FIC: A Colonel's Return
Title: A Colonel's Return
Rating: PG
Author: seramercury
Characters: Pretty much everyone.
Notes: Sequel to Atlantis Cries.
John left another mark on the wall and sighed. It had been three months to the day since he'd been drugged and deposited in this cell. He had no idea who was holding him but he hadn't been hurt.
The only thing they seemed interested in was his blood. Every couple of days, someone in a hood and a mask would come in and draw his blood--and they weren't very good at it either--someone who never said a word to him.
They also seemed to be nice enough to provide him with the bare essentials. There was a small bathroom, bed, and a table for meals. He received three meals a day, which were pretty good. However John Sheppard was not one for staying confined alone for long periods of time.
The second, fourth, and eight days he was there, he tried to make a break for it. Whoever had captured him, though, seemed to always know where to find him. These had to be the smartest captures John had ever known.
As he did everyday, John peered out the small window in his door. Nothing but white walls, floors, and ceilings in either direction. He sighed again, making his way to the bed. Lying down, John closed his eyes, remembering the sights and sounds of Atlantis.
John wondered if his friends even knew where he was. The last time he saw them was on P4X909. They were searching for an energy signature Rodney swore was a ZPM. Five hours of searching on a planet with humid temperatures, they all began to get a bit snippy.
John had let Teyla take point followed by Rodney, then Ronon. He should have been more alert, but the heat wasn't helping anything. John felt something pinch his neck and the next thing he knew, he was falling to his knees, as was everyone else.
Maybe they were in similar rooms like him? He had asked the hooded figures but, of course, no reply was given. John realized that if he and the others hadn't been found by now, they probably thought they were dead.
****************
Rodney woke up with a start. He could feel his heart pounding wildly in his chest. Glancing at the digital clock, he sighed and sat up. Once he had calmed down, he stood and made his way to the bathroom.
The nightmares were getting worse. Every night he would dream of being on a mission again with his old team. And every night John Sheppard would die a horrible death. Rodney just couldn't shake them.
As he finished getting dressed, he heard the door chime. "Come in," he called.
"Rodney."
The voice was quiet and subdued. "Elizabeth?"
"We just received a rather... strange message through the 'Gate." Elizabeth paused. "Whoever sent it used John's IDC."
Rodney stared at her in disbelief. "What did the message say?"
"He's alive."
"That's it?"
"That's it. If it is John, he'll know that we have a protocol to follow. Did you want to go?"
"Definitely."
Elizabeth nodded. "You do realize this could be a trap, though, right?"
"Of course I do, but we have an opportunity to get a friend back," Rodney told her, "I want to be there."
Rodney met up with Teyla and Ronon an hour later at the Gate. "This better not be a trap," Ronon said, "Or I swear someone's gonna pay."
"Just remain calm, Ronon. If this really is John, he has been missing for three months and he may have thought we'd forgotten him."
"No, we only thought he was dead," Rodney muttered.
She didn't have a response to that and followed the Marines into the vortex. Upon arrival, the Marines had spread out but there was no sign of John anywhere. Teyla heard Rodney cry out from behind her.
"Rodney?"
"Sorry, I tripped over... Sheppard?" Rodney got up and turned the man onto his back. He looked and felt real; there was a heartbeat and breathing. "Oh my God, it is really him!"
************
Carson waited as patiently as possible from the team to return from off world. He should have gone with them, but he wanted to go over the results from the autopsy of the other Sheppard...
The one who they all mourned over.
Was that the real Sheppard or was this one? He took a deep breath and glanced over at Elizabeth, who smiled nervously. She was, no doubt, hoping that he could prove the man was indeed their friend.
Teyla and Ronon, followed by a quite Rodney McKay, were supporting John. They brought him in front of Elizabeth and Carson. Before the doctor could say anything, Elizabeth spoke up.
"John, is that really you?"
He looked up at her. How long had he wanted to see his friends and now he couldn't say anything? He merely stared at the people he thought he would never see again. He must be dreaming. Didn't they just come into his room and sedate him?
