Recovery
Chapter Eight
"Aiden…" Casie said to the young man. "Not that I want to sound like your mother or anything but…"
"You have chocolate all over your face, Lieutenant." Shepherd threw him a napkin.
"Oh!" he laughed. "Sorry. They were really good, Casie." He wiped his mouth. "And you couldn't possibly be old enough to be my mother… older sister, maybe…"
Casie rose from where she sat, moved quickly, kissing the man squarely on the mouth. "I love a military man who can kiss butt like that. Hmmm…." She licked her lips. "Tastes like chocolate!" The others laughed at the expression on Ford's face. She sighed, "I think I need to work off some of that dinner, anyone want to join me for a walk down the beach while the sun is still up?"
"I could stretch my legs a bit." Rodney piped in and struggled to get up. "God, I hate it when they fall asleep!"
She chuckled at the way he shook his legs as they left the camp. "Did you ever have trouble getting used to the length of the days on this planet?" She asked him.
The rest watched them go. Aiden started to rise saying, "I think I'll join…"
John reached out and grabbed his arm, shaking his head. "I think those two have some talking to do."
Ford was confused, then broke into a wide grin. "You mean Rodney and Casie are hot for each other?"
"I don't know about that, but this whole camping trip was McKay's idea and he was the one that got Elizabeth to give us a couple days off." John paused. "I think it might have something to do with the recent change in Casie's mood. Haven't you noticed? She's not quite as… I don't know… she doesn't laugh as much as she used to."
"She is much quieter now as well." Teyla said.
"It is understandable." Radek interjected. "We have all been through a difficult time. We are all changed in our own way."
"Ya, I guess… but there's that thing with Cavanaugh yesterday too. I've never seen her lose her temper before." John turned to watch the two as they worked their way down the beach. "I can't help but think it's something more. Rodney was awful worried, and he never worries about anyone but himself!"
The two scientists walked quietly down the beach. Which was in actuality, very out of character for Rodney McKay. He had always been a hyper person, his brain always working on a problem, his expressive hands helping him to clarify some theory or other. Now, he was working on how he could possibly help Casie. It was this silence that made her glance up at him, puzzled.
"You're very quiet." She said.
Startled, he responded a little too quickly. "Oh, I was just… thinking… and… enjoying the…uh… exercise!"
"Since when do you enjoy exercise?" Casie stopped and looked him in the eye. "And since when do you have a problem talking to me, you only get tongue tied when you're trying to impress some hot chicky-babe."
Rodney sighed, releasing all the tension he'd been feeling since they started their walk. "I was trying to think of a way to… bring up your problem… with your memory…"
"Oh that!" She took him by the arm and continued down the beach. "I figure, if I remember…cool! If I don't… what's the harm? I mean, if I don't know what I'm missing…"
"Well, ya… I guess." He patted her hand, which, he noticed was still on his arm. "Change of subject then…" Rodney realized this wasn't going to be easy. "What's your son's name?"
She smiled. "Christopher. Chris, actually."
"Hmm, nice name."
"I think so."
"How old was he when you got divorced?"
"Six. Well, he was six when I filed. It dragged on till he was 10."
"Must have been tough on him if it took that long. Is he staying with his dad while you're here?"
She stopped again, dropping her hand from his arm, but this time she clamped her mouth shut and turned away from him.
"I'm sorry." Rodney said. "It must be a sore subject. You must miss him… your son, I mean."
"It's OK." She turned back to face him. "I just need to make a decision."
"A decision?"
"Ya." Her blue eyes met his again. "About how much to drop that brick wall."
"And?"
"I think I'm comfortable enough with you to, at least, drill a few holes in it." She took his arm again and they continued the walk.
After a minute or so, she spoke quietly. "I said before that my marriage was… a mistake. It was, big time. I didn't move to Scotland for the job or to be with my dad." She paused. "I was hiding."
"Hiding… from your ex?"
"At the time, he wasn't my ex… not at that point." She took a deep breath. "My ex husband was… is… not a nice guy. He was… mean. Actually, um… violent." Casie rushed the last word out as if to get the confession over with.
Rodney stopped. "He hit you?"
"Among other things."
"I'm sorry… I just…" He was outraged. "How could he hit you?"
"How? Good question, I've been wondering the same thing for 20 years."
"I just don't understand how a man can justify hitting a woman! Especially you!" He was gritting his teeth, he realized, then he softened and asked her, "How long did it go on?"
"I was young and naive when we got married, way too young. Much too young to understand that a guy doesn't say 'I love you' with his fist. It took me eight years of black eyes and broken noses and trips to the ER to learn that I was a worthwhile person and I didn't need him to take care of me. But at the time, I didn't have much self-esteem… the final straw was… when he went after Chris." When she paused, he saw the tears on her cheeks reflecting the setting sun. "He got mad at him for… something… leaving his bike in the driveway, I think. He was so mad he picked Chris up and threw him across the room." She stopped walking and went on with her story, not looking away from some far spot on the horizon. "I grabbed Chris in my arms and ran. But we only made it to the front yard. He caught up with us…" She shook her head. "The next thing I knew, I woke up in the hospital… Chris wasn't hurt badly, but it had taken three of my neighbors to pull Jason off me. They heard both Chris and I scream and came running. He was trying to cut my throat when they stopped him." Her hand went to the side of her neck, where a faint scar could be seen just below the hairline.
