A/N: I just really enjoy the pairing of Ronon/Jennifer and can't help but think of ways they could have changed it. A very big thank you to Journeyman07 for the beta! Please review and let me know how the story is doing. Any type of criticism is helpful. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Stargate Atlantis or it's wonderful characters.
Spoilers: Through Season 5 up to Brainstorm.
5 – Caught in It
It'd been three weeks since Jennifer talked with Rodney in the mess hall about their friendship. He avoided her for a few days which made her sad, but then he slowly started coming around again and more often. She was so relieved he seemed to want to keep their friendship.
She couldn't say the same about Ronon. It'd been five weeks since she told him she was interested in someone else, and to say they were still avoiding each other would be such an understatement! She missed the imposing man terribly, but he wouldn't look her in the eye, and the pain that caused her cut so deep.
When the power went out tonight, Jennifer had been in her room, enjoying a rare moment of down time. When she found her radio didn't work she made her way to the infirmary knowing there would be injuries due to whatever was going on. She hoped on the way she would find out what, but no one seemed to know.
With each new injury she treated she asked the question, but no one seemed to know. As the time wore on she began to worry. So far all of the injuries had been related to the power outage, the worst being a broken arm from falling down some stairs.
When she finally heard Michael was on Atlantis and he was behind all of this her heart stopped. Everyone thought he had died; to hear he was back on Atlantis was frightening. She knew Sheppard's team would be in the thick of things. She'd be holding her breath until she saw them all safe again.
When they brought Major Lorne in unconscious her heart sank, this wasn't going to be good.
"How's he doing, Doc?" Sheppard asked as he rounded the curtain around Evan's bed.
"He'll be fine, Colonel. The stun just knocked him out," she reassured the man as she looked back at Evan.
Jennifer turned back to Sheppard, "How bad is it?"
He looked down at the floor for a moment before looking up and speaking, "Not good, Doc. Teyla and Torren are up there with Michael, we can't get up there and no one has seen Ronon." He shook his head and looked away.
She knew what he was thinking. If Ronon was physically able, he'd be here helping, so… why wasn't he?
Jennifer gave him his out, "Go, Colonel, I'll contact you if anything changes."
"Thanks, Doc," He reached for the radio amongst Lorne's things and gave it to Jennifer. "While the coms are down use this."
Jennifer made rounds again an hour later. When she entered Evan's curtained off area she found him awake.
"Hey there, Marie told me you woke up a little bit ago. How are you feeling?" she asked while taking his vitals. The radio clipped to her jacket pocket was turned down low so she could monitor the activities.
"I'm feeling fine, Doc, and I want my pants back." He said in an aggravated voice.
"No, right now that's the only thing keeping you in that bed," she smiled sweetly at him.
"If that's why I'm not getting them back, then prepare yourself to see a lot more of me in an upright position then you're used to," He challenged her.
"If the lack of pants isn't working, I could always try sedatives, they seem to work pretty well," she said with a tough, yet triumphant look.
He stared at her for a moment before they heard an excited voice on the radio. Jenn turned it up. It was Zelenka.
"Colonel Sheppard, Ronon is in the control room, he is fighting with Michael."
"We're almost to the jumper bay keep us posted."
She looked at Lorne her eyes huge, turned on her heal and left the room, only to return seconds later.
"I'm sure he'll be ok, Doc..."
He noticed that she had his pants with her seconds before they hit him in the chest.
"Major, I expect you to return here the minute this is over or I'll personally administer a sedative intravenously."
"I don't even have an I.V., Doc." He complained while pulling his pants up.
"Not yet you don't." she said with every amount of the scary CMO in her voice.
"Yes, ma'm," Evan said as he ran from the room.
Jennifer nervously monitored the radio from her office hoping for any information on how things were going, but it defied her in its silence. Several minutes later, when she could almost not handle the silence any longer it sprang to life again, startling her.
"Radek," came Sheppard's voice. "Tell us what's going on up there."
"I, I can't tell, Ronon is down. He might just be unconscious."
"Tell me when he comes to."
The waiting was going to kill her.
Just when she thought her stress was at its limit she heard the self destruct alarm go off. She jumped up and readied her staff. She knew the alarm would just spur the Military into more risky action and they needed to be ready for the fall out.
