Part Six
The present - Atlantis infirmary
McKay was sleeping sprawled in a chair next to Sora's bed. His head was thrown back and he was snoring gently.
"Do you want me to shift him?" Carson asked Sora as he finished up making her comfortable after her check up, nodding at the sleeping figure. "You need to rest and I don't see how you can do it with that racket going on." Carson smiled affectionately at McKay his back to Sora.
Sora smiled to herself. "I'm used to it," she whispered softly.
Carson's eyebrows shot up and he looked sideways at McKay wondering just what had happened in the six months that McKay had been missing. Keeping his back turned to Sora he went to put his clipboard down on the table but misjudged the distance and it dropped to the floor with a clatter. McKay woke with a start. He looked around in a panic, confused, blinking away the sleep. He saw Sora, awake on the bed, propped up on the pillows smiling at him. "Hello," she said.
He leant forward and took one of her hands in both of, his face stricken. "Oh God Sora, I'm so sorry, I wanted to be here when you woke up. I must have dozed off, I am so sorry."
She smiled again and squeezed his hands. "You were here, you were just asleep, that's all. I woke up and saw you and knew we were safe."
He gently brushed aside a stray lock of hair and, leaning forward, kissed her softly and then rested his forehead against hers. "Yes we are. We did it Sora, we're safe, and you're going to be fine, just fine," he murmured nuzzling against her pale cheek. "Carson told me you're doing great and that in a couple of weeks you'll be back on your feet and out of here…."
Carson watched the exchange astonished how at ease McKay was with Sora. There was none of the awkwardness and nervousness that McKay usually displayed with women - he was Romeo to his Juliet and obviously oblivious to Carson's presence. Carson coughed to let him know they were not alone. Rodney froze and then straightened up. "Oh, er, Carson. I, er, didn't see you. I, er, I just wanted to, er, check on Sora and she, er, I …." He stopped and looked around him in confusion.
"I'll leave you two a bit of space then eh?" Carson moved towards the door. "We'll be in to check on you every hour and if you feel any shortage of breath at all you just press that button there and we'll come running. D'ye understand lassie?". Sora nodded. "And you," pointing at McKay, "when you've finished up here we've made you up a bed in the next room."
Sora frowned and threw a nervous glance at McKay who shifted to stand protectively by Sora. "I'm fine here Carson, I really am. I'll just sleep in the chair." Carson gave him that look – the one that he used to silence opposition from obstreperous patients. This time it didn't work, McKay just stood there, a slightly defiant expression on his face.
"Alright Rodney, we'll wheel a bed in here for you, but if you keep her awake with your snoring, you're out. D'ye understand?". McKay nodded and sat down again, his eyes locked with Sora's, the fingers of his right hand entwining in the loose curls of her hair whilst his left hand rested on her right one.
Carson slowly backed out of the room almost holding his breath. "Jeez, has he got it bad," he thought to himself.
The present – Atlantis conference room
Carson walked quickly through the halls of Atlantis to the conference room where Weir, Sheppard and Caldwell were waiting for him to join them. As he entered the room, they were sitting and talking quietly together. Elizabeth looked up and said, "Carson, come in, glad you could make it so soon. How're your patients?"
Carson sighed. "Well Sora's doing fine – she might look delicate but believe me, the lassie's as tough as old boots. She'll back on her feet in no time although, with the amount of blood she lost, it was touch and go for a wee while." He paused and bit his lip worriedly before continuing. "I'm worried about Rodney. From what I can piece together he's had one hell of a rough time. He reeled off the list of McKay's injuries and then outlined the tests he wanted to run in the morning. "My biggest worry is that he is quite simply exhausted – I've never seen him so drained, not even after some of the scrapes I've seen him get into in the past."
"From what you've seen so far, Dr Beckett, has he suffered any permanent damage?" Caldwell asked interrupting Carson's report.
Carson shrugged. "It's too early to tell. I'll need to have the MRI results, run some neuropsychological tests, get X rays, that sort of thing before I can make that kind of assessment. I also strongly recommend that he should see Dr Heightmeyer– I can't imagine how it must have been for him, what he's been through. There's bound to have been some psychological effect." Carson hesitated again, "You know that Rodney and Sora are…" he paused and gestured clumsily with both hands for a few minutes as he searched for words, "an item?" he concluded lamely.
"We kind of worked that out ourselves Carson," said Sheppard with a grimace. "I mean I know he likes blondes but a member of the Genii elite guard? I just don't quite see it – I mean what was the first date?" Sheppard's words were light hearted but the concern behind them was apparent to all.
Elizabeth interrupted him. "Why are you so worried Carson?"
The Scot shrugged his shoulders and held his arms out, palms upwards. "He's a bloody mess, Elizabeth, that's the only way I can sum it up. You know that he's briefed us to tell Sora that this is the new Alpha Site not Atlantis?" She nodded. "He doesn't trust her Elizabeth. And if he doesn't trust her, why is she here? And if he's as smitten as he seems to be, why doesn't he trust her?"
Elizabeth shook her head. "I guess we will find out tomorrow and until then I don't think there is any mileage in our discussing this anymore. But there are a few things we can do. Sheppard, can you see about organising to get McKay's things out of storage and get some quarters for him?" John nodded.
"Are you suggesting that we let him have free access to Atlantis? Does that seem wise to you when Dr Beckett has just said he has doubts as to Dr McKay's mental state?" Caldwell challenged Elizabeth.
Elizabeth sighed deeply and started to answer, "Colonel, I am suggesting that we welcome Dr McKay back to us as warmly as we can. He is member of our team and…" John interrupted her angrily.
"And we left him behind and he has been through six month's of hell – that's all Dr Beckett was saying, not that he's unstable and a security risk Caldwell. McKay is one of us and I am damn glad to have him back. I just hope to hell he forgives us for leaving him behind."
"I understand your point Sheppard but we can't overlook security protocols."
Sheppard nodded and gave a Caldwell a conciliatory smile. "I know – I just…" he stopped not knowing how to put his feelings of guilt and responsibility into words.
The present – Atlantis infirmary
"Have you asked them for asylum for me Rodney?" Sora asked.
He shook his head. "Not yet. I didn't have a chance, they've decided I need to rest before I give them a full report. I'll do it, I promise."
"Thank you," she mumbled and relaxed back on the pillows, her eyes drooping with fatigue. "Hold me," she commanded. McKay did as she asked and she soon fell asleep with his arms protectively wrapped around her. When he was sure she was asleep, he gently disengaged himself and then as quietly as he could he pushed the second bed as close to hers as possible before he lay down and pulled the blankets over him. With one hand outstretched resting gently on Sora's wrist he fell asleep.
