Coming Home
Spoilers: Not intentionally, but references to both seasons may slip in on occasion.
Rating: T for some mild language and potentially disturbing images in some chapters.
Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate Atlantis or any of the characters associated with it, unless you count Jesi.
Chapter Eight
Beckett was monitoring Sheppard's vitals when the exhausted pilot abruptly curled into a tight ball, low moans escaping through tightly clenched teeth. Beckett grasped Sheppard's shoulders, forcing him to lie flat on his back.
"Colonel..." He watched Sheppard struggle to open his eyes and leaned closer, speaking softly. "John, I know you're in pain, but I can't help unless you give me specifics. What hurts, son?"
Sheppard fought to form words, but his voice came out slurred and weak. "Migraine... hangover... tir'd."
Beckett patted the exhausted pilot on the hip. "I've your hangover cure right here, lad. Just a small prick, then you'll feel better." The doctor swabbed the tender skin on Sheppard's right arm and inserted an IV port. In moments, he had the IV bag set up and dripping. Uncapping a long needle, Beckett added a combination pain reliever and sedative to the mix. "There you go. You should be feeling better in a moment. So much for sleeping in your own bed, lad." With a quick rub to Sheppard's shoulder, Becket moved off toward Jesi and a panicked McKay.
Sheppard was dimly aware of McKay's raised voice calling for help. He tried to turn his head to check on Jesi, but Carson's medication pulled him down, deep into a fuzzy darkness. He sensed someone with him, hiding in the shadows. He strained, trying to see something that wasn't there.
Hush, John, do not exhaust yourself further. Rest.
He felt the rush of cool against his mind, bringing soothing relief to the agony he suffered. The fuzzy darkness wrapped itself around him like a warm blanket, protecting him, taking him under to blessed nothingness.
Jesi quickly followed Sheppard's example, thinking 'disengage' as she felt herself slide back into her body. The agony of rejoining with her physical self stole her breath. Energy pulsed through her nerve endings; her body bowed in distress. She heard Rodney shout her name, could feel his hands holding her upper arms as she fought to open her eyes. Someone please just put me out of my misery, she thought. Rodney's panicked voice called out, demanding Beckett do something. She pooled her resolve and reached out, feebly grasping his arm.
The startled scientist clutched her hand.
"Jesi, can you hear me?" His trembling hand wiped the hair from her face. "You're in pain."
Jesi opened her eyes a slit and breathed out, "Head…hurts."
"I've pain medicine to fix that, lass." Beckett materialized beside the bed. "Just relax now. This'll make you feel better." He started an IV and gave Jesi a dose of liquid relief.
The prick and slow burn caused Jesi to flinch away from the needle. McKay held her hand, whispering soothing words while stroking his thumb over a dainty freckle on the inside of her wrist. His warm breath against her cheek sent shivers through her body. She instinctively turned closer to him, needing his strength to ground her and keep away the pain. She felt his heat surround her, sending her down into the safe, restful recess of slumber.
McKay turned a surprised gaze to Beckett when Jesi shifted in the bed, turning into his arms and seeking out his body heat. "Ah, Carson? What should I do?" he stammered.
Beckett hid a grin as he signaled one of the nurses to bring an extra blanket. "Here, Rodney, wrap her in this and just be there for her."
McKay took the proffered blanket with hesitant fingers. "I'm not so good at the being there part, Carson." He looked down at the shivering form tucked in his embrace. A Tenderness he'd not felt in eons clenched at his heart, robbing him of his breath, and he began to hyperventilate. "Oh, God, Carson, I don't know how to do this!"
Beckett eased behind McKay, placing reassuring hands on his terrified friend's shoulders. "Rodney," he intoned soothingly, "you'll be fine, lad. Just breathe." He helped McKay settle on the bed with Jesi and spread the blanket over them. "Just rest with her, Rodney--you look like you could use some sleep."
"Yeah, sleep, that's so not going to happen!"
Jesi felt warm--too warm. She opened her eyes, recognizing the dim infirmary. Thick blankets held her captive. She struggled to push them away, but encountered a heavy arm acting as a seat belt, keeping her safe. Rodney! She turned her head and bit back a smile. Spooning her on the bed was McKay, his dark hair rumpled from sleep, mouth open and snoring softly. His breath huffed in and out, caressing the back of her neck. She reached back and ran a finger down his stubble-covered cheek. That's a rather sexy look for him, she thought.
"How are you feeling, lass?" Beckett's whispered question from the foot of the bed had her quickly drawing away. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you." He patted her foot and moved around to the side of the bed where he could see her better. "Does your head still pain you?"
She hadn't really taken the time to evaluate how she felt, but since he asked... "My head is spinning, and my entire body aches from overused muscles. I'm still drained and a whole lot hungry. Other than that, I'm feeling pretty froggy!"
