Recovery

Chapter Three

Later that evening at dinner, the table in the back corner was full of the usual conversations. John and Aiden Ford were at their favorite pastime, picking on Rodney. Radek was digging for information from Teyla on additives for his next batch of brew with a few suggestions thrown in from Carson, while Casie sat quietly, amused by the table of friends. She decided that her glass of juice, sans moonshine, needed refilling and as she walked through the Mess Hall toward the kitchen, she heard a snide comment about short people and the fact that Earth must have no real use for them or they wouldn't have sent "her" to Atlantis!

Normally, Casie could ignore ignorant comments such as this, but she was not feeling as generous as usual. She turned, looking at the smirking face at the table on her right. Cavanaugh slouched, tipping back on two legs of his chair, sneering at her and sucked down half a glass of Zelenka's concoction.

Slowly, without changing the blank expression on her face, she approached the very tall physicist. "Is there a problem?" she asked calmly.

Carson was watching from the table. "Och! I've seen that look before, there's gonna be trouble!" But before either he or the others could react, Casie had kicked the chair out from under Cavanaugh and was currently kneeling on his neck.

"Is there something else you'd like to say, Doctor?" she said through gritted teeth.

"Somebody get this bit…" His sentence was cut off by a little more pressure on his throat.

"I believe you owe me, as well as every other vertically challenged person in this and all other galaxies an apology, Doctor." Casie pointed out to him. "You don't have to actually say it, just nod your head, like a good boy." Which he promptly did, after which, she removed her knee from his throat and started walking back toward her table.

"What the hell was that…?" John started to say to her when he heard from behind them.

"DIKE BITCH!"

After that, Cavanaugh couldn't say much of anything and the concern other's had that he might, at some point, breed was no longer of concern.

"And just where'd she learn that little maneuver?" John asked a ginning Teyla, through gritted teeth.

"Dr. Ronin and I have been working out every few days. She said she needed to work off some… frustration." Teyla replied innocently.

"What the hell was that?" Rodney said to Casie putting his hands on his hips. He looked back at a prostrate Cavanaugh. "What did he say?"

Casie sat back down at the table picking up the glass in which she knew Zelenka had been drinking straight alcohol and downed what was left then handed it back to the bewildered Czech, who in reality, was not more than 4 inches taller than herself. "Does it matter? He's not saying much now…"

"Remind me not to make you angry at any time in the future." John said, sitting down with a slightly pained look on his face. Casie was surprisingly calm, considering what had just happened.

People, mostly the few cronies of Cavanaugh, tried to convince Carson that he should be helping him instead of ignoring the man's groans and showing all his concern for, who they considered, the aggressor.

At that precise moment, Elizabeth walked into the Mess Hall. Seeing people gathered around someone collapsed on the floor, she hurried over. "What happened here?" That's when she saw it was Cavanaugh on the floor, in truth, not one of her favorite people. She had actually threatened to drop him off on some other empty planet so he could be as self indulgent and arrogant as he wanted without being a general thorn in everyone else's side.

"It was her! She's nuts! Shouldn't be allowed out in public!" One of the cronies growled, pointing at Casie, who was sitting quietly at her usual table, the others sitting down quickly trying to act as if nothing had happened.

Elizabeth stifled a smile by biting her upper lip and walked slowly over to the table at the far end of the room.

"May I?" she said, indicating that she wished to join them and sat across from Casie. "Dr. Beckett, I believe there might be someone over there that is in need of your assistance." She said to Carson.

"He can bloody well suffer as far as I'm concerned!" He replied. She looked at the normally gentle doctor in shock. "If I were to go over there I'd be sorely tempted to forget my Hippocratic Oath and pummel the dirty bugger."

She raised one eyebrow then turned to Casie. "Your handiwork?"

Casie nodded calmly.

"He deserve it?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Sorry I missed it."

"There's always the security video." John suggested with the hint of a smile on his lips.

"Well, that's not why I'm here." She said cheerfully.

"Can I get you a drink, Elizabeth?" Radek offered.

"Oh, I would love one, Radek, but I still have some reports to type and get off to the SGC tonight. But thank you anyway." She looked around at the people gathered at this table, actually, the people she felt a close personal friendship with. More so than any other group in Atlantis. "I just wanted you all to know that the repairs have been going so quickly and so well, I've decided to reward you by giving you a couple days off to just relax and maybe grab some extra sleep." She grinned over at Rodney.

"Well, I could certainly use some extra sleep!" Rodney replied when everyone was giving Elizabeth their heartfelt thanks.

"No thanks are necessary, you've earned it!" She said as she rose from her chair to go. "John, may I speak to you for a moment?"

"Sure." He rose to follow her toward the door.

Just outside, Elizabeth turned to John, barely able to keep a smile off her face. "Did she really punch Cavanaugh out?"

"More of a kick, actually. It was a thing of beauty, Elizabeth! You should have seen it."

