THE ELEDGIAS
CHAPTER SEVEN: BACK AT THE RANCH
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A blur of activity got both men back to Atlantis in the shortest time frame possible, the earthquake having alerted both the City as well as the Athosians that something had gone wrong. Teyla's message, once she reached the jumper, was answered by Major Lorne and Doctor Beckett, both already flying to the mainland in Jumper 2. Luckily, Elizabeth's sixth sense kicked in as soon as word of the earthquake hit, and once more had gotten everyone mobilized and moving even before the official word reached them that SGA-1 was hurt.
Sheppard was in and out of it, bundled up and carried to Jumper 2 with McKay, the colonel never quite aware at any one time what was going on. And then, suddenly (at least to Sheppard's mind), they were home and in the infirmary, with Beckett and the other physicians and nurses buzzing around them like a cloud of gnats. Teyla, who, amazingly, had not even received a scratch, was sent to rest in her quarters, while Ronon, Sheppard and the still yet to wake McKay spent the night under Beckett's care.
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Fourteen hours later, Sheppard was sitting next to McKay's bed, feet propped up on the mattress, playing solitaire on a tray with a deck of cards. He was playing one handed. Beckett had immobilized his left arm and hand. He'd dislocated his left shoulder, apparently, and received hairline fractures in the lower arm and in a wrist bone, and all that really meant was he was grounded for a few weeks at least…and that his arm was going to itch like hell until he got the cast off.
Bored, but comfortable, he listened to the steady beat of McKay's heart beat as he flipped cards. McKay was sporting some butterfly bandages and stitches on his head, up near the edge of his hairline, but otherwise was perfectly fine. Just...not awake yet. Lazy s.o.b. Sheppard was planning on giving him a piece of his mind when he really woke up—let him know that scaring them like this was getting bothersome. He needed to stop doing it.
"Win yet?" Elizabeth asked, drifting up to the bed and smiling down at the colonel. Sheppard looked up, offered her a loose smile, and placed another unhelpful card down. He'd lost again.
"No."
"Really? Still?" Elizabeth shook her head. "How many now?"
"233."
"Wow," the expedition leader murmured. "That's...how did Rodney put it? A fascinating statistical anomaly?"
"Yeah," Sheppard smiled faintly. He'd told both Elizabeth and McKay one night at dinner that he'd been having horrible luck at solitaire since arriving in the Pegasus Galaxy. Elizabeth had made a crack about that being why the game's other name was 'patience.' McKay just asked how many games he'd lost. When Sheppard said 176 (which was the number at the time), the scientist had gaped, then started in on improbability statistics and possible outcomes and somewhere in the middle Sheppard had gotten up and left.
He'd enjoyed doing that. His smile grew.
Elizabeth smiled some more, then turned her head to look at the sleeping man over which Sheppard was watching.
"How is he?"
Sheppard gave a half shrug, and grimaced. It still hurt (not that surprising, really). "He still hasn't woken up, but Beckett says he'll be fine. Swelling's gone down and apparently he's just sleeping now. Actually," Sheppard used his right hand to tilt his left wrist, checking the watch wrapped around the cast, "Beckett said something about wanting to wake him up soon."
"Yes," Elizabeth nodded, looking around for the Scot, "that's why I'm here. He called me to let me know. I came to…well, you know." She shrugged a little. Sheppard gave her an understanding smile. Elizabeth had, somewhere along the way, fallen into the role of mother and caretaker to them all.
As she spoke, Sheppard turned his head to see Ronon and Teyla enter the infirmary, both looking far better now that they'd rested. Ronon was actually sporting a bandage on his head—he'd cracked his thick skull as well, but it had been invisible under all the grime and hair. The former Runner gave Sheppard a nod and shifted past Elizabeth in order to stand just behind the still reclining colonel. The expedition leader gave the tall man an awkward hello, which he absorbed with a nod.
Teyla, oddly, stayed back, down near the end of the bed. She looked slightly uncomfortable, as if she wasn't sure she really wanted to be there.
"Beckett called you, too, I take it?" Sheppard asked, looking at Teyla.
But it was Ronon who replied, leaning over and peering down at Rodney as if examining a science experiment. "I met her on the way to the Mess," he said. "We were just about to have lunch when the doctor called us." The big man waved a hand in front of Rodney's inert face.
"Yes," Teyla agreed, still hanging back. Sheppard was about to ask another question, when Carson's voice interrupted them.
"Ah, there you all are. Figured you might want to be here." The words rolled off Carson's tongue with verve, his typically joyful disposition a striking contrast to their collective concern. "Son, don't do that," he added, when Ronon looked like he was going to poke Rodney's nose. "He's actually woken up a few times, but never for very long. I'm going to try and encourage him to stay awake a little longer this time, and thought you might like to help."
In other words, Sheppard thought, sitting up and getting to his feet between Ronon and Elizabeth, you knew we've all been worrying and want to see for ourselves that Rodney will soon be back to normal.
Carson just flexed his eyebrows at the colonel's knowing look, and brushed past Teyla to stand on McKay's other side. He quickly took in the information from the various monitors around the bed, smiled, and leaned over Rodney, resting a hand on his shoulder.
