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It was— hot. It was always hot. The average day was always hovering around one hundred degrees. The nights weren’t too much better, dropping to an average of around eighty-five, sometimes a solid eighty if they were lucky.
It was kind of funny when they had new guys on base. Without missing a beat, everyone on their first day commented on how hot it was.
“It’s fucking hot man.”
“Never this hot back home.”
“Used to think I knew what heat was.”
And there was always the odd one out.
“This is nothing. Dry heat is better than humid. I visit Death Valley every year and this is so much cooler in comparison. Nah, I’m not thirsty. I’m used to the heat so it doesn’t effect me.”
Doc Roe always had a bed available for when that person inevitably collapsed from heat stroke.
Of course all the other guys did their fair share of complaining.
“What I wouldn’t give for some ice right now.”
And somehow, Mac was always dragged into some sort of scheme.
“Okay Macgyver. We got that old fridge that’s on the fritz and is just sitting there. You tell us what else you need to be able to convert it into our own personal AC and we’ll take the heat from up above, no pun intended.”
“So I have my sister sending me a kiddy pool. Would you be able to like— I dunno, make like the opposite of a jacuzzi? You’ll always have a spot in it if you can.”
“Dude use your extensive knowledge of thermodynamics and just like freeze everything. I can’t stand it anymore.”
It was amusing, because in theory Mac could do all those things with the right equipment and enough time.
All the guys were always so focused on getting themselves to cool off that they never really made sure Mac was in his right mind to do anything.
“Here.” Except Jack, of course. “It was at that point where I touched it and it did the insta-freeze. Already halfway melted again though just from the walk over.”
There wasn’t a day where Jack didn’t have Mac’s well being in his head.
“And mama sent us like four different kinds of sunscreen and a couple a bandannas; said it’s been scorcher after scorcher over there and can only imagine what it’s like here.”
“She always seems to know what to send all the time. You haven’t talked to her in a while though.”
“I think given the fact that she sent packages to daddy when he served helps a lot. Just kinda knows the pattern to things.”
It wasn’t just Mac either. Any guy that looked like they were having a difficult time got a taste of Jack’s caring nature, most often being the ones that had to unload supply trucks. There was always a time constraint and the faster it was done the better, but when it was his own guys in charge of it, Jack told them to rest as needed and to make sure they were sweating.
Mac noticed that on particularly hot days, even when they didn’t have assignments, Jack was pushing water on him.
“Just cuz we ain’t movin’ doesn’t mean yer any less likely to succumb to heatstroke. Can’t tell if yer sweatin’ or not so ya need to drink more.”
It was always focus on others, mostly, focus on Mac. And while Mac found it annoying most of the time, he would admit that he really didn’t have the best survival instincts when it came to taking care of himself. He wasn’t trying to sabotage himself, but there were a lot of times when he just forgot to eat, or fill his water, or pay attention to his surroundings. It was just easier to finish everything he had to do first instead of stopping several times for trivial things.
“Eatin’ and drinkin’ ain’t trivial! Ya literally need to do those things to survive, ‘specially out in this hellhole. Now yer gonna stop doin’ whatever the hell yer doin’ and we’re gonna head over and get some grub so you don’t collapse.”
Not to mention when they were out in the field. That was a whole different level. That was actually Jack’s whole purpose in the army. Making sure Mac stayed hydrated was one thing, making sure he didn’t get killed was another, and according to Jack, the latter was significantly easier.
Thinking about it, there was a bit of an imbalance in how much they looked after one another. It was an off handed comment someone made, not trying to cause any discourse and just pointing out the, apparently clear to everyone but Mac, statement.
“Man it’s like you have your own personal butler or servant. I’ve seen you working and he brings you food and water all the time. Most my watch has done for me is give me something half eaten from his tray.”
Mac felt— wrong after thinking about it. Jack did a lot of things for him, and nearly all of the time it was without being asked. It made him feel like a burden.
