A/N: Sorry for the delay in updating. Once past these chapters, should go faster. I know little about medicine; therefore, there are mistakes in the medical descriptions and terms.

Disclaimer: Stargate: Atlantis and Stargate: SG1 are the intellectual property of others. This amateur work is not intended to infringe on those rights.

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Catching Up

Antarctica base

As Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard deactivated the ancient weapons chair and stood up, he immediately toppled into unconsciousness. Ronon was watching for this and managed to catch him before he hit the icy floor. No one had seen the warrior move, and several were startled by the large man who moved like a cheetah. The doctor was calling for a gurney as Ronon picked up John in his arms. The quiet order of the battle, fought with the mental control of Sheppard, gave way to chaos with his collapse.

"Where's that gurney?" The doctor was rushing around to where Ronon held John and trying to take his pulse.

"Infirmary?" said Ronon, always conservative with words.

The doctor looked at the large man and decided cooperation was easier. "This way." He led the Satedan away from the chair room to a small, makeshift infirmary deeper in the complex.

O'Neill looked after the departing medic and tapped his ear piece. "Daedalus this is Antarctica base."

"Caldwell here, go ahead General."

"Sheppard has collapsed. We may have to do an evacuation. Are you capable of ring transport?"

"Affirmative. Just tell us when and where."

"Where will be the SGC. You might want to check with them to cut off the jamming so transport will work. As for when, I'll let you know. Antarctica out.

"Acknowledged. Daedalus out."

O'Neill turned to Daniel who was carefully approaching McKay where he still knelt by the chair controls, muttering to himself.

"Dr. McKay?"

Rodney glanced up, back at his laptop, then looked up at Daniel. "Oh, Dr. Jackson. I didn't see you there."

"I very carefully stayed out of the way. Can you tell me what you have been doing?"

"Oh, I just used the interface I created to run diagnostics on the chair. It is an excellent interface, even if I do say so myself." He went back to reviewing the data, then looked up at the chair. "Where's Sheppard? This is the first time I've been able to study the chair in battle mode, and I need some additional readings?"

O'Neill used this opportunity to make his presence known. "The big guy took him to the infirmary. He passed out."

Rodney jumped up, closing the laptop as he did. "Why didn't anyone tell me? I knew he was just waiting for the most annoying time to collapse. He never thinks of what the rest of us are doing while he's playing Captain America."

O'Neill placed a restraining hand on McKay's chest. "Hold it. It's going to be awhile before they're cleaned up in there. So while we're waiting, why don't you show Daniel how you knew the chair had drones in silos."

McKay sat down on the chair platform and brought up his laptop again. "Well, it's really quite simple," he began, and proceeded to confuse O'Neill completely. Jackson, however, was having fun finally having someone to talk to who spoke as fast as he did.

By this time, Ronon, carrying the unconscious Sheppard, had finally reached the infirmary. As he laid Sheppard on the bed, the feverish man stirred restlessly. One nurse began taking vitals while another began cutting away his uniform.

"Doctor, his temperature is 102.1 degrees."

"Thank you." The doctor came back over with instruments for cleaning and suturing wounds just as the right leg, complete with bandage, was revealed. "Begin attaching the monitors so we know how he's doing."

As he pulled back the bandage on Sheppard's thigh, he sucked in his breath. "Oh my god, how did this happen?"

Ronon described the accident as the doctor removed the soaking bandage. "So this happened several days ago?"

"About six."

"What were you able to do for it?" He disposed of the bloody bandages in a biohazard container and began irrigating the wound with saline. Sheppard shifted again in pain.

"He used some alcohol swabs and kept it covered. We began giving him Tylenol just today."

"The infection is well advanced. Had you waited any longer it could have gone into full gangrene and sepsis. As it is, I won't be able to handle his treatment here. I have limited drugs. The wound is so old we need to let it heal naturally, but we have to deal with the infection." The doctor turned to the nurse to continue his instructions. "Start an IV. We need to get his fever down and stabilize him for transport." The doctor finished the irrigation and laid a clean bandage lightly on top of the wound.

