Chapter 23: The wrath of Teyla.
John slowly became aware to the world around him. His head was pounding and his ankle felt like it was on fire. What the hell has happened to me now and why am I soaking wet, is it raining in the infirmary and if I'm in the infirmary why the hell does my bed feel so hard. These are all good questions, his muddled brain thought, maybe I should open my eyes and find out.
Slowly he opened his eyes and he wasn't happy by what he saw when he did. The first thing he saw was Rodney hovering over him. Taking the time to slowly turn his head and look around he found that he was still on the planet from hell and it was still raining heavily.
All of a sudden, he felt his stomach begin to churn. Laying still he tried to settle it, but that didn't seem to help. Managing to roll on to his side he retched until he had lost his breakfast. Concussions really suck.
"What the hell happened McKay!?" He cried, "why am I lying in a puddle and not back in the infirmary!?"
"Umm…." Was all that Rodney managed to say, before Sheppard interrupted him.
"Spit it out McKay, now is not the time for you to play dumb!"
Rodney didn't even have a chance to answer, before Ronon supplied the information, "you tripped over a tree branch and hit your head on a rock."
Now that was really embarrassing, how was he ever going to live this one down. "That explains why I have the headache from hell, it doesn't explain why we're still stuck on this rock!" For some reason that he couldn't explain, he felt angry, maybe it was the fact that he had the headache to end all headaches.
Rodney answered him this time and he wasn't impressed by what he heard, "well I think that the DHD was struck by lightning and totally destroyed."
"Oh, that's great," John muttered. "How long until our check-in?"
"We were supposed to check-in five minutes ago, but you know Woolsey, he usually waits until we're at least half an hour late, before he bothers to try and contact us." Rodney explained, while trying to wipe the water out of his eyes.
John looked at Ronon, who seemed to be searching for something, "Chewie is there anywhere that we can find shelter?"
"Can't see anything near the gate Sheppard."
John was really beginning to feel dizzy and he wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep, but he wasn't that impressed by being soaking wet and he was really beginning to get cold. "Great," he muttered before closing his eyes again. He didn't hear another thing that Rodney or Ronon said, because as soon as he closed his eyes he lost consciousness again.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Rodney looked down at Sheppard, he had lost consciousness again twenty minutes ago and he had not responded to anything Rodney had done since then. He was expecting Woolsey to contact them in five minutes and he really hoped that he wouldn't wait any longer, as it was clear that Sheppard desperately needed a doctor. The wound on his head was still bleeding slowly and the bruise and lump were continuing to grow. He had tried to get the boot of Sheppard's foot, but it was an impossible task given how swollen his foot appeared to be.
In the last ten minutes the rain had stopped and the sun had come out providing a little bit of warmth. He had found an emergency blanket in his rucksack and put it over Sheppard to prevent him from shivering.
Looking around the clearing he realised that Ronon had disappeared, leaving him alone with an injured Sheppard, "Ronon where are you!? He yelled.
No response, so he yelled again, "Ronon you're freaking me out a little, so can you please answer!?"
This time he received a response, "I'm over here McKay, I think I've found a cave and, we should still be able to receive a transmission from the gate, if we hide in there."
Rodney was incredulous, "now you find a cave, it would have been better twenty minutes ago when we were all getting drenched!"
"Well I'm taking Sheppard there, you can join us or stay here, it's your choice." Ronon mumbled.
Rodney was about to talk back when the gate activated, "I really hope that is Atlantis and not a wraith dart." He muttered.
"You and me both." Ronon replied.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Woolsey sat staring at his watch, Sheppard's team was over due as usual. Even when Ronon and Rodney went out with other teams, they still appeared to be trouble magnets. Now that Sheppard was back leading the team, he suspected that they were in trouble again.
Poor Teyla, how was she going to cope with Sheppard being off world without her all of the time. He was waiting for the day when she came to him and requested that her husband be taken off active duty.
They were now half an hour due checking in, so he decided that it was about time he contacted them. Walking into the control room, he looked around to see who was on duty this afternoon.
