Fic: No More Conversations
This was written for a fic challenge (Would you call it a challenge?) by jeepny . I used the song 'Song for a winter's night' and the song inspired the story and there are elements of the song in the story
Word Count: 1069
No More Conversations
“Who are you?”
“How did he come to this situation exactly? I don’t exactly hear about what happens on missions these days.” Kate Heightmeyer took a sip of her coffee and looked up at Elizabeth Weir who in continued to look at her with her knees brought up to her chin.
Elizabeth breathed in cold air as the room became colder to the ocean breeze that blew in from the open balcony door next to them.
“Um, we were on a diplomatic mission for trading food for medical supplies. I would have just brought Major Lorne and his team but Colonel Sheppard insisted that we bring his team.” Kate held up a hand that made Elizabeth stop.
“There’s no need for formalities here, Elizabeth.” Elizabeth nodded while reaching down and taking a sip of her own luke-warm coffee.
“Why don’t you start from the beginning?”
“Okay,” Elizabeth said in a small voice.
“We were on a diplomatic trading mission with the people on P4C-354. They weren’t a very advanced race, farmers mostly, so in exchange for food, we would help them with health problems.”
“Health problems?”
“Yes, they had basic medicine but it’s not enough. They have a new disease among the children but to us, it’s a typical Rheumatic Fever. Carson and some other doctors were scheduled to go there to treat the children.”
“That was one and a half months ago.”
“Yeah.” Elizabeth looked at her coffee.
“Maybe we should continue this another day?”
“No, no, I’m fine. I want to get this off my chest.”
“If you insist.”
“Just as we were about to leave the village, we got word from Atlantis that the Wraith was nearing the planet in question and since we had another Atlantis team with us, we evacuated the villagers. Thankfully, it’s a small village so it didn’t take long.”
“How did Atlantis find out that there were Hive ships coming towards the planet?”
“We’ve tagged the ships with the device we um, ‘commandeered’ from the Genii and Zelenka has been monitoring their movement ever since.”
“Sorry for the interruption.”
“Not at all. Well John and I was with the last group of villagers and we had to make sure that they got through the gate safely. The Wraith were visible by now and since the Stargate was in a forest, it gave them protective covering from them. John and I distracted them from the forest so we ran through the village, distracting them. Somehow, we dodged the beams. Once we were told that the villagers were at Atlantis safely, we ran back to the Stargate.”
“That’s when everything went downhill?” Elizabeth nodded.
“The Wraith darts were right on us basically. Just as we got back to the Stargate, since I’m a slower runner than John, I saw the beam coming so I pushed us out of the way.” Elizabeth paused and blinked, breathing heavily. “We were so close to the gate,” Elizabeth cracked out. She was near tears but she didn’t cry.
Kate handed her a tissue but when Elizabeth lifted her head, Kate realized that she wasn’t crying at all.
“John fell and hit his head. He didn’t move, I thought that he was dead so I checked his pulse. Thankfully, I felt one. I heard footsteps behind and saw a Wraith male and a Wraith soldier. I knew more was coming so I did the only thing I could.”
Kate took the burden of finishing the sentence. “You took Colonel Sheppard’s gun and killed the Wraith.”
“That was the first time in my whole life I used a gun…the first time I killed something with a gun.”
“Firing a gun for the first time, let alone killing someone or something on the first go, is daunting and-” Elizabeth cut her off, not wanting Kate to go into details about the effect of firing a gun.
“I know but I shouldn’t be complaining. Many people have fired a gun and killed something and they’re fine.”
“If you say so. What happened after that?”
“After I dragged him through the gate? Well, he didn’t move. I knew that he was alive but he didn’t move. You should have heard what happened to him.”
“Yes, comatose for one and a half months with a concussion.”
“Correct. He just woke up yesterday.”
“How are you coping with his?”
“Better than I predicted.”
“Are you sure?” Kate surveyed her over her notepad.
“Yes…I suppose.”
“Have you cried prior to this?”
Elizabeth sighed. “No…”
“You should. You two were engaged.”
“I guess I’ve gone to the point where I can’t cry over him anymore. He doesn’t remember anything or me so I might as well give up. He just woke up and is clueless to what has happened. The least I want is for him to be anymore clueless than he is now…” She sat up in her chair.
“Elizabeth,” said Kate when she got up.
“Thank you for your time, Dr. Heightmeyer.” Elizabeth left before Kate could say anything.
---
“How is our patient?” Elizabeth stood next to Carson.
“He’s been asleep while you were gone and woke up shortly. He still doesn’t remember anything.”
“Not even where he is?”
“Definitely not. He doesn’t even know who he is.”
“Has he asked any questions?”
“Nope, he’s just staring straight ahead now.” Elizabeth looked from behind the curtain and indeed John Sheppard was staring straight ahead. He was propped up with a pillow behind his back and sheet covering his lower half of his body. He wore hospital scrubs.
Elizabeth turned back to Carson. “Do you mind if I talk to him?”
“Of course not, go right ahead. I’ll be in my office.”
As Carson left, Elizabeth neared the man in question and sat in the chair next to his bed. John turned to her when she sat down.
“Who are you?”
“My name is Elizabeth Weir and you are John Sheppard.”
“Who was that doctor?”
“His name is Carson Beckett. He’s a good friend of ours.” John looked at her suspiciously.
“Was my relationship with you different from others?”
Elizabeth looked straight at him with a straight face. “No, it wasn’t.” John nodded. When he nodded, Elizabeth saw a tinge of disappointment in his eyes but brushed it off.
They talked for hours on end, about random things, about him, about other people, about places. Deep inside, Elizabeth hoped that he would remember someday.
FIN
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