Fic: John's Virus
Title: John's Virus
Rating: G
Characters: All main from 1st season
Note: This is the follow up to Home and the tag I wrote a while back.
Every morning John Sheppard went for a jog through the city and today was no exception. He nodded to the Athosians as he passed them in the halls. Even a few of the children would race after him for a while until they tired out.
John thought back to the past few days. He never thought the prospect of being home would be so unappealing even after their visit to “Earth”. John wasn’t sure why or how he saw through the alien’s ruse, but he did.
Maybe that’s why he wasn’t excited about going back. It only proved to him how many people he cared about there (which amounted to no one since Mitch and Dex were gone). John suddenly felt nauseated and rushed onto the balcony.
He breathed in the cold air with relief, but was immediately freezing so he went back inside. John was shivering as he began to run again. He decided it was time to hit the shower, maybe even lie down for a bit.
John made it to his quarters without further incident and began striping off his clothing as he went to the restroom. He was really cold now and his teeth were chattering. John turned on the faucet, making the water as hot as possible.
He felt a little dizzy as he finished and now all he wanted to do was curl up in bed and sleep through the rest of the day. He took a deep breath as another bout of nausea attacked him. This time he knew it wasn’t going away.
John was able to make it to the toilet just in time. He stood on wobbly legs a few minutes later then grabbed a towel to wrap around himself. Glancing in the mirror, he saw a pale face staring back at him. “Attractive, John,” he said miserably.
After rinsing his mouth out, John dressed in a pair of sweats and a t-shirt the climbed into bed. He was asleep in seconds.
***************
“Excuse me, Dr. Weir.”
Elizabeth looked up from her computer to see Ford. “Yes, Lieutenant?”
“Ma’am, I’ve been unable to contact Major Sheppard. I’ve checked his quarters, the gym, even the mess hall. A few of the Athosians saw him jogging earlier this morning, but they haven’t seen him since then.”
Maybe he wanted to be alone for a bit, she thought to herself. Elizabeth definitely wanted to be after being so close to home yet not being able to go. However, with the things they often found in this ancient city…
Aloud she said, “Get a search team together. I’ll send Teyla to his quarters in case he went back after you were there. Keep me informed, Lieutenant.”
“Yes, Ma’am!”
When he was gone, Elizabeth called Teyla. “I have just arrived, Dr. Weir. I was going to see if he was interested in practicing some Bantos fighting.”
“What is it?” Elizabeth asked when she heard Teyla gasp.
“He is shivering, Dr. Weir and his face is flushed. I believe he has a fever because he is very warm. Major. Major can you hear me? He is waking.”
Elizabeth let out the breath she didn’t know she was holding in. “I’ll send Dr. Beckett down there immediately.”
**************
“How’s he doing, Carson?” Elizabeth asked. It had been nearly a day since John was found in his quarters and the fever didn’t seem to want to let go of him.
“From what I’ve been able to gather from his blood tests, he has a viral infection, but it’s nothing from Earth. We’re treating him with antibiotics right now. Beyond that there’s not much we can do. I’ve searched through the Ancient medical database, but there has been no documented cases of this particular infection.”
Elizabeth was about to respond when Rodney came in looking quite distressed. “I think I know what’s wrong with him!”
“What are you on about, Rodney?”
“Now don’t be jealous, Carson,” he replied. “I was checking the MALP readings from M3X545 and noticed some odd anomalies.”
Elizabeth looked at him in confusion. “They were people.”
“Yes, I know. That was the problem.”
“We don’t have all day, Rodney,” Carson said, glancing at John.
Rodney handed Carson his findings and Elizabeth noted the realization in the physician’s eyes. “What is it?” she asked.
“The virus was contracted from the… mist people of that planet. I should be able to come up with a viable antibiotic from this information.”
Rodney’s eyes suddenly widened in fear. “Examine me! Again!! Now, Carson!”
“Relax, Rodney,” he replied. “If you had contracted the virus, you’d be lying in one of my infirmary beds next to Major Sheppard.”
************
Carson watched as his patient tossed and turned. He hated not being able to help Major Sheppard, but right now the only thing he could do was wait until the team returned from M3X585.
