Chapter 3: Quarantine

Ronon and Sheppard stepped through the event horizon and emerged on the steel walkway of the SGC gateroom. The oddly empty room contained only two people, one of them turned away from them and shouted towards the control booth "Thanks Walter, why don't you go and get some coffee?"

Sheppard saw a short man with grey hair stand up and leave the room without ever looking back. Turning back to the two people standing in front of him Sheppard recognised both of them. General Landry and Colonel Mitchell both had the same, slightly amused look on their faces.

"Welcome home Colonel Sheppard" Landry greeted "I hear you've been up to quite a lot since the last time we saw each other." He indicated Sheppard's immobilised arm as he talked.

"Never a dull day, sir" Sheppard quipped, in a surprisingly good mood all things considered.

"I'm afraid we can't send you on your way until the twenty-four hour quarantine has been observed but doctor Lam will be discreet and we've managed to keep the number of personnel that know about your arrival to an absolute minimum"

"I appreciate that sir, the IOA have been a bit of a problem at home, the keep threatening to send Woolsey again."

"Yes they can be like that, frequently. Anyway, if you would follow us, Colonel Mitchell will be joining you for the next week or so, enforced down-time." He added throwing Mitchell a look. Mitchell just shrugged and gave Sheppard a look that said; you know what its like.

They started to walk down a corridor but within a few minutes Sheppard began to feel a gnawing aches that began to intensify with every step he took. Taking a deep breath, that stretched unhealed muscles, he stopped. "We're not going to the infirmary are we?" he couldn't stop the slight note of apprehension in his voice but thankfully only Ronon seemed to notice.

"yes, its standard procedure for quarantine" Landry replied, obviously confused.

"Look, I know this is unusual but is there any chance we could go somewhere else" he had to fight the urge to plead.

Landry was scrutinising him now "Why?"

Sheppard was at a loss for words but Ronon spoke up for the first time. "Sheppard doesn't do well around injured people"

"That doesn't really answer my question son" Landry told him.

Sighing, Sheppard made a decision and closed his eyes, concentrating on the numerous aches that were vying for his attention "There are three people in your infirmary at the moment… one has a broken arm…and toe…odd mixture… another one has an electrical burn on his…left hand and the third… he's running a fever, I'm not sure but I think he has a chest infection.

"He's right you know" came a female voice from further up the hallway, "What I want to know is how he knows about Stanley's chest, I only just got the test results myself"

Caroline Lam walked towards them waving a sheet of paper in the air.

"Look it's a really long storey but basically I can feel people's injuries. It's not so bad here but if I go into the infirmary it will feel like the injuries have happened to me and no amount of painkillers will help, god knows Dr Keller's tried, because I'm not physically injured.

"That… sucks!" Mitchell exclaimed. Turning to general Landry he continued "surely we can use some of the spare staff quarters… or even the isolation room?"

Landry appeared to consider it before turning to his daughter "What do you think Caroline?"

"They will do just as well as the infirmary. If anything they may be better as they'll be more discreet." She admitted, all the while scrutinising Sheppard.

"Ok then" said Landry, turning down one of the side corridors.

Sheppard instantly knew it was away from the infirmary as the oppressive ache began to lift and he straightened, he hadn't even realised he was hunched over until that point.

"I'll need to run some standard tests, bp, heart rate, temperature, once you are settled, just to establish a base line to work from." Dr Lam said as they walked.

"Its nothing we haven't experienced a million times Doc, standard procedure" Sheppard commented.

"You Pegasus boys land yourselves in the infirmary frequently I hear." Mitchell playfully nudged.

"No more than you I should think Colonel Mitchell" Dr Lam said, bringing a smile to Sheppard and Ronon's faces.

"We'll have to swap stories" Mitchell continued, pretending not to hear, "General Landry wont let us read your mission reports" grinning himself he added; "He seems to think that we might get bad ideas."

"do you blame me?" General Landry asked, sounding slightly frustrated.

"Never sir, I know you are just looking out for us"

Sheppard couldn't decide whether Mitchell was joking or serious but he was saved the trouble when the three people walking in front of him stopped outside a grey door that looked no different to the half dozen others they had passed in the last several minutes.

