I hand wrote this part in my notebook, just waiting to post it until my computer was fixed and cured of its virus. Lo and behold, I'm back with my computer functioning again, so here it is at last!
I know some of you don't like Nikki, but she is an integral part of this story, so bear with me. She shows some affection to Mac, but don't worry, I'll try to maintain a balance--romance for those of us who like her and avoiding excessive mushiness for those of us who do not.
It feels great to post again!
Speechless Part Three
Rated: PG
Nikki listened to tapes of MacGyver prattling without coherence or meaning, his words confused, chaotic, and disordered. It was difficult and painful for her to hear, the voice on the tape unmistakably his yet she couldn’t understand or make any sense out of his gurgles and grunts.
“My grandmother sounded like this after her stroke,” she said, staring blankly, struggling to process what she heard.
“Believe me, Mrs. Carpenter, we have investigated all possibilities to account for his inexplicable condition and behavior and have found nothing. He is in perfect health and should be functioning normally, yet somehow his ability to communicate has been severely impaired,” Dr. Carrington said, pressing the stop button on the tape recorder, ending MacGyver’s babbled nonsense.
“It’s almost as if he has regressed to some primitive, infant-like form of language,” Dr. Ladd said.
“Yet he can understand us, right? And he can use sign language to communicate?”
“He has a limited knowledge of it, so he can talk to us on a basic level,” Pete said, lightly squeezing her shoulder in a supportive gesture.
“Well, I suppose that’s better than not being able to communicate at all,” Nikki said. “God, I just can’t imagine what he’s going through, how frustrating it must be. I wonder what happened to him to cause this.”
“We don’t know for sure,” Dr. Ladd said. “The answer eludes us and it is quite baffling. The only theory I can offer at this point is that his post traumatic stress syndrome has interfered with his language formation and processing somehow, restricting and compromising his ability to communicate effectively, repressed fears and anxiety surfacing to inhibit language production and clarity of expression.”
“So this might be a temporary condition,” Nikki said.
“I hope so,” Pete said sadly.
Dr. Ladd smiled wanly at them. “I wish I had a definite answer for you, but I don’t,” he said. “I’m afraid his condition is going to require more study and research before we can arrive at a satisfactory conclusion.”
Great, more study and research, just what MacGyver wants, Pete thought. After days of being held for observation, an otherwise healthy man confined in a hospital, MacGyver’s patience had begun to fade. He exhibited signs of restlessness and irritability, his inability to express the frustration he felt in a way that would make sense only compounding how trapped and claustrophobic he felt.
“Can we see him now?” Pete asked.
“Of course,” Dr. Carrington said. “The last time I checked his room, he was sleeping. I’ll go see if he’s ready to receive visitors.”
***
MacGyver was back in The Tomb, chained, broken, and battered, suffering in constant agony and misery. His ragged clothing was saturated with his own blood and waste, clinging to his festering whip slashes and other severe injuries that covered his feverish, half-starved body. The air was fetid, hot, and stale, almost unbreathable. He cried, whimpered, and pleaded for help, but no one could hear him. No one could understand him, the gag covering his mouth forcing his words back down his throat, stifling them, his ability to express himself stolen from him…
Stagnant, hot air was replaced with refreshingly cold air blasting his face. He could see two shadowy figures talking, but he couldn’t identify them no matter how hard he strained and squinted his eyes. Their voices echoed around him.
“It’s done, then,” one of them said.
“Yes. The prime minister won’t leave California alive,” the other one said.
MacGyver tried to warn someone, to alert them that the prime minister’s life was in danger, but he was still gagged, his words distorted and muffled. No matter how hard he tried to remove it from his mouth, it remained firmly in place as if glued to his lips, silencing him. There was nothing he could do. No one would receive the message. No one would understand his warning… “MacGyver…”
Slowly opening his eyes, the images of his dreams vanishing, he saw Dr. Carrington standing over him, his kindly, grandfatherly smile visible beneath his white, bushy mustache.
