Murmurs Chapter Five Atlantis Waits
Title: Murmurs
Author: stella_pegasi
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Rating: PG-13
Character/Pairing: John Sheppard, Rodney McKay, Teyla Emmagan, Ronon Dex, Evan Lorne, Anne Teldy, Original Characters
Spoilers: Post-Season Five
Warnings: Language
Het/Slash/Gen: Gen
Word count: ~25,000 Five Chapters
Disclaimer: I do not own them, I would have treated them better.
Summary:Two members of the Atlantis Expedition are exhibiting bizarre behavior. When one of them is gravely injured, Atlantis is the only hope for rescue.
MURMURS
By stella_pegasi
Part Five Atlantis Waits
As Atlantis watched the young corporal attending to the colonel, she was cognizant of the forces mobilized to come to his aide. Their voices full of the excitement of finding him, intermixed with the fear of how seriously he was injured. She observed as his people took care of him. She had done what she needed to do, she had led them to him.
Now, she waits.
~~ooOoo~~
Illumination from powerful floodlights and the noisy roar of chain saws cutting up debris reached Brenner's, Captain Stackhouse, and Sergeant Grayhorse. The captain and sergeant had arrived at the site from the opposite direction moments before. The captain sent Grayhorse to check on the rescuers' progress.
Stackhouse peered through the narrow opening. "How the hell did he get down there?"
"Ray thinks he stepped onto the top of a metal staircase that led down a level. The metal grate gave way, and he fell. Apparently, there are many large containers stored in the chamber. Ray says the containers are scattered about, and they must have slammed into the staircase, weakening it. The colonel's hurt really badly, captain." Pain and fear were evident in Brenner's eyes; yet, he was calm and in control.
Stackhouse remembered being as young as Brenner, and being in awe of Sheppard. He laughed at himself; he should admit he was still in awe of Sheppard. "Listen, we've got the best docs in two galaxies; they'll get him through this, corporal."
Brenner smiled softly, "Yes, sir; I believe that."
The light became extremely bright as the combat engineers turned the corner, coming toward them. Sergeant Grayhorse came ahead, escorting Dr. Beckett, who was beside him.
Stackhouse greeted him, "Hey, doc; glad to see you."
Beckett nodded, then quickly asked, "Where is he?"
Brenner pointed through the narrow opening, a faint stream of light from Rodriguez's lamp emerging only to be lost in the brighter light of the floodlights. "He's down there; Ray's with him. Doctor; it's really cramped in the area where he fell. You might want to let some of us go down first. We need to clear debris out of the way before you can help him."
"No, I'm going down now. Major Teldy, get me down there." Teldy and the remainder of the EMT's, search and rescue Marines, and combat engineers had arrived.
Teldy looked over at Stackhouse, whose nearly imperceptible nod toward Brenner was observed by the astute major. "Doctor, let's dropped Corporal Brenner down first, he can carry your medpack, and one of the lights. Then we'll lower you down, followed by a CE to assess what we need to do to get the colonel out of there."
Beckett nodded in acknowledgement, and two members of the Marine search and rescue team rigged a harness to lower Brenner into the chamber. While they were helping him into the harness, two CE's checked out the doorway. They called for a hydrolytic-jack; bracing it between the edge of the door and the doorframe. Within a couple of minutes, the opening was nearly the full door width. After they moved their equipment out of the way, the SAR's moved the tripod brace for the lift in front of the doorway and extended the long arm through the door. Brenner, slipped the medpack on his back, and a CE handed him a floodlight. The SAR's hooked his harness to the steel cable extending from the arm and lowered him into the chamber.
Brenner felt Rodriguez grab his feet as he got closer, helping to direct him away from the sharp broken floor brackets. As soon as he was on firm ground, he released the cable. The SAR's winched the cable back up, in order to lower Beckett.
Brenner extended the tripod legs of the battery operated portable floodlight and switched it on. He gasped when he saw Colonel Sheppard.
"Oh my god, Ray; are you sure he's alive?"
"Yeah, broki, he's alive, but he's hurt, really hurt. I did what I could, but I…"
"The doc's on his way down. He can help him."
Beckett arrived within minutes, and after Brenner unhooked him from the cable, he knelt by Sheppard. One look at the colonel caused him to gasp sharply. "Oh, laddie, what have you done to yourself?"
He quickly assessed Sheppard's injuries, carefully inspecting the wound around the metal stake protruding from his side. Beckett inserted an IV port into the colonel's forearm, cussing as he missed on the first try. Sheppard's blood pressure was very low, making it difficult to find a vein. He reached for his medpack, only to realize that Rodriguez had retrieved the solution bag. The corporal had added the tubing so that the bag was ready to be connected to the port.
"Thanks." He connected the IV while Rodriguez held the bag. Beckett then sat back on his heels.
"Corporal, you did well here; getting his feet elevated and placing your TAC vest under his head was a good thing. In addition, getting that emergency blanket over him but not tightening it was smart. Right now, he could use a bit of body warmth, but being cold has probably kept him alive."
Brenner chuckled, "Be careful, Doctor Beckett; you're gonna give Corporal Ramon Rodriguez a bigger ego than he already has."
Rodriguez threw a snarky, but friendly, smile toward his friend, then spoke to Beckett, "Don't thank me, sir; thank my grandmother. She's a nurse and when I decided to join the Marines, she made me take an EMT course; figured I'd need it. She must have had a premonition that I'd be serving with the colonel."
"Yeah, we all need extra training for this man. Both you lads have done well. You seem to be around the colonel needs you the most." Beckett began to wipe the caked blood from Sheppard's hands; then he removed the bandage covering the deep cut on his arm. Over the next few minutes, with the corporals' assistance, he cleaned and dressed the wounds.
The combat engineer descended to begin the initial planning on the best way to remove Sheppard. While he was surveying the area, they heard raised voices from the corridor. Beckett shook his head and remarked to no one, in particular, "Ronon; I hope they realize not to get in between John and his teammates."
In the corridor, Major Teldy and Teyla were trying to calm Ronon down. Teldy was only requesting that he wait until the CE's had an opportunity to determine what they needed to do. Ronon insisted he was going to Sheppard, now.
"Ronon, Corporal Brenner said that there isn't much room down there. The large containers that were stored there have broken loose, likely from flooding. They are crowded up against the platform. As soon as we know what we are dealing with, you can go down."
"I'm going now." Ronon was looming over Teldy, who didn't appear the least bit intimidated.
She replied, "Please just…"
"I can help move stuff; I am going down there."
Teldy sighed, a look of resignation on her face, "Get him in a harness."
Teyla slid around a SAR to stand next to Teldy and quietly said, "Wise choice."
Ronon refused the harness, and began to climb down the cable barehanded. As he disappeared from her sight, Major Teldy sighed, "Lorne told me that I should never try to get between the colonel and his team."
Hearing a noise, Brenner looked up, startled by the sight of the large Satedan looming over him. He hopped out of the way, as Ronon dropped next to him.
