Happy New Year, guys! I apologize for the delay in posting, but the ending of this tale decided to become coy and elusive. The holidays didn't help things at all. But it's getting there, probably another few weeks before it's done. I just want to say thanks for all of the support. This story has been quite a journey for Teyla and her team, but also for myself. Take care!

Chapter Six

''We were lucky," Teyla said breathlessly to Ronon as she crested a mound of sinkhole debris. "The skree left us alone to do our work."

Ronon grunted. "Probably gorging themselves on the dead bodies of their pack."

She nodded in agreement. She could see the flickering light of their campfire a short distance away. She brushed her hair from her eyes and sighed with relief. Despite the cool night, she was sweating from the pace she'd kept with Ronon and her side ached something fierce, but they'd been fortunate. The plants she'd needed were right where she remembered seeing them. Now, McKay's backpack was filled to capacity with everything she'd found.

She could hear some of the skree howling from somewhere within the sinkhole. Again, the echo inside the vast pit was disorienting. She was listening so hard, she jumped when Rodney's voice came over the radio.

"Teyla, Ronon? Where the hell are you guys? I'm no Dr. Kildare, but even I know when someone's getting worse and Sheppard is doing it by the second!"

"We are nearly there, Rodney," she said tightly, preparing to resume her pace.

Instead, Ronon slowed, surprising her as he moved with a little more caution. He turned to her and said, "Remember where Sheppard was when the attack began? He wasn't much further away from the jumper than we are now. Don't relax just because we're close."

Teyla could almost hear McKay nodding as he said, "He's right, Teyla. Those damned skree have been howling and prancing around the jumper, well, from what little I could see of them from the far right hand corner of the jumper's forward viewport. Hold on a sec..."

There was a pause, then McKay was back on the line. "The life signs detector show twelve life signs very near to the jumper. I see two other signs that must be you and Ronon. Yeah, you're close. You better be very careful out there."

Ronon nodded to Teyla and started out, but stopped. "Hold on," Ronon said, putting out a hand to keep her from moving forward. "Look, McKay was right – look at the area beside the campfire."

There were times since Teyla had met Ronon that she wondered if the Satedan had the night vision of an erkan, an Athosian nocturnal predator reminiscent of the black panthers of Earth. Squinting, she focused on the area, and could make out the images of a dozen skree near the jumper viciously devouring the flesh from the dead bodies of their former pack killed in the earlier attack, and those were only the ones she could see.

Teyla blinked a few times as she thought of Sheppard. "But we have to get back to the jumper. If we wait too long to apply the salve – "

Ronon licked his lips and nodded, then spoke to Rodney. "Don't worry, McKay, we'll work out a plan. Until then, maintain radio silence. We're getting too close to the pack to risk further radio communication."

He looked over at her with a sudden gleam in his eyes. "You have C4 in your tac vest?"

Teyla put a hand to the vest pocket containing it, then looked up at him in concern. "Yes, but a blast might cause more problems with the sinkhole. The debris near the jumper could easily envelop it, burying it completely."

Ronon shook his head. "A small blast shouldn't bring down too much and it'll scare the skree far enough away from the jumper so that we can get inside without fighting our way through."

Teyla sighed. They didn't have much of a choice. She reached into her pocket and pulled it out, then got the detonator. Ronon started to take it from her, then stopped as he frowned. "Damned broken arm. You'll have to do it. Just take a small portion of it – and save the rest in case we need it later."

Teyla nodded. Soon, she had fashioned the explosive into something ready to be used. She started to move forward when Ronon shook his head. "I can run faster than you can, even with a busted arm. Plus, you've got that backpack with the herbs and stuff. I'll detonate the C4. You just come running when it blows. We won't have a lot of time to waste."

Reluctantly, she agreed and Ronon disappeared into the darkness. She crept closer to the jumper without attracting attention. Turning on her radio, she whispered into it, "Rodney, Ronon is going to detonate some C4 near our campfire outside the rear hatch. When you hear the explosion, we need for you to open the hatch and cover our approach into the jumper."

McKay almost choked on his words. "C4? Holy crap!"

"Rodney, you have to trust us. Just be ready."

"Roger that. You guys just – just be careful, okay?" McKay said.