“I’m sorry to disturb you, but you have visitors waiting. If you would prefer to rest a little longer I can ask them to return later, but if you’re ready to see them, just give me a nod. All right?”
MacGyver didn’t hesitate, even in his groggy state. He nodded vigorously, knowing that Nikki was one of the visitors. After what he had just dreamed, he had to tell her. He still didn’t have enough evidence to prove something was going to happen to the prime minister, but after hearing the brief conversation between the two figures in his dream, he had more information than just a simple hunch on which to base his concerns.
“All right, I’ll send them in,” Dr. Carrington said.
Before Nikki and Pete entered, MacGyver sat up in bed and did his best to smooth his wrinkled clothes and his unruly hair, trying not to look like a pathetic invalid. It was already going to be difficult and upsetting enough for Nikki to know that somehow, even though his words sounded fine to him, they were a meaningless jumble to everyone else, including her. He didn’t want her to see him in bed as if he were ill as well. Maybe he was, though. Maybe he was mentally ill. He considered the possibility that he was laboring under a delusion that he could speak fine when evidence to the contrary indicated he could not, but Dr. Ladd did not seem to believe he was unstable or treat him that way, but maybe he was. Maybe he was suffering a real breakdown this time, not a manufactured one. He tried not to think about it as Nikki and Pete entered the room. A beaming smile spread across his face when he saw her, remembering their last time together and how she kissed him. He could tell she looked worried and uncomfortable, straining to smile, looking tired, stressed, and worn from her duties of setting up security for the prime minister’s visit. When he saw how haggard she looked, he wondered if he should tell her after all. Still, she needed to know.
Good…see… he signed awkwardly.
“What did he say?” Nikki asked Pete.
“It was in fragments, but I think he was trying to say that it’s good to see you,” Pete said.
MacGyver nodded in confirmation.
Unable to contain herself any longer, Nikki approached him and embraced him tightly.
“Oh Mac, it’s good to see you too,” she said. “I’m sorry this happened to you. I’m sure they’ll figure it out so you can speak normally again.”
She continued to hold him, listening to him breathe softly, feeling his strong, large, and sturdy hand gently stroking her hair. She wanted to kiss him again, as if the touch of her lips could magically end the spell that made him speak nonsense, disentangling the words that came from his lips so they would make sense again, so that she could once again hear him tell her he loved her as he had that rainy night at his houseboat, but she knew that was impossible with Pete standing there acting as interpreter to MacGyver’s sign language. She had to remain professional, wait until they were alone again. There was so much she wanted to tell him, but it would have to wait. Releasing him, she looked into the moist, immense depths of his dark eyes.
“Pete says you have something to tell me, something that relates to the prime minister’s visit,” she said. “What is it?”
Danger, MacGyver signed.
“He says ‘danger,’” Pete said.
“You mean…the prime minister’s life is in danger?”
MacGyver nodded.
“How do you know?”
“He doesn’t for sure,” Pete said. “It’s just a strange feeling he’s been getting that something might go wrong with his visit. He wanted to tell you himself so you can strengthen security.”
Dream, MacGyver signed.
Pete raised his eyebrows in surprise at the new information. “Dream? You had a dream something would happen?” He asked.
MacGyver nodded.
“When?”
Just now, MacGyver signed.
“Recently,” Pete said, looking at Nikki in concern. He returned to MacGyver so he could watch his hands. “What happened in the dream?”
Two people…talking…couldn’t see them…MacGyver signed as best as he could, feeling inept but knowing that he couldn’t say it and be understood.
“What were they saying?” Nikki asked.
Dead, MacGyver signed.
“That he would be dead,” Pete said gravely.
Here, MacGyver signed.
“Here…you mean, he would be dead here, in California? He would die here?”
MacGyver nodded.
“My God,” Pete said, turning to look at Nikki again. “This is getting serious. This isn’t just some feeling anymore. MacGyver clearly seems convinced that something is going to happen.”
