"Major Sheppard," a startled voice said and John hazarded a glance to his right to see Corporal Ortega crouched on a ledge just over his head. "Sorry, sir," Ortega added as he withdrew the gun. "I didn't realise …" He glanced back down the trail as Ford and Thompson came into view, weapons drawn.
"Stand down," Sheppard hissed behind him. He glanced up at Ortega. "Corporal, tell me you have news."
Ortega jumped down from the ledge and jerked his head as he led the way farther up the path to where a small depression in the rock gave them some cover from anyone going up or down the path.
"You know about the attack on the camp?" Ortega asked once they were all huddled together.
John nodded. "Sergeant Stackhouse told me you had tried to follow the people who took McKay and Teyla."
John saw the look of relief on Ortega's face when he mentioned Stackhouse and mentally kicked himself. He was so concerned about Rodney and Teyla, he'd forgotten Ortega had watched as two of his teammates were shot and left for dead.
"We brought Beckett with us when we came through to check on you," John told him. "Stackhouse and Stephens were both still alive. Corrigan managed to get them under cover and perform some rudimentary first aid. They're back in Atlantis and I'm sure Beckett will take care of them."
Ortega took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes, sir. Thank you for telling me, sir." He glanced out at the path again. "The entire attack was over in a matter of minutes. Stephens was shot first and Sarge went to back him up while I tried to get Corrigan and Doctor McKay to cover in the ruins. I didn't see what happened to Teyla, but Doctor McKay must have. He took off toward the work tent to help her." He gave John an apologetic look. "That's when they were captured, sir. I went to check on the Sarge and he told me to follow them and gather as much intel as possible."
John nodded. "So what have you found out about the hostiles?"
Ortega drew himself up to attention as best he could while still being hunched over. "There are roughly twenty men guarding the building. Doctor McKay and Teyla arrived early this morning, and as far as I've been able to determine, no one has left since then."
Twenty or more men between him and his people and he had a strike force of three. John forced his expression to remain neutral. The odds were not in their favor, he knew but he also knew it didn't matter. He glanced over at Ford, then Thompson and saw the moment they came to the same conclusion. He also saw the determined set of both of their faces. They would follow whatever plan he made to get Rodney and Teyla back safely, no matter what the odds.
John clapped Ortega on the shoulder. "You did a good job, Corporal," he started to say and squeezed his eyes shut as he braced an arm on the wall beside him and ducked his head.
"Major?" Ford asked and John could hear the concern in his tone.
John shook his head as he tried to breathe through the stab of pain at the back of his skull. While not as bad as the spike after the transformer explosion, it was still enough for him to know something serious had happened to Rodney.
He heard Thompson say, "Come on, Corporal. Show me where you've been watching the hostiles" and wondered how long it would be before the rumors started flying again.
"Um, yes, Sergeant," Ortega replied hesitantly, and John was relieved when he heard them leave.
He'd heard all sorts of wild speculation after he'd run out of Elizabeth's office a month ago after the transformer explosion. A few had even been close to correct in their guesses; though none knew the exact truth except the team, Carson, and Elizabeth. He consoled himself with the knowledge that, if the rumors started up again, this time he'd at least have a pretty good idea who had started them.
"Sir? How bad is it?" Ford asked again once they were alone and John felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Something's happened to McKay," John ground out just as a second stab hit him. He groaned and leant against the wall of their shelter as the wave of pain slowly ebbed. He felt something nudge his hand and saw Ford holding out a bottle of water and a couple of pills. He swallowed the pills and gave Ford a grateful nod before he carefully stood. "I don't think it's life-threatening, but he's still hurt." He slowly straightened and added, "We need to find them."
He was near the front of the little cave a few minutes later when he heard scrabbling outside as Thompson and Ortega slid back down into the depression.
"Someone's coming, sir," Thompson hissed. "There's a group of roughly ten men heading down the path in this direction."
John ducked back down. "Could you tell if McKay or Teyla were with them?" he asked as he heard running footsteps coming down the trail in their direction.
Thompson shook his head. "Hard to say. The sun was at the wrong angle to see much," he replied. "I'm pretty sure none of them was small enough to be Teyla, though."
