Slight whump as Sheppard recovers and some angst. Thanks for continuing to read. I really have appreciated your comments!

Chapter 16 A King's Ransom

They sat outside the infirmary area. Well, it was like Sheppard's own private infirmary. Sorhan, Lear, and Saphides had joined them. It had been nearly an hour, but Beckett had not returned. Caldwell walked in and sat beside him, followed by Teyla.

"General O'Neill, how is Colonel Sheppard?"

He looked at her. She was a little worse the wear, a few bruises but barely out of breath.

"Dr. Beckett has not come out yet."

"Dr. Weir is on her way from Atlantis." Caldwell said. "I told her to stand by, but that didn't do any good."

O'Neill was about to say something when Dr. Beckett walked out.

Everyone looked up at the fatigued man expectantly. He looked like crap himself. It had been busy since the early morning for him as well.

Everyone held their breath. "Well," the doctor said tiredly. "He has done worse things to his body, but that damn poison is still running its course. Blood work shows that it is being broken down, but not soon enough in my book. The good news is that he does not have any life threatening injuries. We ran a full scan and checked him over carefully. I need to operate on the leg wound just a bit to make sure it heals properly, his formerly broken arm has a hairline fracture, and he re-opened a head wound. He has some bruising, but I know he had to have had other serious injuries. There is a wound not completely healed but we cleaned it and wrapped it tightly. I did not want to chance him waking while we tried to close it up. It is pretty large. We can wait and take care of that when we repair the leg. I think that Sophistides healed at least the most serious of the injuries."

"When can we see him, Dr. Beckett?" asked Teyla.

"Aye. You can go in now. He is stable, but just two at a time and only for a couple of minutes. He is semi-conscious only but…well, the pain caused from the poison is a distraction and he may not be aware of you."

Teyla and O'Neill walked in to see Sheppard. His face was cleaner than she had last seen him, but she still saw some mud in his hair, and dried blood on the side of his neck. He was bare-chested but had bandaging around his torso. He was covered by a silver blanket, except for his right leg, which was propped up slightly and bandaged around the thigh. She went up to Sheppard and grabbed his hand and held it tightly, then closed her eyes. He was not asleep, but not aware of her as he struggled against the pain. His breath was like a shuddering moan, and she knew he was finding no relief. Ronon had described what had happened before she came in and she knew he was lucky to even be alive, but it hurt her to see him suffer.

O'Neill looked at Teyla for a moment. Damn, were things that bad in this galaxy that she hardly reacted, or was she that strong? Then she turned to face him, and he saw the tears in her eyes that she had fought from spilling. He put a hand on her shoulder.

"I know it's hard to watch him hurting like this, but I believe he is going to be fine. He truly is the most stubborn, scariest person I have ever met. Believe me, I know, and…actually, he doesn't look that bad." Nice Jack. Good thing you aren't a doctor. The truth was that it was hard to watch the semi-conscious Sheppard struggling and O'Neill still wanted to hit something, he was so pissed.

Teyla smiled at O'Neill. "He does not look bad, and…he will be fine."

O'Neill smiled at her then looked at Sheppard. "He still looks rather majestic."

She raised an eyebrow and managed a smile for O'Neill's attempts to comfort her. "Yes, he does. He will be stubborn in his recovery. He always is."

O'Neill led her out the door. "Well, I can always order him to behave."

She doubted that would work, but she said nothing.

She liked O'Neill. He was, in many respects, an older John Sheppard; witty, incorrigible, but not as young at heart. General O'Neill had lost something dear, she sensed, and never gained it back. O'Neill had the sarcastic bent, but not quite the same amused patience that John seemed to have. O'Neill could never have consistently handled the likes of Rodney McKay the way Sheppard had. But she would have worked well with O'Neill.

oOoOoOoOo

Rodney looked at his friend. Occasionally his eyes opened. There was no recognition, and pain was what McKay mostly saw in his friend's eyes. He heard Ronon growl angrily beside him, then stomp out, likely to go find some sort of physical outlet.

Beckett walked in and Rodney glared at him. "Can't you do something?! He's suffering, Carson."

Beckett knew that McKay would exact his frustration verbally, just as Ronon would go do something physically. "I canna do anything, Rodney. I looked at the database. Sorhan was correct. We have to wait it out or we just extend the suffering or worse, kill him altogether. His heart rate and blood pressure are stable, although a little high."

"Is he going to be okay?" McKay never quite believed doctors, not even Carson.

