Part 12 – Caught Snooping
Kavanagh carefully approached the infirmary and inwardly smiled as Sheppard's cries reached his ears before he'd even entered the area. Revenge, oh sweet revenge, he thought, as he knew Weir would be with Sheppard by now.
Slipping into a side corridor where he could quietly observe while going unnoticed by the busy staff, he stuck close to the wall and watched as Sheppard yelled and turned restlessly on his bed while Weir watched him with distress written all over her face. As I said, emotion most certainly drives your actions, Dr. Weir, Kavanagh thought with a satisfied smile.
-SGA-
The Doley driven cart turned out to be a small broad wheeled contraption pulled by six of the weirdest looking animals that Teyla and Ronon had never seen. Back in Atlantis, they'd seen pictures of the Earth animals their friends called cows and horses. In many ways the Doley were very cow like but with extremely long bodies and a set of powerful legs, a little like a cart horse.
Ronon and Teyla carefully sat themselves down on the indicated seats and watched as the muscles rippled across the Doley's backs as they prepared to pull the strange cart and its three passengers, plus two precious Turaka, up the long and sandy track back to the stargate.
As they moved off, Ronon grunted something about it would be quicker to walk but he soon changed his mind when the cart picked up speed and raced towards their destination. Teyla closed her eyes and held on tightly to the side of the contraption and the bag containing the insects. As they reached neck-breaking speeds, she muttered a silent prayer, hoping that they would be in time to save the man they truly admired and loved.
-SGA-
Elizabeth stared in anguish as Carson and several nurses had to hold John down to stop him pulling the IV and monitors leads free. Up until a few minutes ago, John had been restless and yelling, however nothing like he was doing now.
Out of despair, Carson fished into his pocket and produced a syringe containing yet another dose of morphine even though he doubted it would have much effect anymore. Quickly injecting it into the IV, he hoped to god that it would give Sheppard some relief.
Although, there was another method of pain relief that they hadn't tried yet, so turning to an assistant, he said. "Let's use transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation on him and see how he responds."
With a questioning look, Elizabeth turned red and tearful eyes towards Carson. Through John's screams, he explained. "TENS may give him some relief as it simulates the nerve endings just under the skin. I'm hoping it will block some of the pain messages getting through to his brain by providing an alternative stimulus. It works quite well in some cancer patients with severe uncontrollable pain."
Elizabeth nodded. "Please just help him if you can."
"Aye." Carson agreed as the assistant returned with the small TENS machine. It took four medical staff to hold John as Carson turned him over. Parting the hospital gown, the doctor carefully attached the electrodes to his back, two on either side of his spine and turned him over again. The staff continued to hold the colonel as Carson switched the machine on. Everyone waited with baited breath to see if there would be any improvement but John continued to thrash about and cry out.
With the fires of hell flowing through his veins, John's mind registered only one thing, pure never-ending agony. His thought processes, although dulled by morphine and the excruciating pain, did come up with one tiny desire, a desperate, deep wish to be taken to the black void. To slip away to a place where no more pain existed, where dreams of demons, torture, and death no longer cascaded through his tormented mind. He no longer knew what was up and what was down. He no longer felt attached in any way to the world that must still exist around him. The pounding of his heart echoed to the rhythm of the pain, maybe if he wished a little harder, the pounding would stop and the black void would come.
Elizabeth nearly jumped out of her skin when the monitoring machine did a sudden bleeping sound, only to stop again. "What was that?" she asked over the pounding of her heart.
Carson grabbed his stethoscope and listen to John's heart. Straightening, he murmured. "For a minute there it looked like he was going into cardiac arrest but it seems to have righted for the time being."
"That's not good it is?"
"No, lass. I don't know how much longer his body can stand such extreme pain but one thing's for sure, if we don't find a cure soon then…" Beckett didn't finish his sentence as Ronon and Teyla came rushing into the infirmary to present him with two small cages.
"We have two Turaka." Ronon called over John's noise.
"Oh, thank god!" Carson replied, and wasting no time, he rushed from the room clutching the deadly cargo.
