A House Divided
MacGyver stood on the front stoop of the Fairfax home. A bouquet of wildflowers in one hand, he knocked on the door with the other. He inhaled deeply, enjoying the sweet scents of the warm summer day.
"I got it!" Joanna called from inside and he smiled at the lightness in her voice.
"Hi there," he grinned when she appeared in the doorway. She wore a white tee and black shorts and looked carefree and wonderful. His heart did a little flip.
"Oh, you shouldn't have!" she exclaimed, reaching for the flowers he held.
"I didn't," he confirmed, pulling them away. "At least not for you. These are for your mom."
Joanna wrinkled her nose playfully. "You don't have to butter her up, you know she already loves you!"
Mac shrugged as Judy Fairfax appeared behind her daughter. "You could at least invite the poor man in!" she admonished.
Jo's cheeks flushed slightly and she stepped aside, allowing MacGyver to enter the small foyer attached to the living room. Before he could say anything, Judy Fairfax had him wrapped in a motherly hug.
"It's been too long, Mac! I've missed having you around!"
"I've missed you too, Mrs. Fairfax, but things at Challengers have been keeping me pretty busy."
"You know to call me 'Judy'," she scolded, "And I know that my daughter has also been keeping you busy, but I won't complain about that!"
As he followed Jo and her mom through the house to the backyard where Joe Fairfax was putting supper on the grill, he could feel the love and support that made this house a home. Joanna was the third generation to live here and, as an only child, one day it would belong to her. Would he be sharing it with her?
Mr. Fairfax greeted him with a hearty handshake as his daughter beamed. Mac knew how much this little family meant to Jo and his heart swelled knowing they had unconditionally welcomed him into their ranks, even if he did tend to go AWOL with their daughter at times!
Dinner was a casual affair filled with easy conversation and light-hearted banter. Jo and Mac regaled her parents with stories from their time at the ranch which awakened memories of the family's first trail ride which brought even more laughter as Judy expressed her horror at how tall her horse was and bemoaned the fact that it wiggled and twitched.
After dessert was eaten and the dishes were cleared, the small group adjourned to the living room where Joe tuned the television to a baseball game, sans volume, but still earned a scowl from his wife which made Mac chuckle. Dusk fell as conversation continued and MacGyver became loath to return to his empty townhouse. Suddenly, a car in desperate need of a muffler roared up the street and pulled to a screeching halt in front of the Fairfax home. Joanna's mother was out of her chair and looking out the bay window before Mac could blink.
"Jude, would you just settle down," Joe complained as his wife partially blocked his view of the TV screen.
"That's the third time this week that car's been around here," Judy protested. "And here comes the other one!"
Joanna rolled her eyes. "Ma, would you just sit down and mind your own business?!"
Ever curious, MacGyver joined Judy at the window.
"What's going on?" he asked.
"These two cars pull up, just sit there for awhile, and then speed off. I think it's a drug deal," Judy informed him.
"Could be," he muttered. Even though the Fairfaxes lived in one of the safest sections within the city limits, crime did not discriminate. "Let's call the police."
"By the time they get here it'll all be over," Judy protested. "I'm not gonna take this anymore!" She pushed off the window sill and charged through the front door before anyone realized her intentions.
MacGyver was the first to gather his wits and, with long strides, quickly caught up to Jo's mom who was halfway across the front yard, headed toward the offending autos.
"Get out of my neighborhood!" she yelled, stalking purposefully toward the vehicles.
Mac glanced at the car parked closest to them. As the occupant rolled down the window, MacGyver saw a ray of light from a nearby streetlamp glint off of what he immediately recognized as the muzzle of a gun.
"Get down!" he cried as he lunged through the air, placing himself between Joanna's mom and the weapon, pulling her to the ground with him at the same time. He felt a white-hot heat slice through the side of his abdomen before landing on the soft grass, his head hitting something hard before everything went black.
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Joanna and her dad had been watching the scene unfold from the front steps when the flash of a gun firing sent them running toward the two crumpled forms on the lawn as the cars sped away. Neighbors quickly emerged from their homes to see what the ruckus was all about and commands to call 911 quickly filled the night air.