Beckett smiled benignly. "It's the middle of the night, but I keep an emergency stash of hot cocoa in my office if you'd care for a cup. It'll take the edge off your hunger and may make you feel better. Chocolate usually does, you know."
"With marshmallows?" she asked, her voice husky with sleep.
"Ach, of course, I'll be right back." Beckett disappeared into his office.
While he was gone, Jesi worked to slide out from under McKay's heavy arm without waking him and keeping the IV line from tangling in the bed sheets. By the time Beckett returned carrying two steaming mugs of hot cocoa heaped with fat, frothy marshmallows, Jesi was sitting up in the bed.
"That smells heavenly!" Jesi accepted her mug, pulling it closer and inhaling deeply. "Thank you, Dr. Beckett."
"Please, you've spent too much time in my infirmary to be so formal. I'll be insulted if you don't call me Carson."
"Okay, Carson, how long was I asleep; and what's this for?" She indicated the IV bag hanging from the nearby pole. She stifled a yawn and took another sip of warm liquid joy, licking the sticky marshmallow mustache from her lip.
Beckett glanced at his watch. "You've been asleep for nearly 30 hours. Don't you remember being hooked up to the IV?"
"Ah, vaguely… Has Rodney been here the whole time?"
"No, I chased him off to eat and shower, but he kept coming back. The IV was to combat dehydration and build your strength, but it can come out in the morning. John needed one as well, so I gave you a package deal." Beckett nodded toward Sheppard's sleeping form. "Your brother is a bit more taxed than you, but should recover in a day or so."
Jesi followed Beckett's glance, her gaze softening when it landed on her brother. The bed had swallowed Sheppard; a thatch of unruly dark hair protruding from the mass of blankets the only sign of his existence. She sipped her cocoa in silence, too tired to make idle chit chat with Beckett. The doctor seemed content to sit beside her, drinking from his mug. When her cup was empty and dangling from her lax fingers, Beckett stood and took it from her grasp.
"I've an inkling you're feeling a wee bit sleepy, lass. Why don't you lie down next to Rodney and rest a bit more?"
"Mmmm" Jesi managed before she snuggled back down under the covers. "Thanks, Cars'n" she murmured before sleep claimed her.
McKay's arm snaked around her and pulled her close. He nestled her hair with his chin and sighed contentedly. "Yeah, thanks Carson." He echoed softly. His bright blue, wide-awake eyes met Beckett's surprised ones.
"Rodney, I thought you were sleeping."
"I was until I smelled chocolate," whispered McKay.
"You don't have to stay there, lad. She'll be fine if you want to get up and have a mug." Beckett waved the two empty cups in the direction of his office. "I'll make one for you…"
"No, no, no, that's not a problem. I think I'll stay right here. I'm needed, Carson. Not for my brains and not for my charm, but for me." McKay's mouth curved up softly on one side. "I'm needed. Good night, Carson."
"Good night, Rodney." Beckett moved off, shaking his head in amusement. "Sleep well."
Sheppard heard soft whispers off to his left. His eyes disobeyed his order to open, which didn't improve his mood. He tried to move his head, but it weighed a ton, and he'd swear someone glued it to the pillow. More whispers and a hushed laugh--private, intimate, and very out of place in an infirmary, which is where he suspected he was. He struggled with his willful head and eyes; he won the battle as his eyes slid open and his head raised an inch from the pillow. The sight of McKay feeding blue jello to Jesi while murmuring softly had him yanking on the blankets and straining his sore muscles.
"McKay!" He croaked, causing the pair to spring apart. McKay dropped a big gob of jello on Jesi's chest and instinctively reached to clean it up. "McKay, don't!" His voice was a rusty hinge protesting movement.
McKay handed the jello and a napkin to Jesi with an apologetic look before crossing to Sheppard's side. He picked up a pitcher of water, poured some into a glass, and helped Sheppard take a few small sips. "It's just jello, Sheppard, nothing more."
The exhausted colonel pushed away the water and pinned his gaze on the quickly reddening scientist. "Just jello my ass! Don't make nice with my sister, McKay. I call you friend, but I don't particularly want to call you brother-in-law."
"Who said anything about marriage?" McKay sputtered.
"I did!" Sheppard's steely gaze pinned McKay to the spot. "Or were you planning to have your way with my sister without some form of commitment?"
"No, of course not! I just meant… We've only just… You know what I meant!" McKay set the water back on the tray and crossed his arms defiantly. "I take it you're feeling better."
Sheppard punched the button, not the McKay button, the button that raised his bed so he could face his friend. "Yeah, good enough to kick your sorry…"
"Ah, Colonel, awake at last." Beckett appeared beside the bed. "Are you experiencing any residual pain?"