The room was suddenly getting very hot and he felt himself falling. The last thing he saw was the concerned look in everyone's eyes.
Ronon caught John before he slammed his head on the floor while Carson had his team bring the gurney over. He was checking John's pupils when Elizabeth gasped and said, "What's that, Carson?"
Carson peered over at John's left arm. "From what I can tell someone's been taking his blood and not doing a very good job of it." He looked up at his team. "Lets get him to the infirmary."
Rodney was waiting as patiently as he could for word on John when Elizabeth came up beside him. "How did General Landry take the news?"
"He was surprised to say the least. He's asking for a complete review of the autopsy report. Whoever these people are, they did a hell of a cloning job. He doesn't think Carson or Dr. Biro missed anything, but he doesn't want to take any chances."
"Yeah, cause we never take chances around here."
Teyla and Ronon arrived a few minutes later. "Any word?" Teyla asked.
Carson appeared before anyone could reply. "Well, after doing my initial tests, it would seem that he is 100% John Sheppard. I cannot offer an explanation as to what happened, but we can all rest assured."
Elizabeth smiled. "That is excellent news, Carson! How is doing right now?"
"He's resting. I spoke to him a little and he's responsive and happy to be home, but he said he didn't sleep well while he was kept there." Carson paused. "And apparently no one said a word to him. Not even to tell him what was going on."
"And odds are that whoever took Sheppard just left him there on that planet so we wouldn't track them down," Rodney said bitterly.
Ronon grunted. "That was smart of them."
"Come again?" Carson asked.
"Then they know I won't track them down and beat them senselessly."
"Of course."
Teyla looked questioningly at the physician. "May we see him, Carson?"
Carson normally wouldn't but this wasn't a normal situation. "Aye, just not for long."
************
John was surprised he wasn't more talkative when Carson was examining him. However, now that he thought about it, what would John say to him? 'Yeah, the first day I pretty much just sat there, they drew blood, I tried to take a nap but it didn't work. That was everyday for the past three months. Exciting, huh?'
He sighed. Being cynical wasn't going to help him figure out what happened. No, they needed to track down the guys that captured him. They knew the time frame so he would ask his team what happened since whatever mission that was.
Everything in John's mind was starting to become fuzzy. He would have to go over that mission with the others later. Right now he really needed to sleep. He was tired and even though everyone was buzzing around him, he felt lonely. Maybe if he slept, the feeling would go away.
If even for a few hours.
John was about to drift off to sleep when he heard footsteps getting closer. Opening his eyes, he saw his friends again. "Hey guys," he said.
"John," Teyla said with a smile. "It is wonderful to see you."
He returned the smile. "It's good to be seen. "
Rodney was quiet as he listened to his friends talk. He was very happy John was alive but he had a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach. A feeling that this wasn't going to last long.
He blinked when John said his name.
"Yeah?"
"You okay?"
"Um, shouldn't I be asking you that?" Rodney replied. "I mean, after all, you're the one who was 'dead'."
John nodded distractedly. "Yeah. I'm tired."
Teyla gave Rodney a look before nodding. "Then you must rest, John. We will be back later."
"Thanks," John said with a yawn.
Before any of them could move, John was out and Ronon was smacking Rodney upside the head as the three left the infirmary. "Ow!" he cried. "What the hell was that for?"
"I believe John was trying to think about someone other than himself. Carson did say he had been on his own for the past three months."
Rodney nodded, rubbing his head. "Yeah, I know. I know something's wrong when he's the one who should be having problems and he's asking everyone else if they're all right."
"That's Sheppard for you," Ronon said.
**********
The next morning Elizabeth found John sitting up in his bed, tapping away at his PDA. Carson said he had become subdued and pretty much completely opposite of the John Sheppard they knew. She took a deep breath and step forward.
"Good morning, John," she said.
"Hey," he replied, not looking up at her. When she didn't answer him, he finally did. "What's up?"
