Chapter 5.
Well, here's Chapter 5. Thanks, as always to Merlin and Kodiak, my betas, inspirations, and great pals! All mistakes, unfortunately, are still all my own.
"Dial the planet!" Weir shouted at the top of her voice.
The tech sergeant immediately dialled the address, moments later shaking his head in frustration.
"I can't get a lock. Someone is dialling out."
Weir bit her lip. "Try again!" she ordered.
The sergeant re-dialled and this time the Stargate engaged. Lorne, Teyla and Ronon ran towards the event horizon, turning back to look for Weir's permission before embarking.
"Be careful. I'll have a medical team standing by. Good luck," Weir simply said.
"Yes, ma'am," Lorne replied, before gesturing for Ronon and Teyla to move out.
Weir tapped her radio as the 'gate shut off. "Medical team to the 'gate room," she calmly called into the radio, her hammering heart betraying her outward composure.
Beckett's voice came over the radio.
"Elizabeth? A team is on the way. What's going on?"
Weir responded to Beckett's question with a quiet, worried voice.
"We have reason to believe Colonel Sheppard has been injured. Hurry Carson, I have a really bad feeeling," she implored.
Beckett tutted. "On my way," he answered.
-oOo-
The team exited through the wormhole and immediately saw Sheppard lying a few feet from the 'gate. They ran over, while simultaneously scanning the area for any sign of Ford.
Teyla crouched down next to Sheppard, feeling his neck for a pulse.
"He is alive, but his pulse is very fast and weak," she declared.
She proceeded to check his body for wounds, instantly seeing the bloody mess underneath his vest. Removing a field dressing from her own vest pocket, she gingerly pulled back the fabric from Sheppard's jacket and t-shirt and pressed the dressing firmly into the wound. Sheppard moaned.
"John? You will be fine," she gently comforted her friend. "We will take care of you."
Sheppard struggled to open his eyes to slits. His shoulder burned, his head pounded, and nausea threatened to overwhelm him. Suddenly, he remembered what had happened.
Through gritted teeth he managed to whisper, "Ford?"
Ronon grunted a reply. "Gone. You hit him though. There's a trail of blood leading to the 'gate."
Sheppard closed his eyes. "He…left me…to die," he ground out through shallow breaths.
Teyla looked at Ronon. "Ronon, can you help me lift him? I need to see if there is an exit wound," she asked.
Ronon gently lifted Sheppard up from behind, as Teyla started to remove Sheppard's vest and jacket, which were both saturated with blood. Once she'd successfully removed them, she shuffled behind the colonel, ripping his t-shirt to expose a large wound, the size of a small fist. She quickly took another field dressing and firmly pressed it into the gory mess. Sheppard groaned in pain.
Teyla looked at Ronon in concern, before gazing at Lorne.
"Major?" she began, "his wounds are extremely serious. We need to return to Atlantis immediately," the Athosian worriedly reported.
Lorne moved round to look at the colonel, before nodding and tightly grimacing. "Okay, I'll go and dial the 'gate. Ronon?" Lorne looked at the Satedan, "Can you carry him to the 'gate?"
Ronon nodded. "No problem," he replied, as he gently lifted Sheppard into his arms, carrying the colonel while Teyla continued to press both wounds in Sheppard's shoulder as firmly as she could, as they slowly approached the event horizon.
"Atlantis, this is Lorne. Lower the shield, we're coming through. Dr. Weir?" Lorne paused waiting for a reply.
"Go ahead, Major," Weir replied nervously.
"I hope you've got that medical team on stand-by? We're going to need it," he gravely informed her.
"Understood. You're clear to come through," she stated.
-oOo-
As soon as the team exited through the gate, the medical team swarmed towards Sheppard. Ronon laid him carefully on the ground, placing Sheppard's head on Teyla's lap, and quickly moved out of the way as Teyla continued to put pressure on the bleeding wounds.
Beckett knelt above Sheppard quickly taking in the colonel's condition. "Christ, he's a mess. Okay, let's get an IV started," he ordered his team, as he lifted up the field dressing Teyla was holding down on the entry wound. Beckett continued, "Right, the entry wound isn't too good, let's look at the exit…" The doctor paused mid-sentence as Teyla lifted the dressing at the back of Sheppard's shoulder and Beckett looked behind the pilot to assess the wound.
