Heat Wave
Joanna sat back on her heels and tossed the ragged sponge into a bucket of dull, gray water which had been clear and soapy when she began scrubbing one of the dormitory's bathroom floors thirty minutes earlier. She stretched her back muscles as rivulets of sweat trickled down her neck, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand.
"Has the air conditioner stopped working?" she asked.
Cynthia, who had been cleaning the toilets, laughed ruefully. "It better not have! A lot of people are counting on it."
Milwaukee was in the second day of what was predicted to be a week-long heat wave with temperatures in the nineties and high humidity. Thanks to their networking the weekend before, the mayor had asked MacGyver and Joanna to make Challengers an official shelter and cooling station until the dangerous weather released its grip on the city. That meant a lot of foot traffic and strangers coming and going twenty-four hours a day.
"Besides," Cynthia continued, "MacGyver could fix it in an emergency. That is, after he talks the firemen into opening the hydrant so the kids can cool themselves in the water."
Jo smiled sadly. Poor Mac. So many people relied on him, yet he hardly ever relied on anyone. Even her.
"What do you say we break for lunch?" Cynthia suggested.
"You don't have to ask me twice!" Joanna snapped off the protective rubber gloves she had been wearing and scrambled to her feet before the other woman changed her mind.
Back in Cynthia's office, Joanna frowned.
"Have you seen my ring?" she asked.
"What ring is that, dear?" Cynthia inquired absently while shuffling through a pile of messages.
"The sapphire one I always wear. I took it off and left it on your desk."
"It must be around here someplace then," the older woman replied. "It surely didn't grow legs and walk away."
Joanna was about to commence her search when the main door slammed open followed by a wave of giggles. Curious, she and Cynthia quickly headed toward the noise. When she saw the cause she stopped dead in her tracks. MacGyver stood in the doorway soaking wet. His hair slicked back and his t-shirt and jeans clinging to him like a second skin accentuating his firm, athletic build.
"They opened the fire hydrant," he announced with an adorably crooked grin.
He glanced around the room until he pinned Joanna with his gaze. She felt a flush bloom on her cheeks, embarrassed that he had caught her staring at him. But his eyes gleamed with mischief and his grin widened just for her.
"Lucky I keep a change of clothes upstairs," he said as he went to step into the room.
"Don't you move!" Cynthia admonished. "I don't want you dripping all over my clean floor. I'll go get you a towel."
A few minutes later, Mac was vigorously rubbing his shaggy hair with one towel before using another to remove as much moisture from his clothes as possible before Cynthia allowed him to go to the dormitory and change.
When the commotion had died down, Joanna returned to Cynthia's office to resume the search for her ring. Once certain that the piece of jewelry was not on the desk or hidden under a stack of paperwork that had accumulated during the morning, Jo dropped to her hands and knees to begin a thorough search of the threadbare carpet when a masculine voice from behind startled her.
"Looking for something?" MacGyver asked, leaning casually against the doorframe clad in fresh, dry clothes.
"No! I mean, I thought I dropped a paperclip," she sputtered.
"Ah," came his reply, the tone telling her that he would accept the lie...for now.
Joanna was surprised when the fib came so easily to her. But then again, she was more than a little embarrassed that she may have lost one of her most precious possessions due to her lack of responsible behavior. She figured she would be cleaning today, yet instead of keeping the ring in her jewelry box, she slipped it on her finger out of habit. Now it was gone. Presumably lost as she balked at the thought that anyone at Challengers would trespass in Cynthia's office and steal it. Yet, Rosie Garcia had been in and out all morning to deliver messages and other paperwork. But Rosie would never do something like that!
"Cynthia said you guys were taking a break. Wanna go grab something to eat?" Mac asked, breaking through Joanna's thoughts.
"Sure," she replied half-heartedly as she considered the whereabouts of her ring.
"Great! Come on," he said, spontaneously grabbing her left hand and rubbing his thumb over her knuckles.
"Hey, you're not wearing your ring today," Mac observed.
Joanna shrugged. "I knew we'd be cleaning today and I didn't want to risk damaging it so I took it off." At least that wasn't a lie and MacGyver accepted her explanation without question.