"Just came to see how you were doing. Carson says you've been pretty quiet."
John shrugged. "I guess."
Elizabeth sat down, sighing when he turned back to the PDA. "John, this is going to be a huge adjustment for all of us. Most of all you, I can see. You're not alone anymore." She deftly removed the PDA from his hands since he wasn't looking at her. "I am so sorry, John," she whispered.
He looked up at her in surprise. "Why are you sorry, Elizabeth? You all thought I was dead and you had the body to prove it. Of course you weren't going to come looking for me."
"I know that, but that means... I... you must have been wondering where we were," she replied, wiping her tears.
John nodded. "Yeah I did wonder, but I had hope and I knew there would be a good reason why you didn't come for me. And there was."
"That's one hell of a reason not to go looking for you. I have to say, I wasn't too excited about it." She paused. "Your funeral had a good turn out, though."
"Seriously?" John asked in surprise. He seemed to think the only people who would go to that were people involved with SGC.
Elizabeth nodded. "Your Father and brother were there."
John's heart skipped a beat. He hadn't heard from either of them since the incident in Afghanistan. John realized that even while he was in that cell he never thought of them. He felt horrible.
"Are they okay?" he asked with baited breath.
"They are. When I spoke to your Father it seemed that he hated himself for everything that happened between the two of you and wished he had the courage to talk to you and forgive you." She smiled. "It seems as though he'll have his chance if you're interested."
"Yeah," John said. "Definitely."
************
While John was visiting Earth, Rodney took it upon himself to figure out when the real Sheppard was taken from them. Carson believed the copy was never meant to last long.
After looking over the autopsy report again, he realized that the illness the copy had was a result in organ failure. Whatever fluid ran through its body was poisonous to it.
Rodney was going to kick the asses of whoever did this.
"Rodney," Teyla said, looking up from the report she was reading. "Do you recall M2X445?"
"That's the planet with all the hot mud pits, isn't it? And a great trade agreement," he added.
"How the hell could I forget that?"
Teyla nodded. "As I'm reading your report, I seem to recall something. Colonel Sheppard had disappeared for about five minutes and we could not reach him on the radio. When we finally did, he was standing next to that rather large mud pit."
"Yeah I remember that!"
"You believe this is when they switch was made then," Teyla said.
Rodney stood up, leaning over to look at the report over her shoulder. "It has to be! It coincides with Sheppard getting sick. Carson said it all started with a bad head cold from that planet. I don't think that clone was intended to live forever. The people on that planet have to be involved!"
"If that is the case, we should go back there. If they purposely took Colonel Sheppard for some experiment, I doubt Elizabeth would want to continue trade with them."
Rodney nodded. "Lets go!"
**************
John returned from Earth a few days after Rodney and Teyla's discovery. He still couldn't believe he had made up with his family. Who knew it would take him dying to accomplish what he wanted for so long?
"Hey, when did you get in?"
"Hey," John replied. "About ten minutes ago."
Ronon nodded. "McKay and Teyla found out when you went missing."
John looked up at Ronon in surprise. He really didn't think they'd ever figure it out. He shouldn't have underestimated his friends, though. "Where were we?"
"The mud pit planet. You know, the one where we set up that trade agreement for food supplies?"
"Mud pit..."
"Sheppard?"
"Ronon, I remember what happened!"
A few minutes later Elizabeth, Teyla, Rodney, Carson, and Ronon were gathered in the conference room to hear John's story. He was pacing back in forth in front of them, clearly upset about what he remembered.
"John," Elizabeth said, "just relax."
John nodded as he took a deep breath and began...
Rodney, Teyla, and Ronon had been about 10 feet in front of him when he was grabbed from behind. A hood was pulled over his head and hands were removing his P-90, sidearm, tac vest and boots. All attempts to get away were fruitless.
John suddenly felt a pinch on his shoulder and lost consciousness. When he woke up he was in a small room. There was no sign of anyone for a long time. Finally, a cloaked and hooded person entered with food. John was then left alone again.
