Atlantis Last Visible Writer Challenge #1, Mistaken Identity
Yes, I'm actually getting around to putting my fic up on this thing.
Written for atlantis_lvw. The challenge was "Mistaken Identity". Hey, they didn't say it had to be a person.
Title: Of Siblings and Sahaja
Rating: PG
Spoilers: None
Dr. Jean McKay-Barton was furious. Her inquiries about her baby brother’s location had finally been answered, after four months of hemming and hawing and stonewalling by the U.S. Government. She was given Rodney’s location along with an invitation to go visit him, ‘cause hey, you’re pretty smart, too, and at the rate Atlantis is going through scientists, it might be good to have a back-up McKay. So after a year and a half of bribes, blackmail and interrogations and eighteen days on the Daedalus, the woman found herself on Atlantis, only to see her younger sibling being rushed to the infirmary on a stretcher, barely breathing and skin covered with hives.
She ran into the infirmary after him, only to be grabbed by a young nurse before she could reach him. “I’m sorry,” the nurse said, “but you can’t go in there right now, Dr….?”
“McKay!” Jean spat out. “It’s Dr. Jean McKay, and that’s my brother dying of anaphylactic shock over there, you idiot!” She broke away from the nurse and headed over to the small group of people near Rodney’s bed, close enough to see him but far enough away to let the doctors work.
“Jean McKay, you said?” a voice asked, drawing Jean’s attention away from where her brother was being intubated.
“Yes, who are you?” she asked the dark-haired man standing next to her. He was military, but she couldn’t tell his rank; he wasn’t wearing his jacket and his dog tags were tucked under his shirt.
“Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard, I’m the leader of Rodney’s off-world team.” He looked over to Rodney’s bed, where the commotion seemed to be lessening. “It looks like he’s stabilizing; there’s nothing we can do here. I’m going to find the person responsible for today’s mix-up in the kitchens; would you care to join me?” Something about Sheppard’s voice told her that ‘find’ was just an abbreviated way of saying ‘find, flay, and destroy,’ and Jean could get behind that idea.
“Lead on, Colonel,” she said, following the man out of the infirmary.
**********
“Let me get this straight,” Jean said, voice cold and incredulous. “My brother almost died because some idiot made a storage room mix up?”
“I’m sorry, ma’am. The sahaja fruit -,”
“Wait,” Jean interrupted. “Sahaja fruit?”
“Yes ma’am,” replied the young man. “It’s a Pegasus fruit we trade for; it resembles an apple but contains something very much like citric acid. It was being stored for tomorrow’s meal; everyone knows it’s not supposed to be served unless Dr. McKay’s off-world. Sergeant Brown just returned from a mission and didn’t know about the new shipment of fruit. He didn’t look at the labels on the boxes; he just thought they were apples and used them for the pie.” The lieutenant Jean was laying into looked frightened and contrite, but Jean still wasn’t inclined to be forgiving. She hadn’t seen Rodney have a reaction this bad since he was twelve, her brother could have died today for God’s sake…
“That’s enough Stevens,” Sheppard said. “Where is Sergeant Brown?”
“He’s in the infirmary; he rushed over as soon as he could to see if Dr. McKay was alright.” Jean wanted to launch off on how touching it was that the man who had practically murdered Rodney was concerned for his health, but she was cut off by the sound of Sheppard talking into his radio.
“Brown. Yes, Sergeant, my office immediately.” He turned towards Jean. “Dr. McKay, if you would like -.” He stopped abruptly, hand flying back to his radio. “Sheppard. Go ahead, Carson.” Apparently the colonel liked what he was hearing; Jean could see relief on the man’s previously expressionless face. “That’s good to hear; I’ll let her know. Thanks, Carson.” When Sheppard turned back to Jean, he was smiling. “Dr. McKay, that was Dr. Beckett. He said that Rodney should pull through and that you can go visit him if you wish.” Jean was halfway out the door before he finished his last sentence. “Hey, don’t you need someone to show you the way back?” he called after it.
“Nah, I can find it on my own,” she replied without turning around. She hoped her brother was still awake. She wanted to give him a piece of her mind.
*******
Rodney nearing sleep when Jean entered the infirmary, which wasn’t surprising; she had expected him to be rather groggy. She tried to be quiet when she sat by his bed, but he heard her and stirred.
“Whozzat?” He mumbled, turning towards her, arms flailing slightly to reach the person who had disturbed his descent into sleep.
“Shhhh, Rodney,” Jeannie said, grabbing his hand. “Go back to sleep.”
“’Lizbeth, that you?” His eyes opened a bit.
“No, it’s not, Ro-bear. Just go to sleep.”
The use of his child hood nickname roused Rodney a bit more. “Jeannie, is that you?”
“Yes, Rodney. Now stop being a stubborn ass and get some rest. You need it.”
“But you’re back on Earth. You can’t…wait. I’m hallucinating again, aren’t I?”
“Yes, Rodney. You’re having anaphylaxis-induced hallucination of your older sister because your body needs rest and you won’t do it on your own, so you need someone to order you around. Now shut up and sleep.”