They were headed out the door when Raul Garcia rushed in.
"Ma! Ma! The ice cream truck is here! Can I have some money?!"
"Mijo! Slow down!" Rosie scolded. "You're not a little boy anymore. And what happened to the money from your allowance?"
Jo watched as the young teen's gaze dropped to the floor.
"I kinda spent it all," he mumbled.
"Ack! What am I going to do with you! You need to learn the value of a dollar!"
"I'm sorry, Ma." Raul looked up now. "I'll do better next week, but can I please have some money before the ice cream truck leaves?"
Mac and Joanna grinned as Rosie shook her head even as she removed her purse from the drawer she always kept it in. Finding her wallet, she opened it up only to frown.
"I could've sworn I had more cash than this," she lamented, handing a couple of singles to her son. "I just went to the bank a few days ago!"
"Maybe you need to watch your money better, too," Raul replied cheekily before barreling out the door to buy his treat.
"I do not understand…" Rosie muttered.
"Maybe you stopped somewhere and picked up something you weren't planning to," Jo suggested. "It happens to all of us!"
Rosie summoned a smile. "I suppose you must be right. What other answer could there be?"
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MacGyver and Joanna returned from lunch to find Cynthia standing on the front steps of the club, speaking with a police officer.
"Excuse me, is there something wrong?" Mac asked, approaching the cop.
"And you are?" the man in the dark uniform asked.
"Name's MacGyver. I'm the director here at Challengers."
The other man extended his hand in greeting. "Nice to meet you. I'm Officer Hill. I was just informing Ms. Wilson that we will be running extra patrols past your club for the next few days. People tend to get a little crazy when it gets this hot. I also think you should know there's been a rather significant rise in gang activity in the area, so please don't hesitate to call us if you see anything out of the ordinary."
"Will do. Thank you, officer," Mac said warmly, the two men shaking hands once again before the policeman returned to his car.
"So, who are the popular gangs around here?" he asked, turning to Joanna.
Jo raised her eyebrows in response. "I'm hardly an expert," she began sarcastically, "But the Latin Kings were the main players last I heard."
"Good to know," Mac replied with a smile before heading inside.
The afternoon sun bore down relentlessly as Challenger members and volunteers helped prepare for the expected influx of people seeking relief from the heat. Joanna and Cynthia finished cleaning while MacGyver and a couple of older boys carried in large cases of bottled water and huge bags of ice. Rosie collected donations from people in the community who offered everything from box fans to brownies. As the sun descended in the western sky, people from all walks of life began to file in seeking a comfortable place to sleep. Many were homeless and Mac recognized them from the neighborhood. Others were elderly or families with small children who were living in dangerously hot conditions. Club volunteers assisted with getting the guests settled and familiar with the rules. When most of the activity had died down, Mac pulled Joanna into his office.
"I just wanted to let you know that I'm spending the night here," he said. "With all these strangers her I wanna be around just in case something happens."
Jo laughed. "Cynthia told me the same thing earlier. In fact, I offered to stay with her so I guess we're all here for the long haul."
After a short, impromptu meeting, it was decided that the three of them would take turns monitoring activity in the center. MacGyver volunteered for the first shift and Joanna and Cynthia headed to their respective offices to rest until it was their turn. He settled himself in the chair behind the small reception desk that was normally occupied by Rosie. He silently shook his head, wondering how she managed to work a full time third shift job and volunteer all day at Challengers as well as raise Raul. He made a mental note to sit down with Cynthia and go over the accounts to see if there was a way to pay her for her services.
Macgyver's chin had dropped to his chest and he was struggling to keep his eyes open when he heard raised voices coming from the parking lot. He glanced at his watch. It was just a couple of minutes before midnight. He rose from the chair and hurried outside to see what was going on.
"You don't belong here! This ain't your turf!" a teen Mac recognized as a Challengers Club member yelled at a group of young men hidden in the shadows.
"Oh yeah?! I heard the mayor on the news and he said anyone could come so here we are!" a twenty-something man with a rather thick Hispanic accent shot back.