"It was like that the entire time I was there. About an hour after they'd bring me food, someone else came in, this time to draw my blood."
John would have screamed bloody murder, but he just closed his eyes and let the man finish stabbing him in the arm. He shuddered remembering the pain of the needle digging into him, nearly jumping when he felt a hand holding his wrist.
"Sorry, Colonel," Carson said, checking his heart rate. "Why don't you have a seat?"
John allowed Carson to lead him to a chair and he sank into it, dropping his head into his hands. "Sorry," he muttered.
"It's all right, John," Elizabeth replied.
"Yeah, we've all freaked out before." Ronon grunted at Rodney's comment. "What?"
John chuckled, allowing the tension to leave his body. "This is true, Rodney."
"Colonel, lets get you to the infirmary. Your blood pressure is elevated and I'm still seeing signs of sleep deprivation."
However, John didn't respond, he had fallen asleep already. "What do you want to do, Carson?" Elizabeth asked.
"I could take him down," Ronon suggested.
Rodney smirked. "It would be kind of fun if he woke up."
"Rodney!" Teyla admonished. "Perhaps it would be best to leave him here for now. If he wakes up we can bring him to the infirmary."
Carson agreed. "Of course that means someone needs to stay with him at all times."
"I'll bring my paperwork in here," Elizabeth said.
Ten minutes later, Elizabeth was situated and everyone else had gone their separate ways. However she was finding it hard to concentrate. Instead she kept thinking about how close she came to losing her best friend.
And she had for awhile.
"Penny for your thoughts."
Elizabeth blinked, not realizing John had woken up. "How long...?"
"A few minutes."
"If you must know," she replied with a smile. "I was thinking about you."
"Aw shucks!"
Elizabeth moved to sit next to him. "I'm serious, John. You are a valuable member of this expedition. Not only that, you are the most trusted and greatest friend I have ever had."
"The feeling's mutal, Elizabeth," John replied.
Rating: PG
Author: seramercury
Characters: Pretty much everyone.
Notes: Sequel to Atlantis Cries.
John left another mark on the wall and sighed. It had been three months to the day since he'd been drugged and deposited in this cell. He had no idea who was holding him but he hadn't been hurt.
The only thing they seemed interested in was his blood. Every couple of days, someone in a hood and a mask would come in and draw his blood--and they weren't very good at it either--someone who never said a word to him.
They also seemed to be nice enough to provide him with the bare essentials. There was a small bathroom, bed, and a table for meals. He received three meals a day, which were pretty good. However John Sheppard was not one for staying confined alone for long periods of time.
The second, fourth, and eight days he was there, he tried to make a break for it. Whoever had captured him, though, seemed to always know where to find him. These had to be the smartest captures John had ever known.
As he did everyday, John peered out the small window in his door. Nothing but white walls, floors, and ceilings in either direction. He sighed again, making his way to the bed. Lying down, John closed his eyes, remembering the sights and sounds of Atlantis.
John wondered if his friends even knew where he was. The last time he saw them was on P4X909. They were searching for an energy signature Rodney swore was a ZPM. Five hours of searching on a planet with humid temperatures, they all began to get a bit snippy.
John had let Teyla take point followed by Rodney, then Ronon. He should have been more alert, but the heat wasn't helping anything. John felt something pinch his neck and the next thing he knew, he was falling to his knees, as was everyone else.
Maybe they were in similar rooms like him? He had asked the hooded figures but, of course, no reply was given. John realized that if he and the others hadn't been found by now, they probably thought they were dead.
****************
Rodney woke up with a start. He could feel his heart pounding wildly in his chest. Glancing at the digital clock, he sighed and sat up. Once he had calmed down, he stood and made his way to the bathroom.
The nightmares were getting worse. Every night he would dream of being on a mission again with his old team. And every night John Sheppard would die a horrible death. Rodney just couldn't shake them.
