Disclaimer : I do not own Stargate Atlantis etc & I am not making any profits from this story. I do own Dr. Orla Grant, Captain Munroe, Dr. Davies and Lieutenant Wilkinson.
Rating T : For violence.
No Spoilers : Set around Season 5, Dr. Carson Beckett is CMO, Lieutenant Cadman is stationed on Atlantis and Teyla hasn't had her baby, (I keep waiting for the plot bunny to
demand John make a move).
Pairings : Ronon Dex/Dr. Orla Grant
A massive thank you to bailey1ak you are an angel
Summary : An Ancient device has traumatic results for the inhabitants of Atlantis.
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The team was ordered out of the I.C.U. and out of the way. It had taken the whole team to move Ronon away from Orla once he knew what was happening and they'd only managed that because he was in shock.
The doors to the I.C.U. flew open and they pulled the bed of Dr. Orla Grant out and into O.R. 1 with Carson shouting instructions and demands.
Sheppard grabbed at the doctor, "Carson what's going on, please," he begged.
Beckett faced them "Orla's vitals have been deteriorating most of the day since her surgery, her blood pressure has been slowly dropping and her heart rate elevated. She wasn't responding to stimuli as well as she should which is why I was doing her vitals. When I noticed she was clammy it all fitted, she was bleeding internally. The blood loss caused the arrest, we have her back and she's being prepped for surgery as we speak, that's all I know for now," Beckett spun towards the operating rooms.
They all dropped into the seats flabbergasted, Ronon started to rock in his chair. He was bent over, head in hands, mumbling something they couldn't recognize. Rodney and Sheppard turned to Teyla for a translation to find her spread out on the ex-Runners back holding him, trying to soothe him, almost cooing at him like he was a distraught child. It would be the longest hour and half the Satedan would know.
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Dr. Carson Beckett re-entered the waiting room and hour and half later and approached the team, "Everything went well, she had some re-bleeding blood vessels which were re-sutured. I'm sorry Ronon, but it happens sometimes with gunshot victims. She's in recovery and will be back in the I.C.U. probably the wee hours of tomorrow. Can I suggest you get some rest?" Carson wearily asked.
Ronon looked as stunned as he felt. She was okay he said, he'd said that last time.
"Chewie, come on you need to get out of here for a bit, freshen up, anything, and that's an order if you need it to be," Sheppard quietly and gently took his friend's arm and pulled him upright. "I've got a few beers, that always helps," he carried on.
Ronon stopped suddenly, "I don't want beer, or to leave, I want to stay," he sounded almost childlike in his bewildered state.
"I know buddy, but you need a change of scenery, trust me," Sheppard looked to his other team mates for support. They joined Sheppard and together they took Ronon back to his quarters for just half an hour. Sheppard hadn't just done it for Ronon but for Beckett also, he needed to breathe; the incident had spooked the doctor too.
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Two days later in the I.C.U. Beckett stood at Orla's bedside, looked at Ronon and smiled telling him that he was going to give Orla something to make her come to. It may be traumatic, her last visions were violent. Carson pushed the medication through knowing it was a waiting game.
Orla started to feel like she was no longer underwater; more than a few scrambled thoughts started to come to her, she was confused. The last time she'd been awake, the Wraith, Orla tried to move but her body was sluggish, her head and shoulder still hurt badly but there was something else, she felt drugged. She struggled to open her eyes but could hear voices, they were broken, what were they saying? She heard a bass voice; I know that one she thought, Ronon. He'll stop the Wraith. Her eyelids started to peel open; everything was too bright… too fuzzy. The world was moving too quick. She tried moving her hand but it was encased in something heavy.
Beckett explained to Ronon what was happening, how she was wakening from a deep sedation, her body would feel heavy and there was the surgery she'd undergone. He should expect her to be drowsy and to fall back asleep again. It was common he'd continued, for patients to be confused when first waking, so be patient lad, let her wake in her own time.
Slowly Orla's focus came back; she instantly recognized Ronon and Carson,
"Ro.. non," was all she could manage but whatever had hold of her hand squeezed harder.
"Welcome back lass," Carson was at her side checking her vitals, "Want some ice chips?" he handed Ronon the cup smiling, "Let her have some, not much mind or she'll be sick," Beckett left the room relieved that his patient and friend seemed over the worst.
