A/N Sorry about the horrid amount of time it has taken me to update this fic. It is really hard to write with a swollen wrist. You can thank the bees for that one; they didn't seem to like me all that much.
Oh yea. Don't think that everyone is getting off that easy, otherwise it wouldn't be Stargate. Hehehe. You'll just have to stick with me to figure out what all of their little trials and triumphs will be, but in my brain, it seems to be a load of fun. So I guess we will see what happens.
One last bit of chatter. For those of you who have taped the first season, or have really good memories, re-watch Suspicion. In the briefing room scene, after Teyla drags Ford back through the gate, Bates storms out. Also, apparently, does his chair. It's gone for a few moments when John turns back to Liz. Just thought someone out there might find that kinda cool. Now, here is chapter two.
? Space?
"Dr. Beckett, can I speak with you for a moment?" Elizabeth rapped lightly on his office door, not wanting to disturb him. Ever since they had come back from their last mission, Carson had been wrapped up in his work. The drug the Hoffan's had created seemed to be some sort of miracle drug, but there were still a few problems. His main task so far had been to find a way to make it viable for use.
"Don't tell me you want a test too, lass." Carson snapped his reply and threw down his pen. This whole Atlantis dating thing was really beginning to grate on him.
"No, that's not it. Not it at all." Liz was surprised. Did this whole thing really hurt him that much?
"Then what did you need?" His tone had lost its edge, taking on the softness of a man who has had too little sleep. Carson rubbed the heel of his hands over his eyes, trying to stimulate them.
"I was actually wondering how it's possible for Teyla to have a child. Last time I checked, Major Sheppard was from earth." That one question had been haunting her for the last week, ever since John had 'boinked' up to her in the hall.
"I had been wondering about that as well. I think I have an idea about that." He grabbed a shorter stack of papers and held them in front of himself. "Go ahead and sit, lass." Liz did as she was told, moving into the seat in front of his desk. It struck her how much his office looked like a doctors office on earth, including the gray walls. "I think it's because of his ATA gene. Maybe it acts like a bridge between the two, seeing as they are descendants of the Ancients themselves." He yawned despite himself, throwing his hand up to block his mouth.
"How long have you been awake?" Liz glanced at the stack of paperwork he had built up, noting that there were many hours of work put into it.
"Yesterday." The first part of his sentence was cut off by a yawn, and he had to repeat himself. "Since yesterday."
"Go to sleep, Carson. I'll get Rodney down here to work on this." Her tone had softened, and she pointed towards the door.
"He already said he wanted to work on some gadget he found in one of the sweeps."
"Trust me, I can make him do this. I have my ways." He nodded to her, but the coldness was back. 'Poor man must be lonely,' she thought, 'having come all this way with no knowing if he would return.' She stood and made for the door. 'At least everyone else has been able to find someone to hold.' She thought of Rodney, and smiled.
"I better not find you still at this desk when I get back." She left the room, not waiting to see if he would protest.
? Space?
'Damn woman thinks she can order me to do anything she wants. I was perfectly happy working in my lab.' Rodney busied himself around his lab, cleaning things up. 'How the hell did this happen?' He had moved one of the spare laptops, noticing there was a moist spot underneath it. He poked at it with his finger, noticing that it was slightly pinkish in color.
"That's strange," he said aloud, then looked to see if anyone had heard him. As no one had, he poked the liquid again. If possible, it seemed to be growing and changing shape. He suddenly felt warm and fuzzy, like he was starting to fall asleep. Rodney wasn't even aware enough to feel his legs buckle, or his head smack the corner of the table. His last thought before the blackness closed in was that Liz was going to be so mad at him.
? Space?
After threatening McKay with a stint on the couch if he didn't go and finish Carson's work, Liz made her way to the commisary. Word around the base was that tonight was 'real-food' night, and a good chunk of pie was just screaming her name. She found a flavor she liked, and then saw Teyla seated at a table by herself. She was also nursing a piece of pie, but from the looks of it, that pie was in no danger of being eaten.
"Mind some company?" Teyla jumped in her seat. She hadn't heard Liz approach, being to engrossed in her pie. It was made from a native berry, one that Ford had managed to name before John could stop him. He called it a snirkle, but even Amanda hadn't been able to figure out what it meant. The name was quite catchy, however, which meant John hadn't been able to change it afterwards.
