A/N: I have no idea where this one came from. It's just one of those plot bunnies that gets into your garden and won't leave until you "feed" it.

Warning: Tissue alert!

Thanks to lg for the Beta.

Gracias,

~Sandy

Never Far Away

Chapter 1

After what seemed an eternity, the rumbling stopped. Carson lifted his head, rocks and pebbles continuing to drift down covering him from head to foot. Brushing dirt from his face, he blinked in the dim light. Dusty Mehra lay beneath him, her body tense, ready to leap into action as soon as he released her and he did before she could complain about his act of chivalry. His instincts led him to protect any female within his sphere even though he knew she wouldn't have allowed it at any other time. The Sergeant was a Marine and a woman in that order. But this time the choice had been his, not hers.

Crrrrr-aaaack!

Another large rock fell bringing with it several smaller ones, all catching Carson on the forearm when he deflected them from hitting Dusty on the head. He cried out in pain at the sickening crunch when his radius snapped in two.

"Doc!"

Dusty unclipped her P-90 and set it aside to help him sit up, cradling his left arm close so it wouldn't be jostled. Hissing in pain, he gently probed the area already knowing what he would find. "Ow! Bloody hell!"

"Reed? Gimme a hand here." There was no answer as Dusty helped Carson to his feet then over to a rock now resting against the side of the cave where there'd been none before. She helped him out of his jacket then retrieved his medical case from under a rock as big as her head, battered, but still intact.

The cave entrance had filled floor to ceiling with rocks and boulders from pebble sized up to some as big as Volkswagens. And if he didn't miss his guess, that one off to the left would fit snuggly in the rear of a Jumper with no room for anything else. They'd been more than twenty meters into the cave and the small hope that it would be easy for the others to rescue them faded in the greenish-colored light.

All of that was bad enough, but it was what Carson saw sticking out from under the leading edge of the pile that got his attention. "Sergeant!"

Dusty turned in the direction he pointed, the skin around her mouth tightening, the only sign of emotion from the dark-haired woman. "Reed!"

Shedding her TAC vest and backpack, she ran to the Marine's side, carefully removing the rocks lying on his chest and legs, and gently brushing dirt from his face. The shallow rise and fall of his chest confirmed that he was most definitely alive. Blood oozed from a gash on his head, mixing with the dirt and clotting in his hair. The man's uniform was nearly shredded in places and matted with blood in others. His left leg had turned at an unnatural angle telling Carson he'd broken his femur, more than likely just below the hip. He was glad the Marine was unconscious or he'd be in terrible pain.

The luminescent ore in the walls of the cave gave an eerie glow to the scene and Carson said a small prayer of thanks that the air in their tomb was dry instead of dank. However, if they were in here for too long, the water would have been not only welcome, but necessary. They'd have to make do with what they had.

He fished in his medical kit for the sling, easing his hand and arm into it and settling the strap around his neck. Now that the adrenalin rush had eased somewhat, bumps and bruises began to make themselves known. Scooting off the rock, he got to his feet and shuffled to Dusty's side. "I'm goin' t' need yer help, love."

~~O~~

Dusty unzipped Reed's TAC vest, but didn't try to take it off. Feeling something move that shouldn't have, she snatched her hand away.

"What is it?"

"One of his ribs moved."

"Don't move him or it'll puncture a lung." Carson knelt on the ground, his shoulder brushing hers and, in spite of their dire situation she felt the tug of attraction. That feeling you get for another that makes you want to be more than friend close. Giving him a quick glance told her nothing of his thoughts, or maybe it did, but his focus at that moment was solely on Reed as he handed her a pair of scissors.

"Open his shirt."

While she did as directed, she pushed memories, good and bad from her mind so she could concentrate on being Carson's hands. Many of the good memories had to do with Reed and the bad ones…well she would dwell on those later.

Though he was a Captain and she a newly promoted Staff Sergeant, they'd been pals since she'd transferred to Atlantis from the SGC often working out together in their off time. Sometimes they'd get into a three-on-three basketball game or even a little touch football with some of the other soldiers.

After palpating Reed's abdomen with his good hand, Carson took out the scanner, moving it over the other man's body from head to foot.

"So?"

Sitting back on his heels, Carson let the air out of his lungs then sucked it back in again before responding. "He's sustained a skull fracture n' a severe concussion. There're bruises, lacerations n' cuts all over his body. His right clavicle and two ribs are broken. As I suspected, one of the ribs is dangerously close to puncturin' a lung. But the worst of it is that the left femur isn't just broken. The bone is crushed. There's substantial damage to the liver and he's bleedin' internally."

"He's gonna be okay though, right?"

Shoving the scanner into his back pocket, Carson put his good hand on the ground to lever himself to his feet, Dusty's strong arm wrapping around his waist to help. "Thanks, lass." He moved over to the rock he'd been sitting on before, rummaging in the medical kit for pain killers, gratefully taking the water bottle she handed him.