-SGA-
Kavanagh watched the proceedings with an almost lustful joy at seeing the way Weir looked and reacted. However, bile rose to his throat whenever he looked at Sheppard. He had known that the Turaka would cause pain, although he had not envisioned this much. He would have to be very cold-hearted not to feel some guilt over causing such suffering. So now, he only hoped that the colonel would soon die and his screams would fade into memory.
His thoughts were interrupted by the sudden appearance of the brutish Ronon Dex and annoying Teyla Emmagan. Wondering what they wanted, he eased forward to watch and his heart started to hammer loudly when he saw them hand over what looked like two cages to Carson Beckett. The doctor quickly disappeared leaving Kavanagh wondering what the cages contained. Leaning forward, he desperately tried to catch their words over Sheppard's cries.
-SGA-
Both Ronon and Teyla were shocked to see how badly John had deteriorated since they'd been gone. His slim body seemed to be collapsing before their eyes. The dark circles around his staring, unfocused eyes looked as if he'd gone ten rounds with the strongest Wraith. His cries although still loud, came over hoarse and rasping from a throat that must be raw and inflamed. His white skin was mottled with bruises and rashes. Fever burned to leave him cold and trembling. The one foot that stuck out from under the mangled and rumbled bedding looked horribly swollen and inflamed with infection.
Unable to look anymore, Teyla turned away to face Elizabeth as she sat pale and traumatized, clutching John's hand. "We came as soon as we could," Teyla whispered.
Elizabeth looked up to acknowledge her. "I know you did and thank you for getting the insects so quickly."
Teyla quietly nodded and looked towards Ronon as he surveyed the room. Without a word, the big Satedan suddenly walked off leaving two very puzzled women behind.
-SGA-
Kavanagh had seen enough and deemed it a useless venture trying to hear over the ruckus Sheppard was making. Moving back into the shadows, he prepared to leave only to come face to face with one very formidable looking Satedan. "What were you doing, Dr. Kavanagh?" Ronon murmured, sternly.
"I…err…wanted to see Dr. Beckett but he doesn't appear to be here." Kavanagh answered, as calmly as he could muster.
"Likely story," Ronon growled just as McKay and Major Lorne appeared behind him.
"It's the truth!" The scientist shouted.
Major Marcus Lorne stepped forward and said in a cold voice. "We've been watching you for a quite a while now, Dr. Kavanagh. If you wanted to see the doctor, you've had plenty of opportunity."
"I know but I didn't like to disturb him when he was trying to help the poor Colonel."
"Lies nothing but flaming lies," Rodney muttered with contempt. "Ever since this whole matter began, you've told us nothing but lies."
"I don't know what you're talking about, Dr. McKay?"
"Oh really," answered Rodney, laced with sarcasm, "Let's try with your unusual concern for Sheppard's health on Sovia and all the snooping around you did in the jumper. Trying to get to the Colonel's sleeping bag were you?"
"Why the hell would I want to do that?"
Rodney stuck his finger forcibly into the tall scientist's chest. "Ah…that's a good question. Why I wonder? I don't suppose it had anything to do with the one small and highly poisonous insect that you put into said sleeping bag, would it?"
Kavanagh held up his hands. "Oh, now you're talking a load of gibberish, Dr. McKay."
"Gibberish? Am I talking gibberish, people?" Rodney asked the others.
Ronon and Lorne both shook their heads. "You're making perfect sense to us," Lorne answered for them.
"Yep, thought so. Now where was I?" McKay pondered. "Ah, yes, you also tried to exact said sleeping bag on several other occasions without success. I believe once from the jumper after we landed and twice from the laundry. You then went to the mainland and contacted your partner in crime, and don't deny that because we have the proof. Then as if that wasn't enough, you've been standing here for a good twenty minutes gloating over your handiwork like some sick avenging angel."
Kavanagh said nothing to these allegations, so Ronon forcibly shoved him forwards into the infirmary. "You want to see more?" he whispered dangerously as he pushed Kavanagh so hard that the scientist lost his footing and crashed with a thud onto the hard floor.
