Here's the next installment. Sorry it's been so long in coming. The story is up to thirteen chapters now and almost done. Yep, I've been saying that for a while and it always seems to be a chapter and a half away from being done! LOL! But it's true, it's almost done. Thanks for being so patient and so kind with your words.
Chapter Seven
Fourteen year-old Teyla awoke to the sound of Charin humming an old Athosian ballad. When she opened her eyes, Charin was sitting beside her on the ground. Charin stopped singing and bent over toward her, brushing her fingers along Teyla's temple.
"How are you doing, child?"
Teyla started to sit up, but stopped when pain shot from her right thigh and ran like a spark on dry kindling along her nerve endings. She gasped and clutched Charin's arm. A tear escaped and ran down her cheek as she tried to control the discomfort she felt.
Charin brushed the tear away, then put a hand over hers and squeezed. "Deep breaths, Teyla. Use long deep breaths. I know it hurts, but you can manage it."
"What – " Teyla started to ask, then memories from the previous night flooded her mind. The skree attack. The bite. The terrible pain afterwards. The paralysis. Charin with her. Treating her wound. Taking care of her. A deep sense of gratitude for the woman who had saved her life.
Charin nodded. "Yes, a skree attacked us last night. You were very brave to fight it off as you did."
Teyla tried to steady her breathing by taking slow deep breaths as Charin had said, but the pain was searing hot. Charin's calm, soothing tone helped a lot, yet it wasn't enough. She needed more of a distraction, so she looked around. They were in a long, narrow cave and Charin had a fire burning. There was a draft that drew the smoke up into the dark ceiling of rocks and an opening somewhere above them.
Teyla recognized the place as one of the many shelters used by the Athosians in the wilderness, mostly on overnight trips when hunting game, or in their case, searching for herbs, roots and other sources for medicinal treatments.
The flickering campfire light licked at the walls of the cave, which were painted with images of Athosian legends. Some of the drawings were very, very old. Teyla's gaze slid across the walls, then to the fire, and back to Charin.
"How?" she asked, remembering they weren't near the caves when she'd been attacked.
"How did you get here? Why, I carried you, which reminds me once again of how much you have grown in the last year."
Charin extended her arms and arched her back, as if stretching sore muscles, but her eyes sparkled with humor, though she looked tired. Knowing Charin as well as she did, Teyla knew the woman probably hadn't slept since the attack, her attention devoted solely to tending to Teyla's needs. Teyla swallowed, realizing how dry her throat was. Charin picked up the hide-skin water bag and squirted some of it into Teyla's mouth.
When Teyla looked up at her for more, Charin smiled. "It is a good sign that you are thirsty. Drink as much as you want, then we shall see about getting some food into you."
Teyla squinted, the sparse light inside the cave suddenly seeming too bright for her eyes. Charin's fingers felt cool as they brushed against her temple. "Yes, Teyla, you are running a fever, but it will pass. I found some senta plants. Already your temperature is down."
Teyla recognized the strong stench of the senta plant and crinkled her nose, yearning to cleanse its odor from her skin, but she didn't have the strength to move, let alone wash.
"I agree, the senta plant stinks, but its benefits outweigh its odor."
Charin sighed and her gaze became distant. Teyla could see a mixture of emotions in the older woman's eyes reflected by the firelight. She busied herself checking Teyla's leg as she said, "Not many your age could have fought off a skree as you did. Your father will be very proud to hear of your bravery."
The older woman's forehead creased with worry and she looked deep into Teyla's eyes. "I apologize, but I must apply some more of the healing salve to your wound before you try to sleep again. I warn you, it will not be pleasant."
Though Teyla tried to be as strong as Charin had told her she was, tears started running down her cheeks as Charin applied the salve. It felt like the wound was on fire and it was consuming the flesh all the way down to the bone. The older woman worked quickly and efficiently, but it seemed like an eternity to Teyla. Eventually, she was done, then she sat, just holding Teyla's hand, humming that old Athosian ballad again until Teyla's tears stopped flowing.
Her head dipped down and she caught Teyla's gaze. "Do you think you could try to eat a bite of roasted skree?"
Teyla's eyes widened in amazement. "How?" she asked, though she had a good idea as to what Charin was referring to.
