How To Save A Life
By The Watch Stander
Thank you to all for the reviews, fav lists and alerts! You are all wonderful!
This is mostly a short chapter, a quiet time between the two men, but the next will have more action and a twist to all who thought this was just a jaunt through the woods . . .
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Chapter Four - Silence Must be Heard
Rodney's hands continued to shake as he held the power bar. Residual shock from the animal attack was finally catching up to him. Inside he was still terrified, the attack had scared him as it had revealed just how vulnerable they truly were.
If Carson hadn't been in time . . .
Taking a deep breath, he continued to chew the powerbar, trying desperately to not have a panic attack.
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Carson found shelter for them about 100 feet away from the river. Two trees had fallen and crossed over each other making a pocket underneath where they connected. It would be a safe haven from any marauding animals, as their backs would be covered by the trees limbs that formed a natural barrier. Any attack would be a frontal one where the two men would have the upper hand.
Making his way back to where he left Rodney, he kept an eye out for any other threats, but the noises of the forest were back making him feel safe.
McKay was still lying where he had left him, face pale with a slight sheen of sweat on his forehead. Carson worried that Rodney was getting worse and at a faster rate than he had anticipated. The animal attack had not helped his condition adding more injuries to both of them, that their bodies must now fight to heal.
Shaking his friend's arm to awaken him, he then proceeded to help get him up and onto his feet. Rodney seemed groggy, but took Carson's hand and stood.
"That's a good, Lad. I've found us a home for the night. Just you and me by the fire light. How's that sound?" Carson smiled, pleased with himself as he squeezed his friend's arm.
Rodney blinked then looked at him as if he were crazy, "You need help Carson, you must have hit your head harder than we thought."
"Just a little teasing, so don't get your back up! I'll not be listening to you griping about our accommodations either . . . so don't even start!"
Rodney felt himself suddenly sway, but Carson grabbed him and steadied him.
"Easy, Rodney, there'll be no falling down allowed."
The scientist took a deep breath, pushing away the dizziness, "It's all right . . . just a little dizzy . . . need to lie down. Anywhere you say, Carson, it doesn't matter." He was way too tired to snark back at his friend.
"Aye . . . let's get you there. You need to eat and I need to check your dressings."
Carson put the scientist's arm over his shoulders and together they made their way away from the river.
Once he had McKay inside their shelter, he pulled off their backpacks and placed one behind Rodney's head. The scientist gratefully lay back against it and closed his eyes, hurting and aching all over.
Carson stood there for a moment, taking in his friend's appearance. He wanted to make a meal for the man to eat before he fell asleep, but knew they needed a fire for protection and that must come first.
"I'll be back in a moment, Rodney. Take a rest while I get us a fire started."
It didn't take him long to find twigs and kindling as well as dry logs. He quickly piled them up near the entrance to their shelter and then hunted for rocks. Forced to go back to the river to get those, he chose medium sized ones that he could carry. It took him three trips, but finally he had enough. Ten minutes later he'd dug a hole, placed the rocks in a ring around it and was in the process of lighting their fire when a cry from inside the lean-to made him stop. He quickly went inside to where McKay was.
Rodney was tossing in the throes of a nightmare, so Carson shook him awake.
"Rodney, wake up it's all right, we're safe . . . it's just a dream."
The scientist was trembling as his eyes opened wide upon hearing Carson. "What . . . ?"
"Easy, Rodney, you're safe . . . I'll not be letting anything get to you." Carson stated softly, as if talking to a child. He didn't like the look of terror that was in his friend's eyes when he'd first awoken.
He has a fever and there's infection as well to worry about . . .
"Let me just start the fire then we'll eat," He tried a slight smile and then left to finish the fire.
Rodney watched him leave, then lay back down resting the side of his face against the pack. He continued to tremble, as he vividly remembered the attack by the animals.
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Carson finished starting the fire and once it was burning, went to get a few more logs for overnight, hoping the fire would keep away the wildlife as well as supply them with heat. The temperature had already dropped since the light had faded making the air cool. With the overhead canopy of trees, the forest appeared pitch black. The only light was that of their fire.
Carson sat there by the fire for a few minutes trying not to think of all the ways that this whole trip to the gate could go wrong. By nature he wasn't a pessimist, unlike McKay, but even he had to admit the odds of their making it were stacked against them and increasing all the time. There was no way they were going to get to the gate in two days, not after suffering the attack from the beasts. He could feel his arm throbbing and knew that he as well as Rodney had an infection from the wounds. Poking the fire with a stick, he then got up and headed into their shelter.
He would have to get them home . . . There was no other choice . . .
