THE PINK GAS
PART THREE: CAN'T STAND THE HEAT
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"Voodoo," McKay muttered.
Sheppard chuckled and walked between the two beds.
Beckett's eyes blinked opened. They were half hooded, red rimmed and sunken. His gaze remained unfocused as he continued to tug on the scrub shirt with greater anxiety but with equally poor results.
"Hey, easy there doc," Sheppard tried to soothe as he stepped forward--and stopped unsure of what to do. "Hey? You hear me doc? Carson?" Sheppard hunched over trying to capture Beckett's gaze.
"Iz hot," Beckett mumbled again stretching an arm out away from his body dragging the IV line with it, forcing Sheppard to dodge out of the way. The aluminum pole tottered with the movement, nearly tipping over.
Sheppard shot out a hand to steady the post but stopped before actually touching it.
"I know, Doc, I know," Sheppard agreed, anything to keep the frustration and irritation from building too much in Carson. "Dr. What's-his-name said it's going to pass. You just need to ride it out."
Beckett pushed at the blankets again in irritation.
Sheppard turned to Rodney, "Anyone else been by?"
"Just the nurses and that witch doctor Carson's got working for him."
Sheppard sighed, sitting partially on the side of Beckett's bed, and turned with his back to the foot of the bed. "McKay, they've patched your ass back together enough times; I'd think that you'd realize they know what their doing."
"Carson," McKay snarled back, "has patched me back together; he's the only one who knows what he's doing."
Beckett once again started fidgeting, kicking at the blankets in an uncoordinated attempt to shed them. He shoved his pillow partially away in irritation, twisting away from it muttering, "Hot."
"Come on Doc, take it easy," Sheppard said a little nervously, uncomfortable with seeing the steadfast Beckett struck down by a simple vapor. A pink one no less.
Carson mumbled again turning back on his side, twisting the scrub shirt up under his torso. He shoved his hands against Sheppard as if the close proximity of a body emanated too much heat. "Hot."
"Alright, alright, I'm standing up," Sheppard responded giving the insensible Carson a put upon look.
"Why's he breathing so fast like that?" John asked as Beckett once again pulled at the scrub shirt and partially succeeded in removing his blanket.
Carson settled down for an uneasy moment, as if his body was testing to feel if it was indeed cooler.
"Vapor illness?" The sarcasm in Rodney's answer had Sheppard turning his full attention to the astrophysicist and scowling at him.
Sheppard skewered up his face shaking his head at Ford's new name for the gas.
Rodney ignored it and pointed out, "You better fix his blanket before nurse Helga storms in here and bites your head off."
As if on cue, said nurse called out from somewhere behind the curtain and announced her approach to the secluded men.
"Oh," Sheppard quickly grabbed the sliding blanket as it puddled itself more on the floor than on the patient.
Nurse Helga was not known for her benevolent bed side manner at least not when it came to McKay or Sheppard.
Sheppard draped the blanket back up over Carson. "Sorry Doc, but Helga will kick my ass."
With the blanket settled back in place, Carson began moving in a jerky uncomfortable manner, muttering again about it being hot.
Sheppard watched for an uneasy moment, feeling a tinge of guilt but fearing the impending run in with the nurse.
"Listen McKay, I've got to go for a bit." John backed away from the beds and headed for the curtain, feeling bad about replacing the blanket after Beckett's hard fought battle to dislodge it.
"Oh, fine, a rat abandoning a sinking ship," Rodney mumbled out slumping back down in his bed as he listened to the impending heavy foot falls of the thick soled orthopedic shoes of one Nurse Helga, the Hulk.
"Hey, I'm no rat," Sheppard retorted indignantly.
"Sure, fine, whatever, enjoy your block of cheese."
"Ahh, look who is here, my two least favorite patients in all the Pegasus Galaxy." Helga's deep voice matched her thick calves which seemed to stream line right to her heels, obliterating any part of a tapered ankle. She rested large callused hands on solid block hips and tapped her blunted fingers against her uniform pockets. "Boys."
"I was just leaving," Sheppard stammered and cut and run like a wide receiver running a key hole pattern.
"Bastard," Rodney muttered. He sunk down even further in his bed as the nurse approached. McKay breathed a sigh of relief when she focused her attention on Beckett.
"Oh Dr. Beckett, you're burning up," she muttered, laying a knuckled hand on his forehead. He rolled his head away irritated, muttering and insensible, "Hot."
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TBC