He cursed under his breath. "Damn. I need some more pressure over here. Shelly?" Beckett called to his favourite nurse, "Can you take over from Teyla, love?"
The nurse took Teyla's place and the Athosian quietly moved out of the way, leaving the medical team to their work.
"Right," Beckett began, "Let's move him onto the gurney and get him to the infirmary. Melissa?" he called to his other trusted nurse, "Can you run ahead and pull four units of blood for me, and get prepped for surgery?"
The nurse nodded in affirmation, as she ran from the 'gate room towards the infirmary.
Sheppard quietly moaned as he was lifted onto the gurney. Beckett then placed an oxygen mask over the prone man's face, before looking down at the colonel and saying, "Don't worry, son. We'll get you sorted out in no time."
Beckett heard Sheppard mumble under the mask, and leant down to try and make out the colonel's slurred words. He lifted the mask as Sheppard whispered, "He…left me…to die…just…left me."
"It's okay, lad. We've got you now. Everything's going to be fine," he soothed as he replaced the oxygen mask.
Beckett turned to Weir and the others. "I need to get him into surgery immediately. He's lost a hell of a lot of blood and I need to stop the bleeding. I'll let you know when I have any news." Beckett then followed the gurney as it was rapidly pushed out of the doors and into the corridor.
Weir looked at the scene in front of her. Ronon and Teyla were covered in blood, as was the floor of the 'gate room. She eyed them, before asking, "Are you both ok?"
Teyla sadly nodded. "We are uninjured."
Weir smiled. "Good. Go and get cleaned up. It looks as though they're going have their hands full in the infirmary for the foreseeable future, but make sure you all get checked out when things have quietened down. Well done."
Weir turned to Lorne, who was standing quietly to the side of the group of people.
"Major? Any sign of Ford?" Weir asked.
Lorne shook his head. "No, ma'am. Colonel Sheppard hit him, but he dialled out before we arrived."
"Okay. We'll debrief at," Weir looked at her watch, "1800 hours. Dismissed."
The weary group headed off in different directions, but Weir stayed behind, lost in her thoughts as she surveyed the debris left by the medical team.
-oOo-
Running into the infirmary, McKay skidded to a halt as he took in the scene in front of him. Beckett was moving quickly and efficiently around Sheppard, barking orders at his team. A nurse was cutting away Sheppard's clothes, another hooking up blood to an IV. Beckett then moved on to insert more lines, as yet another nurse hooked the colonel up to a heart monitor.
McKay heard Beckett ask for more blood before the doctor muttered, "He's losing it faster than we can get it into him. Come on people, we need to stabilise him before we can get him into surgery."
Suddenly, McKay heard the heart monitor's alarms sounding, and he heard Beckett curse, gently scolding Sheppard. "Damn! Oh no you don't, Colonel. Stay with me. I need more blood. Shelly, let's squeeze it in. Let's get another line in with some more gelofusine, please," Beckett called to his nurse.
The nurse squeezed the bag of blood that led to the IV, as another put a third canular into Sheppard, his left forearm this time, quickly hooking up a bag of clear fluid. The heart monitor's alarms suddenly ceased.
"Right, we've done all we can here. Let's move him to surgery. Shelly?" Beckett called, "Can you pull another four units? If we're running short get Sophie to round up some donors."
The nurse nodded before replying, "We've only two more units, Doctor. I've already got Sophie rounding up suitable donors."
Beckett smiled. "Well done, lass."
McKay watched in bewildered silence as Beckett hustled past to scrub in, while two nurses pushed Sheppard's gurney towards the surgical suite.
"Carson?" the scientist called out.
Beckett briefly turned back towards McKay, before replying, "Not now, Rodney. I've got a battle on my hands. I'll let you know as soon as I have any news."
McKay watched as Beckett left, and as the enormity of the doctor's words sunk in, he silently did something he only seemed to do for a certain lieutenant colonel, he prayed.
