The Wishing Well
Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate Atlantis or any of the characters associated with it.
May contain spoilers for Season One and Two.
Chapter Eleven
Chaya took Sheppard's hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze, and led him to the podium where she pushed a few buttons. The floor undulated; the air blurred and blended with the floor. When the motion settled, three padded white seats now stood in the center of the room near the podium.
"Cool! Can you make popcorn too?" Sheppard winked as Chaya rolled her eyes and guided him into the center seat.
"Anna, please join us." Chaya took a seat to Sheppard's left. Anna sat to his right.
"John, close your eyes and clear your mind of everything." Chaya directed in a soft, hypnotic voice.
Sheppard did as she asked. After a moment the images on the wall disappeared, replaced with a scene showing a deep blue sky dotted with puffy white clouds and a Bald Eagle soaring gracefully in the distance.
Anna snorted. "The view of a pilot's brain, priceless!"
Chaya shushed her with an amused smile then continued giving instructions. "John, think of the day you last saw Anna."
Images flashed on the wall, a much younger Sheppard driving in a car, a younger Anna laughing at his side. Sheppard's body jerked violently in the seat and his fingers bit into the armrests. "No! I don't… I can't do this again!" Sheppard ground out in a choked voice as the images began to fade.
Chaya quickly stood and moved behind Sheppard. Placing her fingers on his temples, she began to rub in small, gentle circles. "You must! I will help you to keep the pain at bay, to guard your heart. Just keep concentrating on the memories."
Sheppard twitched once, then, with a shuddering sigh, let his head fall back against the headrest. As Chaya's fingers worked to rub away the pain, he felt strangely disconnected from his thoughts, only a dull ache remained in his heart.
Once Sheppard relaxed, Chaya continued. "John, show us what you remember."
The images on the wall steadied and held firm. Anna watched his memories of the day of the accident. She saw his pain when he was informed of her death; watched him cry inconsolably, alone in his hospital room, keeping everyone at a distance. She inhaled deeply, trying to keep her own emotions in check.
Sheppard moaned; his breath hitched in his chest. Chaya held his temples firmly and talked to him in hushed tones. "Do not fight the memories, John. I will keep you safe. I am here. I will not let you hurt." He stilled and his breathing slowly evened out. "Think of your life, John, whatever you want to show Anna."
The memories of John Sheppard's life began to flicker across the wall, slowly at first and then picking up speed. Anna watched him recover from the accident and graduate from the Air Force Academy. Her father had been there to support him. She laughed at his cocky attitude, which her father had secretly admired.
There he was in pilot training! She felt his joy when he received his wings and his fear when, years later, he was sent to Afghanistan. She cried when she saw the terror and pain, loss and guilt he'd experienced trying to rescue his fellow soldiers from danger, violating a direct order. She filled up with anger when he had to pay for disobeying that same order.
What saddened her most was the lack of true friends in his life. He had many acquaintances and a few women who came and went, but no permanent relationships to sustain him. He was surprisingly, utterly alone--until Atlantis.
When his memories turned to his experiences in Antarctica, his discovery of the stargate program and all its secrets, his anticipation filled her. She observed his arrival on Atlantis and experienced his nervous excitement.
She cringed in fear when the Wraith made their appearance. Ice ran in her veins when the Wraith sucked most of the life out of Colonel Sumner. She shared John's horror and guilt at what he'd had to do to spare the strong military man an agonizing death.
She recoiled when the Genii attacked Atlantis and rejoiced when John and his team worked together to beat them. She steeped in his deep sorrow and rage when he thought Koyla killed the beautiful dark haired expedition leader. She was surprised when Chaya appeared in John's life and understood his mistrust of the Ancient woman. She felt his utter helplessness and respected his attempt at self-sacrifice when the Wraith laid siege to Atlantis.
She lived his fear and his guilt, his anger and his pain. She envied the friendship and commitment that blossomed among the expedition members on Atlantis. She heard the whispers of Atlantis, a living city connected by blood to John. She understood how much his people needed him to keep Atlantis safe and out of the hands of enemies who would use the gate to reach Earth. She learned the true meaning and value of love.
As suddenly as they appeared, the images stopped, frozen on the sight of the well were Sheppard had last been conscious.
Anna felt completely wrung of emotion. His life was so valuable. His life had importance. His life mattered. He was needed and loved. Sadly, she didn't think he realized that.
Sheppard was leaning back against the chair completely limp with his eyes closed.
"John, you must rest now. You need to gather strength to continue on the journey." Chaya spoke softly as she brushed the dark hair from his brow.
Sheppard murmured something unintelligible, never opening his eyes. Chaya leaned down and pressed a lever, reclining the chair. Sheppard never felt a thing.
"Anna, you should rest as well. You will be next." Chaya helped the other woman recline her chair and settle back. She passed a gentle hand over Anna's forehead. The young woman closed her eyes and slept.
With a last look at her two sleeping charges, Chaya approached the podium and murmured to herself, "It is time I went back to John's camp to see if his friends took my advice. They need to be ready to help him or he may not make it home." She transformed into a sparkling ball of energy and disappeared through the podium.
