The team managed to get Katie back to the clinic in short order, and Alison stepped back as she watched Carson and Jorge go to work on saving the woman's life. Carson had set up an area for triage, and he now put it to good use as he started an IV, scanned Katie's body, and determined exactly what to do. He worked well with Jorge, and the DEA agent clearly knew his stuff when it came to medicine. The shorthand between the two men was impressive, and she refused to leave the room when Sheppard and the rest of the team stepped out. Instead, she took up a stool in a corner and stayed out of the way.
The day had been a long one, and it had barely reached noon. A glance at her watch told her why she was so hungry, and she vaguely thought about going to the coffee house to get lunch for everyone. Something stopped her, however. Katie had always played games, and she didn't want to leave Carson alone with the woman. It was irrational and jealous on her part, but she couldn't stop the reaction.
The machines Carson had managed to set up in the room started beeping erratically, and he whirled. "She's goin' into cardiac arrest!" He climbed up on the hospital bed and began chest compressions. "Jorge, there's a crash cart. . . ."
"I got it, Doc!" Jorge interrupted as he raced for the door. "Just keep her alive!"
Alison bit her fingernail as the moments went on. Carson counted the compressions, interspersing them with soft encouragement for Katie to hang on. Ironically, Alison found herself urging Katie along as well, silently begging the woman to survive. Carson had lost patients before, but he didn't need to lose Katie. Not right now, not with all the questions that he needed answered. Jorge returned just a few seconds later, though it felt as if he'd been gone for hours. Alison watched the pair work over Katie's body, both of them incredibly focused, as she realized that her training and experiences hadn't prepared her for this work.
"Clear." Carson's voice pulled her mind back to the present as Jorge held up his hands. A moment later, Katie's body jerked. She gave no other response, and Carson charged the defibrillator again. He shocked Katie again. The second shock seemed to work as the machines showed Katie's heart beginning to beat again. Carson sighed deeply. "Administer epinephrine," he told Jorge. Turning to Alison, he met her eyes. "Get an ambulance on the way over here. There's no way I can keep her alive with what I've got available here."
Alison realized what he was telling her and pulled out her phone as she left the room. A quick call to the sheriff's office resulted in an ambulance being dispatched, but it was at least an hour out at top speeds. Wishing Esperanza wasn't so isolated, Alison slipped back into the treatment room as Jorge pushed the crash cart out the door.
Carson sat next to Katie's bed, pinching the bridge of his nose. Alison moved to his side, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry," he said softly.
"Why?" She crouched in front of him, meeting his eyes. "What was it you told me when I had the migraine? Stop apologizing?"
He gave her a look that clearly said he wasn't happy with having his words thrown back at him. But his eyes were soft as he looked at her. "I know ye don't like Katie, but I cannae let her die."
"I would expect no less." Alison smiled. "Carson, I may not like the woman, but I don't wish her dead. You're a doctor—a good one. If anyone can save Katie, it'll be you."
He didn't deny that but simply nodded. Alison gave him the space he needed to react to the current crisis. Walking back to the waiting area, she found everyone save Colonel Sheppard had left. Blinking, she pointed at the door. "They've gone for lunch?"
"Yeah." Sheppard pushed to his feet. "Rodney said the coffee house has really good food, and Ronon decided he was hungry."
Alison snickered at the thought of Ronon in her mother's coffee house. "That could be fun to watch."
"Yeah, it could," Sheppard agreed with a smile. He glanced up to see Carson joining them. Alison wrapped her arms around her waist.
Carson touched her elbow. "Well, she's stabilized for now. Jorge's stayin' with her, an' I thought we could get somethin' to eat. I didn't have breakfast, an' it'll be a long day if the ambulance doesn't get here soon."
Sheppard frowned. "Doc, back on base, you wouldn't leave the infirmary with a patient in that condition."
"Aye, I know." Carson sighed. "Quite frankly, short of bringin' her back again, there's really nothing I can do for Katie. Unless she regains consciousness, we can't find out who she sold the serum to. An' she may not even be herself when she wakes up. The stroke was a bad one, and it'll change who she is forever."
"What if she goes into cardiac arrest again?" Alison asked.
"It's a possibility." Carson shrugged and then looked down. "I need some space," he admitted a moment later. "Katie has always been vivacious, lively. A handful, aye, but one I never wanted to see in this position. It's not like watchin' you or Rodney or anyone I know go through this. She. . . ." He blinked as he tried to explain.
Sheppard nodded. "I understand, Doc." He pointed over his shoulder. "I'm told the coffee house isn't too far from here. That's where the rest of the team is, and we're close. Just in case."
"Aye." Carson waited while the colonel left the room to pull Alison into his arms. She laid her head on his chest, feeling the tension in his body as he held her. No words were needed at this point, and she didn't see Sheppard glance back to give them an amused grin.
