Well, here it is Chapter 2. I'm sorry that it took so long, but I had to run with another idea. I intend to finish this story as soon as possible.
Chapter 2: Trouble brewing.
Teyla watched as Ronon and John messed around in the water, it was refreshing to see them enjoying themselves as they usually didn't have much time for fun and after their trip to the future John certainly needed some downtime. After they had arrived back in this time John had shared with her how he hoped for plenty of rest before he got back to work because other than the last few days on Sheppard's planet his whole time in the future had been far too stressful for his liking.
Rodney was lying beside her sleeping in the late afternoon sun – with his laptop open beside him and she wondered if he ever slept. From what she understood he spent most of his time in his lab when he wasn't off-world with the team. Ever since she and John had been back from the future she hadn't seen Rodney out of his lab yet.
It felt good to know that her relationship with John was out in the open – at least among their friends. They still had to tell Carson, Jennifer and Woolsey at some stage, but that could wait for another day. She had told Kanaan earlier that day and although he understood that she was in love with John, he couldn't understand why they had gotten together as soon as she had broken up with him. When she had tried to explain to him about the trip to the future, Kanaan had immediately become angry with her and told her to stop lying and an argument had ensued. Eventually, she had apologised and left Torren with him for a few days and although she felt sad about leaving her son, Kanaan was over the moon – Torren didn't seem too happy about it either. But John had told her that Torren didn't understand why he had to see Kanaan, which was understandable because Kanaan had barely been around for Torren.
Looking down at the water again she realised that John and Ronon were attempting to race each other and it looked like Ronon was winning, which was surprising because from what she understood Ronon couldn't swim. She smiled at the laughter she heard from the men. That was a sound that she would never get tired of hearing from them. Rodney stirred beside her and she was afraid that he was going to wake up and start complaining about the fact that the sun was too hot - if not he'd complain about something else, but she was relieved when he finally settled down. She was here enjoying herself with three of her four favourite men – the only one that was missing was her son. Ronon and Rodney had become brothers to her and they made perfect uncles for her son. John was her soul-mate and she could think of no one better to become a father for her child.
Suddenly John's head disappeared under the water and even though she was a fair distance away, she knew that he was in trouble. His head broke the surface before he was dragged under again. Her first reaction was to elbow Rodney in the ribs to try and wake him up while keeping an eye on the scene that was playing its self out in the water.r
"Rodney, call Carson, or Jennifer!?" She shouted.
In an instant, Rodney was awake even if he was a bit incoherent, "What's happening?"
"John is in trouble, so I fear that he may need a doctor."
Rodney stood and stared for a moment and she was afraid that he wasn't going to do what she had asked, but she was relieved when he tapped his earpiece.
When she looked back at the ocean she was relieved to see that Ronon was swimming back to the pier with an unconscious John in his arms – not that she was relieved that John was unconscious.
"Carson is on his way with a medical team, "Rodney informed her after he'd finished talking to the infirmary.
She continued to watch as Ronon brought John closer to the Pier and when he got close she elbowed Rodney in the ribs again, "please help Ronon get John out of the water?"
A look of apprehension crossed his face, "really, you want me to help drag a heavier than he looks flyboy up the pier?"
"Please Rodney," she implored, "he looks as if he needs urgent medical attention?"
Rodney sighed and walked to the edge of the pier where the ladder was located. Teyla walked as close to the edge as she could and saw that Ronon was carrying John up the ladder in a fireman's lift.
"Ronon how is he?" She asked as Ronon neared the top of the ladder.
"I don't know, but I think he's stopped breathing."
She began to panic as Ronon tried to climb onto the pier, "Rodney help Ronon get John onto the pier?"
Between Rodney and Ronon, they managed to get John on the pier and when they did, she immediately rushed to his side and checked to see if he was breathing and fortunately he appeared to be taking shallow breaths. All of a sudden, he started to choke and she managed to roll him on his side with Ronon's help, before he immediately started to cough up water, he then started to moan.
"John, do not worry Carson is on his way."
"Leg…hurts," he mumbled before he lost consciousness again.
For the first time, she looked down at John's leg and she was shocked to see that the area around his knee was shredded to pieces and it was obvious that it had been chewed on by something large. Around his lower leg, there were scratches that were less deep and it was clear that they had been caused by claws.
She was about to start administering first aid when Carson came rushing onto the pier with a gurney and a medical team behind him.
"What the hell happened to his leg?!" Carson exclaimed as he knelt beside John.
"Something attacked him," Ronon stated in a matter of fact tone.
"Yes, I can see that," Carson replied sarcastically as he started taking John's vitals.
"His temps down to 94," one of the nurses told him, "his blood pressure is 90 over 60 and stable and his heart rate is 65."