"Only if you count the one standing next to my bed! How long was I out?" Sheppard's jibe at McKay followed by his quick question had the doctor hiding a smile.
"I'm afraid I've no cure for that kind of pain. You've been asleep for nearly 40 hours. Apparently using the artifact drains you, body and mind. If you feel up to some food, I'll have breakfast sent up; scrambled eggs and toast for now until we see how your stomach feels."
"Sounds good, Doc, thanks." Sheppard patted his flat stomach. "Bacon?"
"One piece, Colonel, and only after you've eaten all the eggs and finished your toast." Beckett patted his shoulder before moving off to discuss breakfast delivery with one of his nurses.
Sheppard turned toward McKay and caught the man sliding away a few steps. "Uh uh, not so fast! Shame on you, Rodney, for trying to escape. Pull up a seat."
McKay hung his head before returning to Sheppard's side. "What now? Are we going to discuss cummerbund colors?"
"Among other things..." Sheppard smirked as McKay's face lost all color. "You'd better sit before you fai... ah, pass out." He watched the other man, thinking how easy it was to wind him up. He'd have to work on toughening the physicist up a bit. McKay must have been through Hell in school. They'd have to have a long talk about that one day.
McKay sank into the nearby chair and stared at Sheppard in shock. "You're serious… really?"
"Relax, Rodney, I'm just messing with you. I wanted to talk to you privately, which is hard to do right now, but..." Sheppard glanced over at Jesi's bed, relieved to find her occupied with one of the nurses. "It looks like we have a few moments alone. Did you get a chance to check the system and find our mystery report?"
McKay relaxed, relief flooding his ruddy features. "I did. While you were napping, I was busy working, as usual." He stood and retrieved his laptop from a nearby table before returning to his seat. He flipped it open and punched a few keys. His smug face glowed blue-white in the monitor light. Finding what he needed, he handed the computer to Sheppard. "Is this what you're looking for?"
Sheppard accepted the computer and skimmed the words on the small screen. When he reached the signature, he did a double take and re-read the text more slowly. When he finished, his astonished eyes rose up to meet McKay's amused ones.
"This can't be right!" Sheppard read the message a third time. "Did you double check your findings? Could someone have faked this?"
"Oh it's authentic, Colonel. I assure you, unless someone is better than me at cracking passwords, that message is the real deal." McKay leaned back in the chair, grinning at the speechless Airman. "Maybe you should see Kate about your split personality."
"I did not send that message, McKay!" Sheppard dropped the volume a bit before continuing. "Obviously my password was compromised."
"Obviously! Too bad, really. I was enjoying the mental image of you curled up on a couch in Kate's office, while she tried to marry up your two personalities." McKay sighed, his chin flying at full mast.
"McKay, enough! Can you figure out who cracked my password or not?" Sheppard's quick mind flew to a few people he'd like to question when he got out of the infirmary; Kavanaugh was first on his short list.
McKay's smug face slipped. "I ran every system diagnostic I know and came up empty. Whoever did this knows their way around Atlantis' systems better than we do."
"Basically, you're telling me there's no way to trace the message back to the sender." Sheppard scowled when McKay nodded yes. "Damn!" He slammed his fist down on the bed in frustration before shoving the computer off his lap and throwing back the covers.
McKay scrambled to his feet, snatching his precious laptop to his chest. "Hey, watch it!... Where are you going? Beckett hasn't released you yet." He backed out of the furious pilot's path.
Sheppard slid from the bed, staggered a moment as the room spun. Yanking out his IV, he began searching for his clothes and shoes.
"Where did he hide my stuff? Carson! I hate it when he takes my clothes." He tossed open the cabinets near his bed, slamming them shut again when they contained only medical supplies. "Carson!" he bellowed.
Jesi watched her brother in fear. "John, what's wrong?" When he didn't appear to hear her, she slipped from under the warm covers and placed herself in his path. He tried to shove past her, but she reached out and snagged his arm firmly. "John, stop!"
Sheppard became aware of the hand on his upper arm and turned, ready to fight his way out of the infirmary. He pulled up short when his eyes landed on Jesi. She stood there in white scrubs, barefoot and hair flying around her head. Her solemn eyes appeared large on her round face. His head dropped and his body visibly sagged as his anger evaporated.
"Come on; get back in bed before Carson sees you so upset. If you've been naughty, he'll eat your bacon, both figuratively and literally."
Jesi tugged on his arm and shoved him gently toward his bed. Sheppard allowed Jesi to tuck him in, his eyes meeting McKay's over her head. He sent the scientist a silent message to keep digging, and McKay nodded before turning and leaving the siblings alone.
TBC
A/N: Wow, I've stayed up late reading other fic's, but never thought anyone would stay up late to read mine! I hesitated to write a sibling fic because I know how people feel about them. I'll keep following the bunny, even though he's a big tease. Hugs
