Stay with me.
Chapter two.
Author's note: Hey guys! Thanks for the fantastic reviews! (Except one, some people have no lives then to give horrible comments to others)
As ordered and promised, I deliver now the next chapter!
Enjoy!
When John's scream echoed through her ears, Elizabeth, shocked, pulled back so fast she landed on the floor with a loud thud.
With her, the IV tube had fallen, spilling it's contents along the floor around her.
"John?" She whispered painfully, climbing to her knees to look at him. He was watching her, his wrist in his mouth where it was bleeding from the plastic tube being ripped from his arm.
She noticed his eyes were wide and fearful, and he was backed into the top corner of his bed. Away from her. Feeling her heart rip slightly, she stood up, and took a step closer.
His eyes searched frantically and he backed away further, reaching the end of the bed and falling over the side. Frowning, she walked around slowly, completely at a loss for what was going on.
"John?" She whispered kneeling in front of him. His eyes filled with uncontrollable fear.
"Where's my mom?" He yelled suddenly, as Elizabeth fell backwards. He lurched forward, skirting around to the next bed and hiding in the corner, watching Elizabeth with weary eyes.
As they heart monitor above them began to give off several loud erratic beeps, Carson and some others ran into the room. Seeing the state of chaos, he ordered John back onto the bed. Only to be met by an empty glare.
"Elizabeth?" Carson asked gently, lifting her off the floor as the medical personnel gathered around John in a circle. "What happened?"
Suddenly loud crashes could be heard. As the nurses attempted to get close with syringes full of pain killers, John began to struggle, attempting to escape, pushing people out of the way in his desperate, violent fight.
"Major Sheppard!" Carson snapped, not taking John's silence and odd behavior as anything serious. He took the closest needle and walked forward, grabbing John's arm. In a quick movement, John had brought out his other fist, and Carson was thrown backwards into a collection of medical equipment.
Elizabeth looked at him in quick concern as the nurses and doctors gathered around their unconscious friend, before Elizabeth took a small step toward John.
"John?" She asked gently, taking another smaller step forward as John backed away slightly, "John? Why don't you tell me what's going on? You can trust me. You know that."
John's eyes lessened in fear, as he used his fists to dig at his eyes.
"I want my mom! Where's my mom! Where am I?"
Elizabeth held out her hand, automatically realizing the John Sheppard she knew wasn't here.
With shaking movements, John grasped her hand and pulled her into the corner with him, snuggling into her side and looking fearfully at the doctors who were watching carefully.
"It's going to be okay John." She said soothingly, kissing his hand, "It's going to be okay…"
Elizabeth stayed with John's terrified form as the nurses and doctors helped Carson onto a bed and held a cold compress to his unconscious head. The nurses had approached several times, trying to get John to move, but each time he dug further into Elizabeth's side and refused to move. Elizabeth herself awkwardly rubbed his back, wondering what on Earth had happened to revert John back into his childhood state.
An hour or so later (To Elizabeth and her hurting heart it seemed more like forever), Carson opened his eyes and climbed to his feet, kneeling in front of the pair with a needle in his hand, as John looked at him, shaking his head in a negative way, his eyes full of fear. Carson threw Elizabeth a knowing look.
"John," Carson whispered, as John's grip on Elizabeth's hand grew tighter, "I need to give you this needle son. It will make you feel better."
John looked at Elizabeth and shook his head again.
"Where's my mom?" He croaked, swiping unsuccessfully at his eyes. Elizabeth wiped away his tears with her thumb. Carson sighed.
"Son, your mother isn't here. She told us to tell you she loves you and asked that you do all me and Elizabeth here says okay?"
John nodded pathetically, sniffling.
"So are you going to let me give you this needle?" Carson asked.
John nodded, holding out his free arm.
Carson nodded and gently injected the substance. John sucked his thumb for a minute.
"Brave boy. You're a very brave boy." Elizabeth said soothingly, rubbing his hair.