"Aye. A bit bumpy but nothing life threatening."

"But he just has to suffer because nothing can ever just be easy can it? No, he just can't enjoy the benefits of being king of four freaking worlds with female attendants wanting to wait on him hand and foot. No, he has to suffer, and not just suffer like the flu suffer, he has to suffer royally."

Carson looked at Sheppard, whose breath continued to shudder with pain. Aye, a king's ransom was always high. McKay was right. Nothing came easy for him, at least not in relation to having the gene.

"What is the good of being a doctor if you can't even stop someone from suffering," McKay said accusingly as he stormed out.

Carson sighed. He should have been hurt by the comment, but that was how he felt himself. He went over to Sheppard, who was sweating, his eyes furrowed upward. He heard the beeping of the heart monitor as the heart rate increased. Beckett put a hand on Sheppard's shoulder. "Keep fighting, lad."

oOoOoOoOo

Ronon, Caldwell, and O'Neill had gone out to the farthest side of the vast city grounds. It was isolated and no battle had taken place there. Ronon and Sheppard had trained some of the troops here, so there were targets set up already.

The Satedan had wanted to do something physical. O'Neill had seen it when he exited Sheppard's room. There was no way in hell he would spar with the giant, but he understood the need to vent some adrenaline and anger. Even Caldwell needed to do something. They were angry for the uselessness of Sheppard's suffering, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. So many had died today. Most of them were from the enemy's forces, but many of those had not volunteered to fight today. Then the idiot used a child to get to Sheppard, and also killed his mentor. He had approached Sorhan, who understood completely and suggested the training field. They were lucky that the old man was able to save the child and Sheppard, but it did not alleviate the anger they felt.

"Ready?" O'Neill said as he raised his P-90 toward the target. He heard grunts of agreement. Normally this would just be fun, but right now the anger had to go somewhere before it came out somewhere they did not want it to. "Fire."

They unloaded clip after clip into the unmoving targets, until they were utterly destroyed. It took at least 15 minutes, including reloading time. No one said a word through the whole process. O'Neill took out the ear-plugs Sorhan had provided. The Arcadian general was busy assuring that the prisoners were being treated appropriately, as he did not want the anger of the king's men to cause them to do something that would be unacceptable. They were well trained, but adrenaline and anger had a way of making things bad.

O'Neill was breathing hard and was exhausted. Too tired to be angry, at least for now.

One thing he was sure of. It was good that Sheppard had killed that guy, because O'Neill and others would likely have had to face some moral strength to not torture and kill the guy themselves. He locked eyes with Ronon, who nodded curtly. Yes, lucky for Vanitis that Sheppard had killed him quickly. Ronon would not have been so kind.

oOoOoOoOo

Teyla waited with Sheppard. She heard him sigh and he turned and looked at her. Teyla? She put her hand on his. "Yes, John, we are here."

"Can't…fight any…more, Teyla. Tired…Crsn…help."

It had been two hours since he had been brought in. How could so little poison do so much!

"Sshhh. Please just fight a little longer. Just keep fighting. It will be over soon. Please." She felt guilty for asking him to endure, but what choice was there?

He nodded and took a shuddering breath as a tear rolled down his cheek. He would not give up; she knew this.

She had seen him like this before. She thought back to when the iratus bug had attached itself to him and the pain he was in when they had poured salt and water on it in an attempt to remove it. The event caused him so much pain, and he cried out then. He was too weak to cry out now, but the intensity in his face, as he struggled to fight it, was the same.

She held his hand and he squeezed it tight, although he was now no longer aware of her. His eyes were open but he stared through her. She heard a shuddered moan as Sheppard moved restlessly. She heard his thoughts occasionally, even pictures briefly of what he was thinking, but it was in the Ancient language mostly and she only made out a few words. She was amazed by this new ability of his, which he seemed to be able to control when not in this state of semi-conscious misery. She knew that he would have to learn to control that as well in the event he was ever captured and …She did not allow herself to finish the thought. It was disconcerting to her and she wished she could shut off the mental onslaught. She thought of leaving, but his grip on her was tight. She was going to tear her hand free when she heard him sigh and release his grip.

Beckett came in a few minutes later and she turned to him. "Carson, he asked for your help. He seems to be getting weaker."

"I know he is getting tired, lass. It should be less than thirty minutes based on the calculations I made from analyzing the break down of it in his blood."

