Part 2: Goodbye Rodney

Summary: The people of Atlantis mourn for Rodney. And some people are feeling especially hurt by events (here is the McWeir stuff)

The news of Rodney's death hit Atlantis like a bomb blast with shock waves reaching every corner of the city. Everyone felt the loss and, although John had lost his best friend, he saw that Elizabeth was suffering the most. After all she had known Rodney since the start of the research program in to the Ancient outpost on Antarctica, and the expedition leader, she felt responsible for the lives of everyone on Atlantis. But there was more to it than that for, in that sickening moment when she saw him die, Elizabeth Weir realised what she had been subconsciously denying all along. She had feelings Rodney McKay, and she would never have the chance to tell him how she felt.

Mechanically, numbly, Elizabeth carried on working. She'd ordered an investigation in-to how Kolya had been able to escape from the brig and after reviewing the surveillance logs and interviewing the key personnel, it had been determined that Kolya had a concealed knife. A knife which had been missed by the personnel who'd searched him. Elizabeth was relieved that there were no traitors in Atlantis, although it was only a small comfort. The guard who had missed the knife had been killed by Kolya in the escape. Elizabeth didn't know what she would have done to him, if he were alive, for getting Rodney killed. The thought chilled her to her core.

She decided that they would hold a memorial service on Rodney's favourite balcony, the one he went to when he wanted to think or just be alone. They tried to limit the service to only his closest friends, although many of the people he worked with tried to attend, but since there wasn't much space, they stood patiently inside whilst the service was held.

It pained her to remember at times that Rodney had said that he never had time for friends but by now those who knew him best could easily see through the acerbic, sarcastic façade he presented. Radek opened the service with a few words about how, even though they were rarely in agreement, he'd respected Dr McKay. When it was John's turn, at first he didn't know what to say.

What could he say? He'd watched his best friend die and there wasn't a single thing he could do about it. Steeling himself against the pain of loss he started to speak and said, "Rodney McKay was a colossal pain in the ass, but he was a good friend who saved my life more times than I can remember." He continued in that vein for a while, probably embellishing the details slightly, but it all seemed appropriate.

Everyone had chance to say goodbye to Rodney in their own way and they left the balcony. That left only the grim task of clearing out his room, his work areas and letting his family know what had happened. Well a cover story for what had happened. Elizabeth knew from the times she had spoken with him in the mess hall that he had a sister, and that his neighbour was looking after Schrödinger, his cat.

Rodney hadn't spoken to his sister for quite a few years and it had been even longer since he had spoken to his parents, so there was probably no way of reaching them. In spite of this, she thought that she should write to them and let them know what had happened.

Elizabeth began to type:

i We are sorry to inform you that Dr Rodney McKay was killed in a lab accident. He was an important and popular member of our team... /i

As she typed she remembered Rodney and she began to sob. It was all too much and everything that had happened that day overwhelmed her. Her head fell in to her arms as she struggled to control the sobs that wracked her body. It wasn't like she'd never had to write condolence letters before. It was that she had never had to write one for somebody so close to her before. Abruptly she sat up and, wiping angrily at her eyes, she pulled her laptop back to her and resumed typing.

When Elizabeth went to sleep that night, she hoped that not only she would not have to live through a day like that again, but also that the look on Rodney's face when he was shot wouldn't haunt her dreams.