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Jack watched as his partner crumpled to the ground, the sound of the gunshot echoing in his ears. There was a shout of fury, and then the gunman dropped to the ground, a bullet planted in his heart.
Jack turned his gaze away from the man he had just shot, gazing in worry at his partner, who had yet to stand up. Jack knelt by the younger man, worry sparking in his gaze, only to feel relief when the blond's eyes opened and his wheezing breaths seemed to even out a bit.
The older man helped his partner sit up, running his gaze worriedly over the younger man. "You hurt anywhere?"
MacGyver shrugged, still looking a little dazed from his sudden drop to the concrete. "Think 'm fine. Just a little shook up. I think that guy missed."
Jack felt a surge of anger replace the relief that had filled him just moments earlier. "You could've been killed, you idiot," He growled out.
MacGyver scowled up at him as the blond struggled into a standing position. "Excuse me? I just saved your life."
Jack felt his anger surge, and he towered over the younger man; this was made easier by the way the kid was still hunched over slightly. "You shouldn't have gotten in front of the bullet."
"What, and just let you get hurt?"
Jack nodded, and he saw his partner's eyes widen in disbelief as he began to become angry as well. "That's ridiculous, Jack, and you know it. I'm not just about to stand by and let you get hurt!"
The brunet opened his mouth to argue again, but MacGyver cut him off. "I think I'll get a cab home. See you later, Jack."
The younger man turned away, and Jack was about to shout after him. Suddenly, though, the blond collapsed to his knees, his hand going to his side, underneath his jacket. The younger man pulled his hand away from his side and held it up to his eyes. From over Mac's shoulder, Jack could see that the hand was covered in blood, the red liquid glistening sickeningly. Jack, at his friend's side in a few quick strides, quickly laid the younger man on his back. He hoped the wound, which had blossomed into view, a red fatal red rose that continued to grow over the kid's stomach, didn't have an exit wound. If it didn't have an exit wound that meant that gravity would help keep the blood inside.
His friend seized in pain as Jack attempted to stem the blood by shoving his jacket against the wound. A strangled cry escaped the younger man's lips, and Jack was barely aware of the agents that flooded the parking garage, finally having arrived after being alerted to the gunshot. Bizarrely, the thought floated through Jack's mind that they needed a better response time. He processed, somewhere in the part of his mind that wasn't completely preoccupied with his partner's pain, that someone had called an ambulance that was only a few moments away from arriving. The sirens added to the chaos of sounds that threatened to drown out everything else, but Jack was only focused on two sounds: his friend's ragged breaths and intermittent cries of pain.
The paramedics shouldered Jack aside so that they could take control of the situation; Jack barely had the presence of mind to immediately look for Patty. The woman was beside him, her face pale but her composure calm. She motioned for Jack to follow her, and they immediately ran for Thornton's car as fast as they could. The woman drove, Jack buckling himself into the passenger seat with trembling hands that were still stained with blood- his friend's blood.
As she drove, Jack's boss glanced over at him while pointing towards the glove compartment. "Wipes are in there. Clean off your hands."
Jack followed her instructions. He used the wipes to clean his hands and wrists until they stung, then grabbed a bottle offhand sanitizer and kept rubbing at his hands as he attempted to clean the sight of his friend's blood from his mind.
They reached the hospital quickly and were directed to wait in the waiting room while MacGyver was in surgery, with the assurance that when information became available on the younger man, they would have it.
The two friends waited for three long, agonizing hours before the doctor appeared in the waiting room. "Angus MacGyver?" She called.
Jack and Thornton made their way over to her. She smiled at them, and Jack felt himself relax as she said, "He's going to be fine. He suffered a gunshot wound to the abdomen, but somehow, nothing major was hit. It'll take a bit of rest before he's ready to be back on his feet, but this should have no major effects on him in the long run. He's in room 418 if you want to go see him."
Jack let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, ma'am."
He headed down the hall immediately, leaving Thornton to get the rest of the details from the doctor, such as how long he would need to stay in the hospital. Jack entered the younger man's hospital room to be greeted with the sight of his partner lying still on the bed, his eyes open, but clouded over by a drug-induced haze.
The older man lowered himself into the chair by the bed, leaning forward a bit so that his friend could see him. Angus asked him as he sat, in a way that was most likely produced by the drugs as he normally wasn't so blunt, "You st'll m'd at me?"
Jack laughed shakily. "Nah, buddy. I wasn't mad at you, really."
MacGyver's gaze floated lazily around the room before coming to rest on his partner's face. "Seem'd like it."
Jack scrubbed a hand over his face. "I was worried. It's not supposed to be your job to save me; I'm supposed to save you."
MacGyver frowned. "'S not okay for you to die."
The brunet looked at his friend in a bit of confusion. "I know. But if it comes down to it, you better believe that I'd do everything I can to get you out alive."
The blond's hand twitched, as if he was trying to wave it to emphasize his next words but lacked the strength. "'M not gonna let you die either."
Jack was about to protest again when he saw the stubborn look in the kid's eye. He floundered for a moment as he realized what the younger man was trying to say. Jack might be willing to sacrifice everything to save MacGyver, but the blond was willing to do exactly the same.
A warm feeling blossomed into existence in Jack's chest.
Clearing his throat, the older man patted MacGyver's leg and said, "How about we just both do our best to stay out of trouble, huh?"
MacGyver nodded solemnly, his eyes wide and sincere. "S'nds good."
Man, Jack thought in amusement as he watched his friend's eyes begin to slide shut, those drugs are taking effect fast. Jack patted his partner's leg again, this time saying softly, "Just go to sleep, buddy."
Angus nodded, yawning once before settling back into his pillows and giving a small, contented sigh, and falling asleep almost immediately.
Patricia came into the room, resting a hand on the back of Jack's chair as she watched her sleeping agent. "How is he?"
Jack felt a tiny smile inch its way onto his face. "He's gonna be fine."