Farewell to Stargate Atlantis Ficathon (incrediably late)
I'm really, truly, wicked sorry for how late this is. Life has been rather crazy; even with working on it when I could, it took me quite a while (even though it's not that long.)
Title: Amicitia
Author: Vita_Candeo AKA Amaq Iraluq, formerly known as Kodiak's Sweet Breath
Rating: PG13 (attempted execution, blood, etc. Nothing Adult.)
Pairing/Characters: Team friendship
Disclaimer: If I was the one who owned SGA, none of you would be writing fanfic because it would be so horrible compared to what we know and love!
Prompts: wildcat88 :Team (lots and lots), Shep whump, lots of action (bonus points for mystery/suspense) - Hopefully I didn't do to badly!
Notes: Once again, sorry for the lateness! I've battled with this fic more than any other I've ever written (or tried to write!)
Summary: John's ill and the team is arrested, then sentenced to execution without a trial. Will they be able to get away? (Horrible summary...)
Word Count: 3,375
“This is so not good!” Rodney hadn’t shut up for the past ten minutes, John was about to lose it.
“Just shut the HELL UP!” And there it was, lost. John had his hands rubbing through his hair. He was desperately trying to figure out a way to get out of their current FUBAR situation.
They were stuck in a cell, if you could call it that, it was really more like a cage. The villagers were angry, and he wasn’t fully sure why; they turned nasty after he had sneezed, but that couldn’t have been it, could it? People used to think it was a demon trying to escape, but all they would do was “bless you,” not lock you up.
“Rodney, I believe that if you stop talking, it would benefit the situation.” Teyla gave a tense smile, trying not to betray the fact that she was not in her normal calm state, nor that she too wanted Rodney to just shut up.
“Easy for you say, you don’t find talking to be a calming effect. I mean, in this situation, I think it best that-“
“Rodney,” Sheppard warned, moving his hands to massage his temples. His head was pounding. Come to think of it, he wasn’t feeling well at all; his head hurt, his muscles ached, his throat hurt, he was cold, and he was exhausted. The stabbing in his side wasn’t helping either. Although he hadn’t yet let his team know, he was convinced he had cracked a rib during to scuffle that followed the incident.
“Just shoot ‘em.” Ronon said flatly as he leaned against the bars, eyes following the now pacing McKay.
“With…” John grunted as the pain in his head spiked.
“This.” Ronon pulled a hand gun, John wasn’t sure from where.
“I’ll never cease to be amazed at what you keep concealed.” John said with a hit of amusement in his voice. Teyla raised an eyebrow. “You know what I mean.” He said pushing himself up from his seated position on the floor. “Crap.”
“John,” Rodney and Teyla said together. Teyla, who was closer, grabbed his arm to steady him. “Are you alright?”
“Just, just stood up to fast. I’m fine.” He shook her off. She eyed him suspiciously, but humoring him in the end.
“Okay, so we have a gun,” he looked over at Ronon, who was now holding two knives, “and some knives.” He raised an eyebrow. “Is that it?”
“Yeah, I didn’t think the mission would go badly, so I didn’t prepare for a fight.” He said this with a shrug.
“Riiight…” John said sarcastically, causing Ronon to shrug, Rodney to snort in laughter, and Teyla to roll her eyes.
Footsteps coming down the dark stairway could be heard. John turned to Ronon to tell him to put the weapons away, but Ronon had already done so.
“Your executioners wait.” The man growled as he came into view, along with four strong guards.
Rodney gulped, unable to even make a witty remark. The guards were massive. And they were armed.
~*~*~
The execution was to take place in the woods, away from the village. The walk there was silent of words, but their body language spoke. Teyla was anxious, but trying to hide her fear and remain calm. Rodney was panicking, wondering how they would get out of this one. Ronon was pissed; John had stopped several times from killing the guards, not physically stopped him, but the looks told him “Don’t you dare!”
John felt worse than before. Physically, he was feeling more ill now that they were moving. His stomach was starting to turn; he didn’t know if it was from their seemingly impending doom, or if it was from the virus he now *knew* he must have.
It took them an hour to walk to the location. John had a feeling that the rest of the village didn’t know what was happening, that they had been told that they would be sent back through the ‘gate. He and his team still have no idea what they had done to warrant death.
Finally arriving at the location, and standing around the large bloody stump, with a huge axe stuck in it, seemed to allow John to find his voice. “Shouldn’t we at least get, you know, a trial?” He suggested, flashing a smile.
“Your crime is punishable.” The man, who seemed to be in charge, seemed very smug to John; like a spoiled little boy who needed to be taught a harsh lesson.
