(So many of you anticipated this chapter. You all rock, man!)

THE ELEDGIAS

CHAPTER TEN: A ROCK IN A STREAM

————————————————————————————

Sheppard's pace slowed as he moved away from the infirmary, his head bowed, feet moving him in the direction of the control room. People streamed around him in a steady flow of blue, white and beige, making him feel a bit like a rock in a stream, moving only because everyone around him wanted to push him places. Rodney expected unconditional faith from him. Weir wanted him to remain objective. Carson wanted him to take care of his friend. Thank God Caldwell was halfway to Earth by now—he didn't need anyone else pushing him around at the moment.

He sighed, staring down at his feet as he moved slowly down the corridor. He knew Elizabeth would want his opinion on McKay's state of mind, even if he didn't want to give it, so he continued to move in that direction.

He refused to believe McKay was crazy. Once McKay had thought it through, he would come up with a more rational, reasonable explanation for his notions. Sheppard gave him the time to do so, and McKay would come round. Right?

I mean, the whole idea was nonsense. Teyla not being Teyla…if it's not her, who could it be?

It's not like they were out on some strange planet deep in the galaxy, where something like this maybe could happen, however ridiculous it sounded. This was the Mainland. The structure was Ancient. Everything he knew and understood about these people told him that they were about as dangerous as Doctor Who. Why would they create something that could carbon copy a person?

Of course, he had to admit to himself that it was rare that the scientist was wrong. When it came to Atlantis or technology or really anything scientific, McKay had a brain the size of a planet, but this wasn't something scientific. This was Teyla. It was bad enough when McKay sneered and mocked Chaya, but the colonel would be damned if McKay would do it to one of his own. Especially when she was already having trouble with her own people.

No, it was ridiculous. McKay was wrong. And he couldn't have chosen a worse time for it.

Sheppard wasn't blind. Teyla was hurting, feeling even more isolated from her people than ever before. He wasn't sure exactly what was going on between her and Halling, but the anguish in her eyes about it was clear enough to anyone who knew her. His only solution was to continue to try and make her realize that she had people here on Atlantis who cared for her, who wouldn't turn their back on her, who trusted her, no matter what.

And McKay had effectively deep-sixed that. And cruelly. That man's tongue should be registered as a dangerous weapon.

He had seen the look on Teyla's face before she'd ducked out, Ronon on her heels. She was hurt, and well she should be. Teyla's insecurity about her status among the Atlantians was still there, even though the main cause for that ulcer, Sergeant Bates, had long left the City for Earth, so to have it come back again, and this time to hear it from someone she cared for, someone she thought believed in her...

Damn.

Not that he felt he had to protect her. Lord knows, Teyla was tougher than that. But, damn it, McKay should know better!

Of course, McKay had the social skills of a wet rag, but that was not an excuse, not when it came to members of his own team. They deserved more than his usual snap judgments. My God, McKay thought Teyla wasn't Teyla because he saw her disappear, without taking into effect that they'd been in an earthquake or that he'd been cracked on the head. He'd jumped to an incredible conclusion based on what, exactly? A flash of light? McKay immediately saw the worst possible scenario when dealing with things he didn't understand, and while, on a purely defensive level when dealing with outsiders, that was not necessarily a bad thing, it was just wrong here. You don't do that with friends, and you definitely don't do that with teammates.

Hell, McKay had to back off before Elizabeth really did get Heightmeyer involved. Asking the shrink to counsel his teammates was one thing—that, he approved of, even encouraged—but asking her to make a diagnosis when one of them was talking crazy was another thing altogether.

Sheppard just had to hope McKay would see past his own stubbornness, and realize he might actually have made a mistake.

And if McKay wouldn't, well…they'd cross that bridge when they came to it. They'd find a way to work it out. He just...he needed more than McKay's intuition and that nonsense about contractions. Contractions! Of all things!

Sheppard sighed, finally looking up and seeing he was not far from the doors leading into the Gate Room. The corridor leading to them seemed very long.

Abruptly, he stopped. He didn't want to see Elizabeth. Not yet. Maybe after he'd talked to McKay again. When McKay was thinking a bit more scientifically instead of science-fictiony….

