As promised, here is my new story after such a long period of absence!
I finally had a breakthrough, and some time to write it. I hope you enjoy it.
Harry’s Legacy Part One
Rated: PG
“MacGyver! Come on in! I wasn’t expecting to see you today,” Pete said, watching as his best friend entered his office, his gait still slightly unsteady. It concerned him, and briefly he wondered if he should offer to help, but he knew his friend valued his independence and would probably be insulted if he asked.
It had been several months of long, difficult recovery since MacGyver nearly lost the battle for his life, struggling to return from a deep coma and the lethal poison injected into his I.V. by one of Hakim’s men, intent upon silencing him forever. Thankfully, his sinister attempts did not succeed, but it did not make the process of recovery from such a traumatic shock to his body any easier. All throughout MacGyver’s slow but steady progress Pete had been there, during every stage of physical and cognitive therapy. Now, he couldn’t help but feel amazed that his friend was standing before him, perhaps still a little weak, but alive. That was what was important to Pete above all else—that MacGyver had survived the impossible. He had pulled through, just as he always had before, even when it seemed the odds were against him.
“I need to talk to you, Pete,” MacGyver said, settling into a chair, a tight smile on his lips. He sighed heavily and averted his gaze to the floor, interlacing his long fingers and tapping his foot, appearing to be uncomfortable about something. A long, awkward silence persisted between the two men before Pete decided at last to break it.
“Well…what is it?” He asked. “Go ahead. Talk. I’m listening.”
There was a part of Pete that wasn’t listening, that didn’t want to listen. Judging from MacGyver’s tense body language he knew his friend had something important to tell him, and he could almost guess what it would be. He didn’t want to hear it. He didn’t think he was prepared to hear it.
MacGyver continued to avoid Pete’s stare, fishing in his denim jacket pocket for the crisp, neatly folded piece of paper he had worked for countless hours on in deep concentration and contemplation. Without further hesitation, he placed it on Pete’s desk without uttering a word. His intense dark eyes finally met Pete’s, and he stared at him, silently urging him to pick up the paper and read its contents.
“No,” Pete said, shaking his head, tears forming in his eyes. “I know what this is, and I refuse to read it or accept it. The answer is no.”
“Aw Pete, come on,” MacGyver said, grimacing and rubbing the back of his neck in irritation. “You had to know this was coming.”
Pete sighed. “Look, I know what you’ve been through. I understand, believe me. Your brush with death has led you to reevaluate your life, to reconsider the path you’re taking. That’s all completely natural after what happened. But MacGyver, those feelings will eventually pass, and when they do, you’ll regret resigning from the Foundation,” he said.
“No Pete, I don’t think I will,” MacGyver said. “I’ve thought this through. It wasn’t an easy decision for me, but I think it’s time I retire. My life was saved for a reason. It’s time I try to enjoy what’s left of it before it’s too late.”
“I can’t believe this. I just…I can’t believe I’m hearing this.”
“I met with a probate attorney.”
“Mac…”
“It was regarding Harry’s will. It turns out he left me a cabin and some decent, quite sizable acreage in the Colorado mountains.”
Pete knew the occasion was inappropriate considering its seriousness, but he released a stunned laugh. “You mean that rickety old shack?” He asked in disbelief.
“No, this is a different property. I visited it. It’s beautiful, Pete, just absolutely gorgeous. It’s surrounded by pristine wilderness. It does need a little work, but that’s what I want to do. I want to take the time to really fix the place up and live there, away from everything. I just want to settle down and have a peaceful, quiet life, a life that up until now I haven’t lived, that I haven’t allowed myself to live. I want to see what it’s like to embrace the calm, to live without worry or anxiety anymore, to live without the constant threat of danger. I want to see what it’s like to live…well…normally.”
Pete scoffed. “Oh please,” he said. “You’d be bored in a week.”
MacGyver shrugged. “Maybe,” he said, “but I have to try this. Please, Pete. I need this. I know I’ve asked you for a lot over the years and you’ve given me a lot more freedom and leeway than you would your other agents, but I’m asking you again, just this one final time, just for one more favor. Let me go.”
Pete heard a quaver of emotion in MacGyver’s voice and noticed that he was on the verge of tears, his eyes pleading and full of sorrow. He hated to see him suffer, especially after all the physical and mental anguish and torment he had already endured. He glanced at the folded note on his desk.
“Will I get to visit you?” He asked.
“Of course you will,” MacGyver said, “but not for awhile. I need to do this alone. I need to be alone, to reflect on everything that’s happened to me, and to adjust to my new life.”
Pete nodded slowly, still staring at the note. “And you really think this is what you want to do? Are you sure?” He asked quietly, almost as if to himself rather than addressing MacGyver.
“I’ve never been surer of anything. You know me. I don’t make these kinds of decisions lightly. I understand what it means to leave, what impact it will have on everyone, but I have to. It’s time.”
Pete nodded again. Slowly, he reached for the paper, the document that would effectively change everything and alter the course of both men’s lives forever. He held it in his hands, not opening it, still staring at his friend, the man he couldn’t imagine absent from the Foundation. He knew the value of what he was about to lose. It was almost as if MacGyver had died all over again.
“You’re going to be missed around here, you know,” he said sadly.
“I know.”
“And not just by me. You’ve touched a lot of people’s lives.”
“Pete, if this is some last minute attempt to—
“Don’t worry, Mac. I’m not going to stop you. I just want you to be absolutely certain. Actually, that’s not entirely true. I guess I want to make sure I know what I’m doing before I grant this request. I just…I never thought you’d quit. You’ve never quit before on anything, not even this latest narrow escape from death. Don’t do it now, not after your life has been spared, after everything has been given back to you.”
“I’m not quitting. I’m starting over. There’s a huge difference.”
“Maybe there is,” Pete said, still holding the paper, refusing to open it. “I accept your resignation, MacGyver. I understand your reasons behind it, even though I’m reluctant to let you go. You’re not only the best agent I’ve ever had—you’re the best friend I’ve ever known.”
Overcome with emotion, no longer capable of suppressing it, Pete tossed the unread note to the side and stood, approaching MacGyver, who stood as well. The two men embraced tightly.
“I just got you back,” Pete sobbed. “Now it feels like I’m losing you all over again.”
“You’re not losing me,” MacGyver said. “The Foundation is losing me. They’ll do fine without me, I promise you. You can come see me soon, okay?”
“All right.”
“You’ll like the place once I get it set up. You can do a lot of fishing.”
Pete smiled slightly through his tears. The words sounded strange coming from MacGyver. He never thought he could imagine him, sitting in a chair, fishing, living a relaxed lifestyle. It just didn’t seem to suit him, but it was what he wanted at this stage of his life, a life both had discovered wasn’t invincible after all, but fragile.
“Take care of yourself,” he whispered, rubbing MacGyver’s back.
MacGyver smiled. “I plan to,” he said, “for the first time in my life.”
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
