So How Did I Meet Your Mom Again?17
Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate: Atlantis or any of its characters or story lines. No infringement is intended upon anyone or any subsidiary connected to Stargate: Atlantis or its parent series, Stargate: SG-1 or Stargate The Movie. I'm poor, you'll get nothing out of me!
Summary: When the team discovers McKay's future daughter living with their trading partners, the search is on for the mother because his daughter will have to be conceived in 16 months or cease to exist. No pressure, right?
Rating: PG for language.
Warnings: Possibly some adult situations or at least ideas.
Category: Friendship/Romance/Humor
Author note: I'm trying to keep this kid friendly, so don't make any requests for anything graphic! Not that anyone has, but you never know. Adult situations in this chapter, although I think it's pretty funny.
Rodney pounded on John's door until it slid open and John stood half dressed wearing boxers and his vest holding his 9mil in his hand. "What is it?" He slurred, sleepily.
Rodney pushed past him to enter the room. "Lexi just broke up with me!" His voice was somewhere between wanting to cry and needing to rage.
That seemed to wake John up. "Wait, start from the beginning and tell me everything." Rodney told the story as quickly as he could while pacing, very upset, until he got to what had happened at her door and how she had reacted.
"SO?" Rodney demanded, "what did I do wrong?"
John sat there quietly for a minute. "I don't think you did anything."
"What does that mean!"
"Well," said John slowly, "it sounds like maybe she's afraid of commitment. I'm starting to think it's a miracle you two got together in any timeline, what with your complete lack of knowledge about the fairer sex and her being gun-shy about committing."
"Well, how do I change her mind?" Rodney asked miserably. He did seem to have awful luck with women. It was ironic that he was finally ready to make a commitment to a woman that wasn't.
"There's nothing you can do." John said sadly. "Just give her time to miss you." He rested his hand on Rodney's shoulder.
Rodney collapsed into a chair dejectedly and dropped his head in his hands, heartbroken.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
It had been three weeks since that fateful day, and Rodney was still moping about. He had trouble focusing on his work, and his appetite had suddenly fled. The only thing that seemed to help, even a little bit, was getting what Sheppard referred to as, as his "Lexi fix." He had memorized her schedule so that he could walk by at least once a day to get just a glimpse of her. In his opinion, she looked just as miserable as him. So why'd she do it?
He was in fact, headed to get his "Lexi fix" of the day, when he realized that she wasn't there. And no one had covered her position, leaving the post with only one guard. Slightly worried, he walked over to the soldier and asked him where Lt. Taylor was.
"She's really sick sir. Last I saw her, she was in the infirmary."
Rodney's eyes bugged out. She's sick? How sick? Dying kind of sick? What's wrong with her? Oh no, maybe she got some off-world disease that's dissolving her organs! He thought. He started making his way to the infirmary with more and more gruesome fates imagined for her, so that by the time he arrived, he was out of breath and almost hyperventilating.
His eyes darted all over the room but there was no one in any of the beds. "Carson!" He shouted.
The burly Scot ran out of his office, looking for what injury might have befallen Rodney to make him yell like that. "What is it lad? Are you hurt?"
"No! Where's Lexi? I heard she was in here, very ill."
Carson looked at Rodney sadly, "She's gone."
Rodney turned white and Carson, realizing his error, grabbed Rodney's arm and propelled him to a bed all the while talking, "She's not dead! I meant gone as in gone to her quarters for rest. She's much too light of a sleeper to get any rest here, and since her condition doesn't warrant constant medical supervision, I released her to her quarters."
McKay had finally gotten some color back in his face and Carson was just relieved the man hadn't passed out. "What's wrong with her?"
"Ach, nasty case of the flu, although it fortunately isn't affecting her stomach, she's got every other symptom you can get. I have a nurse checking her hourly to make sure her fever doesn't get any higher. It seems pretty level at 102 degrees."
"Can I see her?" Rodney asked, his eyes pleading.
"There's a chance that she'll give it to you, ya know. She's still contagious. I can't force you to stay away from her, but keep in mind, she may get you sick."
