Thank you for the kind reviews, fav's, follows, and pm's. Those reviews and messages really are a writers fuel! I never knew how important they were until I started writing. That's right, I'm not proud, I'll beg for them if I have to. ;) Here's chapter twenty, I hope you all enjoy. Lifeart, you are amazing as always! Thank you for correcting the many mistakes you find. All remaining mistakes are mine.
The medics were a flurry of activity, once inside the aircraft. One took vitals and sliced Jack's borrowed shirt up the middle to expose the older agent's abused chest, while the other established the IV and began the transfusion. The younger man kept a hold of Jack's hand, refusing to break contact with his partner.
They attached the heart monitor pads to the Delta's chest and Mac watched, willing the beats to strengthen and even out. As if to spite the Phoenix agent, the machine showed the opposite. Instead of becoming stronger, like he wished, the white line that signaled the beats with a slanted letter N became erratic, taking on a wave-like pattern. "He's in V Fib!" the medic stated, sharing a nervous look with the other medic.
"Sir, we need you to let go," the voice from one of the medics finally filtered through to Mac. Not fully understanding the request, the blonde furrowed his brow.
"Agent MacGyver, we need you to stand clear so we can shock your partner and try to get a normal rhythm."
Mac nodded and released Jack's hand. He immediately missed the contact and feared that somehow, by him letting go, his friend would slip away from him.
The AED counted down and delivered a shock. Jack's back arched with the current, then went still.
They all watched the monitor intensely, first one beat then another. The small glimmer of relief at the sight of those two beats vanished when that line flattened out.
A continuous beep sounded, confirming what the young agent was seeing. His best friend's heart had stopped. Mac felt as if his own had stopped along with Jack's. That beep sucked all the air from his lungs. 'This wasn't happening… this couldn't be happening.'
The medic, who had spoken to him, didn't waste any time and started compressions, the other one pulled a ventilator bag from his med kit and sealed the mask over Jack's mouth and nose.
Mac wanted to scream, he wanted to hit something or someone. He wanted to hunt down everyone that ever knew that bastard Sinclair and make them pay for allowing his existence.
"Push one of epi," The medic, manually pumping Jack's heart, ordered.
Mac's heart constricted painfully and tears pooled in his bright blue eyes. "Jack," Mac choked out brokenly. "I- I can't lose him," he stammered, practically begging the men to bring his best friend back, though his eyes never left Jack's face.
The medic, operating the vent bag, glanced up and offered him a look full of compassion.
Mac nearly snapped at him that he didn't need his pity, that if one person could make it through everything they had been subjected to the last few days it would be Jack.
The medic doing compressions paused for his cohort to administer the two rescue breaths and watched the heart monitor which remained unchanged. He shook his head and they shared a look of disappointment.
Mac's jaw dropped slightly as he took in the scene before him. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. They were giving up on him.
The blonde slid over on his knees and pushed the medic out of the way so he could take over doing compressions. "He'd never give up on me, I'm not giving up on him."
The medic dared not interfere with the stalwart agent. Even though he thought Jack was a lost cause he had heard about some of the duo's exploits and knew the two were close, more like brothers than partners. In his line of work, he often saw just how difficult these situations were for the survivor, most of them being plagued with suffocating guilt and what if's.
Mac never thought, not even in his worst nightmares, that he would have to do this for Jack, never. He found the spot two fingers above the xiphoid process and started compressions.
The sticky pads of the AED picked up Mac's compressions letting him know he was pushing hard enough to pump blood through his partner's body.
The first crack of Jack's ribs, or their cartilage, Mac felt rather than heard in the noisy chopper. Although he knew it was a sign of good solid compressions, he cringed as it made him queasy. If he had had anything to eat recently he was sure it would have made a reappearance.
Sweat beaded on his brow and disturbed the tiny hairs on his back as drops rolled down. His muscles burned and ached. Exertion along with the sharp pains from his broken rib made it difficult to breathe. He ignored all of it. Nothing was going to stop him from trying to bring his brother back.
"27, 28, 29, 30," the blond called out loud enough for the medic across from him to hear in the noisy chopper. The young agent cupped both sides of his friend's face, while the rescue breaths were administered. "Jack! Come on man… Jack, please don't do this to me!" Mac had leaned in close and spoke the last part just to his friend.
He half expected Jack to open his eyes and tell him not to worry because he was fine, but he didn't.
"1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7-" Something between a cough and a choking sound came from Jack followed by a gasp. Mac stopped compressions and watched the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, Jack's heart beating again. Mac felt the pulse point on his partner's neck not fully trusting what his eyes were telling him. He released a choked sob of relief when he confirmed that his brother's heart was really beating.
