Angst, Week 2: Whether the Weather Be Good (1/2)
Title: Whether the Weather Be Good.
Author: chaps1870
Prompt: Weather or Elements
Rating: PG13 for language
Word Count: 13,800
Warnings/Spoilers: none
Summary: "Whether the weather be good, or whether the weather be bad, we'll weather the weather, whatever the weather, whether we like it or not."
Title and summary are from a children's poem. ~author unknown
"The Hijjam just contacted us and have asked that we help them with their weather control system. Apparently it has been malfunctioning and they are worried it will affect their harvest if left too long," stated Weir, her hands clasped in front of her on the table, perfectly poised.
Typing on his laptop, Rodney brought up the planet in question and scanned what they knew of the weather device. The Hijjam relied heavily on the device to monitor and control the severe storms that raged over the surface of the planet. They were, with the aid of the device, able to regulate the weather in their little corner of the world. Sadly, they had no idea how the device worked or how to fix it if it broke down. Years of culling and staying alive had taken its toll on academia and the skills had been lost. A recent trade agreement with Hijjam offered technical assistance in return for a portion of their harvest.
"The weather device is Ancient in design. We've found other planets with similar devices but because of the nature of the device we can hardly remove it for study. We've searched the database for schematics but like everything else the ancients did, they didn't feel the need to provide details regarding said device."
Weir gave him a pointed look. "But you can fix it?"
Rodney nodded, "Of course, depending on the malfunction. There is always the possibility that it has reached its maximum lifespan and can no longer be repaired. These things are thousands of years old and one can never really "
"Rodney," Weir interrupted, with barely restrained impatience. "Can you fix it or not?"
Lifting his chin, he answered, "I should be able to, yes."
She laid her hands on the table, ready to rise. "Good. Mission is scheduled as soon as you can make yourselves ready. Dismissed."
*****************
The jumper exited the gate right into the apocalypse. Hurricane force winds slammed into the jumper sending it end over end. Sheppard automatically tightened his grip on the controls, even as his mind screamed 'straighten out, straighten out.'
"Oh no, this is bad," said Rodney, the panic already setting in.
Visibility was zero, dust and debris swirled outside the window and John quickly thought 'HUD' to try and prevent a nose dive into the ground he couldn't see. The display showed them at an altitude of about 50 feet and the wind speeds were in excess of 200 miles per hour if his conversion was correct. That would account for the zero visibility. His teeth clenched as he fought the controls, he asked sharply, "McKay, what is going on? I thought the Hijjams said it was clear."
Hands on his chair in a white-knuckled death grip, Rodney's eyes darted to the HUD, the raging storm visible through the display. "Tornado. Hurricane. End of the fucking world. I don't know." McKay answered, his voice high pitched with fear. "And it was clear an hour ago."
"Why aren't the dampeners working?" questioned Sheppard, using more of his body to fight the controls. The mental component wasn't getting it done. The jumper was slammed sideways, forcing them hard to the right in their seats.
"Maybe because even they have their limits," screeched Rodney, just at the jumper tumbled forward, forcing him back into his seat.
Trees suddenly appeared out of nowhere just before they skimmed the uppermost branches. Rain pelted down against the windshield as leaves and branches slide past.
"Hang on!"
The drive pods were taking out everything in their path as the jumper skittered left and right from the drag. Rodney shouted, "Pull up. Pull up."
Through clenched teeth, Sheppard growled back, "I'm trying." After several seconds of fighting the trees he got the jumper high enough that he could breathe again. The winds were still whipping them around but at least they were out of the trees. As he tried to straighten out, there was a slight pull to the left. "Is everybody alright?"
"Yes."
"Yes."
"Ow."
"Good, because I think we took some damage to the drive pod. The controls aren't responding like they should."
Ignoring whatever hurt he had, Rodney responded immediately, "Get us up and out of here. Preferable the upper atmosphere."
John turned and glared at him. "What part of not responding didn't you get?"
"Well, then we need to find a place to land," insisted McKay, who was actively working at getting his computer hooked up. John always felt better when Rodney was actually doing something instead of just panicking. He leaned forward, tempted to wipe at the window to get a better view, the rain and dust turned mud on the windshield making it difficult to see anything.
"I can't see to land," said Sheppard pointedly. Sweat beaded on his forehead and his arms ached from the strain of trying to control the jumper.
Rodney answered tersely, "Well we can't keep this up. We'll eventually run into something."
Teyla answered, "Perhaps we can outrun it." Her normal calmness was replaced by a heavier breath between words.
Turning in his seat, Rodney tried to explain as they were tossed around with each buffet of wind, grunting with each new bruise. "The reason for the device is more to prevent the weather rather than producing it. If the device is malfunctioning, which we can see is the case then it's not going to be any better somewhere else. Okay, it might be slightly better for a while but this whole planet is one violent storm waiting to happen."
"I'll take slightly better, McKay," said Ronon. "I've been in a tornado before. Wasn't fun."
Luck finally in their favor, they broke through the storm and could see the ground below them. The view beneath the cloud cover was just as ominous. Dark, heavy clouds hung low in the sky and they could see several tornados across the broad grassy plain in front of them. Mountains in the far distance were almost obscured by towering wall clouds and lightening flashed all around them, creating a strobe effect in the jumper. The valley below showed strips of barren ground where tornados had ripped a path of destruction.
"How far to the weather station?" John asked, wiping away some of the sweat on his face with his shoulder and taking a deep breath, letting it out slowly.
Pointing to the HUD, Rodney pinpointed its location. "About 10 kilometers. There." He pointed to a small hill that seemed to be the only landmark on the flat grassland in front of them.
"Okay, I'll get us as close as I can. If the weather starts to shift again, I'm taking us down. How far from the gate are we?"
McKay flinched as they were hit with flying debris then squinted at the readout. "Um, actually not that far. Just beyond the weather station. It is closer to the gate than we are. About 4 kilom..."
Any further answer was cut off as light flashed outside the jumper and the craft lurched sideways. "What was that?" asked Teyla, alarmed.
"Lightening." Sheppard shouted as they went into a spin, "I've lost control. We're going down."
"No, no, no. Down is bad," whined Rodney, fumbling with his laptop, and looking around helplessly. "Why don't these things have seatbelts? Were the Ancients just stupid or "
John cut him off because he wasn't in the mood for the scientist's doomsday rambling. "Shut up, McKay." The ground was coming up fast and he was doing his best to get the jumper to respondslow down, slow down, nose up, slow down. Shit.
He tried navigating to a lower section of the valley hoping for some protection once they landed. He managed to keep them in the air until they were almost to the hill Rodney had pointed out but it was a turbulent ride, strong winds buffeting their descent. They hit the ground like a stone on water and skipped across the grassy field gouging out dirt and rock with each hit. Hands trembling under the controls, John hoped to keep them aloft long enough to slow them for final impact.
"Brace yourselves." A second later they hit hard and managed to skim along for several seconds before the jumper dove nose first into the ground. John lost consciousness on impact.
**********************
He came to slowly, pain being the first thing he noticed. Shifting brought more pain and he groaned. Something was digging into his face and it would soon necessitate moving but he still hesitated. It took several long seconds to remember what had happened and his eyes flashed open in alarm. Jerking up and around to look for his teammates, he cried out at the intensity of pain that shot through his left side, "Oh god, that hurts."
Grabbing for his shoulder, Rodney hunched forward blinking back tears. Taking several deep breaths that probably hurt more than they should, he cautiously looked around. He seemed to be the only one moving. "Hey, anybody awake?"
The emergency lights had come on giving him just enough light to see by. Although the front window was a spiderweb of cracks, he could see enough to know they'd buried the front in dirt. John was sprawled forward onto the control console, blood from a head wound pooling beneath him.
"Shit." Moving slowly, Rodney managed to stand after a couple of attempts, still holding his left arm securely to his side. Judging by the discomfort and the disfigured shoulder it was probably dislocated. His ribs hurt as well, but not enough to compromise his breathing so they were likely only bruised.
Easing closer to Sheppard, Rodney checked for a pulse with a shaky hand, sighing with relief when he felt a strong and steady beat. Blood oozed from a jagged cut just below his hairline. With John sprawled over the controls it was hard to see what his other injuries might be and Rodney was reluctant to move him just yet. Removing a bandage from his vest, he quickly but carefully wrapped the colonel's head wound before checking on his teammates.
Turning around, he foundTeyla in a heap on the floor while Ronon sat against the wall, slumped over; neither of them was moving. Stumbling between the seats he slid to the floor rather ungracefully, holding his shoulder to keep from screaming at the agony that danced down his arm. Teyla lay on her side, curled around herself so it was difficult to see what was wrong with her. Nudging her shoulder, he tried to wake her and was rewarded with a small moan.
"Teyla?"
