Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate. Shucks. Neither do I own the song 'Slumber, My Darling'.
Author's Note: This is sort of a continuation of my New Arrival fic which I am not done with, not to worry. I just had a flash of inspiration for this one and wanted to go with it. I just figured that with the baby in the city, something like this was just bound to happen. This is in honor of the lovely Paul McGillion who was hilarious (and quite cute) in 'Duet', and in honor of the fact that David Hewlett is wearing jeans in the Atlantis promotion pictures :). Besides, the image of McKay as a father amuses me to no end. Enjoy!
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Carson Beckett couldn't sleep. Oh, he'd tried; in fact, he'd been trying for the past three hours with little success. He'd debated about taking a sleeping pill but he certainly wasn't going to get a full night's sleep, and it would just make him groggy in the morning. Which, glancing at the clock, he reminded himself was only four hours away. Plus, his supply of sleeping pills was running quite low lately. He somehow doubted Dr. Weir would let him make a special trip to Earth just for sleeping pills…actually, she might be persuaded due to the growing number of involuntary insomniacs. Och, the way things were going, they might even revolt and storm the Gate. And he could gently remind Elizabeth that it was partly her fault that almost the entire Atlantis contingent was sleep-deprived.
Carson sat up abruptly in his bed and scratched the back of his neck. He couldn't take it anymore. Something had to be done.
He swung his legs over the side of the bed and padded towards the door. He hit the wall console and the door slid open revealing Colonel Sheppard and Teyla in a hushed but obviously heated argument a little ways down the hall. They were both dressed for bed—John in a pair of Air Force sweatpants and an undershirt and Teyla in what Carson could only assume was the Athosian brand of nightclothes.
They stopped their verbal battle when they saw him.
"You too?" John asked with a defeated sigh.
"Me too?" Carson repeated in a strangled voice. "Me and the whole damn city, Colonel."
"Is there nothing that can be done?" asked Teyla.
Carson sagged against the wall. "I've tried. Believe me, I've tried, but there's only so much that can be done."
As if in response, a high, persistent cry echoed down the hallway. It reverberated off the walls, the noise streaming towards them, causing them all to wince. It wasn't loud but it still traversed the corridors with ease.
"Again," Carson sighed, disheartened.
"Again," echoed Major Lorne, approaching the trio at a sluggish gate. He looked at Carson with bloodshot eyes. "Why does she only do this when people are trying to sleep?"
Carson shrugged one shoulder. "She's a baby, she has colic which makes her fuss—"
"You say 'fuss', I say 'scream bloody murder'," Sheppard muttered.
"Beyond that your guess is as good as mine."
"That's it?" Lorne asked.
"Colic is a bit of a mystery even to doctors," Carson replied, noting the stricken looks on the men's faces; Teyla merely appeared resigned. "There are tricks parents can try, but naught's a sure bet."
The volume of the cry increased and Sheppard turned to Carson in desperation. "Can't you drug her or something?"
Carson glared at the colonel before rubbing a hand over his jaw, feeling the sharp bristle there. "I tried suggesting a sedative, but Elizabeth refused and I cannae ignore the mother's wishes." He waved a hand in the direction of the infernal noise. "And Rodney's out to prove he's Father of the Year by not lettin' anyone but him get Josie to sleep."
"He is attempting to get Josie to sleep," Teyla said. "Dr. McKay has yet to succeed."
"Och, well, the good news is colic usually clears up by three months."
Carson's proclamation was not met with relief as he had hoped but rather with dismayed looks.
"We have two and a half more months of this?" Major Lorne asked. His voice cracked a bit as he spoke.
"Carson," Sheppard said through gritted teeth, "we won't be able to take a couple more nights of this let alone a couple more months. If this doesn't stop soon, I'm shipping the McKays to the mainland until Josie is twenty-five. If we can't sleep, we can't work, and if we can't work—"
"Why are you tellin' me this?" Carson demanded. "What do you expect me to do 'bout it?"
"Gentlemen," Teyla said in her soft but firm way. "Instead of arguing amongst ourselves, why don't we visit Dr. McKay and see if there is anything we can do to help? Surely he is in need of sleep as much as we are."
Carson admitted that she had the right idea, although he very much doubted if Rodney would accept their help. He hadn't so far. Hopefully he was getting to a point of such desperation that he wouldn't refuse again.
As he followed Teyla towards the McKay living quarters, Carson noted that it was unfortunate that Elizabeth had taken to working at night when Josie was liable to fuss and napping in the day when Josie did. It worked well for her, but the rest of the city was not so lucky.
He could only imagine how their little group looked, all shuffling down the halls in their pajamas. Not to mention that he had to continuously keep Major Lorne from swerving into the walls as the Major kept trying to simultaneously nap and walk. And Carson had a sneaking suspicion that his hair was currently as unkempt as Sheppard's. With the exception of Teyla (who had an uncanny knack of looking put-together no matter what), they all looked disheveled and more than a little disreputable in their scruffiness. A bubble of laughter lodged in his throat at the thought.
Once they arrived, Teyla knocked lightly on the door, calling out, "Dr. McKay?"
"He probably can't hear you," said Major Lorne.
Teyla nodded and knocked louder. "Dr. McKay? It's Teyla."
When there was still no answer John moved forward and pounded on the door open-handed. "McKay! Open up!"