“Hey, can you stop doing things for me? Or just— I don’t know, guys have been saying I’m taking advantage of your kindness and I don’t want you to think I am because I don’t mean to if that’s what it seems like. You have a tough job and I don’t want to add more, unnecessary things on top of what you do.”
“Hell you talkin’ ‘bout? Who’s been sayin’ yer takin’ advantage of me? I know what I’m doin’. I’m gonna continue to do it. My job ain’t nearly as difficult as yers. I watch yer back, yeah, but you could explode any second while we’re out. You need to be as stress free as possible so that doesn’t happen. Maybe I am pamperin’ you just a bit, but if that helps in the long run then I’m happy to do it. ‘Sides, if I didn’t bring you food whenever it’s time to eat, then you won’t eat and that’ll mess everythin’ up for the day and I’d rather not have that happen. And maybe this could be a lesson to the other watches. Maybe their techs could have perfect records if they did like I do.”
That pretty much settled the matter as much as it could be settled. Jack didn’t stop doing anything, but Mac consciously put in effort so Jack wouldn’t bring him food half the week. Overall, there was no massive change to their dynamic.
Mac started paying attention though, actually realizing how much Jack did for him, and not just the big things. Sure the big ones were more noticeable, but the little ones were everywhere. Mainly, all the little things Jack kept on his person; bits of wire, string, paper clips, old batteries, new batteries, rubber— things that would appear as trash to anyone else that saw them, but crucial tools for Mac out in the field.
“Why are you carrying around a stick?”
“What of you need a stick and we ain’t got one? Should put a note on it to keep it in the ‘vee as an important tool that helps ya do yer job.”
It wasn’t just paying attention to all the extra things Jack did. He started noticing all the things other watches didn’t do. Not all of them made sure their partner got something to eat, or carried around extra things, or took the heat for something going wrong, and he twas sure they definitely didn’t tell off command. Mac never thought they were all that different from other teams, besides the fact they took a lot longer for things, and that was his fault.
“You ready to go? Supposed to be like a million degrees today. Gettin’ out sooner means gettin’ back sooner, means we don’t gotta get the heat of the day out in the vast nothingness of which we work.”
Mac rose a brow. “Are you trying to become a poet or philosopher? That was kinda meta.”
“Ah I just didn’t sleep too well. Think a bug was crawlin’ on me all night.”
“You alright to go out?”
That was an instance of when Jack would push and push and push. If Mac felt off then Jack would head to the command tent and demand Mac stay at base until he recovered.
“I’ll be fine. Ain’t the first night of havin’ shit sleep, won’t be the last.”
Jack would push.
“Are you sure? I know how you get cranky.”
“Usin’ my own lines on me. Can’t believe I’m finally rubbin’ off on ya.” Jack nudged him and went towards their humvee.
Mac couldn’t push enough.
***
“I know there’s like dozens of different kinds of bombs and you’ve dealt with alla them, is there like a heat sensor one? Or I guess it could be a cold sensor since it’s like hell itself out here. Bomb gets hidden and when it gets cold enough it gets set off.”
Mac finished his disarm as Jack spoke, piling all the components together in the dedicated container. “Theoretically yeah. A temperature trigger would work in the same sense of a speed trigger. Once it gets above or believe a certain number then it can start a timer or just explode. I mean there’s probably some around but if it’s a cold sensor then it might not work, all things considered.”
“Whadda ‘bout a puzzle one?”
“They’re all kinda already puzzles in their own way.”
“I mean a legit one, like a rubix cube or somethin’. The puzzle box from Hellraiser.”
“I don’t think I ever want to find one like that. What would happen if it went off? Would I explode or would it release— what even is he?”
“Dude who turned into a demon.”
“Yeah, I’d rather have it explode on me than deal with that.”
“Ya don’t think I could take him?”
“I know your skills with a gun are way up there, but I think you’d have a tough time trying to take down a guy that turned into a demon.”
“Thanks for yer vote of confidence. I’m headed to ya.”