"Mmm," she answered him with a pained moaned.
He asked warily, reluctant to force her to move, "Where you hurt?"
"Mmm."
Great. This was getting him nowhere. With a deep breath he took his hand off his own arm and carefully tried to pull her onto her back so he could help her. She screamed and he backed off as if scalded, wincing in pain as he apologized, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I I god I'm sorry."
Regaining her composure, Teyla panted out calmly, "I believe my arm is broken," Shifting, she added tightly, "and my leg." She froze, stilling any movement that would bring more pain. "What of the others?"
Rodney's eyes darted forward to where Sheppard still sat unmoving and then over his shoulder to Ronon, who seemed to be coming around. "Sheppard hit his head. I wrapped it up. He hasn't woken yet. Ronon is waking up. I haven't checked him yet."
Teyla tried moving but stopped with a gasp, then spoke through clenched teeth, "Perhaps you should check Ronon and I will try to move on my own."
"Okay. Good. I'll be um right back to help you." Unsure, Rodney decided cowardice was the better part of valor and he retreated to help Ronon.
With as little motion as possible he moved over to where Ronon was stirring. Not wanting to startle the big man, he poked his outstretched leg, "Hey, wake up."
Ronon growled at him. Feeling brave, Rodney poked him again. "Come on you big oaf, talk to me."
The Satedan wasn't too happy with the prodding and grunted, "Stop."
"He speaks. Good. Where are you hurt?" Rodney asked.
Opening one eye, Ronon glared at him then wrapped one arm around his ribs as he worked to sit up straighter. He winced, and paused for a few seconds before pulling himself up to sit. "I'm good."
Rodney rolled his eyes. "Of course you are. You could be bleeding internally and all you'd tell me was 'you're fine'. Well you're not fine. What's wrong with your ribs?"
"Broke," said Ronon, as if it were nothing. Which in his mind was probably a minor inconvenience. He looked over Rodney and asked, "How 'bout you?"
"My shoulder. Sheppard is out cold with a bleeding head wound and Teyla thinks she broke her arm and leg."
As Ronon reached out to shift his leg, Rodney caught a grimace. Looking closer he could see that Ronon's knee was swollen and straining the material of his leather pants. Rodney just rolled his eyes again and commented, "Yes, yes, I know, you're fine. Well, you're not."
"Neither are you."
"True, but I'm at least mobile," Rodney said smugly. It lost its effect when he shrugged and then gasped because of the pain. "Stay. I'll get the med kit. And don't bother arguing. You can take something for the pain."
"Sure." That alone was telling enough. If Ronon was willing to take something for the pain it had to be bad.
Getting to his feet took a lot of effort and a fair amount of pain. He used the seats for support and slowly made his way to the cargo area. He was sweating and hurting by the time he returned with the med kit and water tucked under his good arm. Not sure how he was going to get back to the floor while holding the medkit, he finally opted to let it drop so he could use his good arm to support his bad. It was loud, but effective and he settled between Ronon and Teyla after a quick check on Sheppard to make sure he was still breathing. The bleeding appeared to have stopped and his pulse was still good. There wasn't much he could do until the colonel woke and could tell him what was wrong.
Digging through the medkit, he found some painkillers and a coldpack. He handed Ronon the pills and water while he mashed the coldpack to get it working. As he reached out to place it on Ronon's knee, his wrist was grabbed and he screamed. Before he could pull back in shock, Ronon pulled his arm straight and slammed his other hand into his dislocated shoulder in one quick motion.
Rodney collapsed, hunched over as he rocked against the pain. Sweating and gasping for air, he glared at the man. It took several minutes before he could speak. "You son of bitch. You could have at least warned me."
Ronon smile was strained, "Hurt me more than it hurt you."
Sneering, Rodney wouldn't admit that while his shoulder still throbbed he could move it without screaming now. He hissed, "Serves you right." He didn't feel bad dropping the coldpack on Ronon's knee. "Keep that on it, it'll help with swelling."
Ronon nodded towards Teyla. "Go. Help the others."
Forgiving his teammate, Rodney nodded slowly and turned his attention to Teyla, who had somehow managed to unfold herself and was leaning awkwardly on her side. Her arm was definitely broken if the vivid bruising and swelling were anything to go by. He couldn't see how her leg was doing. He cringed at the sight and admitted hesitantly, "I've um never I've never set a broken arm or leg before."
Teyla tried to smile reassuringly, but the frown and thin layer of sweat on her face said otherwise. "I believe it is better to immobilize it rather than try to set it. I will leave that for Dr. Beckett."
Rodney felt relieved he wouldn't have to screw it up but asked anyway, "Are you sure?"
She nodded, and said with a grimace of pain, "Yes, I am sure."
Out of his league, Rodney tried for comforting but he sucked at the whole sympathetic thing and he knew it. He reached for the medkit, and decided morphine was the best course of action. This was going to hurt enough to warrant something stronger than Tylenol. Taking the predosed syringe, he held it for Teyla to see and she nodded. Finding both of his teammates injured enough to not fight him for pain medication was disconcerting. It was sad to think he was the strong one today. His hands shaking, he swabbed her arm.
She glanced at him, smiling weakly. "You will do fine, Rodney."
He nodded quickly and gave her the shot. Reaching for the scissors, he let her see what he was about to do. He wouldn't think of touching her without permission. "I'm I uh need to cut your pant leg so I can see your leg." He was sweating buckets now and he wiped the worst of it on his sleeve.
A hand dropped to his and he looked up. "You are doing great, Rodney."
Nervous, he rambled, "Yes, yes, of course. I just I don't usually have to do this. I'm always the one being taken care of." He lowered the scissors to her pant leg but looked up a final time for confirmation.
The drugs were kicking in and Teyla was starting to tilt. He reached out and helped her lie down more comfortably. As he began to cut her pant leg, he doubted she even noticed. Peeling aside the material, he let out the breath he was holding. The bone hadn't broken the skin.
Ronon broke his silence. "Check her toes."
"What?"
"Beckett said to check toes and fingers. Make sure they're warm."
Rodney snapped his fingers. "Right, right. I was getting to that." Ronon didn't buy it judging from his smirk. Ignoring him, Rodney removed her boot and diligently checked her toes and found them warm. Good. Circulation wasn't compromised.
He took a minute for himself, grabbing a blister pack of painkillers and a bottle of water. Washing down the pills he got up slowly, still holding his arm protectively. It wasn't agonizing pain but it still throbbed if he moved to sharply. He hoped the pills would take the edge off both his shoulder and ribs. Thankfully he was too busy too really think about the pain. He could panic about the situation later, after everyone was taken care of.
Before going back to the cargo area, he checked on Sheppard again. There was no change and Rodney was starting to worry. He lingered too long and Ronon questioned him, "He okay?"
Rodney turned around and shook his head. "I don't know. He isn't waking up. I don't know what else to do for him."
Ronon shrugged, but his concern was evident. "Not much you can do, 'cept wait."
Rolling his eyes, Rodney countered, "Oh thank you, Dr. Dex." He stepped over the man's feet. "I need to find the splints for Teyla. Don't do anything stupid."
A lot of banging around and rearranging gear, Rodney found both an arm and leg immobilizer. Thank god Carson believed in preparing for the worst. The man's paranoia was paying off this trip. While in the back, he'd laid out all the sleeping bags they had, hoping to eventually move them all to the bigger space. It would make caring for them easier and they would be more comfortable if they were stuck for any length of time.
Rodney was trying not to think beyond the immediate threats but his brain never stopped and he was running through all the possible scenarios. It was far enough back in his brain that he didn't have to panic just yet.
He stared down at Teyla, hesitant and scared to do what was necessary. She was dozing, thanks to the morphine, but it wouldn't be enough once he started working on the breaks. Rubbing his forehead, he wiped away the sweatand was that blood on his hand. He dabbed at his head and found some minor cuts. Wiping his hands on his pants, he just stood there until Ronon nudged him with his foot.
"Won't get done starin' at it."
Rodney bit back, "I know that." His shoulders slumped and he mumbled, "Sorry. I've never done this. I don't want to hurt her any worse than she is."
"You won't." Ronon grabbed the seat and started to pull himself up.
Shocked, Rodney shouted, "Wait, wait. What do you think you're doing? Sit down."
Ronon ignored him and made it to his feet, or rather one foot. He was putting most of his weight on his good leg as he hung on to the seat for balance. "I'm in the way. I need to move around some. Getting stiff."
"Oh right, because walking on a wrenched knee is always a good thing. And I'm sure your ribs are thanking you right at this moment," bitched Rodney, even as he moved closer, taking Ronon's arm and draping it over his shoulder for support. He grunted as they stumbled to the back of the jumper, "Don't crush me when we fall."
