Part 14 – Difficult Decision
Twenty-four hours what was that in the infinite measure of time? Twenty-four earth hours or maybe the equivalent in terms of Menzurian time. Whatever, John Sheppard still lay deep in coma well after those estimates had long passed and hope began to fill the minds of his friends and colleagues. Hope that he would soon wake-up and all would be right with the universe.
Carson's tests had shown that his brainstem remained functioning and he could breathe unaided but apart from that, John showed no sign of movement or coming out of the coma. Not a twitch, not a blink, not even a heart warming Sheppard smile.
Consequently, the team took it in turns to encourage a reaction by sitting with him, talking to him, telling him about anything from their tricks on Kavanagh, to the latest gossip and the weather outside. They played him music and Teyla even sang one of her traditional songs. Its melody and lyrics filled with the joys of life but to no avail, John slept on.
-SGA-
Kavanagh paced from one end of the Wraith holding cell to the other. Weeks, he had been in this damn place for what must be weeks by now and yet hardly anyone had been to talk to him.
There had been several visits from Beckett's staff, when he had either fainted or complained about seeing black bugs wherever he turned. They thought he was crazy and as the weeks progressed, Kavanagh began to have doubts about his own sanity as his nerves went to pot. He couldn't sleep and couldn't relax without his mind conquering up images of the Turaka.
On top of that, other things had occurred. Other annoying and unexplainable things that had left Kavanagh convinced that McKay and company had arranged it all, but he had no proof.
About a week or so into his confinement, he'd been violently sick after eating some dreadful meatloaf. After checking him over, the doctor had explained - sorry you must have got a bad bit. After that incident, his appetite had gone down the drain and he'd lost pounds from his tall frame leaving him positively skinny.
Then one night, he'd been left in total darkness as all the lights went down. He hadn't slept a wink as his mind conjured up images of phantom shapes that drifted throughout his cell. The most alarming of all had been the shape of a giant Turaka as it passed directly over him. He had complained about it all the next morning but the guard had simply replied - the power in this part of the city was down and I can't help it if the ghosts of the Wraith decided to pay you a visit.
That and other incidents had left Kavanagh's nerves in a worse state than before. He had begun to repeatedly pace his cell like a caged tiger and mutter incoherently, which had resulted in some unwelcome visits from the retched psychiatrist Dr. Heightmeyer.
She had refused him medication but instead, had tried to get him to confess by telling him that his guilt was the cause of his anxiety and hallucinations. When that hadn't worked, she tried tricking him with lies, telling him that the Athosian had spilled the beans. Maybe he had, but Kavanagh wasn't falling for that trick. He told the woman repeatedly that they had no real evidence against him. She had also refused to answer any of his questions, so he no idea as to whether Sheppard had lived or died.
During her last visit, he had demanded to have his family lawyer sent out from Earth but his request had been deemed ludicrous. Then only yesterday, he demanded to see Dr. Weir but she had yet to appear.
Kavanagh started to pickup pace until he was nearly running from one corner to another, the guards turned and looked at him, their loathing towards him showing clearly on their faces. He didn't want to push them too hard but his frustration was boiling over again. Hitting one of the corner panels, he shouted with rage. "I demand to be let out of here! Go and tell Weir that she has no right to hold me here without an official charge, and I demand to see my lawyer!"
The marine nearest to his cell sighed and stared at him with murder in his eyes but he didn't say a word.
-SGA-
Teyla entered to small secure room where Davon sat in quiet contemplation. It wasn't her first visit to talk to him but as of yet, her fellow Athosian proclaimed that he was innocent of any wrong doing even though they had the video and pictures to prove otherwise. Worst still, he refused to acknowledge even knowing Dr. Kavanagh.
Dr. Heightmeyer had been to see him on several occasions and had diagnosed severe obsessive paranoia as a reaction to delusional jealousy, which in time had become chronic. She'd concluded that Davon was now suffering from manic-depressive illness coupled with alcohol abuse.
Now several weeks later, Teyla was willing to try to get a confession out of him once again, so she quickly sat herself by his side and asked. "How are you feeling today, Davon?"
"I am well, thank you but I ask you once again, how much longer I must sit here in this small room?"
Teyla looked at him sadly. "As long as it takes."
"Why do you hold me here? I have done nothing wrong."
Teyla sighed deeply. It was the same old story every time she talked to him but today she decided to try a different angle. Although, she hated to lie as it went against her principles, she wanted to see if she could get a different reaction out of him. "John Sheppard died last night," she whispered.
