The hoping and praying seemed to go on interminably. Carson lingered in that twilight land between living and dying. Dr Matthews was as puzzled as anyone at the lack of change in Carson's condition. The fact that he wasn't getting any worse was, of course, a relief to them all. But, that was balanced by the fact he also wasn't getting any better.

Carson was never alone. One or other of his friends was with him at all times. Rodney would sit and chatter away; carrying on the type of one-sided conversation he was famous for. It was not unusual for him jump up for the side of Carson's bed, and frantically type something on his laptop, before returning to his friend.

Teyla was a much calmer visitor. She would sit by Carson's bed, holding his hand, or stroking his face, and tell him tales of her people. Sometimes she would sing to him, and that seemed to bring him peace. She respected him as a healer, and cared for him as a friend.

Elizabeth was using her time to develop diplomatic links with the Kelta. However, whenever she was not pursuing this, she sat with Carson. She would take his hand, stroking it, and remembering all the times they had shared a similar vigil over one or other of the members of the expedition. She realised how much she valued his patience and compassion during these times. He had looked after her, as much as he had looked after his patient. She could almost hear his gentle voice telling her to go and get some rest. At times, it seemed so real, that she had to look at him just to make sure he hadn't actually spoken. But his face remained the same; with eyes closed, his lashes dark shadows against his pale skin. His face filled with a relaxed tension; a paradox that reflected how she felt when she was with him.

John found it hard to sit with Carson. It was not in his nature to sit and do nothing. He wanted to do something, something that would make Carson well again. The weight of responsibility hung heavy on him. He took it personally when any of his team, and in this instance that included Carson, was injured during the course of a mission. He coped much better when he was the one who was injured. After all, he had plenty practice at it. He found it much harder when it was a friend who had been hurt. And in particular, when it was Carson. Carson was the one who mended them. He was the one who always seemed to have the answer when they injured themselves, or picked up some alien virus or other. To see him as the injured party made things ten times worse.

The constant throughout all the visits was Ronon. He had elected himself as the doctor's protector. He had grown to respect the doctor during his time on Atlantis. After so many years on his own, it had been good to feel the compassion of another. Beckett had saved Ronon's life, and that meant that the Satedan was forever indebted to him. He felt that he could pay back a small part of that debt by standing guard over his unconscious friend, a silent monument to the respect he felt for the doctor.

Even Colonel Caldwell paid regular visits to the doctor's side. He did not know Carson as well as the others, but he had grown to respect him, and admire him.

It is on the second day after Carson had been shot, that they were gathered in the room adjoining the one in which he lay.

"I've never seen anything quite like this," Dr Matthews said. "In cases like this, I would normally have expected the patient to have started to recover, or else to have deteriorated rapidly. Carson has done neither. It's almost as if he isn't some sort of stasis."

"Could this have anything to do with Ria?" Rodney asked.

"I can't answer that one," Dr Matthews replied, looking at Telen, who had joined the conversation.

"It is distinctly possible that the protective barrier Ria has erected is acting as some sort of stasis field," Telen admitted. "However, we're as much in the dark as you are. What Ria has done here, has never been done in quite this way before, so we don't really know what it is she's doing."

"When Ria awakens, what sort of impact is that likely to have on Carson?" Elizabeth asked.

Both Dr Matthews and Telen shook their heads. "To be honest with you," Telen admitted. "You probably have as much idea as I do."

"But you must be able to do something," John said, his voice reflecting his frustration. "It's obviously some sort of telepathic link, if enough of you get together, can't you just break it?"

"It's not as simple as that," the other man replied. "It's possible we could break the link, but it is also very possible that if we do so, both Ria and Dr Beckett would die."

Before any more questions could be asked, a cacophony of noise from the adjoining room caused all of them to rush next door. The monitors beside both Ria and Carson were going wild. The doctors who had been monitoring them stood by helplessly, unsure what to do.

Dr Matthews rushed over to Carson, and found that the doctor's eyes were wide open. But though his eyes were open, they were unfocused, and unseeing. He glanced over at Ria. Her eyes with the same. Telen was at her side, and by the look of intense concentration on his face, it was obvious he was trying to communicate with her. He looked up, admitting defeat.

"I still can't reach her," he said. "It's as if she is blocking me out."

Just as he finished speaking, the monitors went completely silent. Elizabeth's eyes flew Dr Matthews' face, afraid of what this might mean. For several tense moments, the room was completely quiet. And then, almost as if in harmony, the two monitors started to bleep, the regular, reassuring bleep of a normal sinus rhythm.

Dr Matthews quickly busied himself with his patient. Telen was working with Ria. The others almost felt like intruders, or at the very least helpless bystanders. The next few minutes seemed to last for hours, as the two men worked busily on the patients.

It was Telen who stood back first, and as he did so, they could see that Ria was now fully awake. Her eyes focused on each of their faces, almost as if she was committing them to memory. Then a look of fear entered them, and the swung towards the other bed where Carson lay.

Before Telen could stop her, she was on her feet and had taken the few steps necessary to take her to Carson's side. Her hands reached out and gently touched his chest. She looked at the others, and they could see the horror in her eyes as she remembered what had happened. Telen reached her side, and gently took her hands in his.

"Little one," he said gently. "You're not yet strong enough to help your friend. Let me help him."

She looked up at him, and he could see the debate raging in her eyes. Eventually, she nodded, and took a step back from Carson's bed. Telen took her place at the doctor's side, and placed his hands over the wound on Carson's chest. He closed his eyes, almost as if he were praying. Before the amazed eyes of the others, Carson's wounds seemed to disappear. Telen took a step back, and staggered slightly. John put out his hand to steady him.

Dr Matthews immediately stepped forward to check his patient. The others watched, almost afraid to speak, as he finished his examination.

"I have to admit," the doctor said. "If I hadn't seen this with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it. Carson's almost as good as new. It's almost as if he's never been shot."

"Then, why the bloody hell do I feel like a herd of rampaging elephants just ran across my chest?" said a quiet voice that could only belong to one person.

The laughter that echoed through the room was filled both with joy and relief. Carson's bed was soon surrounded by his friends, all laughing and talking at once. Ria faded into the background, almost as if she wanted to disappear.

The scenes of joyful chaos continued for several minutes until Dr Matthews stepped in.

"Okay, everyone," he said in a firm voice. "Carson's still got a lot of recovering to do. And I think we should give him a little bit of peace and quiet to do so."

"But he's been sleeping for the last two days," Rodney argued.

"But listening to you babble away, would exhaust anyone," John said.

"If you two are going to argue," Elizabeth interrupted. "Then it is definitely time to leave."

Before she could shepherd her team out of the room, Carson suddenly looked round with a frown.

"Where's Ria?" he asked.

Everyone looked round, and for the first time they realised that she was no longer with them. Telen reached out with his mind to try to find her.

"I can't reach her," he said. "When I try to touch her mind, it's as if there is a shadow there, and I can't connect to it. But she still is weak, and needs further medical attention. Without it, she might not survive."

Carson's face took on a stricken look.

"Where are you, lass?" he said softly. "Please come home to me."