With tunnel vision brought on by blind panic, Joanna fell to her knees and rolled MacGyver's large form off her mother's much smaller one. Both were covered in blood, but her mom was already struggling to sit up as neighbors came to her aid. With Judy insisting that she was fine and her husband now by her side, Jo turned her focus solely to MacGyver. He had a long gash on his temple where his head had connected with a decorative garden rock when he fell, but of more immediate concern was the dark stain flooding his shirt. Instinctively, Joanna pressed on the ragged wound with the palms of her hands in hopes of staunching the blood that flowed freely through her fingers and onto the already dewy grass. Her next door neighbor took off his own T-shirt and handed it to her. She took it wordlessly and pressed it to Mac's side, holding her breath until the wail of sirens began to draw near.
Moments later, the once peaceful street erupted in chaos as paramedic and police units arrived. Firm but gentle hands grasped Jo's shoulders and pulled her away from MacGyver's prone, unconscious body.
"Let them work," a soothing female voice told her as paramedics began to tear away Mac's shirt and evaluate his injuries.
"You need to give us your statement, ma'am," that same voice said. "What happened here?"
"Mac. I have to stay with Mac. I can't leave him. I can't run."
"There's nothing you can do for him now, ma'am. Please come with me."
Joanna connected the voice to that of a female police officer and reluctantly allowed herself to be led to a quiet corner of the yard before her knees buckled and she sunk to the ground once again.
"Are you injured as well?"
Jo followed the officer's concerned gaze to the bright red stain on her shirt. Blood. Mac's blood. She shook her head in reply.
"Then tell me what happened."
Joanna mechanically chronicled the events of the evening, all the while attempting to catch glimpses of MacGyver which the officer deftly blocked, much to Jo's frustration. However, when she finally saw the gurney being lifted into the back of an ambulance she stood up.
"I have to go with him," she declared.
"I'll have an officer take you to the hospital when we're done here."
"I am done," Jo firmly informed the woman, and headed toward the ambulance.
She had only taken a few steps before she was intercepted by a taller, stronger male officer. She was about to protest when a grandmotherly neighbor she had known most of her life wrapped comforting arms around her waist.
"We need to get you cleaned up, child," the elderly woman said. "You can't show up at the hospital looking like that!"
Her mind slowly beginning to clear, she looked down at the stain on her shirt as well as the sticky blood now drying on her hands. The adrenaline from earlier was quickly leaving her system only to be replaced by the chills and dizziness of shock. With the woman's arms supporting her, they went into the house where she was quickly divested of her soiled clothes and wrapped in a warm blanket while her hands were scrubbed clean in the kitchen sink. Feeling physically improved, she went upstairs to pull on jeans and a clean top. When she returned to the living room where the remaining neighbors and emergency personnel now gathered she found herself pulled into her mother's arms.
"I need to go to him," Jo murmured.
"I know, baby," Judy replied, stroking her daughter's hair.
"Don't call me that!" Joanna cried, jerking out of her mom's grasp. Mac called her 'baby'. Only Mac could call her that!
"Maybe you should wait until tomorrow, after you've had some rest," Judy suggested, her eyes full of concern.
"No!" Jo shook her head emphatically. "I have to go now!"
"Then at least have your father drive you."
Joanna capitulated since arguing would only keep her from getting to Mac. Father and daughter rode in silence. Joe dropped her off at the emergency entrance where she promised to call with any news before hurrying through the automatic doors and into the antiseptic environment of the hospital.
"I'm here to see MacGyver," she said without preamble upon reaching the front desk. "He was brought in a while ago with a gunshot wound and head injury."
"Are you a relative?" the young receptionist asked.
"No, but-"
"Then I'm sorry, you'll just have to have a seat."
Joanna closed her eyes and took what she hoped would be a deep, calming breath, but it didn't work.
"Isn't there anything you can tell me about his condition?"
"No ma'am. I'm sorry."
Jo was trying to decide whether to scream or cry when a petite, dark-haired woman of Asian descent approached her.
"Excuse me," she said gently. "I heard you ask for MacGyver. What is your name?"
"Joanna. Joanna Fairfax," she replied, staring blankly at the woman in scrubs.
"I'm Wendi Vang, a trauma nurse here. I believe you and Mr. MacGyver used to work with my husband, Lee."
Jo's mind sputtered as she tried to process what the kind-looking woman had said. Then it finally clicked.
"Yes," she responded on a sigh of relief. "He's helped us out on a couple of occasions. Can you tell me anything about Mac?"
"Come with me," Wendi instructed quietly.
Together they walked to the nurses' station where she quickly logged onto a computer.
