Part Seven

Beckett's cursory look at John as he emerged from the cave and Teyla's description of his injuries were enough to help him get started on treatment the moment they reached level ground. It was a long walk back to the 'jumper and he had to make sure John would be stable enough to survive the journey.

Although the wound itself was relatively clean, it was the subsequent loss of blood and the shock that were the biggest problem. Rapidly inserting IV lines into John's arm, Carson started him on fluids and blood, handing the bags to hands waiting to receive them and hold them above the patient. He checked the wound area once again, shaking his head in bewilderment at the green substance he had found underneath the dressing, but wisely leaving it in place after he tried lifting it away and found the bleeding started up again.

As soon as he was satisfied that he had done as much as he could, Carson stood and turned to those waiting for him to finish.

'He's stabilised for the time being,' he told them. 'But he's lost a lot of blood and we need to get him back to Atlantis as quickly as possible to continue treatment and monitoring.' He nodded at the men waiting to carry the Colonel to the 'jumper and went to follow them but was distracted by Lorne calling for him. As he turned around, he was in time to see Mya's legs give way beneath her and be caught by Lorne before she hit the ground.

Moving over to where Lorne was supporting the now unconscious Mya, Beckett checked her over, but his initial suspicions were confirmed almost immediately.

'It's not too serious,' Beckett assured Lorne. 'But she is exhausted. Do you know how long it's been since she slept or had anything to eat?'

'She can't have had any proper food since early yesterday, but she's had power bars,' Lorne thought over the events of the last two days. 'I'm guessing she's only had the odd nap here and there since then as well.' Lorne brushed the hair away from Mya's face as he looked back at Beckett.

'I guess it's not too much of a surprise then and sleep is the best thing for her right now. She's going to have a lot to deal with when she wakes up.' He frowned as he considered what she had been through before turning to Ronon. 'Can you carry her back to the 'jumper? I don't want to wake her up, and she probably couldn't make it that far anyway.'

Without speaking, Ronon moved forward and picked Mya up with ease and set off, followed by Beckett and Lorne with the remainder of the rescue party bringing up the rear.

'You know she's not really comfortable around most people at the moment,' Lorne said quietly to Beckett. 'Including Ronon. What if she wakes up?'

'I don't think she will,' Beckett assured the Major, 'but if it makes you feel better, we can walk a bit faster and keep up with them.'

Thirty minutes later the party reached the 'jumper and, with the pilot pushing the 'jumper as fast as he dared, they were through the 'gate and in the 'jumper bay in a very short time.

The moment they came to a halt, Beckett was issuing orders to the assembled medical team as John was wheeled away to the infirmary leaving the rest of the 'jumper's occupants to disembark where they found Dr Weir and Teyla waiting for them.

'Good work, everyone,' Elizabeth smiled, seeing the tiredness that was only now beginning to show on the faces of the rescue party. Now the situation had been resolved, they could allow themselves the luxury of giving in to their exhaustion. 'Get yourselves checked out and then get some rest.'

She turned her attention to Ronon who was still carrying Mya, Teyla having gone over to him as soon as she saw him exit the 'jumper.

'Is she alright?'

'She's suffering from exhaustion,' Lorne supplied as Ronon stood there without talking. 'Dr Beckett wanted her to go to the infirmary as soon as we returned.'

'In that case I won't keep you any longer.'

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Beckett ran his fingers through his hair as he watched Sheppard being wheeled out to the main ward, thankful they only had minor complications to deal with. Knowing that Ronon and Teyla were most likely waiting to find out the latest news, he went out to put their minds at rest.

As expected, the two of them were waiting for him, along with Dr Weir.

'He's going to be fine,' Beckett assured them with a reassuring smile and could see all three of them visibly relax. 'The wound itself was easy to treat and shouldn't give any further problems. We're monitoring his heart and kidney functions as there is some irregularity caused by the blood loss, but I'm hoping they'll both return to normal without further treatment. Knowing the Colonel's usual rate of recovery, I suspect he'll be back on his feet in a few days though he will have to take things easy for a while and come back for regular check-ups.'

'Can we see him?'

'Aye, for a few moments.' Beckett gave his approval, knowing they would probably hang around bothering his staff if they didn't see for themselves that he was fine. 'But he's asleep so make sure you don't disturb him.'

'He doesn't look like he's been through hell and back does he?' Elizabeth murmured softly as she stood to one side of John's bed.

'Indeed,' Teyla smiled with relief. 'He does look remarkably child-like when asleep.'

