AN: And now, the conclusion... For the superstitious among you, there's a part 14 coming after 13. It's only a few sentences, and if you don't like (the possibility of) Laura Cadman being paired with Carson, you may want to skip -14-.
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13
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When he woke up, he felt refreshed, and ready to tackle the world again.
A soft snoring to his right drew his attention to a slumbering Rodney McKay sagged uncomfortably in a nearby chair.
"He's just as stubborn as you are…" A female voice drifted from across the room. "Refuses to take care of himself properly and insisting he has to guard you from our dubious voodoo practises…"
"Hullo, Betty." He smiled gently.
Betty approached his bed, but suddenly veered slightly of course to carefully tuck in a part of Rodney's blanket that had come loose, adjusting the sleeping scientist's IV and settling his bandaged arm in a more comfortable position. Rodney happily dreamed on, drooling slightly and making tiny sighs as he cuddled the blanket tighter.
Carson's smile broadened when she finally turned to him, cocking an eyebrow.
"He's not an easy man, but he's a very good friend…" She said softly as she started fussing over Carson next.
"Aye, that he is…" Carson agreed whole-heartedly.
"And so are you." Betty squeezed his hand. "You did good, dr. Beckett. We're all very proud of you!"
A sliver of the familiar doubt started nagging at the edges of his mind. "Did I, now? We were very lucky that Rodney came up with his miracle just in the nick of time, otherwise…" He closed his eyes, unwilling to imagine but unable to ignore the repercussions his initial decision would have caused.
"Otherwise… ," Betty continued firmly,"… we would still be proud of a man who had the courage to put another man's hopes and wishes before his own…"
Baby blue eyes snapped open and stared intently at her.
Unfazed, she concluded: "I personally believe you made the right decision, and many agree with me. But the most important thing is that one specific person approved. In fact, he asked to see you the moment you woke up, if you feel up to it?"
Carson nodded wordlessly, suddenly finding something acutely constricting his throat.
It seemed only a second before she returned, pushing a wheel chair, and yet it was the longest second of his life.
And there, sitting in the chair with bright grey eyes that were no longer dull and unfocussed but beaming and sparkling with life, was Private Reynolds.
Carson's trained eye critically evaluated the sickly pallor and the slight creases in his forehead indicative of a bothersome head-ache, but also took in the returning blush on his cheeks, and the genuine smile that stretched from ear to ear.
"Heya, doc!" Jeffrey Reynolds rolled himself the last inches closer to Carson's bed, while Betty quietly disappeared.
Carson smiled back somewhat hesitantly, half expecting to be physically or verbally lashed for trying to murder the now very much alive soldier.
Therefore, it was perfectly understandable that he flinched when two arms wrapped themselves tightly around his torso.
It took him the better part of a minute to figure out he was being hugged, rather than strangled, and half a minute more before he leaned into the touch and awkwardly returned it.
No matter how many times his nurses affirmed (supposedly behind his back) how utterly 'huggable' he looked, he had never felt comfortable engaging into such close physical contact. Never mind with a man…
But as a doctor, he had learned that different people cope with stress in vastly different ways, and that touching served as a powerful link to the 'real world'.
Nevertheless, he was immeasurably relieved when Private Reynolds pulled back.
The man looked very sheepish: "I'm sorry, doc, I'm usually not that clingy. But… well… it's just that your touch has kept me grounded during these past months. It conveyed compassion and warmth and strength, and it comforted me greatly in a cold and lonely world. I just needed proof that this is all really happening, that this is not just another dream that will end in a cold and dark place again. That, and I find no better way to put my gratitude in words."
Carson dropped his gaze, not quite willing to believe that the emotion in those bright grey was pure hero-worship.
"I'm sorry I nearly… killed you. I'll understand it if you won't be trusting me anymore. We can arrange for some other physician in the future to…"
But the soldier's voice gently cut him of:"If anything, doc, I now trust you more. You were willing to respect my wishes, even at great personal cost."
Surprised blue eyes interlocked with solemn grey ones.
"I know the Hippocratic oath says 'first do no harm', but I think they left out the interpretation that doing emotional harm is just as bad –or maybe even worse- than physical harm… I fully support you decision to perform euthanasia. It was truly my will and in the given circumstances you have acted exactly as I would have wanted it. You couldn't know about some alien device popping up at the latest possible moment! If you had strictly followed your oath, and dr McKay had never found out the device's purpose, I would have been taken back to earth on the Daedalus and my 'life' would have become my worst nightmare…"
The truth rang clearly in private Reynolds' words, and set Carson's heart free.
"Not that I mind being fully functional again, " the soldier quipped lightly before turning serious again, "For that I must thank you too. As I understand it, you nearly died trying to save me…"
Uncomfortable with so much gratitude and praise, Carson tried to belittle his own part. "You're very welcome, lad, but really, the majority of the work has been done by Rodney…"
"And I will thank him properly too." Reynolds nodded to their resident Sleeping Beauty, who showed the first signs of returning to the land of the waking.
Sparking a forgotten memory.
Carson started grinning. "If you'll be wanting to thank him, there will be a tiny cup in my top desk drawer he'll be extremely pleased with to receive…" He send a meaningful look to nurse Betty who had returned just in time to hear the last part of their conversation. She winked and went to retrieve the mysterious item.
Nonplussed, Reynolds blinked a few times.
Even when Betty returned and handed him the cup in question, he still was no closer to figuring out how exactly this trivial little thing would please the exacting astrophysicist.
Meanwhile, Rodney had passed his sleepy blinking stage of waking and bleary blue eyes slowly focussed.
On the cup in Private Reynolds' hands.
"Ooooh!" He slurred slightly, becoming more alert with every passing second. "That for me?" He inquired with a soulful puppy-dog look that would have made Col. Sheppard extremely proud.
Reynolds extended the cup with a hesitant smile. "I would like to thank you, dr McKay, for helping save my life…"
He was momentarily struck speechless as the Canadian's good arm suddenly snatched the cup with lightning speed and impeccable precision. Nimble fingers made quick work of uncapping its lid, and then snatched the spoon Betty was conveniently dangling in front of him.
"Mmmmmmmmm…" He looked positively elated as he sampled the cup's contents. "This is divine…" He mumbled around a spoonful, sending a grateful look to a baffled Reynolds.
Carson grinned, feeling that everything was all right again in his world as he watched Rodney's tongue make love with red Jell-O…
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14
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Still.
She looked so still.
And pale. Almost translucent.
And not even a whole galaxy of ancient devices could ever bring her back from the place she had gone to...
Her eyes a pale blue. Sparkless. Unseeing. Staring at him accusingly from the great beyond.
Sucking the life out of him more efficiently then any Wraith army ever could.
An agonizing pain in his chest brought him back from hazy half-consciousness into the full harshness of reality.
And when the Wraith Queen fed upon him one last time, Carson wept.
Not because of the fierce pain.
Not because of the last bit of his life draining away.
But because of one seemingly inconspicuous star that had been extinguished a while ago.
One little star that had once been his entire sky…
And darkness fell.
With a gasp, Carson sat up boldly in bed.
A sleep-riddled voice beside him whispered: "Another nightmare, sweetheart?"
Strong but gentle arms wrapped around him, effectively shielding him from the terrors in his dreams.
She softly kissed him.
He felt the ghost of another set of lips.
And an echo in his heart: 'Don't look back in regret for too long, or you may miss the beautiful sights in front of you.'
He leant into the kiss.
Even though Laura Cadman may one day become his world, Perna would always be his galaxy…
AN: Yessss! THE END. I hope I didn't butcher the English language overly much... Thank you all very much for reading!
