Title: Mistakes.

Author: Obsessed1
Character(s): An outsiders view on Atlantis. Sheppard Whump.
Genre(s): Stargate Atlantis: H/C -Angst
Rating: Pg
Warnings: Nothing too explicit.
Summary: Set in Season three shortly after Beckett's death. A new intern arrives. OC character but very heavily feautres Sheppard and McKay.

Arriving in Atlantis had been overwhelming enough; being thrown in at the deep end on her first day was another experience. The infirmary was nothing like she had ever worked in before, for one, it took her five minutes just to work out how to open the doors. Doctor Keller had asked her to catalogue the new drug stores, help with general clean up and to assist in the treatment of any new patients.

One off-world team had been rushed in within her first few minutes and Keller had since disappeared into surgery, leaving her with the duty of mopping the blood off the floor and re-stocking the bandages.

She was just about to sit down when a tall, dark haired man slouched into the room; followed by a shorter, rounder man who was talking non-stop.

"You'll never live this down you realise…"

"Shut up Rodney."

"A Kodiak moment if ever I saw one."

"Don't you have things to do….other than harass me?"

"Of course I do…..but between mocking you endlessly and lab work….I'd chose this."

They were both dressed in their fatigues and the first thing she noticed was that they had traipsed mud in over her newly polished floor.

The taller guy, the one with the messiest hair she had ever seen, smiled at her and scanned the infirmary. He didn't appear to be in need of medical attention; okay, so he had a bruise on his cheek which would be pretty colourful tomorrow and they way he dragged his legs suggested he was dog tired - but there was nothing, ah………she followed the dripping noise she could hear and saw that he'd cut his elbow badly.

He seemed to notice he was leaking everywhere and covered the cut with his hand; blood creasing the webs of his fingers as he tried to staunch the flow.

"Is Doctor Keller around?" he asked in a tired voice.

She straightened her shoulders and put on her best 'can I help you' smile, "No, she's in surgery. Going to be a while. I can take a look at that if you want?"

"No we want to see Jennifer," the other man said, crossing his arms over his chest.

The other guy, elbowed him in the ribs and shot him a dirty look, "That's fine," he said, negotiating the infirmary as if he had been here a hundred times before. He even knew how to fold the arms down on the side of the bed, before hopping up onto it and holding his arm out.

"What happened?" she asked, careful not to hurt him anymore that he already was.

The wound was ragged and bleeding a lot heavier than she would have liked. The bone wasn't exposed but then it was a mess.

The man, he looked over to his friend, and then hesitated before saying, "It's……a long story."

"Try me…" the words spilled out of her mouth before she could stop herself.

"He fell," the round man stated with a smug expression.

"I did not…." The other man laughed to cover his embarrassment, "I was affecting a strategic manoeuvre Rodney and…."

'Strategic Manoeuvre', he was military then. That made sense. Her eyes were drawn to the dog tags around his neck and then she felt a little embarrassed at not realising who this man was. This was Lt. Colonel John Sheppard. The John Sheppard. She'd heard stories on the way over on the Daedalus and by the way everyone was talking he was the equivalent of God. She's found it hard to believe most of the stories she'd heard. Suicide missions with nuclear devices, protecting the city against hundreds of men; it had all sounded rather fantastical.

"You fell down a hole…..you were running away-"

She arched her eyebrow. 'Running away'? That didn't sound very heroic.

"I was pulling back…..and don't forget I was covering your ass McKay!"

Ah, so the other one was Doctor Rodney McKay. She'd heard stories about him too, though he never received the same hero worship as Sheppard. In fact, most people said he was a nightmare to work with. She was beginning to see why.

"Whatever. Just admit that you fell down a big hole and we had to help you out of it. It's fine Colonel. It happens."

Colonel Sheppard shot McKay a look that said, it never ever happened to him and then he pouted. Actually, honest to god, pouted.

"So how am I doing? Probably worse than it looks right?" Sheppard asked after she had scanned his arm with the scary looking ancient device Keller had introduced her to earlier.

"Well, you haven't broken anything. But it's a deep cut. I'll stitch it up and then give you a shot of antibiotics."

