Title: Road Trip

Sub-title: Part Five: The Wild Wild West…Day 1

Author: stella_pegasi

Rating: K +

Genres: Slice of life, action, hurt/comfort, friendship, humor, and !Whump, of course

Word Count: Part Five: Day 1 7,840

Spoilers: Post-Season Five

Warnings: Language

Characters: John Sheppard, Rodney McKay, Ronon Dex, Carson Beckett

Summary: The boys take thirty-days leave and set off to see the sights. What could possibly go wrong on vacation?

Disclaimer: I do not own them; I would have treated them better.

Author's Notes: Leaving Lake Mead, tour guide Sheppard takes his friends to see the Grand Canyon with some adventures along the way.

Apologies for the delay between chapters…the holidays, work, and tendonitis in my right wrist slowed me down a bit. Thanks to those of you who sent PM asking about the next installment, I really appreciate your patience and interest. This chapter is transitional with a little action; I hope you enjoy!

Road Trip

By stella_pegasi

Part Five: The Wild Wild West Day 1

Day 1- Route 66 and the Canyon

John Sheppard took a last glance into the salon of the houseboat, then pulled the door shut and hopped onto the dock. As he sauntered toward the parking lot where Rodney, Carson, and Ronon were waiting, he reflected on the past two days; the kind of days he had hoped for when they started on this journey.

The weather had cooperated, the days warm, the nights mild, and the fishing had been spectacular. Best of all, no bad guys popped out of the lake. Sheppard chuckled, the lack of bad guys had not kept Ronon from keeping his 9-mil close; the big Satedan wasn't going to be surprised again.

Ronon was leaning against the front grill of the Rover, while Carson fiddled with his new collection of fishing gear stashed in the rear compartment; Rodney was pacing, talking on the phone. Sheppard headed straight for McKay and snatched the cell phone from the scientist's hand.

"Give me that phone back," McKay carped as he grabbed for the phone.

Sheppard batted McKay's hand away, "Hey, Zelenka…Rodney can't talk any longer; we're about to leave for the Grand Canyon." He paused, listening to Zelenka, "So everything's nominal?" He listened for a few seconds more, "Okay, let Woolsey and Lorne know where we're headed; Rodney will call you in a couple of days…bye."

"Sheppard, give me the damn phone," Rodney sucked in a deep breath, holding out his open palm.

"No," Sheppard snarked, as he dropped Rodney's phone into his jean's pocket, "you can have it after we get to the Grand Canyon…maybe; now get in the car."

Rodney huffed and opened the driver's door, prompting Sheppard to grab his arm, "Back seat, McKay...I'm driving; Ronon, Carson, time to go."

As he slid into the Range Rover, Sheppard savored being back behind the wheel. Although only a couple of weeks had passed since he drove the car, at that moment, it felt like an eternity. He looked around at his friends, "Ready guys?"

"Seatbelts on, colonel; let's go," Carson answered from the back seat.

Sheppard pulled out of the parking lot and within a few minutes, the azure blue lake was no longer in sight. He felt a little tug of regret at leaving Lake Mead despite the problems they had encountered. He had enjoyed the peaceful times they spent having dinner or lounging on the upper deck, and the fun they had the last two days. What he didn't miss the pain he was in when they first arrived, although, he was loath to admit to Carson that he was still not a hundred percent. Glancing in the rear-view mirror at the good doctor, a slight wry grin crossed Sheppard's face; somehow, he suspected Cason already knew that.

"John, how far is the Grand Canyon from the loch?"

"About five hours, we're headed to the El Tovar Lodge on the south rim of the canyon."

"I took geography in school in Edinburgh, and we studied about the Grand Canyon; I'm really looking forward to seeing it."

Sheppard replied, "One summer break from the Academy I spent a few days there with a couple of fellow cadets. It was a lot of fun; we did a lot of hiking and mountain climbing, slept out under the stars. There were thousands of stars, and I remember thinking how far away they were, now…not so much."

Beckett's Scottish lilt softened as he replied, "I hear you, John; our perspective has certainly changed."

Ronon asked, "What is this Grand Canyon?"

"It's a huge and very old gash in the planet; I think is about 275 miles long and nearly 20 miles wide. The Colorado River and other waterways cut through the rock over thousands of years, and it's now about a mile deep, damn big."

"Ouch…Carson watch it, my leg hurts." Rodney, hunched over his laptop, jerked his left leg away from Carson's right knee, which had bumped into his calf.

"Oh…you whining bugger, you have a bruise on your leg Rodney; you are not in mortal danger."

"I don't care if it's just a bruise, it hurts."

Carson frowned, "Rodney…if you hadn't been so daft and done what John told ya, you wouldn't have fallen so many times and ended up with all those bruises."

"Skiing is stupid; I only did it because you guys pushed me into doing it. 'Come on, Rodney, water skiing is fun,' yeah…lots of fun. I am now covered in black and blue marks, my legs hurt, my arms are killing me, and my lip still hurts from being hit by those goons."

"Then stop typing if your arms are hurting," Carson reached once more behind his seat for his medical kit, and pulled out a bottle of pills. "Here, take a couple of these, they will help the pain."