Mac rolled his eyes. He opened his canteen for a drink, only to get a sip as it had pretty much been drained earlier. It had only been their third stop of the day and he’d already drained his canteen twice. It wasn’t that it was really any hotter than usual. Sure, there was a bit of a heatwave, but even then, not really close to record breaking. Not the worst heat they’ve endured before.
The container was picked up and Mac started heading back to the ‘vee, listening for Jack’s footsteps coming behind him.
Surprisingly, he made it all the way back without Jack behind him.
“Jack?”
Not all that surprising. It wasn’t often that Jack did it, but sometimes he would more or less disappear, stalking Mac through a thoroughly deserted town as an enemy to keep him on his toes. The first time it happened, after the initial panic, Mac thought he was going to be lectured again about leaving Jack’s line of sight, then gave Jack an earful about the whole thing.
“Okay Jack, uncle. Didn’t think you’d do it on a hot day like today but I guess that’s what I get. You can tell me what I did wrong when we get back because I don’t have the brain capacity to listen and understand you right now.”
There was nothing for a beat. He went for his radio.
“Jack? Did you get any of that?”
Still nothing.
Okay, maybe it was time to actually get serious over the whole thing. Mac grabbed the sat phone and cautiously made his way back to where Jack was set up, hoping for the best but ready for the worst.
Maybe not ready. The shit command pulled with quote unquote kidnapping Jack off the battlefield had always stuck in the back of his head, wondering if something similar was happening. The whole stalking aspect Jack did was a different story, communicating through clicks on their comms to let the other know they were indeed still there. And the whole situation of an actual enemy being in the area always came with one word commands Mac knew not to question.
So—
Jack not giving any sort of response for any scenario didn’t sit well with Mac at all.
He stopped to listen every few steps, hoping to get some sort of answer to anything he’d been saying or get some sort of noise indicating the whole thing was just very elaborate. Each time he stopped he got nothing.
When he got to the building Jack had claimed, he didn’t call for him, just in case something had happened. Mac didn’t have a weapon on him, so if thing did, he’d have to rely on his instincts and hand to hand to make sure he came out on top.
He checked each room as he went in, making his way slowly up the stairs that would lead to the roof. The hand on his shoulder on the second floor had definitely caught him off guard. He turned, grabbed the hand and pulled it down expecting an attack, readying a punch of his own, only for the owner to be the one he was looking for.
“Jack!”
“Whoa there slugger. Good to know yer quick on yer feet.”
“What the hell? I’ve been calling! I thought something happened to you!”
Jack’s lips twitched up. “Had to make it seem realistic.”
Mac met his gaze with a flat stare and slight glare, noting that Jack sounded ever so slightly winded.
“I’ll disappear on you next time, see how you like it.”
“I’d like to point out you already did that and it didn’t go very well.”
Mac rolled his eyes and began the trek back to the humvee. “You’ve been in the sun too long to pull something like that. Never would’ve let it happen before.”
“Probably right. I feel like I got forgot on the grill. Drained my canteen, ready for somethin’ from the cooler.”
Only when they got to the humvee and got ready to leave—
“There’s no cooler.” Mac said, looking through the vehicle.
“What?” Jack also looked back. “How the hell— ah, fuck. I left it sittin’ there all ready to get packed away. I knew I fuckin’ forgot somethin’ when we were leavin’.” He wiped the sweat from his face. “Sorry Mac.”
Mac waved him off. “That gives us an excuse to go back at least. Not like we can continue on with no water.”
“Yeah… I’ll give ‘em a call and tell ‘em I fucked up and were comin’ back.” Jack sat in the driver seat hard, eyes closed with a deep exhale.
“Want me to drive? You’ve been exposed to the sun a lot more and longer than I have.”
“I’m okay. Kickin’ myself over an idiot mistake.”
“You said you had a rough night. It happens.”
Mac should’ve pushed. Jack was already in the driver’s seat.
“Should only be ‘bout an hour to get back. Think you can last that long?”
“You’re the one that was in direct sunlight all day. I’m better off than you are right now.”
