A/N: Thank you so much for all the reviews! I appreciate each one and they really do inspire me to keep writing! I hope you enjoy the chapter!
Rodney awoke suddenly as he felt his body trying to expel a lung in a violent coughing fit. He struggled to catch his breath and continue breathing despite the intense pain in his left arm. When he had finally caught his breath he cautiously opened his eyes and was greeted by a dim and fuzzy world as he had a difficult time focusing. He gently shook his head to clear his vision and then gasped in pain as he realized what a mistake that was. He felt like an entire high school band was practicing in his head and he wished he could tell them to shut up.
He glanced around the room in confusion and tried to figure out what in the Pegasus galaxy had happened. After a moment, his blurry vision registered a slumped figure against the wall beside him. It all came back in a rush and Rodney rasped out "John" and shook the still figure beside him with the arm that wasn't making him wish it wasn't attached to his body.
Fear filled Rodney when the only response he received was a hoarse moan of pain. He looked around desperately as if Carson would magically appear at his need and realized with horror that the same humming sound that had preceded the explosion had started again and was increasing in intensity.
"Don't panic, don't panic!" he muttered to himself as he knew he needed to think clearly to get them both out of the lab that had already exploded once and he was sure was going to explode again. He knew John would be no help, so Rodney simply grabbed the back of John's shirt with his one good hand and started to haul him out of the lab.
He wished that he didn't have to worry about another power discharge, as not to mention the pain trying to move John caused him, He was terrified he was making John's injuries worse. Though he forcefully reminded himself that in all the first aid classes he had ever taken they always pointed out that if there was life-threatening danger it was okay to move the individual.
Thankfully, they were already close to the door and Rodney soon had John safely outside of the lab. He then gently laid John down for a moment while, with difficulty, as he could only use one hand, he shut the lab door in hopes that it would prevent them from being further affected by the second explosion he was sure was inevitable.
Rodney once again grabbed the back of John's shirt and managed to drag him about 12 feet farther from door when he collapsed exhausted on his back desperately trying to pull oxygen into his starved lungs while black spots danced in front of him obscuring his vision.
Abruptly, a loud explosion shook the corridor and Rodney cradled his agonizing arm to his chest, thankful he had gotten John and himself farther away from the lab. Resisting the almost overwhelming urge to simply close his eyes and rest, Rodney rolled over on to his knees and knelt beside his friend quickly appraising John for the bloody injuries he knew must be there. Yet, to his surprise there wasn't any gushing blood.
Only small scrapes that didn't explain the weak, but rapid pulse John had, the moist, cold skin, or the shallow breathing. Shock…Rodney's thumping brain supplied, but it still didn't explain why.
"Okay" he muttered to himself, "I need to get him warm—warm, I can do warm." Carefully Rodney took off his jacket. He wanted to scream as he pulled it off of his broken arm, but he persevered and gently covered John with it, hoping that it would help to stop the shivering that had begun.
"Come on John wake up" he urged while waiting for Lorne to arrive with a working radio, so a medical team could be called. After what seemed like an eternity, he was rewarded with fluttering eyelids as John slowly returned to consciousness. "Hey, John. That's it. Just open your eyes. You can do it!"
Pain filled dazed hazel eyes locked with his causing some of the relief Rodney had had to see John awake dissipate as he saw that John was having a hard time focusing.
"Hey focus on me buddy. I need you to tell me what hurts."
"Hmmmmm…everything…"
"Okay, ummmm….honesty is good, but…can you be a little bit more specific in what hurts the most?" questioned Rodney as he tried to push down his panic.
"My left…side…"
Nodding, Rodney gently lifted John's shirt to see the offending area. When it came into view, Rodney couldn't contain the word 'shit' as it slipped out of his mouth.
"That…bad…huh?"
"It's fine, John…uhhhh…nothing to worry about."
"Sure…but…you only…say John…when you…want something…or are…really…worried…" he gasped.
"That's ridiculous Jo…" Rodney cut off abruptly at John's raised eyebrow and went back to looking at John's side; a side that was definitely a cause for worry. It was dark with purple and blue bruises and even Rodney was able to tell that there had to be internal bleeding.
