Just Another Day – Chapter 1
Author: Eclypse
Summary: Just what is it that Major Lorne does in Atlantis while Col. Sheppard and his team are off getting themselves into trouble? And other things you may or may not have always wondered about. A SGA/Major Lorne back story, with a slashy twist, starting in Season 2. (Lorne/Parrish)
Author's Notes: This all started with just the line "can't see the forest for the trees."
I do not know who initiated the use of 'David' as Dr. Parrish's first name but I have seen it in several stories by different authors on different sites. I thought it really fit the character and I liked it, so I kept it. Credit to whoever that first person was.
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Major Evan Lorne stood surrounded by dense, moist vegetation as sunlight struggled to break through the equally damp and heavy forest canopy overhead. Basically, it was not at all unlike the last three planets he had visited.
When he accepted this assignment - 2IC to Lt. Colonel John Sheppard, in the 'Lost City of Atlantis' (it still felt weird saying that), visiting alien worlds, searching for new and advanced technology, saving not one but two galaxies (yeah okay, that felt weird still too) – he'd never considered it would include spending so much damned time cataloguing plants.
He had broken his team up into pairs. Coughlin and Reed were monitoring the Gate, Lt. Laura Cadman was quite literally off on a wild goose chase with Dr. Yvonne Crawford, the ornithologist, and he was stuck yet again with Dr. David Parrish. How anyone could possibly be that infatuated by shrubbery was a mystery to him. It just wasn't normal.
As Parrish prattled on about some plant 'with characteristics that appear similar to' something or other back on Earth, Lorne was pondering what kind of life, or lack thereof, the man must have when not in the lab. Since their arrival together on the Daedalus just about a month ago now, Lorne found he couldn't actually remember ever seeing Parrish around the city. But then, considering the botanist's unqualified obsession with chlorophyll, it really didn't surprise him that the scientist's social agenda might be somewhat lacking.
"Major!" Thud. Lorne's P-90 shot up toward the sound of the distress, then dropped. He rolled his eyes and sighed deeply as he traipsed over to where Parrish was lying in a pile of mulch-like detritus beside a rotting tree trunk, no doubt having again tripped over something in his haste to examine some fascinating plant. Now there was an oxymoron if he ever heard one. The botanist reached for his ankle, wincing as he sat up.
"You know doc, you really do give new definition to 'can't see the forest for the trees.'" Lorne reached down to give Parrish a hand back to his feet, or in this case, foot, while simultaneously activating his com. "Cadman, do you read?"
"Yes sir," came her prompt, staccato reply.
"We seem to have had …" how was he going to put it this time?
"What did he fall over now, sir?"
Gotta love Cadman, she just didn't mince words. He had known her back at the SCG for some time and was happy when he found she would be shipping out to Pegasus as well.
"Tree trunk." He was equally concise.
"We're about 30 minutes out, sir."
"Tell you what, Cadman. You stay with Dr. Crawford. I'll radio in and have Dr. Weir send another team to back you up."
"Um, are you sure you don't need us to return with you sir?" Okay, now that sounded suspiciously like pleading. Poor Cadman. After that little incident being stuck in Doctor McKay's mind last week (yep, that weird feeling just kept getting weirder), Dr. Heightmeyer insisted she be put on light duty for a while and pulling 'geek patrol' was just not compatible with her marine training.
"No," he watched as Parrish futilely attempted to hobble along on his injured ankle, diving to catch him just as he stumbled over an exposed root. Damn it, this wasn't compatible with his training either. "We're okay." He readjusted the strap of his P-90 and wrapped his arm around the botanist's waist. The action was only in part to support him for the walk back to the Gate and more to keep him from wandering off into more trouble. It didn't matter that there was none in sight, Lorne swore if there was a cliff within 50 miles Parrish would not only find it, he would most certainly blunder off it. That the somewhat oblivious botanist was heading in the completely wrong direction was just a side point.
Lorne sighed again – he really had been doing that a lot since he got here. Just another day in Pegasus. They were at least 20 minutes out themselves; it was going to be a long walk.
-----
Eight days later and Lorne was looking up at yet more dense vegetation. One planet looked pretty much like every other damned planet in this galaxy although this vegetation actually was slightly different from that of the last planet. Not that the casual observer would be able to tell. To be honest, the fact that he could tell was starting to scare the shit out of him. He rubbed absently at his temple, shifting his hand to the bridge of his nose after deciding the previous action was ineffective.
The whole mission to Olesia the other day had left him with one hell of a headache. Just how stupid could anyone be to sacrifice their own people believing the Wraith would ever honor any kind of bargain? Being on 'geek patrol,' again was just not helping. Parrish was once more babbling on about some tree 'with characteristics that appear similar to …' Then it grew quiet. Too quiet. He sighed deeply (yes, again, okay), waited for it, and …
"Major!" Thud. He turned with P-90 at the ready. And then lowered it as he trod toward the recumbent botanist. Yep, just another day in Pegasus.
Parrish was starting to sit up and … oh, this was different, he was rubbing his hand this time. It looked like he had cut himself on some sharp thorns, falling over backwards in his haste to pull away. Lorne squatted down in front of him and reached out to examine the injury du jour. At least finding that dead Wraith a few weeks ago had been an interesting change from the usual. Of course, it had ended up sticking him with McKay for the rest of the day so, maybe not so much.
"Cadman, do you read?"
"For god's sake, it's only been fifteen minutes!" Lorne winced. While he certainly had to admire her efficiency as a soldier, tact wasn't exactly her strong suit. Still, he couldn't blame her.
