I have to say that TJ was particularly helpful in this chapter. She gave me a lot of good advice and helpful hints – so thank you, my friend.
Almost the instant the shot was fire, John and Ronon, and their combined attack, brought Thomas to the ground. The ex-marine rolled to the side, and got to his feet, his victim forgotten for the moment as he was forced to fight for his survival.
He and Ronon started to circle, like two animals, sizing each other up. Thomas charged Ronon, who side stepped him, and hit him on the back with his clenched fists.
Thomas grunted, and then scrambled to his feet, keeping low and going for Ronon's legs. The Satedan let himself fall, then pulled his opponent to the floor with him. John tried to get a shot in, but he was scared that in the dark and in the confined space, he would end up shooting Ronon. He winced as Thomas' elbow made contact with Ronon's nose, the Satedan unphased as he used the marine's position and momentum to flip him onto his back. Wrapping a muscular arm around Thomas neck, he slipped his other forearm behind the man's head, securing the nurse in a very effective choke hold. The marine tried to wriggle free but Ronon simply wrapped his legs around the helpless man's waist squeezing harder.
"Don't kill him," John said sharply, concerned Ronon might take things too far. Instead, the Satedan simply applied pressure to the man's windpipe until he passed out.
"He's not dead, yet," he said, in response to John's inquiring look. Ronon sounded quite mournful, as if he regretted not being allowed to kill the man. "I'll tie him up," he continued.
Teyla had ignored the fight, her focus on Carson. She had managed to push Carson to the side, so the shot had not found its intended target. The shot had been aimed at Carson's heart. Without her intervention the Scot would have been dead. But even as it was, she wasn't sure if he was going to make it.
Activating her comm-link, she called for immediate and emergency medical help.
She rolled Carson over as gently as she could. He had groaned, but his eyes were shut and his face was deathly pale. There was blood pouring from a wound to the side of his chest, and his breathing was labored.
"Carson," she said, speaking sharply to get his attention. "Can you hear me?"
She glanced up at John and he saw the fear in her eyes. He had rarely seen that look from her before. He knelt down beside the Scot, and put a hand on his good shoulder, shaking it slightly.
"Come on, Doc," he said. "You gotta wake up for us. We came all this way to find you. You can't give up on us now."
He was rewarded as Carson's eyes fluttered open, and focused with difficulty on his face.
"Colonel," he gasped. "Good . . . see you."
"Take it easy, Carson," John replied. "We'll get you safely back to that Infirmary of yours."
"R'ney?" he managed to ask.
"He is fine," Teyla said, brushing back a strand of the doctor's hair.
"Yeah, he was driving Stanton mad, the last we heard," John added, and was rewarded by a watery smile.
The doctor's eyes began to flutter shut again.
"Come on, Carson," John said. "Stay with us, don't give up on us yet. Look Doc, I'm sorry about all that business earlier. Locking you in cells, and those idiots shooting at you. If there had been anything I could've done to stop it, I woulda, you know that, right?"
"Yes," Carson said weakly. Teyla glanced up at John even more worried. The fact that John was apologizing before they got him back to the Infirmary worried her. Did he think the doctor wasn't going to make it that far?
Before she could ask her anxious question, the medical assistance she had asked for arrived, headed by Stanton. He gave Thomas a cursory glance before moving swiftly to the side of his fallen boss.
"What happened?" he asked.
"Thomas tried to shoot him," John replied.
"What is it with marines and target practice?" he said, exasperation very evident in his voice.
"Carson," he said, "can you hear me."
Again, the Scot's eyelids fluttered, but only the vaguest hint of the normally vibrant blue eyes could be seen.
"He was awake, briefly," Teyla told him.
"We'll get him back to the Infirmary immediately," Stanton said, gently pushing John out of the way.
"He's going to be all right, Doc? Isn't he?" the colonel asked, his expression.
"I can't promise anything, Colonel," the doctor responded. "He's been through a hell of a lot in these past few days, both physically and emotionally. But he's one of the strongest men I know, so if anyone can get through this, he can."
oOoOoOo
Rodney was awake, his eyes following all that was going on. He was still pale, but he looked a million times better than the last time John had seen him.
He waved his hand, weakly, to get John's attention.
John went over to him, and tried to answered the question he saw in his eyes.
"I'm not sure how Carson is," he said softly. "I'll check with Stanton."
As he went over to the hub of activity, he saw that Elizabeth had just arrived.
"Is he going to be okay?" she asked, echoing John's question.
"If you would all just give me space and let me do my job, he has a greater chance of survival," Stanton replied, his exasperation showing.
Elizabeth met John's gaze with a raise eyebrow.
They moved away, giving the medical staff some room, and went over to Rodney's bedside.
"How are you doing, Rodney?" Elizabeth asked, gently.
He gestured to his throat, and shrugged, wincing as he did so.
"That good, huh?" John said, grinning briefly.
At that moment, Ronon arrived in the Infirmary. "How's he doing?" he asked, nodding in the direction of Carson.
"Dr Stanton will let us know more about Carson once he's examined him," Elizabeth told the big man.
"Thomas?" Sheppard asked.
"In a cell, trying to wake up," Ronon responded, a self-satisfied look on his face.
"Is there something I should know?" Elizabeth asked.
"Nope," both John and Ronon responded in unison.
Before she could ask them any further awkward questions, a serious looking Stanton approached them. Behind him there was a flurry of activity around Carson.
"We're going to need to operate," Stanton said, sighing. "The latest bullet," his voice laced with irony, "pierced his lung."
"Is he going to be okay?" John asked, wanting some kind of definite answer.
"I can't answer that, I'm afraid," Stanton replied, looking directly at John as he did so. "His body has been severely weakened by all that he's been through. He's lost a lot of blood and he's hardly eaten in three days. All that makes the operation trickier than normal. But I can assure you, we will do everything we can to bring him through this. We care about him too."
"Thank you, Jeff," Elizabeth said, giving him a gentle smile.