Macgyver imagines

I'll always be here for you

Hey everyone! This is a bit different. Slight trigger warning because there are mentions of death but not in any detail and it won't be mentioned much.

The general storyline is you were on a mission in a collapsing building and you can't be sure whether you managed to save everyone. There isn't any graphic details of death but if you think it might upset you then please skip this oneshot.

Hope you enjoy the story!
•••••
(Mac's POV)
"Hey (y/n), wait up!" I shout as I run through the corridors of the Phoenix headquarters. (Y/n) has been upset since we got on the plane at the end of the last mission. I'm just not sure why yet. "Wait!!" I shout as I watch (y/n) disappear through the front door of the Phoenix. I finally catch up about ten metres down the road "(y/n), what's wrong??" I ask, trying to catch my breath from all the running.
"What's wrong? Are you kidding me?" (Y/n) asks, finally turning to face me "what do you think is wrong, Mac? I let all of those innocent people die". (Y/p) voice broke as (y/p) said the last sentence, clearly trying to hold back tears at this point. I thought back to the mission
— flashback —
(Readers POV)
"(Y/n), come on! We have to go!" Mac calls to me from the door "this building is going to collapse!"
"We can't leave Mac! There might still be some people trapped in here" I cough through the smoke of the fires surrounding me. It's true, the fire was eating through the walls and we didn't have long before they entire building caved in on top of us.
"Riley scanned the entire building, there are no signs of life" Mac called back to me, pulling the collar of his jacket over his mouth, trying to protect himself from the smoke. "If there are any people left in the building, they are dead. I'm sorry, but we've done all we can. We have to go before we are killed too."
I felt wrong leaving when there was a chance there were still people in here, but if Riley had scanned the building and found nothing then everyone was either out ... or it was too late to save them.
"Okay, let's go" I shout as I run over to him.
— (back to the present) —
(Mac's POV)
"Oh (y/n)" I say, pulling the now sobbing (y/n) into a hug. I kiss (y/p) gently before saying "there wasn't anymore we could've done for all those people. We tried our best. There were no survivors left in the building when we left and we had to leave when we did or else we would've died too." I say in an attempt to comfort (y/p).
"But that's where you're wrong," (y/n) responds quietly. "The final report put three people with a time of death as 7:06. That's nine minutes after we left the building. When we left they might have still been alive, and I left without checking. I left them" (y/n) voice trails off to no more than a whisper. (Y/n) began to sob again as I pulled (y/p) back into a tight hug in an attempt at consolation.
"I know it feels like this is your fault, but I promise it isn't. It's impossible to tell an exact time of death, it's always an estimate. They can never get closer than a half hour window, so those people could have been, and probably were, dead long before we arrived or else Riley would've picked them up on her scan. And besides, you did everything you could for those people. I was in that building too and trust me, there's no more that we could've done. You already put so much on the line for all those strangers that I almost lost you too, and that's something I couldn't live with. I know it's tough but don't blame yourself. This job isn't always easy but you did everything you could. Come on, let's go home."

— at Mac's house —

(Readers POV)
As I sit on the couch in Mac's living room I still can't help but feel guilty. I know there's nothing I could've done, but I still feel like I should've done more. As Mac pulls me tighter into him from where I'm sat next to him he whispers in my ear "I know you still feel bad, and don't try to deny it because I can tell. How can I help?"
" I don't know," I sigh as I sit up to look at him "you just being here helps me, though. Just ... stay with me."
"I'll never leave you" he whispers, pulling me back into a hug as I fall asleep.

"Hey, (y/n), wake up" Mac says softly, shaking me gently. He's no longer sitting next to me on the couch but is now sat opposite me on the coffee table.
"Mac? What is it, do we have another mission?" I ask groggily, still half asleep.
"No, nothing like that. I have a surprise for you. Come on, get in the car." He says, pulling me up and towards the front door.
"Mac, I'm not really in the mood for -"
"I know you're still upset," he cuts me off "so that's why I wanted to surprise you with something to make you feel better. Come on, just trust me. You'll love it."

We'd been in the car for about half an hour when Mac pulled off the highway and onto a narrow dirt track. About half a mile along he pulled in and parked the truck.
"Okay, come on. But you have to close your eyes." Mac whispers. His eyes shine in excitement.
"Okay, how far away is this surprise exactly?" I ask skeptically.
"Not far, I promise. Now come on" he says, holding my hand as he lead me along.

He lied. We'd been walking for what felt like forever (okay, it was probably only about fifteen minutes, but still).
"It isn't far now" he said, as if reading my thoughts. "Okay, here we are" he said about ten minutes later.  "You can open your eyes now"
"Mac, this is incredible!" I gasp, looking around at the wonderful sight. He'd set up a tent with a large campfire lit in front of it. A blanket lay to the left of the fire, covered in pillows and I could see that he had filled the tent with blankets and even more pillows.
"I thought you'd like it" he whispers, pulling me in to kiss me slowly. "Now come on, let's go and sit down."
"Thank you for this" I say, looking over at him, breaking the comfortable silence that had fallen between us.
"I'll always be here for you," he says, pulling me close "I know this job isn't easy, sometimes it can be terrifying. But I know that feeling you have right now, the feeling that you've let people die. But you did everything you could. So many people survived because of you. Because of you, hundreds of people get to live out a full life. You did what you could and you saved them. I won't tell you that it gets any easier because I know you don't appreciate being lied to, but I can tell you that there are hundreds of people that have got home safely tonight because of you."
"Thank you" I say again, pulling him in to kiss him again before we settle comfortably on the blanket together, looking at the stars above us.
•••••
I'm really not sure about this one. After writing it I'm not sure if it's a little insensitive. I've written this because I almost lost a pet today and I was responsible for caring for her and I've fought for her from day one. She's always been ill and probably always will be. Even though she's comfortable, not in any pain and a lot better than she was when I thought we were going to lose her I could barely stand it. Even though I did everything I could it almost proved to be not enough. I wrote this because I find it easier to express my feelings indirectly and writing feelings from someone else's point of view is something I've been told to do by my therapist. If, however, you found this oneshot insensitive I apologise profusely and ask that you message me immediately so I can remove it. Thank you for your understanding and as always, thank you for reading <3