“Yeah yeah, I’ve heard it before. Just get in so we can get goin’. Blast the air to try and cool us down at least a bit so we won’t feel as thirsty.”
***
It was quiet. Twenty minutes into their drive back to base and Jack hadn’t said anything. They’d had bad days before, arguing while out, or an innocent party getting injured. That was when it was normal. The silence that filled the inside of the humvee then was needed to mentally and emotionally cool down before something regrettable was said.
The current instance, needing to cool down was very much being used for the literal sense.
Despite the air being blasted, Mac was still sweating. The air coming from the vents wasn’t cold. It didn’t feel nice as it blew over his skin. It nearly made the whole experience worse, and the temptation to shut it off completely was there.
Jack looked— wrong. He wasn’t sweating. His eyes were drooped. His skin that should’ve faded to the normal exhausted pink from the sun was still bright red. On top of all of it, Jack didn’t seem like he was catching any of the looks Mac was sending to him.
“Jack. Pull over.”
He didn’t stop. He didn’t slow down. He didn’t even acknowledge hearing Mac.
Mac should’ve pushed before they went out.
“Jack.” A hand went to his arm, and the amount of heat coming off through the sleeve was a definite call for concern.
Mac knew the signs, the symptoms. He’d sat through the first aid course enough times to know what heat stroke looked like, knew the major different between that and exhaustion, and that exhaustion would be very preferable.
“Jack!” He didn’t want to yell, but the panic in his voice seemed like just enough to get Jack to momentarily snap out of whatever trance he was in.
“What! What’s wrong?”
“Pull over!”
Rather than actually pulling over, Jack more or less slammed on the breaks and stopped right there.
“What’s goin’ on?”
“You’re non responsive is what’s going on. Get out and switch me, or lay down in the back.”
“I’m respondin’ just fine.”
“Not for the last five minutes. You’re showing classic signs of heat stroke and we don’t have anything to try and combat it. And you’ve started to swerve so excuse me if I’m worried about your well being.” Mac got out and went around to Jack’s side. “Out. I’m driving the rest of the way.”
Jack didn’t fight at all, merely getting out and making his way to the other side. “I’m okay, Mac.”
“You will be. Right now you just need to try to stay awake.”
“With how you drive? Think it’ll be pretty difficult to do.”
“I’ll make sure I get there before you inevitably pass out then.”
***
Mac had made good on his promise on getting them back before Jack passed out, only for him to pass out as Mac was getting him from the humvee, having to call others over to help keep him upright and get him to med.
“You’re a lucky bastard Macgyver. No water in this heat is nearly always bait for a trip to here on a substantially more serious note.” Doc Roe said as he tended to Jack. “It’s always up in the air which one will get more strikes in a day. This time Dalton’s adding to the side.”
Mac was sitting opposite Roe, nursing water and electrolytes while watching Jack get cooling packs in all major areas and hooked up to cold saline.
“There’s been more watches getting heat stroke than techs?”
“You could say that. Dalton’s the only one who’s passed out and I think that counts as more than one strike. It was inevitable though. Everyone eventually gets heat stroke or exhaustion. Being out for it is kinda uncommon, but you two are uncommon so it fits.”
“Will he be alright?”
“Passing out isn’t my favorite thing, or that we couldn’t wake him at all, but as long as we can get his temp down and keep it down for a while he should be fine. A few days here to recover and he’ll be just like new.”
That was a relief.
“How’d this happen? Dalton’s always all uppity on making sure you guys always have enough everything, specifically you. I know today’s hotter than normal but this is really out of character for him.”
Mac ran a hand through his hair. “He didn’t sleep well last night so he kind of forgot our cooler when we left. Neither of us noticed until he’d already been in the sun for hours.”
Roe sucked in a breath. “Well, I’m going to put down heat stroke due to immense dehydration. No mention of missing or forgotten coolers, purely for my own dastardly plans. Big boss doesn’t seem to understand that just because we work in a desert doesn’t mean we’re immune to the heat waves. It’s a miracle my med tent isn’t bursting at the seams. Unfortunate for Dalton but hopefully they’re realize that not even their top watch is safe with this. Do they listen to me when I say stay put for safety and health concerns? Nope. If I wanted people to blow off my advice then I would’ve stayed home, not enlisted, and told my kids to clean their rooms.
