And here's the latest chapter in the rewritten series.. I hope that you've enjoyed the fic so far.. Let me know what you think of it so far!
Chapter V:
Dr. Elizabeth Weir sat in the mess hall staring at the beautiful meal before her, her mouth watering with anticipation of the wonderful blend of savory spices and tender taste's it was about to endure. The first joyous bite of the medium rare ribeye steak almost melted in her mouth and her blue eyes closed in an effort to slowly savor the taste. Oh this was heaven!
"Doctor Weir to the Control Room," her earpiece chirped with the voice of Dr. Radek Zalenka. His thick Czech accent rolled off his tongue and permeated her ear drums in a comforting sort of way. She sighed; it wouldn't be a day in Atlantis without her dinner being interrupted.
"I'm on my way," she announced into the radio, hesitating only momentarily before grabbing her tray of food and taking it with her.
Colonel Sheppard and his team had been missing for well over a day. Since SGA1 wasn't known for keeping up to date with their check-ins she hadn't originally begun to worry until twelve hours after their missed check-in time. Thankfully the days on PX3-525 are much longer than the standard Atlantis days so even though it was well after midnight by the time she'd managed to round a team together, it was only mid-afternoon on the planet.
Originally she hadn't planned on sending a team after them until the morning but Major Lorne had argued that the men really didn't mind since they were awake and more than eager to get off-world and they were concerned about their CO and company. So, she'd reluctantly allowed them to check things out.
She'd waited up until three am when they'd finally returned with forlorn faces and had told her that there had been obvious signs of a struggle and capture. Their findings puzzled those on Atlantis because they hadn't realized that the planet was inhabited but it was more than apparent to Major Lorne and his men that it was.
The control room came into view and the most curious sight greeted her, almost succeeding in making her drop her tray. A big, blue, 1950's Police Call box stood off to the right of the gate, whirring and wheezing into existence, slowly materializing as the seconds passed. She handed off her tray to Chuck who simply took it up to her office for later then came back into the gateroom and watched as she stared openly at the box in confusion.
"What is that thing?" she'd asked the room, the curiously wary commanding tone filling the echoing silence of the open room. She looked around the room, waiting for Radek to come stand beside her with some sort of explanation but upon closer inspection, she noticed that he was nowhere to be found. Sounds could be heard from inside the box but she couldn't fully make anything out. "Someone call Radek and keep your eye on it for strange activity."
One of the doors to the box opened and a familiar head full of spiky, chestnut brown hair with green eyes in its sockets poked out and placed a well known arrogant smirk then asked, "Is this strange enough or would you like more?"
Three more familiar faces poked out behind John's followed by two that were complete strangers to her and Elizabeth couldn't stop her jaw from dropping open at the sight before her. They looked like a comedy act being presented in a Marx Brothers moment and had she not been so shocked, Elizabeth probably would have burst out laughing. But her Military Commander had a point – it was strange to see SGA1 plus two popping out of the big blue box; a big blue box that happened to be sitting in the middle of the control room after having just suddenly appeared.
The unknown man raised a hand and said, "Hello," further driving the confusion as his words filled the silence of the room with a British accent – not that they haven't heard that around here but it wasn't exactly the norm either since their most recent resident Brit had been killed.
Elizabeth stood in stunned silence for another five minutes before her brain finally caught up with the situation. "What are you doing in there?" she finally asked, addressing her Military Commander and coming further into the gateroom so that she stood thirty feet in front of the box.
"It's a long story," John answered, walking out of the TARDIS and coming to stand in front of his boss and friend. "Where's Lorne?"
"Eating dinner I think, why?" Her eyebrows furrowed in both concern and confusion. Her confusion was evident – why was it important to know where John's 2IC was? But her concern came simply from the bruises on his face, his split lip and the slightly pained expression in his eyes. What had happened to them?
