An hour or so later, John found himself facing the man-mountain that was Nurse Thomas. Ronon was at his side, making John feel strangely small between these two large men.

"I'm not sure how I can help you, Sir," Thomas said. "My research is still at quite early stages, and the scientists you have here on Atlantis are much better than me."

"It's one aspect of your research in particular, Thomas," John tried to reassure him. "Dr Stanton says there is a possibility that Dr Beckett was drugged using GHB, or something similar. Now I believe you've been doing some research into that."

The look on the other man's face was one of extreme sadness. But his answer was a simple one.

"Yes," he replied.

"Is there anything you can suggest that might help us check to see if Carson was drugged?" John asked, hopefully.

Thomas shook his head thoughtfully. "I've tried to develop a test for GHB once the obvious signs have left the body," Thomas said. "But that's only been a sideline. My main emphasis is to develop some kind of vaccine against it. Something that will stop it from having an effect in the first place."

"So, d'you have anything that can help us or not?" Ronon tried the direct approach, as usual.

"I've had some success in finding traces of GHB," Thomas admitted. "But the side effects have been discouraging."

"How discouraging?" John asked.

"Fatally so," Thomas said, his eyebrow lifting ironically.

"Ahh," John replied. "So you're not really ready to test them on a human subject?"

"I've modified the test since I last ran it," Thomas responded. "And I think I'm getting closer to finding the answer, but I'd say I was still a long way off being ready to test it on a human subject. I've only been on Atlantis a few weeks, and I don't really want to be remembered as the man responsible for killing the CMO here. I think the test could only be used as a last resort."

"The problem is," John admitted. "We're getting kinda close to the last resort. Carson is still unconscious and we're no closer to proving that Carson didn't try to kill Rodney."

oOoOoOo

All was quiet in the Infirmary again, at last. Rodney rested on his bed, in the corner. He was feeling better than he had since his close encounter with the exploding ZPM. But although physically he was improving, his mental, emotional state was not. His eyes kept straying to the curtained cubicle at the other side of the Infirmary where Carson's unconscious figure lay.

From what he had overheard, Rodney knew that Carson had woken up occasionally, and briefly. But they were still monitoring him closely and guarding him securely. More than anything else, Rodney wanted to talk to Carson, to ask him, to his face, if the Scot was trying to kill him. Rodney didn't want to believe it, but he had seen so many strange things since he came to the Pegasus Galaxy, that he was reluctant to rule out anything.

His opportunity came when another team came back from a mission, and once more the Infirmary was a hubbub of activity. Even the marines were distracted. It probably had something to do with the pretty blonde nurse who was tending to the minor injuries one of the team members was suffering from. Rodney signed and wondered if all military men were the same.

No-one really noticed when Rodney got up from his bed. He had been wandering around periodically, under doctor's orders to get moving. He casually started to head towards Carson's cubicle, trying not to appear as if that was his target. As he approached the cubicle, he glanced round to see if anyone had noticed. His eyes met those of Jeff Stanton, working in another part of the Infirmary. Rodney held his breath, but the doctor just smiled slightly and gave a slight nod. Rodney slipped through the curtains around the cubicle, and got his first proper view of Carson in a number of days.

The Scot didn't look good. His face was as white as the sheets that covered him. His dark lashes seemed very obvious against the white of his cheek. Rodney's eyes went to the monitors but they told him little apart from the fact Carson's heartbeat was strong and steady.

He moved over to the side of the bed, and laid a hand on Carson's arm. Blue eyes shot open, intense against his pale face.

"It's just me, Carson," Rodney whispered. The eyes turned to Rodney's face, gazing at him intently.

"R'ney," Carson said, slurring the word slightly. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," Rodney said, almost impatiently. "You're the one lying in the bed hooked up to the monitors."

Carson smiled slightly. Rodney stood in silence for a moment, not sure how to ask the question that was at the forefront of his mind. Carson's eyes drifted shut, but only temporarily.

