Author's Note: MB – Thanks again for dropping by. All reviews are gratefully accepted (hint, hint). Please forgive any mistakes of a medical nature. I did do some research but hey, I'm not doctor and it probably shows.
Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only things that are mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here. As always all mistakes are of my own making and will hopefully be forgiven.
Chapter 51
Carson looked over Jennifer's notes as he approached the Colonel's bed. Nothing much had changed while he'd caught up on a little sleep. John's blood pressure was still low. Not surprising given the amount of blood he'd lost. His temperature was elevated. Again not that surprising even with a flood of antibiotics floating through his patient's system. Everything indicated John was stable and holding his own. A miracle given the state he'd first seen him in and that's what worried him. Nothing was ever easy with John. The Daedalus carried a small arsenal of medical equipment but none of it was as sophisticated as the Ancient technology. He'd be much happier once they reached Atlantis and he could use the Ancient scanner to make sure there was nothing he had missed.
Carson lowered the pad and studied the scene before him. It was another thing that didn't surprise him. Elizabeth was just as stubborn as the man whose hand she was currently using as a pillow. Of course he could wake her and send her to her own bed to sleep but it would be futile and he knew it. She wouldn't be able to sleep. Not in her own bed. Not until she knew John was going to be alright. Not unless he drugged her. It was easier all round just to let her stay where she was even if he didn't like it.
Carson switched his attention to John. The man had more bruises, broken bones and puncture wounds than any one man should ever have at one time. Lorne had been found in much the same condition but it had taken him a few days to get that way. Sheppard had managed to collect his latest injuries in less than twenty four hours. Carson had sworn an oath to do no harm but right now he couldn't help feeling that the Ree-Tan and the Dalerians deserved each other. Or least their leaders did.
Carson sighed and started his checks being careful not to wake Elizabeth. He noted the third increase in John's temperature in as many hours and let out another soft sigh. Just once he'd like to be proven wrong. When he'd joined the expedition he'd known then that the biggest threat they faced was also likely to be the smallest. Of course back then he hadn't known about the Wraith but he had expected to find alien bacteria and he had. So far their Earth antibiotics had worked well but that didn't mean they always would.
He increased John's dosage and made a notation on his chart. He'd give the drug a little longer to take effect before trying something else. He wasn't out of options yet and he'd try every one of them and everything he could find in the Ancient's database if that's what it took.
"How's he doing?" asked a sleepy voice.
"Elizabeth, luv. I didn't want to wake you."
"You didn't," replied Elizabeth.
"Bad dream?"
Elizabeth nodded before repeating her question. "How is he really, Carson?"
Carson wished he could give her better news. It was obvious that the last few days had taken a heavy toll and not just physically. The last thing he wanted to do was to add to her burden but he also knew she wouldn't appreciate hearing anything but the truth from him. He took a deep breath and started explaining John's condition to her.
ooOoo
Elizabeth studied John. He'd come to mean so much to her. More than she would've thought possible. Love had never frightened her before but it did now. Going back to sleep had been impossible after Carson had told her John was getting sicker. It wasn't supposed to happen like this. It wasn't supposed to happen at all.
"You have to fight this John. Fight it and come back to me."
She brushed the damp hair off his forehead and felt the heat radiating off him. Carson had switched to another antibiotic an hour ago. Only time would tell if this one worked any better than the last one.
ooOoo
Elizabeth dreaded the hourly checks as each time Carson reported no change in the slowly upward trend of John's fever. Another one was due shortly and she feared Carson's answer would be no different from the last. She was losing the man she loved and all she could do was watch him slip away.
Carson came and went bringing her the news she didn't want to hear. Moments later he was back with a cooling blanket and she helped him drape it across John's overheating body.
"You should try and get some rest, lass."
"I don't think I can. Not now." She was too scared. Scared she would sleep and John would be gone when she woke. Scared that Carson would force her to sleep for her own good when all she wanted to do was stay by John's side till he found his way back to her. "Maybe later."
"Aye, later."
Carson left her alone again and she returned to her vigil. Not for the first time she realised how alone she felt. It wasn't a feeling she'd chosen to dwell upon. She'd chosen this path knowing what it might mean for her relationship with Simon. She should have realised then that she didn't love the man as much as she thought she did. Maybe leaving him a video message should have told her that. Instead it had taken her break up and nearly three weeks on the Daedalus to come to that conclusion.
She'd felt alone then too. She'd taken to late night visits to the mess when her thoughts wouldn't let her sleep. John had joined her one night saying he couldn't sleep either. She'd never told him about Simon but after that first night she was never alone. He'd been a good friend when she needed one the most. Now she realised maybe it had been more than friendship even then.
She didn't regret her choice. Far from it. How could she when her choices had led her to meet John.
ooOoo
Carson scrubbed a hand over his face. It had been a long night and there was still no sign that his patient was improving. The cooling blanket bought them a little time but John's temperature continued to climb. There were other options Carson could try but time was proving to be his biggest enemy. If he couldn't get John's temperature down soon there was the very real risk of seizures.
He looked at his list of options again and made his choice. Time would tell if it was the right one. Maybe John would forgive him if it was. Clindamyacin was never his first choice when treating a patient. It was strong but it came with some seriously nasty side effects. Side effects that John could well do without. John already had enough to deal with without adding severe diarrhoea to the list.
The other options on his list weren't much better. Not at the dosage levels he needed to use. He would've tried them all before Clindamyacin though. He knew from experience how John reacted to it and would've done anything to avoid using it on him again. But it really was his best hope and there wasn't time to try anything else.
