Chapter 6

It wasn't just the lightning storms. As he lay there, it seemed as if the entire history of their friendship spun through his mind. Thoughts. Feelings. He closed his eyes, concentrating, remembering. First impressions, plenty of ability, but the social skills of a tadpole – then a single act of bravery that told him maybe there was more to this man. A flood of images, and their emotions, all sweeping toward the hours in the cave...

He must have dozed, he thought absently, fallen asleep on his bed in his quarters without realizing it. Halfway between sleep and waking, he hovered in a pleasant limbo, thinking he had a lot to do - reports to write, training to plan. But it was so nice here. Quiet. Warm.

"Rodney!" He jerked upright, into Beckett's restraining arms.

"Easy, lad." He stared up at him, around at the others. Selmac was removing the device and putting it away with an air of satisfaction. Weir was at the foot of his bed. He could feel the others were in the room, but for now they were unimportant.

Bed, not gurney. They were back in the infirmary. Gently, Beckett eased him down, gestured to a bed behind him where McKay lay, face smooth and relaxed in sleep. His colour was normal.

"No tubes," he said. Beckett smiled.

"No tubes," he agreed. "You were - uncomfortable - Selmac thought we should come back here before he healed you."

"Healed."

"Stand up," Selmac said, and Sheppard blinked once, then sat. And stood.

The pain was gone. The wound was gone, and he took two steps to McKay's bedside, hospital johnny flapping around his legs, pulled down the sheet, pulled up the scrub top.

He could see where it had been, the restored skin was faintly lighter, but theterrible injuryitself was gone. He closed his eyes in relief, held on to the bed rail hard as he felt his knees weaken.

Weir and Beckett caught him, steering him back to the bed, where Weir tucked him in as Beckett straightened McKay's bedclothes out.

Though he fought it, he was asleep almost before his head hit the pillow.

oOo

Again, in the twilight world, he lay and listened. Someone was near by, he could hear movement, and the step wasn't familiar, as Elizabeth's would be.

"Sam?"

It was Jackson calling her name, and when she responded "Here" he realized she was by McKay's bedside.

Footsteps crossed the floor, men's steps, one set slower and firmer than the other. Teal'c was with Jackson.

"We were going to get dinner. Your dad and Dr. Weir are getting along like a house afire. Want to come?"

"Yeah." It was reluctant. "In a moment."

There was a pause.

"I am pleased that your father was able to help these men, Colonel Carter." That deep rumble could only be the Jaffa.

"Me too."

Another silence.

"He called me a dumb blonde, you know that?" The tone was partly insulted, partly affectionate, and Jackson laughed softly.

"I heard."

"When I heard he'd been recommended for the mission, I was envious - of course - but when I heard he'd accepted I was stunned. A possible one way trip with danger at every corner - didn't sound like him."

"You were surprised, then," Teal'c said.

"Heck, yeah! I figured he'd head back to Toronto and take a nice safe teaching post. And here he is now. And he's almost…buff."

Jackson laughed outright at that. "It's the geek's guide to fitness. Before I joined the SGC I was carrying a few pounds extra."

"Something else is disturbing you, Colonel Carter."

"Well, yeah." He heard her move around to the space between their beds. "How did I misjudge him so badly?"

The others said nothing.

"I mean, when choosing a team, Rodney McKay is not anywhere on my list. Or, he wasn't. I'd worked with him twice, we'd spent hours together, and still Major Sheppard sees potential where I didn't. I don't like thinking I'm that bad a judge of character."

"You only knew him in the mountain, Sam," Jackson said kindly. "You never know how someone will react in the field, until you get into the field."

Another silence.

"Did you see him?" and her voice was from right above him, and he tried to open his eyes but they were so heavy.

"When Dad told him he was healed, his first thought was for Rodney. He didn't question it. He just...hopped out of bed and went straight for him."

"You read the report," Teal'c said. "I would believe they did not expect to survive."

"I'm glad he's found his niche." Her voice was affectionate. "And friends."

They were getting ready to leave; he could hear it in their movements. With a mighty effort, he pried open his eyes and found he was staring at the back of a blonde head. Dumb blonde. He snickered - or in his mind he did, outside it sounded more akin to a cat struggling with a hairball.

She turned; smiling, and Jackson and Teal'c joined her at the bedside.

"Dad mentioned you'd likely be waking up around now," she said. "You'll be foggy for a bit. You're fine, though, and so is Rodney."

"I 'member." It was like talking through wool. She brought the bed up a bit and helped him drink some water. The freshness of it helped drive the cobwebs out, and he glanced over at McKay. He saw the look she gave her friends, but he couldn't help it. And, of all people, he knew they understood.

"He's fine," she repeated. "My dad does good work."

He smiled at her. "Staying?"

"Couldn't get rid of us that quickly. We're here for another few days, Daniel's dying to see some of the city."

"I'd be glad to give you a guided tour." Words were coming more easily again, and he was feeling much better.

"That would be nice. I want to see Rodney's lab, too. Dr. Zelenka showed me some of what you've found, but we haven't had..."she looked over at Rodney "a chance to really look around."

He grinned at that a bit ruefully, glanced over her shoulder and nodded at Beckett, who was heading up the row of beds towards them.

"Very good," he greeted them. "I have a tray of supper coming for you, Major. Dr. Carter, your father was looking for you and your team."

Sam grinned, ducked her head. "Daddy calls," she quipped, and followed the others as they headed out.

Beckett watched her go. "Lovely lass," he said wistfully. "Smart as our Rodney but a better package to put it in…"

"You dog, you." Sheppard raised his eyebrows. "But I must say I see why he's been carrying a torch for her."

Beckett nodded, still pensive.

"Doc? Dinner?"

oOo

Hours later, the lights were dimmed, Atlantis night. But Sheppard couldn't sleep. He lay on his back, arms behind his head, listening to McKay's even breathing, musing on the psychological benefits of burgundy scrubs over the hospital johnny he'd woken in at first. The johnny implied ongoing care, that certain accesses to areas not generally accessed in polite company were needed. The scrubs were a close relative of real clothes, and were indelibly tied to recovery and recuperation in his mind. With enormous satisfaction, he noted that he and McKay were both in scrubs.

Carson had been confident enough in the Tok'ra's work to actually take Weir's advice and go to bed. McKay would likely sleep the night, he'd said.

Jacob had been by, and he'd had the chance to speak to both him and Selmac - that had been a bit odd, but he'd adapted. 'Thank you' was a fairly universal concept. He'd replied 'You're welcome', but there was something there that made Sheppard feel like Jacob understood what wasn't said, as well.

There were a couple of biscuits left over from his supper, and he considered a nighttime snack, but decided against it. When the airman had arrived, in Carson's wake, with the tray, he'd simply stared - it had looked approximately like the amount of food he'd normally eat over days, not for a single meal. He'd started to say that, but the smell of meatloaf in gravy hit and he was abruptly ravenous. He'd managed to down almost all of it.

And now he alone was awake, his best friend snoring gently beside him. He stretched out, luxuriating in the absence of pain, and wondered, for a moment, if he rated scrubs and Carson didn't deem it necessary to stay in the infirmary, why he hadn't simply been released. But the next question was naturally 'where would he be for the night', and the answer would be 'the infirmary', which brought him back to the inescapable conclusion that Carson Beckett was just too sneaky for his own good.

He chuckled to himself at that, and rolled over to face McKay, closing his eyes.