"Open the door!" Sheppard called out. He managed to get up somehow but Brian was already running at him and knocking him back against the wall.

Alice was removing crystals at light speed but the door wasn't opening, "I don't know what's wrong with this door," she shouted over Sheppard and the wraiths grappling.

"I thought you were a genius," said Gerin. He stepped backwards against the wall and picked up Sheppard's discarded IV pole in an attempt to defend himself.

Sheppard and Brian were shoving each other to the side all the while grunting.

Sheppard finally managed to get the gun round to the wraiths side and he depressed the trigger. Brian fell backwards pulling a medical tray down to the floor with him. The clattering was muted in Sheppard's hazy head and he reached out for the wall for support before he dropped. He pulled the trigger again and hit Brian in the stomach.

"You got those doors open yet?" he asked calmly. Brian was on the floor but he wasn't getting up.

"I'm trying," Alice said risking a glance over her shoulder.

Sheppard was staggering in front of Brian, trying to keep himself between him and the others. "I thought you were dead," he said through clenched teeth.

Brian looked up from the floor. He was cradling his stomach with his arm and grimacing, "I thought the same about you."

Sheppard glanced over to the door, "When you get that door open I need to find somebody with an earpiece," he said and bought his eyes back down to Brian, "Move and you die."

"Why don't you shoot him?" said Gerin. He was holding onto the IV pole for all his worth. He sounded terrified.

"Because he knows something," said Sheppard.

"It doesn't matter if I die. Others know of my work."

Sheppard slowly and carefully crouched down, all the while aiming the gun forward, "And what work would that be?"

Brian curved his mouth upwards and reacted to a bolt of pain.

"But no one else knows we're here, right?" said Sheppard.

Brian had his eyes closed.

Sheppard prodded him with the barrel of the gun and his eyes snapped open, "Do they?"

Brian attempted to sit up, "No."

Sheppard nodded.

"But they will track the technology to here."

"What technology?" asked Sheppard.

The doors suddenly slid open behind him and he turned expecting to see a barrage of soldiers entering the room. Instead, there was the threatening darkness of the hallway.

"I'll go get help," said Alice limping out of the room.

"You get out too Gerin," said Sheppard.

He watched the man leave and turned back to Brian, "Now you son of a bitch. I want to know about these additions."

"You'll find out in time."

"I want to know now," said Sheppard digging the barrel of his gun into Brian's fresh and open wounds. Brian flinched and howled in pain. Sheppard clamped a hand over his mouth to quell the noise, "Tell me."

Before he could react his legs were taken from beneath him and he crashed to the floor with a resounding, and painful thud. Brian jumped up off the floor and kicked the gun out of Sheppard's hand, "You are weak," it said.

Sheppard rolled, grunted, and managed to get up onto his knees.

Brian was backing up towards Beckett's office, "You'll all die."

Sheppard got up and looked longingly at the weapon on the floor. He couldn't reach it and his strength was beginning to fade. He turned quickly in a circle, saw the IV pole and wielded it in front of him.

Brian walked forward, moving slowly and stiffly under his injuries. Sheppard staggered forwards, hunched and broken, but not yet defeated. "We will find out," he said.

"In time," said Brian.

He lunged and Sheppard bought the pole upwards in front of him as if he were jousting. Brian managed to duck and trip Sheppard. Sheppard fell to the ground, the pole clattering down next to him.

Brian was lunging forward and the next few moments played out in slow motion. Sheppard had bought the pole up just in time. The initial impact cut into one of Brian's wounds and he became painfully impaled in a sickening twist of fate. Sheppard managed to roll out of the way before Brian fell down on top of him.

He was breathing in heavily and forced his eyes away from Brian's penetrating stare beside him. He was feeling dizzy and sick as his adrenaline rush finally wore off. His hand was outstretched and it curled around the 9mil he had disposed off.

He lay there in silence, feeling sweat dripping off his exhausted body.

After a few minutes, soldiers and staff started to enter to the room. He could hear the clicks of safeties being unlatched, and heavy boots on the floor beside him.

A hand dropped down onto his chest and he immediately bought the weapon up and pushed into whoever's side it was.

A hand pushed the weapon down and Sheppard opened his eyes. It was Beckett.

"You're okay."

--------------------

They were outside in the corridor again, waiting for Sheppard to be tended to. He'd ripped some stitches in his shoulder and was again mottled in bruises but was otherwise okay. Not that they had been able to see him yet.