Sheppard didn't look too impressed but he obliged by setting his arm on the tray for her so she could stitch him up. She was going to ask him if he wanted the area numbing, but reason told her that he wouldn't need it. He'd barely flinched upon her examination of the wound or the irrigation, which had made Officers before him transform into toddlers before her.

"You don't have to stay," Sheppard told McKay, his tone conversational now they'd got their initial argument out of their system.

McKay was already getting that glazed over, possibility of fainting, look when she waited for his answer. He swallowed thickly and nodded, "Right, well….I'll be……..later."

And then he left.

Sheppard swung his feet back and forth and smiled, "He hates the sight of blood."

"A lot of people do," she noted without looking up. If she was stitching the Commanding Officers arm, she wanted to make a good job of it, "When you fell? Did you injure anything else?"

"Beside my pride and my ass?" he scratched at his neck and sighed, "No…..I'm fine."

The needle penetrated through the skin with ease; he didn't even flinch.

"You're going to have an impressive bruise on your cheek tomorrow, you should ice it tonight."

"Nah," he waved a hand, "I'm good."

As she was finishing up the last stitch and fixing a bandage, Sheppard was already getting restless. It seemed to her that he wasn't really comfortable in the infirmary. For whatever reason, she couldn't pin it down. He'd sought the place out to get fixed up, but by the haunted look in his eyes, the way he scanned it continuously, she could tell he was either looking for something or missing someone.

She'd heard about Doctor Beckett. She had after all, been hand picked by him to come and work here. By the time she'd got her life in order and worked up the nerve to sign the papers he had already died. She'd never met him, but again, she'd heard good things. He was obviously missed.

Sheppard was already hopping off the bed and she placed her hand on his chest to stop him, "Hang on. I just need to give you a shot and then you can escape. Who knows what kind of infection you could have picked up."

He stayed where he was, one hand shoved into his pocket, the other bandaged arm down by his side as she headed over to the computer.

"You're new right?" he called over.

"I arrived yesterday," she said, "I'm Sarah."

"I'm-"

"I know who you are," she said and blushed, "I mean, I was briefed before I came here."

He looked a little surprised, even a little suspicious.

"And I read you're your dog-tags."

"Oh," he tucked them back under his t-shirt quickly, "Well, welcome to the team."

"Thanks."

There had been system glitches all day. Keller had warned her that the computer was on the fritz and now was no exception. She typed in the Colonel's full name and waited for the results to come up. The screen flickered and jumped and then went black.

She tried again with the same result, feeling flustered and tired, and wanting nothing more than to get some sleep.

She sighed and that's when she realised that the Colonel had come to stand beside her; and somewhere he'd managed to procure a lollipop.

"What's up?" he asked, pulling the red lollipop out of his mouth.

"This computer hates me."

He twisted his lips, "Have you tried turning it on and off again?"

"It's been like it all day," she said, hitting the screen in a tried and tested method. The screen blinked and then came up.

Sheppard had since wandered over to the infirmary bed again; apparently he had the attention span of a three year old.

The screen flickered as she entered his records and scrolled down….and down…..and down……….

He had been in the infirmary a lot. There was mention of an 'Iratus bug' whatever that was, CPR, broken ribs, concussion, stunning……

He'd been through a lot and it now explained his agitation. In just four years he'd accumulated a medical record worthy of a ninety year old. The list went on and on until she finally found what she was looking for and the computer decided to have a seizure again. She hit the screen, it went black, fuzzed over like a television set and then finally came up with his medical sheet. She checked his stats and then satisfied went and received a vile of Primaxim.

"Here we go," she said as she walked over to him.

He stared at the needle, popped the lollipop into his mouth and then rolled up his t-shirt for her. She injected the contents, "It's a broad spectrum antibiotic," she said rubbing the area.

"So my arm shouldn't fall off?" he asked around the lollipop.

"Exactly."

"Am I done?"

"All fixed."

They said goodnight then; he left, and she started cleaning up the floor again.

"Was that Colonel Sheppard?" Doctor Keller asked as she entered, pulling down her surgical mask.

Her scrubs top was spattered with blood.

"Yeah it was." Sarah felt oddly proud of herself, disaster averted, "He'd cut his arm. I x-rayed, irrigated, stitched and gave him broad spectrum antibiotics to eliminate any infection." And she rocked on the balls of her feet. Job done.