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John was getting seriously pissed, none of the addresses they'd been to so far had been the one his friends had gone to. They'd tried the ones that his teams had previously visited first, hoping that one of those would have been dialed by the men, but there was nothing there when they arrived and none of the people there had seen them.
It was late, his men were tired, but no one had stopped searching. Carson was well liked by everyone on Atlantis and Rodney, well he was Rodney, people were worried about him as well. After all, how many times had he saved them?
Many of the scientists had continued to ask him about the search and if they'd had any luck, McKay it seemed was liked by his people no matter how acerbic he was to them.
John ran a hand through his hair and sat there trying to think of any other way he could find the men. When the Daedalus arrived in a few days they could use it to track the men's transponder signals. The ship could do it far more efficiently having a greater range available to it.
For now though all he could do was continue to search and worry.
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Elizabeth was sitting in her office scrolling through the addresses and sending them to the jumpers that were searching for the men. It was long and laborious, but she didn't mind. Her two friends were missing and that kept her going long into the evening hours when she should have been having dinner and thinking about getting some sleep.
There was no way she could rest, constantly worrying about the two men and their chances of survival. Carson was a doctor not a soldier and she wasn't sure how he'd fend out there. Rodney was a scientist, and though a member of an off-world team, wasn't use to being on his own, away from the safety and protection of his team.
She rubbed her forehead trying to rub away the ache there. Atlantis couldn't afford to lose either of the two men and neither could she. Carson was irreplaceable to her. Always so kind and thoughtful and Rodney, she didn't want to go there. He had so much potential in him and she couldn't bear to think of a time when he wouldn't be here to talk to or just have lunch with when the stress became too much for her. She'd miss him terribly and life here would never be the same. His team would be lost without him and John, she wasn't sure how he'd handle it.
.Sighing she continued to work, praying that they'd both be found soon...
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Carson entered the shelter, surprised when he found the man still awake.
"How about a lovely dinner and then a nice cocktail that I guarantee will put you out like a light?"
McKay smiled slightly, "Only if it's something I like or I'll just have a couple of power bars," he started to sit up, helped by the Doctor.
Carson looked at him smugly, "Aye . . . I guarantee you'll like it. It's your favorite, Sauerbraten, no lemon, I checked."
Rodney's eyebrows rose in surprise and quickly reached out for the MRE that Carson retrieved from the pack.
He looked at it then turned back to Carson, disappointed, "Carson, this is meat loaf! Do you need glasses?"
Carson feigned surprise, "Is it now? Somehow I thought sauerbraten sounded more appetizing. Let's just go with that, OK?"
Rodney managed a pained look and nodded wearily, "Whatever . . . "
The two men tore open the packages and proceeded to eat in silence.
Rodney played with his food, only taking a few bites whenever Carson stared at him. He really wasn't hungry and felt like death warmed over. The expression being hit by a Mack truck could describe the way he felt. Add a throbbing headache and fever and that just about covered it all.
Carson wasn't feeling much better as he too found his appetite had gone missing, but he knew they both needed the nourishment, especially Rodney. Beckett didn't want to have to deal with hypoglycemia along with everything else.
His own arm was still throbbing. The antibiotics were obviously not powerful enough to kill the germs that the wounds produced. It looked as if Rodney's prediction of lasting less than five days just might come true unless they got lucky and found the gate tomorrow.
Finally too tired to eat, he put his plate down when he saw Rodney had already lost interest in his own meal and now had lines of pain around his eyes.
"I think it's time for that shot I promised, then it's to bed for you." Carson told him.
Rodney looked at him, wearily. " I'm all for that, but wake me and I'll take second watch."
Carson smiled, "Right you are, now let's get you ready."
The scientist lay back on the ground and got comfortable using his pack as a pillow, cradling his wounded arm protectively against his chest.
Carson gave him half a shot of the morphine and it crept through his veins making everything numb. He was so tired, his eyelids started to droop and soon he was fast asleep. The doctor retrieved a thermal blanket from his own pack and covered the man, tucking it around him, then gently patted his arm.
" Sleep tight my friend, I'll keep watch over ye and nothing will hurt you, not while I'm here."
Rodney was truly one of his closet friends, no matter how much they argued there was always a known friendship and affection between them. McKay reminded Carson of his younger brother and it was one of the reasons the Doctor cut him so much slack.
Most people thought Rodney an arrogant and hateful man, but they didn't look beyond the facade, for if they had they'd have found a different man entirely. This was the enigma known as Rodney McKay.
Carson settled back against the wall of their shelter and taking his gun from its holster, lay it down by his side. Resting, he watched as the fire crackled just outside their shelter. His body ached, but at least that might keep him awake, for he feared if he slept the animals might come again.
It's going to be a long night . . .
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TBC