Fic: Responsible (PG)
Title: Responsible
Author: SGAtlantisLight
Characters: McKay, Sheppard, Beckett, Zelenka, Lorne
Relationships: McKay/Sheppard, Zelenka/Beckett
Rating: PG for this part, but the series as a whole is NC-17
Warnings: Language
Spoilers: None
Summary: Part 27 of the Broken Series
Disclaimer: The characters, the setting, etc. are NOT mine, even if I wish they were.
Author's note: Okay, I intended to have some Corrigan and mini!Jack in here, but it went in a slightly different direction and I decided to leave it to the next chapter.
What John wanted to do was drag Rodney back to their apartment and explore every inch on his husband's body to reassure himself that he was really okay and then make love to him for hours on end until every last remnant of the fear he'd felt was wiped from his memory.
What he did was the goddamned responsible thing and walked Rodney to the infirmary to be cleared by a doctor, telling him about Radek's attempt to get everyone out of the wraith transporter system.
"How's he taking it?" Rodney asked.
"Not good," John answered honestly. "Though it's good you weren't one of the erasures or I don't think he could live with himself."
Rodney considered him. "If he thinks he's killed nine people-- ten counting Dr. Waldschmidt from before-- he may not be able to live with himself now."
***
John took the opportunity to question Lorne while they were waiting for someone to find the time to see to Rodney.
"...and then the whole hive ship went up. It was beautiful," Lorne finished his story. "I only wish we'd had time to get some of the other people out of there."
"Yeah," John agreed. "At least they didn't suffer." He turned to Rodney. "You're sure Juarez and Zacharias weren't aboard?"
Rodney nodded. "They probably would have been put in with us if they were, but we did look. That's what got Andrepont killed."
They paused as the door to the surgery room opened and Carson stepped out. There was the distinctive sound of a drill as he shut the door.
Lorne blanched as Carson came toward them. "What the hell is Biro doing to Corrigan?" he asked.
"Drilling a hole through his skull to insert a catheter," Carson answered, fumbling for his stethoscope.
"Um," Rodney said, "are you familiar with the phrase 'I need that like I need a hole in the head'?"
Carson patted Rodney's arm. "We need to relieve the pressure before there's brain damage. The wraith enzyme he got injected with before that wraith started feeding may have saved his life."
"Took some of it, too, if I'm not mistaken."
Carson nodded. "I'll need to run some tests, but I'm guessing between five and ten years."
Rodney sighed, rubbing his forehead.
"Cheer up, Rodney," Carson chided quietly as he pressed the stethoscope to Rodney's back. "He's still younger than you."
"Oh, thank you, great and mighty witch doctor." Rodney tried to glare over his shoulder. "And not that I'm not flattered at having the chief medical officer check me over, but shouldn't you be the one doing Corrigan's surgery or maybe seeing to Reed?"
"I was one of the people Radek got out of the wraith transporter system," Carson explained. "My right hand's still a wee bit numb."
"Ah, I see. So I only rated the still-injured doctor."
"How are you feeling, Rodney?"
"Fine."
"Fine?" Carson asked, staring at him in surprise. Rodney was never just fine. "There must be something wrong if ye don't have any complaints."
Rodney sighed. "Okay. If I tell you that my left leg is still a little numb and I think the wraith hit my head on the floor when they dumped me in the cell, will you let me go?"
"Ah, that's more like our Rodney. Just let me check your blood pressure first. Did you want something for that headache?"
Rodney considered whether Carson could be telepathic or whether he was just good at deductive reasoning. "Yes, please."
***
Okay, being responsible was getting damned annoying. But as he saw the dejected slump of Radek's shoulders as the door to the lab slid open, he knew Carson had been right to be concerned when he had asked them to check on his lover. On the laptop screen, he could see row after row of zeros scrolling past.
"Radek?" Rodney said quietly.
The Czech turned, his eyes red and puffy. He tried to smile. "I'm glad to see you're okay, Rodney."
"I'm glad to be okay." John hung back as Rodney stepped over to the desk, his gaze falling to the strings of zeros. He reached out and gripped Radek's shoulder. "Hey, we'll figure it out, okay? You need to get away from this for a while."
"I can't," Radek answered. "The longer I wait, the longer resistance differentials weaken. I need to map it all out now."
"Radek, please."
"No! Don't take me from work. I need to save them! I need them to not be dead."
"You know you're not being logical. You already concluded there was no way in hell and you know that conclusion is right."
"Jdi do prdele!"
"Radek!"
"I killed them, Rodney! Nine innocent people are dead because of me. More! You were only taken because of me, so Achebe's and Andrepont's deaths are mine, too."
Rodney's hand shot out, grabbing Radek's shirt front. He dragged the smaller man up out of his chair. "You didn't kill them! The fucking wraith killed them all. All of them. Do you understand me?"
"It's my fault. I--"
"Shut the fuck up! Excuse me if I don't blame you for not dying at the hands of that wraith. I've been to enough friends' funerals in my life, thank you very much. I don't need to be going to yours."
Radek's knees gave out suddenly at those words and Rodney swept him into his arms, pulling him close, as the Czech broke down.
"It's okay," he murmured. "It's going to be okay..." He lifted his eyes to meet John's, apology and pleading in the look.
John stepped forward then, wrapping his arms around Radek and Rodney, trapping the smaller man between them. "It's okay," he whispered, both for Radek and for Rodney. "You're safe. We won't let you fall."