She squeezed Sheppard's hand. "You hear that, John? Just a little bit longer."

oOoOoOoOo

About two hours later, Carson exited to the group of people. It was déjà vu. "Well?" Rodney asked impatiently.

"He is stable and comfortable. As soon as the poison was confirmed out of his system, I gave him pain medication and we performed minor surgery to finish repairing his leg, right side, and other minor wounds. I started him on antibiotics, but he is running an infection. The poison had masked the symptoms, but he should be okay. He will be asleep for a long time, as all of you should be as well. It has been a long day, or rather few weeks."

Sheppard's team and the Guardians all briefly checked in to see how he was doing, then left. The day had been long, but Teyla remained. Beckett needed rest, and despite all the very capable medical doctors, she knew that he would be more likely to rest if she or one of Sheppard's teammates also waited.

The doctor agreed to sit in the next room and rest while she sat by John, with the promise to alert Beckett if there were any changes. He had been through so much. She did not know how he had endured, why he kept fighting when so many would have given up long before. But she also knew that Sheppard was special in this way, what gave her hope in their fight against the Wraith.

He was restless from the fever. She sensed him coming to awareness as she again saw his thoughts, a piece of the battle, perhaps.

She opened her eyes and looked at him, concerned. He was looking at her and she realized that she could not see his thoughts anymore.

"Teyla," he whispered finally.

"Yes, John."

"Everyone okay?"

"Yes, John. Don't you remember?"

He looked at her for a minute then turned his face. Yes, he remembered. Sophistides was not okay. "Yes," he said quietly.

"How are you feeling, John?"

"Been better, been worse." He felt like crap, but this was a kind of crap he was familiar with…fever, body pain, bone tired.

She grinned. She had expected 'I'm fine' or 'I'm good', as was usual. "I am going to get Dr. Beckett. I will return shortly."

"Not going anywhere."

He did not exactly remember what happened after Yoda died, and he saw his Ancient grandparents. He had flashes of searing pain, just pain that would not go away. He hurt now, but this pain he recognized. He could deal with this pain. He felt exhausted and sick, but he knew how to cope with this.

"Hey there, lad," he heard Beckett's comforting voice. "I know you are in a wee bit of pain still. I expected you to sleep longer, but perhaps should have known better. I am going to give you something a bit stronger now so that you can be pain free and rest better. It has been a long day and night is falling. Looks like the antibiotics are working. I am glad that waiting after the poison was clear to give them to you did not hurt. So when you wake up next your fever should be gone."

What poison? He had been shot.

Carson saw his confusion. "Long story, but that was not a normal bullet in your leg. You should be feeling better in a day or two. Sophistides healed you nearly, but you still have some bumps, stitches, you know the standard. You were very lucky." He emptied a syringe into Sheppard's I.V. and put a hand on Sheppard's shoulder. "You should be okay, son. Just gets some rest. Gave you a cocktail for the fever, pain and infection. We'll see you in a few hours."

Sheppard sighed. He really did not care what happened. He just wanted to sleep for a long time, and maybe for just a little while not think about what happened. He could still feel the anger inside of him for the death of Sophistides. He knew he should let it go, but he couldn't. It would take a long time for him to trust anyone to his thoughts the way he did the old man. Maybe he did not need to do that now that he shared everything with Sophistides.

"Where is Sam?" he said quietly. "Is he okay?"

Teyla looked at Sheppard. "He is as good as can be expected, John. You can talk to him soon."

Sheppard closed his eyes and focused on the lingering pain in his side to distract him from his thoughts. He knew he would have to buck up, but right now, he just didn't feel like it. Promises to Ancient grandparents be damned. He was allowed to feel sorry for himself, angry at himself or whatever the hell he was feeling.

oOoOoOoOoOo

Rodney fretted over Sheppard sleeping. It had been nearly 20 hours. It would be night again soon. Rodney had himself slept well last night with the help of Carson's magic pills, but he expected Sheppard to have awakened sometime today.

"Shouldn't he be awake now, Carson?"

"He is exhausted, Rodney. Try going through what he went through, not just yesterday, but for the last few weeks. He is fine. No fever, pain looks well managed as he appears very relaxed and vitals are normal. He is just very tired. Please go get some more rest yourself, Rodney. We all need it. Everyone has played vigil and now Samsus will be coming soon. I promise he is fine."