-oOo-
Three hours later, and McKay was still waiting in the infirmary for news of Sheppard. Teyla and Ronon had joined him a couple of hours previously, and Elizabeth had been popping in and out regularly, as her responsibilities allowed.
Nurses had been scurrying in and out of the surgical suite over the last few hours, but all had avoided making eye contact with the anxious group of people camping out in the infirmary.
McKay got up from his chair, and started to pace nervously.
"Why haven't we heard anything yet?" He looked at his watch. "It's been over three hours. How long can it take to stitch up bullet wounds?" he asked no one in particular.
Teyla stood, and moved next to the frustrated scientist, placing a hand on McKay's arm to soothe him. "Rodney. The wound was very serious. It left a large hole in the back of Colonel Sheppard's shoulder. Give Dr. Beckett time to stop the bleeding and repair the damage."
McKay gulped as he took in Teyla's words, and was about to reply, when Beckett entered the infirmary, looking tired and sweaty. Before McKay could utter a word, Beckett held up his hands.
"Let's sit down over here and talk," he simply said.
Immediately, McKay returned to his seat, nervously wringing his hands together.
Beckett cleared his throat. "Right. I won't beat around the bush. Things didn't go too well, I'm afraid. Colonel Sheppard's wound is extremely serious. The bullet took half of his shoulder with it when it left him, causing massive blood loss and serious damage. I wasn't even able to close the larger wound, that's going to need a skin graft."
Beckett paused, taking in the worried faces of those around him. "He's alive, but in critical condition. We lost him twice on the table, and quite honestly we were lucky to get him back the second time. We'll be moving him into intensive care shortly, but I have to warn you…" Beckett paused again before sighing, "He may not survive the next few hours."
McKay looked at Beckett incredulously. "There must be something you can do, Carson. I know I've not always been complimentary about your voodoo skills, but honestly as far as doctors go, you're the best," he babbled at the doctor.
"Thank you, I think." Beckett tiredly rubbed his forehead, before continuing. "I've done all I can for him. You have to understand, he suffered a massive blood loss. The fact he held on as long as he did is a miracle. We're replacing the blood, and supporting him all we can. The rest is up to him."
"Can we see him?" McKay asked sadly.
Beckett grimaced, as he answered, "Not at the moment. We need to get him settled first. Give us half an hour and then you can - but only one at a time."
"Okay," McKay despondently replied.
-oOo-
Half an hour later Beckett led McKay to a curtained off area in the infirmary. He turned to McKay before entering. "Rodney, I should warn you, it's not pretty in there. Colonel Sheppard is hooked up to quite a few machines, including a ventilator."
McKay gulped, before quietly replying, "Okay."
As he entered the intensive care area, McKay was shocked at the sight before him. Sheppard lay on the bed, his naked body covered by a sheet and blankets. He was white as a ghost, and McKay thought there didn't seem to be any part of the man not attached to some piece of machinery or tubing. Sheppard's spiky, dark hair was a contrast to the deathly pallor of the man's skin, and McKay inwardly laughed that Sheppard's hair was still standing proud, despite the man's comatose state. McKay noticed the heavy bandaging on Sheppard's shoulder.
Beckett guided McKay to a chair by the side of Sheppard's bed. "Sit," he said simply to the unusually quiet scientist. "Now, I'll not be wanting you to stay here long. You'll just get in the way of my nurses, and I promised Elizabeth she can visit soon." Beckett took in the scientist's drawn and anxious face, and squeezed McKay's shoulder. "I know he looks pretty grim, Rodney. But he's made it this far, and that's something. If he gets through this, we've still got to sort out the problem with the chemical in his brain. So when you're done here, do you think you could carry on analysing the data with Radek?"
McKay looked up at Beckett, nodding. "Yes. Of course. Once he's over this, he's still going to need us to sort that out, isn't he?"
"Yes, he is." Beckett turned to the nurse who was fussing over various pieces of equipment. "Melissa, let me know if there's any change immediately," he asked the pretty curly haired woman.
She smiled, replying, "Of course, Doctor Beckett."