Author: SGAtlantisLight
Characters: McKay, Sheppard, Beckett, Zelenka, Lorne
Relationships: McKay/Sheppard, Zelenka/Beckett
Rating: PG for this part, but the series as a whole is NC-17
Warnings: Language
Spoilers: None
Summary: Part 27 of the Broken Series
Disclaimer: The characters, the setting, etc. are NOT mine, even if I wish they were.
Author's note: Okay, I intended to have some Corrigan and mini!Jack in here, but it went in a slightly different direction and I decided to leave it to the next chapter.
What John wanted to do was drag Rodney back to their apartment and explore every inch on his husband's body to reassure himself that he was really okay and then make love to him for hours on end until every last remnant of the fear he'd felt was wiped from his memory.
What he did was the goddamned responsible thing and walked Rodney to the infirmary to be cleared by a doctor, telling him about Radek's attempt to get everyone out of the wraith transporter system.
"How's he taking it?" Rodney asked.
"Not good," John answered honestly. "Though it's good you weren't one of the erasures or I don't think he could live with himself."
Rodney considered him. "If he thinks he's killed nine people-- ten counting Dr. Waldschmidt from before-- he may not be able to live with himself now."
***
John took the opportunity to question Lorne while they were waiting for someone to find the time to see to Rodney.
"...and then the whole hive ship went up. It was beautiful," Lorne finished his story. "I only wish we'd had time to get some of the other people out of there."
"Yeah," John agreed. "At least they didn't suffer." He turned to Rodney. "You're sure Juarez and Zacharias weren't aboard?"
Rodney nodded. "They probably would have been put in with us if they were, but we did look. That's what got Andrepont killed."
They paused as the door to the surgery room opened and Carson stepped out. There was the distinctive sound of a drill as he shut the door.
Lorne blanched as Carson came toward them. "What the hell is Biro doing to Corrigan?" he asked.
"Drilling a hole through his skull to insert a catheter," Carson answered, fumbling for his stethoscope.
"Um," Rodney said, "are you familiar with the phrase 'I need that like I need a hole in the head'?"
Carson patted Rodney's arm. "We need to relieve the pressure before there's brain damage. The wraith enzyme he got injected with before that wraith started feeding may have saved his life."
"Took some of it, too, if I'm not mistaken."
Carson nodded. "I'll need to run some tests, but I'm guessing between five and ten years."
Rodney sighed, rubbing his forehead.
"Cheer up, Rodney," Carson chided quietly as he pressed the stethoscope to Rodney's back. "He's still younger than you."
"Oh, thank you, great and mighty witch doctor." Rodney tried to glare over his shoulder. "And not that I'm not flattered at having the chief medical officer check me over, but shouldn't you be the one doing Corrigan's surgery or maybe seeing to Reed?"
"I was one of the people Radek got out of the wraith transporter system," Carson explained. "My right hand's still a wee bit numb."
"Ah, I see. So I only rated the still-injured doctor."
"How are you feeling, Rodney?"
"Fine."
"Fine?" Carson asked, staring at him in surprise. Rodney was never just fine. "There must be something wrong if ye don't have any complaints."
Rodney sighed. "Okay. If I tell you that my left leg is still a little numb and I think the wraith hit my head on the floor when they dumped me in the cell, will you let me go?"
"Ah, that's more like our Rodney. Just let me check your blood pressure first. Did you want something for that headache?"
Rodney considered whether Carson could be telepathic or whether he was just good at deductive reasoning. "Yes, please."
***
Okay, being responsible was getting damned annoying. But as he saw the dejected slump of Radek's shoulders as the door to the lab slid open, he knew Carson had been right to be concerned when he had asked them to check on his lover. On the laptop screen, he could see row after row of zeros scrolling past.
"Radek?" Rodney said quietly.
The Czech turned, his eyes red and puffy. He tried to smile. "I'm glad to see you're okay, Rodney."
"I'm glad to be okay." John hung back as Rodney stepped over to the desk, his gaze falling to the strings of zeros. He reached out and gripped Radek's shoulder. "Hey, we'll figure it out, okay? You need to get away from this for a while."
"I can't," Radek answered. "The longer I wait, the longer resistance differentials weaken. I need to map it all out now."
"Radek, please."
"No! Don't take me from work. I need to save them! I need them to not be dead."
"You know you're not being logical. You already concluded there was no way in hell and you know that conclusion is right."
"Jdi do prdele!"
"Radek!"
"I killed them, Rodney! Nine innocent people are dead because of me. More! You were only taken because of me, so Achebe's and Andrepont's deaths are mine, too."
Rodney's hand shot out, grabbing Radek's shirt front. He dragged the smaller man up out of his chair. "You didn't kill them! The fucking wraith killed them all. All of them. Do you understand me?"
"It's my fault. I--"
"Shut the fuck up! Excuse me if I don't blame you for not dying at the hands of that wraith. I've been to enough friends' funerals in my life, thank you very much. I don't need to be going to yours."
Radek's knees gave out suddenly at those words and Rodney swept him into his arms, pulling him close, as the Czech broke down.
"It's okay," he murmured. "It's going to be okay..." He lifted his eyes to meet John's, apology and pleading in the look.
John stepped forward then, wrapping his arms around Radek and Rodney, trapping the smaller man between them. "It's okay," he whispered, both for Radek and for Rodney. "You're safe. We won't let you fall."