“Well, in that case…” Rodney’s words trailed off and he was shortly snoring, holding his big sister’s hand.
Written for atlantis_lvw. The challenge was "Mistaken Identity". Hey, they didn't say it had to be a person.
Title: Of Siblings and Sahaja
Rating: PG
Spoilers: None
Dr. Jean McKay-Barton was furious. Her inquiries about her baby brother’s location had finally been answered, after four months of hemming and hawing and stonewalling by the U.S. Government. She was given Rodney’s location along with an invitation to go visit him, ‘cause hey, you’re pretty smart, too, and at the rate Atlantis is going through scientists, it might be good to have a back-up McKay. So after a year and a half of bribes, blackmail and interrogations and eighteen days on the Daedalus, the woman found herself on Atlantis, only to see her younger sibling being rushed to the infirmary on a stretcher, barely breathing and skin covered with hives.
She ran into the infirmary after him, only to be grabbed by a young nurse before she could reach him. “I’m sorry,” the nurse said, “but you can’t go in there right now, Dr….?”
“McKay!” Jean spat out. “It’s Dr. Jean McKay, and that’s my brother dying of anaphylactic shock over there, you idiot!” She broke away from the nurse and headed over to the small group of people near Rodney’s bed, close enough to see him but far enough away to let the doctors work.
“Jean McKay, you said?” a voice asked, drawing Jean’s attention away from where her brother was being intubated.
“Yes, who are you?” she asked the dark-haired man standing next to her. He was military, but she couldn’t tell his rank; he wasn’t wearing his jacket and his dog tags were tucked under his shirt.
“Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard, I’m the leader of Rodney’s off-world team.” He looked over to Rodney’s bed, where the commotion seemed to be lessening. “It looks like he’s stabilizing; there’s nothing we can do here. I’m going to find the person responsible for today’s mix-up in the kitchens; would you care to join me?” Something about Sheppard’s voice told her that ‘find’ was just an abbreviated way of saying ‘find, flay, and destroy,’ and Jean could get behind that idea.
“Lead on, Colonel,” she said, following the man out of the infirmary.
**********
“Let me get this straight,” Jean said, voice cold and incredulous. “My brother almost died because some idiot made a storage room mix up?”
“I’m sorry, ma’am. The sahaja fruit -,”
“Wait,” Jean interrupted. “Sahaja fruit?”
“Yes ma’am,” replied the young man. “It’s a Pegasus fruit we trade for; it resembles an apple but contains something very much like citric acid. It was being stored for tomorrow’s meal; everyone knows it’s not supposed to be served unless Dr. McKay’s off-world. Sergeant Brown just returned from a mission and didn’t know about the new shipment of fruit. He didn’t look at the labels on the boxes; he just thought they were apples and used them for the pie.” The lieutenant Jean was laying into looked frightened and contrite, but Jean still wasn’t inclined to be forgiving. She hadn’t seen Rodney have a reaction this bad since he was twelve, her brother could have died today for God’s sake…
“That’s enough Stevens,” Sheppard said. “Where is Sergeant Brown?”
“He’s in the infirmary; he rushed over as soon as he could to see if Dr. McKay was alright.” Jean wanted to launch off on how touching it was that the man who had practically murdered Rodney was concerned for his health, but she was cut off by the sound of Sheppard talking into his radio.
“Brown. Yes, Sergeant, my office immediately.” He turned towards Jean. “Dr. McKay, if you would like -.” He stopped abruptly, hand flying back to his radio. “Sheppard. Go ahead, Carson.” Apparently the colonel liked what he was hearing; Jean could see relief on the man’s previously expressionless face. “That’s good to hear; I’ll let her know. Thanks, Carson.” When Sheppard turned back to Jean, he was smiling. “Dr. McKay, that was Dr. Beckett. He said that Rodney should pull through and that you can go visit him if you wish.” Jean was halfway out the door before he finished his last sentence. “Hey, don’t you need someone to show you the way back?” he called after it.
“Nah, I can find it on my own,” she replied without turning around. She hoped her brother was still awake. She wanted to give him a piece of her mind.
*******
Rodney nearing sleep when Jean entered the infirmary, which wasn’t surprising; she had expected him to be rather groggy. She tried to be quiet when she sat by his bed, but he heard her and stirred.
“Whozzat?” He mumbled, turning towards her, arms flailing slightly to reach the person who had disturbed his descent into sleep.
“Shhhh, Rodney,” Jeannie said, grabbing his hand. “Go back to sleep.”
“’Lizbeth, that you?” His eyes opened a bit.
“No, it’s not, Ro-bear. Just go to sleep.”
The use of his child hood nickname roused Rodney a bit more. “Jeannie, is that you?”
“Yes, Rodney. Now stop being a stubborn ass and get some rest. You need it.”
“But you’re back on Earth. You can’t…wait. I’m hallucinating again, aren’t I?”
“Yes, Rodney. You’re having anaphylaxis-induced hallucination of your older sister because your body needs rest and you won’t do it on your own, so you need someone to order you around. Now shut up and sleep.”
“Well, in that case…” Rodney’s words trailed off and he was shortly snoring, holding his big sister’s hand.