CHAPTER 45 – TUMBLING DOWN

"You're wasting your time, Colonel. I am only one. Take me down? There are others..."

John's weapon was still fixed unwaveringly on the General. He saw fear in Nicole's eyes and could find no way to convey to her what he felt right now. He kept his emotions tightly leashed, the soldier with a weapon in his hand, about to take down the top player in the game of thrones.

The next move appeared as if in slow motion, one that John failed to anticipate. The General pushed the gun harder into Nicole's side and John barely had time to hear her cry of pain before the weapon discharged. Two things happened simultaneously. Nicole slipped from his grip and the General brought the weapon up to his temple and fired.

"Nicole! No!" The chasm between himself and Nicole seemed impossibly wide and events moved in slow motion. He dropped his own gun and felt his legs cross that chasm and standing outside himself briefly, saw himself drop down onto the ground beside her body, saw his mouth open wide and he screamed for Ronon and Teyla to secure the IOA men. Watched as his hands fumbled for her tactical vest, ripping it off and tearing at her shirt to get to the wound. Saw Rodney race for the General, and kick the weapon away from his outstretched hand and look down at the unseeing eyes.

Then he came back to himself with a roar of sound, and it was his own voice he heard, calling her name as he reached for and found, a pressure bandage and applied it. Without thought. Without any idea of what he was doing.

Reacting on instinct.

He looked up wildly, and saw Ronon and Teyla had secured the two IOA men, and Teyla had dropped down onto the ground beside him, and had gently pushed his hands aside so that she could look at the wound. Rodney had turned and was running. Heading back to the stargate to contact Atlantis and get urgent medical attention.

"Nic...Nic... oh god..." John pulled his hands away, leaving Teyla to apply the pressure and looked at the blood on his hands. Looking down into her pale face, he blanched. The wound was bad. It had hit at her waist and the amount of blood that was coming out of her had his mind shutting down. If she went, he would simply go with her.

"John. Colonel Sheppard!" Teyla spoke sharply and he dragged his attention back to her.

"You need to pull yourself together. Stay strong. This isn't finished yet. Nicole needs you to be strong and we need you to finish this. Do you understand me John?"

Her words got through. Somehow. Looking again at the blood on hands, he wiped them on his pants leg and bent to place his hands under her, lifting her gently while Teyla walked along side, keeping pressure on the wound.

They didn't speak and Teyla doubted she would get through to him for now. She kept pace with him, flicking her gaze between him and Nicole and she wondered of the two, which was the more pale. John looked almost deathly. He put one foot in front of the other, hands gripping her tightly and he wouldn't look down at her as he walked. Refused to see the pale features and the blood that seeped from the wound at her side.

They were nearly at the gate when it activated and Carson came running through with a medical bag and an assistant. He took one look at the woman in his arms and John paused, looking blankly at the doctor as he reached for the pressure bandage and lifted it, schooling his features to careful blankness as he covered it back up again, risking an assessing glance at the Colonel. He saw a lack of comprehension there, a numbness and Carson let it go for now, knowing that he would have to find his own way back to the here and now. Carson needed to focus on Nicole.

Rodney had redialled the gate and as soon as the wormhole stabilised, Carson and John were the first ones through, followed by the remainder of John's team bringing the IOA prisoners with them. Two marines had been dispatched to retrieve the General's body and bring it back to Atlantis. It would be sent back to earth for General O'Neill to deal with.

"Get her into the infirmary, lad – stat. The wound is severe, but we can stop her bleeding out further. Nurse? Go on ahead and set up the IV and surgical area. We need to operate and get that bullet out. Colonel? Carefully does it, lad. She's lost a lot of blood and we want to keep what's left in there, secure..."

Carson ran on ahead, shouting instructions at John over his shoulder, and John continued to function on autopilot. He knew that his arms and shoulders would ache when he finally put her down and knew that he would welcome the pain when it came. It would give him something to hang on to while Nicole fought for her life.

He surrendered his burden reluctantly to the bed that the nurse had set up and stood back, blood soaking his shirt and hands, and was transferred to his face after he had rubbed a hand down his cheeks, not sure what to do with himself now. Ronon, who had followed them in, put a hand down firmly on his shoulders. Few words, but one action and John closed his eyes briefly, then turned to face Ronon, noting that Sam and Teyla had also entered the infirmary behind him.

"Sam..." His voice cracked and his knees buckled slightly. Ronon gripped him tightly, giving him a moment to get his strength back and when he did, his face hardened and he pulled himself upright and looked at the base commander.

"Sam..." His voice was stronger this time and Sam saw the soldier was back. He had left the man behind for now, unable to deal with his feelings and needing action. "Did General O'Neill light those damn fuses. Tell me this wasn't for nothing. Tell me the damn plan worked."

"The house is tumbling down as we speak John – she may have rushed things a little with her usual... enthusiasm... but it pushed the right buttons, and yes John. I think we will have a confirmed pile of rubble soon... "

Sam had just come from the control room where she had conferred briefly with Jack. The General had been ready and it was simply a matter of giving that final order. The pyramid had been more or less complete at least as far as they were concerned, and Jack now waited for confirmation that each member of the group was being rounded up and all documentation and files confiscated. It would be bigger than Watergate and would encompass a wider spread global conspiracy than any other uncovered to date. Jack's head was still spinning at the implications and he knew that once he had time to sit down and go through all the files, it would be mindblowing. He had meetings scheduled the following day to go through everything – given the sensitive nature of the documents, it was classified high level security and he wanted Sam and John there to help confirm identities and events. He would have liked Nicole there as well, but given the circumstances, knew that this would not be happening.

"You need to go and get cleaned up John. The surgery will take a while. Carson's got that look on his face... the one that usually means it'll be ok. Trust him. He'll patch her up good as new." Sam was sympathetic, and cast a worried look of her own in the direction of the surgery. She had deliberately lightened it for John, but had seen the serious look on Carson's face. The wound had been bad, she had seen enough gunshot wounds to know that. She knew that John did too.

He turned now, a little unsure what to do, and it was Ronon who laid a hand on his shoulder and led him away, throwing a look over his shoulder at Sam.

John had given him his unconditional friendship not that long ago and Ronon would take the opportunity to return it. He'd be there for him whatever the outcome and make sure he came through the ordeal the same way he went in. In one piece and with his humanity intact.