had a message. He'd get it later. Right now he had more important things on his mind, like asking Pete for a new car by morning.

Joanna slowly began to wander through MacGyver's open-concept living room, her curiosity stronger than her shyness. She could see that he had already added some of his own décor to the otherwise drab space. Various pieces of hockey equipment were stowed in a corner and a Calgary Flames jersey was draped over the back of his desk chair. On the desk was a computer. Joanna wrinkled her nose. She didn't like computers or, more accurately, they didn't like her. She had to use one at work, but she sincerely hoped it was a passing fad. As she continued her self-guided tour, she noticed a guitar case leaning against the wall in the opposite corner. Next to the TV, a bookshelf housed a collection of video-taped Westerns

Mac finished his call to Pete and hung up the phone. "Well, what do you think?" he asked her.

"Nice," she replied sincerely. "Contemporary NHL I see."

Before MacGyver could respond, he saw her gazing appreciatively at the brand new air hockey table.

"You play?" he asked.

"No. I'm not very coordinated," she answered softly.

"Well, you know how to fix that, right?" Mac asked lightheartedly. She looked up at him with questioning brown eyes. "Practice."

"You can't seriously want to play with me?!"

"Why not? I can't play alone."

Joanna looked very unsure, and at that moment he would do or say just about anything to make her smile.

"Look, I'll play with my hockey gloves on. That should make us about even."

Her stomach rumbled loudly before she could respond. "Maybe we should eat first," she suggested with a grin.

"Good idea," Mac replied with a firm nod. "Why don't you see what's in the fridge while I change out of this shirt," he proposed, already working to loosen the collar.

"Mind if I use your phone?" she called as he headed down the hallway toward his bedroom.

"Not at all," he answered. "Tell your mom I said 'hi'."

How did he know she was calling her mom? He didn't even know her mom!

After informing her mother that she was at Mac's and would be home later than anticipated, she opened his refrigerator and cautiously peered inside. She found yogurt, tofu in various forms, sprouts, and a couple kinds of juice. Didn't the man know the meaning of 'comfort food'? She decided to check out the freezer. Ice cream. Aha, that must be his guilty pleasure, but it wouldn't do for supper.

"Find anything good?" he asked as he reappeared in the kitchen.

"Umm…."

"How about we order a pizza? Any preferences?"

"Pizza sounds good," she replied with what sounded like relief. "Get whatever you like on it. I'm not fussy." MacGyver shot her a look that said he didn't believe her, but she chose to ignore it.

After ordering their dinner he decided to check his messages. He hit 'play' and a young woman's voice announced that his test results had come back and he should call in the morning.

"Was that about your MRI?" Joanna asked, still standing in his kitchen.

"Yeah," he let out a sigh.

"Are you worried?"

"No," he replied confidently. "Not really," his confidence slipping just a bit at the concerned look on her face. "Well…maybe a little."

An hour later saw the pair leaning back comfortably on the sofa, an empty pizza box between them and soft drinks on the coffee table. After savoring the first few bites of their meal they had fallen into easy conversation.

MacGyver was unusually talkative as he regaled Joanna with stories about growing up in Minnesota and falling in love with hockey. He told her about the summer his dad took him on a quest to visit every major league baseball park in the country. They had gone to a Braves game right here in Milwaukee before heading to Wrigley Field and Comisky Park in Chicago. He reflected with humor on how bored he became and begged his dad to go home so he could play hockey with his friends, ending their quest after attending only three games. He even talked about the death of his parents, a subject he normally went out of his way to avoid, yet somehow the words flowed easily tonight.

"So, what exactly do you do for the Phoenix Foundation?"

MacGyver knew she would ask that eventually and, like always, a satisfying answer was hard to provide.

"Oh, a little of this and a little of that," he offered.

"Well, that certainly clears things up," Joanna responded wryly.

MacGyver jammed his fingers through his hair. A gesture Joanna had come to realize was a sign of frustration.

"I'm not trying to hide anything, it's just that what I do is tough to explain."

Joanna thought for a moment before deciding to accept his answer.

