Summary:- Sheppard has a run of bad luck or it is something more sinister? Shep whump with team and Carson.

Warnings:- Violence and some bad language.

Disclaimer:- SGA isn't mine, if it was it would be on its 6th Season by now.

THE ENEMY WITHIN

CHAPTER 2

Blood from the cut on his head soaked the collar of his shirt but Sheppard tried not to flinch with pain as John knewthat the only chance he had of saving Carson relied on the goon with the gun in front of him thinking that he was no longer a threat..

It was difficult to lie still as his friend was bundled out of the door but if his plan worked... well Carson would be rescued well before he reached the gate'. John only had a second to react as he heard a gun cocked ready to fire. As the shot rang out he quickly rolled to the side but not quite fast enough as the searing pain of the bullet pierced his upper left arm. The man went to fire again but Sheppard had the element of surprise this time and grabbing the hidden knife in his sock he thrust it into the goons chest leaving him to fall to the floor - dead...

Before the last of the adrenaline rush left his battered body John reached for his radio which had fallen to the floor when he was hit from behind. The room swayed and yesterdays meatloaf threatened to make an appearance but Beckett didn't have much time so pushing past the pain and nausea he finally got the radio nestled behind his blood soaked ear.

"Ronon, Teyla, do you copy? (silence) We have been attached..they took Beckett. I need – (John could feel the darkness creeping in) I need... you have to get to Carson before they take him through the gate. I repeat...do you copy?"

"Are you hurt John? One of us can be with you in just a few minutes?" Teyla sounded worried

Relieved, John smiled " I'm good for now Teyla, It will take both of you to get Beckett back safely. I can manage till he comes."

Ronon and Teyla exchanged a worried look. They knew what it mean when Sheppard said he was "good" Ronon was angry with himself. He shouldn't have left them alone regardless of what John said. If anything happened to either of them....Well he would just have to make sure that nothing else would go wrong, at least they were both still alive and he aimed to keep them that way.

Sheppard felt worn out but knew that the bleeding from his arm had to be stopped and with a concussion he must try to stay awake. John reached for a field dressing in his vest and with a trembling hand wrapped it roughly round his arm.. The wound wasn't bleeding as much as it should do, so the bullet was probably still in there and the pain from the earlier headache was nothing compared to the way he felt now. Easing himself further down onto the stone floor John relished the coolness against his flushed skin – why was he so hot?– surely he couldn't have an infection already? The room was tilting from side to side and John fought against his stomachs need to rebel. Surely it wouldn't matter if he closed his eyes for just one minute....

Beckett watched as the night shift dimmed the lights in the Infirmary to signal that it was time for the visitors to leave and for patients to get some much needed rest.

The bandages around his wrists were the only reminder that he had nearly died to day...Carson insisted that he felt fine, that he didn't need to be here, but Jennifer had insisted on an overnight stay as she could see that her colleague was severely traumatised and wanted to make sure Beckett would be alright. Sleep however wouldn't come.

After all these years of lecturing a certain Air Force Colonel about Infirmary escape attempts, Beckett realised as he quietly got out of bed and made his way across the room that maybe this was something he and Sheppard had in common.

Neither man really liked being told what to do, even if it was for their own good but Carson just couldn't rest until he had checked up on his friend. As he reached Johns bed the only sound that could be heard was the low beeping noise showing that Lt Colonel John Sheppard was still alive. If it wasn't for this man fighting against his own injury's to make sure that he would be rescued then Beckett knew that he would be dead right now...

When his captors had reached the gate they had a reception party waiting for them. Within minutes, Ronon and Teyla had overpowered the men and released Beckett from his winced when she seen that the ropes had abraded the skin around his wrists but Carson was so relieved to find that John was still alive he barely allowed the wounds to be dressed. The Doctor had seen the hard blow that Sheppard received to the head and combined with the unknown illness that was already present – well he just had to reach his friend as soon as possible. When they returned to the house, Sheppard was lying still and unresponsive. Carson was dismayed to find that he could now add a bullet wound with resultant blood loss to the list of injury's. However what concerned him most was the heat radiating from Sheppard's body – his friend was gripped with fever. Earlier he had noticed the pallor of his skin and the damp patches of sweat on his BDUs but now Johns face was soaked with sweat and as the bullet wound was fresh, this wasn't from infection, the medical man knew that they had to find the source of the fever and soon...

