Recovery

Chapter Five

Half an hour later as they searched for, as Shepherd put it, the perfect beach, he said to Casie, "OK, this is just a guess, but back on Earth, you drove a little hotrod…like a Miatta or a Fiat or something like that?"

She gave him a sideways glance and a slight smile, "Actually, no. I have a big gas-guzzling SUV."

John was surprised till he realized it was the power and not the speed that she liked. "Really, what kind?"

"Ford Explorer, Eddie Bauer edition, V-6."

They heard chuckling from behind them. She turned to see McKay with his head down, shaking it back and forth, terribly amused. "What's so funny? She asked him.

"I was just picturing you needing a ladder to get into it!" He continued laughing.

"That's not very nice, Rodney." Stated John, though he too looked like he could picture her struggling to get behind the steering wheel.

Casie, to their relief wasn't the least bit offended since she started laughing as well. "May not be nice, but oh, so true! One of the first things I did was to put running boards on it. I love that car though. First I ever bought by myself and it felt like a big accomplishment."

"Your first car you ever bought alone? Who got the other cars you owned?" John asked.

"Well, my first car was a gift from my parents when I was 16, a '68 VW Bug. The next two were picked out by my ex, I didn't really have a say in them." She replied, "After the divorce, I dumped the old 626 and got the kinda car I always wanted. Kind of my… declaration of independence."

John looked at her surprised by this bit of personal information that he had never known. He wasn't the only one in the jumper that was surprised. "You've been married? How many times?"

"Well, gee John, thanks for the not-so-valed insult." She gave him a mock-hurt look. Then she laughed at his embarrassment when he realized what he had said. "Yes, I was married, but only once, which was more than enough." She hesitated, "There's a lot we don't know about each other, maybe the next couple of days we should change that." She looked over at Shepherd, and he was surprised to see a touch of sadness in her very expressive eyes.

"Ya, I think that would be good." He said quietly.

Rodney contemplated the conversation as they continued to search for the perfect place to spend the next few days.

"OH, LOOK AT THAT!" Casie cried. They were flying over a small fresh water lagoon with a waterfall pouring into it from the rocky ledge above. "Is that the most incredible spot you've ever seen, or what?"

The others got up from their seats and stared out the front of the jumper as Casie circled the lagoon. "WOW" and "OH MAN" as well as other exclamations came from the whole group as they looked down on a spot that looked like it came straight out of a tacky romance novel.

"Barely room to land the jumper and no room at all to set up a camp." Stated John. "Besides, I wanna do some surfing!"

"Ya ya, I know." Casie sighed. "I just had a girly moment. OK, back to the coast."

Five minutes after that, they found what John finally proclaimed as his idea of the perfect spot and landed.

It took more than an hour to unload the puddle jumper and set up camp. Making sure, much to McKay's relief, that the sand beneath the tents was raked clear of any rocks or twigs that might make sleeping uncomfortable.

After a quick lunch of pre-made sandwiches, Shepherd declared he had forgotten something. Not telling the others just what that something was, he left in the jumper saying he would return shortly. The others sat back on the sand, against some drift logs, speculating on just what the something was.

"Knowing Shepherd, it could be anything." Rodney mused.

"I think I know what it is." Smirked Casie.

"What?" Asked both Zelenka and Ford.

"Use logic, guys."

"Huh?" Ford couldn't understand what she was getting at.

She chuckled and said, "Well, Aiden, if my theory is correct, I'll let you know when he gets back."

"Logic?" Radek said under his breath.

A gasp followed by a laugh, erupted from Rodney as he figured out what her theory might be. They exchanged knowing looks as the others became totally irritated by the two of them. So Casie took the opportunity to kick off her sneakers, roll up the legs of her jeans and wonder down to the water to see if she could find anything interesting that had been washed up by the surf. She was closely examining a small pink shell shaped like a tight corkscrew with lavender and green stripes down its length, when Rodney joined her.

"You know," he said, "with a brain like his, you'd think Radek would have figured it out by now… and Ford is usually more observant." He looked down at the shell in Casie's fingers. "Where in the Pegasus Galaxy do you think Shepherd managed to find a surfboard? May I?"

