Getting Mac back to his old self was no easy feat, but when had the little genius ever been afraid of a challenge? Mac was transferred home, to a phoenix facility where he could continue to heal, and he started on physical therapy right away.
It would be painful to walk for awhile, due to the lovely little stab wound in his thigh, so they concentrated on his hands and his memory.
Jack thought that Mac would have liked it, being able to work with his hands again, but it wasn't as easy as it sounded.
Mac's hands were like clay sculptures; they were hard to move, clumsy, even oafish. Mac was used to having precision, being able to have steady hands in any stressful situation, and he was used to being the guy that everyone trusted to disarm the worst bombs. Now he was trying to fit legos into the right places.
"This is stupid."
Jack watched the kid frown as he pushed the bricks together. "I know it seems that way, but it's helping you. I know you're the expert in pretty much everything, but you don't know squat about this. So, why don't you just do what the professionals tell you, so that you can get back to doing the stuff you're good at."
Mac pushed the legos away with a huff, and sat back in his bed. "It's still dumb. My fingers don't work right."
Jack narrowed his eyes, not willing to let his partner give up so easily. "When have you ever backed down from a challenge? What? Now that it involves Legos, you're out? I've seen you play with garbage, and Legos is where you draw the line?"
Mac crossed his arms, looking adorably grumpy. "This isn't a mission, or even anything remotely exciting, Jack. This is just putting bricks together."
The older agent nodded. So, that was it. Mac was bored. His hands were working but his brain was unoccupied. He needed a real challenge, something to work with.
"Okay, then let's make this a mission then."
Mac looked confused, scrunching his nose up, making Jack smile. "What?"
"You want a challenge? I'll give you one. You have a minute to assemble that Lego into-" He tapped one of the pictures on the box, a mildly complicated looking sculpture that Mac could work with. "That. Before it goes boom."
Mac smiled, raising an eyebrow. "Before it goes boom?"
Jack nodded, proud of himself. "Yep. It's a bomb, and the only way to disarm it is to make that duck, thing on the box."
Mac watched him, weighing his options, and Jack laughed, throwing his hands up and turning around as if he were about to walk out of the room.
"Hey man, if you're not up for it, I get it."
"No, I'll do it. I can do it."
Jack smiled and turned around, attempting to look serious. "All right, but don't let this hospital go kaboom. It's all on you, brother."
Mac laughed. "Isn't it always?" He looked happier, leaning over his tray table, and hovering his hands over the bricks, as he smiled. "Start the clock. I got this."
Jack had missed watching him work, and although it wasn't like it had been before, it was good. Mac's little frown, the crease between his eyebrows that he got when he was concentrating, and the way he sometimes stuck his tongue out as if it would help him work faster. He'd missed seeing him do his MacGyver thing.
Mac threw his hands up, beaming, before the minute was even up. "Done! How's that for a duck?"
Jack stopped the timer and peered at the lego creation, with suspicion. "The one on the box doesnt have wheels, Mac."
The kid pushed his along the tray, watching it roll. "That's why mines better. I wanted to add rotors, to make it more like a helicopter, but they don't have those parts in this set."
Jack laughed, and leant forward to ruffle Mac's hair. The kid looked happier than he had in days, and Jack felt as if maybe they really would be okay.
Of course it wouldn't last.
It happened the next day. He only left for a moment, just to get them some lunch, but by the time he got back he was wishing he had stayed.
Mac would always find trouble wherever he went, and if he couldn't find it, he would usually make it. He was a genius, no one would dispute that, but sometimes he craved a challenge too great, and that never ended well.
He was bored, after he and Jack had each made some Lego ducks, with different modifications, and he was looking for a better challenge. With a TV and a broken remote within arms reach, he found it pretty quickly.
Jack had told Mac a million times that he was incredible, that Mac could disarm bombs in his sleep, and suddenly Mac was faced with the realisation, one again, that he wasn't what he used to be.
With one explosion, one building collapse, he found it hard to use his hands like he used to, and while Mac was far from hopeless, or broken, he felt like it.
He cracked the remote open without too much trouble, but when it came to the precise, delicate rewiring, that fixing it required, he was at a loss. His hands were shaky, and fumbled around. They barely felt like his hands at all.
He huffed, annoyed, and tried again. And again. And then again. And then he lost it.
It was too much. He had done his best, with something that used to be easy, and it wasn't enough? What bullshit.
He pushed the tray table away from himself, hating the look of it, of the gutted remote sitting there mocking him. But it wasn't enough, he wanted it gone. He picked it up and threw it across the room, letting out a yell as it smashed against the wall.