He had shown no sign of wariness when he returned from the planet, but he had seemed quiet and withdrawn. Carson understood why when he read their reports.
"Hey Doc," John said. "Can I have some water, please?"
"Certainly," Carson replied.
He sighed as he watched the colonel drink, idly wondering where the rest of his team were. They, along with Elizabeth, had returned to the planet and he was starting to get a bit worried about them.
John drank the water greedily slowing down only when Carson admonished him for it. He had never felt more thirsty in his life. This virus was really kicking the crap out of him.
"I'm freezing, Carson," John said.
"Let me get you another blanket, Major."
John thought back to 'trip' back to Earth. All the people he saw there... none of them cared for him beside Mitch and Dex and they weren't around anymore.
It was nice, for just once, be liked and even loved. He didn't share with everyone the visit to his parent's home. He had even asked Teyla to wait in the car since he knew he wouldn't be long.
And he wasn't.
The look of hatred in his Father's eyes was still there. He had gone there to feel some connection to his former home. He thought that maybe that place would be as skewed as his sense of reality was, but for some reason it was the same.
John realized it must have been his own mind leaking into the minds of the Mist people (as McKay called them). That was probably why he imagined everyone at the most awesome bachelor pad on the face of the Earth. Why he imagined two of the most important people in his were still alive.
He blinked when he realized Carson was calling his name. "Are you all right, Son?"
"Sorry. I was just thinking."
"Major," Carson said, "you had me worried. You were not just thinking, you were not responding to any outside stimuli. You've been 'thinking' for nearly 30 minutes!"
"What?"
Carson noticed John's face appeared ashen. "Major?"
"Doc, I don't feel so hot..." John trailed off as Carson grabbed the emesis basin.
Just in time too! Carson thought.
************
"All right, Rodney, try to contact them," Elizabeth said as they arrived in orbit around the planet. She glanced over at Teyla and Ford. "I hope this works because I don't want to have to land down there unless I know it will be safe for them.
After 20 minutes, Rodney was starting to get antsy. He checked his pockets for signs of at least one powerbar. Just as he found one, the HUD beeped loudly.
Soon, the form of General Hammond appeared. "Dr. Weir, we had not expected to see you back so soon."
She was taken aback by the fact that he was able to be in the Jumper, but she did not ask about it. "I'm afraid we're not here on a social call," she replied. "Major Sheppard is very ill. We think he may be... allergic to your kind."
"That is likely. People have become ill by visiting our planet before. And it's usually those whom we have a deeper connection with. Major Sheppard was the first of all to figure out that he was not really on Earth."
Rodney held up his hand. "Um, yeah, could you explain that?"
"I believe it has to do with what you call the Ancient gene. He possesses it naturally and the virus only affects Ancients. Many have died from attempting to negotiate a trade with our people because they never figured out how to counteract this sickness."
Teyla looked worriedly at Elizabeth. "But there was nothing within the Ancient database, that we could see, regarding this illness."
"There wasn't even anything about your planet," Ford added. "Nothing about never coming here."
Hammond looked puzzled. "How can that be? They visited once by the Stargate and multiple times via Jumper."
"We don't know," Rodney said.
"What we do know is that Major Sheppard is sick and needs help," Elizabeth replied.
He nodded. "We will attempt to come up with a solution. I will speak to my people now. You are welcome to land your ship on the planet."
Once he had gone, the four stared at one another. Rodney finally broke the silence as he piloted the Jumper safely to ground. "Teyla, how long did it take for Sheppard to realize the reality was fake?"
She thought a moment. "I don't really know, Dr. McKay. When we arrived at Stargate Command, everything seemed normal to him. He took me..." She paused looking for the right word, "shopping. After that, we stopped at a small home and he asked me to wait in the car. When he returned, he looked shaken, but would not tell me what occurred.
He started saying that things didn't seem right as the car took us to a house near a lake. Everything inside it held the personality of Major Sheppard. Soon, without him contacting anyone, his friends began to arrive. When two men came by the name of Mitch and Dex, his attitude seemed to change."
Elizabeth looked up at Teyla. "Mitch and Dex?"
"Yes."
"No wonder he knew something was wrong."
