Connectivity
MacGyver's phone was ringing when he entered his apartment late that afternoon.
"Hello?"
"MacGyver! What in the world is going on out there?!"
"Hi Pete," Mac replied calmly while pinching the bridge of his nose. "We had a little incident at Challengers, that's all."
"That's all?! That's all?! A student holding a teacher at gunpoint is more than a 'little incident'! Phoenix has been scrambling to keep this from the media and panicking the public. Tell me exactly what happened." Pete demanded.
MacGyver sighed and described the events of the day…again. "The girl is in custody and everyone is safe." He concluded after several minutes.
"But how could something like this happen?" his boss queried.
"That's what I'm going to look into on Monday. However," MacGyver assured him, "this looks to be a calculated, onetime incident."
The wind left Pete's sails. "Alright MacGyver. I trust you'll handle the situation appropriately. Oh, by the way, did you get the letter I forwarded to you?"
"Yeah, I got it Pete," Mac replied flatly.
"It was from Sam, right? Is everything okay?"
"Everything's fine, Pete," MacGyver insisted as he looked at the missive still laying on the counter. "I gotta go. I'll be in touch." MacGyver hung up the phone.
MacGyver arrived at the boat house fifteen minutes early. He had mentally been rehearsing answers to possible questions Joanna might ask. This was very much out of character for him, but he knew he had to choose his words wisely if he was going to win back Joanna's trust and friendship.
Joanna approached him ten minutes later. She was dressed casually in jeans and a light denim jacket to protect her from the slight chill in the spring air. Mac offered her a small smile which she hesitantly returned.
"Thanks for coming," she said shyly.
"I said I would."
"Do you always keep your promises?"
"I sure try to. Do you want to walk?" MacGyver nodded toward the paved path that wound around a large lagoon.
"Sure," Joanna replied, stuffing her hands in her pocket and focusing her attention on the ground.
"So…" Mac began. "I know you saw Sam's letter and you probably have a lot of questions."
Joanna flushed. "I really didn't mean to read it. It was just…there."
"I know."
When Joanna didn't respond, MacGyver took the lead.
"As you know, Sam is my son. He's currently in the Middle East working as a photojournalist embedded with American troops."
"You and his mom must worry about him."
MacGyver admired the way Joanna slipped the idea of Sam's mom in the statement without actually asking the question he knew she was thinking.
"I try not to worry. He's a grown man and can take care of himself. As he tends to remind me, he's been on his own for a long time."
Joanna stopped and turned towards him, quirking her eyebrow. Mac had learned this was her way of saying 'tell me more'.
The last thing MacGyver felt like doing was playing 20 questions, so he decided to bite the bullet and tell Joanna the entire story. Well, at least the parts he knew about. If she hated him for it, then that's the way it would have to be.
"Let's sit down," he said, leading her to a well-worn wooden park bench.
Joanna complied but remained silent, her eyes still questioning.
MacGyver blew out a breath and began recounting the series of events that had brought Sam into the world and this current situation.
"I met Sam's mom, Kate Malloy, when she was studying to become a photojournalist. We obviously became very…close. She loved traveling and adventures as much as I did. She always said the only way we'd be happy was if we were on the road to somewhere else." Mac paused, smiling sadly at the memory. "Anyway, after she graduated she took an assignment in Brazil. That was the last time I saw her. About ten years ago, according to Sam, she was covering a story in China when she was shot by Chinese soldiers. Sam saw the whole thing. Kate didn't have any family, so some reporter friends of hers brought Sam back to the States and took care of him.
"Why didn't you bring Sam home?" Joanna asked quietly as she processed the information.
"I didn't even know he existed until a few years ago when we accidentally met on an assignment I was on."
"Didn't anyone ever try to find you?"
MacGyver shook his head. "Kate never told anyone my name. Not even Sam. They only way he recognized me and made the connection was from a photo he had in a locket his mom had given him when he was a child."
After several minutes of silence, Joanna got up and slowly resumed walking around the lagoon. MacGyver followed a few paces behind, recognizing her need for mental and physical space. Just when Mac had thought she would never utter another word to him ever again, she stopped abruptly, turned and looked up at him. Her eyes were unreadable.
