Living in the now - Chapter 1 - Waking up
Author: NYWCgirl
Fandom: Macgyver 2016
Pairing: none
Characters: Angus Macgyver, Jack Dalton, Bozer, Riley
Warning/genre: Friendship, Team as family, Traumatic head injury, Amnesia, Life changing injuries, aftermath, (emotional) hurt/comfort, amnesia
Spoilers: none
Rating: Gen
Author's Notes: This fic fills the ‘head injury’ square on my H/C Bingo card.
Word Count: ~1610
Disclaimer: Characters are not mine…
Summary: Mac wasn´t able to diffuse the IED in time, but that doesn´t mean Jack is leaving his charge to fend for himself.
This fic can also be found on AO3
Mac wakes to sunlight filtering in through the half drawn curtains. He blinks against it, the light is wrong.
He looks around, studying the room, it’s unfamiliar. How did he get here? And where is here?
Last thing he remembers is being at base in Afghanistan. This isn´t Afghanistan… that is what’s wrong with the light. He is not in Afghanistan, the room also looks American, why is he here? What is happening? OK, this is not the moment to panic, take a deep breath.
The room feels homey and cozy, it feels like home, even though he doesn´t recognize it. There are clothes on the chair, so he gets up and checks them out. They feel familiar and they are definitely something he would wear, so he puts them on. They fit, so they are probably his.
On the desk is a notebook with a post-it saying ‘Read me’. It´s written in his handwriting. That’s strange, he doesn´t recognize anything in the room, but he can tell this is his handwriting.
An aroma of fresh coffee and pancakes filters in and his stomach growls. He smiles, he would know Bozer’s pancakes anywhere. Following his nose, he reaches the kitchen. But it is not Bozer, it´s Jack who is standing at the furnace with his back towards him.
‘Jack?’
Jack turns and it is clear he is studying Mac, but Mac is too stunned to do more than just stares in shock at Jack. There is grey in his hair and he is older than Mac expected. He is confused and it must show on his face. This is not the Jack he remembers.
‘Good morning Mac, how are you feeling?’
‘Jack, why are you old?’
Jack smiles, ‘have you read your notebook?’
Mac’s gaze unwittingly goes to the notebook in his hand, ‘this one? No, why?’
‘I will explain, sit down, breakfast is ready. And thanks for pointing out that I am getting old.’ He jokes.
Mac is worried, something is wrong. He feels his head and is surprised to feel his hair is long. He has never had his hair real short. Even as an EOD tech he was allowed some privileges, so he never had the military look like Jack had, but this is really long.
‘You like your hair long’, Jack explains.
‘Why aren´t we in Afghanistan anymore?’
Jack sighs and gives Mac a sad smile, ‘we were honorably discharged from the army.’
‘And where are we?’
‘We’re back home in Texas.’
‘This is home? We live together?’
Jack nods. He can tell Jack is being sincere. There can only be one reason why they would live together and why they would be honorably discharged.
‘I got hurt, didn´t I?’
Jack nods, ‘yeah, you were disarming an IED and a secondary device detonated and caught us both, but you were injured far worse.’
Mac nods, that makes sense. His head starts to hurt and he squints, rubbing his temples.
‘You should eat and take these,’ Jack hands Mac two pills.
Mac stares at them, still unsure what is happening, but he knows he trusts Jack. He swallows them with the OJ Jack pours. He then eyes the pancakes and they smell and look exactly like the ones Bozer used to make for him. Adding some butter and syrup, he takes a bite and moans, ‘did you make these? They are as good as Bozer´s.’
Jack smiles, ‘don´t tell Bozer, but yeah, he gave me the recipe and taught me and I have some practice by now. Come on. Eat.’
Mac finishes the pancakes while Jack explains that he was diagnosed with anterograde amnesia. It makes sense to Mac´s analytical brain and he puts his hand on the notebook.
‘You can also take a look at your phone, you have an Instagram account where you post pictures every day.’
Jack hands him the phone and Mac opens the app, smiling at the pictures. There are several with a blood hound, ‘is it ours?’
‘Yeah, that is Ci, she is very good in her job.’
‘Ci? That means dog in Welsh.’
‘Yeah, you are the one that named her.’
