Ow!
by Gillian In Oz
sequel to Oops.
Somewhere between the obligatory green flash of light and Rodney's scream Sheppard's brain shut down. He could sort of feel his knees throbbing from dropping to the ground, and there was a vague impression of blonde curls and cherubic cheeks and an imperious voice that seemed higher and sweeter than usual.
Stuff happened.
By the time Carson arrived and swore richly Sheppard's brain had caught up with his mouth.
"He turned into a kid!" he blurted out.
"No shit," Ronon mumbled.
"So cute," Teyla breathed reverently.
Radek whimpered.
888
Sheppard had seen a lot in the Pegasus Galaxy. Planets with three moons. Two headed fish. One eyed monkeys. Oh, and aliens that sucked the life out of you with their hands. But there was just something about your best and most annoying friend crawling into your lap that diminished all those weird experiences. Put things into perspective, so to speak. How could this get any weirder?
"Daddy," Rodney muttered and Sheppard felt his vision actually white-out for a second. Dimly he wondered if he was having a stroke.
"That's kind of disturbing," Ronon observed.
Rodney nestled under his chin, fragrant golden curls tickling Sheppard's skin. A little hand clutched the material of his t-shirt. Fragile. Small. Sheppard patted his back again, more to soothe himself than Rodney, who had dropped off to sleep and was snoring gently.
"Help?" Sheppard said, not wanting to whimper like Radek, but pretty sure he was going to start if somebody didn't do something RIGHT NOW.
"Uh, he looks pretty comfortable there," Carson, Scottish doctor and complete coward observed. "Colonel, perhaps you can carry him to the infirmary?"
Teyla rushed into the room with a tray of hastily made sandwiches, a brimming glass of milk and a plate of choc-chip cookies. She spotted Rodney in John's arms and her face fell.
"Oh," she said sadly.
Sheppard figured he should just hand Rodney over to her, since she seemed to want to cuddle him so much. But the kid was sleeping pretty peacefully in his arms, it would be a shame to disturb him. Beside if Rodney woke up he would start giving orders again, and there was just something about McKay's words coming out of that innocent little mouth that freaked the living shit out of him.
Ronon reached for a cookie and Teyla kicked him in the leg.
"Colonel," Carson reminded him, and John stood up, easily supporting Rodney's tiny body on his arm. His head lolled on John's shoulder, and the man shifted him closer and patted that narrow back again. Did Rodney's hair always smell this good?
Sheppard carried Rodney to the infirmary, trailed by Carson, some bruised nurses, Teyla bearing her tray and a reproachfully limping Ronon.
Radek had vanished. Another coward, Sheppard mused. Rodney shifted and sighed in his arms and John slipped a comforting hand under his t-shirt and rubbed his back soothingly. Man, who would have believed that Rodney was ever so skinny? Tiny little vertebrae like a string of pearls under his fingers.
By the time they reached the infirmary word had got around and scientists and marines lined the halls, eyes wide, mouths open. John felt a flair of pride. If you could reduce the inhabitants of Atlantis to wide-eyed speechlessness, you knew you had really fucked some serious shit up.
He laid Rodney down on a bed, curiously reluctant now to let the kid go. He was just so little, and it was Sheppard he had run to when he burnt his hand. And he was still a member of John's team, even if he was several feet shorter and had drooled onto John's shirt.
Come to think of it he pretty much always drooled when he slept, so forget that one.
Teyla had put her tray down and was trying to muscle him aside, and then Elizabeth arrived and Ronon started explained what had happened, rolling up his pants leg and showing her the newly-formed bruise on his shin.
"Carson?" she said, and yeah, her eyes were wide and she looked pretty speechless, yada yada yada. John feinted to the left and totally got the drop on Teyla, ignoring her sulking expression as he patted Rodney's curls comfortingly.
Okay, maybe he did give her the tiniest gloating smirk when Rodney sighed in his sleep and caught at his hand, cuddling it to his little chest.
That totally did not excuse her kicking him in the leg though.