Author's Notes: FF seems to be having issues, so I haven't been able to reply to all the reviews. If I missed you, thank you for your comments and I hope you enjoy the rest of the tale. :P From the previous chapter, Gladys Rose was my grandma, and that story is taken directly from her life. Ronon would have liked her, I think! :) - Nika
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"Look," John stuck his hands into his pockets. "You said it yourself. We're out of time."
"Aye." Carson nodded, his eyes moving from Jennifer to the readout on the EEG. "And I'd have to say, Colonel, you have a valid point. But in your case you were given a mild dose. Dr. Keller hasn't had that luxury."
"We need to do something."
"Aye, that we do." Carson sighed. "And at this point I too would be willing to try just about anything. But if it doesn't work…"
"Can you give her a high enough dose to wake her up?" John asked.
Carson sighed, his eyes worried. "Aye."
"There's a but in there, isn't there."
Carson nodded. "But... a dose this high could do more damage than good, I'm afraid."
Marie stepped forward, her hand on Carson's arm. "She'd want you to do it."
"That she would." Carson nodded, his voice quiet.
John turned towards their CMO, lying so still on the gurney beneath the scanner, draped in blankets as pale as her skin. "We need to try."
When the door beeped open, John and Carson turned to face Ronon, who'd stepped into the room.
"So big man." Carson turned towards Ronon, who was staring at the neon yellow outline of Jennifer's virus. "You ready to give this plan of yours a try?"
"No." Ronon looked directly at the doctor.
Carson patted him on the shoulder and turned towards Marie, who was holding an auto-injector.
"It's time." She nodded gravely.
John glanced quickly at Ronon. "You want me to stay?"
Ronon shook his head and reached for a stool, and planted himself near the head of the gurney. He avoided looking up at the window and the pairs of eyes he knew were boring into his back. He didn't really care what they thought… as long as this worked.
John stepped back slowly, then turned when he reached the doors. "I'll be upstairs." He left quickly, the doors sliding quietly closed behind him.
Carson stepped forward, coming up to the other side of the bed. "This is going to give her a wee bit of a shock." He announced, looking directly at Ronon. "Until we can clear this bugger out, she's going to be in a lot of pain, but we can't give her anything. I just wanted to… well… warn ya'."
Ronon nodded.
Within moments of Carson placing the injector next to Jennifer's neck, she bucked, twisting in the bed. Carson and Marie moved forward, each grabbing for a kicking limb. With her eyes wide Jennifer inhaled with a startling gasp. She struggled against Carson's hold, her right arm twisting free. Ronon grabbed her wrist and held tightly, while Marie fought with her legs.
"Easy there Dr. Keller." Carson soothed, pressing her left arm to the bed. His eyes moved to the monitors behind him. "You're safe, lass. Everything is going to be fine. Just fine. As soon as we rid ya of this maniacal little monster."
Jennifer whimpered and closed her eyes, her struggles abating.
"Eyes open, Doc." Ronon growled.
She writhed under the blankets, an anguished groan escaping from deep in her throat when she tried to look around. She blinked twice then squeezed her eyes tightly shut.
"Turn the lights down." Carson ordered, sending one of the nurses scrambling for the door controls.
In the glow of the monitors, Ronon wrapped his left arm around her head, hooking his fingers under her chin and cupping her cheek. He tilted her head to the side, directing her towards the monitors. Keeping her right hand firmly gripped in his, he leaned down. With one eye on the scanner outline, which was flaring with agitated yellow dots, he spoke firmly into her ear.
"Bullshit, Jennifer."
He felt her twisting as she tried to turn her head towards him, but he didn't release her chin.
"You heard me." He repeated, watching the wavy lines on left monitor shake then still again. "Bullshit. This is complete bullshit. I know you can hear me. You need to open your eyes and look at that monitor, Jennifer."
Carson nodded encouragingly, his eyes moving from Jennifer's fact to the monitors over his shoulder. "Keep going, lad."
Jennifer whimpered and wriggled, weakly trying to extract her arms from Carson and Ronon's tight grip.
