THE WHITE ROOM...part 10
He drifted off into warm darkness, sometimes floating back into cool brightness. In between, he remembered things. Fragments of faces and places and dreams. He tried to focus on the fragments, even though it made his head hurt, and suddenly they came together, like puzzle pieces, forming images that hit him like a kick in the gut.
He knew the faces. Teyla, Ronon, Carson, Elizabeth and Rodney. He knew what they meant. He felt suddenly safe and warm at the thought of them. He knew they were different from the other faces and dreams. "Rod...ney..." he whispered, before whimpering at the pain that suddenly spiked in his temples. He buried his free hand in his hair, tugging hard, wanting to rip out the pain.
Rodney had dozed off on the cot but he jerked awake at the sound of his name. For a moment he thought he might have imagined it, because the voice had been so quiet. But then he remembered where he was and he was stumbling to his feet and over to the corner where Sheppard was huddled. The sound of his name had awakened him because of the voice. A very familiar voice. Sheppard's voice.
"Colonel?" Rodney moved to kneel in front of his friend. Sheppard was shaking, his exposed skin, sheened with a cold sweat. It hurt Rodney to look at him. To see the purples and blues and greens of mottled bruising on arms and neck. It made him angry as well. He wanted to hunt down Purdie and punch him in the face. Hard. More than once. Or, better yet, sic Ronon on him. That would be nothing less than what the man deserved.
Shaking such thoughts aside, Rodney focused on Sheppard. The shaking was intense and one hand was tugging hard on the thick thatch of dark hair. The messy strands had grown out already, but there wouldn't be many of them left at the rate Sheppard was going. So Rodney grabbed the hand and gently detangled the fingers. He continued holding the trembling appendage, feeling how cold Sheppard's skin was. Then suddenly, the slim fingers tightened and Rodney gasped in surprise. He looked up at the pale face and the hazel-green eyes that were glazed, but even as Rodney stared into them, they focused on him with the intensity of a laser beam. He was about to say something but Sheppard beat him to it.
"Rodney," he whispered, as clear as day.
Unfortunately, Rodney didn't get a chance to rejoice because at that very moment Sheppard chose to collapse. It was a boneless type of melting to the floor that scared the hell out of Rodney, complete with eyes rolling up and skin turning ghostly pale. Which made the pattern of bruises all the more vivid.
Reaching for his radio, Rodney screamed for help.
OoO
The first thing Rodney did was hold on tight to Sheppard and refuse to let Purdie anywhere near the Colonel. Which worked out in the end because Jack had already made arrangements for Dr. Lam to take over Sheppard's medical care. But even with Lam in charge of his friend, Rodney had a hard time walking away. It wasn't until Sheppard was in bed and sleeping, thanks to being lightly sedated, that Rodney allowed himself to be pushed out of the room. And only then after Lam promised to stay with Sheppard so that he wouldn't wake up alone, and that she would call Rodney the moment the Colonel so much as twitched.
Even though he was beyond exhausted, Rodney didn't head for his room. Instead he went to see Hermiod, who had just arrived on the Daedalus, only to find out that the Asgard didn't have anything to tell him. He did admit to having discovered a few anomalies, but he wouldn't share them with Rodney. Instead he ordered him out of there, going so far as to contact O'Neill. The General showed up and manhandled Rodney out the door, down the hall and into his room.
"Go to sleep, McKay," O'Neill ordered. "If you collapse, who's going to take care of Sheppard?"
"That would be your job!" Rodney snapped back, glaring at the General. "I expect Sheppard to be in the same condition I left him in when I wake up. And trust me when I say, you'll regret it if he's not."
O'Neill held up both hands, in a gesture of appeasement. "I'll take care of Sheppard. He'll be fine."
But Rodney shook his head. "No, he won't be fine. He won't be anything but a mess until we figure this out." It was exhaustion that was making Rodney feel both more punchy than usual and a bit maudlin. Not to mention a tad defeatist.
"Sleep," O'Neill repeated firmly. He stood at the door until Rodney stumbled towards his bed.
"Fine, I'll sleep." Rodney took just long enough to toe off his shoes before face planting on the bed. He was pretty sure he didn't even count two heart beats before he was asleep.
Rodney slept deeply, but still somewhat restlessly. He dreamed about Sheppard turning into a bug, about Chaya forcing the Colonel to ascend and then Koyla popping up and shooting Sheppard in the head. Only Rodney then watched, in fascinated horror, as the wound slowly sealed closed and Sheppard stood up. Just like the scene with Wolverine in the X-men movie he could never remember the name of.
But it was Sheppard calling Rodney's name that finally woke him from his slumber. As Rodney sat up, blinking hard, and discreetly wiping drool off his chin, he realized it hadn't been Sheppard calling him, but O'Neill.
The General was sitting at the tiny side table in the corner, a tray of food in front of him. "About time you woke up, McKay," O'Neill drawled.
"Sheppard!" Rodney scrambled to his feet in a panic.
"He's fine. Sit down and eat then you can go see him." O'Neill gestured to the plate of food.