"Beckett, how is he?"
The doctor looked up, "Not good; I'm afraid. We need to get him out of here, but we have a problem." Beckett rubbed his forehead, trying to gather his thoughts.
"I canna move him off the metal stake; he'll likely bleed to death before I could treat him. There's no way of knowing what damage has been done. From the location of the wound, I imagine his liver is damaged and his intestines possibly perforated. His labored breathing indicates a punctured lung, probably caused by broken ribs. He has a lump on his head, and I don't know about major vessels…too much could be wrong. He's lying right on the floor, there's no room to get under him to cut him free."
SAR team member, Captain Andy Wilder, had joined them in the tight area and was listening to Beckett's analysis. "Doctor, the first thing we need to do is get more room to work. I'll have them send down an insulated blanket to cover Colonel Sheppard, then we'll get torches in here to cut away these supports and the rest of this metal. Meanwhile, let's get as many of these containers moved away from here. That way we can cut more of this platform away. Jenks," he pointed to the CE, "help Ronon and Brenner start moving those cans."
He turned back to Beckett, "Listen, doc; this is going to take awhile. I mean; we will move as quickly as we can, but do we even have that kind of time?"
Beckett glanced at Sheppard, then at Wilder, "We're running on borrowed time now. We don't have a choice, do we?"
Wilder nodded, "No; we don't. I promise we will work as quickly as we can."
Ronon, Brenner, and Jenks began pushing the large, bulky containers away from the area where the platform had collapsed. The containers were heavy and some appeared to have something stored inside, but they didn't take time to look. Once they had the area free, two more CE's and another SAR joined the others. Using reciprocating saws and chain saws, they began to dismantle the platform. Once they cleared about ten feet of metal away from Sheppard, they began using the saws and torches to cut away the metal braces.
Beckett was huddled under the insulated blanket with Sheppard, both wearing protective ear covers. He was becoming more and more concerned about the colonel's breathing. He wanted to get an oxygen mask on him, but couldn't until the saws and torches had finished. He grabbed Sheppard's hand and whispered, "We'll get you outta here, laddie; I promise."
When they had the area cleared, Wilder pulled the blanket back, and knelt down next to Beckett. "How's he doing?"
"Breathing's a bit more erratic, but about the same otherwise; now, what do we do?"
"You're going to have to tell me, doctor. The only way to get that brace loose is to raise him up; but I don't know what that is going to do to him. We can rig a harness from a stretcher, but getting a stretcher underneath him and keeping him stable is going to be difficult. What do you want to do, doc?"
Beckett stared at the Marine for a moment, then took a deep breath, "Uh...we're gonna have to lift him up. I suppose a stretcher would be the best bet."
Wilder patted Beckett's shoulder and stood up, about to order a stretcher lowered, when Rodriguez spoke. "No, that'll take too long. We can do it." He looked at Brenner and then at Ronon. "We can lift him as far as necessary and hold him steady while they cut the brace." He waited to see what their reaction would be.
Brenner nodded at his friend and Ronon grabbed his shoulder. "We can do that."
Beckett replied very quietly, "You would have to hold him very steady, or he could suffer even greater damage than just moving him slightly will do. Can you do that?"
Brenner gave Beckett a soft smile, "We have to, sir; we can do this for him."
Beckett nodded, and Wilder called for a Stokes basket. He grabbed a reciprocating saw from one of the CE's, replacing the blade. When the basket had been lowered and secured to the side, he told Beckett. "I am going to lie down and get in position to cut that brace loose. You guys get on his left side. Doctor, once I'm in place, you direct the guys in lifting him. I'll yell when I have enough clearance."
Once everyone was in place, Beckett nervously nodded, "OK, start lifting him, really slowly."
Ronon was in the middle; stronger than the corporals, he was going to hold up Sheppard's torso. Brenner was holding Sheppard's legs. Rodriguez was at Sheppard's head; his hands braced flat between the colonel's shoulder blades. The corporal's forearms cradled the colonel's head. On a three-count by Beckett, they began to lift Sheppard off the floor. It felt like an eternity until Wilder yelled stop, and the three men held Sheppard in place.
The grinding noise of the saw filled the chamber, spilling into the hallway. Teyla and Teldy were leaning through the doorway watching, neither seemed to be breathing.
Beckett didn't appear to be taking a breath, either. He was staring at Sheppard's chest watching his respirations. Sheppard's breathing was becoming more erratic. To make things worse, a trickle of fresh blood was trailing from the base of the metal stake that protruded from his side.
At last, Wilder turned off the saw and withdrew, "Done, get that litter over here."
The stretcher was placed next to Sheppard. Ronon and the corporals gently lowered him in the stretcher, rolling him slightly onto his left side provide clearance for the long metal brace. Beckett quickly placed a sterile pad around the wound on his back and stood up. He noticed a pool of blood where Sheppard had laid, a chilling reminder of how serious the colonel's injuries were.
"Let's get him out of here."
Quickly, the stretcher was raised to the open doorway, where the EMT's moved the colonel into the hallway. The cable was dropped again, and Beckett was pulled to the surface. The others climbed out via an emergency ladder that had been dropped to them.
By the time, Ronon and the corporals reached the corridor, they saw Becket and the EMT's almost at the intersection of the main corridor. Ronon took off after them. After a nod from Major Teldy, the corporals followed.
~~ooOoo~~
Atlantis waited as they did; waited, for word on his condition. The first moments after he arrived in the infirmary were harrowing. The trauma of his rescue was more than his battered body could endure and triggered a cardiac arrest. Before the healer could begin the process of removing the metal brace, they had to revive him twice. She shared in their relief as his heart began to beat once more.
She watched over them as he would, while she was also with the healers as they raced to repair him. He was gravely injured and she could feel the worry that permeated the room where they were treating him. She felt helpless. Atlantis knew she had done all that she could. She had led them to him. There was nothing more for her to do, but wait.
~~ooOoo~~
"How long is this going to take? They've been in there nearly six hours already." Ronon was sitting on the floor of Rodney's private room in the infirmary.
Teyla was sitting on the foot of the sleeping Rodney's bed, "Ronon, please keep your voice down, and be patient. Dr. Beckett told us that removing the stake and repairing the damage would take time."
"We haven't heard anything since Dr. J came to tell us that his heart had stopped again."
"I know, but they were able to revive him. I believe that no news is good news," she glanced at Lorne, who was sitting in a chair next to Ronon. "That is, if I understand that Earth phrase correctly." She gave the major a slight smile, which he returned.
"Teyla's right; I imagine things are proceeding OK, or Dr. J would have come to tell us,"
Ronon didn't look convinced, but the return of Corporals Rodriguez and Brenner distracted him. On orders from Nursing Director, Marie Cho, the corporals had gone on a food run. They returned with sandwiches, fruit, cupcakes, and drinks. Rodriguez began handing out food, while Brenner held out a mug to Teyla.
"Cookie…uh….Sergeant Gonzalez, thought you might need some Athosian tea about now."
