Author's note – To all my readers, I hope you enjoy the latest chapter. Please feel inclined to leave me a response, flame, squees, whatever you would like. Reviews are food for starving fan-fic writers!

I've also had concerns about me abandoning my other in-progress fic, "After the Storm." I promise that I will be returning to that one very shortly, probably by Friday. I hit a bit of stumbling block on where I wanted to take that story but I think I have it worked out where to take it from here. If you haven't read that one either, I'll throw in a personal plug, it's also a Rodney whump fic! Either way, I hope you enjoy the latest chapter!

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Wing Men

Chapter 3 – Like a Grapefruit

Rodney groaned and opened his eyes, blinking a few times and yawning once before cracking his neck a few times. He'd piled his pillows up against the headboard to allow him to sleep partially reclined, a position he had found to let him at least get a few hours of uninterrupted sleep when he'd dealt with this the last time.

He sat up and looked over at the window. The sun was up, so maybe he was a little late getting out of bed today. But he wasn't going off world and the lab could usually run itself for a few hours first thing in the morning. He had needed the few extra hours. Sleep hadn't been forthcoming last night, the aspirin had done nothing and the shower had eluded him. He hadn't even gotten to the fully undressed phase, every attempt to slowly wriggle out of his shirt had ended in curses and sharp spikes of pain lancing through his shoulder. The fourth attempt had found him resigned to sleeping in his uniform and figuring it out later on, which wasn't going to be this morning either.

The uniform would have to go another day at least; he wasn't in any mood to put his shoulder through that sort of abuse again. He wrestled with the zipper on a clean pair of pants and the laces on his shoes before grabbing his laptop and radio and making his way to the mess for his morning daily dose of caffeine in the form of two, maybe three cups of coffee. It had been a long night and he was feeling more lethargic than usual.

A quick jaunt through the hallways had seen him passing a few soldiers, failing to return the wave of a rookie scientist recently arrived from earth, until he finally arrived at mess. He'd snagged his coffee and a plate of some brown sludge that the cooks were trying to pass as an acceptable oatmeal substitute before plopping his tray down at an empty table and slowly sitting down.

He was three bites into his meal before a voice interrupted him, "McKay, you're sitting like you have a piece of wood strapped to your back. A little stiff today?"

McKay rolled his eyes and looked up as John dropped his own tray on the table and slouched down in the chair. "Sure, we'll go with that. What has you so chipper this morning?"

"Teyla is taking us to P6-80."

"Planet where the villagers were so kind as to build their circle of huts seven miles from the gate? If I recall we had the extreme displeasure of making the trip there during a monsoon."

"Yeah, that's the one! I hear the rainy season's over though, so hopefully we won't be coming back quite as water logged," Sheppard mumbled between forkfuls of food.

"I think I'm still going to pass. As much as I'm normally up for a romp through the woods I told Zelenka he would be going with you guys today, he needs more field experience and he hasn't had the misfortune of visiting that particular planet yet."

"I know he was going to go, but he's out sick today. He's down with Beckett puking his guts up, which puts you back on the roster. Besides, you're always telling us that he's not on your level of genius. We want the smartest scientist on our team to work a way out of the snafus we inevitably seem to attract," Sheppard said, slapping a hand onto McKay's left shoulder.

Rodney flinched harshly and silently thanked that Sheppard hadn't been sitting on his other side in proximity to his injured appendage.

"Whoa, easy bud. You seem a little tense this morning. Everything ok?"

"I'm fine. Not all of us are as awake and energetic as you first thing in the morning. I'll assign another scientist to go with you guys, there's work I need to do here today," Rodney said. In reality, no way was he going off world with his injury, it was likely to be a liability in almost any even slightly dangerous situation. Plus last thing he needed was Sheppard analyzing his every movement. His tendency to avoid using that arm would not go unnoticed by the major.

"No can do Mckay. You're work will have to wait. We think they might have some ancient tech there, they mentioned some large, metal structure where they hold religious ceremonies. Teyla milked them for information about it, apparently it's been there for many generations and they don't know how it got there."

"But-"

"Mckay. I hear potential Ancient technology and my mind goes to you. You're our resident specialist with this stuff, so grab your gear and meet us in the gate room; we're heading out in twenty minutes." Sheppard downed the last of his orange juice in two swallows, picked up his tray, and was gone to go prepare for the mission before McKay was able to put another word in.