"We need to get his temperature up a few degrees and then I want to take him into surgery," Carson commented while bandaging John's leg up. "I think we'll give him one unit of blood and plenty of fluids."
Teyla sat by John and held his hand the entire time, whispering words of encouragement in his ear. She was stroking his head when he suddenly sat up and grabbed her arm, she had to lean in the hear what he was saying, "take me to the chair room, let Atlantis heal me." He whispered before losing consciousness again.
Carson gently patted her arm, "what was that all about Love?"
Before she had a chance to answer Ronon spoke for her, "I am not sure, he says that he wants us to take him to the chair room so that Atlantis can heal him."
"I know that the Colonel has a connection with Atlantis and at times I can hear her humming to me, but I don't want to risk his health by taking him to the chair room right now. The man needs immediate surgery, so the only place he is going is to the infirmary and once his temperature stabilises he will be in my OR!" Carson ranted before pushing John's gurney towards Atlantis.
"Hey, doc, "Ronon shouted after him, "I think you should take him to the chair room."
Teyla looked at her big friend and although she agreed with him all she could do right now was follow Carson and John to the infirmary. She saw how Arastica had healed him and if Atlantis had the same programming as she did then Atlantis should be able to heal him.
When she caught up with them, John was awake and attempting to climb off the gurney. She was surprised how much strength he had considering the injury to his leg.
"Take me to the chair room, if you don't I'll walk there myself."
"John," she soothed," please lie down I will talk to Carson for you."
John looked at her with pleading in her eyes and she knew that they should do as he asked, "Carson please take John to the chair room?"
For a moment she thought that he was going to refuse but, in the end, he turned the gurney around and headed towards the chair room. By this time Rodney and Ronon were walking alongside her and they both looked as worried as she did.
She had no idea whether Atlantis could heal John or not, but one thing she did know was that Arastica had healed John, so why not Atlantis.
oOo
By the time he sat down in the control chair, John was in absolute agony. His head was pounding, his leg was on fire and he had a tickle in his throat which he was trying to ignore because he knew that if he started to cough he would never stop.
Through the haze of pain, he heard her soft gentle voice and he wanted nothing more than to focus on what Teyla was saying, "John can you connect with Atlantis?"
Although he was in incredible pain, he put his arms on the armrests and leant back hoping to give into the city's gentle embrace, but instead of the gentle whisper he was used to she was shouting at him, "John I can't help you."
He tried to speak to her even though she was screaming in his head, "What is happening Atlantis, Can I help in any way?"
He was in pain and he wondered what Atlantis' problem might be, but he knew deep down that now wasn't the time to help her. Although when he'd been on Arastica he'd been seriously injured when he'd healed her from the virus and he had no awareness of his injuries, for now, he was extremely aware of the excruciating pain in his leg.
Through the screaming in his head he managed to hear one word, "virus," and then Atlantis threw him out of the chair.
Landing on his injured leg, he let out a low moan and in an instant, Teyla and Carson were by his side.
"John what happened," Teyla asked gently.
An annoying voice started to shout at him and it did nothing for his head, "yeah Sheppard, what the hell happened, you told us to bring you to the chair room because Atlantis could heal you and from the looks of it you're still injured?"
"Shh…McKay," he whispered as the pounding in his head intensified.
All of a sudden he got a face full of dreadlocks, "what do you want to do now buddy?"
"Ronon there is only one place that Colonel Sheppard is going and that is to my OR," Carson stated firmly.
"No…let me try again," he stammered trying to get to his feet.
"No, Colonel I will not let you injure your leg further," Carson told him while trying to stop him from getting up.
In the end, he conceded to Carson's wishes because the pain in his leg was becoming unbearable, he was also beginning to feel incredibly lightheaded and the tickle in his throat was growing worse.
"You win doc," he whispered, which led to a coughing fit.
Gentle hands helped him sit up until the coughing had passed and then suddenly a bendy straw appeared in front of his lips. He drank greedily until the glass was taken away and he was a bit disappointed that he couldn't finish the whole glass.
"Sorry Colonel but you're due in surgery."
"His temperature is up to 97 degrees," one of the nurses told the doctor.
"Right then lad, let's get you into surgery."
He looked at Carson and gently nodded his head, he had no idea why Atlantis hadn't healed him, but one thing he remembered was that Atlantis said there was a virus, so before Carson had a chance to wheel him away, he grabbed Rodney's arm, "check for a virus in her systems?"
Rodney patted his hand and nodded at him, so now he was quite happy to go to the infirmary.
"Just do what you have to do doc because right now I feel pretty lousy."
"Alright then lad, I'll give you something for the pain and then we'll have that leg of yours fixed up in no time."
