Fragile Lives

Chapter 2

Over the next hour or so they continued combing the streets for any signs of life. All they found were yet more dead bodies with obvious indication that a sickness had definitely decimated the town. They didn't enter any homes for fear of contamination. However they did call out at regular intervals, yet not a single soul responded to their pleas.

"Oh this is worse than the great plague, at least some people survived during those terrible outbreaks." Rodney muttered from behind his makeshift mask. He had found a cotton cloth in his backpack and together with some tape he had it secured firmly around his nose. Everyone thought it was pretty useless. However it gave Rodney the reassurance he needed to stay and help look. Deep down he would have liked nothing better than to have hightailed it back to the Stargate. "It looks like no one's alive, so can we leave now?" he asked somewhat eagerly.

"Well, at least we've got one survivor and hopefully he stays that way." John commented, looking at the child now fast asleep in his arms. "You're right though, this is bad and I'm guessing pretty abnormal." He sighed loudly knowing his team might not like what he was about to suggest. "We can leave the town but can't very well go straight back to Atlantis in case we're contaminated. So I'll call for help, get a biohazard team out here to set up a mobile med lab and some shelters for us until we get the all clear. Chances are you three are okay but…," he glanced at the child again, "Well me and the kid will need to keep apart from you just in case. So don't come too near and we'll stay in separate tents." Surprisingly everyone nodded their approval. Even Rodney didn't protest, although he looked pretty sick with worry.

John threw them another look. "Okay then let's get back to the Gate and get this over with so we can all go home…hopefully." He murmured quietly.

oOo

Due to the proficiency of Doctor Jennifer Keller and her team, along with a small group of combat engineers it only took a few hours before they were settled into some tents a short distance from the Stargate. The Atlantis personnel all wore hazmat suits as they went about their duties. One small group quickly headed for the town to collect samples to try and determine the pathogen responsible. Whether a virus, bacteria or something completely alien.

Blood samples had already been collected from the team, although they had yet to collect any from the child. Jennifer was kind of hoping to find a bacterial infection because then she could start Sheppard's team and the child on a broad spectrum antibiotic. However, she had her doubts because of the high mortality rate and the type of symptoms sounded more like a virus. She was concerned because the illness reminded her somewhat of Ebola, although from what Rodney and the others had described there were no signs of acute haemorrhaging only nasty skin lesions and festering sores.

John and the child were settled well away from his team in a slightly smaller shelter. The nurses quickly set up a mobile decontamination unit next to the shelter with a connecting tube system. They told him to shower both himself and the child thoroughly with a cleansing solution before dressing into some clean clothing provided from Atlantis.

The child looked at him with big brown eyes and began to suck its thumb as John laid him down upon a soft paddled table top. He really didn't have much experience in aging young children but reckoned the kid to be about two years of age. "Well looks like it's just you and me for a while, so let's get you out of these dirty, wet clothes and into the shower. Then you get some nice clean clothes to wear and after that I'll try to get some food down you. Although it's probably best if I try to feed you before we get you dressed," John muttered to himself as he began to remove the child's heavily soiled linen top.

The surprise came when John removed the smelly, cloth diaper. He smiled even though the pong was enough to knock him out. "Hey, you're not a boy! Why in heavens name did your mom shave your head?" Of course the little girl didn't answer him.

A huge smile broke out on chief nurse Marie's face as she entered the shelter and paused to watch the exchange between the tough colonel and the small child. He really was a softy where children were concerned. "Do you need any help there, Colonel," she quietly offered.

"Na, I've got it. I think it's best if I hold the kid while giving her a good scrub down in the decon unit." John looked a bit dubious. "I have a feeling she's not going to like it."

"I thought you said it was a boy?"

John turned the little one around slightly so Marie could see her front. "My mistake. From the lack of hair I honestly thought she was a boy."

Marie chuckled under her hazmat gear. "An honest mistake, I thought the same. I'll leave the towels here," she told him, placing two fluffy towels on a low stool. "Before you step into the unit, could you please put all your soiled clothing in the biohazard container." She pointed to a round yellow plastic, barrow shaped container before holding up a strong, plastic zipper bag. "After you've finished please place the wet towels in this bag. Then I'll need a blood sample from the child?"

John nodded before saying. "She's not going to like that too."

"Unfortunately it is necessary."

Half an hour later after a bit of a struggle John had the little girl in clean clothing. He felt better himself in a t-shirt and comfy sweatpants, although somewhat vulnerable and naked without his weapons and TAC vest. Now they had the difficult task of drawing some blood. The child literally clung to his neck as Marie approached with a large needle. John really couldn't blame her because it did look rather alarming.

