First Impressions
Disclaimer: Stargate Atlantis is owned by the geniuses Brad Wright and Rob Cooper.
"So what do you think of Atlantis so far Doctor Keller?" Elizabeth Weir asked kindly, leaning across her desk and observing her expedition's newest recruit.
"It's…it's wonderful! Pretty, um, daunting…you could say, but it's amazing nonetheless."
"It certainly is," Weir smiled, looking out the window of her office at the flurry of activity down below.
"Is it always this busy?"
"Mmm, I'm afraid so," Weir frowned sheepishly, "We're living in an Ancient city full of knowledge, history and technology to explore, as well as a whole galaxy full of people to meet. Not to mention, the Wraith…"
"Wow, when you put it like that…" Keller said nervously, wringing her hands unconsciously.
"Don't worry. We'll ease you into things as much as we can. Besides, our resident psychologist has been planning a mandatory rest day for everyone next week."
"Well, that's good to hear," the relatively green doctor replied, some of the tension she'd been feeling fading away.
"Now, I think you should head down to the infirmary to check in with Doctor Beckett. He'll show you the ropes," Elizabeth said, standing and seeing Jennifer to the door.
"There aren't…actual ropes right?" Keller asked jokingly, as she exited the office.
"No," Weir said wistfully, "Although, you never know what this place will throw at us next."
Keller turned away, raising an eyebrow at the straight face with which Weir had made the statement.
Making her way down to the infirmary, she wove her way through the halls she barely recalled from orientation the previous day. Upon her arrival, Keller found that despite the hustle and bustle of Atlantis's daily operations, its hospital remained comparatively peaceful. In fact, it was rather deserted.
"Oh, Doctor Keller!" came a voice with a distinctive Scottish brogue, "I'm glad to see you've found us alright."
Jennifer turned to see her head of medicine enter from the room adjacent.
"Yeah, well, if I can find my way back to my room without Mapquest, then I'll know I've really arrived here…" she said, frowning slightly.
"Don't you fret," Carson reassured her, "There are maps of the city in nearly every hallway. Between you and me, for the great intergalactic explorers that they were, I think the Ancients may have had a bit more trouble navigating closer to home."
Chuckling at his joke, Keller replied, "I know I don't officially start yet, but Doctor Weir thought it would be a good idea for you to 'show me the ropes,' as it were…"
"Okay then, I suppose we should start with the few Ancient medical technologies we understand."
"Wait…you mean, we don't even know what all these things do?" Keller asked, looking around at the numerous pieces of machinery amidst the more familiar medicine cabinets.
"I'm afraid not," Carson shook his head, "Even though we've been here nearly three years already, and explored most of the city, we still don't understand how everything works. Some of them could have very specific functions that might not even apply to normal human physiology."
"Wow…" she found herself muttering.
"Aye, I know," Beckett nodded knowingly, "Still, the ones we've managed to figure out are quite useful."
Leading her over to one of the Ancient-made beds with a large, brown, overhanging device attached to its side, he patted the soft cushioning.
"Sit yourself down, and I'll demonstrate this one for you."
"Is it...safe?"
"Of course dear. Go on then," Carson said, moving over to look at a monitor attached to the device.
Hopping up onto the rather high seat, Jennifer laid back and stared up at the apparatus hanging above her. A startled "Oh!" escaped her lips, as the device emitted a soft, green glow, moving down the length of the bed and running over her body.
As the green glow faded, she asked, "Is this an…MRI?"
"It's similar," Beckett admitted, giving her a hand up and leading her over to the display, "But with a few added perks…"
"Amazing!" Keller marveled, staring at the image of her insides, "It's incredibly detailed!"
"You also don't need to remove your keys," the other doctor quipped.
"If we had these back on Earth, I can only imagine how many more lives we'd save…the accuracy is astounding! Are those my fillings?"
"Aye…I do believe they are…" Carson said, tilting his head slightly, "Right! Now, on to the next bit of business. This over here-"
"Carson!" a voice interrupted, followed by the entrance of a rather irritated scientist.
McKay bustled in and holding his index finger as though it burned him, "There is something seriously wrong with my finger, because it will not stop hurting!"
With his attention on his finger, he was completely unaware of anyone else in the room. Coughing slightly to get his attention, Beckett nodded in the direction of his female companion.
"Rodney, this is Doctor Keller. She's our newest arrival here."
"Oh! Hello!" McKay started, blinking profusely, his injury momentarily forgotten.
"Doctor McKay is our head scientist here on Atlantis," Carson informed Jennifer.
"It's nice to meet you," Keller smiled, extending her hand, which Rodney took unthinkingly and recoiled at the sharp pain he experienced upon his finger's contact with her hand.