John nodded as his eyes drooped shut.
"Mommy said I am brave for an eleven year old…She says one day I'm going to follow in daddy's footsteps…" And with that his eyes shut and he was asleep.
Carson carefully moved forward and with Elizabeth's help, managed to get John onto the nearest bed.
"What the hell is going on Carson?" Elizabeth asked half an hour later, sitting in the briefing room, Carson, Ford, Teyla, McKay and Bates sitting around her.
Beckett climbed to his feet.
"Well, after John protected you from the fireball," He said in Elizabeth's direction, "I can't pretend to know what the hell happened. I might have missed something, but as far as I know, John had broken ribs, a punctured lung, major bruising and a bruised liver. He had no head trauma, no concussion, no trauma in the head area at all! Even Elizabeth, you commented both his eyes were un-dilated, he was coherent and knew what had happened! It makes no sense to why he should revert to the past!"
Bates looked around for a minute.
"Ma'am, we need to consider the fact of incarceration."
Elizabeth looked up at him sharply.
"What are you saying Sergeant?" Her eyes narrowed and Bates took a cautious look at the annoyed people around him.
"Well ma'am, as you said, if the Major is not himself, not only is he a danger to us, but to himself too. If he were to get out…I also suggest reliving him of his command and having a new military commander in charge."
Elizabeth felt rage pump through her veins.
She stood to her feet, and although she was shorter then most of the others on Atlantis, she still towered over Bates in his chair, and the air around her was terrifying.
"I never want to hear you say that again Sergeant." She said in a deadly whisper. The others would have laughed if the situation not so dire. "While there is a snowball's chance in hell that John is going to get well again, not only is he going to keep is position as military leader, but he'll be free to roam to the halls of Atlantis, in the chance it jogs his memory!"
Bates stood also.
"You risking all of our lives! Sheppard is a risk having him here! If I were leader, I would rather have him killed then laying a price on all our lives! Just because you have feelings for him doesn't mean it should impair your judgment! I have Atlantis well being in mind! And so should you!"
The people around them stood to their feet in anger.
"I," Elizabeth said coldly, "have had Atlantis best interest in my heart since we got here, and don't you dare say anything different! Major Sheppard is one of the best things to happen to Atlantis! Without him, you would be dead, I would be dead and hell, Atlantis would have probably been destroyed by now!"
"I'm not denying he's helped us in the past! But now he is holding us down! With him here he's not saving our lives, he's endangering them!"
"Or maybe your just trying to suck up John's position and respect here! Your track record hasn't been well has it? I saw on your file! Your CO's said you think your self important and think your always right! I heard you shot down three of your own helicopters, Because you thought they were the enemy! It's why you got dumped here!"
Bates face slowly went red, holding in his anger. His next words were cold and careful.
"Yes sir. But I never had feelings for my subordinate that put hundreds of peoples lives at risk."
A loud slap echoed through the room as Bates put a hand to his bleeding cheek. Rodney gently pulled Elizabeth away.
"The slug isn't worth it Elizabeth." He said gently. Bates wiped the blood onto his jacket.
Rodney glared at him.
"Your dismissed solider!" He said coldly. Bates crossed his arms.
"Your not my CO."
McKay pushed Elizabeth back, stepping in front of her.
"Right now Bates, Since the major in incapacitated, I'm in control! And if you want me to get Ford here to give you the same order as I'm about to give you, so be it. I ORDER you to go to your quarters and stay there until myself or Elizabeth say otherwise!"
Bates nodded stiffly, picking up his papers. As he walked past and out the door, only Teyla heard what he muttered under his breath.
"Stupid cow. We all know she's sleeping with Sheppard."
She frowned in anger. Ignoring it for the moment, she turned back to the group to see Elizabeth's shoulders wracked with small sobs she was desperately trying to force back. Nodding, Teyla took Ford and Carson's hands, dragging them from the room as Elizabeth crumpled in Rodney's arms.
Ttfn!