The Wishing Well

Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate Atlantis or any of the characters associated with it.

Chapter Five

When Beckett arrived, he immediately knelt beside Sheppard and gave him a thorough once-over. McKay hovered nearby, chewing worriedly on his thumbnail.

"Carson, is he going to be okay?" Rodney's frenetic pacing was kicking up a cloud of dust.

Beckett stood, placed himself directly in McKay's path and gripped him firmly by the shoulders. "Rodney, you're not helping anyone by creating a dust storm near my patient!"

"What? Oh, right. Sorry!" McKay looked contritely at his feet.

"Rodney, what were you doing when the Colonel was injured?" Beckett peered expectantly at McKay.

"Nothing!" squeaked McKay. "I swear! I did nothing! Contrary to popular belief, the Colonel is quite capable of getting into trouble with no assistance from me!"

With a tired sigh, Beckett again latched on to the scientist. "I'm not blaming you, son! I just bloody want to know what the two of you were up to when it happened!"

"Oh. Yes, of course that's what you meant. I knew that." McKay scrubbed two hands over his slightly flushed face before continuing.

"I was studying the old well and Sheppard was poking around, touching things he shouldn't, as usual..."

"Rodney…." intoned Becket tiredly.

"I have a theory…." McKay looked up at the abrupt silence of the group. "Based on a poem I found here and translated, I think the well may be the same technology referenced in the database, a way for the Ancients to escape the Wraith. From everything I've read, I believe it's a wishing well that somehow transports the wisher to an alternate reality."

McKay paced back and forth, head tilted toward the sky, eyes focused inward. "I think the Colonel, because of his pure Ancient gene, accidentally activated the wishing well. Before he passed out, Sheppard called out to his dead fiancée. I think he might have made a little wish to see her again. If that's true…he may have been transported to an alternate reality."

Lorne eyed McKay with skeptical eyes. "You're pulling my leg, right? Sounds like a story from an old "Twilight Zone" episode."

McKay shook his head. "No, Major. If we're to believe the ancient poem, Colonel Sheppard will have to correctly navigate his way back to our reality…or die trying."

"Bloody hell!" Beckett strode over to Sheppard's resting form. "I know you hate my infirmary lad, but I didn't realize the lengths you'd take to avoid me. Getting yourself sent off to a reality where you think I can't reach you! Well, you'll not be escaping me that easily!" Beckett turned to his staff. "Let's get him loaded up for transport back to Atlantis."

"Wait!" McKay waived his hands and turned to Beckett. "You don't understand. You can't take him back to Atlantis."

"And why not?" the doctor questioned.

"Because, Carson, the poem says the traveler can't leave this place without facing dire consequences. I don't know about you, but "dire" doesn't sound pleasant to me! I'm not sure if that means he can't leave the planet…. I just think we should be cautious, that's all."

Beckett listened quietly, nodding his head. "Aye, that's fine, lad. Since he's in no immediate medical danger, we can keep the Colonel comfortable here, just as well as on Atlantis." He set about to do just that, directing his staff and assembling a makeshift infirmary a few feet away from the well.

In short order, Sheppard was settled onto a padded field cot, complete with his own personal blood pressure cuff and portable heart monitor.

Beckett ran another check of his patient's vitals. He really does appear as if he is sleeping. "Huh, hope you're having pleasant dreams wherever you are, lad."

The rest of the group stood nearby and watched as Beckett, bent low, murmuring softly to Sheppard, and with gentle hands, attached the leads that would help keep watch over the man's health.

"So, we can't take him back to Atlantis because it might kill him?" Lorne shot an incredulous look at McKay.

"Uh, yes…yes, that's the gist of it, yes!" McKay looked at his teammates. Ronon and Teyla wore identical worried frowns, but remained silent.

"What! You think I want it to be this way? Don't you think I would let Carson take Sheppard back to Atlantis if I thought it was safe?" McKay looked horrified at the thought. "Look, I'm not sure how the water plays into this, but it emits an energy signal. Give me some time. Maybe I can figure out a way to bring Sheppard back."

"Rodney, if you feel there is any way to save Colonel Sheppard you should explore your ideas." Teyla gave McKay a supportive smile. "Am I correct, Ronon?" She aimed an expectant look at her large companion.

"I'm sure Sheppard would expect nothing less of you, McKay." Ronon's stoic features did little to reassure McKay, but did motivate him to do something, anything, to help Sheppard.

McKay turned and called to Beckett. "Carson! I have a plan!"

"What is it, Rodney?" Carson asked as he approached the scientist.

"I filled Sheppard's canteen with well water. I thought you might want to stick it under a microscope or something and see what's living in it. Before he drank it, Sheppard said it tested safe…. And I'm pretty sure it's the device that made him pass out, not the water…. but you might want to check it out. Anyway…." McKay trailed off at Beckett's bellow.

"What in the bloody name of stupidity did you just say?" Beckett gazed at McKay with eyes so icy blue McKay took two involuntary steps backward before he could help himself.