Jack was just down the hall when he heard it. Faces turned towards Mac's room, and he dropped the sandwiches he was carrying, heart racing as he booked it to his partners room.
A few nurses were already in there, trying to wrestle Mac back into his bed, but he was completely lost to his anger, as he kicked the table so hard it clattered to the floor. He threw their hands off, trying to stand from his bed, but not strong enough to handle it yet.
Jack had never seen MacGyver so angry. The kid barely ever lost his temper, always in control, and always kind. But this was pent up anger, and hopelessness, just exploding from where he'd shut it away.
The nurses worried over him, trying to reach him to hold him up, even as he pushed them away, and Jack watched his knees buckle.
The nurses let out cries of concern, and tried to grab him, but Jack got there first, wrapping his arms around Macs waist, and lowering him to the floor to hold him as he cried and fought his hold.
"No, let me go! I don't want your help!"
Jack held him as he struggled, pushing against Jack and trying to get him to let go, but Jack didn't break his hold. He looked, instead, to the nurses with an apologetic frown.
"I'm sorry, he's not usually like this. He just needs a moment."
Thankfully they seemed to understand, and only nodded, before leaving them in peace; ushering people away from the doorway and dispersing their audience.
Mac was still trying to push him away, as he sobbed, breaths laboured and wet as he panted; but Jack didn't let go.
"You have to calm down, Mac. Just breathe, I'm here. It's okay."
Mac's hands, that had been shoving against Jacks shoulder, suddenly stopped, and gripped onto him instead, as Mac slumped to his chest, and fell into his hold.
"No, it's not. It's not okay."
Jack held him tight, shifting a little to adjust his partner, to make sure that Macs bad leg wasn't being put under any pressure.
"Why not? What's going on with you? Talk to me, man. Let me help."
It made Jacks chest tighten, as Mac sobbed into his neck, because Mac had only cried once since Jack had met him. That wasn't to say that Mac never cried, it was just that he was very private when it came to his emotions. He didn't like feeling out of control, and so he usually kept a tight lid on any and all breakdowns.
Jack rubbed a hand over Mac's back as the kid forced his wobbly words out. "I couldn't do it. Something so easy, and I just...I couldn't get my hands to work. Jack, I can't do this."
"Yes, you can. It might take a little time, but you can do this. Do you know why?"
Mac sniffled, feeling pathetic, and held onto his partner tighter, as he shook his head.
Jack learnt his cheek on the top of the kids head, as he spoke; needing him to understand.
"Because no matter what your hands might be doing, you are still the smartest little guy I know. Just because that other smart guy, Stephen whats-his-name, is in a wheelchair it doesnt stop him from doing his thing. I always forget his name, it has something to do with a bird. Stephen Sparrow?"
Mac's voice was small, but it was calmer than it had been before, and held the smallest hint of amusement as he corrected Jack. "Hawking."
Jack smiled. "That's him. He's in a wheelchair, and he is still doing amazing things with his mind. You can too, this doesn't change anything."
Mac lifted a hand from Jacks shirt, to wipe at his face, and Jack was happy to hear his breathing was more stable. "He wasn't a bomb tech. He was working with theories in maths and physics. He doesnt need his hands for that."
Jack wasn't deterred. "But you can make some pretty awesome ducks with lego, so, whos the real winner here?"
Mac laughed, leaning heavily into Jacks chest; having tired himself out from his tantrum. Jack rubbed his back again and kept going, words sincere.
"You'll get better, Mac. It just takes time. And you'll have me here the whole time. We're doing this thing together, brother."
Mac felt tears prick his eyes again, and he curled his fingers into Jacks shirt. "Thanks, Jack."
…
Mac was more than a little embarrassed about his outburst, and wanted to help clean his room. Of course, Jack said no and put him straight to bed, to sleep for the rest of the afternoon, which the kid needed more than he wanted to admit.
But as soon as he woke up, he insisted on apologizing to the nurses he'd pushed and yelled at. He felt awful for the way he'd acted, and confessed that he'd been having a rough time with his injury, and hadn't dealt with it in the way he should have.
Jack watched him, head low, but eyes fixed firmly on the nurses, as he gave his heartfelt apology. The nurses were never mad, of course, they dealt with patients like Mac all the time. But even if they had been , they could never have resisted his puppy eyes.
Jack was sure that Mac didn't even know he was doing it, but the nurses certainly fell for them, as they assured him it was alright, and all was forgiven. Mac looked relieved, and Jack just shook his head fondly, at how Mac was so unrelentingly good.
After that, Mac was more patient with his physical therapy; taking his time when bending the paperclips Jack got him, and sticking out his tongue in concentration as he made his little office supply creations.
