Disclaimer: not mine, all characters/TV shows/movies belong to their creators, et al. I'm just borrowing.
Marathon.
Chapter 1.
Colonel Caldwell stepped away from the Daedalus, glancing around the almost deserted platform. Of the four figures standing closer to the doors of Atlantis only one moved towards the Daedalus.
Major Lorne seemed quieter, tenser and more guarded the usual.
"Sir" The Major saluted.
"At ease Major. Where are Dr Weir and Col. Sheppard?"
Lorne hesitated and Caldwell frowned, worry edging into his
thoughts.
"Dr Weir is with Dr McKay. They're waiting for
Sheppard to get out of surgery"
"Surgery?! What happened? The Wraith?"
"Dr Weir can answer your questions Sir"
Rodney's eyes hadn't left the operating room for almost forty minutes. The 2 hours before that, he'd been pacing. Elizabeth had had to order him to stop. Elizabeth, sitting underneath the observation window, had stopped watching an hour ago. She stood, smoothing her shirt, when Lorne opened the door.
"Dr Weir, the Daedalus has arrived. Colonel Caldwell…"
Elizabeth nodded.
"Let him in Major" she turned "Rodney…"
She spoke gently, her hand hovering near Rodney's arm. Caldwell watched as Rodney blinked and turned, fractionally toward Elizabeth. Holding a plaster covered right forearm close to his chest, Rodney caught Caldwell's eyes for a second, before turning back to the window. Elizabeth almost patted Rodney's shoulder. She stood next to Caldwell.
"Steven"
"What the hell happened?"
Elizabeth sighed, lowering her voice.
"Sheppard's team was 3 days over due, when Major Lorne's team was contacted off world by Teyla and Rodney. They went back to the planet and rescued John, Ronon and a young woman" she swallowed nervously "They were being tortured"
"That's all you know?" Caldwell stared into the operating room "How did McKay break his arm?"
"Sheppard did it" Rodney was quieter than Caldwell had ever seen him before "Just before we got back to Atlantis, he woke up and didn't realise where he was"
The look in Elizabeth's eyes said it all.
'We're waiting for them to alright, before we find out what happened'
Caldwell nodded.
"Where's Ronon Dex?"
Elizabeth motioned to Major Lorne.
"Radio Lt. Cadman. Stay with Rodney until she gets here"
"Yes Ma'am"
Elizabeth stepped into the hallway.
"This way Colonel"
Teyla sat on the end of the bed that would've contained John Sheppard, carefully threading a needle.
"You will not want your other clothes back. And I did promise Charin that I would practice" she glanced at Ronon's still form "This would be easier if you were not so tall"
Her eyes went to the room's other occupant. The woman was taller than Teyla, with sickly purple, green and yellow bruises that showed up clearly against skin was almost as pale as the bed sheets. A nurse had spread the woman's long black hair, fanlike, out over the edge of the pillow, away from a face that seemed too young for what had happened. In the jumper, before he's lost consciousness, Ronon had called her a selkie. Teyla wondered what a selkie was.
The door sliding open caught her attention.
"Elizabeth. Colonel Caldwell… Is the surgery over? Is Rodney…?"
Rodney's fine. Lt. Cadman's staying with him for the moment" Elizabeth smiled apologetically "I thought it would be best if Colonel Caldwell and I spoke to you alone"
"Of course" Teyla lead them to a corner further away from the beds, watching the expression on Col. Caldwell's face "Dr Beckett said that talking would help. I do not wish for them to hear us"
"We understand" Elizabeth nodded "But, we need to know what happened"
To be continued.