They made it and Ronon didn't say much, a testament to his pain. He slid to the floor near the hatch and crossed his arms over his chest, his head down. Rodney suddenly felt sorry for him and asked, "You uh want some more painkillers?"
Ronon shook his head, "Nah, I'm good." His voice was strained.
Rodney snorted, "Of course you are." He turned back to the front of the jumper, calling over his shoulder. "I'll be sure to hold back the pills until you're ready to chew your arm off to protect your manly pride."
Chuckling, Ronon answered, "You do that."
Still mumbling about stoic and stupid teammates, Rodney knelt down beside Teyla. He was almost thankful Ronon wasn't there to see him blunder through this. He debated just getting on with it but feared Teyla would wake suddenly and slit his throat, so he gently shook her awake.
"Teyla."
She answered groggily, "Hmm."
"I'm going to splint you arm and leg now and I didn't want you killing me in your sleep."
More alert, Teyla smiled weakly, "I would not kill you, Rodney."
"Just checking. One can never be too sure. I'm much too valuable to lose my life over something as mundane as first aid."
Nodding, Teyla noticed the splints. "It is time, then?"
"Yeah," Rodney said quietly, wiping his sweaty hands on his pants. Picking the leg splint first he spoke nervously, "I'll be as quick as I can."
"I would appreciate that." She lay back down and tried to brace herself.
"You want something to bite on," suggested Rodney, not knowing if it would help or not. It always looked good in the movies.
Teyla laughed softly, "I do not believe that will be necessary." She took a deep breath and blew it out slowly, her good hand clenched in a tight fist as she nodded for Rodney to begin.
It was cramped between the seats but Rodney managed to slide the splint next to her broken leg so he could slide it under when the time came. As gently as possible, he moved his arm under her lower leg, hoping to rest it on his forearm to lift it, preventing too much jostling. Mentally counting to three, he lifted her leg, then grabbed the brace with his free hand and moved it into place, reminding himself not to rush and cause her more pain. He was quick, but gentle and while he felt her tense she didn't cry out.
Taking a couple of deep breaths, he dared to look at her. She was covered in sweat and her eyes were clenched tight as she took several cleansing breaths.
He ducked his head. "I'm sorry."
She shook her head and found her voice, strained as it was, "You did fine, Rodney. Please continue."
The splint was fairly straight forward and it took no time to slip the straps together and Velcro them shut. After he was done, he offered Teyla a drink while he checked her toes again. Still warmgood. Taking the water from her, he finished it off.
Looking down at her arm, he knew he had to do it all over again, but for once he wished he was hurt so someone else had to do this. Sensing his reluctance, Teyla looked at him. "You are doing fine."
Rodney huffed, "It's not like you have a choice." It was then that he noticed her arm was resting on her chest and he blushed. God, how was he supposed to do this without actually touching her? He deserved a special place in hell for even thinking beyond taking care of her arm.
She seemed to read his mind and chastised him,"Rodney."
Deeply blushing, he grabbed the arm splint and blustered, "Sorry, sorry, sorry. It's not like you can't expect me to notice. Your arm is right there and I'm only human. I mean no disrespect, but they are rather pleasing and right there " His hand was waving at the body part in question.
Teyla interrupted him, "While I appreciate your appreciation, now is not the time."
Rodney nodded frantically, busying himself with the brace and trying not to raise his eyes past the level of her arm. Concentrate on her arm you sick bastard. He narrowed his focus to her arm and within a short amount of time he had it bound securely. It was a worse break than the leg, causing Teyla to pass out. Rodney took advantage of it and very carefully moved her from between the seats. He debated picking her up, but decided dragging her to the rear would be easier on both of them.
Ronon tried to get up to help but Rodney shot him down with his usual sarcasm. Hurrying back to the front, he grabbed several packs of painkillers and more water, placing it between his two teammates. "Give her more if she wakes up in pain."
The adrenalin was wearing off and his own body was wanting to shut down. His shoulder was killing him from Teyla's weight but it was too soon to take more painkillers. He dropped to his knees and sighed, "I don't want to ever have to do that again."
"You're doing great, McKay."
"Says the man who is gets to sit and watch," Rodney sneered, not really meaning it.
Ronon shrugged and teased back, "You're the one who wouldn't let me help."
"Shut up." He sat for several long moments, catching his breath, but he couldn't stay still. He still needed to look after the colonel and then figure out how they were going to get home. Letting go a heavy sigh, he got up slowly and trudged to the front of the jumper to see if Sheppard was lucid yet.
Halfway there, he saw John's hand twitch and he rushed forward, calling his name, "Colonel."
John was trying to sit up and Rodney could see his eyes flutter open he neared. He put his hand on his back to stop him from moving. "Take it easy. You probably have a concussion."
He strained against Rodney's hand and sat up, swaying as he leaned back. He muttered, "Don't feel concussioned."
Rodney snorted, "I feel so blessed to have the only team that thinks they are invincible. I mean, hey, it's not like it's natural to feel pain when you are sayin pain. Let's ignore the body's defense mechanisms and go blindly about our business. All of you are too stupid to stop when your body says stop. Noooo, you have to go on as if you aren't allowed to get hurt. It goes against your manly code to show any type of weakness."
John smiled goofily at him and Rodney cut him off as soon as he tried to speak. "Shut up." As he reached up to touch his head, Rodney batted his hand away. "And stop touching it. You cut yourself."
Eyes wide, Sheppard stared absently at him. He frowned. "I did?"
Tilting his head back, Rodney stared at the ceiling and counted to ten. "Okay, let's just start over." He held up three fingers. "How many fingers do you see?"
John gave him a lazy smile, his eyes drooping shut, "Fingers?"
Rodney nudged him awake. "No sleeping."
John nodded and started to shut his eyes again. "'kay."
Shaking him harder until Sheppard opened his eyes, Rodney asked slowly, enunciating his words, "Are you hurt anywhere besides your head?"
Reaching for his head again, Sheppard answered, "My head hurts. Headache."
Rolling his eyes, Rodney sighed, "I got that. Any where else?"
"Nope."
"Are you nauseous?"
"Nauseous?"
"Yes, nauseous as in sick, wanting to throw up," answered Rodney, reaching the limit of his patience. It was like dealing with a two-year-old.
John snorted, "I know what it means."
He stared at Rodney until the scientist broke, "Well?"
"Well what?" Sheppard said stubbornly.
Closing his eyes, Rodney dropped his head with a sigh. "Are. You. Sick?"
John looked at him oddly, shook his head and threw up.
With all his patience, Rodney cleaned up the worst of it and did a few checks of Sheppard's eyes and determined he was tracking and his pupils were responding equally. All good signs. After a struggle, he managed to get Sheppard to his feet and the two of them staggered to join the others. The colonel flopped down and tried to sleep but Rodney nudged him awake or shouted at him in between caring for Ronon and Teyla and checking out the jumper. They were both grumpy after several hours of it.
Ronon finally snapped and said firmly, "McKay, take a nap. I'll watch him."
"I can't. There's too much to do. I don't think the jumper is fixable and someone has to come up with a way out of this mess. You all need someone to take care of you. There's no time to waste on sleeping."
Teyla shifted and eyed him carefully. "You need to rest."
He shook his head, trying to be all stoic sucked when all he wanted to do was close his eyes and sleep. As he tried to rise, Teyla snagged his jacket. "You must rest. You cannot do anything if you fall asleep on your feet. We can manage long enough for you to get some rest."
Looking at Ronon, who nodded in agreement, Rodney finally acquiesced but refused to lie down until they all had more painkillers and water. He got out a couple of MRE's in case they got hungry and settled to sleep. As soon as his head hit the floor he was asleep.
***********
He came awake slowly, stiff and sore. As he tried to sit up, he moaned at the pain in his shoulder and the pull on his ribs. Grabbing the offended spot, he rolled his neck, trying to work out the kinks. Groggy from sleep, he opened his eyes, remembering. Ronon was dozing, coughing in his sleep. He peered across the jumper and seeing Sheppard asleep, Rodney jerked awake fully, relieved when he found Teyla still awake, watching.
She smiled and answered his unspoken concern, "I have been waking him."
Rodney rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "Good, good. How long was I sleeping?"
Looking at her watch, she answered, "A little over an hour."
Eyeing her, he could see the pain lines in her face. She was good at hiding such things from most people, but even he could see she was hurting. "How are you doing?"
Without waiting for her to respond, he reached for one of the blisterpacks of pills. He opened them and handed her the water bottle. "Here. Don't argue."
His shoulder swollen and tender, Rodney debated taking some painkillers but the others would need them more and he had no idea how long they'd be stuck here. Ronon had wrapped it earlier which helped. It might have done more good, but Rodney had insisted he only immobilize the shoulder and upper arm. He needed his hands too much.