Elizabeth was pacing back and forth again. "What the hell happened today?"

"He evaded the scanners somehow," said Mckay with a sigh.

"Perhaps he was out of range?" suggested Teyla.

Mckay merely snorted, "He could have been, but it's unlikely. That means he would have had to have been in that water for four days."

"It's been known to happen," said Ronon. He crossed his arms and leant against the wall.

"Thank god Sheppard managed to finally kill it," said Elizabeth.

"Yeah and he tore his shoulder doing it."

"Beckett," said Elizabeth stepping forward, "How is he?"

"He's okay. It's all superficial. His stitches were pulled, but there's no indication of a further bleed."

"Can we see him?" asked Mckay.

Beckett seemed to consider the request, "Aye, you can, but-" he paused and moved away from the infirmary door, "The Colonel is a little…. jumpy at the moment."

"What do you mean?" asked Elizabeth.

"I think this whole episode has shaken him a lot more than he's willing to admit. He's resting right now so if you do approach him…don't startle him." He put his hands up and took a step to the side.

"Don't startle?" asked Mckay.

A soldier came out of the infirmary with some tissue paper protruding from each nostril. He managed a grimace and then moved off down the corridor groaning.

"What happened to him?" asked Ronon.

Beckett smiled, "Sheppard."

----------------------

When they entered the room Sheppard was sitting up in the bed with his eyes closed.

The others hung back whilst Mckay hobbled noisily over to him. His crutches knocked the bed with an audible clang and again the stool when he went to sit. Sheppard didn't move and when Mckay leant towards the bed he turned back to the others.

"Sh-"

Sheppard reacted instantly to the noise, startled out of his sleep and put a hand up to his chest, "Don't sneak up like that," he said in his annoyed voice reserved for Mckay.

He licked his lips and looked around the room with a methodical eye.

"He's gone," said Elizabeth. She took a cautious step forward.

Sheppard pushed Mckay out of his line of vision and looked down at the floor, "He's gone," he repeated.

Sheppard jumped again when Beckett reached out and touched his other shoulder.

"What?" he asked. His eyes were a little glassy and his fever was beginning to flare up but he couldn't rest.

"You're a little on edge. I'm going to give you something to help you sleep for a while."

Sheppard scanned the faces of his friends and then turned back to Beckett, "I'm not on edge." He shifted his hands restlessly and plucked at the covers on his bed.

"Oh right," said Mckay, "And I'm not a genius." He laughed derisively.

Sheppard gave him a glare, "Actually, she's a genius," he said pointing over to the bed where Alice was sat. She gave a little nervous wave and then shrank back into her covers. Sheppard returned the wave with a bit too much enthusiasm.

Mckay narrowed his eyes, "Beckett give him some drugs." Sheppard's emotions were way too strange at the moment and he wasn't too sure he could talk to the guy.

"I don't want to sleep," said Sheppard.

"You're wired," said Beckett, "And not in a healthy way. You need to sleep."

"I don't," said Sheppard. He smiled, turned to the others embarrassed and then back to Beckett. "I'm just a bit.." he paused, "I'm full of adrenaline."

"Colonel," he warned.

Sheppard plucked at the covers a second time and then grimaced.

"You deserve the rest after the day you've had. We'll talk about what happened when you've slept," said Elizabeth.

Sheppard was pouting, "I don't want to sleep and you can't make me."

Beckett had already injected something into his IV line to aid with that. "I can."

Sheppard's eyes drooped and he nearly fell sideways when it finally hit him.

"He won't be happy when he wakes up," said Mckay.

------------------------

"You know, you can't sulk forever," said Mckay. He was industriously typing away on his laptop and made the comment without even looking up. He didn't need to. He knew Sheppard was still sitting upright in the bed, arms crossed over his chest (Even though it hurt him to do so), and a face formed into a scowl.

The reply came quickly and with a hint of indignation, "I'm not sulking."

"Of course you're not," replied Mckay. He hit the enter key with a stubby finger and smiled.

"I'm not sulking."

"Oh please. You've been sitting there in a mood for the past hour or so and I should know. I've been sat here that long."

"Why are you here Rodney? Got nothing better to do?"

Mckay continued to type away, "Of course I have better things to do. You just happen to be one of my priorities."

Sheppard sighed and turned away from him, "Now I know you have to be joking."