As the man was reading them their “rights,” which mostly were along the lines of “go to hell,” the sound of a dart whined through the air.
~*~*~
While the guards were distracted, John and Ronon made their move. They slammed the bulky men into nearby trees, knocking them out. When they turned around Teyla had her guard on the ground, begging for mercy. In the few seconds Teyla’s guard has distracted them, Rodney’s had aimed his weapon. Rodney gave a mighty shove at the last second, throwing the man’s aim off. Ronon quickly ran over to aid Rodney, quickly knocking the guard out. The lead man had run off, Ronon pulled the gun and shot at him, missing by inches, but scarring the man enough for him to scream.
Teyla, Ronon, and Rodney turned to John to see what his plan was now; they needed to get to the ‘gate, which was a half day’s walk away, without their gear, which had been taken when they had been arrested.
What they did have was two knives, a gun, and a GDO device, which had been under Rodney’s sleeve, which their arrestors had not checked when they took their gear. Their vests, packs, and sidearms were gone.
John however, had his hands pressed to his leg and was slumped against a tree.
~*~*~
“John?” Teyla asked cautiously, approaching him.
“’M alright.” He said through gritted teeth. He shifted he hands. “No ‘m not!” And flopped sideways and let out a moan of pain.
Teyla pulled his hands to the side and saw blood. It may not have been bleeding much, but it was deep and dirty, and she couldn’t find an exit hole, meaning the bullet was still in there.
“Just get me some gauze and Tylenol. We need to haul ass.”
“Uh…” Rodney stammered as Ronon and Teyla looked at each other. “We don’t have anything, unless Ronon-everything-but-the-kitchen-sink over there has more things hidden.” They all looked at him with a mixture of hope and disbelief at the things he had managed to hide from them before.
“Nothing that would help him.” The three others raised their eyebrows. “I need to give you lessons.”
“No, you *really* don’t!” Rodney said, with his voice full of horror at the very idea. John and Teyla began laughing.
A few moments later, clutching his injured rib, John spoke. “Right, okay, Ronon, give me one of the knives.”
Ronon was a step ahead of him; he sliced off the bottom of his own shirt and handed it to John. John lifted it as if toasting, “Shirt off you back.” Ronon and Teyla look confused. “Um, thanks. They dead?” He jerked his head in the direction of the four men lying on the ground.
“Nope, just banged up good.” Ronon gave a dirty look to the men, then glanced quickly at John, his hand twitching.
“No, don’t kill them!” John ordered
Teyla helped him bandage his leg before Ronon helped him to his feet. Rodney stood by looking smug. John gave Rodney a weird look, Rodney took that look as permission to explain, “I’ve saved our asses; AGAIN!”
“Rodney, if you haven’t noticed, we’re not exactly safe. We have no gear and need to get to the ‘gate with a wraith on the loose.”
“No, no, well, yes and no.” Rodney was gesturing wildly. “There aren’t any wraith! I,” he pulled out a small device from his pocket, “made the sound! And it worked, didn’t it?” He had a huge smile on his face. They all looked at him for a minute before they realized just how brilliant it truly was.
“Good work, let’s get going.” John gestured in the direction he thought they should go, based on the sun’s location. Ronon placed John’s arm around his waist, and did the same; together the hobbled off towards where they hoped the ‘gate would be.
~*~*~
After an hour of wandering around, Ronon had found their tracks from the pervious day. Teyla suggested they take a quick rest, to which John didn’t complain. He was very pale and sweaty. Rodney was twisting his hands, he was worried about getting back safely; by now the man who had ran off would have been able to make it to the village.
Rodney began walking the perimeter, staring at the ground. “Aha!” He cried, causing everyone to jump. “Sorry,” he muttered, not meaning it, “but I found you a crutch!” He handed the long, sturdy stick to John. He had to admit, it looked like it could help. It was relatively straight and clean except for two offshoots, a thick branch just about waist height on John, and another thick branch a few inches lower than his armpit. John thanked McKay.
Five minutes later, Teyla asked if John was ready, he lied and said he was good. Ronon helped him up and they hobbled off again. It started to drizzle.
~*~*~
The going was faster now that John had something to help keep the weight off his bad leg. They still made stops every half-hour or so, when Teyla deemed John too pale, though she never said that to be the reason. During one of these breaks a few hours later Rodney asked how much farther to the ‘gate.
“About an hour, I think.” Teyla said. John was sitting on a large boulder, Teyla next to him; he was slumped sideways, leaning heavily on her, but she made no mention of it.
“Good, because I’m getting hypo-”
“Shhh.” Teyla urged.