Rodney glared at the doctor, but took the pills and swallowed them dry, not noticing Carson's smirk.

Ronon snickered, "It was fun."

"You certainly caught on fast, Chewie; pretty obvious you were having fun," Sheppard replied.

"Yeah, I really liked skiing, but I meant watching McKay fall over and over again was fun."

McKay sputtered, "Fun…fun? I'm simply overjoyed you had so much entertainment at my expense. I must have swallowed half the damn lake and flyboy over here, who thinks every motorized vehicle has to go at warp speed, took off like a bat out of hell every time."

"McKay, the boat has to accelerate to pull the skier up." Sheppard laughed, "In your case, I guess we didn't have enough power to get your ass out of the water."

Rodney sputtered, unintelligibly, and Carson interrupted, "Okay now, everyone; let's leave Rodney alone. You have to admit that he did try to learn to ski." He began to snicker, "Besides…I have his efforts to ski on vid; we can critique his form later."

Wide-eyed, Rodney retorted, "You filmed me?" Carson nodded. "Okay, you three have fun at my expense, like always. Now, leave me alone, I'm working."

Sheppard looked over his shoulder, "What the hell are you working on? This is a vacation; you're supposed to be relaxing."

"Oh yeah…this is certainly been a relaxing vacation, nothing eventful, just fun, fun, fun. I said, leave me alone."

Carson tapped Sheppard on the shoulder, and sarcastically whispered, "Mr. Cranky must have not gotten enough coffee this morning, best we leave him alone."

As Sheppard nodded, Rodney muttered, "I heard that," prompting laughter from the others.

"So, Carson, did you do any rock climbing when you lived in Scotland?"

"No, laddie…I'm afraid fishing and watching rugby were my athletic pursuits."

"There's some good rock-climbing on the south rim where we're heading. Think I might like to do some climbing, been a long time; Ronon, you game?"

Ronon quickly answered, "Yeah."

"Okay, then we'll go climbing and these two can do something else."

"John, how long will we be staying at the Grand Canyon?"

"We'll get there about mid-afternoon; today, we'll relax, have a good dinner, and then get up early tomorrow. There's an aerial tour of the canyon, which will let you guys see how magnificent it is, then decide what to do in the afternoon." Glancing over at Ronon, he added, "Maybe we'll go rock climbing the following morning. To answer your question, Carson, I'd say a couple of days."

"Rock climbing sounds good to me, Sheppard." Ronon leaned forward, pointing out the Rover's windshield, "Is that Lake Mead?"

"Yep, that's the lake."

Carson gazed out his window, "This near where you rescued me?"

"No, this is further south than that; it won't be long until we pass over the bridge where you'll be able to see the dam."

Another ten minutes passed before Sheppard slowed the Rover, "Guys, we're approaching the bridge. Not too much traffic so I'm gonna slow down some so you get a good view of the dam."

Carson was the first to spot the enormous structure, "Oh…that thing is huge."

Rodney, who was leaning over Carson's shoulder, remarked, "An amazing feat of engineering, finished about 1936…remarkable."

Ronon leaned near the steering wheel and quietly asked Sheppard, "That thing is holding back the water of the lake?"

"Yeah, like Rodney said, pretty amazing."

Ronon continued to stare, "When we were on the other side of that; I had no idea it would be that big." As they exited the bridge, Ronon sat back in his seat, "Your world has done some pretty amazing things."

Sheppard scoffed, "Yeah, I suppose we have, but we've done some stupid things as well."

McKay settled back in his seat and casually asked, "How long 'till we eat?"

Before Sheppard could answer, Carson pulled a plastic grocery sack he had tucked under the driver's seat, withdrawing a granola bar, "Here, I packed some snacks just for you," handing Rodney the bar. He was about to put the sack back on the floorboard when two hands appeared from the front seat. He gave Sheppard and Ronon both granola bars and took one for himself.

Between bites Sheppard said, "As for lunch, Kingman, AZ is about half-way, and where we'll pick up I-40. I thought we'd stop for lunch there; find a fast food joint or something. We should be there in a little over an hour."

Sheppard and Ronon passed the time discussing rock-climbing, Carson took a nap, and Rodney continued to do whatever he was doing on his laptop. Once 1-40 and US 93 merged, it was only a few miles until they reached the exit for Kingman. Sheppard veered off the interstate, and spotted a food mart with gas pumps.

"Time to fill up the Rover; let's do that first, maybe they can give us the name of a good place to eat." Sheppard pulled into the service station, and hopped out of the car, intending to pump gas. Ronon stopped him.

"I can do that."

Sheppard grinned, "Yeah, you can." He handed Ronon the credit card and walked into the food mart, thinking that Ronon was becoming quite a good Earthman. Carson and Rodney headed for the restrooms and Sheppard the counter.

He asked the cashier, "Where's a good place to eat?"

"Best place in town is Mr. D'z Route 66 Diner…it's not far from here."

"Route 66…does that go through here?"

"Yep, there's even a museum of stuff about Route 66."

Sheppard asked for directions, thanked the man, rounded everyone up, and headed for the diner. He pulled into the parking lot of the colorful eatery, with its turquoise walls and red, pink, and yellow trim.

