Chapter 9

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Carson gently took the case from Rodney, opened it and examined the contents. There were more vials than he would have liked, each with different scientific notations on them. He looked up and nodded. "I'll do some analysis and see if I can determine which one was used for Teyla and which for John. This may go a long way towards helping us tae help them. Having the original plant would be even better." He nodded again, this time to himself and quickly made his way out of the infirmary, heading towards his workstation. Jennifer watched him go, not sure if he would appreciate her help or if he'd find her an annoyance.

"Jennifer?"

She looked back at the four faces watching her. "What Rodney?"

"Go help him. I know you want to and we'd all be grateful to have another set of eyes, especially yours."

She smiled at him. "Thanks." She reached up and kissed him, not worried about how it would look.

Rodney returned it fiercely and then pushed her away. "Go!"

She turned and practically ran after Carson. The four left behind looked at each other. Lorne cleared his throat. "I'm going to head to Hanson's lab. I might try and get Katie to help me out. She'd see anything out of place quicker than I."

"Katie?" Rodney gave Lorne a small smile that quickly faded as he remembered that Sheppard was probably fighting for his life. Teyla was holding her own but was still unconscious.

"You should be proud of her, she was quite the actress when Hanson caught us together, talking about our suspicions. We didn't even need Chuck to start those rumors. I'm going to the lab to see if I can find the plant the doc mentioned." Lorne said and turned to leave. Rodney nodded. He wasn't unaware of how accomplished Dr. Katie Brown was, just knew that they hadn't been compatible after all. Not like him and Jennifer. He felt a warmth in his chest as he thought about the woman he'd fallen in love with, maybe for the first time in his life, including his infantile infatuation with Colonel Samantha Carter. Someone who, somehow, felt the same way about him. A fact that he was sure no one who knew him would believe. If anyone could find out how to help Teyla and Sheppard, it was her and Carson. He watched Lorne leave the infirmary. He took a moment and reviewed his life, so different now than just a few years ago. Friends, real friends, in the form of Carson, Sheppard, Teyla, Ronon, Zelenka and, dare he say it, Lorne. A girlfriend who knew all his faults and cared anyway. He was a very lucky man and, if anyone asked, yes, he'd give it all up to make sure Sheppard and Teyla were okay and got their chance. He settled in to wait with Ronon and Radek.

Carson looked up from the microscope he was working on when he heard footsteps. He turned to find Jennifer looking at him hopefully. "Have ye come tae help then, lassie?"

"If you wouldn't mind, Carson. I don't want to be in the way."

He knew she'd developed friendships here, maybe, from things she'd let slip, closer than anything she'd ever had back on Earth. He knew she and Teyla were thick as thieves and the relationship between her and Rodney should have shocked him, yet it didn't. The two of them were…a bit of the oddball in normal society. Way smarter than the average and usually on the outside looking in. They worked, clicked, whatever you wanted to term it. He also knew, from working with her, that she was smart, focused and very connected to her patients. He should know, he was once one of them as she sought a cure for the degradation his cloning had caused. He wouldn't be here if it weren't for her and he found he would be more than happy to have her working alongside him.

"Pull up a microscope." He said and smiled gently at her. She returned it and settled in at the table with her favored machinery. The two of them were quickly involved in trying to figure out what had been used against their friends.

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Lorne entered the botany lab, surprised to find Katie still there. It was long after usual working hours were over.

"Katie?"

She jumped and turned to him, feeling her pulse quicken a little at the sight of the military man now standing in front of her. She felt a little guilty that her engineer didn't engender the same feelings in her.

"Major…Evan. I'm sorry, you startled me. How are John and Teyla doing?" Like everyone else, she'd been listening to the drama played out over the city wide speakers as the jumper went to rescue the Colonel and Ronon, hanging on every word as she waited to hear if they were both okay.

"They're holding their own. Look, Katie, we need to see if Dr. Hanson kept anything here that might help us figure out what she gave them.

"Then, it's definite she was responsible?"

"Yeah, no doubt about it."

"I'm so sorry that someone from my department was instrumental in hurting Teyla and the Colonel. What can I do help?"

"Work with me go through her lab to see if there's anything there that would help? We found a case of drugs in her room that Carson is looking at. We're hoping it might help if he and Dr. Keller can find out which ones she used on them, but the original plant would help even more. I doubt we'll find anything here, she was careful. Still, we can't leave anything to chance." He knew she was seeing someone and felt a little sorry about that. His thoughts went back to his date with Celia and he thought it would have gone very differently with the woman in front of him, her warm brown eyes staring up at him. He squashed those thoughts.

"I'll do anything I can to help, anything."

"Thank you. Would you mind?" He swept his hand towards the different rooms. She nodded and led the way to Hanson's lab.

