Thanks again you guys! You are way too nice (but I really love it!)! On with our story...

Chapter 7

Weir, McKay, Ford, and Teyla stood in the outer area of the infirmary, discussing the events that had just taken place in the control room. The strain of worry was apparent on everyone's face. It wasn't long before Beckett joined them.

"Well?" said Weir. "How is he?"

Beckett's smile took everyone's tension down a notch. "He'll be fine. He's already regained consciousness. His pulse and blood pressure are a wee bit high and, once again, his EEG patterns are very strange. I think I'll keep him here and monitored for a while...just as a precaution."

"That's good," sighed Weir, echoing the thoughts of the whole group. "Can we see him?"

Beckett considered the request for a moment before answering. "Aye, but only for a few minutes. I'm not sure exactly what he did back in the control room, but it really drained him. He's exhausted and he needs rest."

At that, he turned and led the way to Sheppard's bed. They were a little suprised at how pale he looked and how still he was. They hadn't seen him that still since he had regained consciousness. The rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor beside the bed drew their attention to the fact that he was hooked up to several monitors. Beckett really was keeping a close watch on him. As the group approached, they noticed he looked like he was asleep. At the sound of their approach, however, he opened his eyes and smiled weakly.

Weir took his hand in hers and smiled back at him. "You gave us quite a scare back there, but Carson says you'll be okay once you get some rest."

"I'm sorry," he said softly, almost like talking took too much energy. "Just...so...tired." His eyelids slowly closed, even though he seemed to fight it every step of the way.

McKay looked at Beckett, worrry lining his expression. "Are you sure he's okay?"

Beckett sighed. "I haven't been sure of anythin' since this whole mess began."

Sheppard slept for the next eighteen hours. It was a deep, almost motionless sleep that disturbed the medical staff more that just a little. Beckett checked the monitors often, usually scratching his head in confusion. Dr. Weir and members of Sheppard's team dropped in and out constantly to check on his condition. McKay finally took up residence next to his bed, laptop in hand. The staff heard him periodically direct comments or questions to the sleeping man. They were almost as worried about McKay as they were about Sheppard. So when the major finally woke up, no one was sure who was more relieved.

Two hours after Sheppard woke up, Weir finally just told everyone to leave her alone and headed for the infirmary. She spotted Dr. Beckett on her way to the major's bed, so she stopped to get an update. He looked up from the chart he was working on. "Elizabeth, I rather expected to see you a bit sooner."

"I thought I'd be here sooner. It seems everyone in the city had a crisis that had to be tended to right this minute." She glanced over towards Sheppard's bed to see him and Rodney hunched over the laptop. Rodney's chair was pulled up so close to the bed, he was practically sitting half on the bed and half in the chair.

She watched as Sheppard pointed to the computer screen and said something. Rodney, looking like a light bulb just turned on in his head, slapped himself in the forehead and rolled his eyes. She heard him exclaim, "Of course! I should have seen that weeks ago." He then began chattering in true Rodney McKay style, about a hundred miles a minute.

Weir looked at Beckett, not quite able to close her mouth. "Tell me I don't see what I think I see."

Beckett just shrugged his shoulders. "They've been at it almost since the major woke up. He's already made adjustments to two of Rodney's formulas and now they're working on a third. I don't have half a clue what they're talkin' about. I feel sort of like I wandered into a bloody math convention."

"Is he..."

"He's not back to...normal, if that's what you're askin'." Weir nodded that that was indeed what she had been asking. "Ya know, I started to runRodney out of here a little while ago. I was afraid the major would overdo it and wear himself out again. But then I noticed that all his vitals are slowly returning to normal. Whatever he and Rodney are doing is relaxing him and letting everything settle back down."

"Does this make any sense to you yet?"

"No, lass, but we keep picking up more pieces of the puzzle. I think if we just keep collectin' those pieces, they'll eventually show us an answer. At least, that's what I keep tellin' myself."

She watched a few more minutes as the two men continued their work. McKay said something that made Sheppard laugh and clap his hands, reminding her that he still had the mind of a child.

By the next day, Sheppard was back to normal...well, six year old normal. Blood pressure and heart rate were good. The EEG was pretty much back to the way it had been, pesky odd peaks and all. Sheppard had regained most of his strength and was subsequently driving the staff crazy. Weir came to rescue them around noon.

Beckett met her at the door, his labcoat twisted partially around him and his hair standing on end. "Please tell me you are taking him with you," he pleaded. She heard the sound of metal objects clattering to the floor on the other side of the room. Beckett folded his hands together as if praying. "Please?"