"Twenty minutes actually, Lieutenant. Stay put …"
"… you'll have another team come and back us up," Cadman finished his sentence. "Seriously, does Weir schedule these people in advance or is it just dumb luck that there always happensto be another team ready to follow us?"
Lorne choose not to respond to that; he was keenly aware that Parrish had a headset too. The botanist looked somewhat dejected as he sat nursing his hand. "Major really, it's quite superficial. The sting is gone. I honestly don't think it will be necessary to return to …"
"Standard procedure, doc. You know the rules." He offered his hand to help Parrish back to his feet and for the fifth time in as many weeks, headed back toward Gate. Doctor Beckett was soooo going to get on his case about this.
-----
Surprisingly, Doc Beckett had been nowhere near as castigating as he had expected. In fact it was odd, it almost seemed as if he was prepared for their arrival. The 'multiple, small, irregular lacerations with moderate inflammation associated' (Beckett's words, he would have called them a bunch of little scratches) were in fact minor but Beckett insisted that Parrish spend the night in the infirmary for observation regardless … or maybe it was just so that he wouldn't get a middle of the night call regarding another botanist related mishap.
After having again deposited his charge in the infirmary, Lorne grabbed a quick bite to eat and retired to his quarters to catch up on some paperwork … okay, to catch a nap.
As it turned out, the extra sleep ended up doing wonders for his headache and he fully expected all to be well in the world again the next morning when he stopped by the infirmary before starting his duty rounds. What he did not expect was to find Dr. Parrish heavily sedated, intubated and on a ventilator.
"What the fuck happened!?" Lorne grabbed Beckett as he walked by. "Why the hell didn't anyone call me!?"
"Major?" Beckett appeared momentarily taken aback by this uncharacteristic outburst from Atlantis's usually very complacent executive officer but apparently decided to just dismiss it to the situation at hand. He probably got a lot of that, Lorne thought.
"We've only just finished stabilizing him now. Besides, there wasn't anything you could have done. I suppose it was just a good thing I decided to keep him overnight," Beckett was shaking his head at the alternative possibility. "Maybe we think too lightly about it but there are just some people on this base that you simply can nay be too careful with."
The doctor's words sunk in deep. Sure, Lorne had heard more than one 'Parrish' joke making the military rounds – clumsy, clueless and oblivious were just some of the kinder themes. Others, making inferences to reproductive and 'pollination' habits however, not quite so kind. Why should one person's preferences matter to anyone else anyway? He suddenly felt extremely guilty for not having taken stronger action against the inappropriate ridicule but honestly, the guy's overenthusiam really could get irritating at times. The rhythmic beeping of the EKG monitor in the background was an all too sharp reminder of just how not funny such banter was right now.
Beckett's voice snapped him back to the present. "Fortunately, one of the specimens Dr. Parrish brought back seems to be from the plant that caused the problem. The sap contained some kind of slow acting neurotoxin with characteristics …"
"So help me doc if you say 'with characteristics that appear similar to' I'm gonna lose it on you."
The doctor suddenly looked very tired. He paused before evidently deciding that he wasn't even going to try to figure that one out and Lorne was immediately sorry for having barked at him in such a manner. Really though, someone should have at least notified him.
"Botany, toxicology and biochemistry are all working on this top priority right now, Major. I promise I will keep you informed as to the results."
Lorne's anger deflated, replaced by a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. Three departments were working on this? How bad was it?
"Is he gonna be okay?"
"Well, despite the look of it, we do have him stable right now. It seems to be," Beckett paused a moment as if choosing his words very carefully, "some form of glycine receptor antagonist. Possibly akin to strychnine, though mercifully somewhat less potent and hopefully of shorter duration as well. While there's no specific antidote, recovery is usually good when the patient is adequately supported until the effects wear off."
Lorne wasn't aware as he strayed away from the doctor, not that anything Beckett was saying made any sense to him anyway. Instead, he found himself beside Parrish's bed. The botanist's eyes were taped closed with a kind of light paper tape; a glistening goo matting down his lashes at the corners. The ventilator was connected to an endotracheal tube that was secured snuggly to his face with some kind of blue clamp device strapped around his head. There were EKG leads, IV lines and a host of other medical gadgets whose functions Lorne could at best only guess at. A nurse who was apparently assigned solely to Parrish was closely monitoring the equipment. Lorne could feel his face start to draw up but resisted any reflex that might reveal his aversion to the situation.
His own mortality he could handle, but admittedly he had never had much fortitude when it came to seeing other men injured. He recalled his first off-world mission with the SGC. A simple, routine mining operation. Ha! It wasn't bad enough that an altercation with a clan of Unas threatened to erupt into all out warfare, no, he had to have the fortune of being the one to find the Unas's little 'warning sign' - their missing man bloodied, bound and hanging lifeless from a pole, his head lolling to one side like some kind of freakish Halloween decoration.
His stomach roiled again at the memory and he knew he was unable to control his facial features that time. Fortunately the nurse was occupied with her equipment. The incident had been enough to make him reconsider the whole SCG thing completely. He was a pilot and an engineer; he had no first hand combat experience and violent death, up-close and personal, was just not something he had been at all prepared for. Especially not on that mission. But General Hammond and Colonel Edwards had convinced him there was a place for him with the SGC and dissuaded him from resigning. Who would have thought that 'place' might be in a completely different galaxy?! He accepted the transfer to Pegasus under the presumption they needed good people out here and feeling that maybe his own training could be an asset to the expedition.
Who the hell was anyone kidding? The only reason he was even here at all was because by some dumb fluke of luck he just so happened to possess some mutant gene and was able to fly a 302. His position as 2IC was simply a matter of having held rank prior to 'the lost City of Atlantis' ever being rediscovered.