John grimaced as he thought about his options. He knew something had happened and Rodney was hurting. Did that mean he was with the group heading toward them? Or were they both still being held in the building? Did he divide his meager force to try and take both fronts or focus on just one and which one? The building or the group heading back toward the forest and possibly the stargate?
He heard pounding footsteps of the group getting closer and knew he needed to make a decision. He weighed all of the information he had, and with a last glance out toward the path, he signalled the others to hide as best they could and wait for the men to pass. Their target was the building. John just hoped he'd made the right choice and hadn't sentenced McKay or Teyla to being lost forever.
~*~*~*~ SGA ~*~*~*~
Rodney felt Teyla's hand move from his back to his arm but didn't open his eyes until she tried to touch his hand. "Don't," he muttered and rolled on his side, moving his arm away from her. "Please. Don't."
"I know you are in pain, Doctor McKay, but your fingers need to be set and it will be easier for me to do that before the light dies."
"Rodney," he mumbled.
"I do not understand," Teyla told him gently as she hesitated a moment before reaching out and taking his uninjured hand.
"You never use my first name," he said, forcing himself to focus as he grasped her hand in his. He didn't understand the surprised look on her face as he held on to her hand, but didn't have the energy to worry about it at the moment. "You call Sheppard, John and I've even heard you call Ford, Aiden, but I'm always Doctor McKay."
She put her other hand on his shoulder and gently rolled him onto his back again. "You have never given me permission to use your given name," she told him with a smile. "I thought you preferred to be addressed by your title."
Rodney sighed and closed his eyes. "Not by friends," he said softly.
She squeezed his left hand. "Then I will address you as Rodney from now on."
He nodded. "Good," he mumbled and started to doze.
There was silence in the room for a few moments before Rodney heard the sound of tearing cloth and opened his eyes to see Teyla cutting off a piece from the bottom of her trousers with a small knife and tearing the material into smaller pieces.
"We do not have anything I can use as a splint," she told him as he watched her. "Once I set your fingers, I will bind them together until we return to Atlantis and Doctor Beckett can tend them properly."
Rodney forced himself to slowly sit up cradling his right arm against his chest, ignoring the dip and roll of the room as he moved, and pushed himself against the wall opposite the door. He glanced down at his right hand long enough to see his bruised and swollen fingers then swallowed and focused on the wall near the door.
"Do you think we will?" he asked, watching as she laid the thin strips of cloth beside her. "Get back to Atlantis?"
Teyla stuffed the knife back in her boot. "You know Major Sheppard would never leave us here. He will be looking for us."
He wasn't sure of that at all, not after what had happened with Chaya. Jeannie stopped speaking to him after their last fight; four years and still counting. He glanced down at his twisted fingers. That argument had been over a love affair as well, he realised. Jeannie had chosen Whatshisname over an exciting, not to mention lucrative, career in physics, just as John had chosen Chaya instead of listening to his concerns she was lying to him.
"Rodney?" Teyla said as she knelt in front of him. "Are you ready? I will be a quick as I can, I promise."
He closed his eyes as she gently took his right hand and waited. Just as she started to shift her grip on his hand, Rodney opened his eyes and stared at her. "You've done this before, right? You know what you're doing?"
She smiled. "I have set a few broken bones in the past, yes. Usually from hunting accidents." She paused. "Are you ready?" she asked again.
Before he could make any sort of acknowledgement, he felt a searing pain travel up his arm. "Ow!" he yelped, and tried to jerk his hand out of her grip. "What happened to 'am I ready'?" he asked breathlessly a moment later. "I was not ready!"
She smiled slightly, never letting go of his wrist. "I did not want you to tense up. It would have made aligning the bone more difficult."
He glared over at her for a moment. "Next time, give a guy some warning," he mumbled.
"I still need to fix your other finger," she replied calmly, and he gave her a startled look just before he felt another wave of agony along his hand and arm.
He felt soft material wrapped around his hand and opened his eyes again to see his fingers bound together with the strips of cloth.
"Thank you," he said once she was done and leant his head back against the wall.
He saw his hands shaking again and hoped Teyla hadn't noticed, or if she had, would assume it had to do with the broken fingers and not the looming hypoglycaemic reaction he was going to have if he didn't get something to eat soon.
