Even though Mac had called Thornton back to assure her neither he nor Jack were dying, and to apologize profusely for not answering her calls, when they landed, there wasn't just a car to take them back to DXS, there was an ambulance, too. "Just in case the medic I'm sending along feels more comfortable transporting either of you that way."

"Yes, ma'am," was what he had said. Like hell, was what he thought.

Once Jack settled down from Mac having checked out on him for a while, he'd started to freak out about his shoulder a little.

"You don't think I'll need surgery, do you?"

Mac's lips pressed together for a good half minute before he answered. That was exactly what he thought. And he was pretty sure there was an MRI on the way to it, too. But Jack's expression was close to pleading. So as they taxied toward the hangar, he just said with a slight grin, "I don't know, Jack. C in Biology, remember?"

"I think I should call Mission City High and see if you're just makin' that up, 'cuz no matter how many times you tell me that, I can't hardly believe it." Jack sighed. "And right now I think you're just tryin' to be nice."

Mac pinched the bridge of his nose. "Trying and failing, I guess."

Jack managed to offer Mac a small smile. "It's the thought that counts, kid."

Both of them jumped when Nikki seemed to materialize in front of them. "Neither of you move. The medic's coming on board to decide what to do with you."

She walked away again, still obviously mad at Mac for being in the bathroom for hours. He felt a little bad because it had started as a plan, but also had to acknowledge that he'd actually gone to sleep so his body had decided that he couldn't change the plan and he couldn't exactly help that.

He looked at Jack. "You wanna just sit here and deal with this or should we just go to the car, regardless of what the medic wants."

"Can't see how letting more than one of 'em poke around this mess is gonna make things better." Jack pushed himself up to standing, wobbled a little.

Mac hopped up, probably faster than he should've, to offer support, but he swayed, too. "We're doing great," he said wryly.

They helped each other off the jet, beating the medic to the punch. He was waiting by the car and the absolutely unnecessary ambulance. He was a new guy, because neither of them had seen him around before. He was tall, with dark hair and features that brightened in an affable grin when they approached him.

"I sure hope you're MacGyver and Dalton, because if anyone else is wandering around this airport looking this much like something the cat dragged in, I think we're in trouble." He extended a hand to Mac, as the only team member who's shaking hand was free. "I'm Steve Rodgers."

Mac shook the hand that was offered and flashed a grin. He liked this guy immediately and wasn't sure why. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah, and as someone with a slightly unusual name yourself, I bet you can imagine the amount of shit I've taken for it. 'Specially when I was still in the Navy."

That got Jack's attention enough that he was distracted from just wanting to sit down. "Navy?"

"SEALs," he said with a nod. "My parents are both teachers. Guy's gotta pay for med school somehow." Before either of them could say more, he went on, leaning against the waiting car. "Since you limped your sorry asses out here on your own, I'm guessing the more formal transportation the boss lady and the tyrant on duty wanted is off the table."

Mac grinned at that. The new guy didn't like Foster either. Ha! And Thornton claims it's just Ops who thinks the guy is an ass. "We're not gonna die between here and Medical," Mac said, opening the car door for Jack, who immediately climbed in gratefully.

"Yeah, man, we just got blown up a little. Happens kinda a lot. We don't have to get all dramatic about it," Jack added.

"Yeah, that's about what I figured," Steve the New Guy chuckled. "You mind if I ride along so you can at least give me the rundown and save you playing twenty questions back at the office?"

Asking instead of ordering, not freaking out and acting like we're dying. I really do like this guy.

"Sure. The less I have to talk to He Who Must Not Be Named the happier I'll be."

"Think you can let me get your vitals on the way, too?"

"Yeah." Mac frowned. "Why would we mind that?"

Steve shrugged, but got into the large sedan and positioned himself in the middle seat and gestured for Mac to get in.

Mac caught the way Nikki was studiously not looking at him from her position in the front seat. Yep, she's still pissed. He climbed into the car and pulled the door shut, looking at Steve for an answer as they pulled out of the parking space.

"If you could see the notes on your chart, MacGyver, you wouldn't be asking," he grinned.

Mac felt himself blushing, but it was at least 60% irritation over embarrassment. He sighed quietly. "Call me Mac," he said and proceeded to stare out the window, anticipating his evening going even further downhill.

0-0-0

Mac and Jack hadn't been the only ones to have a colorful day.

Most of the exam rooms at Medical were occupied and very harried staff were running around looking a little stressed out. Steve ran interference when they arrived and made sure it was clear these guys had already had a hell of a bad day. So, Jack got one of the free spots so someone could evaluate his shoulder quickly.

Since it seemed like no one was especially worried about him, Mac figured he'd just keep Jack company and try to keep him talked down because the poor guy was getting that caged animal look Medical always seemed to cause if he was there for himself.

But Nurse Sullivan had other ideas. She stopped him from following Jack and pointed to a gurney up against the wall. There were several other agents stuck waiting in similar circumstances around the floor. "Have a seat."

"I was going to have a seat. In there. With my partner."