Mac watched as the teen from Challengers lunged at his opponent and wasted no time getting between the two.
"Hold it!" MacGyver commanded, separating them before either could throw a punch.
When Mac was satisfied that a brawl was not about to ensue, he turned his attention to the young man who seemed to be the antagonist and the small group of teens standing behind him and immediately understood what the problem was.
"Challengers doesn't turn anyone away," MacGyver began to explain. "But it's also a gang-free zone. You're more than welcome to join us, but you gotta lose the colors first," he said, looking to the yellow and black bandannas the boys wore either on their heads or around their necks."
"Forget it, man!" the leader spat. "The Kings don't go nowhere we ain't respected." He turned, snapped his fingers, and the others fell in behind him stalking off into the night.
MacGyver turned to the remaining teen who stood under a street lamp and now recognized him as Diego.
"That was a really dumb thing to do," Mac scolded. "What made you come out here in the first place?"
The teen shrugged. "I heard a noise outside my window and wanted to see what was up."
"Well, the next time you hear strange noises come and get me. You know that could've turned out really bad for you tonight."
"Yes sir," Diego responded sullenly as they both headed inside.
Mac returned to find Joanna standing next to the chair he had recently vacated, her arms crossed protectively in front of her.
"What's going on?" she asked.
"A few members of the Latin Kings decided to pay us a visit."
Jo's eyes grew wide and MacGyver knew what she was thinking. "Don't worry, everything's fine," he assured her. "Why don't you go back to the office?"
She shook her head. "It's almost time for my shift, anyway. Besides, I haven't been able to sleep."
"Why not?" Concern furrowed Mac's brow.
"It's probably just the heat and knowing there are strangers around," she replied before settling herself in the desk chair.
Mac wasn't buying that. Joanna had been distant all afternoon and evening, and he doubted the heat was to blame, but he'd have plenty of time to ferret out the truth tomorrow.
"All right," he reluctantly agreed. "But come and get me if there's any trouble." He headed towards his office even though he knew he would be wide awake the rest of the night.
The following day, as the ones before it, dawned sunny, hot, and humid. A truck arrived from a local store to deliver donated cases of bottled water, ice, and snacks. Mac was helping Jo and Cynthia put away the needed supplies when Diego came running up to them.
"My bike's gone! The Latin Kings stole my bike last night!"
"Whoa, take it easy," Mac replied, gently grabbing the boy by the shoulders. "Are you sure it was stolen?"
Diego rolled his eyes. "Of course I'm sure! It was there when I went to bed and now it's gone!"
"How do you know one of the Kings took it?"
The boy looked at him as if he was questioning Mac's sanity.
"They were here last night," Diego said, as if that proved their guilt.
"Yeah, but I didn't see any of them take your bike. Did you?"
"No, but one of them could've taken it before we went outside."
"And you're sure you locked it up on the rack yesterday?" Mac inquired.
Diego's gaze fell and he refused to look MacGyver in the eye. "I lost the lock last week," he mumbled. "But I thought it would be safe with all the other bikes there!"
Mac sighed. "Anyone could've taken your bike. You know that. And why didn't you ask me for a new lock? We have to be extra careful with things that are important to us."
He looked up at Joanna for reinforcement but was met with a stunned expression before she turned and hurried away.
"Go with Ms. Cynthia and call the cops to report your stolen bike," Mac instructed before going after Joanna.
He found her in her office, organizing her desk like she always did when she was upset about something. His eyes found her hands of their own accord. She still wasn't wearing her beloved ring.
"When are you going to tell me what's going on with you?" he asked softly.
"There's nothing going on with me," she replied defensively. "I told you last night, it's just the heat."
"I didn't believe that last night and I don't believe it now," he informed her, walking up to her and grabbing her empty left hand. "Does it have anything to do with this?" he asked, tenderly stroking the finger that usually displayed the dark blue sapphire.
Joanna's eyes welled with tears. "I think it's been stolen," she sighed shakily. "I hadn't meant to wear it yesterday, but put it on by force of habit. I left it on Cynthia's desk before we went upstairs to clean the dorm bathrooms. When we came down for lunch it was gone."