"You are welcome … Rodney," she replied and he felt her shift to sit beside him. "I would like to know why you felt you could not include me in this plan of yours. Especially as it resulted in you being injured."
"I was going to tell you, I just didn't have enough time before the goons came in."
"And what did this plan entail?"
Rodney smiled, a bit smugly he could admit, and replied, "They wanted a 'gate address. I gave them a 'gate address."
"Presumably not to Atlantis," Teyla said.
Rodney shook his head. "No, but I had to let them think they were getting the real thing." He held up his bruised hand for a moment.
"Major Sheppard is not going to like knowing you willingly allowed yourself to be hurt," Teyla told him with a slight frown.
Rodney glanced at the opposite wall as the setting sun painted it in reds and oranges. "I'm not sure he's coming," he admitted softly. "We've been here almost a day. Atlantis has to know something happened by now. John could still be on Proculus for all we know." He tried to hide the bitterness he still felt about John running after Chaya, but from the look of Teyla's face, he hadn't succeeded.
"Even if John has not returned yet, which I do not believe is the case, Doctor Weir would have sent someone to find us," Teyla said. "You know that." She rested a hand on his arm again. "John will find us, Rodney."
Rodney felt his eyes drifting shut and jerked himself awake. Another symptom to add to the list, he thought grimly. "You should try to get out of here," he suggested. "Go find help."
"I am not going to leave you here alone," she told him. "If we try to escape, we will go together."
Rodney let his head roll back and forth along the wall. "I doubt I'll get up those steps," he waved his good hand toward the door, "much less out of the building. Not feeling too good," he added when he saw the quizzical look on her face.
"Then rest," she said. "I will let you know if an opportunity to escape occurs."
He nodded and this time when his eyes drifted shut, he didn't fight it. He reached out a hand toward her and smiled slightly when he felt her squeeze his fingers just before he fell asleep.
~*~*~*~ SGA ~*~*~*~
John watched the stone building until the sun set completely then scooted back down the slight incline and headed back to where the others waited, pulling out the Ancient scanner as he walked. He was confident Rodney, at least, was still in the building. There had been a couple of smaller spikes after the group ran past them almost two hours ago but the itch hadn't gone away. He wasn't thrilled Rodney was still hurting, but Carson had been right, the mental link was proving to be an advantage for finding him. He just hoped Thompson's eyes were good and Teyla was still with him.
"It looks like there are still seven, no, eight men wandering around outside the building," he reported in a low voice as he studied the scanner. "There's another six inside. No way to tell where our people might be." He glanced around at the faces he could barely see. "This needs to be fast and it needs to be quiet. If anyone inside figures out we're here, they could kill McKay and Teyla before we get to them. No firearms, sentry stalking only."
"Swift. Silent. Deadly. Yes, sir," Thompson replied, his expression hard.
"Once we're inside, we'll regroup and search the building," John finished and gave Ford a quick glance. "One last thing," he added as he stuffed the scanner in his vest pocket, "chances are high one or both of them is injured. Our exit will be dependent on how mobile they are."
"Yes, sir," Ford said.
"All right, move out. Let's go get our people."
John led the way toward the stone building but quickly lost sight of the others in the gloom as they spread out in search of guards. He was at one corner of the building when he found his first target. He wrapped his arms around the man's neck and twisted. There was a soft grunt and then the man was on the ground, no longer a threat. He checked his surroundings and moved on.
John was near the door when he felt an arm wrap around his own neck and start to squeeze. A kick to his attacker's knee loosened the man's grip enough for John to break free. He pulled his combat knife from the back of his tac-vest as the man closed a second time. He watched as the man waved a knife of his own back and forth and nearly fell for the distraction when he sensed another man coming up behind him.
He ducked under the new attack and came up with the knife, catching the second man in the side with the blade.
Sheppard looked around for the first attacker and saw him running toward the door. "Oh, no, you don't," John growled and brought the man down with a diving tackle. He quickly finished the man off and stood with his back to the wall of the building, searching for movement.
He heard running footsteps and brought up the knife to face the new attack only to find Ford skidding to a halt a few steps away.
John sheathed his knife and looked around. "Report," he ordered, bending slightly to catch his breath.
"With the two here, we've accounted for all eight men, sir," Ford replied drawing himself to attention.