“Anyway, do you want to be given a break? I could write you a note saying you have heat exhaustion and you won’t have to do PE with all your other classmates. That’ll really get those idiots to listen to the medical professionals. Everyone knows your name so finding out that you went out in this heat and suffered consequences—”
“I— think I’m alright, Doc.”
“Macgyver, please. No one listens to me. You’re my stepping stone.”
“If I don’t have to sit out then I don’t want to. That would just make someone else take my place and do the job I’m still perfectly able of doing.”
“You’re too honest for your own good.” Roe gestured to the opening. “Go sack out on your own bunk then, and don’t come crying to me when you realize the mistake you’ve made.”
Mac snorted and rolled his eyes, making his way towards the opening. “Will you tell me when he wakes up?”
“Yeah yeah. I’ll send someone.”
While he didn’t necessarily want to leave, the bed he had taken should go to someone that actually needed it. Not to mention he would most likely be called to explain why they were back so early, despite the obvious. He needed to think up an excuse. There was no way he was going to throw Jack under the bus and say he forgot the cooler. The punishment for a dumb mistake would be something drastic and idiotic all the same. He could say he forgot the cooler and take whatever was thrown at him, along with the lecture that would come with it, and questions about why Jack was the only one in a more dire condition.
He was guaranteed a few minutes at least before someone went looking for him, which may or may not prove enough to think of something that kept both of them out of trouble.
***
“You take this long every goddamn time? Sheesh. Dalton’s a fucking saint with how patient he’s gotta be.”
Mac was out in the field, disarming an IED like he did every day.
Only—
No Jack.
“Macgyver. Care to explain the situation you’re currently in? Why your overwatch is apparently showing advanced signs of extreme heat stroke and you look like you just had a day at the pool? I have Roe pestering me and command up the ladder breathing down my neck, so please explain how you’re perfectly fine and Dalton is unconscious in med.”
There was a snarky answer ready to be told, but Speirs really wasn’t the one to joke around with.
“I don’t know sir. I’m in the shade more than he is.”
“You’re forgoing wearing your suit when you disarm. I don’t want to fault you because it’s so hot, but in the event you’re not able to disarm and get clear, the injuries you’ll sustain won’t be as minor.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “You’re up and coherent. You’re still clear to work. We can’t afford to have any more people down and out. You’ll go back out with a temporary watch until Dalton’s back on his feet.”
Mac didn’t necessarily have an issue with it, work was work no matter who was watching his back, but it was so different. The drive out was quieter than he was used to, there wasn’t double checking everything as they got to the destination, there was no mindless chatter in his ears as he was working. If anything, he was taking longer because of it. The only similar thing was the complaining, but even then, Jack was always joking around. Cooler seemed genuinely annoyed by it.
“You’re lucky you don’t have to get used to if; took months for Jack to stop hounding me about it.”
“If you went fast, he wouldn’t have to be in the sun as long.”
That was uncalled for… but not really wrong. If Mac did the minimum for each IED, they’d be done quicker, meaning Jack wouldn’t have gotten heat stroke, or at least it would’ve greatly lower his chances.
Mac just continued working, no point in arguing. It would just put both of them in a bad mood. He did wish there was something to fill the silence. It wasn’t horrible, he was just so used to Jack that it felt wrong for him to hear his actual thoughts, or the hot breeze, or every crack of something in the town that may or may not be a person. There shouldn’t have been. They did a sweep, not nearly as thorough as normal, but they didn’t see anything or anyone that looked like an issue. Then again, if they were good, the enemy wouldn’t look like an issue, which Cooper either didn’t understand or didn’t care about.
It wasn’t a big town, the average of what they went to on a day to day basis. There were kids running around, people running their business, everyone just going on with their day to day life. And Mac was there, disarming a bomb that could take out half of everything.
