Ronon leaned forward and sniffed the jacket. He then picked it up and licked the soaked material.
"That's disgusting!" Rodney responded, his face reflecting his words.
"It's Blupol," Ronon said, as if that explained it all.
"And what is Blupol?" John asked.
"It's a stimulant, makes you able to run faster, run further," Ronon replied.
"You used it?" Teyla asked.
"Sometimes," Ronon replied.
"So it doesn't kill you?" Rodney asked hopefully.
"It can do," Ronon replied with his usual brevity.
Teyla and John exchanged an exasperated look. Ronon shrugged in response.
"It's not the drug itself that kills," he expanded. "It's the withdrawal. The drug makes you able to push your body beyond its natural limits, and then when you stop taking it, you feel real weak. If you've pushed yourself too hard, it can damage your heart, and then during the withdrawal, your heart just packs in."
Rodney turned to Carson's still body, a worried frown on his face.
"Do you think Carson pushed himself too hard?" he asked.
No-one answered. No-one could. But in the silence of their heart, they felt a deep fear for their friend.
oOoOoOo
One of the few things that Elizabeth Weir hated about her job was the fact that often she was confined to Atlantis when she would rather be out there – doing something.
She knew it was necessary for her to be in the city. She knew that it wouldn't be right for her to risk her life in exploring this new galaxy. But there were times when she wished she could join John and the others.
This was one of those times. Most of the people she was closest to were out there somewhere. They were risking their lives rescuing their friend, and her friend. And she wished that she could join them, to be part of saving Carson, not to be sitting here worrying about all of them.
"Dr Weir," Radek's voice reached her from just beyond her door. She forced a smile on her face and turned towards the Czech scientist. "We have heard from Colonel Sheppard." He paused for a moment, thinking. "Oh, yes," he continued, as he caught the questioning look she gave him. "They have managed to rescue Dr Beckett and they are returning to Atlantis with him, now."
"Did they say how Carson was?" She was almost afraid to ask.
"He has been given some kind of drug, a stimulant," Radek said, frowning. "Ronon said it can be dangerous, but he is still alive, if mostly unconscious."
"Thank you, Radek," Elizabeth said, giving the scientist a warm smile. He smiled back shyly, before taking off his glasses to clean an imaginary speck from the lenses.
oOoOoOo
When they eventually arrived home, they had quite a reception committee. They had barely landed before the Jumper was swarming with medical personal, all anxious to check up on their boss.
Halling was there, looking anxiously through the melee of bodies for his son. Jinto ran straight to his father, relief on his face to be home and to be safe within the hug his father gave him.
Teyla stopped momentarily to put a hand on Halling's arm.
"You should be proud of Jinto," she said to the tall man. "He was a great help to us in finding Dr Beckett."
Halling gave his son a proud smile, and then ruffled his hair.
Elizabeth was there to greet them too.
"How is he?" she asked John, her eyes on Carson's prone form.
"He's woken a few times," John said. "But we haven't got much sense out of him. He's been shaking for the last half hour or so."
Elizabeth's eyes reflected her concern, a concern echoed in John's. They turned and watched as the medical staff, working with their usual efficiency, put Carson gently on a gurney and headed for the Infirmary.
oOoOoOo
She realized another thing she hated was the waiting. Elizabeth Weir was not a natural "waiter". She liked to take action, be pro-active. But so often since her arrival on Atlantis, she had had to wait. Wait to see if the teams all made it back safely. Wait to see if those injured could be patched up. Wait and see if she was going to be hauled over the coals by those in charge back on earth. And now she was waiting to see if Carson had the strength to overcome this assault by Michael.
She and John had visited the Infirmary earlier in the day, just a couple of hours after the team had brought the doctor back. Rodney had been there, sitting at his friend's side. Elizabeth had to smile. It reminded her of when the positions had been reversed and Rodney had been the one going through the agony of withdrawal as Carson quietly watched over him.
Seeing them arrive, the young doctor on duty, Dr Cole, came hurrying over to them.
"How is he?" John asked.
"He's holding his own," she replied, not sounding as confident as either John or Elizabeth had hoped she would. "He is strong, both physically and mentally," the young doctor continued. "And if anyone can get through this, it's Carson."
Elizabeth hadn't been sure at the time if her fighting words had been for their benefit or her own. The young woman looked as anxious as Elizabeth felt.
Rodney also hated waiting. Impatience was his middle name. He thought, he talked, he even moved quickly. Slowing down irritated him, and sitting here at Carson's bedside, waiting for his friend to come through his withdrawal, all but killed him. He wasn't sure how Carson himself managed it. He'd seen the medic sit for days beside a critically ill patient, showing concern, gently caring for them, waiting patiently for them to heal. Rodney knew it was something he most definitely was not cut out to do. In some ways he envied Carson that ability, that inner peace, that allowed him to sit patiently, waiting.
Jumping to his feet, he turned round to see if he could find any medical staff, to demand an update on his friend's progress. He wasn't sure how they were meant to know any more now than they did when he had last made such a demand – about 15 minutes ago – but it made him feel better. Before he could head off in the direction of the nearest doctor, a quiet voice stopped him.
"Off to pester my staff again, Rodney," said a familiar lilting voice.
"Carson?" Rodney said, turning back to his friend.
"Aye," the other man replied, sleepily.
"How are you feeling?" Rodney asked, hopefully.
"Shaky," Carson said. "Like I've been to hell and back."
