Chapter 2 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rodney didn't like kids, and that was an understatement. He hadn't even liked kids when he was a kid. They asked stupid questions, wiped their snotty little noses on everything, and were constantly moving and screaming and it annoyed the hell out of Rodney. He considered childhood an unfortunate part of the development cycle.

So why the hell was he sitting in the infirmary with a small child curled up next to him who would not relinquish his hand? At least she was clean now. Carson had made sure of that.

Of course, getting the kid to take a shower had been an ordeal. At first, she refused to let go of Rodney's hand. For a terrifying moment, Rodney thought he might have to wash the girl. He started the water for her and promised he would stand outside the door until she was done. Only after he promised three times did she finally let go. And then, to his horror, she shoved her toy at him. To top it all off, she checked on him over half a dozen times, peeking her small water covered head out of the door every few minutes.

Carson's examination did not take long although the kid flinched away from Carson at first. She wouldn't even let the doctor come near her until Rodney explained in not so friendly words that this was a waste of his very valuable time and he was leaving. That earned him the loss of all feeling in his arm, a cooperative child, and a knowing smile from Carson.

Now she was sleeping, holding her little stuffed animal in one hand and still holding Rodney's hand with the other. Rodney watched the girl sleeping and was surprised to find that he wasn't completely revolted by her presence. Actually, he was kind of fascinated by her, as long as she was asleep.

She yawned and snuggled closer to Rodney. He jerked away in response and almost fell off the narrow hospital bed. Carson chuckled as he approached.

"She's not some wild animal, Rodney. She's not gonna hurt you," he said quietly as he looked down warmly at the sleeping child.

"I know that," Rodney shot back. He had to admit that it wasn't his cleverest retort, but he ignored that fact. He was tired and under a lot of stress from having to deal with the kid.

"What's wrong with her?"

"She's malnourished and dehydrated. She walked out of there herself?" Rodney nodded. "I'm a bit surprised. Based on her test results and what you told me, she was probably in that hole for three or four days. She also has a small infection, but it's nothing an antibiotic won't fix. But most of that's normal considering what she went though. I can't find anything else wrong with her, though. Her CAT scan and EEG were both normal."

"Normal? So why isn't she talking, Carson? That isn't normal," Rodney demanded. The girl stirred a little, but settled back down. Carson sighed and stuffed his hands in his lab coat pockets.

"It's not a medical problem," he explained. "I'd imagine she's in a state of shock. It's a lot for the wee lass to have gone through."

Rodney nodded as he thought about it. The kid was shoved in a hole, heard, if not saw, her mother drained by the Wraith, was completely alone for days, and then dragged from the only place she knew by complete strangers. Rodney wasn't sure if he could speak either after such an ordeal.

"So…"

"I'm recommending she be taken to Doctor Heightmeyer once the dehydration is taken care of. Maybe you should go with her, Rodney, since she's developed quite an attachment to you," Carson said with a chuckle. Rodney could have killed him right there.

"I am not wasting any more of my valuable time with this. You take her," Rodney huffed as he disentangled himself from the girl. She whined in her sleep, rolled over and snuggled closer to her animal. Rodney actually felt a little tear at his heart, but he pushed it away. She was just some stupid kid he'd only known for twelve hours, tops. He was being irrational. A little work would clear his head.

He quickly said a good-bye to Carson, and no, he didn't want to be notified when the girl woke. Sheppard and Elizabeth could figure out the best place for her because it certainly wasn't with Rodney. The last thing he needed was a kid in his lab, messing everything up. He left her in Carson' very capable hands and went to his lab.

Only Rodney found he couldn't concentrate on work when he got to the lab. His mind kept drifting to thoughts of that poor kid in that filthy hole for four days, not knowing if anyone was alive but guessing not because none had come for her. Never knowing if the Wraith were still out there, waiting to feed on her as they had her mother and the rest of her village. So scared she couldn't even move. And she didn't even have the comforting presence of that worn out stuffed animal that she hardly let out of site since reunited with it.

Every time he let his thoughts roam, he cursed himself. The kid was already disrupting his work. He was an important man in Atlantis and he couldn't afford to be distracted by children. Well, technically child, since there was only one kid who was distracting him at the moment.

"McKay!" Rodney jumped and made a sound that wasn't a scream.

"What, Colonel?" he shouted when he turned to find Sheppard standing in the doorway. The colonel leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest as he eyed Rodney. The silence dragged on for longer than Rodney was comfortable with.

"Was there something I could do for you, Colonel, or did you just feel that the doorway was lacking your presence?'

"That's pretty amazing, isn't it?" he asked as if Rodney knew exactly what he was talking about.

"In case you forgot, I can't read minds? What's amazing?" Rodney asked as he returned to the schematics on his laptop. Sheppard pushed away from the doorframe and walked into the lab like he owned the place. It really annoyed Rodney.

"That girl," Sheppard replied as he perched on the edge of Rodney's workbench. "Don't you think that's amazing, McKay? She survived in that hole for a while-"

"Four days."

"What?"

"Carson said she was there for about four days?"

"Four days?"

"Isn't that what I just said? Yes, four days, where she was alone and scared, and yes, I think it's pretty damn amazing. Was there anything else you'd like to share, Sheppard?" Rodney barked. He didn't mean to sound so angry, but thinking about that little girl was doing strange things to Rodney. He didn't know about Sheppard, but he would have gone mad if put in that kid's position. It wasn't the fact that she was alive that amazed Rodney; it was the fact that she wasn't a babbling lunatic that amazed him. Of course, she hadn't said anything since they found her, but still, it was a better outcome than the scenario Rodney could see for himself.

Sheppard just smirked. "Why aren't you in the infirmary?"

