Yes, I changed the title. I've been thinking this was the better title for a couple of chapters now.
John lay, unmoving, his body fell back to the bed with his arms askew. He looked like a rag doll thrown in the corner. There was a single line of blood that ran from the torn stitch to stain the white sheet beneath the colonel's still body.
Carson swore silently. There was no damn way the colonel's heart should have stopped. There was nothing in his condition that could have even caused such a thing. But there he was, not even breathing, the line on the monitor a flat hopeless line. Around him, Carson's staff stood at the ready, waiting for his orders.
Before the doctor could even marshal his thoughts, the monitor beeped once, then returned for a second to the flat line and then it beeped again. Carson stared in disbelief as it returned to its welcome, steady rhythm. Color came back to the colonel's cheeks and his fingers twitched.
The colonel sucked in a deep, ragged breath, as if he couldn't catch his breath. His body went rigid and he sat, eyes wild.
"No," Sheppard growled, clawing at the air around him. It was all Carson and his staff could do to keep him on the bed. He might have been out of the action for six months, but he'd kept himself in good shape. Sheppard lashed out with a foot and a nurse went sprawling. He gave a mighty heave and sent people flying. Carson threw himself bodily on top of the thrashing man, trying to keep him down.
"Colonel Sheppard. John" Carson spoke in his most soothing voice, trying to get through to him, "you're all right. You're in Atlantis, in the infirmary, son."
"I won't let you hurt my friends," Sheppard spat in his face, rolling himself and the doctor off the bed. They crashed to the floor in a tangle of arms and legs. Carson had the breath knocked out of him and lay stunned as Sheppard made it to his hands and knees, swaying drunkenly. Using the bed for leverage, he made it to his feet.
Lorne, who had been passing by, peaked in when he heard the commotion and joined the fray. He grabbed his commanding officer from behind trying to pin him in place while Carson found a sedative to give him. Sheppard got an elbow free and swung it around, connecting solidly with Lorne's midsection. While the man was bent over trying to recover from the blow, Sheppard rounded on him and smashed Lorne's face into his knee. Lorne went down hard. Sheppard stood. He swung to see if there were any else that was going to challenge him. The nurses moved back warily, staying out of the colonel's reach.
Still not seeming to know where he was, Sheppard headed for the door. Carson knew they couldn't let the colonel get out of the infirmary in his present condition. Not only was he a danger to himself, but to everyone he encountered. Carson tackled Sheppard around the waist and they crashed into the wall. Sheppard struggled wildly, attempting to push the doctor off him, but Carson had the sedative in hand now. He rammed the shot into the muscle of Sheppard's arm and held him in place as his struggles became progressively weaker.
Sanity returned to Sheppard's eyes as the sedative took affect. He peered up at the doctor, "Carson?" he whispered before succumbing to the medication. He slumped forward and Carson eased him to the floor.
He kept a hand on Sheppard's shoulder for a second to assure himself that the man was still alive and breathing, "Aye, lad, it's me," he said wearily. He stood slowly with a hand to his back where he had strained a muscle in the melee.
The door slid open and Rodney sauntered in, freshly showered and changed. He carried a laptop under one arm and was munching on a power bar. He stopped startled when he saw the wreckage of the infirmary. His gaze took in the toppled machinery, Lorne's split lip, Sheppard lying on the floor. Rodney's mouth tightened and he turned a frown to the doctor.
"I just can't leave him alone with you, can I? Is this some new medical technique your trying here?"
Carson waved a tired hand and Lorne moved over to help him lift the colonel back into bed, "Rodney, I'd advise you to remember that you have your annual physical coming up soon."
Rodney thoughtfully considered that before he went to sit on the bed next to the colonel's. He studied his friend taking in the new cuts and bruises, "So, what happened?"
Carson shook his head, "I have no bloody idea."
He scrubbed a hand across his face wincing as he brushed across a sore cheek. "One minute everything was fine, he was still unconscious, but everything looked fine," he stressed the word, his expression daring Rodney to contradict him. "Then he flat lined…" he didn't get a chance to continue.
"He flat lined? As in his heart stopped beating?"
"Aye, Rodney, that's what it usually means," Carson started again, but was once again interrupted.
"What caused it? What did you do about it? Oh, god, it's not going to happen again, is it?"
"Calm down, and breath slowly, Rodney, before I have two patients on my hands." Carson knew where the paper bags were that they kept on hand just for Rodney McKay panic attacks. "Now, as I was sayin', before I got a chance to even figure out what was happening, the colonel was yelling like a banshee and none of us could hold him down. If it hadn't been for Lorne, here, I shudder to think what could have happened."
Lorne waved a hand, "I just did what I had to, Doc. I just hope the colonel doesn't press charges."