By this time Sheppard's fever was approaching 103 degrees, and he was starting to thrash around. "Better put him in restraints," said the doctor, and the second nurse began fastening the cloth straps that protected patients from harming themselves or their caregivers.

Sheppard began to shiver.

"He's having chills," said the nurse. "His temperature is now 102.8 degrees, doctor."

"Push ibuprofen and penicillin through the IV and continue hydration.'

The doctor looked over at Ronon. "You don't know of any allergies he may have to penicillin, do you?"

Ronon shrugged. "I've never heard of any, and he's in the infirmary a lot."

The doctor looked back at his patient, and his scars, and said "I'm not surprised. I'm going to check with General O'Neill about transport. The doctor left Ronon watching over Sheppard as the nurses tried to make him comfortable.

In the chair room, Dr. McKay was finishing his explanation to Dr. Jackson. O'Neill looked up with glazed eyes to see the doctor approaching.

"So, doc, what's his status?"

The question got Rodney's attention, and he stood up to address the doctor.

"Oh, good, another witchdoctor to offer incantations for Mr. Accident-waiting-to-happen. When can I see him?"

The doctor was confused by McKay's typical attitude regarding medicine, so he addressed his comments to O'Neill.

"The colonel has a serious infection that may become gangrenous if not dealt with immediately. He needs to be moved to a better equipped facility. Is there any way to get him out of here? I know that we usually don't have transport in winter."

O'Neill smiled pleasantly. "I don't think that will be a problem, doctor. Is he ready to be moved?"

Rodney was taken aback. "What do you mean there's no problem?"

O'Neill just smiled and keyed his radio. "Daedalus, are you ready?"

"Ready when you are, general," came the voice of Caldwell.

"Is there any problem transporting from within the base or does he need to be closer to the surface?"

"No, General, the shaft and other improvements have made transport straightforward."

"Standby, Colonel." O'Neill turned to the doctor. "I was thinking we'd transport him straight to the SGC. Their medical facilities are more extensive and they have the ability to deal with any alien bugs. Can he leave now?"

"Just let me secure him to the gurney, General, then transport him gurney and all. Uh, shouldn't you warn the SGC? Dr. Lam might need to prepare."

"Good idea. You go secure him and I'll contact Dr. Lam." The doctor turned to leave with Rodney following.

"SGC, this is Antarctica Base, do you read?"

"Landry here, Antarctica, what do you need?"

"We have a man down. The doctor says he can't treat him here. Would like to transport him and his team to SGC for treatment."

"Acknowledged. Daedalus will be transporting?"

"Affirmative. Please clear a space in the quarantine room."

"Something we should know General?"

"The infection could be caused by alien bacteria, but unknown at this time.

"Acknowledged. I will alert Dr. Lam. Transport when ready. SGC out."

O'Neill looked over to where the medical team, accompanied by Ronon and McKay, were approaching with Sheppard on the gurney. An IV bag was on his chest, along with a record of the treatment he had received so far. He was strapped in under a blanket. "OK, doc, SGC is ready to take him. Is he ready to go?"

"Yes general. You may transport any time, but sooner would be better."

As if to confirm the doctor's words, Sheppard began thrashing on the gurney, tugging at the restraints. Ronon and McKay moved in closer.

"OK, get ready." Keying his mike again, O'Neill hailed the Daedalus. "Antarctica Base to Daedalus."

"Caldwell here, go ahead."

"Ready to transport."

"Acknowledged. Transporting now."

A white glow enveloped the three men, and they disappeared in the Asgard beaming technology.

O'Neill nodded to the doctor. "Thanks for getting him ready. I'm sure the SGC will take care of him."

The doctor nodded. "Was there anyone else needing treatment? Colonel Sheppard's condition monopolized our attention."

O'Neill looked around, finding Daniel who shook his head. "No, I think everything is fine here. You can stand down."

The doctor nodded and left the area. O'Neill walked over to where Daniel was still studying the chair interface. "Will you be ready to provide a debriefing by tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I just want to go over what McKay said. I should also run it by Sam when we get back to the SGC. When did you want to leave?"

