A/N: Ok this is my first McKeller!
As usual all characters belong to MGM and not me - I wish!
No spoilers and I have no idea where is fits in the the time line - its just my drabble. Not beta read so all mistakes belong to me and I'm sorry!
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Chapter One – Hitting a Computer Screen is never a Good Idea!
Jennifer was furious. Normally a soft and gentle person, her staff had been caught off guard by her anger. Not much would get her riled but this was one of those triggers that had her so wound up that even her staff, who were the victims in this, where giving her a wide berth.
It had started that morning when one of her newest nurses Maria had gone MIA. Jennifer, knowing how difficult being on Atlantis could be during the first few weeks had gone after her and found the girl in a storage cupboard crying her eyes out. She clammed up when Jennifer asked her what was wrong. She left the girl to get over it and was glad to see her back on the ward again an hour later. Just after that there was a commotion from one of the cubicles and another one of her nurses exited the department rapidly. Jennifer stared after her and then headed down to their little coffee area where she knew someone would be having a break. Luckily it was Linda one of the more experienced nurses.
"Linda what has got into everyone today?" she asked her. Linda grinned.
"George Moore if he had his way." She told her. Jennifer looked at her in confusion.
"Sorry?" she asked.
"Let's just say he's feeling better." Linda supplied. Jennifer shook her head she really wasn't getting it.
Linda stood up to go back on duty.
"Why don't you go check on him? You'll see what I mean." She told her. Jennifer watched as she exited the door. What the hell? She grabbed a coffee and headed back to her office. It was nearly time for her rounds anyway and she decided to make Mr Moore her first stop. When she exited his cubicle she took a couple of deep breaths to steady herself. She got onto her internal intercom.
"All female staff to my office please." She called out.
They filed in one by one. Linda grinned at her again.
"Been to see Mr Moore by any chance?" she asked. Jennifer glared, not at Linda but in general.
"Ok how many of you have had the pleasure of Mr Moore today?" she asked. Pretty much most of the department put their hands up.
"And how many of you have had the same treatment that I have just witnessed?" she asked. Again most of the hands rose again. Horrible man.
Linda smirked.
"Any chance you could order an enema for him? I would gladly do the honours." This caused a ripple of laughter around the room. Jennifer managed a smile then.
"Ok only Linda is to deal with him. The rest of you keep away. Ok everyone back to work. Linda can I have a word?" she asked. Linda perched on the side of her desk and smiled down at her.
"Obnoxious little toad isn't he?" she smiled. Linda was in her forties and somewhat older than Jennifer. They were good friends.
"He's a walking sexual harassment law suit." Jennifer replied. "I'm not having my nurses treated like that. I'm going to talk to Colonel Sheppard about him." Linda nodded.
"You'd better because I am going off duty in two hours and I don't think anyone else will go near him!" she laughed.
"Are you ok with it?" Jennifer asked. She had been upset by him and she was the head of the department. Linda grinned again.
"I've got to give him his meds soon. I may just forget myself and not give them orally!" Jennifer managed a laugh at that. Good old Linda.
"Wish me luck!" Linda grinned again and headed out the door. Jennifer put a call through to Colonel Sheppard. He radioed her back.
"Sheppard to Dr Keller." Jennifer hit her com unit.
"Could I see you in the infirmary please?" she asked.
"Is everything ok?" he asked
"Yes in the way you mean. I need to see you about a personnel matter." She told him.
"I'll be there in 10." He told her. Jennifer crashed around the department for 10 minutes causing her staff to give her a wide berth.
John Sheppard knocked on Jennifer's door. She yelled "Come In." John entered and was slightly taken aback by the site of their usual amicable doctor walking nearly off the ground in fury. He smiled at her.
"What can I do for you Dr Keller?" he asked.
"We have a patient here who has been sexually harassing my staff. And before you say it, it's not harmless fun. It's way over the line, so far over the line in fact that the entire department, including myself is refusing to treat him." Jennifer paused for breath and John jumped in.
"Who is it?" he asked.
"Some guy named George Moore." She told him. John looked at her in sympathy.