"Well, I think I will have to see what the video shows." She muffled a giggle by covering her mouth.

"Yes, um… could you make a copy of that for me?" He smiled back at her. "I should probably get back in there. I have to go make a "suggestion". Not sure why yet, but I think this whole thing with Casie gives me an idea."

She watched as he re-entered the Mess Hall. "Well," she thought. "Now I know who Rodney's mysterious friend is. I just wish I knew what was going on." She was surprised but pleased that his friend turned out to be a woman. He gave no indication that there was anything more between them, but Lord knows that it would take a woman like Casie, with her normally patient and light hearted nature to put up with Rodney. But what would it take to cause her to lose her temper? She had to find out.

"I just got the greatest idea!" John said as he sat back down at the table with the others.

"Oh great!" moaned Rodney. "The last time you had a great idea…"

"Would you at least wait till I tell you before you complain about it?" He suspended his usual complaining, giving John a chance to voice his great idea. All the while watching to see Casie's reaction to it. "What do you say to packing up some supplies, grabbing a puddle jumper and taking off to the mainland for those couple days. Do some relaxing on the beach. We could set up a nice cozy camp and have a great time!" Rodney had to admit, John was doing his best to sell the idea to the rest of them. "Zelenka, I could teach you how to surf!"

"That's very nice of you John, but I can't swim." Radek replied. "But I would like to go. I haven't done any camping, just for fun, since I was a boy."

"Count me in!" Said Ford.

"Great! Carson, how about you? Get a little fishing in…"

"I wish I could John, but I have too many patients in the infirmary. Now is a bad time for me, I'm afraid."

"You'll go, won't you?" He turned to Teyla.

"I would be honored, Major. Perhaps Dr. Ronin would help me choose what is going to be needed." She said smiling in Casie's direction.

"I'm not sure I'm up to a campout…" She started.

"Oh no, you have to go if I have to. He'll make me go on this… this… adventure of his and I'll need someone to keep me from killing him." Rodney griped.

"Not to mention someone else to complain to about the bugs and lack of proper facilities." John said, not quite under his breath.

Rodney continued, after giving John his most scathing look. "Besides, we haven't had much of a chance to talk the last few days. This would give us the opportunity."

"Ya, ok, I guess I could. Maybe do some beach combing while I'm there."

"Good!" Rodney sighed, hoping that the hard part was over. "You wouldn't mind cooking would you? I'd rather eat MREs than the Major's burnt offerings."

"You'd rather eat MREs at any time." John shivered at the thought.

This brought the smile back to Casie's eyes. "I guess I'd better. I'll be damned if I'll eat any more cardboard sandwiches if I don't have to. Besides, I used to be a pretty good camp cook."

John clapped his hands rubbing them together. "Alright! This is gonna be fun. Shall we leave after breakfast tomorrow?"

Everyone agreed, then continued to make plans and a list of supplies they would need. John made sure Zelenka would bring a large supply of his rotgut along as well.

On the way back to his room, Rodney walked slowly with Casie, whose room was just down the hall from his. "I'm glad you decided to come along on this thing of Shepherd's. Camping isn't one of my favorite pastimes and having you along will make it infinitely more tolerable."

"Well, it's not like you gave me much of a choice. But I would hate to see you sunburned, covered with insect bites and smelling of old MRE when you got back." She chuckled. "Playing the guilt card works every time."

"Hmmm, I'll have to remember that for future intimidation."

"Ya, well, don't pull that card too often, I was raised Catholic, I might start having flashbacks."

Rodney paused outside her door as she gave it the mental command that all those with the ATA gene used when unlocking their private quarters. He had forgotten that she was one of the few on the Atlantis team that possessed it without having to get the gene therapy, as he had. "What does being Catholic have to do with it?"

"I was weaned on guilt. After a while it comes as second nature, whether I actually did anything to warrant it or not!" She smiled up at him. "Actually, I consider myself a recovering Catholic. I hate having anyone try to tell me what to think or believe. If so, I'd have joined the military." Casie sighed and ran her fingers through her cropped ash-blond hair, "Damn, I must be tired…too much information there."

Rodney patted her on the shoulder. "Not to worry, all your secrets are safe with me. Goodnight."

He walked away toward his own room, sending that same mental cue to his door when Casie, watching him go, said to him, "Are they?"

He turned back to her, seeing the dark concern in her eyes. "Always." Was his response, then turned back to enter his own room.

When the door closed, he stood for a moment wondering what their last exchange had meant. He just hoped that knowing she could trust him would help in breaking through the block she had built in her subconscious. Would be nice if he could break down other barriers as well. "Why the hell am I doing this?" he asked himself. "Why do I care if she remembers or not? Just why should I get involved in her problems when I have enough of my own?" He kicked off his cross trainers and fell back on the bed. "And why does she have to have the most incredible eyes I've ever seen… not to mention her smile… her wit… her magnificent temper…and butt..."