"A Bad Decision –"Ramblings"
Chapter 4
Author: Lorrie Ellis
Email: lorrieannhotmail
Summary : The team gates to a previously unexplored world and may regret what they find.
Disclaimer: The following story is based on the characters of the TV Series "Stargate: Atlantis". The characters belong to MGM, The Sci-Fi channel, etc. but the story is mine. ALL DISCLAIMERS APPLY. (No copyright infringement is intended.)
Hours had passes since Drs. Beckett and McKay had removed the pins from the Major's head. Elizabeth still sat quietly at his bedside, staring at him, almost willing him to wake.
She jumped at the sound of Carson's voice. "Ya need some rest, lass. You've been at his bedside for hours now."
She attempted a feeble smile. "I know." She gently took John's hand in hers. "I just can't bare the thought of him waking up to complete darkness again and not knowing where he is."
"Tell ya what. You go grab a few winks and I'll sit with him."
Elizabeth shook her head. "No. Thank you, but there's nowhere else I want to be right now."
Carson shrugged his shoulders. "If ya change your mind, you know where to find me."
"Thanks."
He was sure he was dreaming, but yet he felt himself walking through a mist, a mist that he couldn't see, but could feel. "Where am I?" He asked.
"You are somewhere safe, John Shepherd." A voice answered.
John, caught somewhat offguard, turned his head, still to only see darkness. "Who's there?" He could feel his breath quicken.
"You would call this a dream, I believe." The voice answered. "And I am but a voice."
"A dream?" John asked. "My dreams don't usually address me by name."
"Maybe I am not a dream then."
"Then what?" John asked. "What are you?"
"I am of them, as you are. But I am of long ago." The voice replied and left. John opened his eyes, only to discover that he was still in total darkness, but the air around him felt different and he knew that he was awake.
"Easy John." Elizabeth said gently as she moved from her chair to the edge of his bed. "You're in the infirmary."
His breathing eased slightly and he nodded. "I know."
"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked.
"What?"
"Your dream. You were talking in your sleep."
"What did I say?" John asked, settling himself back on the pillow.
Elizabeth shook her head. "I couldn't really make everything out, but you did ask 'Who are you'?
"I don't remember much about it." He lied.
She continued to stare at him. "John, this may not be the best time to ask, but I need to know what happened on Hashlana. The others have already been debriefed, but since you were separated from them . . ."
John shook his head and became very agitated at the mere mention of the planet. "No way! I'm trying my best to forget about what happened there. Don't ask me to talk about it!" Several monitors began to beep loudly and John's pain was clearly written all over his face.
"I'm sorry." She tried to soothe him, but he would have no part of it.
Dr. Beckett rounded the corner in a dead run. "That's enough of this!" He eased Dr. Weir out of the way and began to examine the Major.
"I didn't mean to hurt him." Elizabeth said, her voice just above a whisper, Dr. Beckett waiting for a better explanation. "I need to know what they did to him and why."
"Now is not the time, Dr. Weir. He's not strong enough right now." Dr. Beckett replied and once he was satisfied that the Major was resting again, he turned to Elizabeth with a softer voice. "Let's let him rest. I've given him a sedative and it should take effect fairly quickly." Taking note of how tired she looked, he quickly added. "I can give you one as well, if you don't go to your quarters now and turn in for a while."
Elizabeth nodded as she pursed her lips and walked away from the infirmary.
As John slept, the voice from before returned. "John Shepherd." It said softly. "John Shepherd, you can't ignore me. I won't go away."
"What do you want?" John asked.
"You need to understand why Maylan did this to you." The voice stated.
John's head tossed from side to side as he laid in the infirmary. "I don't want to know. I don't want to know anything about Maylan or Hashlana."
"Hashlana is essential to running Atlantis properly. You and your people have done a wonderful job with the limited resources you have to work with, but Maylan is the key to full function. He has the power source to run the city."
"Have you been talking to McKay?" John asked.
The voice paused, and then chose to ignore the question. "John Shepherd, you must put aside your fears and speak with Maylan."
"No. I can't. He wants to know how many more of us there are, but he won't tell me why."
"He is afraid of you." The voice said.
"Well the feeling's mutual."
A piercing pain traveled through the Major's head as his temperature began to rise. "Stop it!" He cried out.
"I wish I could." The voice replied sympathetically, "But I did not place the pain within you."
"What's causing the pain?" John asked.
"The current that Maylan ran between the posts that were inserted inside your brain. The current is still within and the pain will grow worse as your body temperature rises." The voice faded away as the alarms on the monitors in the infirmary began to sound once again.
"What happened?" Carson asked as he entered the room, just behind two attendants.
One of the nurses shook her head. "I don't know Doctor Beckett. The monitors just went off. He's burning up." She said after adjusting his head to place an oxygen tube in his nose.
The doctor, now at John's bedside began to shout orders. "I want another MRI, stat!" He placed his hand on John's forehead. "Vitals?"
"BP 110/75, pulse is 78, temperature 102.3 F."
Dr. Beckett looked towards one of the nurses. "Page Dr. Weir and advise her of the Major's condition. We're heading for that MRI now!" With that said, John was placed on a gurney and whisked away, through the corridors to another room.
As he lay on the table waiting for the medication to be inserted so the MRI would show images, he faintly heard the voice again. "I am sorry that you had to be involved in this."
"In what?" John mouthed, inaudible to those standing near him.
"The situation with Maylan and the people of Hashlana. This was our fight, not yours."
John struggled to open his eyes, but his eyelids seemed so heavy. "What fight?" He mumbled.
Dr. Weir entered the MRI area. "What happened?" She asked Dr. Beckett as he injected the dye into John's arm.
"He's burning up with a fever and the pain seems to be worsening."
"Why?" She asked, obviously fearful of the answer.
Dr. Beckett placed his hands square on her shoulders and stared into her blue/gray eyes. "I honestly don't know and I don't know what I can do for him."
She nodded slightly and turned away, allowing Carson to do his job.
To be continued . . .