"Unlike some people, I actually have work to do."

"Of course, Rodney," Sheppard drawled. Rodney just glared at him, a biting insult ready on his lips when his radio crackled in his ear.

"Rodney, report to the infirmary," Elizabeth said. In the background he heard Carson's distinct voice ordering a sedative. Elizabeth cursed as something in the infirmary crashed to the ground. "Now, Rodney."

Rodney sighed as he stood. He glanced at Sheppard, who was still smirking, and rolled his eyes. He brushed past the pilot, ignoring the creeping smile and silent chuckle. Some days, Rodney really did not like Colonel Sheppard. Today was one of those days.

As Rodney walked down the hall he wished, not for the first time, that he had invested in one of those "I can only please one person per day and today's not your day" stickers before he came to Atlantis. He had half a dozen reports on his desk, three projects that needed to be finished and more than a dozen projects that needed to be started. And that didn't count the projects he gave to Radek. The last thing he needed was to be wasting his time in the infirmary. It was defiantly one of those days.

Rodney's frustration grew as he neared the infirmary. He was an astrophysicist, the smartest man in two galaxies, the only person in Atlantis who could fix all the things that could go wrong in the ten thousand year old city. He wasn't a damn babysitter. Couldn't those idiots handle one kid? Why the hell did they always call him when things didn't go their way? He wasn't Superman for fucks sake. True, he did know quite a bit about a lot of things, but he couldn't fix everything. If living in another galaxy taught him anything, it was that he didn't know everything. And truthfully, he knew shit about kids. What the hell did they expect him to do?

The infirmary door opened and Carson stomped out flinging a stream of Gaelic curses. A nurse scrambled out after him, waving bandages at him. Carson grabbed at the bandages and placed them on his hand. He waved the worried nurse away with a "no, I'm fine lass" when he spotted Rodney.

"That little hell-cat bit me, Rodney," he explained as he pulled the bandage away. His hand was leaking blood from a small bit-sized mark. "She woke up in a panic, tore her IV out and hid in a corner. When I tried to get the little bugger, she bit me."

Rodney looked at the wound without curiosity. "I fail to see how pulling me away from important work is going to help you with some snotty girl with a biting problem."

"Rodney, you brought her here, you get her out. Besides, Teyla said she only responded to you," Carson replied sternly. Rodney didn't feel like arguing, especially since the kid bit Carson. So he huffed a little for show, he had a reputation to uphold after all, and went into the infirmary.

The infirmary was in chaos. Nurses were picking up trays of strewn food and medical supplies. One cabinet was torn apart, the contents spilled all over the place. Elizabeth knelt in front of it with her hand out and a smile plastered on her face. Rodney sighed and shook his head. That wasn't any way to get a scared animal – child he quickly corrected himself.

"All right, everyone leave," he announced. People stopped to look at him. Elizabeth stood and frowned.

"Rodney?"

"All right, you heard the man," Carson came to the rescue, "Everyone leave. Let's see if Rodney can't coax the wee lass out."

"You sure you can do this, Rodney?" Elizabeth asked as she stepped away from the cabinet.

Rodney just stared at her. When had they all started to question his every move? Oh yes, the one – single! – time he screwed up!

"Yes, Elizabeth. Believe it or not, I know what I'm doing," he retorted in a half lie. She nodded hesitantly, but filed out with the rest. Carson was the last to leave. He nodded at Rodney as he left, the door shutting behind him.

For some reason, Rodney has always been good with skittish animals. It was a fact that boggled anyone who had ever witnessed it. His sister's cat had crawled under the house once and wouldn't come out for anyone except Rodney. There was a stray dog in the neighborhood who only let Rodney get close enough to pet it. Then there was his roommate's cat, who later became his cat, that would hiss at everyone, including his roommate, from the comfort of Rodney's lap. His sister always wondered, loudly, why Rodney did not pursue veterinary medicine. The answer was simple to Rodney: he loved the puzzle of physics. Plus, he really didn't like blood.

Getting this kid out would be like getting that cat out from under the house. He had to have patience and sit quietly and let her feel comfortable. He could be a patient man when he had to be, despite what everyone else thought. Rodney found the nearest bed and sat. He looked at the created cubbyhole for a long while, but nothing stirred. He glanced at his watch.

"No one else is here, so just come out," he called. At first nothing happened. Then a foot appeared, followed by a second. Then a hand appeared with that toy. Finally the girl poked her head out and looked around the room. Satisfied, she pulled the rest of her body out of the hole she had created. She took a few steps forward, her toy hanging limply from one hand while she looked expectantly at Rodney.

"All right, you're out, I'm leaving." He stood and was immediately rushed by 18 kg of girl and enveloped in a hug.

"What if they come back?" she asked quietly in a tiny voice as she cried on to Rodney's shirt. Rodney had no clue what to do.

"What if who come back?" he asked, slightly annoyed and slightly horrified by the fact that this small child had her arms around him.

"The Wraith," she whispered as if just saying the name could somehow bring them down on her. Rodney's annoyance dissolved. It was a very real fear, one that everyone shared.

"They won't because-" he realized that he didn't have a very good reason as to why the Wraith wouldn't come to Atlantis. "Because I won't let them." It was a weak promise, one that he might not be able to keep, but it was all he had to offer. The girl nodded, her trust in him so overwhelming even through she barely knew him. It was a trust Rodney had not experienced for a long time. He gave up reason and logic and led the girl back to her bed and pulled the blanket around her.

"I'm scared," she admitted.

"Go to sleep."

"Are you going to leave?"

A sigh. "No."

"Promise?"

"Yes. Sleep."

When she was finally asleep, Rodney sighed and ran a hand over his face. What the hell was he getting himself into?