Hey everyone! Here's chapter two...there's some interesting developments in this one! Enjoy! ;)

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"Roooooooodney!"

Carson looked up from his pack, where he'd been taking out needles to gather the children's blood samples. The voice belonged to Cleya, and he went outside.

The sight that greeted him was one that he'd remember for the rest of his life.

Rodney McKay was kneeling on the ground while a child hugged him. He didn't look very happy about it, especially at the sight of red dots all over said child, but he somehow managed to ignore himself and let the little girl have the hug that she wanted so badly.

Besides, it warmed his heart. He was careful not to let John and Carson see that, though.

"You came!" Cleya exclaimed, right into his ear.

Rodney winced, but nodded, forcing a smile onto his face. "Yup, and I brought you this." He held up a chocolate bar.

Cleya squealed.

"What're ya doin' outta bed, lassie?" Carson asked, walking over to them.

"Rodney came!"

"I can see that," the doctor said, with a smile at Rodney, who rolled his eyes. "But ya need ta stay in bed." He felt her forehead, finding her fever a little higher than yesterday. "We'll let Rodney take ya there and tuck ya in, but then I need ta talk ta him fer a while."

"Okay," she said, taking Rodney's hand, who made a face at Carson as she led him away.

"He's gonna get you for that," John said, holding out the pack of supplies that Rodney had brought.

"I know," Carson said. They went back into their hut to unpack it.

A few minutes later, Rodney returned. "I'm gonna get you for that, Carson!" he exclaimed.

"Have a heart, Rodney!" Carson said, turning to look at him. "A sick child, with no parents…she probably saw ya as some kinda father figure or somethin'."

"Well why did she pick me?!"

"We'll probably never know," said John.

Rodney shot him a glare, taking that for the insult that it was.

John shot him an innocent grin.

Carson started quietly talking to himself as he took things out of the pack.

"You know what they say about people who do that," said Rodney.

"What, unload packs?"

"Talk to themselves! What is this? I've been here for 10 minutes, and it's already become Annoy-Rodney-Day?"

"Everyday is Annoy-Rodney-Day!" said John.

"Shut up," Rodney said, though they could see a hint of laughter in his eyes. "So what am I here for, anyway?"

"We figured you could use a vacation," said John.

"Yay," Rodney said. "Vacation in a hut surrounded by crazy sick kids who love me."

"Cleya really wanted to see you," said Carson, still looking through the pack. "Thanks, Rodney, ya brought everythin' I asked for."

"Of course I did," Rodney frowned when Carson let loose with a huge yawn. "Someone's tired."

"We were up all night," John said. "Taking care of the kids."

Rodney made a face. "That always happens. Why is that, Carson, that sicknesses always get worse at night?"

"Believe it or not, Rodney, many times it's actually an illusion."

"What?"

Carson nodded. "After being ill all day, the victim is exhausted, which makes them feel worse. Fevers go up, it seems harder to breathe. Because they feel worse, it's hard fer them ta get ta sleep, and even if they do, they end up wakin' up a lot, ta cough, and whatnot. By morning, they're so exhausted that they doze off from being up all night, then they might feel better in the afternoon from sleeping all morning. By nightfall, they're once again exhausted because they are, after all, sick, and the cycle repeats."

"Wow," was all that Rodney could say to that.

Carson yawned again.

"Someone needs a nap," Rodney said.

"Someone has no time for a nap, but could use some food," Carson corrected.

Rodney held out a chocolate bar.

"Hey!" said John. "You wouldn't give me one when I asked!"

"You didn't ask nicely enough."

"Carson didn't ask at all!"

The doctor couldn't help but chuckle, taking the candy bar.

"Whiner," Rodney said, tossing one at the Major.

"Hrumph," said John, opening it and taking a huge bite.

Carson shoved the candy bar into his mouth whole, where it stuck out as he picked up a pack and slung it over his shoulder.

"Where you going?" Rodney asked.

"Bluf famfles," Carson said around the candy.

"Huh what?"