Rodney left reluctantly, but he knew Carson would not lie to him. "Okay, well then tell me if anything changes." Carson nodded in agreement. "Aye, you will be the first I call, Rodney." Beckett shook his head. He was so sure that Sheppard was fine that he acquiesced to the Ilarian doctors and went to get his own rest, leaving the king's true physician to care for him. He smiled. Sheppard would be horrified that he had his own physician here on these worlds. They often joked how Carson seemed to fill that role on Atlantis. He doubted having two mother hens, as O'Neill had put it, was something Sheppard would be pleased with. Served him right for all the trouble he got into. He passed Samsus in the hall. He placed a quiet hand on his shoulder and smiled, unspoken words of sympathy passed on.

oOoOoOoOo

Sam watched his king sleep quietly. He had sat with him all night and now as the sun had risen in full morning glory, but he had not awoken. Others had come by this early morning briefly...worried that he had not woke still, but Beckett had assured them that he was fine and that he was likely catching up on his sleep. Sleep, my king. Only I remain now to watch over you from my line. My brother is gone and yet he lives and…I mourn despite that. I miss him, my lord. I miss him, but you will miss him more. You will blame yourself, but you must not. I do not…Yet I miss him dearly.

I know.

Sam opened his eyes and looked up. Sheppard's face was turned and looking at him. The old man took his hand and Sheppard closed his eyes. I will miss him, too. He died for me. Sam sighed as tears ran down his cheeks. He wiped them with his other hand.

"He knew that this would happen, my king. He always knew. You must not blame yourself."

Sheppard said nothing. He was still not ready to buck up, and he felt ashamed for it. He was here, but Yoda was not, and a child almost lost his life. Thousands more had died. He tried not to imagine them laying all around the open field. Death on that scale had been something entirely different than what he was used to seeing.

"Rest, sire. I will visit you later. I have…preparations to check on."

"When?" Sheppard whispered. "I must be there."

Samsus nodded. "Yes, my lord. The period of mourning is seven days. His ceremony will follow the ceremony for those who defended the kingdom, although most families have begun to bury their dead, as it has been now three days since the beginning of the battle and there were…so many. The Guardians and generals are making preparations for a ceremony that will honor them and end with the placement of Sophistides' ring in the temple of the wise ones. They were unsure whether to proceed without your direction."

"No, they did the right thing. So I have about four days, then," He looked out toward the window. "Eileron."

"He is well, as is Zorthos." Sam waited for any more questions, but Sheppard was looking out the window with no hint of emotion. Sam could feel nothing from his mind, so he must be protecting it. "I will return with more news, sire, once plans are finalized."

Sheppard sighed and closed his eyes as Sam left. Sheppard's heart was breaking and he was angry. He would not let the others know. They would worry, but he was very very sad and still felt alone. Damn you, Yoda! You could have tried to stay! It was like losing his grandfather all over again. Adda had meant everything to him and understood a strange, gifted boy. His passing left emptiness in Sheppard that Sophistides had momentarily filled partially, but now left bigger. He felt the lump in his throat and pushed it down. He had opened his mind briefly, but felt not just his own sadness but that of a community that had lost so many. It crushed him until he pushed it away with some effort and closed it off. His own feelings were enough to deal with. He finally fell asleep exhausted.

oOoOoOoOo

Ronon looked at the Generals as they conversed. They were good men and had been busy making preparations for a memorial just four days away now, along with Samsus and the Guardians. Usually, when they reached a certain rank, the usefulness of officers diminished. Sheppard was an exception, as Caldwell and O'Neill mostly appeared to be, but Ronon was impressed by the military leaders of Sheppard's worlds. He grinned at that thought. He had not had time to tease McKay about Sheppard's gene and resulting inheritance. Too much had happened since they first passed through the Stargate. They had all endured, most of all Sheppard, but the team still worked as a team. He wondered briefly what would happen next. He was concerned of the changes that might happen, but he brushed the thoughts aside. "Well," he said, "So what are you going to do with them?" A group of rebels had stupidly tried to escape and this put a delay in the preparations for the memorial.

Sorhan and Terendale turned around. Sorhan spoke, "There are 250 left out of the 500. Two hundred of those alive had not tried to escape. Our forces added to those of Captain Gragle, a former enemy of the King, stopped them very quickly. The law is clear that those that take up arms against the King should be put to death. His highness made it clear that those that had been enslaved or drugged were to be set free and they have been. The Guardians insist that the volunteers of Vanitis' army be put to death, as is dictated by the law."

"But…" Ronon knew where this was going.

"The King said that there should be no more bloodshed, including that of the enemy."