"I'll start on the left side, you start on the right?" Lorne asked. She agreed and began to search through her assigned side, Lorne starting on the other. They worked in companionable silence until Katie opened a cabinet and started moving things out of the way. The sound she made had Lorne turning towards her in question.

"Evan, this was brought back from one of the off-world missions to M34-871. We couldn't find any positive use for it, it's too poisonous. They were all supposed to be destroyed! This shouldn't be here."

"Well, then I guess we should take this to Beckett to see if it helps."

She nodded, and they left the lab together, never once thinking that she wasn't needed. When they got to the infirmary, Carson and Jennifer were nowhere to be seen but McKay, Zelenka and Ronon were by Teyla and Sheppard's beds. Someone had moved the privacy curtains as it was next to impossible to keep the five of them apart. Radek and Rodney were both sitting and working on laptops while Ronon leaned against the wall, watching over all his friends, asleep or awake. Lorne held up the plant he was carrying. "Docs?"

"Through there Major." Rodney barely looked up as he pointed in the direction where their two doctors were working. Lorne and Katie went through and stopped for a moment to watch them in action. They were both so focused on their microscopes, they didn't even notice the new arrivals. Lorne cleared his throat and had to suppress a smile when they both startled and turned their way, identical looks of surprise on their faces. Carson was the first to recover.

"What have ye brought us, laddie?" Noticing the plant Lorne was carrying.

"Katie…Dr. Brown…thinks this might be the plant that Hanson used to create the drugs she used on Teyla and John." Lorne held it out and both doctors nodded with enthusiasm.

"Aye, the drugs Dr. Hanson created will go a long way to discovering how to help Teyla and the Colonel but having the original plant may help us discover something in the ancient database that will help us counteract their effects more quickly." Carson reached out eagerly and took the plant, he and Keller putting their heads together over it, immediately forgetting the two standing there watching. With a shrug, Lorne turned to Katie and gestured that she proceed him out of the lab. Reaching the outer room where the others were still waiting, they were both grilled about their findings, but had nothing more to offer. They sat and joined the weary friends in their vigil.

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In the lab, Beckett and Keller split their duties. Jennifer kept investigating the drugs they'd recovered from Hanson's room while Carson began searching the ancient database on the plant. He had more extensive exposure to it and would most likely have better luck finding a reference to it. The two worked through the next few hours without a break, neither saying a word except to the nurses who came in to keep them up to date on their two patients. Unfortunately, not much of the news was good. Both were still unconscious, and the Colonel was starting to show additional symptoms from the hypothermia and his near drowning, with the only good news being that the drugs in his system seemed to finally be metabolizing, which made sense as Hanson hadn't wanted to kill John. Judging it to be at a safe enough level, Jennifer ordered a strong dosage of antibiotics and increased oxygen treatment for him, while Teyla required nothing new as her condition remained unchanged.

When Carson finally found an entry he thought would be helpful, he waited to say anything until he was sure the plant was the same Hanson had had squirreled away in her lab. When all the parameters matched and he read the prognosis, his spirits lifted. The plant was poisonous but not fatal if the antidote could be synthesized and administered within three days. They still had time. He searched the database for a planet where the plant grew and his heart sank again. The only planet listed had only recently been overrun by the Wraith. He raised his head from his research and found Jennifer looking at him.

"You found something, didn't you?"

"Aye, lass, I did. This plant is definitely the one used on Teyla and there's an antidote, but the only world the Ancients recorded that the plant exists, is now a Wraith stronghold." Jennifer paled.

"What do we do?" She whispered.

"It's nae our call." Carson reached up and keyed his coms. "Mr. Woolsey?"

"Yes, Dr. Beckett? Do you have news?"

"Aye, we've found a plant that will provide a cure for Teyla." He paused.

"And the problem is?" Woolsey may be a lot of things, but he wasn't stupid.

"Please come down tae the infirmary and we'll brief you, along with the Colonel's team."

"On my way." Sometimes the IOA leader of the Atlantis expedition could surprise one. Rumor had it that the man had sided with SG-1 over the IOA back on Earth, on several occasions. Carson looked at Jennifer and tried to smile.

"At least we found something for Teyla, maybe we'll have a chance tae use it. John's recovery is dependent on our own medical knowledge." He couldn't hold the faux smile any longer, and Jennifer hung her head, whispering what he was pretty sure was a prayer to any deity that would listen. He understood, John was the heart and soul of the expedition and had saved them from destruction more than once. Without him, neither was sure they would survive the coming years. They certainly wouldn't have done so the previous six. If he were to survive this but Teyla were to die, all because of someone's obsession with him, Carson knew that the Colonel would blame himself and he wasn't sure what that would to do his friend. He stood up heavily and started to make his way to the infirmary. He turned when he realized she wasn't following, not really surprised to find her watching him with tears streaking down her checks.

