Trapped
Summary:- John is trapped. Can the team get to him in time? A Search & Rescue AU. Shep whump. My take on how I'd like to see S5's 'Search and Rescue' pan out based on several pictures Mr. Mallozzi has kindly posted on his blog.
Spoilers:- The Last Man and maybe Search and Rescue?
Rated:- K+ mild language.
Disclaimer:- I don't own Stargate Atlantis. If I did, Shep would be whumped more often.
Sorry no beta so all the mistakes are mine.
Trapped
John's senses slowly returned and he wished that they hadn't as he became acutely aware of pain. No, it was more than just pain it was pure agony. A tide of utter torture with every breath he took and it radiated from somewhere down on his right-hand side.
A whimper reached his ears, muffled by the ringing and buzzing sounds that filled them. He didn't even realize that it came from him.
Another sense rose to the foreground, a smell of smoke and clogging dust making John's brain question, where the hell am I?
To answer that, he needed to open his eyes but they refused to cooperate. He tried to move his left hand, not trusting or wanting to move his right, but the hand seemed immobile, pinned down.
Panic began to set in and with it; his memory suddenly came back online. Of course, with that came the knowledge that he was in big trouble, which made John's heart beat faster than it should. For a minute or two, the pain soared higher and he felt extremely light-headed.
John lost it as he rode the tide of torturous agony. Fortunately, it eventually lowered to a more bearable level, so John forced his eyes open. After blinking several times to wash away the dust, they finally came into focus. A groan escaped his lips and he promptly closed them again. As Rodney would say, he was well and truly screwed.
With that thought, came another moment of soaring panic, causing John to open his eyes once more as the memory that he hadn't been alone when the building had collapsed came to the fore. Rodney? He pondered, what the hell has happened to Rodney, Ronon, Lorne and the Marines?
He looked around in a vague attempted to locate Ronon but he could hardly see beyond the steel girder that blocked his view. He couldn't even turn his head, it just hurt too much but his eyes tracked down the girder and he noted with dismay that a metal reinforcement rod much like a rebar was protruding somewhere near to the source of his intense pain. Had the thing impaled him? The ghastly thought made him shudder uncontrollably and he had to swallow hard to keep his stomach under control as his fears and continuous pain washed over him. There was no doubt about it, he was in deep trouble and he knew it.
As if he wasn't distressed enough another depressing thought suddenly popped into his head. To think that he had spent over 700 hundred years in a stasis pod in order to save Teyla and the rest of galaxy only to end up trapped under a pile of rubble while Michael did his worst. With that belief, came an overwhelming sense of failure. He should have seen this coming. He should have been prepared. Now his friends were very likely dead and the future lost to Michael, and all because of him.
His despondency overwhelmed him for a minute and he let himself drifted until his brain got back into gear when another thought rose up through the cotton haze. This wasn't his normal way of thinking, he was usually far more positive about things. "What happened to your optimism, John?" he murmured under his breath, and yet he knew the answer to that. He was badly injured and the persistent pain was already wearing him down. He felt weak and helpless. His mouth felt drier than the desert storm he had endured so long ago. Now his mind insisted. Just close your eyes and let go. And the way his body felt right now, it was a lovely thought. Just to let go and let death claim him.
He nearly gave into it but his stubborn will quickly rushed to the fore and told him, No way, John. There is no way you're giving up this easily. They will come for you and get you out of here. You just have to hold on for a while. However, that was easier said than done. Although, he had to believe it was true. He let himself drift and closed his mind off to all coherent thought as he concentrated on fighting the pain and staying alive.
Time in this situation was difficult to judge and when his awareness returned enough to make rational thinking possible again, he cleared his throat and tried to shout. "Ro…non," but it came out as high-pitched croak. His second attempt wasn't much better, it took all the energy that he had, and his awareness left him with a rush.
oOOo
Just how long he had remained unconscious was unknown. Only when he opened his eyes the next time, he was greeted by the sight of two very anxious ones.
"Sheppard, come on wake up for me," The gravely words where followed be light tap to his exposed cheek.
John blinked away the fogginess and whispered "Ro…non?"
Ronon swallowed back his sense of relief. "Yep, that's me."
"Oh, thank god. How'd…ya get…out? Not hurt…are ya?"