A few moments later, Carson pulled back to look wearily in her eyes. "Thank you for bein' there, love."
"No other place to be," Alison said with a shrug. "You're sure you want to leave Katie?"
"Aye," he said softly. "Jorge's got her care covered."
Surprised at the change in him, Alison allowed him to escort her to her mother's coffee house. She smiled at the sight of Ronon sitting at one of the bistro tables, but the team's faces were concerned for Carson. They absorbed him as she slipped behind the counter to explain what had happened to her mother. Margaret was concerned for Carson, clearly having seen the weariness in his eyes. The older woman happily served lunch in as quick of a manner as possible, aware that Carson might be called back to the clinic at any time.
The call never came. Carson glanced at his watch every few minutes and pushed away from the table as soon as he'd finished off his meal. He'd been there less than fifteen minutes, and Alison also stood. She'd fixed their coffee "to go" and knew they would likely spend the rest of the day in the clinic. The team accepted Carson's departure, with Sheppard accompanying them back down the street.
oOo
The clinic was quiet. Carson stopped just inside the door, trying to figure out why that bothered him. On any given day, the clinic was quiet, but the quiet was punctuated by Jorge's shoes squeaking, Katie typing, or the phone ringing. Now, none of that sounded in the air, but something else was wrong. The monitors around Katie's bed were no longer beeping, either. He set his coffee on the receptionist's desk and ran into the room.
The bed was empty. Jorge had crumbled onto the floor, bleeding from a head wound. Carson rushed to his side and carefully examined his wound. Turning to Alison, he calmly explained what he needed while Sheppard pulled out a radio and contacted the rest of the team. With reinforcements on the way, Carson focused on getting Jorge conscious and talking.
The ambulance arrived just after the rest of the team appeared. The paramedics raced through the door and found Carson crouched over Jorge, doing a quick examination of the DEA agent. He glanced up and nearly groaned aloud. "She's not here, gentlemen."
The paramedic blinked. "Then where is she?"
"I don't know." Carson left Jorge for a moment, satisfied the man had only a minor cut and concussion from being struck. "I left for ten minutes to get something to eat. When I returned, my nurse was unconscious, and the patient had disappeared."
Sheppard had followed the paramedics into the room. "We're gonna find her," he said firmly.
"Aye, an' ye need to hurry." Carson looked at the paramedics. "She's overdosed on a serum designed for a rare genetic disorder, an' it's caused her to suffer a hemorrhagic stroke, complicated by cardiac arrest. I called ye because I couldnae keep her alive on my own. If she's not found. . . ."
He didn't need to finish the sentence. Jorge let out a groan as he regained consciousness, and then he dove for a pan that had been overturned in the fight. As he emptied his stomach contents, Carson found sent Alison for a bottle of water and patted the agent's shoulder. "Take it easy, lad. You've got quite the concussion."
"I know, Doc." Jorge accepted the water bottle from Alison. "Thanks."
The two paramedics looked uncertain of what to do. "Doc, you called for an ambulance. What do you want us to do?"
"Stick around." Carson glanced at them. "As soon as we figure out where Katie was taken, I'll need ye to transport her to the nearest hospital." He turned back to Jorge. "What happened?"
"Engleside." Jorge swallowed more water. "Engleside showed up just after you left. He was mad. I tried to calm him down, but. . . ." He chuckled. "First time I've ever been taken down by a guy smaller than me."
"Aye, you have to watch out for the little ones," Carson said wryly. "Why did he come here?"
"He kept sayin' Katie had ruined everything." Jorge shook his head. "I don't know how he got the drop on me. Must have had someone with him. One minute, I'm standing between the bed and Engleside, the next I saw your face."
"I knew I shouldn't have left," Carson said softly. "Okay, we need to figure out why Engleside would take Katie. And where."
Rodney rolled his eyes. "Give me a few minutes." He headed for the receptionist's desk while Alison followed him. Carson was pleased to see Alison getting involved. Medical situations weren't her strength, but she could reason out data on a screen as well as Rodney McKay. That the physicist looked slightly put out at Alison's presence, but Carson wasn't worried. Those two would figure it out.
Helping Jorge to his feet, he turned his care over to the paramedics. Moving to Sheppard's side, he let out a deep breath. "Colonel, Engleside could be a problem."
Sheppard frowned. "Why?"
"His daughter's the one I treated for a methamphetamine overdose." Carson shook his head. "Right after that, he found pills from my pharmacy in his daughter's room. If we don't get ahead of this. . . ."
"People are gonna end up dead," Sheppard said.