Carson gathered what he needed and headed back to his patient. It didn't surprise him to see Elizabeth asleep by John's side again. He'd known it would be only a matter of time before the exhaustion pulled her into sleep. She'd be sore when she woke but he wasn't about to wake her now just to save her a sore back later. He knew all too well that she'd refuse to move once she was awake. No, it was better to leave her sleeping while she could.
Carson swapped out the saline solution quietly and started the new treatment. He would need to monitor John more closely on the new drug and treat any side effects as they occurred but hopefully it would do the trick.
ooOoo
The others were already there when Rodney entered the mess. They looked just as awful as he felt after trying to sleep and failing miserably. Back on Atlantis they would never have allowed themselves to be kicked out of the infirmary when one of their own was fighting to survive. But Carson had threatened them all with his vast array of sharp pointy objects if they didn't leave the already cramped space to those who really needed it. Space was a luxury on a spaceship and it was no different in the infirmary.
Despite the threats he planned to go back there but first he needed a strong cup of whatever rubbish they called coffee. The stuff tasted awful but it had the requisite amount of caffeine that his system needed to function and that was all that mattered.
He poured himself a mugful and made his way over to the others. "Any word from Carson?"
"No," replied Ronon around a mouthful of food.
"That's good news, right? I mean if things had gotten worse Carson would've told us. He wouldn't let Sheppard die without telling us." He knew he was rambling. He always did when he was nervous or worried. He couldn't help it.
Teyla looked at Ronon before taking a breath and turning her attention back to Rodney. "He would not. As he would not object to our visiting John for a few minutes."
"Right." Of course she was. He knew that. Didn't stop him worrying though. He took a sip of his coffee and grimaced at its acrid taste. He should be used to it by now since he'd drunk enough of the stuff since boarding the Daedalus yesterday.
He continued his drink in silence. The others were just as worried as he was and no-one really felt like small talk. They all had just one person on their minds. Rodney glanced into his cup, surprised that he'd finished it and not even noticed. One cup didn't go anywhere near overcoming his lack of sleep but it would have to do for now. He'd wasted enough time. Time that maybe Sheppard didn't have.
ooOoo
Caldwell watched as Sheppard's team left the mess together. They were an odd looking bunch but he'd seen enough of the reports to know they made a good team. He'd even admit that Sheppard had the makings of a good leader but he'd made a few mistakes this time and he suspected he knew why. He couldn't prove anything though and he doubted anyone on Atlantis would tell him anything to change that. It was no great secret that he had wanted the Atlantis command. That alone was enough to make him public enemy number one amongst some of the expedition.
He finished his own drink and pushed to his feet. He'd get an update from the Doctor later. Right now he had a ship to run. They'd be reaching Atlantis shortly and the way things looked he might be staying for a little longer this time with both Sheppard and his 2IC down for the count. Even Doctor Weir didn't look much better when he'd stopped by the infirmary earlier.
Caldwell made his way back to the bridge and settled in to oversee their arrival. He'd been ferrying the Daedalus back and forth for a few months already but dropping out of hyperspace to see a planet from space never grew old. He'd always considered the posting as second prize but as things went it wasn't a bad second prize.
He ordered the drop-out from hyperspace fifteen minutes out trusting his crew to automatically scan for threats. He kept his eyes on the view-port as hyperspace gave way to a blue planet not unlike Earth. There was more water and less land but from up here the similarity was striking.
"Open a channel," ordered Caldwell.
"Channel established, sir."
"Atlantis, this is Colonel Caldwell of the Daedalus."
"Colonel, Major Henderson here. We've been expecting you. Can I assume that your arrival means that you have Doctor Weir and Colonel Sheppard?"
"You can, Major. We'll be beaming them direct to the infirmary along with Beckett and Keller. We'll unload everyone else on the east pier."
"Yes sir. I'll alert the infirmary."
OoOoo
Carson was grateful to be back in Atlantis. The Daedalus was well equipped but he'd grown used to working with the Ancient technology. His feet had barely rematerialized when he had ordered a series of scans. He was staring at the results now wondering if there was anything he'd missed but nothing stared back at him that he didn't already know. Broken collarbone, broken ribs, punctured lung, soft tissue damage from two projectiles, slight brain swelling from the concussion and minor residual internal bleeding from the beating the man had taken. It was a long enough list but it wasn't what worried him the most.
Jennifer joined him and looked over the scan results before turning her attention to him. "His temperature's up 0.5. I'm going to start looking through the Ancient database. They must've encountered this bacteria before."
"Doctor, he's seizing!"
"Damn!" This wasn't a fight he was prepared to lose.
"I'll go," offered Keller.
"No, I'll go. Check the database." He grabbed the lorazepem as he rushed to his patient's side. The seizure wasn't unexpected with a fever this high. The lorazepem would control the seizures for several hours but he had hoped to avoid them altogether. Like the cooling blanket, the drug would buy them some more time but it wasn't a solution.
John's seizure slowly eased and Carson breathed a sigh of relief. Seizures were never easy to witness especially when it was a friend. He looked up and noticed Elizabeth frozen in place, staring at John in fear. He moved to her side and guided her back to a nearby chair.
"What…what happened?"
"He had a seizure. It's a side effect of his fever. I've given him something that should stop the seizures and buy us some time. We haven't given up, Elizabeth."
"I know Carson and I'm grateful for that. It's just he's been through so much."
"Aye he has."
TBC
A/N: Oh dear, John isn't having a good day is he? I don't know about you but I'm seriously worried.