As he finished getting dressed, he heard the door chime. "Come in," he called.
"Rodney."
The voice was quiet and subdued. "Elizabeth?"
"We just received a rather... strange message through the 'Gate." Elizabeth paused. "Whoever sent it used John's IDC."
Rodney stared at her in disbelief. "What did the message say?"
"He's alive."
"That's it?"
"That's it. If it is John, he'll know that we have a protocol to follow. Did you want to go?"
"Definitely."
Elizabeth nodded. "You do realize this could be a trap, though, right?"
"Of course I do, but we have an opportunity to get a friend back," Rodney told her, "I want to be there."
Rodney met up with Teyla and Ronon an hour later at the Gate. "This better not be a trap," Ronon said, "Or I swear someone's gonna pay."
"Just remain calm, Ronon. If this really is John, he has been missing for three months and he may have thought we'd forgotten him."
"No, we only thought he was dead," Rodney muttered.
She didn't have a response to that and followed the Marines into the vortex. Upon arrival, the Marines had spread out but there was no sign of John anywhere. Teyla heard Rodney cry out from behind her.
"Rodney?"
"Sorry, I tripped over... Sheppard?" Rodney got up and turned the man onto his back. He looked and felt real; there was a heartbeat and breathing. "Oh my God, it is really him!"
************
Carson waited as patiently as possible from the team to return from off world. He should have gone with them, but he wanted to go over the results from the autopsy of the other Sheppard...
The one who they all mourned over.
Was that the real Sheppard or was this one? He took a deep breath and glanced over at Elizabeth, who smiled nervously. She was, no doubt, hoping that he could prove the man was indeed their friend.
Teyla and Ronon, followed by a quite Rodney McKay, were supporting John. They brought him in front of Elizabeth and Carson. Before the doctor could say anything, Elizabeth spoke up.
"John, is that really you?"
He looked up at her. How long had he wanted to see his friends and now he couldn't say anything? He merely stared at the people he thought he would never see again. He must be dreaming. Didn't they just come into his room and sedate him?
The room was suddenly getting very hot and he felt himself falling. The last thing he saw was the concerned look in everyone's eyes.
Ronon caught John before he slammed his head on the floor while Carson had his team bring the gurney over. He was checking John's pupils when Elizabeth gasped and said, "What's that, Carson?"
Carson peered over at John's left arm. "From what I can tell someone's been taking his blood and not doing a very good job of it." He looked up at his team. "Lets get him to the infirmary."
Rodney was waiting as patiently as he could for word on John when Elizabeth came up beside him. "How did General Landry take the news?"
"He was surprised to say the least. He's asking for a complete review of the autopsy report. Whoever these people are, they did a hell of a cloning job. He doesn't think Carson or Dr. Biro missed anything, but he doesn't want to take any chances."
"Yeah, cause we never take chances around here."
Teyla and Ronon arrived a few minutes later. "Any word?" Teyla asked.
Carson appeared before anyone could reply. "Well, after doing my initial tests, it would seem that he is 100% John Sheppard. I cannot offer an explanation as to what happened, but we can all rest assured."
Elizabeth smiled. "That is excellent news, Carson! How is doing right now?"
"He's resting. I spoke to him a little and he's responsive and happy to be home, but he said he didn't sleep well while he was kept there." Carson paused. "And apparently no one said a word to him. Not even to tell him what was going on."
"And odds are that whoever took Sheppard just left him there on that planet so we wouldn't track them down," Rodney said bitterly.
Ronon grunted. "That was smart of them."
"Come again?" Carson asked.
"Then they know I won't track them down and beat them senselessly."
"Of course."
Teyla looked questioningly at the physician. "May we see him, Carson?"
Carson normally wouldn't but this wasn't a normal situation. "Aye, just not for long."
************
John was surprised he wasn't more talkative when Carson was examining him. However, now that he thought about it, what would John say to him? 'Yeah, the first day I pretty much just sat there, they drew blood, I tried to take a nap but it didn't work. That was everyday for the past three months. Exciting, huh?'
