John squinted against the brightness, using a hand to try to brush away the light. There was something on his face, and he tried to rip it off, head spinning as he struggled. He felt someone grasp his arm and push it down. A familiar voice said, "It's all right, it's an oxygen mask." He could hear a soft beeping from nearby - the infirmary. He stopped struggling.
"Good to have you back with us, Colonel." The light moved away, revealing Carson's face hovering above him, the doctor's smile not quite as wide as usual.
John asked, "What happened?" his voice coming out weaker than he'd expected. Everything hurt. He felt like he'd been run over by a tractor.
"There was an attack." That came from nearby.
"Wraith?" John asked, feeling a flutter of panic.
He struggled to focus as Elizabeth's face came into view. "You don't remember?" she asked.
John shook his head, then realized that was a mistake as the room spun around him. His hands grasped the blanket someone had put over him, and he held himself still, waiting for the dizziness to pass.
"You were on a mission with Rodney and Teyla," Elizabeth said.
John tried to push himself up on the bed. "Are they okay?" he asked. He felt hands – probably Carson or one of his medics – push him back down, and he let them, his head swimming. He closed his eyes, trying to find anchor. He didn't remember being on a mission. Wait – yes, he did. With Teyla and Rodney. Place was supposed to be peaceful, so what happened?
"Teyla's fine," Elizabeth said. John heard Elizabeth hesitate; an intake of breath. "Rodney's missing."
John's eyes flashed open. "What?" And now he could see the look on Elizabeth's face, and the concern there. He asked, "How?"
Elizabeth sank into a nearby chair, bringing her eyes on level with John. "What do you recall?"
John shook his head slightly.
"There was a disturbance in a night market you were visiting." Elizabeth looked down, seeming defeated. "It wasn't the Wraith. Someone set off a small bomb. No injuries, and Teyla thinks it was deliberate, a way to separate you. They captured Rodney." Elizabeth broke off. "It was supposed to be a peaceable planet, just a trade mission." She gave a weak smile.
"How long…?" John asked.
"Two days," Elizabeth said.
Two days? John shut his eyes against the world. He'd been unconscious for two days, and Rodney had been missing that entire time, after a mission on a planet he barely remembered!
His head spun, heart beating madly in his chest. He heard movement around him; perhaps Carson, maybe Elizabeth moving away. It didn't matter. Rodney was gone, and he was here, and none of this made any damn sense.
x-x