As he remembered the days events Beckett shuddered. Looking down at the man on the bed he could see a pair of glazed hazel eyes staring up at him..

"Car sn..you k ay?

Carson could feel tears of relief prick at his lids " Aye John, I'm fine – thanks to you.."

Beckett took an ice chip from the Thermos and put it into Sheppard mouth. His friend smiled but struggled to try to speak "Wa..whats w..ong? - fll crap.."

A cold compress had been left by the bed and Carson freshened it up and started to wipe the sweat off his friends head. "You had surgery to remove the bullet from your arm and have a mild concussion from that blow to the head but you should recover from both of these injury's quite quickly. The reason why you are feeling like "crap" is that you have been nursing a virus for a couple of days now – that why you had the headache – but we're having a wee bit of trouble trying to find out where you contracted it. In the meantime, I'm afraid its rest and fluids until we know more..I'm sorry John"

Sheppard just shuffled in the bed "Its ok y – fr nds safe..al. th.. matrs.." His eyes locked with Carson's before finally closing dragging John into an uneasy sleep.

Infirmary ceilings were boring.. All he wanted to do was feel better and then the first thing on his agenda would be to commission some sort of mural to brighten this place up a bit – He would speak to Teyla, she would know of some good artists in the mainland. Ten days now, ten freaking days and he was still stuck here with a low grade fever and feeling like a washed out rag. So much for the experts as no one had been able to identify where he had picked up this freaking awful virus. No other expedition member or Athosian for that matter had fallen ill and despite going off world to back track places where Sheppard had visited recently, his team had scored a blank – it was a mystery. Beckett had told him that he was improving and once his fever broke, which he hoped would be soon, John could finish his recuperation in his quarters..

The team took it in turn to visit but entertaining their CO was hard work these days as Sheppard was becoming frustrated and the usual DVDs and chess games with Rodney gave him a headache so John was inclined to be snappy. An earlier escape attempt would have ended with a face plant on the floor if it wasn't for Rodney coming around the corner just at that moment.... As it was John managed to take down the two of them leaving them both squirming on the floor. Fortunately neither of them had sustained any damage, except of course to Rodney's temper and Johns pride

Teyla appeared with Torren who was managing on his own two feet...just!

John smiled " Hi buddy, aren't you getting to be the big man"

As Kellar had told them that what ever it was that had floored Sheppard didn't appear to be infectious, she handed the squirming bundle over to John careful of his bandaged arm.. As usual Torren make a grab for the thick dark spiky hair. Teyla knew that he still had headaches but John didn't let that show as he spoke to the child telling him all about flying and Ferris wheels and promising him that he would take him and Shauna a ride in the jumper the next time his daughter came to visit. It was good to see him smile. Teyla just hoped that her friend would feel better soon.

"Remember Colonel light duty means paperwork, meetings and catching up on all you've missed in the last three weeks.. it does not mean wearing yourself out getting up at the crack of dawn running around the city or sparing with Ronon – have I made myself understood?"

Sheppard was so happy to be getting back to normal that he just smiled at the serious Scot.

"Crystal Doc, so how long are you staying in Atlantis for anyway?"

"Major Lorne conducted an investigation with the locals but no one had seen these men before. Unfortunately before Lorne had a chance to interrogate the prisoners they were found dead in the cells. An autopsy showed that they had ingested a poison capsule which must have been hidden somewhere in their clothes.. Neither the Major or Mr Woolsey was happy that something like this had been missed but apart from disciplinary action against the Marines who processed them nothing else can be done. Anyway, as much as I regret the loss of human life it does mean that I will be free to return eventually but that virus you caught had the potential to kill and I don't like the fact that we were unable to identify it, yet alone find a cure. Its been a while since I've conducted any research projects but Mr Woolsey has given me the go ahead and I'm going to see if if I can get some answers"

Sheppard was disturbed by what he had just heard. Yet more unknown bad guys and the fact that he could've died yet again. But fate had other plans for him, he was still here and would live to fight another day. Most importantly it was his brothers wedding in a couple of months and if he didn't email Dave with his measurements soon Beckett's anger would pale against the Bridzilla Sydney had become...so John opened the laptop and hoped that by the time the suit was ready he would have regained the weight he'd lost!

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