This week is S01E19 Compass for @macgyverrewatch2020. I love this episode for many reasons - Mac looks so good, Jack has some h/c, Frankie is awesome, etc. I felt like we needed a little more h/c with the team getting Jack out of the trash compactor in the beginning, so here's a little missing scene.
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Mac looked from the trash compactor door to Jack, who was bent over holding the elbow of his left arm with his right hand to keep his broken arm still. There was no way Jack was going to be able to climb back up through the door they’d used to enter the compactor, and there was no other exit.
He looked at the pile of trash around them but didn’t see anything sturdy enough for Jack to stand on. The time crunch made his pulse race a little faster than he was comfortable with, but he had to figure this out.
Suddenly, he heard light banging on the exterior wall.
“Mac, Jack, we’re outside the compactor,” Boze reported. “No sign of the bad guys.”
“Boze, see if you can find something to stand on out there. Jack’s going to need help getting down from this thing.” Mac cleared away trash from around the door and then looked over at Jack. “C’mon, I’ll give you a boost.”
Jack took a deep breath, made a face at the smell, and then shook his head. “I can do it, Threepio.”
“Don’t call me that, and stop being stubborn. There’s no way you can get enough leverage to climb out with only one arm. Let me help.”
Jack looked like he was going to argue for a minute. Then, he grimaced and bent over his arm. “Okay,” he finally said through gritted teeth.
Mac moved to stand under the door. “Riley? Boze? Can you get this door open for us?”
It took a minute for the door to slide open and Bozer’s head to be visible just outside the opening. He immediately wrinkled his nose and pulled his shirt up over the lower half of his face. “That is nasty. What is that smell?”
Mac chuckled but didn’t bother to answer as he set his feet a little wider than shoulder-width apart, knelt down a little, and made a cradle with his hands for Jack’s foot. “Let’s get out of here, Solo.”
Jack steeled himself, put his foot in Mac’s hands, and pushed off with his other foot. He grabbed the opening with his uninjured hand as Mac boosted him as far as he could. Jack started to tip headfirst through the opening, but Bozer caught his shoulders and righted him as best he could. Jack’s left arm was jostled in all the movement, and he bit back a cry of pain as Bozer and Mac tried to do most of the work in getting him out of the compactor.
As soon as Jack was outside, Mac pulled himself up and through the opening. He landed on the pavement beside Jack, who was leaning against the side of the trash compactor, breathing heavily with his eyes tightly closed while he clutched his broken arm to his chest.
“Sorry, big guy, but we gotta move.” Mac urged Jack to stand and then gave him a light shove toward the woods. “Riley, which way is exfil?”
“This way,” she said, taking point with Mac and Jack behind her and Bozer bringing up the rear.
Jack’s arm needed to be splinted and put in a sling, but they didn’t have time to find the supplies to do that just yet. The general’s men would still be looking for them, and they had to find cover before they came back to this side of the compound.
As soon as it was safe, Mac would stop everyone so that he could take care of Jack’s arm. It was his fault Jack had gotten hurt. He should have explained what he meant by ‘holding the pipe perfectly normal’. It just hadn’t occurred to him in the moment that Jack wouldn’t understand. He hated it when Jack was hurt, but he despised it when he was the direct cause. He would have to do better next time.