Rodney was in shock. He had heard of such things happening but had never actually known anyone who had experienced it. It was several minutes later when he realized she had stopped talking and was looking at him. The tears were drying on her cheeks.
"Are you OK?" She asked him.
"I should be asking you that question."
She smiled, "I am now. But I know it's not a pleasant thing to learn about someone."
"No, it's not. But neither is it easy to live through. You both are very lucky to be alive." He knew now that this was what Carson had been referring to when he said she had 'traumatic situations in her past'. "Come here." Rodney took her by the hand and pulled her into a warm, comfortable hug. When he let her go, he said, "I don't know about you, but I needed a… uh… hug." His embarrassment showed.
"I did too, thank you."
Such spontaneous demonstrations from him were unheard of, which made it all the more special to her. They stood silently watching the sun drop below the horizon then turned back toward camp.
After a while Rodney finally voiced what bothered him the most about her story. "I have a hard time understanding how you could put up with behavior like that. Especially after the way you dealt with Cavanaugh."
"That's because you know me now, not the way I was then. And I certainly am not in love with that… excrement. Besides, I wasn't in the mood to put up with his personal jabs."
Rodney got chills just thinking of what kind of woman would actually be attracted to Cavanaugh. A female version of Quasimodo came to mind.
"You'd be surprised what you can put up with when you think you're in love. I had no real experience with relationships of any kind. Friends were few and far between and, actually, Jason was the first guy I'd ever really dated." She shook her head. "I didn't fit in at school, being jumped up through grades so quickly. Never went to a dance. I was very shy and didn't even know how to talk to a guy."
Rodney smirked, "Oh boy, do I know what you're talking about."
"The schools didn't do us any favors making us social misfits, did they?" Casie turned and grinned up at him. "Well, now we live in a city full of social misfits. There may be hope for us yet!"
"We can only hope."
After a moment Casie said, "Boy, when I punch holes in that wall…
"We all have our own barriers we put up… and bring down when we least expect." To himself he thought, 'Mine seem to implode when you're around.'
"There they are!"
"Where the hell have you guys been, we were getting worried!"
The flashlights shining in their eyes instantly blinded Rodney and Casie. "Hey, drop the lights!" Rodney complained. "What are you trying to do, cause permanent retinal damage?"
"Yep, he's fine." John said flatly. "How about you?" He asked Casie, when they reached the couple.
"We're fine. Why, what's the problem?"
John looked down at her, clearly irritated. "Well, you guys have been gone for almost three hours!"
"We have?" Casie was clearly surprised. "Guess we went further down the beach than I thought."
"Yes, we came looking for you because we were worried." Zelenka said.
"Gees guys, maybe we wanted to be alone!" Casie poked John in the ribs. "What if we were off in the bushes getting jiggy with each other?"
He was clearly amused by the suggestion. "Well, we are talking about you and Rodney, here."
"I know you find this line of conversation exceedingly amusing, but I do not!" The blush in McKay's cheeks was clearly visible, even in the dark.
"Ya!" She agreed with Rodney, taking his arm again. "What if I decided to throw Stud Muffin here down on the sand and have my way with him?"
Radek and John snickered at the idea.
"We weren't… Stud…Muffin?" Rodney looked down at Casie and tried to ignore the amusement the other men were getting from his embarrassment.
"It's OK, hon," She pulled on him to get him moving toward camp again. "They're just jealous. Let's get back to camp, I could use a drink."
The good-natured ribbing continued between the four of them till they reached the fire.
"I don't understand why you think it would be so impossible." Rodney continued as they joined Teyla and Aiden.
"Because I know you, Rodney." Said John, who planted himself next to Teyla. Zelenka chuckled again as he poured drinks for everyone out of the huge jug they brought.
"What is impossible?" Asked Teyla.
"That Dr. McKay and I would be having sex on the beach." Answered Casie in a very matter-of-fact tone of voice.
Aiden, who had been taking his first sip of alcohol, choked and John was amazed that she could say that with a straight face. However, Rodney was, again, turning a bright shade of red.
"Were you?" Asked Ford, when he finally finished coughing.
"No… but…"
"But he does give great hug, though." Casie winked at Rodney, who had downed his drink and held the cup out to Radek for more.
John was as entertained by the way she teased Rodney as when he tormented the man. And she did it so very well. However, he was sure that Rodney was, if not outwardly, privately enjoying the way she treated him, like a friend, not just a colleague.
John knew that Rodney didn't have many close friends. Except for Carson and Radek, he couldn't think of anyone else in Atlantis that Rodney thought of as more than an associate. However, he counted himself among Rodney's friends, even if Rodney didn't. "Yes," He thought, "Casie was good for him."