“Did they say anything else in your dream?” Nikki asked.
MacGyver shook his head.
“Well, that still isn’t much to go on,” Nikki said, sighing. “Still, I’m glad you told me this, Mac. As disconcerting as it is, I’d much rather hear your concerns and take the necessary precautions than not. I know I used to make light of you using your gut instincts instead of well thought out plans as a strategy, but I’m beginning to think your gut instincts have more often been right than not. I’ll take your warning under advisement and tighten security for Nucci’s visit. If you can think of anything else, please tell me. I know it’s hard, not being able to express yourself fully or clearly, but I’ll listen to you.”
Thank you, MacGyver signed, smiling at her.
“He thanks you for listening to him,” Pete said.
“You’re welcome, any time,” she said, returning the smile. She hugged him again, pressing her lips tightly against his ear and whispering. “I love you.” She kissed him on the cheek and released him. “Get better, Mac. I know you can. Just try. You’ll break through. We’ll understand you again soon, I know it. I’m sure you feel lost and scared right now, but you’ll make it back, okay? Just don’t give up.”
MacGyver nodded and smiled, blushing slightly from her unexpected kiss. He waited until Pete was turned away to sign “I love you” to her, hoping she would understand since it was one of the most well-known and recognized signs. She seemed to, smiling a blushing a little herself.
***
“Pete, something has been bothering me ever since I came to visit MacGyver,” Nikki said as they walked the hospital grounds.
“What is it?” Pete asked.
“Well, this whole language thing, Mac not being able to speak clearly or normally…I just don’t agree with Dr. Ladd’s theory that this is somehow connected to post traumatic stress.”
“What do you think it could be, then?”
Nikki motioned for him to join her, sitting on one of the benches. Looking around to make sure they were alone and had some privacy, she continued.
“It’s just too much of a coincidence, that’s all,” she said. “Look, MacGyver strongly believes something is going to happen to Prime Minister Nucci, that his life is being threatened, yet he can’t communicate it to us. You told me that you found him unconscious in the backcountry when you were skiing in a remote area under suspicious circumstances.”
“There was no evidence of foul play,” Pete said.
“That’s what makes it suspicious to me. Whoever did this to him, whoever destroyed his ability to communicate was a professional, leaving nothing obvious or incriminating behind. He had to have seen something out there, something that would make him feel Nucci’s life was in peril. Why else would he wander off into the woods like that? He saw something, or heard something. Two people plotting the assassination perhaps, just like in the dream he told us about in sign language. He remembers something, but he can’t completely tell us. He was silenced, his words scrambled on purpose so he couldn’t reveal what he knows once he remembered more details.”
“But how could anyone do that to him without it being traced in his system or in his brain somehow? Nothing was found.”
Nikki arched an eyebrow, an idea occurring to her. “Nothing was found when he was thought to be insane, either,” she said.
Gradually, Pete realized what she was suggesting. “You mean, these could be the same people who tried to dismantle the Foundation by inducing MacGyver’s madness and my heart attack?”
“Yes Pete,” Nikki said. “Look how similar the details are. Something is wrong with MacGyver, but there is a lack of evidence to explain it. Something could happen to the prime minister, and I’m in charge of his security for his visit here. They want to embarrass us again, want another attempt at ruining us since their last one failed.”
“You want to talk to Brandon, don’t you?”
“Can you get me access to him?”
“Of course I can, Nikki, but he’s been locked away in a maximum security federal prison. What would he know about what his secret organization is currently planning?”
“Perhaps nothing,” Nikki said, shrugging. “Still, he might be able to tell me if this is the kind of thing they would do. It has their signature all over it.”
“Do you think he’ll tell you anything of use?”
“Maybe not, but I have to try. He’s our only link to this shadowy underground.”
Pete nodded. “All right,” he said. “I’ll get you security clearance tomorrow.”
To be continued…
"If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer."
--Henry David Thoreau
brains+brawn+beauty+personality=MacGyver
