SGA Shep Fic "Secondary consequences" 2/2 Gen
0o0
Rather than carry on to the potentially warm safe cave, they waited for John to return. There was another huge flash of lightening.
“Wow! That was close!” Rodney exclaimed.
They waited, and shivered. Ronon looked at Teyla.
“John should have been back by now.”
“That lightening…..do you think…?” Rodney was worried now too.
“John!”
“Sheppard!”
No answer.
As one they turned and sloshed back the way they’d just come.
“Oh God, oh God!” Rodney mumbled as he saw Sheppard’s body lying sprawled on his back on the sodden ground and ran towards him.
“Lightning?” Ronon asked
Rodney fell to his knees, hands going to Sheppard’s neck and chest to check for a pulse and heartbeat. He saw that Sheppard was slumped on uneven ground; God knew what was underneath…. “Quick- you two hold his legs and body straight, I’ll take his head and spine. We need to move him slightly so he’s flat. No time to waste.”
Teyla’s shocked scared eyes met Rodney’s over John’s limp body once they’d carefully moved him.
“Nothing, there’s nothing!” Rodney shouted, his wet fingers pressing into Sheppard’s neck.
“Rodney, you know what to do. Remember Carson’s classes…”
“On a dummy! Not on a real live actual person! Not on…” a friend, someone I know …Rodney felt panic welling up, but he was kneeling down to tilt John’s chin up and pinch the nose for the first rescue breaths. He stared at Sheppard’s chest expanding only because of him.
Teyla busied herself with unzipping John’s TAC vest and jacket and sliding her hand along his t-shirted chest to feel for the right place to begin the compressions when Rodney said “go.” Rodney caught a strange lump under Sheppard’s t-shirt as he bent down to breath again and wondered what that could be. Teyla pressed down firmly, counting in rhythm, words whispered under her breath, words he did not recognise. After a while, they swapped places, then swapped again as they tired.
Rodney caught movement out of the corner of his eye as he shifted from Sheppard’s head to his chest once again.
Ronon.
Pacing up and down. Watching, silent in the pouring rain. He looked anxious about the storm as well. But Rodney had no time to wonder what else he was thinking.
“Come on, Sheppard! Damn you! This is stupid! Don’t do this to me, not after all the crap we’ve gone through! I’m wet and muddy and I HATE this!” panted Rodney as he pushed on John’s wet chest.
“Do you want me to..?” Ronon offered.
Rodney looked bleak. “I…” he started, then fumbled. “Damn it!” he finally yelled, he punched John’s chest in frustrated anger. He froze, shocked when Sheppard’s right arm jerked.
“There! Did you see that?”
Rodney moved his fingers to Sheppard’s neck and felt a pulse; Teyla gave another two breaths, waited, then did it again until his mouth moved under hers. He gasped, coughed weakly and then began to breathe on his own.
“We did it! Oh, thank you, God!” Rodney and Teyla sat back on their heels in the pouring rain grinning like loons.
Sheppard groaned and tried to move a hand up to his chest...
“Don’t move! Everything’s going to be okay.”
Sheppard’s eyes opened but they didn’t seem to be focused on Rodney peering down at him. He frowned and blinked as the rain continued to pour on them.
His mouth moved wordlessly and coughed again.
“What? Where does it hurt, Sheppard?”
Sheppard made an inarticulate noise, clearly disoriented.
“I need to check if you hit your head or hurt your back.”
Sheppard ignored him, lifted his head an inch before he moaned and gagged.
“Eeew, Sheppard!”
“Rodney, he cannot help it.”
“I know it just makes me want to as well. Hold here and here, log roll him in case...”
Sheppard coughed again and Ronon cupped some water for him. Sheppard swilled his mouth and spat out again.
“We must get to that cave.”
“Yes, but if he’s got a spine or neck injury we can’t just hoist him up like a sack of potatoes!”
“What do we do then?”
“I’m thinking!” Rodney ran his hands down Sheppard’s spine and he didn’t respond with agony, only a muffled grunt at one shoulder and lower down his back. He couldn’t feel anything obviously damaged. He did find a bleeding gash on the back of his head though and fumbled in his vest for a bandage.
“Keep his neck and shoulders still while I do this- just in case.”
Rodney reached for the LSD and fiddled with it, then held it over Sheppard’s head and neck.
“Sheppard, can you hear me?”