"Do you ever get depressed down here, what with the lack of windows and all the concrete?" he asked as they opened the door to a room that had two single beds with standard army-issue bedding."

"Not really. We all see enough of the surface that it's not really an issue." Dr Lam said before; "I'm afraid this is it for you for the next fourty-eight hours or so until we can give you the all clear. I'll be back in half an hour or so with the equipment I need. In the mean time I suggest you get settled."

True to her word doctor Lam returned half an hour later carrying a bag from which she pulled a thermometer, a blood pressure cuff and a stethoscope among other items. "Ok Ronon why don't we start with you? If you could roll up your sleeve so I can take your blood pressure…"

For the next fifteen minutes Sheppard watched as Lam checked Ronon's blood pressure, heart rate, breathing, temperature, eyes, ears and throat, all the while suspecting that although she was being incredibly thorough with Ronan she would be more so with him.

He wasn't wrong… when she turned her attention to him her eyes went straight to his immobilised arm "how old is that injury Colonel?" she asked even as her eyes continued to scan him for any other obvious signs of injury.

He had been lying on the bed but as she turned her attention to him he swung his legs over the side of the bed and, using his good arm rather than his stomach muscles, he sat up. "The original injury is about two months old but I've had surgery twice since then." He admitted

"Do you mind if I take a look?"

"Feel free" he told her as he manoeuvred himself out of his tee-shirt without disturbing his arm with the ease of lots of practice.

He felt rather than saw Lam's eyes glide over the other scars visible on his torso before settling on his shoulder. Even as she began to probe his should she said; "that's quite the collection of scars… Colonel Mitchell will be jealous"

"What exactly will I be jealous of?" came a voice from the doorway.

They all looked up to see Mitchell leaning against the doorframe.

Sheppard felt a slight flush in his cheeks as Mitchell's eyes ran over his body but his embarrassment was eased as Mitchell said; "I haven't seen that particular collection of scars before… I'll have to show you mine at some point, especially my lower back and my leg." He smiled as he said it, indicating he had known exactly what Lam had been saying.

"Yes well you can save that for some other time" Lam commented as she took out her stethoscope. "What are you doing…." She trailed off as something caught her attention and her expression turned to one of confusion. "Would you turn around for me colonel?"

Until this point Sheppard had had his back facing the wall and his heart sunk as she realised what had caught her attention. He sighed as he turned around.

"What are those!?" came the exclamation from the doorway as not only the scars on his back but the implants became visible to the whole room.

"A long story" Sheppard admitted resignedly before saying "They are quite harmless, trust me, McKay has tested them with every device under several suns. They aren't a risk to the base or any personnel; I thought Jennifer had already informed you of that?"

"I'm afraid that piece of information seems to have slipped by Colonel" Dr Lam told him, not without sympathy. "Do you mind if we run a couple of our own tests just to be sure... I know someone who will be very discreet." She told him even as she continued with her examination.

"Go ahead I understand the need to be cautious"

"In that case there are just a few other things I want to do while I've got you here…" she rummaged in her kit before pulling out a needle.

Knowing that she was going to want a sample of his blood, probably to run DNA tests, Sheppard stuck out his arm.

"Do you want my blood too?" Ronon enquired from where he was sitting on the other bed as he watched Lam insert the needle into Sheppard's arm with practiced ease.

"NO you are all right but thanks. This is just a precaution really, no reason to go overboard." She slipped the needle out of his arm and Sheppard noticed the vial of blood she placed in her bag remained unlabelled.

"Cam could you possibly go and get Bill? He should be in his lab, the scientists never take my advice about getting sufficient sleep."

That made both Sheppard and Ronon smile and Ronon asked; "Have you ever met McKay?"

The grimace on her face said everything "Only briefly but that was more than enough."

"He tends to have that effect on people" Sheppard commented, he hadn't seen the look from where he sat but could hear the tone of her voice "He grows on you he just doesn't make a good first impression. I find the best method with him is to reign him back with the threat of lemons and if you can manage to resist the urge to strangle him for the first few weeks then he mellows – slightly."

Sheppard kept talking more out of the need to distract himself as Lam went back to probing the surgical wound in his shoulder. He was starting to regret not taking the pain-killers that Keller had prescribed him.