Teyla was lightly dozing on her bedroll, and Ronon was pacing in small circles around the makeshift infirmary, his heavy-lidded glance bouncing from the sky to Sheppard and back to the sky.
A sudden sharp intake of breath woke Teyla and drew her attention to Sheppard. She rose in one fluid motion and hurried to his side, Ronon close behind. The Colonel gulped in air and gripped the edges of the cot with white fingers. His body began to quiver and his head pushed back into the pillow causing his back to arch away from the cot slightly. The monitors next to the cot began to issue a cacophony of beeps and shrill sirens.
Dr. Seace materialized at Sheppard's side. "Ronon! Help me hold him down before he pulls out his I.V.!" The doctor and the warrior worked together to hold down the writhing man. Agonizing moments passed as Lorne joined Teyla and they watched Sheppard fight to catch his breath. With Lorne's help, Marie managed to get an oxygen mask on the struggling patient.
Gradually, his body began to relax, his movements lessened until he was still once more. Marie went to work, listening to Sheppard's heart and lungs; checking his pupil reactions and temperature, before turning to her audience, worry etched on her face. "The Colonel's condition is deteriorating. I believe he may have had a mild seizure."
"What would bring on a seizure?" Lorne asked with knit brows.
"Please understand, I can't say for sure what caused this, but I do have a theory. If Col Sheppard is truly in another reality, his body may be reacting to stimuli he is experiencing." Dr. Seace wore a grave frown. "I need to talk to Carson. I think we may be running out of time!"
"I was on my way to contact Atlantis when I heard the alarms going off. Come with me, Doc, and we can update them together." Lorne placed a large hand on the pretty doctor's elbow and they hurried away.
Ronon and Teyla stood looking down at Sheppard's ashen face. "This needs to end!" Teyla's voice held a harsh note Ronon had never heard her use before. "Now!"
"I agree. McKay needs to finish his work and get back here." Ronon sat next to Sheppard. "Until then, I will do as the voice asked and tell Sheppard how much he is needed."
"Yes, I will do the same." Teyla sat opposite Ronon and leaned closer to Sheppard. The two began taking turns telling Sheppard exactly how important he was to the expedition and how much his friendship and leadership meant to them. Neither noticed the soft glow of white high above them.
"That's it! You did it, Carson!" Radek enveloped the doctor in a bear hug and bounced up and down.
Nearby, McKay watched and snorted in disgust. "It about time! This has all ready taken the man two days to figure out! Hello! We need to get this to Sheppard before he drops of Ancient water poisoning!"
"Well, we still don't know if reverse engineering the water will cure the Colonel. There's no way to tell, really, without proper testing…"
"Oh, Carson, quit tooting your own needle, as it were, and lets go!" McKay started packing the cure for transport.
Weir chose that moment to stroll into the lab. "Gentlemen, have you finished yet?"
"Yes." McKay continued to pack the necessary equipment for the mission into a large black backpack with lots of little pockets. He liked little pockets. They were good for carrying power bars. Oh, yeah, power bars, take lots of those..
"Well…we don't have a way to test it…" Beckett fiddled nervously with the ink pen he held; the little droplets of red ink sprinkled across his white coat reminded Weir of blood spatter.
Shaking off the vision, Weir stepped forward and placed a reassuring hand on Beckett's arm. "I realize you're worried, Carson, but this is the only shot we have to help John."
"Elizabeth, I know, that's why I want to test it a little more…." Beckett trailed off at the negative shake of her head.
"We don't have much more time. We need to go, now!" Weir's face was grim.
"Has something happened to the Colonel then? You've heard from the planet?" Beckett's face went white with icy dread.
"Yes, Marie thinks John had a small seizure, but he is fine for now. I just feel like we need to go to him now. Call it a gut feeling and Sheppard told me before he left that one should never ignore ones gut. I'm just following his advice, that's all." Weir gave a small shrug of her shoulders. "Let's all be ready to go in one hour."
McKay finished packing and looked up at Weir. "You're coming with us, Elizabeth?" She almost never went off world, unless her negotiation skills were required.
"Oh yes, Rodney. If Ronon's "ghost" said John's friends should encourage him not to give up, then we all definitely need to be there for him!" Weir shook her dark hair out of her eyes and turned to leave. "Gate room….one hour….don't be late!" she shot back over her shoulder as she passed through the doorway.
The two men were quiet as they waited for Weir to join them in the gate room. McKay paced back and forth picking imaginary lint off the front of his grey and blue jacket wondering idly if the Ancients had a dry-cleaning device he hadn't discovered yet. Beckett stood, lost in thought, worried that the manipulation he had performed on the DNA would only make things worse for Sheppard. He was so deep within himself that he jumped and issued a startled yelp when Weir dropped her hand on his shoulder.
"Carson, it'll be okay. Whatever happens, I know you did your best. That's all John or I could ever ask of you." Weir smiled and moved off toward McKay. She turned and looked up at the control room. "Dial the gate!"
Within moments, the blue vista of the wormhole was visible and the three stood ready to depart. With one last look back at Radek, who was there to see them off with two thumbs up, they stepped through the gate.
TBC