A/N: Something I forgot to say last time: Thanks for all the people who offered to beta my stories.. I didn't know who to choose, so I just took the first one that offered, so no offence intended (I hope all of you know that).

Reviews are still great, I'm feeling spoiled...

Thanks Kathleen, you returned it really fast.

Previously:

"Charge to 200!"

"And Clear!"

Sheppard's body jolted again.

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Beep…………….beep……….beep….beep..

"We've got a pulse!"

"That's it, lad. Come on now, keep it up…" Carson urged. It was the second time today that he'd had to remove a bullet from one of the expedition members, but the Colonel's condition proved to be much more serious than Ronon's. The Satedan was out of the woods already, which was hardly the case with Sheppard.

"Blood pressure is increasing to 70/30."

"How many units are in?"

"That's the second one. He's losing it faster than he's getting it," Kelly said in a frustrated manner.

"Aye, we have ta hurry. If he codes again…." Carson didn't have to finish the sentence. He could tell by the look in their eyes that his staff was well aware of how serious the situation was. Although they were all experienced professionals in the medical field, it was still painfully different when they knew the person on the operating table. And John Sheppard was very popular among all of them.

"Alright everybody, ye know what ta do!"

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Infirmary Waiting Area

"Colonel Caldwell! Finally! Do you know anything about Sheppard?" McKay asked hurriedly when he saw the Colonel approach.

"I just got here. They haven't told you anything?"

"What kind of question is that? Would I ask you if you knew how he was if they'd told me anything? I'm not the news man here. They just keep rushing in and out of there, but nobody bothers to answer my questions or pay any attention to me. What, am I suddenly invisible?" he asked angrily.

"They're probably busy, McKay." The short time Colonel Caldwell had spent with these people had taught him some very important things: Sheppard was very loyal to his team, but either seemed to contract trouble wherever he went or have an unnaturally well-defined hero complex. McKay, on the other hand, was the smartest man he knew and would probably ever know, but he tended to be extremely irritable when worried or afraid.

And the man was definitely worried now.

"Colonel!" Major Lorne and Teyla suddenly appeared in the waiting room.

"How is Colonel Sheppard?" Teyla asked. She was still covered in dust from the explosion, but it did little to hide her haunted face and mangled, swollen wrists.

"There is no news, not yet. Why don't you go and let one of the nurses check you out? I'm sure this is going to take a while," he offered. Teyla really looked as though she was ready to pass out.

"I was the one who shot him, Colonel," she replied sternly. "I am going to stay right here and wait with you."

Caldwell chose not to argue with the Athosian. The woman was very determined, and if it made her feel better, she should stay. Although she had no other choice but to shoot Sheppard, Caldwell knew she felt incredibly guilty, and he could hardly help feeling sorry for her.

"What about Weir?" he directed the question to Major Lorne.

"She's already here. Hit her head pretty hard in the explosion, so a nurse is taking care of that right now."

"OK, make sure to keep her restrained, in case she wakes up."

"Already done, sir."

Caldwell was pleasantly surprised. He didn't know the major that well, but the man seemed like he had everything under control. He still wasn't happy that someone as young as Colonel Sheppard, with his spotty record, was commanding Atlantis, but he had to admit - Sheppard was doing a better job than he would have ever given him credit for. He had this base well under control, and the most important thing was that his men trusted him, something he himself had found difficult to accomplish at times.

McKay's whining voice yanked him out of his thoughts. "Teyla, do you know anything other than 'he got shot' about the Colonel's injury? I mean, you were the one who shot him!"

Teyla glared at the scientist.

"Better watch your tongue, McKay." Lorne stepped in. He hadn't missed the accusatory tone in McKay's voice.

"Do you think I found it enjoyable to have to pull the trigger on him? To shoot my best friend?" she asked, overwhelming hurt now replacing the look of anger in her eyes.

Rodney looked down, suddenly ashamed of himself. Why did his mouth always have to go a thousand miles per hour? "I'm sorry, Teyla. I didn't mean to…."

But Teyla interrupted his apology. "Doctor Beckett said that the bullet most likely punctured the Colonel's spleen, causing him to bleed internally. That is all I can tell you."

When another nurse rushed out of the operating area, McKay took his chance and grabbed her by the arm. Her scrubs had some fresh blood stains on them. "You have to tell us what's happening in there! I won't let you go until you do."

