Katie woke slowly, not wanting to open her eyes, hoping to drift off to sleep again. She was so comfy and warm, and damn he smelt so good! Her lethargic body was about to drift off to sleep again when her brain suddenly re-engaged.
He! There was a man in her bed! In a panic she quickly jerked backwards, only to let out a yelp as she fell off the edge of the bed tangled in the sheet.
"What the hell?" The man sat up in alarm. He spluttered, looking around and finally noticing Katie on the floor. "What are you doing in here?" He demanded to know.
"Keep away from me!" She shouted at him, pulling the sheet around her protectively.
The man went to stand up and froze.
"Where are my clothes?" He asked, and Katie wasn't sure if he was talking to himself or to her.
She scooted back towards the wall, reaching out a hand to try find her bedside table where she had left her radio. On the other side of the bed there was the sound of rummaging and suddenly the bed side light clicked on.
Blinking in the sudden brightness Katie recognised the man as he turned to face her. Lt Colonel John Sheppard.
"What are you doing in here?" He asked again, hastily yanking on his pants.
"My room." Katie managed to say. She had never met him, but everyone knew who John Sheppard was.
"What?" He asked, and looking around confused, silhouetted in the lamp light. Then with shocked look on his face. "Did we...?" She could see his Adams apple bobbing as he swallowed.
"No I, I... no!" She stammered. "I locked the door..." She started.
"Do I know you?" He frowned.
Katie shook her head.
"Then how...?" He scrubbed a hand over his face and through his already messy hair. "I don't remember coming here." He admitted. He looked as confused as she felt.
"You weren't here last night." She told him, meaning that she was alone when she went to bed and fell asleep.
"Right!" He drawled. "I'd better go!" He leant down and swiped something from the floor.
"Yeah." She told him.
Sheppard stood up and pulled his t-shirt over his head. He jammed his feet into his boots and headed for the door.
"Sorry." He muttered as the door closed behind him.
Out in the hallway, the security camera picked up a very dishevelled looking Colonel, looking left and right to orient himself before he strode off down the hall, boots flapping.
Back in his own room, John wondered what the hell had just happened? He had woken up in bed with a woman he did not know, having no idea how he got there and why he'd been naked? Sure it wasn't the first time he'd woken up in bed with a woman, but usually he had some recollection of actually meeting her first. Looking at his watch, it was nearly 6am, so he decided to head straight for the shower.
Two levels down, Katie was also in the shower. Her heart rate had slowed down, but the confusion wasn't going away. How did Colonel Sheppard end up in her bed? She knew that nothing had happened, sexually at least, but what was he doing there? How did he get into her room? Did this sort of thing happen often on Atlantis she wondered?
Katie had only been in the city for just under 3 weeks and had seen the Colonel come into the infirmary for his post-mission checkups with the Doctors, but they had never spoken or even met. Katie was pretty sure she would have remembered, Sheppard was kind of hard to forgot. He was probably the hottest guy on the base, and a big favourite amongst the nurses in the infirmary.
Maybe she should look up that psychologist and ask about this stuff? As she made the bed, she could still smell Sheppard on the pillow, so she stripped off the bedclothes. She dressed and collected up her dirty clothes. Might as well do her laundry before going to work. At least she could wash the evidence of her visitor off her sheets.
Katie didn't end up talking to the psychologist but she did talk to some of the other nurses about strange things happening on Atlantis. Apparently strange stuff happened all the time. She shrugged when they asked for specifics but she refused to elaborate. It was just too weird, and everyone seemed to think the Colonel was a complete gentlemen.
Two days later she ran into John Sheppard again. He and his team had come into the infirmary after a mission. He was filthy, dishevelled and had a several nasty scratches on his ribcage. She would have been quite content to continue cleaning bed pans, rather than speak to him, but Dr Beckett had called her over to help. He'd finished his scans and sent the Colonel to shower.
"When the Colonel comes back, could you clean those scratches, thanks love." Beckett had asked.
"Yes Doctor." She nodded, kind of nervous at the thought of having to be so close to the man.
Thankfully by the time Sheppard had returned to his bed, that noisy, whiny scientist, and the gorgeous warrior woman Teyla had arrived. Teyla had led Katie's induction session to the city, and she smiled sweetly at her.
The Colonel blushed as much as Katie did while she cleaned and dressed his wounds. At least "Mackay's" non-stop yabbering meant that they didn't have to talk to each other, although during a pause for breath, he did eye both the Colonel and Katie carefully.
"Hey is something going on here?" He blurted out.
"Rodney!" Teyla admonished and Sheppard growled "Mackay".
"Have we met? Dr Rodney Mackay, physicist not voodoo like Beckett." Rodney continued on unperturbed.
"Rodney this is Katie Thomas." Teyla told him while smiling broadly at Katie and rolling her eyes at Rodney. "Hello Katie." Teyla said sweetly.
"Hi, hello." Rodney cooed a little to smarmily for Sheppard's liking. "So you been here long?"
"Mackay, leave her alone!" He ordered.
"Oh a bit touchy there Kirk!" Rodney laughed.
"Just ignore him Katie! Have you meet John before?" Teyla asked.
Katie looked at John, and shook her head.
"Hi." She gave him a tight smile. "I'm all done. Dr Beckett said you have to stay overnight and rest." She turned and looked straight at Rodney. "Please keep the noise down Dr Mackay, or you will have to leave."
With a nod to Teyla, she picked up the basin she had been using and left the cubicle.
Rodney harrumphed as she walked away. "Well she's not very friendly!" He protested.
"I think she was very professional." Teyla disagreed.