Fic - Progression (3/10)
Title: Progression
Characters: Carson, Rodney, John, Elizabeth, Teyla, OC
Pairing: none
Rating: PG-13
Genre: h/c, angst, friendship
Spoilers: up to Common Ground
Part 3
~*~
It was 2600 hours and Carson was forty-five. Rodney had always felt that what the Wraith were doing was cruel, but this… this went beyond cruel.
They had spent most of the night looking in the database for information about the drug. Most of the scientists had objected, complaining they were being taken away from their important projects to look for something they knew nothing about.
It all ended about an hour ago when one of the assistants came in with a cup of her coffee in her right hand and her left hand held over her mouth in shock. After staring at them for a few moments, she said, "Dr. Beckett has gray hair."
There were a few chuckles from the room, one of the men saying, "Didn't know you paid enough attention to his hair to notice a few gray ones."
The woman frowned and glared at him. "Not a few hairs, you moron, the hair around his temples, and everywhere else… like he's older… like my father had when he was fifty."
"I saw him this morning and he was okay… all his hair was black," someone else said, and Rodney knew he needed to explain it. So he did. They all listened in awe and, without a word, went back to searching the database.
~*~
At three o'clock in the morning, Rodney sounded the door chime to Carson's quarters. He imagined that the Scot would be busy doing something other than sleeping, and even if he was sleeping, Rodney's latest idea was worth the interruption.
When he received no answer, he frowned, activating his comm. "This is McKay, is Dr. Beckett in the infirmary?"
"No," came a nurse's quick answer. "He should be in his quarters."
"Okay," Rodney replied, closing the connection. He then proceeded to open the front panel and change the connections. In less than two minutes he was inside, studying the dimly lit room.
Carson's quarters were composed of a large room, which served both as a bedroom and a living room, a balcony and a small bathroom.
The bed sheets were rumpled, but the bed was empty. Rodney checked the bathroom and found it empty. The only other place Carson could be was the balcony.
He slowly went outside, careful not to startle the man. Carson was sitting on the floor, his back pressed against the cold surface of Atlantis.
After waiting for a few moments, Rodney said, "Someone could kidnap you, and you wouldn't even notice."
"Came to check up on me?" Carson asked, looking up at him.
"I had a brilliant idea," Rodney said smiling. "I suspect you were focused on some pretty interesting stuff if you didn't hear me take your door controls apart."
"You know… have a lot on my mind," Carson said in a sad voice. "This brilliant idea of yours…"
"The virus was retrieved by one of the teams from PX-671, from some sort of research facility. I thought that we had a better chance finding something useful there than here on Atlantis."
"Any monsters we should be afraid of?" Carson's voice was almost playful.
"Monsters?" On any other occasion, Rodney would have been impatient, snappy, but now, sitting on that balcony, in one of the few peaceful moments they were going to have, he wasn't. "Now, why would you say such a thing?"
"Every time we need something, it's protected by some weird creature that usually wants to eat us."
"No monsters on the planet. Actually, there's nothing alive on the planet. Life sign scan returned nothing."
"Then we won't find anything," Carson stated, getting up. His hair was completely gray, his face had a few more lines and he looked older. "I'll change into something more adequate and we'll see what you have, okay?"
Rodney nodded and accompanied him inside. Carson looked trough the drawers and took a pair of trousers and a new shirt. "Be out in a minute," he said as he walked inside the bathroom.
Rodney heard the shower and sat down on Carson's bed, looking out the window at the outline of the city. After a few moments, he called, "That's going to be one long minute if you don't start the shower, Carson."
"Aye, I'll be with you in a minute."
"Promises, promises…"
After a few moments of silence, a loud clattering noise was heard and Rodney rushed to the bathroom door. "Are you alright, Carson?"
When no answer came, Rodney knocked on the door, slowly muttering, "You'd better be alive."
The door whooshed open and Rodney found Carson on the floor of his bathroom, shaking. Slowly kneeling, he reached out his right hand, softly touching Carson. "You okay, Carson?"
Taking a closer look he saw he was sweating, his hands were close to his body, and he was shaking. Rodney held him close until the trembling slowly faded and Carson looked at him, recognition clear in his eyes.
"You had a panic attack," Rodney simply said, moving away a bit to give him room to breathe.
"Aye," Carson nodded, leaning against the wall.
"Why?"