"Something on your mind?" Teyla hadn't even noticed the older woman sit across from her, having been poking at a rather large snirkle.
"Nothing of any consequence."
"And I'm Oprah." Teyla glanced quizzically at her, not understanding what an 'Oprah' was. "She's a T.V. host back on earth. She has a talk show, mostly for people who have problems or have lived through something terrible." Teyla nodded her understanding.
"It concerns myself, along with my child." Liz's head shot up. That was the last thing she had been expecting, especially from a woman such as Teyla.
When there seemed to be no elaboration, she pushed the subject. "What about?"
"Even having lived in the shadow of the Wraith for so long, my people always knew that there was a glimmer of hope. They never took all of us at once, only a chosen few. Now, they are coming to annihilate Atlantis, and they will not be, as you say, picky. I fear that bringing a child into the world right now is an unwise idea, but there is no way I would want to change this." She patted her lower stomach, knowing that there was a life growing in there. Liz nodded her head, understanding dawning on her. When John had first told her, she figured Teyla's lack of enthusiasm was due to hormones. All that time, she had been hiding a guilty feeling for having a child right now.
"Have you talked to John about this?" Teyla shook her head no. "I think you should. You would be surprised, but I believe he has to feel somewhat the same way."
Liz looked over at the door and saw Carson standing there, his eyes scanning the room. He saw her looking back at him and made his way over to the table. "Hello, Elizabeth."
"Carson, didn't I tell you to get some sleep?" Her eyes quickly scanned his face, looking for any indication that something had gone truly wrong.
"I was going to, but I thought I would wait for Rodney to show up so I could tell him what I've completed." He looked around the commisary again. "He isn't here, is he?"
"I told him to head down about a half hour ago. It can't have taken him that long to show up, his lab is only down the hall from your infirmary." Carson nodded his agreement. "Lets go find him."
Teyla watched as the two left the commisary in search of the wayward Dr. McKay. She pushed back her pie, then stood to go. Liz was right; she should talk to John about what was troubling her.
? Space?
"Rodney, unlock this door right now!" Liz's hollers echoed down the hallway, attracting the stares of passers-by.
"Dr. McKay, I wont hesitate to use a very large needle the next time you come into my infirmary." Only silence could be heard from his lab. If Rodney was inside, he was doing a good job of keeping quiet.
Liz pushed a com-link on the wall. "Peter, I need you to override the lock on McKay's lab." She couldn't shake the feeling that something was very wrong with this whole situation.
The door buzzed lightly, and Grodin's disembodied voice was heard over the com. "Done. You can go in now."
Liz didn't bother to thank him, her fear escalating to barely tolerable levels. She opened the door and stepped inside as soon as possible. "Rodney? Are you in here?" A pair of feet could be seen sticking out from next to one of the many tables. She glanced quickly at Carson, who nodded at the shoes. Liz ran over and knelt next to the prone man. His face was ashen, contrasting with the bleeding gash on his forehead.
Carson checked for a pulse, then thumbed his radio. "Med team to Dr. McKay's lab." Scurrying feet could be heard as one nurse radioed back an affirmative.
Liz reached down and stroked his cheek tenderly. "Rodney, wake up." Her voice was barely above a whisper, but it was forceful. "Come on, wake up." A single tear made it's way down her face, but she ignored it. His breathing was becoming shallower with every passing moment, causing his already sickly complexion to pale.
Liz became aware of a man pulling her away, and for a moment she fought it. "Dr. Weir, let them help." Carson's thick brogue brought her back to reality, and she stepped away. The doctors would take care of him, and he would be fine. If only she could believe that.
? Space?
"Hey babe. Did you hear that Rodney put himself in the infirmary again?" Teyla looked up from her position on the couch. She had gone back to her quarters to find John, but he wasn't there. Rather than go off looking for him, and possibly missing him, she had nestled into the couch with a book he had brought along. She had asked to be taught how to read, and he had acquiesced. The book he had been instructing her out of was called Tom Sawyer. She hadn't understood it at first, but the main character was much like the boys Jinto played with back on the mainland.
