Chap. 29:


Feeling the pulls of consciousness tugging at him relentlessly, John tries to ignore it, but for some reason, his body seems to want to wake up now. The first thing that permeates the haze of fog that he was floating contentedly in, is the beep...beep...beep of the cardiac monitor. The next thing that registers, is the uncomfortable feeling that makes itself known as he shifts in the bed. He inwardly moans as it dawns on him that the thing he hates the most about being stuck in the infirmary is what is causing the feeling. Finally he realizes that there's a tube down his throat.

Wait, okay, panic time. Why do I have a tube down my throat? floats through the haze, the beeping of the cardiac monitor increasing in speed.

xxxx

Hearing the fast beeping of the monitor Lexi bolts awake and looking over at him, she realizes that he is starting to wake up. She runs out of the room and finds Keller asleep in her office.

Gently shaking her, "Jen, he's waking up."

They rush into the room, to find him shifting in the bed, his eyes closed, pain etched across his forehead, the beeping of the monitor ever increasing.

Keller rushes to the left side of the bed and as she reaches it, she sees Lexi reaching the other side, taking his right hand in hers. Seeing this, she smiles and pulls her stethoscope from around her neck. Inserting it in her ears, she leans down and lifts up his shirt. As she listens to his chest, "Colonel, calm down and open your eyes for me. You're safe."

Seeing the difficulty he is having, Lexi squeezes his hand, "John, open your eyes, come on."

Latching on to the sound of Lexi's voice, he starts to calm down a little, the beeping on the monitor signaling as much.

Noticing this, as she is scanning the monitors, having finished her manual check of his vitals, "Lexi, keep talking to him."

Nodding at her and focusing on him, "John, you're fine, but we need you to wake up now." and smiling as his eyes blearily blink open, focusing on her, "hey you."

Seeing him focusing on Lexi and knowing that he is bound to reach for the tube sooner rather than later, "Lexi, hold his hands down for me." Keller says, as she raises the head of the bed.

Shifting a little further back on the edge of the bed and taking his hands in hers, feeling him relaxing against her, "that's it John. Just relax and we'll have the tube out in no time."

He tries to nod his head, but instead he closes his eyes to try and stop the feeling of someone jack hammering through his scull.

Seeing him shut his eyes and feeling the heat radiating from him, "Jen, his temp."

"I know, one thing at a time. Now Colonel, I know your head's killing you, but open your eyes and we'll get that tube out." Keller says, as she reaches for the tube and seeing his eyes opening and focusing on her, "you know the drill. On the count of three breathe out as hard as you can."

Rolling his eyes at her, yeah, I know the drill all right, and he drifts a little until he hears her say, "okay, 1, 2, 3 and."

Breathing out as hard as he can, he coughs as the tube comes out and slumping against the pillows, it dawns on him that he now has a nasal cannula under his nose and his head is pounding with every beat of his heart, "wh..what?" he croaks out.

Smiling and grabbing a cup of ice chips off of the tray, "here John." Lexi says, as she slips a couple of chips into his mouth.

Sucking on the ice chips and smiling as the feeling of the cool liquid sliding down his throat, easing the dryness is like heaven, "what's…going on?"

"Colonel, you've got pneumonia."

Turning his head a little on the pillow, to look at Keller who is making notes on his chart on the computer by his bed, "but how?"

Looking at him from the computer, "Lexi, I'm gonna let you fill him in on that, while I go get something to bring his temp down."

"How'd I?"

Taking his hand in hers and stroking the back of it with her thumb, "well, you were being you."

"Ah, okay."

Locking eyes with him, "when was the last time you had a full nights sleep or a decent meal in the last eighteen days?"

Squirming uncomfortably under her gaze and trying to remember, "um."

"Yeah, that's what I thought."

"Lexi, I ah."

"John, the reason why you got sick is because your immune system was shot to hell. No sleep, little food, worrying, fighting off a cold and hanging around an alien source of radiation don't go hand in hand. So your body simply gave in."

"But...that...was..." he says, as his eyes start to close and the last thing he is aware of is, "don't fight it John, just sleep."

And listening to her, he lets sleep take him.