"Anyone give warning?" John asked, standing up straight as Thompson and Ortega joined them.
"No, sir," Ford replied, his eyes flat and John knew none of the other raiders would ever kidnap anyone again.
John nodded and motioned toward the door and pulled out the scanner again. "Looks like there are two people near the southwest corner. Four more on the north side of the building, possibly on different floors," he added with a glance at the narrow windows close to the ground.
"Thompson, you come with me, we'll take the four on the north side. Ford, you and Ortega check the southwest corner. Radio if you find them."
Yes, sir," Ford replied and nodded to Ortega to follow him.
John waited until Ford and Ortega were inside the building, checking doorways as they carefully searched for either more hostiles or McKay and Teyla. "Come on, Sergeant," John said and led the way inside.
He expected to need to use the barrel light on the P-90 once inside and was surprised to discover the hallways lit with a soft yellow light. He glanced up and saw a section of the wall near the ceiling, roughly two feet in width, glowing the length of the hallway. He glanced in one of the rooms as he passed and noticed the same strip of light illuminating a table and several chairs.
He shrugged and led the way down the hall. He didn't know how the weird lighting worked and didn't really care, as long as it meant he didn't have to search the building in the dark.
They headed down the same hallway as Ford until John found an intersecting corridor and a set of steps leading down. The steps led in the right direction and he signalled Thompson to follow him.
He let the P-90 hang from its vest clip and pulled out his Beretta as he edged down the steps, ducking down to scan the lower hall before dropping the last two steps to cover the passageway as Thompson followed him, covering their back trail.
They were near the end of a hallway when John heard voices coming from the room a few feet away.
"Where is Kirin?" one voice growled. "He should have been back by now with his report on the city's location and defences."
"I - I'm not sure, Rasha," a second voice replied and John could hear the subservient whine in the man's tone. "None of the lookouts have reported seeing him or any of the others returning from the Portal."
John heard something wooden in the room shatter. "Something went wrong," Rasha growled. "The city couldn't be that far from the Portal."
"Kirin may have double -"
John heard a strangled yelp.
"Kirin is loyal," Rasha growled. "The Atlantean lied." John heard something else in the room crash to the floor. "I'll get the truth from that little maggot and this time I'll break more than his fingers."
John felt his blood run cold. He wasn't worried about the city, the shield would stop anyone unauthorised from coming through. Something he was sure Rodney was aware of when he gave up the 'gate address. No, what had him seeing red was knowing McKay had been tortured. Again. It had taken weeks for the nightmares featuring Kolya to go away. Now he knew what had caused the stabs of pain he'd felt through the link.
"Get the rest of the men and meet me outside," Rasha ordered. "We leave for the Portal in ten minutes."
John ducked back around the corner as a someone scurried down the hall, passing them without a glance as he hurried back up the hall to the stairs. A few seconds later another man, John assumed this was Rasha, stalked past and turned down a different hall.
John had a very bad feeling where Rasha was heading and signalled to Thompson they were following after him.
~*~*~*~ SGA ~*~*~*~
Teyla watched as Rodney slept, slumped against the wall. She had been surprised when he didn't flinch away from her as he usually did whenever she attempted to touch him. And then for him to reach out to her … She wondered what had prompted the change for a moment, then decided she didn't really care. It was a sign of his trust in her and that was enough.
She could feel the slight tremors through the hand she still held and frowned. She didn't like the pallor of his skin or the fact he was sweating while the room they were in was cool.
Major Sheppard had explained months ago about Rodney's problem with low blood sugar. This was why everyone on the team carried a few extra power bars and John had started saving their spare drink packets. What John hadn't been able to explain was what would happen if Rodney ever did go too long without eating something. Seeing the effects first-hand had her more than a little afraid. She was used to seeing him in frenetic motion, pacing, gesturing with his hands, his mind working faster than anyone else near him. Now he was lethargic, confused, and she feared he would only get worse if rescue did not come soon.
She watched him for a few more minutes before the thought tickled the back of her tired mind that she shouldn't be able to see him at all; the sun had set almost thirty minutes ago. She saw the glowing strip of the wall near the ceiling and glanced over at Rodney's sleeping form with a sigh. Normally, he would find such technology fascinating; theorising about possible power sources or other ways he could modify the systems for use in Atlantis. Now, he was oblivious and there was nothing she could do to help him.