-oOo-
More than twenty-four hours later and Sheppard's condition remained stable, which Beckett assured everyone, was a relatively good sign.
McKay had, as promised, worked diligently on analysing the data from the artifact Sheppard had activated, and was now on his way to the infirmary to fill in Beckett on his findings, as well as checking on Sheppard.
On entering the infirmary, McKay went straight over to the curtained off area where Sheppard was. As he expected, Beckett was there writing down various readings from the monitors on a chart.
"Carson. How is he?" he enquired.
Beckett looked up from his notes. "Actually he's a little better. He's doing really well, considering. Have you got any news on the data from the device?"
McKay nodded. "Yes. Is it okay to talk here?"
"Let's go to my office. You can sit with him after, if you want to." Beckett moved away from Sheppard's bed and walked to his office, with McKay in tow.
Beckett sat behind his desk and looked expectantly at McKay.
"As we already knew, the device detected a chemical it didn't like when it scanned Sheppard's brain. The substance is Wraith. I've cross- referenced the data with the Ancient database and it appears the Wraith queen excretes a substance which takes up residence in the victim's brain."
Beckett interrupted McKay. "Aye, Kate said the colonel told her the queen ran her finger down his face, so that could be how it got in his bloodstream," the doctor hypothesised.
"Yes, that would make sense," McKay agreed. "The popular hypothesis by the Ancients, was that its purpose is to leave the victim open to suggestion, while causing a chemical imbalance in the brain, leaving the victim sick and confused, making him more liable to talk."
Beckett tutted. "Aye, that's a logical conclusion. Though why I didn't detect anything is surprising, to say the least."
"No, it's not. The only way to detect the chemical, once it's in the brain, is either by biopsy or scanning for the chemical. Since you didn't know about its existence, you couldn't scan for it," Mckay further explained.
"Fair enough. Anything else?" Beckett asked.
McKay paused before sighing. "Yes. Of the patients who had the enzyme in the brain, and there haven't been many recorded cases, most of them died pretty slowly and miserably. The enzyme started destroying the brains of the victims, resulting in irreversible and fatal brain damage."
Beckett took in McKay's words, before frowning. "So even if he gets through this, he's going to die a painful, slow death?" Beckett rose from his chair and wearily massaged the back of his neck. "Christ! This isn't fair. Why didn't I pick this up sooner?"
McKay interrupted Beckett, "Carson, there is a treatment. The artifact is also some sort of healing device. I haven't de-ciphered everything, but it can be used to heal the brain, though I don't know how – yet."
"That's encouraging news, Rodney. Any idea how long before the brain damage is irreversible?" Beckett needed to know the answer to that.
McKay nodded in affirmation. "Yes, about two weeks. So I figure Sheppard had his little encounter with the Wraith queen just over a week ago, that leaves us four or five days before his brain damage is irreversible. Will his present condition complicate things?"
Beckett sighed. "I have no idea, though if it's a gradual deterioration of the brain I would think that it's unlikely. How does he manage to get himself in these situations?" the doctor asked, exasperated.
McKay chuckled. "He certainly excels at getting into trouble, doesn't he?" McKay walked towards the door. "I'll check on him later. I need to get to work on researching the device. I'll let you know if I find anything more. Take care of him, Carson."
"Aye, that I will," the doctor answered, before walking off himself, to visit his most frequent patient, feeling a need to check on Sheppard in light of Rodney's news.
-oOo-
The next day passed slowly for McKay, and researching the artifact had resulted in little sleep for the scientist. He and Zelenka had worked round the clock to try and gather all the information they could. They had discovered how to use the medical device, but the stumbling block would be finding someone with a strong enough natural occurrence of the ATA gene to operate it. The most obvious candidate was the man who needed the treatment. The next strongest was Beckett, and McKay knew how much the doctor enjoyed activating Ancient technology.
Sheppard had remained in a coma, though McKay knew now that was due to sedation. He was still ventilated, but the last time McKay had spoken to Beckett, the doctor had been hopeful he could be weaned off the vent, if he continued to improve. A steady stream of visitors had been to see Sheppard, including his team and Weir, and McKay was now on his way to the infirmary to visit his friend and inform Beckett of his findings.
