#this is version 2

thank you for coming to my ted talk

Set sometime mid season 2

~~~~~~~~~~

There was something off about the kid today.  Mac looked pale and he had spent the day either snapping at Jack or just too damn quiet for Jack’s liking. After a long week both of them were beyond exhausted, but Jack knew if he’d been burning the candle at both ends, then Mac had been burning it at both ends and the middle.

Jack was half listening to Matty on the sat phone, something about debrief and urgent and ex-fil arrangements.  He glanced back to check on Mac’s progress at dismantling his… whatever the doohicky was, and realised there was definitely a problem.

Mac’s hands were shaking.

Mac’s hands never shook.

Jack swore under his breath.

“What was that Dalton?”  Matty asked sharply.

“Uh-nothing. Just… this debrief, can we do it tomorrow?  It’s been a long day already.”

Matty paused a moment and Jack hoped she would realise he wasn’t asking for himself.

“Fine, we’ll do it tomorrow.”  Her voice softened.  “Make it the afternoon.”

“Thanks, Matty.”

He hung up and turned back to Mac.

“Hey, you doing okay, bud?”

“I’m fine.  You should be watching my back, not me.”  Mac said, still snapping at Jack but without much heat behind his words, as if he was just too tired.  Yeah, Jack saw that one coming.  The kid was always ‘fine’. But he had learned a few tricks along the way, like how Mac couldn’t argue against hard evidence.

“Uh huh.  Hold out your hand.”  He ordered.

Mac glared at Jack as he clenched and stretched his hand before giving in and holding it out flat. The tremors were clear.  This time it was Mac swearing under his breath.

“Move over.”  He nudged Mac’s shoulder with his knee.

“I’m nearly finished.”  Mac refused to budge.

“I know.  Tell me what to do and I’ll be your hands.  Then we’re heading home, bud.”

”Need to debrief.”  Mac shook his head.

“Not any more.”

Mac sighed and shifted himself over so he was sitting to the side, leaning against the wall.  Jack knelt in Mac’s spot, studying Mac’s face for the first time in the last half hour.  He looked exhausted, pale with blood shot eyes.  There was a lack of energy too, Mac had dragged himself out the way rather than expend any effort into moving.

“What’s going on, pal?”

Mac shrugged, then ducked out of the way as Jack tried to feel his forehead.

“I haven’t got a fever, Jack.  I’m not sick.”

“Then why were your hands shaking?”

“Dunno.”  Mac mumbled and shrugged again.  “Low blood sugar?”

Well, that was easily solved.  Jack dug out a protein bar from his pack and gave it to Mac.  He doubted that was the real problem though.  He suspected the real problem had something to do with sinking ships and missing fathers.  Mac’s reaction had been to work harder, faster, longer, and despite Jack’s attempts to put the brakes on and avoid… well, something like this, he’d clearly not tried hard enough.