Detention – Chapter 2

Sheppard felt bad that he had made a promise to Dr. Beckett to return to the infirmary because he had no intention of keeping it. There were just too many things that required his attention and participation. Not that he didn't care about his health, but it certainly wasn't at the top of his list.

Fortunately, Teyla and Ford were able to return to the Atlantis base themselves, although Ford had been injured. "What the hell is going on with my team?" he thought. He shook his head and sighed as he realized that the majority of his team had been in the infirmary within the last 24 hours.

Now he had even bigger problems to worry about. After setting their trap, they were able to capture a live wraith prisoner who was now sitting in the Ancient's version of a jail cell. "Let's just hope their shield is as strong as it looks," he prayed.

While he had been interrogating the wraith, it took all of his concentration to maintain a confident attitude on the outside when his insides felt like jelly, but he refused to let his fear show through. Or at least he hoped it hadn't.

The words the Wraith said to him turned over in his mind. "You will be the first I feed upon....." Not a pleasant thought by any means.

As Sheppard made his way back to his quarters he could feel the cumulative effect of his day wearing on him. It felt like every muscle in his body was strained. As he turned the last corner before reaching his room, he ran into Dr. Beckett. Literally.

"Doc! What are you doing here?" he exclaimed.

"Funny, I was just about to ask you the same thing, Major." Dr. Beckett did not look happy. It appeared that the normally friendly, Scottish doctor was quite annoyed. The stance of his body and the tone of his voice clearly indicated that he was going to be the victor in whatever took place next. To drive that point home, Doctor Weir appeared at that moment directly behind Dr. Beckett.

"Forgetting something, Major?" she asked sweetly as her right eyebrow went up.

Sheppard had to think quickly, but that was proving more and more difficult. "Uh, yeah. You're right, I live that way," he said as he tried to turn around and leave as fast as possible.

"Hold it right there!" Weir yelled. "You're not going anywhere but the infirmary. Now." She didn't even have to yell. Sheppard felt like he was back in grade school and being grounded for something.

He started to put on his most charming smile and ask what she was talking about when two of the largest Marines he'd ever seen appeared at his elbow. He wasn't even sure how they were able to fit through the Stargate. Obviously, he wasn't going to win this one, no matter how much charm he turned on.

"Oh, I just remembered. I was on my way to see Dr. Beckett. We made a deal earlier today. What did you think I was going to do, Doc, skip out on you?" he asked as sweetly as possible.

"Oh no, Major. I knew you'd never break a promise to me. As you know, I do all the clearances for gate travel and I know you'd never jeopardize your access. So of course I knew you'd see things my way," he said with a very self-satisifed smile.

Sheppard grinned. "That's right, Doc. I'd never break a promise to you. Um, shall we?" he asked as he pointed up the hallway.

"I think we'll have Lts. Baker and Porter just follow us to make sure nothing happens on our way to the infirmary. After you, Major," Beckett gestured.

Sheppard smiled once again. "I just love spending time with you, Doc."

When they reached the infirmary, Sheppard was greeted by Sherry, the nurse who had treated him earlier. They sized each other up, each one trying to decide who could take whom. They simultaneously reached the same conclusion that Sherry would win. She was almost as tall as the major and probably had a good twenty pounds on him. He sighed inwardly. It was going to be a long night.

"Why Major Sheppard, you are certainly looking better than the last time I saw you." She smiled an evil grin. "Hopefully, this time you'll be able to grace us with your presence until we can be sure you're okay."

Once again came the charming smile. "Oh, I'm better than okay," he replied with a wink.

"Good to know. Dr. Beckett has asked me to remain with you at all times to make sure that you don't leave us prematurely. So to speak." She turned around and started walking back toward a screened off area. "Follow me, Major. Let's get you ready for bed."

Sheppard turned around to find Beckett and Weir trying not to laugh. He smirked at them. "Very funny. I have to have a guard?"

"Well, Major, I think you're in good hands. I'll stop by to see you in the morning," Weir said as she left the room still trying to hold back a laugh and not really succeeding.

"Don't worry, Major. You're actually going to have some company tonight. You're not the only one I worry about," Dr. Beckett said quizically. "I'll be back in a moment to see how you're doing. Right now I think it would be best if you hurried to get to Sherry before she makes your stay even more uncomfortable." At that, he turned and left muttering under his breath about rounding up "the next one".

"Major! Now!" Sherry yelled from the back of the infirmary. Another sigh escaped Sheppard as he resignedly began his journey to hell.

He joined Sherry behind the curtain and was very dismayed to see what his evening held in store. She stood there holding a yellow hospital gown, surrounded by a heart monitor, wires, and tray of very nasty looking medical supplies.

Ever the smooth artist, he tried to win her over with his "little boy" face. "I don't think we need all this, how 'bout I just sit on the bed and read?" he pleaded.

After being a nurse in the military, Sherry had pretty much seen everything. And if that wasn't enough she had dealt with her ex-husband enough to be able to anticipate any moves from a man who didn't want to do as he was told. She simply held out her hand and said, "Give me your clothes and let's get you into bed."

Not willing to give up, Sheppard looked at her and said, "I thought you'd never ask." But, this clearly didn't work either as she simply stared at him, continuing to hold her hand out.

It had been a very long day and he just wasn't willing to fight anymore. With yet another sigh, he began to unzip his jacket. He put it on the bed and began to remove his shirt. As he started to pull it over his head he shot a look at Sherry to indicate that she could go now.

