Chapter 6
Radek continued to brief the people sitting at the ellipse shaped table.
"Ze rest can be explained by Dr. McKay."
When Zelenka scanned the room the doctor was not present
"Uhhh I iz sorry but am unsure where ze is."
"Dr. Weir, I believed it was best to allow Dr. McKay sleep, he has been running on caffeine and sleep deprivation for too long, I'm sorry I didn't speak with you sooner on this matter."
"Yes so you should but as chief medical officer we value your opinion on any member of staff. I have taken note that Rodney has been pushing himself to the brink of exhaustion and beyond I suggest the base stands down for 48hours."
Everyone at the table smiled and dispersed to pass the message onto their respective teams.
"Dr. Beckett if you have a moment."
Weir called. Carson hung back and walked to Elizabeth's office.
"Please have a seat. I need your honest opinion does there need to be further action taken against Dr. McKay?"
Carson pondered for a moment scanning his memory of his medical report for Rodney deciding if there was
"I don't think much else can be done for the lad, I managed to get him to go sleep by threaten' sedation and a short stay in the infirmary. As long as he eats and has plenty of fluids possibly a little less caffeine he should be fine in the next couple of days but as you know Rodney functioning without caffeine is a mission in itself"
Elizabeth smiled
"Yes I'm glad, I know McKay can be" she hesitated
"Difficult, even on his good days but I was getting reports about his lack of judgement causing more problems than solutions."
Carson sighed
"That would be because of the sleep deprivation and the intake of caffeine would cause this problem to intensify all we can do is wait and rest and relax ourselves."
"Thank you Carson."
"My pleasure."
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John Sheppard hadn't really spoken to McKay much since his body was occupied by Laura Cadman, Sheppard respected McKay's own time but seeing as he was on his team he made more of an effort to get to know him from the beginning. John had an innate way of talking to Rodney about any concerns he had without making the scientist feel like he was being analysed like Heightmeyer would.
John continued down the corridor to McKay's room and knocked; when he got no response he swiped his hand against the door and opened it, he loved the perks of having the ancient gene to make little gadgets light up and open much to the annoyance of McKay who didn't have the natural gene. McKay had curled himself into a tight ball, cocooning himself in the sheets, John sat on the sofa and waited, 15 minutes later McKay began to stir, a soft coughing came behind him and when he glanced back it was Lt. Colonel Sheppard staring back.
"Oh, I'm sorry you should have prodded me awake."
John smiled
"Was advised to leave you as long as possible…Doctors orders."
McKay sat himself up
"Oh did he. Why aren't you on a mission?"
"Weir has made everyone stand down for 48hours, due to your health she doesn't want anyone else being admitted for exhaustion."
"Oh I see" he looked at his watch "Crap is that the time? I've missed the briefing, oh God Radek bet he is peeved, we had that presentation for Elizabeth."
"McKay! Rodney it's alright, he rambled some Czech but then the thought of 2 days off made him forget what he was peeved for. Carson mentioned about you being sleep deprived and a bit jacked up on caffeine, I know you don't like to and you prefer some pressure sometimes… Why did you push yourself so hard this time? We haven't run into the wraith in a while, the Genii were well just idiots but nothing we can't take in our strides. Your trying to show off aren't you? Winning the heart of a blonde scientist that came for a visit?"
Rodney scoffed at the idea
"I beg your pardon John, show off? Me? I don't need to prove I'm the genius!"
Rodney quietened and there was silence for a bit before Rodney continued
"John if I spoke to you, promise this won't go to anyone, Elizabeth would send me to Heightmeyer, who'd have a field day with me and my bloody life story or worse send me back to Earth and God I'm babbling again, I need to be shot!"
"Whoa steady tiger! Rodney, have a shower get changed and we will have a long chat, we'll go to one of the other balconies no one ever goes to, mate to mate."
Rodney nodded and clambered out of bed, trying to get his one foot loose from the sheets; John rose and sniggered as he left the scientist to it.
Rodney reached the balcony; John was seated watching the slight ripples in the vast ocean roll by
"Hey."
John turned and smiled slightly
"Hey, feel any better?"
"Yeah I suppose, slight grogginess, nothing I can't handle."
"McKay please take it easy I know you try to prove yourself because of a couple of incidences, but you don't."
"Come on John I might as well talk to Heightmeyer if you carry on like that."
Yeah but Heightmeyer doesn't have extra strong coffee, and well Carson will kill me if he knows I'm giving this to you."
"Coffee? Extra strong? Carson killing you? You rebel you!"
John nodded and held up a flask of the substance
"Ok I take it back"
Rodney sat down eagerly and waited like a schoolboy waiting a reward, John sniggered lightly when Rodney's eyes lit and followed the cup wherever John moved it, he finally handed it after he had his fun and Rodney spoke
"I think I need to start at the beginning 3 years ago…"
"Hmm how long is this going to be Rodney?"
"What you think I'm gonna give you a life history, a minute to minute run of my life, God John I know I can be irritable and arrogant, but you really think I could sit and tell you everything like it's nothing important just for your amusement for you to run off and pour it to Teyla… Fine I will just go!"
