Disclaimer: not mine, all characters/TV shows/movies belong to their creators, et al. I'm just borrowing.
Chapter 4.
Caldwell glanced through the medical reports. Accepting Dr Beckett's summary and drawing some of his own conclusions.
"You want to send them to Earth?"
"We don't have to facilities or the people to deal with their injuries" Carson tried not to sound exasperated "Orthopaedic surgeon, neurologist, ob-gyn. Then there's the recovery team. A psychologist specialising in abuse victims and PTSD, physical therapists. Ronon's hand alone, is going to need a lot of attention"
Caldwell's brain caught up with his ears.
"Ob-gyn? She's pregnant?"
"Well it's certainly not Colonel Sheppard"
"That's not in your report Doctor" Caldwell growled.
"Of course it's not. Given the girl's injuries, the chances of a miscarriage are extremely high. And it's still too early for Earth based tests to tell."
"So Atlantis…?" Caldwell frowned.
"Treats Sheppard like a long lost son. The girl's gene is about the same strength. Atlantis is just looking out for her family"
Caldwell suppressed a shudder at the thought.
"You want them to go to Earth"
"Aye"
"When?"
Sheppard's already showing signs of waking up. He needs to be told a few things first. And it might help if he explains everything to Atlantis"
John opened his eyes to one of the rare moments when there was no one else in the room. He turned his head, blinking as the lights brightened slightly. John had never seen Ronon look so vulnerable, so helpless before. A memory resurfaced violently.
Ronon hit the wall hard enough for John to hear the wall, or was it Ronon's skull crack. The tall Setedan slumped to the floor. And a blonde man in a dark uniform swung a metal pole, axe-like, over his shoulder, bringing it down on Ronon's back.
John squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for his pulse to slow.
'He was on Atlantis. He was safe. He was on Atlantis. He was safe.'
The mantra ran through his head over and over again. Atlantis' tone became more soothing, the feeling echoing John's thought; Home, safe, sanctuary, lulling him into sleep.
A few hours later John opens his eyes again; a loudly whispered argument waking him. Sergeant Etheldreda 'Skippy' Fitzroy was trying to throw some one out of the room.
John grinned. Skippy wasn't actually a sergeant. When the Australian (the only Australian) had first arrived in the Pegasus Galaxy a Lieutenant had made the mistake of calling her 'Skippy". She'd responded by calling the Lieutenant 'Lassie'. The only way to get her to stop was by calling her Sergeant. Skippy however, stuck. Unfortunately for Lt. Andrew Davison so did Lassie.
Skippy wasn't usually attached to Major Lorne's team. SGA-13 were currently being reprimanded for a multitude of events. Including; but not limited to, the production of moonshine, setting off homemade fireworks off world and the high jacking of Atlantis' speaker system (Skippy maintained it was an accident), which resulted in AC/DC being heard for a week. John had received a lecture for not dealing with it sooner.
The only reason SGA-13 wasn't being grounded completely had happened during the Daedalus' last visit. Skippy had returned to Atlantis alone. And standing in the gate room, had made a show of placing the thin gold ring she kept with her dog tags in her hat. One by one, every person in the gate room (and some who hadn't been) added something to the hat. Later, SGA-13 had emerged from the stargate with almost a dozen, dirty, bruised and malnourished children. A raised eyebrow from Skippy; who had one child on her hip and three others desperately clutching at her clothes, had stopped even Colonel Caldwell from saying anything.
Most personnel considered it dangerous to get on Skippy's bad side. John could believe it. Skippy's poker/girl's nights consisted of Teyla, Laura Cadman and Alice and Olivia Trevallyn (Alice was a nurse, Olivia one of the Chefs. The Twins, on more than one occasion, had caused certain people quite a lot of discomfort.).
John also knew that Skippy was a bigger 'mother hen' than Beckett, Atlantis and Rodney's Great Aunt Ida combined. If she was trying to throw someone out, she'd have a good reason for it.