"Did you love her?" She asked. Her voice strong and sure.
"I did."
"What would you have done if she had told you she was pregnant?"
"I would like to think I would have done the right thing and asked her to marry me. Settle down. Raise the baby. I don't run from my responsibilities."
Joanna started walking again, and this time MacGyver was at her side.
"Why do you think she didn't tell you about Sam?"
"I don't know," he answered honestly. "I suppose she knew I would want to marry her, but she also knew that wasn't the life for me. At least not then."
"Maybe it wasn't the life for her," Joanna declared.
MacGyver had never thought about it like that. "What do you mean?"
"Well, you said she took an assignment in Brazil when she had to know she was pregnant, and then she continued her work even after Sam was born. She took a child to Communist China for a news story. Did you ever think that maybe she was the one who wasn't ready to settle down?"
Mac had been prepared for Joanna to go all self-righteous on him. He hadn't expected her to, in essence, defend him.
"I guess I never thought about it that way."
"So, what did you and Sam do once he discovered you?"
"Oh, the usual. We worked together to bring down a Chinese smuggling operation. I took a hard fall, broke my arm and got knocked unconscious." He tried to sound light-hearted and add some levity to what had been perhaps the most intense conversation he had ever had with someone.
"Just the usual, hey?" she laughed.
"So, when is Sam coming home?" she asked, curiosity in her voice.
"I don't know," Mac replied. "I honestly don't know if he will ever come home. He's used to being on his own, living where life takes him. Like I used to be."
"'Used to be'?"
MacGyver grunted. In for a penny, in for a pound he decided. "Once we caught the Chinese smugglers, Sam and I did a two and a half year motorcycle tour of the West Coast. When we got back to L.A., I thought we'd put down some roots. I wanted to give him the stability he had missed as a kid." At this point Mac snorted in self-disgust. "I even thought about buying a house, maybe get a dog. Sam could get a job or go to college."
"But that's not what Sam wanted," she stated rather than asked.
"No, he wanted adventure. Like I did at his age." He shrugged. "What could I do? I had to let him go."
"But he knows you're there for him, right?"
"I sure hope so."
"Don't hope Mac," she put her hand on his forearm, "tell him."
"You called me 'Mac'," he grinned. "Was it just a mistake or are we friends now."
"I have a feeling you haven't shared this story with many people. I feel privileged that you shared it with me," she said solemnly. "Besides, 'MacGyver' just has too many syllables in it!" she grinned.
"Oh, like 'Joanna' is any better!" he teased, feeling more playful than he had in a while.
"Touche," she laughed. "I suppose you've suffered long enough! You can call me 'Jo'."
"Gladly," he sighed as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
By this time they had arrived back at the boat house. MacGyver stared out over the glassy water of the lagoon, but he could feel Joanna's gaze focused on him.
"Do you feel guilty? About not being there for Sam?" she asked.
"Yeah, I suppose I do," he confessed, jamming his hand through his hair as he watched a flock of Canadian geese skim across the small the lake.
"It's not your fault, you know," she assured him gently. "You had no way of knowing."
"I know," he agreed. "I just keep wondering, if I had followed her…"
"Would you have been happy?"
"I loved her."
"That's not what I asked."
"I don't know," Mac sighed gustily, throwing his hands in the air. "No. I wouldn't have been happy. There! Is that what you wanted to hear!?"
"I only wanted to hear the truth," Joanna replied calmly. "You can't take responsibility for something, or someone, you knew nothing about, and you can't change the past."
MacGyver finally turned to look at her, amazed at the serenity he saw on her face. "And here I thought you were going to be the one to get upset when you learned the truth about my past. About Sam."
A hint of sadness tinged Joanna's other peaceful countenance. "A lot of people underestimate me."
"Are you saying I'm like a lot of other people?"
"Trust me, you are nothing like a lot of other people! What I'm saying is, don't underestimate me."
"I'll keep that in mind," he responded, his casual drawl back in place.
"You better," she said with a smile before glancing at her watch.
"Need to get going?" he asked.
"Yeah, I should…um… by the way, my mom asked me to invite you to dinner tomorrow night if we were still on speaking terms after today. She has this thing about feeding people who save my life."