The nurse looked perplexed at first, but her eyes softened when she saw the concerned faces of those gathered. "He's in surgery right now. Dr. Beckett is removing the bullet and trying to fix the internal injuries…"

"Will he be alright?" Teyla asked quietly.

"There's no way to tell yet. He's lost a great deal of blood. We're giving him transfusions to compensate for the loss, but his body is very weak." She paused. "I really have to go now. Dr. Beckett is doing his best. I'll tell him to come out here to talk with you as soon as he's finished," she added with a reassuring smile. Hurrying into one of the medical storage rooms to their right, she grabbed some kind of basin and disappeared again into the OR area.

McKay sighed. Although he hadn't really expected any good news, he had hoped for something a little more encouraging.

"Well, I guess this is going to take a while. I'm gonna go see how Ronon is doing…. Teyla, you want to come with?" Major Lorne asked. He thought Teyla could use the distraction – the Athosian looked shellshocked.

She looked uncomfortably at him and then cast a tentative glance over to McKay, unsure of what to do.

Rodney immediately noticed her hesitation. "Go ahead. We'll stay here and come get you if anything happens," he assured her, still feeling horribly for blaming her earlier.

"Alright," she answered with a shaky voice.

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Infirmary

Ronon's bed was located at the end of the infirmary in a curtained off area to give him some privacy. The nurse on duty told Major Lorne that he had been moved from the intensive care unit only minutes before.

When Lorne and Teyla made their way through the infirmary, they passed a few empty beds.

One, however, was occupied.

Teyla wasn't prepared to see Dr. Weir again so soon, but there she was, lying peacefully in front of her. She was either still unconscious or sedated, and her wrists were in restraints.

Teyla took a deep breath and kept walking. She knew that Dr. Weir was not to blame for Phoebus' actions, but it was still her body, her voice that gave Teyla the order to shoot.

She would have to deal with that later.

Upon reaching Ronon's bed, Teyla and Lorne could hear the Satedan snoring quietly.

However, when the major drew back the curtains, Ronon slowly opened his eyes.

"What happened?" he asked hoarsely before he gratefully took the glass of water Teyla held out to him.

"You were shot, Ronon," she explained.

"I know that…I meant, what happened to you? You look like hell! And what about Weir and Sheppard?" The Satedan began fumbling with his blankets, trying to get up when the memory of the last few hours came back to him. He hissed in pain when the movement aggravated his injury.

Teyla pressed him back onto the bed with one strong hand. "You have to stay in bed, Ronon. It is over. You cannot do anything to help."

Ronon did what she asked. He wasn't sure what to make of her reaction and looked at Major Lorne for an explanation, but the man was studiously avoiding his eyes.

"What happened?" he asked, his voice now louder and more urgent.

When Teyla hesitated again, Lorne answered for her. "To make a long story short, Phoebus made Teyla shoot Colonel Sheppard by threatening to release a gas that would have killed most of the expedition. Then she took Teyla, Beckett and the Colonel hostage. We managed to get them free, incapacitate Phoebus and rush the Colonel to the infirmary. Dr. Beckett is still working on him."

Ronon was stunned. All this had happened while he had been asleep. "How's Sheppard?"

"We do not know. His condition was not good when we got him here, we can only hope and trust that Doctor Beckett…" Teyla said softly, tears forming in her eyes. She was on the verge of a breakdown.

"I'm sure he's gonna be fine, guys, even if it's just because he won't let Caldwell run this base. All the fun would be over…" Lorne said, stroking Teyla's shoulder. His attempt to lighten up the mood, however, failed miserably. Even Ronon looked incredibly worried now.

When they heard McKay suddenly call for them, Teyla was out the door immediately. Major Lorne helped Ronon, who was climbing out of bed, to his feet before the pair also hurried over to the waiting area.

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Carson hesitated for a second and took a deep breath before he opened the door to the waiting area. When Rodney caught sight of him, he instantly shot up from his seat and yelled, "TEYLA, LORNE!"

The Athosian appeared only a few moments later. Ronon, who was supported by Major Lorne, entered closely behind her.

Carson opened his mouth to protest about Ronon being out of bed, but he knew he had more important things to say right now, and he needed to choose his words carefully.

tbc

I know this was kind of slow, but I felt I needed to show how everybody (well, almost everybody) reacts...

Hope I didn't bore you too much.

PS: I'm really proud of myself for updating regularly g