He eventually graduated to walking, as well, and didn't complain once about the fact that he needed a rolling walker and constant supervision to do so.
Jack had always been over the top about how proud he was of Mac for his ability to create things, and he didn't hold back with the pride he had for Macs progress in therapy.
He'd stand at the end of the walking bars, as Mac pulled himself along, getting stronger everyday. "Yeah, that's my boy! Look at you go! Be careful with that leg, buddy."
Mac was happier too, with the constant support and help, and it was easy to see his progress when Jack kept crowing on about it.
"That's four steps more than yesterday! You'll be chasing down bad guys in no time."
His mood was also lifted by the fact that he could call Bozer, and still sound like his old self. Having his childhood friend talk to him like he always did, helped to ground him, in a way that Bozer didn't even know he was doing.
"How do you keep blowing fuses? How many appliances do you have plugged in?"
Jack watched him smile, and walk his friend through fixing it, watching as his shoulders relaxed, and the stress melt from him.
"Just unplug it all, you don't need the radio on while you vacuum, while using the microwave….Because you can't hear it anyway….Yeah, they'll be by the fuse box, but if we're out of real ones, there are some I made. They'll hold up till I get home."
And eventually they did go home. Jack was relieved when the neck brace finally came off, but he had to admit he was a little more protective of his partner after that. But that was his job wasn't it?
…..
Riley had her hand over her mouth as she read the medical reports, and saw the x-rays. Bozer was looking equally as shocked, with tears threatening to fall as he looked over the dates the events happened, and how long Mac had taken to recover.
His voice was hollow as he spoke. "I remember those weeks, and that 'work trip' they went on. I remember calling Jack because they hadn't come home when they were supposed to. And I knew that Jack sounded… I don't know, down? He didn't sound like himself, but he said Mac was fine and I...I can't believe it. I can't believe Mac went through all that and I didn't know."
Riley sat back in her chair, unsure what to think of it all. It was a lot of information to take in.
"That's why they don't talk about it. That's what Matty meant when she said Mac wouldn't want to remember it."
Bozer nodded, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. "After reading that, I get it. I don't want him coming in on Cairo day either. That's...awful."
Riley nodded, before remembering something. "Oh my god, Bozer. That's why Jack was so freaked out last week, when Mac fell. Remember?"
Bozer nodded. Of course he remembered; it was kind of hard to forget.
They'd been on a mission, trying to figure out what Murdocks plan with his collection of psychopaths was, when Murdock left a note, teasing Mac about where his father was.
It drove Mac nuts, wondering if Murdock had him kidnapped or killed, or if it was all just a trick to mess with him. The note had made Jack so mad he'd punched a hole right through the wall where they'd found it pinned in one of Murocks last known safe houses.
It had said some nonsense about how sad it was that Mac was working so hard to find his father, while his father was doing all he could to stay hidden.
That had been rough, but that wasn't what Riley had been talking about. She was talking about what had happened afterwards. Mac had been setting up something in a tree, trying to use the height to make his invention work better, when the branch broke, and he fell.
Riley had never seen Jack so scared. They'd been in war zones, captured, tortured, and disavowed, but she had never seen him as scared as when Mac fell from that tree.
He ran over to his team mate, calling his name, and radioing for an ambulance, within seconds or hearing the thump of Mac's landing.
His eyes had been wide and terrified, as he gently placed his hands over Mac's chest to keep him on the ground.
"Don't move! Mac, don't move. There's an ambulance coming."
Mac had looked pretty shaken himself, and he'd found it hard to breathe from the landing on his back, but he was quick to reassure his partner.
"It's okay, I'm okay. Nothing's broken, I'm just winded."
Jack was beginning to sound as if he were hyperventilating, his hands fluttering over Mac as he searched for any damage, always careful not to let Mac move his head.
"Are you sure? There's no tingling? No pain? Can you feel everything?"
Mac stopped himself from nodding, and snagged one of Jack's hands, squeezing it until he looked him in the eye. Mac had looked as scared as Jack did.
"I'm sure. There's no tingling, it just hurts through my shoulders, but I can feel everything. It's okay, it was just a bump on the head, I promise I'm fine. I'd know if I wasn't."
Riley and Bozer had been hanging back, as Jack handled it, but had been a little confused as to why Jack was so scared. Yes, Mac had fallen a considerable distance, but he was fine, and Jack had been less concerned when Mac had actually broken his arm during a fight, the month before.
Jack nodded, calming down just a fraction. "Okay, but you don't move until the ambulance gets here and checks you out, okay?"
"Jack-" Mac had tried to protest, only for Jack to cut him off with damp eyes. "We don't mess around with this sort of thing, Mac. We take this stuff seriously, always. I can't do it all again. So, stay still till they get here. Okay?"
