Author's Note: Okay, this came to me when I decided I wanted a fluffy Carson story to use to ignore my cold. It features a character created by pisces317, and is used with her permission. Also, the time frame for the episodes is a little difficult to figure out. If you have any questions, please ask, and I'll explain why I timed things the way I did. Enjoy! ~lg
*athair: Scottish Gaelic for "father."
oOo
Feeling like he hadn't slept the night before, Carson Beckett trudged into the infirmary on Atlantis and walked straight to his office. His head pounded, his eyes felt like sandpaper, and he could barely breathe. In addition, his throat, while not sore, was scratchy and making his voice sound more like Ronon's growl than his usual tenor. He knew the diagnosis without ever asking Amanda to head over to him. He had a cold.
Closing his office door, Carson snagged a box of Kleenex and made sure his tea was close by. He'd managed to swipe some of the English Breakfast tea in the cafeteria and made it to his liking. The Athosian version of honey sweetened it, and it helped with the scratchiness in his voice. He'd not taken any medications the night before and likely would tonight. If this didn't let off, that is. He'd never been one to take medications until coming to Pegasus, but he'd rarely needed to take them. Which explained why this cold got on his nerves so badly. How did he manage to come down with a common Earth malady in the middle of the Pegasus galaxy?
"There you are." Rodney McKay's voice interrupted his thoughts, and Carson glanced up with a frown.
"Where else would I be, Rodney?"
"The morning briefing?"
Carson swore under his breath and glanced at his watch. Of course he'd forgotten the morning briefing. It went with the rest of his day. "Give me a moment."
"Oh, don't worry about it." Rodney smiled smugly. "I told Elizabeth you weren't feeling very well last night, and she understood."
"Oh, well that's very kind of you," Carson said sarcastically. He would have preferred no one knew he was sick. It made his work a lot easier. "Did I miss anything?"
"Not really." Rodney folded his arms. "Just the daily reports, security stuff, and an annoying complaint about me."
"You?"
"Yeah. I'm not sure why." Rodney shook his head, seeming rather amazed that anyone would dare complain about his arrogant, superior attitude.
Carson let out a breath and tried to pretend he felt better than he actually did. "Well, if that's it, then, I do have work to get done."
Rodney frowned. "Hey, are you okay?"
"Peachy. Why?"
"Because you look a little pale."
"It's a cold, Rodney." Carson waved a hand. "I'll be fine."
"You sure?" The physicist held up both hands when Carson gave him an annoyed look. "Fine. You'll be fine. Right. See you later." With that, he walked out of the office.
As the door closed behind him, Carson sat back in his chair and pinched the bridge of his nose. He really didn't feel as good as he'd pretended to Rodney and should be resting. Instead, he sat here glaring at paperwork and wondering why he didn't take one of the dozen or so personal days he'd built up since his last stay in the infirmary.
Had it really been six months since he'd sprained his knee and given himself a concussion bad enough to warrant an overnight stay? Carson shook his head and tried to remember the adventure. There had been so many of them in recent months. That time, however, he'd been off world on a routine check-in with one of their allies. On the way back to the gate, the weather decided to turn nasty. The rain drenched them in seconds, and Carson had done his best to keep going. However, the path to the gate led past a steep hill, and the mud gave way under his feet. His head made the acquaintance of a rock on his way down the slope, and he'd awakened in the infirmary under observation. The concussion had faded within the week, but his knee had taken four months to fully heal. Even now, it twinged at odd times.
Just thinking about the whole affair made his knee ache, something he ignored as he reached for yet another Kleenex. He hated colds in general and having them in particular, though he wasn't surprised. They'd been going around Atlantis with the change in season, and Carson figured it was his turn to be sick.
The hours passed slowly as Carson waded through the paperwork on his desk. The last few weeks had been chaotic, what with Kolya kidnapping and allowing a Wraith to feed on Sheppard. The colonel's life had ultimately been returned to him by said Wraith. If that wasn't mind-bending enough, Carson had spent hours hallucinating that one of his patients had died while off world while he let another one actually die. He could use a break, he figured. And he decided that today was the best day to do something about the backlog on his desk.
Finally, as noon approached, the door to his office opened, and he looked up in surprise. Sarah McKenzie, a nurse recently arrived on the Daedalus, appeared holding a tray that had an insulated carafe, tea bags, honey, sugar, and a bowl of steaming soup. She glanced over at him and flushed as she carried it to his desk. "Dr. Cole asked me to bring this to you."
"Oh, did she, now?" Carson smiled to let the younger woman know she was welcome. Her green eyes flitted over his face and back to the tray, and a blush darkened her cheeks to a delightful shade of pink. Sheppard had called her cute once, but Carson revised that statement. With long blond hair so straight it seemed to fold over her shoulders and down her back, those amazing green eyes, and an air of elegance, she was absolutely stunning.