"We need to go back and rescue some people, but I want his team with us when we go," he answered. She noticed Rodney lift his eyebrows in surprise when the pilot mentioned people but he didn't correct him. John immediately started walking towards the mess hall when he was stopped by a strong yet dainty hand on his arm.
"Hold on just a minute," Elizabeth instructed using her best 'I'm in charge' voice. "What happened on the planet? And who are your newest additions?"
"Sorry, I'm the Doctor and this is my companion Rose," the cinnamon haired man introduced. Elizabeth couldn't stop her brows from furrowing when she noticed that the man was limping, almost heavily at that. He smiled kindly at her show of sympathy, but he didn't comment on his limp either.
Elizabeth took the proposed hand, noting that it was bruised and swollen, and gently shook it before turning her attention back to John, "Conference room, all of you, now."
And with that she walked up the stairs and turned left on the top landing, heading in the direction of the conference room. When she got there however, instead opening automatically, the doors remained closed and the lights in the control room began flickering off and on.
SGA1 stopped on the stairs and looked warily around the control room but John began laughing as the sound of two teenagers giggling filled his mind. "What are you two doing down there?" he asked the city.
"Girl talk Colonel," the TARDIS informed him with a smile in her tone.
"Oi!" he heard the Doctor's voice mentally object.
He ignored the man's seeming worried indignance and laughed again, the smile brightening his eyes and accentuating his handsome features. "Well I don't mean to interrupt you wonderful ladies but, Atlantis could you open the doors to the conference room so we can begin to discuss how we're going to rescue the Gabrihath?"
"Not that I'm not thankful Colonel, but I'll be alright without your help," the Doctor replied before Atlantis had a chance to.
John turned around to face the man, noticing with envy how easily he seemed to be able to climb the stairs with his injured leg. The pilot had sprained his knee pretty good about six months back and he hadn't even been able to happily jog up the staircase until three months ago. He knew the Doctor's injury was just as bad as the sprain had been yet he was able to act like it was nothing.
"Look," he mentally said, "If it wasn't for those creatures, we would still be stuck on the planet having only God knows what done to us. I am not going to let you and your companion go in on your own and try to free them. Not when I can help."
"My Thief, let them help," the TARDIS softly intoned. The title threw John off guard and he looked around the room in confusion. It wasn't until he heard the Doctor sigh that he figured out the sentient ship was talking to the Doctor.
"I can't," the Doctor objected with such forlorn in his voice that John would have thought he was asking the man to take full responsibility for the world.
"Doctor," Atlantis gently began, "I understand your reluctance – I truly do – but believe me when I say that these humans can handle themselves in a situation and that they will go in with or without you."
"John?" Elizabeth asked, looking at him in confusion as to why the doors still hadn't opened.
"I'm workin' on it," he assured, holding out his hand to his boss and friend. He turned back to the mental conversation that was going on.
The Doctor returned his stare, cold, brown eyes boring into his soul as deep as they could get. A feeling of unease that he wasn't used to feeling swept over him under the weight of the stare. It took all his restraint not to fidget, holding the gaze with an even one of his own.
"Fine," the Doctor relented, "but we work on this together. No one is above the other. Got it?"
"Great," John replied with a smile in his mental voice, "Now, Atlantis could you please open the doors?"
The doors to the conference room hissed open, letting a breeze brush passed them and ruffling their hair.
"Thanks," he said, absently patting the closest wall of the city. He'd never done that before and he honestly didn't know why he'd done it now but the near groan that echoed throughout his mind told him he should try doing that more to show the city just how much she's appreciated.
Once he was done chatting with the two sentient ships and the telepathic being, John looked at his friends to find them staring at him with curious expressions on their faces, patiently waiting for him to finish so he could offer an explanation.
He ignored their looks and sat down in his usual chair to wait for the other members of the group to file in, activating his comm. and saying, "Major Lorne report to the conference room ASAP."
"Yessir," came the immediate, military reply.