She scooted closer to Rodney so his head could rest on her shoulder and shivered slightly in the cool evening air coming in through the windows. How long would it take for Doctor Weir to send someone to check the ruins after the team missed their check-in? she wondered. There had to be search teams on the planet by now looking for them, she tried to convince herself with another glance at McKay.
It was hard to estimate just how far away from the campsite the mountains were, but it had to be several miles at least. Knowing how the Marines usually searched, she hoped someone would find the stone building by morning. She glanced at Rodney again as he mumbled something in his sleep and squeezed the hand she still held. She wasn't sure he could wait much longer than that.
She fell into a light doze and it took several long seconds for her to realise the sounds she heard outside their prison were real and not part of a dream. She sat up and listened as heavy footsteps stopped just outside the room and the object blocking the door was moved aside. She eased out from under Rodney's sleeping body and climbed to her feet, her back to the wall and her knife in her hand.
She hesitated for a moment after the door was wrenched open, unsure if it was a friend or one of their kidnappers coming in the room. The way the door bounced off the outer wall, however, told her everything she needed to know just before a large man with his dark hair tied in a knot at the nape of his neck stormed into the room and headed for Rodney.
Teyla stepped between the man and McKay, her body crouched in a fighting position, ready to attack with the knife. The man towered over her by at least a foot and with his longer reach, she knew she would need to choose her targets with precision in order for her small knife to have any effect.
The man glanced at her with a sneer, then shoved her out of his way. She rolled with the attack and came back to her feet in one smooth motion. She ducked under his left arm, aiming for the space between two ribs.
He blocked the knife with his left arm and this time instead of pushing her away, he landed a fist to the side of her head.
The knife clattered on the floor and she had enough presence of mind to roll away from him again as her vision dimmed for a moment.
Rodney stirred slightly at the noise and looked up blearily as the newcomer picked him up by the front of his shirt and slammed him against the wall.
"What did you do, maggot?" the man hissed and pushed Rodney into the wall again. "Ten of my men are missing after they used the symbols you gave them for the Portal."
Teyla shook her head to clear it then crawled to the wall and used it to climb back to her feet. She glanced around for the knife and saw the man slam Rodney against the wall again.
She watched as Rodney stared at the man with a slightly dazed expression and saw a slight smile appear on his face. "Oops," he mumbled and groaned when his back and head hit the wall again.
Teyla bent and scooped up the knife and readied herself to attack again.
The man shifted his grip on Rodney so he was holding him up with one hand and turned to glare at her. "I'll deal with you soon enough, woman," the man said disdainfully and turned back to Rodney. "You think you've beaten me?" He pulled a large knife from his belt and flashed the blade in front of Rodney's eyes. "We'll see how clever you are now, maggot."
Rodney started to struggle weakly in the man's grip when he saw the knife. "Don't talk, don't tell," Teyla heard him mumble as he stared blearily at the knife.
The man laughed and ran the flat of the blade down Rodney's cheek. "Not so brave, now, are you? Thought you could play Rasha for a fool, did you?" Rasha used the tip of the blade and drew a line down Rodney's cheek.
Teyla saw a thin streak of blood follow the blade. Rodney's reaction, however, was to struggle harder in Rasha's hold.
Rasha gripped Rodney by the shoulder and braced his forearm against McKay's throat, the knife held up where Rodney could see it. "What did you do to my men?" Rasha hissed as he pressed his arm against McKay's neck.
Teyla realised she was out of time. Rodney stopped struggling and his eyes started to close as his breathing became more labored. She tucked herself into a roll aiming for the back of one of Rasha's knees, hoping that would force him to drop Rodney.
"Let him go," a harsh voice said from the doorway and Teyla turned to see Major Sheppard, his Beretta pointed at the man still holding Rodney pinned to the wall, standing just inside the door with Sergeant Thompson behind him.
Rasha glanced behind him, saw Sheppard standing in the doorway, and pulled Rodney around in front of himself.
Teyla wasn't sure McKay was still conscious; his head hung loose and he didn't react to John's voice at all.
"Where are my men?" Rasha demanded as he wrapped an arm around Rodney's throat again and brandished the knife at John.