“It’s not like he’s sleeping!”
“Stop making noise, I think heard something.” They were all quiet, holding their breath without realizing it. There was barely any sound, but they know to trust her instincts.
“Stay here.” Ronon growled and ran off, making his way silently through the undergrowth.
Teyla was somewhat grateful for the extra bit of rest, she was tired. She had started switching off with the Ronon and Rodney after each rest; she hadn’t helped John as much as Ronon had, but John was much larger than she was, and although he was desperately trying to use the crutch to bear his weight more than Teyla, it still tired her out.
She ran a hand over the back of John’s hand in a comforting gesture. “Time to go?” John questioned. He tried to keep the dread out of his voice but was not entirely successful.
“No, rest.” She guided his head back onto her shoulder. As her hand ran over his forehead, Teyla felt the heat radiating. She didn’t think an infection would have set in this fast. She contemplated the idea of rebandaging his wound, but quickly dismissed the idea since she had nothing to clean the wound with, or to give him for the additional pain that would be caused. It would be best just to get back quickly and let Carson take care of him.
The light rain that had been falling began a downpour.
Ronon came back ten minutes later. “We need to move.” He grabbed John and began to lift him to his feet.
“Wah?” John was confused, his face twisted in pain.
“There’s a group of soldiers about fifteen minutes behind us, saw them from that ridge we passed. We need to hurry if we’re going to make it to the ‘gate before them at our current rate.”
“Go.” John breathed heavily.
They moved at a faster rate, John’s face contorted in pain. He was just focusing on the next step, the next step, the next step. CRASH!
~*~*~
Ronon’s foot had landed on a slippery patch of leaves. His balance was thrown off slightly, but the change in gait threw John off, taking them both down. They rolled down a bare hillside, skidding to a stop at the bottom. Ronon immediately jumped up to check on John. He wasn’t moving.
~*~*~
Teyla and Rodney stared after the pair, watching them roll and flop down the steep hillside. It took them a minute to decide what to do, but with Ronon’s wave, they took off after them. They ran down, taking huge strides and gathering speed. They were at the bottom of the hill in seconds. They moved over to Ronon, knelling next to John.
“He’s alive, but he’s unconscious.” Ronon looked to Teyla for advice.
“I don’t want to move him, but we don’t have a choice. Can you carry him?” She asked. Ronon nodded and scooped his arms under John’s prone body, covered in a mix of mud and blood. They took off at a good clip.
~*~*~
The detour down the hill proved beneficial; they made it to the ‘gate in ten minutes time. Rodney, huffing and puffing, punched in the address and the GDO code while Teyla stood guard. When his GDO beeped saying the shield was down, he called to both of them. “Come on!” He gave a huge wave to make his point; it was hard to hear with the rain dumping everywhere, and the now clear cries from angry villagers.
They all ran for the ‘gate, but as they did so the ground around them began to explode. A cascade of bullets hit the ground around them. They ducked and sprinted, diving into the ‘gate room, hoping they would get through without incident. Teyla was the last through; she heard a high pitch ‘whoosh’ the instant before she stepped through.
~*~*~
“Medical team is on the way.” A ‘gate technician called down to the team, as he raised the shield. Teyla looked around, she felt whipped out. All the security forces in the ‘gate room were lifting themselves off the floor, where they had dropped to avoid bullets.
Ronon was gently laying John on the ground as he began to stir. Teyla turned her attention to Rodney to see if he was okay as well. She turned her head just in time to watch him drop to the floor limply, eyes rolling.
“Rodney!” She covered the distance between them in just a few strides. She knelt down next to his awkward position and felt for a pulse. It was fast and a bit thready, but it was there. She began to check for and sign or a wound, fearing he had been shot.
She hadn’t heard the medics arrive and jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. “Easy lass,” Carson soft brogue reassured her. “We’ve got ‘im. How about you go to the infirmary, with Helen here.” Carson gently told her. Teyla looked to be in shock, one of the few times he had ever seen her like this; it worried him.
Helen helped Teyla stand and began guiding her towards the infirmary. Teyla stopped and looked around for John. “We’ve already taken him to the infirmary; Rodney will be right behind us.” The nurse quickly informed her, waving Ronon to come with them as well. The three stepped into a nearby transporter. Gurneys didn’t fit into the cramped transporters and had to be wheeled down the hallway; Teyla thought this a serious lack of judgment on the Ancestors’ part.
They stepped out and into the hallways right outside the infirmary Just as John was arriving. “John,” Teyla breathed, Ronon staring fixedly at his commander, wanting to stand guard.