His reaction was almost immediate. Davon stood up and cried with joy. "Yes, yes, the Doucav is gone and his evil ways will no longer corrupt our love."
Teyla swallowed against her pain. "You love me so much that you wanted the Doucav to die?"
"Yes!" he shouted.
"So you and Kav planned it together?"
Davon answered automatically before he realized what Teyla had said. "Yes, it was flawless. I got the Turaka and Kav planted it in the Doucav's sleeping sack. Now everything is perfect and we can be married!" Teyla felt tears begin to form and Davon saw them and mistook them for tears of joy. "We can be married tomorrow, yes?"
Teyla wanted to scream and shout at him for all he'd put her through. For what he'd done to John Sheppard but she controlled her desire, as it was obvious that the man was very sick of mind, so she quietly told him. "No, Davon, we will not be married tomorrow or any other day. Your jealously has nearly cost the life of a very special man and he could still die. All because you thought, I am yours. I was never yours and I never gave you a reason to believe that, even before we came to Atlantis. In your illusion, you assumed that Colonel Sheppard wanted me for himself and corrupted me. How wrong you are. He is a good friend and my team leader. And yes, I do love him but as one would a dear friend or brother." Her voice rose as tears began to fall, "That was all."
As her words started to sink in, Davon became angered. "You lied to me! The Doucav is not dead!"
"Firstly, John Sheppard is in no way a Doucav and yes, he is not dead." Teyla tensed and prepared for a hasty retreat as Davon looked like him would strike her but just as suddenly, the man broke down and began to sob uncontrollably. She watched him for a few minutes with great sadness wondering what to do next but the solution was taken out of her hands when Kate Heightmeyer and Carson Beckett entered the room. "Did you get it all on tape?" she asked quietly.
"Aye, that we did, love, and don't fret, we'll take care of him."
Teyla looked at them with great sorrow. "Thank you," she whispered before leaving the room.
-SGA-
"Dr. Weir, the Daedalus has just docked." The controller's voice informed Elizabeth over the radio.
Elizabeth sighed deeply at the news and acknowledged the message before turning her attention back to her tablet computer. Frankly, Caldwell's appearance was something that she wasn't looking forward to, not in the least.
Naturally, SGC had been informed regarding the situation concerning John and their suspect Dr. Kavanagh. They in turn had replied that Colonel Caldwell would deal with the matter when he arrived in Atlantis. That had been a few weeks ago now and Elizabeth had hoped that John would be out of his coma long before Caldwell's arrival, but no such luck. Therefore, she dreaded to hear what Caldwell would have to say on the matter.
She didn't have long to wait as Steven Caldwell's tall frame entered her office some fifteen minutes later. Exchanging the usual pleasantries, the colonel sat himself down opposite her. "I'm sorry to hear about the Lieutenant Colonel and the troubles you've had since my last visit."
"Yes, it's been a bit of a nightmare but Dr. Beckett is still confident that he'll recover soon."
Caldwell looked thoughtful. "I see but you're not going to like what I have to tell you," Caldwell held up his hand, "And before you get on to me about it, this is not my decision."
Elizabeth felt he heart begin to pound as her worst fear could soon be voiced. Trying to keep her composure, she asked. "What decision is that?"
"That Sheppard be sent back to Earth to be taken care of, ma'am."
Her heart pounded even faster. Her worst fear had just come true. "We're perfectly capable of looking after him here in Atlantis."
"Are you, really?" Caldwell asked. "Look, I know how you must feel, truly I do, but John Sheppard is Air Force, ma'am, and its normal that he be taken to one of our hospitals for the necessary care a patient in a coma needs."
Elizabeth looked at him questionably. "Aren't the circumstances a little different here?"
"Yes, you might say so but it doesn't change the fact that Atlantis is at war and as I said before, it is normal procedure to remove seriously ill or wounded service personnel from the combat zone, ma'am."
Elizabeth felt like screaming. "Under whose orders does this come from?"
"General Landry and Stargate command. I wouldn't try to change their minds if I were you."
Elizabeth looked him straight in the eye. "Can you read me so well, Colonel?"
"Dr. Weir, it wouldn't be you if you didn't try to fight this. And before you say anything, I don't want Sheppard to be replaced. In fact, whether you believe this or not, I've come to admire him and I think he's the best man to run the military here. I've watched him do an excellent job this past year or so, I'm only sorry that that asshole Kavanagh had to ruin things."