She handed him the shell. "Who knows! John is nothing, if not resourceful. Personally, I'd rather not go into the water till we find out just what kinda critters are out there. I wouldn't want to come face to face with something that makes Jaws look like a rubber ducky."

"You certainly have a point there," he agreed. "Like this little guy, we really have no idea what kind of wildlife lives on this planet." As if he realized what he had just said, his eyes grew huge and his mouth dropped open. "You… don't think… we should have brought some P-90s with us, do you? There could be like, bears or some weird version of lions around here!" Just then, the small creature inhabiting the corkscrew shell he was holding in the palm of his hand, poked it's head and legs out to see what was playing with it. Rodney jumped and yelled as he felt the tickle of 10 pointy legs. Dropping the shell quickly, they both watched, as the tiny Atlantian hermit crab wandered back into the gentle waves.

Casie loved it when Rodney let his imagination run out of control. She grabbed his arm, saying, "My God, you could be right!" She pointed at the little shell, "He might decide to come back and get his revenge on us tonight, after we're all asleep!"

Realizing he was being teased, which wasn't all that unpleasant an experience, Rodney agreed with her. "Or at the very least… he could turn around now and attack those defenseless tiny square feet!" At which point, he reached down, grabbed her around one ankle and pulled up. Casie ended up on her back in the wet sand while Rodney poked at the bottom of her foot with a finger, making her scream. "Where did you get these? Looks like something from a cartoon!"

Between screams, Casie writhed on the sand trying to get away but Rodney showed an incredible ability to hang on till he lost his balance and ended up on the sand as well. The others found them there, Casie trying to punch Rodney, informing him that he was going to die a slow and painful death, as he laughed and held on to her wrists. It all ended when Ford grabbed Casie around the waist, lifting her, bodily, off Rodney and carrying her back to the camp under his arm like a rag doll.

"Now what did he have to go and do that for?" Rodney said, as he pulled himself off the wet sand. "I was enjoying that!" He laughed as he and Zelenka walked back.

"I could tell! Lucky bastard…" Radek said quietly as they entered the camp area, which sent McKay off into another fit of laughter.

By the time Rodney and Casie had dried out, they heard the puddle jumper approach and watched as John expertly landed as far back from the water as he could get without taking out some trees.

"I guess we'll see if John found what he was looking for." Stated Casie.

As the ramp dropped, opening the back end of the jumper, John emerged balancing a long smooth board on his head, the most satisfied grin the other's had ever seen, on his face and marched toward the others. He set the surfboard down on end next to him and posed as if he expected someone to whip out a camera to immortalize the moment.

"Logic, Aiden." Casie said to the young black man. "John couldn't wait to go surfing, but did you actually see a surfboard anywhere in the jumper?" She turned to Shepherd. "Where in the hell did you find a surfboard in this neck of the woods?"

"Jinto helped me make it!" He replied, still sporting an impossibly silly grin. "I did have to promise to teach him how to surf though."

"What's that written on it?" asked Rodney, as he stepped closer to examine the board. "Glamorous Glinnis? Who's that?"

"Haven't you ever seen "The Right Stuff"?"

"Yes but…"

"OK, we've got a copy in the video library. Looks like we need to have another movie night! Your homework will be to find Glamorous Glinnis."

"Kinda like… Where's Waldo!" Casie poked Rodney in the ribs.

"Oh, you don't wanna start with the poking again. Seems to me, you got the… short end of the deal…the last time!"

"Sure, just keep digging that hole deeper, hon." She glared at him but couldn't keep it up without letting the amused sparkle show in her eyes.

John watched the exchange, seeing the grins on the others. "OK, just what did I miss?"

Rodney grabbed John by the arm. "Come on, we'll find a place for your board and I'll give you the… long and short of it."

As they walked away, Rodney ducked as a small piece of driftwood flew over his left shoulder.

"I think you and Rodney enjoy picking on each other too much!" Radek said to Casie.

She gave him a haughty look. "I have no idea what you are referring to, Doctor." But winked at him as she walked away.