Hey everyone! Here's the next chapter! So sorry it took so long!
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The next morning, when Rodney woke up in an infirmary bed, he was very confused. What happened to me this time? he thought. And why don't I remember it? Lifting his hands, he found an IV in the left one, and sighed.
Assessing himself, he found that he felt fine, if a little tired. Turning his head to the right, his heart nearly flew into his throat at what he saw.
Carson.
Sitting up, Rodney got off the bed and dragged the IV pole with him. "Biro!" he exclaimed.
The doctor came out of a nearby room. "What, Rodney?"
The scientist sat in the chair between Carson and John's beds. "What the heck is in this thing, and why?!" he demanded, gesturing to his IV.
"It's glucose," said Biro, walking closer. "I told you that you needed to eat, you stubborn idiot. After you fell asleep in your chair last night, we moved you to that bed and I checked your glucose level. It was too low."
Rodney couldn't believe that he'd slept through being manhandled and vampired. He grumbled at her, and turned to look at his friends.
John's eyes were open, and he gave a little wave.
Rodney's jaw dropped. "You're awake!"
In answer, John smiled, looking amused. "You should listen to her, you know."
Rodney ignored his comment, smiling with relief. "It took you long enough to wake up! I mean, I know you did a few times, but it was only for a minute or two and you usually didn't make much sense…"
John smiled and closed his eyes.
"...and I spoke too soon," said Rodney, thinking he'd fallen back to sleep.
But John reopened his eyes, coughing a little. "I feel better," he said. He looked over to the left. "How's Carson?" He saw the respirator and inwardly cringed.
Rodney sighed. "Not so good. Biro had to make up some fancy cocktail drug to fight his pneumonia." He looked at Biro. "Have you seen any effect yet?"
Biro shrugged. "It's too soon. He's stable though, at least." She walked forward and started checking John over. "Good to see you awake, Major."
John smiled and opened his mouth to answer, but to their amusement, he yawned at her instead.
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John managed to stay awake for most of the day. Elizabeth spent a lot of time in the infirmary, talking to him.
Everyone anxiously waited for an improvement in Carson, but his condition didn't change.
It wasn't until two days later that something unexpected happened.
Rodney was sitting between the two beds, as usual, when one of the machines near Carson's bed let out a loud squawk.
"Biro!" Rodney yelled, standing and moving closer to the bed.
The doctor came running, reaching out and touching a button on the respirator. She looked at Rodney, and smiled.
Rodney blinked, confused.
"He took his own breath," Biro told him. "He's trying to breathe on his own!"
Rodney looked at Carson again. "Is he awake?"
Biro studied the monitors and searched Carson's face. "He doesn't seem to be. I think I'll skip the next sedative and let him wake up, try to see how he handles it."
Rodney winced. Though he wanted to see his friend awake more than anything, he knew it wasn't fun to be coherent while on a ventilator. "When do you think that'll be?"
"A couple hours," Biro answered.
Rodney nodded, and turned around to find his chair again. He was surprised to see John sitting up on the side of his bed.
"You shouldn't be doing that," Rodney told him.
Biro turned around.
John waved. "Hi," he said.
"How do you feel?" Biro asked.
"A lot better," John told her. His hair was mussed up and he looked weak, but his eyes were fully open and he had color in his face. All the measles spots were gone from his skin.
"You look better," Biro said, walking closer and feeling his forehead. "No fever."
John grinned at that. He looked past her at Carson. "I heard that he's doing better too?"
Biro smiled. "He tried to breathe."
John smiled back. "I don't suppose you'd celebrate by letting me out of here?"
Biro blinked. "Let you leave the infirmary? Are you insane?"
"I feel fine."
"Oh, I see," said Biro, throwing her hands into the air. "You feel fine! Well, you weren't fine, Major, and you are not leaving."
John sighed and shuffled back to lie down again. "It was worth a try."
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Two hours later, Biro, Elizabeth, Rodney, and John, (sitting in Rodney's chair) anxiously surrounded Carson's bed, waiting for him to wake up.
The sick doctor seemed to be having a hard time of it; his hand would move, his eyes would flutter, but he never opened them.
"This is worse than watching grass grow!" Rodney exclaimed, impatiently.
John frowned and turned his head to look at him. "You've watched grass grow?!"
Rodney blinked, realizing that everyone was staring at him. "Once, when I was a kid! Didn't you?"
John said nothing, shaking his head and turning back to Carson.
Biro sighed and gently tapped his face. "Carson? Carson, wake up. We're all here, waiting to see you."
Carson moved his head slightly, but his eyes still didn't open.