Teyla stayed near the wall watching as John's aim shifted slightly every time Rasha moved.
"Your men are dead," John told him, his voice hard. "If you don't want to join them, you'll let him go."
Rasha's eyes bulged slightly at the news. He shoved Rodney at Teyla and charged John, his knife held high.
She dropped her knife as she instinctively tried to break Rodney's fall, but he was dead weight as he crashed into her and sent both of them into the wall. Teyla felt the skin on her back and side burn as she slid down the rough stone, pinned between Rodney and the wall.
There was a loud report as the Beretta fired and then Rasha jerked to a stop and stared down at the bloody hole in his chest. He glared at Sheppard and tried to take another step, but his legs gave out and he crashed to the floor.
John barely waited for Rasha to fall before he was across the room pulling Rodney off of her. "Thompson, get that," he pointed at the body, "out of here. Then radio Ford and Ortega, let them know we found Teyla and Rodney and where we are."
"Yes, sir," Thompson said as he let his P-90 hang off his vest clip. He flipped Rasha over on his back, grabbed the dead raider under the arms, and pulled him out of the room.
"Teyla? You all right?" John asked as he pulled Rodney up to lean against him and gave her a quick once over.
She forced herself to slow her breathing and nodded.
John pursed his lips and stared wordlessly at her.
"Truly, John, I am fine," she assured him as she found her knife and tucked it back into her boot. "I have only a few bruises and scrapes. Your arrival was well-timed. Be careful of Rodney's hand," she added as John started to readjust his hold on McKay.
John glanced down at Rodney's right hand and frowned as he tapped McKay's cheek. "Come on, Rodney. It's John. Open your eyes for me."
"I am afraid on top of what Rasha did to him," she touched her own neck, "we have had very little to eat today and he was ill last night."
John unclipped his pack and slid it over to her. "The drink packets are in the front pocket," he said and tapped Rodney's cheek again. "Power bars are next to the water. You need to eat something, too."
Teyla found the packets of powdered drink mix and a bottle of water. She opened one of the packets and poured the instant mix into the water.
"Better make it two," John said as he pressed his hand to Rodney's forehead, then his cheek.
She added another packet and shook the bottle before handing it to John and found one of the energy bars in the pack for herself.
"Rodney, can you hear me?" John said softly. "I need you to open your eyes. I've got something here that will make you feel a bit better."
Teyla watched as Rodney slowly opened his eyes and stared first at John, then at Teyla, confusion clear in his expression. "J'n?" he asked and Teyla winced at how gravelly his voice sounded.
"Yeah, buddy," John said and tapped Rodney's lip with the bottle. "I need you to try and drink some of this."
Rodney squinted at John for a moment longer, then opened his mouth. John tipped the bottle enough for him to swallow the sweet, purple liquid and not choke.
"Body is in the room next door and Ford is on his way, sir," Thompson said as he re-entered the room and stood near the door. "No sign of anyone other than us still around."
John glanced up and nodded. "Thank you, Sergeant," he said absently, his focus clearly on getting Rodney to drink more of the water.
Rodney flinched at Thompson's voice and tried to look around.
"That's just Thompson," John told him in a low voice. "Everything is under control. You need to try and drink some more of this," he added as he tilted the bottle again.
Teyla was surprised, but pleased, to see only compassion on Thompson's face as he watched John cajole Rodney into swallowing more of the sugary drink. She knew from conversations with Lieutenant Ford, the close relationship they shared was rare and sometimes misunderstood by others.
Thompson came farther into the room and stopped beside Teyla. He grimaced when he saw Rodney try to sit up straight and take the bottle with his injured right hand. "I c'n do'it," McKay mumbled then started coughing.
John held the bottle out of reach. "Not yet," he said once the fit passed. "I'll hold it, you just drink."
Teyla smiled to herself when Rodney gave him a glare mixed with equal parts indignation and exhaustion as he opened his mouth again.
"What happened to his hand?" Thompson asked as he unclipped his own pack and took out a first aid kit. He pawed through the bag of medical supplies until he found a couple of emergency splints and passed them over to Sheppard. He dug through the kit again and handed Teyla two antiseptic wipes.
She nodded her thanks and started cleaning the scrapes on her arm and side.