"Ah….thank you, 'Cookie' knows me quite well." She added, "Please save a cupcake for Dr. McKay; should he wake up, he will want one."
Rodriguez replied, "Don't worry, ma'am. We got a couple of extra sandwiches and cupcakes just in case the doctor woke up." He grinned, "We didn't want to have to fight him for our food."
"Just give me sandwich; I'm too tired to fight." A shaky voice replied.
Teyla quickly looked toward the head of the bed. "Rodney, you are awake."
"Yeah, sandwich please. Any word?" He sat up as Rodriguez handed him a sandwich and an apple.
Ronon growled, 'Nothing."
They began to nibble on their food. Twenty minutes passed in relative silence, broken by the arrival of Dr. Julius Jackson, or Dr. J, as he preferred to be called. He had given himself the moniker to keep people from asking if he was the Dr. Jackson.
Ronon leapt to his feet, "Doc?"
Dr. J smiled, "They're closing up now, and he should be in recovery shortly. He came through the surgery, as well as we could expect. It was tough, but the colonel continues to be a lucky man. There was not quite as much damage as we feared, but he's still very critical. I'm going to go back, so that I can be with him while Beckett and Keller come out to talk to you. Should be about fifteen minutes." He disappeared through the doorway, leaving them to absorb the news.
Ten minutes later, Woolsey arrived, having heard that Sheppard was out of surgery. He refused the seat offered him by Major Lorne, and stood at the foot of McKay's bed.
"Doctor, good to see you awake. How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine, just exhausted."
"Good, you just need to rest."
"I'll rest when Sheppard is OK."
Woolsey nodded, "We will all rest easier then. Major, the Coalition council sent word that they would like to see us tomorrow. I want you and Major Teldy to accompany me. I have informed Terdarin and Orsoneri that we'll be going tomorrow morning."
"Yes, sir; I…" Lorne was interrupted by Beckett and Keller.
McKay asked nervously, "Jennifer, Carson, is he going to be OK?"
Jennifer sighed, "It's too early to tell, but he is stable at this point. He is exhibiting signs of an infection from the impalement, but it's a common Pegasus pathogen. We have an antibiotic for it, which we feel will clear it up. So, we risked giving him the antidote for the Subaran drug.
Beckett interjected, "We feared that the anesthetic wouldn't work properly if his brain chemistries were messed up. I'm afraid we may have caused the arrest during surgery. However, right now, his heart is stable."
"What about the damage from the stake?" Ronon asked.
Keller sighed, "The stake entered his back, penetrated the liver, severing the hepatic vein, then exited fracturing the seventh and eighth rib. Bone fragments from the ribs punctured his right lung. Once we got the bleeding stopped, which was the first priority, we re-inflated the lung, cleaned out the area and sewed up the damage. He also has a broken left scapula, as well as a moderate concussion."
Beckett gazed around at the worried faces, "He's not totally out of danger. We have to watch that there is no blood seepage in the liver; but the lung seems fine for now. As Jennifer said, we have to worry about infection, but fortunately, his intestines were not punctured. There is still the question of how his mind is going to be. He got a full dose of the Subaran drug; we'll have to see how that goes."
"Jennifer, can we see him?" Ronon asked quietly.
"Of course, as if I could stop you."
Beckett left first with the others behind. As Jennifer turned to leave, she realized that Rodney was getting out of bed. "Hey, where do you think you're going?"
"I'm going to see Sheppard, and you can't stop me."
A little half-grin flashed across her face, "At least put your robe on, so you don't get cold."
Rodney complied, and they followed the others to the recovery room.
Dr. J and Marie, along with two other nurses surrounded the bed. All but Dr. J moved away a bit so that Sheppard's team could see him.
"He's so pale." Teyla said.
Jennifer put her arm around Teyla, "He lost a lot of blood, but we're infusing him now."
Closing in around Sheppard, his team was mindful of the numerous machines surrounding the bed. Seemingly, yards and yards of wires and tubing led to the IV ports and leads attached to him.. After a few moments, Beckett requested they return to Rodney's room. He promised to notify them when Sheppard was moved to the critical care bay. Taking one last look at the man they all cared so much for, they left.
~~ooOoo~~
Rodney McKay was pacing; he had been pacing for thirty minutes without stopping.
Even under threat of being stunned with Ronon's blaster, he had continued to pace. Ronon had moved his chair to the foot of Sheppard's bed, confining Rodney to pacing in the narrow space between the bed and the wall. He only stopped when Beckett entered the private room located in the critical care bay.
Carson began to examine Sheppard's wound. The colonel was pale, but fortunately breathing on his own, an oxygen mask covering his nose and mouth. Tubing from several IV bags snaked toward the IV port in his right arm; his left shoulder and arm immobilized due to the broken scapula. Leads attached to his head monitored the activity in his brain.
"When is he going to wake up, Carson? It's been three days. He should be awake by now."
Carson pulled the blanket back over the colonel's chest before he answered.
"Rodney, I told you; John has suffered a major trauma. He has a serious wound in his side, a concussion, a broken shoulder blade, numerous cuts on his hands and arms. Not to mention he received the full dose of the Subaran drug. He was just plain lucky that the metal only damaged a small part of his liver, missing any other major structure, except for the severed vein." He paused, rubbing his eyes, "He was also lucky that it was cold. He was in severe shock, but the cold slowed his metabolism and protected him. The fact that he is even alive is a testament to the man's strength. Any one of us," he glanced over at Ronon, "with the possible exception of Ronon here, would be dead if we had suffered these injuries. You are going to have to give him time."
Teyla, who was curled up in a chair in the corner, asked, "Dr. Beckett, is his mind clearing?"
Beckett rubbed the back of his neck, and sighed, "There has been good improvement in the last few hours. I have to tell ya, lassie, I was concerned the first forty-eight hours. However, he is doing much better now. I think he's turned the corner, but I say that with a bit of reservation. He went much longer than Rodney did without the antidote, and he was gravely injured. Rodney is still exhibiting agitation as a side effect of the drug…"
"How can you tell from how he is all the time?" Ronon growled, interrupting Beckett.
Rodney snarked, "Oh yeah, make fun of me…"
Beckett shook his head, "As I was saying, Rodney is still showing side effects, time will tell how well John does. I tell you; those moments spent cutting the metal brace away, with him being held up off the floor felt like an eternity. I didn't know how much damaged we were doing to him."
"It was the only way, doc. He was flush with the floor; you said you couldn't move him off that spike 'till you got him in surgery, or he'd die. We didn't have a choice." Ronon said.
Beckett's eyes grew distant as he reflected on the rescue. He looked over at Ronon, "How you and Rodriguez and Brenner held him steady is nothing short of a miracle, Ronon."
Teyla smiled, her eyes misty, "Those young corporals idolize John. They were not going to allow him to die any more than Ronon was."
It was Beckett's turn to smile, his eyes also misty. "Aye, Teyla; Colonel Sheppard does seem to bring out the courageous side in all of us."