It annoyed her that he seemed to be ignoring her question though she knew differently. "Doc?" At the look on his face, she knew the answer, turning away as if that would stop him from giving it voice.

"If we were on Atlantis, aye. He'd be out of action for a quite a spell then back to work if it weren't for the leg. But he would need several surgeries t' repair it, lots of physical therapy, and though he'd eventually recover, his military career would be over." He heaved a sigh. "They need t' get us out soon or…"

"Isn't there anything you can do?"

"'Fraid not, love. At this point, all we can do is make him comfortable. And even if I had the equipment, I'd need the use of both hands to perform the surgery." Moving the sling back so he could check his broken arm, he sucked in a breath at the pain dimmed only slightly by the meds. "Love, I need ya t' help me on with the splint. Can ye do that?"

"Yeah."

Carson passed the wrist brace to her and she loosened the Velcro straps. As carefully as she could, she slid the black brace over his fingers as he held the arm still. She saw tears well up in his blue eyes at the pain she was causing him, but it couldn't be helped. It had to be immobilized or the ends of the broken bones could shift and cause more problems. A moment's pain would be worth it to prevent the need for surgery later. She reached to tighten the straps, but his warm hand on hers stopped the motion. That warmth traveled up her arm and across her chest, touching her in places that hadn't been touched by another in longer than she cared to admit even to herself.

"It's gonna hurt like a bloody bugger, love. Best let me do this part."

Nodding, Dusty returned to Reed giving Carson privacy to express his agony. Kneeling next to her friend, she tried the radio but got nothing, not even static. Not knowing what to do to comfort Carson, herself or her friend, she took refuge behind the mask she wore in imitation of Colonel Lorne. Temporarily assigned to his team, she respected Atlantis' 2IC as much as she did their commanding officer. She couldn't hide hurt, fear and disappointment behind a smile and a joke so she settled for the mask and a mouthful of gum to keep her from speaking out when she so desperately wanted to.

~~O~~

"Back!" Ronon threw himself forward sweeping John, Evan and Teyla away from the cave entrance as it filled with rocks and debris, the group falling far enough away that none had been injured. Somehow, John had ended up on the bottom of the pile. He reached out a hand and the Satedan helped him up. "You hurt?"

John stared at the now impassable cave entrance. "Just my pride. I think it's safe to say that the locals aren't hiding in there." He clicked the radio twice. "Sheppard to Beckett…Mehra, Reed, report!" Only static greeted him. "Crap. Lorne, how far out is the Daedalus?"

"Three days. Sir, they may be injured. We can't wait that long."

"We aren't. Contact Atlantis and get as many bodies here as quickly as you can with all the necessary equipment to dig 'em out." Evan nodded once then was off and running toward the Stargate. John unclipped his P-90, passing it and his thigh holster to Rodney before removing his TAC vest. "McKay, you and Teyla create a perimeter until reinforcements get here. The rest of us'll get started. And keep trying to contact them."

Rodney shot a look of alarm at his team leader. "But…"

"Just do it!"

The men and women left outside the cave formed a human chain, John lifting a rock and passing it to Ronon who passed it to Coughlin, continuing on until Sullivan carried it to a nearby clearing. When Evan returned, he shed his weapons and vest and joined them.

Every few minutes, Rodney again tried to contact their three missing companions, and each time he didn't receive a response, his expression grew grimmer. Eventually he stopped trying and gave his attention to the area he'd been assigned to patrol.

~~O~~

Several quickly and painfully indrawn breaths later, Carson came to her side. He started to lay a hand on her shoulder then thought better of it when she turned a glare in his direction. Reaching out, she took her friend's hand. "Reed, squeeze my hand if you can hear me."

Knowing that there was nothing to be done for the Marine Captain, Carson returned to the rock he'd come to think of as his, lifting his pack onto it. He held it against his chest with the elbow of his bad arm so he could unzip it, pulling out three bottles of water, shaking his head and chuckling. Two were Rodney's, spares he'd convinced Carson to carry for him. If they didn't get out soon, he and Dusty would need them more than the physicist.

In the side pockets, he located power bars and several MREs. Rodney again. He must have shoved them in there when Carson hadn't been looking to save room in his own pack for equipment or some such thing. He should have been annoyed, but for once Rodney's paranoia had worked in their favor.

He didn't know what Dusty carried in her pack aside from the essentials and any soldier type equipment she'd need, and wasn't keen on bothering her at the moment. She was still watching over Reed, waiting for the moment when he regained consciousness. While it was a possibility the man would wake up at least for a bit, it wasn't likely given the severity of his injuries. But he said a silent prayer for the man just the same.

~~O~~

Dusty sat cross legged on the ground next to Reed, no longer holding his hand. She hadn't given up on him regaining consciousness though it seemed like a lost cause.