They entered the diner where a server flashed them a huge smile as she greeted them, "Hello, boys, just find yourselves a seat." The 'boys' headed to a pink booth next to a window in the small restaurant.

Menus were on the table, Rodney grabbed one, "I'm starving."

Ronon grunted, "Like always," eliciting a glare from Rodney, who started to reply, but the server arrived.

The tall brunette identified herself as Maggie, and she was smiling broadly, "Well…it's not often such good looking men walk in here, mostly get cowboys or tourists. Tell me you're not just passing through." She was staring at Sheppard as she spoke.

"Sorry, just passing through…uh…Maggie," Sheppard answered, then quickly looked at his menu.

"Story of my life in this godforsaken town; so what can I get you?"

They gave Maggie their orders, and once she left Rodney crossed his arms, "So, I see Captain Kirk's made another conquest."

"Rodney, shut up; she was just being nice," but Sheppard was blushing slightly.

Rodney sighed, "What the hell these women see in you when you haven't shaved in days is beyond me. You look scruffy."

Carson laughed, "Yeah…that tells us how much you know about women. Women like scruffy."

Sheppard ignored them, "Guys…we are on the infamous Route 66, at one time the most famous cross-country road in the United States. There's a museum nearby, think we should check it out before we leave."

Maggie brought their drinks, the diner's famous root beer, and shortly after, their burgers and fries. The four men were hungry, chomping down their food, not speaking for a few minutes. Maggie refilled their root beers; after she left, Carson was the first to speak.

"I swear John…we need to eat a bit healthier," Carson then stuffed two fries at the same time into his mouth, somewhat gleefully.

"Yeah…you look like you are suffering," Sheppard replied.

Carson grinned, "Oh…I am."

They finished lunch, bid Maggie goodbye, and walked the short distance across the street to the museum. After spending nearly forty-five minutes wandering through the museum, the guys returned to the Rover, and after Sheppard refused Ronon's request to drive, they headed for the interstate.

Ronon had been quiet since they returned to the interstate. While Ronon being quiet was usually not cause for alarm, Sheppard was concerned, wondering if the Satedan was unhappy about not driving. While Rodney and Carson were chattering in the background about the Route 66 museum, he asked, "Hey, Chewie…what are you so quiet about? You're not upset about me not letting you drive, are you?"

Gruffly, Ronon muttered, "Yeah."

Sheppard swallowed, "Listen…it's not that I don't trust you…it's just…," he stopped when he saw a huge grin erupt on Ronon's face. "You're not upset, are you?"

Ronon shook his head, "No, just fooling with you."

"Then why so quiet, you looked like you had something on your mind."

"Just wondering why your people would build a monument to a road…seems silly."

Sheppard blew out a deep breath; Ronon was right, building a monument to a road probably did seem like a trivial thing. Compared to what they had been through, it was.

"You're right, Chewie; it is silly, but you have to understand that although the people of Earth have been through world wars and other horrible situations, they've never faced a threat like Sateda did. We've never had to deal with not knowing if we were going to be culled at any moment. So, what appears to be trivial became important."

"I get that, but why is that roadway so special?"

"When the US was young, between World War I and II, there was still a kind of frontier spirit. You know about the Wild West, the gunslingers, ranchers; lots of people wanted to move to the western part of the US to find their fame and glory. Talk of gold, wide-open spaces, and new places to live was a lure they couldn't resist. Route 66 was part of the highway system that the US developed in the 1920s. Once these highways were built, Americans, with their love of automobiles, took to the open road and never looked back. The interest in Route 66 is more about the people, and their stories than it is about the road itself."

Ronon appeared to reflect on Sheppard's words for a few seconds before he answered, "I get it, but…" a slight grin flickered on his face, "I still want to drive."

Sheppard laughed heartily, "I think you just became an official citizen of Earth."

The interstate from Kingman to their destination at the Grand Canyon was stark as the road behind them had been; however, as they approached the small town of Seligman, more and more trees began to dot the landscape. By the time, they reached Williams, AZ, where they would leave the Interstate and head for the Grand Canyon on Arizona highway 64, there were groves of green trees softening the gray-beige rocky landscape.

As Sheppard exited the Interstate, Rodney looked up from his laptop, "How much further to the hotel? I'm sore from sitting in this car."

"We're about sixty miles away; a little over an hour."

A dejected Rodney murmured, "Oh, great."

Sheppard, who was a bit stiff from sitting so long as well, took pity on Rodney, "Look, I want to fill up the Rover before we get to the hotel, so we won't have to worry about gas tomorrow. There's a tourist area up ahead, we'll stop there."

Rodney didn't reply but Carson piped up, "Good, those three glasses of root beer I had for lunch are calling."

Thirty minutes later, restaurants, service stations, and a tourist destination called Flintstone's Bedrock City came into view. As Sheppard pulled into a service station on his right, he noticed a large Winnebago travel trailer was leaving Bedrock City and entering AZ 64, heading north toward the Grand Canyon.

Carson spoke, "Wow…I haven't thought about the Flintstones in ages. I loved that cartoon as a kid. My sisters and I were so excited when it was finally shown on TV in Edinburgh. Yabba dabba doo!"