"Ah, lassie, I'm so sorry."

"Carson, John and Teyla…they just found their way to each other after all these years! How is this fair?"

He reached out and pulled her up from her seat. Clasping both of her hands in his, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Life isn't fair, love, it never is. All we can do is take what's given tae us and hope. We're not done yet, they're both still alive and there's always hope."

Together, they made their way to the waiting room where the couple's friends looked to them with varying degrees of said hope.

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Richard Woolsey made his way to the infirmary with measured steps. He wanted to run, he wanted to rail against the fates that had led them to this. He'd been leader of this expedition a little under two years. They'd faced many threats together and John Sheppard had been at the center of all their successes, including saving Earth from the super Wraith hive ship. His had been the strongest voice arguing that Atlantis belonged back in the Pegasus Galaxy, while the IOA had been adamant that it stay here to protect their own little corner of the universe. Eventually, cooler heads had prevailed and Atlantis had been sent home to Pegasus to fight the Wraith before they ever got close to Earth again.

He'd been pleased when John had told him about the change in his and Teyla's relationship. His romantic side was heavily buried after his divorce but would raise its head now and again. John's announcement had been one of those times. Now, he was faced with losing both of them to some scientist suffering from an obsession psychosis. He knew the people suffering from these types of illnesses were not always to blame for their actions, but he couldn't stop wishing that Dr. Ruth Hanson had never been born. Certainly, never been assigned to this outpost.

He stopped outside the infirmary and took a deep breath, calming himself. He could not allow his opinion that Colonel Sheppard was the key to the continuing success of this mission, to color his decisions. He could not risk other members to save one man. If there was one thing he knew, it was that John Sheppard would never approve of others risking their lives to save him. The fact that he would do it for another, was one of life's little ironies. The man's opinion of his worth was the polar opposite of everyone else living on the ancient city. John considered himself expendable, while most, with the notable exception of one Dr. Kavanagh, would heartily disagree. He stepped through the door and was disheartened by the sight that met him. McKay and Ronon looked exhausted. Zelenka, Lorne and, surprisingly, Dr. Katie Brown looked defeated. Doctors Beckett and Keller looked dismayed.

"Very well, people. Fill me in on the situation."

Carson spoke up. "Dr. Hanson derived two different drugs from the same plant she found on M34-871. One, which she administered tae Teyla through food and drink, was designed tae suppress the respiratory system, causing suffocation. Luckily, Teyla didn't ingest enough tae cause her death, though from the levels discovered in the food and water, that was exactly Dr. Hanson's intent. Instead, she's in a drug induced coma as her body fights it and it doesn't appear tae metabolize in the human body. As far as John goes, the dilution appears tae cause a drug induced susceptibility tae suggestion, similar tae scopolamine on Earth, most likely tae convince John that he wanted a romantic relationship with her. Knowing John, he resisted and tried tae make his way to safety by escaping the room she incarcerated him in. Unfortunately, with this version of the drug, there are side effects, such as dizziness and muscle weakness. Apparently, the Ancients developed similar drugs based on the plant, for what reasons the database didn't really detail. In both cases, it says that there's a counter agent."

Rodney interrupted. "Well, then what are we waiting for? Let's go get it!"

"Rodney….the only planet they listed where the plant grows, is a Wraith stronghold."

Ronon spoke up as Lorne and, surprisingly, McKay, said at the same time. "I'll go."

Woolsey sighed. "I can't let you go into a dangerous situation without careful thought, no matter whose life is at stake." He knew it would be an unpopular statement and wasn't surprised when Sheppard's team, along with his Second in Command and Zelenka, voiced their disapproval.

Carson spoke up. "Maybe, we can find this plant on another world. The ancient database is woefully out of date."

Katie had kept out of the conversation, knowing that Sheppard's team was close, waiting for them to find a solution, but, when they kept arguing, she decided to step in. "Is there any way the Botany department can help out?" She asked in desperation.

"Perhaps lassie. According tae what we've been able tae find, the plant we need is found on P53-927 and looks like this." He held out the tablet he was holding. Katie studied it and her face lit up.

"We went to that planet a couple of years ago! There were no Wraith there then and we brought back many samples. We have some of these in our hydroponic garden." All eyes turned to her with varying looks of hope and she blushed at being the center of attention and backtracked a little. "At least, I think we do."

"Let's go. Now." Rodney said, already turning towards the exit.

"Rodney, I don't think all of us need tae go. Perhaps Major Lorne can help Dr. Brown?" He had noticed a certain spark between the two and wasn't above helping it along, finding some good in a bad situation.