"Rodney?" he called softly. "Can you hear me?"
Nothing much happened, so Carson called a little louder, "Doctor McKay…time to wake up, lad."
The scientist's brow furrowed, then relaxed, and eye movement behind the lids showed some sort of awareness. But still, the eyes didn't open. Ronon made an impatient grunt and leaned over McKay, rudely getting in Beckett's space and forcing the physician back.
"Wake up, little man," Ronon ordered loudly, tapping McKay's cheek lightly. "Doc wants ya."
Carson threw an annoyed look at Ronon, but couldn't deny the results. McKay's lips parted slightly and the brow furrowed again, this time in a more familiar expression on annoyance. A moment later, the eyelids fluttered, until two pupils appeared, squinting directly up at Ronon from between the long lashes. The former Runner gave his usual lion-like grin—in response to which Rodney just looked somewhat disconcerted.
"Hey, McKay," Ronon greeted. McKay stared at him through still half closed lids, frowning in concentration, then his eyes moved around to study his surroundings, as if memorizing them. Eventually, they looked to the other side of the bed, and more of the blue irises became visible. Beckett smiled at the scientist, lightly resting a hand on the man's upper arm and patting it.
"Rodney?" the physician said softly.
"Carson?" McKay answered, his voice weak.
Beckett smiled, the expression all dimples at seeing recognition in those eyes. "There you are, Rodney. How are you feeling?"
McKay blinked up at him, then slowly frowned, closing his eyes again. He swallowed thickly before answering. "Horrible. I think a symphony orchestra's taken up residence in my skull. All crashing timpani and cymbals. God, I think it's Shostakovich. I hate Shostakovich."
The physician's smile grew more amused, "I can imagine. Do you remember what happened?"
McKay's eyes opened again, showing some puzzlement. They turned to stare at Beckett a moment longer, then swiveled to the right, to look up at Ronon again. The big man nodded at him, and Rodney blinked back, but this time the smallest hint of a smile touched his eyes. The pupils drifted further, seeing Sheppard next to Ronon. The colonel waved his right hand, and Rodney took in the sling and cast on the left arm with a puzzled air. Elizabeth then stuck her head over Sheppard's shoulder, smiling. That was all Rodney could see from his position, so he looked back at Carson. Another pause, then the blue eyes widened.
"Was there..." he looked away from Carson to the ceiling above, then back again, "my God, there was an earthquake!" The blue eyes grew wider, the memory of what happened obviously returning quickly.
"Aye, lad, there was." Beckett's face lost its smile, growing more serious. "What do you—"
"Teyla!" Rodney shouted the name, pushing him up off the bed on his arms, "She was in—" He stopped speaking suddenly, seeing Teyla standing at the foot of his bed. The scientist's eyes locked on hers, and his entire body stiffened.
"She's fine, Rodney," Carson pressed a hand against one of McKay's shoulders, clearly intending to push him back if he continued to try and sit up more fully. "See? She's right there, with the rest of us."
But Rodney didn't relax, still sitting propped up on his arms, staring unblinkingly at Teyla. He looked confused, and even a little afraid. Sheppard grimaced, not liking the look on his friend's face. It meant there was something wrong, and Sheppard had dearly been hoping all was well. Rodney had seemed so normal until now...
For her part, Teyla actually backed off a little. She was obviously unsettled by the unwavering stare.
Then Rodney shook his head slightly and his eyes screwed shut, then opened again. When he looked at the Athosian again, the eyes narrowed in confusion, blinking rapidly.
"Teyla...?" he shook his head. "But...I thought you...You got out?" He asked the question as if the answer wasn't obvious by the fact that she was standing there.
"What?" she asked, glancing at the others, before returning her eyes to Rodney's.
"How did you get out?"
Her brow furrowed in confusion, "What do you mean?"
"You were in front of me," McKay said. "And I saw...You disappeared. There was a bright light, like a...," he looked away from her to Sheppard, as if seeking confirmation from his friend, and swallowed nervously, "like a Wraith beam. One minute she was there; the next, she wasn't, and then everything began to shake..." In response, Sheppard's eyes narrowed slightly, not quite sure what he was supposed to say to that. McKay looked frustrated by that, and returned his focus to Teyla, as did the others. "Did it send you outside?"
Teyla shook her head, obviously not sure how to answer, and too looked to the colonel. Sheppard tried to shrug at her, and winced when it pulled on his shoulder. He needed to stop doing that.
"There were no Wraith on the Mainland," Ronon supplied, looking at McKay's profile, noting the tense features. The scientist was still propped up on his elbows, but at Ronon's comment, he seemed to relax a little, his eyes rolling a little.
McKay turned his head to glare up at the big man still crowding over him, irritation plain on his face. "No. I mean, yes, I know that. I said it was like a Wraith beam." He took a deep breath, then looked back at Teyla. This time, though, his eyes were more scrutinizing than confused. "It transported you somewhere. Where did you go?"
"No, Doctor McKay," she shook her head. "You're mistaken."