"I will not argue with you." She took them and swallowed. "I have been wondering how safe we are here."
Grabbing his datapad, he turned it on. "I think we're okay. The jumper is partially buried." He pointed to the front window and the dirt that covered it. "That should give us some protection against the tornadoes."
"I have heard much pounding against the jumper. Like rain only louder."
"Probably hail," Rodney said absently as he pulled up files. "The Hijjams said the hail can wipe out their crops."
"Atlantis cannot risk a rescue in this weather," Teyla said matter-of-factly.
"Not likely. They'd probably crash just like we did or worse," said Rodney, punching keys and scanning data. "As long as the station is malfunctioning the weather is not going to improve."
Teyla continued to question him. "How far are we from the station?"
"Hmmm. My best guess would be about 500 meters." He brought up a map on his computer. He pointed out landmarks. "This is us. This is the station and here is the gate."
Teyla pointed to the gate on his map. "How far?"
"Almost 4 kilometers. Too far to walk in this weather. I doubt we'd make it. You have to remember that the Hijjam relied on the device to stop just this kind of weather. This is typical for the planet. The device creates a sort of high pressure area so that severe weather can't develop. Without it, the planet, or at least this small section would be uninhabitable."
"Can the natives be of any assistance?"
"I doubt it. They live in the mountains. It's too far. In this weather they are in the same boat we are."
"So if we are to get off this planet we must fix the station," Teyla said.
"We? Oh no, no, no, no. I am not going out in that to fix it. It's too risky," ranted Rodney. He was on his feet pacing. He turned back and told her bluntly, "Just no."
Ronon coughed. "I'll go with him."
Rodney stomped back. "Oh right. You can't walk and you're coughing up a lung. There is no way you can go. There is no way I am going."
"Perhaps, Colonel Sheppard can accompany you."
Snorting, Rodney glared at her. "Right. Loopy over there barely knows his own name."
"That's Colonel Loopy," Sheppard sulked, swaying as he tried to sit up. He was also a shade past pale. "And I'm fine."
"Of course you are. Are you aware, that at this very moment, you are off center by about 15 degrees?" John frowned and Rodney sighed, shaking his head in despair, "My point exactly."
***********************
They'd dialed Atlantis, letting them know the situation. They agreed to hold off any gate rescue until the weather had cleared. The Daedalus was too far out to be of any use. In two weeks, they'd either be back in Atlantis or dead.
John's head was still killing him, the pain spiking every time his heart beat, making him sick to his stomach. He was the closest to being mobile besides Rodney and every time he moved he had to fight the nausea. Ronon was slumped against the wall, his arms wrapped around his ribs as he took shallow breaths. Every now and then he would cough and there was no mistaking the pain he was in. John was worried about internal damage. Teyla sat with her back to jumper bench, her broken arm cradled in her lap. Even with her eyes closed, her face was drawn and marred with pain lines.
Picking up a computer Rodney left on the bench, John played with it. Checking on the weather, the storms outside weren't any worse, but they certainly weren't any better; their severity staying constant throughout the area. Judging the distance to the station and taking into account the terrain, John figured it wouldn't take Rodney more than a half an hour to get there.
Rodney emerged from the front compartment, where he'd been busy checking circuits and pathways for the last hour. He snapped his fingers for the datapad. "Gimme."
Handing it over, John pouted. "There's no golf."
"Yeah, pity that." Rodney snatched it from his hand and sneered, "Some of us have to work for a living."
"I'm sorry, Rodney. You have to do this."
Rodney sat on the bench, refusing to look at him as he scanned the datapad. "No, I don't. It is stupid and suicidal. I'm a scientist, not a soldier. There has to be another way. It's a fool's mission." He looked up, glaring at John. "And I am no fool."
"Stop being a princess, McKay," John teased. He knew Rodney wasn't selfish, sometimes the man just let his fear get the best of him. Sometimes it was easier to goad Rodney into doing something rather than trying to reason with him.
Rodney's head shot up, looking flustered. "You have got to be kidding me. There could be hurricane force winds out there. I don't think I'm being selfish if I don't want to go out in that."
"We just wait for a break in the storms." John pinched the bridge of his nose. God, his head was pounding, bringing another wave of nausea. Arguing was so not helping. He grabbed a water bottle and another packet of painkillers, anything to take the edge off so he could deal with this.
"We?" shouted Rodney, "There is no we in this." John didn't miss the air quotes.
John rolled his eyes, grimacing at the stabbing pain it caused. He took a deep breath, gritting his teeth in frustration. He was losing his patience. "Can we please stay focused here? No one is going to rescue us. We can't do anything as long as the weather station is broken. You are the only one capable of doing that." He gestured at Teyla and Ronon, adding tersely, "Teyla can't move, Ronon is just shy of horking a lung and I " He really didn't want to go into his own issues. The headache, nausea and dizziness didn't bode well. "We can't afford to wait for some miracle rescue. You're it this time, deal with it."
"I'll find another way. You can't make me do this," Rodney said stubbornly, raising his chin defiantly.
They stared at each other, and John refused to back down. He let his frustration and the headache get the best of him and ground out, "I shouldn't have to."
Hurt, anger and frustration all flashed in Rodney's eyes before his shoulders slumped in defeat. He lurched to his feet, grabbed his datapad and stormed to the front. Sitting down, he changed his mind, got up and closed the forward compartment. John sat down heavily, hating himself. Way to go, John.
John stared at the closed door waiting for Rodney to get over his pissy fit. McKay could be stubborn and asking him to do this alone went against all that John believed. He hated the idea of sending the scientist out on his own, but realistically, none of the rest of them could make the trip.
Apparently, Rodney was going to need a little more time to figure out there was no other way.
**********************
When Rodney returned to the others he ignored them, moving around the jumper collecting his gear and mumbling about the weather and stupid colonels. Rummaging through the supplies, he left food, water and medicine within easy reach of each of his teammates, not sure how long he'd be gone.
After some indecision, he slipped his datapad inside his vest, snug against his chest. It was awkward but the thought of the twisting required to get it off his back later made it easier to ignore the discomfort. Besides, he could hold it in place with his useless left arm. He patted his vest, making sure his toolkit was there along with his scanner.
As if to help, Sheppard attempted to get to his feet and swayed alarmingly. Still pissed, Rodney debated letting him fall on his face but that would only add to his guilt and he reached out, pushing the man back to the bench. He snapped at the colonel, "What the hell are you doing?"
Leaning forward, elbows on his knees and taking deep breaths, John answered, "At the moment," Sheppard looked up at him, his face even paler than before and he'd broken out in a sweat. "I'm trying not to throw up on your shoes."
Rodney stepped back quickly, muttering alarm, "Shit."
He'd been stalling, hoping for another solution, but that clearly wasn't an option any more. He wanted to hate Sheppard for making him do this but Rodney wasn't so oblivious that he didn't notice the shape his team was in. None of them were looking very well. Teyla and Ronon had wisely chosen to remain silent about the whole thing. He didn't want to consider that they were too hurt to contribute.
Sheppard leaned back, hands braced on the seat, looking only slightly better. "You can do this. It's not that far to the station. Walk in the park."
"Right. A walk through tornado alley." Rodney added snidely, "I'll be sure to send you a postcard from Oz." His hands were shaking and he could feel the sweat run down his back as he paced the cargo bay, adding some Powerbars to his vest.
Pushing back the panic that was threatening to stop this moment of self sacrificing stupidity, he stepped to the rear of the jumper and reached for the hatch release. "I need to check the weather."
Sheppard asked, his face pinched in pain, "How long will it take for the weather to clear after you fix it?"
"How should I know, I'm a physicist not a meteorologist," Rodney snapped. Predicting the weather was about as accurate as astrology. Neither of which he had much faith in.
Sheppard wisely changed the subject. "You should be able to make it in about 15 minutes. Quicker if you run,"
Rodney wasn't amused. "Thanks for the pep talk, Colonel." He glared at Sheppard as he reached for the hatch, his hand trembling. He wasn't afraid to admit he was scared, it was his default setting when things went to shit. He turned and peered outside, ready to stop the hatch's descent should the weather prove unfavorable. There was no flying debris or rain and the wind was only gusting to about 25 mph. He let the hatch all the way down.
Cautiously stepping onto the ramp, he felt like ducking under the bank of thick, black clouds that hung low overhead. The wind whipped around him and he turned back to his teammates. Sheppard was on his feet again, but dropped to his knees just as Rodney backed off the ramp and raised the hatch. He turned quickly, refusing to meet Sheppard's eyes. If there was guilt there then the colonel deserved it. It didn't matter that he knew deep down he could do more good repairing the weather device rather than watching his teammates get progressively worse. What mattered was he was the one fighting the elements while they were tucked safely away inside a nice, warm jumper. It wasn't fair. He hunched into his jacket and began walking.