Sheppard was stepping out of the vehicle when Carson uttered Fred Flintstone's famous line; he glanced at Ronon, who looked thoroughly confused. Turning to Carson, Sheppard grinned, "You're gonna have to explain the Flintstones to Ronon."

About fifteen minutes later, they piled back into the Rover. Rodney and Ronon had both bought snacks, Ronon his 2-liter Mountain Dew. Sheppard shook his head, "Chewie, I swear you're going to turn into that stuff."

"I like it."

"I'm just saying…" Sheppard began to reply but Ronon interrupted.

"How's this any different from all the coffee that you drink?"

Sheppard started to speak, but shrugged, "Okay…you got me…but I don't use sugar in my coffee, that stuff's loaded with it."

Rodney scoffed, "Yeah, this from the man who ate four pieces of that apple pie last night."

Frowning Sheppard retorted, "That pie would have gone to waste if I hadn't eaten it, and besides, they were little pieces."

For the next few minutes, Sheppard and Rodney squabbled over pie, until Carson ordered them to be quiet. Both men frowned, but fell silent as they were told. They drove in silence for a while, until Carson spotted the Winnebago in front of them.

"John, that the caravan that was leaving the Flintstone attraction when we arrived?"

"Yeah, I think it is. Surprised to see it, it should have been about fifteen minutes ahead of us." The travel trailer was moving slowly, and as they got closer, Sheppard realized it was also traveling erratically. "Something's wrong with it."

Sheppard pressed the accelerator to get closer, but before he could, the back left wheel on the trailer began to wobble violently. In an instant, the wheel came off and the Winnebago went careening off the roadway.

The four men in the Rover watched in horror as the trailer flipped onto its side, sliding several feet along the rocky roadside before coming to an abrupt halt as it slammed into a slight embankment.

Sheppard was already braking to slow the Range Rover as he told Rodney to call for help. The Rover skidded to a stop on the shoulder of the road, Sheppard and Ronon jumping out almost before the SUV came to rest, Carson right behind them.

The smell of burned rubber and leaking gasoline permeated the air, Sheppard ripped off his jacket throwing it onto the ground and turned to Carson, "You stay right here." Carson stopped in his tracks; Sheppard's expression was not one to disobey.

Ronon jumped onto one of the numerous rocks next to the Winnebago, then onto the top of the vehicle, which was fortunately lying on the driver's side, the doorway on top. Sheppard joined him, "We got to get these people out fast, too much gasoline leaking." Grabbing the door handle, Sheppard yanked the door open and Ronon jumped into the trailer. Sheppard heard faint moaning coming from inside.

Ronon shouted to him, "Sheppard, help."

Ronon was holding a small unconscious girl in his arms; Sheppard reached in the doorway and lifted the girl clear of the trailer. He hurried to the mid-section of the Winnebago, where the ground was free of rocks, intending on jumping down with the girl but found Carson waiting. "Carson, you need to stay clear; it's liable to explode."

"Give me the little girl," Carson yelled to Rodney, "Get over here…I need you."

Sheppard returned to the door, to find Ronon ready to hand a small crying boy to him. Returning to the Winnebago's center, he found Carson waiting, Rodney was carrying the little girl a safe distance away. As Carson took the boy and followed Rodney, Sheppard noticed the pool of gasoline leaking from the rear of the Winnebago was getting larger.

Ronon stuck his head out the opening, yelling, "I need your help."

Jumping down beside Ronon, Sheppard saw why, the adult occupants were both unconscious. The woman had a large cut on her head apparently caused by shards from the broken windshield scattered about. He started to lift her from the debris as he watched Ronon attempting to cut the driver out of his seat belt.

"Ronon, we've gotta get them out of here; gasoline is leaking badly."

"Get her; I'll be right behind you."

Though he worried about potential internal injuries, Sheppard had no choice but sling the woman over his shoulder. Near the opening, a couch arm provided a step allowing him to get the woman up and through the doorway. He was groping for the edge of the doorframe to pull himself up when he felt the woman being lifted away from him. Looking up, he saw Rodney's determined face, "I've got her; help Ronon."

Sheppard slipped back out of the opening, returning to Ronon's side. The Satedan was sheathing his knife, "Got him loose but something seems to be trapping his leg, can you see what it is?"

Bending under the dash, Sheppard saw that the man's foot was caught under the brake pedal, "I see what's trapped him, give me a second." Using his right hand, Sheppard pried up the pedal and pulled the man's mangled foot out, slicing his own left arm on a jagged piece of metal. Wincing from the cut, he yelled, "He's loose, let's go."

As the two men lifted the driver toward the opening, he regained consciousness and began to fight them, calling for his family. Ronon gripped the man tightly while Sheppard spoke to him, "Calm down, your family's out of here. We're getting you out, just stay calm."

The man looked wildly at Sheppard but calmed down, nodding that he understood. Ronon climbed out of the trailer, Sheppard holding the driver up until Ronon could pull him through the doorway. He was just about to pull himself out of the Winnebago when he heard a whimper. Frantically looking around, he spotted furry white legs and a tail trapped beneath a suitcase that had apparently fallen from an overhead storage bin. He kicked the suitcase away, uncovering a small white dog, its front leg bent, obviously broken.