"Oh, why don't you let me take a look at that?" she said kindly, taking his hand and leading him over to a bed.
After mere seconds of examination, she announced her conclusion with a snorted laugh, "It's a splinter…"
"Of course it is…" Beckett sighed.
"Hey, I'll have you know that splinters can be very painful…" McKay muttered defensively.
"Only you could get a splinter in a city with four wooden things in it Rodney…" the Scotsman said, shaking his head.
"Quite impressive," Jennifer nodded amiably, pinching the offending bit of wood between her fingernails and removing it.
Rodney merely scowled, standing and brushing imagined dirt off his front in an attempt to collect himself.
"Well, it was ah…nice meeting you Doctor Keller…" he nodded curtly as he strode out the door, "Carson…always a pleasure…"
Beckett smiled thinly. "Sorry about him…Rodney doesn't always make the best first impression…or any impression, for that matter…"
"So, that's a regular occurrence I take it?"
"I'm afraid so. You see, Doctor McKay's something of a hypochondriac."
"And he's the head scientist here?" Keller wondered, raising a dubious eyebrow.
"Oh, well…don't tell him I told you this, but…he's very good at what he does. In fact, I'd say he's saved everyone's lives on Atlantis more times than I care to count."
"Really? By himself?"
"He had help, certainly. We've got plenty of excellent scientists here. Not that he'd be willing to admit it, a'course…"
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Later that day, Sheppard's team, as well as Beckett, were having dinner together.
"So McKay, Beckett tells me you got a chance to embarrass yourself in front of the new doctor today…" Sheppard drawled.
"What, already?" Ronon smirked, looking up from the steak he had speared on his fork.
"Yes, it's quite the record, even for Rodney…" Carson grinned, patting his friend on the back, "I don't fancy your chances with the young lady now that she's seen you writhing in agony over a splinter."
Sheppard and Ronon both guffawed, and even Teyla fought to keep a straight face.
"I was not writhing!" McKay said indignantly, glaring at Beckett, "And what do you mean, 'my chances?'"
"Do you not find her attractive Rodney?" Carson asked airily, "Because if not, I have certainly misjudged your tastes…"
"Of course she's attractive! I'm not blind. But I do have a girlfriend, y'know…"
"Really?" Sheppard frowned, cocking his head to the side, "When do we get to meet her?"
"What are you talking about?! It's Katie Brown!" McKay replied incredulously, "You all knew that."
"When was the last time you went out with her?" the colonel inquired.
"Uh, well, you know…what with schedules and all…we haven't really had time…" Rodney mumbled, busying himself with putting more pepper on his potatoes.
"And why are you eating dinner here, with us, rather than with her?" Teyla queried lightly.
"Aha!" McKay nearly shouted with something akin to triumph at finally having an answer, "Because she's offworld right now! So you see: it's just scheduling conflicts. That's all."
The others merely rolled their eyes, disbelief etched on their faces, which went unnoticed by McKay, as he had chosen that moment to dig into his potatoes with vigor.
"Alright, I'm off. I've got a late shift," Carson said, standing up.
"Later Doc."
"See ya'."
"Oh, and Rodney," Beckett turned, "take care you don't forget about our little fishing excursion next week…"
"Ri mon't…" the scientist shook his head, his mouth full.
"So…fishing, huh?" Sheppard asked, an amused smile gracing his face.
"Ugh, I know…I can't believe I let him talk me into that…"
"Well, you could always join the three of us. I'm teaching Ronon and Teyla how to play golf."
"Gee, one boring activity for another..." McKay pretended to think the exchange over for a minute.
"I thought you said it was fun…" Ronon said, eyeing Sheppard with suspicion.
"Fun? Are you kidding me?" McKay spluttered, "The term 'yawn-inducing' comes to mind. And while there is a certain mathematical component to it that I like, it's not the most engaging of pursuits…"
"Did you lie to me Sheppard?" the dreadlocked man growled.
"No! Of course not…who are you going to believe, me or McKay?"
Ronon remained silent, a frown on his face.
"I am sure we will enjoy ourselves no matter what our activity on our day off," Teyla said in an attempt to diffuse the tense atmosphere.
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Over the next week, Jennifer found herself diagnosing and treating things she'd never even heard of. It was hard to ease into helping patients get over Langrangian Jova, particularly when the only known treatment involved using herbs that she was relatively sure she was allergic to. And so, it was because of her near constant sneezing and slightly puffy eyes, that Keller spent most of her day off confined to her room; only venturing out for breakfast, and then lunch.
After said lunch, she wound up wandering into a room where several people had set up chess matches. She enjoyed herself watching Doctor Zelenka engage in a series of rather intense games, with perpetually higher stakes.
