Disclaimer: I am not a Doctor or medical healthcare professional. Although I have tried to research medical terms, they may not be one hundred percent accurate.
Chapter 16: Healing begins.
Rodney left the infirmary and headed straight to his lab, he was still trying work out what the ancients were doing on XCZ-997, he had a fair idea, but he wasn't 100 percent certain. Deep down he wondered whether it was a waste of time to continue researching it from Atlantis. He knew that he would have to go back there eventually and he wanted to take Sheppard with him when he was well enough, because he knew that Sheppard would get a kick out of the underground eco-system they had discovered, he'd probably make some smartass comment like; it's just like the movie, 'Journey to the centre of the earth.' But that would have to wait for now, since Elizabeth had just asked him to research what happened to the other John Sheppard who had visited Ngering over ten thousand years ago, had he gone back to earth or had he settled down somewhere in the Pegasus galaxy? The outcome of both scenarios was too difficult to comprehend, but he would do it, to give Elizabeth and Sheppard some answers.
He was so deep in his thoughts that he didn't even realise that he'd walked right past his lab until Zelenka spoke to him. "Dr McKay where are you going?"
"Huh," he answered looking up and finally realising he was just about to walk into a wall.
"I just wondered where you were going?" Zelenka answered with a look of confusion.
"Oh, umm, I was just coming to my lab." Not wanting to look like a complete idiot he decided that he would turn the conversation away from himself and on to Zelenka, "and what are you doing Zelenka?"
"This is a shared lab, so I have every right to be here, but if you must know I am doing more research into what the ancients were doing on XCZ-997."
Rodney sighed, he really thought that research was becoming a waste of time, since they had a fair idea what they had been doing there and they really couldn't know for sure unless they went back to the planet and explored the underground lab and eco-system that they had discovered, "well knock yourself out Radek, but personally I think that it's a waste of time."
"Well you know what Rodney, it's my time to waste, so you have nothing to worry about."
He headed into his lab and sat at his computer,"Alright then you do that and I'll get back to what I was doing."
They sat in silence working side by side for about five minutes, until Radek stood to his feet and headed for the door.
"Hey Radek where are you going, I thought you had work to do?" He asked indignantly.
"I'm just going to get some coffee and perhaps a bite to eat, would you like something?"
Rodney thought about it and it had probably been at least four hours since he had eaten anything, so perhaps he should try and eat something, "yeah, I'll have whatever you're getting?"
"Okay I'll see you in a while then." Radek said and walked out of the room.
Now that the room was quiet, he set his mind to the task that Elizabeth had set him and he knew that it was going to be like looking for a needle in a very large haystack.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
It had been almost twenty minutes since Dr McKnight had contacted him and Carson was beginning to feel anxious, he really wanted to get his hands on the anti-venom. For a while the necrosis in John's arm had stopped, but now it was beginning to spread again and Carson feared that once it had finished with his arm, it would spread to the rest of his body. He had concluded very early on that the only way to stop it spreading to the rest of his body was to amputate him arm, which is why he was really hoping the anti-venom worked.
The way that the venom spread was something that he had never seen before, it started in his arm and rather than spreading towards his heart and torso, it had travelled down his arm exclusively.
He had been staring at his computer for the last twenty minutes, trying to get some work done and he hadn't achieved a thing and he knew that he wouldn't be able to do anything until he knew that Colonel Sheppard was going to be okay. Teyla had been in with John since he had come out of surgery, but he knew that he would have to chase her out shortly, so she could have a meal and some sleep.
Perhaps it was time for him to go and chase her out anyway, the last thing he needed was for her to end up in the infirmary due to exhaustion. Taking one last look at the pile of paperwork on his desk he stood to his feet and was about to leave his office, when Dr McKnight came in.
"Dr McKnight, I was just going to see my patient."
The biologist handed him a vial, with a list of instructions, "All you need is one dose and you should see results in an hour or two, it should be alright to inject into his IV."
Carson looked at the vial with concern, "do you know if there are any side effects?"