'He behaves like a child when he's awake too, lass,' Beckett told her, 'at least when he's in here he does.'

Ronon said nothing, but took a long look at Sheppard to make sure he was alright before nodding at the other three and taking his leave.

Teyla, noticing the small figure curled up asleep in the bed next to John's, moved over and was joined by Beckett and Elizabeth.

'She's had a quick medical but apart from exhaustion, she's otherwise healthy,' Beckett told them. 'She slept through the whole process. I'm keeping her here until she wakes, then we'll need to see about alternative accommodation for her.'

'My people would be more than willing to provide a home for her,' Teyla told him. 'However she seems to have developed an attachment to Colonel Sheppard and I am not sure it would be wise to introduce her to new people just yet.'

'Aye, well, that's understandable in the circumstances,' Beckett told her, considering this. 'She's lost her family and all the people she knew and Colonel Sheppard is the one who was there for her.'

'I'm not sure that keeping her on Atlantis is such a good idea,' Elizabeth said. 'Surely this is a more alien environment than taking her to the mainland?'

'Well, yes, but it's not just the environment we have to consider,' Beckett moved towards the far end of the infirmary, followed by the other two. 'There's going to be emotional trauma and the person she seems to have bonded with is the Colonel. He may be the only person she'll allow to get close enough to help her through this.'

'I'm not sure how he'll feel about it,' Elizabeth considered this.

'In the meantime, I would be more than happy to watch over her,' Teyla offered. 'She knows me already and while Colonel Sheppard and Dr McKay are in the infirmary, I will not be needed to go off-world for a few days.'

'Thank you, Teyla,' Elizabeth smiled at her. 'We'll give her a few days to settle down and take it from there?' She looked at Beckett for confirmation that this would be acceptable, receiving a nod from him. 'I gather she's the one we've got to thank for getting Colonel Sheppard back to us more or less in one piece.'

'Yes, her father was a healer and she would often help him,' Teyla advised her. 'It is not uncommon for children to learn the trades of their parents from a very early age.'

'She used a leaf to stem the bleeding, and I suspect it also possesses some sort of antiseptic properties,' Beckett added. 'The nurses found a few more of them in her pockets so I'm going to take a look at them. You should get some rest now,' he changed the subject, turning to Teyla. 'You're exhausted and now you've seen for yourself that Colonel Sheppard and Mya are both alright, you should get yourself off to bed.'

'Very well,' Teyla nodded at Beckett and Elizabeth and took her leave.

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John tried to open his eyes but they felt too heavy just at the moment so he contented himself with listening instead. The quiet beeps, the murmur of voices and the antiseptic smell told him where he was. Unwilling to give in to weakness any longer, he forced his eyes open, squinting at the brightness of the lights until he became used to them. Immediately a familiar figure hurried over to him, smiling a welcome at him.

'Hello doc,' John's voice was dry and croaky, soon remedied by the cool water Beckett handed to him to sip. 'So, what's the verdict? How long have I got?'

'That's not funny,' Beckett told him sternly before answering. 'You lost a considerable amount of blood which we've had to replace and we're monitoring your heart and kidneys to make sure they're working normally again. You were very lucky, the wound was cleaned well and there's no sign of infection.'

'I don't feel very lucky,' John winced as he shifted himself.

'It could have been a lot worse,' Beckett reminded him, helping him sit up.

'I guess I have Mya to thank for that.'

'Aye, you have.'

'Where is she, by the way?'

'She's asleep over there,' Beckett nodded at the next bed. 'She passed out right after they rescued you and has been asleep since.'

'Is she alright?' John frowned at this news.

'Apart from exhaustion, she's physically fit and healthy, but I would imagine there'll be some fallout from what she's experienced these last few days.'

'Uh-huh,' John responded noncommittally, though his eyes took on a thoughtful expression as he changed the subject, his eyes falling on the occupant of the bed on the other side of him. 'How's Rodney?'

'He had a nasty gash on his leg. I've had to keep him in here to give it chance to heal, but he should be out of my hair soon. He'll need to use crutches for a few days, though.'

'I bet he'll just love that,' John grinned at the image this conjured up. 'So, when can I get out of here?'

'Bored of my company already?' Beckett tried, and failed, to look offended. This was a familiar routine every time Sheppard had to spend any time in the infirmary. 'You'll have to stay for a few days, I'm afraid. As I said, you lost a lot of blood and I need to make sure everything is returning to normal before you leave.'

