Chapter Twenty Eight

Even before the words left Weir's mouth, Sheppard and his team were making their way down to the infirmary. Teyla struggled to keep up with his pace, having to take two steps for his one. "Major, you are pleased with this outcome?"

"I'm pleased," Sheppard answered honestly, not bothering to slow his pace down as they headed for the transporter. "I guess I just want to get this over with and gets things back to normal." He glanced to Ford on his right. "Right Ford?"

"Yes sir," Ford said with a smile.

"See Ford agrees with me," he replied.

"So I can see," Teyla said quietly as the three of them squeezed into the transporter.

--

"Okay," McKay said placing his bowl of green jello down into his lap and looking up to Beckett. "Okay, time out." He placed the tips of his fingers of one hand against the palm of the other. "Can you repeat that again, and this time can it make some sort of sense!"

"It does make sense," Beckett replied as he took a seat. "It's simple, the toxin is effectively modifying your antibodies."

"That I follow…" McKay said cautiously, pausing to take another bite of the jello, damn he was hungry.

"And it's causing them to work against your body which makes you more susceptible and vulnerable."

"See it makes much more sense when you're not overusing medical terms, still having trouble with how you managed to come to this conclusion with your APES theory," McKay muttered around a mouthful of green goo.

"It's ALPS," Beckett corrected but this was completely beside the point.

"Whatever," he said not really caring about it. McKay straightened up. "What I do care about is what you're going to do to fix this?" He looked at him with a smile. "I mean you have a cure or something right?" McKay's smile dimmed slightly as he saw the look on Beckett's face, it weren't quite so animated as his own. The smile dimmed some more until it was replaced with a daunted look. "Right?" he said quietly.

"I'm working on it," Beckett answered honestly.

"You're working on it!" McKay said raising his voice. "I could potentially die from this, very soon I may add and all I get from you is you're working on it!"

"Calm down Rodney," Beckett said understanding the man's anger. "I've told you before, I don't know enough about it to just come up with something overnight. I'm a doctor not a bloody miracle worker." McKay shifted slightly and handed his bowl of jello to Kiki who was sitting in on the conversation, she obediently placed it on the table next to her. He directed his attention back to Beckett. "But you've managed to treat it, I mean hello awake here."

"It's only temporary Rodney," he tried to explain in a soft tone. Beckett found himself to look McKay in the eye. "The treatment has worked to a degree but I can't prevent the breakdown of your immune system. I can build it back up to an extent but it won't last forever." Normally never a man for loss of words, McKay remained silent and looked down at his legs before muttering a defeated "Oh."

"I am sorry but know that I am going to keep trying every alternative I can think of," Beckett said sitting forward in his seat.

"Well," he replied bitterly bringing his eyes to meet Beckett's own. "I guess that's just going to have to do then." Beckett gave him a small smile then left McKay, taking Kiki with him.

--

It wasn't long after Beckett set to work on finding the promised alternatives that McKay had another three visitors, they came in the form of John Sheppard, Teyla Emmagan and Aiden Ford. Teyla was pleased at the sight of McKay sitting up in his bed, eating what appeared to be what they called jello. It didn't look too appetising but the man was consuming it as if he had never eaten before.

"Rodney," Sheppard said speaking first. "How are you feeling?"

"Oh you know, nothing like a little doom and gloom to start your day when you learn that there's practically nothing anyone can do to save you," McKay answered sarcastically. There was a brief moment of silence.

"Okay," Sheppard said slowly.

Teyla took the liberty of stepping forward and placing a hand on McKay's shoulder. "It is good to see you awake Doctor McKay."

"Why thank you Teyla," McKay answered. "It's nice to see that someone cares about my impending demise."

"Yeah we heard about that doc," Ford said quietly. "But we're gonna come up with a way to save you."

"Oh yes and how are you going to do that?" McKay asked with extreme scepticism. "Run around in your underwear and chant?"

"Tempting," Sheppard retorted as he grabbed a chair, turned it round the wrong way and sat down. Leaning his arms on the back and looking at him seriously. "We're going back to the planet, turns out that's where Kiki found the weapon."

"Carson already told me that."

"Whoever created the weapon and the toxin," Teyla said softly. "There is bound to be a cure."

"On the planet," McKay said, allowing himself a small smile to which Sheppard offered a slow nod. This was good news, at least it was better than the whole if this carries on you're going to die soon. "I want to go with you."

"You want to come with is?" Ford asked as if it were a bizarre suggestion.

McKay thought about it then nodded. "If I'm going to die, I may as well die doing something I'm good at…"

"Being a coward?" Sheppard replied. McKay took this moment to glare at him in silence and shooting him daggers then gave his dignified reply. "No managing to come up with an ingenious plan in the nick of time that saves all our lives."

"Well I'm convinced," Sheppard said sarcastically then looked over to Beckett who was listening into the conversation. "What do you think?"

"You're in no condition to go anywhere," Beckett said, giving McKay the same look he gave to patients who should follow their doctors' orders and not deter from them.

"Oh come on Carson, you said it yourself that I'm as good as dead. At least let me try," McKay said, but he drew the line at begging. Beckett looked to Sheppard. "If Doctor Weir says anything, I did argue against this."

"I'm sure it'll be all right," Sheppard said casually as he stood up. "Besides you're coming with us."

"Excuse me!" Beckett asked and in response all he got was a grin.