"She did," Sarah said, bringing Carson back to reality. He cleared a spot on his desk, and she set the tray down long enough to hand him a bowl of chicken noodle soup. "She also said you'd refuse to take medication so I was to make sure you ate every bite and drank at least one good cuppa."
He grinned at that. Sarah may have been American, but her globe-trotting family spent most of her formative years in England. She spoke with an accent that sounded like a mix between New York and London. "Then, have a seat, love." Carson cleared the stack of files off of a chair he'd used when he'd run out of space on his desk.
As she settled, he took a bite of the soup. He shook his head when he realized that canned chicken noodle soup tasted good. Rather than thinking about it, he let the warm broth soothe his throat as he eyed Sarah. She didn't just plop into the chair, but lowered herself gracefully and reached with long, slender fingers to pour two cups of tea. She added a teaspoon of sugar to one, a good-sized dallop of honey, and handed it to Carson. Yes, Amanda had coached her well. Carson accepted the tea with a smile and watched her fix her cup. When she'd finished, he took a sip of his. The brew was a bit weak, but the sugar and honey made up for it. Aye, ye're sick, he thought. The only time ye like tea this sweet is when ye've got a cold.
"So, tell me, Sarah, how long have you been on Atlantis?" Carson tried not to mentally kick himself. As Chief of Medicine, he knew how long she'd been there. He'd hired her based on her credentials alone. But he wanted to hear her talk in that delightful accent and just enjoy something other than solitude for the moment.
"Just a week." She sat with her back straight, perched on the edge of the chair as if one wrong move would make her bolt. "I like it, though. It's different."
"Aye," Carson agreed. He wished he knew how to make her feel more comfortable. "You get used to it, though. Within a month, you'll be so accustomed to twenty-seven-hour-long days and constant mentions of Wraith that it won't even faze you."
"That's what everyone says," she replied. "I'll believe it when I see it." Then, she eyed him. "You've been here since the beginning, right?"
"Oh, aye." Carson ate a few bites of soup. "I went back home for a time after the Siege, saw my family. But I was glad to get back."
"How do they handle you being away?" Though she made it sound nonchalant, there was more to Sarah's question than mere curiosity. The way she shifted in her chair when she asked and the slight tremble in her voice told him that she still hadn't adjusted to life in Pegasus.
"My family?" He thought for a moment. "My mum doesn't mention it when I'm at home, but I know she'd prefer me to work in Scotland. Closer to home. My athair* passed a few years back."
"I'm sorry I asked."
"Don't be, love." He smiled. "I come from a family of seven, and Mum is quite looked after."
She looked down at her tea, turning the cup in her hands and drawing his eyes to her fingers. "I'm the eldest of two." She shook her head. "Mum didn't take it well when I left. But it's what I wanted to do, and I refused to live her life for her."
Carson waited until she looked up, seeing a determination in those green eyes that contradicted her delicate appearance. This one would do well here. He smiled at her. "You've made the right choice."
She returned the smile at the same time that his computer beeped, telling him he'd received an email. Sarah's face cleared, and she set her teacup on the edge of his desk. "I should let you get back to work."
Carson hated to admit she was right. "Thank you for bringing this."
"You're welcome, Dr. Beckett."
"Call me Carson. Everyone does."
She lifted one finely-sculpted eyebrow at him. "Very well. . .Carson."
When she turned to go, he realized he didn't want to see her leave just yet. "Sarah?" He waited until she faced him. "Would you care to join me for dinner in a day or so when this cold goes on its merry way?"
She smiled again, this time adding a sparkle to her eyes. "I'd love to." And, with that, she left him alone.
oOo
Two months later
Earth
Carson waited in the SGC infirmary for the new arrivals to finish with their physicals. So much had happened in the last eight weeks that he wasn't sure where to begin. He and Sarah had shared that dinner two days after their conversation in the office, and that led to a fairly steady relationship that both of them were careful to keep out of their work. A week after their first date, the Daedalus found a ship full of Ancients in the void between galaxies. The return of the Ancients to Atlantis resulted in the Expedition being kicked back to Earth. In those weeks between his cold and their return to Earth, he and Sarah had decided that they wanted to pursue something more between them than the secret date here and there.
Then, her mother's health deteriorated rapidly. Sarah had returned to New York to care for her mother, leaving Carson at the SGC. They shared daily phone calls, and Carson spent an evening with her family during a twenty-four-hour layover in his flight from Scotland to Denver. He could have taken one without the layover, but seeing Sarah in the airport, waiting for him, was well worth the inconvenience. At her family's Fifth Avenue home, her father grilled him about his family past and his education. It felt like an interview to be in the family, and Carson had tried to give Sarah an encouraging smile. There was no way her family would scare him off. Even the Wraith hadn't done that.