Ronon frowned, concerned by the weakness and slur in John's voice. "It wasn't easy. I had to dig my way out. I'm not badly hurt and I got here as fast as I could."
"Good…not hurt but where's here?"
Another frown creased Ronon's brow. "The building, remember we were…."
"No, I mean…where are we trapped in…in the building?"
"Oh, right. Well you were one-step ahead of me when the building caved in and the floor gave away from under us. I landed over there." Ronon waved his hand in the general direction even though Sheppard couldn't turn to look. "Guess I got lucky because I was protected from the worst of the fallout by a large cross beam. I have some impressive bruising and one or two cuts but that's about it." He stopped to look at his friend. "I'm afraid you weren't so lucky. From what I can tell, you're buried under quite a lot of concrete and stuff. Then there's this big metal beam blocking the way, so I won't touch anything until the rescue team arrives."
John nodded as much as he could before locking his eyes downwards. "Can you see where…the rebar ends? Is it in…me?"
Ronon looked puzzled. "What?"
John fought to muster an extra bit of strength to explain. "The slim metal bar that's protruding…upwards with some smaller pieces of concrete…attached to it, has it imp...impaled me?"
Ronon looked down and carefully followed the indicated rod. He couldn't really see much so he tried moving a piece of concrete aside. His hand stilled instantly when John suddenly let out a pain-filled scream.
When John could talk again, he pleaded. "Please don't move anything."
"Sorry."
"Not you're…fault. I definitely think…that the rebar has gone into my right side. Every time I try to move, the pain… is unbearable. Even breathing makes it hurt."
Ronon turned slightly so that John couldn't see his concern. "Then let's hope the rescue comes soon."
"I'll…second that." John murmured. There wasn't everything more to add, he was in a bad situation and they both knew it. A few minutes later, John's energy was spent and he slipped back into unconsciousness despite Ronon's effort to keep him lucid.
Ronon felt helpless as he watched his friend for signs of life. If anything were to happen such as problem with his breathing then there wasn't a thing Ronon could do about it other than watch as his friend died. It almost made him want to ball his fist and strike something but of course, that would not help his situation at all.
He hadn't been quite honest with Sheppard. Although he had come out lightly when compared to his friend, Ronon had suffered a bit more than just bad bruising and cuts. He could hardly walk on his left foot and even though he didn't think that any bones were broken, it was obvious that the foot was badly sprained or twisted. Then there was the deep laceration higher up on the same leg. Ronon had tied to cut off the blood flow as best he could with his belt, but the darn wound keep bleeding. He could live with it but once they were rescued, he would need medical help. Ronon knew that his fear for John would keep him on his feet for many hours to come and if necessary, he would protect his vulnerable friend with his life.
The first signs of impending rescued came after what felt like hours to Ronon. He'd been unable to contact anyone because his radio was broken and Sheppard's was unreachable buried somewhere inside his tac vest under all the rubble. His hope and anticipation increased when he heard sounds of movement above him. He called out, positive that whoever it was would hear him but at the same time fearful that it could be Michael or one of his zombies and he wouldn't be able to stop them from killing John.
Thankfully, a short while later, a young female sounding voice shouted out. "Hello!? Is that you Mr .Dex!?"
Ronon breathed a sigh of relief and called back. "Yeah! I'm down here with the Colonel! I'm free but he's trapped under a load of rubble and in a bad way!"
The young voice sounded apprehensive when she answered back. "Okay! Sorry it has taken so long to reach you but we had to dig our way through! Unfortunately, it may take a little while longer as we still have to get excavation and cutting equipment through to this section! We'll get back to you as soon as we possibly can!"
Ronon didn't like the sound of that although there was nothing he could do about it. "Alright!" he shouted back.
His shout brought John out of the stupor that he'd been his companion since regaining consciousness some minutes earlier. He listlessly called to Ronon but his voice hardly carried at all.
Nevertheless, Ronon heard him and went over to him as quickly as his foot would allow. "Did you hear that? The rescue folks are here."
John wanted to tell Ronon, thank god, but he felt so bad that he just couldn't work up the enthusiasm to be pleased about it, so all he asked was. "How long?" It came out as a choked whisper.
