Promises to Keep---14
John shifted on the bed and stared down at his body as something moved beneath the thin cooling blanket covering him. He shivered, but it wasn't from the cold as a strange sensation raced through him. His hand went to the blanket and he lifted it, looking under it, fearful of what he might see. He swallowed several times, but there seemed to be no moisture to be found as the strange feeling continued and he caught sight of the creature from his nightmares. He lifted his head, searching for anyone who could help him, frowning when it seemed like the room was impossibly large and out of focus.
'No, it can't be…Carson…Carson…help me!' he thought he screamed the word, but he couldn't be sure as a figure dressed in dark clothing strode toward him and lifted the blanket. John stared at the creature that had settled on his chest, but harsh laughter from the figure beside his bed tore his attention away from the razor sharp teeth.
'Now that you're awake, Colonel, we can get on with it…'
'Kolya…'
'Of course…don't tell me you were expecting someone else? Perhaps Ford…but he's dead now isn't he? Michael maybe?'
"No…Carson!'
'I'm sorry, Colonel, but that was a dream…you're still on my world and I still need the information…now tell me the codes or my little friend there is going to chow down…oh I do like you world's penchant for sayings such as that. Chow down is rather amusing don't you think, Colonel?'
'No…don't…'
"The codes…'
'Go to hell!'
'Didn't you know, Colonel…you're already there,' Kolya said, a hint of a smile on his face as he made a small incision in John's chest.
Sheppard could only stare as the Traxian went into a feeding frenzy. Its body shaking as it caught scent of the blood that seeped from the small wound. He couldn't speak, couldn't breathe, and couldn't scream as the creature bit into his flesh, igniting a fiery path along his nerve endings until it exploded in his skull. He could hear Kolya's insidious laughter, but above the sound came the clicking of mandibles and the tearing of flesh, his flesh. His mouth opened in a silent scream, one that never reached his ears.
"NO!"
"Colonel, it's okay….you're okay…"
"No! Kolya, you bastard! Get that thing off me!" Sheppard screamed and tore at the bandages covering his chest. Something grabbed at his hands, but he couldn't stop, not when the creature was feeding off him and Kolya's laughter tormented him.
"Colonel, you're okay…open your eyes…"
"John, it's not real. Whatever you're seeing is not there…you're safe, John…you're on Atlantis and you're safe…"
Sheppard heard a new voice, one that seemed to cut through the images flooding his mind and he finally drew in a deep breath when his eyes opened and he focused on the woman standing beside his bed. "Not real," Sheppard asked, shocked when he looked at his chest and saw the bandages he'd been trying to tear off.
"John, are you okay?"
"I think so…it just seemed so damn real, Elizabeth," Sheppard told her, and leaned his head back against the pillows, unconsciously rubbing at his chest.
"I know, but it's over. Kolya won't get anywhere near you," Weir vowed.
"Thanks…how's Rodney?"
"He's okay…arguing with Carson about the merits of modern medicine when compared to the old voodoo legends of the eighteenth century," Weir said with a grin.
"Sounds like Rodney," Sheppard told her, closing his eyes, and smiling when he felt her hand on his. "Your hand is warm…"
"Oh, sorry…"
"Don't be…feels nice," Sheppard said and opened his eyes when someone new entered the room.
"Hello, Colonel, how do you feel?" Beckett asked, reaching for Sheppard's chart, while watching the man's face closely.
"Tired," Sheppard answered.
"Well, that's to be expected after everything you've been through," Beckett assure him. "Your temperature's come down a bit, but it's still higher than I'd like so I'm afraid the cooling blanket stays put. I do have some good news. The Athosian blood samples we took should help us come up with an antidote against the pathogen left by the Traxians."
"How long will it take?" Weir asked.
"I'm not sure, Elizabeth, but we're working on it. Hopefully we'll have something in the next 48 hours," Becket answered. "Now in the meantime I want you to let me know if you're in any pain…"
"I'm not feeling much of anything with the stuff you're pumping into me," Sheppard griped.
"That's good. I'll be back to check on you later, but in the meantime you let the nurses know if you need anything," Beckett told him, making several notations on the chart before leaving the isolation room.
