Thanks for the reviews. I'm glad everyone likes it.


Workday Wonders: Chapter Four

John and Rodney sat in silence on an infirmary bed, waiting for Carson to return. McKay glanced at John; he was looking away, his foot slightly swinging in the air. Rodney looked down at his lap, only one hand rested there. He felt strange; normally he would have crossed his arms, trying to make himself look like he had something super important to get back to.

Now he sat, one hand on either side of him, closer to Sheppard then he ever really wanted to be.

And he knew, just knew that Elizabeth would bend to Sheppard's will, and sooner or later he'd be on some planet, picking up food, wearing handcuffs, all he needed now was a bright orange jump suit.

And if she did succumb to John charming ways, was that indicative of how she felt? Would he lose out to the jock again? He didn't want to, he wanted to be the victor, and he wanted to be the one holding her hand.

But why would she even go for him? He couldn't even be civil with the Major for a day, even though the circumstances were extraordinarily unnatural, that was no excuse. Two men should be able to spend a day in…close proximity without chewing each others heads off.

Today was supposed to be a new day. He was going to start over, get on everyone's good side, and make new friends. Yeah right, and Hell was going to freeze over. What was he thinking; that he could actually pull it off? People would probably just think something was wrong and look at him like he was a freak instead of a pain in the ass.

"You're both fine." Carson said, strolling back into the room. The Scot smiled at his patients as he laid his papers down. McKay gave a half-hearted smile, if he couldn't make his own day; at least he was making other peoples. His fingers fidgeted on the bed, he wished he could just make everything disappear so he could be by himself and figure this out.

"So then we can go, and you'll tell that to Dr. Weir?" Sheppard asked.

"Ah...well, I suppose so. It isn't makin' ya any more likely to get in trouble than before." He leaned on the bed across from them, "But maybe you aught'a get someone else to fly you there."

"I can fly like this." John protested, "Believe me I've been in worse situations."

McKay sat silent through the whole thing. He wouldn't win no matter what he said, if Sheppard wanted to go, he'd get what he wanted.

Rodney wished he could be a people person, then none of this would be a problem. He could get the things he wanted by charming people the way Sheppard did. He could ask Elizabeth out, no problem, hell he'd even have more friends other than the people on his team, the few scientists, and Elizabeth.

He wasn't sure where he'd gone wrong in it all, but he was sure he could trace it back to his family. Actually he could pin point the moment it all went wrong; 6:28 am on September 10th, the moment he was born.

He wasn't sure what it was about him that they found distasteful, the fact he was a boy, the fact he was a genius, or that they really hadn't wanted another child. Regardless, he'd been pushed to the side, his accomplishments noted and put away, while his sister basked in the light of their parents love. Not that he blamed her, he used to, but he knew she didn't ask to the favorite, or that she asked them to ignore their son. They'd messed Jeanie up too, the pressured her to much, she was in rehab at twenty for some pretty heavy drugs. And once she'd cut off contact with them, things got better for her, at least the were going that way the last time he'd heard from her.

It was his parent's fault he couldn't talk to Elizabeth. That he could be the kind of friend he wanted to be.

His parents ruined everything.

He felt his arm being tugged at; he raised his eyes to greet four worried ones, two blue, and two hazel ones. Apparently John and Carson had finished their talk, and when John had gotten up to go Rodney hadn't, and he hadn't answered their calls either.

"Rodney are ya all right?" Carson asked, looking into his eyes, the humor from before gone. Rodney smiled slightly, this would make Carson second guess his findings, if he played it right; he could make sure he Sheppard didn't go anywhere.

But he didn't want to be confined to the infirmary either.

"I'm fine. I was just thinking." He hopped down off the bed. By the looks on both their faces, Rodney knew they were both reconsidering, "Look, I'm fine. It's not like I've never thought before. The…handcuffs," he hated saying that, "aren't doing anything. I swear, and your tests prove me right."

Carson let out a long sigh, his blue eyes darted back and forth between McKay and Sheppard. They were both fine. "Ok." He knew Rodney well enough to know that if something was wrong he'd be sure to let him know, and probably in the most annoying manner possible.

Sheppard's confidence came right back, he did his best pat McKay on the shoulder, he reached his right arm around, but it wasn't quite the pat on the back he was hoping for.

"Hey Beckett…" he said, nodding his head at Rodney. Carson caught on quick and gave Rodney a reaffirming pat.

"It'll be ok." He assured.

"Yeah." McKay muttered, maybe if he wasn't such a dope, like always. He laughed, John was Captain Kirk and he was Dopey. For change being the only real constant, he sure was having a hard time getting a grip on it.

He and John walked from the infirmary, hands in the open. Thanks to one Lieutenant Ford, everyone already knew the 'incredibly hilarious' news, as Zelenka had put it. Besides at that moment McKay had depressed himself into not really caring what others were saying.

Although, one thing was interesting; people were jealous of him because he was stuck to Sheppard. He felt awkward because they were girls that were jealous of him, but people were jealous of him, that was a first.


TBC…this chapter was going to be longer. I wanted to get it all done before class, but hey, some is better than none. I'll finish the rest and put that up sometime tonight I hope. R and R please.