“Nnnrgh”
“I’ll take that as a no then.” He turned to Ronon and Teyla. “I modified the LSD. I think he’s okay but something could show up later. He’s got to have some bruising judging by where we found him. The ground’s all lumpy with moss- covered stones. We need something to go round his neck to brace it.” He leaned over and started searching Sheppard’s vest pockets.
“What are you looking for?”
“I know he keeps some duck tape in here somewhere....aha!”
“Here.” Ronon handed him a spare scarf from inside his coat.
Rodney wrapped it round Sheppard’s neck and duck taped it to his clothing. “Space blankets….” he muttered and got out Sheppard’s used one. He opened it out with Teyla’s help and then they moved Sheppard onto it, the wind rustling the loose edges. Teyla got out her blanket and tucked it quickly around Sheppard to keep the rain off and begin warming him up again.
“If we bunch up the ends, Ronon and I should be able to carry him to the cave- we’re not far, right?”
From another pocket, he retrieved a small Maglite and turned it on, handing it to Teyla. The gloom had given way to murky dusk.
She nodded, “I will scout ahead.”
Ronon and Rodney looked at each other and bent down and lifted as one.
Rodney worried every moment they carried Sheppard, terrified that he had a spine injury and they were making it worse, or that he’d stop breathing again before they made it to the cave.
After what seemed like hours, they arrived at the shelter Ronon had spotted. Teyla waited at the entrance to help them if necessary.
Ronon and Rodney stepped into a deep cave. Rodney saw that Teyla had lit a fire and was moving items stacked at the back.
“What on Earth?” he said in surprise. This was amazing; of all the places to end up, they’d lucked out on an abandoned cave ready to go.
“Perhaps it is a refuge from the Wraith or other predator.”
Teyla laid out what appeared to be a wool blanket on the ground and they carefully laid Sheppard onto it. The cloth would keep him directly off the floor and the space blanket would contain his body heat.
Not sparing any time to think about Teyla’s suggestion or wonder at what else was in the cave’s bounty; Rodney knew that hypothermia and shock were immediate concerns, apart from the bleeding head wound and Sheppard’s confusion and silence.
“We need to get his wet things off now and get him dry. Teyla, you need to warm up too,” he said as she built up the fire so it would last some time. The light and heat was very welcome as the rain continued outside and there was still the odd thunder clap, but they were safe now.
Rodney knelt down and with Ronon’s help wrestled with Sheppard’s wet clothing, leaving him in damp boxers. Surprisingly, there were no huge burns, no obvious entry or exit, and Rodney mused if this was the result of an indirect ground strike, close enough to shock Sheppard. The Colonel’s dog tags had however melted in a lump off to the right side of his chest. Rodney looked at it. With the torrential rain, it had cooled down, but he wasn’t sure if he should remove it or not. They could always put a dressing over it. He replaced the space blanket. Rodney sat back to search for another dressing when bare feet appeared. He glanced up to see Teyla, one blanket tucked round her torso and another held round her shoulders, a bare arm held out more blankets.
“For you, after you’ve done with John. You’re wet too,” she said before returning to the stack of pots and dried firewood in the back to look for more useful items.
Ronon took the blankets and put one over the space blanket covering Sheppard.
Rodney turned back to Sheppard again and touched his arm. He needed Sheppard conscious to assess his condition.
“Sheppard?” Rodney joggled his arm again and waited for his eyes to open. After long seconds he was rewarded with fluttering eyelids.
“Rod….” he groaned. “Wass..goin’ on?”
“Nothing much except you getting fried!”
“Huhnn?” Rodney watched Sheppard staring up at Ronon looming over Rodney’s shoulder as he checked his head bandage. Sheppard squinted and started to get a little agitated “Ford!” he yelled.
Ronon moved out of the way, and Rodney grabbed the colonel’s shoulders.
“He’s not here, Sheppard,” Rodney told him, but Sheppard ignored him and continued to be restless. He tried to sit up but stifled a cry and sank back down, his face scrunched up in pain, eyes tight shut.
Rodney put his hand on Sheppard’s arm to still him. “What? Where does it hurt?”
Sheppard opened his eyes in surprise. “I can’t…..wha’…?”
“What what?”
Ronon said “Sheppard,” quietly off to one side while Sheppard’s eyes were on Rodney and they did not move at Ronon’s voice.
“Teyla, stay where you are and say something to Sheppard,” Ronon said urgently.
“John? Are you alright?”