Without a word, Carson got up and looked in the mirror. "That's not me, Rodney. The gray hair and the lines on my face and…" Carson covered his face with his hands, sobbing. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have… this is all so wrong."
"Yup, but we have to try and fix this. Come on, finish dressing and we'll got to the Mess and grab a bite," Rodney said, slowly moving out of the bathroom. "I'll leave the door open, just in case…"
Carson nodded absently, staring in the mirror.
"Carson, we need to get going," Rodney said on a more imperative tone.
Carson looked at him and left the bathroom. He stopped after three steps and looked at his hands. "I need a shower."
"No, you need to get out."
Carson was sitting there, in the middle of his room, trying to decide what to do. Just like a kid; a kid with gray hair and less that eight days left to live. "We need to go, Carson, we need to go right now."
Rodney opened the door and waited as Carson made his way across the room. "See? You'll be okay in no time."
The Scot was too caught up in his own thoughts to answer.
~*~
Rodney was studying his friend. A few minutes after arriving in the Mess Hall, he apologized for his behaviour, bowing his head as he did. Ever since then, he hadn’t lifted his eyes from the plate, nor had he eaten.
“I think it might help if you, or one of the doctors involved in the virus research would come with us on the planet,” Rodney said, without receiving any response from Carson. “I know we usually attract all sorts of danger, but we’ll be good this time,” he said, smiling.
Carson smiled a bit, taking the fork from the side of his plate. “I think I’ll come. Although I don’t know if I’ll enjoy a mission with you that doesn’t turn into a race for our lives.” He started eating, slowly, without enthusiasm.
“Yes, I know, because all of our missions are so thoroughly enjoyable.” Seeing the way Carson was eating, grimacing from time to time, he added, “I’m not your doctor, I won’t tell you that you have to eat that.”
Carson placed the fork on the plate and smiled weakly. “I was pretending to be normal. Failing at it, obviously.” He turned and looked to his right, where two men dressed in the blue uniforms of the science department sat. They nodded as a salute, and Carson nodded back. “I treated them three days ago for minor burns. Now they don’t have a clue who I am.” Carson sighed, getting up. “I’ll be going to my lab, if you want to -”
“I’m done,” Rodney interrupted, promptly getting up. “I’ll show you what we have when we get to my lab.”
Part 5
Characters: Carson, Rodney, John, Elizabeth, Teyla, OC
Pairing: none
Rating: PG-13
Genre: h/c, angst, friendship
Spoilers: up to Common Ground
Part 3
~*~
It was 2600 hours and Carson was forty-five. Rodney had always felt that what the Wraith were doing was cruel, but this… this went beyond cruel.
They had spent most of the night looking in the database for information about the drug. Most of the scientists had objected, complaining they were being taken away from their important projects to look for something they knew nothing about.
It all ended about an hour ago when one of the assistants came in with a cup of her coffee in her right hand and her left hand held over her mouth in shock. After staring at them for a few moments, she said, "Dr. Beckett has gray hair."
There were a few chuckles from the room, one of the men saying, "Didn't know you paid enough attention to his hair to notice a few gray ones."
The woman frowned and glared at him. "Not a few hairs, you moron, the hair around his temples, and everywhere else… like he's older… like my father had when he was fifty."
"I saw him this morning and he was okay… all his hair was black," someone else said, and Rodney knew he needed to explain it. So he did. They all listened in awe and, without a word, went back to searching the database.
~*~
At three o'clock in the morning, Rodney sounded the door chime to Carson's quarters. He imagined that the Scot would be busy doing something other than sleeping, and even if he was sleeping, Rodney's latest idea was worth the interruption.
When he received no answer, he frowned, activating his comm. "This is McKay, is Dr. Beckett in the infirmary?"
"No," came a nurse's quick answer. "He should be in his quarters."
"Okay," Rodney replied, closing the connection. He then proceeded to open the front panel and change the connections. In less than two minutes he was inside, studying the dimly lit room.
Carson's quarters were composed of a large room, which served both as a bedroom and a living room, a balcony and a small bathroom.
The bed sheets were rumpled, but the bed was empty. Rodney checked the bathroom and found it empty. The only other place Carson could be was the balcony.
He slowly went outside, careful not to startle the man. Carson was sitting on the floor, his back pressed against the cold surface of Atlantis.
After waiting for a few moments, Rodney said, "Someone could kidnap you, and you wouldn't even notice."
"Came to check up on me?" Carson asked, looking up at him.