Mac's eyes were wide with fear, and understanding. He squeezed Jack's hand. "Okay."
Bozer nodded to Riley, as she recalled the story. "Yeah, I remember that. They had a talk too, after Mac was cleared and sent home. He and Jack went to talk in his room and I overheard them."
"You have to be more careful, man. I can't stand to see you hurt, you know that. I'm not letting you go before me. I will not see you put in the ground, you hear me?"
Mac had sounded tired, after all the tests and scans at the hospital, that Jack had insisted on. "Yeah, Jack."
"You promise me you'll be more careful. I'm not losing you."
"I promise Jack. I'll die after you. And I'll go to your grave and talk to your tombstone just like you do with your dad."
Bozer hadn't meant to eavesdrop, but he had been worried at the turn of the conversation.
Jack had paused at the implication that Mac's words held; that silent admission that Jack was like a father to him.
Jack hadn't been able to think of a reply, before Mac was talking again but his words were shaky, and Bozer had known he was about to cry.
"Hey, thanks for being here. For always being here. You know.." Bozer had heard a sniffle, and put a hand over his mouth as he heard Mac's voice crack through his words.
"He's not but I have you and you never left. You didn't just leave when I did something stupid or let you down.. you... he left. And he doesn't want me to find him."
Mac's soft huffs of breath, turned into the unmistakable sound of Bozers best friend crying, followed by a shuffle as Jack pulled him into a hug.
"Hey, it was never your fault Mac. I promise you, he didn't leave because of you. You didn't do anything wrong. And I will never, ever leave you. I'll be right here. I got you Mac, don't you worry. I got you, kid. I'm here."
Riley still had her hand over her mouth as she listened to Bozer, and afterwards the both of them, sat in silence just taking it all in.
A quiet, familiar voice, broke the silence after a moment. "You've read it?"
The two agents turned, to see Matty in the doorway. She didn't look mad, as she walked towards them. Riley wiped a tear from her cheek as Matty spoke again.
"You know what happened?"
The two nodded, not knowing what else to say. She watched them with sympathy, before gesturing to the door, and taking the computer from them.
"Go see him. You both have the rest of Cairo day off. Tell Jack and MacGyver I wish them well."
Riley handed the computer over without hesitation, as she and Bozer thanked their boss and left.
They drove straight to Mac and Bozers house, where they found their teammates on the couch, drinking beer, while Mac tried to fix the remote. His usual concentrating frown, was in place, as he soldered the dry joints inside.
Jack was babbling, face lit up in the same pride he always wore when Mac did anything close to impressive.
"Look at you go. I never get tired of watching you work, Mac, because you've come such a long way. Remember when you were terrified you'd never be able to do it again?"
"Yeah and you promised me it would all be okay. You kept that promise, so thank you."
Jack was smiling, patting the kid on the back. "No problem, man. It's my job."
Bozer and Riley had been standing in the doorway, not knowing what to say, until the floor under them creaked, and both men looked up.
Riley lifted a hand. "Hey, guys. Hey, Mac." Her voice was softer than usual, and both she and Bozer looked shaken and pale.
Mac put down the remote, as Jack placed his beer on the table. He nodded to them. "You read the reports?"
He didn't seem to be mad either, for which Bozer was glad. "You don't mind?"
Mac shook his head and stood, walking towards them to give them a hug.
"No. I knew you'd find them eventually, and I would have told you myself, except it's not something Jack and I really like to talk about."
Riley squeezed Mac tight, as Bozer did the same, both so glad that their friend was okay, but still shaken to know how badly their infamous mission had been.
"I'm so glad you're okay." Jack came over at Rileys admission, and added himself to the group hug, squeezing all his kids into one bear hug.
"He's okay, guys. He's tougher than he looks."
Bozer tightened his grip. "I'm so sorry I didn't know. I'm sorry that you had to go through that and then act like it never happened. I wish I could have helped."
Mac let out a small sigh. "It wasn't your fault, and I really am okay now. The past is the past, even if we do take Cairo day off."
Riley wiped her eyes, with one hand, as they all released each other from the hug. "You mind if we take today off, with you? I really don't feel like working right now."
Bozer nodded, and held onto Macs sleeve. "Yeah, or leaving you. Like, ever."
Mac laughed and pulled them over to the couch. "Sure, maybe you can convince Jack that we don't need to watch the complete works of Bruce Willis for the tenth time."
And suddenly everything was normal again, they were together, and Jack was going on about Die Hard being the best franchise ever made. Their little family may have gone through some tough times, but they'd always have each other.
And even the Cairo curse couldn't stop that.