A/N:
Thank you very much for your wonderful reviews and your examplary patience for bearing with me. I'm extremely sorry for not updating in so long but I had loads of work and a terrible migraine; not a good combination I can tell ya! I promise I will post the next chapter before the Easter holidays. It is already complete.
TCB 0.5 has earned herself my never-ending gratitude for the beta.

VI

"It is good to see you, Carson." With slow and deliberate movements Teyla approached the bed. She reached out and put one tender hand on Beckett's right forearm. The doctor opened his heavy lids with obvious effort, but as soon as their eyes locked, Carson's bright blue eyes beamed with affection and he tried a smile. It must have been an odd grimace, for Teyla's brow furrowed for a second. She chuckled briefly as understanding dawned on her before the strain on her sutures made her wince. With her free hand she picked up the damp cloth, rinsed it and carefully put it back on the Scot's fevered forehead. She let her aching body slide down onto the grey visitor's chair, the movement clearly causing her pain, but her smile was genuine.

"I am happy to finally get the opportunity to thank you for saving my life", Teyla said with her usual calm voice, every inch of her body displaying an unrivalled strength the CMO had always admired in her. She was a true leader, no less than Elizabeth Weir. Her hand still resting on Carson's arm, she leaned back and closed her eyes. They shared an intent moment in silence. No words were needed between them, her mere presence and touch giving Beckett strength to keep fighting.

xXxXx

"I can't believe she beat us to it!" Rodney's exasperated voice shattered the quiet of the infirmary.

John's attempt to drag his friend in the direction of the waiting area was met with significant resistance.

"Oh, come on, that was just plainly unfair! Teyla had an illegal advantage."

"Rodney…" the colonel began.

Unimpressed McKay continued his rant, "How could she do that? We should be the first visitors. We were first, weren't we? Next time I'll occupy the bed right next to…"

Rooodneeeey", Sheppard was beginning to lose his patience. "We have been the first, remember?!"

"But…"

"No buts! Teyla hasn't seen Carson at all, so don't grudge her these few minutes. She deserves it. Besides, I'm sure she won't take too long. After the surgery she's still weak and won't be allowed to stay out of bed for more than a while anyway."

As John let himself sink onto one of the chairs, the infirmary doors slid open to reveal Elizabeth Weir. Her expression was unreadable, even for Sheppard. It was somewhere between fatigue, relief and worry, which she masterfully tried to conceal. She was the leader of the Atlantis expedition, everyone looked up at her, relied on her. Trained by countless nerve-racking negotiations, she was supposed to retain her objectiveness and calm demeanour even in the most difficult situations, be an example. How close she had come to a break-down in these past few days, when she wanted nothing more than to hide away in her quarters and shut out reality, she would never admit.

"Good morning. John, Rodney", she greeted and came closer. "How is he? Dr Cole just radioed to tell me we could see Carson now."

"Not so good from what I understand", John replied simply. "Teyla's with him."

"Good." She nodded in their direction and took off to the intensive care area.

Both men stared after her in utter disbelief. McKay was so flabbergasted that his mouth opened as if to say something but he remained silent and his lips closed again. Instead his eyes narrowed and he started after Elizabeth. Seeing Rodney's reaction, John darted up in one smooth movement and grabbed the scientist's shoulder to stop him.

"RODNEY", Sheppard hissed, his voice barely audible. McKay turned to face the dark-haired man. Whether Elizabeth had heard it as well, John couldn't tell. With an unnerved glare even Rodney knew better than to challenge, the colonel commanded his friend to take a seat. Face set and arms firmly crossed in front of his chest in a stubborn stance, the astrophysicist sat down ceremoniously, every fibre of his body vibrating with discontent.

xXxXx

Only five minutes later Elizabeth reappeared from the ICU with Teyla in tow. The young Athosian looked exhausted and pale. Weir offered her a shoulder to lean on but she declined as they walked side by side to Teyla's bed, where she lowered herself into a half sitting position. The two women began to talk softly with each other.

This was the moment Rodney had waited for. Without casting so much as a side glance at Sheppard, he rose from his seat and marched towards the secluded area. Remembering Dr Cole's earlier words, his pace slowed down with each step nearer towards his injured friend. What would he find behind the curtain? Would Carson be lucid at all? Could he bear the sight of his closest friend on the ventilator? Or would he fail Beckett again? Hands slightly trembling, McKay hesitated, feeling more like running away than going on. An understanding hand settled on his shoulder. He startled and realized it was Sheppard's. In the colonel's eyes he could see the same fears that had made him stop. John cast Rodney an encouraging smile. Straightening, the physicist mustered all his strength to feign cheerfulness and entered.

