I was all proud because I thought this was a quick update. HA! Silly little arcticmoonshadow. Thanks always to Oparu. -huggles-

Yeah, still don't own them. What am I, TPTB?

Ronon came awake slowly and painfully. He couldn't feel his left leg, and the twinge in his abdomen did not bode well. Something was obstructing his breathing—a tube of some sort, down his throat. He thrashed against it for a second—his eyes still closed—and then felt someone push him down.

"Relax, Ronon," Teyla's calming voice said, through a fog above him. "You need to stop struggling."

He stopped, though dubiously. The tube immediately came out, and he coughed, expelling something into a conveniently placed basin directly in front of him. His eyes cracked open, but he only saw half of what he should have. "What's wrong with my eyes?" he growled, his voice scratchy and deeper than normal.

Carson glanced from him to Teyla and then answered. "Ronon, I'm afraid we couldn't save your right eye. You took a bullet directly to the top of your right eye socket, and it traveled into the bulk of your eye. I'm sorry—there's nothing we could do."

He blinked. He could still feel it—still move it around—but he had to turn his head to see Teyla. She looked somewhat healthy, but she—like him—had various bandages…everywhere. She turned her head towards him and nodded deeply, and he almost did a double take.

"Dr. Beckett was not able to save my ear," she told him, touching it briefly before returning her bandaged hand to her lap. There was a bald spot around her ear. "I am fortunate I am not dead."

"Aye," Carson said sadly. "That bullet went through her skull—barely missed her brain. It punctured her eardrum on the way out, and it also managed to get a good chunk of her ear."

"Is everyone okay?" Ronon asked, looking away from her ear. "I mean, alive?"

Carson sighed. "Well, you and Teyla are the only ones who are awake. We've done major surgery on both Colonel Sheppard and Rodney, but they haven't woken up from their comas yet. It'll be a bloody miracle if you all get out of this alive."

"Dr. Weir?" he inquired, watching Teyla carefully as her face fell.

Carson shook his head. "We haven't found her yet."

"Dr. Zelenka has brought back numerous symbols that were dialed, but they have not been able to find definite addresses yet," Teyla interrupted smoothly. "They have been making progress."

"How long have I been out?" Ronon inquired while trying to sit up. Carson pushed him down.

"Eight days," Carson replied, keeping a hand on his shoulder. "You need to rest."

Ronon tried to protest, but Teyla interjected. "Dr. Beckett is correct, Ronon. You will do no good if you are not healthy."

He stared at her, then turned his head to see Carson. "So I can't leave?"

Carson rolled his eyes. "No."

Ronon reluctantly put his head back on the pillow, then suddenly bolted up. His head was cold. "What happened to my hair?" He was wondering before why his head was so light.

Carson swallowed. "You were hit on the top of your skull. Twice. I'm sorry, but we had to shave your head. Just be glad it didn't hit any vital organs."

He ran a hand over his head. It felt weird—prickly. "Anything else I should know, Doc?"

"Your left leg was broken in four places—that's been set and numbed. You've got four broken ribs, but they're healing, and apart from a few grazes and your eye, you're perfectly fine," he said, attempting to smile but failing.

Ronon grunted. "And the rest?" He couldn't stop running his hand over his head.

Carson took a breath. "Teyla's wrist and arm were shattered, but we've pieced together what we can, and with physical therapy, it should get better. She, too, had broken ribs and a broken leg, but the only permanent damage was the loss of her hearing in her right ear. But all in all, you two were lucky."

"Sheppard and McKay?" His patience was wearing thin; he didn't like not knowing things.

"Colonel Sheppard needed brain surgery. I'm not sure if there'll be any lasting effects. A bullet narrowly missed his carotid artery and spinal column, but we managed to save all his extremities. A bullet tore through his kidney, but his other is intact, so presuming there are no other difficulties, he should be able to live normally." Carson stopped, taking a breath. "Rodney—Rodney had to go through surgery as well. He's paralyzed from the neck down. I'm not sure if he'll ever regain feeling. His liver was also completely destroyed, but we had Rodriguez's organs still in storage, and fortunately it matched Rodney's blood type. His body hasn't rejected it yet, but there could still be a chance he won't make it."

Ronon nodded slowly. His head was getting fuzzier, and it was getting harder to stay awake. "They'll be okay, though, right?"

Carson blinked. "I don't know, son."

Ronon slipped back into unconsciousness.

Elizabeth's eyes stayed closed as she struggled to wake up. Her body didn't want to respond to her commands, but she forced them to open. She soon wished she hadn't—the light blinded her, even though she knew it was as dark as it had ever been.

"Elizabeth! Are you okay? Did they do anything…" Ketna trailed off, immediately at her side. Elizabeth's head lolled back onto the bars.

Memories came back to her—mostly the torture. She couldn't tell them what they wanted. Well, she could, technically, but it wouldn't help them. They just kept asking for Ancient information—how she knew it, where she found it, and the like. She couldn't very well tell them about Atlantis.

She could hear the guards around the corner. The footsteps echoed in her head, causing her to wince. Layna was grabbing her ankle and setting it. She wasn't quite sure on the details, but she did know it hurt like hell, and she didn't really want to know the specifics.

The cell opened, and she didn't look the guard in the eye. Her ears barely registered Modreni's scream as she was brutally torn from the bars. There'd been so much screaming lately. Just three—four?—days ago Modreni had been berating her for being of a "lower class", and here she was, screaming for her to help.

And even though she'd been constantly put down by her, Elizabeth would help her if she could. But broken, beaten, and injured, she couldn't do much but watch.

Let's put on our face of OH NOES and SHOCK! I'm incredibly mean, aren't I? -shrugs- Review, please!