And now a little experiment in perspective… sorry it's late. I'm bored and tired and ill...

And

And as I ran, I fell upon my face. I gasped as I buried my head into the leafy mulch and my nose was filled with the scent of damp decay.

And as I lay there, the stitch in my side flared ever more painfully and even my panting breaths could not quench it as it spread around my back and right through my belly.

And still the voice of my worst nightmares called to me and beckoned me onwards. "Get up and get moving, McKay." It was Ronon.

And I tried to reason with him as best I could, "I can't go on anymore, my head hurts, my legs are burning and there's a sharp pain in my side! You'll have to leave me." Maybe I could actually still breathe I realised after the prolonged outburst, but I wasn't going to let Ronon know that.

And at that time, as I was contemplating sleep, the natives suddenly found us, because they were very real and their spears and arrows and knives were serrated and deadly.

And the pain in my side only seemed to get worse as Ronon grabbed hold of the handle on the back of my tac vest and hefted me upright. He was glaring at me as though he was trying to channel some of his strength into my muscles, or maybe it was annoyance at being lumbered with me. I could never really tell with Ronon.

And then I started running again. The crunch of our pursuers' feet was audible for a moment, before my ragged breaths and pounding heart and pain drowned out the sounds. Formulae of distances and speeds of pursuit ran through my mind unstoppably, along with calculations for the oxygen exchange taking place in my lungs. I was grateful for the distraction from the agony, but it was not enough.

And then I began to feel dizzy, and as my feet faltered once more, Ronon clamped his hand onto my wrist and did not let go. He all but dragged me along and I felt sweat creeping down my face in the cool, but humid air.

And then, just as I was starting to go over again, we reached the gate. But it was surrounded by more spear wielding natives than there had been in the village.

And I did fall then and where I landed I cried, "How the hell are we going to get past them? It feels like my lungs are on fire!" Which was not an exaggeration. Now that Ronon had mercifully stopped the torture, the pain was still increasing in my side. I frowned and pressed my hand against the widest and meanest area of throbbing.

And the ache turned into an explosion and Ronon had to clamp his hand over my mouth to stifle my shout. His palm was grimy and my mouth was filled with the taste of dirt. He still let me breathe though, and the whoosh of the air through my nostrils was loud as I tried to regain my composure. I glanced down at myself and lifted my hand away from my side.

And my eyes widened, and Ronon quickly released me, when I saw that my palm was coated with blood. The sweat on my skin instantly turned cold and I shivered in horrified fear that I was hurt and bleeding and had not even noticed. I watched in a shocked daze as overwhelming waves of dizziness and nausea rolled over me and tried to drown me in their smothering wings. I saw the dark red liquid cupped in my hand and it swilled around slightly as I tilted my palm in morbid curiosity so that it flowed over the edge of my hand and dripped into the undergrowth.

And as I collapsed backwards where I sat, I felt Ronon's arms around me, lowering me gently to the ground. There was a light tug of the material away from my chest as he tore the Velcro of a pocket on my tac vest and pulled out a bandage. He pressed it against my side and mumbled, "It's just a little cut."

And I could only shudder, as he pressed harder on the wound that I had mistaken for only a stitch from the running. I thought the light headed weakness in my limbs had been caused by the adrenaline buzz from running away. My vision faded out for a moment.

And when I woke up, Teyla and Sheppard were there. Sheppard furrowed his brow and looked down at me where I lay. He started when he saw I was awake and he crouched down. "Still with us, McKay?"

And I mumbled, "Hmm," and could not suppress the flinch and wince caused by the permanent stitch.

And Teyla looked on sadly as she said, "We think an arrow or another type of weapon grazed your side whilst we were fleeing. Ronon is clearing the last of the men away from the gate. I believe he is almost finished. We need to move you."

And I nodded as I was lifted upright. I gasped and gritted my teeth until I thought I was going to break them in the pressure in my jaw as the wound was ripped open again and the bandage soaked up warm dampness. With Teyla and Sheppard's help, I was soon pushed through the gate.

And all I could do was crumple to the floor in the gate room as my knees told me they had had enough. My legs buckled and gave way to the shout of, "Medical team to the gate room!"

And then, as I bled some more, my senses faded along with the pain and fear as nature's anaesthetist finally started working her magic. Numbness spread out as she embraced and lifted me up into her arms. As she gathered me ever so gently and hugged my weary body more tightly, the world finally went wonderfully black.