Rose and the Doctor hesitantly walked into the room, pausing by the door before walking fully into the room and standing off to the side. John having seen their reluctance waved a hand in their direction while saying, "Come on in and have a seat." He turned his head to look behind him, thankful that the city had provided refreshments. "There's coffee and some sandwiches, and oh look there's also fresh tea made. I think that's specifically for you."
While his offer for them to sit was mainly strategic, it was also because a sympathetic part of him didn't want the injured Doctor to stand much longer than he had to.
"John, are you sure they should be included in this?" Elizabeth asked, offering an apologetic glance in the guest's way.
"It was part of the agreement," John answered without question or pause.
"There's an agreement?" Elizabeth countered with an eyebrow raise. "I wasn't aware of that."
"It was made in the hall," the Doctor added, sitting down in between Ronon and Teyla, "while we were waiting for the lovely Atlantis to open the doors for us."
"And, who is it we are going to go rescue?"
"They are called the Gabrihath. They were once a neutral race but the years of living in a beautiful, if somewhat barren land has made them prone to violence. It's not their fault really; when you've been forced to make a living out of nothing, it's almost natural to become hardened in the process."
"If they are such a violent race, then why are we helping them?" Elizabeth countered, leaning forward onto the table.
John saw something flash in the Doctor's eyes, but though his voice lost its geniality, it wasn't anywhere near the threatening tone he was sure the man could give.
"Because they are being enslaved by the wraith and because it was upon my word that I could help free them that they freed us," the Doctor replied in an almost dangerously quiet voice.
"I see," Elizabeth replied, doing very well at hiding how uncomfortable she felt. The atmosphere in the room had changed and they all felt it. It had gone from friendly and welcoming to cold and challenging. "Well, I suppose we should find out what we can do to help them then, shouldn't we?"
"We should wait for Lorne first," John answered, noticing that his 2IC hadn't arrived yet.
"Here!" Lorne called as he hurried into the conference room and sat down. "Uh sir, why is there a blue Police call box in the middle of the gateroom?"
"Yes, how did you all managed to arrive in the middle of the gateroom in a big, blue box?" Elizabeth asked, leaning forward and placing her folded hands on the curved table.
The small group looked at one another, silently volunteering somebody for the job of explaining all of what had happened. Obviously, the person from the Doctor's group of two would be the Doctor himself but it seemed that the person from the Atlantis side would be John.
"Okay," the pilot said in a sigh, "everyone comfortable? It's going to be a long story."
Rose stood on the balcony just outside the control room overlooking the crystal blue ocean, watching trance-like as it lapped against the star edges of the city. Fading sunlight bathed the steel and concrete and the warm sea wind whipped around her face, tangling with her hair before brushing it off her face.
The debrief with the Doctor, Colonel Sheppard, Dr. Weir, Major Lorne, Ronon, Teyla, and Dr. Rodney McKay had been interesting and informative both for her and those that she'd experienced everything with. Between the six of them they had managed to explain in detail what all had befallen them on the planet. It had taken quite a bit of time to get through everything and answer Dr. Weir and Major Lorne's questions and by the time they had finished the Doctor had scampered off to the TARDIS, obviously desperate to be alone, and she had come out here to just be.
The swishing of the balcony doors sounded from behind her and she jumped out of her skin when someone cleared his throat, probably in an attempt not to startle her. She turned around to find a man of medium height and build with sparkling blue eyes and an attractively long face staring at her kindly, apology written in his posture.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," he apologized in a thick Scottish accent, "I'm Doctor Carson Beckett, Doctor Weir asked me to escort you and your companion to the infirmary to make sure you both are alright."
"I'm fine," Rose informed, her brows wrinkling in confusion. She didn't have any bruises on her, though there were some dirt spots that could possibly be mistaken for a bruise, so she didn't understand why the kind man was inferring that she needed to be examined.
