Chapter 57

2008

Listening to McKay's constant rambling was probably the worst thing about being stuck down here. Well, maybe not the worst thing, but it definitely didn't make being stuck like this with a fire burning only three metres behind him any more delightful.

He really shouldn't be moving. He knew he shouldn't but he'd fallen on something and he shifted slightly just to get the sharp stone out from underneath him. The sharp pain rushing up his right leg made things go dark for a second.

"I hope they come for us soon," McKay muttered as he sat down a few feet away from him, eyes trained on his tablet.

"Oh, really? You know, I was just starting to enjoy myself." Though there was air coming in through the gaps in the rubble above them, it wasn't all that easy to breathe.

"No need to get snarky at me."

Easy for you to say, Evan thought testily. You don't have a broken leg. You don't have your wife back on Atlantis. A wife who's probably sick with worry and pregnant. "Listen, do you have your medical kit? Guess I could do with some painkillers."

"Are you sure that's a good idea? Don't you need to stay alert or something?" McKay's eyes were wide as he looked up at Evan. He probably shouldn't be talking to the guy. Clearly McKay was busy enough worrying himself. "You know… in case Michael and his hybrids show up early?"

Evan scoffed and shook his head. "I thought we agreed there are no bad guys around," Evan shot back and McKay nodded. "Listen, if you don't give me anything stronger than that one pill of ibuprofen I have with me, I'm gonna pass out, Doc. That's a promise." The dust of the debris was still burning in his eyes. The wound over his brow had opened up again, and it was all he could do to ignore the almost electric shocks of pain shooting through his body every time he moved. He should probably call himself lucky if this was just a broken leg.

McKay nodded, pulled his backpack closer and started rummaging through it. Within seconds, McKay had produced the syringe and handed it to Evan. "Are you sure?" It was the first time McKay sounded really worried, and the first time since the building had collapsed around them, he looked at Evan.

Evan had stationed one of the Marines at the entryway to the building, and with any luck he'd be back soon enough with a team of combat engineers. He'd get back to Alex. He had to. "I'm okay," he breathed as he jammed the needle through his uniform and into his skin. "Had worse."

"Really? You've been stuck in rubble with a broken leg and a physicist, while Wraith were about to swarm in on you?"

Evan leaned his head back against a piece of rubble. "No," he said, closing his eyes and deciding that it was better to feel the heat from the fire than the chill from the dampness and the cold night creeping up his spine like it had back then. That night in the forest on Larsa had been so cold. So unreal. And yet, it'd been the moment he finally realized that there was no other woman for him than her. "I've been stuck in a forest with a broken leg, an archaeologist, while Jaffa were looking for us."

McKay stared at him, open-mouthed, tablet still in his hand. "Funny," he said with a shrug and returned to his work on the Wraith tech he'd salvaged.

He'd cut himself. For what must be the fifth time that day. And there was no plaster to be had. No antibiotics, should he get blood poisoning. And still he didn't quit. He couldn't.

Alex had started helping out next door and this was the only way he could contribute to their livelihood. He put his finger in his mouth and shifted slightly to open the window a little bit further. There was no glass separating him from the outside world, but he kind of liked the soft breeze streaming in through the window. And the light, of course. It made the small hovel look almost friendly and homelike. A dead couples' house. Being here still felt wrong. Even after about a week of being stuck here.

Maybe he should have asked her to help him outside. Maybe. But that would've meant being stationary for as long as it took her to get back. Moving on his own was still pretty much out of the question, and he doubted he'd get better these next few weeks. Just stretching to open the window had been painful to say the least.

He put the bleeding thumb into his mouth, hoping to clear the wound the best way he could like this. Then he picked up the clean towel which was lying to his right and wrapped it around his finger. It'd stop bleeding soon enough, and waiting was all he could do anyway.

The rake didn't have to be ready until the next day, but he'd promised their neighbour to get it done as quickly as possible. Well, he couldn't very well whittle with a bleeding thumb, could he?