Rodney rose and started to leave John jumped up and caught Rodney's shoulder
"Hey, come on I didn't mean it like that, I know you like detail, please what happened 3 years ago to make you messed up today… Wrong choice of words but you know what I mean that's got you working yourself to death?"
Rodney and John sat back down and John pulled his jumper on and grabbed his coffee and was ready
"3 years ago, I worked with Samantha Carter for the second time, Anuibus… You read their reports right, you know about the goa'uld?"
John nodded
"Well Anuibus had a device that kept our stargate open and so after being an idiot and tried an EM pulse through it I kind of an electrical surge which electrocuted Samantha"
"Smooth McKay really smooth."
"Well she forgave me and that day she had told me I was annoying but she digged me and so we spent the night together."
John choked slightly on his coffee
"You and Sam, slept together?"
Rodney stared into the coffee and a reinactment of that night played through his mind
"Yeah, Hey! What's that supposed to mean, I got shipped off to Russia and well never really thought of anyone else, until I started to hang out with Davey, a few dates a few kisses, it's a wonder he out up with me all I talked about was Sam, anyhow…"
Rodney had now stood and walked to the balcony
"When I was called Cheyenne Mountain I couldn't believe I was going back, I was going to see Sam again, when I did I was being told about the Antarctica mission and that they thought I was best going as Samantha was engaged to some Pete guy I think she said. Well Sam and I argued and I thought the Antarctica mission would get her off my mind, which did happen except someone else took her place."
John sat there still "So McKay your bisexual?"
Rodney turned to face John and watched John's face, it was expressionless no prejudice, malice, just pure concern
"Yeah, thought I don't have a preference, don't worry John I don't view you in that way."
"Oh Rodney come on, I didn't say that, so who is the person that replaced Sam, no don't tell me, hmmm let's see wouldn't be Radek?"
John stifled a laugh
"Radek! Radek! Oh God John that better have been a joke, the minute I heard his voice, I was intrigued, then his panic in the chair I spoke Russian to him and strangely it calmed him down, then sharing a room with him in Antarctica seeing his semi-naked body… Ummm that info better stay in my head."
Rodney blushed and sat back down on the chair
"It's Carson and then with Cadman making me kiss him, that was a bad first kiss I didn't know if he was interested in guys let alone me, so that's when it began, finding any projects to keep me away, then when Sam arrived, it got worse… John promise this won't go further"
"I promise Rodney honestly."
"Sam and I nearly… well…slept… you know, I told her it was unwise and it shouldn't happen, she split with that guy and well I didn't think not until I was called to a briefing that day, I don't know what to do."
"Well all I can say is you don't do things the simple way do you?"
Rodney smiled
"I know I do know that Carson is gay, please keep that to yourself, he'd kill me if he found out I told you."
"No, I won't, I had a feeling but nothing concrete, and do you want to be with Carson or Sam? Have you spoke to either of them and I promise you there are more people who prefer both sexes, Rodney don't make yourself ill over this because that won't help, will it?"
Rodney sat silent again and breathed in deeply and let it all out
"Thanks, I now you mean well and I, not gonna run some simulations or anything or pick lightly, this could mean the chance for happiness or the chance to ruin friendships completely, Sam and I lost our time and place for a relationship and well, the rest is staying firmly in my head"
John smiled and nodded as Rodney felt relieved to have unloaded all this confusion and pain off to someone else, he knew he would have another good nights sleep now.
Over back in the populated side of Atlantis Daniel was talking to Sam
"Ya know Sam, you coming here may have not been one of your bestest ideas"
"Thanks Daniel, Ya know all the perfect things to say to a woman"
"Sam come on, you guys slept together once, then you were engaged he said he didn't want to see you again and yet you push yourself more than ever to crush that promise and try and sleep with him again! You 'ave serious issues don't ya you chose to end it with Peter remember, so why Rodney?"
"I don't know, when I was around him even though we were bickering there was something there and I just thought we could have that again"
"Sam you're a smart woman, didn't you ever think he might change, find someone new?"
"Someone new? Who could he like here, all the scientists barely get along with him and I heard he can' talk to one female scientist because of the whole 'woman controlled my body' experience, who else would there be?"
Daniel smiled "Maybe a doctor?"
"Daniel I told you the scien... ooo medical doctor, but he, he can't be he's so… No!"
Daniel sniggered "he doesn't announce it to everyone, but I have an incline he might be or he really likes my butt!"
"Ha-ha" Sam laughed "Ok, so him staring at your butt makes him gay?"
"Or bisexual?"
Sam nodded "Either way I don't think Rodney would make a move he's too shy and scared he'd cock it all up. But I'm still going to head back to the SGC when we can dial it up, if not it's a two week trip on the daedulus"
"Sam I only need another week or so before I have all the writings and translations to take back with me, wait till then you may have sorted things out with Dr McKay and part on better terms, sound good?"
"You're always the diplomat aren't you?"
"Occupational hazard" Daniel chuckled.
Sam rose from the desk and left Daniel who she could still faintly hear chuckling to himself.