"What do you think?"

Sorhan looked toward the other generals, then back at Ronon. "The law is the law, but the law is for the King to make."

Ronon knew that if any of the enemy fighters were killed, Sheppard would be pissed. "Do they still have a leader that can be talked to?"

"There is one that claims to be. He was seen in the courtyard when the King slew the traitor."

"Perhaps, like Capt. Gragle, they were misled. Was this new leader in on the attempted breakout?"

"No. He was among the two hundred that did not try to escape."

Ronon opened his mouth to say something when an aide rushed up to Sorhan and whispered in his ear. Sorhan turned his head quickly behind him, then back to Ronon.

"What?" Ronon asked.

"The remaining 50 who tried to escape have been executed. There was a miscommunication with the officers."

Sheppard was not going to be happy. "What about the other 200?"

"Still under guard. I have sent clear word that they are to remain unharmed. I will take full responsibility for the incident and explain it to the King."

Sheppard was a fearsome warrior, but he had a forgiving, although not forgetting, nature. He had allowed Koyla to be free, and it had hurt him in the end until Sheppard finished him. He would forgive anyone that had taken arms up against his people, and he would be forgiving to the general. He was sure that he would not want to be in Sorhan's shoes though, because Sheppard would be furious before he got to the forgiving part.

oOoOoOoOo

"What the hell do you mean there was a miscommunication?! I think I communicated very clearly what I wanted before all this started." Ronon had gone with Sorhan for support, but he kind of wished he had not. He could actually feel Sheppard's anger reverberate through him. Damn, the man had a dark strength. Lying in bed had not diminished Sheppard's authority. Of course, he had slept straight for nearly three days, but apparently was no longer on pain medication. This also was no typical infirmary bed with thin green or white sheets that had a way of placing the patient in a vulnerable position. Sheppard had a large thick dark green velvet bedcover. And the colonel was not dressed in a gown or scrubs, but black silk tunic and pants with some sort of embroidery. Ronon learned from Teyla, that Sheppard had been out of bed with help that day. Ronon knew that Sheppard would likely be dead or maybe still fighting for his life if Sophistides had not healed him, but other than the haunted look in his eye and exhaustion around his face, he looked pretty good. Sheppard did not wait for Sorhan to answer. "Those were prisoners of war even after they tried to escape. They were not to be just summarily executed!!" Yet, Sheppard thought, he had killed Wraith that were wounded or under his care. That was different, wasn't it? He was not proud of it, but Wraith could not be rehabilitated and usually the situation was a do or die one. But even though he could justify the difference in that these prisoners were human beings, he knew that he had no right for righteous indignation.

Beckett was about to step forward to calm the man, but for the second time in just a bit over 72 hours, Sheppard froze him with a simple look. The King said nothing more, but glared at Sorhan, who was still bowed, as were the five generals and two Guardians behind him. Ronon wondered if they were there to hold up the man, but Sorhan weathered the onslaught. "It was my responsibility, my lord. I am ashamed to have failed you."

Sheppard sighed. Now the forgiveness would come. There was a pause, before Sheppard spoke quietly. "You did not fail me, general. I am grateful for what you have done for our people." He paused as he stared intently at the top of Sorhan's head. "I have failed you. I should have eliminated the confusion between the law and my intentions. I am sure your officer was following the law as it is now written. I'm sorry for not having rectified that confusion."

Ronon wondered at first if Sheppard had suffered a head wound, but he realized that this was the way Sheppard led. Everything, and he meant everything, was his responsibility. That was why Ronon was devoted to him and that was why these people would devote themselves to him, and together they would defeat the Wraith.

"Now, general, please convey to your men that any prisoners of war are to be treated properly, as we had discussed before." His eyes were piercing but held no anger.

The general bowed even more deeply. "Yes, my lord. I will do as you have commanded." The general locked eyes with Ronon, and the Satedan saw that they had watered. He watched the generals and Guardians back out of the room. Ronon turned to Sheppard, who looked exhausted and more vulnerable than he had just five seconds ago. Beckett was allowed to minister to him again and Sheppard did not argue against the doctor's angry chastisement about exerting himself too soon. Beckett left to talk to a nearby attendant, satisfied that no harm had been done, and muttered something about going back to sleep.

Ronon approached him. "Your darkness scares me, Sheppard," he said simply as he remembered feeling Sheppard's anger in his own body.

