Chapter Twenty Eight – Gap Filler
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Jennifer Keller looked up from where she was sitting, at her desk, studying medical files as Carson Beckett came walking toward her.
"Carson, you have no idea how good it is to see you," she said warmly as she stood up from the chair and embraced him in a bear hug.
"Aye," he said in a soft Scottish brogue. "I'm so sorry, lass, I couldn't come sooner."
Jennifer sighed, hugging her predecessor was strangely comforting and she let herself relax for a moment.
Carson patted her on the back softly before he let go of her, his smile now replaced by a serious look. "I hear you've been accompanying Colonel Sheppard and his bunch of happy campers," he said.
She nodded as she reached up to rub her forehead, looking tired.
"They apply to Murphy's Law – whatever can go wrong will wrong," he said deadpan but with an amused twinkle in his eye.
"I think Colonel Sheppard would protest against that statement, Carson," she said with a slight chuckle.
"Aye, probably, and McKay too," he concurred. "I love them but, I swear, they've given me gray hairs."
Keller burst out in a contained laughter.
"Anyway, I came to make sure you were all right," he said softly.
She nodded. "I think I am," she let on. "Had you asked me the same question a couple of days ago I'm not so sure but, now, I think I am."
Carson nodded, a sly and cunning smile crossing his features. "So, any plans of joining the Colonel for another mission?" he asked.
"Absolutely not, at least not for a long time," Keller returned with a smirk.
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Richard Woolsey sighed as he walked out on the balcony in the early morning with a steaming cup of espresso in hand. He had come to enjoy the peace and quiet before the dayshift went on.
He let his eyes roam over the calm ocean far beneath his feet, well, as much as he could see of it considering the fairly thick fog. He breathed in the misty air and expelled a deep breath. The last few weeks had been trying and there had been a time when he'd been without his Commanding Military Officer and his team, and when the tension between himself and Colonel Sheppard's SIC had been running high. A time where Atlantis had been attacked from the inside when his Chief of Science hadn't been present. Also, a time when he'd come to realize what Doctor Weir, Colonel Sheppard and Colonel Carter had tried to tell him so many times before; that the rules of IOA couldn't always be applicable on Atlantis.
The city was a tight community where everyone had each other's backs, where everyone respected their leaders and knew their enemy. He admired that but he had to look into other concerns and interests too. Politics, no matter how much it rubbed Colonel Sheppard and the rest of them the wrong way, and the aspects of money in order for the SGC to continue running the Atlantis expedition. The task of keeping the allied worlds on earth happy in where they put their money, seemingly unaware of the threats the expedition members faced every day.
It placed him in a tight spot where he had to walk the middle way and if he wasn't careful he would find himself an outcast amongst the expedition members and the IOA. Having been assigned to command the civil part of the Ancient city the IOA expected to be more involved in day to day business, wished to implement their ways. However, the delegates from the allied nations wouldn't get any closer to the truth about the heroics in the Pegasus galaxy from that. They would continue to believe that running Atlantis was just another way of shifting money within SGC. However, should the expedition pack up and leave Atlantis the Wraith would come for earth without warning, without mercy. There just wasn't anything he could say or do to make them fully understand that.
Also he didn't know if he'd been assigned to the city in order to get another trusted IOA on his position back home since they had expressed the worry of him not reporting as much as he should.
Contemplating the aspects of everything that had occurred he tried to knit everything together, to find closure and be able to start a new beginning. He found himself at odds with an organization he'd worked for over ten years, an organization he'd never questioned before.
The more he saw of Pegasus the more he realized that the IOA lived in a bubble and when the time come they would awaken abruptly. He remembered Doctor Elizabeth Weir, as the top diplomat she'd been, accusing the IOA of double moral, accusing them of trying to destroy everything the SGC had worked for. They'd never been sure where they had the good doctor and that had unsettled them. But, never the less, they hadn't had the guts to act upon her resignation from her command of Atlantis. A resignation they claimed to have had the power to enforce.