‘And what is her job exactly?’
‘To keep you safe of course. She is an amazing tracker and she can predict your seizures.’
So he has seizures as well, must have been a hell of a head trauma he sustained. He makes a mental note to read his notebook later, but then realizes, he will probably not remember. Maybe he should write it down.
‘Where is she?’
‘She probably is with the horses, I let her out, so you could have breakfast in peace.’
‘Well, I finished breakfast, what do we do now?’
‘You always enjoy taking care of the horses.’
Mac´s face lights up, ‘we have horses?’
Jack nods, ‘Of course we have horses. Let ´s go.’
Mac gets up and walks towards the door.
‘Mac?’
He turns around to see Jack pointing to a jacket. He grins sheepishly and puts it on. He is excited, he has never ridden a horse, but maybe Jack will let him try. When he steps out the door, he is in awe with the ranch outside. There are several horses in the pasture, who move up towards him. He walks up to them, extending his hand and they let him pet them.
‘Whose horses are these?’
‘Some are privately owned and we board them, some are here for training and we also take care of all the law enforcement horses. We have some farm hands coming in around eight to help take care of them.’
It makes sense to Mac since he knows Jack grew up on a farm somewhere in Texas. He tries to remember what must have happened, but he comes up blank.
‘Hey hoss, going to stand there all day?’ Jack calls out from the large barn. Mac walks towards him, to find him in the tack room. Jack hands him a saddle and Mac stares at it a bit dumbfounded.
‘I´ll show you, don´t worry.’
‘I have done this before haven´t I?’ Mac asks unsure.
‘Almost every day. You may not remember, but yeah, you got this.’
Jack guides out a gorgeous chestnut horse out of the stable, ground tying it, before gesturing to Mac.
‘OK Mac, put the saddle on her back. Velvet is yours, she will be good for you.’
Jack explains what to do and Mac realizes muscle memory and Jack´s comments make it easy. Before Jack lets him in the saddle, he insists that Mac wears a riding cap. He can tell Jack is worried so he indulges him, just wanting to get on the horse, it is not worth the fight.
He gets in the saddle and feels accomplished once he sits on the horse. So much, he takes out his phone and snaps a pic, posting it with a comment that he got this.
* * *
It’s getting late and Jack and Mac reign all the horses in for the night. Ci stays close to Mac, like she always does during this part of the day. Maybe she can tell Mac struggles during the twilight hours of the day. It is always good to see the way Mac responds to Ci and how patient she is with him. He obviously loves her every single time he meets her. However it pains Jack when Mac has a rough start like this morning, it has gotten easier over the years but still.
Mac is getting more anxious, it happens as soon as dusk sets in, Mac somehow realizes that everything will be gone soon. His intelligence wasn´t affected by his injury so he knows exactly what will happen tomorrow. Some days it will make him sad, other days he will become obstinate or angry. He would do anything to make this go away, but he can´t, except being there for Mac and take care of him the best way he can.
Ci wants to play, bringing her ball so Mac can throw it away. He picks up the ball she drops at his feet and throws it. He starts laughing while he runs towards the ball himself, Ci loving the game and it distracts Mac.
‘Mac, I´m ready with the horses, are you coming in? It’s getting dark.’
Mac waves, acknowledging he heard Jack while he throws the ball again. Jack goes inside, putting the kettle on to make some tea.
By the time Mac comes inside, Jack puts a tray with tea, cookies and Mac´s notebook on the coffee table in the living room. Pulling off his boots, he drops in the couch unceremoniously.
‘Do you want to write something in your journal?’
Mac looks a bit unsure, but eventually nods. Ci must pick up on his anxiousness, because she worms her head, between his arm so she can rest her head on his leg. He starts petting her head. Jack puts on the TV so Mac doesn´t feel like he is being watched.
He can see Mac pick up the pen and think, but then he smiles and starts writing. When he is done, he picks up a cookie and his tea and settles in the couch watching some cop series. Ci lies down on her dog bed, next to Mac and they enjoy the rest of the evening.
‘What do you think Mac, ready to go to bed? Ci will come with you.’
Mac nods, albeit reluctantly.