"What do you mean by that?" Rodney asked.
Ford replied for her. "Mitch and Dex are dead. They're the reason Major Sheppard has a black mark in his record. For attempting to save them when no one else would."
Before anyone could reply, Hammond appeared again. "After much discussion, we believe it would be best if Major Sheppard is brought here."
"Wait!" Rodney said. "You told us people die from exposure to you! He's already sick, what's going to happen if we bring him back here!"
"He need not step outside your ship, Dr. McKay. We will go into his mind to remove the virus. That is where it is located. However, if we do not hurry, it will spread further throughout his body."
Elizabeth nodded. "Thank you. We'll be back soon."
************
The four returned to Atlantis and were immediately called into the infirmary. "Carson?" Elizabeth asked when they entered.
"Oh thank God you're back, Lass."
"What's wrong?"
"Major Sheppard's temperature rose to a 103. It's holding steady there, but we can't seem to lower it. I'm hoping you've come back with an antidote or something to help counter this virus! He's extremely weak and dehydrated."
Rodney shook his head. "We don't have anything but those Mist people do. We need to bring Sheppard to the planet."
"Are you daft, man?" Carson exclaimed. "I do not want to risk moving him in his condition!"
"Dr. Beckett, if we do not, they will not be able to remove the virus that has taken a hold of Major Sheppard. They will not survive in Atlantis. We must bring him to them. He will not leave the Jumper."
Carson was thoughtful before giving in. "All right then, but I'm coming with you!"
Ten minutes later they were headed to the planet and John had begun muttering in his sleep. "Easy Major, you'll feel better in no time," Carson was saying to him.
"You've gotten better at this, McKay," Ford said as the Jumper landed on the planet.
The scientist glanced over at Ford in stunned silence. He was beginning to think that maybe hell froze over since the man was giving him a compliment. "Um, thanks..."
"Welcome back," Hammond said as he appeared in the back of the Jumper. He knelt next to John and placed his hand on the man's forehead, closing his eyes...
************
"Major Sheppard, I humbly apologize on behalf of my people. We had no realized how much of a connection you share with the ones you call Ancients. If we had known, we would told you have the affliction that befell them and you as well."
John dismissed the apology with a wave of his hand. "You couldn't have known. Besides we didn't exactly come here with knowledge ourselves."
Hammond nodded. "I hope we may become allies, but it will not be for sometime. My people have much to discuss. We will contact you in the future."
John stared at the space the man occupied before the SGC faded around him...
*************
He woke up in the infirmary feeling surprisingly well beside the apparent exhaustion. He saw Carson headed towards him and smiled at the physician. Carson smiled back. "Well, Major, it certainly is good to see you awake."
"How long have I been out?" John asked.
"Nearly a week. It was touch and go for awhile. Your fever spiked to 104 on our way back to Atlantis. I thought I was going to have a heart attack when you started seizing badly. However, whatever that Hammond did, he put you right again."
John nodded. "I'm guessing that's why I feel like I could use about a month's worth of sleep."
"Aye, Major."
"Just when were you going to tell us he was awake?" Rodney exclaimed s he entered the infirmary.
"Calm down, McKay," John replied. "I only just woke up. Dr. Beckett was just about to call you."
Carson mouthed a 'thank you' to John as he left the team alone. "You look much better, Major," Teyla said.
"Thanks."
"You had us a little worried," Ford told him, pointedly glancing at Rodney.
"What?"
"Gee Rodney, I didn't know you cared."
Rodney looked back and forth at the two men, who were laughing. "What! I didn't say anything! I knew he'd be fine! I knew it! Besides, I wasn't the one blubbering about it."
"What are you talking about, McKay?" Ford asked.
Rodney blushed furiously, realizing he probably just gave himself away. "Shut up!" he exclaimed, making a hasty retreat.
"Rodney, are you all right?" Elizabeth asked, noticing the flustered scientist as he almost ran into her.
"Excellent," he growled.
Before she could respond, he was out the door. "What did I say?"
"We were just picking on him," John relpied around a yawn.
"All right, Major, that's enough excitement for one day!" Carson said.
John nodded. "Bye, guys! See you later and bring food!"