"I'm afraid it's a standard protocol here. You never know what you're going to come back with." Carson's eyes were soft and apologetic despite the stiff smile that remained on his face. Rose could tell that he was going to do what was expected of him even if he didn't think it was necessary so she let it go.
"I'm Rose," she introduced even though she suspected he already knew. Dr. Beckett gave a nod of hello and stepped back, waving his arm across his body in invitation for her to join and proceed before him back inside the city.
They passed by the view of the TARDIS and Rose couldn't help but give a longing glance down at the ship. Like the Doctor, she had wanted to escape within the safety of the ship but she'd been respectful of his desire to solitude and had remained in Atlantis.
"She's a beautiful ship," Carson spoke as they stared down at the TARDIS. Rose gave him a sharp, inquisitive look making him smile. "Atlantis told me about her. She's quite excited to have her here; it's been a long time since she's had someone who knew how she felt around. They've been gabbing and sharing stories ever since you arrived."
"How do you know that?" Rose asked in wonder. She'd long learned not to judge a book by its cover but these Lanteans as they call themselves never fail to surprise her.
"Oh I can hear them. Mostly Atlantis since my connection with her is stronger but it's been constant chatter in the back of my mind for hours." He grimaced and brought a hand his head, giving it a good rub before lowering it again. "It's given me a wee bit of a headache to say the least."
Rose had a caring heart and right now it made her want to reach out a hand and rub the doctor's back in an attempt to soothe the pain in his head but since the man was still very much a stranger to her she remained where she was. "The Doctor has troubles with that when there's a lot of telepathic chatter going on; I suspect that's part of the reason why he escaped back into the TARDIS as soon as he could without being too rude. He usually shuts it out before he ends up with a migraine but sometimes it doesn't work."
She'd expected him to make some form of comment about asking the Doctor to teach him the little trick which is why she was completely thrown off when his face hardened into a look of determined annoyance.
"Oh, did he?" he asked as he quickly made his way down the stairs and over to the TARDIS.
Again, Rose had expected something to happen completely opposite to what did happen. She'd expected the ship to ban the Scottish doctor from entering but to her complete surprise, and the Doctor's complete annoyance apparently, she allowed the man unquestioning access.
"Oi!" the Doctor objected when Carson stormed into the control room. "What'd you let him in for ol' girl?"
"Because you actually are injured and should be seen to by a doctor," the Scot returned almost angrily. There was a weary annoyance behind his voice that Rose knew must have come from years of dealing with the Colonel and Ronon when they were injured; she didn't doubt that the two men were just as stubborn as her friend was.
"What? This?" the Doctor pointed to the blood soaked inseam of his left pant leg, "It's nothing. A bit of sleep and I'll be as good as new. Well, new enough to rescue the Gabrihath at least, I mean I suppose it'll take a bit of time for the bit of muscle that was destroyed to grow fully back, won't it?"
Rose giggled when she saw the perplexed look on Carson's face but she soon stifled it when he flashed a look her way. The confusion was still there but this look was more one of confirmation. She shrugged, letting the man know that the Doctor did this all the time and said nothing more. She had a feeling that the doctor would never leave the TARDIS if he learned what medical supplies the ship held.
"Be that as it may, you are still injured and you will not be going on the mission until I say you can," Carson replied.
The Doctor gave him an almost patronizing look, "Oh really? And how are you going to stop me from taking my ship there without all of you?"
"You wouldn't dare!" Rose replied, insulted that he'd thought of leaving without her. She looked over at Carson but instead of seeing indignation on his face, he had a smile in his eyes that didn't bode well for the Doctor.
"Because," Carson replied, stepping aside to allow the Doctor room to leave as though he knew he'd won, "the TARDIS won't let you."
"What?" the Doctor asked, confused. "How would you know that? Ol' girl, are you talking to this man?"