That's when it happened.
The explosion.
It was unlike anything Jennifer had ever experienced. Sure, she'd been in high stress situations before, but never anything like this. There was a deathly silence before the room erupted in panicked shouts. The scientists, the military personnel, the other doctors, all raised their voices in an effort to be heard; to be the one who took charge of this crisis. And all of them were reaching for their radios like it was second nature; all striving to find out what was wrong.
She, meanwhile, could only watch in awe as all of them surged forward in the direction of the terrible noise. This was what it meant to be a part of Atlantis. It struck her then how isolated they were. Even with their renewed contact with Earth, they still had to depend on one another for everything.
Steeling herself, she stood up and joined them.
XXXXXXXXXX
Carson's death came as a shock. It was one thing to see patients die, but another thing entirely for someone she'd just come to know. Other than her mother, Jennifer had not had much personal experience with death.
The sheer number of people who showed up for Beckett's memorial service was astounding. She didn't think she'd ever seen this many members of the expedition in one place before.
Weir's speech was very touching and only increased Keller's opinion of the late doctor. She supposed Elizabeth was right that all the patients saved by doctors were monuments to them. That was somewhat comforting in a way. Even if the man was gone, others would live because of him.
I only hope I can leave that kind of impact, she thought to herself as the mournful croon of the bagpipe music washed over her.
Looking down at Carson's pallbearers, Jennifer noticed that despite all the bickering she had seen between he and Doctor McKay, the snarky scientist was offering to break the news to Beckett's family.
Just goes to show that first impressions aren't always what they seem…
XXXXXXXXXX
One year and two months later…
"Once again, I wanted to thank you Doctor Keller. Without you I'd be stuck in that pod for the rest of my unnaturally long life!"
"Really, there's no need to thank me Carson. I think you getting that thing off of me more than makes up for it. And it's Jennifer, please," Keller replied.
"Jennifer. Right," Beckett smiled, "You know since I've come back in all the crises that've happened I never once got the chance to get to know ye'. For instance, did you know the other…well, the other me?"
"Not very well I'm afraid. I was only here about a week before he, uh-"
"I see," Carson said ruefully, "It's a bit strange, y'know? Having people look at'cha like they're seeing a ghost."
"Really? That's not what I see," Jennifer disagreed, "Most people here are just glad to have you back. When you…he…died? The whole city turned up for the memorial service. Don't ever think that people don't want you around."
"Unfortunately, the I.O.A. seems to have other ideas…"
"It's okay," Keller whispered theatrically, a conspiratorial grin on her face, "Nobody really cares what they think anyway."
Carson chuckled at that, hopping up from the bed he'd been sitting on.
"Right, well, I suppose I should give Colonel Sheppard a visit while I'm still here."
"I'll join you."
"Oh! Jennifer, I'm glad I caught y-" McKay said as he entered the infirmary, limping slightly, "And Carson, hey! Ready to ship out?"
"Yes, Rodney. In fact I was just about to check in on Colonel Sheppard before I go. Would you like to join us?"
"Er…no, sorry. I would, but I was just stopping in because I skinned my knee and I need some disinfectants and such."
"If memory serves me right Rodney, you have quite the collection of medicinal supplies in your quarters don't you?" Beckett said, quirking an eyebrow.
"Ah, yes…well, I ran out," McKay replied quickly, rolling up his pant leg to reveal the reddish skin on the middle of his leg.
"Really?" Jennifer asked, retrieving the sanitizer from its cabinet, "You should've said something. With how often you're in here I could save you the trip if I just let you take some of it with you…"
"No, no, that's okay," Rodney waved her offer away as he hissed at the sting of the antiseptic, "You need to have it here in case of other patients or something."
"Alright then…" Keller said, a dubious smirk on her face
"Anyway, it's good to have you back Carson," he said, turning to the departing doctor and clapping him on the shoulder, "Come back soon. Oh, and don't frighten your mother too much when you go back."
"Heh, I'll try," Beckett grinned.
"See you later Jennifer. And I'm glad you're okay."
"Goodbye Rodney."
Beckett shook his head as the scientist left. "My goodness…The other me must've done quite the number on him…"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, he was never that nice to doctors. And he regarded medicine in general as voodoo…"
"Really? Voodoo?"
"Oh yes…I suppose his death must've affected him more than I thought."
"Yes…I'm sure you're right…" Keller murmured absently, a small smile gracing her lips.
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Author's Note: This story practically wrote itself. I've always wanted to show Keller and McKay's first meeting and I figured she must've arrived around when Sunday happened. The rest just flowed right out of that.