"How did he do that?" She sat up on the couch, her blanket falling off her shoulders in the process. John took an audible gulp before he continued.
"He, ah, he hit his head while passing out. Carson still doesn't know why he fainted, seeing as he had eaten recently." John was in serious need of some air, as it was getting hot in that room. Teyla was wearing the short cropped-off halter she liked to wear under all of her shirts, along with a short skirt. The shirt ended just below her breasts, and her flat stomach was clearly visible in the dim light. "I was, um, coming to get you so we could go see how he's doing." That's right John, think of Rodney.
"Then we should go." She grabbed her discarded shirt; now fully aware of the effect she was having on him. She pulled the shirt over her head, but was momentarily surprised when she felt two hands stopping her. John had closed the distance between them with a few short strides and was now peering into her eyes from under her shirt.
"Do we have to?" His eyes were begging to stay, but she knew he would want to go. Rodney was a member of his team, and no one got left behind. Even if said behind was in a doctor's care.
"Later." She leaned forward and kissed him, then pushed him out of the way. She finished putting on her shirt and marked her place in the book.
"I'm going to hold you to that, you know." He grabbed her hand and pulled her out the door. 'And if Rodney lives, I'm going to kill him.'
? Space?
Carson had called an impromptu meeting at Rodney's bedside to reassure his stricken friends. John sat on the next bed over, holding a sullen Teyla in his lap. His right hand was clasped across Liz's, who was uncharacteristically still. Amanda sat in a chair towards the foot of his bed, with Ford keeping vigil at her side. Carson glanced around at his circle of friends before proceeding.
"So far, we can't find any reason why he should still be asleep. The head wound was only severe enough to cause a minor concussion, but he should have awoken. He's not in a coma, but instead what looks to be a type of REM sleep."
"Will he wake up?" Liz's voice was barely above a squeak. It seemed strange to see her so worn, so tired.
"Well, we have no idea why he hasn't yet, so we cant tell you when. But it seems that he will wake up on his own, without any intervention from us." As if on cue, a moan could be heard from the bed.
"Rodney?" Liz leapt off her bed and was at his side in a moment.
"How in the world did I end up here?" He seemed coherent enough, so Carson helped him sit up.
"What do you remember?" The Doctor had pulled out his little penlight and was shining it in his eyes. Rodney swatted at the unwelcome brightness, causing everyone present to laugh.
"I was cleaning up, getting ready to come down here, and I woke up here. What time is it?" Carson had taken his watch away, and John supplied him with the time.
"0225."
"Is that all you remember?" Rodney nodded his head in the affirmative, reaching up to touch the bandages on his forehead.
"Well, that's the worst nap I've had in a while." Liz reached over and smacked him on the back of the head. "What the hell was that for?"
"I was worried you were hurt. But seeing as you can make little jokes, maybe I shouldn't have been." Her once-happy look was now replaced by a deep scowl, matched only by the one on his face.
Everyone took a step back, not wanting to get in the middle. "Ok, now I'm confused. If you didn't want me hurt, why did you hit me after a head injury?"
"I don't know." Liz's answer was simple, but Teyla picked up on the undertones quickly.
"Do not blame her, Dr. McKay. I believe it is only a mood swing." Carson looked at Teyla, and realization dawned on his face.
"I think I know what you are saying, lass." He turned to the small crowd gathered around the infirmary. "All of you, out. Now," he added, seeing their hesitation. "Rodney will be done here just as soon as I run a few tests. Now shoo." He pushed them all out the door, amid a few scattered yelps of protest.
He made sure they were gone before closing the door. "Ok Rodney, I just need to run a few tests, like I told them." He turned to the last person left in the room. "And for you, lass, I need you to give me a bit of your blood." Liz looked up from her spot beside Rodney's bed, curious.
"I'm sorry I snapped, but what does this have to do with my blood?"
"I have a hunch, but I don't want to say anything unless I'm right." Liz agreed and rolled up her sleeve. Time to donate to the Vampiric Doctor's fund.
? Space?
A/N Well, did anyone watch the episode? Huh? I hope you do, because I know it's fun to see the big guys mess up once in a while. Makes them seem more human. Hope you liked it. Chapter three will be up real soon, much quicker than this one anyway. Much Luvs from the Furlings!