He turned to Rodney, "You need more rest. Woolsey and Lorne just returned from Latira City with Terdarin and Orsoneri. I am going to meet with them now to discuss the colonel's brain chemistries and yours. I think you might need a bit of a booster shot of the antidote. I'll let you know."
Ronon asked, "Do you know what the Coalition decided to do about Larp?"
"Woolsey came back with an arrest warrant for Chief Larp and any others that are identified as accomplices. Lorne is sending Teldy to execute the warrant and take the bastard into custody."
Ronon laughed, "Now that I would like to see."
~~ooOoo~~
Twenty-fours later, Sheppard felt her floating in his thoughts. He reached out to her, "Atlantis?"
"I am here, colonel. It is good to communicate with you."
"What happened?" He was becoming aware of vague, but familiar sounds, the steady chirping of monitoring equipment in the infirmary. "Oh, I'm in the infirmary. Why am I not surprised?"
"Yes, you are in the infirmary. You were badly injured in a fall, but you are going to be fine. Doctors Keller and Beckett have assured your colleagues, who are, as always, at your side, that you will make a full recovery."
He searched his memory for what had occurred, "I was in the deserted sections of Atlantis. There were all these thoughts in my head, murmuring that someone was after me. They are going to harm you and everyone; I have to warn them." He was becoming agitated.
"John, be calm. No one is going to harm your friends or me; you must believe me. Do you remember visiting Subara?"
He hesitated for a moment as he struggled to remember, "Yes."
"You and Dr. McKay were given a drug; it caused you to suffer from hallucinations. The drug convinced you that someone was trying to harm all of us. However, your colleagues uncovered the plot, and were able to secure an antidote."
"McKay, is he OK?" Again, his anxiety level rose with fear for his friend.
"Yes, he is fine; do not worry. Everyone is fine now."
"I remember; I hid. I wanted to draw them away from everyone. And I was trying to find the key. The key; the key to what? I don't remember. Do you know?"
"No, I do not know. I believe the key is something you imagined, colonel. I also believe that your friends are anxious to talk with you. Relax and allow yourself to wake up. I will be here."
"You always are with me; thank you. You helped them find me didn't you?"
"I only led them to you; they saved you. Now, colonel, relax and wake up. Your friends are waiting."
Sheppard allowed his thoughts to slip away and relax as Atlantis had requested. He began to hear voices, voices that were not in his head. First, a quiet soothing voice who had to be Teyla's, then a deep voice with a humorous, taunting tone; in reply, a high pitched whine. Rodney was being picked on again, which was everyone's favorite sport; time he joined in.
"Rodney, s-stop whining." He rubbed his nose; a nose cannula delivering oxygen was causing his nose to itch.
"That's easy for you to sa…Sheppard, you're awake." Rodney jumped up and rushed to Sheppard's bedside, quickly joined by Teyla and Ronon.
"John, welcome back. How are you feeling?"
"I'm f-fine."
Rodney smiled, "Typical; you get drugged, impaled, banged up, and still you claim you're fine. You're hopeless."
"I will go get Carson and Jennifer, they will want to know you are awake." Teyla said.
"Carson?" From the dredges of his memory, after hearing Carson's name, Sheppard remembered that he had taken the ATA treatments from the infirmary. "He hasn't s-said he's missing anything, h-has he?" Sheppard asked anxiously.
She looked at Sheppard, somewhat confused, "I have not heard him mention missing anything. Why do you ask, colonel?"
"No, no…it's n-nothing." He was going to have to send Ronon to recover the serum. That was, as soon as he could remember where he stashed it.
Still looking a bit puzzled, Teyla went to get Carson and Jennifer. She left Ronon and Rodney to look after Sheppard.
Sheppard attempted to reach for the glass of water sitting on the bedside table, but Rodney smacked his hand and picked up the glass. With Rodney holding onto the straw, Sheppard took a couple of sips. The small effort exhausted Sheppard, which was noticed by Rodney.
"Yeah…you're fine; don't lie to me, I always know."
"I'm, I'm…a little tired."
Rodney sat down next to the bed. "Yeah, well, part of that is from the Subaran drug; I'm still tired. It will take time, with all your other injuries; you'll be out of commission for a while."
Beckett and Teyla walked in, "Well, Rodney's right; you are going to be down for the count a while, laddie. Now let me check you out."
Ten minutes later, Beckett asked, "Are you hungry?"
Sheppard sighed, "Yeah…a little…"
"I'll have some broth and jello brought to you."
"I'm hungry." Rodney whined.
"Rodney, really; I'll have food sent for all of you." Beckett exchanged smiles with Teyla and left.
"T-Tell me w-what happened, Rodney got this drug, t-too?"
For the next hour, Sheppard listened as his team filled him in on the events of the past several days. When the food arrived, Teyla fed him; with IV's in one arm and the other in a sling, he couldn't manage on his own.
When they had caught him up on the events, Sheppard asked, "I-I want to see Isaacs, Rodriguez, and Brenner. Get them here for me."
"Not now, John; tomorrow if you are up to it." Teyla replied.
"Let me g-get this straight. Rodney hid in a pile of rocks, along a stream?" Teyla nodded, and Sheppard continued, "W-well, at least I hid in Atlantis."
"Yeah, flyboy, and you nearly got yourself killed, and what was it with the 'I'm going with you...no, I'm going with you' routine? You lied to us."
"Rodney; John was under the influence of the same drug as you were. You just happened to go off-world." Teyla flashed a not-so-amused look toward Rodney.
"Well, he still fooled us."
Sheppard grinned a bit, then grimaced as he tried to move, "You're j-just jealous because I out-smarted you."
Ronon laughed, "Got you there, McKay."
"Boys, enough," Teyla admonished, trying to suppress a smile.
Rodney rolled his eyes, "Well, at least one thing is for certain, Sheppard. We're going to have to tie a cowbell around your neck. That way you can't hide from us again."
Ronon and Teyla both began picking on Rodney for his suggestion. None of them realized that Sheppard had fallen asleep, a contented smile on his face.
~~ooOoo~~
Atlantis watched over him as he slept, his friends nearby. However, she was troubled, for she had been less than truthful with him. He had asked her about the key he had searched for, and she had informed him the key was a figment of his imagination. She lied.
The ‘key’ existed. The fact that he was aware, even subconsciously, of that fact meant he had developed abilities past what she had assumed. However, he had much to learn before he possessed the key. He would first need to recognize his capabilities and, until she reached full ZPM power, she would be unable to assist him in reaching his potential.
However, that situation would change soon enough; she must be patient. The most important concern, for the moment, was that he was safe. The key could wait, and so could she.
The end.
The original story idea from Hotshow was for Sheppard to become gravely injured in a part of the city where no one, except Atlantis realized he was hurt. Atlantis had to figure how to get help to Sheppard. I used that as the core of the story and wrote the other plot around it. To all of you who read this story thank you so much for taking time to do so Comments are always appreciated; I would love to hear from you.