Though Teyla braced herself for it, the blast was bigger than she had envisioned. The skree scattered as planned, running off in several different directions. Teyla held her breath for a moment, waiting to see if the explosion would cause the debris atop the jumper to shift, but nothing fell, so she scrambled through the brush and rocks just as Ronon stepped out of the shadows into the campfire area at the rear of the jumper.

McKay did as requested, opening the hatch right on cue. Its bright light cut through the black night like a protective beacon. Ronon kept his back to the jumper, scanning the area around them for any sign of attack as Teyla stepped around the half eaten skree carcasses and entered the jumper. She turned back, aiming her P90 into the darkness to cover Ronon's approach.

McKay was also there at the hatch entrance with his weapon ready, but he moved to one side to allow Ronon to pass between them. Ronon started to close the hatch, but Teyla shook her head. "The salve must be heated over the fire to allow it to simmer and thicken."

McKay's mouth dropped open, then he made motions as if to begin a protest when Ronon shook his head, silencing him. "We'll stand guard here. Just do what you need to do."

Rodney looked like he was going to erupt into a tirade, but Ronon merely met McKay's gaze and said, "It's for Sheppard. Do you have a problem with that?"

McKay's demeanor shifted. He shook his head. "No, of course, I don't."

Then he looked around. "Can I at least sit while I wait for the killer fanged wolves to begin their next attack?"

Ronon smirked and nodded. Rodney sank onto the seat, adjusting the position of his foot, then sighed. "This so totally sucks."

Teyla agreed, but she didn't waste her time on words. She dumped out the contents of McKay's backpack on the floor of the jumper, then started opening various compartments behind the bench seats.

"What are you looking for?" Rodney asked.

Teyla looked through another compartment, but came up empty handed. "I need something to use as a pot to heat the mixture once I put the ingredients together."

Rodney paused for a moment. "Would a metal canteen be big enough? I can cut off the top of one."

Teyla smiled with relief. "Yes, that should be fine."

McKay dumped the water in his canteen outside the jumper, then got to work hacking the canteen's metal, leaving Ronon alone to stand guard. Teyla began to sort through the herbs and roots. She didn't have all the ingredients, but she prayed she had enough to help John. Rodney handed her the decapitated canteen and she filled it with the roughly chopped portions of the various plants, and then added water. She used the base of her flashlight as a mortar to grind the contents together.

Images of the distant past filled her thoughts. In the weeks following her skree attack, she'd been interested in finding out exactly how Charin had saved her life. Charin had patiently taught her how to make the healing salve and other natural remedies. Now, Teyla prayed she remembered it all correctly.

When she was done, she looked up at Ronon. "Okay, I am ready for the fire."

McKay smiled at her as he looked up from Sheppard's tac vest. He held up a few small round black objects. "These should help. Flash-bangs. Just be sure to close your eyes and cover your ears when they go off."

Teyla nodded, approaching the open hatchway. McKay stood awkwardly and limped a few steps down the ramp. "Okay, Teyla, I'm throwing a couple of them out. Be ready."

She didn't have to wait long. They went off – even with her hands over her ears and her eyes tightly shut, the noise was deafening. A second later, she rushed out the doorway with her makeshift pot in hand. Ronon went out with her. Almost immediately afterward, a series of howls cut through the night. The skree were out there, frightened, but still around.

She threw a couple more branches on the fire and stirred the embers to bring the fire back to life, then she carefully positioned the canteen within the bed of yellow-white glowing coals and began stirring the ingredients with a stick.

"How long will this take?" Ronon asked.

"It must heat to a boil, then simmer until thickened...perhaps ten or fifteen minutes."

Ronon swallowed and looked around. It was obvious he wasn't happy about them being so exposed, but he didn't say anything about it. McKay sighed deeply as he stood at the hatch. "Sounds like you're making gravy or pudding...Damn, I'm hungry."

Ronon grunted. "What's new about that? Just stand by with those flash-bangs. We might need to use a couple more before this is done. Then you can think about getting a snack."

Teyla stood and turned. "While that is simmering, I have to prepare the wound for the salve."

McKay made a face. "Prepare the wound...what the hell does that mean?"