Richard sighed heavily, letting the ocean calm him, hearing the small waves slapping at the piers as a slight wind had picked up. Images from Colonel Sheppard's team's mission still haunted him, yet he hadn't even been with them. He'd read Doctor McKay's and Teyla's reports and their descriptions of their own private misery had been enough to make him uneasy.
His musings came to an abrupt end as his earpiece crackled to life, causing him to jump. Woolsey grimaced as some of the espresso washed over the edge of the cup and on to his hand.
"Mr. Woolsey," Chuck's voice carried over the network. "I just wanted you to know that the Apollo is ready to leave."
"Thanks, Chuck," he replied. "I'll get over there to have a final word with Colonel Ellis."
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Colonel John Sheppard grimaced, unable not to, as his side started to ache. The healing of his muscles and tissue was coming along nicely but there would still be some time before he could walk, run and even think about travelling off world.
He usually threw caution to the wind and enjoyed, how strangely that may sound, to feel his body protesting while doing physiotherapy. Somehow it fuelled him, made him even more persistent in his efforts of coming back. Besides, he didn't have time to sit around and do nothing and he wasn't particularly interested in neither the paperwork at his desk or being Rodney's guinea pig while waiting for a clean bill of health.
So, here he was, almost at the pier where the Apollo had been docked two hours before. Private Thomas was eyeing him sternly and at the same time ready to support him should he feel the need. However, John felt he'd had enough support during the mission. He was sick and tired of depending on others help to get through his day. Ronon had supported him and Rodney and Keller. He figured Teyla would no doubt have done it too if she hadn't been injured.
Despite the fact that he was driving himself forward by will power only he was determined to get out in the open. The pier was within reach and he hadn't been outside for so long. He waved a hand at the door to walk out from the building and onto the deck. The wind took him by surprise as it tickled his skin and rustled his hair. He took a deep breath and let the fresh and moist air fill his lungs.
"I think that's enough, Colonel," Private Thomas suddenly spoke up, coming to stand next to him.
"Just a little bit…" he began to protest.
"This isn't a one way trip, sir," the physiotherapist told him sternly.
Her stance told him he was about to overstep the point of return. Sheppard reached up to wipe away the perspiration on his face, starting with his forehead, then his chin, cheeks and finally his upper lip. Feeling refreshed enough by that and the wind he dared to defy her a little and walked up to the railing. His fingers grabbed the cold steel as he carefully leaned against it, taking a much needed break from his walking exercise.
"Colonel, please," Claire said softly as she came to stand beside him.
Sheppard gazed out over the wide stretched ocean in front of them, looking like he was deep in thought.
Claire put a hand on his shoulder, carefully studying the pale Military Commander with concern before she too turned her gaze toward the vast ocean.
They stood in silence for a while.
"I'm not trying to be difficult," John began.
"I know, sir. But healing and recuperation has a prize," she said seriously. "Everyone have limits and you're just on your way past yours. If you push your body too hard there will be setbacks and we don't want that."
Sheppard opened his mouth to reply as a greeting from behind saved him.
"Hello, sir. Nice to see you up and about," Lorne said kindly as he walked up to stand next to his CO before nodding at Claire. "Private," he added with a slight smile.
"Major," she returned the acknowledgement. "You look stiff."
"You can add sore," Evan let on with a small grimace. "Look, maybe I can walk the Colonel back? I have some things I would like to discuss."
"You are in no condition to help him if he needs it," she admonished but her lips curled slightly upward. "Your ribs are healing."
"You know, he can hear you and he won't fall," John let on sarcastically, annoyed at being talked about as if he wasn't around.
Claire frowned, looking skeptical.
"If I do, I simply bring my SIC with me down," he added causally, cockily, while tilting his head slightly.
"Goes against better, professional, judgment, Colonel," she muttered.
"Lighten up, Private Thomas," he returned.
"Fall flat on your face, Colonel and I'll tell you I told you so," she returned with a shrug. "But if you get back safe and sound I'm the first to congratulate," she added with a smile.