He put the knife down on the table and looked outside. At the chickens in the narrow alley. The chickens, which now were theirs. He still couldn't quite believe it. In all his life, he'd never pictured himself as a farmer. He still couldn't. And he wouldn't be.

Though, despite his insistence that the SGC had given up on them, he still couldn't quite believe they wouldn't even give contacting them again a try. He just couldn't believe that.

"What if they show up first?"

"Who d'you mean they." Evan didn't even know why he was asking. He sure as hell didn't want to hear the answer. But it was nice to hear somebody talking. To hear a human voice. Even if it was McKay. And he should be grateful Alex wasn't here with him. He just wanted to be with Alex. This mission had been yet another failure. Teyla was still Michael's prisoner, after all. But Alex had no business being here. Not with not only her life on the line.

"You know," McKay began, continuing with his train of thought without a second's hesitation. "Michael, the Wraith, Michael's hybrids, his followers, Worshippers, take your pick."

"I really can't think like that right now," Evan huffed. He forced his eyes open. The medication was already making his brain sluggish and he had no interest in falling asleep now.

"Ba'al."

"McKay!"

"Just saying, it's not impossible."

"Rodney, my wife is pregnant, she's probably sick with worry and I really can't afford to think of those possibilities right now!"

That shut him up. At least for a second. "Really?" McKay sounded surprised. How had McKay missed that?! "I mean-"

"Yeah, so d'you mind if I don't want to think about dozens of Wraith swarming in on us to invite us for dinner or something?"

"Uh- sure." McKay cleared his throat and shook his head. "Uhm… congratulations?"

Evan nodded, his eyes shut tight as a bit more of dust fell down from the half collapsed ceiling and onto his leg. Just a bit of extra pressure which almost made him forget that he'd taken the pain killers.

"Is that why she's not gone on a mission in weeks?"

"Yes, that's why. You're quick to catch on."

"If you don't mind, I was fairly busy with everything else going on, in case you hadn't noticed."

With a shrug, Evan opened his eyes again and nodded. "I noticed. Sorry."

McKay huffed. "Fine." As though he really needed to accept the apology. As though it was a sign of grace on his part. As though all Evan could hope for was McKay's forgiveness. He probably didn't even realize it.

McKay sighed once more, then returned his attention back to his tablet and the work he was doing.

"Are you seriously still going through that stuff?"

"Trying to catch up with our friend."

"Hope it pays off," Evan breathed, and wiped his brow. It was getting seriously hot down here, which wasn't surprising, given that the fire was still burning merrily from the pipe behind him and that there were two people in this little hole, breathing and talking and giving off body heat.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

Evan shook his head. "Never said I was." He threw a look over his shoulder at the damaged pipe. Gas. That was the thing burning like crazy. He had to admit though that he was grateful for the fire at least, because somewhere above McKay there was a narrow hole through which not only light, but also oxygen could find its way down here. And fire meant that all the lethal gas coming out of the pipe was burned up before it could poison them. Still, it was getting more and more uncomfortable down here by the minute. "Keep talking, okay? Something cheery?" Keep me awake and halfway sane.

He wasn't sure he'd slept at all these past few nights. He wasn't sure he hadn't lost his mind either.

He sat at one of the tables in the cafeteria, going over old mission files. He had to learn quickly if he wanted to be a valuable asset to his new team. But his mind kept drifting off, the way it usually did November twenty-second.

Four times her birthday had come around and he hadn't been with her. He'd only ever really been present that one time, but he remembered it well enough. They'd been with his family a few weeks earlier and they'd been planning their trip to England. She had been busy with her job at the university in Trier and the Bosnian War had ended a few weeks previously. Shortly afterward he'd bought that ring. A ring, which he still kept stuffed inside that sock in the top drawer of his dresser. Just another reminder of a time he couldn't get back to.

So many memories. He only wished he'd made even more of those. He was still missing her, even though she'd come very close to ripping his heart out during their last encounter. No, that was wrong. She hadn't just come close to it.