"I hate to say it but if you've got a problem with him you are going to have to talk to the head of his department. He's not military so it's not my department." He told her. Jennifer lost it at that point and yelled at John.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT'S NOT YOUR DEPARTMENT? AREN'T YOU HEADING THE EXPIDITION WITH WOOLSEY AWAY?" John put his hand up in defence.
"Sorry you need to make a complaint to his head of department before I can act. It's protocol." He told her. Jennifer was breathing fast.
"WELL WHO IS HIS HEAD OF DEPARTMENT THEN?" she yelled again. John was trying to get her to calm down but realised that wasn't going to work in a hurry.
"I don't know. What's his job?" he asked. Jennifer quickly looked it up on the computer.
"Archaeology review, whatever that is?" she told him.
"That's Zelenka's department." John told her. "But he's off world at the moment so you will have to speak to Zelenka's boss." Jennifer looked at him.
"And that is?" she asked. John grinned and made a hasty exit for the door.
"Dr McKay." He answered and left in a hurry. He grinned to himself as he left. That was one conversation he would love to overhear. Jennifer Keller explaining to Rodney McKay that one of his department was sexually harassing her staff. That was going to be some conversation. He had the feeling that he probably hadn't heard the last of this.
Jennifer sat back down hard on her chair. It would have to be McKay's department wouldn't it? There were so many reasons why she didn't want to have this conversation with him it just wasn't funny. Linda stuck her head around the door.
"You still got a job?" she asked. Jennifer looked at her.
"Sorry?" she asked not getting it.
"Well you did just yell had the CO. I wondered if he'd fired you." She grinned at her. Jennifer frowned.
"I did, didn't I? Oh well he seemed to take it ok." She told her. Linda smiled at her.
"So who is his head of department then?" she asked. Jennifer shook her head.
"Would you believe Dr McKay?" she said. Linda did a full belly laugh then.
"Good luck with that one!" she told her. Jennifer grinned for a moment too, and then squared her shoulders.
"Wish me luck!" she said to Linda and Linda left laughing as she went.
Jennifer got onto the com unit again.
"Dr Keller to Dr McKay." She called. She waited a moment then got his terse reply.
"McKay." She heard.
"I need to see you in the infirmary." She told him.
"Why?" he said.
"I have a personnel matter I need to discuss with you." She told him.
"I'm too busy to deal with personnel, McKay out." Jennifer listened to the broken com link and frowned. She was just as busy as he was! Just because she was young they all treated her like she was the baby of the expedition. Well she wasn't having it.
"Dr Keller to Dr McKay." She called again more firmly this time.
"What?" she could tell he was already getting annoyed.
"I need to see you down here now. We have a major problem with one of your team and as head of department you have to deal with it." She told him.
"Not now I don't." He replied and signed off again. Jennifer was getting rather annoyed herself now and her earlier anger returned. She radioed out again making sure it went out as a general announcement rather than a private one.
"This is Dr Keller. I need to leave the Infirmary for a while if there is a medical emergency you can get me on com or in Dr McKay's office." She said.
John, who was back at his desk by then grinned to himself, "And so it starts." He said out loud to no one in particular.
Jennifer had to psyche herself up for this meeting and was helped by George Moore managing to annoy even Linda. She came out of her office as she Linda exited the guy's cubical. Linda glared at her.
"That's it! He's out of nurses now." She told Jennifer. Jennifer felt the anger build in her again and made her way down the corridor to McKay's lab. She found him hunched over a computer.
"Dr McKay. I need to see you in your office now." He didn't even look at her.
"I haven't got time for whatever it is." He ground out. Jennifer pulled herself up to her full height.
"THEN YOU HAD BETTER MAKE TIME AND NOW!" she yelled at him, causing him and several of the other scientists in the lab to jump. He whirled around to glare at her.
"I'm sorry?" he said looking at her as if he had just seen her for the first time.
"I said you had better make time and now." She told him holding his furious glare and matching it with one of her own. Rodney looked at her properly and took in the ridged frame and clenched fists. Whatever was eating the usually gentle doctor certainly had her wound up. He got up and waved her towards his office. Jennifer took a moment to get under control. No matter how she felt about him personally she couldn't let this drop. She was head of her department too.
