SAMARITANS, part 7
A/N thanks guys for all the reviews,I think it's wonderful that so many of you have sent one.
Help coming
Ford and Teyla stepped through the Stargate to find themselves immediately greeted by one of the Marasians. After introductions had been exchanged, Teyla asked to be taken to Dr. Beckett. "We have come to take him home," she explained.
"Please come with me," replied their escort. "Maroni wishes to speak with you".
Exchanging a glance, the pair stepped down from the gate platform and followed behind the Marasian. Maroni was already waiting at the edge of the village to greet them. After the initial pleasantries, Teyla once again requested to be taken to Dr. Beckett.
"I'm afraid that isn't possible," replied Maroni. "Yesterday, he and Major Sheppard left for Kathlos, an outlying community, to assist them as he has here."
"We know this," interjected Teyla smoothly "But we were hoping he would have returned by now."
There was a short pause. "Unfortunately, it would seem they never arrived. We have lost contact with your people and their guide, Dalen. We have asked the people of Kathlos to begin a search, but so far, they have found nothing. Their efforts have been further hampered by a hurricane which is blowing in the area."
Teyla and Ford exchanged another glance. "If you will excuse us," said Teyla smoothly, "We will return to the Stargate and inform Dr. Weir. She may be able to send further assistance."
Maroni agreed and before long, they were standing in front of an open wormhole, Ford informing to Dr. Weir of the current situation.
"So, we need a pilot for the Jumper, Ma'am," he finished.
"Let me get this straight," Elizabeth's voice was distorted slightly by the radio, but still sounded irritated. "Dr. Beckett and the Major went to an outlying community yesterday, have since vanished and no-one can find them because there's a hurricane?" Her voice rose.
"Yes Ma'am." Ford could be succinct when he needed to. There was a short pause and Ford imagined Dr. Weir closing her eyes in that 'give me strength' expression.
"Very well," she sighed. "I'll send Markham through. He can pilot the jumper for you…and Ford?"
"Yes Ma'am?"
"Bring them back quickly…and in one piece."
"Yes Ma'am, Ford out." The wormhole snapped closed and Ford turned to Teyla. "As soon as Markham gets here, we'll start a search."
"What about the hurricane?"
"We can fly above it if we have to. We may be able to locate them via the life signs detector even through the storm, in which case we wait it out, then go in and pick them up."
Major Sheppard meanwhile was having problems of his own. As the storm increased in intensity, Beckett's fever had risen. So had his own, but he was too focussed on the doctor to take much notice of himself.
Carson was burning up, thrashing round in fever induced nightmares, mumbling incoherently. An occasional word came out in perfect clarity, leaving the Major no illusions that Beckett's hallucinations were pleasant. Sheppard had given up trying to stop the doctor from fighting the nightmares. He'd managed to wrestle the man's injured arm back into the vest to stop him from flinging it around and causing it more damage. John was no doctor, but even he could tell that Carson's fever was getting dangerously high and knew he had to do something soon. He'd tried dissolving a couple of the Tylenol in water but Beckett had spit them out; Sheppard had to admit they tasted pretty nasty. He'd moved the Scot as far away from the fire as he could, but it wasn't enough; he felt at a loss as to what to do next.
A blast of cold air accompanied by freezing rain blew through the cave entrance hissing into the fire. Beckett moved and tossed restlessly beside him calling for Perna. Sheppard looked at Beckett, then at the cave entrance and finally at the doctor again. His mind seemed somehow fogged, but then an idea came to him.
"Carson? Carson, I've got to try to cool you down so I need a little help here, ok? His only reply was a continuation of the ramblings that had been going on for a while. Quickly he stripped off as much of Beckett's clothing as he could, mainly shirt and T-shirt, then awkwardly hoisted him up, putting Carson's good arm across his shoulders. Then using the cave wall for support pulled them both into an upright position. For a moment Sheppard stood there, waiting for his own dizziness to pass, then praying his injured leg would take the strain, he hobbled them both to the entrance, and out into the storm.
As they left the shelter of the cave, the Major questioned the wisdom of his actions as the wind, shrieking like a banshee threatened to suck them off the rain slicked path and blow them into the swirling maelstrom of raging seas and flying spume below. The cliff face shook under the onslaught of the huge waves crashing into it; bursts of spray were flung up high by the force of the water, then snatched away by the wind and blown against the rock face. There was a peculiar thrumming noise in the air, a sound he'd never heard before, not even during the height of the storm in Atlantis.