And— there was someone right next to him.
It was startling. The silence in the comms was so loud that he didn’t see or hear the child come up to him, and the bigger red flag was Cooper didn’t either. They couldn’t have been older than five, a curious expression locked on their face, just a few feet from him.
That situation hadn’t happened in a very long time, not since Mac had been paired with Jack. His hands were deep in an IED, one he couldn’t afford to stop dealing with. Yet there was a child, fascinated with what he was doing.
“Uh, Cooper?”
“What?”
“Is— are you— you see this right?”
“I’ve been watching.”
“And you didn’t think to give me a heads up about it?”
“Kids are hardly dangerous in most places. If I thought they were a danger then I would’ve told you.”
“You’re supposed to warn me about anyone that’s in my vicinity.”
“Don’t you tell me how to do my job, Macgyver. You want me to watch you’re back? Fine.”
***
“Dalton I swear to god. If you get out of that bed one more time then I’m going to report that your case is too severe and has been getting worse and that a hospital is the best choice of action for us to take.”
Jack slowly laid himself back on his cot. “C’mon doc. It’s been two days already. I’m fine. Lemme get outta here and back to what I’m used to.”
“You’re fine because you’ve been in here the whole time being pumped full of lost fluids. Everyone here is already dehydrated enough, you just went the extra step.”
“I don’t even have any symptoms!”
“And I’d like to keep it that way. A generalized okay usually takes three days and I plan to keep you the whole time.” Roe switched out an IV bag. “I know you wanna get out because Macgyver has someone else with him right now and that’s making you nervous. Little do you know that the worry isn’t doing any good to help your case in being okay. One more day, Dalton, then I’ll stick you with a near perfect bill of health and you can go back to playing in the sandbox.”
“Killin’ me over here, doc.”
“No, but I could and no one would be the wiser.”
Jack let out a huff. Two days in med was always a joke to some guys. It ment nothing. Two days in med was a little scratch. Two days in med was a splinter. Two days in med was a quick break from everything that had to be done. People were nearly begging for two days in med. Jack used to be one of them.
The current situation had changed his mind on the whole thing.
Mac wasn’t there when he woke up the first day.
“Before you start freaking out and making everything worse, he’s fine. Probably getting yelled at for how stupid this whole thing is. Honestly Dalton, you pay so much attention to him and make sure he’s not overworking and running himself ragged that you neglect your own health and I know I shouldn’t have to tell you that by neglecting yourself will hurt both of you in the end, right?”
Mac had appeared when it was close to light’s out.
“Speirs has me paired with Cooper until you’re okay, and since I didn’t have any problems when we got back, I got sent out again. He’s not too bad, complaining about how slow I am, but thanks to you I can tone him out completely.”
Light’s out on the first night was when Jack tried to leave, to go speak to Speirs and have him keep Mac on base until he was better, but ultimately failed.
Mac had come by that morning to see him.
“You know, this kind of feels like a kid telling their mom they’re gonna go play with a friend but the mom really doesn’t like that friend but can’t outright say it. I’ll be fine.”
“What can I say? No one can keep ya safe like I can.”
“I admire your confidence in saying you’re the best here and everyone else sucks.”
It was the middle of the day, and Jack was going stir crazy. Roe wouldn’t even let him go to the bathroom alone, which, fair on his part since Jack would definitely ditch out and say he got released. He couldn’t help it. He knew what kind of guys they had there and how most of them wouldn’t be used to or understand Mac’s way of doing things. Jack was one of those guys. They wouldn’t outright do anything, but given how Jack first acted, not to mention the other watches before him, it wasn’t a good recipe for anyone.
“We got incoming, Roe.” Martin said, snapping Jack out of thought. “GSW and shrapnel. Twenty minutes until touchdown.”
“Can’t make it easy on us.” Roe looked around med, cots accounted for with guys milking anything and everything they could. “Might get your wish, Dalton. How bad?”
“Up and talking. Don said he could hear sass.”