Carson took it out of his mouth. "Blood samples. I need samples." He yawned again.

"Geez," Rodney said, reaching up and grabbing his wrist, giving it a yank. "Sit down and eat first. Their blood isn't going anywhere."

Carson plopped into the chair, nearly dropping his candy bar. He opened his mouth to complain, but stopped himself. It did feel good to be sitting.

"Earth to Carson," he suddenly heard, seeing a snapping finger in front of his face.

He jumped, startled. "Wha?!"

"You were staring into space," said Rodney. "Eat your candy bar."

Carson looked at it, seeing it still sitting in his hand.

"Did you have a long night before we came here?" John asked, finishing his own.

Carson nodded. "Aye."

"So last night made it two in a row? You need to get some sleep," John said. "You won't be able to take care of these kids if you can't keep your eyes open."

Carson nodded again. "I still need the samples."

"Get them later," Rodney said.

Carson shook his head. But he really didn't want to move. Sighing, he ate his candy bar, after which he nearly fell asleep in his chair again.

Suddenly, a cup appeared in front of his face. The wonderful aroma that invaded his senses had his eyes snap open. "Coffee!" he blurted, taking it from Rodney.

"Yup, special Atlantis blend, perfect for half-asleep doctors."

Carson smiled, sipping it with an, 'mmm'.

"He needs sleep, not caffeine," said John, yawning himself.

"And here's some for you too," said Rodney, handing him a mug.

John drank it eagerly.

The sugar from the chocolate and caffeine from the coffee provided Carson with the boost that he needed, and he eventually stood. "Gonna get those samples," he said.

"Need any help?" John asked.

"Probably not. Take a nap. If I need help, I'll send someone for Rodney."

The scientist rolled his eyes. "Oh great."

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Carson did eventually need Rodney, for many of the children were afraid of the needle and needed someone to calm them as Carson worked. Rodney wasn't really the best man for the job, but he was certainly better than nothing.

It ended up taking hours, for Carson also had to doctor some of the kids who were sicker and uncomfortable. When he finally made it back to the hut, it was 3pm. He sat the pack of blood samples down on the table, and looked longingly at the pile of soft furs in the corner.

John was snoring on a similar pile nearby, and Rodney was gone, possibly being pestered by more children.

I'll just take a wee nap, Carson said, unable to keep his eyes open anymore. He lay down on the furs, and went out like a light.

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"Carson? Carson, wake up."

The sudden voice and motion of being shaken woke Carson from a deep sleep. He blinked blearily at Rodney in the candlelit darkness before the events suddenly came back to him and he sat up. "What is it?"

"Cleya needs you," Rodney said, urgently. "Her fever spiked and I don't know what to do…well, I know what to do, wet cloths and all that, but she started crying and I figured maybe she needs medicine, which I need you for, and…"

Carson was up by then, grabbing the pack that contained all the drugs. He looked at the flustered Rodney for a minute. "Ya tried ta take care o' her yaself?"

"Well, yeah," Rodney said, as they walked to the door.

Carson noticed as they left that John was gone. "Where's…"

"Looking in on some of the kids," Rodney said. "We didn't want to wake you if we could do it all ourselves."

Carson smiled at that. He was surprised to find it pitch-black as they walked outside. Looking at his watch, he saw that it was 9pm. "I slept fer six hours!"

Rodney shrugged. "You needed it."

Carson couldn't deny that, and they quickly reached Cleya's hut.

The little girl was sniffling, being hugged by her brother who was still covered in spots himself.

"She's real hot Doctor Carson!" Casta said.

"Don't worry, son, she'll be all right," Carson told him. He knelt beside the lump of furs, watching as Cleya turned and held her arms up to Rodney.

To Carson's surprise, Rodney sat beside her after a slight hesitation, where she then laid her head on his lap.

At Carson's expression, Rodney shot him a look that plainly said, 'shut up'.

Wisely obeying, the doctor set to work making his patient more comfortable.