"I wouldn't want to impose," he replied, offering her a way out.
"No imposition," she said as she pulled out a piece of paper with her address and handed it to him. "Come around 4pm."
"Yes ma'am," he said softly as he watched her head to her car, deciding that she was predictably unpredictable.
"You're the one who wanted to have him over," Jo pointed out the next day as her mother fretted over dinner.
"I just want to make something he'll like," Judy Fairfax insisted. A petite woman with short, curly brown hair, Joanna's mother looked several years younger than her age.
"Trust me. I've seen the man's collection of take-out menus. I doubt he's fussy."
"But you said he had a lot of healthy, vegetarian food in his refrigerator."
"Yes. And I've also seen him chow down on the mystery meat in the cafeteria. The chicken enchiladas will be just fine. Besides, if he doesn't like them he doesn't have to eat them." Joanna tried to hide the frustration in her voice. They had the same conversation every time they had guests for dinner.
Joanna's apprehension grew as the day progressed. It was silly, really. She and Mac had already shared a few meals. He was just a friend, nothing to worry about. Yet, it was important to her that her parents like him.
She peeked in the living room to check on her dad. He was in his recliner watching a basketball game. At least he had changed from his house slippers to loafers and he wore a long sleeved polo shirt in place of the threadbare plaid flannel shirt he typically wore on Sundays. Like her mom, Joe Fairfax did not look his age. Lucky for Jo, youthful genes ran in both sides of the family.
MacGyver arrived promptly at four o'clock. Joanna let him and introduced him to her parents.
"Mac, this is my mom, Judy Fairfax."
"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Fairfax," MacGyver replied congenially as he shook her hand.
"Please, call me 'Judy'," she instructed with a wide smile.
"Alright."
"And this is my dad, Joe."
"Nice to meet you, Mac," her dad said and offered a hearty handshake.
"Doesn't it get kinda confusing with 'Jo' and 'Joe'?" Mac asked.
"Sometimes," Joanna replied. "But at least there's a 50/50 chance one of us will answer!"
Everyone laughed and the ice was quickly broken as Judy Fairfax whisked MacGyver away on a tour of their home. Built by Joanna's grandparents during World War ll, there was a lot of history…and expansion, of which Mac received a play-by-play description. Once MacGyver had been properly regaled of the stories of the first floor, Judy dispatched him and Jo to the rooms upstairs, previously occupied by Jo's grandmother before her death and now inhabited by Joanna.
"Now don't rush down," Mrs. Fairfax insisted. "Supper won't be ready for a while yet."
MacGyver allowed Jo to lead him up the staircase before whispering in her ear.
"Is there something I should know about?" he asked conspiratorially.
Joanna's momentary confusion soon turned to amusement and she smiled.
"No. My mom's harmless. However, she's also not one to pass up the chance to throw an attractive single man in my path."
MacGyver did not look convinced.
"Don't worry," Jo insisted. "Mom knows I'm not in the market for a guy."
"Why not?" MacGyver frowned and wondered why he found this disconcerting.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
After MacGyver had bared his soul to her yesterday, Joanna decided from that point on she would be brutally open and honest with him as well. He deserved that much, especially after the dreadful way she had treated him.
"Look at me, Mac," she directed with resignation. "I'm over forty years old, I still live with my parents, I've never been in a serious relationship, I'm dull as dirt and can't compete with all the skinny young blondes out there like Ms. Candy. I tried a couple times. It didn't work."
MacGyver appeared stunned by her outburst, but when he took her shoulders to turn her towards him, she saw a mixture of anger and sympathy in his eyes.
"You listen to me," he instructed, his voice low and deep, "I don't ever want to hear you put yourself down like that again! You are an attractive, intelligent, witty, determined woman. From what I can see, you have a great relationship with your parents. That's something to be proud of because not a lot of people do. Personally, I envy you that. And trust me when I say you are anything but dull! I know from first-hand experience!" At this point Mac chuckled and Joanna joined in though she was still awed by his declaration. She was pretty sure he had spoken more words in the last two days than during the entire time he'd been on this assignment.
The telephone rang, startling them both. MacGyver looked at her questioningly.
