I'm so, so, so, so sorry for taking so long to update! I have had so many papers to write for school that haven't been able to work on this story.
(gives puppy-dog eyes) Please forgive me.
I hope to get the next chapter done later this week. Some reviews might help speed up the next chapter… Hint, hint... Wink
Disclaimer-I don't own anything that's cool. (So, that means I don't own anything that has to do with Stargate or anything else I might write about.)
Shepard and Carson came through Rodney's door like a bull out of a shoot, looking around frantically expecting the worse.
"Rodney!" John yelled.
No answer.
Taking another step further into the room John spotted out of the corner of his eye what appeared to be part of Rodney's arm. The rest of him was cut out of his view , blocked by Rodney's desk.
"Oh, crap!" John mumbled to himself while making a leap over to where Rodney was.
"Medical team to Rodney McKay's quarters!" Carson shouted into his radio as he joined John who was now bent over Rodney, who was lying on the floor unconscious.
John quickly moved out of Carson's way. Thanking his good luck that the Doctor had thought of tagging along.
Taking in Rodney's condition Carson immediately started checking his vitals.
"He's got a rapid pulse, his breathing is shallow and he's burning up." Carson said aloud to help himself take hold of the situation.
"Yeah, and apparently what ever he ate last didn't agree with him." Shepard added with a brief look of disgust as he nodded towards the mess Rodney had made on the floor earlier.
Carson glanced up in the direction John had indicated and cast a worried glance to Shepard then went back to trying to assess what was wrong with Rodney.
Carson pulled his pen light out of his pocket and shined it in Rodney's eyes.
"His pupil dilates sluggishly." Carson said worriedly looking up at John who had taken to hovering over him. , anxiously waiting for some kind of diagnosis.
John tapped his radio impatiently, "Medical team, what's your position?"
"We're nearly there." said an out of breath voice over the com.
And just then, as if to make their point, the medical team came through the doorway.
"All right lets get him to the infirmary." Carson ordered trying his hardest not to sound panicked. "Easy does it." He said as they gently placed Rodney on the gurney.
As soon as they set him down Rodney immediately started to go into, what looked like, convulsions.
"Hold him!" Carson yelled.
Quickly one the nurses tried to keep Rodney's head from hitting the bars on the side of the gurney while the other two, along with Carson, tried to prevent him from falling off it.
"Doctor!" One of the nurses yelled as she kept her eyes glued to Rodney's face.
Carson followed the nurse's eyes to see what she was trying to alert his attention to.
Rodney's shaking had slowed down to a minimum. He only seemed to be having random chills. Like when you're so cold you're stiff but you still can't help but to shake all over.
However, that's not what the nurse was pointing out. It was Rodney's expression. It had turned from emotionless to pained.
Now they had all seen Rodney in pain before. Well, what Rodney said was painful. But the point is that they all knew the expression very well. However, Rodney's face was now so twisted with the appearance of distress that it alarmed every one of them. It was a look they realized they had never really seen before. Yes, they had seen a version of it. But never the real thing.
"Oh, bloody hell. This isn't good." Carson said with worry etched on his face.
Then he and another nurse turned Rodney on his side to make sure he wouldn't choke on his saliva or anything else he might have spit up.
"What!" John asked nervously, "Was it a really bad seizure? Isn't that what he just had?"
"We need to get him down to the infirmary now!" Carson ordered, "Shannon, put an oxygen mask on him!"
"Hey! I just asked a question!" John yelled in frustration.
"I realized that Colonel, but if you haven't noticed I've got a bit of a crisis on my hands at the moment." Carson replied sharply as he jogged beside the now moving gurney.
"Look, I only want to know what just happened. " John begged as he kept pace with the doctor.
"I'm not sure if it was a seizure" Carson said hurriedly "Normally when someone has a seizure they don't feel any pain. They don't feel anything. Obviously, that isn't the case for Rodney. So I have to assume that it's something else."
"Like what?"
"As soon as I know, you'll know."
Just then, Rodney started to shake more violently. In response, every one picked up the pace.
They were in complete concentration, bent on getting Rodney to their destination quickly.When suddenly the nurse, who had been holding the oxygen mask on Rodney, let out a scream as she dropped the mask and quickly backed away from him.
Every one immediately turned towards her to find the reason why she had cried out.
The nurse, Shannon, was now a few steps behind them. She had one hand over her mouth and with the other she tried to point out why she had screamed.
"What is it?"asked Johnalmost afraid of her answer.
"He…I'm not…he just…" She said pointing at Rodney.
Following the direction her finger was pointing. They all watched in shock as they witnessed why she had screamed.
At first it looked like some invisible being was slowly cutting thin slivers into Rodney's face and neck. They watched the slivers grow into cuts, which grew even bigger into slashes, getting deeper and deeper by the second.
"What on earth?" Carson said accidentally showing the fear in his voice.
"Carson?"
"I have no idea Colonel."
"Do you think its some kind of sickness? I mean, he did throw-up back there." John reminded pointing his thumb over his shoulder to the direction they had just come from.
Carson shook his head, "I don't know. However, I'm sure that what ever it is, it's not contagious.The sensors would have gone off if they had detected an out brake of any kind."
Slowly Rodney's condition improved. His shaking now had stopped completely and no new "gashes" had formed.
Shannon went and picked up the mask she had dropped and put it back on Rodney's mouth.
"Let's start moving." Carson said, "The sooner we get him to the infirmary the sooner we can get some answers.
"Dr. Becket, his lounges aren't excepting the air!" Shannon said in a panic.
Carson immediately pulled out his stethoscope and put it to Rodney's chest.
"He's not breathing!" Carson shouted, "Shannon, look in his mouth make sure there isn't anything blocking his air-way and then start bagging him, Kelly, hook him up to the heart monitor"
The two nurses quickly obeyed the orders given to them while Carson started CRP and rescue breathing.
"1,2,3.…"Carson counted out loud.
Shepard felt helpless. He didn't know what to do with himself He knew there was nothing he could do but to wait it all out for some answers.
So that's what he did looking back and fourth between Carson and Rodney, waiting for something, anything, to happen to improve the situation. Unfortunately, something did happen and from where Shepard was standing, it didn't look like avery good improvement.
Just as Carson had nodded to Shannon to pump air, Rodney started coughing. This came as a relief at first but then they all became aware that Rodney was also coughing up blood.
"Alright we need to move into the O.R now!" Carson yelled.
Quickly they rushed Rodney the rest of the way to the infirmary as Shepard ran behind them like a lost puppy.
"What do you want me to do?" Shepard almost screamed out.
"You can go an' inform Dr. Weir of the situation." Carson replied hastily while putting on his latex gloves.
"Okay," Shepard answered sadly.
It wasn't the answer he wanted to hear. He knew there really wasn't any other one to give him, but still he didn't feel very helpful.
As all the hustle left the room to go and help Rodney, Shepard found himself standing in the doorway they had left him in, alone and worried.
After a fewminutes had past Shepard took a deep breath and mumbled to himself, "How the heck am I going to explain all this to Elizabeth?"
A/N- Hhhhmmmm...What's going to happen next? What's wrong with Rodney? mmmwwahhaha..lol! Review and maybe I'll give you a hint in the next chapter.