“This way,” The nurse gently guided Teyla into the general care area of infirmary. Ronon followed without being told. They both sent last looks over to the now crowded bed as the door began to slide shut behind them.
“What’ve we got?” They heard Carson voice followed by the clacking of gurney wheels. The response was cut off as the door closed fully.
~*~*~
An hour later, both Teyla and Ronon had been examined. They had been given scrubs to change into after a long, hot shower and told to try and rest while they waited for information on their friends.
Neither laid down, fearing something would happen to one or both of the men; instead, they sat stiffly upright on the beds, staring at the wall shared with the room where Rodney and John were being treated, as if they hoped that staring enough would cause the wall to turn into a window.
Carson came into the room, hooking a stool with his foot and dragging it between the two beds that Ronon occupied.
“They’ll be fine.” He said first; Ronon and Teyla let out breaths that they hadn’t known they had been holding, their posture viably relaxing.
“They’re a bit worse fer wear,” he continued, “but should be fine. Rodney had rather low blood sugar, which has been stabilized. That seems to be the only real cause for his state, although he does have some superficial cuts and bruises. John has a broken rib, which luckily didn’t cause any internal damage. The wound ta his leg got rather dirty, through not fault of yer own love,” he gave Teyla a smile and a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder, “but we managed ta remove the bullet and clean it out, and I’m hopeful it won’t need more advanced surgery.” He rubbed his hands over his tired eyes and through his hair.
“Rodney can likely leave in the morning; John might be a few days ta a week or more pending how infected the wound on his leg becomes. We ‘ave him on some strong antibiodics now; however, his immune system is already down, as the cheeky devil didn’t tell me he felt ill during his pre-mission exam and went off world with a bloody virus.” He growled these last few words, John was clearly going to get a stern talking to when he was feeling better.
“Can we-“ Teyla began.
“Yes, you can see them. Just for a wee bit, ya need some rest yourselves. And I mean it!” He called after them as they nearly ran for the door connecting the rooms.
~*~*~
They were both fast asleep, slightly pale, but otherwise looking well. They both had moniters and IVs hooked up, but not as many as they had had on pervious visits, reassuring both Teyla and Ronon.
They walked over to between the two beds, stools had already been placed there, the staff knowing the rest of the team would want to stand guard.
Teyla and Ronon didn’t speak, just watching their friends sleep. Thinking of how many times one or more of them ended up in a similar state after returning from missions, Teyla thought it a miracle they were all still here. Glancing at Ronon, the look on his face betrayed that he had been thinking the same thing.
“No, they’ve been in there fer twenty minutes an’ need ta rest. Yes, I know they would rather stay, but the fact remains-” Carson brogue could be heard coming towards the ward. With a quick glace at each other, Teyla and Ronon quickly jumped off their stools and, careful not to make a sound, laid down on the beds to either side of Rodney and John.
Their eyes slid shut just as Carson walked in the room “Right, I’ve givin’ ya more than enough time ta,” he stopped seeing them both seemingly asleep. Watching them for a moment, he knew they were faking but decided not to mention it. As long as they were resting, he was happy. As a mater of fact, he was sure they would rest better sleeping nearby than in their own quarters. He grabbed some extra blankets and spread them out over them.
“Sleep well all,” he said, dimming the lights with a thought, “and stay in yer beds.” With a quick glace back, Carson was sure he saw Teyla smile before walking out of the room, and heading to bed himself.
A/N: I’m sorry it’s not super-amazing-fantastic like of the other fics! My muse has been MIA for a while now, and so I had a lot of trouble with this story! I’ve been battling it for a long time now…
That and this thing called “Real Life” became kinda, well, real? A lot of stuff has been happening; I feel very guilty about not getting this done in a timely mater, as everyone did. However, I assure that had I known life would become crazy shortly after taking on the task, I wouldn’t have signed up; and, had life become crazy fast enough, I would have backed out… but it was a slow enough progression for me to think I could handle it… and well, I did in the end, right? I have been working on this when and where possible; not kidding, I have written parts of this in class, part sitting in an airport, part in the car (I wasn’t the one driving!) and just about everywhere else! What is a lunch break for other than cramming down food, trying to study for a test, and get a few more sentences written?
Well, I hope it wasn’t too horrible, and that you aren’t too mad about it being late.
Thanks again for waiting!
Also, about the ending: I know it's really sunned,I tried very hard to make it work better, but I failed. I do have a sequel planned, but I have no idea when I would get that done... and I've learned deadlines are no good for me! However, when I get it done, I will be sure to post it, and it will again be for wildcat88 as a thank you for the patients!