All the cables, tubes and wires looked at least as scary as they had the day before. It was a frightening sight but not nearly as terrifying to behold as seeing Carson lying almost flat on his back, hooked up to a ventilator with a tube sticking out of his mouth. McKay paled visibly and his legs threatened to give way under him as he sluggishly staggered on. Rodney threw a glance at Sheppard, who now stood right next to the head of the bed. 'If John felt similarly queasy, he does one hell of a job hiding it!' the scientist reflected.

"Hey buddy, how you're doing?" Sheppard chimed, uneasiness obvious in his voice.

'Wow, that was convincing', McKay thought to himself. Somehow the knowledge of John being equally uncomfortable made him feel better. Boldly he stepped closer and pushed away the colonel, who busied himself with the cloth and the water basin on the night stand anyway. Rodney looked at his friend. The Scot's eyes were glassy from the fever and his reddened face made them appear bluer than ever, but his face expressed a joy that the astrophysicist hadn't believed possible. 'How does he always do this?' he wondered, gaping down in disbelief. 'Even if Beckett looked as though he'd fall apart any second, he still managed to produce a heartfelt smile out of nowhere.'

"Hey Carson." Even Rodney was surprised at the softness of his words. He lightly patted the CMO's shoulder, then let Sheppard wash the sweat from Beckett's face before he placed the freshly rinsed cloth on his brow again.

"Better, isn't it?" John asked, not expecting an answer. "Last night, our super-genius here, had a brilliant idea to storm the infirmary, sort of. But I think it's best to let the evil plot-weaver tell himself…", he teased, starting a conversation to push the awkward silence away.

"Yes, yes", Rodney jumped at the invitation, never missing an opportunity to boast. Carson and John exchanged knowing glances. This was so typical. While Rodney started the account on his unparalleled brilliance and cunning plan to sneak into the intensive care unit and the two men sat back on the empty seats next to the bed, the doctor allowed his eyes to drift shut, enjoying every word the scientist uttered. In spite of his condition or the constant thud of the ventilator, this gave the scene a pleasant pretence of normality.

Twenty minutes later – Rodney hadn't even reached the point where the colonel and he were actually venturing into the infirmary – Dr Jollet appeared inside the secluded area. He was a bulky man in his mid-thirties with a very stern face. Having arrived only after the expedition had reclaimed their city from the Asurans, he was fairly new on Atlantis.

"Colonel, Doctor", he greeted, his deep voice rumbling. "Please excuse us for a few minutes."

Carson's eyes snapped open instantly and Rodney turned towards the man standing next to the curtain. He looked less than pleased to be rudely interrupted in his lengthy tale.

"Ah, Dr… Dr...", Rodney looked at the doctor's nameplate. "Dr Jollet, eager on…"

"It's pronounced 'shoyé', Dr McKay, 'shoyé'", the physician briskly cut him short. "I'm French. Not every name that looks familiar can be mistreated to sound remotely like English."

Sheppard rolled his eyes, as annoying as his attitude was often enough, this time however, he felt sympathy for McKay for a change.

"Okay, Dr 'not-so-Jolly', whatever", the scientist retorted, "If you're that sensitive about your name, maybe you should have used the phonetic alphabet on your nameplate instead."

"Maybe it's just your arrogant American attitude to believe every name in the world is pronounced in your mother tongue." The doctor's voice was vibrating with despise.

Rodney got up, ready to give the big-headed Frenchman the tongue-lashing of his life, but John, who had remained quiet so far, grabbed his friend's arm and manoeuvred him around the now-vacant chairs and out through the curtain.

"We're just outside if you need us", the colonel called back.

All the while Carson had followed the argument with great interest and a good deal of amusement. He would have loved to witness the verbal sparring between Jollet and McKay to unfold, though he doubted the physician would have stood the slightest chance against a Rodney McKay in fit state.

"Dr Beckett", Jollet asked for the Scot's attention. "I need to change the dressings, and I'm afraid it's also time for the suction tube."

The dark-haired man shifted a little in his bed at the prospect of these unpleasant procedures and closed his eyes. He wanted nothing more than to get it over with and have his friends return as soon as possible.

To be continued…