The Petulant Patient by Tittamiire
Author Tittamiire
Prompt: It was number 22...er can't remember exactly what the prompt was.
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Teyla & Keller Friendship
The Petulant Patient
“It hurts”
“Of course it hurts you’ve just told me you’ve torn your rotator cuff”
“I didn’t expect it to hurt”
“You didn’t expect tearing your rotator cuff to hurt?”
“No, I didn’t expect to get hurt,” Keller gestured with her good arm, taking her hand off the ice pack on her shoulder to do it. She was waiting for painkillers and a sling, both of which seemed to be taking longer than she’d like.
“So, you didn’t expect learning to fight to hurt?” Teyla wasn’t deliberately trying to sound patronising, but she couldn’t really help it.
“Yes, well, I would have expected fighting to hurt. I guess I just wasn’t expecting to be trying to throw punches in my first lesson.”
Teyla unfolded her arms and put her hands on her hips. She tilted her head and gave Keller a puzzled look. “What were you expecting?”
“Oh you know, some wax on, wax off, maybe painting some walls.”
“I don’t think any walls in Atlantis need decorating.”
“Er, never mind,” Keller looked down at the floor and shifted awkwardly. It felt distinctly uncomfortable to be a patient on one of her own infirmary beds. “Where’s my sling?”
“Keep the ice on the shoulder, it’ll help,” Teyla leant forward to readjust the ice pack and ignored Keller’s increasingly petulant tone.
“I know”
“They why aren’t you keeping it there?”
Keller had the decency to look embarrassed and gave her head a little shake. Teyla sighed, turned around and sat on the bed next to the Doctor.
“I have heard an expression ‘Doctors make the worst patients’, I believe there is wisdom in that saying.”
“No, Ronan makes the worst patient, then cranky old Air Force Officers, Doctors come in third,” Keller counted off the list on the fingers of her good hand, a level of confidence returning to her voice briefly.
Teyla considered this for a moment, “I believe you have a point.”
Keller shifted the ice pack slightly and sighed quietly, “I was planning on learning to defend myself to stop myself getting hurt.”
“That is the idea,” Teyla agreed.
“An injured Doctor is useless,” Keller muttered, glaring at her shoulder as if it had somehow got hurt intentionally.
“A dead one is even more useless.” Teyla commented, “We’ll wait for your shoulder to heal and then try again, maybe start a little simpler.”
Keller smiled gently, “thanks Teyla.”
“It is entirely selfish.”
Keller looked at her and blinked as she processed the statement.
“I don’t want to have to carry your bags again,” Teyla teased and got a grin for her troubles.
One of the nurses appeared with the desired sling and painkillers. Teyla stood up from the bed and watched as Keller expertly eased the sling onto her own arm with minimal movement of her shoulder and adjusted it so that her arm was supported across her chest. She took the painkillers too and thanked the nurse before hopping down off the bed.
“This reminds me of sport at school. Being useless and hurt I mean, not Atlantis,” she clarified. “I was always useless then too,” she added in a quiet voice as she headed towards the infirmary door.
Teyla fell into step beside her, “your shoulder will heal and you will learn to defend yourself”
“I wish I had your confidence,” Keller muttered, keeping her head low. For good reason too as she knew Teyla was giving her ‘a look’. “Sorry,” she added, apologising for the pity party.
“You’re a brilliant Doctor and capable of saving lives when most others would have no idea to start. Confidence in your physical abilities will come once you have them. You expect too much of yourself.”
Keller smiled again, “you sound like an old teacher of mine. She was a good egg too, thanks Teyla.”
“Good egg?”
“Er, good person. I’m not sure where it comes from actually, my grandpa liked to use it.”
“You are a little peculiar.”
“Pot calling the kettle black there”
“I am not a pot”
“Er, never mind.”
Prompt: It was number 22...er can't remember exactly what the prompt was.
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Teyla & Keller Friendship
The Petulant Patient
“It hurts”
“Of course it hurts you’ve just told me you’ve torn your rotator cuff”
“I didn’t expect it to hurt”
“You didn’t expect tearing your rotator cuff to hurt?”
“No, I didn’t expect to get hurt,” Keller gestured with her good arm, taking her hand off the ice pack on her shoulder to do it. She was waiting for painkillers and a sling, both of which seemed to be taking longer than she’d like.
“So, you didn’t expect learning to fight to hurt?” Teyla wasn’t deliberately trying to sound patronising, but she couldn’t really help it.
“Yes, well, I would have expected fighting to hurt. I guess I just wasn’t expecting to be trying to throw punches in my first lesson.”
Teyla unfolded her arms and put her hands on her hips. She tilted her head and gave Keller a puzzled look. “What were you expecting?”
“Oh you know, some wax on, wax off, maybe painting some walls.”
“I don’t think any walls in Atlantis need decorating.”
“Er, never mind,” Keller looked down at the floor and shifted awkwardly. It felt distinctly uncomfortable to be a patient on one of her own infirmary beds. “Where’s my sling?”
“Keep the ice on the shoulder, it’ll help,” Teyla leant forward to readjust the ice pack and ignored Keller’s increasingly petulant tone.
“I know”
“They why aren’t you keeping it there?”
Keller had the decency to look embarrassed and gave her head a little shake. Teyla sighed, turned around and sat on the bed next to the Doctor.
“I have heard an expression ‘Doctors make the worst patients’, I believe there is wisdom in that saying.”
“No, Ronan makes the worst patient, then cranky old Air Force Officers, Doctors come in third,” Keller counted off the list on the fingers of her good hand, a level of confidence returning to her voice briefly.
Teyla considered this for a moment, “I believe you have a point.”
Keller shifted the ice pack slightly and sighed quietly, “I was planning on learning to defend myself to stop myself getting hurt.”
“That is the idea,” Teyla agreed.
“An injured Doctor is useless,” Keller muttered, glaring at her shoulder as if it had somehow got hurt intentionally.
“A dead one is even more useless.” Teyla commented, “We’ll wait for your shoulder to heal and then try again, maybe start a little simpler.”
Keller smiled gently, “thanks Teyla.”
“It is entirely selfish.”
Keller looked at her and blinked as she processed the statement.
“I don’t want to have to carry your bags again,” Teyla teased and got a grin for her troubles.
One of the nurses appeared with the desired sling and painkillers. Teyla stood up from the bed and watched as Keller expertly eased the sling onto her own arm with minimal movement of her shoulder and adjusted it so that her arm was supported across her chest. She took the painkillers too and thanked the nurse before hopping down off the bed.
“This reminds me of sport at school. Being useless and hurt I mean, not Atlantis,” she clarified. “I was always useless then too,” she added in a quiet voice as she headed towards the infirmary door.
Teyla fell into step beside her, “your shoulder will heal and you will learn to defend yourself”
“I wish I had your confidence,” Keller muttered, keeping her head low. For good reason too as she knew Teyla was giving her ‘a look’. “Sorry,” she added, apologising for the pity party.
“You’re a brilliant Doctor and capable of saving lives when most others would have no idea to start. Confidence in your physical abilities will come once you have them. You expect too much of yourself.”
Keller smiled again, “you sound like an old teacher of mine. She was a good egg too, thanks Teyla.”
“Good egg?”
“Er, good person. I’m not sure where it comes from actually, my grandpa liked to use it.”
“You are a little peculiar.”
“Pot calling the kettle black there”
“I am not a pot”
“Er, never mind.”