A wave of guilt swept over him as he looked down at Parrish. Maybe he shouldn't be out in the field like this in the first place. Responsible for other people's lives. He felt his chest tighten and wondered how O'Neill and Sheppard dealt with this. Then he thought maybe he knew after all. He pulled up a chair.
-----
As Beckett had surmised, the toxin did have a limited period of activity and Parrish was breathing on his own and extubated later that evening. Lorne decided promptly that was not a procedure he ever wanted to see again. Still, only when he was sure that the botanist was going to keep breathing on his own did he leave the infirmary.
A hot shower and a short nap later, he returned to check in again. He felt secure there would be no surprises this time as Beckett swore to him he would call immediately if there was even the slightest change. He arrived to find Parrish balanced precariously at the edge of his bed reaching for a pitcher of water on a nearby table.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Lorne grabbed hold of him through a tangle of wires and tubing just as he was about to lose his balance and end up, yet again, on the floor. "Don't need you breaking, bruising, straining or spraining anything else right now."
After settling him back down and making a futile attempt to untangle the medical spaghetti that enmeshed him, he gave up and turned to pour some of the water. He tried to find the little button on the side rail that would elevate the head portion of the bed but found the damned thing more complex to operate than an F-16. Rather than makes things worse he opted instead to just help the other man to a sitting position himself. It was a little awkward to wrestle with the various lines that seem to sprout from every aspect of the somewhat limited little hospital gown but modesty ultimately gave way to the urgency of thirst as the scientist reached out for the water.
It was only then that Lorne realized just how very weak the other man really was. Parrish's hands trembled and he was clearly unable to support the weight of just the small paper cup only half full of water by himself. Lorne subtly slipped his hand under the bottom of the cup as the botanist took several grateful swallows of the tepid water before stopping to rub his throat.
"Not particularly cold is it?" Lorne observed. "You want me to go see if I can find some ice … and maybe a straw would make it easier too, yeah?" He moved to rise but Parrish was shaking his head, grasping again for the cup. Lorne continued to support him until he was finally satisfied. He started to try to speak but only a rough croaking sound emerged. Oddly, Lorne found himself getting the message anyway. "You're welcome," he replied earning a grateful smile from the botanist who finally allowed himself to lie back down. Lorne readjusted the blankets before getting up to replace the cup on the table.
"Ah Major, and how is our patient doing this evening?" Doctor Beckett swept into the room, picking up a chart from the countertop and glancing quickly over it.
"Thirsty doc … and hungry too?" He glanced over to Parrish with a questioning shrug. The latter part was just a guess but he couldn't imagine when he might have eaten anything since before they had departed the previous day. The look of agreement on the other man's face confirmed he was on target.
"Well then lad, that's certainly sounding encouraging." The doctor reached down absently to hit the button that elevated the head of the bed. Lorne tried as inconspicuously as possible to see exactly where the blasted thing was hidden but part of a sheet overhanging the down side rail prevented him from determining this with any certainty. He concluded it must be some sort of medical secret.
Beckett continued the evaluation of his patient oblivious to Lorne's distraction. He pulled something wrapped in white paper from his breast pocket which Lorne soon enough realized was a tongue depressor. When did they start wrapping those things individually? He only ever remembered seeing them in the large boxes his mother had used for crafts for her students.
"Open your mouth now," the doctor was fumbling in another pocket, finally pulling out a penlight. "Uh huh, yes. Still quite inflamed back there from the intubation process. How is your throat feeling tonight?"
Parrish started to squeak out a response but the act of again trying to initiate speech looked painful enough to Lorne that he felt compelled to intervene. "Hurts a lot doc," he offered helpfully.
"Amazing display of ventriloquism Doctor Parrish, can you do that while drinking a glass of water as well?" Beckett raised his eyebrow as he turned one eye toward Lorne who suddenly felt very foolish. Apparently nothing got by Beckett. "Next time, ask me first please," the doctor continued his reprimand but Lorne relaxed a little when he heard Parrish chuckle at the exchange and Beckett turned back to his patient. "Have to apologize to you for the discomfort lad but it was a bit of a rough go there for a while."
Lorne swallowed hard. Just how rough had it been for god's sake, and for the umpteenth time, why the hell hadn't anyone called him? He mollified himself by changing the subject. "How about something to eat, doc? I could run over to the mess hall and grab something." He had no idea why he had just offered to do this but it felt like the right thing to do so he stuck with it.
"Aye, as it is, clear liquids to start would be acceptable. Broth, juice, jell-o … water." Lorne winced at the dig. The doctor finished making his notes and turned back to his patient. "If your throat and stomach can handle it, we'll move up to something more substantial tomorrow." He smiled before turning to replace the chart. "Carry on Major," he directed at Lorne and departed the small room.
The anticipatory eyebrow rise that the very mention of jell-o had elicited from Parrish was not missed by Lorne. "Let me guess," he couldn't help the sarcasm, "the blue kind?" What was it with geeks and blue jell-o anyway?
"Um, no. Orange actually." Parrish's voice was barely a scratchy whisper, clearing only marginally as he continued. "But we never seem to have that. For some reason, they do seem to send us a lot of blue though."
"Let me see what I can find." Lorne rolled his eyes as he headed out to the mess hall.
"Major, you don't have to do this." Lorne turned back. The look that painted the botanist's face was something of a cross between guilt and unworthiness and Lorne felt the uncomfortable sensation of his chest tightening again. He could easily think of at least a dozen appropriate 'commanding officer' responses to that statement; the ones they teach you in training to boost the morale of your troops, but none of them came out of his mouth. They all seemed so trite. It certainly wasn't Parrish's fault this had happened; he was the one in commnad but then, how could he have prevented this either? He stood transfixed for endless seconds before some tiny little instinctive part of his brain finally kicked in and made an executive decision that perhaps the simple truth would be the most appropriate response here.