The rain drove into them like tiny shards of glass, making Sheppard gasp. The combination of rain and spray combined to take his breath away, it was like trying to breathe under water as he fought to keep their balance against the relentless pressure of the wind. Despite the fact it was still day, the storm tossed sky made it virtually as dark as night, rendering it even more difficult to see where he was going. The path was slippery, wet, and treacherous both with rain and the runoff from the cliff, but he wasn't intending to move far from the mouth of the cave. Using his own body to shield Beckett from the worst of it, he pushed the by now unresisting sick man up against the sheer rock face and held him there. The sleeting rain, wind and spray seethed around them, trying to pluck the men from their precarious position and dash them into the sea below.
Carson was sunk in a miasma of memories, confusing and mixed up. The Wraith, the planet Hoth, tic-Wraith and other things he'd long ago thought were buried had resurfaced and were tormenting him in his fevered delusions. John Sheppard's face wavered in an out occasionally, but he couldn't tell what was real, and what was fever dreams anymore. He came back to reality suddenly, cold water slapping into his face. For a moment, he struggled, but then Major Sheppard's shouts brought him to his senses.
"Carson! Carson! For God's sake, stop struggling!" screamed the Major over the noise of the storm.
Beckett did as he was told, and stopped fighting the Major. "What the Hell are you doing?" he screamed back.
"You were burning up. I had to cool you down, I didn't know what else to do" he shouted apologetically
Beckett, not having the strength to shout back anymore, concentrated instead on not slipping and pushing them both over the edge, keeping a tight hold on the panic feelings he was having as the wind snatched his painfully drawn breath away.
Sheppard had no idea how long he stood there. The noise and battering he was taking from the elements deprived him of his sense of time leaving him numb and uncomprehending. Very soon though, he began to feel cold, feeling his strength draining away and decided enough was enough, it was time to get back into shelter. Marshalling his thoughts, trying to keep himself coherent, he turned his focus from the storm, and back to the man he was trying to help. Beckett appeared to be unconscious, sunk into a stupor that he himself was fighting against. Struggling with numb hands and trembling legs, John managed to haul the unresisting man back into the relative comfort of the cave. At first, the absence of wind, rain and thrumming wind left his ears ringing, but after a few minutes, he was able to hear again.
Sheppard laid Beckett back down on the soft sand of the cave floor, next to the fire, and tried to dry him off as best he could by simply trying to wipe the water away. At least Carson felt cooler to touch now, and wasn't mumbling incoherently anymore, though his silence was as unnerving as the mumbling had been.
Shivering uncontrollably he added more wood to the fire until he had a decent blaze going, quickly dressing the still quiescent doctor in the dry clothes he had taken off earlier. In the flickering firelight, the bruising covering Beckett's chest and arm looked horrendous, and Sheppard could only hope there was no internal bleeding. Finally, having done all he could to make Carson as comfortable as possible under the circumstances, John sat back himself, totally exhausted. He wanted to keep watch, but despite his best intentions, the lack of sleep, constant anxiety and his own deteriorating health caught up with Sheppard and his eyes slipped closed. Within seconds, he was fast asleep.
High above the storm, looking down from the advantage of space, Ford and Markham's expressions were grave.
It was Ford who finally put their collective thoughts into words. "If they're caught out in that…" he began.
Markham just nodded, eyes focused on the heads up display in front of him, where two dots had suddenly appeared. "I think I've got them," he said, excited. Ford leaned forward to get a better view.
"You sure that's them?" he asked. Markham gave him a withering look. "Hey, all I'm saying is it could be anything," countered Ford.
"I'm pretty sure it's them, there's nothing registering anywhere else and there were a whole lot more than that when we flew over Kathlos a while ago."
"Ok, mark their position, we can go take a look as soon as the storm clears, and pick them up."
"Uh-oh," from Markham.
"What?"
"They've gone. The life signs have just…gone." Both men exchanged looks.
"Well, mark the position anyway," said Ford grimly, "And as soon as we can we'll see what we can find."
TBC