"I should let you rest…"
"No, you should stay," Sheppard told her, feeling selfish at wanting the woman to stay at his side while he slept. "I'm sorry…I know you have better things to do than sit here and watch me sleep."
"I can't think of any," Elizabeth said with a smile. She watched his eyes close and knew she had to get back to work, but there was something almost vulnerable in the way he tilted his head to one side while he slept.
SGASGASGASGASGA
McKay could not believe Becket had finally released him, although there were certain conditions he had to adhere to or he'd find himself back in the infirmary with a blunt needle in his ass. Rodney knew Carson well enough to know that it wasn't and idle threat. He reached for his shirt, wincing as the movement tugged at his healing ribs, and sat for several minutes until he could move again. It took longer than normal to get into his shirt, but he managed it without calling for help and slid off the edge of the bed. Standing was not something he'd been looking forward to, but he managed to stay on his feet until the world stopped spinning.
Taking a deep breath, Rodney pulled back the curtain and stepped out into the empty room, feeling slightly let down that no one was there to see his victory, small though it was. He walked to the door, and smiled when he spotted two figures standing there. Ronan and Teyla had been deep in conversation, but broke it off as he stepped through. "All right…what did I miss?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about, Rodney," Teyla said.
"Oh come on…you've got that look."
"What look?" Ronan asked.
"On Earth we'd call it 'the cat that swallowed the canary' look and you two are both wearing it. So what have I missed?"
"Sorry, Rodney, we were just taking bets on how long it would take you to find your way to one of the labs," Teyla told him.
"You were…oh, makes sense," McKay said. "Put me down for ten dollars in ten minutes…"
"Dollars?" Ronan asked.
"Money…"
"Rodney, we don't use money…we trade for the things we need," Teyla reminded him.
"Yes, well it comes in handy where I come from," the Canadian told them and made his way toward the isolation room. He stood looking in at his friend, wishing there was some way to undo the damage done by Kolya, Michael, and Ford. God, if it hadn't been for Ford, John Sheppard would probably have died before they reached him. Rodney knew he should feel something for the man, but there was still too much anger involved for him to forgive the dead man his part in Sheppard's injuries.
"Rodney, are you okay?" Teyla asked, leaning heavily on her crutches.
"I think so…I was just thinking about Ford…why did…how could he…"
"That's something we'll never know, Rodney," the Athosian told him. "Aiden was a victim of the wraith and could not control what happened to him, but he did find the strength he needed to help John and for that we should be grateful."
"I am, but I'm also angry that he was involved with Kolya and Michael," McKay said.
"I believe we all are," Teyla assured him.
"Has Rodney found out anything about the pathogen?"
"Not much, but he's got everyone working on it," Teyla answered.
"He looks terrible."
"I've seen my people after they've been attacked by Traxians…it's not pretty, but most of the time they survive," Ronan tried, but his words brought little relief to the scientist.
Rodney heard the words and leaned his head against the glass surface separating them from John Sheppard and thought about the promises they'd made and kept since coming to Atlantis. He wouldn't openly admit it, but Sheppard had become more than a passing acquaintance. He was more like a brother, a sometimes annoying brother who was smarter than average and he could easily keep up with Rodney on an intellectual level.
"Rodney, why don't we go get something to eat?" Teyla asked.
"I'm not hungry…"
"Rodney, go…eat and maybe when you come back I'll let you visit with Colonel Sheppard for a while," Beckett ordered, smiling when McKay and the others seemed taken aback by his presence. "Sorry, I didn't mean to sneak up on you."
"You're worse than those wraith ghosts," McKay grumbled.
"I've been practicing…"
"You should spend more time on your bedside manners."
"I have been, but since you're not a patient anymore I'll save them for my patients."
"I feel sorry for Sheppard," the Canadian told him. "Carson, how long before you're able to find an antidote?"
"I don't know, Rodney. I'm doing everything I can and God knows everyone's working overtime, but it's slow going and until I'm sure of the findings I can't use anything we find on Colonel Sheppard. The samples we took from Teyla's people have given us some answers, but we still have a ways to go."