Sheppard again did not move or say anything in response.
Ronon moved into his vision and Sheppard’s eyes widened. “Can you hear us Sheppard?”
His forehead scrunched up again and Rodney could see him working out the mouth movements to the words in his brain. But his brain cells were a bit scrambled.
“Can….what? Say ‘gain.”
“Oh, God he’s deaf!” shrilled Rodney, his anxiety bleeding into Sheppard who in turn got panicky and then nauseous, just as Teyla found an empty bowl and handed it to Ronon.
Teyla, with the blanket now secured round her chest, moved stiffly to the cave entrance and put a pot out in the rain. They needed warm food and drink to warm up. The cave was stocked for a lengthy stay- plenty of dried wood, food containers and bedding. The fire was self contained in a shallow pit of dug earth ringed with blackened stones. There was also a ready supply of supports for kettles and pots to hang over the fire. They were not going to have problems with smoke - a natural fissure in the cave’s ceiling acted as a chimney.
She put the kettle on to heat. “We will be able to have a hot drink soon. I have some berry tea in my vest pocket.” She paused as if waiting for Rodney to protest at the lack of coffee and glanced over as she added more stones to the fire.
Rodney looked up at her words and threw a questioning look at what she was doing. She smiled.
“When they have warmed we can wrap them in cloth and use them as warmers.”
His face brightened for a moment. “I have a spare pair of socks somewhere. We can use those,” he turned back to Sheppard.
“It’s all right, don’t move. Just rest,” Rodney soothed as he and Ronon cleaned Sheppard up, and it was clear to Rodney that the colonel still didn’t understand what was happening. They joined Teyla at last.
“Get out of those damp jackets. And find what food you have left,” she urged them.
Rodney realised that was a good idea and removed his jacket, propping it up near the fire to dry off. He then wandered over to the stack of various sized pots and bags stacked separately off to one side from the main pile. Curious, he poked at a few and opened a bag at random.
“What’s this?” he said sniffing the contents as Ronon joined him. “Phew! If that’s tea, it’ll make your eyes water never mind anything else!” He passed the bag of herbs to Ronon. He next found a small curved jar with some sort of wax or salve in it. He stuck a finger in it and instantly stiffened.
“Ow! My finger’s gone numb! What is this stuff?”
Ronon and Teyla had both been studying the dried herb, but they rushed over to Rodney at his cry.
“My finger’s going to rot and fall off. I need that to type with! I’m going to die horribly aren’t I?”
“No, Rodney. Let me look at that pot.” She took it gently from him and knelt next to the fire peering at it and the dried plants again. A moment later, she returned to the stack of pots searching for something.
“Ah.” She held up dried faded white and pink flower heads and plants stems with multiple feathery leaves. She turned to Ronon, excited “You know what this is too, do you not?”
“It can’t be. It’s a myth. Only spoken of but never actually real,” Ronon said slowly.
“WHAT? Tell me!” Rodney screeched.
“Thousand Leaves!” Teyla cried happily.
“So?” Rodney replied bewildered. “My finger’s still numb!”
“Charin told me of this. Stories of how long ago they would save to buy it from infrequent traders. It is medicinal, Rodney. We can help John.”
Rodney looked at them. “You’re sure? I mean, if you’ve never seen it…”
“Yes, it is documented with drawings. I recognise it from old herbal books. What if this is what the reference you found meant.”
“No!”
“Yes, this could be the resource of great power.”
“So what? You boil the flowers for this numb stuff?”
“You can use all of it. It’s all good,” said Ronon.
“Teas, infusions, salves, pills, oils,” Teyla quantified.
“Wow.”
A weak cough reminded them of Sheppard and Rodney crawled back to his side.
“This is still bleeding!” he said exasperated as he checked the head bandage.
“Sprinkle the dried leaves in the wound and spread the salve round the edge, then put a new bandage on. It’s quite safe. It will stop the bleeding and prevent infection.” Teyla advised, handing him the bag and pot. He did so.
“The burn- you think…?”
“Yes. It will cool and numb the area”
He followed Teyla’s directions, treating the head wound first then using the salve on the burn and replaced the dressing. Sheppard reacted to his touch and blinked his eyes open.
“Can you feel that?” Rodney asked.
“’S’funny. Whatyoudoin’?”
“Helping.”
Now that Sheppard was awake again, Rodney touched his chest where they had done CPR. He must be sore. Sheppard flinched, and Rodney saw that he was now favouring his right shoulder and arm too.
