SGA Fic: Someone to Watch Over
A joking reference I made to a possible "5 Hostile Plants" story, spawned an idea for the decidely not funny fiction "If..." After that, the problems posed by alien flora continued to prey on my mind.
Title: Someone to Watch Over
Author: tridget
Genre: Gen, H/C, Team, Angst
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Word Count: ~790
Summary: Teyla and Ronon help John cope with the aftermath of a mission.
Notes: A special thank you goes to my beta reader, wildcat88, whose "point of view" was greatly appreciated.
Someone to Watch Over
Teyla crept into the room. “John?” Her voice was quiet and gentle to avoid startling the frightened man.
“Over there.” Ronon tipped his head, indicating the far corner of John's quarters.
Behind a haphazard barrier of furniture, laundry and small assorted items, Teyla spied a thatch of spiky, dark hair. Through gaps in the barricade, she watched as anxious hands clenched and unclenched the tufts.
“M-must look p-pretty foolish, huh?”
“It is alright, John. You are among friends.”
John drew in a sharp breath. “Rodney... W-where is he? Is he okay?”
Teyla’s heart clenched at the uncharacteristic panic in John’s voice. “Rodney is in the infirmary. Dr. Beckett says that he, too, will be fine once the effects of the spores wear off.”
“But he’s okay? He’s h-h-handling this?”
“Rodney is very scared right now. He requires restraints so that he does not come to any harm.”
Parts of the barricade tumbled to the floor as John suddenly stood up. “I-I have to g-go to him. He shouldn’t b-be alone.”
“He is not alone. Dr. Beckett is with him now. I will return shortly to sit with him, too.”
“Good. G-good. Th-that’s good.” John swayed and the little color that had been left drained from his face.
“Better sit down before you fall down, buddy,” Ronon said.
John slid back to the floor. He drew his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around his trembling legs. “P-pathetic. I feel s-so stupid.” He dropped his head onto his knees.
“Nothing stupid in having to fight your way through this.”
John lifted his head again and took a few deep breaths. His eyes were wide, terrified, and bloodshot with fatigue.
“John, Dr. Beckett says lack of sleep will make the effects of the drug worse. You have been awake for a very long time. Perhaps it is time to lie down now,” Teyla suggested. “You might rest more comfortably in your bed.”
John peeked through the gaps in his makeshift bunker, his gaze darting to his bed. “N-n-no.” With a choked whimper, he shrank further into the corner, crossing his arms protectively over his head. “Can’t…g-go…there.”
Ronon inched across the room and then settled on the floor just outside the barrier. He spoke in a low voice. “When I was five, I stayed with my aunt and uncle one summer. I was afraid to sleep ‘cause I thought there were Wraith under the bed.”
“Did your uncle tell you there were no m-monsters under your bed?” John asked.
“No. Why would he do that? Maybe there were Wraith under the bed.”
“Ronon...” Teyla wondered about the wisdom of telling such a story.
Ronon pressed on. “He gave me my first gun. I’d fire it under the bed a couple of times each night - you know, just in case.”
“I think I w-would have liked to have m-met your uncle.”
“Yeah. ‘Course my aunt was kinda mad. She made us fix all the damage to the furniture and walls.”
John chuckled.
Meeting John’s eyes, Ronon reached out and eased away a section of the barricade between them. “C’mon.” He started to move toward the bed.
John’s panic returned and he pressed himself back against the wall. “L-Lorne took all my w-weapons. Got n-nothing to defend m-myself with.”
“You won’t need them.” Ronon pulled out his blaster and spun it around his fingers as he moved toward the bed.
John peeked out from the opening in his small fortress, his eyes fixed on Ronon.
Ronon stretched out on the floor beside the bed. He fired his blaster under the bed in two wide sweeping arcs. “Nothing under there now.”
John eased himself out from behind the clutter and made his way toward the bed, watching as Ronon settled himself on the floor with his arms folded under his head. “What’re you doing?”
“I’m gonna keep watch here all night so you can sleep.”
The reassurance seemed to drain some of the tension from John's body and he sank onto the bed. While John burrowed underneath the covers, Teyla fetched an extra blanket and pillow for Ronon.
“Don’t need them,” Ronon protested. “I’ve kept watch in worse conditions.”
“You may not need them, but John will rest easier knowing that you are comfortable.”
Ronon accepted the bedding from Teyla with a glance towards John. The two men lay in silence for a few minutes while Teyla padded around the room, putting away the remains of the barricade. “Ronon?”
John's voice was slurred with exhaustion. “Yeah.”
“Did your uncle really give you a gun when you were five?”
“Why’d you think I'm such a good shot now?”
John chuckled again. “I must go and sit with Rodney now,” Teyla said, returning the last item that had been pressed into service to its rightful place.
John nodded, his eyes already closing. “G’night.” He pulled the blanket up to his chin as he drifted off to sleep.
