When It Snows (part 16)
"Colonel Sheppard, it is good to hear your voice."
A full blown, brilliant grin lit up Sheppard's face as he sat a little straighter and winked over at Johan. "Doctor Z. The feeling's mutual."
"Did you find the others?"
"As a matter of fact, I did. And we're all together waiting for you to send someone to come and pick us up."
There was a brief pause on the Atlantis side of the transmission before another familiar voice broke the silence.
"Colonel."
"Elizabeth, ready to send our ride?"
Her voice remained cool, the earlier situation clearly not forgotten. "That depends. What is your status?"
"Ronon and I found them, but there wasn't a way back to the gate through the storm. A bunch of villagers came to our rescue."
"Rescue? Are you and the others alright?"
"Uh, Beckett and McKay," Sheppard started to say, but then stopped to clear his throat. Taking a moment to think of how to explain what was going on, he began again. "Long story short, Carson had an accident and Rodney and Teyla rescued him. They all ended up stranded in the storm. Then McKay got sick. Teyla had a rough time taking care of both of them. Ronon and I found the team. The villagers found us. Now we're at a lodge waiting for you to send a jumper to pick us up so we can get the docs back to the infirmary."
Hearing this, any prior animosity she'd had evaporated over the airways, leaving the familiar calm and collected expedition leader, "I have Major Lorne assembling a team right now."
With the Atlantis side channel left open, Sheppard could hear several voices talking in the background before she returned.
"John, how bad are they?"
"Dr. Nex has them stable and ready to transport. I won't lie to you, Elizabeth, it's been rough on both. Any chance Radek has been able to pinpoint our position from the signal?"
Her sigh and then soft chuckle could be heard before she replied, "He placed your location before he left to help the major."
"So, any idea of how long before we see them?"
"Give me a minute." More background discussions crackled over the airways and then she was back. "The med team just joined the others in the jumper bay and Major Lorne is powering up now."
"Jumper Two, you have gate clearance," the control tech called out from somewhere in the background.
A few seconds later Sheppard was able to make out the familiar whine of one of his jumpers.
"They're on their way, John. You should be seeing them soon," Elizabeth confirmed after the hum of the small ship could no longer be heard.
"We'll be waiting. Sheppard out." Handing the device back to Johan, he nodded, "You hear anything else, come and get me. Understood?"
"Yes, Colonel."
He gave the 'kid' a pat on the arm before shoving his chair back and heading towards the exterior door in search of Ronon.
SG: A
The bright midday sun caused ice crystals in the snow to glitter fiercely, temporarily blinding Sheppard as he stepped outside. His hand patted the pocket of his shirt in search of sunglasses, only to come up empty, realizing his parka and gear were still back in the lodge. When snow abruptly pelted him in the chest, he had to squint to make out Dex standing off to the far corner of the building with Mathis by his side, both men armed with snowballs.
"Payback," Ronon grunted before his second volley squarely tagged his commander again.
Surprised, Sheppard bit back a hiss of pain when his foot slipped out from under him and he dropped onto his butt, his sore leg taking the brunt of the fall. Hands were instantly on him, one set dragging him onto his feet while another dusted off his backside.
"Sorry," Mathis mumbled while trying to hide his grin.
Sheppard dared to open his eyes, the sunlight blocked by Dex's hulking form. A quick glance at both men showed no sign of repentance and he had to chuckle. "How long have you been waiting?"
"Knew you'd come out eventually." Ronon let go, but stood ready to assist again if needed. "You alright?"
Dusting snow off his shirt and arms, the colonel gave off an exaggerated shiver that made the larger man roll his eyes. "Yeah." The twinge in his thigh had settled back to a dull throb and he took an awkward step back to survey the landing zone. "Looks like you shoveled enough to park a few jumpers."
"How soon before they get here?"
Sheppard cupped his hand over his eyes as a shield against the glare and looked skyward. "They cleared the gate before I came out so they should be here any time now." A set of hands carefully grasped his shoulders and turned him to face the opposite direction.