“Ronon -what do you think? Not dislocated, but…”
“Torn muscle, or deep bruising when he fell- same as his head,” Ronon said confidently.
Finding a pair of surgical gloves in yet another vest pocket, Rodney he applied more salve when they carefully turned him on his side and saw the bruising on his lower back had darkened. That it was indeed numbing the pain was quickly demonstrated as Sheppard’s tense body relaxed. They fed him a little warm tea and let him doze off before strapping his shoulder up.
Rodney was disappointed that there might not be a ZedPM, but at least the herbal stuff was working for Sheppard. And Teyla and Ronon seemed happy. So it was a win all round. Apart from the lack of ZedPMs. Wrapped in blankets and warmed by fire, food and friends, they spent the night in the cave waiting for the storm to pass, the rain to stop and for daylight to return. They took shifts through the night so that someone was alert in case Sheppard deteriorated.
The rain finally stopped, but it was grey and very damp out. Back in their dried clothing they made breakfast of Powerbars and tea and debated how to get back to the gate
. “I am lighter than either of you. I can negotiate the rope bridge, get to the gate and request a jumper and Beckett. I shall go as soon as it is light enough,” Teyla suggested.
“What about your leg?” asked Rodney.
“The Thousand Leaves have helped.”
“I can run faster, but the bridge may not take my weight.” Ronon said.
In the end Rodney and Ronon gave in to Teyla’s argument. Rodney squatted by the fire pouring himself another cup of tea while Teyla moved to John’s side and grabbed his hand.
“John, how are you this morning?” she asked.
He had been mostly quiet throughout the night, only a few grumblings and restless confused periods. With plenty of blankets and warmed stones, he was in no danger of hypothermia or shock despite being mostly divested of his clothing. At some point, someone had put his dried socks back on.
“Fine,” he said loudly, which confirmed Rodney’s fear that he was still having trouble with his ears.
“I am going to get Beckett and a jumper. Do not exert yourself.” And she touched her forehead with his and left before he could disagree.
“Teyla…”
“She’s gone,” Rodney answered, moving closer and leaning over the prone man.
“Where?”
“To get help, she told you,” Rodney said slowly so Sheppard could read his lips.
“Where are we?”
“Don’t you remember?”
Sheppard started to shake his head no, but that seemed to hurt. He moved his right hand and the bandaged shoulder then, seemed to get overwhelmed as he realised he was all strapped up. .
“Sheppard?!” Rodney knelt next to him as Sheppard looked up at him, gasping in panic. He felt for his pulse and put a hand on his chest, not liking the too fast heartbeat.
“Shhh, it’s alright. Calm down.” Suddenly Sheppard’s heart gave a tiny painful flutter and he cried out.
Ronon moved in and cupped Sheppard’s cheek, catching his attention. “Watch me, count slowly. One…two…three…”
Slowly, Sheppard mouthed the numbers and relaxed and Rodney felt the pulse under his fingertips do the same.
“That was scary,” whistled Rodney a minute later as Sheppard drifted off to sleep, tired out by the event. “How long do you think Teyla will be?”
“An hour or two.”
“Huh. Um, do you know about Prime Numbers at all?” Rodney asked.
0o0
Sheppard wasn’t sure where he was or why. He didn’t understand what his team was trying to tell him. Their voices were all muffled and it was hard to concentrate. He hurt all over and his heart going wonky scared him. He just wanted it to be over, to be home. Not here. He’d slept some but now he needed help.
“Hey,” he croaked and moved an arm out of the blanket.
“Don’t get up. I’m still not sure about your back.” Rodney said, suddenly materialising beside him.
“Pee,” He grunted, squinting up at the scientist
“P? P versus NP?”
He frowned, shaking his head “Water.”
“Here.” Rodney said, holding out a cup.
Sheppard was getting worried, he couldn’t last much longer.
“Pee,” he tried again. He was having trouble hearing his own voice and wondered if Rodney was too. He moved his hand suggestively and Rodney’s eyes popped.
Ronon snorted and rummaged about in the pile of pots. He came up with a slender jug which he gave to Rodney, who put it in Sheppard’s good hand. John sighed and waited for them to turn around for a moment before making use of it.
“Done?” Rodney asked.
He nodded, his ears going pink. Rodney disposed of it outside, and John could just see him holding it at arms length.