"I didn't try to kill you, Rodney," Carson said, answering Rodney's question even before he had asked it. "I need you to believe that."

"I don't want to Carson," Rodney answered. "I know my opinion of your profession isn't generally very high, but I trust you more than any other doctor I've met. Saying that, I've not trusted any of them at all. But you've treated my many and varied health problems on many occasions, so it wouldn't make sense for you to turn round and try to kill me. My only problem is that not everything in the Pegasus Galaxy makes sense."

"I wish I could explain what's happening, Rodney," Carson said, with a sigh. "But I cannae. Given the facts, I'd almost believe I tried to kill you."

"Sheppard said something about evidence you were in your room," Rodney said, a query in his voice. "As usual, his grasp of the complexities were a little shaky, but it seemed to think it wouldn't be of any help."

"It was that Ancient medical scanner we had set up in my room," Carson explained.

"You left it hooked up?" Rodney asked.

"Aye," Carson replied. "I thought it would be interesting to see the results over a longer time-frame."

"And it showed you were in your room at the time the laser was set up?"

"It showed someone with the Ancient gene was," Carson admitted. "And as the Colonel pointed out, it doesn't prove it was me."

"You know," Rodney said, resting his chin on his hand in a thoughtful way. "There are further modifications I could do to the scanner, and the information it gives us. I might just be able to persuade it to show that it was you in your room. Now let me think," he said, his voice drifting off thoughtfully.

"There was someone else there too," Carson said.

"You had someone else in your room?" Rodney asked.

"It would appear so," Carson admitted. "But I can't remember anything about it."

"I wonder," Rodney said. "If I tweak the data slightly, I might be able to narrow down the field as to who that was as well."

"Does that mean you believe I didn't try to kill you, Rodney?" Carson asked, a plea in his blue eyes.

"What?" Rodney said, his thoughts focused on what he might be able to achieve with the data from the Ancient device.

"Rodney, I need you to believe I didn't try to kill you," Carson responded. "It's important to me, that you, of all people, believe in me."

"What," Rodney said distractedly. "Yes, yes, of course I believe you. After all, you'd be stuck without me to help you with all those medical devices you can't work out how to use."

Carson sank back on the bed, with a sigh of relief. Rodney allowed a smile to play on his lips, but kept it hidden from Carson. He knew that the best way to get Carson to believe him was to mask the truth behind his usual off-hand, flippant manner. He believed Carson. He knew the Scot was as bad at lying as Rodney was himself. And it took one incompetent liar to know another. Carson always knew when Rodney was lying about his injuries, and now Rodney realized he could read the Scot just as well.

"I'll tell you what, Carson," Rodney said, turning back to his friend. "Let me have a look at that device and see if I can persuade it to give us some more information. That is, of course, if Zelenka hasn't destroyed all the data with his clumsy intervention."

Carson smiled, his eyes closing. He felt more at peace than he had since this whole business had blown up, literally. Then a thought shattered his peace, and caused his eyes to shoot open.

"Be careful, Rodney," he said, reaching out to touch his friend's arm. "There is still someone out there trying to kill you."

"Oh, don't worry about me," Rodney said. "Sheppard won't let me go anywhere without setting a couple of bloodhounds on me. And here in the Infirmary, there seems to be more marines than patients."

"Well, just be careful," Carson said, his eyes closing again. Rodney stood and watched him for a moment, until the doctor's breathing became the deep, even breathing of sleep.

As he slipped out of the cubicle, Rodney didn't notice the eyes watching him. The eyes followed him as he made his way back to his bed, and then shifted to watch the doctor, lying sleeping.

"Interesting," the owner of the eyes murmured. "So you have an ally, doctor. And one who thinks he might be able to clear you. Unfortunately, I think your computer is about to have a little accident, and all that data will be lost. Then I'll be free to get on with my revenge. Enjoy your sleep while you can, my good doctor, because before long, your nightmares will return!"