"I could help…"
"Yes, you could…by going with Teyla and Ronan and eating something. Then I'd suggest you go outside for some air or go to your quarters and get some rest," Beckett ordered. "Ronan, throw him over your shoulder if you have to, but be careful of his ribs."
"You heard him, Rodney, let's go," Teyla said, smiling at the put upon expression McKay now wore.
SGASGASGASGASGA
The next two days found John Sheppard growing weaker and barely able to talk when he had visitors. There was no mistaking the pain he was in and the fact that Carson Beckett was worried. He'd had teams working round the clock searching for an antidote to the pathogen that was wreaking havoc with the colonel's respiratory, circulatory, and nervous systems.
Rodney McKay ignored his own injuries and spent most of his time in Sheppard's isolation room. He had his laptop and helped correlate some of the information they'd already gathered with anything new the lab techs discovered. There was no mistaking the fear losing Sheppard caused him, but he ignored his own needs in an effort to help wherever he could. The only time he left was when Beckett threatened to knock him out for a week, or to give Elizabeth Weir a chance to spend some time with John Sheppard. Even Rodney could see there was a growing 'bond' between them and he hoped they'd have a future together.
What frightened McKay most was Beckett's declaration that if something didn't break soon he'd have to put Sheppard on a ventilator and drain the fluids building up in his lungs. 'God, Sheppard, someday Kolya and Michael will pay for what they've done to you,' he thought.
SGASGASGASGASGA
Carson Beckett knew they had to do something or they'd lose a valued member of the Atlantis expedition. It had been nearly a week since they rescued the colonel and discovered the extent of the damage to his body. John Sheppard was growing weaker as a result of the Traxian pathogen and he prayed what they'd discovered would either slow the advancing illness or stop it altogether.
Beckett stood outside the isolation room and looked at the syringe in his hand. There were more tests he'd like to run, but the truth was Sheppard didn't have the time needed to do everything. The Ancient's devices were able to verify his findings and give him a projected synopsis of what could happen and he hoped and prayed the findings were right.
"Carson, there's no other choice?" Weir asked.
"None that I can find, Elizabeth. His temperature is on the rise again and even the cooling blanket is not helping. I'll need to debride the wounds again and hopefully this serum will neutralize the remaining pathogen. I'm going to give him the choice, but we both know John's answer…"
"He'll want you to give that to him and take his chances," Weir told him, as McKay and the remaining members of Sheppard's team joined them. She could read the worry on Beckett's face and knew the man had debated over this decision long and hard.
"That's what I figured," Beckett said, and glanced at McKay before donning the special scrubs and entering the unit. He stepped up to the bed, touched Sheppard's shoulder, and waited for him to focus on him.
"Carson…sorry, didn't mean to fall asleep," Sheppard told him.
"Sleep is good for you right now, Lad," Beckett said and dropped the side rail so he could sit on the edge of the bed. One look told him there really wasn't any choice now. Sheppard's condition was worsening and he needed to do something before it deteriorated even further.
"Something wrong, Car…son…"
"Aye, Lad, there is. I know you're not feeling very well right now, but I have something here that should help. The problem is it hasn't gone through as many tests as I'd like, but if we wait much longer I'm afraid it'll be…"
"Too late…for me," Sheppard said. He shifted on the bed, finding it hard to do even the smallest task without becoming short of breath.
"Colonel…John, I wish we had more time, but the pathogen is starting to affect your major organs and I'm hoping this serum will neutralize it. Your lungs are filling with fluid and your kidney function is dropping to dangerous levels. That's why you're having trouble catching your breath," Beckett explained.
"Do it," Sheppard told him.
"It's important that you know all the risks…"
"Carson…I'm dying…don't de…ny it…I can tell…do it," the colonel told him and watched as Beckett reached for his hand while uncapping the syringe. He watched as the fluid was injected into his existing IV and waited to see if the serum would have any effect. He felt his heart beginning to beat faster and his eyes shot open as he gasped for air while his throat seemed to close over. Panic set in and his body was struck by a violent convulsions and his jaw locked tightly as he tried to speak. The last thing he heard before darkness descended over him was Carson Beckett's loudly proclaimed…'dear God, what have I done?'
TBC