"Then try a bit harder!" said Rodney McKay, pushing his way through the crowd. "We didn't go to all that trouble, just have him die on us!"

John turned round, ready to give Rodney a piece of his mind for his insensitive remark. But one look at his face silenced John. Rodney's face was etched with worry and fear. There were tears standing in his eyes, ready to fall down his cheeks at a moment's notice.

Teyla had also noticed Rodney's reaction, and placed a comforting hand on his arm. There were tears in her own eyes.

The other medic joined his colleague in tending Carson. "Let me see," he said gently, lifting his young colleague's hands away from Carson. With a serious expression on his face, he pressed his fingers to the doctor's neck and held them there for a few moments. There gathered crowd was silent, so silent that you could almost hear the flowers grow.

He looked up at John and Rodney, a glimmer of hope at his eyes. "I've found a pulse, it's faint, but is definitely there."

Rodney heaved a huge sigh of relief that was echoed by a number in the crowd. The doctors then got to work, rigging up IV's, and doing all the other things that Carson himself normally did. It was very strange to see them being done to Carson, rather than by him.

John turned to Ronon, and smiled up at him. "You okay, big guy?" he asked, nodding at the cut on his arm.

"Yeah," the big man said, "it's just a scratch. You'll really need to brush up on your skills with a sword, Sheppard."

"I think I'll stick with my P-90," he replied with a grin.

Before he could say any more, there was a flurry of activity around Carson. The medical staff had finished stabilising the doctor, and he was now being carried swiftly towards the Gate. John, Rodney and the others all hurried after them.

Progress towards the Gate was not as swift as anyone really wanted. They had to stop on several occasions to check Carson's condition. John wasn't really sure what they did on each occasion, but the worried expressions made him realise that Carson wasn't out of the woods yet.

When the Gate came into sight, John felt a real sense of relief. Part of that was a Carson could now be treated using all the technology available in Atlantis, but another part of it was he was glad to be going home.

As they walked through the Stargate, they were greeted by an anxious looking Elizabeth. She nodded to John and Ronon, then quickly hurried over to the stretcher carrying Carson. She reached an unsteady hand down to touch his chest, concern very evident on her face.

"Carson," she said in a soft voice. "What have you done to yourself?" She looked at the doctors who were with him. "Is he going to be okay?" she asked.

"We will know more once we get him to the infirmary," came the reply.

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she looked at John. "It's good to see, in one piece," she said, smiling. "And your report should certainly make interesting reading."

"We do our best to entertain," he said, trying to keep a light tone, while his worried eyes followed the disappearing form of Carson.

Elizabeth tried to smile in response, but her eyes betrayed her worry.

"Once you've been checked out in the infirmary, there will be a debriefing in my office."

John nodded, and then headed to the infirmary.

OoOoO

It was a subdued group who met Elizabeth's office for the debriefing. The medical staff were still working on their Chief. No one was willing to say if he was going to make it, or not.

"Right," Elizabeth said, drawing their attention. "Tell me what happened, right from the beginning."

Between them, they gave her a detailed account of what has happened, as far as they knew. Lorne had stayed behind on the planet to speak to the children. He had been able to report what they knew of their captivity.

"All the children," he reported, "seem to be well on the way to a full recovery. They said that Dr Beckett made sure that none of them were hurt. One of the girls, Calay, asked me if he was okay. She said he wasn't well all the time they were there. She said she would give him some of her medicine to make him better."

Teyla wiped a tear away from her eye, before I could fall.

"Sandro gave me some of Dr Beckett's things, that they found in the cave." He put a bag of items on the table.

"I will sort through them," Teyla said. "To ensure that all Dr Beckett's things are in order when he recovers, and he will be able to find them easily."

Elizabeth nodded. "What will happen to the Renegades now?" she asked.

"Sandro said they would be given a choice," John replied. "If they are willing to be integrated into the community, they would be allowed to live in the village, under heavy supervision, at least at first. If they weren't prepared to give up their old life, they would be held in the prison cave, indefinitely. I got the feeling," he continued. "that Sandro and his people can be very unforgiving if the need arises."

"The people who were being forced to fight have all been returned to their villages," Teyla added. "They are being offered medical supplies and any other assistance they might need to allow them to lead a normal life."

"I said to Sandro we'd help in any way we can, within reason," John added.

Elizabeth nodded. Just at that moment her earpiece was activated.

"We have news of Dr Beckett," the voice said.