John and Evan looked at each other as Claire shook her head and muttered something about stubborn flyboys under her breath before striding away.
"Well, sir, I have a feeling you're going to regret that," Lorne said softly with a raised eyebrow.
"Nonsense, Major. Where is your sense of adventure?" Sheppard returned with a gleam in his eye.
"I thought you'd had enough of that?" Lorne asked.
The Colonel frowned and ignored the last comment. "So, how are you holding up, Lorne?" he asked instead.
"Why? Are you going for a nose dive?" the SIC wondered aloud with a teasing undertone to it.
Sheppard appeared pissed for a moment, a poignant look on his face as he turned to his subordinate before starting to walk toward the building again.
"Seriously, sir," Evan said. "I'm doing fine. Cracked a couple of ribs and got a nice, quite impressive, bruise on my chest."
John nodded.
"I'm on light duty and I'm really looking forward to go through the paperwork," Evan added sarcastically.
"Then that makes two of us," Sheppard returned. "At least I'm almost finished with my mission report."
Evan nodded, his face a mixture of anger and concern. "I've been painting with the, doc,"
he said carefully. "She seemed pretty upset at the whole thing."
John pursed his lips into a thin line of displeasure. "She's not a trained for the type of mission this turned out to be. But I'm sure is happy she tagged along, don't know if we'd survived without her," he said honestly.
Lorne nodded seemingly unconvinced.
"Keller is stronger than you think, Evan, don't worry too much," Sheppard assured him, waving his hand in front of the door console.
"That's what friends are for," the Major said somberly. "Worrying."
Sheppard smiled, seemingly out of no reason. "You know," the Colonel began with a twinkle in his eye. "Before she, and who knows why, turned a loving eye at McKay, the betting pole was pretty convinced you two would hook up."
Lorne chuckled and stopped, then turned to his CO. "Placed any bet, sir?" he asked innocently.
"I have no idea what you're insinuating," Sheppard returned feigning incomprehension.
"I'm touched, I really am," Lorne drawled.
"So, what's the latest?" John asked, steering the conversation back on track.
"Colonel Ellis reported that the Apollo was good to go. Woolsey had a chat with him earlier. They'll be heading straight back to earth. Supplies will be brought back here by Ellis on the next round," the Major informed.
"So, no gate supplies then," the Colonel mused.
Evan shook his head. "Doctor McKay is still sulking about not being able to complete the experiment. He wants as much power as he can get in our remaining ZPM when he continues," he added.
"I take it things didn't go as expected?" John asked curiously, still a bit surprised that Rodney hadn't been to see him or at least complained over the radio about it.
"There's a reason why Janus couldn't or wouldn't complete it. First of all, he needed more people involved and by involving more people he would have exposed himself, questions would have been asked about what he was doing and from where he got the schematics - the idea itself," Lorne reasoned.
John nodded. "Rodney told me the real experiment was done by using a thunder storm as a catalyst," he said.
"And Janus planned to further use it by calibrating an exact frequency from the next Wraith attack. That way he would be able to use their firepower to prolong the shield power and at the same time fill depleted ZPMs," Lorne returned.
"Been reading your homework, Evan?" John asked with a raised skeptical eyebrow.
"I was unfortunate enough to end up in the same room as McKay and Zelenka during an argument," he let on. "I believe McKay will be in touch as he's eager to continue sooner rather than later."
"Anything more that warrants my attention?" John asked as they slowly made their way toward the infirmary.
"I sent Ronon away with Halling and the rest of the Athosian delegation. He seemed much more relaxed when he got back," Evan informed.
"Good call," Sheppard commended and then gasped as he got a bit too careless and twisted his body around.
"You all right, sir?" the Major asked carefully, slightly concerned.
"Never better," he muttered.
"Anyway, I think the IOA is giving Woolsey a trying time," the Major continued.
"They give everyone a trying time," Sheppard let on with a snort and looked annoyingly at the familiar doors to the infirmary. "Home sweet home," he added, not the least amused.
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To be continued
28/37
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