Summary: Carson is in the infirmary as a patient but no one knows why and John learns the duty of a friend.
Disclaimer: Not mine! Not Mine!
AN: Written for the Carson Beckett Challenge of the week over on Gateworld. Hope you like it. Please Review!
Doctor Elizabeth Weir walked into Atlantis' infirmary with an impatient air. Her blue eyes scanned the medical room until they landed on the patient she was there to see. She walked over to the bed with her hands swinging at her sides. "Carson what happened?"
Carson Beckett, M.D. sat in one of his own infirmaries' beds supported by three flimsy pillows wearing a set of white scrubs and a look of exasperation. His hands lay patiently in his lap and his head tracked every activity that was going on in the place. For all the looks of things you wouldn't have known he needed to be a patient until you looked at his legs and noticed the uneven height at which they lay. His left leg was elevated a few inches higher and two pillows supported a swollen, bruised and currently iced ankle.
"Oh Elizabeth, hello love," he greeted warmly. A smile crossed his face, lighting his eyes and making laugh lines and dimples appear.
"Carson, what happened?" Elizabeth asked again when she realized he didn't have any intention of answering.
"I fell, sprained my ankle. 'Tis nothin' to worry about. I'll be fine a few days," Carson answered lightly giving her another smile. His dismissal of his injury was almost convincing until he shifted and moved his leg and a grimaced appeared on his face.
"How badly is it sprained?" Elizabeth asked not believing for a second that he would be fine as quickly as he said. She crossed her arms over her chest in the way she'd become accustomed to doing when she was angry, worried, or suspicious and waited for him to respond. However no response ever came from Carson. Instead a familiar voice spoke up as the sound of footsteps came closer and closer.
"He has a grade III sprain and more than one hairline fracture," Doctor Jennifer Keller announced, coming up to Carson's bed with her datapad in her hand. With the swiftness of someone familiar with the technology, she zoomed through the information that was currently irrelevant and brought up the scan images. She flipped the machine around and placed it on the table that currently sat at the foot of his bed then used her pen to point at the ligaments that had been torn completely or were barely held together and the small lines in the bones of his tibia, fibula, and foot. "Luckily you won't need surgery but you will be on crutches for quite some time. I find it hard to believe that this happened from a simple fall."
Carson blushed at Jennifer's last statement but he didn't reply making both women around him suspicious. They gave one another looks of "What is that about?" but Jennifer merely shrugged. If the patient didn't wish to tell her what happened, he didn't have to. Besides he was her boss, she couldn't exactly order him to tell her though she was curious. "We will have to put a pretty heavy wrapping around the ankle to stabilize it and keep it from movement. You'll be put on light duty for a good six weeks at the least. And I already know you know this," she added when she saw him open his mouth to speak, "but Doctor Weird doesn't and she will need to know this in case you try to do anything slippery."
"I'll have you know I'm not a certain Colonel, all right? I don't go slippin' out of infirmaries in the middle of the night when no one's lookin'," Carson replied sounding almost indignant at the intended meaning.
"No, you just charm your way out of your own infirmary."
"Oh you do, do you?" Elizabeth asked intrigued to find out just how similar John and Carson were.
"Speaking of Colonels, here comes one," Carson said by way of segue as his eyes were drawn to the opening of the infirmary doors. He really didn't want all this attention on himself, ever, and he was grateful when Colonel Sheppard, Ronon, Teyla, and McKay walked into the infirmary. The former three were covered in sweat and carried their gym bags while McKay was nursing his hand and whining loudly.
"Hello, injured man here!" he called in the most grating voice he could use. He waved his injured hand through the air then grimaced when it had a negative effect on his nerves.
Jennifer gave Carson a knowing smile then turned around to address the physicist. "What happened this time Rodney?"
"Hey, it's not like I'm accident prone," Rodney objected immediately. "That's Colonel Kirk here."
"I'm not accident prone Rodney, I just happen to have a lot of them." John grimaced when he realized just how weak his defense was then proceeded to glare at his team, daring them to argue.
"Sounds accident prone to me," Ronon replied with a smile in his eyes. Everyone but John and Rodney laughed. Rodney would have but at the moment Keller was examining his hand, pressing down hard on the bruise that covered it.
"Ow! Do you have to be so rough? I'm injured in case you hadn't noticed."
"Rodney she had to examine the bruise to determine the extent of the damage. You know that," Carson lectured with a smile in his tone and warmth in his eyes.
The entire group minus Jennifer turned towards Carson and surprise quickly filled their faces when they realized that he was there as a patient not at a doctor. Elizabeth quickly noted that while John's face held surprise as well, it was more faked than real and there was an undertone of guilt in his hazel eyes.