"We screen our calls. If it's someone important Mom will get it." Joanna had barely finished her explanation when her mom called up to her.
"It's Evelyn…pick up the phone!"
Mac and Jo shared a glance, each knowing that receiving a Sunday phone call from their boss meant something was up. Joanna picked up her extension.
"Hi Evelyn."
"Hi Jo. I'm sorry to bother you on a Sunday, but I wanted to let you know I'm calling an emergency meeting for tomorrow after school to discuss Friday's incident. I just wanted to give you a heads up so you can plan accordingly."
"Thanks, I appreciate that."
"It'll just be you, me and MacGyver. Unfortunately I haven't been able to reach him today."
"Oh, um, he's actually here with me now. I'll let him know. Bye, Evelyn!" Joanna quickly ended the call before her friend could ask any questions. MacGyver watched her expectantly.
"Evelyn wants to meet with you and me after school tomorrow to talk about what happened Friday," she relayed.
"Good idea. There are some things I've been thinking about and would like to run by both of you."
"Like what?"
"It can wait until tomorrow. No shop talk today, OK?"
"OK," she reluctantly agreed as they were called to dinner.
The next two hours passed quickly, filled with good food and lively conversation. Judy kept up the Fairfax's end of the conversation while MacGyver once again talked about growing up in Minnesota and shared stories of his past adventures. Before Joanna knew it, the dessert dishes had been cleared from the table and her mother was herding everyone into the living room for continued visiting. Unfortunately, MacGyver announced that he needed to head home in order to prepare for tomorrow's ad hoc meeting. Reluctant good-byes were exchanged. Mac and Jo's dad once again exchanged hearty handshakes while her mom enveloped him in a warm hug while pushing a Tupperware container into his hands. MacGyver then motioned with his head for Joanna to join him outside so she quickly grabbed a jacket.
"So, you think they like me?" he ventured as they stood in the driveway.
"Of course they did!" she chuckled. "My mom doesn't send leftovers home with someone in her favorite piece of Tupperware if she doesn't like them. I think she's already taken you under her wing!"
Mac examined the plastic bowl he was holding as if he was now just seeing it for the first time.
"I'll get it back to you tomorrow."
"No hurry. Mom will only want to fill it up again and send it back," she teased. "I have a feeling you're going to be her new pet project."
Mac's gaze became serious. "You've really got something special here, ya know. Promise me you'll always remember that."
Joanna nodded soberly. "I will. Thanks. And know that you're always welcome here as well."
MacGyver cleared his throat to break the silence that had descended upon them.
"I, uh, wanted to run something by you regarding Challengers."
"I thought we weren't talking about work today?"
"Well, it's not exactly 'work'. I've got this idea for a hockey team—"
"Mac, I already told you, hockey costs a lot of money. Money we don't have!"
"That's what I wanted to talk about!" MacGyver insisted. "I've been spending some time at the Pettit Center and got talking to one of the managers—"
"The Pettit Center?! Are you insane?! That's—"
"Would you just listen to me?" Mac worked hard to keep his frustration in check. "I think I can talk them into renting to us for a discounted rate. I'm going to look into getting Phoenix to put up money for uniforms and equipment. I think we can really make this work!"
Joanna didn't look convinced.
"C'mon, Jo! You said yourself the basketball team was a flop! Why can't you give this a chance?"
"Hockey season's almost over." It was a weak excuse, but the only one Joanna could think of at the moment.
"I know, and that's perfect! We can get a head start on next season. Plus, there won't be as much demand for ice time, therefore a cheaper rate."
Mac was gaining steam, but so was Jo.
"And who is going to coach this team?"
MacGyver pulled himself up to his full height, threw back his shoulders and smiled broadly.
"You!?" Joanna exclaimed. "And what happens when you go back to field ops and get shipped off to God-knows-where? Who's gonna coach then?"
"I'm gonna need an assistant coach anyway. I'll find someone. Trust me."
She did trust him. And she was starting to really like the idea of a hockey team. With the indoor rink, the kids could play year-round and if somebody threw a punch they'd end up in the penalty box instead of the police station.
"Look, just think about it, okay?"
"Okay," she agreed. Honestly, it was getting harder and harder to say 'no' to this man!