"Whenever you're ready."

"OK, I'll come get you." And Dr. Jackson turned back to the laptop.

O'Neill wandered back to the conference room space, thinking that at least he wasn't the one leaving on a gurney this time, and hoping that the injured man recovered.

SGC, Cheyenne Mountain

The two men and the gurney appeared in the quarantine section of the infirmary at Stargate Command. Dr. Carolyn Lam and two nurses, in gowns, gloves, and masks approached the gurney.

"Gentlemen," said Dr. Lam. "It will be some time before we have Colonel Sheppard settled. Why don't you get something to eat and find some quarters. We'll call you when he wakes up." She then completely ignored them, coordinating Sheppard's move to an infirmary bed. "Dave, check the IV. Julie, set up the monitors."

McKay was about to make a sarcastic comment when he heard a tapping from the window overlooking the quarantine room. Dr. Samantha Carter waved and pressed the microphone. "Dr. McKay, why don't you come out and I'll show you to your rooms. You'll have to go through decontamination, and I know you'll want a shower after that."

The presence of Sam Carter changed the look on McKay's face from petulant to self-consciously pleased. "Uh, sure. Ronon, he won't wake up for awhile, so why don't we go ahead and eat. I'll introduce you to Dr. Carter. She's not as smart as I, but I find her quite interesting."

McKay led the way out of the room by way of decontamination. Ronon rolled his eyes. He could tell when someone was smitten.

Dr. Lam, watching them leave, glanced up at Sam and mouthed "thank you." She then turned to the more complicated problem of her patient.

The nurse had hung a new IV bag and was finishing the removal of Sheppard's uniform while Dr. Lam reviewed the diagnosis and treatment done by the team in Antarctica. She then reviewed his vitals, noting that his temperature was now 103.5 degrees, and noted that he was again shivering. She removed the temporary bandage the doctor had put on the wound and considered her options. The wound was deep and obviously infected. "Dave," she called to the nurse finishing with the uniform, "let's see if we can get a culture of this bacterium." The nurse handed her a petri dish, and she swabbed at the wound for a sample. He took back the disk and moved to a lab bench to begin analyzing the sample.

Without knowing the exact bacterium, or bacteria, Dr. Lam decided to start with a broad spectrum antibiotic and move to a more specific drug when they knew what they were dealing with. Turning to the other nurse, who was completing the reinstallation of the monitors, she said, "Let's continue with the penicillin and check the status of his last tetanus booster. Also, Julie, we need to put in a catheter. I'm going to check the web and see how fast we can get some medicinal maggots here?"

"Maggots! Are you sure doctor?"

"Yes, this has been untreated for so long that there is a build up of dead tissue. I think the maggots would do a better job than I would on debridement."

The doctor left to order the maggots while the nurse completed her tasks.

Elsewhere, McKay and Ronon were exiting decontamination. Colonel Samantha Carter was waiting for them, and Rodney immediately introduced Ronon. "Dr. Carter and I have worked together on some projects having to do with the astrophysics of the Stargate," he preened. Ronon noticed Sam just rolled her eyes.

"I thought I'd show you guys to some quarters," said Sam. "Things here are not as nice as on Atlantis, but we try." As they walked down the hall, Sam handed them ID cards and maps. "The cards will let you in to certain areas. The mess hall is down there," pointing to her right, "and I think they're having meatloaf today."

Ronon looked confused, but was happy to hear about any food with meat in it. He'd had enough mystery fruit to last awhile.

Colonel Sam Carter spent the next several hours keeping Ronon and McKay busy. After they had cleaned up and eaten, she gave them an extensive tour of the complex. Then she introduced Ronon to Teal'c and showed them the gym. That left her with McKay, so they went to the lab

"Yes, we had a fascinating discussion on the way the 'gate system stabilizes worm holes. I think she was impressed with some of the technology I've been able to work with on Atlantis." McKay was informing Ronon of his afternoon with Colonel Carter while they stood in line for dinner. "Did you have a good time with Teal'c?"