"Gate's that way," Mathis said.
The trio stared up into the sky, watching for the small ship. When a glint of sunlight reflected high above them, they stepped back towards the lodge, before the jumper smoothly descended to land. A second after that, the back hatch lowered and Lorne's head poked out.
"Colonel Sheppard, Dex, good to see you." Zipping up his parka he stepped out first before Doctors Hawkins and King followed close behind. "Nice little place you got here, sir. How's the skiing?"
Sheppard sniffed and grinned. "Kind of cold, but there's lots of fresh powder." Pointing to Mathis, he made introductions before heading back inside to get warm.
SG: A
The new team from Atlantis followed Sheppard and Dex down the long hallway towards the infirmary.
"Colonel, you're limping," Hawkins commented.
"Yeah, I had a run in with one of the local cats."
Lorne looked skeptical. "A cat, Sir?"
Dex held out his hands to show size, "Big cat."
"Oh."
All conversation stopped when they entered the infirmary and found Teyla quietly talking with Prem and Dr. Nex. Without a word, the two doctors split up, each going to a bedside, opening up their field kits, and beginning examinations of Beckett and McKay. Chal, in the mean time, paced between his two patients, answering questions to the best of his knowledge.
Carson was unresponsive to any type of stimulus but Rodney's tired gaze tracked the individuals standing around him.
"'bout time," he mumbled half asleep.
Taking up a position alongside the semi-conscious scientist, Sheppard gave his friend's shoulder a squeeze. "McKay, be nice. These doctors came to take you home." Rodney merely blinked up at him to meet his gaze, his eyes holding some unknown fear.
"Carson," he whispered, his head rolling on his pillow towards the other bed.
"We'll get him home," Sheppard assured. His hand slid down to grip Rodney's, hoping to pass on encouragement, "We'll get you both home soon. Okay? You just take it easy and enjoy the ride."
When a second smaller hand gripped McKay's empty hand, he blinked heavily before he looked up to find Teyla on his other side. His eyes slid back down to where she held him. Swallowing back the sleep threatening to take over, he carefully rubbed his thumb over the back of her wrist. "You okay?" he slurred.
"I am fine, thanks to you."
Movement on the other side of the room caught his waning attention. "Carson?"
"Shhhh," Teyla said softly, her free hand stroking his short hair away from his forehead. "They are taking him out to the jumper."
With one last effort he looked up at her and then to Sheppard before sleep claimed him. "Home," formed on his lips but passed as but a soft breath.
Sheppard looked up in time to see Ronon and Lorne carrying Carson out on a stretcher, Drs Hawkins and King on either side taking care of their CMO.
Chal returned to watch over Rodney while they were gone. "You wanted to see me before you left?" he asked Sheppard.
"Yeah, doc. About that virus, do you know what you are going to do with it?"
"Keep it in cold storage."
Shepard shook his head. "You are going to have to get rid of it before you find yourself with an even deadlier exposure. What if it had leaked, infecting the entire village?" When Chal didn't comment, he continued. "Put it in front of the gate next time you head offworld. The vortex will destroy it without harming anyone."
The physician crossed his arms over his chest and glanced down to the sleeping man on the bed, "I imagine after this that my time offworld will become limited."
"Don't say that. There's too much going on out there to close yourself off. McKay's always trying to bring back one thing or another that turns around and bites him in the ass. You just need to keep a tight control on your trips." Hearing the others return, Sheppard stepped back and watched as McKay was transferred onto a litter before continuing. "You took care of all of us and you did good. And the villagers look up to you. As long as you're careful, you won't have too many problems."
"We're ready, Colonel," Lorne said from the doorway.
Sheppard clapped Chal on the shoulder as Teyla supported him around the waist. His leg was starting to pound again and his limp was becoming more noticeable as they followed the rest of the team back out towards the waiting jumper. "Have you ever gone skiing?"