"Sorry, Major. You're too much of a flight risk. Don't worry you don't have anything I haven't seen before. Literally."

"Gee, thanks for the compliment," he muttered. "Can you pass me the gown now so I can save some of my dignity?"

"Well, I'm not sure you had any to start with, but here you go." She passed him the gown and he put his arms through and tied it at his neck. Trying to muster a confident smile he undid his belt, unzipped his pants and let them drop to the floor.

"Happy now?" he asked bitingly.

"Just be glad I'm going to be kind and let you keep your skivvies. Come on, into bed". She picked up his clothes and placed them on the chair next to the bed. Then she turned down the covers and waited for him to get in.

Wrapping the gown around his hips he made his way over to the bed. He sank back as he pulled his legs up and under the sheets. He didn't feel like admitting it, but the bed sure did feel good. His tired, aching body quickly relaxed into the nice soft mattress and he closed his eyes. Maybe it wouldn't be as bad as he thought.....

He was quickly brought out of his state of relaxation by something being forcefully jabbed into his left ear. "Ow! Shouldn't you buy me dinner first?"

"Shhh. Don't talk." She removed the thermometer and frowned at the reading. "100.2. Slightly elevated. I'll check again later."

"Great, can't wait," he mumbled as she grabbed his wrist to take his pulse. This seemed to bring satisfaction as there was no frown this time. Out of nowhere came a blood pressure cuff and soon he could feel the pressure on his bicep. Fortunately, just as it started to get unbearably uncomfortable she released the valve and the cuff deflated.

"120 over 80. Very good." Thank God something was going his way. "Okay, we'll just get you hooked up and then I'll see about getting you some food."

"That's the best offer I've gotten today."

She smiled at him while she pulled his gown back to attach the leads to his chest. When all four were on she turned on the machine and he immediately heard a nice steady beep confirming that he was still part of the world.

"Okay, Major, you can get some rest now. Dr. Beckett will be in momentarily and I'll go find you a snack." With that, he was alone in his curtained cubicle. He leaned back and closed his eyes, lulled almost to sleep by the steady, comforting beep of his own heart.

The quiet didn't last long however. Soon he heard voices and it became plainly obvious that his new roommate was no more pleased about the situation than he was. The curtain was suddenly pulled back and Sheppard stared into the face of Lt. Ford.

"Ford!" he exclaimed. "You got detention, too?"

"It looks that way, Sir. The doc wants to make sure I don't die in my sleep since I bumped my head. So it looks like we're roomies."

While this wasn't good news for Ford, it certainly cheered up Sheppard. At least he wasn't the only one being humiliated. "Come on in, roomie."

Dr. Beckett handed Ford his own gown, this time a green one, and pointed to the restroom. "You can change in there and then get into bed. I need to check on Major Sheppard."

Ford shook his head in disgust, but didn't say anything. He quietly turned on his heel and walked away.

"Hey, how come he didn't have to put on a show like I did?" he demanded.

"He's more co-operative than you, Major. You're as slippery as an eel and we're taking no chances," he said with a smile. "Now, let's see how everything looks, shall we?"

And he took out the damned penlight again. Sheppard restrained from the urge to punch him right at that moment. That would probably earn him a catheter and there was no way he was going to risk that.

He calmly submitted to all of the doctor's requests – deep breaths, breathe normally, follow my finger with your eyes. Again he held back a punch as Dr. Beckett poked and prodded his shoulder to check for pain from the stunner blast. Although better than before, it was still stiff and it hurt to move it around.

"Well, Major, you're looking better than before, that's fer bloody sure. I want to keep you on the monitor overnight and have another look at you in the morning. I'm a little concerned about the temp you're running, but everything else looks okay for now. Any questions?"

"What the hell did I do to piss you off so much?"

Dr. Beckett got very serious. "Major Sheppard. You are the most talented pilot we have. You have the gene to use all the Ancient technology. We cannot afford to lose you. You've been through too much just in the past few weeks. I need to make sure we will have you around for a long time. It's my duty not only to you, but to Atlantis as well."

Sheppard didn't say anything for a moment. "Understood. But, if everything looks fine in the morning I'm walking right out of here."

"Agreed, Major."

And at that moment Ford reappeard wearing his gown and he seemed to be blushing. In a case of déjà vu he asked the doctor, "What the hell did I do to piss you off so much?"

Sheppard and Beckett looked at each other and then began to laugh. "Major Sheppard will fill you in, son. I'll be back in the morning. Have a good night, don't let the bed bugs bite."

At that, Sheppard winced as he remembered a rather large bug that was recently almost permanently attached to his neck. Beckett immediately realized his mistake and turned red. "Sorry, Major," he mumbled and quickly left the room.

Ford pulled the covers back and got into the bed in the next cubicle over from Sheppard. He lay there quietly for a moment as he reflected on the long day. He turned toward the major and started to speak when he suddenly heard the sound of soft snoring. Major John Sheppard had finally given in to a well-deserved rest.

Sherry came over to check on her patients, carrying two trays of food. She took one look at Sheppard and immediately asked Ford how hungry he was. Once he realized that he hadn't eaten in almost 24 hours he gladly took both trays.

As Ford devoured his sandwiches, Sherry dimmed the lights and sat down at her desk in plain view of her patients. She wasn't going to let either of these two out of her sight.

TBC...(One more chapter to go.)