Charin chuckled. "Well, I couldn't allow the meat go to waste. It was a young skree, barely older than a pup. It must have strayed away from its pack. We were lucky there were not more of them nearby or neither one of us would be here now. As it was young, the meat was not toughened by age and its skin will be an impressive addition to your ceremonial cape."
"But how?" Teyla asked, her voice cracking.
"You killed it, so the skin is rightfully yours."
Teyla shook her head and waited for more of an answer; she was tired and didn't bother to waste energy on asking more expanded questions. Charin knew what she was after. The older woman busied herself with cutting the meat from the spit she had over the fire. She turned and handed Teyla a bite. Teyla didn't even realize she was hungry until the food was in her mouth. It was delicious. Charin was right. The meat seemed to melt in her mouth.
"I will save the story of what happened after you killed the skree for later." She squeezed Teyla's hand, then gave her another bite. "You are doing well. For that, I am grateful."
Charin leaned back against the cave wall and rubbed her own forehead. "You had me worried, though. I had to wait until morning to go out foraging for the necessary ingredients for your healing salve. All the while, I worried there wasn't enough time left for the treatment to work. But you made it, even though you are unusually drained from your ordeal. I have seen many others respond much more quickly."
Teyla watched her for a moment, thinking of all Charin had done to save her life, then she said, "Thank you."
Charin nodded and squeezed Teyla's hand again. "Do you want more water or food?"
Teyla shook her head, her eyelids drifting closed.
"Then sleep," Charin said softly.
Unable to keep her eyes opened any longer, Teyla did just that.
oOoOoOoOo
The memory receded from Teyla's mind as someone patted her on the arm, making her jump. Opening her eyes, she saw Ronon leaning over her. She started to sit up, then pressed a hand against her side when the movement sent pain shooting in several directions.
"Take it easy," Ronon said quietly, staying close to her.
She glanced in his direction and moved more carefully this time. Ronon backed away a little, then knelt between her and Sheppard as he lay on the floor of the jumper. She looked down to see a fine mist of perspiration on John's face, his complexion ruddy, and he moved a little as if dreaming.
"He's got a fever," Ronon said quietly, "It's been getting worse over the last hour."
She brushed her hair from her face as she tried to shake off the grogginess from her mind. "An hour? How long was I asleep? Why did you not awaken me sooner?"
Ronon put out a hand to calm her and said, "Relax, it's only been a couple of hours. I knew you said you'd have to do a second treatment on him after three hours, so I woke you after two, just in case there was something you needed to do ahead of time." He frowned and looked over at her. "But I really didn't want to, because you've got a fever, too."
She took a deep breath, rubbing her forehead as she stared at Sheppard, unable to contradict him. Her head throbbed and her body ached. She slid to her knees as Ronon stood and moved across Sheppard, kneeling on the other side of him. She reached down and touched Sheppard's forehead, then looked up at Ronon.
"His fever is very high. The stalks of the senta plant will help with that. First, we must remove as much of his clothing as possible, so that the juice of the opened stalks can be spread over his skin. That will help bring down his fever."
She pulled back the blankets covering John and took off his boots. He barely reacted, only his murmuring became clearer. She leaned forward to pat him on the cheek. "John? John, can you hear me?"
Sheppard's movements stopped for a moment and she thought he was going to say something to her, then he went back to indecipherable mumbling. Teyla watched as she saw tiny ripples of movement of the muscles below John's skin.
"We must act quickly," she said as she pushed up Sheppard's pant legs exposing the calves of his legs. "His fever could cause a seizure if we do not hurry."
McKay peeked his head out from the forward compartment. "Do you need a hand?"
Teyla shook her head. "Ronon and I can manage. Are you making any progress with the jumper's systems?"
Rodney shook his head. "Not much."
"Keep at it, Rodney. John needs to be transported to Atlantis as soon as possible."
"Oh, that's a news update. Thanks a lot," McKay said, overflowing with sarcasm, then disappeared from sight.
Through it all, John didn't awaken, not even when they moved around him, a fact that worried Teyla a great deal. She tried to remember all that Charin had taught her about the healing treatments, wishing once again the woman was there herself to treat him, or better yet Carson and his cadre of medical personnel.
Taking a deep breath, she told herself, What I know will have to be enough.
She took out her knife and slit open the stalks of the senta plant, then spread the oozing fluid onto Sheppard's heated skin. Sheppard roused a little with this, not enough to fully awaken, but he seemed aware of her ministrations in some distant way. Teyla's nostrils flared with the distinct scent of senta fluid, its odor reminding her of rotten eggs.
