I hope you enjoyed this story. I have a new one in development that I hope to post a little bit later this weekend! Just a quick spoiler--it involves Murdoc!
Keep reading!
Speechless Part Eleven (Conclusion)
Rated: PG
“Aren’t you going to say anything?” Dr. Ladd asked.
It was their first session after MacGyver’s torture. His body was slowly healing, still wrapped in bandages and plaster, still emaciated and battered. He stared absently out the window of the psychiatrist’s office, taking little interest in the view.
“Look, I know it isn’t easy,” Dr. Ladd said. “I’ve had experience with patients in similar traumatic situations for over 25 years, and I won’t lie to you and tell you that everything is going to be all right instantaneously. You’ve been through hell, I know that. It’s going to take a lot of work before things seem normal again.”
MacGyver continued to stare. The only sound that emitted from his lips was a deep, heavy sigh.
“MacGyver, you know I can’t help you unless you talk to me…” MacGyver leaned against the pier near the marina where his house boat was, staring out at the ocean, feeling the warm breeze caress his hair, listening to the seagulls shriek above. He felt a tap on his shoulder that awakened him from his reverie. Turning, he saw that it was Nikki. He smiled.
“I thought I would find you out here,” she said. “It’s such a beautiful day. What were you thinking about just now?”
“Oh, just how much we take the act of communication for granted, how much we take everything for granted, really,” he said, looking up at the sky, squinting against the brightness of the sun. “What are you doing here?”
“I just thought I would update you on our progress with the Nucci investigation. Pete’s investing large amounts of his time on it, which is why I came out to talk to you about it instead.”
“I hope he isn’t overworking himself.”
Nikki smiled. “Well, you know Pete,” she said. “A dedicated workaholic to the end.”
“Yeah, I suppose so.”
They began walking down the pier, enjoying the pleasant, balmy weather. Nikki glanced occasionally at MacGyver, glad to see him healthy again, finding him particularly gorgeous that morning, the vivid sunlight glistening and adding luster to his sandy hair, ruffled by the breeze. The sun also accentuated his tanned skin, and he looked aglow with radiant health, just as she remembered him.
“So, tell me how it’s going,” he said.
Nikki sighed in frustration. “Not too great, I’m afraid,” she said. “We have the best electrical engineers and other technology experts studying the device that was found in that microphone, and they still can’t seem to find the mechanism that makes it function. Mac, it’s so advanced it’s beyond our current scientific knowledge. Still, they’ll continue working on it. Maybe they’ll make an important discovery or breakthrough at some point. I just don’t know.”
“What about Nucci? Did the Italian authorities find anything in their autopsy of the prime minister’s body?”
“Not a thing. It’s just as Pete said. The heart attack appears to be natural.”
“Of course we know it’s not.”
“No, it couldn’t have been. It conflicts with all of his recent medical reports stating that he was in excellent condition. It’s just like what happened to you—no evidence of any adverse health to provide a cause. Needless to say they’re quite baffled and will continue their investigation, even if it is in vain.”
“I don’t suppose Brandon has any information he’s willing to provide, either.”
“No. He remains intractable as usual, although we could continue to press him. I honestly don’t know what we’d get from him, though. Now that he’s in prison, he’s cut off from the organization he worked for, and God knows they might have developed their drugs and technology even further than when he was actively involved with them.”
Two boys raced past them, chasing each other on their bicycles and laughing. Both MacGyver and Nikki paused to watch them play, wishing they could be as carefree as those children, not having to contend with sinister, unseen elements conspiring to overthrow government agencies using vastly superior technology and a silent, more subdued version of chemical warfare, poisoning victims without leaving a trace. They didn’t need to organize a violent coup to oust leaders of countries. Their methods had evolved into the next generation, advancing to a higher, more sophisticated level. It was frightening for both of them to wonder what their next plot would be.
“Has Pete considered sharing information about this secret organization with the Italians?” MacGyver asked as they began walking again.
“He has, although he thinks we must do it gradually,” Nikki said. “Although we know they exist, it’s going to be difficult to convince other world governments until we present them with the evidence we’ve collected.”
MacGyver nodded. “It reminds me of everything I’ve been through,” he said. “Effectively, we’re without some of our senses when it comes to them. We might as well be blind and deaf. We can’t see our enemy or know their whereabouts. How do we fight against that? We can’t. It’s impossible.”
“I wouldn’t say that,” Nikki said. She found herself unconsciously taking his hand in hers as if he was still blind, still seeking for her. He didn’t seem to notice. “You’ve fought them and created major setbacks for them, twice now. You defeated the odds they placed against you when they tried to limit you.”
“Nucci is still dead, though,” He said, looking down at her with his serious, almost disturbingly dark and haunting eyes.
“I know, but he didn’t die the way they wanted him to. They had to resort to a back up plan that probably wasn’t as desirous to them as a public death. They didn’t get to humiliate us, either. He survived an event where we provided security. That only bolsters our reputation. I didn’t want Nucci to die anymore than you did, but you have to admit that we did manage to derail their original plans.”
“I suppose so,” MacGyver said. “He still shouldn’t have had to die at all. It’s such a waste. From what I know about him, he was a wonderful, innovative man, willing to break with tradition and try new ideas to promote peace, democracy, and prosperity around the world. He was a model for other nations’ leaders, an example of good statesmanship.”
“Well, we can only hope that there will be more like him in the future and that we’ll be better prepared to protect them against this secret organization next time.”
For the first time since their walk, MacGyver noticed that Nikki was clutching his hand. He stopped and looked at her. She could see that he was communicating an earnest need in his eyes, desperately wanting to say something. He then smiled and laughed slightly, looking away from her as if bashful and embarrassed.
“What?” She asked.
“Oh, it’s nothing,” he said, shaking his head. “It’s just…here I can speak again, and I don’t have a damn thing to say.”
Nikki reached up and placed her hand on his cheek. He looked at her again, the same longing and want in his liquid, dark, and sad eyes. She thought about how passionately he had kissed her when he couldn’t speak or understand her, how uninhibited he seemed even though his ability to talk and comprehend was restricted. Now that those abilities were restored to him, he seemed much more limited than he ever had been in that state. He could speak freely, yet there was so much he withheld, reticent. He was scared. She knew. It was almost as if he didn’t want to lose something precious between them, preserving it by withdrawing his affection before it turned into something complicated and unpredictable. For a man as spontaneous as he was, aware of uncertainty and the need to be flexible in changing plans in a constantly changing world, he could still foresee complete disaster as if it was the only certainty in life, especially in relationships. He had been conditioned to believe that ever since the deaths of his parents, grandmother, and several of his friends. Never could he seem to predict a happier outcome. Nikki was aware of this, and she was patient. It had been difficult for her to express her feelings fully for him, unsure how to deal with the love she still felt for her deceased husband, wondering if she was betraying his memory by having affection for another man. She knew what it was to deny oneself of pleasure for fear of dire consequences.
“Why do you have to say anything?” She asked him at last. “This is all you need to do, and I’ll understand you perfectly.”
She kissed him, long and slowly, and he returned the kiss, embracing her tightly. His thoughts were transported back to when he had kissed her in the hospital, his powers of speech and comprehension failing him, the kiss the only thing that seemed to connect them in a universally understood language. He realized that even though he was glad he could talk again, the kiss was all he needed at that moment to communicate his love for her, words once again leaving him, this time willingly, enjoying the silence.
The End
"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
The "open" idea of the secret organization leaves a lot of road to pick when it comes to more stories. Who knows, this could be a whole series! 
) 