And yes, he snarled at himself, I'm well aware that I'm living on an alien planet in another galaxy. Just shut up.

A soft series of footfalls behind him, and a growled out, "Sheppard," brought the colonel back into the here and now.

Turning around, he saw Ronon slumping towards him, and the colonel couldn't stop a smile from crossing his face. Finally, someone he didn't have to answer to.

"Hey," he looked past the former Runner, looking for the Athosian, but didn't see her. Focusing back on his teammate, he raised his eyebrows in question. "Teyla?"

"Wouldn't talk to me," Ronon replied, with a half shrug.

Sheppard frowned, "Really? That's...odd."

"Yeah." Ronon looked away, not adding to the statement. After a short pause, Sheppard smiled softly.

"Well, maybe she's working it out on her own. She does that...most of the time. We'll try her later, okay?"

Ronon just pursed his lips, eyes focusing back on the colonel. "How's McKay?"

"Fine," Sheppard replied, a little too quickly. Ronon gave him a brief look of incredulity, to which Sheppard smiled again, this time sheepishly. "Okay, not so fine. He still thinks Teyla's not Teyla. He'll come around."

Ronon just nodded. "And if he doesn't?"

"He will."

"So, you've been arguing with him."

Sheppard sighed again, and this time it was he who looked down. "Yeah. And none too successfully, I might add. But I'm hoping he'll...soon see the light," he grinned wickedly at the bad pun, "so to speak." He looked up, to see if his mirth had any effect.

Oh right...he was talking to Ronon. Still, he thought it was amusing.

Ronon frowned then, tilting his head. "You two are not often in disagreement over things of this nature," the former Runner noted. "Why now?"

The colonel blinked, "Huh? Rodney and I argue all the time."

"Not about important things. Then you two think the same."

"Oh." Sheppard arched an eyebrow, "Really?"

"Yes." Ronon was nothing if not blunt. "So, why now?"

Sheppard looked surprised by that, "What? Did you not hear Rodney back there? The whole idea is ridiculous."

Ronon nodded, "If you say so. That's what I thought initially as well, but my understanding is that McKay is usually right about things."

The colonel grimaced, "And he is. And, normally...I'd try to give him more of the benefit of the doubt. But this is Teyla we're talking about. And...she's already dealing with some crap from her people, if you know what I mean. He's just making it worse. I get the feeling the other Athosians are cutting her out of things. I don't want her to feel like we don't trust her either." He gave a half shrug, and winced as pain spiked his neck. Damn it. He kept forgetting about his damned shoulder...

Ronon looked down, but nodded again. "I agree. It's just..." He trailed off, his eyes taking on a bit of a faraway quality. Sheppard arched an eyebrow.

"It's just...?"

"Nothing. You're right. I do not wish to see her hurt more either." Ronon grimaced, looking over Sheppard's shoulder at the doors to the Gate Room, "Heading in there?"

"Actually?" Sheppard glanced over his shoulder behind him at the same doors, "No. Changed my mind. You hungry?"

Ronon shrugged, "I could eat."

"Of course you could," Sheppard grinned, clapping Ronon on his shoulder with his right hand. "Let's go."

————————————————————————————

Carson walked over to the bed, sidling up quietly next to the morose scientist, not really wanting to disturb him, but needing to talk to him about how he was feeling. Before he could open his mouth, however, Rodney was looking up to meet his gaze. He noted there was no sign of a concussion, nor other evidence of disorientation in those sharp blue eyes, just the physicist's usual intense concentration.

"Carson," Rodney said, "I need to ask you something."

"Well, you sound better," Beckett interjected, smiling broadly and pointedly ignoring Rodney's statement. "How are you feeling? Still got something of a headache, have we?"

McKay snorted, incredulous. "You're not seriously asking that question. A ceiling fell on my head, what do you think?" When Carson gave him a look, Rodney sighed, "Fine. Yes. Headache. Screamingly painful version of Hall of the Mountain King, the banshee version, playing in there, but other than that, I'm fine. Now, I need to know. When we all came back, did you examine Teyla?"

Beckett sighed, shaking his head. "Before we get into that, Rodney, how about you let me ask you a few questions. Are you—"

"I said, I'm fine. I don't have time for this, Carson. Did you examine Teyla?"