"So are you trying to tell me that John will get his position back once he's fully recovered?" Elizabeth quietly asked.
"I believe that if the Lieutenant Colonel recovers within the next month or so, he won't be replaced."
"And if his coma lasts longer than that?"
Caldwell looked at her earnestly. "Then there are no guarantees."
"I see, then I can only hope that John wakes up within the allotted time but believe me, Colonel, I will fight this whether SGC, the IOA or the Air Force likes it nor not. John belongs in Atlantis and that's where he's going to stay."
-SGA-
"Carson, I don't believe I'm hearing things right," Elizabeth cried a few hours later. "I thought you of all people would back me up on this?"
The Scottish doctor lowered his head in sorrow. "I wish I could, Elizabeth, but the truth is we aren't all that well equipped to look after a comatose patient over a longer period."
"But you're doing fine at the moment?"
"Aye, that we are but that's because at the moment we've no disasters to content with but should we need to evacuate or if we were to have a large amount of wounded to attend, then I can't honestly say that a nurse can still be spared to look after Sheppard. As it is, the nurses are doing extra shifts to accommodate his around the clock intensive care schedule."
Elizabeth looked at Beckett with watery eyes. "So you're telling me that John would be better off back on Earth?"
"If he doesn't come out of the coma soon, then, yes," Carson answered her despondently. "I'm so sorry, lass."
"So am I," answered Elizabeth, just as a distressed looking Rodney entered the room with Teyla and Ronon in tow looking equally as apprehensive.
"What's all this about sending Sheppard back to Earth?" Rodney asked for them.
"It looks like the Air Force wants him in one of their hospitals and Carson has just backed up that decision."
Rodney and the others threw daggers at the doctor. Carson held up his hands in mercy and explained things the same way as he did to Elizabeth.
At the end of his clarification, Teyla calmly suggested. "We could look after the Colonel until he recovers."
"I wish it was that easy, love, really I do but his needs include special nursing care that only comes with training."
Rodney piped up. "What special needs, I'm sure we can be trained quickly."
Carson looked serious. "The care includes turning to avoid pressure areas, physiotherapy to maintain muscle tone and the like. His eyes and skin need special treatment, and his nutritional needs must be carefully monitored. Then there's infection control, deep vein thrombosis prevention, the list just goes on and on. And have you ever changed a catheter or I.V. line, Rodney?"
Rodney and Ronon paled and even Teyla didn't look too happy at the prospect. "Okay, I get your point. So we just have to accept this then?" asked Rodney
"To be truthful, I really expected John to be out of the coma long before this. We now believe that he has some awareness but that doesn't seem to change. So as it stands, I just don't know how long this coma is going to last. He could come out of it tomorrow, next week, in a month's time or…" Carson added, "Years from now. I hate to say this but in the long run, it may be for the best if he was returned to Earth. "
The team seemed to deflate along with Elizabeth. After a few minutes, Rodney turned to ask her, "How long before the transfer?"
"Well, the doctors have all agreed that a prolonged space flight would not a good thing for him, so we will open the Stargate and John will be transported as quickly as possible back to Earth. Caldwell and the SGC are planning it all for tomorrow." Elizabeth paused for a few seconds to rub her eyes. "Kavanagh will also be transported at the same time."
"I hope you don't mean, literally together?" Ronon growled.
"No, John will be taken through first and Kavanagh will be escorted by a security detail a few minutes later."
"Then there's nothing more to say." Rodney murmured.
Elizabeth looked at them in turn. "It doesn't look like it.
Ronon looked even more distressed than he did before. Sheppard had become his brother, a man he trusted above all others, so he had to ask. "And what are his chances of coming back here when he wakes up?"
Elizabeth tried to console him and the others. "As long as if doesn't take years, Caldwell has assured me that his post would be kept open for him."
Rodney looked far from reassured. "And you believe him?"
"Yes, Rodney, I do. Look, we don't seem to have any choice on the matter. Whether we like it or not, John is still under Air Force command and orders are orders. I will fight them tooth and nail to make sure that he does get back here." Turning to Carson, she became resigned to the fact. "You'd better prepare him for the transfer."
"Aye, my staff will have him ready and I'll send a nurse through with him with all the medical details concerning his condition."
Elizabeth nodded. "Thanks you, Carson, and in the meantime let's hope for a miracle and John wakes up before tomorrow."
tbc