Thanks again to all!
Author: stella_pegasi
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Rating: PG-13
Character/Pairing: John Sheppard, Rodney McKay, Teyla Emmagan, Ronon Dex, Evan Lorne, Anne Teldy, Original Characters
Spoilers: Post-Season Five
Warnings: Language
Het/Slash/Gen: Gen
Word count: ~25,000 Five Chapters
Disclaimer: I do not own them, I would have treated them better.
Summary:Two members of the Atlantis Expedition are exhibiting bizarre behavior. When one of them is gravely injured, Atlantis is the only hope for rescue.
MURMURS
By stella_pegasi
Part Five Atlantis Waits
As Atlantis watched the young corporal attending to the colonel, she was cognizant of the forces mobilized to come to his aide. Their voices full of the excitement of finding him, intermixed with the fear of how seriously he was injured. She observed as his people took care of him. She had done what she needed to do, she had led them to him.
Now, she waits.
~~ooOoo~~
Illumination from powerful floodlights and the noisy roar of chain saws cutting up debris reached Brenner's, Captain Stackhouse, and Sergeant Grayhorse. The captain and sergeant had arrived at the site from the opposite direction moments before. The captain sent Grayhorse to check on the rescuers' progress.
Stackhouse peered through the narrow opening. "How the hell did he get down there?"
"Ray thinks he stepped onto the top of a metal staircase that led down a level. The metal grate gave way, and he fell. Apparently, there are many large containers stored in the chamber. Ray says the containers are scattered about, and they must have slammed into the staircase, weakening it. The colonel's hurt really badly, captain." Pain and fear were evident in Brenner's eyes; yet, he was calm and in control.
Stackhouse remembered being as young as Brenner, and being in awe of Sheppard. He laughed at himself; he should admit he was still in awe of Sheppard. "Listen, we've got the best docs in two galaxies; they'll get him through this, corporal."
Brenner smiled softly, "Yes, sir; I believe that."
The light became extremely bright as the combat engineers turned the corner, coming toward them. Sergeant Grayhorse came ahead, escorting Dr. Beckett, who was beside him.
Stackhouse greeted him, "Hey, doc; glad to see you."
Beckett nodded, then quickly asked, "Where is he?"
Brenner pointed through the narrow opening, a faint stream of light from Rodriguez's lamp emerging only to be lost in the brighter light of the floodlights. "He's down there; Ray's with him. Doctor; it's really cramped in the area where he fell. You might want to let some of us go down first. We need to clear debris out of the way before you can help him."
"No, I'm going down now. Major Teldy, get me down there." Teldy and the remainder of the EMT's, search and rescue Marines, and combat engineers had arrived.
Teldy looked over at Stackhouse, whose nearly imperceptible nod toward Brenner was observed by the astute major. "Doctor, let's dropped Corporal Brenner down first, he can carry your medpack, and one of the lights. Then we'll lower you down, followed by a CE to assess what we need to do to get the colonel out of there."
Beckett nodded in acknowledgement, and two members of the Marine search and rescue team rigged a harness to lower Brenner into the chamber. While they were helping him into the harness, two CE's checked out the doorway. They called for a hydrolytic-jack; bracing it between the edge of the door and the doorframe. Within a couple of minutes, the opening was nearly the full door width. After they moved their equipment out of the way, the SAR's moved the tripod brace for the lift in front of the doorway and extended the long arm through the door. Brenner, slipped the medpack on his back, and a CE handed him a floodlight. The SAR's hooked his harness to the steel cable extending from the arm and lowered him into the chamber.
Brenner felt Rodriguez grab his feet as he got closer, helping to direct him away from the sharp broken floor brackets. As soon as he was on firm ground, he released the cable. The SAR's winched the cable back up, in order to lower Beckett.
Brenner extended the tripod legs of the battery operated portable floodlight and switched it on. He gasped when he saw Colonel Sheppard.
"Oh my god, Ray; are you sure he's alive?"
"Yeah, broki, he's alive, but he's hurt, really hurt. I did what I could, but I…"
"The doc's on his way down. He can help him."
Beckett arrived within minutes, and after Brenner unhooked him from the cable, he knelt by Sheppard. One look at the colonel caused him to gasp sharply. "Oh, laddie, what have you done to yourself?"
He quickly assessed Sheppard's injuries, carefully inspecting the wound around the metal stake protruding from his side. Beckett inserted an IV port into the colonel's forearm, cussing as he missed on the first try. Sheppard's blood pressure was very low, making it difficult to find a vein. He reached for his medpack, only to realize that Rodriguez had retrieved the solution bag. The corporal had added the tubing so that the bag was ready to be connected to the port.
"Thanks." He connected the IV while Rodriguez held the bag. Beckett then sat back on his heels.
"Corporal, you did well here; getting his feet elevated and placing your TAC vest under his head was a good thing. In addition, getting that emergency blanket over him but not tightening it was smart. Right now, he could use a bit of body warmth, but being cold has probably kept him alive."
Brenner chuckled, "Be careful, Doctor Beckett; you're gonna give Corporal Ramon Rodriguez a bigger ego than he already has."
Rodriguez threw a snarky, but friendly, smile toward his friend, then spoke to Beckett, "Don't thank me, sir; thank my grandmother. She's a nurse and when I decided to join the Marines, she made me take an EMT course; figured I'd need it. She must have had a premonition that I'd be serving with the colonel."
"Yeah, we all need extra training for this man. Both you lads have done well. You seem to be around the colonel needs you the most." Beckett began to wipe the caked blood from Sheppard's hands; then he removed the bandage covering the deep cut on his arm. Over the next few minutes, with the corporals' assistance, he cleaned and dressed the wounds.
The combat engineer descended to begin the initial planning on the best way to remove Sheppard. While he was surveying the area, they heard raised voices from the corridor. Beckett shook his head and remarked to no one, in particular, "Ronon; I hope they realize not to get in between John and his teammates."
In the corridor, Major Teldy and Teyla were trying to calm Ronon down. Teldy was only requesting that he wait until the CE's had an opportunity to determine what they needed to do. Ronon insisted he was going to Sheppard, now.
"Ronon, Corporal Brenner said that there isn't much room down there. The large containers that were stored there have broken loose, likely from flooding. They are crowded up against the platform. As soon as we know what we are dealing with, you can go down."
"I'm going now." Ronon was looming over Teldy, who didn't appear the least bit intimidated.
She replied, "Please just…"
"I can help move stuff; I am going down there."
Teldy sighed, a look of resignation on her face, "Get him in a harness."
Teyla slid around a SAR to stand next to Teldy and quietly said, "Wise choice."
Ronon refused the harness, and began to climb down the cable barehanded. As he disappeared from her sight, Major Teldy sighed, "Lorne told me that I should never try to get between the colonel and his team."
Hearing a noise, Brenner looked up, startled by the sight of the large Satedan looming over him. He hopped out of the way, as Ronon dropped next to him.
"Beckett, how is he?"