"I want to," he replied quietly. He did want to.
It seemed that tiny portion neglected to reengage the rest of his brain when it was done though and he found himself still standing there with his eyes riveted on the other man. Parrish was clearly surprised to see Lorne continue to stare at him. Despondency gave way momentarily to discomfort before softly melting into a shy smile as Parrish nodded slightly. He said nothing more as Lorne finally turned toward the door with the renewed mission that he would find some orange jell-o today if he had to hunt down a ZPM to power the Earth side gate and run to a supermarket to get it himself. He laughed inwardly wondering just when his priorities had changed so radically from powering shields against Wraith attacks to procuring orange jell-o but he didn't care.
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Another week or so passed and this time, Lorne actually found himself enjoyinglooking up at the dense vegetation around him. Col. Sheppard seemed happy enough at his suggestion that perhaps CO should turn over the task of making the duty assignments to XO. Okay, maybe 'ecstatic' would be the better word. The man hated paperwork and frankly he sucked at it anyway so this really did work out best all around. And it made it quite easy for Lorne to assign himself to this mission over that of accompanying Sheppard and a team of physicists, particularly the ever annoying Dr. McKay, to some planet called Doranda to check out some defunct Ancient outpost and ten thousand year old Wraith cruiser wreckage. Considering that the last time Sheppard had done this they found a ten thousand year old, still very much alive Wraith as well, Lorne saw no reason to tempt fate … especially in a galaxy that seemed to thrive on irony.
The Colonel was clearly surprised by his choice but to him, this was no small undertaking either. Well, sure, on the surface they were only cataloguing yet more plants on yet another uninhabited planet but in reality, it was about something else entirely. Parrish had just been cleared to go off world again by Doctor Beckett and when he requested another escort for his research Lorne decided that for once he was going to return the botanist to Atlantis, NOT early and NOT injured. They had already been out here over 3 hours without mishap – a definite record. Too bad Cadman was back on regular duty rotation, she would have had to be impressed.
Parrish was kneeling in the damp, verdant brush a few feet away surveying something that looked like a fern, or should he say, 'a plant with characteristics that appear similar to a fern' … or whatever the no doubt ridiculously long Latin name for fern was. Of course, Lorne had already thoroughly scrutinized the area for everything from Iratus bugs to treacherous tree roots before allowing the botanist anywhere near it. In fact, he had all but made the man walk precisely in his footprints throughout the entire mission. What was it Beckett had said, there were some people you just couldn't be too careful with? Well, beyond clumsy, oblivious and a few other less kind monikers, Parrish was starting to develop a reputation among the marines for being bad luck too. It wasn't that he intended to be a menace, and he was certainly far preferable to dealing with McKay's rapier sarcasm, he simply lacked any sense of self preservation whatsoever and had no concept of military protocols. Really, it was more like dealing with a puppy. Lorne put a decisive end to all further botanist jokes and determined this mission would be the one to put an end to any other superstitious nonsense as well … and he wasn't taking any chances, damn it!
Parrish had apparently caught him in his musings and he realized he must have been chuckling at himself. "Major, are you laughing at me?" It was only a mock accusatory comment as the botanist turned his attention back to the little green center of his universe.
Lorne took a minute to look at the man. Really look at him. He just didn't get why he was such a target for jokes. Inoffensive, slight of frame, clothes that didn't fit quite right and of course that single minded focus of attention. Honestly, he was no different than any other scientist assigned to the base. No different than say, Zelenka in many ways. He was equally brilliant in a specialty for which he was considerably well trained. It just so happened that specialty was plants and not nuclear reactors.
And then he did get it. Zelenka had the distinction of having pulled off a miracle or two in his own right toward saving the city from certain doom during the past year. That kind of thing tended to earn you more than just a little respect. Off the top of his head, Lorne couldn't think of any miracles to be pulled off with plants. Couple that with his sexuality and yes, Parrish made for an easy target.
"Just wondering what the Latin name for fern is," he finally said after what he deemed was probably a longer than normal pause for a response. Parrish didn't seem to notice, captivated as he was with the little fern. For reasons he wasn't about to examine, Lorne couldn't help but observe how delicately and lovingly he handled the tiny plant as he extricated it from its bed.
"There are some 20,000 species of ferns, although currently there is a rather significant debate regarding reclassifying the phylum. This one has characteristics that appear similar to Matteuccia struthiopteris …"
Lorne burst out laughing. Yep, ridiculously long name for tiny little plant. Why would it not surprise him if the man knew all 20,000 species? "Sorry." He had to wipe a tear from the crest of his cheek. "You were saying."
"Um, Ostrich fern?" Parrish was clearly still confused by Lorne's outburst. "Quite tasty actually." The questioning look persisted.
"No, really, I'm sorry. It's just … Do you realize that you describe every plant as 'having characteristics that appear similar to'?"
"Well, until I'm able to run some tests to confirm their genetic constituents, that really is the only thing I can say about them."
"Okay, I'm curious." Lorne walked over, scoping out the surface of a fallen tree trunk before leaning against a small dry patch. The rest, like almost everything else in this forest, being coated in moss. "You keep comparing these plants to one's from Earth but this is a different galaxy, surely they can't really be all thatsimilar?"
"Yes, you would certainly think that evolution would have taken a radically different path here," Parrish shifted off his knees to sit back on his heels as he appeared to consider the question, "but the fascinating thing is, they don't simply look similar to Earth varieties, they are the exact same species."