Suddenly Rodney was taken from his perusal of John's wounds and a feeling of utter inadequacy, a feeling he despised, by the arrival of Lorne, the other marines, and to Rodney's shock, Ronon, Carson and a few of his voodoo priests.
"Thank God!" Rodney said, slowly backed away giving Carson room. "Wait! How did you know to come and I thought you weren't supposed to be back for hours?" he questioned as Carson knelt beside John and began to asses his condition.
"Well Elizabeth figured after the transporters stopped working that considering it was ye two, and that yer both proper trouble magnets, it'd be best if there was medical personnel already on their way. So, we met up with Lorne and the others ta get here as quickly as bloody possible. And in answer to yer other question we came back early. Now stop giving the medic a hard time and let him look at your arm as it's clearly broken."
"Fine" muttered Rodney as the medic pulled him still farther away from John's form. Still, Rodney's eyes never left were Carson and some others were carefully working around John and loading him onto a gurney. Just before Carson was about to rush John out of the corridor, Rodney asked with worry "Carson he's going to be okay, right?"
Carson glanced down at John who had once again succumbed to unconsciousness and replied softly, "I hope so Rodney, I hope so."
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The last several hours had gone by at a snail's pace for Elizabeth, and as she watched John sleep quietly with Rodney on the bed next to him and Teyla sitting quietly beside her with Ronon leaning up against the wall she was thankful that she knew John would make it.
Elizabeth felt her mind reliving the tumult it had experienced earlier that day. When there had been another power spike in the lab and John and Rodney were not answering any radio hails, she had felt her heart stop.
She had feared that even with Carson being on his way without the transporters it would be too long for John or anyone else in the lab to be reached by medical personnel. It had been absolutely agonizing waiting for news at that time, having no idea if John and Rodney were even still alive. Finally she had gotten the call that told her that John and Rodney had been in the room when it had exploded, but were both still alive. The relief however was short lived as John, she was told, was in serious condition and was being taken to surgery and Rodney was in the infirmary getting treated.
Elizabeth had quickly made her way to the infirmary to check on Rodney and John. She discovered that Rodney had broken his left arm, had a mild concussion, and was bruised all over. The doctor on duty had explained that if it was just those things, Rodney would have been able to be released to his quarters, but apparently Rodney's daily habits had already worn down his body, and Dr. Biro had decided that Rodney should stay in the infirmary overnight to be on the safe side and so that they could ensure that Rodney got the rest he needed.
Then Elizabeth was regulated to hours of waiting for news on John as Carson worked to repair her injured second in command. When Carson, after what seemed like a lifetime, had come out from the surgery to talk with them, Elizabeth had risen from her uncomfortable chair to face whatever Carson had to say head on. Yet, as she now looked back on it, she realized she hadn't even been close to prepared for what he had had to say.
Elizabeth glanced down at John now as she berated herself for the actions she took since the crash yesterday. How could she have been so stupid and self-centered? Why hadn't she realized John was hurt? How could she have missed it? She felt like slime as she understood that her own actions were part of the reason John was lying deathly still before her now.
Elizabeth's mind recounted John's injuries and Carson's theories behind the cause of each of them. The most serious had been his spleen. Apparently in the crash he had torn it slightly. Not enough that it was a life-threatening problem in itself. In fact, if it had been discovered right after the crash it probably could have been solved without invasive surgery, by simply making sure John rested and didn't make any sudden movements.
However, instead of making John get checked out by a doctor after a crash that only moments before she thought might have killed him, she had yelled at him making it even less likely that he would seek out a physician's help. So he didn't know to avoid sudden jerky movements, like being thrown back in an explosion, that could easily tear his spleen farther or cause it to rupture, which was exactly what happened.
In fact, Carson hypothesized that simply John's running to the lab had been enough to tear it farther, though his being thrown against the wall by the explosion is what completely did it in. Elizabeth kept thinking about the fact that if John had been checked over right after the crash, he would have been confined to the infirmary were medical professionals would have ensured that that didn't happen.
Instead it did happen, which caused a shocking amount of internal bleeding and blood loss that Carson had needed to use surgery to rectify.
Then along with that injury, there were bruises all over his torso from having impacted with the jumper's consol and then the wall after the explosion; impacts that Carson was surprised hadn't cracked or broken any ribs of John's ribs. John had also sprained his wrist quite severely, though Carson was hopeful it would heal without the need of surgery. Carson was unsure if that particular injury had been caused by the crash, explosion, or a mixture of the two and Elizabeth found herself desperately wishing she knew.