Let me know what you think, good or bad; constructive criticism is often more helpful than compliments!
Title: Amicitia
Author: Vita_Candeo AKA Amaq Iraluq, formerly known as Kodiak's Sweet Breath
Rating: PG13 (attempted execution, blood, etc. Nothing Adult.)
Pairing/Characters: Team friendship
Disclaimer: If I was the one who owned SGA, none of you would be writing fanfic because it would be so horrible compared to what we know and love!
Prompts: wildcat88 :Team (lots and lots), Shep whump, lots of action (bonus points for mystery/suspense) - Hopefully I didn't do to badly!
Notes: Once again, sorry for the lateness! I've battled with this fic more than any other I've ever written (or tried to write!)
Summary: John's ill and the team is arrested, then sentenced to execution without a trial. Will they be able to get away? (Horrible summary...)
Word Count: 3,375
“This is so not good!” Rodney hadn’t shut up for the past ten minutes, John was about to lose it.
“Just shut the HELL UP!” And there it was, lost. John had his hands rubbing through his hair. He was desperately trying to figure out a way to get out of their current FUBAR situation.
They were stuck in a cell, if you could call it that, it was really more like a cage. The villagers were angry, and he wasn’t fully sure why; they turned nasty after he had sneezed, but that couldn’t have been it, could it? People used to think it was a demon trying to escape, but all they would do was “bless you,” not lock you up.
“Rodney, I believe that if you stop talking, it would benefit the situation.” Teyla gave a tense smile, trying not to betray the fact that she was not in her normal calm state, nor that she too wanted Rodney to just shut up.
“Easy for you say, you don’t find talking to be a calming effect. I mean, in this situation, I think it best that-“
“Rodney,” Sheppard warned, moving his hands to massage his temples. His head was pounding. Come to think of it, he wasn’t feeling well at all; his head hurt, his muscles ached, his throat hurt, he was cold, and he was exhausted. The stabbing in his side wasn’t helping either. Although he hadn’t yet let his team know, he was convinced he had cracked a rib during to scuffle that followed the incident.
“Just shoot ‘em.” Ronon said flatly as he leaned against the bars, eyes following the now pacing McKay.
“With…” John grunted as the pain in his head spiked.
“This.” Ronon pulled a hand gun, John wasn’t sure from where.
“I’ll never cease to be amazed at what you keep concealed.” John said with a hit of amusement in his voice. Teyla raised an eyebrow. “You know what I mean.” He said pushing himself up from his seated position on the floor. “Crap.”
“John,” Rodney and Teyla said together. Teyla, who was closer, grabbed his arm to steady him. “Are you alright?”
“Just, just stood up to fast. I’m fine.” He shook her off. She eyed him suspiciously, but humoring him in the end.
“Okay, so we have a gun,” he looked over at Ronon, who was now holding two knives, “and some knives.” He raised an eyebrow. “Is that it?”
“Yeah, I didn’t think the mission would go badly, so I didn’t prepare for a fight.” He said this with a shrug.
“Riiight…” John said sarcastically, causing Ronon to shrug, Rodney to snort in laughter, and Teyla to roll her eyes.
Footsteps coming down the dark stairway could be heard. John turned to Ronon to tell him to put the weapons away, but Ronon had already done so.
“Your executioners wait.” The man growled as he came into view, along with four strong guards.
Rodney gulped, unable to even make a witty remark. The guards were massive. And they were armed.
~*~*~
The execution was to take place in the woods, away from the village. The walk there was silent of words, but their body language spoke. Teyla was anxious, but trying to hide her fear and remain calm. Rodney was panicking, wondering how they would get out of this one. Ronon was pissed; John had stopped several times from killing the guards, not physically stopped him, but the looks told him “Don’t you dare!”
John felt worse than before. Physically, he was feeling more ill now that they were moving. His stomach was starting to turn; he didn’t know if it was from their seemingly impending doom, or if it was from the virus he now *knew* he must have.
It took them an hour to walk to the location. John had a feeling that the rest of the village didn’t know what was happening, that they had been told that they would be sent back through the ‘gate. He and his team still have no idea what they had done to warrant death.
Finally arriving at the location, and standing around the large bloody stump, with a huge axe stuck in it, seemed to allow John to find his voice. “Shouldn’t we at least get, you know, a trial?” He suggested, flashing a smile.
“Your crime is punishable.” The man, who seemed to be in charge, seemed very smug to John; like a spoiled little boy who needed to be taught a harsh lesson.
As the man was reading them their “rights,” which mostly were along the lines of “go to hell,” the sound of a dart whined through the air.