Continue to Part Two
Author: chaps1870
Prompt: Weather or Elements
Rating: PG13 for language
Word Count: 13,800
Warnings/Spoilers: none
Summary: "Whether the weather be good, or whether the weather be bad, we'll weather the weather, whatever the weather, whether we like it or not."
Title and summary are from a children's poem. ~author unknown
"The Hijjam just contacted us and have asked that we help them with their weather control system. Apparently it has been malfunctioning and they are worried it will affect their harvest if left too long," stated Weir, her hands clasped in front of her on the table, perfectly poised.
Typing on his laptop, Rodney brought up the planet in question and scanned what they knew of the weather device. The Hijjam relied heavily on the device to monitor and control the severe storms that raged over the surface of the planet. They were, with the aid of the device, able to regulate the weather in their little corner of the world. Sadly, they had no idea how the device worked or how to fix it if it broke down. Years of culling and staying alive had taken its toll on academia and the skills had been lost. A recent trade agreement with Hijjam offered technical assistance in return for a portion of their harvest.
"The weather device is Ancient in design. We've found other planets with similar devices but because of the nature of the device we can hardly remove it for study. We've searched the database for schematics but like everything else the ancients did, they didn't feel the need to provide details regarding said device."
Weir gave him a pointed look. "But you can fix it?"
Rodney nodded, "Of course, depending on the malfunction. There is always the possibility that it has reached its maximum lifespan and can no longer be repaired. These things are thousands of years old and one can never really "
"Rodney," Weir interrupted, with barely restrained impatience. "Can you fix it or not?"
Lifting his chin, he answered, "I should be able to, yes."
She laid her hands on the table, ready to rise. "Good. Mission is scheduled as soon as you can make yourselves ready. Dismissed."
*****************
The jumper exited the gate right into the apocalypse. Hurricane force winds slammed into the jumper sending it end over end. Sheppard automatically tightened his grip on the controls, even as his mind screamed 'straighten out, straighten out.'
"Oh no, this is bad," said Rodney, the panic already setting in.
Visibility was zero, dust and debris swirled outside the window and John quickly thought 'HUD' to try and prevent a nose dive into the ground he couldn't see. The display showed them at an altitude of about 50 feet and the wind speeds were in excess of 200 miles per hour if his conversion was correct. That would account for the zero visibility. His teeth clenched as he fought the controls, he asked sharply, "McKay, what is going on? I thought the Hijjams said it was clear."
Hands on his chair in a white-knuckled death grip, Rodney's eyes darted to the HUD, the raging storm visible through the display. "Tornado. Hurricane. End of the fucking world. I don't know." McKay answered, his voice high pitched with fear. "And it was clear an hour ago."
"Why aren't the dampeners working?" questioned Sheppard, using more of his body to fight the controls. The mental component wasn't getting it done. The jumper was slammed sideways, forcing them hard to the right in their seats.
"Maybe because even they have their limits," screeched Rodney, just at the jumper tumbled forward, forcing him back into his seat.
Trees suddenly appeared out of nowhere just before they skimmed the uppermost branches. Rain pelted down against the windshield as leaves and branches slide past.
"Hang on!"
The drive pods were taking out everything in their path as the jumper skittered left and right from the drag. Rodney shouted, "Pull up. Pull up."
Through clenched teeth, Sheppard growled back, "I'm trying." After several seconds of fighting the trees he got the jumper high enough that he could breathe again. The winds were still whipping them around but at least they were out of the trees. As he tried to straighten out, there was a slight pull to the left. "Is everybody alright?"
"Yes."
"Yes."
"Ow."
"Good, because I think we took some damage to the drive pod. The controls aren't responding like they should."
Ignoring whatever hurt he had, Rodney responded immediately, "Get us up and out of here. Preferable the upper atmosphere."
John turned and glared at him. "What part of not responding didn't you get?"
"Well, then we need to find a place to land," insisted McKay, who was actively working at getting his computer hooked up. John always felt better when Rodney was actually doing something instead of just panicking. He leaned forward, tempted to wipe at the window to get a better view, the rain and dust turned mud on the windshield making it difficult to see anything.
"I can't see to land," said Sheppard pointedly. Sweat beaded on his forehead and his arms ached from the strain of trying to control the jumper.
Rodney answered tersely, "Well we can't keep this up. We'll eventually run into something."
Teyla answered, "Perhaps we can outrun it." Her normal calmness was replaced by a heavier breath between words.
Turning in his seat, Rodney tried to explain as they were tossed around with each buffet of wind, grunting with each new bruise. "The reason for the device is more to prevent the weather rather than producing it. If the device is malfunctioning, which we can see is the case then it's not going to be any better somewhere else. Okay, it might be slightly better for a while but this whole planet is one violent storm waiting to happen."
"I'll take slightly better, McKay," said Ronon. "I've been in a tornado before. Wasn't fun."
Luck finally in their favor, they broke through the storm and could see the ground below them. The view beneath the cloud cover was just as ominous. Dark, heavy clouds hung low in the sky and they could see several tornados across the broad grassy plain in front of them. Mountains in the far distance were almost obscured by towering wall clouds and lightening flashed all around them, creating a strobe effect in the jumper. The valley below showed strips of barren ground where tornados had ripped a path of destruction.
"How far to the weather station?" John asked, wiping away some of the sweat on his face with his shoulder and taking a deep breath, letting it out slowly.
Pointing to the HUD, Rodney pinpointed its location. "About 10 kilometers. There." He pointed to a small hill that seemed to be the only landmark on the flat grassland in front of them.
"Okay, I'll get us as close as I can. If the weather starts to shift again, I'm taking us down. How far from the gate are we?"
McKay flinched as they were hit with flying debris then squinted at the readout. "Um, actually not that far. Just beyond the weather station. It is closer to the gate than we are. About 4 kilom..."
Any further answer was cut off as light flashed outside the jumper and the craft lurched sideways. "What was that?" asked Teyla, alarmed.
"Lightening." Sheppard shouted as they went into a spin, "I've lost control. We're going down."
"No, no, no. Down is bad," whined Rodney, fumbling with his laptop, and looking around helplessly. "Why don't these things have seatbelts? Were the Ancients just stupid or "
John cut him off because he wasn't in the mood for the scientist's doomsday rambling. "Shut up, McKay." The ground was coming up fast and he was doing his best to get the jumper to respondslow down, slow down, nose up, slow down. Shit.
He tried navigating to a lower section of the valley hoping for some protection once they landed. He managed to keep them in the air until they were almost to the hill Rodney had pointed out but it was a turbulent ride, strong winds buffeting their descent. They hit the ground like a stone on water and skipped across the grassy field gouging out dirt and rock with each hit. Hands trembling under the controls, John hoped to keep them aloft long enough to slow them for final impact.
"Brace yourselves." A second later they hit hard and managed to skim along for several seconds before the jumper dove nose first into the ground. John lost consciousness on impact.
**********************
He came to slowly, pain being the first thing he noticed. Shifting brought more pain and he groaned. Something was digging into his face and it would soon necessitate moving but he still hesitated. It took several long seconds to remember what had happened and his eyes flashed open in alarm. Jerking up and around to look for his teammates, he cried out at the intensity of pain that shot through his left side, "Oh god, that hurts."
Grabbing for his shoulder, Rodney hunched forward blinking back tears. Taking several deep breaths that probably hurt more than they should, he cautiously looked around. He seemed to be the only one moving. "Hey, anybody awake?"
The emergency lights had come on giving him just enough light to see by. Although the front window was a spiderweb of cracks, he could see enough to know they'd buried the front in dirt. John was sprawled forward onto the control console, blood from a head wound pooling beneath him.
"Shit." Moving slowly, Rodney managed to stand after a couple of attempts, still holding his left arm securely to his side. Judging by the discomfort and the disfigured shoulder it was probably dislocated. His ribs hurt as well, but not enough to compromise his breathing so they were likely only bruised.
Easing closer to Sheppard, Rodney checked for a pulse with a shaky hand, sighing with relief when he felt a strong and steady beat. Blood oozed from a jagged cut just below his hairline. With John sprawled over the controls it was hard to see what his other injuries might be and Rodney was reluctant to move him just yet. Removing a bandage from his vest, he quickly but carefully wrapped the colonel's head wound before checking on his teammates.
Turning around, he foundTeyla in a heap on the floor while Ronon sat against the wall, slumped over; neither of them was moving. Stumbling between the seats he slid to the floor rather ungracefully, holding his shoulder to keep from screaming at the agony that danced down his arm. Teyla lay on her side, curled around herself so it was difficult to see what was wrong with her. Nudging her shoulder, he tried to wake her and was rewarded with a small moan.
"Teyla?"
"Mmm," she answered him with a pained moaned.