Teyla smiled as she slipped from the room, knowing John’s trust in his teammates was far more powerful than the effects of any drug.
~~~~oooo~~~~
The End
Title: Someone to Watch Over
Author: tridget
Genre: Gen, H/C, Team, Angst
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Word Count: ~790
Summary: Teyla and Ronon help John cope with the aftermath of a mission.
Notes: A special thank you goes to my beta reader, wildcat88, whose "point of view" was greatly appreciated.
Someone to Watch Over
Teyla crept into the room. “John?” Her voice was quiet and gentle to avoid startling the frightened man.
“Over there.” Ronon tipped his head, indicating the far corner of John's quarters.
Behind a haphazard barrier of furniture, laundry and small assorted items, Teyla spied a thatch of spiky, dark hair. Through gaps in the barricade, she watched as anxious hands clenched and unclenched the tufts.
“M-must look p-pretty foolish, huh?”
“It is alright, John. You are among friends.”
John drew in a sharp breath. “Rodney... W-where is he? Is he okay?”
Teyla’s heart clenched at the uncharacteristic panic in John’s voice. “Rodney is in the infirmary. Dr. Beckett says that he, too, will be fine once the effects of the spores wear off.”
“But he’s okay? He’s h-h-handling this?”
“Rodney is very scared right now. He requires restraints so that he does not come to any harm.”
Parts of the barricade tumbled to the floor as John suddenly stood up. “I-I have to g-go to him. He shouldn’t b-be alone.”
“He is not alone. Dr. Beckett is with him now. I will return shortly to sit with him, too.”
“Good. G-good. Th-that’s good.” John swayed and the little color that had been left drained from his face.
“Better sit down before you fall down, buddy,” Ronon said.
John slid back to the floor. He drew his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around his trembling legs. “P-pathetic. I feel s-so stupid.” He dropped his head onto his knees.
“Nothing stupid in having to fight your way through this.”
John lifted his head again and took a few deep breaths. His eyes were wide, terrified, and bloodshot with fatigue.
“John, Dr. Beckett says lack of sleep will make the effects of the drug worse. You have been awake for a very long time. Perhaps it is time to lie down now,” Teyla suggested. “You might rest more comfortably in your bed.”
John peeked through the gaps in his makeshift bunker, his gaze darting to his bed. “N-n-no.” With a choked whimper, he shrank further into the corner, crossing his arms protectively over his head. “Can’t…g-go…there.”
Ronon inched across the room and then settled on the floor just outside the barrier. He spoke in a low voice. “When I was five, I stayed with my aunt and uncle one summer. I was afraid to sleep ‘cause I thought there were Wraith under the bed.”
“Did your uncle tell you there were no m-monsters under your bed?” John asked.
“No. Why would he do that? Maybe there were Wraith under the bed.”
“Ronon...” Teyla wondered about the wisdom of telling such a story.
Ronon pressed on. “He gave me my first gun. I’d fire it under the bed a couple of times each night - you know, just in case.”
“I think I w-would have liked to have m-met your uncle.”
“Yeah. ‘Course my aunt was kinda mad. She made us fix all the damage to the furniture and walls.”
John chuckled.
Meeting John’s eyes, Ronon reached out and eased away a section of the barricade between them. “C’mon.” He started to move toward the bed.
John’s panic returned and he pressed himself back against the wall. “L-Lorne took all my w-weapons. Got n-nothing to defend m-myself with.”
“You won’t need them.” Ronon pulled out his blaster and spun it around his fingers as he moved toward the bed.
John peeked out from the opening in his small fortress, his eyes fixed on Ronon.
Ronon stretched out on the floor beside the bed. He fired his blaster under the bed in two wide sweeping arcs. “Nothing under there now.”
John eased himself out from behind the clutter and made his way toward the bed, watching as Ronon settled himself on the floor with his arms folded under his head. “What’re you doing?”
“I’m gonna keep watch here all night so you can sleep.”
The reassurance seemed to drain some of the tension from John's body and he sank onto the bed. While John burrowed underneath the covers, Teyla fetched an extra blanket and pillow for Ronon.
“Don’t need them,” Ronon protested. “I’ve kept watch in worse conditions.”
“You may not need them, but John will rest easier knowing that you are comfortable.”
Ronon accepted the bedding from Teyla with a glance towards John. The two men lay in silence for a few minutes while Teyla padded around the room, putting away the remains of the barricade. “Ronon?”
John's voice was slurred with exhaustion. “Yeah.”
“Did your uncle really give you a gun when you were five?”
“Why’d you think I'm such a good shot now?”
John chuckled again. “I must go and sit with Rodney now,” Teyla said, returning the last item that had been pressed into service to its rightful place.
John nodded, his eyes already closing. “G’night.” He pulled the blanket up to his chin as he drifted off to sleep.
Teyla smiled as she slipped from the room, knowing John’s trust in his teammates was far more powerful than the effects of any drug.
~~~~oooo~~~~
The End