"MacGyver, I don't have the time of the patience to argue with you this evening. Just sit your ass down and one of us will come and get you as soon as we have an exam room free. I need to go start an IV on your partner because I don't need to wait for the doc to know he's going to need a contrast MRI before our ortho will even touch that shoulder."

"Then you really should let me go sit with him," Mac asserted, then kind of felt bad because he didn't want to just say to this new person, who he swore took pleasure in misery, that Jack was afraid of needles. But even if she was bossy and mean, she had a nice smile that he didn't think she'd appreciate losing the front teeth of. And frankly, if Jack felt trapped and there were sharp things, his gentlemanly Texas demeanor couldn't override fight or flight. Since Jack tended toward fight first, all bets were off. He cleared his throat. "Jack … Um … He has kind of a problem…"

"I know. It's in his chart. But trust me, I'm good at this."

"I didn't say you weren't. What I said was that my partner would be happier if he had company he trusts while he's got to put up with this." Mac folded his arms, ignoring (pretty successfully) how it hurt his chest. "What difference does it make where I sit and wait anyway?"

She closed her eyes and took a breath. Then she met his eye. "It makes a difference because you look dead on your feet and you keep swaying like you're going to fall over, and when you walk, because heaven forbid you just let someone push you in a wheelchair like any sane human being whose been thrashed by terrorists and blown up, you're weaving like you're over the legal limit. I'd like to not add helping someone to stitch up your very valuable head when you finally just collapse and eat shit because you're stubborn and ridiculous." She waited for him to say something, but he didn't. "Is that an adequate explanation?"

He gave her a hard look and finally said. "Is that what you put in my chart? That I'm stubborn and ridiculous?"

She took him by the elbow and led him the ten steps to the gurney she'd indicated. "Oh it's in there, but it was there before I started working here. Please just sit here so I don't have to add 'reckless disregard for his own wellbeing,' okay?"

Mac sighed in defeat and sat down on the gurney. "Happy?"

"Elated," she said crisply.

"I hope you stay that way and don't wind up with an accidental black eye from a panicked Delta."

She just rolled her eyes at that. "I'll take my chances." She started toward Jack's room. "Stay!" she called over her shoulder.

"Woof," Mac said to her back, but not loudly.

He sat there listening for any sound that might indicate that he'd just have to accept pissing of the nurse because Jack needed his partner. After a few minutes of nothing notable, Mac started swinging his feet, not really realizing he was doing it, but also just needing to move. He figured if he got up and found somewhere to pace like he wanted to, Sullivan would find some way to take him out with tranquilizer darts or something.

The nurse came out shortly after, in a hurry to go do something else but did throw Mac an approving look that he was where she left him.

Foster stalked with his peculiar limping walk in their general direction and Nurse Sullivan gave him a quick rundown, handing off the tablet with Jack's relevant information. Mac just looked at the ceiling like it had something fascinating on it. Maybe if he avoided eye contact, the universe would gift him a way to avoid Foster altogether.

Predictably, Mac heard raised voices from behind the door. Nurse Sullivan must've heard it too because she came jogging back over and was about to knock on the door when the crash came.

Mac was on his feet a split second later and got about two steps before the nurse's expression stopped him. He grudgingly sat back down, telling himself he just didn't want to be in the way.

A minute or two later he was kind of glad he did because Foster came out, hand over his mouth, blood dripping through his fingers, he disappeared up the hall.

The nurse came out a couple of minutes later and went to the nurse's station and picked up the phone.

"Nurse Sullivan?" Mac called out.

She stopped dialing to look at him. "Call me Sully, Mac," she said pleasantly enough, he assumed so he'd know there wasn't a crisis going on, because he probably looked as ready to ignore what she told him to do as he felt.

"What happened?"

"Something that really shouldn't have."

Mac knew his eyes widened. He'd been down a very similar road with Jack before. He tipped his chin at the phone. "Is Jack in trouble?"

"Jack's not. But when Don Foster gets back from his little trip to the dentist, he's going to feel the rough side of my tongue. You don't sneak up on patients in my infirmary."

Her infirmary. He wondered if she said that to the doctors. Especially guys with egos like the one who'd just left bleeding. He almost smiled, but was distracted by Jack choosing that moment to come out of the exam room, looking pale and fairly pissed off. He also looked bruised all to hell in the ubiquitous gown and light blue bathrobe.

Sully interrupted her phone call to give Jack a glare. "Agent Dalton, I told you to wait for me to come back with a wheelchair."

"I'm waitin'. I'm just waitin' with Mac."

Jack pushed the IV tree along and Mac moved over to make room for Jack to sit, too.

Jack sighed. "How you doin', kid?"

"Bored. But now I'm not also worried about putting up with Foster. So that's a pleasant surprise." He shook his head. "Apparently you've graduated from giving people with sharp objects a fat lip and sent this one to the dentist? I was kidding when I told you to bust his lip for me … Mostly."

"Yeah, well, punk had it comin'." Jack flashed an embarrassed little half smile. "You don't go stabbing people who've told you not to just because they get distracted for a second."