He was genuinely puzzled by that, "What? No, I'm not. I know what I saw." He grimaced. He looked at Sheppard suddenly, balancing on one elbow so that he could gesture with his other hand, "The beam, it took her. And then the whole thing started to shake. It all started to come down before I could figure out what had happened. I tried to follow but..." Rodney blinked a few times, looking down and the hand lifted towards his forehead. "Everything just started to come down," he repeated. "Something must have hit my head..." He looked up at the colonel again, eyes pleading, wanting to be believed. Sheppard's eyes narrowed a little, not ready to make that leap yet.
"Rodney," the physician said quietly, resting his hands again on Rodney's shoulders to push him back, "perhaps, you should—"
"No, wait, wait..." McKay pushed Carson off and the scientist's sharp blue eyes snapped back to Teyla. The intensity was back in his stare. "I need to know. How did you get out? What did it do to you?" There was no hiding the challenge in his tone. Sheppard frowned, liking this less and less.
"Rodney," he warned softly. McKay ignored him.
"Perhaps you should answer him, lass," Carson suggested diplomatically, looking to Teyla.
"I...I..." The Athosian suddenly frowned, and finally, she just shook her head. "Doctor McKay," she said the name almost apologetically, "you are wrong. I was behind you. I crawled out after the earthquake. I brought the others to you."
McKay froze. He stopped everything, even breathing, so startled was he by that.
"What?" he hissed.
Teyla winced a little, and frowned some more.
"Rodney," Carson warned, not liking the excited red flush in Rodney's cheeks, "I think you've said enough, son. She's answered your question. Time to—"
"Say it again," Rodney ordered, not taking his eyes from Teyla's. "Say that again."
"Say what again?" she asked softly.
"Rodney." It was Elizabeth this time, stepping forward in front of Sheppard. The colonel, for his part, fell back a little, more than happy to let her take his place. The whole scene was making him nervous, and he hated being nervous. He watched as Elizabeth smiled diplomatically at the scientist, who still wasn't looking at her. "You've had a bad knock on the head. I think—"
"Say again that you were behind me," McKay snarled at Telya, a low lying menace clear in his tone. Carson glanced at Elizabeth, and shook his head. Ronon lifted his eyebrows at them both.
Teyla's eyes narrowed a little at McKay's demanding tone, and Sheppard couldn't blame her.
"All right," she answered patiently, "if you insist. I was behind you, Doctor. And if you'll calm down a little, you'll recall that as well. You went to look at some markings on the wall, saying you thought you saw something flash within the wall. Remember? You reached forward to touch the wall, and then everything began to shake..."
"No," McKay whispered, and he suddenly sat bolt upright, nearly taking the IV pole with him when the tube attached to his arm drew taut. "That's a lie!" There was venom in his words. "You're lying!" He looked again at Sheppard, "She's lying!"
"Rodney!" Elizabeth warned, not hiding her confusion. Next to her, the colonel just winced a little. McKay continued to stare at him, his eyes widening a little, as if flabbergasted that Sheppard wouldn't immediately agree with him, before he turned back to Teyla.
"Who are you?" Rodney challenged.
"What?" Teyla said. "How dare you!"
"I said, who are you!" he suddenly yelled. "Where is she? What have you done with her!"
Teyla's eyes grew incredibly wide, and she stood well back from the bed now. Rodney made to follow, which finally galvanized Beckett into action.
"Damn it, Rodney, what's the matter with you!" Carson snapped, firmly grabbing the scientist's broad shoulders. "Stop this, now!"
"No, wait!" Rodney fought the grip, wrestling a little, hampered by the blankets on the cot. "Carson, let go of me!"
"Then stop fighting me!" Beckett snapped back.
"You don't understand! That's not Teyla! I don't know who it is, but that's not her!" Rodney shoved hard at Beckett, and managed to dislodge the physician, sending him flying backwards into the monitors next to Rodney's bed. And then McKay was halfway across the bed, reaching for Teyla like a man possessed.
And suddenly, Ronon had him pinned against the mattress.
McKay's breath whooshed painfully at the powerful man's rough treatment, and his vision sparkled and blurred, his head exploding in pain.
"Hold him down!" Carson yelled, standing up and grabbing for a syringe and a vial off a nearby table.
"No, no," McKay thrashed, trying to get up again, but his head hurt too much. Darkness invaded the edges of his sight from the exertion. "You can't...she's still down there...don't..."
Ronon held on firmly, leaning in so that all Rodney saw was that fierce expression staring down at him. Carson pressed the now full syringe into the IV line, frowning deeply as he did so.
McKay's blue eyes blinked, and softened, a hint of betrayal crossing his features. His muscles relaxed under Ronon's grip, and, after a few moments, the bigger men let up, leaning away from the bed. Rodney's eyes followed him, then turned to look towards where Sheppard had last stood. He blinked slowly, fighting whatever it was that Carson had injected into his bloodstream.
"Colonel...?" he called softly, desperately.
Sheppard stepped forward, ignoring the way everyone was now watching him as well as Rodney.
The blue eyes found his hazel ones, and stayed focused.
"Colonel," Rodney whispered. "She's not...Have to...go back...Please..."
And then the eyes closed.
For a few moments, no one moved.
"Shit," Sheppard muttered.
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TBC...