"Are you sure you just didn't misplace it or overlook it?" Mac asked, squeezing her hand tighter hoping to comfort her.
"I looked everywhere. Yesterday and last night. I even questioned some of the volunteers, but no one has seen it."
"Who had access to the office?"
"I know for sure that Rosie did. But if someone forgot to lock the door, anyone could've gone in."
"Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?"
Joanna's chin began to quiver. "I didn't want you to think I was some dumb, irresponsible flake."
"Aw baby," he crooned, stepping around the desk and pulling her to him. "You are absolutely none of those things. You had every right to believe your ring would be safe in Cynthia's office."
Jo buried her face in his shirt and he rested his chin on the top of her head as she allowed tears to fall. He held her tight until her trembling stopped and she started to pull away.
"We should call the police," he suggested gently.
"It won't do any good," Jo replied, wiping the moisture from her cheeks. "Whoever took it is sure to have pawned it by now."
"It still wouldn't hurt. And we need to get the word out around here in case it's just lost."
Joanna nodded her acquiescence just as Rosie knocked frantically on the office door.
"Mr. MacGyver, I am so sorry to interrupt, but I need you to look at something."
"Sure, what is it?"
Rosie reached into her purse and pulled out a clear plastic zip bag with a powdery white substance inside.
"Is this what I think it is?" she asked anxiously.
Mac dipped a finger in the bag and gingerly tasted a bit of the white powder.
"It's cocaine. Where'd you find this?"
"It was floating in our toilet this morning. I wanted to ask Raul about it, but he had already left. I thought he'd be here, but he's not."
"I'm gonna go find him," MacGyver declared, shoving the bag of drugs into his back jean pocket.
"Do you know where he is?" Rosie asked.
"No, but I have a hunch."
MacGyver replayed the last twenty-four hours in his mind. Joanna's ring and Diego's bike had both mysteriously disappeared as well as cash from Rosie's wallet. And then, for no apparent reason at the time, local gang members showed up. Now, a bag of coke had been found in the Garcia home.
He turned to Joanna and kissed her quickly on the lips, not caring that Rosie was watching. "Don't worry, we're gonna get to the bottom of this," he promised before walking away.
After getting some information from Diego, MacGyver took off in his Jeep to cruise the Latin Kings' turf. He slowly drove up one block and down another, but the streets were empty. Apparently, like cops, gang bangers were never around when you needed one. He was just about to give up when he passed an alley and caught movement in his peripheral vision. Parking the Jeep, he climbed out and walked back toward the alley, his nerve endings tingling with awareness. Before moving further, he did a visual assessment of the narrow passageway. Nothing. But a shiver sliding down his back told him things may not be as they seemed. He began to stealthily walk through the alley, alert and ready to pounce on anything that moved. He was about halfway in when he saw a pair of ragged tennis shoes poking out from behind a large cardboard box.
With the element of surprise on his side, MacGyver grabbed the box and in one swift motion flung it aside to find Raul huddled against the brick wall of the building behind him, knees pulled up to his chest, eyes wide with fear.
"Raul! What are you doing here?"
"I'm hiding from them! They're gonna kill me!" the young teen cried.
"Who?! Who's after you?"
"The Latin Kings. They're gonna kill me!" Raul repeated.
MacGyver pulled the small bag of cocaine out of his pocket.
"It wouldn't have anything to do with this, would it?" he asked calmly.
Raul nodded as Mac sat down on the ground next to him.
"So, you usin', dealin' or both?"
"I ain't doin' none of that," the teen insisted.
"Raul, your mother found this in your house. Now what's goin' on?"
"I was taking a shortcut home a couple days ago and accidently walked through Kings' turf. They jumped me and tried to get me to join. When I refused, they said I would have to pay up if I didn't want them to hurt me or my mom."
The gears began to turn in MacGyver's mind and suddenly clicked.
"So you were supposed to sell this coke and give them the money to keep them away from you and your mom?"
Raul nodded. "I didn't want to! Honest! So I flushed it. Or at least I thought I did."