"These new privacy laws stink," she said for Jo's ears only. "And I'm afraid they're only going to get worse. Anyway, MacGyver was immediately rushed into surgery and is there now."
Joanna's breath hitched at the news as Wendi's well-trained fingers flew over the keyboard.
"I put your name on his chart as the main contact person. Make yourself as comfortable as you can and I'll see to it that you receive any information on his condition as soon as it becomes available."
"Thank you," Jo whispered as tears held at bay too long threatened to fall.
Wendi stepped beside her and put a hand on her shoulder.
"From what Lee has told me, you and MacGyver have a very special relationship. It's only right."
Joanna nodded and sank down in a cushioned vinyl chair to wait. It seemed like an eternity before Wendi Vang appeared, this time with a small smile on her face.
"Mac is out of surgery and in recovery. The doctor said the bullet went straight through and missed all his organs and major arteries. He lost a lot of blood, though, and that will slow his recovery. Plus, he has a pretty bad concussion."
Flooded with relief that MacGyver would survive, Jo let out an exhausted giggle. "A concussion is nothing new for him. He'll be fine."
Wendi's smile disappeared as she sat down in the chair next to Joanna's.
"I'm afraid that's the doctor's main concern at this point. MacGyver's charts show a history of head trauma. With each injury, his chances for a full recovery decrease."
"What exactly are you trying to tell me?"
"I can't really say anything. A neurologist will be working with him and able to give you more details. Right now the important thing is that he wakes up, and the sooner the better."
"When can I see him?"
"They'll be moving him to a private room within the hour, but I can take you there now, if you like."
Joanna simply nodded and before she knew it she was standing in the doorway of an empty hospital room on the fourth floor. Wendi grabbed the attention of the head nurse.
"This is Joanna Fairfax. She'll be staying with Mr. MacGyver."
Joanna had just walked over to a large window that looked out over the lights of the city when she heard Wendi's voice again.
"Just put it over there," she ordered.
Jo turned around to find two orderlies positioning a reclining chair with footrest where Wendi indicated.
"I figured you'd want to stay the night so I thought we could at least try and make you comfortable."
"You sure have a lot of pull around here for a trauma nurse," Joanna observed with a thin smile.
"You mean I have a lot of pull around here for a trauma nurse whose husband is a lawyer and willing to represent doctors or patients," she laughed warmly.
After thanking Wendi for all her assistance, Jo surveyed the sterile room, her eyes coming to rest on a telephone sitting on the nightstand. Even though it was late, she had some calls to make.
"Hello," Judy Fairfax answered in a brisk tone.
"Hi Mom, it's me,"
"How is he?"
Jo told her mother what Wendi had told her.
"Are you sure you don't want me to send your father to pick you up so you can come home and rest?"
"Yeah, Mom. I need to be here."
Judy sighed wearily. "I understand. Keep us posted and tell Mac we love him."
Joanna disconnected the call and dialed a different number.
"MacGyver, I swear if this is you calling in the middle of the night to ask me another favor I'm-"
"Pete, it's Joanna."
The man on the line gasped and immediately gentled his voice.
"What's happened to MacGyver?"
"If Sam is there, can you put him on the extension so I don't have to repeat myself? I'm sorry, but it's been a long night."
Joanna heard Pete tell Connie to go wake Sam and as soon as she heard the telltale click indicating Sam had picked up his line she launched into the reason for her call.
"I'm on my way," Sam said as soon as she finished her monologue.
"No, Sam. Get some sleep and drive up in the morning. The last thing I need is for you to get in an accident because you're tired and upset," she instructed.
After a long silence Sam grudgingly agreed. She was just hanging up the phone when a pair of orderlies wheeled MacGyver's bed into the room and locked it in place. She smiled at them weakly before they turned and left.
Joanna lovingly studied Mac's unconscious form, drinking in the sight of him. The harsh overhead fluorescent lights made his pale skin appear gray. A large gauze bandage covered the gash on his temple. She gently smoothed back the long bangs that had fallen over his forehead. Watching the steady rise and fall of his chest, she carefully pulled back the lightweight blanket and thin sheet that covered him to find him shirtless, his abdomen wrapped in sterile dressings protecting the bullet wound. Tucking the covers back over his broad chest and muscular shoulders she finally allowed herself to slump down in the recliner and shed silent tears until she fell asleep.