John eventually found them there, and didn't disguise his own look of surprise at Rodney's position. His expression turned to a devious smile, and Rodney sighed, knowing that he was in for some ribbing.

When they finally left, Carson said to John, "Well, lad, I hear ya were practicing medicine without a license! How'd ya do?"

"One second," John said. He whacked Rodney's arm. "I knew it."

"Don't start," Rodney answered.

"I knew the kid would grow on you!"

"She did not."

"Did too."

"Did not."

"Did too!"

Carson shook his head, with a laugh. "Who are the children here?" He quickly changed the subject. "Where did ya leave off with the patients?"

"Checked on all of them, doc. No emergencies…yet, anyway."

Carson's eyebrows shot up. "Did ya, now? Well…thanks." He yawned.

"I think more sleep is in order," John said. "There are a few more kids who started to develop spots, so tomorrow will be another busy day."

Carson sighed. "I knew that the vaccine we gave them would be too late fer some."

They entered the hut, and Carson saw his pack of blood samples. "I need ta check those."

"In the dark?" said Rodney. He motioned to the lit candles scattered through the hut. "Somehow I don't think those will be good enough to see what you need to see. Do it tomorrow."

Carson sighed. He really wanted to check them, having a few suspicions in his mind. He knew that Rodney was right though…he could miss something without adequate light. "Yer right." He headed to his pile of furs, and lay down.

John did the same on his own.

"I'm, uh, gonna stay up for a while," said Rodney. "I didn't lose sleep like you guys did."

Carson nodded, eyes already closed.

What seemed to only be a minute later, Carson opened his eyes at the sound of a thump. He saw John standing next to the table, having bumped into it apparently on his way back to his fur pile.

John saw Carson's eyes open, and realized that he'd woken him. "Sorry." Suddenly his face brightened. "Since you're awake, you have got to see something! Come on."

Curious, Carson stood and followed.

John led him to Cleya's hut. As they reached it, John held up a finger in the 'shh' gesture, and quietly pulled up a corner of the door.

Carson had noticed that Rodney wasn't around, and when he peeked inside the hut, he saw exactly what he'd suspected.

Rodney McKay, certified disliker of children, sat on the floor next to Cleya's bed, gently rewetting the cloth on her forehead while the child hugged his left hand. There was a smile on her face, and she giggled when a drop of water dripped onto her nose.

Rodney chuckled and wiped it off.

The delighted smile on Carson's face felt like it was gonna split his head in half. He looked at John, who wore the same expression.

They watched for a few minutes, knowing that they'd probably never see such a sight again. When Rodney started to turn in their direction for some reason, John dropped the cloth and they quickly sprinted away.

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The next morning, Carson didn't feel as rested as he'd hoped. After making the rounds, he grabbed some coffee and sat down to study the blood samples. John returned to the Jumper to give Dr. Weir an update, and Rodney went with him, eager to get away from the village for a while.

When they returned, they found a very nervous Carson anxiously waiting for them.

"Did either of ya go through the Gate?" he asked, his tone high-strung.

John frowned. "No…why?"

Carson sighed deeply, with relief.

"What's wrong?" John asked.

Carson looked at them. "We have a serious problem."

"What?" said Rodney. "Tell us, already!"

Carson sighed. "I've been thinkin' that the children's spots don't look like chickenpox. The symptoms are right, but the spots aren't. Do either of ya remember when ya had chickenpox? The spots are blisters that break. These children here have what's more like a spotty rash, as ya can see, and the spots are staying closed. So I ran some tests on their blood…"

John frowned. "Are you telling us that it's not chickenpox?"

Carson nodded. "Aye, I am."

"So what is it, then?!" Rodney exclaimed, nervously.

"According ta the tests," said Carson. "It's measles."

"Measles?!" Rodney exclaimed.

Carson nodded. "Aye." He hesitated. "We have another problem though."

"What?" John asked.

With a sigh, Carson pulled up his left jacket sleeve.

His arm had the same rash as the children.

TBC
(drumroll...lol!)