"Well done." Keller looked impressed, "He wasn't too difficult I hope."

"Not at all…perfect Gentlemen."

--

Half an hour later with Keller back in surgery following the discovery of a slow bleed in Lt Martins gut, Sarah was called down to the science labs. When she entered, heavy medical bag over her shoulder, she spotted a group of people standing around and Doctor McKay waving them all away.

"Go away! Nothing to see…I said nothing to see…do some work!"

"What happened?" Sarah asked, pushing her way through the mass of bodies in front of her.

When she managed to get through, she was a little surprised to see Colonel Sheppard sitting against the wall at McKay's feet. He had his head in his hands and there was a pool of vomit just to his left.

"What does it look like? Where's Keller?"

"She's in surgery….." Sarah said, slightly irritated at his lack of faith in her abilities, "You said he fainted."

"I'm…..fine," Sheppard told them, without looking up.

"No you're not!" and then to Sarah, "He collapsed……and then he was sick…and now he's a mess."

Sheppard raised his head slightly and pulled a face. The sparkle in his hazel eyes had gone, he looked pale and sweaty. Not at all well. "Thanks Rodney."

"You're cleaning that up by the way."

"I didn't mean to…." Sheppard looked pathetic, "Leave me alone."

Sarah knelt down beside Sheppard; he could barely keep his eyes open, "What happened?"

"I just felt…" he paused and blinked, "…off……strange."

"He said he felt tingly….." McKay said, and then to Sheppard, "You didn't touch anything down here did you?"

"No."

"Because there's a few devices lying around that haven't been catalogued yet and who knows what you and your ATA gene have started. It could be an epidemic."

Sheppard was gritting his teeth; against nausea or anger, Sarah couldn't tell.

"Okay, we should get you to the infirmary and have you checked over. Can you move?"

Sheppard nodded and with some help from McKay, they got him into a standing position. There was no way he could move unsupported and between them they started to walk. Sheppard was tripping over his own feet as he moved, apologising every time he lost rhythm and pulled on her shoulder.

"Don't know what's wrong with me," he slurred.

"What did you do to him?" Rodney asked.

"You know Doctor McKay," and he didn't even raise an eyebrow or look at all surprised that she knew his name. He was the kind of person that obviously thought everyone knew him, "You've been nothing by rude to me since we met. I'm just doing my job."

She was tired. She hadn't meant to snap.

McKay looked hurt, "He was fine an hour ago……these things don't just happen!"

"Well maybe it's an infection from his cut, maybe it's a virus or…" she paused, realising she didn't need to explain herself, "We'll figure this out."

"I just don't like…" and McKay stumbled when Sheppard started to go slack between them; his head had dropped now until his chin was touching his chest, "….it took a long time for me…..all of us…to get used to Doctor Keller…so…"

"I understand."

Ha gave her a look that told her she couldn't possibly know.

"I'm sorry," she offered.

"Yes well….."

And then Sheppard was making a choked sound and slipping between their fingers. He hit the floor before they could soften the impact and he was staring at the ceiling, wide eyed and struggling for breath.

"What's happening? Sheppard!"

"Can't……." he writhed on the floor, "Breathe……"

Sarah realised she had left the bag at the lab, McKay was already on it, radioing one of his scientists and ordering them to their position. He was gripping onto Sheppard's shoulder, squeezing tightly, his concern for his friend overriding anything else, including their petty quarrel.

"Do something!" he pleaded as Sheppard squirmed on the floor.

"Hang on!" Sarah said, using the time to check over Sheppard's body, she spotted the welts on his chest immediately and felt her heart rate increase.

"What's that? It's an epidemic isn't it…."

Sheppard was grabbing him by the leg and shaking his head to say no. But McKay could have a point.

"I don't think it's-"

"We've had them before," McKay said, lifting his top and checking his stomach, "You haven't been here…but we've had……"

"Calm down…you'll make yourself sick."

"No," he paused, "I feel hot and….oh god! I've got it haven't I?"

So McKay was a hypochondriac. She'd mentally log that.

"I'm getting Keller," McKay snapped and then he was hitting his comm.

As Sarah waited for her bag, she told Sheppard to breathe deeply and try to relax. His lips were already turning blue and he was choking now, hands scraping across the floor.