He sighed. Being cynical wasn't going to help him figure out what happened. No, they needed to track down the guys that captured him. They knew the time frame so he would ask his team what happened since whatever mission that was.
Everything in John's mind was starting to become fuzzy. He would have to go over that mission with the others later. Right now he really needed to sleep. He was tired and even though everyone was buzzing around him, he felt lonely. Maybe if he slept, the feeling would go away.
If even for a few hours.
John was about to drift off to sleep when he heard footsteps getting closer. Opening his eyes, he saw his friends again. "Hey guys," he said.
"John," Teyla said with a smile. "It is wonderful to see you."
He returned the smile. "It's good to be seen. "
Rodney was quiet as he listened to his friends talk. He was very happy John was alive but he had a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach. A feeling that this wasn't going to last long.
He blinked when John said his name.
"Yeah?"
"You okay?"
"Um, shouldn't I be asking you that?" Rodney replied. "I mean, after all, you're the one who was 'dead'."
John nodded distractedly. "Yeah. I'm tired."
Teyla gave Rodney a look before nodding. "Then you must rest, John. We will be back later."
"Thanks," John said with a yawn.
Before any of them could move, John was out and Ronon was smacking Rodney upside the head as the three left the infirmary. "Ow!" he cried. "What the hell was that for?"
"I believe John was trying to think about someone other than himself. Carson did say he had been on his own for the past three months."
Rodney nodded, rubbing his head. "Yeah, I know. I know something's wrong when he's the one who should be having problems and he's asking everyone else if they're all right."
"That's Sheppard for you," Ronon said.
**********
The next morning Elizabeth found John sitting up in his bed, tapping away at his PDA. Carson said he had become subdued and pretty much completely opposite of the John Sheppard they knew. She took a deep breath and step forward.
"Good morning, John," she said.
"Hey," he replied, not looking up at her. When she didn't answer him, he finally did. "What's up?"
"Just came to see how you were doing. Carson says you've been pretty quiet."
John shrugged. "I guess."
Elizabeth sat down, sighing when he turned back to the PDA. "John, this is going to be a huge adjustment for all of us. Most of all you, I can see. You're not alone anymore." She deftly removed the PDA from his hands since he wasn't looking at her. "I am so sorry, John," she whispered.
He looked up at her in surprise. "Why are you sorry, Elizabeth? You all thought I was dead and you had the body to prove it. Of course you weren't going to come looking for me."
"I know that, but that means... I... you must have been wondering where we were," she replied, wiping her tears.
John nodded. "Yeah I did wonder, but I had hope and I knew there would be a good reason why you didn't come for me. And there was."
"That's one hell of a reason not to go looking for you. I have to say, I wasn't too excited about it." She paused. "Your funeral had a good turn out, though."
"Seriously?" John asked in surprise. He seemed to think the only people who would go to that were people involved with SGC.
Elizabeth nodded. "Your Father and brother were there."
John's heart skipped a beat. He hadn't heard from either of them since the incident in Afghanistan. John realized that even while he was in that cell he never thought of them. He felt horrible.
"Are they okay?" he asked with baited breath.
"They are. When I spoke to your Father it seemed that he hated himself for everything that happened between the two of you and wished he had the courage to talk to you and forgive you." She smiled. "It seems as though he'll have his chance if you're interested."
"Yeah," John said. "Definitely."
************
While John was visiting Earth, Rodney took it upon himself to figure out when the real Sheppard was taken from them. Carson believed the copy was never meant to last long.
After looking over the autopsy report again, he realized that the illness the copy had was a result in organ failure. Whatever fluid ran through its body was poisonous to it.
Rodney was going to kick the asses of whoever did this.
"Rodney," Teyla said, looking up from the report she was reading. "Do you recall M2X445?"
"That's the planet with all the hot mud pits, isn't it? And a great trade agreement," he added.