Thankfully at that moment there was a knock on the door and the prodding stopped. Sheppard turned very slightly to see a short, squat, slightly balding man follow Mitchell into the room.

The short man was muttering things about remembering to leave his phone at home next time he went on holiday. The man stopped short at seeing the half dressed man in front of him. "I had to go a bit further a-field to find him" Mitchell admitted

Sheppard was starting to get used to the reaction that the short man was having but it was still irritating never-the-less. The man pulled himself back together quickly and proceeded to surprise both Sheppard and Ronon by merely saying; "you've been through the wars lately." Neglecting to say anything about the implants.

"You could say that" John admitted, intensely grateful to the scientist for not making things even more awkward. "The Pegasus Galaxy doesn't like us very much."

"Oh so you are one of them then?" the scientist asked as he started to pull something out of a large silver case.

"Them?" Ronon inquired.

Sheppard thought he knew what the scientist was talking about but Ronon, who had lived his entire life under the threat of the wraith attacking, didn't catch on to the implications.

"Yes one of them… people who live in a city that seems to be constantly under threat of being destroyed… I hear there are actually people who like it there."

Sheppard who was one of those "people" knew that the little man was only joking and decided to act offended "We're not always under attack" he protested in a whiny voice, reminiscent of Rodney when he wasn't getting his own way. Looking over his shoulder he saw the look on the man's face and felt the need to submit "ok, just a lot of the time."

He winked and the man smiled. Doctor Lam took the opportunity to say "Ronon, Colonel Sheppard, this is Dr Bill Lee" turning to bill she decided to get down to business. "The bottom object flashes continuously whilst the others tend to flash briefly and quite often it's a different number that flash."

"That's normal." Ronon told her helpfully from where he sat.

"Well as normal as things get." Sheppard quantified. "The bottom one is synchronised with my heart beat and the others… they register physical exertion."

"Or pain." Ronon piped up again.

Sheppard gave him a look, wondering what had caused Ronon to be so chirpy and helpful – by Ronon's standards.

As what Ronon had said sunk in Lam frowned at Sheppard and admonished him; "Why didn't you tell me I was causing you that much pain?"

Sheppard looked to Mitchell for support from where he stood in the door but the man just shrugged looking slightly helpless. He obviously knew better than to get involved.

"It's not a big deal." Sheppard old her weakly, knowing he wasn't going to get away with that.

"We will talk about this later." Se said in a tone so much like Keller and Carson's when they were annoyed with him that Sheppard was starting to think that it was something they were taught at medical school.

Bill chose this moment t interrupt. "As far as I can tell these devices are fairly passive all things considered. They don't appear to be transmitting any sort of data what-so-ever and, while they are obviously connected to Colonel Sheppard's nervous system, they don't appear to be affecting him in any sort of way."

"They are a little uncomfortable" Sheppard admitted "but other than that I wouldn't even know they were there."

Satisfied for the time being Lam said; "We'll leave you be for a while, I suggest you try and sleep." She looked pointedly at Sheppard as she said this, making it blatantly obvious that this wasn't a suggestion.

"We will." Sheppard assured her not wanting to land himself in yet another doctor's bad books. They did, after all, frequently wield sharp point objects.

"good." She said as she began to head towards the door. "Oh Bill, you need to stay on base for forty-eight hours now." She said to the man as they walked out the door.

Sheppard heard him say something about his holiday and Lam assuring him that Landry would compensate for the lost days.

"We should try and get some rest." He told Ronon as the conversation continued out of earshot.

"I'm not tired" Ronon said as Sheppard lay back down.

"suit yourself" Sheppard said using his good arm to pick up the TV remote from the table next to his bed and tossing it over to Ronon. "When you get bored use that." He knew it would only be a matter of time before the big man got restless but despite what he had said to Lam and the face he was still maintaining in front of Ronon he felt drained and knew that there was going to be even less time to sleep in the following days. "I think you'll find some of the programmes entertaining… if you're lucky you might even catch a re-run of wormhole extreme." Sheppard was being sarcastic about wormhole extreme but Ronon didn't need to know that.