She followed him into his office and closed the door behind her. He stood across from her and glared at her.
"What is all this about?" he asked.
"I have a member of your staff in the infirmary. He has behaved inappropriately and I am making a complaint about him to the head of his department." Rodney looked at her. He was no good at this sort of thing at the best of times, let alone when it was a certain blonde doctor standing opposite him.
"What's his name?" he asked.
"George Moore." She told him.
"I've never heard of him." He said unhelpfully. "What's his job?" he asked.
"Archaeology review." She told him. McKay glared at her.
"That's Zelenka's department not mine. I suggest you get your facts straight before you interrupt an extremely busy man. Now I am going back to work." He told her and went to sweep past her. Jennifer lost it for, well she wasn't actually sure how many times she had lost it so far but she lost it and yelled at his departing back.
"ZELENKA'S OFF-WORLD YOU ARROGANT IDIOT, SO HE'S YOUR DEPARTMENT TODAY." Rodney stood in shock and slowly turned to face her. Jennifer, to her consternation now found herself close to tears and exited rapidly leaving Rodney staring open mouthed behind her. She dashed back to her department and headed straight for the staff room. She gave into the tears that had threatened and sobbed into her hands. Linda, catching her face as she came back through the door headed on in after her. She patted her gently on the shoulder.
"I'm guessing it hasn't gone well with Dr McKay then?" she asked her. Jennifer nodded her head and retold the whole sorry story between sobs. Linda's eyes where wide
"You really called him an arrogant idiot?" she asked. Jennifer nodded miserably.
"That probably wasn't the best idea." Linda said. Jennifer looked at her.
"I don't think I've handled this too well." She told her. "I am going to have to go apologise to him now. That will be fun." Linda frowned at her.
"I think he should be the one to apologise to you if you ask me. You are just trying to do your job. He's the one who's not listening." She told her. Jennifer looked at her.
"I shouldn't have lost my temper though." She stated.
"Well perhaps not but I don't see he left you with much option." Jennifer took a deep breath.
"I'm going to wash my face and repair my make-up." She told Linda and headed off. Linda stood uncertainly for a moment then headed out. She spoke to one of the other nurses.
"I'm going out of the department for a while. I will be back. I think you are going to need me tonight. Don't let anyone near Moore ok?" the other nurse nodded and Linda headed out.
John looked up at the sound of a knock on his door. He saw Linda standing there and waved her in. She was one of the original Atlantis crew and had looked after him a fair few times. They were old friends. He smiled at her.
"What can I do for you?" he asked. Linda sat down in the chair in front of him.
"I feel like a school girl telling tales but I think you need to know what's going on." She told him. John cocked an eyebrow and waited for her to carry on.
Linda started at the beginning and ended with a recount of what Jennifer had told her about the encounter with Rodney. John grinned at her.
"I had a feeling this would go bad. Is that idiot still acting up?" he asked. Linda nodded.
"Even I don't want to deal with him now. He wasn't bothering me to start with but he's really pushed the line now. Just so you know he likes to tell you in graphic detail what he would like to do to you and he's getting way out of line now." John nodded.
"Well obviously I need to put a stop to that but I also need Rodney to listen to Keller, he can't treat her like that. I also need her to be the one to stand up to him. She's got to win this battle for her own sake. Thanks for putting me in the picture. You'd better head back and see if you can talk her into talking to Rodney again. And tell her not to apologise. That will make him ten times worse." Linda grinned and headed back.
She found Jennifer in her office staring into space. She looked up when Linda knocked on the door.
"Linda! Where did you get too?" she asked.
"I headed out for something to eat." She lied blithely. "I figured I am on until something can be done about Moore so I thought I'd better." Jennifer looked sharply at her but let it drop. She was too miserable to do anything else.
"You need to go talk to McKay again." Linda told her. Jennifer looked at her.
"I've got to apologise to him anyway so I might as well get it over and done with." She said resignedly. Linda shook her head.
"Don't you dare apologise! You have every right for him to hear you out and not brush you off. Your department is every bit as important as his and you are the same rank. He needs to apologise to you for not hearing you out over what is a very serious complaint. You owe that to your nurses who have had to put up with that idiot today. Little Maria is terrified. You need to go stand up for us." Jennifer looked at her. She sat up straighter in her chair.