"Chuck can you dial the gate to MX-774 please."
"Is Colonel Sheppard's team overdue again," Chuck inquired.
Woolsey sighed, "Yes they are, so can you please dial the gate?"
"If Sheppard is injured, Teyla is not going to be happy." Chuck said, as he began to dial the gate.
Woolsey just ignored him and stood watching the chevrons light up, when the wormhole finally sprang to life, he tapped his earpiece.
"Wooley to Sheppard, come in please?"
He was surprised when Rodney answered, "Oh thank God, the DHD was obliterated in a storm, so we weren't able to contact you."
"Dr McKay can you put Colonel Sheppard on please?"
"He's unconscious and he needs a doctor."
"Well why don't you come through the gate?"
"Didn't you hear me, the DHD has been destroyed, you are going to have send a jumper to collect us and make sure you send Carson!"
"Okay give us ten minutes and I'll send Lorne through with a jumper. Woolsey out."
"Please hurry, McKay out."
He turned to Chuck and sighed, "Can you contact Major Lorne and Dr Beckett and send them to my office for a rescue mission and I will contact Teyla and let her know that her husband is injured."
He walked back into his office, as he really felt that he needed to sit down to make this call.
"Woolsey to Teyla, come in please?"
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Teyla and Dave had just finished their lunch and were about to feed Charin and Tobias when her com activated, she wondered if it was John contacting her to let her know that he wasn't going to be able to make it to lunch.
"Teyla here."
"Teyla it's Richard, I'm just letting you know that John is injured, I'm not sure how badly at this point, but I'm sending Major Lorne in a jumper to pick them up, he should be in the infirmary in about fifteen minutes time."
"Thank you for letting me know Richard, Teyla out."
Once she had finished talking to Woolsey, she turned to Dave looking worried.
"Teyla what is it?" Dave asked, with a worried look on his face.
"John is injured and they are bringing him to the infirmary, so I must go to be with him. Can you please stay with the twins, there is milk in the fridge for them? Do you know how to heat it up?"
"Don't worry Teyla I have done it before. Let me know what happens and I will stay here until you return."
"Thanks Dave," she told him kissing him on the cheek as she left the room.
She hurried out of the room and headed to the infirmary. She had no idea what John had done to himself this time, but she was sure that it was time to talk to John about being taken off the active duty list. He had spent to much time in the infirmary over the last three or four years and now that he had three children to care for it had to stop.
Arriving in the infirmary she went in the waiting room to wait, she knew that Ronon and Rodney would be there before long and when she saw them they were going to be in big trouble for letting John get hurt.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Carson watched through the front window, as the jumper came through the gate. Even from a distance, he could see that Sheppard was unconscious. He wasn't happy Colonel Sheppard was injured again. The man was certainly a trouble magnet, maybe Rodney was right when he called him Colonel Calamity.
It wasn't long before the jumper landed and he was out of the jumper before the back was opened properly.
"Rodney when was the last time he was conscious?" He asked while bending down to look at his patient.
"Ummm…. He was conscious for about five minutes half an hour ago and I haven't been able to get a response out of him since."
Carson shone his penlight in John's eyes and John didn't even flinch, "okay I need to get him back to Atlantis and perform am CT scan. His pupils are sluggish and he's non-responsive."
"Carson have you seen his ankle, I couldn't even get his boot off." Rodney told him.
"I'm not worried about his ankle right now. What I am worried about is whether he has cracked his skull or not. Now where is Ronon, so that we can get John back to Atlantis, before he gets any worse."
Carson jumped when someone came up behind him, "I'm here doc, do you need me to carry Sheppard to the jumper."
"Yes, please Ronon."
Carson watched as Ronon carefully lifted his patient and took him to the jumper. Once John was settled on the floor in the back, he rubbed his hand on John's sternum to see if he could get a response and he was surprised when John moaned. "Colonel Sheppard, it's Dr Beckett, can you hear me lad."
"Crsn…" He slurred.