"Aye." Carson hated agreeing, but he had nothing left to say.
oOo
It took Rodney less than an hour to work out why Doug Engleside might have taken Katie. Alison watched over his shoulder, not adding anything beyond local information. Doug Engleside owned the most successful ranch in Esperanza, and his income helped keep local businesses like the hardware store, Esperanza Cafe, and the clinic afloat. However, about three years ago, Engleside started hemorrhaging cash on high gambling debts. Then, his income seemingly stabilized. He still went to the casinos on a weekly basis, still lost big, and still had enough money to maintain his lifestyle.
Jorge joined the group after a few moments alone. His head clearly ached, but he refused to do much more than sit down in the chair Alison shoved toward him. He explained more of his investigation into Esperanza. A large amount of heroin and marijuana had moved through the town in the last three years, and the DEA figured there was a distribution center in the region for one of the major cartels. They'd not been able to get a lead on anything, so they sent in one of their agents who also happened to be a nurse practitioner.
In the three years that he'd been in Esperanza, Jorge had not discovered anything more than the drug dealing taking place in the cafe and pharmacy. He honestly admitted to suspecting Katie but dismissing her because she worked for Carson. As well as the fact that Carson had taken such firm control over the pharmacy and its operations. That didn't matter to Sheppard, who only wanted to get Katie back alive.
Pointing to the two paramedics, Sheppard motioned. "You two, follow us out to the ranch. Engleside's got a good hour-and-a-half on us, so he could have done anything by now."
The two men headed for the ambulance while Carson followed them. Alison watched him go and then turned to Sheppard. The colonel pointed to Rodney and Alison. "You two stay here. I want to know everything on Engleside, his workers, and anyone else who might be involved." He glanced at Jorge. "You stay put, as well."
With that, the clinic emptied.
Rodney immediately went back to work, leaving Alison to watch over his shoulder. She'd never felt so useless, but she had nothing to give. Jorge and McKay started talking softly, and Alison allowed them to work without interrupting. Her stomach churned, however, and she wrapped her arms around her middle. Carson was going into danger, and she wasn't there with him. Given that he'd looked so weak just that morning, she couldn't help worrying about him. But it was his nature to do anything to save a life, and she refused to ask him to stop. She couldn't.
As she sat there, she truly considered her plans for the future. If she left the SGC and came back to Esperanza, this would be her life. She wasn't cut out to sit at home and wait. She needed to be out in the field, doing something. With the news that Jorge was a nurse practitioner, it meant Carson could return to the SGC if he so chose to return. While she wanted to urge him toward that with all of her heart, she knew she couldn't force his hand. To do so would create unnecessary tension, and she hated the thought of forcing him to do something he didn't want to do. While he'd left their future in her hands, she couldn't make that decision without him.
Determined to be patient, she pushed to her feet and slipped into Carson's office. Once there, she sat behind his desk, surrounded by his things, and simply waited.
oOo
Engleside's ranch came into view, and Carson shook his head. It wasn't extravagant, but it was huge. The ambulance rolled to a stop, and Carson climbed out with Sheppard jumping from the truck behind them. Ronon and Teyla followed, along with the two paramedics. Carson stopped them all. "Wait!" He frowned. "Mrs. Engleside is easily spooked, so maybe it should just be me that goes to the door."
Sheppard agreed with a nod, and Carson walked onto the large porch and rang the doorbell. Mrs. Engleside answered without her sunglasses, and her two black eyes stood out against her skin. Carson frowned. "Mrs. Engleside, what happened?"
She stared up at him with tears in her eyes. "You're here for Doug, aren't you?"
Carson saw Debbie appear behind her mother, the girl's face a picture of anger. "Aye, we are. Do you know where he is?"
Mrs. Engleside shook her head, but Debbie pushed forward. "He's with some girl named Katie. Same place he was last night, and the same place he's been before. When he should be home!" The venom in the teenager's voice surprised Carson.
He nodded. "I'm sorry, but Katie was in the clinic barely alive. We're actually lookin' for her as well."
Debbie blinked at him. "You think Dad had something to do with it?" Her tone said she firmly believed that Engleside had done something wrong.
Mrs. Engleside whirled. "How dare you accuse your father?"
"Oh, please. Mom! Grow up! Dear Old Dad isn't who you think he is!" Debbie turned to Carson. "There are several warehouses toward the rear of our property. I can take you there."
"Debbie!" Mrs. Engleside screeched at her daughter.
Debbie pinned her mother in place with a cold glance. "If you hadn't been so concerned with how your life appeared, I wouldn't have been held prisoner in my own home. I'm sorry, Mom, but I'm not letting Dad get away with anything else." Turning to Carson, she stepped outside the house and headed for the vehicles in the driveway. "The ambulance should stay back, but the truck will make the drive." She opened the door of one of the large pickups in the already in the driveway and looked back at Carson. "You coming, Doc?"
~TBC