Ronon took the cup from Beckett and sat on the side of Orla's bed, his hand moving to stroke her cheek. "Hey you, about time you woke up," he said his voice unsteady. "Here, doc said you'd want some," Ronon reached out and carefully placed an ice chip in Orla's mouth, telling her to let it melt. He reached for another then noticed she was asleep, she'd woken though, and that was a start. He'd take her home, to their quarters. He finally started to believe she'd live.
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A week later they released Orla to a ward, Cadman and Lorne both having been discharged by now.
Dr. Beckett approached the bed currently occupied by Orla and guarded by Ronon with a smile, "Good news, from your results I can safety say that the infection you've been battling is almost gone and your wound is healing well, if you continue to improve like this then I'll consider letting you go and recuperate in your quarters in a week, don't be fooled there will probably be about two months physical therapy involved afterwards," Carson looked from the scientists happy face to Ronon's. The big man's eyes had looked haunted since Orla had been shot, he'd stood vigil by the bedside of the woman he loved ever since. Carson was sure he'd seen just a flicker of relief and hope spark in those eyes.
McKay had explained to all of them that because Orla had been sedated for over 24 hours and away from the device, its effects had worn off. She was left with the nightmares, she'd woken a few times screaming about Wraith. Each time Ronon was there to soothe and quieten her down, holding her until she'd fallen back asleep.
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As the week slowly moved on Orla was lying in her hospital bed with her arm in a sling. She knew she was getting grouchy or healing as Carson put it. She so wanted a shower but she could do little for herself and was only starting to care that a sponge does not clean that much. So when Ronon re-appeared she had an idea. "Hey, morning," she greeted the ex-Runner.
"Hey," Ronon placed a tray of food in front of Orla and bent down to kiss her hello.
"I got us some breakfast, you were asleep when I went to get this, you were snoring, loudly to. You woke that Marine over there, scared him," Ronon teased mercilessly with a completely stoic face for good measure. When he turned back to face Orla he couldn't maintain his composure and broke into a huge toothy grin and earning a playful swat from Orla who was pretending to look offended.
Orla had barely touched the toast Ronon brought her for breakfast, her appetite gone. She smiled watching Ronon eat. Carson had told her Ronon had only left her side to freshen up and had even eaten his meals next to her. She'd actually laughed causing herself great pain, when he went on to tell her about the new nurses on rotation from the Daedalus. Having only been there a short time they were unaware of Ronon's attitude to being told 'no'. The nurse had tried to get him to leave her side and when it had gotten heated Ronon simply told her if she could throw him out he's stay out. The fact the nurse was only 5'2" hadn't even registered with him.
"I have a mission for you, wanna help a damsel in distress?" she grinned at her lover.
"Always, what's up?" Ronon smirked.
"What's up? I need a shower, my hairs yucky and I feel disgusting. Carson won't let me up and try to have a shower because I can't stand for long just yet, so, I can either get a guy who'd be strong enough to hold me up for 10 minutes or you can offer" Orla was fully aware of just how protective Ronon was and that he wasn't about to let anyone help her but him.
Ronon growled possessively letting Orla know exactly how he felt about anyone but him seeing her in the shower.
"By the way, can you say it's your idea if Carson finds out? He's mean," Orla told him as she was being scooped out of bed by the giant Satedan, she heard him chuckle.
Alarms went off suddenly as monitors became free of their charge causing nurses and the doctor on duty to come running toward Orla's bed. Dr. Jennifer Keller stood at Orla's bed wide eyed and indignant.
"What's going on, Mr. Dex, why is Orla in your arms and not in bed!" Keller snapped.
"She wanted to get clean but can't so I said I'd help her, save the nurses a job," he looked at the young doctor daring her to argue.
"You're not supposed to grab the patients and drag them out of their beds, Orla is not yet recovered," Jennifer glowered back.
"You don't trust me with Orla?" he sounded amazed, his face scowling.
"Of course I do Mr. Dex, that's not the point. Look she can have a shallow bath that's it, I don't want the wound getting wet," Keller relented.
Ronon didn't respond he turned and carried Orla to the bathroom. He was almost at the bathroom door when he heard Dr. Keller call out.
"Anymore stunts like that Mr. Dex, and I will get Colonel Sheppard in here," she shook her head as she and the nurses left Orla's bed.
Ronon raised his eyebrow not overly concerned about anything but the woman in his arms. As he put her down on the chair in the bathroom he started to fill the bath tub turning to Orla he started grinning saying, "Give Keller a few months and she'll be as bad as Carson."
TBC... Please review