Yay it's finally compleat. I'm sorry but I had to go with my original intentions, so I can't appease everyone but hopefully you will all like this. Anyway please review, it makes me happy, so thank you to all who have review you've made my very happy. I still don't know about the whole pet thing but I think I'm leaning more to a squirrel, partially because there are lots of squirrels on campus lately that have been all super cute. Anyway it'll be a happier story than this one
McKay wouldn't speak to anyone for days. Teyla would often come in to keep him company but no words would be exchanged. She would simply sit there and keep him company often bringing him a new book or something to read while he wasn't sleeping. Later that day Beckett came in to check on McKay.
"Can I see him today?" he asked Beckett. He sighed and nodded.
"Yes, I'll let you see him today. I'll get the nurse to bring a wheel chair." McKay slowly moved to a sitting position it was quite painful but he did not protest it. Beckett came back in and transferred McKay's IVs from the stationary stand to the portable one.
"Did Elizabeth talk to SGC?"
"She did, there is nothing they can do. There is no way to save him, almost all brain function has ceased." McKay nodded. Nothing was said as he was wheeled into Sheppard's room. McKay almost didn't recognize him. Machines had taken over his entire form and Rodney knew that was all that was keeping his friend alive. He knew the time would come when they would take them off. It was a horrible sight to see and McKay couldn't stand to look at Sheppard's body anymore.
"We're leaving now." Beckett just nodded. On the way back to his room Weir stopped them.
"Rodney, would you like to take a walk?" She asked. McKay clearly didn't want to talk to her; he had not forgiven her for making him decide when Sheppard would die. But he didn't say anything to her and she took the wheel chair from Beckett and walked him out to the hall. Silence had fallen between them as they just walked about for a while. Finally she took him in to her office that overlooked the busy city.
"It's amazing how everyone can just continue on, like nothing's happening," McKay commented looking at everyone going about their daily duties.
"Atlantis is like a brick wall," Weir said, "if one brick crumbles the whole wall doesn't necessarily fall. However, more pressure gets placed on all the other bricks in the wall." She paused for a moment. "Especially those closest to the crumbled brick, they feel the loss the most." McKay nodded in agreement. Silence fell once again. He knew what Weir wanted to talk to him about. She couldn't bear to see Sheppard kept alive unnaturally.
"I can't do this anymore, for the first time in my life I don't know how to solve the problem. I don't have any answer. Elizabeth you're right, I think it's time"
"Time for what?"
"Time to let him go." A small smile of relief came to her face. A shadow of what it used to be. "I should be heading back; Carson will start worrying about me." She said nothing as she took him back to the infirmary.
"Let's give it until tomorrow morning," Weir said, "it's getting late now and it will give us time to prepare."
"Yeah"
"Good night Rodney." Once everyone left the tears came streaming down his face. He was angry, angry with Weir because she made him choose, angry with Beckett because he couldn't fix Sheppard and most of all, angry with him self, because he couldn't think of anyway to keep his friend from dying. He heard the door open and tried to wipe his face. He turned to see Teyla there. She bent down and kissed him on the forehead.
"Thank you," she said softly, "for doing what no one else could. You truly are strong." McKay took her hand as she settled in to sit with him. It was nothing more then that he felt calm with her around. It was comforting to know he still had at least one good friend to lean on.
Dawn seemed to come quickly and McKay woke up to find Teyla and Beckett sitting with him. "It is time," he simple stated to them. Beckett helped McKay in to the wheel chair and they walked over to Sheppard's room. Weir was already there and looked as if she had been there all night. As they walked in she inhaled deeply and blinked back the tears.
"I don't know if I can do this," she whispered quietly. Teyla moved to place a comforting hand on her back.
We all understand this is for the best."
"Yes, but I feel like we're letting him down."
"We'd be letting him down if we didn't let him go. You know that he would never want to live like this." Teyla had become everyone's rock. Weir let out a small laugh though the tears that had fallen.
"That is what I said earlier wasn't it." Teyla nodded.
"Yes, and it is true." Weir looked at McKay.
"Ready?"
"Yes." Beckett move to remove the ventilator from Sheppard's mouth. No breath came out and McKay could see the heart beat slowly decline. Right before he flat lined a flash of light filled the room and all that was left in Sheppard's place were the blue scrubs he had been wearing. Everyone stood stunned for a second and McKay looked around, to stunned to speak. Everyone looked surprised. Teyla was the first one to speak.