"Aye lad, we're just heading back to Atlantis and we'll have you fixed up in no time."
"Head hurtssss."
"I know lad, just hang in there."
"Tired Crsn,"
"I know lad, go back to sleep and I'll have to wake you in a couple of hours."
"Kay…"
Carson watched as his patient lost consciousness again. He knew that it wouldn't be long until they got back to Atlantis, but he contacted Jennifer anyway,
"Carson to Keller, come in please?"
"I'm here Carson, what's happening? Mr Woolsey just told me that Colonel Sheppard is injured. He has also told Teyla and she is on the way to the infirmary now.
"We're almost back in Atlantis now. He has received a severe knock to his head and I want to perform a CT scan as soon as we get back to Atlantis. He has injured his ankle as well. Once I know that his head is okay I want to x-ray his ankle."
"Okay I'm on my way to the infirmary now, I'll send a medical team to the jumper bay right away, Keller out."
"I'll see you in a few moments, Carson out."
A few minutes later they arrived in the jumper bay. He stood and watched as the jumper hatch opened and he was relieved to see that a medical team was just arriving.
"Ronon can you please lift the Colonel up onto the gurney?" Looking at the medical team surrounding the gurney, he started to bark orders, "I want an IV and his vitals taken as soon as we get to the infirmary. Once I have done a CT on him, we need to get that boot off, so that we can x-ray his ankle."
The nurses nodded at him and then they started to wheel him towards the infirmary. Carson saw Ronon up ahead clearing a path. They had almost arrived in the infirmary when John started to moan and try to say something, Carson leant down to try and hear what he was saying and he made out one word, "sick," was all that John managed to say, before he rolled on his side and vomited all over the floor.
Carson watched as he kept retching long after John's stomach contents had been emptied.
"Concussions suck," John whispered before he lost consciousness again.
Carson continued to the infirmary with his precious cargo. When he arrived, he guided Ronon and Rodney to the waiting room and headed in to try and ascertain how much damage Colonel Sheppard had done to himself this time.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Teyla had been sitting in the infirmary for around five minutes when Ronon and Rodney entered the room. She was furious with them and was about to tell them just that when she noticed that they were both soaking wet, so her mothering instincts took over.
"Why do you not go and get in some dry clothes? I will wait here to hear news of John."
"I'm fine Teyla I will wait to here about Sheppard first." Rodney told her without emotion.
"I'm waiting too." Ronon mumbled.
Teyla was incredulous, how could these two men be so stupid, "Go and get changed, so you don't end up with pneumonia!" She ordered.
She glared at both men daring them to say something, but they obviously thought better of it and left the waiting room straight away.
Taking in a deep breath she sat down again and closed her eyes. Meditation would be a good thing for her to be doing right now, but she was still fuming. Why had Rodney and Ronon let John injure himself on his first mission back?
She sat by herself for ten minutes, before Rodney returned followed shortly by Ronon.
"Now sit down and tell me what happened!?" She snapped, looking at Rodney.
"Ummm…. well…umm… he tripped over a tree branch." He told her sheepishly.
Calming down a little, she looked at Ronon, "and why were you all wet?"
"There was a big storm."
She looked at Rodney again, still wanting answers. "I thought that the ruins were close to the gate, but you were gone for hours."
"Umm…umm…well…" He stuttered, before Teyla interrupted.
"Spit it out Rodney!" Teyla demanded.
"Well we never found the ruins, they weren't where the database said they would be."
She calmed down a little bit again and addressed Rodney again. "So, you went looking for them in the middle of a storm?"
"Well the weather was sunny when we set out." Rodney explained.
"Why did you not turn back when you knew there was a storm approaching?" Teyla asked still feeling confused.
"We did, but Sheppard was so angry with McKay by this point that he didn't see a tree branch in the middle of the path and before we could warn him, he tripped over it and hit his head." Ronon explained.
She still wasn't happy and was just about to comment further when Carson came into the room.
"How is he Carson?" Rodney asked, before Teyla had a chance to open her mouth.
