Thank you for the alerts and reviews. They really do mean so much. And Rink, thanks for the beta. I tinkered after she worked her magic, so all mistakes are mine!

Chapter 25

Elizabeth skidded to a stop outside the jumper bay. She'd run all the way up from the control room as soon as Teyla's IDC had been received. She stepped aside as the medical team Dr. Cole had requested pushed two gurneys loaded down with equipment into the bay. Her heart flipped in her chest. She knew Teyla, Ronon and Lorne were on the jumper now ascending into the bay. She had yet to hear any word about the fates of John and Rodney. For a moment, she sagged against the door frame as the back hatch of the jumper slowly lowered. If they were dead…if John was dead…Teyla would have said something over the radio. She repeated the reassurance to herself over and over.

Clenching her hands into fists, Elizabeth closed her eyes, steadied herself, and then pushed herself off the wall. She moved quickly towards the jumper. The med teams were loading Lorne onto a gurney. Dr. Cole had obviously already begun treatment in the jumper. Multiple IV lines had been established and a portable heart monitor hung from the side of the gurney. Dr. Cole worked urgently over the unconscious man.

"Is he going to be all right?" Elizabeth paused by the side of the gurney, briefly touching the injured major's arm. Lorne's face was ashen gray. An oxygen mask covered his mouth and nose, a bandage was wrapped around his head, another one had been applied to wounds on his chest.

"I don't know," Dr. Cole said tersely. "He has a head injury that's complicating the effects of a poison he received from these claw marks."

"Poison?" Elizabeth paled, remembering the terrible death of Lt. Haversham.

"He's been given the antidote. So has Ronon, for that matter. Both of them are very weak and in need of medical care." Dr. Cole took a moment to glower balefully towards the jumper.

Another med team was attempting to muscle Ronon onto the second gurney, and failing miserably. The Satedan stood just inside the back hatch, hanging into the supply webbing as if for dear life. Teyla stood next to him, her hand firmly on his elbow. Clearly the former runner was close to collapse.

"Take me back," Ronon growled. He stabbed a glare at Teyla. "We should be with the teams looking for Sheppard!"

"I got this," Elizabeth nodded at Dr. Cole. "Get Lorne to the infirmary. I'll make sure Ronon is right behind."

"Good luck," Dr. Cole shook her head. She motioned for her team to start moving Lorne out of the bay and to the infirmary.

Elizabeth took a deep breath, and then joined Teyla at Ronon's side. "Ronon, Teyla, it's good to see you."

"And you Elizabeth," Teyla smiled tiredly.

Ronon swayed. His fingers tightened around the webbing and beads of sweat glistened on his forehead. He bit his lip, and it seemed to Elizabeth that it took every ounce of Ronon's concentration just to remain conscious. Teyla tightened her grip on the big man's arm.

"Ronon, you are in no shape to help John right now," Teyla said firmly.

"He'd do it for us," Ronon snapped back.

"Exactly what can you do for him, Ronon?" Elizabeth stepped in. Coolly she stared him down. "You can't stand on your own two feet. Do you want to put John in more danger? Force him to ignore his own needs in order to protect you instead? Do you want to cost him his life this time?"

Ronon's eyes went dark with rage. Elizabeth forced herself not to flinch away. Futilely the Satedan howled, ripping his arm from Teyla and punching the side of the jumper with his fist. It happened so quickly, Teyla and the medic almost didn't react in time to prevent Ronon, his energy reserves completed depleted, from crashing to the floor. As gently as possible, they manhandled him onto the gurney.

Biting her lip in guilt, Elizabeth rushed to the injured man's side, gently squeezing his shoulder. "Is he going to be okay?" she asked the medic anxiously.

Before the medic could respond, a young female voice answered the question instead. "It takes time for the antidote to completely eradicate the poison. Any activity can allow the poison to once again take hold. Ronon needs complete bed rest. If he'd gone to try and help Colonel Sheppard, he would have surely died."

"Ma'am, we have to move," the medic interrupted apologetically.

Elizabeth nodded absently at the medic, giving Ronon's shoulder one final squeeze before he was rushed to the infirmary. She turned towards her unexpected visitors, arching an eyebrow at the pale young woman standing hesitantly in the hatch of the jumper. The girl's arms were protectively slung across the shoulders of two younger children. A little boy stared in wide eyed wonder at the jumper bay, his mouth agape. The other child, a girl, nervously clutched the older girl's hand.

Elizabeth glanced questioningly at Teyla. "Who do we have here?"

"Dr. Weir," Teyla smiled warmly, pointing to each child in turn. "Allow me to introduce you to Jahmela, Danika, and Wyck. It's a long story, but Jahmela saved Lorne and Ronon's lives. Their brother Jadaan went with John and Rodney to help rescue Radek and the other scientists. In return, John has promised their family sanctuary."

Elizabeth nodded, smiling at the children. "It does sound like we owe you a debt of gratitude." She glanced over at Teyla. "Can you take our visitors with you for your post mission check and then perhaps you can fill me in on the whole story."

