A/N:

Thanks for reading everyone. The conclusion, just a bit more opportunity for people to try and show they care about McKay. I must say, they're a bit rubbish at it…

Hope you all enjoy.

Chapter Ten

Once all his cuts had been stitched and dressed, and Carson had decided he didn't even have a concussion, they had let McKay go for a few hours, on strict instruction to call back to the infirmary in the evening for one more check over. Amazingly, Carson thought, he had turned up. The doctor stood by the bed that McKay was perched on, taking his blood pressure, again.

Sheppard wandered in. He nodded to McKay, who grunted back.

"Hey, Carson. How are Myro and Halling?"

"Ah, John. Well, Halling's had to be patched up a bit for some nasty compound fractures, and a wee bit internal bleeding, but he's recovering well from the surgery, and we'll just have to see how things go. Myro, we've had to give him a lot of medication to support his breathing, but he's responding well, it's early days. I'm quite happy with the both of them at the moment, considering." He looked down as he wrote on McKay's chart.

Sheppard raised his eyebrows at what seemed a fairly pessimistic situation, but figured Carson knew what he was talking about.

"How's the shoulder, McKay?"

"Fine. The joys of analgesia, you know."

Carson gave a tut, and scowled at McKay.

Sheppard jumped up on the bed to perch next to McKay. "I guess we'll have to cancel that message to your sister. You tried your best, though," he teased, grinning.

Carson squinted at the Colonel, not knowing what he was talking about.

"Yeah, well, it was your idea, not mine!" McKay replied dryly.

"What! I never said you had to jump!"

"As good as!"

"Was not!"

Carson interrupted the two men. "Just hold on a wee minute, here, gentlemen. What are you going on about?"

McKay pointed a finger at Sheppard. "He told me to save them!"

"I did not!"

Before it could all start again, Carson held up his hands. "Woah. Stop there. I thought you were the only one who could reach them, Rodney?"

"I was."

"And you climbed down to help them get back up?"

"Yes."

"But Wex fell?"

"Yeah."

"Are you telling me you jumped in because you thought it would be expected of you?" Carson said incredulously.

Sheppard crossed his arms and gave Carson a hard stare. Carson eyed him suspiciously.

McKay protested. "Hell, no, Carson. You think my ego would be that small? I don't know… Sheppard just reminded me of the nanovirus, you know, when I almost…but that's not why…oh, hell, I just knew my skull was thicker than Wex's, that's all."

Carson had been right there when McKay thought he would be killed by the nanovirus. "Eh? Oh. Right. Died saving kids. Aye, well, I suppose you might have."

Carson mussed his own hair and looked sheepishly at his two friends. "Jings, sorry, lads, I'm just…you know, I was worried for you, Rodney."

Sheppard rolled his eyes. "You've got a pretty thick skull, McKay, that's for sure." He muttered, earning a shove from McKay. Then a thought struck him. "Look, I'm really sorry, Rodney. I thought the climb looked reasonable…"

"It worked, you know." McKay interrupted with the quiet comment.

Carson and Sheppard stilled, and gave him quizzical looks.

The Canadian spoke quietly, eyes down. "I took some nasty blows, shielded him. It was quick, but I don't think he'd have made it." He dropped his head to stare at his folded hands on his knees.

Carson laid his hand on McKay's back, and sought his eyes. "Good Lord, Rodney, you were very brave, man. I can't think what made you do it, I really can't. It was…beyond the call of duty."

Sheppard nodded his agreement. McKay sat very still for a whole minute, letting the warmth of Carson's hand on his back remind him he was home. With a long sigh, he then jumped down from the bed, and left the infirmary, with John a step behind all the way.

0o0o0

The door to McKay's lab slid open, and Jinto and Wex wandered in slowly, casting their eyes around.

"What are you doing here?" McKay kept his eyes on the screen.

"Just came to see you." Wex answered.

"How are your dads?" McKay asked, not looking up.

"Good. Home next week, Dr Beckett says. Can we stay for a bit? We'll just be looking, Dr McKay." Wex rambled.

"Well, don't touch anything. And don't take anything apart."

Jinto spoke up. "But you said…"

"I know what I said. And now I'm telling you to leave my stuff alone. Or someone else might have to come and rescue you both. I've done my bit saving kids."

Jinto was standing right next to McKay now, and he placed his hands on the table, next to the keyboard.

"We weren't kids. We were men."

McKay stopped typing and swivelled to look at him. "What?"

"We had performed the Tar-Nat. We were men. We are men." Wex stated blithely.

McKay's eyes grew wide, his jaw slackened. "Right. Men. Listen, Jinto, Wex, whatever you do, just keep all that Tar-Nat stuff to yourselves for a bit, OK? And…just don't tell Dr Zelenka…please?"

"OK, Rodney." They chorused.

McKay smiled. He decided he liked children after all.

THE END