From his prone position, Kavanagh rubbed his bruised arm and shouted. "You have no proof!"
Burning with anger, Ronon grabbed him by his collar, yanked him up, and slammed him into the nearest wall. Kavanagh hit the wall with another thud before falling face down onto the hard tiled floor again.
This time rubbing his jaw, Kavanagh eased himself up and turned furious eyes towards Ronon. "I'll have you for assault for that. Especially as you have no…"
Just as he was about to say more, John screamed out loudly. The sound boiled Ronon's blood leaving him seething with even more rage. Grabbing the scientist tightly around the throat, he lifted him off the ground and brought him close to his face. Through snarling teeth, he growled ominously. "We have plenty of proof."
Kavanagh felt light-headed but didn't faint as Ronon continued to hold him. However, a dark wet patch appeared between his legs.
Elizabeth looked on in shock and eventually decided to intervene. "What's going on?"
"We caught this creep gloating over his handiwork." McKay answered her.
Kavanagh turned a pleading look towards Weir while averting his eyes from Sheppard.
"Release him and let him talk, Ronon." Elizabeth requested, although she would have liked nothing more than to let Ronon continue.
Reluctantly, Ronon released Kavanagh, but stood menacingly over him. Kavanagh eventually found his breath and stammered. "They…they're accusing me of causing…of causing Colonel Sheppard's problem."
"And you didn't?" Elizabeth asked him coldly.
As his confidence began to return, Kavanagh shouted. "Absolutely not!" Then he tried using Weir's guilty complex as he continued. "Why is it whenever there is an issue it's always me you accuse of doing it first. If this was Earth, I could at least have a lawyer."
Major Lorne had gone over to speak to Teyla during Kavanagh's rant and everyone heard her gasp. "We have our proof." Teyla stated a few moments later. "These pictures and video shows Dr. Kavanagh with one of my people. His name is Davon."
Teyla suddenly stopped to wipe away a tear. "The word they use for John means, evil one. I do not understand why they should use such a horrible name but Major Lorne told me that he would arrange for a security team to go to the mainland to apprehend Davon. Then maybe we will have some answers. I would go with them but I think my place is here," she finished looking towards John's tormented form.
Rodney grabbed one of the pictures and studied it for a few seconds. "You stay here, Teyla. I'll go and make sure this man is apprehended."
"Thank you, Dr. McKay." Teyla whispered.
Elizabeth nodded to them both before standing up and turning towards Kavanagh who was being held tightly by Ronon again. "As leader of this expedition, I am placing you under arrest for the attempted murder of Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard of the United States Air Force. You will be held in Atlantis until I've consulted with the SGC."
Kavanagh went to open his mouth in protest, but Elizabeth silenced him with a curt hand gesture. "I wouldn't say too much if I was you," she muttered darkly, "And I should start praying very hard that the charge doesn't change to murder in the first degree." Turning to Lorne, she ordered. "Major, get him out of my sight."
"Yes, ma'am." Lorne replied as he turned to Ronon with a nod. The large Satedan looked like he wanted to deck the scientist again but after a pleading look from Teyla; he curbed his desire and proceeded to drag the man out of the room.
When they were out of sight, Elizabeth sat back down and began to sob. Teyla felt tears of her own form and without hesitation, she took the other woman in her arms and let go of her own tears.
The tunnel was long, never ending and filled with burning red-hot lava, which came in waves. He couldn't move down it for every step sent molten pain along his veins, searing, burning like acid. John couldn't remember why he was in this place of horrors. Had he fallen into a vat of acid? Only to suffer as his body refused to die.
Pain raced up the tunnel to meet him head on and he braced against it. At the last minute, his strength flowed away, spiraling down a drain as it failed him, leaving him to face the pain as his cries echoed through the air, weak and fading.
The next wave came hurtling towards him like a tsunami but fell short and weakened as it crashed over his body. The turmoil of waves washed at his feet, still threatening and agony ridden, but he was able to move forwards, towards the sound of crying that wasn't his.
tbc
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