Lorne's astounded expression was apparently sufficient in itself to prompt a more in depth explanation.
"When I first started collecting specimens here I thought it was terribly odd that so many plants could bear such striking resemblances to those of Earth while others, even those existing in the same environmental biomes, appeared so completely different. When I started examining the mitochondrial DNA though, I was astonished to find they were genetically identical … give or take 10,000 years of variation and random mutation. I am working on a hypothesis right now that perhaps the Ancients took samples of plants they found useful in this galaxy back with them when they returned to Earth, transplanting them there and throughout our galaxy. I suppose a corollary could very well be that they brought specimens with them to Pegasus when they initially departed our galaxy too …which might explain why I have found several species here that have been long extinct on Earth."
Lorne mulled that over for a moment. His degree was in geotechnical engineering; he evaluated bedrock and structural foundations for bridges and tunnels. This conversation was way out of his league but it did make a certain kind of sense. After all, the Athosians were planting several cereal crops that were hybrids of Earth varieties back on the mainland, why wouldn't the Ancients have done the same thing? Might explain why every planet they went to felt suspiciously like the Pacific Northwest too. Feeling unable to intelligently contribute anything further though, he elected to change the topic. "I was thinking maybe it's time we had some sort of team movie night or something. What do you think? Could you pull yourself away from plant forensics in the CSI lab for one evening to join in?"
You know, for a man with such an amicable and outgoing personality, Lorne really couldn't remember ever seeing Parrish in the rec room or the mess hall either for that matter. Yeah, he felt convinced this was going to be a good idea.
"I am not a member of your team," the botanist replied sharply and Lorne realized too late that perhaps he had hurt his feelings by the sudden change away from a topic that was clearly near and dear to him. He fumbled on, hoping to gloss over it.
"Yeah well, call it an honorary title. Come on. How about 'Little Shop of Horrors'?" Parrish shot him an offensive glare almost worthy of McKay until he came to realize that Lorne wasn't patronizing him. Then he smiled a somewhat reluctant smile. It was the same shy smile he had in the infirmary and although Lorne couldn't explain why, something about it made him feel warm inside and he found himself smiling in return. "I'll bring the popcorn," he added. "You think you might be able to round up some sort of herb or something to spice it up with?" Parrish simply beamed back at him.
When Lorne stepped through the Gate at the appointed time with his team, his whole team, intact, undamaged and in good spirits, he felt an odd sense of accomplishment greater that if he had just found an energy source more powerful than a ZPM.
-----
The first movie night turned out to be successful enough to warrant others and Lorne was a smart enough man to not ask what the stuff Parrish so innocently sprinkled on the popcorn really was. Besides, Reed and Coughlin seemed no less the worse for wear the next morning and it did make for some interesting movie commentaries. He would never have thought the botanist could be so mischievous; or that he wouldn't be half bad at foosball either.
An easy sort of camaraderie began to develop and Lorne found himself increasingly more comfortable in the man's company; occasionally eating with him in the mess hall or meeting him in the rec room for a game of backgammon. When he finally figured out how to counter Lorne's six point block and began beating him more regularly, Lorne tried casually to switch games but backgammon still remained the favorite and he found himself oddly unable to deny the eager requests.
He felt honestly disappointed when he had to cancel his team's last get together but he was more than a bit overextended having to assume the responsibilities of command while Col. Sheppard was busy transforming into a bug. Seriously, he couldn't figure out who Pegasus had it out for more, Parrish or Sheppard. It never occurred to him that maybe the damn galaxy had it out for him.
But even with his very limited off time, he still found himself inexplicably drawn to the botany labs. An activity that had earned him an accusation from Cadman that he had a thing for Katie Brown. It wasn't that he felt he owed Cadman any explanations but really, Dr. Brown was hardly his type. The honest answer was simply that it had been very stressful losing two men while leading that macabre version of an Easter egg hunt and having to be the one to implemental all of Col. Caldwell's 'revisions' while watching a CO he had come to respect a great deal mutate before his eyes without there being a damned thing he or anyone else could do about it, didn't help. There was something about the horticulture nursery in particular that was indefinably calming; soothing even. He decided it must have something to do with the soft UV spectrum of the lighting, the warm environmental conditions or maybe the aroma of greenery and moist soil. Besides, what was wrong with just wanting to talk to someone that didn't jump to salute him or that didn't treat him as if he had some ulterior motive? He never considered that maybe it wasn't the nursery at all that settled him, nor for that matter, where in that time 'someone' had stopped being 'Parrish' and had become 'David'.
Now that the retrovirus situation was finally behind them though and with Sheppard thankfully returning slowly to himself again, it was back to business as usual. No, he corrected himself, by this point he should have learned that in the Pegasus galaxy, thatwas business as usual, thiswas just the lull between bizarre and unimaginable disasters. When David requested an escort for another off world study, Lorne was all too happy to assign his team to a mission that for once really did promise to be a walk in the park.
-----
David had chosen to survey an open meadow about three miles from the Gate. There were several varieties of wildflowers scattered throughout the tall grasses which he felt might best suit his research. So now here Lorne was once again. Yep, looking around at still more vegetation and cataloguing still more plants on still another uninhabited planet. Just another day in Pegasus? Not really. There was no ionizing radiation, no life sucking insects, no threat of imminent annihilation by Wraith, Genii or energy eating darkness, no 'peaceful' villagers trying to kill them and no detectable 'unknown' power signatures for anyone to hijack from them. Hell, there wasn't even a cloud in the sky. Just a nice, tranquil, serene field. So why was it that scared the shit out of him?