SG: A
Carson lay still, relishing in the feeling of being back in his infirmary, even if he was a patient at the moment. He didn't remember any of the trip home and it had only been over the past few hours that he slowly had become aware of his surroundings.
Voices spoke softly around him and he was able to recognize most of them; Sheppard, Ronon, Teyla, and Elizabeth, as well as several of his staff. And then the occasional touch as someone brushed his face or hands in comfort, but he didn't have the strength to respond. Working his way through the enveloping haze that held him captive, it dawned on him over time that something was missing. Or rather someone.
Where was Rodney?
As time crawled and his consciousness slowly dragged itself back to the land of the living, he became more agitated. His chest hurt and his body ached. His muscles felt as though they were filled with lead. And his throat was dry. What he wouldn't give for a sip of cool water.
He wasn't sure if he'd somehow said that but soon after a spoon touched his lips while a hand cupped the side of his face.
"Carson?"
He groaned, recognizing Teyla speaking softly beside hm. It was the only sound he was capable of making.
"Carson, I have ice," she said, slipping a piece onto his tongue.
He savored the cool wetness as it melted in his mouth and slid back his throat.
"Would you like another?"
This time he was able to nod as he struggled to open his eyes, before a second ice chip was slipped into his mouth.
"Doc, you going to wake up sometime tonight? We've been home for a few hours and there are some people here who are anxious to talk to you."
With great effort he cracked his eyelids to a blurry darkened room. A shape moved in front of his vision and he lay there waiting for things to focus. He must have taken longer than necessary because the shape got closer to his face. After blinking several times, the grinning face of Sheppard peered back at him.
"Welcome back, doc."
"Didn't go anywhere," he whispered.
Sheppard shifted and it was then that Carson realized the colonel was in scrubs resting on a pair of crutches. Sliding his hand across the bed, he reached out and touched them before raising a small questioning brow.
That only gained him a larger grin.
"Well, you see there was this huge cat…" Sheppard started to say, only to be interrupted by Ronon.
"Wasn't that big."
Carson's gaze shifted to find the large man standing behind the colonel, the runner's hand resting on a bed behind him. As the pair continued with their story, their colorful conversation being put on entirely for his benefit, he only half listened. It was the figure sleeping behind Dex that gained his full attention.
Rodney.
He frowned as cluttered memories flooded his mind. The storm, falling through the ice, being cold, Rodney being sick. The monitor attached to his chest picked up the increased speed of his heart, causing the story to suddenly stop as hands reached out to reassure him.
"Rodney," he croaked, his gaze fixed on the silent scientist.
Sheppard hunkered down to intercept Carson's view. "He's gonna be fine. He's just sleeping because he's tired."
"Sick."
"Yeah, he was, but you made him better. Remember?"
Carson frowned, his hand hesitantly reaching up to rub his own face. The bristle of several days' growth felt odd under his fingertips. "Fell through the ice," he murmured.
"So I hear. He got you out and kept you and Teyla safe until we got there."
"Second time."
Sheppard frowned. "Second time what?"
The physician's eyes grew heavy. Trying to catch another glimpse of Rodney, the hand from his face batted weakly at the colonel to get out of his way.
Ronon smoothly stepped forward and helped the colonel stand back up with his crutches. The pair shifted to the side to give Beckett a better view.
Tired of this mystery coming to him in bits and pieces, Sheppard gave the doctor a pat on the arm, trying to keep him awake. "Second time for what?" he asked again.
But Carson wasn't listening. When Ronon had moved and given him a better shot of seeing Rodney sleeping, he noticed for the first time the silent figure standing on the opposite side of the scientist's bed. A small smile crossed his face and he sighed. "He did it again," he mumbled to the figure.
"I know," the quiet accented voice replied.
Sheppard, Teyla, and Ronon turned in surprise to find Radek standing in the darkness behind them.
"Z?"
Radek stepped closer, "You sleep. I will watch over Rodney."
Satisfied, Carson nodded, his eyes no longer open. "Tell them," he whispered before he drifted into the comforting darkness.
TBC