Sheppard lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. "I don't know how you stand that guy. He's arrogant, he's annoying, he's loud...McKay gave up information to the enemy...Sam and Daniel, they start with the geek speak and before I know it, a situation that looked hopeless is back to neat. You know what? They're good for more than talking a mile a minute." Cameron Mitchell had not minced words when he came back after working with McKay on the Odyssey and Sheppard was still quietly seething. "Rodney McKay is not my friend...He's my family." That had shut Mitchell up and now Sheppard found himself hoping he never had to see the man again. It was the first time he had ever felt like that about a fellow officer, but he couldn't help it. McKay was too important to him and he made a firm resolution that if his friend ever had to work a mission with Mitchell again, he would be there to run interference. A part of him knew he was being unreasonable and overprotective but at the moment he just didn't care.
The buzzer for his door sounded. He sighed, swung to his feet, and went over to let in his unwanted visitor, putting on his most polite smile when he saw Weir in the hallway. "Elizabeth."
"Colonel Sheppard. May I come in?" He stood to one side and she marched in, turning to him with a face like a thundercloud. "I suppose you have a good reason for not seeing the Odyssey off?"
"I didn't realize it was mandatory," Sheppard said evasively.
Weir's eyes narrowed. "I didn't realize it had to be. You know we always greet visitors and see them off. It's a courtesy but one I feel is important, especially when it involves our top personnel. It's bad enough Rodney wasn't there…"
Sheppard was starting to feel annoyed. "So he already got this speech?"
"No. I'll talk to him as soon as he gets back." Weir pursed her lips. "And trust me, I'm even more displeased with him. Going offworld without even letting me know…"
"That doesn't sound like McKay."
"He went with Major Lorne." Weir frowned. "You mean you didn't know either?"
"No. No, I didn't." Sheppard thought a moment. "Lorne was escorting a botanist and that new nurse to that planet, M-something or other...you know, the one with all the medicinal plants. They wanted to talk to the people who set up a colony there."
Weir said uneasily, "That really doesn't sound like Rodney. Since when does he care about medicine?"
Sheppard and Weir stared at each other for a moment before they were interrupted by an urgent call from the control room. "Dr Weir, Colonel Sheppard, emergency at the gate!"