McKnight shrugged his shoulders flippantly, "I'm not sure, we have never seen a venom like this before, but be prepared for anaphylaxes or even seizures."
Carson was incredulous, at his offhand response, this was Colonel Sheppard's life they were talking about, didn't he have any respect, "you're not sure, we're talking about a man's life here and all you can you is you're not sure!"
"I'm sorry if I sounded insensitive, but we really haven't come across this before and as I understand, it's urgent, so we haven't had a chance to conduct a full range of tests.
Looking at the biologist, he decided that he had done all that he could do and there was no reason to get angry with the man, "thanks for doing this."
"I hope that Colonel Sheppard feels better soon," McKnight said, before walking out of Carson's office.
Now the tricky part started, what was going to happen when he gave Colonel Sheppard the anti-venom, perhaps he would call Dr Keller, so at least he would have help on hand if he needed it.
He tapped his earpiece and made the call, "Beckett to Keller, come in please?"
"Go ahead Carson."
"I have the anti-venom and I'm just about to administer it, but I would like you on hand in case there are any side effects."
"I'm on my way Carson, I'll be there in five minutes, Keller out."
Now that he knew Jennifer was on her way, he headed in to visit his most frequent patient to see how he was going.
When he arrived in the ICU a few minutes later, he saw the most endearing sight, Teyla was curled up on the other bed in the ICU with her face turned towards John and she was fast asleep. He had half a mind not to wake her, but then he didn't want her in the room when they gave John the anti-venom, so he gently shook her shoulder.
"Teyla luv, it's time to wake up."
He waited for her to open her eyes and stretch before he spoke again, "Teyla, why don't you go and have something to eat and come back in an hour. I'll allow you to stay with John and sleep in the next bed if you need to then."
"Is everything okay Dr Beckett?"
"Everything is fine, I'm just about to do a wound check and then we will be able give him the anti-venom, so if you come back in an hour's time, we should be finished by then."
Carson was relieved when she nodded and left the room without a fuss. Once he was sure that she had gone he started to unbandage his right arm and he was shocked by what he saw, his whole arm right down to his splinted fingers was black. He knew that without a miracle John would lose his arm and even if the anti-venom worked he would need extensive skin grafts on his entire arm, including his hand and he just hoped that there would be no permanent damage, because otherwise he may never fly again.
He decided that he should check his other injuries why he was at it, so he slowly unbandaged his left shoulder and wasn't happy that the wound still seemed red and inflamed. I'll just have to keep the antibiotics going, he thought to himself while checking his other wounds and he was happy to see that the wounds on his side and right leg were healing well. His temperature concerned him a little though, it was up to 104 and it was probably time to put the cooling blanket on him again.
Before he had a chance to check John's fingers, Jennifer walked into the room, "Okay Dr Beckett shall we get started?"
"Aye I think we should lass, his arm is getting worse again and if we don't do something soon, I fear that he may lose his arm."
Carson took a deep breath and injected the anti-venom into John's IV port and nothing happened, but then he wasn't expecting it to happen straight away "I think I'll bandage his other wounds again and leave his right arm uncovered that way if there is a change, we can monitor it."
"I'll help you with that Carson and then I think I'll go and get some sleep before my next shift."
They quickly got to work re-bandaging his injuries and John didn't move an inch. Other than for a short time after his surgery he hadn't woken at all, which was probably a good thing as his body was recovering from an extreme ordeal. In fact he would be surprised if he woke again in the next couple of days.
It wasn't long before they had finished, "I'll see you later Carson," Jennifer said as she left the ICU.
He knew that he couldn't leave John now, so after putting a cooling blanket over him, he pulled up a chair and sat next to him, not even daring to look at his arm, because he was afraid by what he may or may not see.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Elizabeth was sitting in her office waiting for Tiall and Ziall to come to see her, Tiall had been in the city for less than an hour and for most of that time he had been visiting Ziall. Ziall had contacted her from the infirmary about five minutes ago to say that he wanted to discuss trade with her, so she had agreed to set up a preliminary meeting. From recent reports from Major Lorne, the re-location to the planet that the Ngerans had designated as New Ngering was almost complete. The Ngerans were worried about their leader and hoping that he would be home soon and she had promised them that once Carson deemed that he was well enough the be released into Giall's care he would be sent to join them.