"Rasha," John growled as he set the bottle aside and took the splints. He leant Rodney against the wall and looked him in the eye. "Better?" he asked softly.
Rodney nodded slightly and closed his eyes again.
"Hey," John said and tapped Rodney's knee. "You need to try and stay awake."
Rodney cracked an eye open and glowered but nodded again.
Teyla noticed the water bottle was almost empty and dug through John's pack to find another one and two more drink packets. She mixed two more packets into another bottle of water and handed it to John.
"He told me it was part of his plan," Teyla said softly, and waited to see how John would react.
As she expected, Sheppard frowned at that news and shook his head. He held up the splints where Rodney could see them, then gently picked up his hand and examined the purple fingers. John waited for Rodney to nod slightly before he started untying the bindings.
"Sorry," he muttered when Rodney hissed in pain. "I'll be as fast as I can." John glanced over at Teyla and pointed to her ragged trouser leg. "You did this?" he asked as he undid the last of the knots and carefully slipped Rodney's fingers into the splints.
"It was the best I could do at the time," she replied as she finished cleaning the scrapes on her side.
John smiled. "You did a good job. I doubt Carson will have to do much once we're back in Atlantis." He held the bottle up where Rodney could see it. "Ready for some more?" he asked.
Rodney nodded and took the bottle in his left hand. He finished off the rest of the sugary drink in a few swallows.
Teyla hadn't missed the fine pain lines around John's eyes and knew he had to have a headache from the link. She handed John a couple of the ibuprofen from the first aid kit and shook her head when Sheppard handed the pills to Rodney along with the fresh bottle of the water mixed with drink powder. She sighed, popped two more of the pills from the blister pack, found another bottle of water, and tapped John's arm again.
John stared at her with a frown. She ignored him and held out the pills and water with a raised eyebrow. He met her eyes for a moment longer then relented and took the bottle and the medication with a sigh and shake of his head.
Teyla caught Thompson watching the silent by-play and wondered how much the Sergeant had figured out about Sheppard and Rodney and the link. John had made it clear he did not want the entire city to know about the link they shared and Rodney had backed him up. Teyla had heard a few rumors, especially after Rodney's accident the previous month, but so far as she was aware the only people who knew the truth, other than herself and Ford, were Doctors Weir and Beckett. She hoped Thompson would keep anything he had guessed to himself.
John sat against the wall next to Rodney and nudged his arm. "How are you doing?"
Rodney glanced over at him. "Better," he said softly, his voice a little rough either from exhaustion or the chokehold Rasha had used on him. "Still a bit shaky and dizzy, but getting better."
A few minutes later, Teyla heard running feet outside the room and Thompson sprang up, his P-90 aimed at the door.
John stood as well. Teyla noticed he placed himself between Rodney and the door as he unholstered his Beretta.
The footsteps stopped just outside the door and Ford called out, "Major Sheppard? Clear to enter?"
"Clear, Lieutenant," John replied, and nodded to Thompson as he relaxed his aim.
Ford entered the room and Teyla smiled when she saw Corporal Ortega enter behind him, a bandage wrapped around his arm.
"Are you are all right, Corporal?" Teyla asked.
"Just a scratch, ma'am," Ortega replied with a glance at his arm.
"Hey, Teyla," Ford said as he strolled over to her. "You guys all right?"
She nodded. "More or less."
Ford glanced over at Rodney. Teyla followed his gaze and saw Rodney had his eyes closed again and the bottle in his hand was in danger of tipping.
"Is the building secure, Lieutenant?" John asked as he knelt down beside him and took the bottle from Rodney's lax hand.
Ford nodded. "Yes, sir. Two men on the other side of the building tried to trap us in a crossfire, another of the raiders tried to escape out the front door. That one thought he could fight his way out." Ford pointed at Ortega's arm. "He wasn't successful."
"In that case, we'll bed down here for the night," John replied. "Teyla and McKay could do with the rest. Ortega, too."
"I'm fine, sir," Ortega insisted.
"You haven't slept in more than twenty-four hours, Corporal," John replied, his voice stern. "Ford, Thompson, and I can stand watch tonight." He waited until Ortega gave him a reluctant nod then said, "Ford, break out the MREs. We'll eat, get some sleep, and head back to the 'gate in the morning."