It's been a while, but here is a new story. As with all the others, it's centred on Carson, but everybody else plays there part too. It is set before "Sunday" (obviously) and there may be spoilers up to that episode – but I'll warn you before each chapter if there is.
As with most of my stories, I'll rate this one a K+ as there is likely to be some whumpage involved.
This story was inspired by two contacts I have. One was a message I received from a military nurse who was serving in Afghanistan. She asked if I could write a good part for a nurse. Jenny Martin is for her. The idea for the story evolved from a comment by Dr Dredd - but I won't say exactly what as that might give too much away.
As always, I don't own the characters – I just borrow them from time to time. They are such fun to play with.
Here's a brief synopsis – Carson is brought back from a mission, deeply unconscious. No-one knows exactly what happened to him – not even Carson himself. As Rodney, John and the others try to piece together what happened, Carson's behaviour starts to worry his friends. Just what happened to him?
oOoOoOo
He tried to open his eyes but it took more effort than he could spare. They felt as if they were glued together, and then sutured for good measure. He tried again. Vaguely, in the background he could hear a gentle voice urging him to open his eyes. He wanted to please the voice. He liked the voice. It was a friendly voice. But his eyes just wouldn't oblige. So he gave up the unequal battle, and let the darkness claim him again.
oOoOoOo
"Oh, Carson. What will we do with you?" The "voice" was filled with affectionate exasperation.
"He's still not awake?"
Elizabeth Weir entered the Infirmary again. She'd been in and out since her Chief Medical Officer had been brought back to Atlantis deeply unconscious but otherwise unhurt.
"No, but he has been trying to open his eyes."
"If anyone can persuade him, Jenny, it's you."
"Thank you, Dr Weir."
The nurse allowed herself to smile briefly before the worried frown returned to her face. She was fond of her boss and she didn't like to see him lying there, unresponsive. Although she hadn't been assigned to Atlantis for long, Jenny Martin had grown to love the place and was developing friendships with many of the personnel, including her boss.
"It's his stubborn streak."
"Hello, Rodney," Elizabeth replied, turning to smile at the scientist who'd just joined them.
"He is stubborn." The scientist seemed determined to make his point. "He isn't going to wake up, because he knows we want him to."
"Of course, Rodney."
Elizabeth and Jenny shared a grin.
"Now, Dr McKay," the nurse said, briskly. "Why don't you go and read to Dr Beckett. He enjoys that."
Elizabeth hid her smile as Rodney complied with Jenny's request, seemingly pleased to be given something useful to do. Rodney had haunted the Infirmary almost as much as she had. And his team-mates would probably not be far behind him.
Carson had been on a mission with them when he had taken ill. They seemed to share a sense of mutual guilt about the doctor's plight.
"How is he?"
Elizabeth turned to smile at her military commander. John Sheppard stood at the door, leaning against the frame, a worried look filling his eyes.
"He's been trying to open his eyes."
"That's good."
"Yes." She paused for a moment before continuing. "It wasn't your fault, John."
"I know," he replied, but his voice lacked conviction.
"Do you?"
"It was my job to protect him, Elizabeth. That's what I do. And I failed."
"We all failed." Ronon joined them, his voice rumbling through the Infirmary.
"Can we keep the noise down, please," Rodney piped up. "Reading here. And negativity is bad for a patient."
John and Elizabeth exchanged an amused smile. The voice was Rodney's, but the words were definitely Carson's. They'd heard him say the same thing so many times.
"He'll make it," John said, trying to take the haunted look from Elizabeth's eyes.
She just nodded in response.
"What happened on that planet?" She'd been so busy since the team had returned with an unconscious Carson, dealing with a trade delegation from one of the Athosians' trading partners, as well as hovering around Carson, that she'd not had time to de-brief the team.
The three of them looked at each other, before John cleared his throat.
"It all seemed to be going fine." Teyla and Ronon both nodded in agreement.
"The people we met seemed friendly and non-threatening," the Athosian added her agreement.
"Only weapons were primitive."
Elizabeth smiled at Ronon's typically to the point observation.
"Then how did Carson end up like that?"
"The doc went off with some of the villagers who had some kind of fluey thing." John tried to explain.
"Is that a medical term?"
That earned her a sardonic look from her military commander.
"Carson was eager to help the villagers," Teyla added. "It was not only their weapons that were primitive."
"So was he attacked? Or was it the virus the villagers had?"
Her questions were answered by three shrugs.
"He just seemed to collapse," John offered. "We were walking back to the Puddle Jumper and one minute he was walking along, arguing with Rodney, and the next he was lying on the ground, like that." He indicated the prone figure of the Scot lying passively as Rodney's voice droned on.
"D'you want us to go back, ask around?"
Elizabeth looked at the tall Satedan as she considered his suggestion.
"No." She shook her head for emphasis. "Until we know what's wrong with Carson, I don't want anyone else exposed to whatever it is."
Ronon nodded his agreement with her decision.
"Carson!" Rodney's cry rang out through the Infirmary. "You're awake. What happened? What did they do to you? How are you feeling? Did they drug you?"
"Whit?" The doctor's blue eyes were as confused as his question.
"Relax, Carson," Jenny Martin's soothing voice intervened. "You're safe in your Infirmary. Just settle down."
Her words were accompanied by her best quelling look directed at Rodney.
"Thanks, Jenny, lass," Carson replied settling down onto the bed again. His eyes started to flutter shut again as fatigue swept over him.
"Carson." Elizabeth's voice brought Carson back, at least momentarily. He forced his eyes open and looked up into her face. He was aware the others there too, but it took all his energy to focus on Elizabeth.
"Carson, do you remember what happened?"
He frowned as he tried to frame an answer to her question.
"On a planet," he said after a moment. "Villagers were sick. Felt lousy. Don't remember more."
"That's alright." Elizabeth squeezed his hand as she spoke. "You rest now and when you're feeling better, then we can talk again."
Carson smiled. He felt so tired, but somewhere, deep at the back of his mind, he felt an excitement. He wasn't sure why – but he felt invigorated, alive and free even as his weariness grew.
Carson started to nod, but his eyes were shut before he'd completed the movement. Elizabeth smiled as she released his hand.
"What did happen to him?" she asked, looking round at the others.
None of them could answer.
From the door, a noise drew their attention. They turned as a group to face Dr Cole, one of Carson's colleagues. She held a wad of notes in her hand.
"What's wrong with him?" Rodney demanded.
"I'm afraid I don't know. We've run all the tests we can think of and there is nothing medically wrong with him."
"Then why is he lying there, barely able to open his eyes?" Anxiety made Rodney's question harsher than he intended. But he wasn't going to admit that. He let a challenging look enter his eyes as he stared at the young medic.
"The only thing we found which was slightly unusual was the increased brain activity."
"What does that suggest?" Elizabeth's question was much gentler than Rodney's.
"I wish I knew," Dr Cole admitted. "We only found it when we used the Ancient scanner. And we still can't always interpret the readings from it accurately. Carson is best at it." As she turned and looked at her boss, a sigh escaped from her lips.
"So what can you do?" John asked.
"Watch him, make him comfortable, and pray he comes out of it without any permanent damage."