Mckay finally bought his eyes up and glowered at the man, "Well if you can't be trusted to stay in bed-"

"You locked down the infirmary. What was I supposed to do?" he asked shrinking back into his bed and closing his eyes. Talking hurt his head, which in turn made his shoulder throb. He wasn't sure how it was all related but that's how it seemed to go these days.

"I locked down the infirmary because the wraith was loose in this section of Atlantis. People in the infirmary are generally helpless so excuse me if you thought I was doing you a disservice."

"I took Brian down," said Sheppard.

"Oh yes Brian, I'm sorry. I forgot you were on a first name basis."

Sheppard found the remark cutting but continued anyway, "If it wasn't for me, he'd probably still be running around and we wouldn't have any new information about his little experiments."

"You opened the door and inadvertently let him in, therefore you were forced to deal with him."

Sheppard sighed again, "I'm bored, when can I get out of here. My shoulder feels better and I don't have a fever anymore." He paused for breath, "This sucks."

"You ripped out your stitches fighting with Brian," said McKay slamming the laptop closed, "So forgive Beckett if he wants them to close."

"It's not like my arms going to fall off." Sheppard rolled his eyes and then closed them.

Mckay looked up as Addison entered the room. She gave Mckay a half hearted wave and then looked over to the petulant Colonel, "Hi," she said bringing her hands together in an uncomfortable gesture.

Sheppard cracked an eye open and waved back, "Hey," he said and then resumed his sulk.

"You'll have to excuse the Colonel. He's not in the best of moods."

Addison bit her lip, dipping her head, "Oh."

Sheppard opened his eyes fully and looked at Addison, "Hey," he said, "You read lips. Do you happen to read sign language?"

"Yeah," she said, "Had to when I was younger."

"Okay," said Sheppard glancing at Mckay, "Well Rodney is a-" He made a hand gesture and then settled back in his bed.

Addison stifled a laugh and Mckay just looked between the two with an irritated glance, "What?"

"He said you're-"

Sheppard held a finger up.

"You're an ass. I think that's what he was saying."

Sheppard looked over at Mckay, "Well," he said, "You deserved it."

"I see that this is the thanks I get," said Mckay getting up and trying to grab both his laptop and his crutches at the same time. He managed to position his laptop under his arm and hop out towards the door, "I'll leave you to Sheppard's mood."

"I'm not in a mood!" shouted Sheppard as McKay disappeared around the corner.

Addison sat down in McKay's vacated seat and clasped her hands together, "How are you doing?"

"Me?" asked Sheppard, "I'm…...fine. Look I wanted to thank you properly for assisting my team in getting me out of there. From what I've heard you were pretty invaluable."

Addison blushed, "Well, I just did what I could to help."

There was a moment of extended silence before Sheppard leant forward, "You didn't happen to hear anything..uh….of a sensitive nature?"

"Aside from your colourful language? No."

Sheppard seemed relieved at the admission and relaxed, "So what brings you to my miserable vicinity?"

"I was just passing."

"Just passing," repeated Sheppard. He watched her wring her hands and looked she generally uncomfortable. "You okay?"

Addison looked down at her hands again, "Yeah well. I guess, I just wanted to see if you wanted to talk. I'm sure I'm not first choice but I saw a lot of what you were going through and-"

"I'm great," he said too quickly.

"Maybe I need to talk about it," she said and was startled by her own truth, "It was hard to see you that way."

"I'm sorry you had to see it. But honestly, It's all in the past."

"So you're not curious to know what these additions the wraith was referring to. Brian, I mean."

"Brian," said Sheppard wistfully, "His additions. Yes well, I'm sure this will be the subject matter of tomorrows brief but yeah."

She nodded, "It kind of….if you don't mind me saying. It looked like you were losing hope in there. I've found it hard to live with that vision of you. And I don't particularly know you."

"Well, I was impaled to a wall and facing certain death. Loss of hope is kind of compulsory," he looked down at the bed covers, "I'm glad you were looking out for me."

Addison glanced down at her watch, "I should be going. I've got a load of techy work to do, but if you need to talk-"

"Addison thanks, but, I'm not much of a talker."

"The offers there," she walked passed the bed and gripped the railing, "Get well soon, Sir."

"John," he corrected her, "Nobody that's been so intimately linked to me is going to call me by my rank."

"Get well soon John," she said and left the room.

TBC

Review please……. And no cliffhanger. See, I can be nice…for now.