“Alright. Get everything ready for the worst.”
Jack enjoyed watching Roe work. He’d never been coherent enough to actually see. On the times he’d accompanied Mac, Roe always had a sort of a teasing aspect. He knew why; it calmed everyone down. Seeing the person in charge of keeping them alive, seeing him not panicking— it was the best thing he could do. He’d seen Roe yell at people, at commanding officers for sending people out in dangerously intense conditions, and the officers were the ones that walked away with their tails between their legs.
Doc Roe was an outstanding guy, and Jack couldn’t think of a better person to trust his life to.
“If you aren’t currently hooked up to an IV, get out. You can survive in your bunks. The condition there is exactly the same here.”
Martin was a different sort. He was as capable as Roe in every sense; helped save dozens of lives whenever they needed it. But he’s was more— hands on. Martin as the hired muscle, the bouncer, the security that took care of anything particularly problematic. Roe would make empty threats, Martin would carry them out.
“What’re you smirking at, Dalton?”
“It’s fun to watch you guys work.”
“Doc!”
All heads turned to the opening, injured party finally coming through and—
Jack would recognize that not army regulated blond head anywhere.
Mac was being supported by two guys, yet was very much awake and the glare he was sporting did little to explain what happened. Cooper was trailing behind him, annoyance written on his own face.
“Right here.”
Jack snapped out of the momentary shock and realized the bed next to him was vacant, Martin standing at the foot, ushering everyone there.
“Dalton, you’re going to sit right there. No complaining or questioning or plotting murder out loud until everything is settled.” Roe said.
He didn’t reply, only took in Mac’s current state; right bicep with a heavily stained bandage, left side with some cuts on his face and tears in his uniform.
“Talk to me Macgyver, what happened?”
“Shit. Don’t ask him. He’s gonna tell it all wrong.” Cooper scoffed. “This idiot—”
“—someone wasn’t watching and let a child—”
“—who fucking defaults to protect the enemy—”
“—expect me to just let him shoot an innocent person—”
“—trying to tell me how to do my job—”
“—Asshole just starts shooting everywhere—”
“Both of you shut up!” Roe shouted. He looked at Cooper. “Are you injured?”
“No, but—”
“Get out. There’s too many bodies in here as it is and I don’t need someone who doesn’t need to be in here to be in here.”
“Doc—”
“You’re not going to go crying to command either. You’re going to wait to hear the condition of your EOD before you go running off and telling half the story.”
Cooper turned and more or less stomped out of med like a child.
“Can’t fucking stand people like that.” Roe turned back to Mac, assessing the injuries. “Seeing as I asked you the question, give me the simplified answer so I know what I’m dealing with.”
Jack saw Mac spare him a glance and let out a sigh. “We went out like normal, got to the mark, he got set up and I went for the IED, and after a few minutes I look up and there’s a kid right next to me. I got no warnings or notions about them at all. Cooper said kids aren’t dangerous so there was no need to tell me and got pissed when I said otherwise.”
“So he shot you?” Jack said.
“Not— intentionally, I think…” he hissed as Roe undid the bandage on his arm and started cleaning it. “He was doing pop shots around me and it freaked the kid out. They tried to run but I didn’t want Cooper to shoot them so I shot my arm out to stop them and— yeah. He shot me.”
“Not a word out of you, Dalton.” Roe said, glancing back as Jack’s facial expressions went through various stages of shock and anger. “GSW out of the way, what about the shrapnel?”
A half shrug. “I don’t know. The IED went off, which it really shouldn’t have. I got the main components dealt with. The only way it would’ve was if there was some sort of impact on it.”
“And I take it you weren’t right next to it because of how not bad you’re injured.”
“No, I was heading for cover.”
“There weren’t still gunshots going off were there?”
“Yeah, there was.”
“Doc, I don’t think I need to tell you that you ain’t need to give me a clean bill of health, cuz Imma ‘bout to go kick this guys ass.” The laugh that came from Jack’s bed was frightening. “What the fuck was he thinkin’?”
