Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate Atlantis or any of the Characters.

A Friendship stronger than death

"You've got to stay awake, son."

There was this voice ringing in his ears. He recognized the dialect, but he didn't know where to put it.

Thinking of it, he didn't even know where he was or why was there. It was cold and damp. He felt dizzy and his head hurt.

Just as he was about to drift off, he could hear the voice again, louder than before.

"You've got a concussion, lad. They're coming for you, but you have to stay awake!"

John still didn't know who was talking to him, but the voice made him feel better.

It was then that he realized that the room wasn't simply dark. It was pitch black.

For a moment he thought he was blind, but when he reached with his hands up to his face, he realized that his eyes were closed.

Slowly he opened his eyes, but the darkness stayed. He could only make out shapes. "Not blind then..." that was a relief. Still the darkness was disconcerting. Was it night, or was he somewhere inside?

The ground beneath him felt cold and wet. Earth. But what was really bothering him, was the lack of sound. Any sound. On every planet he had visited there was some kind of wildlife that made one sound or another, but here was nothing. "Inside then..."

What happened?

His mind was reeling, but he couldn't remember. Thinking made his head hurt so much worse. Closing his eyes for a moment, he was threatening to drift back into unconsciousness.

For the third time that nagging voice stopped him. "Don't fall asleep! You're going to survive this, but you have to stay awake. Come on! I know you can do this, son"

Opening his eyes again, John looked around confused. Who was that voice? He couldn't see anyone else. Again he tried to remember what happened and where he was, but came up with nothing. All he knew was, that he couldn't move, even though he was freezing.

As he was just about to give up consciousness the voice wouldn't let him."I know it's bloody cold, but you're going to be ok. You have to trust me."

The words caused a flash of memory to John. "Carson...".

He got no answer, but suddenly there was a loud rumble above him and a flash of light shone down on him, causing his headache to spike.

" He's here" Someone shouted.

A few seconds later, four people were surrounding him and a soft hand was laid on his forehead. John didn't know what was happening. All he could think was "Carson..."

The movements around him became faster and he could hear some voices. "He's awake." and another "what's he talking about".

He felt gentle hands gripping and lifting him. Still disoriented, John couldn't make sense of what was happening to him. Panic started to rise in him. He struggled to get away from the people surrounding him.

The same voice as before rang again in his ears, reassuring. "It's alright, son. You're safe now. Let them help you"

That made him calm down. He didn't really know why, but he knew deep down, that the voice belonged to a friend. A friend he trusted. A friend who had saved his life more than once.

Letting himself be manhandled onto a gurney he let himself drift somewhere between sleep and wakefulness, knowing he was safe.

His teammates brought him back to Atlantis. A few days later he was well on the mend. As it turned out a building had collapsed on top of him. It took his friends almost a day to get o him. By then, on top of his injuries he was dehydrated and disoriented.

Jennifer told him, if he had fallen asleep, his concussion would likely have been fatal. She didn't know how he could have stayed awake for this long, but was glad he did.

John would never talk about it to anyone, but he knew that a friend had saved him. A friend that had prevented him from falling asleep. A friend that was always there when he needed him most.

A friend that had been dead for almost two years.

"Thank you, Carson"

- fin-