If I Die

Chapter Twenty Two - Falling

Sheppard tumbled through the gate in a tangle of limbs, his left leg folding beneath him, bringing both himself and his cargo crashing down. Reflexively he twisted, shifted so he hit the floor first, McKay falling awkwardly on top of him. Stars burst before his eyes when his head hit the floor and he lay for a second, struggling to breathe despite the weight across his chest.

But only a second. Hands suddenly appeared, pulling the weight from him. He pushed himself to a sitting position, saw Bates and Cohen laying the scientist on his back against the floor.

"Beckett." He cracked his head to the side, shouted loudly: "Beckett!"

Elizabeth was ahead of him. A rattle of wheels against the floor and then Beckett and a medical team were running through the control room, laden with IV bags and oxygen.

He tried to push himself onto his knees and found his body reluctant to co-operate. Spoke on auto-pilot, the words not quite registering with his brain. "He was shot. Hours ago. He stopped breathing…"

Carson glanced in his direction, caught his gaze and acknowledged the information with: "We've got him Major."

Sheppard sat and watched, unable to move. Beckett and his team moved as one, Carson snapping orders with his staff only a fraction of a second behind. Saw one hand reach out, fingers pressing against a white neck.

Felt the world drop away when he heard the words: "He's in defib!"

Then more alarmed shouts, instructions, the whine of a defibrillator and careful emotionless counting from Carson.

Barely felt Elizabeth's hand on his shoulder. "John."

Carson, his mutter carrying across the short space: "Come on, Rodney. Don't you –"

And then another whine, and the bucking of a body against the floor, limbs in a horrible rictus.

Firmly: "John –"

"And again… wait… once more…"

Another whine and a thud, and a shudder from himself.

"Got him!" Carson, triumphant, and Sheppard tried to lift himself up, to spot a glimpse of blue between the crowd of medical staff. Watched whilst lab coats descended upon McKay, lifting him onto a trolley, then watching that trolley and Beckett, still snapping orders, rushing out of the 'gate room.

He pushed himself up to follow, and his left leg protested. He gasped, fell back onto his butt.

"Take it easy, Major." A voice he didn't recognize, and an anonymous face he'd passed in the hall. A male nurse, armed with a medical kit, crouching over him wearing a concerned expression. "You're hurt."

"I am?" he said, dully, looking down at his throbbing left leg. A trickle of crimson was slowly puddling on the floor beneath his knee.

"John." Elizabeth again, kneeling beside the nurse, retaining her hand on his shoulder. She caught his gaze, studied him intently.

Trying to decide if I'm compus mentus.

He blinked, mentally shook himself, distracted by the distant sounds of Beckett's team departing down the corridor.

The nurse was examining his knee, tutting softly under his breath. "We'll need to get this seen to in the infirmary, Major."

He must have waited too long to answer, because Elizabeth now had her other hand on his arm, and Teyla and Ford had appeared over her shoulder.

"John."

Looking up at her, he scraped a hand through his hair roughly, sighed. "Really bad day, Elizabeth."

She grimaced, her mouth set into a thin line. "Let's get you to the infirmary."