Rodney was hungry, in fact his stomach picked that moment to growl loudly. But having to pee won out first. After a mad dash to the bathroom, Rodney sat down at the table, glancing at his wrist only to remember he didn't wear a watch. "What time is it?"
O'Neill didn't glance at his own watch before replying. "Seven."
"What?" Rodney had been about to shove a forkful of potatoes in his mouth, leading him to believe he was about to ingest supper. Which meant it was seven pm. Which meant he had slept almost eight hours. "Oh my god!" He dropped the fork with a clatter and jumped to his feet. "Why didn't you wake me? Sheppard!" He was almost to the door when a hand gripped his arm and hauled him back around.
"Sheppard is fine," O'Neill stated. "I spoke to Dr. Lam and he's still sleeping. She tells me it's a good sleep."
Rodney couldn't argue with the fact that Sheppard needed it. His sleep had been all too restless and fractured since he had fallen ill. Which wasn't even the correct terminology really. Which was a stupid thought to be having right now so Rodney shook it away even as he allowed O'Neill to shove him back over to the table.
O'Neill sat down, picked up Rodney's fork and held it out. "Eat then you can see Sheppard."
So Rodney started shoveling and he cleaned his plate in five minutes, forcing everything to stay down by draining his glass of soda. He had missed soda. For some reason, even though the Daedalus brought cases of the stuff during every run, it just didn't taste the same on Atlantis. Which was something he intended to figure out why when he managed to find a spare moment to ponder it. There had to be a scientific reason for it.
"Ready?"
"What?" Rodney was jolted out of his reverie, to find O'Neill smirking at him. "Oh, yes. I'm ready."
O'Neill stood up. "Sure you don't want to shower first?"
Rodney had to force himself not to sniff his pits. He shot the General a disdainful sneer. "Why? Do I stink?"
"Not if you're down wind," O'Neill quipped, before striding out of the room.
"Why me?" Rodney bemoaned, even as he followed. He gave his pits a sniff and even though he wasn't morning fresh, he didn't reek so he was good to go. He followed O'Neill down the now all too familiar hallway and pushed past him as they reached Sheppard's room. Rodney didn't even glance at the window, he just went to the door, pushed it open, then froze and stared.
Standing next to Sheppard's bed, taking the Colonel's pulse, was a sight for sore eyes. Beckett. "What are you doing here?" Rodney offered in greeting, his tone sharp enough to make himself wince.
But Carson didn't seem insulted. He simply turned to face him, a warm smile on his face. But it faded a bit before he replied. "I came here to look after the Colonel, Rodney. Hope you don't mind."
"I guess that's all right," Rodney replied, keeping his tone cool. He didn't want Carson to get a big head by thinking he was all that important. But, internally, Rodney was happy and relieved. Now he could relax and focus his attention on helping Hermiod figure out what was wrong with Sheppard so they could fix him. "When did you get here?"
"About two hours ago." Carson turned back to Sheppard for a moment, then he stepped away from the bed, drawing Rodney with him. "I've been examining the Colonel and Dr. Lam did what she could to fill me in. Seeing his bruises in person is worse." Carson's voice took on an edge of pure anger as he spoke.
Rodney understood that anger. "Yeah. I wish you'd brought Ronon with you so he could kick Purdie's ass."
Carson grinned at that. "Well, it just so happens that I did bring him. And Teyla too."
"Really?" Elizabeth allowed that?" Rodney was both pleased and surprised. Mostly pleased.
"She thought it was best for Colonel Sheppard," Carson stated.
Rodney agreed with her. "So, where are they?" He didn't have to scan the room to know they weren't there. Ronon's presence was larger than life at all times.
Carson shrugged. "O'Neill sent them on a tour of the base. He thought it might be too overwhelming for the Colonel if he woke up to see more than one new face."
"But you guys are all old faces!" Rodney protested, realizing as he said it how ridiculous it sounded, even though it was true.
"I know." Carson patted his shoulder. "But I agree with the General. It might be too much for him at once. We'll see how he reacts to me first."
Rodney could see the logic in that. He supposed. He still felt the need to argue the point of having Ronon and Teyla around Sheppard, if only to keep him protected, when Sheppard suddenly stirred.
"Azur..." he whispered, and he sounded panicked.
"I'm here." Rodney shouldered Carson out of the way so he could be in Sheppard's line of sight. Hazel-green eyes focused on him intently, then a hand reached out for him. An empty hand. Rodney's eyes shifted to Sheppard's other hand, but it was empty too. "The disc!" he exclaimed.
Carson gave him a puzzled look. "What disc?"
Rodney made hand gestures to signify the shape of the object, but he knew it wouldn't mean anything to Carson. So he started hunting for it. It wasn't on the bedside table, so he got ready to bellow for a nurse when he spotted a glint of silver on the floor. Dropping to his knees, Rodney spied the disc and snatched it up, nearly bumping into Carson when he tried to stand, as the doctor was bent over trying to see what he was doing. "Back off!" Rodney snapped, making it all the way up to his feet and hurriedly shoving the disc into Sheppard's right hand. He saw the Colonel relax again, a slight smile appearing on his face.