Silence filled the console room as the Doctor conversed with his TARDIS. Rose looked at Carson, inquiring how he'd been able to make that claim but he didn't answer her; his focus was solely on his stubborn patient. He winced a few times while the silent conversation took place, reminding Rose of his headache. She wanted to ask the TARDIS and the Doctor to finish quickly in deference to the Scot's head, but she had a feeling that he would just brush everything under the rug if it was mentioned so she kept her mouth shut.
When the Doctor visibly deflated, Rose knew Carson had won.
"You lot are such mother hens, do you know that?" he griped. Then he pointed to the ceiling, appearing to talk to no one in particular, "And you are becoming just as bad as them! I think I need to get you away from this city before you get ideas of grandeur in your head."
The TARDIS rumbled in an angry dare and the Doctor flitted his hand around, wincing when he remembered that it was his injured hand, "Yes, alright, I'm going." He murmured, "Traitor," under his breath, making the TARDIS bump him around, forcing him to slam into the controls. "Oi!"
"I think it might be best to leave her alone," Carson advised while beginning to herd the Doctor out the door without touching him. His blue eyes focused on the injured left leg, apparently silently determining whether or not he should allow the Doctor to walk on it because when he looked back up, he opened his mouth to speak, "I suppose that if I suggest you wait for a wheelchair, you wouldn't take it?"
"You're very astute aren't you?" the Doctor quipped more harshly than was normal.
"Being rude again?" Rose interjected, hoping to remind her friend that he actually did have manners and that he should use them. Brown eyes snapped to meet hers and she tried to convey her meaning through the gaze.
"Right," the Doctor said as they started walking through the wondrous halls of Atlantis. "Sorry about that, I tend to get a bit snippy after long days."
"He does," Rose assured, "you should see him after a day at my mum's; he's a downright bear then."
"Well," the Doctor answered, dragging out the word, "with your mother who can blame me eh? Your mother is worse than the mothers on Vassilion and that's saying something considering they are bears."
Rose slapped him upside the head for his jab at her mum but he, and Carson, only laughed.
They arrived in the infirmary where Teyla, Ronon, and Colonel Sheppard were currently sitting around, waiting patiently for their exams. Rodney had just left and now Teyla was having her go with a female doctor.
"Ah Colonel and Ronon, I should have known you two would be stalling," Carson commented knowingly.
"We aren't stalling Doc, we're being gentleman," the Colonel replied, using his hand to point at Teyla and Rodney's retreating form, "We had to let the women go first."
"I heard that Colonel!" Rodney's voice called from down the hall. "Do you like your hot water?"
"I was talking about Rose!" John argued rather unconvincingly.
When no reply came, Carson sighed, "Yes, well then come on up you both get. One on each bed. Marie, Anne, could you start the post-mission check ups for the Colonel and Ronon while I get Ms. Tyler and her friend settled?"
"Of course doctor," the two nurse's assistants responded immediately.
Rose giggled at the scowls the Scot was currently receiving from the two men but ducked her head when the both of them turned their looks on her, a smile still playing upon her face.
"This isn't necessary, really," the Doctor tried arguing as Carson pointed to two other exam beds.
"Necessary or not, I'm doin' it," Carson retorted. "Now, is there anythin' I need to know about your physiology?"
"Yes, but I'm sure you'll figure out what it is while you're completing your exam," the Doctor replied unhelpfully.
Apparently used to the abrupt manner in which he was being treated, Carson merely nodded, "Alright then. Are you allergic to any medications?"
"All that come from Earth. The TARDIS has a set that is Time Lord friendly."
Carson's eyebrows rose as this statement but he didn't inquire. Instead he tossed a standard hospital gown at the Doctor and instructed him to change into it so he could get scanned. Once the Time Lord was behind the curtain, Carson turned his attention to Rose.
While Carson got her settled, Rose kept noticing that the winces that had once been occasional were now happening frequently reminding her of the doctor's headache from the two sentient ships chatting away.
"TARDIS," she called mentally, earning a sharp look from Dr. Beckett, Colonel Sheppard, and the Doctor.