"Well there is no skull fracture and there appears to be no brain damage, but he has a severe concussion and will not be very happy for the next few days, as I have to wake him every few hours."
"What about his ankle Carson" Did you manage to get his boot off, because his foot was huge." Rodney asked in his high-pitched panicked tone.
"He has a severe sprain. It should be alright in a couple of weeks."
Teyla stepped forward before Rodney had a chance to say anything else, "can I see him Carson, as I need to get back to the twins as soon as possible."
"Aye lass, come through. Rodney, Ronon, can you wait for a few minutes, so that Teyla can have some time with her husband." Carson instructed.
Teyla was happy to see that Ronon grabbed Rodney and pulled him back to a seat.
"Let us know when we can see him Carson?" Ronon asked sitting down himself.
Carson nodded and Teyla followed him to the back of the infirmary, where John had his own private room. He ended up in the infirmary so often that Carson had given him his own room.
Entering the room, she wasn't as surprised as she once was, when she saw him lying still with a large bandage on his head. His ankle was bandaged up and resting on a large pillow and she could see that it was swollen.
"Can you not use the healing compound Carson?"
"No, we only like to use it for severe injuries, as we still don't know what the long term effects are." Carson explained
She nodded and sat down next to him and took his hand, "John, I really must go and look after our children now, but I will be back later and when you get out of here, we really must talk about you commanding the troops from Atlantis. You are getting too old for this."
She was startled when he opened his eyes and attempted to speak to her.
"Whaa...? He slurred.
"Never mind honey we will talk once you are out of the infirmary."
"Kay…" He replied and lost consciousness again.
She kissed him on the cheek and left the room, she really needed to get back to the twins, so that Dave could pick Torren up from day-care for her. Plus, it was almost time to feed them again.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
John felt someone shaking him and tapping him on the cheek and it was really annoying. He was comfortable in the darkness and there was no way he wanted to wake up. The tapping continued, so he tried to shoo them away with his arm, but that didn't work and it continued.
Next a voice pervaded his senses, "Come on lad, it's time to open your eyes?"
He knew that voice, but he couldn't quite put a name to it right now. Only one way to find out, his garbled brain reasoned.
After a few attempts he managed to open his eyes a split, only to have a bright light shone in his right eye. He flinched and closed them again.
"Come on lad, open your eyes, I promise I won't shine my penlight in them again."
He tried again and this time when he opened his eyes, he realised that he had the headache to end all headaches, "what!?" He growled at the owner of the voice.
"Just a few questions and then I'll let you go back to sleep. Can you tell me what my name is Lad?"
"Yes, you're Dr Carson Beckett and a real pain in the neck!"
"Do you know what your name is son?"
"Yes, I'm Colonel John Sheppard and I am on Atlantis in the infirmary. And my answer to all of your other questions is the same as it was the last time you woke me. Now can I have some pain meds and go back to sleep?!"
"Aye lad, I'll get you something and then you can go back to sleep, but I'm sorry I'm going to have to wake you in four hours' time again."
The pain in his head was really notching up, "Well you'd better hurry up and let me go back to sleep then!" He growled, gritting his teeth.
It wasn't long before he felt a cool soothing liquid flowing through his veins and he was able to drift off to sleep.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Teyla left the infirmary and headed straight back to her apartment, it was past the time that Torren needed to be picked up and the twins were over due to be fed. It wasn't long before she arrived home. Taking a deep breath, she went inside to find that Torren was already home, Dave was giving Charin a bottle and Jane was feeding Tobias.
"Momma, where is Daddy?" Torren asked, running up to her and throwing his arms around her legs.
Teyla picked him up, "Daddy had a sore head and ankle, so he'll be in the infirmary with Uncle Carson for a few days."
"Not again," Torren groaned.
"I know how you feel Darling." Teyla told Torren putting him down on the floor again.
She looked at her brother and sister in law, "Thank you for feeding the twins."
"Charin was starting to fuss and we had no idea how long you were going to be, so we took some more milk out of the fridge." Jane explained.