"Yes….he can't breathe….." McKay shot her a look as he talked over his earpiece, "I don't know……okay……hurry!"

"You called Doctor Keller?"

McKay had the good grace to at least look guilty, "Yes, " and then he set about telling Sheppard not to die. Something about it being his turn to save his life.

The science tech arrived with her medical bag and she searched through it until she found what she was looking for. She needed something to open his airways. She couldn't intubate because she wouldn't be able to pass the tube down, she could inject epinephrine but if it wasn't an allergic reaction she could do him some damage, so it left only one choice.

"I'm going to have to do a tracheotomy," she said, already pulling out the necessary equipment.

Sheppard had quietened now, hardly moving – not enough oxygen. She'd have to hurry.

McKay, who was hovering protectively, looked at her, "What?"

"I'm going to make a small incision just above the collarbone and then pass a tube down to help him breathe."

"What?" McKay looked panicky and she remembered the look on his face earlier when he had seen all that blood.

"Look," and then she took a deep breath, because she didn't agree with what she was about to say but the man before her need reassuring, and if he needed to be reassured that she wasn't a complete idiot then she'd have to do it, "This procedure…I've done it a hundred times and complications in this instance are minimal. Will you let me do it?"

McKay looked nervous, "Where's Keller?"

"Doctor McKay, we need to do this now."

Sheppard between them wasn't moving at all now.

"We should wait…." He stammered.

"Doctor McKay."

He looked torn and then sat back on his heels, "Do it!"

Sarah was uncharacteristically nervous as she performed the minor surgery. She managed to make the cut and insert the tube in one practised move. Sheppard might know weaponry and military tactics, McKay might know computers and science, but she knew medicine. It had always been her life, just as their professions had been theirs.

Sheppard suddenly grunted and his eyes flew open, wide and confused as air filled into his lungs. He was already beginning to get more colour in his cheeks by the time Keller arrived with a gurney and a medical team.

--

They ran to the infirmary, hoisted Sheppard up onto one of the beds and were stripping him of his t-shirt as he lay there, now a little more awake but still completely out of it.

"Okay, we need to find out what's wrong…" Keller reeled off a list of tests and found time to clasp Sheppard's hand in hers and tell him, "We'll figure this out okay."

Sheppard nodded and closed his eyes.

"What do you want me to do?" Sarah asked, nervously hovering now Keller had taken over.

"When he came in earlier, there was no indication of anything else wrong?"

Now she doubted her, "No, I…..it was just a cut like I told you…"

"No signs of a concussion?"

"His reactions were good. He didn't mention it."

"The Colonel understates his injuries. He also has a high pain threshold…..probably wouldn't mention it."

Sarah didn't truly believe he was that reckless. She didn't understand why Keller thought he was.

"Anything? Think Sarah."

The machines were beeping now as Shepard's heart raced.

"It was just a cut," she repeated, "I cleaned it, stitched it up and then gave him a shot of Primaxim and-"

"What?!" Keller looked shocked, "Primaxim?"

"Yes."

"Are you absolutely sure?"

"Yes….."

"The Colonel's allergic to it, we always have to give him a substitute……didn't you read his file?"

"I did yes," Sarah defended, "It didn't list any allergies at all."

"Well he is," Keller said running over to a cabinet and retrieving something to counteract the effects of the Primaxim.

"I'm sorry…the computer it was……."

Keller turned to her and said quietly, "You could have killed him."

She could have killed the Commanding Officer of the base. She could have, but she didn't. And she hadn't read that file wrong.

"Okay Colonel," Keller was saying as Sheppard was injected in his IV port, "You're going to be fine……"

--

Sheppard had slowly improved over the course of the night; he'd been as sick as a dog, throwing up every few minutes. Apparently his allergy was extremely severe.

Sarah had been wracked with guilt. The Colonel had been friendly, co-operative and was easy going to boot. And he'd trusted her. And she'd screwed up.

He was sitting upright in bed when she wandered through to check on him for the millionth time – she'd never doubted herself before coming here.

"Hey," she hadn't noticed he was awake, staring at her from his side.

"Hey. How are you feeling?"

Sheppard laughed a little and she didn't know why. She'd almost killed him, "Feeling pretty crappy if I'm honest."