Jack's head rolled to the side as he coughed and moaned weakly. The look of stunned disbelief showed on the medics' faces and it took a few seconds before they sprung back into action.
Mac moved up closer to Jack's head and allowed the medic he replaced to have his position back. "Jack… hey man, can you hear me?."
"Hey buddy, open your eyes." Mac said while gently patting the side of Jack's face. "Jack, please…" Mac pled. Slowly chocolate brown eyes cracked open. His unfocused gaze found Mac and a moment later the older agent's brows pulled together slightly. "Mac?" Jack rasped.
Jack's breath hitched and he winced when he tried to take a deep breath. The blond felt a twinge of guilt as he knew his compressions were most likely the cause.
"Yeah big guy, it's me," Mac answered and moved his hand from the side of his partner's face to grasp his hand.
"you 'kay?" Jack asked his partner, intently focused on Mac's eyes
"Yeah, brother, I'm okay." Mac answered brokenly, with a choked sob. The young agent was slammed with a flood of emotions and tears filled his blue eyes again with Jack's concerned question. Fear with a dash of anger, that Jack worried about Mac too much and himself not enough, love and gratitude for the selfless protection Jack has always given him and the brother/father relationship that they forged, sadness that his own father never showed Mac even a fraction of the love and protection that the man in front of him has, a man he doesn't even share any DNA with. Tears freely slid off the blond lower lashes of the young Phoenix agent. Jack furrowed his brow in concern, clearly not believing his partner's reply.
Jack's heart had stopped beating, he had died and was dead not even a minute ago and he was asking if Mac was "okay".
Mac was far from okay. He had to perform CPR on his best friend. He was definitely not "okay" but Jack was alive.
Jack squeezed his eyes shut. A low grunt passed his lips.
"Can you give him something for the pain?"
The medic next to Mac shook his head. "I think the risk outweighs the need. We have morphine, but it could suppress his breathing and he is having enough trouble with that as it is."
Mac nodded in reply. "Where are we going and how long until we arrive?" he asked anxiously.
"We are headed to a hospital in Mardin, Turkey. We should arrive soon, I'll check with the pilot." The medic finished hanging another blood bag then put on a headset and asked the pilot their ETA. "Seven to ten minutes," The pilot responded.
"Almost there brother," Mac said, offering a reassuring smile. Jack was still out of it and didn't acknowledge that Mac had spoken.
Mac lifted Jack's head a bit and placed a hand underneath to keep his head off the hard metal floor and more stabilized.
As he looked at his partner's bruised and bloodied face, anger bubbled up inside him, burning in his gut. Jack had been beat up before, but never like this. Sinclair and his goons had yanked away his security blanket. His belief that no bad guy could get the best of the former Delta was challenged as Jack lay there and his life hung in the balance.
Finally the Blackhawk started its descent onto the hospital helicopter landing pad.
Mac felt a squeeze on his hand and looked down to his friend. To his surprise Jack's eyes were focused on him.
"I'll be okay, brother," Jack rasped.
"You better be," Mac stated, with no humor in his expression.
Jack gave him a fond smile before it disappeared into a grimace. He coughed weakly and moaned as he squeezed his eyes shut.
Mac gently wiped a tear that escaped from his friend's eye with his thumb.
His knees were stiff from kneeling on the chopper floor. It took a bit more effort than he wanted to admit to get them working again. He helped the medic's carry Jack to the gurney a few feet away.
While the nurses arranged Jack and hung the IV bags to the pole attached to the hospital bed, one of the medics patted his shoulder from behind and said, "Director Webber set up cover I.D's for you both and she sent in a top surgeon for your partner. He's one tough dude, he'll pull through." The medic offered a comforting smile and handed the Phoenix agent a small bag containing lira, their cover passports, and other necessary documents. Mac nodded and sprinted to catch up to his best friend, who was being rushed to the entrance of the hospital, a short distance away. Once he caught up, one hand went on the back of the gurney, urging it forward, and the other one settled on his partner's shoulder. Jack responded by tilting his head towards him.
Even though Jack was a little out of it, he felt the warm hand on his shoulder and seemed to take comfort in the knowledge Mac was by his side.
If you were curious about the AED and CPR section, I am no doctor, but I have been CPR certified and recertified several times and I was always told a shock from a defibrillator will not restart a heart. Defibrillators help regulate irregular heart beats. We can thank Hollywood for continually perpetuating that falsehood. If you are a medical expert and disagree please feel free to pm me and correct me.