Her reflection was interrupted a few minutes later when Tiall and Ziall entered the room. Ziall was sitting in a wheelchair, with a large bandage covering the side his head. Carson had told her that the bullet had only grazed the side of his head and it could have been a lot worse, so other than the odd headache, he should make a full recovery.
Tiall and Ziall looked a lot alike, they were both about seven-foot tall and almost as wide, with dark hair speckled with grey and the most enormous brown eyes, so much so that she wondered if they were related, "are the two of you related in some way?"
Tiall's eyes twinkled, "Ziall and I are brothers and Giall is out cousin. If you haven't already guessed the names in a family are very similar."
"Yes I assumed as much and it is obvious that families stick together, given the way that Viallso reacted to Liallso's death."
"Unfortunately both Liallso and Viallso wanted revenge for the last two wraith culling's and everyone suffered." Ziall told her, before a look of sorrow crossed his face, "I am truly sorry for what Viallso did to Colonel Sheppard."
Before Elizabeth had a chance to reply, Tiall interrupted, "I am truly sorry what Liallso made me do to Colonel Sheppard as well and I hope that one day I can find forgiveness in his eyes. I should not have listened to Liallso when he insisted on me capturing Colonel Sheppard."
Elizabeth smiled at him, as a look that could only be described as remorse crossed his face, "well you did the right thing in the end Tiall, and you stood up for what was right, setting into motion a series of events which led to securing a positive future for your people." She took a deep breath before continuing, since there was one thing that was still bothering her. "One thing I can't understand though, was what was his problem with Colonel Sheppard and why did he want revenge for something the Ancients did ten thousand years ago."
It was Ziall who answered her this time, "There was a man on Ngering ten thousand years ago that matched Colonel Sheppard description, or at least that's what the stories tell us. I think Liallso and Viallso blamed the Ancients for the wraith culling our world and they were looking for someone to blame. When they saw Colonel Sheppard they decided that he would be the scape goat."
Elizabeth sighed; she didn't really want to talk about this any longer, so she changed the subject, "I understand that you want to discuss trade with us Ziall."
"Firstly I want to thank you for all the help you've given my people so far, but as you know crops will take some time to grow in our new village. I would like to ask for assistance in planting and harvesting, and exchange we will offer you a portion of what we grow."
"I believe that we should be able to reach a deal and we could possibly throw in some medical supplies as well, but I will need to discuss it with Teyla and Colonel Sheppard as well."
Ziall nodded his head, but Elizabeth could see that he wasn't finished, "Is there something else that you would like to ask me Ziall?"
"I was wondering if you had any ideas on what we should do with Viallso's men. Our numbers a few and we will need every able bodied man woman and child to help if we are going to survive as a people."
"That is something you need to discuss with Major Lorne and Colonel Sheppard. Although Major Lorne can offer you some suggestions, I don't believe he will act without talking to the Colonel first, unless it's an absolute emergency."
Ziall nodded his head, "thankyou Dr Weir I will ask Colonel Sheppard when he is feeling better and in the meantime do you mind if Major Lorne and his team continue to assist us?"
"Just let us know whatever you need and we will meet again in the near future to discuss trade."
"I must be getting Ziall back to the infirmary," Tiall muttered before anything else could be said, "Carson told me to make sure he doesn't overdo it and Ziall has been known to disobey doctor's orders on occasion."
Elizabeth chuckled, "well I know a certain Lt Colonel that does that all of the time and he is also known for his legendary escapes from the infirmary."
"I can't wait to officially meed him," Ziall commented, as Tiall was wheeling him out of the room.