Ronon glanced down at his friend and he didn't like what he saw. John was ashen to the point where he almost looked grey. His skin was beaded with moisture that he could ill afford to lose. He looked half-dead and broken with his right arm lying at an unnatural angle and his head slumped to one side as if the weight had become too much for him to bear. So what could Ronon tell Sheppard that would help to see the man through? He didn't want to lie to him but the truth would not be an encouragement, so he simply replied. "They promised to get here as soon as possible."
John looked up with great difficultly and slurred. "I hope…they… not too…long."
"Yeah, me too." There was nothing more to say and Ronon watched as Sheppard drifted in and out of consciousness.
Again, the Satedan's frustration boiled, he hated feeling helpless. He was a man of action, not good at waiting for others to do what he considered his duty. However, this situation was beyond his ability and on top of that, he was also injured. Most annoying of all, was the fact that he didn't even have some water or pain relief to offer Sheppard, only his companionship but would that be enough.
oOOo
Time went by at an alarmingly slow pace and even though Ronon didn't have a watch, he reckoned that it must have been a good hour or so before he finally heard the sounds of someone returning.
The same young woman shouted to him but this time she came to edge and stared down at them. "Sorry about the delay but Colonel Carter and the others have had some trouble involving Michael. Meaning, we were unable to get back to this section of the building for a while! Anyway, we'll be bringing the equipment along in a minute to help get you guys out! How's Colonel Sheppard fairing!? "
Ronon swallowed down his annoyance and looked at Sheppard before giving an honest answer. "Not so good!"
The young woman gave a concerned nod. "Okay, we'll get things rolling as quickly as possible. Could you tell me what type of rubble is trapping the Colonel!? I mean is it just concrete or are there metal beams involved!"
Ronon thought it was a bit of a stupid question as surely, she could see from where she was standing, but he shouted the answer anyway. "Both. There's a large metal beam in front of him and several smaller metal rods, I believe they are called rebars or something like that. They're twisted amongst the concrete slabs. Sheppard thinks that one of them may have impaled him!"
Even from the distance separating them, Ronon saw the woman go pale. "Okay," she said again. "I'll inform Colonel Carter and we'll try to get Dr. Keller down here as soon as possible but she is seeing to other injuries at the moment!"
"What other injuries!?"
"Several people were wounded during the conflict with Michael!"
"Ask…her about…Rodney and…others," Sheppard's weak voice drifted up to him.
Ronon hadn't even realized that John was conscious. "What about McKay, Lorne and the Marines!?"
"Dr. McKay and the Major are both free and relatively unharmed apart from cuts and bruises. Two of the Marines are also unharmed, one was badly injured, and two are dead!"
Ronon looked at Sheppard to make sure that he had heard. John nodded carefully, looking both relieved and sad at the same time. More men lost. "And Teyla?" he whispered.
Ronon relayed the question and the woman shouted back. "Colonel Carter, Major Lorne and Dr. McKay are working to get her away from Michael right now, but we are confident that they will succeed!"
Just as she finished talking several other people arrived on the scene dressed in heavy-duty survival gear and tin hats. They started talking to the woman as they peered down at the two men below.
After some heated discussion, the woman eventually shouted back down. "Lieutenant Forester is going to try and get down to you with some support jacks. I suggest that you move to a safer spot, Mr. Dex, just in case the rest of that section should give way when we start to work on it!"
Ronon looked up at her as if she'd gone crazy. "And what about Sheppard? I'm not leaving him unprotected!"
"I'm sorry but there is nothing we can do for the Colonel until we get the equipment down and support the roof!"
"Ronon…just do as she said…move away from here."
Ronon shook his head emphatically. "I am not leaving you here unprotected. If that slab comes down you wouldn't stand a chance."
John didn't really know what slab Ronon was referring to as he still couldn't see beyond the metal beam but he guessed it was somehow unsafe and suspended directly above him. He didn't feel like arguing but he had to get his point across. "Ronon, what help would you be…if the slab…did come down? We'd both be buried…and probably killed, so don't make me…order you."
Ronon could see what an effort just saying those few words had cost Sheppard. Now he felt guilty at causing the extra exertion, one that John could ill afford. Therefore, he made his answer simple. "Alright."
Satisfied, John nodded slightly and let his eyes drift as he slipped back into unconsciousness. Ronon saw it and moved to stand protectively over his friend.
"We're ready!" the woman shouted down, she didn't bother to check and see if Ronon had moved away.