******
No more fic pending!! Woo! :D
Rating: G
Characters: All main from 1st season
Note: This is the follow up to Home and the tag I wrote a while back.
Every morning John Sheppard went for a jog through the city and today was no exception. He nodded to the Athosians as he passed them in the halls. Even a few of the children would race after him for a while until they tired out.
John thought back to the past few days. He never thought the prospect of being home would be so unappealing even after their visit to “Earth”. John wasn’t sure why or how he saw through the alien’s ruse, but he did.
Maybe that’s why he wasn’t excited about going back. It only proved to him how many people he cared about there (which amounted to no one since Mitch and Dex were gone). John suddenly felt nauseated and rushed onto the balcony.
He breathed in the cold air with relief, but was immediately freezing so he went back inside. John was shivering as he began to run again. He decided it was time to hit the shower, maybe even lie down for a bit.
John made it to his quarters without further incident and began striping off his clothing as he went to the restroom. He was really cold now and his teeth were chattering. John turned on the faucet, making the water as hot as possible.
He felt a little dizzy as he finished and now all he wanted to do was curl up in bed and sleep through the rest of the day. He took a deep breath as another bout of nausea attacked him. This time he knew it wasn’t going away.
John was able to make it to the toilet just in time. He stood on wobbly legs a few minutes later then grabbed a towel to wrap around himself. Glancing in the mirror, he saw a pale face staring back at him. “Attractive, John,” he said miserably.
After rinsing his mouth out, John dressed in a pair of sweats and a t-shirt the climbed into bed. He was asleep in seconds.
***************
“Excuse me, Dr. Weir.”
Elizabeth looked up from her computer to see Ford. “Yes, Lieutenant?”
“Ma’am, I’ve been unable to contact Major Sheppard. I’ve checked his quarters, the gym, even the mess hall. A few of the Athosians saw him jogging earlier this morning, but they haven’t seen him since then.”
Maybe he wanted to be alone for a bit, she thought to herself. Elizabeth definitely wanted to be after being so close to home yet not being able to go. However, with the things they often found in this ancient city…
Aloud she said, “Get a search team together. I’ll send Teyla to his quarters in case he went back after you were there. Keep me informed, Lieutenant.”
“Yes, Ma’am!”
When he was gone, Elizabeth called Teyla. “I have just arrived, Dr. Weir. I was going to see if he was interested in practicing some Bantos fighting.”
“What is it?” Elizabeth asked when she heard Teyla gasp.
“He is shivering, Dr. Weir and his face is flushed. I believe he has a fever because he is very warm. Major. Major can you hear me? He is waking.”
Elizabeth let out the breath she didn’t know she was holding in. “I’ll send Dr. Beckett down there immediately.”
**************
“How’s he doing, Carson?” Elizabeth asked. It had been nearly a day since John was found in his quarters and the fever didn’t seem to want to let go of him.
“From what I’ve been able to gather from his blood tests, he has a viral infection, but it’s nothing from Earth. We’re treating him with antibiotics right now. Beyond that there’s not much we can do. I’ve searched through the Ancient medical database, but there has been no documented cases of this particular infection.”
Elizabeth was about to respond when Rodney came in looking quite distressed. “I think I know what’s wrong with him!”
“What are you on about, Rodney?”
“Now don’t be jealous, Carson,” he replied. “I was checking the MALP readings from M3X545 and noticed some odd anomalies.”
Elizabeth looked at him in confusion. “They were people.”
“Yes, I know. That was the problem.”
“We don’t have all day, Rodney,” Carson said, glancing at John.
Rodney handed Carson his findings and Elizabeth noted the realization in the physician’s eyes. “What is it?” she asked.
“The virus was contracted from the… mist people of that planet. I should be able to come up with a viable antibiotic from this information.”
Rodney’s eyes suddenly widened in fear. “Examine me! Again!! Now, Carson!”
“Relax, Rodney,” he replied. “If you had contracted the virus, you’d be lying in one of my infirmary beds next to Major Sheppard.”
************
Carson watched as his patient tossed and turned. He hated not being able to help Major Sheppard, but right now the only thing he could do was wait until the team returned from M3X585.