"What happened?" She looked around very confused. Weir turned to her with a mixture of surprise, sadness, but also a touch of happiness.
"He had ascended to a high plane of existence. I've only heard about it before but I've never seen it before. When the plague swept though our home galaxy the Ancients either ascended or died. Considering John had quite a bit of the ancient's gene in him, he learned to ascend." A small smile broke its way across McKay's face. While Sheppard was gone he knew that he was in better place. Weir looked around a bit uncertain for a second. "I should go inform the city." The other agreed.
"Lt. Colonel John Sheppard was a man of honor. He represented all that was good in our city. I know not everyone always got along or agreed with him. But Atlantis was a better city because of him. He will be honored." McKay listened and Weir made the rest of her speech. It was meaningful, but it couldn't stop the tears that managed their way down his face. Even Teyla was crying. He looked out over the crowed and saw that a large number of people were quite shaken. It brought him a bit of comfort to know Sheppard was well liked and that people would miss him. When a good person dies they should be missed.
After the funeral ceremony was over McKay went back to the infirmary with a promise that he could sleep in his own bed tomorrow. Teyla went to the gym to work off her sorrow, away from prying eyes, and Weir just stood silently on a balcony overlooking the ocean. She held on to one of the metals she was going to give to Sheppard before this happened. She looked at it closely and the cast it as far as she could into the glittering ocean. "All that is life returns to the water," she said quietly bring herself some kind of closer. She watched for a while longer before she turned to go back in side.
"Hey," a voice said to her. She turned to see Sheppard standing there smiling.
"John, is that really you," she asked in disbelief wrapping her arms around him and a tight hug.
"The one and only. The Ancients let me come back to say good bye to everyone." He brought her head up to meet her eyes.
"Can you stay, we really need you here." He frowned and looked down.
"I can't stay. I'm needed other places."
"I miss you John, Atlantis misses you."
"I miss you too, but I'll never truly be gone you know that. My time is limited I have to go. I'll see you again. Besides it'll be interesting to see if anyone takes my spot. It seems that the position of ranking officer here is cursed." They laughed slightly.
"Good bye John." With a flash of light he was gone again, and Weir was left to console her self.
Teyla was in the gym kicking a punching bag. "I really hope it's not my face you're projecting on that bag," Sheppard said to her. "You've really kicked the shit out of it." She took a step back startled.
"I don't understand," she said to him as she reached up to touch his face finding it was warm. She pulled her hand back her hand shaken. "It really is you. How are you back?"
"I've been allowed to descend down to say good bye to the ones I love." She held his shoulders and pressed her head to his.
"Will you ever come back?"
"Yes, I will come back again to see you, when I am needed."
"Then good bye is not the appropriate term, I think it would be how you say… see you again soon." He smiled at her.
"You're right, see you again soon." He ascended up once again
McKay was sitting restlessly in the infirmary. He was still in shock from the events that had taken place earlier. His best friend was gone and he felt lost.
"I've never seen you so quite before," Sheppard said.
"Well of cores I'm quite, I'm trying to think here," McKay retorted back grinning at his friend
"How are you doing Rodney?"
"I'm sitting here in the infirmary after my best friend's funeral, how you think I'm doing." Sheppard looked at his friend dejectedly and sat down beside him.
"I'm sorry," he said very quietly, "this is my fault. I should have listened to you when you warned me about the storm." McKay grabbed his hand and looked him in the eye.
"You couldn't control the weather, just as much as I couldn't save you."
"This isn't your fault. If anything you saved me long enough so I could find help to ascend. I came back now so I could help give you all closure."
"So now you are just going to leave us again."
"I can't stay Rodney, you know that."
"You're my best friend John, what am I going to do with out you."
"You'll live on, be a friend to Teyla and Elizabeth, continue to be a smart ass to all your co workers, and someday make some really great discoveries about the Ancients. Rodney just one hint of advice, be nicer to Dr. Zelenka, he knows a lot more than you think." McKay snorted but smiled anyway. "By the way, I didn't want to say this before but I really don't like the Calgary Flames, I've always been Kings fan. Plus I like college football more anyway. Give me a good USC and Arizona game and I'm set." They both laughed. Then Sheppard stood up to go.
"John… Please… just stay."
"I'll come back again soon."
"Promise?"
"I promise." Sheppard bent down over his friend and gave him a tight hug. McKay returned it whole heartedly. Then McKay watched as Sheppard ascended once again.