"You know what Linda you're right! I won't be pushed around by him!" she stood up and headed out again. Linda grinned at her departing back then jumped when a voice spoke behind her.
"Well done Linda. Shall we go see what happens next?" It was a grinning John Sheppard.
Jennifer paused at the entrance to McKay's lab. Now she was actually here she was slightly more nervous. Then a picture of Maria sobbing came back to her and she walked in. McKay was sitting at his computer. He turned when he heard her footsteps behind him. He looked at her but didn't say anything.
Jennifer started.
"You have to come down to the infirmary and sort out George Moore. We refuse to treat him anymore." She told him firmly holding his stony gaze. He held her eyes for a moment and dropped his first.
"Shall we go through to my office?" he suggested. Jennifer nodded and turned and followed him.
She entered and he shut the door. He gestured for her to take a seat and sat down opposite her on the other side of the desk.
"What's he done?" he asked. And I thought that getting him to listen to me was going to be the hard part! Jennifer thought to herself. How was she supposed to explain this to McKay of all people?
"He's made inappropriate remarks to my nurses." She told him. Rodney, having no idea what she meant looked at her.
"What kind of inappropriate remarks?" he asked. Jennifer was beginning to wish she had never started this conversation. She could feel herself blushing.
"They were sexually inappropriate remarks." She told him. Rodney sat back and studied her for a moment.
"How do you know?" he asked. Jennifer looked at him in confusion. Surely he wasn't going to stick up for the man!
"Because my nurses have told me!" she glared at him, her temper rising again.
"I'm sure he didn't mean any harm by them." He said. At that point, Linda and Sheppard, who were listening outside the closed door, exchanged uneasy glances.
"I can assure you Dr McKay that whether he meant harm by them or not they were offensive and I will not tolerate that kind of behaviour in my department." She told him firmly. Rodney looked at her.
"Are you implying that I would in mine?" he threw back at her. Jennifer frowned in confusion.
"What...No I'm not implying that at all!" When did this become an attack on him? She wondered.
"Because if you are you are out of line yourself." Rodney told her. "And not for the first time today." He added. Jennifer looked at him in amazement. Where had that come from?
"Look I am not criticizing you or your department. I want you to come down to the infirmary, read the riot act to Moore and then take it to Sheppard so I can have him removed." She told him. He looked at her.
"Why would I do that?" he asked.
"Because you are the head of his department." Jennifer was close to losing it again and it wasn't going to be pretty.
"Not until I hear his side of the story. You could be making it up." He told her.
John looked at Linda. "Uh-oh." He said and got ready to go in.
Jennifer stood up and leaned over the desk.
"I can assure you Dr McKay, I have a whole department of witnesses who will back me up not to mention being told by him myself what he would like to do with me tied up and blind folded so I don't suggest you go there." She warned him. Rodney backed off slightly. He was momentarily distracted by the object of his fantasies talking on that subject to him but he soon recovered himself.
"With all due respect you are very young and could be very easily offended Dr Keller. I am sure this is just a storm in a tea cup which will be over and done with by tomorrow. Now I need to get back to the important work. You've taken up quite enough of my time for one day." He told her. Jennifer actually thought she was going to hit him, wipe that smug look right off of his face. Instead she did something really, really stupid. She thumped the next nearest thing to hand other than Dr McKay's face; she punched straight through a computer monitor. The screen shattered everywhere, causing Rodney to leap back from his chair. The pain hit Jennifer a moment after she realised what she had done and she looked at her hand. She caught site of Colonel Sheppard and Linda coming in on the run just as she passed out.
Sheppard got on the com. "Medical emergency in Physics lab." John put Jennifer in the recovery position and glanced at Linda. She had Jennifer's arm in the air and was trying to stop the bleeding. She looked worriedly at John.
"She's hit an artery." She told him. John glanced over to Rodney.
"Rodney come and keep an eye on her vitals." He said. Rodney didn't move but was staring at the scene in front of him in horror. As well he might, thought John. He started this. "McKay!" he yelled at him. Rodney came out of it and walked over to Jennifer. She had gone pale now. He felt for her pulse. It was weak but it was still there.