As he entered the infirmary, McKay was pleased to notice the privacy screens had been removed from Sheppard's bed. As he approached the pilot's bed, he saw Weir sitting there, quietly tapping on her palm pilot.
"Elizabeth. He's looking better, I think," McKay stated.
Weir looked up, a little startled by McKay's sudden words. "Yes, he is. Carson took him off the vent a couple of hours ago, and he seems to be coping really well, though he hasn't woken up yet. Carson isn't sure how he'll be when he wakes up. He may have deteriorated considerably mentally in the last couple of days." Weir paused, taking a deep breath before continuing, "Any luck with the device?"
McKay huffed. "Yes, but there are a couple of obstacles to overcome before we can use it. I need to find Carson. I'll be back."
Weir nodded as McKay went off in search of Beckett.
She looked across at Sheppard, immediately noticing his right hand twitching. Quickly moving towards the bed, Weir gently called to the colonel.
"John. Can you hear me? You're on Atlantis, and you're safe. Can you open your eyes for me?" she gently implored.
Sheppard opened his eyes and blinked in confusion.
"Hey. How are you feeling?" Weir asked, on seeing the man's open eyes.
When she received no reply, Weir gently stroked Sheppard's head.
"It's okay. You don't have to say anything. I need to get Carson though. I'll only be a minute," she explained. As she started to move away, Weir felt a hand on hers, and looking down saw that Sheppard had reached out to her.
"Ford…where's Ford?" Weir heard Sheppard whisper.
Weir smiled grimly at her military commander. "He's gone, John. He escaped. I'm so sorry I didn't listen to you. I was wrong. I hope you'll forgive me?" she gruffly asked, her voice breaking with emotion.
Sheppard swallowed before answering, "Got to…find him, 'Liz'beth. Let…me go."
"Of course you can search for him, but only when you're feeling better. I'll go and get Carson, now," she soothingly replied.
"'Kay," was all Sheppard could manage before closing his eyes.
Weir ran to Carson's office, entering without knocking. "Carson, John's awake!" she cried.
Beckett and McKay followed Weir back to Sheppard's bed, whose eyes were now closed, pain evident by the crease lines in his tense face.
"Colonel, are you in pain?" Beckett quietly asked.
Sheppard opened his eyes to slits, and Beckett struggled to comprehend the colonel's slurred words.
"I'm sorry, son. I can't hear what you're saying," Beckeet patiently told Sheppard.
"He…left me. Didn't listen…wanted me…dead," Sheppard whispered. The three people by Sheppard's bed all saw the devastation on the man's tortured face.
Weir took Sheppard's hand in hers, mindful of the IV's there. "John, shhh. It's going to be okay," she soothed. "Ford's not himself, you know that. When you're better, we'll find him and bring him back. Don't worry, just get some more rest. We'll find him. I promise."
Sheppard's breath hitched, as he answered Weir. "'Kay. I…knew he was…there."
"I know. You were right. I'm so sorry. Just…don't worry about anything, and get better," she gruffly replied, emotion threatening to take hold of her once again.
Beckett moved to the other side of Sheppard's bed and started to carry out various checks on his patient. Smiling grimly, he turned to McKay and Weir.
"Alright. Time to leave. I need to get him something for the pain he's obviously in. His shoulder is still bleeding a wee bit, and I need to redress it." Beckett turned to Rodney. "You can fill me in on your findings about the artifcat later. I need to get this sorted first." McKay nodded in affirmation before he and Weir walked away. "You've really gotten yourself in a mess this time, haven't you, son?" he asked the semi-conscious man in front of him.
Sheppard turned his head slightly to look at Beckett, mumbling a slurred, "Sorry," before closing his eyes.
Beckett reached over to a tray by Sheppard's bed and picked up a syringe, quickly emptying the contents into one of Sheppard's IV lines.
"What am I going to do with you?" he sighed before gently patting Sheppard's leg as he walked away from his most annoying patient. He knew he had a mammoth battle ahead of him, and for the second time Beckett wondered if his medical skills would be enough to save his friend from a painful and slow death.
Tbc.