"He fights well," said Ronon, taking two servings of ham steak. He also got one of almost everything else on the menu.

McKay picked up ham as well and skipped the lemon pie in favor of chocolate cake.

As they sat down, Ronon said, "Think we can see Sheppard now?"

"I was going to suggest we go by after dinner. I would think he'd be awake by now."

The infirmary was quiet when they entered. They were required to don gowns and masks since the bacteria cultures had been identified and were alien. As they entered the quarantine area, the sounds of the heart monitor could be heard, and a nurse was taking vital signs. As she saw them, she left to get Dr. Lam. The two men approached the bed and were disturbed to see Sheppard still unconscious. He was pale and shivering, so he still had fever, but he wasn't thrashing around as he had earlier.

"Good evening gentlemen," said Dr. Lam as she entered. "As you can see he is still very sick but resting as comfortably as possible."

"Did he wake up?"

"It may be another day before he comes around. I am not trying to wake him so his body can heal. Now, you can visit for awhile, but you guys need your rest as well. Don't make me sedate you." With that, she left the two to keep vigil, Rodney settling down with a laptop, and Ronon leaning against the wall. They were strangely quiet as they watched their feverish team leader.

When Dr. Carolyn Lam returned at 8 AM the next morning to check on her patient, she heard that his two teammates had remained by his bed until 1 AM. The night staff had finally forced them away. She shook her head at the report and looked up at Julie, the day shift.

"Did you get a response on the maggots?"

"Yes, Doctor, they should arrive by express delivery today."

"Good, I want to get that wound clean."

True to their word, the company delivered the maggots by 9 that morning, and the doctor wasted no time in gently placing them on the wound. The maggots began eating the dead flesh, thus cleaning the wound.

McKay and Ronon returned after having breakfast in the mess hall. They approached the bed where Dr. Lam was just completing her inspection of the wound. The slightly squirming maggots could clearly be seen.

"What have you done? He's got insects crawling on him!" McKay lunged at the bed and tried to push the doctor away, but was stopped by the nurse.

Dr. Lam nodded at the nurse and pushed McKay into a chair. "Relax Dr. McKay. I'm using medicinal maggots to help cleanse the wound of dead tissue. It has been several days since the wound, and the necrotic tissue has begun to build up. In removing it, we make it possible for the wound to heal more quickly."

"Medicinal maggots! That makes as much sense as 'military intelligence.' Surely you're not going to leave them there to turn into flys. But then again, this is medicine, after all, not a real science."

Dr. Lam was not used to having her treatments, and her intelligence, questioned by a mere PhD, and she was losing her patience. "Dr. McKay, medicinal maggots are actually regulated by the FDA. You have nothing to worry about. The maggots are doing what they need to do, and Colonel Sheppard is holding his own."

"Oh yeah? Then why hasn't he awakened? What's wrong with him? Can't any of your voodoo wake him up? He was fine just yesterday." Rodney McKay began to prattle in his concern for his teammate. Ronon said nothing, but his vigilant stance made most of the medical personnel nervous around the unconscious colonel.

"Dr. McKay, from what I've been told of the last three weeks, Colonel Sheppard is suffering from malnourishment, extreme stress, and a bacterial infection which has produced a high fever. I believe his body is giving him a chance to recover. As should you. Now I think you should leave. You can check on him later." Dr. Carolyn Lam had not dealt with Rodney McKay in full worry mode, and she was out of patience.

"But it's been 24 hours…"

Ronon had kept his attention on the Colonel. He owed this man, and he was going to make sure these people treated him correctly. Though confused about the maggots, he was more concerned that Sheppard continued to jerk around with a high fever. He was about to join McKay in asking to stay when they were interrupted.

A voice came over the com system saying, "Dr. Rodney McKay and Ronon Dex, please report to the briefing room. Rodney McKay and Ronon Dex."

Ronon raised his eyebrows, and Rodney was interrupted in mid-rant. "Now we get to go relive the last three weeks in infinite excruciating detail," growled McKay, and he led Ronon out of the infirmary to the briefing.

TBC

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