"Get your hands off me"
"Keep your voice down. And get out before I get Major Lorne and Dr Weir down here" Skippy stamped at Dr Stewart Norris' feet, making the scientist jump backwards. "You're not supposed to be in here"
Norris stifled a yelp as one of Skippy's steel-capped boots landed on his foot. Skippy smirked, grabbing one of Norris' hands, twisting his arm behind his back and frog marching him towards the door.
"I'll report this, this… manhandling, assault, this abuse"
Norris leaned forward suddenly, spinning around, flinging his free arm about, and hitting Skippy's face. More surprised than hurt Skippy fell. She landed hard, hitting the side of her face on a bed rail. Norris froze for a moment, blinked and walked quickly to the bed.
Skippy held herself up with one arm, her legs shaky even while lying on the floor. She pressed a hand to her cheek. John could see the blood on her fingers. Wincing, he agreed with Atlantis as she flashed red-black anger in his mind. Anger that turned to rage as Norris' foot connected with Skippy' ribs.
John moved as quietly as Ronon and Teyla had ever taught him to. His feet on the cold floor, the knife that had been put on the table next to Ronon's bed in his hand. Skippy watched as he moved, silently past her, before crawling towards her radio.
Norris's hand froze; the notes he'd been making from the girl's chart fluttering to the floor. The knife pressed deeper into the skin of his neck. A drop of blood slid down the edge of the blade. Sheppard's voice made Norris' hair stand on end and ice run down his spine.
"Touch Lena or Skippy like that. Anybody like that again…" Sheppard's voice whispered in his ear "and there won't be enough of you to be cremated"
Norris wrenched away, the knife slicing into his neck. A hand pressed to the bleeding, Norris stumbled, half tripping to the door.
John's legs gave out just as Norris disappeared from view. Atlantis flashed smugly purple. John let his eyes close, listening to Skippy inform Beckett, Weir, Caldwell, McKay and Teyla that their presence was needed. And to ask if Major Lorne could throw Dr Norris to the Sea Monsters.
His eyes opened again, as Skippy sat next to him.
"How're you feeling" "Aren't I supposed to be asking that?" She smirked "He kicks like a girl"
John picked up Norris' notes, glancing through them. His hand's clenched, scrunching the bits of paper.
"What have you heard?"
"The usual rumours. Your 'Kirkness' rating's gone up. But they've trailed off a bit since this morning"
"I woke up, there wasn't any one here"
"SGA-8 got back early from Ckantah"
"The people with the blue hair?"
"Dr Lancaster and Lt. Wilkins came back with brides"
John frowned.
"Wilkins is a woman"
"And her new step daughter's already calling her Mummy" Skippy grinned "Kavanagh's staying right out of it"
"Aren't Norris and Kavanagh friends?" John sounded tired.
"They're trying to get you voted off the island"
John winced as he laughed ribs and stitches protesting.
"It's been a week. You broke McKay's arm, been in surgery twice and your heart almost stopped. Irregular rhythm Beckett said. Alice had to shock you to get it back to normal. You're lucky it was her shift"
"Shift?" He rested his head on her shoulder.
"I didn't think you'd want to wake up alone. Dr Weir, Alice, Olivia, Lorne, some of the marines and scientists. Even Caldwell's had a few shifts. Zelenka and Cadman have been making sure Teyla takes care of herself, while she takes care of Rodney"
"Good"
Skippy put her arm around him.
"How far did you read?"
"Enough"
His eye's shut. He didn't remember how he knew her name, but John remembered how she looked staring, blankly, at the ceiling, tears running down her face.
"Kavanagh found out about… He's been making waves. Teyla started to say how you and Ronon and… Lena are actually married. I think she panicked a bit. Some of the other Athosians gave the 'unusual but not unheard of or against local customs' speech. The anthropologists are-"
"Won't want me…" His voice was almost a whisper "…hates me…"
The last things John heard; was Skippy's voice 'Nobody hates you John' and Atlantis, singing Ancient lullabies in his ear.
When Atlantis finally opened the door to an increasingly worried Beckett, John was asleep. Sitting on the floor, slumped against Skippy. Who, with a slightly concussed look in her eyes, was twisting John's hair into even more disarray.
To be continued…