Now, though, he was thrilled. But it was a bittersweet joy. Sarah's mother had passed away a week ago, and Carson had flown out for the memorial. He'd sat in the massive church, holding Sarah's hand while she grieved. Her younger brother, who was attending Harvard Law, pulled Carson aside and gave him the Big Brother talk. Apparently, Sarah had called Carson immediately after calling the doctor helping with her mother's care. It spoke of how deeply she cared for the Scot as well as the level of trust she had in him.
The door to the office he'd appropriated opened, and she appeared. She'd lost some weight in the last few weeks, but she was still the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. She hesitated for only a moment and then threw herself into his arms in an uncharacteristic show of emotion. Carson held her close, savoring the feel of her, while she cried on his shoulder.
Finally, she pulled back. "It's so good to see you!"
"Aye, it is." He smiled. Rather than saying anything else, he leaned down and kissed her. He'd meant it to be soft and gentle, but she took it to another level. Before long, he was forced to pull back for some air. "Hello, love!"
She flushed. "Sorry."
"You have nothing to be sorry for." He smiled and took her hand in his. "I've been meanin' to talk to you about what we have."
Sarah nodded. "I wanted to, as well. But Mother's health. . . ." Her voice cracked as tears came to her eyes.
Carson pulled her into his arms and simply held her as she cried. He suspected she hadn't truly wept since her mother's death, but he hadn't said as much. Her family demanded much from her, and she'd had the strength to become a nurse instead of going into law with her father. She would make it through this, as well. And he would help her.
oOo
Six weeks and another long separation later, Carson and Sarah were reunited on Atlantis. They "went public" with their relationship, resulting in Sarah working in a totally different department. Until then, Carson hadn't realized she also had a degree in marine biology. In fact, she'd obtained that degree before getting her nurse's degree. He'd shaken his head upon learning that and happily let her change departments to prevent a conflict of interest.
Three months later, he was caught in an explosion during a rare day off on Atlantis. He and Sarah had planned a fishing trip, but Amanda Cole's migraine forced him to stay behind. Sarah had understood, and shared lunch with him in the infirmary. When exploding tumors necessitated an emergency surgery, Sarah had waited tensely in a safe zone, nearly panicking when the tumor exploded before fully encased in the containment vessel. The resulting explosion severely injured Carson, leaving him in a coma for a week before sending him back to Earth for a lengthy recovery. Sarah stayed with him for most of that time, returning to Atlantis only after he'd been set up at his mother's house. She emailed often, and Carson loved reading her long missives when the weekly status report came through the gate. He was saddened to learn of Elizabeth's death, feeling that he should have been there to help.
Six months after the explosion, Carson returned to Atlantis. The shrapnel that embedded itself in his back and leg left him with a permanent limp—something he hadn't told Sarah. He knew she wouldn't care if he limped or not, but it bothered him. He still worked, having spent a lot of time in the SGC infirmary. But he was more anxious to see her than he was to return to his duties as Chief of Medicine.
Atlantis's new commander, Samantha Carter, greeted him in the gate room, and Carson was gracious while still impatient. She let him go, and he found Sarah in her lab. While on Earth, he'd picked up a few things for her, but he knew he'd only give one of them to her today. She wasn't ready for the ring, yet, even though he knew where their relationship was headed.
In her lab, Sarah glanced up from her computer screen as the door opened. Carson stopped just inside, waiting to see how she'd react. While she had her exuberant moments, her nature was more reserved. She glanced around, realizing they were alone, and threw herself at him. He caught her and laughed just before she claimed his mouth for a long kiss.
When he finally drew back, he smiled. "It's good to see you, love."
"You, too!" She straightened and looped her arm through his as she headed back to the computer. Carson limped along with her, drawing a frown. "What happened?"
"An explosion," he answered wryly. As her brow furrowed, he explained the damage the shrapnel had done. Her green eyes never left his except when he pointed out the muscle groups that had been damaged. Finally, he shrugged. "I'm sorry I never told ye, love, but I didn't want ta do it in an email."
"But you're okay?" She frowned. "I mean, you're fully recovered except that?"
"Aye."
To his surprise, she smacked his arm. "Carson, you should have told me! I can handle a limp knowing you're okay." Then, she calmed. "But I understand why you didn't."
"You're not angry?"
"You lived, which we didn't know would happen for about a week." She shrugged. "How could I not be okay with that?"
The smile that he'd kept at bay finally covered his face, and he pulled her close to kiss her temple. "Sarah, love, it's good to be home."
"It's good to have you home." She saved her work, and they walked out of the lab together.
Later that evening, Carson pulled out one of the gifts he'd brought for her. A gold necklace with two hearts entwined, holding a single diamond between them, dangled from his fingers. He slipped it around her neck and moved her hair to fasten it. "It's how I see us," he explained.
Sarah fingered it for a long moment. "It's beautiful." She turned to face him, her eyes shining with tears. "Thank you."
"You're welcome."
They spent the evening wrapped in one another's arms, sharing hopes and dreams for the future. No matter what happened—and they knew chaos would hit—they'd have each other. For the two of them, it was enough.