"How the hell could I forget that?"
Teyla nodded. "As I'm reading your report, I seem to recall something. Colonel Sheppard had disappeared for about five minutes and we could not reach him on the radio. When we finally did, he was standing next to that rather large mud pit."
"Yeah I remember that!"
"You believe this is when they switch was made then," Teyla said.
Rodney stood up, leaning over to look at the report over her shoulder. "It has to be! It coincides with Sheppard getting sick. Carson said it all started with a bad head cold from that planet. I don't think that clone was intended to live forever. The people on that planet have to be involved!"
"If that is the case, we should go back there. If they purposely took Colonel Sheppard for some experiment, I doubt Elizabeth would want to continue trade with them."
Rodney nodded. "Lets go!"
**************
John returned from Earth a few days after Rodney and Teyla's discovery. He still couldn't believe he had made up with his family. Who knew it would take him dying to accomplish what he wanted for so long?
"Hey, when did you get in?"
"Hey," John replied. "About ten minutes ago."
Ronon nodded. "McKay and Teyla found out when you went missing."
John looked up at Ronon in surprise. He really didn't think they'd ever figure it out. He shouldn't have underestimated his friends, though. "Where were we?"
"The mud pit planet. You know, the one where we set up that trade agreement for food supplies?"
"Mud pit..."
"Sheppard?"
"Ronon, I remember what happened!"
A few minutes later Elizabeth, Teyla, Rodney, Carson, and Ronon were gathered in the conference room to hear John's story. He was pacing back in forth in front of them, clearly upset about what he remembered.
"John," Elizabeth said, "just relax."
John nodded as he took a deep breath and began...
Rodney, Teyla, and Ronon had been about 10 feet in front of him when he was grabbed from behind. A hood was pulled over his head and hands were removing his P-90, sidearm, tac vest and boots. All attempts to get away were fruitless.
John suddenly felt a pinch on his shoulder and lost consciousness. When he woke up he was in a small room. There was no sign of anyone for a long time. Finally, a cloaked and hooded person entered with food. John was then left alone again.
"It was like that the entire time I was there. About an hour after they'd bring me food, someone else came in, this time to draw my blood."
John would have screamed bloody murder, but he just closed his eyes and let the man finish stabbing him in the arm. He shuddered remembering the pain of the needle digging into him, nearly jumping when he felt a hand holding his wrist.
"Sorry, Colonel," Carson said, checking his heart rate. "Why don't you have a seat?"
John allowed Carson to lead him to a chair and he sank into it, dropping his head into his hands. "Sorry," he muttered.
"It's all right, John," Elizabeth replied.
"Yeah, we've all freaked out before." Ronon grunted at Rodney's comment. "What?"
John chuckled, allowing the tension to leave his body. "This is true, Rodney."
"Colonel, lets get you to the infirmary. Your blood pressure is elevated and I'm still seeing signs of sleep deprivation."
However, John didn't respond, he had fallen asleep already. "What do you want to do, Carson?" Elizabeth asked.
"I could take him down," Ronon suggested.
Rodney smirked. "It would be kind of fun if he woke up."
"Rodney!" Teyla admonished. "Perhaps it would be best to leave him here for now. If he wakes up we can bring him to the infirmary."
Carson agreed. "Of course that means someone needs to stay with him at all times."
"I'll bring my paperwork in here," Elizabeth said.
Ten minutes later, Elizabeth was situated and everyone else had gone their separate ways. However she was finding it hard to concentrate. Instead she kept thinking about how close she came to losing her best friend.
And she had for awhile.
"Penny for your thoughts."
Elizabeth blinked, not realizing John had woken up. "How long...?"
"A few minutes."
"If you must know," she replied with a smile. "I was thinking about you."
"Aw shucks!"
Elizabeth moved to sit next to him. "I'm serious, John. You are a valuable member of this expedition. Not only that, you are the most trusted and greatest friend I have ever had."
"The feeling's mutal, Elizabeth," John replied.