"Hey, little guy, don't bite me now, I'm trying to help." Sheppard grabbed a jacket lying on the upturned couch and wrapped it around the dog, taking care to cradle his broken leg. "Good boy, let's get out of here."

As Sheppard climbed out of the trailer, he heard yelling and saw Ronon and Rodney running toward him, waving their arms and yelling something unintelligible. He paused for a second, then realized what they were trying to tell him, the Winnebago was on fire. He leapt off the trailer, barely keeping his balance, and ran like hell. Ronon rushed toward him, grabbed Sheppard by the arm, pulling him away from the rapidly growing fire. They were barely clear when the Winnebago exploded, the force of the blast knocking both men off their feet.

As debris from the explosion rained down on them, Ronon hollered, "Sheppard, you okay?"

Sheppard was slow in answering, his voice raspy, "Yeah." He had fallen onto his shoulder to keep from falling on the little dog, and pain was shooting through his right arm. He looked at the bundle in his left arm to see dark-brown eyes staring at him, "Yeah…we're fine."

Rodney had reached them, helping Sheppard up as Ronon got to his feet on his own, "What the hell were you thinking? We were yelling at you to get out of the damn trailer before it exploded."

Sheppard, his breathing a bit labored, answered, "Had to get this little guy out." He shifted his grip on the dog, pressing the injured animal closer to his chest; the dog lifted his head and licked Sheppard's neck. Smiling faintly, he looked at Rodney, "See, he just thanked me."

With Rodney muttering about 'damn fool heroes', they joined Carson, who was examining the family. Carson had grabbed his larger medical kit from the Rover, pointing to it as Rodney walked up, "Get bandages and tape, and that bottle of saline." Rodney gathered everything and knelt down next to the doctor.

Sheppard, still reeling from the blast, sat on the ground next to the mother, "Carson, they gonna be okay?"

"Well, on the surface, they don't look too badly injured. The mother and daughter are unconscious but their vitals are strong, dad is a bit groggy, but I think his worst injury is a broken foot; the boy seems to be the least injured. However, I can't really tell about internal injuries or how bad the lassies' head injuries are without more tests."

"McKay, did you get help?"

"Yeah, reached the police in Williams; dispatcher said their ETA should be about fifteen minutes."

"Hasn't it been fifteen minutes yet?"

"No, just feels that way. You know…I can't believe that you risked your life for that damn dog."

"Rodney, he's a living thing and deserves to be rescued. I thought you liked animals."

"I do…they're okay…I just…you almost got blown up."

"Key word there, almost."

A passing car stopped and an older man and woman rushed toward them, offering to help. Carson put them to work helping him clean and bandaged the family's wounds. Shortly after the couple arrived, police officers arrived, followed soon by several fire trucks and two ambulances. While Carson conferred with the paramedics, Sheppard explained what happened to the police.

As the paramedics were loading the young boy onto an ambulance, he began to yell, "Charlie, where's Charlie."

His father, on a gurney next to him, tried to sooth his son, "Craig, calm down, I don't know about Charlie."

Sheppard walked over to the boy, "I think I might know where Charlie is, he's right here." Sheppard pulled open the jacket the little dog was wrapped in; Charlie's head popped out, his tail wagging. The boy began to cry.

The father reached out his hand, "The paramedics told me that you and your friends rescued us, all of us, including Charlie. How can we ever thank you?"

Sheppard shook the man's hand, "No thanks necessary, just get well." Turning to one of the paramedics, "This little guy has a broken front leg, tried to keep him warm, but can you take care of him?"

"Well, it's against regulations to transport an animal, but the hell with regulations." He reached for Charlie, "We'll take care of him, but sir, you need some first aid yourself."

Sheppard glanced down at the three-inch gash on his left forearm, which was still bleeding profusely. "Fortunately, I've got my own doctor with me; Dr. Beckett will take care of it." The paramedic nodded and got into the ambulance taking Charlie with him.

Carson walked over to him, "John, what am I going to do with you? Sit down on the ground; let me get the bleeding stopped and bandage the wound, but there are stitches in your future once we arrive at the hotel." Sheppard obeyed.

Carson ripped open a Quikclot package and pressed the medicated sponge into the wound until the bleeding stopped, then bandaged the injury. "Okay…that'll do, for the moment, but don't think I didn't notice that you've hurt your shoulder as well."

Sheppard frowned but didn't reply, as Ronon pulled him up, then handed him his discarded jacket. Sheppard slipped on his jacket and walked over to one of the police officers to inform them they were leaving. He returned to the Rover just as Rodney was about to get behind the wheel. "No, I'm driving."

"John, let Rodney drive...," Carson started but John cut him off.

"No…I'm fine." A slight nod from Carson and Rodney backed away. Sheppard slid into the Rover's driver's seat, and within minutes pulled onto the highway.

The four friends rode in silence for a few miles, until Rodney lamented, "Why the hell do we always seem to run into trouble?"

Carson sighed, "We do have a penchant for trouble, don't we?"

Sheppard replied in subdued tone, "It was an accident. We just happened to come upon an accident scene, where we could help; shit happens."