"I can understand that," She replied. "My career path has been a bit untraditional and I've had jobs that are kinda hard to explain as well."

Much to her surprise, Joanna found it incredibly easy to let down her guard as she then went on to tell him how she had wanted to be a teacher since she was a little girl, but after college life hadn't worked out the way she had planned. She talked about growing up in a small but loving family and how she and her parents still lived in the house her grandparents had built during World War II. She laughed openly as she recalled stories of her days as a student in a strict Catholic school as well as her experiences teaching in the correctional facility where she had met Evelyn and forged a strong friendship.

Somewhere along the line, Joanna had kicked off her shoes and tucked her feet up under her on the couch. Her head now lolled on the back cushion. For the first time in a long time she felt completely at ease and, dare she say, happy.

"How do you like the job you have now?" Mac inquired.

"It's good," she replied dully, a bit of the light fading from her eyes.

"Really?" MacGyver's eyes bored into hers as if he could read her soul. Drat the man! He could convince a zebra to give up her stripes with that look!

"Things have been stressful lately," she confessed.

"Tell me."

"You really wanna know?"

MacGyver's silence and penetrating gaze were her answer.

Joanna sighed. "I'm sure you've noticed we don't exactly have a top-notch faculty nor do we have the facilities in the shape we would like. The students aren't performing up to expectations and now we are beginning to have security issues as well."

"And you blame yourself."

Before Joanna could think of a proper retort, Mac continued, "You're not in it alone, you know."

"I know," she murmured, "but everyone is overworked right now and I have a hard time asking people for help."

"You don't ask 'people' for help. You ask your friends. Evelyn, your colleagues, me."

Joanna broke eye contact and Mac knew he had pushed her as far as she was willing to go…for now.

"So, rumor has it you make it a rule to not date guys you work with."

Joanna's eyes flashed at him, "You've been talking to Todd."

"More like he's been talking to me but, yeah."

She let out a laugh. "Well, in a way it's true. I created that rule to get him off my back!"

"Then what about this?" He slowly reached out and lifted her left hand from where it was resting on her thigh and gently fingered the sparkling sapphire ring. "You wear it there to scare guys off?"

Joanna tensed, but made no effort to remove her hand from his. "Perhaps at one time," she replied thoughtfully. "But quite honestly, I wear it there because that's the only finger it fits on, and I'm too cheap to have it resized." MacGyver let go of her hand, threw back his head, and laughed. Joanna soon joined in.

"Can I ask you something else?" MacGyver inquired once their laughter had died down.

"You're kinda nosy, you know that?"

"Yeah, my friends say I'm famous for that," he smirked.

"Okay, go ahead," Joanna smiled, deciding that resistance was futile.

Mac's face turned serious and she wondered if she had made a mistake. His voice was low and mellow.

"Do you think, in time, you could ever learn to trust me, even a little?"

"I think I already trust you," she replied, her voice little more than a whisper.

"Since when?" MacGyver shot back. This was certainly not the answer he had been expecting!

"Since the first day we met when you kept me from falling off that stupid stool."

"And all this time I thought you hated my guts!" MacGyver exclaimed in relief.

"Who says I can't do both?" Joanna challenged.

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MacGyver awoke early the next morning after a restless night. He wasn't one to easily get stressed out, but he had found himself rummaging through his kitchen drawers at 1am to find something to tinker with. He looked out his front window, the winter sun still waiting to make its appearance, to find a Jeep Wrangler much like the one he used to drive parked where his Blazer should be. Pete had come through. After a quick shower and even quicker breakfast, Mac stared at the phone. He needed to call for his MRI results. His gut clenched. His entire future might be determined by a two minute conversation. He placed the call, only to be greeted by a friendly, recorded voice informing him the office was not yet open. He slammed the phone down more forcefully than he had intended to. He would call once he got to the school. He gathered his things, including two small, white boxes which held the results of his late-night handiwork, and headed off to work.

Joanna's Chevy was the only car in the lot when he pulled in. Officer Carl wasn't even here yet. A shiver ran up his spine. He didn't like the idea of her being alone in the school. The urge to protect her sprang to life. The previous evening's conversation had been quite enlightening. Joanna had started to show him a side of herself he believed not many people were privy to. Whether she liked it or not, he considered her a friend, and he believed that when you made a friend, you took on a responsibility, and now Joanna had become his.

