Broken Ties Tag
Title: Pain Is Relative
Rating: PG
Author: seramercury
Characters: John, Rodney, Teyla, Jennifer, Dr. Cole
John sat on the bed quietly awaiting Dr. Cole to start his post mission check up. His knee and head were now throbbing from the beating he had taken. John chalked the delay up to good old fashioned adrenaline because he hadn't felt any pain until the Jumper had taken off.
John had been so lost in thought that he didn't hear Dr. Cole approach. White hot pain erupted from the pressure she put on his knee to get his attention.
"Shit!" he cried out.
"Sorry, Colonel," she replied, looking genuinely contrite. "You spaced out on me for a minute."
He nodded, taking deep breaths to allow the pain to pass. "Damn that hurts."
"How did that happen?" Dr. Cole asked.
John winced as she began poking at his injury. "I was kind of knocked onto my knees from behind. Hurt like hell but then I had other things on my mind like trying to keep from having a Wraith feed on me."
"It doesn't look like you tore any ligaments, but we'll get you under the scanner anyway."
An hour later John headed to the observation room where Jennifer was watching Ronon. He knew Dr. Cole told him to take it easy, but Ronon was his friend and John was going to see him through this.
He sat down, hiding a wince from Jennifer. He knew she'd send him right back to the infirmary if she so much as suspected he wasn't taking pain medicine. John figured he could handle it.
"Colonel," Jennifer said. "I just spoke with Dr. Cole. She told me that sprain. I expect you keep off it."
"Got it, Doc," John replied, distractedly. She could tell he was watching his friend through the observation deck.
John was so lost in thought that he mustn't have heard Woolsey come into the room.
"What kind of a time frame for recovery are we looking at?" he asked.
"It's impossible to predict," Jennifer replied. "He has so much of the enzyme running through him that his body can hardly process it. When it eventually does, that's when he'll come down."
"Let me go!" Ronon exclaimed furiously.
John grimaced at the vehamence in his friend's voice.
"Sheppard!"
"And he'll come down hard," Jennifer finished.
John stood up, ignoring the pain emanating from his knee. "I'm gonna talk to him."
Five minutes later John is standing outside the observation area. He winced at Ronon's shouting. "Sheppard! You kill me or set me free! Sheppard!"
John had no idea this would hit him so hard. He felt as if he'd been punched in the gut and he wasn't even the one in withdrawl. Realizing that the guards were wondering if their CO was going to flip out, John took a deep breath and headed back up to the observation room.
***********
Teyla took a deep breath as she entered the room. She had finally gotten Torrin to sleep and wanted to check on her friends. Plural because it seemed that John was still there at the window. He was sleeping, but he was still there.
She noticed that his sore knee was at an odd angle. When he woke up, he was
certainly going to feel that. Teyla moved another chair over and lifted John's leg onto it.
John stirred when he felt his leg being lifted. Blinking he looked up to see Teyla.
"Thanks," he said.
The pair turn back to Ronon, watching helplessly as he screams in agony. "Kill me, please! Please, kill me!"
Teyla turned and closed her eyes. She prayed to the Ancestors that Ronon's pain would end soon. She opened her eyes again when she heard a chair being moved.
"John, you should not be standing."
"I'm fine," he replied, his voice thick with emotion. "I just need to get some air before my shift starts down there."
John headed down to the nearest balcony and took a deep breath. He almost didn't see Rodney sitting in the corner. "Hey," he said.
"Hey. Aren't you supposed to be in the isolation room?"
Rodney nodded. "Yeah, but Keller needed to do her thing and I... needed to get out for a minute. I know, sounds kind of wimpy doesn't it? It's not like Ronon can..."
"It's all right, Rodney. That's why I'm out here too."
"Oh."
John moved to sit next to his friend. "Keller keeps bugging me to take pain pills."
Rodney eyed John as if he were crazy. "And you're not?!" he exclaimed. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
"If Ronon can't have any, why should I?"
"Sheppard you're an idiot! I doubt Ronon would deny himself pain meds just because one of us couldn't have any!"
Rodney stood, grabbing John's arm. "McKay," he warned.
"You're going to the infirmary to take the pills or I will kick your ass myself. It's not like you can run very far."
John glared at Rodney, but knew he was right. What was he really trying to prove anyway? That he was alive? That he would do anything for Ronon and the others?