He had fired off several rounds just as a precaution to drive away any animals that might possibly have been hiding in the brush then took point following the botanist's direction as to which plant it was he wished to examine more closely. Having cleared most of the area now, and finally content that there were no latent threats, he settled himself atop large rock near where David was making some detailed notes regarding soil content, texture, moisture and … smell?
Yuck. Lorne had found himself face to face with more than his fair share of muck and mud crawling around in both training and surveying situations over the years that he just couldn't envision anyone wanting to do it on purpose. He turned instead to enjoying the decidedly non-lethal sunshine, some clean fresh air and a companionable silence that left him with a long overdue sense of well being.
"So Major, how is it your team seems to end up with my babysitting detail all the time?" Lorne was startled by the question, and not simply because it so suddenly broke the quiet. It seemed innocent enough; David hadn't even glanced up from the plant he was examining to ask it. But Lorne hadn't expected that he even noticed who accompanied him on these survey missions and for reasons he couldn't understand, he felt a flurry of butterflies in his stomach as though he had just been caught doing something inappropriate.
"Just dumb luck I guess," he responded casually.
"Aren't you the one that makes the schedule?" He noticed that too huh? So maybe not quite so oblivious after all. "Rumor has it you're protecting the rest of your command from me. Making some kind of 'supreme sacrifice'?"
It was said with a hint of amusement and honestly, the thought that the finest military representatives from some dozen or so nations needed protection from a botanist did make Lorne smile. Still, it was almost as though there were something more behind the comment.
"You really wanna know the truth?" He started seriously. The other man turned to him, one eyebrow raised in anticipation of this proposed revelation although Lorne was certain that for a moment there was tinge of apprehension in there as well. "I'm goofing off. Just don't tell Sheppard you caught me, okay?"
David laughed, clearly understanding the universal code for, 'you're not ever going to get a straight answer so you might as well give up now.'
"Your secret is safe with me Major." And somehow Lorne felt it was … even though he wasn't really sure whatit was. He settled back to enjoying to sun. That is until Coughlin's voice crackled over the headset shattering his plans for a nice restful day.
"… WRAITH …" It was all Lorne heard or needed to hear before communications went dead.
"MOVE IT doc!" David shot him a look that could only be described as sheer panic as Lorne sprang down from his perch. He grabbed his friend by the arm, pulling him up and dragging him along behind him through the tall grass. Shit. It looked like it was going to be just another day in Pegasus after all.
He could hear incoming Wraith darts but was unable to get a bead on them. His soldier's training kicked in to high gear as he raced for the tree line looking for any kind of defensible cover. Coughlin was guarding the Gate and since he had made the call, Lorne reasoned the enemy had most likely come in by that route so returning there was out of the question. Lt. Reed, with Dr. Crawford, had not responded.
"Reed, Coughlin, do you read!" There was no reply on the com.
Three darts screamed overhead from out of nowhere, one shearing the treetops above them just as they reached the forest edge. Several large chunks of branches came raining down and Lorne instinctively pulled David down against the base of a large tree trunk, crouching over him in an attempt to shield him from the barrage of debris from above.
Miraculously, not to mention uncharacteristically, the botanist emerged unscathed. Lorne however wasn't so lucky as he took the brunt of the onslaught. He felt the sting of multiple hard impacts then an intense burning sensation in an area of his back that was left exposed where his tac vest rode up as he had stooped to protect his friend. The pain was nearly paralyzing. Fuck!
He dropped to his knees, unable to rise. Reaching around, he was just able to grasp at some kind of woody object impaled there. Two more darts shot overhead, there was still no response on the coms and Lorne honestly had no idea at this point which way to run. Shit, he wasn't even sure he could run.
"This way, Major." In a reversal of roles that was just too bizarre for Lorne to consider at the moment, David had grabbed hisarm and was half pulling and half supporting him through an area of dense brush near the base of a stand of trees. He felt his feet slip out from under him as he tumbled down into a small crevasse. "Ulmus laevis or something with characteristics that appear similar to it." David just couldn't help himself could he? "These are actually much larger. They have buttress root systems which often overlap leaving small fissures throughout," he seemed to feel an explanation was necessary. "They looked big enough from the meadow that I thought perhaps there might be enough room underneath to fit a person … or two."
Lorne simply nodded. Whatever. It was tight but it was better than any hiding spot he had scoped out and he was in just a little too much pain and starting to feel just a little bit too dizzy right now to complain. He fumbled at his vest pocket trying to reach his emergency bandage material but found it hard to maneuver with his injury. David seemed to glean what he was trying to do and leaned over to help him.
"Which pocket is it in?"
"Upper left," he grunted out.
The botanist reached over him gingerly, pulled open the velco pocket and extracted the trauma dressing while Lorne allowed himself a second to close his eyes and try to regain his composure. It felt like someone was impaling a red hot branding iron into his back just above his right hip and he could feel the moisture from his own blood spreading across the back of his shirt. A gentle tugging pressure on his tac vest recaptured his attention. David had opened the front and was now trying as delicately as possible to remove the vest without actually moving any part of the man still wearing it. Yielding to the inevitable, Lorne took a deep breath and repositioned himself to best help accomplish this task.
"Oh god," came the whispered reaction. "There's a lot of um, blood and um…" the botanist swallowed hard. Lorne bit back the pain, trying his best to turn his back away from the scientist. Blood, real animal blood, stuff that smelled of iron not chlorophyll was just not something David ever dealt with and Lorne wasn't sure he would be able to maintain control of the situation if the other man fainted or far worse, vomited. Hell, he wasn't sure he even had control of the situation but he was certainhe couldn't maintain it if either of those scenarios played out.