She tried to ignore it as she opened the medical kit and pulled out two instant ice packs. She squeezed the bags until they popped inside and mixed the chemicals to cause the packs to turn icy cold. She handed one to Ronon. "Place these under John's armpits. This will also help to bring down his fever. We must try everything we can think of. Charin spoke of deaths among my people when their fever from the skree bite grew out of control."
Ronon picked up one of the senta plant stalks and slit it open. "Here, you better use some of this on yourself."
She shook her head. "First, we take care of John. It is a little early for a second application of the salve, but since his fever is so high, I think we have to act quickly. Be prepared, even though I will be applying the salve over the first coat, there can be pain – sometimes, a great deal. The morphine should still be working, but..."
Ronon nodded. "I'll help keep him still."
He put a hand to Sheppard's good shoulder as Teyla pulled back the gauze from the wound. There was a change in its appearance from the initial bite. There were still distinct areas of white and red, but both were smaller, shrinking the area of involvement. It appeared the salve was working. She dipped her finger into the yellow green goo and carefully applied the stuff to the bite wound itself, using up all that was in the canister for the second application.
"Good God, what is that stench?" McKay asked, sticking his head back into sight.
Teyla was about to answer him when Sheppard's eyes flew open. John gritted his teeth together and groaned loudly. She put her clean hand to his cheek and whispered words of comfort. "Easy, John, the pain will pass. Just stay with me. And take slow deep breaths."
He nodded and tried to slow his breathing. Rodney walked into the rear compartment and stood there, wiping his hands on a towel as he stared at them. "Is he going to be okay?" he asked in a hushed whisper.
Teyla nodded, but didn't look toward Rodney, focusing her attention on John. Ronon looked up at her from his position opposite her, his brow furrowed in concern, but he didn't say anything, either. He didn't have to, his expression said it all.
"Maybe we should give him another shot," McKay said, stepping closer.
She thought for a moment and shook her head.
"Have patience," she said as her fingers brushed across John's sweaty brow, then wondered if she'd been speaking to the others or herself.
After a few minutes, the tight bunches of muscles in Sheppard's face and neck relaxed. He opened his eyes again, looking up at Teyla and Ronon bleary-eyed. Teyla smiled to see him awake. "How are you doing?"
John's eyelids drooped a bit. "A little like...I've been traveling too close to the sun...trying to out maneuver that rogue F-103 from the Daedalus last year."
McKay bent down and quipped, "I'll have you know that you may have caused me irreparable skin damage from that little romp."
Sheppard grunted, the corners of his lips turning upward, then he swallowed hard. Teyla brought a bottle of water to his lips, giving him a slow but steady flow of water as she said, "You are able to talk now. That is a good sign."
Sheppard nodded, then drank until he signaled for her to stop. She brushed a towel across his sweaty forehead.
"Am I gonna live," he asked with a slight smirk, but Teyla could see a hint of fear lurking in his gaze.
"You are doing better now, though your fever is quite high, but the juice of the senta plant should help with that."
"Stuff stinks," he said with a sigh.
She smiled. "I know. Has most of the paralysis passed?"
He moved his arms and legs a little and nodded back to her. "Yeah, most of it." Then he paused, looking up at her. "What time is it?"
"Nearly morning. You should rest now."
He shook his head, but it was such a slight movement and it seemed to deplete his meager energy reserves. "I should check out the jumper's systems. We need to work on getting out of here."
"Leave that to Rodney, John. Wait until your strength returns on its own. Push too fast too hard and your health will suffer for it."
Though he shook his head again, his eyelids drooped a little more, and he reminded Teyla of a little boy trying to fight off bedtime for as long as he could.
"Rest, John," she murmured softly, brushing her thumb across his forehead.
"That's not fair," he murmured back.
A moment later, he was asleep.
Teyla put a hand on Sheppard's chest, then his forehead. "Perhaps it is not fair, but sleep is the best medicine I can offer you at the moment."
She looked up at Ronon. "He does seem to be better, but he might need a third application of the salve, perhaps more depending on how he does. Maybe we should take advantage of the lull in activity to make more of the salve and be done with it."
Ronon frowned. "That means going back out there again."
McKay threw a hand into the air, obviously dismayed at the thought. "Ah, come on, you can't seriously be thinking of doing that again, can you?"