He hoped it was pretty obvious.
Rating: PG
Author: seramercury
Characters: John, Rodney, Teyla, Jennifer, Dr. Cole
John sat on the bed quietly awaiting Dr. Cole to start his post mission check up. His knee and head were now throbbing from the beating he had taken. John chalked the delay up to good old fashioned adrenaline because he hadn't felt any pain until the Jumper had taken off.
John had been so lost in thought that he didn't hear Dr. Cole approach. White hot pain erupted from the pressure she put on his knee to get his attention.
"Shit!" he cried out.
"Sorry, Colonel," she replied, looking genuinely contrite. "You spaced out on me for a minute."
He nodded, taking deep breaths to allow the pain to pass. "Damn that hurts."
"How did that happen?" Dr. Cole asked.
John winced as she began poking at his injury. "I was kind of knocked onto my knees from behind. Hurt like hell but then I had other things on my mind like trying to keep from having a Wraith feed on me."
"It doesn't look like you tore any ligaments, but we'll get you under the scanner anyway."
An hour later John headed to the observation room where Jennifer was watching Ronon. He knew Dr. Cole told him to take it easy, but Ronon was his friend and John was going to see him through this.
He sat down, hiding a wince from Jennifer. He knew she'd send him right back to the infirmary if she so much as suspected he wasn't taking pain medicine. John figured he could handle it.
"Colonel," Jennifer said. "I just spoke with Dr. Cole. She told me that sprain. I expect you keep off it."
"Got it, Doc," John replied, distractedly. She could tell he was watching his friend through the observation deck.
John was so lost in thought that he mustn't have heard Woolsey come into the room.
"What kind of a time frame for recovery are we looking at?" he asked.
"It's impossible to predict," Jennifer replied. "He has so much of the enzyme running through him that his body can hardly process it. When it eventually does, that's when he'll come down."
"Let me go!" Ronon exclaimed furiously.
John grimaced at the vehamence in his friend's voice.
"Sheppard!"
"And he'll come down hard," Jennifer finished.
John stood up, ignoring the pain emanating from his knee. "I'm gonna talk to him."
Five minutes later John is standing outside the observation area. He winced at Ronon's shouting. "Sheppard! You kill me or set me free! Sheppard!"
John had no idea this would hit him so hard. He felt as if he'd been punched in the gut and he wasn't even the one in withdrawl. Realizing that the guards were wondering if their CO was going to flip out, John took a deep breath and headed back up to the observation room.
***********
Teyla took a deep breath as she entered the room. She had finally gotten Torrin to sleep and wanted to check on her friends. Plural because it seemed that John was still there at the window. He was sleeping, but he was still there.
She noticed that his sore knee was at an odd angle. When he woke up, he was
certainly going to feel that. Teyla moved another chair over and lifted John's leg onto it.
John stirred when he felt his leg being lifted. Blinking he looked up to see Teyla.
"Thanks," he said.
The pair turn back to Ronon, watching helplessly as he screams in agony. "Kill me, please! Please, kill me!"
Teyla turned and closed her eyes. She prayed to the Ancestors that Ronon's pain would end soon. She opened her eyes again when she heard a chair being moved.
"John, you should not be standing."
"I'm fine," he replied, his voice thick with emotion. "I just need to get some air before my shift starts down there."
John headed down to the nearest balcony and took a deep breath. He almost didn't see Rodney sitting in the corner. "Hey," he said.
"Hey. Aren't you supposed to be in the isolation room?"
Rodney nodded. "Yeah, but Keller needed to do her thing and I... needed to get out for a minute. I know, sounds kind of wimpy doesn't it? It's not like Ronon can..."
"It's all right, Rodney. That's why I'm out here too."
"Oh."
John moved to sit next to his friend. "Keller keeps bugging me to take pain pills."
Rodney eyed John as if he were crazy. "And you're not?!" he exclaimed. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
"If Ronon can't have any, why should I?"
"Sheppard you're an idiot! I doubt Ronon would deny himself pain meds just because one of us couldn't have any!"
Rodney stood, grabbing John's arm. "McKay," he warned.
"You're going to the infirmary to take the pills or I will kick your ass myself. It's not like you can run very far."
John glared at Rodney, but knew he was right. What was he really trying to prove anyway? That he was alive? That he would do anything for Ronon and the others?
He hoped it was pretty obvious.