Heaving a sigh of relief, Rodney felt his own muscles relaxing, all the more so when Sheppard whispered his name before falling back asleep. At least, Rodney was pretty sure it was his name Sheppard whispered.
Apparently, Carson thought so too. "He knows you," he said to Rodney.
"He does." Rodney felt almost proud of that fact, even though he wasn't sure why. He was about to explain about the earlier incident before Sheppard had collapsed, but his radio beeped. To Rodney's surprise it was Hermiod, asking him to join him in the control room. "You have something for me?" Rodney queried.
"I have been in contact with Dr. Zelenka," Hermiod replied. "Between us we may have discovered something useful."
Which was more than enough to get Rodney's hopes up. "Call me if Sheppard needs me," he said to Carson, then he booked out the door. Maybe they were all finally getting a break.
When Rodney was gone, Carson turned his attention back to Sheppard. The Colonel seemed to be asleep now, rather than unconscious, and more at peace than before. Smiling to himself, Carson fussed with the blankets, pretty much tucking them in around the Colonel's slim form, before grabbing a chair and settling himself for an all too familiar vigil over Sheppard.
OoO
Jack had left McKay with Beckett, after staying just long enough to see McKay's reaction. It had been good to see Rodney's happiness at Dr. Beckett's presence. Leaving them to reunite, he made his way to the messhall where Teyla Emmagan and Ronon Dex were waiting for him. Jack had foisted them off on one of his Sergeants when they'd first arrived, but now he figured it was time to face them.
Not surprisingly, the big guy was prowling the area, and when Jack arrived he practically growled at him. Jack put a smile on and waved at Dex, then turned to Teyla to ask, "He is potty trained, right?"
Teyla did not look amused. She locked eyes with Jack and stated, "We believe Colonel Sheppard should return to Atlantis."
"Why don't we wait and see what happens now that Dr. Beckett is here to take care of the Colonel?" Jack countered, but he could see she wasn't convinced. Then, suddenly, Ronon was looming over him.
"You hurt him!" The Satedan left no doubt to the fact that he was making an accusation.
Jack didn't deny it. He knew Dex didn't mean him, personally. "That was unfortunate," he allowed. "And I apologize. It's not going to happen again."
Ronon bared his teeth. "Wouldn't have happened at all on Atlantis. I wouldn't have let it."
"I believe that," Jack conceded. He put his hands behind his back and rocked on his heels. "So, have you eaten yet? Chow is pretty good today. Lasagna." He could see Ronon brighten a bit. Hah, hooked him with Earth food. Worked every time.
"I could eat," Ronon stated.
Teyla looked uncertain, but finally nodded. "I am hungry," she replied. "Then I would like to see Colonel Sheppard." Ronon made a noise and Teyla looked over at him before amending, "We would like to see him."
Jack smiled. "I'll see what I can do." With that he led them over to the where the plates were stacked. He hoped Ronon was more amenable after his belly was full. Otherwise it was going to be a very long night.
OoO
Purdie paced in his lab. Kel was watching him, big eyes never blinking.
"This is bad!" Purdie hissed. He was angry and scared and not trying to hide it. "We can't get near Sheppard now. Not with Lam and that Doctor from Atlantis here. And did you see that hulk that came with him? The woman is pretty though."
"You must focus," Kel replied, his eyes still following Purdie's every movement. "From the nurse you blackmailed into giving us information on Sheppard, he has become more alert. He recognized Dr. McKay. That would suggest that he may very well be capable of handling this after all. So we must figure out a way to run our tests. We must learn exactly what Sheppard knows and what he is capable of."
Purdie snorted and stopped pacing to glare at Kel. "You figure out a way to get close to him then? Cause I'm fresh out of ideas short of knocking out everyone on the entire base, and I think they'd notice that in the long run."
Kel cocked his head in a quizzical manner then said," I will figure out a way." He then moved to a special computer set up in the corner and began tapping keys.
Heaving a sigh, Purdie watched him. It wasn't like he had anything else to do.
OoO
John felt the warm darkness seeping away from him. He whimpered and tried to draw it back but it stealthily retreated from him. In its place were the voices. Most of the time they were soft sounds and musical hums in his head, but there was a voice that was persistent and staccato and a touch on his shoulder that didn't frighten him as much as he thought it should. So he opened his eyes, blinking away the last of the shadows, and found himself staring at a familiar face. "Dasora," he whispered.
Carson stared at Sheppard, pleased that he was finally awake, but confused by what he'd just said.
Dr. Lam was on the other side of the bed, having brought Carson a cup of coffee a few minutes ago. "He said doctor," she explained.
"You know Ancient?" Carson couldn't hide his surprise.
"Daniel taught me that word," she replied.
John listened to them, realizing that their sounds were familiar. "Lantia," he breathed, clutching the disc against his chest. "Methora dae priseem."
"What is he saying?" Carson looked at Lam who shook her head.
John felt like weeping, whispering the words again. Begging them to take him home.
THE END...of part 10