He pushed himself up and into a sitting position, already exhausted from the move by the time he got comfortable. The red blotches on his chest had subsided, but he still had a few hives on his neck and his face.

"I'm sorry about…..i didn't know….."

He gave her a serious look; "I saw you check my file," he slumped back onto his pillow.

McKay stalked in then and Sarah felt sick to her stomach, "There you are," he said.

"Rodney," Sheppard's voice was hoarse and low. He went to rub his throat and then seemed to remember the stitches where he'd been cut. There wouldn't be a scar at least.

McKay turned to Sheppard, "Anaphylaxis, not funny huh? Think about that the next time you threaten me with lemons."

"Funny McKay, if you were actually allergic to them!"

"I am," McKay turned to Sarah; shot her a look and then said, "I am allergic to lemons. Anything citrus!"

"Right," Sheppard coughed a little and winced when it aggravated his throat, "I've yet to see any evidence."

"You'd prefer I fall down dead just to prove you wrong?"

Sheppard looked thoughtful and Sarah felt uncomfortable.

"I wear a wristband….it says I'm allergic."

"So…." Sheppard shrugged, "It says you're allergic."

They were bickering and she was just standing there like an idiot, waiting for the backlash to come in her direction.

"You don't believe me?"

"No….."

"It's in my file……I….I'll prove it," he said with a point of his finger and then he was walking over to the computer.

Sarah thought she should say something, but then she was already in the dog house and all patients did have a right to look at their medical records. She thought she'd let it slide if it meant any vitriol wasn't directed at her.

"Rodney McKay…"

"Don't you mean Meredith Rodney McKay," Sheppard tried and then coughed and groaned, slinking back into his bed looking a shade paler.

"Very funny Colonel, very….huh?"

"What?"

"This is………this is wrong……and……."

"I knew you weren't allergic to citrus."

"He is," Keller said entering the room.

She stared at McKay's back for a minute before saying, "What are you doing?"

"I'm looking at my files."

"Did I say you could?"

"Carson used to let me all the time."

"No he didn't," Sheppard said. He was rubbing at his head. Sarah felt even guiltier.

"And it's wrong," Keller sighed, "Why is it?"

"What's wrong?" Sarah asked.

"These files are jumbled…..there's another patients profile tagged onto the bottom of mine and……."

"We were having computer problems earlier……"

"I thought I told you to keep this on the ancient mainframe?" McKay said.

"I was going to move it over but you know Carson…..knew Carson," she amended sadly.

"Yes he was living in the past," Mckay sighed, "Well, this is going to take forever to sort – do you have paper copies?"

"Yep….and…" Keller looked up at Sarah and then started typing.

She appeared to be looking at something and then she rubbed at her face, "Sarah, I am so sorry."

Sarah looked between all three of them.

McKay suddenly looked aghast. "The Colonel's files have been affected too, the lower half of his file has been amalgamated with someone else's……."

"It doesn't list his allergies." Keller finished.

"Oh," Sarah said.

"See……" Sheppard piped up suddenly, "Told you it wasn't her fault."

Sarah loved Colonel Sheppard at that moment. He'd never doubted her. Perhaps he was a little too easy going? Or drugged up to the eyeballs?

"Well," McKay walked over to Sheppard and passed Sarah, he gave her a look, he didn't say sorry but the look….he meant it, "…the important thing is that you know that I am allergic to citrus."

"Well…….yeah…..I know that. Why do you think I carry epi-pens everywhere I go."

"You do?"

"No."

"Yes you do! Ha!"

"Shut up Rodney."

Ironic. Sheppard had the very thing with him that could have prevented this whole fiasco.

Sarah said goodnight to the two men, offering her apologies again and being told by Sheppard that it wasn't her fault and she shouldn't feel bad. Keller expressed her apologies for snapping, because it had been hard taking over the infirmary without Carson and she needed all the help she could get and she should have trusted her and then she headed off to her room.

As far as first days went….this one truly sucked.

But then, there was always tomorrow and she'd been told that the Pegasus Galaxy was like this. Unexpected. Full of Surprise.

She hoped tomorrow wasn't.

The end.

A/N – I wanted to do something a little different and I don't know if I pulled this of or not. It's really quite odd writing OC's. Anyways, feedback is always appreciated. Thanks for reading as always.