Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters and am not writing for profit

A/N: A very short Ronon/Jennifer pre-ship story

Jennifer was just finishing with her patient when John burst through the door shouting.

"We're going to have company real soon."

"Are we evacuating?" Jennifer asked.

"No time and no where safe to go." John said, his voice slightly raspy. "I'll set up the barricade. Then we need to take shelter in here."

"What can I do?"

"Get squared away."

Not overwhelmed by the advice Jennifer quickly finished with her patient before helping all the patients to move to the far side of the building, as far from the door as possible and waited for John to return.

As John re-entered he barricaded the door with what had been makeshift beds before walking towards Jennifer. It was only then that Jennifer realised he was walking strangely. Scanning for injuries she saw a darker spot on the top of his trousers.

"You're hurt." She stated. "Where and how?"

"It's nothing."

"No it's not. I can see the blood. You are bleeding and bleeding badly. Let me see the wound."

Reluctantly John allowed Jennifer to help him sit before lifted his shirt to expose the bullet wound.

"Doc." John said, his breathing laboured. "You need to fight."

"Okay." Jennifer said trying to focus on his wound. When John's hand snagged her arm she looked at him as he said.

"Doc, if you are lucky they will kill you the second they get in here. You have to fight."

"I'll fight." Jennifer promised him, her imagination already picturing what would happen if they didn't kill her. "But first I have to stop this bleeding. I'm going to give you something for the pain."

"No. Do that and I'll be no good in the fight."

"If I don't you'll be in terrible pain." Jennifer pointed out.

"I'll take the pain. It's my choice." John grimaced.

"Fine, but if I think the pain is making things worse I give you what I want."

"Fair enough." John replied, his breathing even more laboured.

Shaking her head Jennifer said. "This will hurt." Before she attempted to remove the bullet.

When John finally passed out Jennifer sighed with relief and tried to speed up so he didn't wake when she was still treating him.

When John did finally come to he saw a Wraith leaning over him. Feeling a hand on his chest he quickly brought his hand up to the Wraith's throat and squeezed.

Struggling for breath Jennifer desperately tried to come up with a plan. When nothing obvious came to mind she punched John, hoping to knock him out. As he went limp and breath returned to Jennifer's lungs she saw her recent work stitching John up had been in vein as the struggle had ripped the stiches out.

"Damn." She gasped as she picked up her implements to start again, as she did so she realised how much her hand was throbbing causing her to mutter, "Double damn."

-00-

With John finally patched up Jennifer sat and waited. She heard the banging and grunting as they tried to break down the door. Checking once more that John and her other patients were well covered she pointed the P90 at the entrance and waited.

When the door finally started to yield Jennifer tensed as she waited to pull the trigger. She felt like she was watching in slow motion, paced by the slow throbbing in her hand, as large armed men entered. Knowing it was down to her to hold them off she opened fire and shot as Lorne had instructed in bursts of three.

She watched almost detached from reality as the men fell in the doorway, impeding the progress of those who followed. The slowing pace gave her time to reload as the onslaught continued.

When she put in her third clip she started to worry about running out of ammunition especially as the intensity of gunfire outside was increasing. As worry turned into panic she heard a reassuring voice.

"Jennifer?" Teyla shouted from the other side of the door. On hearing her voice her hands relaxed, but she kept the P90 pointed at the door.

"Teyla?" She called back.

"It's us." The Athosian confirmed causing Jennifer to lower the P90.

"You're clear." She called back, although she kept her eye on the door.

"What happened?" Teyla asked as she climbed over the bodies and saw Jennifer sitting facing the door with a P90.

"They broke in. Sheppard told me I had to fight. Sheppard!" She exclaimed as she scrambled up and went to the Colonel, sighing in relief when she found his pulse was strong and steady.

"He was shot." Jennifer explained. "We need to get him back to Atlantis."

"A Jumper will be here soon." Teyla assured her. "When was he shot?" She asked wondering how Jennifer had managed to patch him up during a fire-fight.

"I don't know. When he was doing the barricade?" She guessed as she checked the bandage, before once again checking his pulse. As she did so she noticed the bruise on his jaw.

"He's going to kill me."

"Who is?" Teyla asked confused.