“I don’t condone his actions, but I will have you strapped to the bed if needed. Small pinch, Macgyver.” Roe gave Mac a local anesthetic while Martin prepared sutures. “We’ll give that a sec. Threw and threw. It’s gonna suck and hurt but it should heal up nicely. Everything else looks superficial. Out for a few weeks. Probably gonna be an investigation too.”
“Why?”
“Your overwatch nearly killed you twice over. Course it’s your word against his, but giving both your records I think it’ll be obvious who’s in the wrong. Plus if it goes to a standstill, it’s been known for others to be sent to the same location to get eyewitness reports from the locals.”
“What do you mean records?”
“Macgyver I’ve taken a look at everyone’s files more than command has. I know everything that happens.”
“Well you don’t gotta read them to know I’m gonna go bash that asshole’s face in.”
“Dalton please, I’m not a reconstructive surgeon.” Roe looked around, seeing all the other people in there trying and failing to look uninterested. “And I would hate if this got out. Oh that would just be the worst. I hope no one tells anyone before an official report gets written.”
A few guys not so subtly exited.
“But in all seriousness, you’re staying here for the rest of today, probably tomorrow so we can keep an eye on this.”
“You’re the boss, doc.”
***
The rolls were reversed. Or rather, they went back to how they normally were. Mac had been the one stuck in med, pleading to be released to the bunks, while Jack had resumed his regular overwatch duties, and skipping out on some to spend time in med.
Hours after Mac had first been admitted, a clerk had arrived to get Mac’s side of everything.
“Ya come to him first or get the one responsible first? Cuz it does matter. You lot tend to lean to one side and it’s usually whoever you see first.”
“He’s just doing his job, Jack.”
“Considering Macgyver’s side of the story is being not so quietly whispered around base—”
Apparently everyone was siding with Mac. Which they should’ve been. Mac didn’t do anything wrong. Even the guys that merely tolerated his existence were on his side.
Mac had hoped he would be released to the bunks, but had developed a fever in the night and earned himself a few days stay.
“I know it’s sucks, but no one will hound ya for more details on anythin’ while yer here.”
“No one but you.”
Jack snorted at that. “Well I need to know how far to go. Can’t go skippin’ anythin’ and miss a beat down. He’s lucky the other guys got to him before I did. Bein’ in the guardhouse is the safest place for him right now, and even then, I can be a problem and get thrown in there with him.”
“You know, I liked it better when you were the one confined to bed.”
“I like it when neither of us are.”
Silence encased them. Mac has his good arm over his eyes, chest rising and falling with heavy breaths, fighting medication from knocking him out. Jack had traded his duties for the day so he could sit and keep Mac company, guilt creeping in with every glance in Mac’s direction.
Roe said the fever was expected, though the temperature it spiked to over a few hours was a bit worrying, and the heat wasn’t doing anything to aid the healing process.
“I’m sorry, Mac.”
Mac moved his arm to look at Jack. “It’s not your fault.”
“Oh yea it is. In case you forgot, yer in here cuz I was in here and you had to get paired with someone else.”
“Well if that’s the case then it’s Speir’s fault for pairing me with Cooper. He even said, not my first pick but it’s who we have. Think he blames himself for me being here?”
“Mac—”
“It’s like you’ve said before, you didn’t commit the action so it’s not on you. You weren’t the one to shoot me, so it’s not your fault.”
Jack’s lips twitched up. “Can’t you remember things like stay where I can see you, stop breakin’ our stuff, go faster?”
“Sorry, don’t think those phrases are in my vocabulary.”
“Such a big brain that things just rattle around in there then fall out yer ears. Think yer definitely a selective listener.”
“Sorry, what was that?”
“Alright alright. Why don’t you stop fightin’ those meds and hit the hay.”
Mac covered his eyes with his arm again. “You sure you don’t want to attempt a jail break?”
Jack smirked and looked across med, seeing Roe tending to someone else, who turned towards them without missing a beat.
“Don’t even think about it.”