Rodney sighed. "Well, we know he's awake, or he wouldn't be moving! Why won't he open his eyes?"
"He's probably very disoriented," said Biro. "He might not even realize that we're talking to him. Of course, the heavy drugs he's on are probably muddling his mind."
Rodney sighed. Suddenly, he was struck by a thought so terrible that it felt like a knife in his stomach. "You don't think…could the high fever that he had for so long cause brain damage?"
Everyone stopped breathing.
"It's…not unheard of," said Biro, quietly. "But the fever didn't cause any seizures, so…"
Rodney saw the ear thermometer on the side table, and grabbed it. Carson's fever had finally gone below 103 earlier, and he wanted to make sure it hadn't risen again.
The fact that Carson made no movement when the thermometer was stuck in his ear disappointed Rodney. He felt like Carson was never going to wake up.
The device beeped, and Rodney looked at the reading: 102.8, the same as it had been that morning.
"He's probably too tired to wake up," said John. "I couldn't keep my eyes open for how many days?"
"True," said Elizabeth, still watching Carson.
Biro reached over and tapped the sleeping doctor's cheek again. "Come on, Carson, open your eyes for just a few seconds! Please?"
Everyone sighed when Carson remained still.
Rodney couldn't help but notice that despite being semi-awake, Carson hadn't tried to breathe on his own again. Just when he was about to give up hoping, though, the ventilator squawked.
"Yes!" Biro exclaimed, reaching over to hit the 'silence' button. "Carson, if you can hear me, try to breathe again."
Everyone held their own breath, waiting for the squawk.
It didn't come.
"Carson?" said Biro, tapping his face a little harder. "Try to breathe again, Carson. Come on."
The doctor fluttered his eyes again and moved his head.
Rodney sighed, impatient. "Carson! Breathe, will you?!" he exclaimed.
A few seconds later, the machine squawked.
Not expecting his 'order' to be obeyed, Rodney gasped, despite himself.
Elizabeth smiled, patting Carson's arm.
John grinned at Rodney. "I guess your obnoxiousness can be a good thing once in a while."
Rodney made a face at him. "Har har." He looked at their sick friend again, just in time to see the blue eyes open slightly. "Carson!" he exclaimed.
Carson blinked half-opened eyes.
Biro picked up his left hand, mindful of the IVs. "Carson, do you know who we are? Squeeze my hand if you do."
The doctor kept blinking, looking at each of them as if trying to decide the answer to Biro's question.
Everyone was torn between watching Carson's face, or the limp hand that Biro was holding.
It took another few seconds, but Carson's fingers slowly curled around hers. It was the weakest of grips, but it was obviously a 'yes'.
Biro patted his hand, smiling. "Good, Carson, good. You're safe at home on Atlantis. Go to sleep."
Carson blinked again, trying to remain awake for some reason. His eyes closed and fluttered as if he'd tried again to reopen them, but then he stilled.
The ventilator suddenly squawked again.
Biro reached over to hit the silence button, still smiling. "I think he's gonna be fine."
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Carson slept through the rest of the day and night without a sedative. Biro purposely didn't administer one, wanting to see if Carson would wake up again and try to breathe.
Everyone was ecstatic; it was obvious that her drug cocktail was working.
Carson's fever didn't lower much more, settling at 102.6. Though that was upsetting, they all know that his body had been through the wringer, and that it would be a long recovery for their friend.
John didn't ask to be released from the infirmary anymore, to Biro's surprise. It had been ludicrous for him to try already anyway, since he was still weak and not recovered enough, but the reason was obvious; he wanted to stay with Carson.
Rodney stayed in his chair, as usual. It was nice to have John awake, helping to pass the time.
Near noon, the ventilator squawked again.
Rodney instantly stood and moved closer to their friend. "Carson?" he said.
But the doctor didn't move.
Rodney called him again, but still got no response, so he sat back down.
John watched him. "You know he's gonna be fine, right?"
Rodney gave a half-yes/half-no nod. "We've all dodged the bullet so many times; recovering from everything this galaxy has thrown at us…our luck has to run out some time! We've survived every injury and illness thanks to Carson, and only Carson. Well, he's not doctoring himself right now, is he?!"
John made a face and looked around. "Good thing Biro didn't hear that. You'll give her a complex."
Rodney rolled his eyes. Looking at Carson again, he sighed. "I just wish he'd wake up and stay awake, and they'd get rid of that horrid thing," he said, gesturing to the ventilator.
"He will," John said, firmly. "It'll just take a little more time, and Carson will be fine. You'll see."
TBC