The doctor looked up, "Not good; I'm afraid. We need to get him out of here, but we have a problem." Beckett rubbed his forehead, trying to gather his thoughts.
"I canna move him off the metal stake; he'll likely bleed to death before I could treat him. There's no way of knowing what damage has been done. From the location of the wound, I imagine his liver is damaged and his intestines possibly perforated. His labored breathing indicates a punctured lung, probably caused by broken ribs. He has a lump on his head, and I don't know about major vessels…too much could be wrong. He's lying right on the floor, there's no room to get under him to cut him free."
SAR team member, Captain Andy Wilder, had joined them in the tight area and was listening to Beckett's analysis. "Doctor, the first thing we need to do is get more room to work. I'll have them send down an insulated blanket to cover Colonel Sheppard, then we'll get torches in here to cut away these supports and the rest of this metal. Meanwhile, let's get as many of these containers moved away from here. That way we can cut more of this platform away. Jenks," he pointed to the CE, "help Ronon and Brenner start moving those cans."
He turned back to Beckett, "Listen, doc; this is going to take awhile. I mean; we will move as quickly as we can, but do we even have that kind of time?"
Beckett glanced at Sheppard, then at Wilder, "We're running on borrowed time now. We don't have a choice, do we?"
Wilder nodded, "No; we don't. I promise we will work as quickly as we can."
Ronon, Brenner, and Jenks began pushing the large, bulky containers away from the area where the platform had collapsed. The containers were heavy and some appeared to have something stored inside, but they didn't take time to look. Once they had the area free, two more CE's and another SAR joined the others. Using reciprocating saws and chain saws, they began to dismantle the platform. Once they cleared about ten feet of metal away from Sheppard, they began using the saws and torches to cut away the metal braces.
Beckett was huddled under the insulated blanket with Sheppard, both wearing protective ear covers. He was becoming more and more concerned about the colonel's breathing. He wanted to get an oxygen mask on him, but couldn't until the saws and torches had finished. He grabbed Sheppard's hand and whispered, "We'll get you outta here, laddie; I promise."
When they had the area cleared, Wilder pulled the blanket back, and knelt down next to Beckett. "How's he doing?"
"Breathing's a bit more erratic, but about the same otherwise; now, what do we do?"
"You're going to have to tell me, doctor. The only way to get that brace loose is to raise him up; but I don't know what that is going to do to him. We can rig a harness from a stretcher, but getting a stretcher underneath him and keeping him stable is going to be difficult. What do you want to do, doc?"
Beckett stared at the Marine for a moment, then took a deep breath, "Uh...we're gonna have to lift him up. I suppose a stretcher would be the best bet."
Wilder patted Beckett's shoulder and stood up, about to order a stretcher lowered, when Rodriguez spoke. "No, that'll take too long. We can do it." He looked at Brenner and then at Ronon. "We can lift him as far as necessary and hold him steady while they cut the brace." He waited to see what their reaction would be.
Brenner nodded at his friend and Ronon grabbed his shoulder. "We can do that."
Beckett replied very quietly, "You would have to hold him very steady, or he could suffer even greater damage than just moving him slightly will do. Can you do that?"
Brenner gave Beckett a soft smile, "We have to, sir; we can do this for him."
Beckett nodded, and Wilder called for a Stokes basket. He grabbed a reciprocating saw from one of the CE's, replacing the blade. When the basket had been lowered and secured to the side, he told Beckett. "I am going to lie down and get in position to cut that brace loose. You guys get on his left side. Doctor, once I'm in place, you direct the guys in lifting him. I'll yell when I have enough clearance."
Once everyone was in place, Beckett nervously nodded, "OK, start lifting him, really slowly."
Ronon was in the middle; stronger than the corporals, he was going to hold up Sheppard's torso. Brenner was holding Sheppard's legs. Rodriguez was at Sheppard's head; his hands braced flat between the colonel's shoulder blades. The corporal's forearms cradled the colonel's head. On a three-count by Beckett, they began to lift Sheppard off the floor. It felt like an eternity until Wilder yelled stop, and the three men held Sheppard in place.
The grinding noise of the saw filled the chamber, spilling into the hallway. Teyla and Teldy were leaning through the doorway watching, neither seemed to be breathing.
Beckett didn't appear to be taking a breath, either. He was staring at Sheppard's chest watching his respirations. Sheppard's breathing was becoming more erratic. To make things worse, a trickle of fresh blood was trailing from the base of the metal stake that protruded from his side.
At last, Wilder turned off the saw and withdrew, "Done, get that litter over here."
The stretcher was placed next to Sheppard. Ronon and the corporals gently lowered him in the stretcher, rolling him slightly onto his left side provide clearance for the long metal brace. Beckett quickly placed a sterile pad around the wound on his back and stood up. He noticed a pool of blood where Sheppard had laid, a chilling reminder of how serious the colonel's injuries were.
"Let's get him out of here."
Quickly, the stretcher was raised to the open doorway, where the EMT's moved the colonel into the hallway. The cable was dropped again, and Beckett was pulled to the surface. The others climbed out via an emergency ladder that had been dropped to them.
By the time, Ronon and the corporals reached the corridor, they saw Becket and the EMT's almost at the intersection of the main corridor. Ronon took off after them. After a nod from Major Teldy, the corporals followed.
~~ooOoo~~
Atlantis waited as they did; waited, for word on his condition. The first moments after he arrived in the infirmary were harrowing. The trauma of his rescue was more than his battered body could endure and triggered a cardiac arrest. Before the healer could begin the process of removing the metal brace, they had to revive him twice. She shared in their relief as his heart began to beat once more.
She watched over them as he would, while she was also with the healers as they raced to repair him. He was gravely injured and she could feel the worry that permeated the room where they were treating him. She felt helpless. Atlantis knew she had done all that she could. She had led them to him. There was nothing more for her to do, but wait.
~~ooOoo~~
"How long is this going to take? They've been in there nearly six hours already." Ronon was sitting on the floor of Rodney's private room in the infirmary.
Teyla was sitting on the foot of the sleeping Rodney's bed, "Ronon, please keep your voice down, and be patient. Dr. Beckett told us that removing the stake and repairing the damage would take time."
"We haven't heard anything since Dr. J came to tell us that his heart had stopped again."
"I know, but they were able to revive him. I believe that no news is good news," she glanced at Lorne, who was sitting in a chair next to Ronon. "That is, if I understand that Earth phrase correctly." She gave the major a slight smile, which he returned.
"Teyla's right; I imagine things are proceeding OK, or Dr. J would have come to tell us,"
Ronon didn't look convinced, but the return of Corporals Rodriguez and Brenner distracted him. On orders from Nursing Director, Marie Cho, the corporals had gone on a food run. They returned with sandwiches, fruit, cupcakes, and drinks. Rodriguez began handing out food, while Brenner held out a mug to Teyla.
"Cookie…uh….Sergeant Gonzalez, thought you might need some Athosian tea about now."