Elizabeth watched them leave thinking of her military commander, she had a sneaking suspicion that he was going to get on well with Ziall and as soon as he was well enough, she would get him in on the negotiations with Ziall and his people.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Teyla wandered into the ICU after sharing a meal with Ronon and Major Lorne. It had been a busy few days and it was good to actually sit down and enjoy a meal with her friends. Lorne was still spending most of his time helping the Ngerans and Ronon was busy conducting training sessions with the troops. According the Lorne the re-settlement had almost been completed and very soon the Ngerans would need help with planting their crops. She knew that she would be asked if the Athosians would be prepared to offer help, so in the near future she would be invited to take part in trade negotiations.
"How are you feeling Teyla?" Jennifer asked interrupting her contemplations.
Before she had a chance to answer, the bed began to shake, and John started to thrash about as he began to convulse. Jennifer pressed the call button while trying to hold John's head so that he didn't injure it further, while Teyla held his arms and legs and yelled for Carson to come.
Carson came rushing into the room and started yelling instructions, "give me 20mls of Lorazepam," A nurse quickly gave Carson the requested medication and he didn't waste any time in injecting the anticonvulsant into John's IV. Jennifer and Teyla held on to him until the convulsions had ceased, while Carson took his temperature.
"His temperature is up to 107 we need to get him into a cooling bath now. Jennifer I'll need your help."
"Just let me know what you want me to do?"
"Can you and Teyla get him ready while I go and run the bath? "
Before he had a chance to leave the room, Teyla looked at him with a look of terror, "why is he having seizures, has it got anything to do with the anti-venom?"
Carson sighed, he really didn't have time to go into a long winded explanation right now, so he answered her as succinctly as possible, "at this point I don't know luv, but his temperature is up to 107, so we really need to get him in a cooling bath now and I really need your help."
Teyla nodded and then they got to work making sure the heart monitor leads and IV's were disconnected. They didn't worry about any of his bandages for the moment; they would dry and redress his wounds when they had gotten his temperature down.
While they were lowering him into the cooling bath Carson had a quick look at his right arm and he was happy to see that his arm wasn't as black as it had been before, sure there was tissue damage, but they would worry about that later.
Thirty minutes later John was still unconscious and back in his bed again. Carson and Jennifer had redressed his wounds, and his temperature had dropped to 102. Both doctors had left and promised Teyla that they would be back soon.
Teyla was sitting by John's bed when Carson came back in. "How is he Carson?"
"Well thing are looking up, his temperature is back down to 102 and the anti-venom seems to be working, so hopefully in a few days-time we should be able to perform the skin grafts on the damaged tissue on his right arm and shoulder."
"That is fantastic news Dr Beckett, do you mind if I sit with him. Rodney is still in his lab, although I suspect that he could use some pain medicine soon and Ronon is in the gym, so I am the only available to sit with him at the moment."
"Sit with and talk to him, or sing to him," Carson smirked before continuing, "And if you get tired curl up on the next bed and have a sleep. Don't worry about Rodney, I will send Jennifer to make sure he gets some pain medication and has a rest in a minute."
"Thankyou Dr Beckett, "she said as she pulled up a seat next to John's bed.
She waited until John had left and then she started to sing her Athosian lullaby to him again.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Rodney was sick of being hunched over a computer for hours on end, there seemed to always be something for him to research in the ancient data base and unfortunalty it was never easy to find answers. He had no idea how long he had been researching what had happened to the other John Sheppard, but he had found absolutely nothing so far.
Radek had left the lab in disgust claiming that it was a waste of time to continue researching what the ancients were up to on XCZ-997. Rodney had just shrugged at him, not bothering to tell him 'I told you so.'
Perhaps it was time to start researching something else for a while; he could go back to the dilemma of two John Sheppard's when he needed a break from researching whatever he decided that he would research now.
He really thought that he needed to do something to help Sheppard, who had an incredibly long road to recovery. Maybe he could research to see if the ancients had ever developed a machine or compound to speed up tissue and muscle regeneration. Giving himself a pat on the back for his brilliant idea, he got to work.
Five minutes later, or maybe it was longer, he wasn't really sure, he heard someone clearing their throat. Looking up he wasn't impressed to find that Dr Keller was standing over him.