"Guess I'm going off world after all," he grumbled to no one in particular. Having suddenly lost his appetite he disposed of his own tray and went to his lab to collect what gear he would need.

Fifteen minutes later found him in the gate room with a small pack slung over one shoulder. Ronon, Teyla, Sheppard, and another soldier he didn't recognize were standing around chatting. Well everyone but Ronon was chatting. The big man was sitting on the stairs playing with the settings on his gun. Typical Ronon, Mckay thought as he approached the gang.

"Where's the giant pack McKay? Usually it takes two of us to carry all your gear," Sheppard said slightly surprised.

"I took your complaints to heart. I have what I need to examine this supposed Ancient structure. Let's go."

Sheppard threw a few words up to the gate team who responded by dialed the planet. Ronon climbed to his feet, everyone checked their guns and their gear and they stepped through the gate.

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"Well that was a productive waste of an afternoon," McKay grumbled as they stopped. He'd been pestering them for a break for the better part of half an hour now; he didn't run five miles every day like all of the others did. He exercised his mind, not his body. There wasn't enough time in the day to do both, not surrounded by a city full of technology hundreds of years ahead of their own. Every day brought new amazing discoveries.

"How were we supposed to know that it was just a bunker? It could've been Ancient for all we know, you're just mad because there weren't any goodies for you to tinker with," Sheppard said as he watched Rodney hunch over to catch his breath. John unclipped the water bottle from his belt and passed it over. "Here, take some of this, you're looking a little red in the face, it's hot out here today."

Rodney let out a small chuckle at that as he took the offered water. He'd finished his off a mile or so back, "Monsoons in the rainy season and an oven during their summer. Can't say I'll be sad to leave this place."

"True enough, McKay, can't argue with that assessment," Sheppard said as he rolled up the sleeves on his jacket.

"Sheppard!" someone shouted from the woods as there was a rustling of bushes in front of them. Ronon was on his feet with gun in hand before McKay had a chance to register what was going on.

An out of breath Teyla emerged from the thicket, "Collins…he…he collapsed."

All sense of easy vanished as Sheppard's shoulders tensed, the smile disappeared and he was all business, "What happened?"

"We were scouting ahead like you said. He was walking and talking one minute and down the next. I checked his pulse and breathing and both were fine, but he wasn't sweating. I believe he might have the condition Dr. Beckett calls 'heatstroke.'"

"Speaking of the oven like conditions I suppose, ok, how far did you leave him from here?"

"Maybe a three minute run?"

"Ok, let's go then. I'll see if we can't rouse him and get some water down his throat. If he's collapsed it's more than just a mild case."

There was a murmur of agreement and they were off again, McKay bringing up the rear as he loudly stumbled between trees with his one arm up to prevent branches from whipping him in the face. By the time he caught up the group they were huddled around a still unconscious Collins. They had stripped him of his pack and jacket and Sheppard was dumping the remaining contents of his canteen over the soldier's head.

When the action failed to rouse any reaction from the man Sheppard shook him a few times, peeled back his eyelids, and then shook his head. "Still no response. Let's get him back to base then. McKay, you get his pack. Ronon and I will carry him and Teyla will scout ahead."

McKay's eyes widened at this, he had specifically packed just his computer so that there wouldn't be any strain on his shoulder. He looked down at the twenty-plus pound pack that lay discarded to the side.

"I can't, it's too heavy!"

"McKay! Collins has heatstroke; we all have a role to play in getting him to through the gate and to the medical team. Yours is carrying his pack. There is equipment we need in there that can't be left here just because you want to spare your back!"

Rodney nervously ran his hand over the arm tucked protectively up against his body and took a few steps back, "I-I can't…" he said, turning his gaze away from a very pissed of Sheppard.

While he was distracted he heard footsteps come up behind him, a grunt, and before he could protest a rough hand wrapped around his right arm and shoved it through the strap of the heavy pack, quickly doing the same with his other arm. As Ronon released his grip on the pack and it fell on Rodney's shoulders the world went red.