A few minutes later, a man, supposedly Forester was cautiously lowered over the far section of their hole. A little bit of rubble and dust followed in his wake, but nothing too large broke away.
The man looked towards Ronon and frowned. The Satedan shook his head and slipped closer to John.
"You know we can get you out of here, Mr. Dex. You just need to sit in this pulley and we can hoist you up."
"No way," Ronon growled. "Not until Sheppard is ready to go."
"Yeah, I guessed as much but I had to ask. As soon as I get some jacks down here, I'll start shoring up that big slab above you and then we can cut the Colonel out. How is he?"
"Not good. Just do it quickly so we can get him out of here and into the infirmary." Ronon growled, this time allowing his annoyance to show.
"Sorry, will do."
True to his word, Forester and the others spent the next ten minutes carefully lowering the jacks down one by one. At the end, another man joined him and together they began the tedious task of supporting the surrounding roof. Everything went well until near the end when a small section of concrete broke away and went tumbling down towards the trapped man. Ronon saw it and threw himself protectively over his friend. The small piece caught him on the side of his head and Ronon saw stars for several minutes and felt blood trickle down his neck.
Lieutenant Forester was by his side in no time. "Are you alright?"
Ronon straightened when he realized the danger was over. "Yeah, I'll live."
"That was a little foolish but it was a good job you protected the Colonel otherwise, I'm sure that concrete would have hit him. Isn't that so, sir?"
It was then that Ronon realized that Sheppard was conscious and looking none too pleased.
"Ronon," John choked but he didn't have the energy to tell the man how angry he felt. Instead, all he managed to say was. "I…I don't feel…so good." It was the truth because he didn't. He could barely stand the pain anymore, he felt drained, completely empty. His whole world had focused down to a dark tunnel that pulsated with the stumbling rhythm of his heart and the waves of constant agony. Maybe he should just give into it.
Ronon moved back and held John's face gently between his large hands. "Sheppard look at me," he commanded. "If you die I'll…I'll never forgive you."
Sheppard smiled weakly as he tried to focus on Ronon's face. "I…thought you were…going to say, I'll kill you."
"Huh? If you're dead already how can I kill you?"
'Never mind…I'll try not…to but but…can't promise."
Ronon looked at him sternly. "You damn well will. You will stay alive, you hear me, and fight this!"
John did hear him but his world closed down before he could answer.
Ronon straightened and turned to the others. "Please…get him out of here."
"We will, Mr. Dex. Now let us do our job."
Reluctantly, Ronon moved aside and watched as other rescuers arrived and began the difficult task of extracting his friend from the rubble. It seemed such a slow process but Ronon knew they had to be careful so that they didn't cause Sheppard any more injuries than he obviously already had.
About ten minutes into the extraction, Dr. Jennifer Keller arrived on the scene and she was carefully lowered down into their section. She quickly assessed Ronon's condition before moving over to Sheppard.
She returned to Ronon's side some minutes later looking pale and apprehensive. "There's nothing much I can do for him until he's free of the rubble but from what I can see a rebar has gone into his right side. It's a mess."
Ronon swallowed hard. "Will you be able to help him?"
Keller turned a solemn face towards the Satedan. "At this stage I can't give you an honest answer. He could have sustained many other injuries," She grabbed his hand and lightly squeezed, "but I promise to do my best. Now let's see about fixing up your leg and foot."
"Yeah alright, but the minute they call you, I want you to go back to Sheppard." Jennifer nodded as she reached for her medical supplies.
As it so happened, Keller had nearly finished with Ronon's leg injury when the call came. "We're ready to move him out, doc!"
Jennifer straightened and looked at Ronon sternly. "Stay right here until I get back." Ronon nodded before she moved away to join the men who were gathered around John.
The colonel's body was now free except for the rebar and the accompanying concrete bits. Jennifer checked his pulse and noted that the colonel was well and truly out of things, which was a blessing really. Getting down on her knees, she gave the entry wound a scrutiny. On close inspection, she was alarmed by the amount of blood that had pooled along his waistband and under him.
"Damn," she muttered as she got up. "We need to get him free of that rebar as soon as possible. Have you got a cutter or something to break it off about here?" She pointed to a section a good half a metre from the wound. "I don't want to extract the thing until we're back in Atlantis. It could have done a massive amount of internal damage and from the entry position his liver could be involved."
