[MacsChick]

Mac suffers from amnesia in this story, but not in the way you might expect! Read on to find out more...

Don’t Forget Part One
Rated: PG

“Man, I’m really sorry this happened, Mr. Thornton,” a sweaty young man dressed in a hockey jersey said as they stood over MacGyver’s unconscious body in his latest trip to the hospital. “He had his helmet on and everything, but still I heard this crack…”

The left side of MacGyver’s forehead looked battered and swollen, and although it was now cleaned and bandaged, Pete remembered with horror how ghastly the trauma to his head looked, how bloodied he’d been when first brought in to the emergency room, the wound gaping and gushing. The doctors told him he suffered a severe concussion and required several sutures to the head wound but had received no skull fractures or any other broken bones. He knew MacGyver saw hockey as a graceful, beautiful sport, but even with proper protection, he’d still managed to injure himself. Pete couldn’t help but view hockey as violent and brutal, always seeing the players break out impetuously into brawls, smashing out teeth. He couldn’t see the point of it, and now as he looked at MacGyver with deep concern and sympathy, he knew that such an injury could have easily been avoided had he not been such an avid player.

“It was an accident, I swear,” the young man said. “Mac’s an aggressive player, but he never gets into fights or anything. I…I can’t explain how it actually happened…he just…ended up caught in the middle of one, and took a blow to the head. Boy, I can’t tell you how scared I was when I heard that cracking sound. We all were. It stopped the fight and kind of echoed around the rink. It was terrible. I’m just glad it didn’t split his skull wide open. I’m sorry…I’m so sorry…”

Pete turned to face the young man, who appeared to be trembling with adrenaline and shock, panting heavily as if he had just finished a game and skated off to the locker room. His eyes were wide with worry.

“Listen…what was your name again?” Pete asked, remembering hearing his name but losing it in the flurry of activity and confusion swirling around the emergency unit as the doctors and nurses whisked MacGyver away to be examined.

“Russ Finley,” the young man said, smiling shyly. “I’m a hockey buddy of Mac’s. I play on the local amateur team and sometimes he joins us.”

Pete nodded. “Your apology isn’t necessary. I’m sure it was an accident and you did everything you could to help him and bring him here to be treated. I appreciate that,” he said.

“Thank you, Mr. Thornton,” Russ said, relaxing slightly. “I’ve gotta go for now, unfortunately. I’ll come back later to check on him.” He sighed, staring at MacGyver. “Oh God, I hope he’s okay.”

“So do I, Russ. It was nice to meet you, despite the circumstances.”

“You too, Mr. Thornton.”

“Pete, please. You don’t have to be so formal.”

“Sorry. Pete. I’ve gotta run. I’ll see you later.”

Pete watched as he darted out of the room, nearly colliding with a nurse as he went. He seemed nervous. Perhaps he was feeling too guilty about what had happened. Pete half wondered if the young man had instigated the fight in the first place. Turning back to MacGyver, forgetting about the young man’s unusual behavior, he focused his entire attention on his friend, who looked fragile and pale, the livid marks across his face the only color in his complexion.

“Mr. Thornton,” the doctor said, entering the room.

Pete gently took MacGyver’s limp hand in his. “What are the results of the brain scans?” He asked, almost dreading the answer but knowing it was unavoidable—he had to hear the diagnosis.

“So far, I can find no indications of intracranial hemorrhaging or permanent damage to his brain.”

“Permanent damage? Do you mean…?”

“Concussions can cause minor disruptions in brain functioning…temporary loss of memory, confusion—symptoms of brain trauma. We won’t know for certain how much damage he has sustained until he regains consciousness, and we’ll have to monitor his progress to make sure his head injury isn’t more advanced. He did suffer a post-traumatic seizure when he first arrived, and while that sounds like a cause for alarm, it is usually a sign of a good outcome, resulting from temporary loss of brain function rather than anything structurally wrong with the brain itself. We administered some anticonvulsants, and his body seems to have regulated.”

Oh God…Mac, why do you do this to yourself? Pete thought, squeezing his hand harder. He was too valuable a friend and resource to be impaired by a brain injury. Still, Pete had to calm himself and remind himself that he couldn’t be certain what the outcome of his friend’s concussion would be until he awakened. He wanted to know as soon as possible, but a part of him was worried what he might learn. As if trying to help Pete and the doctor find the answers to the extent of his brain damage, MacGyver slowly opened his eyes and moaned.

“MacGyver?” Pete asked, hoping for some kind of response, even if it was a look of acknowledgment and recognition. Instead, all he saw were glassy, unfocused brown eyes wandering around the room. “MacGyver, it’s Pete. Can you hear me?”

“He will be a little out of it for awhile,” the doctor said. “Keep trying.”

MacGyver babbled weakly, mumbling a series of disconnected, incoherent, nonsensical sounds that seemed more like grunts and garbled utterances than actual words. His connection to consciousness was brief, and he lost it again, closing his eyes and sinking back into the bed, becoming still once again.

“That wasn’t much,” Pete said. “I couldn’t even understand him! What…what if this means…”

“It’s too early to make conclusions based on one brief moment where he was semi-conscious at best,” the doctor said. “We’ll have to wait and see what happens when he becomes more alert. I’ve seen many concussions before, and so far what I’ve seen from MacGyver is normal. The prognosis is usually excellent. It will be a gradual return to everyday activities for him, but for now I can’t foresee any lasting problems associated with his concussion. He’s a strong, resilient man, Mr. Thornton. That will help speed his recovery time.”

Pete nodded, hoping he was right.

To be continued…

[MacGyverGrrl]

Man, you must have stories bouncing around in your head all the time.

This one sounds like its going to be good.

[MacGyverGod]

You sure like him to suffer, don't ya?

[Lothithil]

Good whump! Poor Mac ((( )))