"I had a brilliant idea," Rodney said smiling. "I suspect you were focused on some pretty interesting stuff if you didn't hear me take your door controls apart."
"You know… have a lot on my mind," Carson said in a sad voice. "This brilliant idea of yours…"
"The virus was retrieved by one of the teams from PX-671, from some sort of research facility. I thought that we had a better chance finding something useful there than here on Atlantis."
"Any monsters we should be afraid of?" Carson's voice was almost playful.
"Monsters?" On any other occasion, Rodney would have been impatient, snappy, but now, sitting on that balcony, in one of the few peaceful moments they were going to have, he wasn't. "Now, why would you say such a thing?"
"Every time we need something, it's protected by some weird creature that usually wants to eat us."
"No monsters on the planet. Actually, there's nothing alive on the planet. Life sign scan returned nothing."
"Then we won't find anything," Carson stated, getting up. His hair was completely gray, his face had a few more lines and he looked older. "I'll change into something more adequate and we'll see what you have, okay?"
Rodney nodded and accompanied him inside. Carson looked trough the drawers and took a pair of trousers and a new shirt. "Be out in a minute," he said as he walked inside the bathroom.
Rodney heard the shower and sat down on Carson's bed, looking out the window at the outline of the city. After a few moments, he called, "That's going to be one long minute if you don't start the shower, Carson."
"Aye, I'll be with you in a minute."
"Promises, promises…"
After a few moments of silence, a loud clattering noise was heard and Rodney rushed to the bathroom door. "Are you alright, Carson?"
When no answer came, Rodney knocked on the door, slowly muttering, "You'd better be alive."
The door whooshed open and Rodney found Carson on the floor of his bathroom, shaking. Slowly kneeling, he reached out his right hand, softly touching Carson. "You okay, Carson?"
Taking a closer look he saw he was sweating, his hands were close to his body, and he was shaking. Rodney held him close until the trembling slowly faded and Carson looked at him, recognition clear in his eyes.
"You had a panic attack," Rodney simply said, moving away a bit to give him room to breathe.
"Aye," Carson nodded, leaning against the wall.
"Why?"
Without a word, Carson got up and looked in the mirror. "That's not me, Rodney. The gray hair and the lines on my face and…" Carson covered his face with his hands, sobbing. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have… this is all so wrong."
"Yup, but we have to try and fix this. Come on, finish dressing and we'll got to the Mess and grab a bite," Rodney said, slowly moving out of the bathroom. "I'll leave the door open, just in case…"
Carson nodded absently, staring in the mirror.
"Carson, we need to get going," Rodney said on a more imperative tone.
Carson looked at him and left the bathroom. He stopped after three steps and looked at his hands. "I need a shower."
"No, you need to get out."
Carson was sitting there, in the middle of his room, trying to decide what to do. Just like a kid; a kid with gray hair and less that eight days left to live. "We need to go, Carson, we need to go right now."
Rodney opened the door and waited as Carson made his way across the room. "See? You'll be okay in no time."
The Scot was too caught up in his own thoughts to answer.
~*~
Rodney was studying his friend. A few minutes after arriving in the Mess Hall, he apologized for his behaviour, bowing his head as he did. Ever since then, he hadn’t lifted his eyes from the plate, nor had he eaten.
“I think it might help if you, or one of the doctors involved in the virus research would come with us on the planet,” Rodney said, without receiving any response from Carson. “I know we usually attract all sorts of danger, but we’ll be good this time,” he said, smiling.
Carson smiled a bit, taking the fork from the side of his plate. “I think I’ll come. Although I don’t know if I’ll enjoy a mission with you that doesn’t turn into a race for our lives.” He started eating, slowly, without enthusiasm.
“Yes, I know, because all of our missions are so thoroughly enjoyable.” Seeing the way Carson was eating, grimacing from time to time, he added, “I’m not your doctor, I won’t tell you that you have to eat that.”
Carson placed the fork on the plate and smiled weakly. “I was pretending to be normal. Failing at it, obviously.” He turned and looked to his right, where two men dressed in the blue uniforms of the science department sat. They nodded as a salute, and Carson nodded back. “I treated them three days ago for minor burns. Now they don’t have a clue who I am.” Carson sighed, getting up. “I’ll be going to my lab, if you want to -”
“I’m done,” Rodney interrupted, promptly getting up. “I’ll show you what we have when we get to my lab.”
Part 5