He asked warily, reluctant to force her to move, "Where you hurt?"
"Mmm."
Great. This was getting him nowhere. With a deep breath he took his hand off his own arm and carefully tried to pull her onto her back so he could help her. She screamed and he backed off as if scalded, wincing in pain as he apologized, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I I god I'm sorry."
Regaining her composure, Teyla panted out calmly, "I believe my arm is broken," Shifting, she added tightly, "and my leg." She froze, stilling any movement that would bring more pain. "What of the others?"
Rodney's eyes darted forward to where Sheppard still sat unmoving and then over his shoulder to Ronon, who seemed to be coming around. "Sheppard hit his head. I wrapped it up. He hasn't woken yet. Ronon is waking up. I haven't checked him yet."
Teyla tried moving but stopped with a gasp, then spoke through clenched teeth, "Perhaps you should check Ronon and I will try to move on my own."
"Okay. Good. I'll be um right back to help you." Unsure, Rodney decided cowardice was the better part of valor and he retreated to help Ronon.
With as little motion as possible he moved over to where Ronon was stirring. Not wanting to startle the big man, he poked his outstretched leg, "Hey, wake up."
Ronon growled at him. Feeling brave, Rodney poked him again. "Come on you big oaf, talk to me."
The Satedan wasn't too happy with the prodding and grunted, "Stop."
"He speaks. Good. Where are you hurt?" Rodney asked.
Opening one eye, Ronon glared at him then wrapped one arm around his ribs as he worked to sit up straighter. He winced, and paused for a few seconds before pulling himself up to sit. "I'm good."
Rodney rolled his eyes. "Of course you are. You could be bleeding internally and all you'd tell me was 'you're fine'. Well you're not fine. What's wrong with your ribs?"
"Broke," said Ronon, as if it were nothing. Which in his mind was probably a minor inconvenience. He looked over Rodney and asked, "How 'bout you?"
"My shoulder. Sheppard is out cold with a bleeding head wound and Teyla thinks she broke her arm and leg."
As Ronon reached out to shift his leg, Rodney caught a grimace. Looking closer he could see that Ronon's knee was swollen and straining the material of his leather pants. Rodney just rolled his eyes again and commented, "Yes, yes, I know, you're fine. Well, you're not."
"Neither are you."
"True, but I'm at least mobile," Rodney said smugly. It lost its effect when he shrugged and then gasped because of the pain. "Stay. I'll get the med kit. And don't bother arguing. You can take something for the pain."
"Sure." That alone was telling enough. If Ronon was willing to take something for the pain it had to be bad.
Getting to his feet took a lot of effort and a fair amount of pain. He used the seats for support and slowly made his way to the cargo area. He was sweating and hurting by the time he returned with the med kit and water tucked under his good arm. Not sure how he was going to get back to the floor while holding the medkit, he finally opted to let it drop so he could use his good arm to support his bad. It was loud, but effective and he settled between Ronon and Teyla after a quick check on Sheppard to make sure he was still breathing. The bleeding appeared to have stopped and his pulse was still good. There wasn't much he could do until the colonel woke and could tell him what was wrong.
Digging through the medkit, he found some painkillers and a coldpack. He handed Ronon the pills and water while he mashed the coldpack to get it working. As he reached out to place it on Ronon's knee, his wrist was grabbed and he screamed. Before he could pull back in shock, Ronon pulled his arm straight and slammed his other hand into his dislocated shoulder in one quick motion.
Rodney collapsed, hunched over as he rocked against the pain. Sweating and gasping for air, he glared at the man. It took several minutes before he could speak. "You son of bitch. You could have at least warned me."
Ronon smile was strained, "Hurt me more than it hurt you."
Sneering, Rodney wouldn't admit that while his shoulder still throbbed he could move it without screaming now. He hissed, "Serves you right." He didn't feel bad dropping the coldpack on Ronon's knee. "Keep that on it, it'll help with swelling."
Ronon nodded towards Teyla. "Go. Help the others."
Forgiving his teammate, Rodney nodded slowly and turned his attention to Teyla, who had somehow managed to unfold herself and was leaning awkwardly on her side. Her arm was definitely broken if the vivid bruising and swelling were anything to go by. He couldn't see how her leg was doing. He cringed at the sight and admitted hesitantly, "I've um never I've never set a broken arm or leg before."
Teyla tried to smile reassuringly, but the frown and thin layer of sweat on her face said otherwise. "I believe it is better to immobilize it rather than try to set it. I will leave that for Dr. Beckett."
Rodney felt relieved he wouldn't have to screw it up but asked anyway, "Are you sure?"
She nodded, and said with a grimace of pain, "Yes, I am sure."
Out of his league, Rodney tried for comforting but he sucked at the whole sympathetic thing and he knew it. He reached for the medkit, and decided morphine was the best course of action. This was going to hurt enough to warrant something stronger than Tylenol. Taking the predosed syringe, he held it for Teyla to see and she nodded. Finding both of his teammates injured enough to not fight him for pain medication was disconcerting. It was sad to think he was the strong one today. His hands shaking, he swabbed her arm.
She glanced at him, smiling weakly. "You will do fine, Rodney."
He nodded quickly and gave her the shot. Reaching for the scissors, he let her see what he was about to do. He wouldn't think of touching her without permission. "I'm I uh need to cut your pant leg so I can see your leg." He was sweating buckets now and he wiped the worst of it on his sleeve.
A hand dropped to his and he looked up. "You are doing great, Rodney."
Nervous, he rambled, "Yes, yes, of course. I just I don't usually have to do this. I'm always the one being taken care of." He lowered the scissors to her pant leg but looked up a final time for confirmation.
The drugs were kicking in and Teyla was starting to tilt. He reached out and helped her lie down more comfortably. As he began to cut her pant leg, he doubted she even noticed. Peeling aside the material, he let out the breath he was holding. The bone hadn't broken the skin.
Ronon broke his silence. "Check her toes."
"What?"
"Beckett said to check toes and fingers. Make sure they're warm."
Rodney snapped his fingers. "Right, right. I was getting to that." Ronon didn't buy it judging from his smirk. Ignoring him, Rodney removed her boot and diligently checked her toes and found them warm. Good. Circulation wasn't compromised.
He took a minute for himself, grabbing a blister pack of painkillers and a bottle of water. Washing down the pills he got up slowly, still holding his arm protectively. It wasn't agonizing pain but it still throbbed if he moved to sharply. He hoped the pills would take the edge off both his shoulder and ribs. Thankfully he was too busy too really think about the pain. He could panic about the situation later, after everyone was taken care of.
Before going back to the cargo area, he checked on Sheppard again. There was no change and Rodney was starting to worry. He lingered too long and Ronon questioned him, "He okay?"
Rodney turned around and shook his head. "I don't know. He isn't waking up. I don't know what else to do for him."
Ronon shrugged, but his concern was evident. "Not much you can do, 'cept wait."
Rolling his eyes, Rodney countered, "Oh thank you, Dr. Dex." He stepped over the man's feet. "I need to find the splints for Teyla. Don't do anything stupid."
A lot of banging around and rearranging gear, Rodney found both an arm and leg immobilizer. Thank god Carson believed in preparing for the worst. The man's paranoia was paying off this trip. While in the back, he'd laid out all the sleeping bags they had, hoping to eventually move them all to the bigger space. It would make caring for them easier and they would be more comfortable if they were stuck for any length of time.
Rodney was trying not to think beyond the immediate threats but his brain never stopped and he was running through all the possible scenarios. It was far enough back in his brain that he didn't have to panic just yet.
He stared down at Teyla, hesitant and scared to do what was necessary. She was dozing, thanks to the morphine, but it wouldn't be enough once he started working on the breaks. Rubbing his forehead, he wiped away the sweatand was that blood on his hand. He dabbed at his head and found some minor cuts. Wiping his hands on his pants, he just stood there until Ronon nudged him with his foot.
"Won't get done starin' at it."
Rodney bit back, "I know that." His shoulders slumped and he mumbled, "Sorry. I've never done this. I don't want to hurt her any worse than she is."
"You won't." Ronon grabbed the seat and started to pull himself up.
Shocked, Rodney shouted, "Wait, wait. What do you think you're doing? Sit down."
Ronon ignored him and made it to his feet, or rather one foot. He was putting most of his weight on his good leg as he hung on to the seat for balance. "I'm in the way. I need to move around some. Getting stiff."
"Oh right, because walking on a wrenched knee is always a good thing. And I'm sure your ribs are thanking you right at this moment," bitched Rodney, even as he moved closer, taking Ronon's arm and draping it over his shoulder for support. He grunted as they stumbled to the back of the jumper, "Don't crush me when we fall."