Beckett's eyes narrowed briefly in annoyance before letting up. Fact was, he knew it would be too much work not to answer. Let Rodney get it out of his system. "Aye, Rodney, I did."

"Took her pulse, tested her vitals, maybe ran some X-Rays…."

"Yes to the pulse, and yes to the vitals. Jackson looked her over and gave her a clean bill of health. She wasn't complaining of any problems, so we didn't make her sit through an X-Ray…."

"What?" Rodney sat up a little straighter, "Then, what, no machines? Did Jackson just use his stethoscope, or did he actually hook her up to something?"

Carson's mouth screwed up, but, luckily for the impatient astrophysicist, he was also an extremely patient man.

"If you must know, yes, he checked her first with his stethoscope, but then he used the machines. He checked her with both the Ancient hand held scanner and then the full bed scanner over there," he indicated the blue and white Ancient machine off to the side. "As you know, Rodney, it performs a full scan without subjecting the human body to the dangers of—"

"Ancient devices," Rodney interrupted, staring at the fancy machine. Beckett had been in love with that thing from the moment they'd found it. It certainly did make the Earth equipment they'd brought with them look somewhat medieval. "You only used Ancient devices," he repeated, looking back at Beckett. "Is that what you're telling me?"

"I wouldn't call a stethoscope—"

"Yes, yes," Rodney waved impatiently, "But if that thing can make itself appear to be Teyla, surely it can fake things like a heartbeat and breathing easily enough. And, if it's an Ancient construct, it can probably connect with the Ancient machinery to have it say whatever it wants…."

Carson's eyes narrowed, "Rodney…."

"You have to do an X-Ray. An old-fashioned Earth X-Ray. We bought a machine with us, right? It can't make an X-Ray machine lie. It's not a computer. You have to get it to come back here and—"

"Rodney!"

"No, no, listen to me, this is a good idea! That way I can prove—"

"No!"

McKay seemed sort of taken aback by Carson's abrupt shout, then he frowned, crossing his arms over his chest, huffing a little. "Why not?"

Carson had clearly reached the end of his tether for the day. He crossed his own arms, scowling down at his 'patient.' "Because I'm not going to subject a perfectly healthy person to an X-Ray if I don't have to. It's invasive and unnecessary, not to mention it carries risks, albeit small ones. I won't—"

"Oh come on, Carson! It's not that hard!"

"Damn it, Rodney, are you even listening to me? I said no! There's no reason to—"

"Hell, yes, there's a reason! That thing's not Teyla! Get it back here and—"

"Oh, that's it! Do you even hear the blatherskite you're spoutin'! You sound like a crazy man!"

The slightest crease of McKay's brow, a moment of fragility showing through the usually tightly wound face, and then it was gone, replaced by a glare so intense that it actually made Carson step back, despite the own anger he was feeling.

"I'm…not…crazy," the scientist hissed out.

Carson grimaced, he hadn't really meant to say that, to be honest. "I know, Rodney, it's just, the way you're acting…." He trailed off, then heaved another heavy sigh. "All right, fine. I'll ask her." His eyes narrowed, "But I won't force her, understand?"

McKay just shrugged, "She won't do it then."

"She will if I ask her nicely. You know Telya—she'll probably do it just to show you that she's fine."

"Yeah, Teyla would, I agree," McKay said, lifting his chin a little, "But you won't get that thing to do it."

Carson's eyes narrowed, but he just shrugged. "If you say so."

"Mark my words, Carson. I'm not wrong about this."

"Aye. Fine. We'll see."

After that, Carson got down to business, checking McKay over, assessing his condition. By the time he was done, he told the still annoyed scientist that he was pretty sure McKay would be up and about soon enough...

How right he was.

————————————————————————————

TBC – I love the reviews guys! Keep guessing! I can't tell you how cool it is to hear your thoughts! Oh, and, yes, it takes place after Failure to Communicate, but isn't a sequel, per se. As to timing--after Conversion but before Lost Boys, I guess. Oh, and the next chapter answers the big questions of the hour...but there are more hours. Wink wink nudge nudge (And hi Bern!)