"Rodney, please tell me that Colonel Sheppard did NOT drink that water!"

"Sheppard said it was potable…. Uh, Carson? You're a little red… you okay?" McKay stepped back once again as Beckett advanced.

"No! I'm not. Bloody. Well. Okay!" Beckett punctuated his words with several quick, painful jabs into McKay's suddenly tight chest. "You know as well as I potable doesn't equate to safe when we're dealing with water from another planet, and bloody old water to boot! We've seen too many strange things to break with protocol!"

Beckett turned his glare from McKay to the still form of Sheppard. "If he wasn't already unconscious, I'd knock some sense into the lad myself!"

McKay surreptitiously rubbed the painful points on his chest while staring at Beckett with new eyes. The doctor was tougher than he appeared. "Listen to me, Carson! I'll take the water back to Atlantis. Your staff can have a sample to check for germs, or whatever, just to be safe. Zelenka and I will keep the rest and study it. I think there may be something in the water that facilitates the move between realities."

"I'm listening…" Becket stood with arms folded across his chest.

"If we can isolate the properties that make this whole concept possible, maybe we can reverse engineer a different form of water that could bring Sheppard back!"

"Aye, I see how that might work." A little calmer now, Beckett relaxed his stance a bit. "I'll stay here and monitor the Colonel's condition. I'm going to draw some blood to send back with you as well. I want to know what our boy has swimming in his veins. Will you fill Elizabeth in on the situation? I'm sure she is in a bit of a tizzy over having another member of your team injured."

"Yeah, I can do that." McKay started packing up his gear along with Sheppard's canteen. "Carson, you'll let me know if Sheppard's condition changes, right?"

"Of course, Rodney!"

Weir met McKay at the bottom of the stairs as the gate closed behind him. "What's going on, Rodney?" Her worried eyes searched out his sorrowful ones.

McKay handed off the blood samples and water to one of Beckett's lab technicians who scurried away with confident steps. I wish I felt that confident! He then briefed Weir on the situation as they walked up the stairs to her office. He explained his theory on how to reverse the effects of the water, and on Sheppard's medical condition.

"So, Colonel Sheppard is fine, physically?" Weir quirked an eyebrow and watched the myriad of expressions cross McKay's tense features. For a moment, she thought she caught a hint of guilt in the mix, but it was so fleeting, she couldn't be sure.

"Yes, Elizabeth. He appears to be sleeping or perhaps in some form of induced coma. He is stable and, so far, unresponsive. Carson stayed behind to monitor his condition and keep us posted."

"Okay! Sounds like you'd better get busy trying to bring Sheppard back to us! Nothing you can't handle, Rodney…" Weir smiled encouragingly at the scientist.

"Yeah, nothing like a little pressure to spark the creative genius…" McKay rubbed his temples. "If it wasn't for me Sheppard wouldn't even be in this situation."

"Rodney, you know you didn't cause this to happen."

"Oh really? Let's not forget that I'm the person who demanded we check out the planet in the first place! Sheppard didn't even want to go!" McKay stood and walked to the window, hugging himself to hold his emotions in check.

"I remember. I also remember that I'm the one who gave the green light. I spoke with Sheppard and he was a little worried about the mission, but that would never keep him from doing his job. We all volunteered to be here, Rodney. Sheppard wouldn't want you to blame yourself for his condition."

"Yes, well let's hope we get the chance to ask him personally, hmm?" McKay fired back as he turned and escaped the office.

Beckett established a schedule to check Sheppard's vitals once an hour. The Colonel appeared fine, but one could never be too cautious when dealing with an unknown off-world illness. He settled in a chair next to Sheppard for what he suspected could be a very long wait.

Off in the distance, Teyla and Ronon were huddled together discussing the situation.

"I don't like it." Ronon said bluntly. He shifted his weight from one leg to the other and crossed his arms. "I feel like we're being watched."

"As do I." Teyla tilted her head and inspected the surrounding area for signs of anything out of the ordinary. "But I see nothing unusual. What can we do?"

"I don't know, but I can't just sit around here and do nothing." He strode purposefully toward Major Lorne.

"Ronon wait! Where are you going?" Teyla quickly followed at a slight jog to keep up with the warrior's longer stride.

"To help," was the curt reply.

Lorne turned at the sound of approaching footsteps. "Ronon, what is it?" One look at the other man's face and his hands gripped his P-90 as he quickly scanned the area.

"We should look around this place; see if there is anything in the woods. I feel eyes watching us."

"Funny, I was thinking the same thing just a minute ago." Lorne glanced at Ronon and punched the button on his radio. "Ruger, we're going on a little treasure hunt. We're all feeling slightly hunted. You stay here and watch out for Sheppard and the Doc. Radio if you need us."

"No problem, Sir. I won't let anything get near either of them!"

Lorne glanced at the two members of Sheppard's team. "Let's go. Ronon, we'll follow you."

As the trio moved off into the trees, they missed the wispy glowing white form that hovered high above the courtyard watching Beckett and the preternaturally still Sheppard.

TBC