‘Everything will be alright Mac, we will be here and tomorrow is a new day.’
Fandom: Macgyver 2016
Pairing: none
Characters: Angus Macgyver, Jack Dalton, Bozer, Riley
Warning/genre: Friendship, Team as family, Traumatic head injury, Amnesia, Life changing injuries, aftermath, (emotional) hurt/comfort, amnesia
Spoilers: none
Rating: Gen
Author's Notes: This fic fills the ‘head injury’ square on my H/C Bingo card.
Word Count: ~1610
Disclaimer: Characters are not mine…
Summary: Mac wasn´t able to diffuse the IED in time, but that doesn´t mean Jack is leaving his charge to fend for himself.
This fic can also be found on AO3
Mac wakes to sunlight filtering in through the half drawn curtains. He blinks against it, the light is wrong.
He looks around, studying the room, it’s unfamiliar. How did he get here? And where is here?
Last thing he remembers is being at base in Afghanistan. This isn´t Afghanistan… that is what’s wrong with the light. He is not in Afghanistan, the room also looks American, why is he here? What is happening? OK, this is not the moment to panic, take a deep breath.
The room feels homey and cozy, it feels like home, even though he doesn´t recognize it. There are clothes on the chair, so he gets up and checks them out. They feel familiar and they are definitely something he would wear, so he puts them on. They fit, so they are probably his.
On the desk is a notebook with a post-it saying ‘Read me’. It´s written in his handwriting. That’s strange, he doesn´t recognize anything in the room, but he can tell this is his handwriting.
An aroma of fresh coffee and pancakes filters in and his stomach growls. He smiles, he would know Bozer’s pancakes anywhere. Following his nose, he reaches the kitchen. But it is not Bozer, it´s Jack who is standing at the furnace with his back towards him.
‘Jack?’
Jack turns and it is clear he is studying Mac, but Mac is too stunned to do more than just stares in shock at Jack. There is grey in his hair and he is older than Mac expected. He is confused and it must show on his face. This is not the Jack he remembers.
‘Good morning Mac, how are you feeling?’
‘Jack, why are you old?’
Jack smiles, ‘have you read your notebook?’
Mac’s gaze unwittingly goes to the notebook in his hand, ‘this one? No, why?’
‘I will explain, sit down, breakfast is ready. And thanks for pointing out that I am getting old.’ He jokes.
Mac is worried, something is wrong. He feels his head and is surprised to feel his hair is long. He has never had his hair real short. Even as an EOD tech he was allowed some privileges, so he never had the military look like Jack had, but this is really long.
‘You like your hair long’, Jack explains.
‘Why aren´t we in Afghanistan anymore?’
Jack sighs and gives Mac a sad smile, ‘we were honorably discharged from the army.’
‘And where are we?’
‘We’re back home in Texas.’
‘This is home? We live together?’
Jack nods. He can tell Jack is being sincere. There can only be one reason why they would live together and why they would be honorably discharged.
‘I got hurt, didn´t I?’
Jack nods, ‘yeah, you were disarming an IED and a secondary device detonated and caught us both, but you were injured far worse.’
Mac nods, that makes sense. His head starts to hurt and he squints, rubbing his temples.
‘You should eat and take these,’ Jack hands Mac two pills.
Mac stares at them, still unsure what is happening, but he knows he trusts Jack. He swallows them with the OJ Jack pours. He then eyes the pancakes and they smell and look exactly like the ones Bozer used to make for him. Adding some butter and syrup, he takes a bite and moans, ‘did you make these? They are as good as Bozer´s.’
Jack smiles, ‘don´t tell Bozer, but yeah, he gave me the recipe and taught me and I have some practice by now. Come on. Eat.’
Mac finishes the pancakes while Jack explains that he was diagnosed with anterograde amnesia. It makes sense to Mac´s analytical brain and he puts his hand on the notebook.
‘You can also take a look at your phone, you have an Instagram account where you post pictures every day.’
Jack hands him the phone and Mac opens the app, smiling at the pictures. There are several with a blood hound, ‘is it ours?’
‘Yeah, that is Ci, she is very good in her job.’
‘Ci? That means dog in Welsh.’
‘Yeah, you are the one that named her.’