"No, no. It's okay." David's voice turned suddenly soft and soothing as if he had heard his thoughts. "I just wasn't expecting that." Yeah, Lorne knew how that went. "I mean, I don't know what I was expecting but …" David took a deep breath and with a resolve Lorne didn't think he could have pulled off under the same circumstances, continued on. "I need to move your jacket and pull up your shirt to see better, okay?"
Lorne gritted his teeth and nodded. The slightest motion to the area sent torrential waves of fire shooting through every muscle of his back and down his leg. He couldn't help but hiss in pain as he tried to reposition himself to allow David the best possible access to the wound area; an action that caused the botanist to withdraw quickly for fear he was the source of the discomfort.
"Hang on a second," Lorne steeled himself, "I just need to …" He clenched his jaw, found a good handhold and twisted around as quickly as possible in the already close space. He saw David grimace but the scientist regained his stoic composure and set back to work examining the wound.
"Evan, do you have anything with you for pain?"
"No," he winced. "Reed's got the full med kit. Can't take … anyway." Fuck! It hurt like a son of a bitch god damn it but he certainly couldn't afford himself the luxury of being sedated by pain medications while they were under Wraith attack. He had to maintain his focus. He had to get his team back home. He … did David just call him 'Evan'? "Gotta get … team back home." He shook his head as he forced out the words.
He was only vaguely aware as David glanced around the tiny space and seemed to be considering something intently. He fixed on Lorne's P-90 and reached over to pick it up. He turned it over carefully in his hands before apparently making some kind of decision then began digging through the small pack he had been collecting his samples in.
"Here, can you chew on this?" He had carefully broken off a small piece of something that looked like some kind of a pod.
"What is it?"
"Something that will help. Trust me?"
Lorne glanced over to meet David's eyes. Deep pools of blue-grey concern. Yes, he did trust him. He took the tiny little piece of fibrous plant material and chewed on it as he was instructed. It was terribly bitter but soon he felt the pain in his back lessening … and then, god damn it, he felt sleepy.
When he awoke he had only a sense of groggy torpor and his head felt heavy and dense. He had no idea where he was. He could smell damp leaves and a musky woodland aroma permeated the air. The ground crackled and crunched beneath him but it didn't feel particularly hard or uncomfortable. In fact, he wasn't sure it felt like much of anything at all. Except that he didn't feel uncomfortable and for some reason, he did feel safe.
He was sitting up, his weight settled on his left side, and leaning forward with his head pillowed by something warm but firm. It smelled nice and there was a lulling rhythmic motion to it, like floating on a calm ocean. He tried to shift but found there was a weight draped over his shoulder and along his back that was encumbering his movement. It was also warm and not particularly uncomfortable either. It was holding him, protecting him. He started to reconsider exactly why it was he had wanted to move at all in the first place when abruptly, the weight pulled away and he was pushed back. He found himself left with an acute sensation of not only a sharp burning pain down his back but also of a cold that didn't strike him as being due to any change in physical temperature.
"Oh god. I'm sorry. I didn't mean what you think … It's just that … well, it's colder down here and, and you were shivering and we don't have an emergency blanket and …"
Lorne was beginning to focus. It was all coming back to him now. "David … DAVID," he cut off the hysterically babbling botanist. "It's okay. I get it. That was the right thing to do. Relax."
"I'm sorry." There was a long pause. "How's your back?"
Oh right, that. Lorne awkwardly reached around under his jacket to find his t-shirt had be slit up the side but a neat bandage, snugly secured around him with several strips of vine-like material, was covering his wound. There was some kind of very fine leafy mass protruding from under the bandage. Lorne looked over at David questioningly. "Let me guess, a plant with characteristics similar to …." he trailed off waiting for the botanist to fill in the blank.
"A fungus actually. With characteristics that appear similar to Penicillium chrysogenumWe make the antibiotic …"
"Yeah, I get it, penicillin." He returned to the problem at hand. "So what's our current status? I don't remember a damned thing after you gave me that … whatever the hell that was."
"A Papaver somniferumseed pod, more commonly known as …"
"Right, whatever!" David looked hurt and Lorne regretted his outburst immediately. "I'm sorry. I'm just a little on edge here. You've really done a great job, honest." In fact, he was seriously considering amending that 'no miracles to be pulled off with plants' concept. "But the last thing I remember was several Wraith darts flying around. Just tell me what's going on right now."
"Nothing. The darts flew over a few more times then disappeared. No one has spoken on the radio since. I haven't actually heard anyone walking around but I didn't think it was a prudent idea to climb out or to try to call anyone again yet either."
Lorne glanced at his watch. Their last check in was just prior to the attack at little over an hour ago so Atlantis wouldn't be radioing in for another two hours, their scheduled return time. He took a good look around the small hollow and determined it did at least afford some pretty decent protection from the elements and might even be defensible … if he had been in any condition to defend it.
He looked over at David who still appeared uncertain as to whether Lorne was sincere in his apology or might lash out at him again at any second. "Really David, you did good today, okay. Seriously." The shy smile he got in return was still uncertain but it was at least a start and Lorne wasn't sure whose morale was boosted by it more at the moment. "We've only got maybe two hours or so of daylight left and we need to figure out what's going on back at the Gate. Where's my com?"
David pulled the headset piece from his pocket and handed it over. Lorne put it on his ear and tapped the 'speak' button three times but said nothing. The botanist looked confused for a moment before evidently figuring out it was a code.