Jennifer crossed the infirmary from her office to the patient's bed. She made the last of the staff go to bed about an hour ago. There was no need for any other staff when they only had one patient left.
John had been beaten and had lots of bruises, but luckily sustained no other injuries. There'd also been a lot of people who'd been stunned, but they'd all woken up a few hours ago and she released them and Lorne who had returned as instructed.
Jennifer cautiously pulled back the curtain and slid through the opening toward Ronon's bed. He hated to be stuck here and she didn't know exactly what mood he'd be in when she woke him. He'd suffered the worst of the injuries and because of his concussion she and the staff needed to wake him often to check his levels of consciousness.
Ronon's team plus Radek and Lorne had stood around reliving the events of their evening under Michael's siege far into the night before Jennifer kicked them all out. She knew Ronon needed the rest even though he claimed he felt fine.
As she approached the bed she saw he was sleeping. He looked so at peace when asleep. Her reluctance to wake him became even stronger. She found herself watching him sleep and thinking of the tales the team had told. Where they'd been and what they'd done. It'd been like being in a locker room after a winning game, each recounting their defining moment.
Her gaze fell to his neck as she remembered hearing Radek relating to Rodney how Michael held a knife to the neck of an unconscious Ronon. Rodney's dialing of the gate from the puddle jumper most likely saved Ronon's life when it sent Michael scurrying for an alternate exit.
Without conscious thought Jennifer reached out her hand and held two fingers to Ronon's neck feeling for a pulse. The steady rhythm she felt beneath her fingers soothed her. He was here now in her infirmary and safe.
She caressed his neck while lost in her thoughts. "I almost lost you," she whispered, her throat tight. She turned away from Ronon and picked up his chart to begin writing done his stats, missing his eyes opening and watching her.
When she turned back towards her patient she reached for the flashlight in her pocket while reaching out her other hand to wake him. As her hand was about to touch him she noticed that he was awake and barely held in the gasp on her lips.
"How are you feeling," she asked gently.
"I'm fine, I don't need to stay," he quietly insisted.
In a very patient doctor voice she replied, "You've suffered a concussion and need to spend the night for observation." She took a step closer, "In other words, we need to wake you up often."
He rolled his eyes and looked away as she took the rest of his vitals.
"You should try to rest," she murmured as she finished the short exam.
"Not tired," came his clipped reply.
She nodded her head and hesitated before turning slowly to go.
"Wait," he asked with uncertainty in his voice.
She stiffened for a moment before she turned back around and when he said nothing she slowly approached the bed.
He watched her for a moment, unsure what he wanted to say. His mind kept straying to the feel of her hand on his neck and the sadness that had been in her voice.
He knew… that she knew… that he lied when he denied being interested in her. She had already known he was because she'd overheard the discussion about "intentions" between himself and Rodney. Now he wondered if maybe she lied too. Rodney seemed to think so, and now that the little seed of doubt had been planted in his head he was interpreting her actions and words differently.
When she'd moved her hand along his neck it'd seemed endearing and her words made his heart stop. Could she be interested in him? And if so, what caused her to lie? Ronon hadn't had many reasons to hope in his life, wasn't sure if he even knew what to do with the emotion. He definitely wasn't ready to be left alone to dwell on the emotion.
"Sorry," he finally said into the silence. Her troubled gaze locked with his. "Rodney said you heard us talking."
He could tell by the change on her face she knew what he was talking about. He'd always appreciated her intuitiveness. Her face also carried a slight blush and he found that to be endearing.
She cleared her throat, "I wasn't angry… a little confused, uncomfortable maybe, but not mad." She gave him a tentative smile, "I shouldn't have been eaves dropping."
"You were coming to spar that night?" Ronon asked quietly.
"Actually, I was coming to thank you again for coming after me on that planet, for helping get Celise, Kiryk and I to the gate." Jennifer replied sheepishly. "When I saw Rodney ahead of me in the hall walk into the gym and heard him talking to you I was glad because I thought I could thank you both at once."
"I'd always come for you, Rodney too." Ronon said trying to shrug off her thanks.
Jennifer looked at the ground in slight embarrassment before looking back at Ronon. "You need to get some rest, I'll be back soon to check your vitals again." She turned and slowly left the room.
As he watched her go he felt that prodigal emotion called hope come back to him. He knew sleep would elude him while his mind tried to wrap itself around the questions running through his head.