The door to Joanna's office stood open. Had her feelings changed for him or was she just not expecting him in this early? She was seated behind her trusty desk, eyes down. He knocked gently on the door to get her attention.

"Good morning," he greeted her, leaning lazily against the doorjamb.

"Good morning," she replied automatically before looking up. Her eyes lit with curiosity when they landed on the boxes he was holding.

MacGyver walked up to her desk and held out one of the boxes.

"What's this?" she asked, a hint of suspicion in her voice.

"Consider it a 'thank you' for giving me a ride last night."

"I thought that was what the pizza was for?"

Mac sighed, "Just go ahead and open it."

Joanna slowly removed the top cover and warily studied the contraption inside before taking it in her hand.

"What is it?"

"What does it look like?"

Joanna turned the object over in her hands, studying it.

"It looks like a doorstop. With tiny wheels. And a battery."

MacGyver nodded. "Now open this one."

She opened the box and pulled out what looked to be a remote control belonging to a toy car. She met his gaze and raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

Deciding not to keep her in suspense any longer, he took the items from her hand and walked back to the door. He slid the wheeled device under the door, like a doorstop. He then took a step back and worked a toggle on the remote. As if by magic, the door began to close. Once the door had closed just short of clicking completely shut, MacGyver worked the toggle again. This time the door slowly opened. He then looked at Joanna with a self-satisfied grin.

"Well, what do you think?"

"I don't get it," she replied. "I'm perfectly capable of opening and closing a door."

"I know that. I just figured that you must be getting pretty tired of having to get up and close the door every time I'm around, so I thought I'd help you out."

Busted!

"It's that obvious?" she inquired embarrassingly.

MacGyver simply shrugged.

Joanna approached him and took the remote from his hands. "I'm sorry. I guess I have been acting kinda childish."

"Forget about it. I know deep down you can't stop thinking about me," he teased.

Joanna's eyes grew wide as saucers making MacGyver laugh as he left for his office. He had barely cleared the threshold when he heard the whir of a small motor and the door began to close behind him. A playful female giggle carried through the air.

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Joanna's attention returned to the report she had been working on before MacGyver had interrupted her. She chuckled to herself as she glanced at the homemade device he had made for her. It was becoming painfully obvious that there was little she could hide from this man. He had gotten under her skin, and not in a bad way. She didn't know how long she could continue teasing and rebuffing him. She didn't know if she wanted to.

Emotionally confused, Joanna got up and opened her door the normal way. She intended to head to the teachers' lounge for something to drink until she noticed MacGyver had his door closed. This struck her as odd since she hadn't heard him leave his office and there weren't even any students in the building yet. She knocked. No response. After a moment's hesitation, she tried the doorknob. It was unlocked. She opened the door carefully, not wanting to intrude but curious at the same time. He was standing with his back to her, looking out the window.

"MacGyver?"

No response.

Joanna entered the office and tried again. "Everything okay?"

Still no response.

Joanna now stood beside him, looking out into the cold winter day. "What's going on?"

Finally he turned and looked at her. His eyes were dull and his face was sullen.

"I got the test results," he stated bluntly.

Joanna was sure her features now mirrored his. "And?" she prompted.

"The doctor concluded that I do have a brain bruise and it is slowly healing."

Joanna let out a sigh of relief. "That's a good thing, isn't it?"

"I guess," Mac jammed his fingers through his hair. "It means I'm still on light duty, though."

"When can you have another scan?"

"The doc said it's no use doing another one until I complete this assignment. He wants to give it more time to heal."

"But it will heal, right?"

"He couldn't really say for sure," MacGyver answered in a lifeless tone.

Joanna's mind failed to form an acceptable response. How did you tell someone whose career may be ending that everything would be okay? She allowed her fingers to reach out and lightly touch the back of his hand. Wordlessly, his palm found hers and they stood together, watching as a large gray cloud floated across the sun.