"AHHHH! Fuck, get it off! NOW!" His voice suddenly cut off and he whimpered a few times as he tried to get the weight off his shoulder. God. Oh god, no he couldn't do this. His hands were shaking and he couldn't get them to grip the straps that were tightly digging into his shoulders. He ignored his bewildered bunch who were now focusing their attention on his sudden outburst in confusion.

Not understanding what was going on but recognizing a pained distress when he saw one, Ronon snatched the knife from his belt and quickly sawed through the straps on the pack. It fell to the ground and McKay soon sunk to the ground in a similar manner, running a quivering hand over the shoulder and whimpering.

Sheppard was on his feet and crouching next to Rodney before Rodney's blurred vision was clearing. Next thing he saw was Sheppard staring down at him with a very concerned expression, "McKay, what's wrong? Where are you hurt?"

It wasn't an 'are you hurt,' Sheppard knew McKay well enough and had been the one to drag his bleeding body back to Carson to know when something was seriously wrong.

When McKay didn't offer up an explanation Sheppard's face dipped into a frown and he watched the way his friend was clutching at his right shoulder. He opened his mouth to inquire again but McKay cut him off.

"I…I told you that pack was too fucking heavy," he said as he tried to roll away from Sheppard as the man reached to peel away the arm McKay had tightly clutched around that shoulder still, he hadn't released it at all since falling to the ground.

"McKay, your shoulder hurt? That's the one you hurt a few years back up in Antarctica, isn't it?

"Really? You think? Yeah it hurts, although I thought you might have guessed that from the way that I was screaming."

By this point Ronon had come over to help with the argumentative man, although his approach was a little less subtle, he rolled Mckay over onto his back while Sheppard pried away the hand he was using to protectively grip the arm.

"Let up! I am not a piece of luggage for the two of you to manhandle. And Ronon, you could back up a bit, your rough handling started all this," he finished as he sat up and began trying to shake off the major. Sheppard was having none of it, he began gently running a hand over McKay's shoulder, not failing to register the wince that went over the scientist's face the moment he began his ministrations.

"Christ McKay, your shoulder is swollen up like a grapefruit. This isn't just your shoulder acting up, you had to have injured this very recently, what happened?"

"I'm fine, and if you would be so kind as to stop aggravating it, the pain would be a lot better!"

"Mckay, that's enough. Your bullshit isn't going to work on us, we've been well-seasoned in it and it became ineffective a long time ago. To have this level it had to have happened when, yesterday? Not while we were out here, now that I think of it you weren't typing with that hand…McKay…you came out here with an injury? You have any idea what sort of danger you were putting yourself in with that stupid thought?!?"

"If I may so kindly remind you I was perfectly content staying in the city, I was sending Zelenka. You were the one who dragged me out here and then Ronon assaulted me!"

Sheppard opened his mouth to make an angry retort, how could McKay have thought this was ok? He should've gone down to see Beckett and he certainly should have told him, he was the team leader for god's sake! That should have been a no brainer.

Unfortunately before all of this could come out in an angry tirade Teyla interrupted from where she was sitting with Collins. "Both of you, can you put your argument aside for a moment? What happened to getting Collins back to the medical team, and now it seems it is also pertinent that we get McKay there as well."

Sheppard rubbed at the back of his head, looking a little ashamed for his outburst all of a sudden. McKay was still tensed in a defensive posture and he was looking out into the woods away from everyone.

Sheppard was the one to break the momentary silence. "Yeah, you're right. Sorry. Can you get Collin's pack? Ronon, can you…"

Ronon was already picking Collins up in his arms and rising to his feet. Sheppard finished his thought, "Yeah, that…you can handle him?"

Ronon rolled his eyes, "I'm fine. Let's go."

Sheppard nodded once as he bent down and snagged McKay's pack off the ground, Ronon had sawed through the straps of that as well in his haste to relieve McKay of whatever was ailing him. McKay made a grab for it, "Hey, that's mine!"

"It's mine now. If you can't be responsible for your own personal health and wellbeing then I'll do that until I can drop you off with Beckett. He's going to have a field day with you on this one."

McKay huffed a few times but he realized when an argument was futile. Sheppard grabbed the sleeve on his good arm and prodded him forward as the team headed back toward Atlantis and the wrath of one mighty P.O.'ed Scottish physician McKay knew to expect upon their return.

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