"Ah….thank you, 'Cookie' knows me quite well." She added, "Please save a cupcake for Dr. McKay; should he wake up, he will want one."
Rodriguez replied, "Don't worry, ma'am. We got a couple of extra sandwiches and cupcakes just in case the doctor woke up." He grinned, "We didn't want to have to fight him for our food."
"Just give me sandwich; I'm too tired to fight." A shaky voice replied.
Teyla quickly looked toward the head of the bed. "Rodney, you are awake."
"Yeah, sandwich please. Any word?" He sat up as Rodriguez handed him a sandwich and an apple.
Ronon growled, 'Nothing."
They began to nibble on their food. Twenty minutes passed in relative silence, broken by the arrival of Dr. Julius Jackson, or Dr. J, as he preferred to be called. He had given himself the moniker to keep people from asking if he was the Dr. Jackson.
Ronon leapt to his feet, "Doc?"
Dr. J smiled, "They're closing up now, and he should be in recovery shortly. He came through the surgery, as well as we could expect. It was tough, but the colonel continues to be a lucky man. There was not quite as much damage as we feared, but he's still very critical. I'm going to go back, so that I can be with him while Beckett and Keller come out to talk to you. Should be about fifteen minutes." He disappeared through the doorway, leaving them to absorb the news.
Ten minutes later, Woolsey arrived, having heard that Sheppard was out of surgery. He refused the seat offered him by Major Lorne, and stood at the foot of McKay's bed.
"Doctor, good to see you awake. How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine, just exhausted."
"Good, you just need to rest."
"I'll rest when Sheppard is OK."
Woolsey nodded, "We will all rest easier then. Major, the Coalition council sent word that they would like to see us tomorrow. I want you and Major Teldy to accompany me. I have informed Terdarin and Orsoneri that we'll be going tomorrow morning."
"Yes, sir; I…" Lorne was interrupted by Beckett and Keller.
McKay asked nervously, "Jennifer, Carson, is he going to be OK?"
Jennifer sighed, "It's too early to tell, but he is stable at this point. He is exhibiting signs of an infection from the impalement, but it's a common Pegasus pathogen. We have an antibiotic for it, which we feel will clear it up. So, we risked giving him the antidote for the Subaran drug.
Beckett interjected, "We feared that the anesthetic wouldn't work properly if his brain chemistries were messed up. I'm afraid we may have caused the arrest during surgery. However, right now, his heart is stable."
"What about the damage from the stake?" Ronon asked.
Keller sighed, "The stake entered his back, penetrated the liver, severing the hepatic vein, then exited fracturing the seventh and eighth rib. Bone fragments from the ribs punctured his right lung. Once we got the bleeding stopped, which was the first priority, we re-inflated the lung, cleaned out the area and sewed up the damage. He also has a broken left scapula, as well as a moderate concussion."
Beckett gazed around at the worried faces, "He's not totally out of danger. We have to watch that there is no blood seepage in the liver; but the lung seems fine for now. As Jennifer said, we have to worry about infection, but fortunately, his intestines were not punctured. There is still the question of how his mind is going to be. He got a full dose of the Subaran drug; we'll have to see how that goes."
"Jennifer, can we see him?" Ronon asked quietly.
"Of course, as if I could stop you."
Beckett left first with the others behind. As Jennifer turned to leave, she realized that Rodney was getting out of bed. "Hey, where do you think you're going?"
"I'm going to see Sheppard, and you can't stop me."
A little half-grin flashed across her face, "At least put your robe on, so you don't get cold."
Rodney complied, and they followed the others to the recovery room.
Dr. J and Marie, along with two other nurses surrounded the bed. All but Dr. J moved away a bit so that Sheppard's team could see him.
"He's so pale." Teyla said.
Jennifer put her arm around Teyla, "He lost a lot of blood, but we're infusing him now."
Closing in around Sheppard, his team was mindful of the numerous machines surrounding the bed. Seemingly, yards and yards of wires and tubing led to the IV ports and leads attached to him.. After a few moments, Beckett requested they return to Rodney's room. He promised to notify them when Sheppard was moved to the critical care bay. Taking one last look at the man they all cared so much for, they left.
~~ooOoo~~
Rodney McKay was pacing; he had been pacing for thirty minutes without stopping.
Even under threat of being stunned with Ronon's blaster, he had continued to pace. Ronon had moved his chair to the foot of Sheppard's bed, confining Rodney to pacing in the narrow space between the bed and the wall. He only stopped when Beckett entered the private room located in the critical care bay.
Carson began to examine Sheppard's wound. The colonel was pale, but fortunately breathing on his own, an oxygen mask covering his nose and mouth. Tubing from several IV bags snaked toward the IV port in his right arm; his left shoulder and arm immobilized due to the broken scapula. Leads attached to his head monitored the activity in his brain.
"When is he going to wake up, Carson? It's been three days. He should be awake by now."
Carson pulled the blanket back over the colonel's chest before he answered.
"Rodney, I told you; John has suffered a major trauma. He has a serious wound in his side, a concussion, a broken shoulder blade, numerous cuts on his hands and arms. Not to mention he received the full dose of the Subaran drug. He was just plain lucky that the metal only damaged a small part of his liver, missing any other major structure, except for the severed vein." He paused, rubbing his eyes, "He was also lucky that it was cold. He was in severe shock, but the cold slowed his metabolism and protected him. The fact that he is even alive is a testament to the man's strength. Any one of us," he glanced over at Ronon, "with the possible exception of Ronon here, would be dead if we had suffered these injuries. You are going to have to give him time."
Teyla, who was curled up in a chair in the corner, asked, "Dr. Beckett, is his mind clearing?"
Beckett rubbed the back of his neck, and sighed, "There has been good improvement in the last few hours. I have to tell ya, lassie, I was concerned the first forty-eight hours. However, he is doing much better now. I think he's turned the corner, but I say that with a bit of reservation. He went much longer than Rodney did without the antidote, and he was gravely injured. Rodney is still exhibiting agitation as a side effect of the drug…"
"How can you tell from how he is all the time?" Ronon growled, interrupting Beckett.
Rodney snarked, "Oh yeah, make fun of me…"
Beckett shook his head, "As I was saying, Rodney is still showing side effects, time will tell how well John does. I tell you; those moments spent cutting the metal brace away, with him being held up off the floor felt like an eternity. I didn't know how much damaged we were doing to him."
"It was the only way, doc. He was flush with the floor; you said you couldn't move him off that spike 'till you got him in surgery, or he'd die. We didn't have a choice." Ronon said.
Beckett's eyes grew distant as he reflected on the rescue. He looked over at Ronon, "How you and Rodriguez and Brenner held him steady is nothing short of a miracle, Ronon."
Teyla smiled, her eyes misty, "Those young corporals idolize John. They were not going to allow him to die any more than Ronon was."
It was Beckett's turn to smile, his eyes also misty. "Aye, Teyla; Colonel Sheppard does seem to bring out the courageous side in all of us."