"That just about describes it," said Dr Cole, approaching his bed. "You gave us quite a scare Carson."
"I gave myself quite a scare, too," he responded, with an attempt at a laugh, which turned into a cough.
Dr Cole quickly handed him a glass of water. "Sip it slowly," she admonished.
"Yes, Mum," Carson said, with a cheeky grin. The young doctor simply shook her head, and went to check the read-out on the equipment attached to Carson.
He turned to watch her, trying to see passed her to read the equipment himself. But his eyes wouldn't quite focus.
"Am I doing OK?" he asked.
"You're doing fine," she replied. "Now just rest, and let me do my job."
Carson grinned back, but obediently lay back on his bed, and let his eyes flutter shut. The brief conversation had exhausted him.
"Should he tire that quickly?" Rodney asked, worried about Carson all over again.
"Probably," the doctor replied. "From everything Ronon told us about this drug, it doesn't seem abnormal. But remember, we've never dealt with this before."
"But Carson is always dealing with things he's never dealt with before, and he seems to know what he's doing," Rodney said.
"Yes," Dr Cole replied. "But then Carson is special."
Even Rodney couldn't think of a reply to that.
oOoOoOo
When Teyla and Ronon came by later, it was John who was sitting by Carson's bed. Without conscious thought or prior planning, his friends had decided that Carson should always have someone sitting with him. He had sat with them on so many occasions as they recovered, his twinkling eyes and ready smile helping them to recover more quickly. They felt it was only right they should do the same for him.
So it was John, his book propped up on his knee, who was taking his turn on Carson-company duty.
"How is he?" Ronon asked.
"Sleeping," John answered, obviously. At Teyla's exasperated sigh, John grinned. "He's doing OK," he continued. "The Doc says his heart is getting stronger, and his lungs are recovering. She expects him to pull through."
"That is a relief," Teyla said, a wide smile splitting her face.
"What's a relief?" Rodney asked, joining the others.
"Carson is going to make it," Ronon said.
"Oh, yes, that," Rodney said. "Heard that earlier," he continued dismissively. John and Teyla exchanged an amused glance. The scientist was obviously pre-occupied by something, now that his friend was out of danger.
"Did you know that drug Michael gave Carson?" he started.
"Yes," John interrupted. "You mean that one that almost killed him."
Ronon snorted.
"Yes, yes," Rodney said, waving his hand dismissively. "Well, the medics re-created it so we could help Carson and Radek and I've been testing it on the mice."
"So now we have stoned mice rampaging around the base?" John asked, his eyebrow quirking with amusement.
"Yes," Rodney said, not really listening to what the other man was saying. "And it reacted with their body to make the bio-scanner work really well. We could see even their tiny little blood vessels." Rodney's enthusiasm made him oblivious to the amusement of the others.
"The voodoo doctors are all going crazy over it," Rodney finished off with a big grin. "It's going to make their job much easier, and they need all the help they can get."
"I heard that," Carson's voice came from behind John.
"Hi Carson," Rodney said, leaning round John and giving his friend a little wave.
"How are you feeling, Carson?" Teyla asked, going to the doctor's side.
"I'm better than I was," Carson said. "I can at least stay awake for more than 2 minutes at a time," he continued with a grin.
Teyla patted his arm, and returned his smile.
"And what was that about the mice, Rodney?" Carson asked.
"Well," Rodney said, still full of enthusiasm at their find. "You know that drug Michael gave you."
"Yes, Rodney," Carson said ironically. "I do have a vague recollection of it."
"Well, it makes the bio-scanners 102 more efficient," Rodney said, with a self-satisfied grin.
"And we've got Michael to thank for it," Carson said with a slight grimace at the thought.
"And we'd never have discovered it, if he'd not kidnapped you," Rodney continued with his usual insensitivity.
"I'll bear that in mind the next time someone drugs me and forces me to turn them into a blood-sucking killer," Carson said, his voice tinged with sadness.
"There was nothing else you could do, Carson," Elizabeth said, coming to join the others. "Your staff have examined the drug thoroughly. As well as the useful side-effect Rodney has already told you about," she continued, with a smile at the scientist. "It also drains the person who takes it of their free-will. You couldn't have done anything else, Carson."
"I know, lass," he said. "But I just wish . . ." his voice trailed off.
Before anyone could respond, they were distracted by a commotion from just outside the Infirmary.
"But Jada wants to see him," Jinto's voice could be heard complaining loudly.
John glanced at Carson who nodded. "Let them in," John called out to his security men who had stopped Jinto's progress.
Looking very pleased, Jinto came in carrying Jada in his arms.
"Hi Dr Beckett," he said, grinning at the physician. "Jada wanted to see for himself that you were well again."
"Did he now?" Carson responded with a grin. "Well, as you can see, I'm doing fine, so Jada won't have to worry himself anymore."
The little creature gave a happy chirrup, then made a rapid jump from Jinto's arms onto the bed beside Carson. He started to rub himself against the doctor's arm, almost purring as he did so. Carson reached out with his other hand and started to stroke the little creature. Snuggling in closer, the chicu wound his tail round Carson's wrist, and then settled down, snuggled in his arms.
"I think Jada is pleased you are well, Dr Beckett," Jinto said, grinning at the doctor.
"As we all are," Elizabeth said, with a warm smile at the Scot.
"Even the mice are glad," Rodney said, with a quick smile at his friend. Once again laughter echoed round the Infirmary.