‘And what is her job exactly?’
‘To keep you safe of course. She is an amazing tracker and she can predict your seizures.’
So he has seizures as well, must have been a hell of a head trauma he sustained. He makes a mental note to read his notebook later, but then realizes, he will probably not remember. Maybe he should write it down.
‘Where is she?’
‘She probably is with the horses, I let her out, so you could have breakfast in peace.’
‘Well, I finished breakfast, what do we do now?’
‘You always enjoy taking care of the horses.’
Mac´s face lights up, ‘we have horses?’
Jack nods, ‘Of course we have horses. Let ´s go.’
Mac gets up and walks towards the door.
‘Mac?’
He turns around to see Jack pointing to a jacket. He grins sheepishly and puts it on. He is excited, he has never ridden a horse, but maybe Jack will let him try. When he steps out the door, he is in awe with the ranch outside. There are several horses in the pasture, who move up towards him. He walks up to them, extending his hand and they let him pet them.
‘Whose horses are these?’
‘Some are privately owned and we board them, some are here for training and we also take care of all the law enforcement horses. We have some farm hands coming in around eight to help take care of them.’
It makes sense to Mac since he knows Jack grew up on a farm somewhere in Texas. He tries to remember what must have happened, but he comes up blank.
‘Hey hoss, going to stand there all day?’ Jack calls out from the large barn. Mac walks towards him, to find him in the tack room. Jack hands him a saddle and Mac stares at it a bit dumbfounded.
‘I´ll show you, don´t worry.’
‘I have done this before haven´t I?’ Mac asks unsure.
‘Almost every day. You may not remember, but yeah, you got this.’
Jack guides out a gorgeous chestnut horse out of the stable, ground tying it, before gesturing to Mac.
‘OK Mac, put the saddle on her back. Velvet is yours, she will be good for you.’
Jack explains what to do and Mac realizes muscle memory and Jack´s comments make it easy. Before Jack lets him in the saddle, he insists that Mac wears a riding cap. He can tell Jack is worried so he indulges him, just wanting to get on the horse, it is not worth the fight.
He gets in the saddle and feels accomplished once he sits on the horse. So much, he takes out his phone and snaps a pic, posting it with a comment that he got this.
* * *
It’s getting late and Jack and Mac reign all the horses in for the night. Ci stays close to Mac, like she always does during this part of the day. Maybe she can tell Mac struggles during the twilight hours of the day. It is always good to see the way Mac responds to Ci and how patient she is with him. He obviously loves her every single time he meets her. However it pains Jack when Mac has a rough start like this morning, it has gotten easier over the years but still.
Mac is getting more anxious, it happens as soon as dusk sets in, Mac somehow realizes that everything will be gone soon. His intelligence wasn´t affected by his injury so he knows exactly what will happen tomorrow. Some days it will make him sad, other days he will become obstinate or angry. He would do anything to make this go away, but he can´t, except being there for Mac and take care of him the best way he can.
Ci wants to play, bringing her ball so Mac can throw it away. He picks up the ball she drops at his feet and throws it. He starts laughing while he runs towards the ball himself, Ci loving the game and it distracts Mac.
‘Mac, I´m ready with the horses, are you coming in? It’s getting dark.’
Mac waves, acknowledging he heard Jack while he throws the ball again. Jack goes inside, putting the kettle on to make some tea.
By the time Mac comes inside, Jack puts a tray with tea, cookies and Mac´s notebook on the coffee table in the living room. Pulling off his boots, he drops in the couch unceremoniously.
‘Do you want to write something in your journal?’
Mac looks a bit unsure, but eventually nods. Ci must pick up on his anxiousness, because she worms her head, between his arm so she can rest her head on his leg. He starts petting her head. Jack puts on the TV so Mac doesn´t feel like he is being watched.
He can see Mac pick up the pen and think, but then he smiles and starts writing. When he is done, he picks up a cookie and his tea and settles in the couch watching some cop series. Ci lies down on her dog bed, next to Mac and they enjoy the rest of the evening.
‘What do you think Mac, ready to go to bed? Ci will come with you.’
Mac nods, albeit reluctantly.
‘Everything will be alright Mac, we will be here and tomorrow is a new day.’