"I'm just glad the family appears to be okay. The mother and daughter both regained consciousness before the ambulances left the scene, that's very encouraging." Carson leaned wearily back in his seat, "But I must say, that was a very scary accident."

"At least, Sheppard rescued the dog," Rodney commented.

Sheppard's voice was tense, "McKay, I told you… that dog deserved to be…"

"Chill out, Sheppard…I meant that as a compliment. You did good, both you and Ronon did good."

Sheppard's voice softened, "So did you, Rodney and Carson you did too."

"John," Carson said, "how long until we get to this hotel? I could use a drink."

Sheppard glanced in the rearview mirror, "Should be there in about thirty minutes, and I think a drink sounds like a good idea."

The bare rocky terrain around them became thickly dotted with trees as they entered the Grand Canyon National Park. They passed the Grand Canyon Airport and then through the small town of Tusayan.

Carson remarked, "What a quaint little area, very clean looking,"

"So close to the South Rim, I imagine this town exists because of the tourist business. I think the helicopter tours leave from the airport here." As they passed by the local McDonald's, Sheppard taunted Rodney, "Don't even think about asking me to stop Rodney; you don't need a quarter pounder with cheese."

"Bite me, Sheppard; I'm not hungry."

Carson snickered, "Rodney, are you ill?" Rodney answered with a sneer at Carson, then turning to look out the window.

Once through the tiny town, they again found themselves traveling along a tree lined two-lane road. The late-afternoon sun was bright, and the sky a clear deep blue. Ronon leaned forward looking out the windshield at the sky.

"It is beautiful here."

"Yeah...that it is, I have to say after all that beige rock and sand we've been seeing for the last couple of weeks, these green trees are nice.

Sheppard soon turned onto Center Road, heading for Grand Canyon Village where their hotel was located. Winding around Village Loop Drive, they found the El Tovar Hotel. The stone and dark-stained pine hotel sat along the canyon rim. A walkway along the rim was lined with people viewing the canyon. Sheppard pulled up in front of the hotel, and parked the car.

"Well, after a more adventurous day that we had expected, here we are; welcome to the Grand Canyon. Let's get checked in."

Carson and Ronon stayed with the car as the bellman unloaded their luggage; Sheppard and Rodney entered the hotel to check in. The lobby was cozy, dimly lit, and a feeling of history seemed to hang in the air. Sheppard had reserved four rooms, and as he pulled his credit card out, Rodney stopped him.

"No, you're not paying for everything; Carson and I decided...we're paying our share."

"Rodney…that's not…"

"Look, I don't care how much money your family has you're not going to pay for this entire trip. This hotel bill is on me, Carson's paying for food, and you can pay for any excursions. Next destination we'll rotate who pays what." Rodney handed his card to the clerk and collected their room keys.

Rodney and Sheppard headed back outside, where the bellman was stowing the last of their luggage on a cart. Carson was closing the Rover's rear hatch when they reached the car, Ronon was nowhere in sight.

Sheppard looked around, "Where did Ronon go?" Carson pointed toward the rim walk across the drive. Sheppard turned to the bellman, "Take the luggage inside; we'll be in shortly." Motioning for his friends to follow, he headed to where Ronon was standing.

Joining Ronon, they stood quietly, taking in the magnificent vista in front of them. The enormous canyon seemed to stretch endlessly, bands of rock that formed the interior walls of the canyon glowed red, amber and gold in the late-afternoon sun. The shadowed face of the canyon shimmered in blue, gray, and deep purple hues.

Ronon was mesmerized, "This is amazing; I've seen canyons before, but nothing like this."

"Aye, laddie; lots of beautiful scenery in Scotland but this is spectacular."

Rodney took a quick peek then turned away from the view, "I don't know about the rest of you, but I would like to get out of these clothes. I can still smell the gasoline from that fire."

Sheppard agreed, "Rodney's right; I'm thinking a shower would feel good about now. I'll park the car in the lot and be right up."

The hotel did not have elevators, so after Sheppard joined them, the guys tipped the bellman, grabbed their luggage, and headed up the stairs to their rooms. Sheppard was slipping the key card into his door when Carson reminded him, "I need to tend to your injury, John. After you take a shower, call me, I'm in 206; and be careful with that injury, just leave the bandage on when you shower."

Sheppard shrugged, muttering a quiet, "Okay," to Carson, as he entered his room, closing the door behind him. The room was cozy, like the lobby; pine furniture, rustic bedding, a large painting of an Indian village on the wall above the king-size bed. Tossing his bags onto the dresser next to the TV cabinet, he plopped down on the bed to untie his Salomon sneakers, then quickly stripped off his clothes. As he reached into one of the bags to grab his shampoo, he caught a glimpse of his right shoulder in the mirror; a purple and black bruise spread across his chest below his collarbone, extending along his upper arm. Lower on his abdomen, the surgical incision, now pink and puckered contrasted sharply against his suntanned skin. He traced the wound with his fingertips, a shudder running through his body as he remembered the hot, burning pain as the bullet struck him. Once again, he beat the odds; shaking his head, Sheppard wondered how long his luck was going to hold.