The worried faces around her all nodded and one of the men came up with an electric torch to cut through the metal.
Jennifer nodded and whispered. "Try not to move it too much."
"Yes, doc." The man answered before lightly his touch and starting to cut. Ten minutes later, he had the rebar severed leaving a good length still in Sheppard.
Once the man moved out of the way, Keller started another examination this time concentrating on John's neck and outer limbs. There didn't seem to be any damage to his neck but she asked for a cervical collar anyway. After securing that in place, she made note of all the other cuts and contusions covering practically every part of his exposed body, and that was just the visible damage. His right shoulder was dislocated but the arm hadn't sustained any breaks. Jennifer couldn't tell if his left arm was okay until they moved him away. It was the same situation with his legs.
She eventually finished her initial examination. "Alright, could you ease him forwards slightly, please?"
As the team did so, everyone gasped. Jennifer quickly looked for the reason and gave her own shocked gasp. The rebar had gone straight through John's body and was sticking out of his back a good five centimetres.
Keller knew she couldn't afford to waste anymore time. "We'll have to take a chance and move him now!" she almost shouted. "I'll give him something to keep him out and an IV. Then we are out of here."
A flurry of activity accompanied her words and in no time at all, a rescue basket made out of strong titanium with reinforced walls and nylon netting was lowered down to them. After Keller had finished working on him, many helping hands quickly had the colonel secured and ready to leave as best they could with consideration to the rebar.
Keller went and stood by Ronon as the basket was carefully hoisted out of the hole. Ronon noted how subdued and worried she looked. He was just about to ask her why when she turned to him and said. "I'm not going to lie to you, Ronon, but John's in a bad way." What could he say to that other than silently nod.
Once Sheppard was lifted over the edge, a couple of the rescue team stayed behind to help Ronon and Keller out. It didn't take long and despite his foot and leg injury, Ronon quickly caught up with the men carrying his friend.
oOOo
The journey out of the rubble-filled ruin was long and arduous in some places.
Jennifer and the others eventually caught up with the rest and the doctor gave Ronon a stern glance. "You should take it easy on that leg."
"I'm fine," Ronon growled without slowing his pace. Jennifer sighed and shook her head.
Halfway into the journey, the young woman's radio crackled. She listened for a couple of minutes before answering. "We're on our way out, ETA ten minutes, tops. If someone could bring the Jumper as near to the building as possible, we would be grateful. Colonel Sheppard is in a bad way and needs immediate medical attention back in Atlantis." Whatever answer was given seemed to satisfy the young officer.
His leg was becoming difficult to walk on so Ronon was sorely grateful when they finally reached the outside world. All around them dust and rubble filled the open spaces and in the distance, Ronon could see a Jumper approach. The rescue team wasted no time in heading towards it.
Then Ronon noticed that another group exit the building at a different point. A huge smile broke out on his face when he saw Teyla amongst them. She looked unharmed, but a very dusty looking Major Lorne and Dr. McKay were supporting her.
As they neared the Jumper, Keller moved ahead to join the team carrying Sheppard. They put the basket down near the hatch, so she quickly bent and took his vitals. Raising her head, she shouted. "Could you please get into the Jumper as quickly as possible, I need to work on him!"
McKay and Lorne hastily moved Teyla inside and up front. Others including Sam Carter and Ronon quickly followed. Most of the rescue team would stay behind and go through the Stargate on foot. The badly injured Marine had already been airlifted.
Once everyone was settled, John's basket was lifted into the back and placed on the floor between the benches. Jennifer thanked the men before getting on her hands and knees besides him. She didn't even feel the Jumper lift as she tore into her medical case and produced a laryngoscope and intubation tube. "He's having breathing difficulties," she announced to the Jumper's grim looking occupants.
Sam Carter was by her side in no time. "Do you need any help?"
"Yes. Could you pop on some gloves and hold this please?" Sam did so without hesitation.
McKay eventually broke the silence and asked the question that everyone wanted to know. "What's wrong with him?"
"He has a rebar through his right side, Rodney. He's also lost a lot of blood, and is in serious condition." Keller told him while she worked quickly and efficiently.
McKay looked sick with worry and gulped hard. "Then I guess we came off lightly."