The door slid open to reveal a haggard McKay. He was wearing a pair of jeans that looked like they might've been from his grad student days and a rumpled T-shirt. Carson also noted the Rodney was barefoot. He would've found that amusing if it wasn't for the gash on his big toe that was bleeding sluggishly.
Frankly, Carson had rarely seen Rodney looking so tired. His face was pale and drawn,it looked like he hadn't shaved in days, and his eyes were bleary and bloodshot. He looked like he had been through the ringer and only just survived. He looked…well, he looked like a sleep-deprived father.
Josie was tucked up against his shoulder, crying her little heart out. She stopped briefly, but only to get her breath it seemed for she soon started up again.
"Oh, uh, hi," Rodney said. "We're keeping you up again, aren't we?" His eyes jumped from one face to another as he adjusted Josie slightly. "Sorry, I've, I've tried, I just…I, uh, I don't…" He trailed off and Carson thought for a moment that Rodney mightdissolve into tears.
Sheppard opened his mouth to say something but Teyla stepped in first.
"Dr. McKay, might I try?" she asked, nodding towards Josie.
Rodney took a small step back. "I don't know if that's—"
"It's a grand idea, Rodney," Carson interrupted. "Teyla can take Josie for a bit while we nip out and clean up that gash of yours." He crouched down to get a better look at it. "How did it happen, anyway?"
"My what?" McKay asked. He glanced down. "Oh, that. One of Josie's bottles slipped and fell. It's nothing."
"O' course it is," Carson said, standing up again. "But you should still put a plaster on it."
"A what?"
"A bandage," Carson clarified. "You're bleeding on the floor, mate."
"Don't make us take you by force," Sheppard said, indicating him and Major Lorne. "It's either this or the mainland, McKay."
Rodney's brow furrowed as he glared at Sheppard. "The mainland? What are you talking about? Look, I don't know what—"
As the volume of his voice increased, Josie became visibly more agitated. She began to wriggle and squirm, her tiny hands balling into fists. Her cries also redoubled their efforts.
"Aw, now look what you did," McKay hissed. He shifted the baby to his other shoulder and bounced her gently. It did nothing to calm her.
"Hey, that wasn't my fault," John argued.
"Gentlemen," Teyla said. She pinned them both with a stern look. "Neither of you is helping right now. Dr. McKay, please follow Dr. Beckett's advice. We will watch Josie while you are gone." Rodney opened his mouth but Teyla held a hand up to ward off his objections. "We might just help and we certainly cannot make things any worse."
"Ha," McKay said with a sneer but his heart didn't seem to be in it. "You won't let John hold her?"
"Hey!"
"I promise to take excellent care of her," Teyla said, holding out her arms.
McKay sighed and ever-so-gently transferred the baby to Teyla.
Carson clapped his friend on the back and ushered him out of the room. "Come, Rodney."
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It took Carson all of ten minutes to get Rodney down to the infirmary, and have his toe cleaned and bandaged. He suggested that McKay get cleaned up and maybe eat something before heading back but Rodney would hear none of it.
"They're not going to gate her off-world whilst you're gone," Carson said, following Rodney down the corridor. Under his breath he added, "You twat."
"I heard that," Rodney said sing-song over his shoulder.
Carson wasn't expecting Rodney to pull up short as he reached his room. McKay stepped into the open doorway and his mouth fell open. Carson stepped into the doorway as well and realized belatedly why he hadn't heard Josie crying on the approach and why the guards on duty had gravitated towards the room.
Teyla stood near the window singing a lullaby he didn't recognize, all the while swaying gently.
"Slumber, my darling, till morn's blushing ray
Brings to the world the glad tidings of day;
Fill the dark void with thy dreamy delights—
Slumber, thy mother will guard thee tonite."
She sang the soft, lilting lullaby in a soprano voice that was pure and gentle and lovely as summer rain. Cradled in her arms, Josie's closed eyes fluttered gently.
John was stretched out on the floor, his arms propped behind his head, listening to Teyla's song. He tipped his head back to look at Carson and Rodney. He grinned as Carson sagged against the door jam in relief.
In a chair across the room, Major Lorne was fast asleep, his head propped up on one hand.
Teyla finished her song, and, stepping lightly over John, she handed the sleeping infant back to McKay.
"If she wakes," Teyla whispered, "try swaying with her, or, let her sleep on your chest." She smiled. "The sound of a heartbeat is soothing."
She placed a hand on his shoulder for a moment and Rodney mouthed, "Thank you," with a sincerity so obviously heartfelt that Carson raised his eyebrows in surprise.
Teyla nodded and helped John up from the floor. They herded a nearly comatose Lorne out before excusing themselves, John's arm slung affectionately over Teyla's shoulders.
Carson patted Rodney's shoulder once more. "Night, Rodney," he whispered.
"Night," Rodney echoed faintly.
Carson chuckled as the door closed behind him.
The McKays will be all right, he thought with a smile. As long as Teyla's here to rescue us all.
With that thought, he padded back towards his quarters, reveling in the blissful silence.
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Author's Note #2: If you want to listen to the lovely song Teyla sings, pick up Yo-Yo Ma's 'Appalachian Journey'. The song is sung beautifully by Allison Krause. I was feeling too lazy to invent my own lullaby, but in the context, I think it works.