Jo awoke in the pre-dawn hours when a nurse came in to take MacGyver's vitals yet again.
"Any change?" she whispered hopefully.
The nurse shook her head. "Everything's the same, but his vitals are strong so that's a good sign."
Joanna thanked the nurse for the information and changed positions in her chair hoping to get a couple more hours of rest, but sleep would not come. Instead, her mind began replaying the events of the previous evening. They had all been having such a nice time. Then her mother had to be nosy and look out the window. Then she ran out the door. Then she yelled at the hoodlums. Then she fell to the ground with Mac. Then Mac was shot and unconscious and it was all her mother's fault. If only she had kept her mouth shut. If only she had stayed inside and minded her own business. Anger sparked deep in Joanna's soul and over the next hours became a raging inferno that forced her into a decision she never thought she would have to make.
A soft knock on the doorjamb startled Jo awake. Apparently she had managed to doze off at some point without realizing it. Weak rays of sunlight told her it was early morning. She turned toward the door to find Sam standing there, wide eyes fixed on his father. Rising from her chair, her movement caught Sam's attention and he strode to her and embraced her firmly.
"How is he?" Sam asked, his voice raspy.
"The same." Jo smiled sadly.
Before they could say anything more, a nurse entered the room followed by two orderlies.
"Excuse us, but Mr. MacGyver has an appointment in radiology this morning," she said a bit too brightly for Joanna's taste. "It'll take about an hour so feel to grab some breakfast in the cafeteria."
They watched silently as a still unconscious Mac was wheeled out of the room for what Joanna knew was a brain scan.
"You hungry?" Sam asked after everyone had departed.
"No, but I would like to go home. I know you just got here but would you mind-"
"C'mon," Sam said, keys already in hand. "You'll feel better after a long, hot shower and a few hours of sleep in your own bed."
"Actually I was gonna...oh, you're crashing at your dad's place, aren't you?" she asked deflatedly.
"Yeah. Something wrong with that?"
"No, I was just planning on doing the same thing."
Sam shot her a questioning glance.
"It's a long story," was her reply.
"None of my business," he shrugged easily. "I'll just take the couch."
It was still early when Sam deposited Joanna in her own driveway. Knowing her parents would still be asleep, she quietly slipped in the back door and trudged up the stairs. She had just pulled out her suitcase and began to toss some clothes in it when the telltale squeak of a step forewarned her that she was not alone. Her jaw and fists clenched as she summoned the last of her energy to keep her composure.
"I thought I heard you come in," her mom said softly. "How's MacGyver?"
"The same," Jo replied coldly.
"What are you doing?" Judy asked, noticing the suitcase.
"I just can't be here right now," she answered flatly.
"Why? Where will you go?"
"Mac's. Maybe Challengers."
"But sweetheart, I just don't understand."
"I need some space, all right?" Joanna's frustration was mounting.
"Look, I know you're upset about Mac, but he'll be just fine."
"That's just it, Ma! If it wasn't for you I wouldn't be upset about Mac because he wouldn't have gotten shot and be lying unconscious in the hospital as we speak!"
"Honey, I never thought anyone would get hurt." Judy Fairfax reached out to touch her daughter's arm but Joanna quickly pulled back.
"Do you have any idea what it was like for me last night, hearing a gunshot and watching the two of you fall to the ground?!" Jo shot back. "I thought I lost two of the people I love most in this world! I'm glad you're okay, Ma. I really am. But if you had just minded your own business the man I love wouldn't be hurt! I'm sorry, but I just can't be around you right now."
Ignoring the tears pooling in her mother's eyes, Joanna slammed her suitcase shut, hurried down the stairs and got in her car. She saw Judy watching her from the living room window as she pulled out onto the street, but she didn't give her mom a backwards glance. Right now her world was all about MacGyver.
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MacGyver's head pounded, his side ached, his mouth was dry, and he felt like he'd been asleep for a month. He tried to peel an eyelid back, but as soon as a pinprick of bright light hit it he slammed it shut. Ouch! That little experiment just ratcheted up his headache exponentially. Where was he? What had happened to him? He calmed his racing mind and allowed his natural thoughts to fall into order. Then he remembered. He had been visiting with Joanna's family. Her mom had gone outside. He had followed. He saw a gun. He had been shot. That explained the pain in his side. He fell. His head hit something hard. Aw, man. He was recovering from another concussion. After all the blows he had taken to the head, he should have figured that part out sooner. An involuntary moan escaped his lips and set off a cacophony of voices around him. Some were familiar, others not. Before he could sort them out, someone pried his eye open and aimed a blazing light right at it. He winced and pushed his head as far into his pillow as he could trying to escape the offending brightness to no avail. The same procedure was performed on his other eye. He worked his mouth, trying to make words come out, but nothing happened. Suddenly he felt something against his lips. A straw. He began to greedily suck in cool water, but it was pulled away all too quickly. The voices had quieted. He decided to test his own.