Rodney made a rude noise, "Oh, please, like that's likely to happen," he waved away Lorne's concerns with a disinterested wave of his hand. Then he was back on the doctor. Once he was on something, he was worse than a dog with a bone. "Is his heart likely to stop again? Shouldn't you be doing something to..., oh, I don't know, take care of your patient?"
Carson knew that Rodney was at his most obnoxious when he was also at his most worried. It still didn't keep the doctor from wanting to sedate him into next Tuesday for some peace and quiet.
"Aye, and I would be, if I didn't have some daft bugger about keeping from my job."
A speechless Rodney was truly a sight to behold. Watching him sit there with his mouth working, opening and closing with no words coming out, was one Carson wouldn't soon forget. Finally he snapped his teeth together with an aggrieved huff and turned to the grinning Lorne.
"Don't you have work to do? Does Sheppard pay you to stand around and look like a loon?"
Lorne had a gun so he must have felt safe to walk over and pat the man on his knee. "Yea, I'm worried about him, too, doc. Let me know what's going on if you find out anything," he made a quick exit from the infirmary before someone could draft him into helping with the clean up.
With a heavy sigh, Carson moved to begin straightening the colonel. He pulled the sheets back into place and let the nurses deal with the tangle of IVs.
"What is going on?" Carson echoed Lorne's question, not really expecting an answer.
"I have a few ideas about that," Rodney answered cryptically, his mouth curling up into the smirk he adopted when he knew something other people didn't, "but I'd like to wait until the colonel wakes up to say anything. That likely to happen soon?"
Carson gave a brief bark of laughter, "Not bloody likely, Rodney. The sedative I gave him was pretty strong."
"Well that's not helpful at all," Rodney snapped at him with a frown.
Carson frowned at him, "Rodney, You weren't here. The colonel was crazed," the doctor swept a hand to indicate the state of the infirmary. "I gave him that sedative for his own good as well as ours."
"Yes, yes, I'm sure it was," Rodney made himself comfortable on the bed, opening his laptop and booting it up. "I'm just going to stay until he wakes up then."
Carson didn't tell him, but it wasn't a bad idea to have someone there to keep an eye on the colonel. "Suit yourself," he told the man, "but stay out of the way, we have a right mess to clean up."
Rodney ignored him, already intent on his computer. He pulled another power bar out of his pocket and opened it absentmindedly. Then he set it aside and leaned over what ever it was that had caught his attention.
Carson knew he would be alright and turned his attention back to his unconscious patient.
What was going on? Now that was the question of the day.
It was the interminable tapping that woke John up. Not tapping like in rain, but something else, a familiar noise, but still irritating. He pulled himself from the warm comfort of sleep, aware of every ache and pain in his body. Even his hair hurt and that just made no sense.
From the disinfectant smell and the scratchy feel of the sheets, he knew he was in the infirmary. Just great. The infirmary was not his favorite place ever. Waking up there was always bad. He cracked his eyes and the ceiling finally swam into focus. Yep, the infirmary. Having it confirmed didn't make him feel any better. But at least it wasn't...
The memory of his interlude back at the sanctuary came flooding back. Had he really been there? From the feel of his ribs, he really had. Just remembering being pinned against the wall, Teer's gloating face in front him, made him breathe faster, harder, sucking in breath.
"Hey, its alright, you're alright," a concerned voice brought him back to reality, back to the infirmary. Turning his head to see Rodney hurt a hell of a lot more than it should, but it was worth it to see the bright blue eyes of his friend staring down at him.
He licked his dry lips and instantly there was a straw there. He sipped slowly, aware of how much the mere action of drinking hurt, but it eased his dry throat. He let the straw slip away when he'd had enough.
Rodney watched his every move with keen interest. It kind of freaked John out. He struggled to lift himself, not comfortable flat on his back. Rodney hurried to find the control that would raise the bed. Once he had the bed raised, he began to fuss with the pillows, fluffing them. John raised a hand, careful of the IV on the back of it and grabbed Rodney.
"Stop, just stop okay."
Rodney moved back a step, but still close enough that he could respond quickly if John needed him. John tried for a smile but even that hurt.
"What happened?" he asked.
Rodney's mouth quirked into an ironic grin, "We were actually hoping you could tell us."
"Oh, well," John trailed off, memory of what had happened flowing over him. He shuddered," I think Teer has issues."
Rodney nodded thoughtfully as if it didn't surprise him at all. "Why don't you wait until I get everyone here? That way you only have to tell it once."
It sounded like a good idea to John. He laid back against the pillows and closed his eyes, letting himself drift as he listened to Rodney.
Just thought I should put you guys out of your misery!
To be continued...