"Shit. What happened to you?"
"Your concern is overwhelming," Rodney replied sourly. The scientist's eyes were closed as he responded. He was lying in a bed in the examination area of the infirmary. His left eye was swollen shut, and the entire left side of his face seemed to have an imprint of – could that be a keyboard?
"Sorry," John grimaced as he looked closely at Rodney's face. He cocked his head, trying to get a better look at the damage. McKay's face was a deep red verging on purple where whatever had hit him had made prime impact. John finished his examination only to find Rodney staring at him through obviously pain-filled eyes.
"Finished, Colonel Sheppard?" Rodney asked snidely.
"Sorry," John said again.
"Quite the vocabulary you have there," the physicist sighed.
"Yeah. So, what happened?" John repeated his initial question.
Rodney had his eyes closed again, but he also had that look on his face. John had been witness to that look any number of times since Dr. Rodney McKay had joined his team. Usually, that "sick feeling" look came upon Rodney when he was running for his life or otherwise scared shitless. This time, John recognized it as the "other" sick feeling.
"Do you…can I…" Rodney started, eyes searching the area desperately, swallowing convulsively to try to fend off the nausea. "Carson?" he asked plaintively.
"Aye, Rodney. What have you done now?" the chief medical officer asked as he rushed into the room, just as John reached over for the emesis basin. He got it in place just in time for Rodney's first round of vomiting. John knew it would not be the last.
"Easy," John soothed as Rodney continued to throw up, mostly bile as it seemed the good doctor might not have gotten around to lunch.
Dr. Carson Beckett stayed nearby, waiting for Rodney to finish so that he could check the man out.
"Done?" Carson asked sympathetically.
"Uungh, my head…" Rodney moaned, followed by a couple of deep breaths.
"It looks like you got hit pretty hard by…what hit you, Rodney? Who was with him?" Beckett asked Sheppard as he continued to check over his patient.
"I don't know. There was an explosion in the lab. Rodney got knocked out, and…"
"Down. Knocked down, not out. Uuh, huh, huh." Rodney was practically weeping as he gently felt his injured head. John's brow furrowed as he watched from the sidelines, the frustration of not being able to help building with every painful moan.
"Here, let me look," Carson said worriedly. He looked at John and whispered, "Can you find out what happened?"
"Sure Doc." Anything to help, John thought as he walked toward the door, handing the emesis basin to the nurse. "Can you empty this and get him a new one?" he asked. "He'll need it in a little while."
"How do you know that?" the tall brunette asked.
"Practice," John replied with a crooked grin.
John was back in less than ten minutes.
"You were right," Nurse Jennings said to him, smiling sadly.
"Yeah, I wish I wasn't always so smart," John joked back.
"Puhlease!" John heard from Rodney's bed. "Ow," the scratchy, and obviously sore voice said.
"Take it easy, Rodney," Carson admonished.
"How's he doin'?" John asked as he stood next to his friend's bed.
"He's been better, that's for sure. He's got a nasty gash at his hairline, and he'll have a lovely kaleidoscope of colors on his head by this evening. What hit him, and why didn't anyone from the lab accompany him here?" Carson asked, not even trying to hide the accusation.
John shook his head. "No one came with him because we have no one to spare in the lab. They were short staffed with Ronon and Teyla's "Self Defense 101" class and several teams out exploring different sections of Atlantis while we've got full power. Zelenka stayed behind with the few that were left to contain the fire and evaluate the damage. That's what Rodney would have wanted, anyway. You know all about being short handed right now, right Doc?" John finished.
"Aye. This flu has almost run its course, thank heavens. So, what hit him?"
John Sheppard shook his head as he started to explain. This could only happen to Rodney McKay; standing at the wrong place at the wrong time. Typical.
"The experiment Radek and his team had going was working fine. Or so it seemed. Rodney stopped in to check on things. He had barely reached Radek when everything blew up all to hell. The laptop that was nearest the epicenter of the experiment was lifted up, flew through the air, right past Radek's face and right into Rodney's."
"The man is a magnet for trouble," Carson said as he looked toward a now resting McKay. "If he weren't so damned valuable I'd recommend sending him back through the Stargate to Earth. He's bloody cursed."
"Carson," John said, annoyed with even the suggestion of sending Rodney away.
"Nah, I'm not serious. I've gotten used to the bugger being around, if ya can imagine." Carson smiled warmly at the colonel.
"I can easily imagine," John replied softly as he watched McKay rest.
"We'll be taking him for a head scan in a minute. That's a pretty hard object to be hit with at that velocity."
"Yeah, it is. So, he threw up again?"
"Aye. Pretty unpleasant for him, too, with the head injury. He aspirated some, too, and coughed until his throat was raw. I've given him something to help with the nausea. He'll be sleepy for some time now."