“Sheppard, are you in pain? Does you back hurt?” he asked worriedly when he returned.
Sheppard looked quizzically at him. Of course he hurt!
“Why?” Ronon asked
“His pee was pink!” He turned back to Sheppard. “You’ve damaged your kidneys”
0o0
Half an hour later, when Rodney was reduced to playing tic-tac-toe on the earth floor, Teyla and Beckett arrived breathless, blocking out all the light pouring in from the cave entrance.
“You made good time,” Ronon said impressed. Teyla made a slight face as she admitted she’d run into a scout team sent by Elizabeth and that Lorne’s S & R unit were waiting in the jumper bay. The storm had prevented any attempt earlier.
Within minutes, Sheppard had extra oxygen and was wired up to a portable ECG, and had a proper neck splint and fluids by IV. Meanwhile Beckett’s assistants arrived with the backboard. John ignored the debate about the contents of the cave and kept his eyes closed. He was glad to be going home, but worried about his hearing and the all- over hurt. The look on Beckett’s face as he read the ECG readouts worried him too.
Once in the jumper, Teyla left a comforting hand on one leg as Lorne piloted them home, with Ronon getting to enjoy the co-pilot seat and the view for once. Rodney sat next to Teyla, a wistful look on his face, and John remembered Rodney’s glee at the thought of a ZPM. They could come back again and double-check.
In Atlantis, the pace sped up. He felt every bump and wobble of the gurney wheels. Sheppard found it too disorientating to watch, so he closed his eyes. In short order, he went under every scanner and had several tests done and tubes of blood drawn, including one that really hurt.
Beckett allowed Rodney to stand nearby with a tablet so he could type what was happening for Sheppard, but he stepped away for a moment when Beckett got out the catheter kit and showed it to Sheppard, who recognised it and turned his face away while the nurse fitted it. Ten minutes later, Beckett held up the bag so Sheppard could see the pink colour of his urine Sheppard gave an ‘Oh’ of surprise. That explained the nasty back ache.
Beckett tutted over the pungent herbs and sticky stuff in his hair and over the burn. He looked like he was consulting Teyla and Ronon over it at one point, before he gave Sheppard a local and shaved some of the hair and stitched the gash up. The dog tags he took off and put in the bedside drawer, eyes widening at the fused aluminium and plastic edges.
“That’s interesting stuff alright. This burn would have been a lot worse if you hadn’t used it” Beckett said, and Rodney typed out.
He was turned on his side as Beckett checked his kidneys and back again. Apparently, the doctor had found something interesting and he watched the nurse and Rodney peer round and look. What the heck could be worth seeing apart from nasty bruising, he wondered?
There was a flash of bright light and his heart stuttered for a second as they laid him flat on the bed again. The nurse and Beckett rushed to look at the monitor then at him.
“Sorry son. I have to document this.” Sheppard read on Rodney’s tablet and looked at Beckett’s digital picture of some weird reddish feathery mark covering his left shoulder and all of his back.
“Me?” he asked, pointing at himself. Rodney and Beckett nodded.
“Burn?”
Beckett shook his head, no. That was good enough for him for the moment.
He was tiring now and all he was doing was lying here. Beckett got the scope out and gently peered into his ears and took more pictures with the scanner.
John lay there, fretting as he waited for Beckett to stop and interpret the results, so he’d know what was wrong with him. He fell asleep waiting, but maybe it was the drugs Beckett had him on.
0o0
He woke up some indeterminate time later with an itchy nose, the need to sneeze and tightness across his chest. As he blinked bleary eyes open, he realised the world wasn’t quite so muffled, but things ached, itched and it hurt to move any muscle. On a good point, he’d lost the neck brace, but he was still wired up to the monitor. Beckett appeared with a tablet and raised his bed some. He drank all of the precisely measured cup of water first and slowly read Beckett’s notes.
“1-Your hearing loss is temporary. A week or two until your body settles down.”
Well thank goodness for that. He’d been worried about losing his flight status or some other complication that meant he’d never fly or be able to swim and surf again.
“2-The irregular heartbeat should also settle down with drugs and time. You’ve had no new episodes.”
So far at least. The last one had been scary.
“3-Your neck and back are fine-bad bruising, but we’re monitoring the kidney function.”
Yeah, like he didn’t already know that. ‘Measured ins and outs’ they called it. He just called it too much information.