They made it and Ronon didn't say much, a testament to his pain. He slid to the floor near the hatch and crossed his arms over his chest, his head down. Rodney suddenly felt sorry for him and asked, "You uh want some more painkillers?"
Ronon shook his head, "Nah, I'm good." His voice was strained.
Rodney snorted, "Of course you are." He turned back to the front of the jumper, calling over his shoulder. "I'll be sure to hold back the pills until you're ready to chew your arm off to protect your manly pride."
Chuckling, Ronon answered, "You do that."
Still mumbling about stoic and stupid teammates, Rodney knelt down beside Teyla. He was almost thankful Ronon wasn't there to see him blunder through this. He debated just getting on with it but feared Teyla would wake suddenly and slit his throat, so he gently shook her awake.
"Teyla."
She answered groggily, "Hmm."
"I'm going to splint you arm and leg now and I didn't want you killing me in your sleep."
More alert, Teyla smiled weakly, "I would not kill you, Rodney."
"Just checking. One can never be too sure. I'm much too valuable to lose my life over something as mundane as first aid."
Nodding, Teyla noticed the splints. "It is time, then?"
"Yeah," Rodney said quietly, wiping his sweaty hands on his pants. Picking the leg splint first he spoke nervously, "I'll be as quick as I can."
"I would appreciate that." She lay back down and tried to brace herself.
"You want something to bite on," suggested Rodney, not knowing if it would help or not. It always looked good in the movies.
Teyla laughed softly, "I do not believe that will be necessary." She took a deep breath and blew it out slowly, her good hand clenched in a tight fist as she nodded for Rodney to begin.
It was cramped between the seats but Rodney managed to slide the splint next to her broken leg so he could slide it under when the time came. As gently as possible, he moved his arm under her lower leg, hoping to rest it on his forearm to lift it, preventing too much jostling. Mentally counting to three, he lifted her leg, then grabbed the brace with his free hand and moved it into place, reminding himself not to rush and cause her more pain. He was quick, but gentle and while he felt her tense she didn't cry out.
Taking a couple of deep breaths, he dared to look at her. She was covered in sweat and her eyes were clenched tight as she took several cleansing breaths.
He ducked his head. "I'm sorry."
She shook her head and found her voice, strained as it was, "You did fine, Rodney. Please continue."
The splint was fairly straight forward and it took no time to slip the straps together and Velcro them shut. After he was done, he offered Teyla a drink while he checked her toes again. Still warmgood. Taking the water from her, he finished it off.
Looking down at her arm, he knew he had to do it all over again, but for once he wished he was hurt so someone else had to do this. Sensing his reluctance, Teyla looked at him. "You are doing fine."
Rodney huffed, "It's not like you have a choice." It was then that he noticed her arm was resting on her chest and he blushed. God, how was he supposed to do this without actually touching her? He deserved a special place in hell for even thinking beyond taking care of her arm.
She seemed to read his mind and chastised him,"Rodney."
Deeply blushing, he grabbed the arm splint and blustered, "Sorry, sorry, sorry. It's not like you can't expect me to notice. Your arm is right there and I'm only human. I mean no disrespect, but they are rather pleasing and right there " His hand was waving at the body part in question.
Teyla interrupted him, "While I appreciate your appreciation, now is not the time."
Rodney nodded frantically, busying himself with the brace and trying not to raise his eyes past the level of her arm. Concentrate on her arm you sick bastard. He narrowed his focus to her arm and within a short amount of time he had it bound securely. It was a worse break than the leg, causing Teyla to pass out. Rodney took advantage of it and very carefully moved her from between the seats. He debated picking her up, but decided dragging her to the rear would be easier on both of them.
Ronon tried to get up to help but Rodney shot him down with his usual sarcasm. Hurrying back to the front, he grabbed several packs of painkillers and more water, placing it between his two teammates. "Give her more if she wakes up in pain."
The adrenalin was wearing off and his own body was wanting to shut down. His shoulder was killing him from Teyla's weight but it was too soon to take more painkillers. He dropped to his knees and sighed, "I don't want to ever have to do that again."
"You're doing great, McKay."
"Says the man who is gets to sit and watch," Rodney sneered, not really meaning it.
Ronon shrugged and teased back, "You're the one who wouldn't let me help."
"Shut up." He sat for several long moments, catching his breath, but he couldn't stay still. He still needed to look after the colonel and then figure out how they were going to get home. Letting go a heavy sigh, he got up slowly and trudged to the front of the jumper to see if Sheppard was lucid yet.
Halfway there, he saw John's hand twitch and he rushed forward, calling his name, "Colonel."
John was trying to sit up and Rodney could see his eyes flutter open he neared. He put his hand on his back to stop him from moving. "Take it easy. You probably have a concussion."
He strained against Rodney's hand and sat up, swaying as he leaned back. He muttered, "Don't feel concussioned."
Rodney snorted, "I feel so blessed to have the only team that thinks they are invincible. I mean, hey, it's not like it's natural to feel pain when you are sayin pain. Let's ignore the body's defense mechanisms and go blindly about our business. All of you are too stupid to stop when your body says stop. Noooo, you have to go on as if you aren't allowed to get hurt. It goes against your manly code to show any type of weakness."
John smiled goofily at him and Rodney cut him off as soon as he tried to speak. "Shut up." As he reached up to touch his head, Rodney batted his hand away. "And stop touching it. You cut yourself."
Eyes wide, Sheppard stared absently at him. He frowned. "I did?"
Tilting his head back, Rodney stared at the ceiling and counted to ten. "Okay, let's just start over." He held up three fingers. "How many fingers do you see?"
John gave him a lazy smile, his eyes drooping shut, "Fingers?"
Rodney nudged him awake. "No sleeping."
John nodded and started to shut his eyes again. "'kay."
Shaking him harder until Sheppard opened his eyes, Rodney asked slowly, enunciating his words, "Are you hurt anywhere besides your head?"
Reaching for his head again, Sheppard answered, "My head hurts. Headache."
Rolling his eyes, Rodney sighed, "I got that. Any where else?"
"Nope."
"Are you nauseous?"
"Nauseous?"
"Yes, nauseous as in sick, wanting to throw up," answered Rodney, reaching the limit of his patience. It was like dealing with a two-year-old.
John snorted, "I know what it means."
He stared at Rodney until the scientist broke, "Well?"
"Well what?" Sheppard said stubbornly.
Closing his eyes, Rodney dropped his head with a sigh. "Are. You. Sick?"
John looked at him oddly, shook his head and threw up.
With all his patience, Rodney cleaned up the worst of it and did a few checks of Sheppard's eyes and determined he was tracking and his pupils were responding equally. All good signs. After a struggle, he managed to get Sheppard to his feet and the two of them staggered to join the others. The colonel flopped down and tried to sleep but Rodney nudged him awake or shouted at him in between caring for Ronon and Teyla and checking out the jumper. They were both grumpy after several hours of it.
Ronon finally snapped and said firmly, "McKay, take a nap. I'll watch him."
"I can't. There's too much to do. I don't think the jumper is fixable and someone has to come up with a way out of this mess. You all need someone to take care of you. There's no time to waste on sleeping."
Teyla shifted and eyed him carefully. "You need to rest."
He shook his head, trying to be all stoic sucked when all he wanted to do was close his eyes and sleep. As he tried to rise, Teyla snagged his jacket. "You must rest. You cannot do anything if you fall asleep on your feet. We can manage long enough for you to get some rest."
Looking at Ronon, who nodded in agreement, Rodney finally acquiesced but refused to lie down until they all had more painkillers and water. He got out a couple of MRE's in case they got hungry and settled to sleep. As soon as his head hit the floor he was asleep.
***********
He came awake slowly, stiff and sore. As he tried to sit up, he moaned at the pain in his shoulder and the pull on his ribs. Grabbing the offended spot, he rolled his neck, trying to work out the kinks. Groggy from sleep, he opened his eyes, remembering. Ronon was dozing, coughing in his sleep. He peered across the jumper and seeing Sheppard asleep, Rodney jerked awake fully, relieved when he found Teyla still awake, watching.
She smiled and answered his unspoken concern, "I have been waking him."
Rodney rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "Good, good. How long was I sleeping?"
Looking at her watch, she answered, "A little over an hour."
Eyeing her, he could see the pain lines in her face. She was good at hiding such things from most people, but even he could see she was hurting. "How are you doing?"
Without waiting for her to respond, he reached for one of the blisterpacks of pills. He opened them and handed her the water bottle. "Here. Don't argue."
His shoulder swollen and tender, Rodney debated taking some painkillers but the others would need them more and he had no idea how long they'd be stuck here. Ronon had wrapped it earlier which helped. It might have done more good, but Rodney had insisted he only immobilize the shoulder and upper arm. He needed his hands too much.
"I will not argue with you." She took them and swallowed. "I have been wondering how safe we are here."