Alex had been right, of course. Their relationship as it had been wasn't working. Not with all the pain of constant separation. But at least she'd still been in his life. Would he rather have the pain of not seeing her, or this pain of missing her?

Well, at least now he was free. His gaze drifted over to Isabel Brackley. They'd been at the Academy together, but had he really been interested, he should have made a move a few weeks ago, probably. They hadn't really talked again since their first encounter here, and she was leaving now anyway. He'd seen the schedule and knew she was due in the Gate Room in about an hour.

Before she could find him staring at her, he dropped his gaze to stare at the cereal in front of him. What a sad breakfast. In such a gloomy place. He'd been here three months and he should really start looking for a place to stay. Something that was a bit more like a home than the SGC.

Should he try contacting Alex?

Probably not. They'd agreed not to do that. It would just make things even more difficult than they already were. Harder to bear.

What he should do was try and get over this, and not drop into a semi-depression every time he thought of her. Not that that would be easy around here. He knew, he felt it deep within him, that this line of work, the research which Jackson and his team were conducting here, that the cultures they were exploring would be just up her aisle. She had such an incredible mind, such enthusiasm for history and religions. This was the place for her. But he couldn't very well ask Jackson to hire her. And he wasn't sure he wanted to. She was probably dating some other guy by now. Another archaeologist, or a historian. Who was he to compete with that anyway?

With a sigh, he downed his coffee and picked up his tray. No chance of finishing that cereal now. He should just get to work. Or start looking for a place to live. Either way, staying in the cafeteria, glaring at his food, wasn't going to get anything done. And most of all, it wouldn't make him forget about his ex-girlfriend.

Help arrived about the same time McKay figured out the destruction of the facility had caused some other hidden Wraith technology to send an alarm to Michael's ship. Wherever that ship was.

Evan hated sitting there. Waiting. Waiting for things to happen. Waiting for the combat engineers which Carter had brought with her to rescue them to dig them out. When they finally managed to get first McKay, and then him out, he could barely stand on the one good leg anymore. Either he was getting older and with it more sensitive to pain, or this break was considerably worse than the last one. He couldn't be sure

Squeezing his eyes shut, he let Keller put him down on another piece of rubble as she looked him over.

"Just the leg?"

Evan shrugged. "Feels that way, but I took something to dull the pain a bit."

Keller nodded, her expression still concerned as she took his face in her hands and checked his pupils. He blinked, tears shooting into his eyes at the sudden brightness.

"As soon as the Daedalus gets here, I'll put you under an X-Ray."

"Not gonna say it's a bad idea."

She smiled vaguely.

"Is Alex okay?"

Keller nodded and waved at someone to come closer. Jonas. Of course it was him. Doing his best to help whoever and whenever he could. He really was slowly but surely getting back to being his old self. "Would you hold the leg steady for me, please, Jonas? I need to check it out properly and I don't want him flinching away."

Evan scoffed, but didn't complain when Jonas bent over him and gently took hold of his upper leg.

"At least there's no bone poking out," he said and Evan almost laughed. Almost. Not quite.

"She says hi, by the way," Jonas said and Evan gritted his teeth as Keller checked his leg, her fingers not prodding and touching him more than was strictly necessary, but this really was bad enough.

"Bet she does," Evan grunted and sighed in relief when Keller finally let go of him.

"She said I should kill you for worrying her sick like this." Jonas grinned down at him and Evan scoffed again.

"She's gonna have all the time in the world for that." Keller's smile made his heart feel a bit lighter. A doctor smiling usually didn't mean terrible news. "Guess you'll be okay, Major. You won't be going on any more missions these next few weeks. She'll have plenty of time."

Right. Evan looked over at McKay. So there really was no way for him to fix this. Teyla had to rely on McKay by the looks of it. "Go, check up on him, Doc. He has a clue or two where Teyla is, and I guess he bumped his head pretty bad. He was almost nice down there."