Title: Someone to Watch Over
Author: tridget
Genre: angst, h/c, team, gen
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Word Count: 782
Summary: Teyla and Ronon help John cope with the aftermath of a mission.
Disclaimer: Stargate Atlantis and its characters are the property of other people/companies, but I am not sure exactly who really owns them. They are certainly not mine. I am not affiliated with any of these entities. No copyright infringement is intended.
Notes: A special thank you goes to my beta reader, wildcat88, whose "point of view" was greatly appreciated.
Someone to Watch Over
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Teyla entered the room cautiously. "John?" Her voice was low and soft to avoid startling the frightened man.
"Over there." Ronon tipped his head, indicating the far corner of the room.
Behind a haphazard barrier of furniture, laundry and small assorted items, Teyla saw a thatch of spiky, dark hair. Through gaps in the barricade, she watched hands anxiously clench and unclench the tufts of hair.
"M-must look p-pretty foolish, huh?"
"It is alright, John. You are among friends."
John inhaled sharply. "Rodney…w-where is he? Is h-he okay?"
Teyla's heart clenched at the uncharacteristic panic in John's voice. "Rodney is in the infirmary. Dr. Beckett says that he, too, will be fine once the effects of the spores wear off."
"But, he's okay? He's h-h-handling this?"
"Rodney is very scared right now. He requires restraints so that he does not come to any harm."
Parts of the barricade tumbled to the floor as John suddenly stood up. "I-I have to g-go to him. H-he shouldn't b-be alone."
"He is not alone. Dr. Beckett is with him now. I will return shortly to sit with him, too."
"Good. G-good. Th-that's good." The little colour that was left drained from John's face as he swayed.
"Better sit down before you fall down, buddy," Ronon said.
John slid back to the floor. He drew his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around his trembling legs. "P-pathetic. I feel s-so stupid." He dropped his head onto his knees.
"Nothing stupid in having to fight your way through this."
John lifted his head again and took a few deep breaths. His eyes were wide, frightened, and bloodshot with fatigue.
"John, Dr. Beckett says lack of sleep will make the effects of the drug worse. You have been awake for a very long time. Perhaps it is time to lie down now," Teyla suggested. "You might rest more comfortably in your bed."
John's eyes peeked through his makeshift bunker and darted to his bed. "N-n-no." With a choked whimper, he shrank further into the corner, crossing his arms protectively over his head. "Can't…g-go…there."
Ronon moved across the room slowly then settled on the floor just outside the barricade. He spoke softly. "When I was five, I stayed with my aunt and uncle one summer. I was afraid to sleep 'cause I thought there were wraith under the bed."
"Did your uncle tell you there were no m-monsters under your bed?" John asked.
"No. Why would he do that? Maybe there were wraith under the bed."
"Ronon…" Teyla wondered about the wisdom of telling such a story.
Ronon pressed on. "He gave me my first gun. I'd fire it under the bed a couple of times each night…you know…just in case."
"I think I w-would have liked to have m-met your uncle."
"Yeah. 'Course my aunt was kinda mad. She made us fix all the damage to the furniture and walls."
John chuckled softly.
Meeting John's eyes, Ronon reached out and slowly eased away a section of the barricade between them. "C'mon." He started to move toward the bed.
John's panic returned. "L-Lorne took all my w-weapons. Got n-nothing to d-defend myself with."
"You won't need them." Ronon pulled out his blaster and spun it around his fingers as he moved toward the bed.
John peered out from the opening in the barricade, watching Ronon.
Ronon stretched out on the floor beside the bed. He fired his blaster under the bed in two wide sweeping arcs. "Nothing under there now."
John moved hesitantly toward the bed. "What're you doing?"
Ronon was still on the floor. "I'm gonna keep watch here all night so you can sleep."
Some of the tension drained from John's body. As he settled into bed, Teyla fetched an extra blanket and pillow for Ronon.
"Don't need them," Ronon protested. "I've kept watch in worse conditions."
"You may not need them, but John will rest easier knowing that you are comfortable."
Ronon accepted the bedding from Teyla with a glance toward John.
"I must go and sit with Rodney now," Teyla said.
John nodded, his eyes already closing. He and Ronon lay in silence for a moment while Teyla put away the remains of the barricade.
"Ronon?"
"Yeah."
John's voice was soft and slurred as sleep approached. "Did your uncle really give you a gun when you were five?"
"Why'd you think I'm such a good shot now?"
John chuckled again. "G'night." He pulled the blanket to his chin and drifted off to sleep.
Teyla smiled as she slipped quietly from the room, knowing John's trust in his teammates was far more powerful than the effects of any drug.
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The End