He had shown no sign of wariness when he returned from the planet, but he had seemed quiet and withdrawn. Carson understood why when he read their reports.
"Hey Doc," John said. "Can I have some water, please?"
"Certainly," Carson replied.
He sighed as he watched the colonel drink, idly wondering where the rest of his team were. They, along with Elizabeth, had returned to the planet and he was starting to get a bit worried about them.
John drank the water greedily slowing down only when Carson admonished him for it. He had never felt more thirsty in his life. This virus was really kicking the crap out of him.
"I'm freezing, Carson," John said.
"Let me get you another blanket, Major."
John thought back to 'trip' back to Earth. All the people he saw there... none of them cared for him beside Mitch and Dex and they weren't around anymore.
It was nice, for just once, be liked and even loved. He didn't share with everyone the visit to his parent's home. He had even asked Teyla to wait in the car since he knew he wouldn't be long.
And he wasn't.
The look of hatred in his Father's eyes was still there. He had gone there to feel some connection to his former home. He thought that maybe that place would be as skewed as his sense of reality was, but for some reason it was the same.
John realized it must have been his own mind leaking into the minds of the Mist people (as McKay called them). That was probably why he imagined everyone at the most awesome bachelor pad on the face of the Earth. Why he imagined two of the most important people in his were still alive.
He blinked when he realized Carson was calling his name. "Are you all right, Son?"
"Sorry. I was just thinking."
"Major," Carson said, "you had me worried. You were not just thinking, you were not responding to any outside stimuli. You've been 'thinking' for nearly 30 minutes!"
"What?"
Carson noticed John's face appeared ashen. "Major?"
"Doc, I don't feel so hot..." John trailed off as Carson grabbed the emesis basin.
Just in time too! Carson thought.
************
"All right, Rodney, try to contact them," Elizabeth said as they arrived in orbit around the planet. She glanced over at Teyla and Ford. "I hope this works because I don't want to have to land down there unless I know it will be safe for them.
After 20 minutes, Rodney was starting to get antsy. He checked his pockets for signs of at least one powerbar. Just as he found one, the HUD beeped loudly.
Soon, the form of General Hammond appeared. "Dr. Weir, we had not expected to see you back so soon."
She was taken aback by the fact that he was able to be in the Jumper, but she did not ask about it. "I'm afraid we're not here on a social call," she replied. "Major Sheppard is very ill. We think he may be... allergic to your kind."
"That is likely. People have become ill by visiting our planet before. And it's usually those whom we have a deeper connection with. Major Sheppard was the first of all to figure out that he was not really on Earth."
Rodney held up his hand. "Um, yeah, could you explain that?"
"I believe it has to do with what you call the Ancient gene. He possesses it naturally and the virus only affects Ancients. Many have died from attempting to negotiate a trade with our people because they never figured out how to counteract this sickness."
Teyla looked worriedly at Elizabeth. "But there was nothing within the Ancient database, that we could see, regarding this illness."
"There wasn't even anything about your planet," Ford added. "Nothing about never coming here."
Hammond looked puzzled. "How can that be? They visited once by the Stargate and multiple times via Jumper."
"We don't know," Rodney said.
"What we do know is that Major Sheppard is sick and needs help," Elizabeth replied.
He nodded. "We will attempt to come up with a solution. I will speak to my people now. You are welcome to land your ship on the planet."
Once he had gone, the four stared at one another. Rodney finally broke the silence as he piloted the Jumper safely to ground. "Teyla, how long did it take for Sheppard to realize the reality was fake?"
She thought a moment. "I don't really know, Dr. McKay. When we arrived at Stargate Command, everything seemed normal to him. He took me..." She paused looking for the right word, "shopping. After that, we stopped at a small home and he asked me to wait in the car. When he returned, he looked shaken, but would not tell me what occurred.
He started saying that things didn't seem right as the car took us to a house near a lake. Everything inside it held the personality of Major Sheppard. Soon, without him contacting anyone, his friends began to arrive. When two men came by the name of Mitch and Dex, his attitude seemed to change."
Elizabeth looked up at Teyla. "Mitch and Dex?"
"Yes."
"No wonder he knew something was wrong."
"What do you mean by that?" Rodney asked.