She nodded, but her tone was appeasing. "It is nearly daylight. The skree sleep during the day as their primary food source, the nagala, is also nocturnal. We will not have to worry about them being hungry as they will have carried away and consumed their dead while we have been sheltered here. Besides, I need some fresh air and something to keep me busy."
Ronon and Rodney looked at each other, but didn't say anything as she prepared the herbs for another batch. McKay straightened his jacket, then rubbed his leg with a pained expression. "I'm still trying to reroute some of the jumper's subsystems that were damaged in the fall. Without enough power, there's no way we'll be able to fly out of here on our own." He sighed as he finished speaking.
Teyla nodded, troubled by Rodney's dismal assessment. Then Ronon opened the rear hatch, and Teyla saw the sun had risen enough for its light to filter into the sinkhole. With the sight, it felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. The sunlight shining down reassured her in ways nothing else had done since the sinkhole collapse had begun.
A light breeze caressed her cheek. The sound of the nearby stream rushing by was soothing. Maybe, she wondered, maybe she hadn't needed to bond just to the land, but also to the sky, wind, and water to heal. Perhaps all four elements were necessary to achieve the desired effect, she decided as she straightened her shoulders, feeling renewed – at least in spirit.
She walked over to the fire and stirred its embers, bringing it back to life, then placed more wood to add fuel. Turning to McKay, she said, "We are safe enough out here. Go ahead and close the rear hatch to conserve heat inside the jumper."
Rodney nodded and hit the hatch control. Teyla watched it until she couldn't see Rodney or John any longer. Ronon cleared his throat. "Do you need any help?"
She shook her head. "No, I can do this alone."
His gaze darted around the area before returning to her. "I'm going to check things out. I'll be back in a few."
She nodded and he took off. After a few minutes, she placed the canteen filled with chopped herbs and water back in the same position as earlier in the night. She stood and looked around, putting her hand to her side.
The ache had grown to include an area several inches around the surgical incision and the wound itself felt hot to the touch. A chill ran down her back and she wrapped her arms around her chest for warmth. The cold dampness of the sinkhole seemed to drain away all of her body heat, even when standing next to the fire. She told herself she needed to take another dose of antibiotics when she returned to the jumper.
As she watched the mixture over the fire, it began to bubble and boil. It was almost time to take the salve into the jumper and she began to look around for Ronon. She walked past the edge of the camp and found him as he returned from scouting the area. The Satedan seemed on edge, his hand resting on the grip of his weapon. She went out to meet him as he returned. "What did you find?"
"Lots of skree tracks. We only got a few of them last night. There's got to be at least a dozen more of them still roaming around."
She took a deep breath. The news wasn't comforting. She tried to look at it in the best light possible. "We should be safe as long as the skree are sleeping," she said softly.
Ronon glanced at the jumper about thirty feet away from them. It looked pretty battered in the soft clarity of the early morning sunlight.
Ronon shrugged. "We're too exposed."
Teyla met his gaze. "We have the jumper for shelter. Even if it is another day before Atlantis comes, the healing salve should keep John alive."
He turned to face her more fully, worry furrowing his brow, and she felt the full weight of his attention directed at her. "You don't look like you can wait another day..."
She smiled to appease him, her heart genuinely warmed by his brotherly concern.
"The antibiotics should resolve my problem. I am more worried about you. We need to make sure your arm is properly set. And Rodney's foot needs to be examined. Those are the things we should concern ourselves with next. Come, the salve should be thickened by now."
They started to walk back toward the jumper when Ronon stopped so suddenly she almost ran into him. For a moment, Teyla thought he'd seen a skree or something equally dangerous, and her hand automatically went to her handgun, but then she saw he was looking upward.
As she followed his gaze, bewildered, all she saw was the early morning sun streaming down. The same sunlight that had brought her comfort earlier, now seemed an irritating distraction. She squinted against its brightness, looking more closely, trying to see what had caught Ronon's eye.
As she watched, a single rock fell from above and her breath caught. It was so small, it shouldn't have alarmed her, but it did. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe she was reading too much into it. Unable to take another breath, and unable to turn away from the hillside, she asked, "Ronon?"
Then she heard him exhale sharply, then as if that was all it took, the entire hillside start shifting down toward them and her world went with it.
oOoOoOoOo