She wished when she had asked John after the jumper crash if he was alright, she had waited until she had gotten an actual answer instead of his standard response. Then, maybe she would have been able to tell Carson which injuries were new and which were old. In fact, Elizabeth should have known better and simply gotten John to get checked out no matter how many times he told the world he was fine right after the crash.
Elizabeth looked away from John for a moment as she felt her eyes burn with tears she refused to shed as her guilt almost overwhelmed her at how close they came to losing John, and how she would be partially responsible if they had.
Even though he must have been in a lot of pain from the injuries he sustained in the crash, she had jumped down his throat. She hadn't forced him to go to the infirmary to get checked out, where the tear in John's spleen would have been discovered and taken care of without risking his life and forcing him to have major surgery. Elizabeth felt bile rise in her throat at how wretched that made her feel.
Elizabeth's stomach twisted with shame and she desperately wished she could turn back time and change the decisions she had made. All she could do now was try to make up for the mistakes she had made. Listening to John's steady breathing, she was grateful she would have the chance.
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The first thing John became aware of upon waking was how dry his mouth and throat felt. The second was of Carson standing beside him with a cup full of tantalizing ice chips.
Gratefully John savored the refreshing cool of the ice as it helped to soothe his sore throat. A few minutes later, as he swallowed the last of it, he tried to think back to what had landed him once again in Carson's lair. Too confused by the random images that assaulted him to come up with a coherent answer, John croaked out "wha…what happened?"
"I don' even know where ta begin ta answer that question, but I suppose the event that finally brought ye here was an explosion in a lab."
John nodded slowly as he allowed his mind to sort through the images to see that was indeed the case. "How's Rodney?" he asked as his mind supplied the fact he had been with him.
"See for yerself." At Carson's words John looked to his side and saw Rodney curled up on the bed beside him. Carson continued, "He's doing pretty well. He broke his left arm, was bumped around some and was exhausted, but he's back to his usual sunny disposition.
"You mean complaining about everything?"
"Aye" Carson said with a smile that abruptly turned serious as he continued, "but his complaining is nothing ta what ye do ta me."
"Huh?"
"John, for a bit in there I thought we'd—we'd lost ye. If we had had to wait much longer to give you a blood transfusion, we would have."
John simply nodded as he was at a loss to what to say to the obvious emotion in Carson's voice and face. John never knew what to say or do in these situations and avoided them as a rule, but thankfully further response ended up not being necessary; the exhaustion that had been present since he woke up began to win the battle and pull him back under.
Noticing this Carson gently patted his arm and said, "Sleep lad, yer body certainly needs it," and John did.
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Rodney was lying on a bed by John's trying to type on his laptop with one hand. He had already been released to his room with orders to rest, but he had refused. After all, he had no intention of being sent to his room like a disobedient child, regardless of the fact Carson was claiming he was acting like one. Besides Carson may have missed something and he could take a turn for the worst at any moment, which meant it would be best for him to already be surrounded by medical personnel and equipment.
Not to mention the fact, he absolutely would not leave until he got to see for himself that John was going to be okay. Though Carson had assured him John was going to be fine, Rodney did not plan on relying on the opinion of a voodoo priest. Instead, he was going to wait until he could speak with John himself, which was proving difficult as John was sleeping pretty much constantly. After his brief bout with lucidity the day before, which he had slept through, John seemed to always be out of it, especially when Rodney was around and awake.
So, Carson had finally given in as long as Rodney promised to stay on the bed and rest. Considering the fact the bed was right next to John's, Rodney had readily agreed.
Abruptly, Rodney was shaken from his thoughts of how to extend the long range sensors and his attempts at typing one-handed on his laptop, by a voice clearing beside him.
"Yes, Carson?" he asked in a snide voice.
"When I agreed ta let ye stay here it was under the condition of ye resting."
"I am resting! I didn't get out of bed did I? Besides it's not like I was seriously injured like Colonel Calamity over there. There really is no reason for you to be ordering me around at all!"