Ford replied for her. "Mitch and Dex are dead. They're the reason Major Sheppard has a black mark in his record. For attempting to save them when no one else would."
Before anyone could reply, Hammond appeared again. "After much discussion, we believe it would be best if Major Sheppard is brought here."
"Wait!" Rodney said. "You told us people die from exposure to you! He's already sick, what's going to happen if we bring him back here!"
"He need not step outside your ship, Dr. McKay. We will go into his mind to remove the virus. That is where it is located. However, if we do not hurry, it will spread further throughout his body."
Elizabeth nodded. "Thank you. We'll be back soon."
************
The four returned to Atlantis and were immediately called into the infirmary. "Carson?" Elizabeth asked when they entered.
"Oh thank God you're back, Lass."
"What's wrong?"
"Major Sheppard's temperature rose to a 103. It's holding steady there, but we can't seem to lower it. I'm hoping you've come back with an antidote or something to help counter this virus! He's extremely weak and dehydrated."
Rodney shook his head. "We don't have anything but those Mist people do. We need to bring Sheppard to the planet."
"Are you daft, man?" Carson exclaimed. "I do not want to risk moving him in his condition!"
"Dr. Beckett, if we do not, they will not be able to remove the virus that has taken a hold of Major Sheppard. They will not survive in Atlantis. We must bring him to them. He will not leave the Jumper."
Carson was thoughtful before giving in. "All right then, but I'm coming with you!"
Ten minutes later they were headed to the planet and John had begun muttering in his sleep. "Easy Major, you'll feel better in no time," Carson was saying to him.
"You've gotten better at this, McKay," Ford said as the Jumper landed on the planet.
The scientist glanced over at Ford in stunned silence. He was beginning to think that maybe hell froze over since the man was giving him a compliment. "Um, thanks..."
"Welcome back," Hammond said as he appeared in the back of the Jumper. He knelt next to John and placed his hand on the man's forehead, closing his eyes...
************
"Major Sheppard, I humbly apologize on behalf of my people. We had no realized how much of a connection you share with the ones you call Ancients. If we had known, we would told you have the affliction that befell them and you as well."
John dismissed the apology with a wave of his hand. "You couldn't have known. Besides we didn't exactly come here with knowledge ourselves."
Hammond nodded. "I hope we may become allies, but it will not be for sometime. My people have much to discuss. We will contact you in the future."
John stared at the space the man occupied before the SGC faded around him...
*************
He woke up in the infirmary feeling surprisingly well beside the apparent exhaustion. He saw Carson headed towards him and smiled at the physician. Carson smiled back. "Well, Major, it certainly is good to see you awake."
"How long have I been out?" John asked.
"Nearly a week. It was touch and go for awhile. Your fever spiked to 104 on our way back to Atlantis. I thought I was going to have a heart attack when you started seizing badly. However, whatever that Hammond did, he put you right again."
John nodded. "I'm guessing that's why I feel like I could use about a month's worth of sleep."
"Aye, Major."
"Just when were you going to tell us he was awake?" Rodney exclaimed s he entered the infirmary.
"Calm down, McKay," John replied. "I only just woke up. Dr. Beckett was just about to call you."
Carson mouthed a 'thank you' to John as he left the team alone. "You look much better, Major," Teyla said.
"Thanks."
"You had us a little worried," Ford told him, pointedly glancing at Rodney.
"What?"
"Gee Rodney, I didn't know you cared."
Rodney looked back and forth at the two men, who were laughing. "What! I didn't say anything! I knew he'd be fine! I knew it! Besides, I wasn't the one blubbering about it."
"What are you talking about, McKay?" Ford asked.
Rodney blushed furiously, realizing he probably just gave himself away. "Shut up!" he exclaimed, making a hasty retreat.
"Rodney, are you all right?" Elizabeth asked, noticing the flustered scientist as he almost ran into her.
"Excellent," he growled.
Before she could respond, he was out the door. "What did I say?"
"We were just picking on him," John relpied around a yawn.
"All right, Major, that's enough excitement for one day!" Carson said.
John nodded. "Bye, guys! See you later and bring food!"
******
No more fic pending!! Woo! :D