"I just want to make sure she's alright." Rodney said miserably.
Carson took pity on him. "I'll give you a vitamin B and C shot to boost your immune system, but I make no guarantees." He warned.
Rodney nodded and Carson left to get a syringe, talking while working. "You know Rodney, when someone is sick, they're also kind of vulnerable. They don't feel good, so their feelings aren't as guarded, and they tend to say more than they mean to." Rodney frowned, is he trying to tell me something?
Beckett, noticing his look, frowned himself and jabbed Rodney in the arm with the needle. "Ow!" "Oh shut it you dense man! I'm trying to tell you that if you want to find out why she up and dumped you, now would be a good time. Just be gentle and quiet and maybe she'll talk to you. Now get out of here." He said, grumbling about the idiocy of lovesick men as Rodney took off.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
Rodney decided to knock on her door instead of chiming. It just seemed like something you would do on a sick person's door. He heard a weak, muffled, "Come in." as the doors slid open.
He stepped in quickly and got his first glance at how sick she was. She was sprawled under the covers, which were everywhere, and had a pillow clasped tightly over her head. He could see various glasses and tissues on her nightstand. She still hadn't noticed who had entered.
Walking closer and remembering Carson's words, he knelt down and put a hand on her back, is she shivering? while he asked, "Hey, you feeling okay?"
The pillow immediately left her head and she blinked fuzzy eyes at him. "Rodney? What are you doing here?"
"Carson sent me to check on you." He said only partially lying. "I promise I won't try anything, I just want to make sure you're alright." He said gently.
It seemed to be the right approach because she just blinked confused eyes at him and said, "okay." And laid back down, putting the pillow firmly over her head as she continued to shiver.
He couldn't help but smile at the pathetic picture she made. Maybe I can help with the shivering. He told himself to explain the urgent need he had to hold her in his arms. He put his hand on her back again and gently rolled her over enough that he could lay on the very edge of the bed. When he released her, she immediately snuggled into him with a sigh, discarding her pillow in favor of Rodney's warmth. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling the blankets up around her shoulders. She wrapped her own arms around him, like he was a teddy bear and rested her head on his chest. "Thanks Rodney." She murmured.
"For what?" He murmured back.
"Being here." She said, drifting off to sleep not long after, his hand rubbing slow circles on her back.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
It was sometime in the early morning when Rodney woke and up realized two things almost instantly. The first, was that Lexi's fever had broken although she was still snuggled in his arms. The second, was that her snuggling had aroused a lower part of his anatomy. Willing himself to think of Ronan doing a striptease helped until Lexi sighed and again burrowed into him. Shit! What am I going to do? She can't wake up with me like this! He did his best to gently roll her back as he rotated so that he was in a sitting position and was just about to rise when she snaked an arm around his waist to pull him back, her forearm brushing against his problem. Rodney froze and didn't even breath, hoping she was still too much asleep to have noticed anything. That delusion was broken though as he heard a muffled giggle from behind him. He squeezed his eyes shut. Just kill me now.
"Rodney?" Alex asked, her voice still muffled from being face-first in the covers.
"Hmmm?" He tried, his voice sounding much too high.
"Are you packing?"
What? He wondered. For a trip?
"Like a gun?" She clarified.
"Of course not!" He responded without thinking. Crap! She had given him a perfect out and he hadn't taken it. I am so stupid! He clenched his eyes shut again.
"Rodney?" She asked again.
"Yes?" He answered, his voice strangled.
She must have lifted her head off the bed because her next words were clear. "Sorry I got you so worked up." He could hear the smile in her voice.
"Yes, well, I'll just be going then, hmmm?" He asked in the same high-pitched tone of voice, sliding off the bed and practically diving for the door. Before they slid shut again though, he distinctly heard her giggle into a pillow. Awww damn!
Author's Note: I laughed my butt off when I reread it, so I decided to leave it as is and we'll have the eventual conversation between them in the next chapter or two. I've never written so much in my life!