The next time Ria woke up, Carson was checking the equipment at the side of her bed.
"How do I look, Doc?" she asked, a smile in her voice.
He turned to face her, smiling in return. "You look pretty good, considering you've been sleeping for the last two days."
"Two days!" she exclaimed, raising her eyebrows in surprise. "I guess I must've needed it."
"Aye," he replied. "I think you could say that. But otherwise, you seem in fine fettle."
"I take it, that means I'm well?" she asked, slightly bemused by the phrase.
"Aye, lass, you're very well. Sorry to confuse ye."
"No problem," she replied. "And talking of confused, what did Dr McKay mean about me being "Ancient or Ascended"?"
"Half of what Rodney says doesn't make sense," Carson said, a smile playing on his lips. "So I wouldn't mind him, and his weird notions."
"Dr Beckett, are you evading my question?" she asked, half teasing.
"Please don't call me 'Dr Beckett' like that. You could give a man a heart attack. It reminded me of the matron in my first hospital post. A right fiercesome woman, she was."
"Matron?" Ria asked, allowing herself to be distracted.
"Yes, a sort of head nurse. But they used to run the hospitals wi' a rod of iron. I was right scared of her."
Before Ria could ask any more questions, Carson's earpiece burst into life.
"Carson," Elizabeth Weir's voice sounded in his ear. "Please could you join us for a discussion on your newest patient?"
"On my way, Elizabeth," he responded.
"So they want to grill you about me?" Ria said, a grin on her face.
"Don't worry," Carson said, putting a reassuring hand on her arm. "You been the best behaved patient I've had all year. So I won't have a bad word to say about you."
OoOoO
When Carson walked into the conference room, all eyes turned towards him.
"How is she Carson?" Elizabeth asked, even before he had a chance to sit down.
"Physically, she's fine," Carson said.
"Not too fine?" John asked, thinking of Chaya.
"No, lad," Carson said with a smile. "She's not perfect, like your lady-friend Chaya. But I'd say she is in perfect health given her age and lifestyle."
"So what do we do with her?" McKay asked, cutting to the chase.
"Isn't that for her to decide," Carson said, giving him an earnest look.
"What do you mean?" Elizabeth asked, looking for clarification.
"Well," Carson started slowly, weighing up his words. "She came to us. She obviously had a reason for approaching us. I don't think it is up to us to 'do anything with her'. She is a free person. She should have the choice of what she wants to do next."
"What if she's a security threat?" John asked. "She could have called the Wraith to come and attack us."
"They very nearly got her too," Teyla reminded him.
"Could she have some kind of tracking device?" Ronon asked.
"There is no evidence of one," Carson assured him. "The scans we did of her would have shown up any subcutaneous device, such as the one you were fitted with. And I checked her clothes and belongings and there was nothing in them."
"You undressed her!" Rodney exclaimed.
"Well," Carson said, a smile hovering round his lips, "it's not normal practice to leave our patients wearing the outdoor clothes when they are in the Infirmary. Surely, with your experience, Rodney, you should know that."
"But she's a woman," Rodney continued. "And you're a . . ."
"Doctor," Carson interjected. "And she is my patient."
Then a sudden thought hit Rodney. "So when I'm brought in unconscious, do you undress me too?"
"No, Rodney," Carson replied, a full-blown smile on his face. "I leave that pleasure to one of the nurses – the female nurses."
Ronon let out a bark of laughter from the other side of the table. John was grinning openly and both Elizabeth and Teyla were trying not to show their amusement too much.
"That's right," Rodney said, indignantly. "Make fun of the afflicted."
Elizabeth decided it was time to get the meeting back on track.
"So Carson, what are your recommendations?" she asked her CMO.
"I think we should speak to her," he replied earnestly. "Ask her why she sought us out, and take it from there."
"How soon will she be fit to be questi . . . asked about her plans?" John asked, quickly revising his question when Carson shot him a sharp look.
"I would think that she would be well enough tomorrow. I could bring her here in a wheelchair. But I reserve the right to terminate the interview at any time if I feel she is too tired." The last remark was directed at John.
"Noted," he said, nodding at the doctor.
"Good," Elizabeth said. "Until tomorrow then. And hopefully we will manage to clear a few things up."