"Plastic floats, man," Mac reminded him only to be greeted by silence, but he figured he could guess the rest.
"Okay, so you planned to get rid of the coke, but you still needed to pay them off so you took money from your mom's wallet and stole Diego's bike and Ms. Joanna's ring. Am I right?"
"Yeah," Raul mumbled. "Only, when I tried to hock the bike and ring I didn't get as much as I thought I would. If I don't get the money by six o'clock tonight I'm a dead man!"
"Relax. I'm not gonna let anything happen to you," Mac promised.
"How you gonna do that?"
"Well, first of all, I'm taking you back to Challengers and we're gonna call the police."
"Are you loco?! Do you know what gangs do to snitches?!"
"Raul, it's the right thing to do. Now let's get outta here."
Back at Challengers, Rosie greeted her son with a suffocating hug followed by a scathing reprimand when he confessed to what he had done.
"C'mon," Mac said, putting a guiding hand on the boy's shoulder. "Let's go in my office and make that phone call."
A few minutes later they emerged from the room to find Joanna, Rosie and Cynthia huddled nearby.
"Well…?" Joanna asked impatiently.
Mac jammed his splayed fingers through his sweat-dampened hair. "I talked with Officer Hill, the cop we met yesterday. He said there was nothing the police could do unless the gang was caught doing something illegal. Raul gave his statement and Hill is gonna pass it on to the anti-gang taskforce."
"What about tonight?" she pressed as Rosie stood next to her anxiously wringing her hands.
"I don't know," MacGyver sighed, keenly aware of the expectant gazes that had settled on him. He had always been the man with the plan. The guy that got called in to do what the best of the best could not. Today, he felt horribly inadequate.
"I got an idea!" Raul suddenly exclaimed. "The cop dude said they needed to catch the gang in the act right?" He waited for Mac to nod before continuing. "Then let's go through with the payoff! You can put a wire on me. We'll get them on tape and take it to the police! I just saw it on TV and it worked like a charm!"
"No way! It's too dangerous," Mac proclaimed. "Besides, this is real life, not some television show."
There had to be something he could do. But what? Back in L.A. he would've gone to one of his trusted friends on the police force but here he had no one. Nevertheless, he mentally scrolled through the Rolodex in his brain.
"I think I might have an idea," he announced.
"What is it?" Jo asked.
"I need to make a phone call," was all he said before turning and walking back into his office, well aware of the frustration on Joanna's face at being left out of his plan. But he didn't want to get anyone's hopes up in case things didn't work out.
"Lee Vang, attorney at law, how may I help you?"
"Hey Lee, it's MacGyver."
"Mac! Good to hear from you! Step in front of any speeding bullets lately?"
"Ha, ha, very funny. What ever happened to doctor-patient confidentiality?"
"When your wife works as a trauma nurse you hear a lot of stories. Wendi knew we were friends and thought you wouldn't mind."
MacGyver hadn't met Wendi Vang when he had recently been rushed to the hospital with a gunshot wound, at least not while he had been conscious, but Joanna had told him how understanding and helpful Wendi had been and he would be forever grateful for that.
"Is there something I can help you with?" the lawyer continued.
"You wouldn't happen to have any connections in the police department? Maybe someone who owes you a favor?"
"What kind of trouble are you in this time, Mac?" Lee chuckled.
MacGyver explained everything about Raul's run in with the Latin Kings and the impending repercussions.
"Raul Garcia. Isn't that the young man I defended earlier this year in a case involving vandalism and gang activity? The one whose mom makes those killer tamales?"
"I'm afraid it is," Mac admitted.
"That boy sure has a knack for finding trouble. Are you sure he's not related to you?"
"You're just a regular comedian today, aren't you, Vang? Can you help us out or not?"
Lee's voice became serious. "I have some people I can contact. I'll have them meet you at Challengers."