"Jo?" he croaked pitifully.
"I'm here, Mac. I'm here. You're gonna be alright."
He felt her warm hand cup his cheek and he leaned into it. He forced his eyes open and met her liquid brown gaze, shiny with unshed tears. Hopefully of relief.
"Your mom…" He hated how weak and hoarse his voice was.
"She's fine, thanks to you. She sends her love."
Mac tried to smile and hoped he succeeded. He saw another figure step up to stand next to Joanna.
"Sam?"
"Hey, Dad! How you feelin'?"
"I've been better," he quipped before turning serious. "How long have I been out?"
"About two days," Joanna told him. "The doctors have been running brain scans and they say everything is normal."
"If they're describing my brain as normal then something must be wrong with it." He summoned enough energy to pull a face, making Sam and Jo chuckle.
A deep, unfamiliar voice interrupted them. "Now that Mr. MacGyver is conscious, he needs to rest," a doctor in a white lab coat informed them. "You can come back in a few hours."
As Joanna turned to leave, Mac reached out and grabbed her wrist with more strength than he thought possible. It was then that he saw the recliner positioned behind her.
"You've been here this whole time?" he asked, his eyes sliding to the chair.
"Most of it," she amended. "Now get some rest and I'll see you later." She bent down and placed a soft kiss on his forehead, her lips lingering just a moment longer than necessary. He was pretty sure he drifted off to sleep with a smile on his face.
MacGyver slept sporadically over the next twenty-four hours. Each time he awoke it was to find either Sam or Joanna, or sometimes both, watching over him. Initially he wanted to tell them to go away, that he was fine. But he soon discovered he found comfort in knowing that they were by his side.
A few days later, the doctor deemed Mac recovered enough to be discharged. He was sitting on the side of his hospital bed dressed in sweatpants and a t-shirt when Sam appeared in the doorway, accompanied by a nurse pushing an empty wheelchair. Time to go home at last!
Sam hovered over MacGyver like a mother hen as they made the short trek from the driveway to the front door. Upon entering, Mac noticed rumpled blankets piled on his couch.
"Haven't you been sleeping upstairs?" he asked his son.
"Nah, that mattress is too hard. The couch is fine."
Mac eyed Sam curiously but decided not to waste his energy pursuing this particular conversation. He gingerly climbed the winding stairs to his bedroom, with Sam close behind. The bed was neatly made and immediately he honed in on the fresh scent of Joanna's coconut shampoo.
"Has Jo been sleeping here?"
"Yeah, sometimes," Sam replied evasively. "We figured you wouldn't mind."
And he didn't. In fact, a secret part of him that he rarely acknowledged thrilled to the idea that Jo wanted to feel close to him when they were apart.
"Where is she now?" he asked.
"Challengers. Cynthia wasn't feeling well this morning. That's why Jo couldn't come with me to pick you up," Sam explained. "Why don't you lie down for a while? She'll probably stop by later and you could use your beauty sleep," he teased.
Mac summoned a weak smile, stretched out on the bed, and fell into a blessedly deep and uninterrupted slumber.
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After a few days of recuperating at home under Sam's careful supervision, MacGyver began to grow restless and, much to his son's dismay, decided it was time to head back to work and for Sam to do the same. He had no sooner entered the Challengers Club when he was accosted by teens cheering his return. Joanna and Cynthia hung back, smiling widely, but it was Jo's pale skin and hollow eyes that held his attention and concern.
"Why don't you take the rest of the day off and get some rest?" he urged her once they were alone in his office.
"That's okay. I'm fine," she insisted.
He reached out and caressed her cheek. "No, you're not. You've been running yourself ragged between covering here and checking up on me. Let me take you home."
She shook her head vigorously. "I said I'm fine."
Mac knew better than to push the issue, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to keep tabs on her. Something wasn't right and he was going to find out what it was.