"That's what Sully said."

"Sully? You've moved on to nicknames? What're you doin' out here, fraternizing with the enemy?"

Mac laughed but it hurt his head. "Well, I'm not out here making friends, but I like her better than I did before tonight. I think she's tattling on Foster to Thornton."

"Huh," was all Jack said to that. "Maybe she is better than the old gal." He waved his hand. "She started this thing without making me want to figure out how to dump a body and not get caught. And I have it on pretty good authority that that's not really possible."

"If it comes up, I'm pretty sure I could successfully dump a body without getting caught," Mac grinned. That hurt, too, but he couldn't help it.

"I betcha could." Jack chuckled. "'A good friend'll help you move, but a really good friend'll help you move a body.' I'll keep that in mind, kid." He yawned.

"You look like you're about to drop, man."

"She's gonna drag me off for an MRI here in a minute." He yawned again. "She put some kinda something in the IV. Those damn machines make me edgy."

Mac frowned and this time he wished he could just stop himself from making facial expressions. Every time he did, pain lanced through his head. "I didn't know you were claustrophobic. I mean, we've been in small places before and you've never said anything."

"It ain't that. Those machines … It just feels like bein' buried alive. I … It's complicated."

Mac figured there was a real story there, but he wouldn't ask. If Jack wanted him to know, he'd tell him at some point. "I'm glad she gave you something then," was all he said.

Sully stepped in front of them with a wheelchair. "Doing okay?" she asked, taking the IV bag off the wheeled tree and hanging it off the pole attached to the chair.

Jack slid off the gurney and dutifully got into the chair. "Starting' to be more sleepy than pissed off, so that's good, I guess."

She held up an ice pack. "For your knuckles?" Then she flashed a little grin that made her freckled nose wrinkle.

Jack reached out and took it. "I mean, I busted a lotta faces the last half day or so, but that one mighta been the most satisfying."

Mac grinned again and this time his hand strayed to his forehead. "Ow," he said under his breath.

Sully gave Mac a familiar hard look. "I'm going to take Agent Dalton down to imaging. You stay put. When I get back I'll find somebody to take a look at you since that exam room will be free as soon as I clean up a little blood. Then we'll get you a room. I assume you two would prefer to bunk together to keep each other company."

"I don't need—" came out of Mac's mouth at the same time Jack said, "This shoulder is probably surgery, huh?"

Sully shot Mac another hard look. This one said, Don't sit there arguing with me while your partner needs some reassurance.

"Agent Dalton … Jack … I'm not a doctor, but I'll be honest. I've been a nurse for six years now, and even in the master's program I'm in where we get to see a lot more than I ever did as an undergrad, I've never seen a full dislocation not need surgery. And I've never seen one this bad. But we'll get you fixed right up. I promise." She put a hand on Jack's good shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze.

Mac found himself more than a little surprised at her gentleness tonight. He flashed a reassuring half smile at Jack that was small enough to not make the top of his head feel like it was coming off. "Now that she's vetted by DXS, maybe they can call Elliot's friend Dr. Rawson who fixed my shoulder. He says she's the best ortho surgeon he knows."

"Kate Rawson?" Sully asked.

"I think so," Mac replied. "She wasn't exactly a first name basis kind of doc. But she did a good job."

"She's one of my professors."

"Why does a nursing program have a doctor as a professor?"

"It's an advanced nurse practitioner program. I didn't bust my ass to finish my bachelor's in six semesters to spend my career passing out bandaids and giving flu shots."

Mac knew he looked surprised. But he didn't get to even open his mouth and say anything.

"We need to get this show on the road. Don't you dare move, MacGyver."

"But just so we're clear, I don't need a room."

She kicked off the break on Jack's wheelchair.

"You're going to sit right there until I come back and not just ghost like you do at least fifty percent of the time when you're down here. And you're going to let whoever I can pry off another case examine you and maybe stop the bleeding that's clearly still happening because you pulled a bonehead move and halfassedly superglued it and you keep moving and opening it back up, and once they get eyes on that concussion and tell you you're staying for observation, you're not going to argue because I'd like to eat dinner sometime this year and I have homework to do!"

Well, there's the Nurse Sullivan I've come to know and loathe.

Mac's mouth opened to reply but nothing came out. Jack gave him a now slightly doped up raised eyebrow look.

"Moving, Jack," she warned and started pushing the wheelchair down the hall.

They'd gone about twenty feet when Mac finally found his voice again. "Bossy and mean," he called at her back.

"Stubborn and ridiculous," she replied without breaking stride.

Mac made a very disgruntled face that he assumed was funny because another somebody he didn't know from the scrubs squad was walking by and gave him an annoying little smirk.

As Sully and Jack went around the corner, he heard Jack say, "You should see if you can find Dr. Captain America. Him and Mac hit it right off on the way here from the airport."

"If it'll keep him where I've told him to be, I'll go find actual Captain America."

Mac heaved a Jack-level dramatic sigh and leaned back to rest against the wall.