Beckett came in on the run with the medical team close behind him.
"What's the idiot done now?" he asked assuming it was McKay and stopping short when he saw it was Keller on the ground.
"Jennifer." He said. John looked up at him.
"Beckett!" he yelled and Dr Beckett came out of it and got to work. They had her stabilised then transferred her onto the gurney and headed out at the run. Linda went with them leaving Sheppard facing McKay. Colonel Sheppard decided not to let on he was outside the door the whole time and glared at McKay.
"What the hell happened?" he yelled at him.
"I don't know!" he yelled back
"Rodney, Dr Keller doesn't normally go around smashing computer screens. What did you do to her?" he asked.
"Nothing!" he defended himself.
Sheppard glared at him. "Rodney...." It was drawn out in a warning.
"I don't know. We were arguing about some jerk she wanted me to go deal with then she started shouting and hit the computer screen." He told him. Sheppard glared at him some more.
"And why were you arguing with her and not sorting out the jerk?" he asked him.
Rodney looked at him.
"I don't know." He said. Sheppard looked at him properly. He was pale and sweating. If he wasn't careful he was about to have another medical emergency on his hands.
"Rodney sit down." He told him. Rodney looked at him distractedly.
"No I want to go see if she's ok." He told him. John looked at him again.
"Rodney just sit down for a moment ok?" he asked more gently.
Rodney sat and looked in horror at John.
"What just happened?" he asked him. John shook his head.
"Rodney you just annoyed our Doctor enough for her to hit a computer. I think you would remember that." He said to him. Rodney shook his head.
"Why did I annoy her?" he asked. John totally not following this conversation kept at it.
"I haven't got the faintest idea? Because you are a jerk?" he suggested.
Rodney shook his head. John was beginning to think Rodney was now loosing it as well.
"Because you don't like doctors and Dr Keller is no exception?" he suggested. Rodney just looked at John.
"I love her." He told him. Then realised what he had said and just sat there looking at John. Sheppard sat back in the chair. He was at a loss as to what to say.
"Funny way of showing it!" he told him. Rodney shook his head.
"I can't show it. She wouldn't look twice at me." He said. At this John had a flash of incite and smiled at him.
"So you where using this as an excuse to make yourself dislike her?" he asked him. Rodney looked at him again.
"I don't know. I guess so." John shook his head.
"Rodney you're an idiot." He told him. "Come on we'd better go see how she is and get rid of the jerk that started all this." John had a fleeting thought that if he'd done that in the first place this morning he would have saved himself a lot of trouble! Rodney nodded and they headed out.
Jennifer came round to find Dr Beckett stitching her arm and Linda carefully removing pieces of glass. She looked up and saw the blood transfusion. That didn't look good. Dr Beckett caught the movement and moved so he could smile down at her.
"Hello love. You gave me a bit of a fright there but you're going to be fine." He told her. She looked up into his calm brown eyes and to her consternation she started crying. Dr Beckett nodded for Linda to go and pulled his stool closer to her.
"You've had a bit of a day haven't you love?" he asked her. She nodded miserably. She tried to sit up and Beckett helped her, passing her a tissue. He quickly finished the stitching and bandaged her arm. He patted her gently on the shoulder.
"You want to talk about it?" he asked her. She smiled through her tears.
"Where on earth would I start?" She said.
"I always found the beginning a good place." Dr Beckett replied.
Jennifer hesitantly told him about her day. When she got to the part where she had hit the computer screen she started crying again. Dr Beckett was reading between the lines.
"How long have you been in love with our cantankerous Dr McKay?" he asked. The question caught Jennifer off-guard.
"From about two weeks after I got here. But he doesn't even know I exist." She said sadly.
John, who was standing by the open door as Jennifer said this looked at a shocked Rodney. "Well he does now." He said quietly. Rodney, having heard the question and declaration turned tail and headed back out the door. Luckily Jennifer hadn't seen him. John watched his departing back. This day was going on for far too long! He turned his attention to George Moore and informed him that he was removing him from Atlantis and that he wouldn't have that type of behaviour from anyone under his command. He arranged for him to be transferred to the Daedalus sick bay under the supervision of two extremely burly male SO's who had been briefed to give him a very hard time. He then went to wait for Dr Beckett.