"Sheppard. I punched him."

"Why?"

"He was trying to strangle me." She said causing Teyla to reach out and lift Jennifer's chin revealing the bruising.

"Why?"

"I don't know. Pain induced hallucination maybe?" She said distantly.

"Perhaps some fresh air will help?" Teyla suggested, worried Jennifer was suffering from shock.

"I should stay with the Colonel."

"I will keep an eye on him." Teyla assured the doctor. "Besides the medical team is nearly here."

Content that John was stable Jennifer walked out of the shot-out shelter. She paused in the doorway, allowing her eyes to adjust to the light, before looking round at the carnage outside.

She saw Lorne's team moving bodies out of the way. Realising the bodies were no longer living because of her the full impact of what had transpired sunk in and she began to feel weak and nauseous.

-00-

"Have you seen Jennifer?" Teyla asked as she left the shelter ten minutes later.

"Thought she was with you." Ronon said, stopping what he was doing.

"She was, she was looking pale and acting confused. I suggested she got some fresh air."

"She's not been this way." Rodney said as he looked round the local area.

"Over there." Ronon said pointing to a tree seventy feet away.

"Think we should talk to her?" Rodney asked. "Oh, is she throwing up?"

"Yeah." Ronon said.

"One of you should go." Rodney went on, turning his gaze away from Jennifer. "I have a very weak stomach if I go over I'll end up puking and I don't think anyone wants that."

"I'll go." Ronon said picking up a bottle of water. "You look after Sheppard." He said to Teyla as he walked past her.

"Doc, you okay?" Ronon asked as he approached offering her a bottle of water.

"No." Jennifer said, eyes shut trying to breathe. Suddenly opening her eyes she asked. "Is the Colonel okay?"

"Yeah. You should drink." He replied.

"Not sure I would keep it down." Jennifer said.

"You bang your head?" He asked.

"What? No? Why?"

"Vomiting is a sign of concussion." Ronon replied, pleased he had remembered something from his first aid lessons.

"Also a sign of not being cut out for this."

"This?" He asked.

"Being here. Getting into fights. Being strong and brave. You were right I'm weak and I don't belong."

"What're you talking about?" Ronon asked confused. "You held them off. Sheppard's alive because of you."

"And the first thing I do is hurl my guts out."

"You ever killed anyone before?"

"No. Doesn't really go side by side with being a doctor." Jennifer said sadly.

"You did a great job." Ronon assured her as he noticed her hand was a strange shade of purple. "What happened to your hand?"

"I punched Sheppard." Jennifer said looking down at the swollen hand. "He was strangling me."

"So he deserved it." Ronon shrugged. "I normally stun him. Hurts less." He added, drawing a small smile from Jennifer.

"I'll remember that next time. Assuming he doesn't throw me out of the galaxy."

"And risk getting punched? You're safe." He smiled. "You going to be okay?"

"I think so."

"Good. Then let's go home."

-00-

"Hey." Ronon said when he nearly collided with Jennifer who was standing outside his door.

"Hi." Jennifer replied. When she said nothing else he asked.

"You want to come in?"

"No, um maybe. Don't want to disturb you."

"You're not." He said backing away from the door. As Jennifer walked in he asked.

"How's the hand?"

"Broken. But apparently it's a badge of honour, amongst the marines anyway."

"Sheppard is not going to live it down." Ronon grinned.

"Well hopefully he will have got over it by the time he is released from the infirmary." Jennifer said. "Anyway I wanted to apologise."

"For what?"

"My attempt at a break down on the mission. It was unprofessional and weak."

"You just held off an invading force." Ronon pointed out. "Everyone needs time to recover."

"Even you?"

"Why do you think I spar so much?"

"You are a glutton for punishment or you just missed me so much you needed an excuse to come to the infirmary." Misinterpreting his embarrassed silence as bewilderment she added. "That was a joke. A bad one apparently, but a joke. Anyway I should go. Sorry again for earlier. And thanks for looking out for me."

"Anytime."

"Hey doc," Ronon called as Jennifer reached the door. When she turned he asked. "You want to get a drink or something?"

"That sounds good."

- The End

A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing. I hope you enjoyed it.