"Aye, except for the fact ye exhausted yer body before the explosion even occurred. I have heard from many people that the night before it ye didn' sleep at all, and I know ye hadn' been getting a lot of sleep the days prior ta that. Yer body not only needs rest ta help ye heal from breaking yer arm and getting bruised, but also ta help ye recover from the abuse of unhealthy habits, like feasting on junk food, drinking caffeine, and not getting enough sleep, ye heap upon it!"
"I don't have unhealthy habits! I just need less sleep than everyone else, and I don't eat too much junk food or drink too much caffeine!"
A soft snort to Rodney's left immediately brought Rodney and Carson's attention to John's slightly smiling face. Opening his eyes, John looked at Rodney and mumbled, "Sure Rodney, everyone has at least 15 large cups of coffee a day."
"Hey! You're awake!" Rodney replied, ignoring John's comment.
"Yeah, there was this annoying scientist next too my bed, so I gave up on trying to get any shut-eye" was the weak response.
"That was uncalled for! After all, I did save your life."
"Really," grunted John as Carson flashed the penlight of hell into his eyes and then went on to check over his wound. "I don't remember that. Though I don't have a very clear picture of what happened and how I got hurt."
"Well," Carson said, in a deceivingly nonchalant manner, which immediately put Rodney on alert, but John was so out of it that he missed the danger of it, "I need ta ask ye a question. Did ye get hurt at all in the jumper crash?"
John thought for a moment, "Well, I was bruised up a little, and my wrist hurt a bit, but I figured it wasn't too bad."
"Anything else? Did anything start hurting later, which you thought was peculiar?"
"My side started to hurt more," John was silent for a moment trying to remember if there had been any other problems and then said, "I noticed my left shoulder starting hurting."
"And ye didn' think that ye should stop by the infirmary ta get checked out?"
Rodney could see that John was just now realizing the dangerous ground he was on as he carefully answered.
"I was planning on it, but I thought waiting just a bit wouldn't be a problem…"
"Right. Now, can ye tell me what university ye got yer medical degree at that would give ye the idea ye shouldn't stop by the infirmary if ye were in a, I don't know—CRASH!"
"Ummm…is their any response here that won't get me in more trouble?"
Rodney gave John a look of pity as Carson said, "No, no there isn'. John, you tore yer spleen in the crash and were bleeding internally. Both yer shoulder hurting and yer side increasing in pain were signs of that. Ye should have been in the infirmary so trained medical professionals could keep an eye on ye ta ensure that ye didn' tear it farther, which ye did by the way in yer running ta the lab and then being thrown against a wall."
"I'm sorry Carson. I really didn't think it was serious, and with everything that happened between Dr. Weir and me, I really wasn't in the mood to make an even bigger deal about the crash by showing up in the infirmary."
"Well I'd bloody say that what ye did manage made the deal that ye would have made microscopic! John…just do us all a favor and when ye get hurt, let professionals determine how bad it is."
"I will Carson."
"Good, now would ye like ta hear how Rodney 'saved' yer life and more of the details of how ye ended up once again as my guest?"
"Yeah, I would like to hear it."
"Well, I'll just administer yer medicine and let Rodney fill ye in on all that happened."
John looked expectantly at Rodney as Rodney began to explain how he had, heroically, pulled John out of the laboratory about to explode even though he had a broken arm.
"What caused the explosions anyways?" John asked when Rodney had finished his rather loquacious explanation.
"Zelenka is trying to go over the data and figure that out, but he isn't having much luck and Carson has absolutely refused to let me work on it. He even threatened Zelenka and all the other scientists with physicals if they give me anything on it, which is so unfair, but I figure I can hack into Zelenka's file tonight and work on it. However, what we do know is that you're activating the device is what started the power build up that resulted in the explosion when we were in the lab. Hey, are you okay?"
"Don't…know" wheezed John, "It just…started…getting…hard…to breathe…"
Rodney took in John's flushed face, shallow panting breaths, and the rapid beating of the heart monitor and called out in a slightly panicked voice, "Carson! Something's wrong with John!"
Carson who had left during Rodney's long winded explanation rushed over to them, took in John's conditions and muttered "bloody hell!"
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To be continued
A/N: Okay, so I need to apologize for another cliff hanger ending, but with how crazy my life has been lately, it was either crazy cliff hanger ending or no new chapter so… Anyhow, please review and let me know what you think!