~*~*~
While the guards were distracted, John and Ronon made their move. They slammed the bulky men into nearby trees, knocking them out. When they turned around Teyla had her guard on the ground, begging for mercy. In the few seconds Teyla’s guard has distracted them, Rodney’s had aimed his weapon. Rodney gave a mighty shove at the last second, throwing the man’s aim off. Ronon quickly ran over to aid Rodney, quickly knocking the guard out. The lead man had run off, Ronon pulled the gun and shot at him, missing by inches, but scarring the man enough for him to scream.
Teyla, Ronon, and Rodney turned to John to see what his plan was now; they needed to get to the ‘gate, which was a half day’s walk away, without their gear, which had been taken when they had been arrested.
What they did have was two knives, a gun, and a GDO device, which had been under Rodney’s sleeve, which their arrestors had not checked when they took their gear. Their vests, packs, and sidearms were gone.
John however, had his hands pressed to his leg and was slumped against a tree.
~*~*~
“John?” Teyla asked cautiously, approaching him.
“’M alright.” He said through gritted teeth. He shifted he hands. “No ‘m not!” And flopped sideways and let out a moan of pain.
Teyla pulled his hands to the side and saw blood. It may not have been bleeding much, but it was deep and dirty, and she couldn’t find an exit hole, meaning the bullet was still in there.
“Just get me some gauze and Tylenol. We need to haul ass.”
“Uh…” Rodney stammered as Ronon and Teyla looked at each other. “We don’t have anything, unless Ronon-everything-but-the-kitchen-sink over there has more things hidden.” They all looked at him with a mixture of hope and disbelief at the things he had managed to hide from them before.
“Nothing that would help him.” The three others raised their eyebrows. “I need to give you lessons.”
“No, you *really* don’t!” Rodney said, with his voice full of horror at the very idea. John and Teyla began laughing.
A few moments later, clutching his injured rib, John spoke. “Right, okay, Ronon, give me one of the knives.”
Ronon was a step ahead of him; he sliced off the bottom of his own shirt and handed it to John. John lifted it as if toasting, “Shirt off you back.” Ronon and Teyla look confused. “Um, thanks. They dead?” He jerked his head in the direction of the four men lying on the ground.
“Nope, just banged up good.” Ronon gave a dirty look to the men, then glanced quickly at John, his hand twitching.
“No, don’t kill them!” John ordered
Teyla helped him bandage his leg before Ronon helped him to his feet. Rodney stood by looking smug. John gave Rodney a weird look, Rodney took that look as permission to explain, “I’ve saved our asses; AGAIN!”
“Rodney, if you haven’t noticed, we’re not exactly safe. We have no gear and need to get to the ‘gate with a wraith on the loose.”
“No, no, well, yes and no.” Rodney was gesturing wildly. “There aren’t any wraith! I,” he pulled out a small device from his pocket, “made the sound! And it worked, didn’t it?” He had a huge smile on his face. They all looked at him for a minute before they realized just how brilliant it truly was.
“Good work, let’s get going.” John gestured in the direction he thought they should go, based on the sun’s location. Ronon placed John’s arm around his waist, and did the same; together the hobbled off towards where they hoped the ‘gate would be.
~*~*~
After an hour of wandering around, Ronon had found their tracks from the pervious day. Teyla suggested they take a quick rest, to which John didn’t complain. He was very pale and sweaty. Rodney was twisting his hands, he was worried about getting back safely; by now the man who had ran off would have been able to make it to the village.
Rodney began walking the perimeter, staring at the ground. “Aha!” He cried, causing everyone to jump. “Sorry,” he muttered, not meaning it, “but I found you a crutch!” He handed the long, sturdy stick to John. He had to admit, it looked like it could help. It was relatively straight and clean except for two offshoots, a thick branch just about waist height on John, and another thick branch a few inches lower than his armpit. John thanked McKay.
Five minutes later, Teyla asked if John was ready, he lied and said he was good. Ronon helped him up and they hobbled off again. It started to drizzle.
~*~*~
The going was faster now that John had something to help keep the weight off his bad leg. They still made stops every half-hour or so, when Teyla deemed John too pale, though she never said that to be the reason. During one of these breaks a few hours later Rodney asked how much farther to the ‘gate.
“About an hour, I think.” Teyla said. John was sitting on a large boulder, Teyla next to him; he was slumped sideways, leaning heavily on her, but she made no mention of it.
“Good, because I’m getting hypo-”
“Shhh.” Teyla urged.
“It’s not like he’s sleeping!”