MacGyver quickly regained his energy as the days passed and he found himself arriving at Challengers earlier and staying later, just like he used to. And when Joanna wasn't spending time with him at his place she was at Challengers as well, and Mac couldn't help noticing that her car never seemed to move from its reserved space. Late one night, on a hunch that had been growing steadily stronger, MacGyver hopped into his Jeep and headed to Challengers. Sure enough, there was her car, parked exactly as it had been over twelve hours ago.
His unexpected arrival raised the eyebrows of more than one third-shift adult volunteer. He smiled in greeting as he made his way to the staircase which led to the second floor dorm rooms. Word of their shelter services hadn't yet spread so only one door was shut tight. Mac tapped gently before entering. Joanna was lying on her back and from the glow of moonlight coming through the window he could see her open eyes staring at the ceiling. He perched himself on the edge of the empty bed next to hers.
"Wanna tell me why you ran away from home?"
"I don't know what you're talkin' about," she mumbled.
"Look, I know that you stayed at my place while I was in the hospital and that's okay," he quickly reassured her. "I want you to feel safe and comfortable there. But now you're staying here?"
"I worked later than I planned so decided to crash here for the night."
MacGyver's eyes slid to the suitcase propped up against the wall and back to Jo who was now looking at him. He raised his eyebrows in question and Joanna rolled her eyes.
"You're not gonna leave until I talk about it, are you?" she asked with a sigh.
"Nope," he replied with what he hoped was an encouraging grin.
Joanna sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed so she was facing him.
"Sitting in the hospital room with you the night you got shot gave me a lot of time to think. By morning, I decided the whole thing was my mom's fault and I went home to pack a bag." She then recounted the words she and her mother exchanged.
"And you haven't been home or talked to her since?"
Jo shook her head.
"You do know that the only person responsible for what happened that night is the jerk who fired the gun."
This time Jo nodded, but Mac could tell she wasn't convinced.
"Okay, so you think your mom is nosy. That's just a part of who she is, just like running to the rescue is a part of who I am."
This time Joanna's gaze locked with his.
"Promise me that tomorrow you'll go talk with her and straighten everything out."
"Fine," Jo murmured, her shoulders slumped either in defeat or relief.
"Good. Now that that's settled, let's get some sleep."
MacGyver sprawled out on top of the bed covers.
"You don't have to guard me like some prisoner. I said I'll go home and I mean it."
"Good," Mac confirmed without moving muscle. He smiled when he heard Joanna let out a huff and grumble as she crawled under the covers, her back to him.
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Late the following afternoon MacGyver sat tapping a pencil against the top of his desk with no particular rhythm while staring out into the recreation area waiting for Joanna's return. Her bed had been empty when he awoke this morning, both her suitcase and her car gone. A pang of envy hit him square in the chest as he yearned for the chance to go home and speak to his own mother just one more time. Even if only to say goodbye. Joanna and her parents loved and protected each other fiercely and he had been humbled when they opened their lives and their hearts to include him. As if his thoughts had conjured her, Jo came swooping into the room wearing a pastel sundress and a lighthearted smile. She cheerily greeted everyone she passed and looked as if a great burden had been taken off her shoulders. A heavy burden she had carried around needlessly for too long.
"I take it things went well with your mother?" he inquired once he had her attention.
"We had a good talk," she confirmed. "About a lot of things. Everything's going to be fine."
"I'm glad," he smiled. "You know, I never meant to come between you and your mom. I don't want you to feel like you ever have to choose between me and your family."
"I know, and you didn't. This was all on me. I was scared and needed someone to blame, even if it was misdirected."
Mac draped his arm over her shoulders and pulled her to his side, the one without the bullet hole, and kissed the top of her head.
"So, did the cops ever catch the creeps who started all this?"
"Oh! With everything that happened I forgot to tell you!" Jo exclaimed pulling away from him. "One of my neighbors got their license plate number and they were apprehended a few blocks away."
"That's good to hear."
"Yeah," Joanna sighed. "Now things can get back to normal."
Mac quirked a brow at her.
"Or at least as normal as things can get around here," she laughed
A/N: Dedicated to my mom who read this and said I "totally nailed" her;) She wouldn't do that in this day and age, but in 1997...oh yeah! And yes, this is how my parents and I talk to each other! Hope you enjoyed! Feedback is most welcome!