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MacGyver saw Joanna look nervously at her watch. It was five o'clock. One hour until Raul was scheduled to meet the Kings at the abandoned factory by the river. Lee Vang had sent over four off-duty narcotic detectives, two of whom were already in position in the communication van a block away from the meeting site. The van was disguised with signage indicating it was an air conditioning repair company, a rather common sight in the city these days so it was doubtful anyone would find its presence suspicious. The two remaining detectives had commandeered MacGyver's office and swiftly secured Raul and his mother behind closed doors. Joanna had taken Rosie's place at the reception desk, happily greeting bedraggled persons seeking relief from the heat, pretending that Challengers was operating as usual. He knew she was upset that he planned to tag along with Raul and the detectives, and even more upset that she couldn't join them, but it was important for her to remain and help Cynthia keep the club running. Mac pulled up a chair and sat next to her, wanting to spend a few quiet moments together before he headed out.
"What are they doing in there?" she whispered to him as she glanced at his closed office door.
"They're wiring him up and giving him instructions on what to say and how to act given different scenarios."
"So he really is gonna be like that guy on television?"
"Pretty much," Mac confirmed, putting a calming hand on her thigh. "But don't worry. We'll have lots of eyes on him. He won't be alone for a second."
Joanna turned to look at him. "That's what they always say and the sting always goes south."
"Have you been watching TV with Raul?" MacGyver teased, trying to lighten the mood. However, given Joanna's deep frown and steely gaze, his effort had been unsuccessful.
"I don't like this, Mac."
"Neither do I. But we don't have many options at this point. If he would've come to us right way then maybe…"
His office door opened and the small group emerged and headed toward MacGyver.
"Ready to go?" the first detective asked.
"Let's do this," Mac replied.
"Okay, we're going to leave the building separately and at intervals, just in case they have someone watching the place," the second detective instructed. "MacGyver, you go last. Make sure Raul doesn't get intercepted between here and the factory. And when you get there, go straight to the van. I'm not in the mood for any collateral damage."
Fifteen minutes before the designated meeting time, MacGyver slipped through the back door of the surveillance van. A detective handed him a pair of headphones and binoculars. Mac climbed into the driver's seat and trained the binoculars on the front of the abandoned factory where Raul stood just outside the main doors.
"I'd feel better if we had some cameras on him," Mac commented.
"Didn't have enough notice to get them set up," came the officer's curt reply. "Besides, didn't want to risk being made by any Kings that might be hanging out."
Mac couldn't argue with that. As he sat watching Raul, he felt his adrenaline build and his heart rate increase. The worst part of any mission, at least for him, was the waiting. He glanced at his watch. Six o'clock on the nose. When he looked up, he saw three gang members sporting their black and yellow colors approach Raul from either side of the old building. MacGyver put on his headset and readjusted the binoculars. A tall, broad shouldered male separated himself from the others and stood to face Raul.
"You got my cash?"
"I changed my mind, Manny," Raul said in a stronger voice than Mac expected. "I ain't sellin' no dope." Raul held out the bag of coke to the gang leader who snatched it from his hand.
"Sounds like we got ourselves a problem then," Manny sneered, moving in closer.
"There's no problem. Let's just forget the whole thing," Raul suggested.
"It don't work like that, dude. You come around on King turf you either join up or pay up."
"I ain't joinin' and I ain't payin'!"
"I guess you don't care about that pretty little mama of yours."
"What do you mean?" Raul asked, his brave facade crumbling.
"You gotta protect your family, man. That's what I mean."
Raul shifted his weight from one foot to another, nervously licking his lips as he glanced around to find the other gang members slowly surrounding him, guns and knives visible and threatening.
"All right! All right! I'll sell your stupid dope! But just this one time so you don't hurt my mom!"