"Of course, Dr. Weir," Teyla motioned for the children to follow her.

Elizabeth watched as Teyla led the children out of the jumper bay and then headed back to her office with a sigh. It was going to be another long day of waiting. But John was alive. John and Rodney were both alive. It was enough hope for her to hang on to.

Rodney sat on the dirt, not far from the center of the explosion, his head in his hands. He couldn't bear to watch them bring the body of his best friend out of the rubble. He'd done his best to hold on to hope, but the LSD's didn't lie. He supposed the transmitter could have been damaged, but the explosion had been devastating, bringing down half the castle. If John was alive, his transmitter would be active.

In the hours since the explosion, the situation at the castle had drastically changed. Duncan's army had moved in and assumed control. Between the chaos caused by the explosion and the absence of their leader, Romal's people hadn't put up much of a fight. They'd surrendered within an hour of Duncan's attack.

Rodney and Radak had watched from their hiding place in the trees, as close to the spot where they judged John's body must be as they could safely get. The decision had been unspoken between them. They would wait with their fallen friend until the Daedelus finally arrived; they would figure out how to retrieve John's body, and they would all leave this horrible planet.

But plans had changed when a jumper had swooped in, landing in full view. Carson, Joanne and a team of Marines had spilled out. As one of the Marines delivered a message to Duncan's general, Rodney and Radek broke from the tree line, aiming straight for the jumper and their friend.

Now, hours later, after Carson had satisfied himself that Rodney was no worse for wear and Radek would eventually heal from the wounds inflicted by Romal, all there was to do was wait. Rodney was envious that Carson and Joanne were able to busy themselves by tending to the wounded. For the first time, there was nothing for Rodney to do. A part of him wanted to flee, to run back to Atlantis before they uncovered John's body. But he couldn't leave. It wasn't just that they were down to one jumper, the second jumper having already returned to Atlantis with Lola, Jadaan and Samyrah after the convoy had picked up Lola's transmitter signal. Rodney kicked despondently at the dirt. No, when it came down to it, he couldn't leave for the simple fact that John was his best friend and he owed it to him to stay. He felt Radek sit down beside him.

"He may still be alive, Rodney," Radek said. "We cannot give up hope."

Rodney bit his lip. Unmanly tears were threatening to escape and it was taking all his concentration to keep them at bay. He shook his head. It had been hours already. No, this time John wasn't coming back. He heard Radek sigh, and the two friends sat there, waiting side by side, as the sun began its slow descent on the horizon.

For John, time reduced to setting one foot in front of the other. With each step the air seemed to get thinner, his vision a little darker, and the pain both sharper and more distant at the same time. Sheer willpower kept him stumbling forward until he finally found a door. He palmed the door control and stepped outside, blinking confusedly up at the bright sun.

He protectively gripped his chest with one arm, as if that would stop the broken bones from creaking and grinding. With the other, he shielded his eyes. Distantly he heard shouts and he realized the exit to the Ancient control room had deposited him just north of the castle. Wearily he blinked towards the sounds of the shouting, knowing instinctively if he wanted to continue to survive, he needed to hide from Romal's people. As his eyes sought out a place of refuge, it took him several moments to decipher what his eyes were seeing: a puddle jumper. He blinked again, wondering if he was seeing things, so desperate for his own people that his mind was conjuring up mirages.

Then he saw Carson exit the back of the jumper, Joanne at his side. Hope nearly split him open. They were real. They had to be real. He forced himself forward, first one foot, then the other. He couldn't suck in enough air to shout. His radio had broken in the initial fall into the Ancient control room. His only choice was to keep moving. The pain in his chest spiked and he could feel his breaths rattling wetly. He licked his lips and tasted blood.

The world began to spin and still he kept plodding onward. He could feel himself stumbling, his legs were shaking and still he pushed on until he was so close he could have tossed a rock at the jumper and hit it. Carson's back was to him. His legs gave out and he sank to his knees.

"Carson," he groaned, his vision graying out, he listed helplessly towards the ground.

He heard a yelp of surprise and then hands were on him, supporting his head and back, guiding him gently down. Then they were rolling him, sliding something hard and uncomfortable under his back.

John stared up at the sky. In what felt like seconds, his caregivers had divested him of his vest and shirt. Soothing voices asked him questions. Fingers poked and prodded his bare skin. He gasped as they hit a particularly tender spot on his ribcage and the sky darkened. It lightened somewhat when sweet oxygen swirled around his nose and mouth and he felt the hard edges of plastic against his face. There were sharp sticks in his hand and the crook of his elbow. Something wrapped uncomfortably tight around his bicep.

"Oh my god."

John turned his head towards the sound of Rodney's voice, which was about three octaves higher than normal.

"You're alive," Rodney stared down at him in shock.

John licked his lips, coughing slightly. Pain ratcheted across his chest. He focused on Rodney's face, struggling to speak.

"Easy, Colonel," Carson's worried voice cut in.