Teyla took a deep breath as she approached him. "It means I will need to clean the mud from the bite area before I can apply the salve. And I could use another set of hands. This will not be easy."

McKay's expression dropped, then he gripped his P90 more tightly, and looked around. "Well, I'll stand guard and Ronon can help you – "

"She said another set of hands, McKay." Ronon raised his broken arm for McKay's benefit. "I'm down to one good one. It's up to you."

"Ah, crap," Rodney muttered as his shoulders slumped and he followed her in. Ronon was behind him and closed the hatch, prompting a glance from Teyla.

He caught her gaze and said, "We can sit tight for ten minutes while that stuff cooks. No use in risking ourselves when we don't have to."

Teyla and McKay knelt beside Sheppard and Rodney looked up at Teyla. "You do realize I'll probably throw up all over the two of you the very moment I see blood..."

"No, you won't," Ronon said firmly, patting McKay on the back.

McKay coughed a little, flinching in pain. He still looked a little nauseated, but he tried for a smile. "No, I guess I won't, at least I hope not, but my appetite just disappeared. No snacks needed here anymore."

Teyla didn't say anything. She just opened the med kit and pulled out a pre-filled syringe of morphine. McKay swallowed hard. "Uh, this is going to hurt enough to need that?"

She nodded, her thoughts going back to that time again and she remembered the agony she'd gone through with her own skree bite. Taking a deep breath to pull herself back to the present, she administered the injection. She waited a couple of moments, then picked up one of the bottles of water beside her and a towel.

"John," she said as she brushed back his hair still stiff with mud.

He turned slightly toward her voice and opened his eyes. She placed a finger over his lips. "Do not try to talk. The paralysis will pass soon. I need to clean your wound so that I can apply the healing salve. Without better equipment, this will be painful, but it must be done."

She licked her lips. "I've given you an injection of morphine to help with the pain. Hopefully, it will be enough. Do you understand?"

He nodded his head so slightly it was barely a movement.

McKay's response was more dramatic as he shook his head. "It might be okay for you, Sheppard, but I'm faint of heart and it's gonna be hell for me."

Sheppard managed to grunt in response. "Suck – it – up."

McKay rolled his eyes for Sheppard's benefit. "Oh, thank you for that pearl of wisdom. Now, go back to being silent. I liked you a lot better that way."

With a slight movement, Sheppard raised a middle finger in his direction. The sight made McKay laugh and generally lifted the heaviness of the mood in the jumper.

It didn't take too long before the wound was clear of dried mud. There wasn't as much torn flesh as Teyla thought there would be underneath the mud pack. The skin around the injection site itself was still blanched white with a wide swath of red surrounding it. Maybe they were in time, after all.

She dried her hands on a towel, looking up at Ronon. "We are ready for the salve."

Ronon nodded and turned to activate the hatch controls to go outside, then took a few tentative steps forward, his weapon poised to fire before he nodded to McKay. A nearby howl made all of them tense. Without waiting to be told, Rodney said, "Brace yourselves," and set off another flash-bang.

Once they had a moment to recover, McKay picked up his P90, then stood guard at the exit. Teyla went outside to get the salve while Ronon remained at her side. The flash-bangs must have done their job, because the skree didn't approach.

Teyla was relieved at what she found when she got to the campfire. The salve had thickened as planned. She used a couple of towels as hot pads and took the mixture inside. Rodney and Ronon stood in position until the hatch closed. She transferred the salve to four smaller containers that McKay had on hand for specimen collection. The mixture cooled quickly and soon she was applying the yellow green goo to Sheppard's wound.

Even medicated, semiconscious and half-paralyzed, Sheppard gritted his teeth together and gave a long, low moan, and then he just groaned outright. He bucked and thrashed about as Teyla finished applying the healing salve, frustrating McKay as he fought to hold him in place.

"Damn it, Sheppard, just be still!"

Finally, John passed out, giving all of them a respite. Now, he lay unmoving and his stillness unnerved Teyla in a way his groans hadn't done. She covered the bite wound in gauze as best she could, then she cleaned and dried her hands. She set the remaining three containers in the medical kit and closed it up.

If the swelling around the wound didn't go down within three hours, a second application should be done. Sometimes, it took multiple applications to purge all the poison. Even if the treatment was successful, Sheppard would be a sick man for the next few days – and that was without factoring in any other injuries he might have.