Lorne immediately nodded his approval, grabbed the tablet from Carson and the two hurried out of the room. Rodney turned back to Carson and Jennifer. "So, this plant could be used to synthesize a drug to help Teyla but what about Sheppard?"

"The drug she gave him is beginning tae wear off. Unfortunately, the aftermath of the Colonel's ill-advised evening swim in a storm while under the effects of it, are of more concern. His temperature finally came back up tae normal but, unfortunately, didn't stop there. He's now running a temperature and we're detecting rales in his lungs. We've started tae give him strong broad spectrum antibiotics. He also has a couple of cracked ribs from being smacked up against the pier by the waves." Ronon straightened up and looked guilty and Carson sighed. "If ye hadn't gotten him tae the pier, laddie, we'd be trolling the ocean floor for both yer bodies aboot now." The man subsided back on his wall, the guilt replaced once again by worry.

"What are his chances, Carson?" Rodney asked quietly.

"We're doing all we can Rodney, it's up tae John now. We know how strong he is and he has Teyla and Torren, as well as you lot, to come back tae." Carson turned to go back to his lab but stopped and looked back over his shoulder. "He's never given up before and I don't expect he'll start now. Try tae stay positive and just be here, for both of them." He continued on his way. Rodney sat down and picked up his laptop. Put it down and stood up again, beginning to pace the room.

"McKay!" Ronon grunted.

"What?" He turned to stare at his lone conscious teammate when it hit him that he could have lost Ronon too and he exploded. "What were you thinking about when you jumped into that water?! Did you really think we needed to worry about rescuing two of you instead of one?"

Ronon just smirked at him. At one time the scientist's words would have sent him into a red haze of fury. He'd been around him long enough by now to know that the man hid his caring, worry and fear behind snark and sarcastic remarks. When they'd first met, it never would have occurred to him that the two of them would become friends, but somehow, they had.

"I thought that Sheppard needed help and that I was the best one available to give it to him. I knew I could get to him, just like I knew you and Lorne would never give up on us and would get us out. Now sit down and stop that annoying pacing!"

"Huh." Was all McKay could think to say, as he plopped back down in his chair. Radek lowered his head to hide the smile that had appeared as he listened to the two unlikely friends declare their affection for each other in a way only they did. The smile wavered as he thought about why they were there.

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Lorne and Katie headed towards the Botany lab at something slightly less than a full on sprint. They skidded to a halt when they reached it and Katie led the way to the hydroponic garden. She headed to one section without even looking at the others and stopped in front of it. She held her hand out and Lorne handed her the tablet he was carrying without her having to ask for it, finding her surprisingly McKay like when in her element. She studied it again and then moved down to a row of plants that were thriving under the artificial grow lights. She held it up against the plant and even Lorne could tell it was the one they were looking for. They grinned at each other and he took a step closer and they both froze. 'Now's not the time.' Lorne thought to himself. 'But the time will come.' He knew she was seeing someone and wouldn't step on anyone's toes, but he couldn't shake the feeling that this was something he didn't want to ignore. Stepping back, he cleared his throat.

"This is it, Katie. We just need to get it to the infirmary."

"I'm not sure what part of the plant they'll need, so let's take the whole thing." If her voice was a little wobbly, she would put it down to the fast pace they had set, or the excitement of finding something that would help Teyla, not to the sudden thought that Evan had been about to kiss her. She turned and rummaged around, pulling out a pot and a small spade. Expertly, she dug around the roots and lifted the whole plant out of the soil. Placing it carefully in the pot, she gently tamped the soil down around the stem. Lorne watched her hands work with fascination. Who knew potting a plant could be so…sexy? He pulled himself up short, reminding himself once again that now was not the time nor was she free of romantic entanglements. When she was done, the two turned and raced back to the infirmary.

Once there, they didn't stop to talk, Lorne just gave a thumbs-up as they raced by to give the priceless plant to the ones waiting for it. Carson and Jennifer were expecting them and eagerly took it from Katie, already talking excitedly in medical jargon as they discussed how to create the antidote and started examining the plant. Forgotten, the other two watched for a moment and then took their leave, unnoticed. Back in the infirmary, they were met with a barrage of questions.

"Was that it? Was it the right plant? How long is it going to take?" McKay asked.

"Yes, yes and we don't know. The docs didn't share that with us but they're hard at work on it now." Lorne answered calmly, feeling benevolent towards his CO's teammate and a man he suddenly realized he counted as a friend, especially as it seemed they'd finally caught a break. That thought only lasted long enough for an alarm to sound on the machines by Sheppard's bed, to be followed by two nurses who pulled the privacy screen back around him. They heard only snatches of words, including high temperature, seizures and pneumonia.

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