"Yes Rose," the ship answered, sensing her discomfort and shutting everyone else but Atlantis out of their conversation. She could tell that it annoyed the Doctor greatly to be kicked out of the connection but she ignored it in favor of a smile when he got nudged over to the giant scanner at the other end of the room.
"I'm glad that you and Atlantis are getting along brilliantly but could you two take a break for a bit? Your excitement has permeated the minds of those that can sense Atlantis and it's causing them headaches; specifically Doctor Beckett and Colonel Sheppard."
She felt the ship withdraw from her mind, apparently conferring with the city discussing the situation. The lights within the infirmary blinked wildly and two heads looked up, pain etched on their faces, then smiled, apparently assuring the concerned city.
The TARDIS came back into her mind, nudging her way slowly so as not to hurt her. "It is done Rose. Please apologize to Doctor Beckett and Colonel Sheppard for us."
"I will. Thanks," Rose answered then turned a smile onto the man in front of her. "The TARDIS and Atlantis apologize; they didn't realize they were hurting you or the Colonel."
Carson smiled warmly, "I know, Atlantis told us but how did you?" He inserted an IV full of fluids inter her arm, giving her much needed hydration then went about checking her vitals.
"I can talk to the TARDIS. She and I have formed quite a bond over the past couple of years," Rose said almost proudly. Fondness shone within her eyes, making them sparkle almost like the Time Vortex had returned within her.
"I'll bet you have," Carson assured, grabbing a syringe and vial from the cart next to her bed. "You're very healthy but a bit exhausted. I'd like to give you a light sedative to help you get some badly needed rest. Is that okay?"
Rose chewed on her lip. She didn't want to be given a sedative but she had to admit that she was so completely knackered that sleep sounded heavenly.
"Oi! Doctor. You gonna leave me behind like you tried to do before you changed?" she called out, knowing that her friend was close by.
The man in question raised one eyebrow from his spot below the scanner but remained silent.
Figuring that she needed to trust both him and the others that he wouldn't, she sighed. "Alright then, but don't make it too heavy. Someone's got to go along and make sure that idiot doesn't get himself killed."
An indignant 'oi!' came from the Doctor but Doctor Beckett ignored it as he injected the sedative, waiting until she was asleep before he brought his hand up to rub at his temples in a futile attempt to massage away the lingering throbbing of the headache. He sat down in the chair next to Rose's bed, his eyes roaming briefly over the girl's sleeping form before he closed his eyes and leaning his head back.
"Wow, I'm surprised she let you do that. Normally I have to ground her to her room before she'll go to sleep," the Doctor's cheery voice said from behind them. Carson, briefly startled by the sound, jumped up in his seat and looked around until he found the source of the voice. The Doctor was walking towards them with a bright grin on his face, a limp on his left side and his blue pinstriped pants on.
"Somehow that sounds more like you, Doctor," John said, saving Carson the trouble.
The Doctor smiled, but didn't dispute the statement, choosing to leave instead.
"Just where d'you think you're goin'?" Carson called, stopping the man in his tracks. The effect of the semi-friendly smile on his face was diminished by his arms being crossed over his chest. His posture radiated determination; it was a silent dare to anyone to disobey. Carson wasn't a cruel man, but he knew how to make check-ups, whether regular or post-mission, particularly painful and/or taxing.
"Hm? Oh, right! You probably need to release me or something, yeah?"
"Aye, I do and you're not goin' until I've seen to your leg."
"Boy, I've forgotten how stubborn you Scots are," the Doctor griped. Still, he limped back over to the bed, lowered his pants and hopped on, allowing the Scot to examine the injury. To his great surprise, he didn't even feel the man's hands on his leg, though he knew they were there. He watched in study as the Scot pressed and prodded the slowly closing wound, finding himself wincing in both sympathy and pain whenever the man before him winced or touched a tender spot.