His friend and commanding officer looked up at him. "Me, too," Sheppard whispered in an equally simple response. Ronon knew that this was the truth and not a quip or smart remark. "Get some rest," Ronon said, placing a hand on Sheppard's shoulder.

Sheppard did not say anything, but closed his eyes. Beckett walked out with Ronon. "How is he doing, doc?"

"He is healing well enough. More exhaustion than anything, but he is not eating very much. I mean, I know he is no Rodney, but he just does not appear interested in anything."

Ronon sighed. Sheppard was beating himself up over a lot of what happened here in the past few days. He knew that Sophistides had been important to him, maybe like losing one of his team. "Give him a little time, doc."

"Aye." Beckett said quietly. "I need to think of some threats though, to keep in my back pocket."

"Good luck."

oOoOoOoOo

Sorhan had done as his king had commanded. He had wished though that he had been punished instead of forgiven. This was not the King's burden, but his own. He had felt the anger of the king in his body, expected punishment, but not forgiveness. Yet the king had also forgiven the pirate that had captured him, and he had forgiven the rebels for attacking his kingdom. But this was different. Sorhan did not want bloodshed that he should have prevented to rest on the king's shoulders, but on his own.

The generals had gathered afterwards, but none of them spoke of the incident. Sorhan knew they felt as he did. He looked at them quietly as they ate, having finished their plans for the memorial ceremony for the fallen and for Sophistides. "We will battle the great enemy some day, when the King determines. We must build our armies and train them, and every last man must be willing to give their life for this King. I am determined that even if it requires forfeiture of my life, he will live to enjoy the fruits of the peace he will bring to this galaxy."

There was silence a moment, but Sorhan saw the agreed loyalty in their eyes. "Our life, if necessary," a voice spoke amongst them. "Agreed," they chorused and raised their glasses toward the part of the city where Sheppard was. "To Armentarius," Sorhan whispered.

oOoOoOoOo

"I'll sit with you tonight, lad."

"Don't want or need a babysitter."

Beckett smiled. "Aye, I know, but it is the only way that the royal doctor would let all the attendants leave. We have been through this together already."

Sheppard said nothing. He ached, but he managed without significant pain killers. Carson though had slipped him a little something, but thankfully had removed the IV. He was right. They had been through this together. He fought going to sleep, knowing what it meant, but he could not stop it eventually.

Beckett had always tried to maintain as much privacy for the man as possible as he was the chief military officer and second in command of Atlantis. But he was a king now. He would not let his attendants see him struggle with the nightmares that would come, they always did once there was no more sedation. "A prince of Scotland," he whispered. "Aye, who would have known." Carson had to admit that he was proud of that. Made sense. He had the gene himself. Not the super gene of Sheppard of course, but nonetheless.

Sheppard opened his eyes briefly.

"I'm sorry, Carson," he whispered sleepily.

"What for?" the doctor asked incredulously.

"For… all this trouble all the time."

Carson sighed heavily. "Ack, colonel. You have given me some unique challenges. It is not your fault. I …I am sorry that you go through these things so often."

"None of us gets much of a break. I am sorry you have to feel this."

Feel what? "What do you mean, John? Feel what?"

"Worried…Sad."

Carson felt that lump in his throat.

"You feel it, too."

"Not…like you."

"Well, that is my job. Mending you and the others while you save the galaxy. Aye, I do worry about you and the others. Mostly about you, though. I am sorry myself about getting you into this mess, the whole gene thing."

Sheppard looked at him with heavy eyes. "Always…my choice."

Carson said nothing. He was worried for his friend. Worried for all of them, but so many times Sheppard was in the state he was in. Close calls were too many to count, but the man thrived.

Sheppard saw the turmoil in the doctor's face. "Thanks for taking care of me."

Beckett looked down at his patient; it would not be the last.

Sheppard sighed. "It will all be alright, Carson…I promise. There will be a time, when you won't have to worry. "

Carson said nothing as Sheppard finally slept. His breathing was rhythmic for now, peaceful.

The day had been too much for Beckett. He had worried about his friends all day. Sheppard may act like all was fine, but the stakes had risen and Sheppard would carry a burden that no King of Scotland ever did. Carson did worry. He always worried that one day he could not fix his friends and would fail them. He let the tears quietly flow, then sat stoic vigil, as his friend would begin to have nightmares.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Going to start bridging Sheppard now straddling both his worlds in the next Chapter or two as things wind down for this particular fic. I don't think the adventure is over, but not sure if I should continue it straightaway here or a new sequel.