A/N: Yay, I managed to update sooner, as I promised! I am such a good girl LOL

Thanks for all the nice reviews, especially to those who review to every chapter, you guys are great! (Linzi, your reviews are always so encouraging/ hug)

This chapter is not that long , but I felt I needed to lighten up the mood a little, I realized the fic was really getting darker than I intended.

But don't worry, there's still gonna be lots of whumping, but I think Shep needs a little break.

So, have fun reading, and don't forget to hit the little 'review'-button…

The procedure itself was routine, but the fact that it was Colonel Sheppard he was working on and thinking about the events that had led to his current condition, Carson's hands were shaky. However, being the professional Doctor that he was, he didn't let his feelings get in the way too much and found the spot on Sheppard's throat he had to cut into right away. He made the tiny cut and carefully pushed in the breathing tube.

It didn't take long until the Colonel was hooked up to the ventilator again. Carson stayed a few more minutes to make sure that enough oxygen was coming through and was quickly convinced by the fact that Sheppard's lips began to turn back to their natural pink color.

Carson sighed. With the sudden turn of events, to make sure that his patient didn't hurt himself any further, he saw no other option but to put him in mild restrains. And he was sure the Colonel wouldn't like it one bit the next time he came to.

However, his health was more important right now.

He told his nurse Sarah to get the restraints and reluctantly secured them around his wrists.

Ooo

One hour later

Teyla walked into the briefing room. All the other members of her team, including Carson were already seated around the table.

She noticed that the Doctor looked extremely exhausted and wondered if he had gotten any sleep in the last three days.

"Teyla, please sit down." Elizabeth said and poured some more coffee into her cup which prompted Rodney to hold out his own empty cup.

"I must apologize if I am late. I was in the gym when you called the meeting."

"No, no, no. That's alright, don't worry." Dr. Weir ensured her.

"Let's get to the point right away. You have all been updated on the Colonel's current condition and Carson ensures me that there is nothing to worry about, at least not more than before." She paused "However, I think it's time that we get on with our lives. I am confident that Colonel Sheppard will be back on his feet before we know it and he will not be happy if we haven't done anything but sit at his bedside in the meantime…"

Teyla looked at the empty seat next to hers. Without the Colonel, their team wasn't complete and she saw in the faces of Ronon and Rodney that they had similar thoughts.

"…It is a simple trading mission, nothing spectacular." Elizabeth shifted her attention to Carson who looked like he wasn't even listening. He was probably wondering why Elizabeth had asked him to come to the briefing.

"And Carson, I want you to go with them, you need to get out of the infirmary for a few hours."

That had caught Carson's attention. "I can't leave the Colonel alone now." He stated puzzled, almost angry.

"You are not the only Doctor here, Carson and you need to get your mind off of this for a while. Trust me, it'll only be for the better." She tried to persuade him.

"I am not going!" Beckett replied stubbornly and got up from his chair.

"I'm not asking, Carson." Elizabeth answered seriously. She had obviously expected this reaction, and Teyla found herself agreeing with her.The Doctor needed to get out and draw some strength. She was sure he'd feel better afterwards, but could also understand his hesitance.

"Fine!" he hissed angrily.

Elizabeth turned back to the team. "You are leaving in 30 minutes, gear up."

Her expression hadn't changed during the whole briefing. Teyla knew as a leader, she had to be strong and tell her people what to do in a difficult situation, even if it wasn't easy on her, either.

All of them stood up and went for their rooms, Carson practically storming out, almost pushing Rodney out of the way. Despite the Doctor's bad mood and John's absence, Teyla was actually glad to have something to do. She had felt locked in in the last couple of days, her worry over John always present and was now looking forward to draw some fresh air again.

oOo

The first thing John noticed when he became aware of his surroundings was that the tube in his throat was gone and he didn't feel like somebody was strangling him anymore.

That had to have been the most horrid experience he had ever woken up to, except maybe that one time when he woke up in a cold cell in Afghanistan, alone and with a gun shot wound to his stomach.