"Hey it's okay," he soothed, "After this you'll get some nice juice to drink and some tasty food," Which was a bit of a fib because all they had at the moment were some MRE's.

oOo

"Is he murdering the boy?" Rodney muttered from the other shelter that had been placed a safe distance away. Although on the same piece of land and apparently still near enough that he could hear the child. The scientist had his laptop balanced on one knee as he precariously sat on a folding chair. They had promised to bring him a table as soon as possible but first priority had gone to setting up a mobile med-lab and all its equipment. The lab had been placed between the two shelters along with another decon unit, which Rodney had more than willingly used.

Teyla looked up from her low camping cot. "I believe not. Torren makes the same fuss when he has to have blood taken or any injections he may require."

Ronon grunted from his place near the shelters entry flap. He hated inactivity and he was also very concerned. Although he knew they hadn't touching anything that still didn't mean the illness couldn't be airborne. And then there was Sheppard and his direct contact with the kid. He just had a bad feeling that his friend was in big trouble yet again.

Another comment from Rodney broke into his thoughts. It was a very typical one. "I'm starving."

"They will bring something soon, of that I am sure." Teyla tried to pacify him. Rodney never ceased to amaze her as even in the direst of circumstances he never seemed to lose his appetite. She on the other hand couldn't eat a thing right now, even if she tried. Her worry and concern about what the doctors might discover and how it could affect John and the child prevented it. And of course how it could affect them, but she had a feeling the illness was only spread by contact and they had been very careful not to touch anything after the first body was discovered.

Teyla longed to see John again and to reassure herself that he was still fine, which she knew was a little premature as it had only been about four hours since he had saved the child from the drain. Jennifer had said many times that illnesses needed an incubation period that could range from a matter of hours to days or maybe even weeks depending on the type of microbe. If that were the case they were in for a long haul. It could be that they might have to stay in isolation for a longer period and Teyla worried about how accepting Torren would be. He didn't mind spending short periods with his child minder, an Athosian girl named Amiera, but he would miss her terribly if her absence went into weeks. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that.

Jennifer came to see them not long after their food had been delivered. She gave Rodney a reassuring smile behind her visor even though she didn't feel all that confident, at least not at the moment. She knew what a hypochondriac he was, so decided not to tell him about the gruesome facts back in the town. He already knew most of them anyway. Sheppard would have to know and Jennifer intended to visit him once she was finished here. "So how are you settling in?" she asked them all, "Anything you need for the night?"

"Yes," Rodney piped up, "A quick cure and my own comfortable mattress. Thank you very much."

Jennifer sighed. Although she loved this man, some of his quirks could be quite irritating. "I wish I could grant you that but you know that's not possible right now. It takes time to gather all the required information. I can tell you that your blood work is clear at the moment with no raised white cell count or alien pathogens present. However it is very early days. I'm hoping to find out the exact cause in a few hours time. Dr. Biro is working overtime to identify the bacteria or virus involved."

"And what if it's completely alien to us? What then?"

"Then we will deal with it as best we can, Rodney. One thing we do know for sure it is not connected to the Hoffan drug…"

Jennifer was just about to say more when someone called from just outside the flap. "Dr. Keller the team have the information you wanted."

"Okay, I'll be right there," she answered back.

Rodney quickly stood up, nearly overturning his stool. "What information?"

"Calm down. I just required some numbers to determine the exact extent of the illness and whether the town's entire population were infected. Now the best thing is to rest and try not to worry too much." Jennifer knew that was easier said than done. She quickly left before Rodney got even more uptight about it.

She met Dr. Clifford outside the shelter. He and his team of four had just returned from the town for the second time in a matter of hours. "We counted roughly two hundred and fifty bodies," he quickly informed her.

Jennifer looked puzzled. "According to the information we have from the Coalition there should have been at least six hundred people living there."

Clifford shrugged and held out a book for Jennifer to see. "We found this journal near a victim in what looked like a doctor's office. It could contain some information but it's in a language we can't read."

Jennifer carefully took the journal from him before opening it. It did appear to be recently written and had dated sections like a diary. Though like Clifford, she had no idea what the words meant. It could be a work schedule or a time table for all she knew. "I wonder if Ronon or Teyla can read this?" she pondered aloud. "I'll show it to them in a minute. In the meantime get your team through a full decontamination and call it a day for now."