Jennifer was asleep. Dr Beckett had given her a sedative and was looking over the quiet night time ward. Everyone was settled and he turned the lights down low and, after checking in on Jennifer again, he headed back to the office. He was surprised to find Colonel Sheppard sitting with his feet up on the desk waiting for him. He walked in and closed the door behind him.
"What can I do for you?" he asked him. He walked over and sat on the chair opposite Sheppard.
"Fancy playing cupid?" he asked. Beckett looked at him.
"Sorry?" he asked.
"Well I have had a very interesting conversation with our 'cantankerous' Dr McKay." He said pointedly. Beckett looked at him in confusion for a moment then the memory came back to him.
"You overheard that conversation?" he asked.
"Yep, so did Rodney." He informed him.
"Poor Jennifer! She is going to be mortified when she finds out." Dr Beckett said sympathetically.
"Not necessarily. You see I had a very similar conversation with Rodney about five minutes before then." He told him. Beckett smiled.
"You did? What did he say?" he asked.
"He told me he loved Keller." He informed him. Beckett grinned then. He liked nothing more than a good love story. John grinned back.
"The question is what we are going to do about it?" he asked. Beckett looked thoughtful for a moment.
"I'd start by giving Rodney some tips on a seduction routine, flowers, chocolates etc. Tell him to be nice and see where it goes from there. Jennifer's going to be here for another day but I should be able to release her tomorrow night. Let's see if we can't get Rodney to see her back to her quarters and get her settled." John smiled.
"Well that's a plan. I'll go find Rodney." He said. He got up and after giving the doctor another smile he headed out the door.
John found Rodney in his office looking at the smashed computer screen. Keller's blood was still all over the place.
"Rodney. Let's call for housekeeping to come clear this mess up and come with me for a beer." He told him. Rodney nodded and they headed out, John putting the call through on the com. They swung by Sheppard's quarters for the beer then headed down to one of the piers. They settled themselves and Sheppard handed Rodney a beer.
"So what are you going to do about Keller then?" he asked him. Rodney looked at him.
"Somehow after today I don't think she's going to feel the same way do you?" Rodney asked.
John looked sternly at him.
"Of course she does. You don't just fall out of love with someone, no matter how stupid they are." He told him.
"I don't know what to do." Rodney said. John nodded.
"Mind having some advice from someone who has a little experience with women?" he asked him.
Rodney looked questioningly at him.
"You are going to have to win her back. That means you are going to have to do the chasing. You need to seduce her." Rodney frowned.
"And how am I supposed to do that? This is me we are talking about. I'm not exactly used to this." He asked. John grinned.
"Rodney I know for a fact you have had girlfriends while you have been here." He told him. Rodney shook his head.
"Not really. No one I cared about anyway. That was easy as they seemed to like me for being me. And none of them were in Jennifer's league." He stated.
"Boy have you got it bad!" John commented. "Well first things first. You have to be nice to her for a start. Apologise for being a jerk today and take her some flowers. Then leave it at that for a while and go back later with some chocolates for her. Tell her a funny story, make her laugh. Tell her she's looking better and you like her hair or something. Beckett said she will be getting out of there tomorrow night. Escort her out. Hold her bags for her. Arrange to have a meal ready for her when she gets back to her quarters. Make sure she has everything she needs. She will only have the use of one hand for a while so anything that requires two hands could be tricky. Leave with the promise you will be back with breakfast in the morning. Radio before she goes to sleep just to check she is ok. Make her laugh again if you can. That way she will go to sleep thinking happy thoughts of you." John finished. Rodney looked at him with admiration.
"No wonder you never have any problems with girls." He commented.
John grinned. "I have no trouble getting the girl. It's keeping her I have a problem with." Rodney managed a small smile at that. John got up.
"Come on it's time to get to bed. You've got a busy day ahead of you tomorrow." John told him.
TBC
A/N: Let me know what you think! Chapter 2 already written and ready to go!