Weir grinned impishly. "What's it worth to you?"

Beckett glanced back as the infirmary was filled with the sound of more clanking metal, in addition to that of breaking glass. "Name your price."

Weir coninued to grin. "We'll discuss terms later." She headed back to the area where the crashing had come from. "John? It's Dr. Weir. How would you like to get out of here for a while?"

A few minutes later, Weir and Sheppard were walking down the hall. Sheppard was running his right hand up and down the wall as they walked and making swishing noises. He didn't notice when Weir stopped and he almost ran into her. "What are we doing?" he asked. She watched him intently until realization moved across his face. He ran his hand over the panel on the wall and watched the door to his quarters slide open. He slowly entered, followed by Weir.

He stood just inside the door. He hadn't been here in a long time and the room felt...empty...abandoned. Suddenly he felt very lonely. "Why are we here?"

Weir put her hand on his shoulder, causing him to jump. "I was talking to Dr. Beckett. We can't really have you living in the infirmary on a...long term basis. We thought you might like to go back to your quarters...starting tonight, if you think you're ready."

He stood there silently for several minutes, looking very much like a lost child. "It's not really...my...quarters." He walked over to the small desk and picked up a picture of himself and two army buddies standing in front of a helicopter. "This room belongs to Major Sheppard. That's not me...not any more." He wiped his hand across his face, his back to her so she couldn't see him wipe away the tears. Weir bit down hard on her lower lip, fighting back her own tears. At that moment she would have given absolutely anything to help him.

Suddenly, he put the picture down and turned to face her. "I guess if you want me to stay here, I could. I won't be afraid and I'll be good." He was trying to please her and she knew it.

"I don't want you to stay here until you feel you are ready. And if you would rather have different quarters, I'm sure we could arrange it. I don't want you to be uncomfortable here."

"No, I'm good."

The statement and the way he said it almost sent her reeling. She had heard those words so many times before. She reached out and touched the wall to steady herself.

"Dr. Weir, are you okay?"

"Yes,... I'm fine. Let's go see Dr. McKay. He wanted you to come help him in the lab today."

"Really? He wants me to help? Cool!"

Weir nodded and they left the room, Sheppard's mood having changed completely from just a few moments before. She wished her mood could lighten that quickly.

The next two days were relatively uneventful. Weir established a rotation schedule of who was responsible for Sheppard and when. The person with the last shift each day would stay in his quarters until he was asleep. The first person each morning would pick him up for breakfast. Weir knew the arrangement wouldn't work forever, but it would do for a while...as least until they figured out how permanent the situation would be.

Weir had been the one to tuck him in on his first night alone. After showing him how to work the radio headset (a lot of which he seemed to remember), she tested him by having him call her. He thought it was funny to call someone on the radio who was standing three feet in front of him. She made him promise to call her if he was afraid or had a nightmare. Her thoughts kept going back to the night she held him in the infirmary. She prayed he would never have another night like that again.

All in all, the past two nights had gone off without a hitch, so Weir was beginning to relax. They talked as they walked down the hall after lunch, once again heading for McKay's lab.

"So, what are you and Dr. McKay working on today?"

"Not sure." answered Sheppard.

"I noticed you have been helping with some formulas and calculations. Do you like that kind of thing?"

Sheppard smiled broadly. "I love math. It's easy. Well, some of Dr. McKay's problems aren't very easy. You have to think about it to get the right answer, but I like that. His stuff is really cool."

With that last statement, they arrived at the lab. When McKay saw them enter, he motioned for them to come over to the table where he sat working on the computer. As soon as Sheppard was close, he turned the laptop and around and proclaimed, "Look, it worked. I plugged it in just where you suggested and it worked like a charm."

"All right!" said Sheppard as he and McKay slapped their hands together in a high five.

Weir looked horrified. "Oh, I did not just see that. This is getting scary!"

McKay looked offended. "I think we make a good team."

"It's just so...weird to see you two working together instead of...seeing who can come up with the best insults."

McKay looked a little distant for a moment, but then it passed. "Yeah, I know. But there are certain aspects of our current situation that I have found rather... intriguing. I'm trying to get all my formulas and calculations fixed before we get him back to normal. I have to admit, I've rather liked having the help."

Weir got up and headed for the door. "Ford will get him later this afternoon. Rodney?"

"Yeah?"

"You realize that none of that math stuff on your computer has anything directly to do with ancient technology."

McKay looked at her in confusion. "What are you trying to say?"

"Food for thought, Rodney. Just giving you food for thought."

TBC