"Easier to work with that way, eh?" John smirked.
"You bet." Carson smiled as he looked again at his patient with concern.
"He'll be okay?" John asked worriedly.
"He's got a hard head, as you know, Colonel."
"I c'n hear you," Rodney slurred, pointing shakily in Carson's direction.
"It's true, Rodney. Seems you got lucky again," John said, more serious than not, grabbing Rodney's shoulder firmly and with affection.
"Feel l'cky," Rodney said, still fighting to stay awake.
"All right. You gents can talk more later. Dr. McKay has an appointment with Big Bertha."
Rodney chuckled and then started coughing, and then he moaned from the knife-like pain in his throat.
'Big Bertha?' John mouthed to Carson.
"Inside joke between Rodney and me," he said quietly. "He named the MRI machine. He felt they were getting too close not to know each other's first names."
John smiled. Rodney could be rough on people, as demanding of others as he was of himself. The dangers he had faced in the Pegasus galaxy might have crushed a lesser man. John had no doubt that his friend's weird sense of humor helped him to make it through this strange and oft times scary place.
"Moderately serious concussion, the stitches you know about, watching for excess pressure on the brain. Typical day at the office, though I'm beginning to really worry about loss of brain cells."
John knew that Rodney would be okay. Rodney's rundown of his own injuries made it pretty clear that his mind and sense of humor were both in tact.
"How do you feel? Is Beckett going to keep you here?" John asked with practiced nonchalance.
"I have felt better, and Carson says I have to stay here unless I can hire myself a babysitter." Rodney finished off the sentence with a flourish by folding his arms indignantly across his chest.
"Well now, Rodney, concussions are tricky things," John tried to explain.
"Had 'em before."
"I know you have, but Carson's concerned…"
"I'm okay."
"Rodney, your eyes can't focus yet. You're not okay. You will be," John said encouragingly.
Rodney sank deeply into the pillow, pouting. John could barely stand looking at his poor, pathetic friend.
"I'll be back in a little while," John said, patting Rodney's shin as he left.
"Y'ur a good fr'nd," Rodney slurred as he eased into sleep.
"Yes I am," John Sheppard acknowledged as he watched the food congeal and the movie continue to play in the background. John had spoken with Elizabeth and between the two of them they re-worked the schedule to allow John some downtime to help Rodney with his recovery. And here he was, six thirty in the evening and Rodney was already in la-la land.
"I'm a really good friend," he said, sarcasm dripping as he cleared the food away.
"The best," he heard Rodney say, quietly and with evident emotion. John dropped what he was doing and went to check on his friend. Tear tracks on Rodney's cheek hinted that something wasn't right with John Sheppard's favorite scientist.
"Rodney?" John asked as he knelt down next to the restless form. "Rodney, you okay?"
Rodney opened his eyes and blinked rapidly. Well, he opened one eye. The other was still only a slit at best. The blurry vision of his best friend seemed to overwhelm Rodney and he reached out, pulling John into a tight embrace. The action forced John to his knees, and he firmly returned the hug.
"Hey," John said, trying to get a look at Rodney's face. Rodney was frantically hugging John now, breathing erratically.
"Rodney, come on," he said, pushing the distraught man away. "What's going on?"
"I…I could have died."
"Well, yeah, you could have. You could die every time we go on a mission."
"No, no. I mean…I want. John, I need to tell you something." Rodney's breathing seemed easier, but he was still holding John's arms and looking straight into his eyes.
"Okay. Go ahead, if it'll help you calm down, tell me."
Rodney calmed further and sat up in his bed, patting the space next to him, inviting John to join him. Rodney sat Indian-style, though John wasn't sure that was such a good idea, the man was pretty exhausted. John had visions of his friend tilting right over and falling head-first onto the floor. But Rodney was awake, looking right into John's eyes. It unnerved the Air Force colonel, just a little.
"What?" John asked worriedly.
"I…um…" Rodney started, but then paused. The brief pause turned into a long moment, and threatened to become even longer. John reached out and took Rodney's trembling hand.
"Just tell me. It'll be okay, whatever it is," John insisted. "We've been through some rough times," he said, the Arcturus debacle and its aftermath the worst of it all. He held Rodney's hand in an even more firm grip. "I guarantee it will be okay," he said, looking deeply into Rodney's eyes. Eye.
Rodney barely blinked as he saw something different in John's expression, in his demeanor.
"I love you," Rodney said with no further hesitation, trusting in John Sheppard's guarantee.
John broke into a huge smile.
"Jesus McKay, it's about time," he said as he pulled Rodney gently to him, ever aware of the scientist's still tender head wound, and kissed him passionately.
John pulled back from the blistering kiss in order to better gauge Rodney's reaction.
Rodney blinked once, twice, licked his lips and then took a desperately needed breath and said, "Well okay then."
The End