"Do you mind hanging around for a while, as I need to express some more milk?"
"No problems." Dave answered.
Teyla headed to her room to take care of what she needed to and left Jane and Dave with the twins and Torren. It was certainly good that she had such good friends and family willing to help her out. She was still angry with Rodney and Ronon though, she still couldn't understand what had led to John's accident.
When she entered the lounge half an hour later, she found that the twins were lying on a blanket and Dave and Torren were keeping them entertained while Jane made dinner for them all.
"Thank you, Jane I really was not looking forward to heading to the mess hall with three children tonight."
Dave looked up at her from the floor and spoke, "Ronon and Rodney came by few minutes ago wanting to apologise. I hope you don't mind, but I invited them to dinner."
She sighed, "I guess that would be alright, I really need to apologise to them as well."
She was just about to sit down when the door chime sounded. Walking across the room, she activated the door panel to reveal Rodney and Ronon standing outside.
"Come in and have a seat," she told them with a smile.
Sitting down at the kitchen table, Rodney spoke to her, "Teyla I'm sorry that I didn't do my research properly. If I had we would have taken a jumper to look for those ruins and Sheppard wouldn't be lying in the infirmary."
She looked at her two friends, "I accept your apology Rodney and I am sorry that I was angry at the two of you. I do remember what it was like to be on a team with John and for some reason he always gets himself into trouble."
Before they could continue the conversation, Jane called to them from the kitchen, "Dinner is ready."
"I'll help you serve, if Teyla wants to put the twins in their bassinets." Dave offered.
Ten minutes later they were all sitting down to pasta Bolognese. It had been an incredibly difficult day and she was glad that she was able to sit and share a meal with her friends and family. She would visit John again after dinner, hopefully Dave and Jane would be able to stay and keep an eye on the twins again.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
John awoke to a soothing voice speaking to him, opening his eyes he was happy to see that Teyla was sitting next to him and stroking his hand. He was relieved that his headache wasn't nearly as bad as it had been.
"Teyla." He whispered.
"John it is good to see you awake. I will go and get Jennifer, as she asked me to let her know when you were awake."
"Water." He whispered.
He was relieved when Teyla, put a bendy straw up to his mouth and gave him a small drink.
"Not too much John, until Jennifer says so."
Nodding, he watched her leave the room, he had no idea how long he'd been in the infirmary this time. I'm sure Keller will be able to tell me.
His thoughts were interrupted when Teyla came back followed by Jennifer. "How are you feeling Colonel Sheppard." Jennifer asked him, while taking his pulse.
"I'm good. How long have I been here and how long will it be before I can leave?"
"You have been here for two days and we haven't been able to wake you for the last twenty-four hours, so we have been worried about you." Jennifer explained to him.
"Really Doc, so what's the damage this time?"
"You had a severe concussion and you have a badly sprained ankle. I want to keep you here for another twenty-four hours and then you will be on light duty for a couple of weeks. Your ankle should be better just in time for you to go on your honeymoon. Now how's the pain?"
"It's fine for now."
"Alright, I'm going to be in my office, let me know if you need anything."
Once the doctor had left the room, he turned to Teyla and took her hand, "I'm sorry Teyla, I should have been more careful on that mission, but I was so angry at Rodney for giving me false information that I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing."
"That is okay John, but I think you really need to consider commanding the troops from Atlantis. You are a father now, not just to Torren, but to Tobias and Charin."
"You know what Teyla, you are probably right. I will talk to Woolsey when we get back from our honeymoon. I can't really go anywhere before then anyway."
"Thank you for considering it honey and I want you to know that I will respect whatever decision you make. I must go now as it is time to feed the twins, but I will send Jennifer in to give you your pain medication before I go." She told him leaning down to kiss him on the cheek.
"Thanks Sweetie."
He watched her leave and once he was sure that she was gone, he closed his eyes and thought about what she had said. He was a family man now and he couldn't afford to end up in the infirmary every second mission and he was well into his forties now, so maybe it was time to slow down and work from Atlantis.
TBC…