The bathroom was small, retro in style, and immaculate. Sheppard turned the shower on as hot as he could stand, and stepped into the tub, pulling the white shower curtain closed. For a few moments, he stood quietly allowing the steaming water to course across his body, warming his muscles, soothing the aches and pains that had developed in the last hour. He hadn't been a hundred percent before the afternoon's events, and the exertion of jumping onto and off the trailer, and lifting the family out had taken a lot out of him. He pressed his palms against the wall, leaning forward, the stream of water massaging his lower back. Despite how he felt, seeing how happy the little boy had been when he saw his dog made it worth the pain. However, his body wasn't necessarily agreeing with him. Flexing his arm caused a dull ache along his right shoulder, but he was thankful that it wasn't sharp pain. He'd had enough of that.

Deciding he'd procrastinated long enough, Sheppard unwrapped the small bar of hotel soap and lathered up, hoping the soap would take the smell of gasoline away. After washing his hair, he hesitated a bit longer, not wanting to leave the confines of the shower; finally, he stepped out. Grabbing a towel, he dried off, pulled a pair of track pants from his suitcase, and called Carson as he slipped on the pants.

Carson arrived within a couple of minutes, carrying his med kit. "Laddie, I think we need to stop meeting like this." The doctor motioned for Sheppard to lie down on the bed, which he did reluctantly.

Spreading out his supplies, Carson cut the now wet bandage from Sheppard's arm and disinfected the wound. "Definitely need stitches, John; this is a jagged cut, pretty deep in some areas. I'm going to numb the area first, then…oh bloody hell, I don't need to tell you the process, do I?"

Sheppard chuckled, "No…you don't."

"Just lie still, this won't take too long. Now tell me, how bad is the shoulder?"

"Not bad, I purposely landed on my right side to keep from falling on the dog, just hit pretty hard. Shoulder's sore but no sharp pains."

"You're still recuperating from the gun shot wound, John, and you've had some set backs to your recovery. I'm not certain I feel comfortably with you rock climbing or doing anything strenuous for a few more days. I wasn't happy about the skiing."

"Come on, doc; I'm fine."

"Oh...like I haven't heard that before."

Neither spoke again until Carson finished closing the wound. As Carson wrapped self-adhesive gauze around his forearm to secure the bandage, he teased, an impish grin crossing his face, "Took twelve stitches; don't tell Rodney, he'll be jealous."

Sheppard sat up, "My lips are sealed, doc."

"Now, sit up and let me look at that shoulder." Carson ran his fingers over the muscles of Sheppard's shoulder, and upper arm. "You have a sizeable and nasty bruise developing on your shoulder, but nothing appears broken or out of place. I'm going to give you a mild pain…"

"No…you're not; I'll take three Advil, nothing else."

"John…"

"No."

"Alright…Advil it is but I'm leaving these two pain pills just in case."

"Hang on, we need reservations for dinner, let me call." He called the dining room and made reservations for 8:00 pm. "Carson, could you let the others know dinner is at 8? I'm going to take a nap; meet you guys in the lounge around 7:30."

Carson gathered up his medical kit, "Will do, laddie; I think getting some rest is a good idea, going to take a nap myself. See you in the lounge."

Carson pulled the door shut behind him, and Sheppard sank down on the bed, quickly falling asleep.

~ooOoo~

The dark oak paneled lounge was nearly empty when Sheppard walked inside, around twenty minutes to eight, and spotted Rodney and Carson sitting in comfortable chairs near the windows. He walked over to the bar, ordered a Glenfiddich neat, then joined his friends.

"Laddie, did you have a good nap?" Carson was grinning, his eyes a tiny bit glassy.

Sheppard sat down in one of the upholstered chairs, "Yeah, guess the day caught up with me." He took a sip of his drink, relishing the taste of the smooth amber liquid, "Where's Ronon?"

Rodney pointed toward the veranda, "He's been out there since we came in; he's totally obsessed by the view. Carson tried to get him to come in, but he wouldn't budge."

"Let him be, this trip has opened a few old wounds for Ronon. He's figuring out how to reconcile all this new stuff compared to what he lost."

Carson downed his scotch, and motioned for the server to bring him another. "I find it difficult to deal with some of this," he threw his arm around the room. "This culture is very different from the culture I grew up in."

Sheppard slouched down in the cushy chair, "Carson…you live in a really different culture now; everything is different for all of us."

Rodney was gazing around the room, "I'm glad that those disgusting stuffed animal heads are not hanging in here or in the rooms as well. All those damn antlers in the lobby give me the creeps."

"I don't like them either." Sheppard added, "My dad had a hunting lodge in Minnesota; he used to take his business cronies up there. I refused to go; hunting for food was one thing, hunting to feel macho…not for me." Sheppard downed the remainder of his scotch and called for another as well.

Carson smiled, "Now I see why you didn't want a strong pain pill."

"Yeah, this works better, and keeps my head clearer." Grinning he added, "At least, as long as I don't have as many as you've had."

"Cheeky bugger."

Rodney asked, "I heard someone say that this place is booked a year or more in advance. How did you get us in here?"

"Called an old acquaintance of my father's who owed me a favor; his son enlisted in the Air Force and got into trouble, I got him out of it. The father is now high up in the Department of the Interior; he called and got four rooms for us. Actually, it's near the end of tourist season; probably didn't need his help but didn't want to take a chance."