"What are you doing here?" Rodney asked in an accusatory tone as though only he was the only one allowed to be injured.
Marie ignored the group and walked over to the left side of Carson's bed, placing the equipment she would need to wrap her boss and friend's ankle on the empty bedside table. "Doctor Beckett, I need you to swing your legs towards me," she instructed knowing he'd know why.
With a smile on his face, Carson obediently lowered his left leg off the bed then swung his right one around to join it. He hissed when his ankle was jostled then gently grabbed by Marie's professional hands. Though he knew she had been as careful as she could while she guided his foot to her lap, any pressure was too much and caused considerable pain.
"He's sprained his ankle Rodney, but he'll be fine," Jennifer answered as she tested Rodney's reaction to flexing and movement. "As will you I'm afraid."
"What? Really?"
"Yes Rodney. You've badly bruised the bone but nothing appears to be broken. We'll get you under a scanner just to be sure though." She looked up from her patient's hand to address Marie who was just beginning to wrap Carson's ankle. "Marie, could you get Rodney over to the scanner? I'll finish up for you."
"Of course Doctor," Marie answered partially relieved that she wasn't in charge of banding her boss' injury any more. She had the utmost confidence when it came to her ability as a nurse but when it came to patching up the bosses of Atlantis, everyone doubted themselves.
The two women switched places and began their tasks. Jennifer offered Carson a smile then began to carefully bandage the injured ankle. Thankfully the medicine had begun to work so he wasn't feeling more than a throbbing ache right now but every touch or soft pull still burned.
"Well I think I'm going to go back to my office," Elizabeth announced, drawing all attention to her. "There's still a city to run after all." She turned her attention to Carson, walking around the bed so she faced him as well as everyone else. "Let me know if you need anything alright?"
"Aye, I will," Carson replied though he had no intent of doing any such thing.
Elizabeth gave a nod of approval then walked out. John looked in the direction of where Rodney was getting his scan completed, then in Carson's before he quickly ran out after her. Teyla and Ronon shared equal curious glances but remained silent on the subject.
"Is that not a big wrapping for a sprained ankle?" Teyla asked in curious concern when she and Ronon had come around to sit at the chairs in front of Carson's bed. "I thought sprains did not require much more than a small bandage." Though she'd been on Atlantis a long time, she'd only begun to learn the varying degrees of every injury and how to treat them.
"Most are, Teyla," Jennifer informed professionally as she proceeded to wrap the final layer around Carson's calf. "Unfortunately some are much more serious and require thicker padding and more immobilization."
"Aye, I've been lucky enough to be one of those people," Carson finished while he awkwardly moved to place his legs back on the bed. He let out a sigh he hadn't known he'd been holding when his ankle met the pillow and some weight of his leg had been lifted.
Jennifer placed a hospital brand ice pack over his leg and gave his hand a pat. "Sadly, you are."
"Doctor Keller?" Marie's voice called, alerting the young woman that some information was being sent to her datapad. Jennifer tapped the pad, perused the information, then smiled. "Well it looks like I do know what I'm doing," she said making them all smile when they thought of Rodney's constant reminder that Medicine wasn't a science. "Rodney's hand isn't broken but it is badly bruised. I'm sure he'll be a little more dramatic than usual about it but he'll be fine."
"John will be happy to hear that," Teyla answered with a smile.
"Why is that?" Jennifer asked, saving Carson from having to do it.
"Because it was his bantos rod that hit Rodney's hand, giving him the injury."
"I thought we weren't going to mention that," John's voice replied as the man himself jogged over to where they all stood around Carson's bed. His eyes drifted over to his friend's heavily bandaged ankle and he couldn't hide the wince that came upon his face.
"It's not as bad as it looks," Carson assured kindly when he noticed John's gaze.
"Unlike this," Rodney intoned coming up to join the group. His hand was wrapped in a compression bandage but he proceeded to favor it, hoping for some small amount of pity.
"Rodney, you have a badly bruised hand," Jennifer answered carefully enunciating each word in hopes of getting the information through the scientist's stubborn skull. "Carson has two completely torn ligaments, one barely hanging by a thread, and three hairline fractures. I'd say he wins."
"Some victory," Ronon intoned gruffly making all look at him with mixtures of glares and agreement. They all became quiet, not knowing what to say after that. The presence of Marie bringing a set of crutches for Carson brought a new topic to discuss.
"How long will he have to be on those?" John asked. Amazingly, spraining his ankle that badly had been one thing he'd never done so he wasn't familiar with the practices of treatment for it.