“4-No skull fracture or intracranial haemorrhaging so far-just a nasty concussion and residual headaches.”
Speaking of which, he had one right now and he’d only just woken up.
“5-The shoulder is wrenched-torn muscle and stretched ligament. Will be painful but resolve with PT.”
PT always went with painful, a delightful combination.
“6-The feather mark on your back is not a burn and will fade.”
Not sure how he felt about that-it looked kind of cool, almost like a tat. Ronon had tats; he’d have to ask him what they meant.
“7-You will have to report weekly for the next few months for an eye examination to check for possible development of cataracts, a documented possible side effect of the lightning strike. You will recover from this; it’s just going to take time and some effort from you and I know you’re not a quitter. C. Beckett, MD.”
He hung onto the tablet and typed in some questions as he was tired of working out how loud his voice was.
“1-How did the lightning do that weird thing on my back?”
“2-Will I be alright in the sun? Surfing and outdoors stuff? Or do I get to wear McKay’s factor 100 sun block for the rest of my life?”
He handed it back to Beckett and waited while he typed.
“1-I gather that as the electricity flashes over the skin at such high temperatures at extreme speed, that it forces the blood in your blood vessels to become visible on the surface. It shouldn’t be permanent and there’s no localised burning.”
2- I don’t see that it should change your current life style. Unless, of course, you WANT to wear Rodney’s factor 100 sun cream! Not that you’ll be surfing for a wee while yet, Colonel.”
Sheppard’s eyes widened as he remembered the timeframe. He was looking at two months easily but he really did feel battered. Even as Beckett reached for the ear thermometer after reading his chart, he knew the dunk in the river and being made slightly crispy would have lowered his immune system. Not to mention the last few months stress on top of that.
Sometimes his life sucked. But then again, he was alive and not being killed by life- sucking aliens. So. Win then.
Oh, Good grief. I’m delirious already.
0o0
A few more hours and John was heading for ill fast, the heat simmering under the skin making him bake from the inside out. Stupid bacteria in the river. He wondered if Teyla was okay, vaguely recalling that she’d hurt her leg. He felt foggy, restless and un-tethered.
People seemed to creep up on him over the next few hours and into the next day, sticking breathing masks over his face or taking his temperature. He kept jerking when someone suddenly touched his hand or arm. Words were muffled and sometimes he had pain in his ears too. He just wanted to sleep but nurses and Beckett were always coming in to check his temperature, fill IVs, and check his pee bag- whatever.
He was exhausted from restless sleep and waking up slick with sweat and confused as to where he was. Sometimes he could not sleep at all and he lay stuporous, watching the seemingly constant in and out of staff, friends, trolleys and med carts. He felt like he was going mad. Desperate for quiet, stillness and cool air he tried to get out of bed. That ended badly as people appeared and mouthed semi silently at him. The floor partially rose up to meet him, but cold hands returned his body back to the bed and he burned up like Icarus close to the sun. Then he was cold and he couldn’t breathe, he was back in the river and drowning. He didn’t want to die like this and he fought back hard
0o0
John stirred as a muted thunk sounded nearby. He opened sleep gummed eyes and squinted at a dark shape on his bedside table. He thought the lights up a smidge…it was a potted plant. Of the Thousand Leaves plant, to be precise.
“Cute,” John replied. He yawned and fidgeted in the bed, setting off a few simmering aches and pains. “Next time you look in the Ancient Google, I want space guns, McKay. D’ya hear me? Big, badass guns like Ronon’s to fight the Wraith with. Not plants!”
“Hey, I was hoping for a ZedPM,” Rodney responded. “Don’t blame me for the over- excited weather. At least we know that’s why the outdoor huts were abandoned. Do you know the odds of being struck by lightning in your lifetime? 1 in 6250… Sheppard…. are you listening to me?”
“Nope.” Fighting microbes and being zapped took a lot out of him.All he did was sleep, and he was ready to get back to it already.
“I don’t know what was worse- having to do CPR or seeing you almost die by ‘just a little bit of pneumonia’!”
Sheppard coughed “Sorry,” he said tiredly in response.
“Nex’ time- we go inna jumper…an’ space gunnss.” The words were mumbled even to his ears as sleep rolled over him, but he was warm and safe and feeling glad to be alive, and he surrendered to the Sandman.
END.
Prompt: “thunder fit to crack the world apart” literally or metaphorically. Tension, lots of team and action and plot. Hope this works for yousnarkydame