"Well, either no one is out there or there is still a good reason to not respond." Lorne watched as David's expression shifted to concern. "Oooooor, maybe my radio is broken." It took a moment but the smile returned breaking the tension slightly. Lorne flexed his back experimentally and found the papa-somi-whatever-it-was stuff to still be working well enough that he could at least move without crippling discomfort. "If there are Wraith out there, I don't think cover of darkness is going to be to our advantage. How do you feel about taking our chances now?"
"Whatever you think is advisable. Can you walk?"
"Yeah, whatever that stuff was you knocked me out with, and don't you ever do that again by the way, seems to still be doing a pretty decent job dulling the pain. Now running I'm not so sure of." He took on a more serious demeanor as he looked directly at his friend. "David, this is important. If I give you the order to make a run for the Gate, I need to know that you are going to do that, okay." The look of horror that crossed the botanist's face confirmed exactly what Lorne was afraid of. "Will you promise me you will do exactly what I tell you to do?"
Now Lorne expected the man to be at least somewhat resistant about the whole idea, what he did not expect was the reply. "No." David was clearly firm on this. In fact, Lorne didn't think he could show any more conviction if someone just asked him to cut down a giant redwood. "I can not promise you that Evan, and I won't."
Lorne was stunned. "David, being part of a team means following orders and trusting your teammates."
"As I said once before, I'm not actually a member of your team."
"Yes you are damn it!!" He knew he was yelling but he couldn't help it. "You're a member of whatever team you step through that Gate with and today that means you will do exactly what I tell you to do, when I tell you to so that I can do my job and get you home safely! Understood!?"
In contrast, David's voice was calm, quiet and rational. "If I really ama member of your team, why don't you trust me to get you home safely?"
Arrrrggghhhh. He really hated having his own words thrown back at him. With all the civilian scientific staff associated with the SGC, Lorne wondered briefly just how many times and on just how many other planets this exact same conversation may have already played out. It also flitted across his mind, and not for the first time, just how Dr. McKay and Dr. Jackson could possibly still be alive because if it weren't for the fact that the botanist was holding the weapon right now, Lorne was sure he would have saved Pegasus any further trouble and shot him himself. "I'm afraid the United States Air Force just doesn't see it that way! You can take it up with them later, okay?"
Jesus, if there were any Wraith around they would certainly have made their position by now and Lorne was feeling the strain of the argument taking its toll on him. He was getting dizzy and his stomach was becoming queasy. He hadn't even realized he had closed his eyes again until he felt David's steadying hand on his shoulder. He opened them only to have them met again by those very worried looking blue-grey ones.
"Don't really care how the Air Force sees it." David's voice remained quiet but brokered no argument. The hand still on his shoulder was strong and solid.
Any strength that his little drug induced nap may have bought him was lost now and Lorne felt the fight drain out of him. He acquiesced, watching with a morbid fascination as the botanist slung his P-90 over his shoulder before tentatively climbing out of the little fissure. Lorne readied his side arm. Several long moments later David reappeared.
"There doesn't seem to be anyone around." He reached down his hand and with a strength Lorne was not at all expecting, carefully extracted him as well. The botanist was holding the P-90 steady and level with his left hand as he reached around Lorne's waist to support him with the other. "Are you sure you're okay to walk?"
Lorne could only nod. What was that shit David had given him? Where the hell did he learn to hold a weapon like that? Fuck, where the hell did he even learn how to operate the damn thing? This just had to be some bizarre Pegasus induced hallucination. There was simply no other explanation.
David took a few small careful steps as if testing to be sure Lorne really was up to it before moving off in earnest. All the while he never ceased diligently scanning the area. This was just too unreal. He was even heading in the right direction!
It was slow going but they eventually reached the Gate without incident just as the sun was starting the set through the trees. They saw no other members of their party along the way. David gently settled Lorne down alongside the DHD and began to dial the Gate. As he quickly pressed each symbol in turn, he simultaneous activated his headset. "Coughlin? Reed? Dr. Crawford? Does anyone read?" The Gate whooshed open just as he finished speaking and Lorne realized that he had intentionally waited and timed his outgoing message such that the Gate would be open and ready for their immediate retreat should an undetected enemy be nearby to act on the signal.
"David, is that you?" Lorne identified Dr. Crawford's voice in his ear; it was hesitant, shaky and verging on hysterical.
"Yes, Yvonne. Are you okay? Where is Lt. Reed?"
"The Wraith … I tripped … He …" the voice cracked and Lorne could hear heavy broken breathing as the woman was obviously unable to continue. He didn't need to hear any more to get the picture though and he made a mental note to put both Coughlin and Reed in for commendations.
"I know Yvonne. They're gone now." In contrast, David's voice was strikingly calm and Lorne found that the woman on the other end of the com was not the only one finding it reassuring. Unexpectedly though, that voice switched to sharp and cool. "Control room, this is Dr. Parrish. We are going to need a rescue team assembled and medical teams prepared to accept casualties."
Lorne's mind was becoming increasingly fuzzy now but he still couldn't help but be impressed by David's efficient command of the situation. He had adhered perfectly to the proper protocols of not making any direct references to either Atlantis or to Dr. Crawford's position should the Wraith still be present and monitoring their transmissions. Seems maybe his earlier impressions may not have been so accurate after all. Either that or the puppy had grown to an expertly trained hunting dog.
There was a pause before Chuck's uncertain voice acknowledged the request. David's 'soothing' tone returned again as he switched back to addressing his colleague. "Yvonne, I need to go back but there are people coming to get you right now. Just stay where you are. Everything's going to be okay."
Lorne remembered a feeling of being assisted back to his feet and supported but nothing more after he hit the shocking cold of the event horizon.
To be continued … If anyone wants it to be??
Reviews greatly appreciated!