Takes place after "Grace Under Pressure"

I grew up in an area surrounded by a large reservoir and cursed with long, hot summers. Because of that, everyone I knew could swim from an early age -- so, it always surprises me that there are people who go their whole lives without ever needing or wanting to learn how. :-)

IN THE SWIM

As Sheppard took another cautious step, his previously firm footing gave way to nothing. Calmly treading water, he held out his hand in invitation. "Just one step, Doc," he encouraged. Beckett eyed him warily as the warm water lapped around his waist, but made no move to take the hand. The colonel gave him a challenging grin. "You know you're going to have to, sooner or later."

The doctor closed his eyes briefly to gather his resolve and took the step that would remove him from the safety of the shallows and into the deep water.

"There you go," Sheppard cheered, supporting him with a grip on his elbow. "Now kick your feet and wave your arms." When it became clear the doctor was creating his own buoyancy, Sheppard released him and watched. "See, not so hard. You're getting the hang of it pretty quickly."

Unfortunately, at that moment, Beckett made a particularly uncoordinated move with one of his arms, bringing it above the water and splashing himself in the face. He sucked in a mixture of water and air and began to cough. Forgetting to tread water for a moment, his head dipped below the surface. Sheppard quickly reached out to assist the man but the doctor was already in panic mode and grabbed blindly at the colonel, pinning his arms and making it impossible for Sheppard to keep them both above water. Managing to grab a quick breath before they sank beneath the surface, the colonel struggled to free himself from the doctor's death grip and regain control of the situation. He quickly realized Beckett was a heck of a lot more muscular than he looked.

It struck Sheppard then, as the surface got further and further away, that maybe this had not been one of his better ideas after all. Sure, at the time it had seemed reasonable that all the expedition members should be able to pass a water proficiency test, especially after Zelenka had admitted to not being able to swim. He had told Weir it was just common sense. After all, they were in a city surrounded by water -- accidents happen. He had further argued that he wasn't planning on making Olympic champions out of the science staff; he just wanted them to be able to tread water for a few minutes in case of an emergency. In the end, Weir had to admit it was a logical safety precaution so he had drafted Lorne and one of the enlisted men, who had spent his summers as a lifeguard, to assist him.

After a few days of scouting around, they had found a likely area in the northern end of the city. Who knew what the Ancients had actually used the large vee shaped impression for, but Sheppard decided it would make a dandy swimming pool. Within a few weeks, Rodney and the rest of his fellow labrats had managed to not only figure out a way to fill the pool, but also to heat and filter the water as well. It turned out to be so popular that Sheppard had to set aside a designated time two mornings a week so that the non-swimmers could have their lessons in relative peace and safety.

Despite his trepidation, Zelenka had progressed fairly rapidly and within the first few classes was, if not happily, at least proficiently able to dog paddle across the pool. Once he received his satisfactory grade though, Sheppard never saw the man near the water again.

Most of the rest of the students followed suit, moving through the lessons rapidly and were soon able to keep their heads above water for ten or fifteen minutes at a time with ease. Some liked it so much that Lorne had started an intermediate class in the evenings for those who wanted to progress beyond the basics.

In time, the morning classes thinned out as people "graduated" and went back to their regular routines. There were only a few students left; most of whom, like Beckett, had been too busy with emergencies or had vital duties that could not be rescheduled until now. There was also one timid young woman who had refused, at the point of hysteria, to come anywhere near the pool. Weir had sent her to work with Heightmeyer after finding out she had had a near drowning experience as a child. Apparently no one had ever put two and two together -- namely that she never went out on any of the balconies or that her room was one of the few lacking an ocean view.

So that was how Sheppard found himself in his current situation – not about to die bravely at the hand of a hungry Wraith in defense of Atlantis; but rather ignobly, in the grip of one extremely panicked, and surprising strong, Scottish physician.

He heard a muffled splash and within seconds, Lorne and the enlisted man were forcibly pulling Beckett free and guiding the doctor towards the surface. Sheppard followed them, gasping for air as his head broke the water, his senses briefly overwhelmed by the unfiltered light and sound. He made his way over to where Carson was hugging the edge of the pool, his body wracked with soggy coughs.

As Lorne and his aide returned to their other charges, Sheppard rested an elbow on the pool's lip and patted the waterlogged doctor on the back. "You were doing real good there for a bit, Doc."

Beckett continued to cough but shot him a glare.

"Well you were," insisted Sheppard. "You just got a little panicked for a second. You'll do better next time, you'll see."

"Not, cough, cough, lesson, cough, insane, cough, cough, cough…"

Most of the words might have been missing, but the intent was clear. Sheppard smiled. "Now, Doc, you're the one who insists we take preventative measures when it comes to our health, which, for some reason, always seems to involve extra-large needles puncturing my ass. Think of this as a preventative against drowning."

"...bloody well was drowning," Beckett managed to squeeze out before he was overtaken by another coughing fit.

They had been together long enough now that Sheppard knew exactly which buttons to press when it came to dealing with the physician. "Next time, your rescuer might not have a couple of extra people around to lend a helping hand and you'll both drown," he said, mercilessly turning on the guilt. He watched as Carson's fear for himself was replaced by fear for another, and knew he had won. "Come on." He pulled the doctor back toward the deeper water, wanting to get Beckett back on the horse, so to speak, as soon as possible. "We'll stay near the edge of the pool for now so you'll have something besides me to grab, if it'll make you feel safer."

"It might make you feel safer," muttered the doctor, keeping one hand on the pool's edge as they neared the drop-off point.

Sheppard shot him a wry grin. "You are a hell of a lot stronger than you look, you know."

Beckett's lips quirked despite his nervousness and he stepped off into oblivion, still holding on to the pool's edge for dear life and moving his legs and free arm the way Sheppard had taught him.

"Now let go of the edge," Sheppard encouraged.

"Have you never heard the expression 'you can't teach an old dog new tricks'?" grumbled Beckett, loosening his grip on the pool's lip but not yet releasing it entirely.

"You're there, Carson. Trust me. Let go."

After a moment Beckett took a deep breath and did as he was bidden.

"Easy, you don't have to fight it so hard. It's water, not mud -- it doesn't take much to keep your head in the clear." Sheppard watched in approval as the doctor began to relax and get a feel for how much effort he needed to expend. "See, isn't this fun?" he asked, cheerfully.

"Oh, aye, great fun," agreed Beckett in a sarcastic tone. His head weaved back and forth slightly in time with the movements of his arms and legs.

An announcement came over the intercom Rodney had installed, echoing across the hard surfaces of the room. "Doctor Beckett, you're needed in the infirmary."

"Thank God!" said the physician, reaching out for the pool rim and pulling himself back into the shallows.

"Same time next week," Sheppard reminded him, flipping over and starting a lazy backstroke across the pool as Carson got out.

"Yes, lovely, can't wait," Beckett said without any real enthusiasm as he shrugged into a robe but then his eyes took on a wicked twinkle. "…right after the supply inventory. I think we need to order another gross of the extra-large needles."

This time it was Sheppard who was left coughing and sputtering in the pool.

END