However, his throat was still hurting a great deal, only topped by the throbbing sensation in his head. He didn't know if it was a very good idea to try opening his eyes, but he figured if he wanted some pain killers for his murder headache, he had to let Carson know that he was awake. And he'd definitely kill for some Advil right about now. To Sheppard's regret, nobody had thought about turning the lights off or at least down to a manageable level. On a reflex action, he tried to move his hand to shield his eyes from the bright light, but something was holding both hands down. Maybe he wasn't alone after all.

His eyes needed a few minutes to adjust, but when his vision became clearer, John saw that nobody else was in the infirmary. He was confused. What was wrong with his hands, then? He tried to move them again, but nothing happened.

Before his sluggish mind came up with a reasonable explanation, the worried face of Dr. Beckett appeared in his line of sight.

"Can ya hear me, Colonel?" he asked.

Sheppard tried to answer his question with a simple 'yes', but he was surprised that there was no sound coming out of his mouth. He also felt some pressure further down his throat and looked at Carson confusedly.

"No, Son, you can't talk. I had to do a tracheotomy to help you breathe." he explained in a concerned voice and noticed that Sheppard was unconsciously pulling at his restraints.

"Just hold on a second, I'm gonna take these off."

'I was in restraints? Why?' Sheppard thought. He tried to remember what had happened earlier, but his mind was all fuzzy. The last thing he remembered clearly was Carson promising him to take out the tube next time he was awake..

The tube was gone – but only to be replaced by another one at a different place. Great! As soon as his hands were free, he tried to lift them up, but found himself so weak, he could barely move them.

"Listen, son. You can't talk cause your vocal cords are affected by the tube, but you can whisper… I need you to tell me if anything hurts." The Doctor explained slowly.

John closed his eyes and tried to focus. It took him a moment to gather enough strength to answer the question.

"…head…ache." He mastered, barely audible.

"Ok, I'm gonna give you something for the pain in a minute. I need to check your vitals and temperature first, alright?"

John nodded. He realized that he was cold, but not as bad as before. Beckett must have noticed that he was shivering, because he pulled the covers up to his shoulders after he was done with his exam and added the pain killer to his IV. Sheppard immediately felt the effects as his headache became manageable.

"What.. happened?" he whispered weakly, referring both to the tracheotomy and the restraints. Beckett looked torn for a minute, as if he wasn't sure what to tell him.

"Well…. There was a little incident…" he started, but didn't go on any further, obviously unsure of what to say.

"Carson…" Sheppard whispered, shooting him the most threatening look he could manage, which, in his condition, probably wasn't very threatening at all. But he needed to know why the Doctor had thought that tying him up like a criminal was the best action to take.

"You pulled out the breathing tube and almost suffocated on me – again! Your throat was a bloody mess, so I had to do a tracheotomy."

"Oh…" John answered.

"Yes OH, Colonel." The Doctor was getting mad again. "I swear, if you ever do that again, I will strangle you with my own hands. Don't you ever stop to think, before you do something that stupid?"

"…sorry.." Sheppard didn't remember anything about that and he agreed that it was a stupid thing to do, but he also didn't know what mental state he'd been in. Probably did it in his sleep, for all he knew.

Beckett's face softened. "Alright, lad. If you promise me not to do such a foolish thing ever again, I'll leave the restraints off for now." He offered and John was glad to accept.

"Promise…" he whispered. He was starting to realize that this was much better than the tube in his throat. He hardly felt it at all, just a little pressure and he could even talk, if only whisper. That was definetly a plus.

" I have some good news, Colonel." Beckett interrupted his thoughts "Your temperature has fallen a wee bit and things are finally startin' to look up." He stated with a smile.

John would have returned his smile, but felt his strength quickly failing and his eyelids getting heavy. If he was really finally on the way to recovery, it would be a long, long way. He was sure of that. However, after weeks of set backs, he was more than ready to take that road.

Soo, how'd you like it, guys?

The thing Shep remembered about Afghanistan was made up, no spoilers of any sort...

If you think I'm dragging on too long, just tell me! I'm trying to decide if I should end this one soon, or keep going for a little bit…