“Stop making noise, I think heard something.” They were all quiet, holding their breath without realizing it. There was barely any sound, but they know to trust her instincts.
“Stay here.” Ronon growled and ran off, making his way silently through the undergrowth.
Teyla was somewhat grateful for the extra bit of rest, she was tired. She had started switching off with the Ronon and Rodney after each rest; she hadn’t helped John as much as Ronon had, but John was much larger than she was, and although he was desperately trying to use the crutch to bear his weight more than Teyla, it still tired her out.
She ran a hand over the back of John’s hand in a comforting gesture. “Time to go?” John questioned. He tried to keep the dread out of his voice but was not entirely successful.
“No, rest.” She guided his head back onto her shoulder. As her hand ran over his forehead, Teyla felt the heat radiating. She didn’t think an infection would have set in this fast. She contemplated the idea of rebandaging his wound, but quickly dismissed the idea since she had nothing to clean the wound with, or to give him for the additional pain that would be caused. It would be best just to get back quickly and let Carson take care of him.
The light rain that had been falling began a downpour.
Ronon came back ten minutes later. “We need to move.” He grabbed John and began to lift him to his feet.
“Wah?” John was confused, his face twisted in pain.
“There’s a group of soldiers about fifteen minutes behind us, saw them from that ridge we passed. We need to hurry if we’re going to make it to the ‘gate before them at our current rate.”
“Go.” John breathed heavily.
They moved at a faster rate, John’s face contorted in pain. He was just focusing on the next step, the next step, the next step. CRASH!
~*~*~
Ronon’s foot had landed on a slippery patch of leaves. His balance was thrown off slightly, but the change in gait threw John off, taking them both down. They rolled down a bare hillside, skidding to a stop at the bottom. Ronon immediately jumped up to check on John. He wasn’t moving.
~*~*~
Teyla and Rodney stared after the pair, watching them roll and flop down the steep hillside. It took them a minute to decide what to do, but with Ronon’s wave, they took off after them. They ran down, taking huge strides and gathering speed. They were at the bottom of the hill in seconds. They moved over to Ronon, knelling next to John.
“He’s alive, but he’s unconscious.” Ronon looked to Teyla for advice.
“I don’t want to move him, but we don’t have a choice. Can you carry him?” She asked. Ronon nodded and scooped his arms under John’s prone body, covered in a mix of mud and blood. They took off at a good clip.
~*~*~
The detour down the hill proved beneficial; they made it to the ‘gate in ten minutes time. Rodney, huffing and puffing, punched in the address and the GDO code while Teyla stood guard. When his GDO beeped saying the shield was down, he called to both of them. “Come on!” He gave a huge wave to make his point; it was hard to hear with the rain dumping everywhere, and the now clear cries from angry villagers.
They all ran for the ‘gate, but as they did so the ground around them began to explode. A cascade of bullets hit the ground around them. They ducked and sprinted, diving into the ‘gate room, hoping they would get through without incident. Teyla was the last through; she heard a high pitch ‘whoosh’ the instant before she stepped through.
~*~*~
“Medical team is on the way.” A ‘gate technician called down to the team, as he raised the shield. Teyla looked around, she felt whipped out. All the security forces in the ‘gate room were lifting themselves off the floor, where they had dropped to avoid bullets.
Ronon was gently laying John on the ground as he began to stir. Teyla turned her attention to Rodney to see if he was okay as well. She turned her head just in time to watch him drop to the floor limply, eyes rolling.
“Rodney!” She covered the distance between them in just a few strides. She knelt down next to his awkward position and felt for a pulse. It was fast and a bit thready, but it was there. She began to check for and sign or a wound, fearing he had been shot.
She hadn’t heard the medics arrive and jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. “Easy lass,” Carson soft brogue reassured her. “We’ve got ‘im. How about you go to the infirmary, with Helen here.” Carson gently told her. Teyla looked to be in shock, one of the few times he had ever seen her like this; it worried him.
Helen helped Teyla stand and began guiding her towards the infirmary. Teyla stopped and looked around for John. “We’ve already taken him to the infirmary; Rodney will be right behind us.” The nurse quickly informed her, waving Ronon to come with them as well. The three stepped into a nearby transporter. Gurneys didn’t fit into the cramped transporters and had to be wheeled down the hallway; Teyla thought this a serious lack of judgment on the Ancestors’ part.
They stepped out and into the hallways right outside the infirmary Just as John was arriving. “John,” Teyla breathed, Ronon staring fixedly at his commander, wanting to stand guard.
“This way,” The nurse gently guided Teyla into the general care area of infirmary. Ronon followed without being told. They both sent last looks over to the now crowded bed as the door began to slide shut behind them.