Keller didn't answer him. "Could you radio ahead," She shouted up to the pilot, "and tell them to prep the OR."
"Yes, doctor! We should be home in a couple of minutes."
Of course, a couple of minutes can be a lifetime to a seriously injured man and just as the Jumper reached the bay, John crashed.
oOOo
The ICU was a quiet and solemn place when lives hung in the balance, Teyla Emmagan reflected as she watched the monitors bleep in rhythm to John's heart but at least it was still beating.
How close they had come to losing him that day, just under a week ago now. She still shuddered at the thought as she and the others had watched in shocked silence as Dr. Keller had used the machine called a defibrillator to shock him repeatedly. Only at the end when the doctor was just about to give up and announce his death had a faint bleep sounded and a small jump registered on the machine as John Sheppard fought his way back to life.
The hours that followed had been frantic and full of anguish as the doctors had struggled to stabilize him and remove the horrid metal bar that had threaten to take him away from them forever.
During that time, Teyla had gone into labour and had given birth to her beautiful son not knowing if John had lived or died. The tears that had spilled down her face when she had held her son for the first time had not only been ones of joy but tears of sadness at the cost the small life my have been for another.
The child's father was lost to Michael forever. Had it not been for John and Rodney, she and her son may have been lost too. Teyla had been shocked when Rodney had related the events leading up to her rescue and the sacrifice that John had made to get her back. Seven hundred years of his life spend thousands of years in the future. Deep in the sleep of suspension as he waited to return not knowing if he ever would.
Teyla looked at John now as she held her sleeping son in her arms. They both looked so peaceful but one would awaken soon and demand to be fed whereas the other may never wake up, even though Jennifer Keller and others had assured her that he eventually would. Despite the dreadful injuries that he had sustained including damage to his liver, which had been almost beyond repair. Despite the broken leg, crushed collarbone, dislocated shoulder, broken ribs, and multiple cuts and bruises. No wonder John seemed like a ghost, so pale against the clean sheets, but at least the dreadful breathing machine was now gone.
Her son murmured and yawned just as Ronon and Rodney joined her. It was a daily routine when work was done and the three of them would sit for a few minutes just soaking in the sight of the man they had come to love as he continued to sleep.
"Nothing then?" Ronon routinely asked her.
Teyla shook her head. "No, not even a twitch."
"Hey Sheppard, you can't stay asleep forever, you've got to wake up and meet Teyla's son." Ronon called to his friend.
Rodney remained unusually quiet; he had been for a week now. The shock of the explosion and rescue was still fresh on his mind. How close they had come to losing everything that day.
Just then the baby decided that his stomach was empty and he gave an almightily yell that defied the size of his lungs. Rodney covered his ears in a gesture and Ronon smiled fondly at the little one. Teyla had no qualms at bearing her breast and leading her son to suckle, after all it was natural. The men, being slightly more uncomfortable, turned away to give her privacy. They stood near a window and talked quietly while she fed her son.
Teyla watched her baby the whole time, drinking in his beauty, so concentrated on him that she didn't notice a pair of hazel eyes fixed on her until the baby had finished.
She looked up and paused as she noticed John's open eyes. They were full of moisture as if he'd been crying, so she quietly reached over and wiped the wetness away before saying. "It's good to see you awake, John." The others heard her and rushed to his side.
John blinked at them, surprised to be still alive. He took a moment to assess his situation grateful to feel no pain. "We made it then," he finally choked out through dry lips.
"Yes, we did," Ronon simply answered.
"Yes," Rodney piped up, "and Teyla's had her baby."
John gave him a weary smile. "I can see that. Thank god you're both safe."
"Thank you, John. Thank you for everything." Teyla whispered before standing up and gently holding her baby so that John could see him more clearly. "I'd like you to meet Kanaan John Emmagan."
She noted that John's eyes filled with more tears. "You named him after…me?" His voice broke on the last word.
Teyla smiled down at him. "When he was born I feared that you were lost to me just as his father was, so I named him in honour of you both. I now thank the ancestors that they have chosen to bring you back to me - to us all."
The tears now ran freely down his cheeks but he wasn't embarrassed as his team gathered around him to coo and make a fuss of the baby. And as he drifted back into the arms of sleep, John Sheppard knew that they were whole again.
The End