Clifford and his team nodded before walking away to the back of the med lab where the staff decon unit had been placed. Full decon would wash off all possible contaminates and allow them to gate through to the alpha site where another decontamination would be carried out. When given the all clear, the hazmat suits could finally be removed. The alpha site had been set up as a temporary living quarters for all the staff dealing with the problem on M5K 992. After all they needed to eat and sleep somewhere. At the moment it was deemed too risky to gate back to Atlantis, apart from the fact that the city could go into full lock-down if it detected a threat. Of course that wouldn't be the first time that had happened.

Deep in thought, Jennifer watched them go before re-entering the shelter. She approached Ronon. "Don't touch this journal at all as it could be contaminated. I will hold it up so that you can see the text and hopefully be able to read it for me."

Ronon moved over and stared at the writing. He simply shook his head, sending his dreadlocks flying. "Nope."

Jennifer shrugged before showing it to Teyla who looked at it as close as she dared without actually touching it. "Yes, it is written in the Calabrian language. I can read a bit as I once had a good friend here. Sadly, she is long gone due to a Wraith culling." Teyla looked distressed as if the memory was still too painful for her.

"Okay, Teyla," Jennifer called softly. "Try your best as it may help us understand what has happened here."

Without touching the page, Teyla began to read. "It is a diary. It seems to be about the events leading up to the writer's death."

Jennifer looked curious. "How do you know they're dead?"

"The last entry - et martus - I am dying."

"Okay that just confirms that the victim found near the journal was probably the author and he could have been a healer. Can you tell me more? You don't have to read it word for word, just give me a summary if you can."

Teyla nodded and glanced at the words. "Could you please go back a page or two?" Jennifer did so. "Okay...there are about ten entries regarding the illness. Mainly stating who died. It seems that the sickness first started only a few days after a young child arrived from Bellem. I believe a young couple took the child in. He wrote that the father became very ill and eventually...fled to the fields? I do not know what he meant by that as he does not explain or maybe I cannot understand it well enough. He does not say what became of the child or the mother." Teyla paused for a moment to scrutinise the text further.

"Although, I am not too sure it could be that some of the healthy ones left the town and headed for the summer hunting cabins the north. I believe the journal also describes the progress of the illness. However, I am unfamiliar with some of the terms as they appear to be medical ones."

Teyla bit her lip, hung her head and spoke very quietly hoping that Rodney wouldn't hear her from where he still sat, seemingly working on his laptop. "It seems the writer may have been a doctor like you thought. What he talks about is very distressing. He describes how the illness begins with a skin outbreak and high fever. There is much pain and discomfort. The outbreaks continued to spread to eventually cover much of the body. He speaks of infection and larger festering sores. Then the fever burns even higher. The pain increases and becomes too much to endure. In the end, the victim dies either from shock or…they take their own lives. He writes that his medicine does not seem to cure. Even pain relief does not help much."

"Does he mention anything about how the illness is contracted?"

Teyla read a bit more. "I am not so sure of my translation but I think he mentions that the illness appears to spread through direct contact from victim to victim. He believes that is how he became infected while caring for others."

Jennifer nodded, relieved that Rodney was unlikely to become ill. Teyla and Ronon were probably alright too. That left Sheppard. However, Jennifer couldn't condemn him because as usual he put the safely of others before his own welfare by taking the risk of rescuing the young child from possible drowning. Now she had plenty of work to do to ensure that the colonel would have the best possible care and treatment should the worst case scenario transpire and he became ill. "Thanks so much, Teyla. That was a great help."

Jennifer turned to go as she wished to inform Sheppard of their latest findings. Rodney quickly moved to block her exit. "I'm going to die a horrible death! I just know it and right before our wedding. Oh that's so not fair…."

Jennifer pointed her gloved finger towards his chest, although not actually touching him. "No…you are not going to die! As long as you didn't touch anything you should be fine. Now I have to go and speak to the Colonel."

Teyla stopped her this time. She face full of concern. "I am worried that John's kindness has caused him great harm."

Jennifer didn't know what to say to that. She also didn't want to lie to her friend. "It might have or maybe the boy isn't infected for some reason. The nurses mentioned that he doesn't appear to be sick but I haven't done a thorough examination of the child yet. I'll look at the child while I'm over there informing Sheppard."

Teyla nodded. "I hope you are correct. Please give him my…our good wishes and tell him our thoughts are with him."

"Okay, I'll give him your love." Jennifer said cheekily because she was sure that's what Teyla meant to say. The doctor flashed Rodney a quick smile and hastened out before Teyla could say anymore.

Teyla watched her go with a heavy heart. Jennifer was correct. She should have sent him her love.

TBC

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