"I've got decreased breath sounds on the right, Doctor."

John stared at Rodney as Carson and Joanne fretted above him. He blinked tiredly. It really was getting harder to breathe.

He frowned, forced his lips to form words. "Saved…my own…ass."

"You blew yourself up you stupid idiot!" Rodney shrilled, sinking to his haunches. "Just shut up and keep breathing!"

He thought he heard a high pitched whine. Rodney yelling. Carson swearing. Then pain fled and all he knew was oblivion.

"Dammit!" Carson swore. "He's crashing! Let's get him in the jumper!"

Two Marines dashed forward, lifting the ends of the stretcher. As gently as they could, they moved their commander the few feet into the jumper.

"Easy," Carson warned, directing the Marines to place the colonel on the floor. Grabbing several bags of supplies, Carson knelt next to his patient. In the background, he heard Rodney yelling into his radio for the pilot and the rest of the Atlantians to fall back to the jumper.

Carson and Joanne moved as if they were of one mind. While she readied the colonel for a chest tube, gathering the needed supplies from one of the bags, he pulled out the ET tube kit. As John's heart faltered, Carson pulled off the oxygen mask, tipped his patient's head back and used the laryngoscope to part John's lips and guide the tube down into his windpipe. Snapping the ambu bag to the tube, he immediately began squeezing the much needed oxygen into the colonel's lungs.

Joanne looked up and nodded as she moved her stethoscope across John's chest. "We've got good placement on the ET tube."

"All right, let's get that chest tube in." Carson looked up, motioning Rodney over. "I need you to squeeze this bag every few seconds, do you understand?"

"What?" Rodney warbled, clutching his LSD to his chest in a panic.

"Now, Rodney," Carson snapped, letting go of the bag as Rodney took it, the scientist's fingers trembling.

Joanne slid gloves onto Carson's hands and then handed him a scalpel. She'd already doused John's right side with betadine and moved his right arm out of the way, arcing it over his head.

Carson took a deep breath. He placed two fingers directly over the seventh intercostal space and made a one inch incision through the skin and subcutaneous tissues. Joanne handed him a hemostat and he inserted it into the incision, working his way down to the rib. He continued to press down, using the hemostat to spread the tissues.

Dimly he heard Rodney make a sucking noise. "I'm gonna be sick," the scientist mumbled.

Too focused on saving John's life to respond, Carson continued to press in the hemostat until he reached the rib. Moving the hemostat over the rib, he continued his slow march to the pleural lining of John's lung.

He frowned in concentration until he felt the hemostat pop into the chest cavity. Continuing to apply pressure, he spread and enlarged the opening to make room for the tube. Joanne handed him the chest tube and he carefully guided it into the chest cavity, pushing it upwards towards John's shoulder. Satisfied he had good placement, he attached the chest tube to a one way valve that would expel the blood and air trapped in John's chest cavity into a Foley bag, allowing him to breathe.

"He's coming back," Joanne called out, her voice full of relief. "Pressure's up, heart rate's stabilizing. SAT's at 92."

Carson packed a dressing around the chest tube to keep it in place until he got John to the infirmary and could stitch it properly. Gently he patted his patient on the shoulder. "Good job, colonel," he murmured. "Hang in there, lad. We're almost home."

Carson settled himself on the floor of the jumper. They had the colonel stabilized, but there wasn't much more they could do until they got him back to Atlantis and under the scanner. He glanced at Joanne and couldn't help but smile. She sat cross legged on the colonel's other side, monitoring his vitals. Her red hair fell across her face and it struck Carson how glad he was that she was with him.

"Radek," Joanne motioned the scientist over. "I think Rodney's tiring. Can you take over for a while?"

"Of course," Radek nodded vigorously, carefully taking Rodney's place at John's head.

Rodney scrambled out of the way, sinking onto one of the benches.

"Give the bag a firm squeeze every couple seconds," Joanne explained to Radek.

Carson glanced up at Rodney. His face was paler than the colonel's. "Put your head between your legs, Rodney," Carson sympathetically directed the scientist. "It'll help with the lightheadedness."

Rodney did as he was told without argument, a testament to just how freaked out the man was.

"You did good, Rodney," Carson said softly.

"I told him he was going to need me to save his ass," Rodney said, his voice testy with nerves. "I want it on record that I was right." The scientist glanced up, his gaze falling on the tube poking out of his friend's chest. His face paled again.

"Head down, Rodney," Carson advised, hiding a slight smile. "What are his vitals, Joanne?"

"BP's holding," Joanne reported, her fingers on the underside of John's wrist. "Pulse is fast but getting stronger."

"We're at the gate," the pilot called. "Sending IDC now."

"Tell them we need a med team in the jumper bay," Carson ordered.

Carson gripped John's hand in his. He leaned down and spoke into the colonel's ear. "You're doing great, son. Don't give up. Keep fighting."

He caught Joanne's eye and saw that she was holding the colonel's other hand. And then the world disappeared into a lake of shimmery blue.

TBC