"What!" He said with extreme annoyance.
"Have you taken your pain meds recently?" She asked him and he could sense the impatience in her voice.
He looked at her with a blank look and tried to remember the last time he'd taken them, "I can't remember the last time I took them."
Her voice softened, "how are your pain levels now?"
"I guess my arms hurting, but I don't have time to stop right now, because I have to find a way to help Sheppard?"
All of a sudden she had her don't mess with me look on her face and he shuddered wondering what she was going to say next, although he probably should have predicted it.
"I will give you your pain medication and then you will go to your room and have six hours uninterrupted sleep and before you start to argue, if you don't go now, I will drag you to the infirmary and sedate you."
He thought about arguing, but saw the scary look on her face, "yes ma'am," he mumbled, before taking the pills that she offered him.
She stood with her hands on her hips and it was obvious that she wasn't about to leave the room until he left. Muttering to himself, he stood up and walked past her and left the room. Deciding that she was right and he should probably have a sleep, he went straight to his room and climbed into bed fully clothed and five minutes later he was fast asleep.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
John was coalescing in the darkness when he heard a strange sound, he had no idea where he was or how long he'd been there, but one thing he knew for sure was there was dull ache in leg and side, and it felt like someone had knifed him through his left shoulder. It wasn't too bad at the moment, but he suspected that if he were to try and find out what the strange sound was the pain would notch up several levels.
He lay still willing the darkness to come and take him again, but the strange rumbling sound continued, so he knew that the only way he was going to get back to sleep was to open his eyes and find out what the noise was.
Cautiously opening his eyes, he was annoyed to find that Ronon was sitting with his feet up on the end of his bed and what was worse was he was snoring like a freight train. His head was beginning to hurt and he felt incredibly hot, so he knew that he had to somehow get the big man's attention.
"Ronon! He shouted as loud as he dared with a pounding headache.
To his relief his friend opened his eyes straight away; he always sleeps lightly, probably due to being on the run from the wraith for seven years he thought to himself while watching the big man's eyes darting around the room.
Finally Ronon spoke, "hey Sheppard buddy you're awake, I just need to get Carson and he can tell you what's going on."
After watching Ronon leave the room, it finally dawned on him that Teyla wasn't there with him and he wondered where she was, since she had been with him the last time he'd awoken.
"How are you Colonel Sheppard?" Carson asked upon entering the room.
He didn't really want to answer that question right now, so he ignored it, "how 'mi doing doc?"
"Well the good news is we have administered anti-venom for the spider bite and your right arm is healing well. You will still need some skin grafts on that arm, which I would like to perform in a couple of days.
"So what's the bad news doc?" He asked a feeling a little apprehensive.
"Your left shoulder is still infected and you have a fever. You had a temperature of 107 degrees a short while ago and you had a seizure."
That didn't sound too good, "I'm alright now though aren't I doc?"
"Yes it's down to 101 at the moment."
"So, tell me doc, when can I get out of here?"
"Don't even think about getting out of here for another two weeks at least?"
Great that was the last thing he needed to hear, "well you know what? I think I'm going to get bored long before that, so be prepared for me to drive you nuts." He mumbled, already feeling unhappy.
"Well right now it's time for your medication and hopefully you'll go back to sleep for a while. I was hoping that you would sleep for a day or two, given the extreme trauma that your body has been through."
"Well you know what doc? I'd rather being asleep than staring at the walls, or your cheery face! He replied rudely, not really caring if he hurt Carson.
"How about I keep an eye on him doc?" Ronon suggested with a hint of playfulness in his voice.
John just gave him a dead pan look to let him know that he wasn't amused.
It wasn't long before he felt a cool soothing liquid flowing through his veins and his pain levels began to dissipate. Sighing he closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep again.
He knew that he had a long road to recovery ahead of him, thanks to yet another psychopath, but at least he was home among his friends and family, so feeling safe and content with that knowledge, he allowed himself fall into a peaceful sleep.
TBC…