"Thanks, Doc," he whispered
Closing his eyes, he felt darkness descending upon him once again and right before he succumb to it, he felt a soft silky hand in his.
oOo
Teyla knew the moment that John lost consciousness because his hand went limp in hers. She had no idea why Atlantis had not been able to heal John or whether Atlantis had a virus in her operating system, but the one thing she did know was that John had the worse luck in the world when it came to being injured. How could it go from him laughing and joking with Ronon to being injured within a space of twenty minutes? She had no idea how long he'd be off his feet this time, but she made up her mind that she would be there for him.
When they arrived at the infirmary, she found Jennifer waiting for them and the first thing she did was to send her and Ronon to the waiting room, she had no idea where Rodney had gone, but she could only assume that he had gone to try and work out whether there was a virus in Atlantis' operating system. She wasn't aware of any malfunctions in the city, but then she hadn't been around much for the last few days, so anything could be happening.
Taking a seat in the waiting room she closed her eyes, hoping that when she woke up this entire nightmare would be over, and she and John could get on with the rest of their lives.
She was comforted when Ronon came and sat beside her and put his arm around her, "don't worry Teyla, he's a fighter, so I know that he'll be alright."
As much as she admired his confidence in the doctors' ability to cure John. She remembered that there was a time where the older John that they had met in the future had given up and she wondered if her John kept on getting sick or injured whether he would eventually do the same.
"Thank you for your kind words Ronon, and I hope that you are right."
At that moment Rodney walked in and as usual, he was staring at his laptop, Woolsey followed close behind.
"What is going on?" Woolsey asked with a stern look on his face and for some reason, he had a suit on and looked as if he was going to a business meeting.
"John was attacked by some kind of sea creature and then when we took him to the chair room so that Atlantis could try and heal him, Atlantis told him that there was a virus in her operating system!" Rodney ranted, not bothering to look up from his computer.
A look of confusion crossed Woolsey's face, "why did you take him to the chair room and not bring him straight to the infirmary?"
Teyla spoke to the Atlantis leader with a hint of frustration in her voice, "when he was in the future, Arastica healed him from some horrendous injuries and John thought that Atlantis could do the same for him."
"So, I guess that didn't work then."
"Weren't you listening, "Ronon growled, "Atlantis told Sheppard that she has a virus in her systems?"
"And have you found anything, Dr McKay?" Woolsey asked.
"No, I haven't. Atlantis seems to be running at close to one hundred percent efficiency right now, so I have no idea what she told Sheppard, or maybe Sheppard was delirious and mistaken."
"And how is Colonel Sheppard."
Suddenly Teyla felt weary it had been a long day and she was totally over this conversation, "We do not know Mr Woolsey."
"Dr McKay can you please keep looking into the possibility that there may be a virus in Atlantis' systems and Teyla can you please let me know when you have news of Colonel Sheppard's condition. I will make an announcement that no one is to swim off the piers until further notice."
Teyla watched as Rodney and Ronon nodded at Mr Woolsey before he left the room, she had no idea how long it would be before Carson came to give them news, but maybe it was time for her to take a nap. She suspected that she would be up all night keeping an eye on John, so if she had a nap now she would probably be able to stay awake later.
oOo
Carson exited the OR after spending three hours fixing the muscle and ligament damage caused to John's leg. It had been a long evening and he wanted nothing more than to hide in his quarters with a dram of scotch whiskey, but he knew that there would be some people in the waiting room wanting to hear news of John. Perhaps when his shift ended he would head to his quarters and have a meal and that dram of scotch whiskey. Jennifer and the rest of his team were quite capable of looking after John's injuries while he rested – the injuries weren't life-threatening after all. He did wonder how many times he would have to keep patching John up over the years though and he wondered whether he should suggest that the Colonel should slow down and command the troops from Atlantis.
A gentle voice interrupted his contemplations, "do you want me to get Colonel Sheppard settled while you go and talk to his team."
"Aye that would be great thanks Jennifer and once I've spoken with his team I'm going to my room for six hours sleep, so don't wake me unless it's an absolute emergency."
"Well in that case goodnight, Carson and I will see you in the morning."
"Goodnight, Jennifer," he said before leaving the recovery area and heading down to the waiting room to talk to John's friends.
When he arrived, he found John's team fast asleep in the chairs and they looked incredibly uncomfortable, maybe he would force them to get some sleep once he'd given them an update on John's condition – that'll be the day that they'd listen to me, he thought to himself. One by one the occupants of the room opened their eyes and they all immediately jumped to their feet.
"How is he, Carson?" Teyla asked and he could see the worry and concern in her eyes.
"There was extensive, ligament and muscle damage around his knee, but the good news is that he should make a full recovery in four to six weeks with minimal physical therapy."