"You want to talk about all the bullshit that's going on? This isn't Earth, Jennifer. Your rules don't work here." Ronon stared at the monitor, the squiggle jumping again. "Or how about old woman who wouldn't listen? No matter what they tried to tell her was wrong? Do you remember Jennifer? Do you remember what you told me?"
Ronon felt a slight, jerky pressure against his palm as she tried to nod. The motion on the monitor increased sharply then quieted again. "Remember what she used to tell you when you tried to get her to stay? Bullshit."
Another jerk on the monitor.
"Remember what you told me about Mary? All that time spent sitting there, never saying anything? Well I'm saying something Jennifer. You have a room full of Marys waiting here. A city full of Marys. Do you understand?"
Ronon felt the tiny drip land against his left thumb, which lay tightly against her cheek. It dripped and trailed down onto the back of his hand, quickly followed by a second, then a third. "Open your eyes and look at the monitor, Jennifer. I know it hurts, but you have to work through the pain. You have to trust me. Look at the monitor."
He looked at Carson for confirmation that her eyes were open.
Carson nodded, leaning closer, and pointing to the body outline that sparkled with yellow. "Jennifer. You've been infected by a nasty little Ancient virus that's feeds off electrochemical energy. Primarily delta waves. The only cure is for your brain to generate enough beta waves to destroy them. Do ya' understand, lass? Beta waves? We need ya' to think. Use that genius we know you have in there. Can ya' do that?"
Ronon felt her lips move against the side of his index finger. He looked up at Carson, who was watching her face.
"Talk?" Carson asked, his mouth registering the beginnings of a smile. He released her arm and straightened. "I believe the lass is ordering you to keep talking, lad."
Marie grinned.
Ronon felt Jennifer's head move as she tried to nod.
Everyone stared at the second monitor, and the EEG readings which were slowly increasing.
It was working.
So Ronon talked.
He told her stories from Sateda. Stories from the war. Stories from his years as a runner. Tales that he knew would normally cause her to shake her head and tisk at his recklessness. He asked her questions she couldn't answer, asked opinions she couldn't give, quizzed her on Earth customs that still confused him. She would give a nod, or shake her head with a slight twitch to answer, since her voice barely worked. He talked against her ear while they all watched the scanner outline, the yellow dots losing their battle as they slowly flickered and died. For close to thirty minutes, Ronon talked.
When the last of the dots finally flickered and disappeared, Carson waited a few more minutes to be sure. When he finally nodded, Ronon straightened slowly, sliding his arm out from around her head. He sat back, and she rolled her head towards him. Her eyes were bloodshot, tracks from her tears still showing on her pale skin.
He stood slowly, lowering her hand to the bed. He pulled away, feeling the weak twitch in her fingers as she tried to hold on. He hesitated when she mouthed his name, her voice barely a scratch.
He leaned closer, her fingers tensing in his as she gripped with what little strength she had.
"Bullshit." She whispered, her voice raw and cracking.
He felt himself smile as he straightened, but when he looked down, her eyes were closed. His grin faltered when her hand relaxed and dropped. He glanced at the monitor behind her, but the yellow dots were completely non-existent.
"Easy, lad." Carson grinned and patted him on the shoulder. "She's had a hell of a time. Bloody exhausted, she is. But she's free and clear now. Few days of rest and she'll be back to orderin' ya' about like a wee bairn."
Ronon snorted and released her hand, laying it gently across her stomach. He glanced over at Marie who was issuing orders to the two nurses to have Jennifer moved to a private room where she could recover.
When he turned to leave, Ronon chanced a look at the second floor, and the relieved faces pressed to the glass above. Rodney and Teyla were doing a half hug, half dance, while Evan was grinning at them. Richard Woolsey smiled, nodding to both Ronon and Carson in turn, while John leaned against the railing, his shoulders slack with relief, his face reflecting the same.
"Bullshit." Sheppard mouthed, and this time Ronon kept the grin as he let the doors slide closed behind him.