Chapter 4
Dr Weir and Colonel Sheppard walked into the infirmary, still smiling, to be greeted by the grating voice of one annoyed scientist.
"Well, its about time!" a disgruntled Dr Rodney McKay griped. "Do you know how long I have been waiting? Anything could have happened while I was away!"
"Rodney," Elizabeth said in greeting, a subtle warning in her tone. "I am sure that if anything major had happened Radek could handle it."
"Oh sure, he could," McKay said sarcastically. "Oh, wait a minute. No, he couldn't, he's not me!" Arms folded across his chest, he looked like an indignant child. Elizabeth just raised an eyebrow, aware of McKay's ego and his love of dramatising everything. Unfortunately, John didn't agree that the policy of 'silence is best' was the best.
"McKay, you whinge like a girl," John said matter-of-factly, rolling his eyes in a good imitation of Radek Zelenka. "There is no way you have been here for more than 10 minutes."
"Regardless of whether or not Rodney whinges like a girl," Elizabeth said, shooting a glare in John's direction, "we are here for a reason. Is Carson around somewhere?" Elizabeth directed the last comment toward McKay.
"I'm here, lass," came a distinctive voice from an adjoining room. Carson rounded the corner, a silent Ronon trailing behind them.
"Well, what's up Doc?" John joked, glancing sideways at Elizabeth to see if he had managed to raise a smile at the childhood reference. He was rewarded with the ghost of a smirk, but the focus of her attention was on the doctor. Taking the hint, John turned his attention back to Beckett.
"Well, Colonel," Carson said slowly, glancing to Ronon, "Teyla is extremely sick, with a virus that is the combination of a regular 'flu strain, and another unknown virus."
John looked at Ronon, gauging his reaction to the news. It hadn't escaped his notice that, of all the people on the base, Ronon had bonded with Teyla the strongest. He wasn't sure whether that would be a problem yet, or how far Ronon would take it. Concern for the welfare of one of his team, however, had main control of his mind.
"Is she going to be ok?" John asked, a frown on his face.
Glancing at Ronon once again, this time with the hint of a smile, Carson said, "There is the possibility that she could be permanently harmed, however the lass is strong and healthy, besides the current affliction. And," Carson turned, and informed Ronon with what John was sure was glee, "I believe that with your direct involvement in her care, I can alleviate her suffering greatly."
Ronon's eyebrows shot up into his hairline. John's did the same. Elizabeth looked amusedly baffled, and McKay was, well, McKay.
"Well that's bad and everything, but what does this have to do with me?" McKay asked exasperatedly. 'Don't these people know how busy and important I am?' he thought, raising his eyes to the ceiling. He was abruptly brought down to earth when a voice spoke near his face.
"Do you believe that you are more important than her?" Ronon asked, eyes flashing with barely contained fury at the self-obsessed man in front of him.
"Uh..n-no..of course not..I didn't…I mean…" he stammered, alarmed at the close proximity of the dangerous Runner.
'Great, that's all we need' Elizabeth thought, as she heard Ronon subtly threaten Rodney. 'A fight between someone who uses their head, and someone who wants to use said head as a punching bag.'
"Ronon, I'm sure that Rodney didn't mean that he was more important than anyone else on the base." Elizabeth aimed a cutting glare that silenced the protest about to fall from McKay's mouth. "He was just voicing a poorly worded enquiry. I, too, would like to know why you have asked us all to come Carson," Elizabeth diplomatically turned the conversation in a safer direction.
"Well, there is the slight chance that, since you have been in contact with Teyla, you might be infected as well. I'll need a blood sample, and also for you all to be confined to separate quarters until I have completed the tests."
"WHAT!" McKay exploded. "Why didn't you say something earlier? I thought I have been feeling a bit off lately. Do you think I have a fever? I have a tickle in the back of my throat. I'm sick. I knew it. Am I going to die? Somebody get me something to write with!" McKay said with panic, already managing to convince himself that he was ill.
John promptly walked up behind him and smacked him across the back of the head.
"Ow! What was that for?" McKay demanded.
"For being a complete idiot. In a relative sense of course," John hit him again, fairly certain that no-one was going to stop him. "And that's for asking."
Elizabeth, meanwhile, opened her mouth to protest the confinement, but Carson anticipated this. "I can make it an order lass," he said gently, aware that she was worried about the running of Atlantis if both she and the Colonel were confined. After a moments thought, she nodded her head in acceptance.
"What were you saying before about Ronon helping you and Teyla?" Elizabeth queried. Noticing everyone's attention focused on him, Ronon shifted uncomfortably.
"Ronon is immune," Carson stated simply. "He can, however, pass the virus onto other people. Now, there is no danger at present because none of us are in a close enough proximity to him, but basically I want him to look after the lass. I will, of course, be there the whole time, but having flesh to flesh contact is very soothing for an ill person."
"How much flesh contact are we talking about here, Doc?" John asked cheekily, now assured that Teyla was in the best hands.
Ronon glowered at him. John smiled innocently at him.
"I want Ronon to take Teyla to her quarters and stay with her," Carson stated, addressing his remarks to Elizabeth, who noticed a gleam in his eye. "He will make sure that the lass drinks when she is awake, and also keep me up-to-date with her progress." Not quite sure what to make of Carson's intentions, Elizabeth chose to ask Ronon whether he would do it.
"Okay," he shrugged. Carson shot him a smug, satisfied smirk. John saw and cocked an eyebrow. 'Why that sly little…'John thought with an inkling of admiration.
"Wonderful! I'll take your blood samples and then assign you rooms while you wait. It shouldn't be too long, not now that I know what to look for."
He bustled them onto beds, ignored McKay's repeated attempts to convince him that he was sick, and drew their blood. After showing them to their quarters, he returned to Teyla and saw that Ronon had again taken up a vigil beside her bed. 'I wonder if he knows what he is feeling…' Carson wondered. 'I just hope he doesn't miss a chance to tell her' Ordering Ronon to carry Teyla, he lead the way to her quarters, making sure that no-one crossed their path.