Anyway a big thank you to everyone that reviewed, favorited, followed, and pm'd! Also to my busy beta for taking the time to help make this story better! All remaining mistakes are mine.
Mac had completely forgotten he was still on the phone until he heard the line pick up. The young agent ended the call without a word and dialed Riley's private cell instead.
The hacker answered on the first ring. "Riley, we ran into some trouble at the hospital here and we uh… had to leave." Mac tried to explain their current situation gently. He certainly didn't want to tell her that not only had he been shot but so had Jack, again.
"What happened?" Riley asked "Listen Ri, I can't go into detail, but I think Sinclair had someone from The Phoenix on his payroll and now he is trying to get rid of uh, the evidence," Mac hedged.
"Are you guys okay?" Riley asked, with obvious concern.
"We will be." Mac unconsciously looked at his partner's heavily bandaged legfollowed the bloody dressings and bruises that decorated his chest, his gaze stopped on his friend's face. It was still a shock to see Jack in that condition. There was hardly a spot on his face that wasn't marred by a bruise or cut. Mac could easily make out the hand prints around the former Delta's neck. His left eye was swollen and deep purple with a gash on his eyebrow and a large split on the same cheekbone, both had been closed with stitches. His bottom lip was also busted, gravity had pulled the bruising, from there, to just under his chin. There was a thin cut on his neck from when Sinclair had nearly taken Jack from him for good.
"Mac… hey you buddy, you okay?" Jack questioned. His hoarse voice was barely audible in the aircraft.
Mac met Jack's worried eyes and broke out of his daze.
The young agent cleared his throat. "Yeah. Uh, Riley, can you find another hospital a safe distance away and keep our location off Phoenix channels."
"Way ahead of you, Mac, Matty has contacted the Assuta hospital in Tel Aviv, they will be ready for you when you arrive, which should be in about… three hours, based on your current location and Mac… how's he doing?" Riley asked nervously.
Mac looked over to his friend again. Jack's attention was still focused on him. Mac could tell his friend was in a lot of pain and he was trying to hide it. Jack was a helluva spy and he could bluff with the best of them, but Mac could tell when he was in pain, his eyes gave it away every time. One of the benefits from their ability of having entire conversations with just a look. Even with the evident pain and the additional bullet holes in his thigh, Jack seemed to be doing better. His vitals were much improved since the transfusion.
"I think he's going to be okay, Riley."
The hacker let out a sigh of relief. "You two really scared us this time," Riley admitted.
'He scared me too.' Mac silently agreed. He threw his eyes back to his partner, who looked close to sleep, each blink lasting longer than the last.
"Whoever this mole is, talked to Sinclair at least once, can you search for any calls made from the Phoenix to Turkey? Maybe they were stupid enough to use their private cell or a Phoenix line."
"You got it, Mac." Riley answered.
"Be careful, all of you. If Sinclairs informant is willing to go after us, he might go after you too."
"We will, Mac." Riley answered then ended the call. Her fingers flew over the keyboard as she hacked into the cell records of Phoenixes employees.
"What's the plan?" Dr. Costas asked. Her expression was one of discomfort. He guessed she wasn't used to being the one asking for direction. The other two women just looked scared. A pang of guilt shot through him. He had put these women and his best friend in mortal danger. Anyone of them could have been killed because he didn't think about the informant Sinclair had bought at The Phoenix and Jack had been shot, again.
"The Assuta hospital in Tel Aviv. We will be safe there." Mac answered.
"You guys aren't missionaries, are you?" The assistant asked.
Well, at least he knew what their cover ID's were now.
"I can't tell you what we do. I can only say I'm sorry for dragging all of you into this mess and for putting you in danger. I made a mistake and I will make it right, I promise." Mac assured. Dr. Costas conveyed the destination to the pilot and he nodded in acceptance, then he gently pulled the stick to the left to adjust their course.
Mac felt drained. The adrenaline from their encounter with the mercs had worn off and left him exhausted. It wasn't long before the steady whoop whoop from the helicopter blades lulled him to sleep.
Jack woke from a light doze and glanced over to where his partner sat. His friend had his eyes closed with his bruised features lax and his head resting on the chopper wall. The poor kid was exhausted. The last few days had definitely taken a toll on both of them.
"Is he okay?" Jack asked the woman who sat next to his friend.