Teyla let out a sigh of relief, "That is good news Carson, may we please see him?"
"Sure Luv, come with me."
"I'll head to the lab since I still need to find out what is happening with Atlantis, I'll catch up with Sheppard later," Rodney told them heading out of the room.
"I'm going to bed; I'll see Sheppard in the morning," Ronon announced before following Rodney out of the room.
Carson walked out of the waiting room expecting Teyla to follow and he wondered why Rodney and Ronon didn't want to see Sheppard because they usually insisted. Shrugging his shoulders, he led Teyla to John's room as quickly and quietly as possible, because right now all he wanted to do was go to bed, he'd talk to Rodney and Ronon later.
Once they arrived outside of John's room, he turned to Teyla and smiled, "since the Colonel is not too badly injured this time, I think I'll go to bed. Jennifer is in the office if you need anything."
"Goodnight, Carson."
"Goodnight, Teyla."
As he left the infirmary, his mind turned to what Sheppard had said when he was in the control chair, did Atlantis have a virus in her operating system? If she did it was probably something that they never would have figured out if John hadn't been in the control chair. Sighing he put that thought out of his head because if she did have a virus Rodney and Radek were sure to fix it in no time. All he needed to do now was go to bed because if he wasn't rested, he would be no good to anyone and right now he was exhausted.
oOo
A bright light was shining in the inky black darkness and John had no idea what it was. The last thing he remembered was losing consciousness in the chair room after Atlantis had thrown him out of the control chair. She had then told him that there was a virus in her systems.
Confusion overwhelmed him as he tried to move towards the enticing white light, and he wondered why he couldn't move. Looking down he realised that his leg was heavily bandaged. That's why I can't move, he thought before trying to move towards the light again.
Slowly the light shifted and started to move towards him, and he found that he had to cover his eyes to shield them from the intense glare as it became closer. A figure walked out of the light, and he was shocked to see that it was the image of his dead mother. Her long black hair, deep expressive hazel eyes, mischievous grin and alabaster skin was something that he never expected to see again, so all he could do was stand open-mouthed and stare at the woman he lost when he was fourteen years old.
"John, do not be afraid; I am Atlantis and I have taken this form because this woman was important to you?"
Not wanting to spend time with idle chatter, he got right down to business, "what is wrong with you Atlantis?"
"There is nothing wrong with me, there is something wrong with you."
Of course, there was something wrong with him, he'd just had his leg almost ripped off by a sea creature.
"But you said you have a virus in your systems."
"No John, you have been exposed to a strange virus," His mother stopped and rubbed her chin for a few moments – although it was Atlantis, "it's almost as if you have been connecting with another city."
For a moment she looked jealous. He had no idea that sentient cities could experience emotions, so perhaps it was just his imagination.
"I have been connecting with a city called Arastica in the future and she had been infected with a wraith virus, which I managed to eliminate from her operating system."
The look on his mother's face changed, "how can you connect with another city, particularly one that I despise?"
Okay, hate and jealousy, definitely something that he hadn't expected from Atlantis, "I did not know that you were programmed with emotions Atlantis, and what is it you do not like about Arastica?"
"My makers programmed me with similar reactions and emotions to what they would experience themselves. As for Arastica; thousands of years ago she welcomed the wraith inside her of walls, and she allowed them to completely overwhelm her. I was connected to her at the time and if I hadn't broken the connection, I would have been destroyed."
"Perhaps she didn't have a choice, because the Arastica I was connected with couldn't wait to connect with you, once again."
"It was her choice, I know it."
He had no idea what to say to her, so he decided that as soon as he was out of the infirmary he was going to try and find Arastica, but that could only happen if he was one hundred percent well.
"So, Atlantis are you going to heal me or not?" He asked with impatience.
"I can only do so much for you because you have been tainted by your connection with Arastica."
Although there may be some truth in what she was saying, this wasn't like Atlantis. The more he thought about it the more he was convinced that there was something wrong with her, "do what you can then," he told the city.
A warmth spread across his body and suddenly he was falling towards the darkness once again.
oOo
Teyla walked into John's room feeling a little apprehensive, she had seen him injured many times before, but it never got any easier. This time it didn't look as bad as it had in the past though and he wasn't in the ICU.
His leg was heavily bandaged and placed on a large pillow, he had an IV in one arm, nasal Cannula under his nose and he was a little pale.
Pulling a chair up next to his bed, she took his hand and started to whisper words of encouragement and support for him. All of a sudden, he opened his eyes and sat up before looking at her with an intense look on his face.
"Teyla, we have to find Arastica, and we have to find her now."
And as suddenly as he opened his eyes he closed them again, leaving her wondering what had just happened.
TBC…