When they were off duty, he'd insisted on her calling him AJ instead of Captain or Reed, but each time she did, it felt weird so she didn't. Now she wished she'd made a better effort to please her friend. Their friendship meant a lot to her and her imagination had filled in a future where they were old and gray and continuing their friendly basketball rivalry of the Chicago Bulls versus the Miami Heat. A bottle of water appeared in front of her and she took it automatically.

"We need water more than food because there's no tellin' how long we'll be waitin' for rescue, love."

"Thanks." She uncapped the bottle and took a drink knowing without Carson saying so that they needed to ration their supplies until Atlantis came through. Looking past where Carson was now going through his medical kit, she thought about the back of the cave. They hadn't been inside long enough to explore before they'd become trapped. She would sit with Reed a little longer then have a look around to see if there might be a way out.

"So what d'you think the Heat's chances are this season?"

Grinning, Dusty shifted her knees upright to lean her elbows on them, the water bottle still held in one hand. "'Bout the same as last year, not a snowball's chance in…" Excitement shot through her. "Doc! He's awake!" She got to her knees again as Carson squatted next to her.

The medical doctor took Reed's wrist in his good hand, counting the beats. "How're you feeling, Captain?" She caught the concern in his blue eyes as well as the slight shake of his head.

"Like a buncha rocks fell on me." Reed's voice was low and wracked with the effort of holding back the pain. "What's the word, doc? Am I gonna make it long enough to see Ladell Meinhardt take Miami to the championships?"

Carson looked away for a moment telling the Marine all he needed to know. "Ye need major surgery n' we're not equipped for it."

"No worries, Doc. It's not my first trip 'round the block." He coughed, groaning at the fresh waves of pain. "Could we have a few minutes?"

Not even glancing at Dusty, Carson nodded. "Aye."

~~O~~

Holding Reed's hand, Dusty missed the look that passed between the two men. Carson nodded, moving away so Reed could speak privately with his friend. His bladder needed tending to anyway, so he went down the tunnel where it made a sharp curve to the left then another to the right, not stopping until he could no longer hear their voices.

As he attended to business, he again wondered about the ore streaked through the walls that glowed even this far into the cave. Very little light, if any, reached this area so how was it that the ore veins retained their luminescence? He wasn't a geologist, not even as a hobby, so that question would best be answered by Dr. James Milone and his team. The Haitian had joined the expedition just six months before and was as obsessed by rocks as Parrish was about plants.

His stomach grumbled, and deciding it was time to feed it, he unwrapped a power bar to munch on.

~~O~~

"Dusty, I have…(groan)…have to tell you something."

"Reed…"

"Give a dying man his last wish and call me AJ, just this once." She shrugged and nodded looking so annoyed he chuckled, which brought on another coughing fit. His hand clenched on Dusty's so hard he knew it hurt, but couldn't help it. "Sonofa…shoulda gotten something for pain before the doc left."

One corner of her mouth turned upward. "If you'd stop talking…"

"Can't. Too much to say. Not enough time." He tried to shift to get comfortable, but the pain in his body wouldn't allow it. "Like the new hair by the way." She'd dyed the front of her hair blond. In a ponytail, it didn't look like much, but when it was down, her hair fell in curls around her face. He smiled and there it was. The softer side of Dusty that very few had ever seen. He'd been one of the few when Alicia Vega had died. Big dark eyes glistened with unshed tears, her expression changing, showing just the smallest amount of fear when he laced their hands together. It hurt like hell to move any part of him, but it was worth it to be able to touch her like this just once without worrying that someone would report them to Lorne, Sheppard or Woolsey.

"Maybe you should…"

"No. Have to say this…while I can." His eyes locked on hers, willing her not to look away. "I love you." Her smile made his heart flutter. Or was that death knocking at his door? He knew which he preferred, but he also knew the truth.

"Love you, too, AJ."

The pain suddenly shot up increasing his breathing to the point where he was gasping for breath. "I'm in love with you, Dusty. Have been for a while, but the regs…Oh God that hurts!"

"I'll get Beckett."

She tried to stand, but Reed held her in place with a final surge of strength. "Stay. Please."

~~O~~

He's in love with me?

Reed's confession was more than a little surprising. From the way he treated her, she'd never have known how he felt. Or maybe she had seen it and had mistaken it for a strong friendship or worse yet, ignored it. She did care for him, a lot, but she wasn't in love with him. But the man was dying. He deserved to go to his reward thinking she shared his feelings.

Shrugging, she smiled sweetly at him letting him draw his own conclusions. She knew she'd succeeded when another smile lit up his light brown eyes, a wink briefly closing one eye. "Knew it. I'm…irresistible." Still not speaking, Dusty leaned down to press a kiss to his cheek. "Mmm. Now I c'n die…a happy…man…"

TBC