"Aye, well, the wound doesn't look too bad, do you mind telling me how this happened?"
"The wraith now have lasers," the Colonel replied for him with a sneer in his voice that the Doctor knew wasn't meant for him. It was more the tone of someone saying "just what we needed".
"Bloody weapons," the Scot growled as he wrapped a gauze bandage around the Doctor's leg.
"I take it you're not a fan of guns either?" the Doctor inquired though it wasn't really a surprise.
"It's my job to preserve life, not take it, "the Scot replied simply.
"True, but that isn't necessarily the stance in every species. Take the Sontarans for example; they think their very purpose is to fight in a battle and win. To be in charge of someone else's health is to be disgraced to them."
"The who?" the doctor inquired, leaning forward on his knees to give the Time Lord his full attention.
"Sontarans; they look like human-sized potatoes in space suits, though they are quite short."
A quiet beeping interrupted further conversation and Carson looked down at the tablet in his hands. The Doctor watched as the man's eyebrows shot into his hairline before quickly lowering again as the man sighed.
"Well, I see what you meant by your comment earlier," he said though he was obviously referring to the scan. He looked up at the Doctor with a lecture in his eyes, "Though you could have mentioned that you'd injured your wrist as well." He held out his hand, "Hand it over."
The Doctor did as he was told, grudgingly obedient. He knew the injury wasn't worth mentioning but if he didn't allow the Scot to examine it, he had a feeling that the TARDIS wouldn't allow him off Atlantis until he did.
"Do you mind if I ask where you're from?" Carson inquired as he carefully examined the wrist.
"Well," the Doctor replied, again dragging out the word, "from here and there, really. My home planet was destroyed many, many years ago so it's not really worth mentioning since you haven't heard of it. Now I just travel wherever the TARDIS takes me."
"But you're not from Pegasus?" Ronon inquired, reminding them all that he was there.
"No, I'm not," the Doctor answered. "It feels like I'm always ending up on Earth so I suppose you could say that's where I'm from the most, but the fact of the matter is, I don't really belong anywhere except in the time vortex and that's not a place one can stay for very long."
"Time vortex?" the Colonel said.
"Yes, it's sort of like the place in between time. Very cold, very dead and very harsh. No one, not even the TARDIS, can survive there for too long so we often drop wherever she wants."
"And that's how you landed on PX3-525?"
"If that's your name for the planet we were just on, then yes."
"Do you have your own name for it?" Ronon asked before John could.
"Yes. It is called Gabhar. Not the most cosmetic name, I'm sure but that is indeed its name." He smiled then winced when his wrist was manipulated.
"Sorry about that," Carson apologized, pulling out a compression bandage from a tray nearby. He swiftly applied the bandage then walked away to grab something. The group stared at him in shock when they saw that it was just a bottle of water. "Here," he said, handing it to the Doctor, "I'm sure that you're dehydrated like the others are but since you seem to be so eager to get back to your ship, this is all I can give you."
"What? He gets to leave and I have to stay?" John pouted very loudly.
"Other than the relatively deep cut to his knee and his sprained wrist, he's fine Colonel-"
"- what about his cheek? I swear, I heard it crack!" John argued, interrupting Carson's explanation.
"As you can see Colonel, the bruise on his cheek is perfectly fine," Carson answered, pointing at the Doctor's face. Where a painfully deep bruise had previously been, there was now nothing more than a light bruise. "You, on the other hand, have a moderate concussion and will be staying for overnight observation."
The Doctor, sensing that if he stayed any longer he wouldn't be allowed to leave, slipped out of the infirmary while the Colonel and the Scot argued. He really didn't want to be stuck playing thirty questions tonight. All he wanted was to curl up in his ship and fall into the healing sleep.
Normally he abhorred the idea of needing sleep but he knew that if he was to be any use to the Gabrihath, he would need all of his strength and the healing sleep was the only way to get it.
TBC