"Laddie, we didn't bump anyone from these rooms, did we?" Carson's brogue was noticeably thicker with each scotch he consumed.

"Nah, they always keep rooms ready for VIPs…so I guess we qualify as VIPs…at least for the next couple of days. Besides, doesn't appear the entire hotel is booked."

Rodney looked at his watch, "It's almost eight, dinner?"

Sheppard picked up his second drink, "Dinner…I'll go get Ronon and meet you in the dining room."

The dining room was paneled in the same dark wood as the rest of the lodge, a large stone fireplace dominating the room. The four men ordered dinner and spent the next couple of hours enjoying a good meal. They returned to the bar until a bit after midnight, when they agreed it had been a long day and decided to call it a night.

~ooOoo~

Day 2 – Early Morning

Dawn's light filtered into Sheppard's room, awakening him around 0600 hours. Gingerly, he stretched, his body aching from the prior day's events. Despite his desire to go back to sleep, he decided he had slept enough. What he needed was coffee, and he knew exactly where to find some. The concierge had told them that coffee was always available in the second-floor lobby. Forcing himself to get out of bed, he attended to his morning routine, dressed, and left his room.

After helping himself to a cup of coffee, he wandered down to the veranda off the bar to watch the sunrise over the canyon. Dense fog hovered over the canyon rim and there was a slight nip in the air; he zipped up the sweater jacket he was wearing and walked to the stone barrier along the rim.

"What are you doing up at sunrise?"

Sheppard spun around to discover McKay sitting in one of the veranda's wooden rocking chairs, a hotel blanket wrapped around his shoulders. "McKay, what are you doing up?

"I'm always up early. Shouldn't you and Ronon be running or something?"

"Ronon discovered tequila last night…I imagine he's sleeping in." Sheppard dropped into the rocker next to McKay, who had his laptop with him. "What are you doing, and don't tell me you're working."

McKay slammed the laptop shut, "No…I'm not working on anything."

A slight half-grin crossed Sheppard's face, "Yeah, not working." He took a drink of coffee. "Gorgeous out here, isn't it?"

It's nature and it's outdoors, I…," Rodney shrugged, "Yes...it's gorgeous; but that doesn't mean I wouldn't rather be back on Atlantis."

"Didn't think it did; but are you having fun, Rodney?"

McKay leaned his head against the rocker, "Fun…if you call getting kidnapped, shot, sunburned, drunk, tied-up, and dunked numerous times in a lake fun, then I am most definitely having fun."

Sheppard scoffed, "How do you really feel?" When Rodney didn't reply, Sheppard coaxed, "Really, are you that miserable?"

"What does it matter? I'm stuck until those goons get out of my city."

"You can go home if you want."

McKay sat up straight, "Seriously…you'd let me go home?"

"Yes, if you are that miserable being on vacation with us, you can go back. I'll arrange for you to return to San Francisco today."

Sheppard waited for McKay to answer; the longer the silence, the more he was convinced that the scientist really didn't want to leave.

"Come on, Rodney; yes or no, do you want to go back to San Francisco? If you do, I need to make some calls."

"Damn you…"

Sheppard didn't reply; he waited patiently for McKay to continue.

"Okay, no I don't want to go back, not right now. You're still recuperating and we both know that Carson and Ronon would get in a lot of trouble without me here if something happened to you." Sheppard didn't say anything. Glancing at him, McKay continued, "I mean...it's been weeks since we left so the damage is already done, and I have to admit, Zelenka's done okay in keeping things under control."

"You're really having fun, aren't you?

"No, I just think you need me here. Look at what happened yesterday, you and Ronon running into that burning trailer and you nearly getting killed rescuing that dog."

"I believe I saw you on top of that trailer as well, helping rescue the mother, appears you risked your life, too. So admit it, you're having fun."

"No, I'm not…I'm just going to stay here to make certain you guys are okay."

"You can't deny it, you've had fun…Celine Dion…if I remember correctly, you really enjoyed seeing her." Sheppard's voice had taken on a more teasing tone.

"I'm not the one who keeps bringing up that blue dress, flyboy. You liked her, too."

Sheppard started laughing, "See, buddy…we've had some fun times, remember those and don't sweat the other stuff. You with me?" Before Rodney could reply, Sheppard's phone rang; it was Carson.

Hanging up, Sheppard said, "Carson and Ronon are waiting for us in the lobby, Ronon's apparently ravenous after drinking all that tequila last night."

As they headed into the lodge, Sheppard said, "By the way, I think I'll call Zelenka and tell him you said he'd done a great job."

"You do and I'll deny it."

Sheppard laughed, "Come on, let's get breakfast, we're going to take a helo tour of the canyon today; should be fun. First, however, gotta call Zelenka."

As Sheppard entered the lodge, he began dialing his phone. Behind him, he could hear Rodney whining about calling Zelenka. He grinned, this was going to be a great day.

End of Day One and Beginning of Day 2

Hope you enjoyed…next day's adventure soon!

Note: Mr. D'z Route 66 Diner, the Route 66 Museum, Flintstone's Bedrock City, and the El Tovar Lodge are all real establishments, Google for pictures.