'But…'

'No arguments, Colonel. Now, you need to get some rest.'

John gave up the argument, he knew when Beckett used that tone it was useless to protest, but it wouldn't stop him trying again.

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When John woke later, he again heard the sound of voices talking quietly, although this time the voices sounded more familiar. He lay for a while fighting the feeling of tiredness that ached through his whole body, the process interrupted by McKay's voice speaking sharply.

'What do you think you're doing? This isn't some kind of playground, you know. There are sick people in here.'

John's eyes shot open but couldn't see what McKay was making such a fuss about. He was about to say something when he felt someone on his other side grabbing his hand and holding on to it as tightly as they could.

'Mya!' He exclaimed as he recognised the top of her head. She was crouching down beside the bed, hiding from McKay. 'It's alright,' he spoke soothingly to her, squeezing her hand in return. 'What's wrong with you McKay?' John snapped at the other man. 'She's just a kid for crying out loud.'

'It's nice to see you, too,' Rodney said huffily as John returned his attention to Mya.

'Here, come and sit beside me, I'm sure Dr Beckett won't mind just this once.' He shifted awkwardly to one side of the bed. Mya looked up at him but made no move to do as he suggested, her eyes darting warily towards McKay.

'You don't have to worry about him, he won't hurt you,' John assured her. 'C'mon up.' He patted the bed and this time she clambered up and settled beside him.

Mya hugged him, then whispered something in his ear that made him grin and glance over at McKay before saying, 'I'm afraid he is.'

'What's she saying about me?' McKay demanded suspiciously.

'Nothing you need to worry about Rodney,' John grinned back at him before talking to Mya again. 'I hear…'

'No you don't,' Rodney snapped back making John smile even more. 'You tell me what she's been saying about me.'

'If you must know,' John heaved a sigh, his eyes twinkling, 'she wanted to know if you were always that grumpy.'

Rodney's mouth opened and closed for a few seconds but no words came out and eventually he threw himself back on his pillow, looking in the other direction and ignoring the two of them.

Mya whispered to him again. 'I'm going to be fine, Doctor Beckett fixed me up and I should be out of here in a couple of days. How are you doing?' Sadness filled Mya's eyes and she looked away, not yet ready to face the kindness she saw in John's face. 'Never mind,' John said hastily changing the subject, relieved when he saw Beckett, Teyla and Elizabeth approaching.

'It's about time you showed up,' John greeted them. 'I was beginning to think I was going to be stuck here with only Rodney for company.'

'You were asleep when we arrived before so we were talking to Dr Beckett,' Teyla ignored the sarcasm in his voice. 'How are you feeling?'

'Bit sore, but apart from that I'm fine. Don't really need to be in here at all,' he glared at Beckett for good measure.

'Doctor,' Mya greeted Beckett, her eyes narrowing suspiciously as she watched Elizabeth.

'Mya, this is Dr Weir – Elizabeth. She is our leader.' Teyla performed the introductions. Elizabeth watched the girl closely, noticing how she clung to John for reassurance and waited for the child to make the first move.

'Liz'beth,' Mya repeated the name, studying it's owner carefully before approaching her and wrapping her arms around her waist.

'It's nice to meet you Mya,' Elizabeth responded, a little bewildered.

'She trusts you, Dr Weir,' Teyla told her, smiling. 'But she is still uncomfortable around many people at present.'

'I brought something for you,' Elizabeth crouched down in front of Mya and held an object out to her.

Mya took it and looked at it curiously.

'It's a teddy bear,' Elizabeth told her. 'A cuddly toy that children on Earth have. I brought this one with me and thought you might like to have it.

'Liz'beth,' Mya hugged the bear close to her, liking the soft, squashy feeling of it, then returned to stand beside John, whispering into his ear again.

'She's hungry,' John announced, ruffling Mya's hair.

'I will attend to her, if that is alright with you?' Teyla looked at Beckett and John, who both nodded, and held out her hand to Mya who happily took it and went with her.

'I thought you'd like to know that Major Lorne has taken a team back to the planet to search for survivors,' Elizabeth told John as soon as Teyla and Mya had left. 'Ronon's gone with them.'

'Somehow I doubt they'll find any,' John told her, his facing taking on a grim expression.

'I'll let you know as soon as they report back,' Elizabeth promised. 'I'd better let you get some rest, you're looking tired.' John, fighting the desire to close his eyes, gave in and was asleep within moments of being left alone.

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To be continued…

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