An evil, satisfied grin spread across Manny's face as he handed the coke back to Raul. As soon as the bag with the white powder hit Raul's hand, the detectives lunged from their hiding places and the two officers in the van barreled out the back doors. Shouts of "Freeze! Police!" and "Drop your weapons!" rent the evening air. For a moment it was if time stood still. Then suddenly the police had all the boys down on the ground, handcuffs snapped into place. MacGyver breathed a heavy sigh of relief. The takedown had been quick and harmless. He lowered his binoculars and was pulling off his headset when he saw a teen in Latin Kings colors race from the factory, past the van Mac was in. Acting on pure instinct, MacGyver tumbled out the driver's side door and quickly regained his feet to chase after the boy. It didn't take long for Mac to catch up and, hurtling through the air, slam the gang member into the ground, landing on top of him. Before Mac could right himself, the teen rolled over, knife flailing in his hand. MacGyver felt the sharp sting of the blade as it sliced his bicep, but his focus remained on the miscreant writhing beneath him. He reached out, grabbing the knife-wielding arm and pounding it hard into the ground until the boy's grip slackened and the weapon fell harmlessly away. Mac stood, wadding the teen's shirt front in his fist and pulling him up to his feet. Together they stumbled back to the van where MacGyver handed the escapee over to one of the detectives.
"Looks like we better get you an ambulance," the officer said, looking at the blood flowing from Mac's upper arm as he took custody of the boy.
"It's just a flesh wound," MacGyver shrugged. "I'll be fine."
"Yeah, right," the cop smirked before turning to speak into his walkie-talkie.
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Joanna sat at the Challengers reception desk smiling welcoming smiles at newcomers seeking relief from the heat and happily accepting donations from the community, but inside her heart was fluttering and her stomach churning. She glanced at her watch for the fifth time in the last four minutes. How long until she heard something? The meeting should have taken place thirty minutes ago and yet no one had called to inform them of the outcome. She was about to glance at her watch again when Cynthia approached and put a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"I just heard from the detectives," she informed Joanna. "Raul is safe and all the gang members are in custody."
"So no one was hurt?" Jo asked with cautious hopefulness.
"MacGyver sustained an injury. They wouldn't give me any details, but he's on his way to the hospital right now."
Without a word, Joanna quickly retrieved her purse, grabbed her keys and headed out. It wasn't until she was behind the wheel, already driving down the road that she realized she hadn't even said good-bye to Cynthia much less apologized for leaving her alone to run the center, but upon hearing Mac was hurt, nothing else seemed to matter.
Joanna rushed through the automatic doors of the emergency room only to be greeted by Wendi Vang.
"Wow! You made good time. The ambulance hasn't even arrived yet!" Wendi grinned, but Jo failed to find any humor in her observation. "The medics just called in. Mac's okay, just a knife wound that's going to need stitched up."
Joanna breathed a sigh of relief, thankful the injury wasn't worse. The nurse's pager went off and she politely excused herself, leaving Jo to take a seat in the emergency waiting room. Sitting on the hard plastic chair, she leaned her head back against the wall, her eyelids fluttering closed of their own volition as the stress and excitement of the day finally caught up with her. To her surprise, she must have dozed off because the next time she opened her eyes it was to find MacGyver standing in the waiting room watching her, a crooked grin on his face. The only evidence of his injury was a ripped and bloodied shirt sleeve and the white dressing peeking out of the tear.
"Hi," he greeted her softly. "Tough day, huh?"
"You could say that," she agreed, standing but not moving towards him.
"You're upset," he observed.
"I was worried," she amended. "But Wendi assured me you'd be okay even before you got here."
"But you stayed."
"I figured you'd need a ride home," she shrugged.
A young doctor wearing glasses and a lab coat interrupted them.
"Excuse me, Mr. MacGyver, but here are your discharge papers. Remember to keep the site clean and dry and we'll see you back here in ten days to take out the stitches."
"Thanks," Mac murmured, taking the papers and shaking the physician's hand before turning back to Joanna. "Shall we go?"
Jo turned her back to him and headed out the door, leaving him to follow in her wake. Once in the car she cranked the engine and jacked up the air conditioning as MacGyver struggled to push the passenger seat back and buckle his seat belt.
"You're upset," Mac repeated as she pulled out of the parking lot feeling his eyes on her.
"I'm not upset," she sighed heavily. "I'm just trying really hard to get used to the idea that the emergency room is your second favorite hang-out after the ice rink."
"That's not true," he retorted. "Wherever you are is by far my absolute, number one hang-out. The ice rink is second and the hospital is a distant third."