Grabbing his datapad, he turned it on. "I think we're okay. The jumper is partially buried." He pointed to the front window and the dirt that covered it. "That should give us some protection against the tornadoes."
"I have heard much pounding against the jumper. Like rain only louder."
"Probably hail," Rodney said absently as he pulled up files. "The Hijjams said the hail can wipe out their crops."
"Atlantis cannot risk a rescue in this weather," Teyla said matter-of-factly.
"Not likely. They'd probably crash just like we did or worse," said Rodney, punching keys and scanning data. "As long as the station is malfunctioning the weather is not going to improve."
Teyla continued to question him. "How far are we from the station?"
"Hmmm. My best guess would be about 500 meters." He brought up a map on his computer. He pointed out landmarks. "This is us. This is the station and here is the gate."
Teyla pointed to the gate on his map. "How far?"
"Almost 4 kilometers. Too far to walk in this weather. I doubt we'd make it. You have to remember that the Hijjam relied on the device to stop just this kind of weather. This is typical for the planet. The device creates a sort of high pressure area so that severe weather can't develop. Without it, the planet, or at least this small section would be uninhabitable."
"Can the natives be of any assistance?"
"I doubt it. They live in the mountains. It's too far. In this weather they are in the same boat we are."
"So if we are to get off this planet we must fix the station," Teyla said.
"We? Oh no, no, no, no. I am not going out in that to fix it. It's too risky," ranted Rodney. He was on his feet pacing. He turned back and told her bluntly, "Just no."
Ronon coughed. "I'll go with him."
Rodney stomped back. "Oh right. You can't walk and you're coughing up a lung. There is no way you can go. There is no way I am going."
"Perhaps, Colonel Sheppard can accompany you."
Snorting, Rodney glared at her. "Right. Loopy over there barely knows his own name."
"That's Colonel Loopy," Sheppard sulked, swaying as he tried to sit up. He was also a shade past pale. "And I'm fine."
"Of course you are. Are you aware, that at this very moment, you are off center by about 15 degrees?" John frowned and Rodney sighed, shaking his head in despair, "My point exactly."
***********************
They'd dialed Atlantis, letting them know the situation. They agreed to hold off any gate rescue until the weather had cleared. The Daedalus was too far out to be of any use. In two weeks, they'd either be back in Atlantis or dead.
John's head was still killing him, the pain spiking every time his heart beat, making him sick to his stomach. He was the closest to being mobile besides Rodney and every time he moved he had to fight the nausea. Ronon was slumped against the wall, his arms wrapped around his ribs as he took shallow breaths. Every now and then he would cough and there was no mistaking the pain he was in. John was worried about internal damage. Teyla sat with her back to jumper bench, her broken arm cradled in her lap. Even with her eyes closed, her face was drawn and marred with pain lines.
Picking up a computer Rodney left on the bench, John played with it. Checking on the weather, the storms outside weren't any worse, but they certainly weren't any better; their severity staying constant throughout the area. Judging the distance to the station and taking into account the terrain, John figured it wouldn't take Rodney more than a half an hour to get there.
Rodney emerged from the front compartment, where he'd been busy checking circuits and pathways for the last hour. He snapped his fingers for the datapad. "Gimme."
Handing it over, John pouted. "There's no golf."
"Yeah, pity that." Rodney snatched it from his hand and sneered, "Some of us have to work for a living."
"I'm sorry, Rodney. You have to do this."
Rodney sat on the bench, refusing to look at him as he scanned the datapad. "No, I don't. It is stupid and suicidal. I'm a scientist, not a soldier. There has to be another way. It's a fool's mission." He looked up, glaring at John. "And I am no fool."
"Stop being a princess, McKay," John teased. He knew Rodney wasn't selfish, sometimes the man just let his fear get the best of him. Sometimes it was easier to goad Rodney into doing something rather than trying to reason with him.
Rodney's head shot up, looking flustered. "You have got to be kidding me. There could be hurricane force winds out there. I don't think I'm being selfish if I don't want to go out in that."
"We just wait for a break in the storms." John pinched the bridge of his nose. God, his head was pounding, bringing another wave of nausea. Arguing was so not helping. He grabbed a water bottle and another packet of painkillers, anything to take the edge off so he could deal with this.
"We?" shouted Rodney, "There is no we in this." John didn't miss the air quotes.
John rolled his eyes, grimacing at the stabbing pain it caused. He took a deep breath, gritting his teeth in frustration. He was losing his patience. "Can we please stay focused here? No one is going to rescue us. We can't do anything as long as the weather station is broken. You are the only one capable of doing that." He gestured at Teyla and Ronon, adding tersely, "Teyla can't move, Ronon is just shy of horking a lung and I " He really didn't want to go into his own issues. The headache, nausea and dizziness didn't bode well. "We can't afford to wait for some miracle rescue. You're it this time, deal with it."
"I'll find another way. You can't make me do this," Rodney said stubbornly, raising his chin defiantly.
They stared at each other, and John refused to back down. He let his frustration and the headache get the best of him and ground out, "I shouldn't have to."
Hurt, anger and frustration all flashed in Rodney's eyes before his shoulders slumped in defeat. He lurched to his feet, grabbed his datapad and stormed to the front. Sitting down, he changed his mind, got up and closed the forward compartment. John sat down heavily, hating himself. Way to go, John.
John stared at the closed door waiting for Rodney to get over his pissy fit. McKay could be stubborn and asking him to do this alone went against all that John believed. He hated the idea of sending the scientist out on his own, but realistically, none of the rest of them could make the trip.
Apparently, Rodney was going to need a little more time to figure out there was no other way.
**********************
When Rodney returned to the others he ignored them, moving around the jumper collecting his gear and mumbling about the weather and stupid colonels. Rummaging through the supplies, he left food, water and medicine within easy reach of each of his teammates, not sure how long he'd be gone.
After some indecision, he slipped his datapad inside his vest, snug against his chest. It was awkward but the thought of the twisting required to get it off his back later made it easier to ignore the discomfort. Besides, he could hold it in place with his useless left arm. He patted his vest, making sure his toolkit was there along with his scanner.
As if to help, Sheppard attempted to get to his feet and swayed alarmingly. Still pissed, Rodney debated letting him fall on his face but that would only add to his guilt and he reached out, pushing the man back to the bench. He snapped at the colonel, "What the hell are you doing?"
Leaning forward, elbows on his knees and taking deep breaths, John answered, "At the moment," Sheppard looked up at him, his face even paler than before and he'd broken out in a sweat. "I'm trying not to throw up on your shoes."
Rodney stepped back quickly, muttering alarm, "Shit."
He'd been stalling, hoping for another solution, but that clearly wasn't an option any more. He wanted to hate Sheppard for making him do this but Rodney wasn't so oblivious that he didn't notice the shape his team was in. None of them were looking very well. Teyla and Ronon had wisely chosen to remain silent about the whole thing. He didn't want to consider that they were too hurt to contribute.
Sheppard leaned back, hands braced on the seat, looking only slightly better. "You can do this. It's not that far to the station. Walk in the park."
"Right. A walk through tornado alley." Rodney added snidely, "I'll be sure to send you a postcard from Oz." His hands were shaking and he could feel the sweat run down his back as he paced the cargo bay, adding some Powerbars to his vest.
Pushing back the panic that was threatening to stop this moment of self sacrificing stupidity, he stepped to the rear of the jumper and reached for the hatch release. "I need to check the weather."
Sheppard asked, his face pinched in pain, "How long will it take for the weather to clear after you fix it?"
"How should I know, I'm a physicist not a meteorologist," Rodney snapped. Predicting the weather was about as accurate as astrology. Neither of which he had much faith in.
Sheppard wisely changed the subject. "You should be able to make it in about 15 minutes. Quicker if you run,"
Rodney wasn't amused. "Thanks for the pep talk, Colonel." He glared at Sheppard as he reached for the hatch, his hand trembling. He wasn't afraid to admit he was scared, it was his default setting when things went to shit. He turned and peered outside, ready to stop the hatch's descent should the weather prove unfavorable. There was no flying debris or rain and the wind was only gusting to about 25 mph. He let the hatch all the way down.
Cautiously stepping onto the ramp, he felt like ducking under the bank of thick, black clouds that hung low overhead. The wind whipped around him and he turned back to his teammates. Sheppard was on his feet again, but dropped to his knees just as Rodney backed off the ramp and raised the hatch. He turned quickly, refusing to meet Sheppard's eyes. If there was guilt there then the colonel deserved it. It didn't matter that he knew deep down he could do more good repairing the weather device rather than watching his teammates get progressively worse. What mattered was he was the one fighting the elements while they were tucked safely away inside a nice, warm jumper. It wasn't fair. He hunched into his jacket and began walking.
Continue to Part Two