The next day, they were all in the Mess Hall. Rodney had a plate full of food in front of him, but didn't seem very eager to eat. He was talking and gesturing and was clearly upset that Ronon and Teyla didn't agree with him about something.
"Hullo. May I?" Carson said as he put his plate down at a free space on the table.
"Of course, Doctor Beckett." Teyla seemed relieved that he had joined them. Though Rodney was often annoying, the members of his team were used to him and Carson was somewhat surprised at her reaction.
Rodney started eating, gazing into his plate and not making a sound.
Ronon asked, "How's Colonel Sheppard?" hoping to get past the awkwardness. Carson, however, was absorbed in his own thoughts and didn't hear the question until Ronon asked it a second time.
"Oh, he's better, lad. Hopefully he'll be out o' the coma within the next three days."
Rodney made a muffled sound and, although he didn't feel up to it, Carson asked, "What was that, lad?"
"Nothing. And my name is Rodney. Or better yet, Doctor Rodney McKay. But if that's too long for you, just call me McKay."
They all stared at Rodney, amazed and waiting for the Canadian to explain his odd behavior. Instead, he got up and left the table, with a vague wave of the hand that suggested he was above them all.
Carson was staring at the plate in front of him. Maybe Rodney's attitude would've been justified if it had come from John. Or Elizabeth. But Rodney?
"Did I miss somethin' important? Somethin' I should know?" he asked, hoping that the discussion he'd interrupted held the key to this little mystery.
"He was his usual self." Ronon seemed disgusted. Carson wasn't really sure if it was because of Rodney's behavior or the food before him, although the latter option seemed quite plausible.
"Then why did y' stop talking when I joined you?"
"Well, you see... Doctor McKay's pretty mad at you."
"Really? Well, that's just lovely, isn't it!"
With that, Carson rose from the table, dumped his tray in the return and headed for the infirmary. He was definitely not the one to be telling Rodney anything. Of all the things Rodney McKay could have felt after that mission, he chose to be upset with him. It was the one thing he didn't feel guilty about.
Rodney stormed into Elizabeth's office, looking like he might explode. Elizabeth was afraid that Carson had broken the news about John's injuries in a less than diplomatic way.
"Rodney, what's wrong?"
"I'm not going to put up with that idiot!"
Elizabeth was relieved. He didn't know yet and it wasn't that that she had to fix.
"Who is it this time, Rodney?" She asked with amusement, prepared to hear another story about Kavanagh or Zelenka – or any member of Rodney's team for that matter.
"Beckett, of course."
This was something to be feared, after all. "Rodney, I know that the last mission was difficult for you, but there's no reason to-"
"Listen, I'm sick of him. Going around with that air of his. Yeah, he's an MD, he sees injured people – but that's no excuse. After not saying a word to me yesterday… Today he's wandering around, looking like the sky just fell on him. Well, I'm sick of his whining."
Elizabeth didn't know what to say. If she were to disagree with him, she'd have to explain. If she agreed, then... "I'm sure he has his reasons."
"Well, Doctor, anything you'd like to share?"
He wasn't talking to her. She turned to see Carson paused just inside the doorframe of her office. She had no idea how much he'd overheard, but the flush that spread across her face didn't score her any points.
"Elizabeth, I jus' came t' tell you that John's awake. I've explained the situation t' him and he's okay with it."
And with that, he left, quickly followed by Elizabeth and Rodney, who were eager to visit John.
Carson went to his quarters feeling guilty. John was okay with what had happened. He'd said it himself. He'd said that if they hadn't fired, the thing could have hurt them or Elizabeth. That they did the right thing and that everything was going to turn out okay. But he felt guilty about the way he'd treated Rodney. He always was a bit grumpy and if he would explain the situation to him, maybe he'd understand.
He headed off for Rodney's lab, planning to explain everything, clear the air now that it was all over. He didn't find him there and was told that he had gone to the Chair Room.
Rodney was really happy. He'd actually managed to adapt one of the naquadah reactors so that it could power up the Chair. When Carson came in, he was even more pleased, having been presented with his best test subject.
"Hullo, Rodney."
"Yes, uh… Hi. Come here, Carson. Sit" He gestured toward the Chair and started fumbling with some wires.
"Rodney, I came looking for you, t' apologize for earlier. I need t' explain-"
"Yes, well... Carson, now isn't the best time. See, I managed to adapt the reactor and... Just sit in the Chair, okay, and we'll talk later."
Carson was disappointed. .Though he hadn't expected Rodney to be understanding, he also hadn't expected to be completely ignored. Well, that would be another thing to talk about.
He sat in the chair and tried to relax as the entire platform lit up.
"Now, think about... the drones." Rodney instructed.
"Rodney, this feels-"
"Just shut up and focus, Carson."
For the first few seconds, Carson just tried to get used to the feeling of being in the Chair. It always felt odd. But this time it was worse than ever.
About two minutes after sitting in the Chair, Carson was violently thrown off. He was tossed in the air and landed several meters away from the platform.
"Carson, what the hell did you do it?" Rodney rushed to his side. He was just lying there, motionless. He saw a deep gash on Carson's forehead and a burn on his right hand. He tapped his headset and shouted urgently, "This is McKay! We need a Med Team in the Chair Room. Now!"