“What’ve we got?” They heard Carson voice followed by the clacking of gurney wheels. The response was cut off as the door closed fully.
~*~*~
An hour later, both Teyla and Ronon had been examined. They had been given scrubs to change into after a long, hot shower and told to try and rest while they waited for information on their friends.
Neither laid down, fearing something would happen to one or both of the men; instead, they sat stiffly upright on the beds, staring at the wall shared with the room where Rodney and John were being treated, as if they hoped that staring enough would cause the wall to turn into a window.
Carson came into the room, hooking a stool with his foot and dragging it between the two beds that Ronon occupied.
“They’ll be fine.” He said first; Ronon and Teyla let out breaths that they hadn’t known they had been holding, their posture viably relaxing.
“They’re a bit worse fer wear,” he continued, “but should be fine. Rodney had rather low blood sugar, which has been stabilized. That seems to be the only real cause for his state, although he does have some superficial cuts and bruises. John has a broken rib, which luckily didn’t cause any internal damage. The wound ta his leg got rather dirty, through not fault of yer own love,” he gave Teyla a smile and a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder, “but we managed ta remove the bullet and clean it out, and I’m hopeful it won’t need more advanced surgery.” He rubbed his hands over his tired eyes and through his hair.
“Rodney can likely leave in the morning; John might be a few days ta a week or more pending how infected the wound on his leg becomes. We ‘ave him on some strong antibiodics now; however, his immune system is already down, as the cheeky devil didn’t tell me he felt ill during his pre-mission exam and went off world with a bloody virus.” He growled these last few words, John was clearly going to get a stern talking to when he was feeling better.
“Can we-“ Teyla began.
“Yes, you can see them. Just for a wee bit, ya need some rest yourselves. And I mean it!” He called after them as they nearly ran for the door connecting the rooms.
~*~*~
They were both fast asleep, slightly pale, but otherwise looking well. They both had moniters and IVs hooked up, but not as many as they had had on pervious visits, reassuring both Teyla and Ronon.
They walked over to between the two beds, stools had already been placed there, the staff knowing the rest of the team would want to stand guard.
Teyla and Ronon didn’t speak, just watching their friends sleep. Thinking of how many times one or more of them ended up in a similar state after returning from missions, Teyla thought it a miracle they were all still here. Glancing at Ronon, the look on his face betrayed that he had been thinking the same thing.
“No, they’ve been in there fer twenty minutes an’ need ta rest. Yes, I know they would rather stay, but the fact remains-” Carson brogue could be heard coming towards the ward. With a quick glace at each other, Teyla and Ronon quickly jumped off their stools and, careful not to make a sound, laid down on the beds to either side of Rodney and John.
Their eyes slid shut just as Carson walked in the room “Right, I’ve givin’ ya more than enough time ta,” he stopped seeing them both seemingly asleep. Watching them for a moment, he knew they were faking but decided not to mention it. As long as they were resting, he was happy. As a mater of fact, he was sure they would rest better sleeping nearby than in their own quarters. He grabbed some extra blankets and spread them out over them.
“Sleep well all,” he said, dimming the lights with a thought, “and stay in yer beds.” With a quick glace back, Carson was sure he saw Teyla smile before walking out of the room, and heading to bed himself.
A/N: I’m sorry it’s not super-amazing-fantastic like of the other fics! My muse has been MIA for a while now, and so I had a lot of trouble with this story! I’ve been battling it for a long time now…
That and this thing called “Real Life” became kinda, well, real? A lot of stuff has been happening; I feel very guilty about not getting this done in a timely mater, as everyone did. However, I assure that had I known life would become crazy shortly after taking on the task, I wouldn’t have signed up; and, had life become crazy fast enough, I would have backed out… but it was a slow enough progression for me to think I could handle it… and well, I did in the end, right? I have been working on this when and where possible; not kidding, I have written parts of this in class, part sitting in an airport, part in the car (I wasn’t the one driving!) and just about everywhere else! What is a lunch break for other than cramming down food, trying to study for a test, and get a few more sentences written?
Well, I hope it wasn’t too horrible, and that you aren’t too mad about it being late.
Thanks again for waiting!
Also, about the ending: I know it's really sunned,I tried very hard to make it work better, but I failed. I do have a sequel planned, but I have no idea when I would get that done... and I've learned deadlines are no good for me! However, when I get it done, I will be sure to post it, and it will again be for wildcat88 as a thank you for the patients!
Let me know what you think, good or bad; constructive criticism is often more helpful than compliments!