The assistant curled two fingers around Mac's wrist to check the agent's pulse. It was strong and steady. "He's fine, he's just resting. You should try to get some rest too," She advised.
Jack relaxed his head back onto his pillow. The older agent felt like crap. Everything hurt and ached, but with his concern abated it wasn't long before he too went to sleep.
Jack drifted in and out of consciousness, his sleep disturbed by dreams of missions gone wrong, pain, and death. The Delta groaned loudly, his face pinched with pain.
Mac jerked awake with the sound of his friend's misery.
"His rest has been fitful. I'm afraid he may be going into septic shock. Those IV bags that were destroyed contained antibiotics and pain medicine." The assistant spoke forlornly. "His fever is increasing as is his pain level and there's nothing we can do to help until we get to the hospital." She shook her head hopelessly.
Sinclair's goons hammered away on Jack's midsection. His insides throbbed and burned as they traded off pummeling him. Alex got bored with Jack and stepped over to Mac, he reared back and slammed his meaty fist into the kid's abdomen. All the air whoosed out of his partner. "No! Mac!" Jack screamed at the son of a bitch to stop his attack.
"Jack, hey buddy. It's okay, I'm right here." Mac consoled after hearing his best friend call out his name in anguish.
Glassy brown eyes fluttered open and searched out the owner of the voice he knew so well. "Mac..." Jack reached for his friend with his injured right arm and Mac carefully grasped the delta's hand
Jack's face crumpled up in misery as another wave of pain hit. His breathing quickened and a deep guttural groan was ripped from within him. Jack's other hand gripped and twisted a wad of blanket tightly. "Mac, somethin's wrong…" Jack's voice wavered.
"There's nothing we can do?" Mac asked, pleadingly.
"Not until we get him to the hospital, I'm afraid." The assistant responded apologetically, she looked worried as she adjusted a blood pressure cuff just above her patient's elbow.
Mac placed his bandaged hand on top of Jack's shoulder. He was taken aback at how hot his partner's skin was to the touch, his friend was burning up. Once again he felt utterly helpless.
The monitor beeped and 59/37 flashed onto the screen. His friend's vitals were starting to decline.
The knife wounds were throbbing mercilessly, especially the one near his hip. The pain caused Jack's breath to catch with every inhale, which made him feel breathless. "Breathe through it buddy, try to breathe through it." Mac coached.
Jack rolled slightly to the left, away from the knife wound and gently placed his hand to cover the infected cut, hoping the light pressure would help lessen the intense throbbing pain there.
Jack's eyes locked onto his partner's. He tried to focus on blocking out the pain in his abdomen and slowing down his breathing. Just as he felt the pain start to lessen another wave crashed into him and pushed him further out in a sea of agony. The former Delta cried out again, too weak to hold it in.
"How much longer until we reach the hospital?" Mac shouted so he was heard above the noise of the helicopter.
"About ten to fifteen minutes," The pilot responded.
Mac frantically looked around the chopper searching for a solution. He had an overwhelming urge to get up and make something until he realized there was nothing he could fashion that would help his friend, not this time.
Jack let out another anguished cry. Guilt slammed into the young agent again. This was all his fault. If only he had remembered what Sinclair had told them about there being an informant among the upper echelons at the Phoenix, when he had called Matty, then Jack wouldn't be going septic, he wouldn't have been shot again, and he wouldn't be in so much pain right now.
He hated seeing his friend like this. Moisture threatened to breach his lower lids. "I'm sorry, Jack." Mac apologized softly.
"No Mac. This isn't… on you, brother." Jack said through clenched teeth.
Mac just shook his head, he doubted his friend could ever say anything that would make him feel any better about this.
Jack started shivering uncontrollably. After searching a few compartments, Mac found a blanket and spread it out over his friend. He could feel the heat from his partner coming through the blanket.
"Better?" Mac questioned. Jack nodded yes in return.
"Five minutes out," The pilot tossed over his shoulder.
"Almost there," Mac said more to himself than to Jack. His friend's eyes started to lose their focus and drooped down for too long.
"Hey, stay with me," The young agent commanded.
"Mm tired," The former Delta slurred in reply.
"I know buddy. I'll let you take a nice long nap after we get to the hospital. Okay?"
"Kay." Jack agreed.
Seconds later, they touched down on the helipad. The back doors opened and two ER nurses carefully unloaded Jack. Mac followed, at a jog, beside his partner.