She brushed some errant locks of hair from John's face and sighed. He was so pale and his breathing was shallow. He had a chance, if they hadn't wasted too much time gathering and preparing the salve. She picked up one of the bottles of water still on the floor beside her, took a long swig and wiped the back of her hand across her mouth, then leaned back to rest.

Guilt swept over her and she chided herself again. Her search for peace had only resulted in more anguish, not only for her, but also for her friends, and that was the worst part of it. She went to stand, but bent low when her side burned with the movement. Tears welled in her eyes and she sat back on the floor again. When she felt a hand on her shoulder, she jumped, which caused the pain to burn more brightly.

"Sorry, sorry," McKay said quickly, holding out his hands in apology. "You just looked like you were in pain. How long has it been since you've thought about your own health?"

With his words of concern, she shook her head. "I am fine, merely sore from exertion."

Ronon knelt beside her. "Yeah, right. Well, that bullshit might have worked on Sheppard – he believes practically anything you tell him – but we know better. We need to take a closer look at your side. Move up here on the seat."

She was going to argue, but took one look at Ronon's determined demeanor and decided she was too tired to argue with him. Stiffly, she stood and sat down again. Ronon moved beside her. "Let's see what we're dealing with here," Ronon said softly.

She sighed, and unzipped her tac vest and jacket, then lifted the bottom of her shirt. Ronon pulled back the dressing, then frowned at the torn stitches that were still bleeding.

"That's not good," he said quietly. "Looks like it might be getting infected. McKay, grab the medical kit."

"It will be okay," Teyla said, shaking her head. "I will clean it and put on a fresh bandage."

Ronon got that determined glint in his eyes and said, "Just sit back and relax. It's our turn to play doctor."

McKay burst out laughing just as he was turning around with the medical kit, then blinked a few times as if trying to suppress more laughter. He put out his hands in a dismissive motion when Ronon and Teyla looked at him in confusion. "Never mind, it's not worth explaining."

He took one look at Teyla's wound, then sighed deeply and scratched at his forehead. Teyla thought she heard a slight whimper before he said, "Okay, I don't believe these words are actually coming out of my mouth, Teyla, but how about you let me clean that up for you?"

Rodney sighed again as he moved to sit at her side. Teyla smiled at him and put a hand on his. "You do not have to do this. I am quite able to clean it myself."

McKay shook his head. "No, you can't. I may be a self-absorbed son of a bitch, but even I can see that you need help. Ronon's right. It looks like infection might be setting in."

He reached for the medical kit. "I can't leave you to the clumsiness of our Satedan one-handed friend and Sheppard can't help, so you're left with me. I apologize in advance if I hurt you and please don't hurt me in retaliation, because you really know how to hurt a person especially if you're really pissed off..."

She glared at him, then sighed and nodded. He cleaned the wound as best he could, then applied a bandage. "You need to have Keller redo some of those stitches – that is if you haven't done more damage underneath."

McKay touched the skin around the bandage, then Teyla's arm, before reaching up to put the back of his hand to her forehead. "Hmm, you're a little warm. Better take some more Tylenol...and a dose of antibiotics just to be on the safe side."

He handed her the packets of pills and a water bottle. Teyla had to admit the last few hours had tired her out, as if the bleeding wound alone wasn't enough for her to deal with. She took the medication and leaned back against the wall of the compartment. She peeked open an eye and looked at McKay.

"You make a very good nurse, Rodney, despite your protests to the contrary."

Rodney grunted. "Yeah, right, well, don't expect to see me ever doing it again. I'll leave medical matters up to Dr. Keller and her minions."

She touched his arm. "Thank you."

He nodded and shut the medical kit, then stood. She relaxed, finally allowing muscles that had been tense for hours to loosen up. Closing her eyes for a moment, she heard Ronon say, "Just rest for a few minutes. There's nothing more we can do for Sheppard right now, right?"

She looked at him, then at Sheppard. "Not for a while."

"Then rest."

She nodded and they stood, moving over to the other side of the compartment. Though she didn't mean to, she was fast asleep only moments later.

oOoOoOoOo

Chapter 6