He turned to Rodney, "You need more rest. Woolsey and Lorne just returned from Latira City with Terdarin and Orsoneri. I am going to meet with them now to discuss the colonel's brain chemistries and yours. I think you might need a bit of a booster shot of the antidote. I'll let you know."
Ronon asked, "Do you know what the Coalition decided to do about Larp?"
"Woolsey came back with an arrest warrant for Chief Larp and any others that are identified as accomplices. Lorne is sending Teldy to execute the warrant and take the bastard into custody."
Ronon laughed, "Now that I would like to see."
~~ooOoo~~
Twenty-fours later, Sheppard felt her floating in his thoughts. He reached out to her, "Atlantis?"
"I am here, colonel. It is good to communicate with you."
"What happened?" He was becoming aware of vague, but familiar sounds, the steady chirping of monitoring equipment in the infirmary. "Oh, I'm in the infirmary. Why am I not surprised?"
"Yes, you are in the infirmary. You were badly injured in a fall, but you are going to be fine. Doctors Keller and Beckett have assured your colleagues, who are, as always, at your side, that you will make a full recovery."
He searched his memory for what had occurred, "I was in the deserted sections of Atlantis. There were all these thoughts in my head, murmuring that someone was after me. They are going to harm you and everyone; I have to warn them." He was becoming agitated.
"John, be calm. No one is going to harm your friends or me; you must believe me. Do you remember visiting Subara?"
He hesitated for a moment as he struggled to remember, "Yes."
"You and Dr. McKay were given a drug; it caused you to suffer from hallucinations. The drug convinced you that someone was trying to harm all of us. However, your colleagues uncovered the plot, and were able to secure an antidote."
"McKay, is he OK?" Again, his anxiety level rose with fear for his friend.
"Yes, he is fine; do not worry. Everyone is fine now."
"I remember; I hid. I wanted to draw them away from everyone. And I was trying to find the key. The key; the key to what? I don't remember. Do you know?"
"No, I do not know. I believe the key is something you imagined, colonel. I also believe that your friends are anxious to talk with you. Relax and allow yourself to wake up. I will be here."
"You always are with me; thank you. You helped them find me didn't you?"
"I only led them to you; they saved you. Now, colonel, relax and wake up. Your friends are waiting."
Sheppard allowed his thoughts to slip away and relax as Atlantis had requested. He began to hear voices, voices that were not in his head. First, a quiet soothing voice who had to be Teyla's, then a deep voice with a humorous, taunting tone; in reply, a high pitched whine. Rodney was being picked on again, which was everyone's favorite sport; time he joined in.
"Rodney, s-stop whining." He rubbed his nose; a nose cannula delivering oxygen was causing his nose to itch.
"That's easy for you to sa…Sheppard, you're awake." Rodney jumped up and rushed to Sheppard's bedside, quickly joined by Teyla and Ronon.
"John, welcome back. How are you feeling?"
"I'm f-fine."
Rodney smiled, "Typical; you get drugged, impaled, banged up, and still you claim you're fine. You're hopeless."
"I will go get Carson and Jennifer, they will want to know you are awake." Teyla said.
"Carson?" From the dredges of his memory, after hearing Carson's name, Sheppard remembered that he had taken the ATA treatments from the infirmary. "He hasn't s-said he's missing anything, h-has he?" Sheppard asked anxiously.
She looked at Sheppard, somewhat confused, "I have not heard him mention missing anything. Why do you ask, colonel?"
"No, no…it's n-nothing." He was going to have to send Ronon to recover the serum. That was, as soon as he could remember where he stashed it.
Still looking a bit puzzled, Teyla went to get Carson and Jennifer. She left Ronon and Rodney to look after Sheppard.
Sheppard attempted to reach for the glass of water sitting on the bedside table, but Rodney smacked his hand and picked up the glass. With Rodney holding onto the straw, Sheppard took a couple of sips. The small effort exhausted Sheppard, which was noticed by Rodney.
"Yeah…you're fine; don't lie to me, I always know."
"I'm, I'm…a little tired."
Rodney sat down next to the bed. "Yeah, well, part of that is from the Subaran drug; I'm still tired. It will take time, with all your other injuries; you'll be out of commission for a while."
Beckett and Teyla walked in, "Well, Rodney's right; you are going to be down for the count a while, laddie. Now let me check you out."
Ten minutes later, Beckett asked, "Are you hungry?"
Sheppard sighed, "Yeah…a little…"
"I'll have some broth and jello brought to you."
"I'm hungry." Rodney whined.
"Rodney, really; I'll have food sent for all of you." Beckett exchanged smiles with Teyla and left.
"T-Tell me w-what happened, Rodney got this drug, t-too?"
For the next hour, Sheppard listened as his team filled him in on the events of the past several days. When the food arrived, Teyla fed him; with IV's in one arm and the other in a sling, he couldn't manage on his own.
When they had caught him up on the events, Sheppard asked, "I-I want to see Isaacs, Rodriguez, and Brenner. Get them here for me."
"Not now, John; tomorrow if you are up to it." Teyla replied.
"Let me g-get this straight. Rodney hid in a pile of rocks, along a stream?" Teyla nodded, and Sheppard continued, "W-well, at least I hid in Atlantis."
"Yeah, flyboy, and you nearly got yourself killed, and what was it with the 'I'm going with you...no, I'm going with you' routine? You lied to us."
"Rodney; John was under the influence of the same drug as you were. You just happened to go off-world." Teyla flashed a not-so-amused look toward Rodney.
"Well, he still fooled us."
Sheppard grinned a bit, then grimaced as he tried to move, "You're j-just jealous because I out-smarted you."
Ronon laughed, "Got you there, McKay."
"Boys, enough," Teyla admonished, trying to suppress a smile.
Rodney rolled his eyes, "Well, at least one thing is for certain, Sheppard. We're going to have to tie a cowbell around your neck. That way you can't hide from us again."
Ronon and Teyla both began picking on Rodney for his suggestion. None of them realized that Sheppard had fallen asleep, a contented smile on his face.
~~ooOoo~~
Atlantis watched over him as he slept, his friends nearby. However, she was troubled, for she had been less than truthful with him. He had asked her about the key he had searched for, and she had informed him the key was a figment of his imagination. She lied.
The ‘key’ existed. The fact that he was aware, even subconsciously, of that fact meant he had developed abilities past what she had assumed. However, he had much to learn before he possessed the key. He would first need to recognize his capabilities and, until she reached full ZPM power, she would be unable to assist him in reaching his potential.
However, that situation would change soon enough; she must be patient. The most important concern, for the moment, was that he was safe. The key could wait, and so could she.
The end.
The original story idea from Hotshow was for Sheppard to become gravely injured in a part of the city where no one, except Atlantis realized he was hurt. Atlantis had to figure how to get help to Sheppard. I used that as the core of the story and wrote the other plot around it. To all of you who read this story thank you so much for taking time to do so Comments are always appreciated; I would love to hear from you.
Thanks again to all!