"About six weeks until the fractures and ligaments heal. Providing he's making good progress he'll be allowed to start physical therapy." An off-world team came trudging through the doors covered in mud and trailing it everywhere they went. Carson went to lecture them about it but Jennifer beat him to it. "Just what are you doing bringing all that in here? There are patients here who do not need any more injuries."
"We were told to report to the infirmary for our post-mission check-up," the leader of the team responded.
"Well that will have to wait until all of you have changed," Jennifer answered going to the drawer and grabbing four sets of scrubs. "The bathroom's over there, you can take turns." She walked back over to Carson's bed, shaking her head. "I'd like you to wait a bit for the floors to be cleaned before you leave. I don't want you slipping on the mess."
"I'll be fine, Jennifer," Carson assured. He didn't know how true those words would be until he saw John coming to his bed pushing a wheelchair. "What's this then?"
"I'm making sure you don't fall," John replied almost too innocently for Carson's liking.
"You wouldn't perhaps be paying be back for all the times I've made you use one now would you Colonel?" Carson used his hands to lift his left off the bed then gently placed it on the floor while he swung the other one over. The slight bump his foot made when it hit the ground jarred his ankle enough to make him grimace but everyone remained quiet, each understanding the pain of his injury quite well.
"Now why would you think that?"
That does it! Carson thought. He knew John hated using wheelchairs but he'd been forced many times to confine the lad to one. An argument would usually ensue and it would end with Carson threatening the Colonel with extended stay in the infirmary and longer recovery time. He spared John the fight and unsteadily hopped over to the chair then lowered himself down into it. The left leg of the chair was raised and a pillow was placed on it to cushion the injured ankle for the trip.
Jennifer came over with the ice pack that had been abandoned during his trip and placed it back over his leg. "If I find that you're trying to do any sort of work in the next few days, I will remove you from it for the next two weeks," she lectured with a wagging finger. "If you're good, you'll be allowed to do lab work and research after the weekend. For now, I want you to go to your quarters and rest. Got that Colonel?"
"Got it Doc. Ready Carson?"
"Aye Colonel I think I am," Carson replied sounding more tired than he liked. As a doctor he knew that pain and injury were hard on the body but it still annoyed him when it happened to him.
"Someday I'll get the true story out of you Carson," Jennifer warned just before John pushed him out into the Atlantis halls and towards his quarters.
The sound of the wind rushing past them was the only thing they both heard for a long while. John was doing his best to get Carson to his quarters as quickly as he could and he made good time, arriving in under ten minutes when it usually took Carson a good twenty minutes to walk there. He pushed Carson over to where his bed was then parked the chair, locking it so it didn't move.
"You didn't tell them," John said finally, breaking their silence with his wondrous tone. He handed Carson his crutches then pushed the chair towards the door; he'd return it after he made sure that Carson was comfortable and pain free.
"Aye I didn't," Carson answered with a huff as he made his way to the edge of the bed. He then balanced rather precariously on one leg while he leaned the crutches against the wall then sat down on the edge of the soft Atlantis mattress.
"Why not?"
"Because it's the job of a friend to protect their friends and I didn't think you could get away without a lecture from a certain leader if she knew." Carson wasn't an arrogant man but he did know his friends very well. Elizabeth Weir was a strong woman, a capable leader, and fierce friend. He knew that if she'd found out that the only reason he was injured like he was was because John had goaded him into trying to glide on his skateboard, then the Colonel wouldn't hear the end of it and would probably be given extra-boring tasks that the man hated.
John gave him an appreciative smile, knowing the exact same thing as Carson, then grabbed the spare pillow from the wheelchair and gently placed it under Carson's injured leg. He wanted to apologize for the fact that the doctor had gotten hurt but his pride wouldn't let him though he knew it was his fault. Instead he settled for handing his friend a dose of ibuprofen and a cup of water, waiting until he'd swallowed both, before he went and grabbed the wheelchair to leave and return it. He paused before he reached the door and said, "Thanks Doc. I'll see you tomorrow."
Carson watched John leave with a smile on his face and quickly drooping eyes. He knew exactly what the Colonel had been trying to say with his thank you. Carson wanted to tell the lad that it wasn't his fault but he'd scurried away before he could. He leaned back, settling down into the bed and giving his thigh a rub when he accidentally put too much pressure on his ankle. Deciding it was best to get some rest for now, the Scot allowed his eyes to drift closed while the medication did its job.
Tomorrow – and for quite a few days after that he suspected – Carson would have one overprotective Colonel following him about and he would need as much patience as he could get for that. Friends protect friends and now that Carson had protected John from the wrath of some on Atlantis, it was John's turn to protect Carson.
~fin~