By now they were parked in MacGyver's driveway, the car idling. Joanna finally turned to look at him and genuinely smiled for what seemed to be the first time in days. When he smiled back, her stomach did a funny little flip.
"You wanna come in?"
"Do you need help with something?"
"No, I just thought…"
She reached out and put a hand on his cheek to silence him. "I think it's best if we both just get a good night's sleep."
"But we're okay, right?" he asked, the worry in his eyes and concern in his voice tugging at her heart.
"We're way better than okay," she assured him before they leaned toward each other, their lips meeting in a kiss that melted her from the inside out.
XXXXX
Joanna looked up at the clock on the wall and frowned.
"I thought MacGyver would be here by now," she said, a bit deflated.
"I called him last night and told him to take the day off," Cynthia informed her.
"I know. That's why I thought he'd be here already!" she chuckled with Cynthia joining in.
An unpredicted cold front had swept through the region the night before leaving behind comfortable temperatures and low humidity. Cynthia, Joanna, Rosie, and several Challengers members had spent the better part of the morning cleaning the dorms and recreation area in an effort to get the club back to normal since there was no longer a need for cooling stations. Jo had just stowed the last of the cleaning supplies in a closet when MacGyver poked his head in the door.
"Is Diego here?" he asked, a secretive smile on his face.
"Yeah, he's around," Jo replied.
"Go find him and bring him outside."
Knowing better than to question Mac's request, Joanna went in search of Diego and escorted him out to the parking lot, the others following close behind out of curiosity. There, MacGyver stood grinning widely with a bicycle standing in front of him.
"Well, what do ya think?" he asked the boy whose eyes had gone wide.
"Is that my bike?" Diego asked in disbelief.
"Sure is!" Mac proclaimed. "Bought it back from the pawn shop this morning."
Diego whooped with joy as he grabbed his bike, hopped on, and began riding laps around the lot. As everyone laughed and clapped and congratulated MacGyver on his find, Joanna snuck back into the building and slunk into her office. Sitting at her desk, she put her face in her hands, ashamed of her selfish feelings. Naturally, she was glad to see that Diego had gotten his bicycle back, but she couldn't help feeling jealous because his property had been recovered but not hers. Of course, pawn shops were notorious for quickly selling valuable items like jewelry as opposed to a boy's old, rusty bike. Suddenly, she heard footsteps approaching and quickly lowered her hands, pretending to study her blank computer screen.
"Why aren't you outside with the others," Mac asked, standing casually in the doorway.
"With all the craziness of the past few days I have a lot of work to catch up on," she replied, hoping her voice didn't reveal her true thoughts.
"Well, when I was out this morning trying to track down Diego's bike, I found something in one of the pawn shops I thought you might like." He slowly walked behind her desk and, with a hand supporting her elbow, silently encouraged her to stand as she gazed at him skeptically.
Once they were standing face-to-face, he reached into the front pocket of his pants and pulled out his gift. Between his thumb and forefinger he held a dark blue sapphire ring with diamond accents. Joanna's breath caught. She couldn't believe her eyes.
"It can't be," she shook her head in amazement. "Is that really my ring?"
"Now you sound like Diego!" Mac laughed. "Yes, it is really your ring. The store owner recognized it as a high quality piece of jewelry that most likely didn't belong to the man who hocked it. He didn't put it on display in case someone came looking for it."
"I can't believe it!" Jo exclaimed, finally allowing her excitement to bubble to the surface.
She reached out to take the ring, but MacGyver quickly pulled his hand away.
"Hey!" she scolded.
"If I'm going to give you a ring I'm going to do it the right way," he explained as if to a child. "Now, hold out your hand."
Joanna gave him an exaggerated eye roll but held out her right hand, palm up.
"Not like that," Mac chided as he stepped even closer and took her left hand in his. With his other hand he gently, almost reverently, slipped the precious piece on her ring finger.
Jo's jaw slackened and her mouth went dry. "Maaac?" she asked uncertainly.
MacGyver bent his head so his lips were against her ear, his breath tickling her neck.
"Don't worry. I'm just practicing."