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Fic: Finding Happiness
Title: Finding Happiness
Author: sglab
Rating: G
Summary: Rodney is there for John after losing Elizabeth in an accident
Spoilers: None
Pairings/Characters: Sheppard/McKay and Sheppard/Weir
Warning: Character death, slash
Disclaimer: Characters aren’t mine, just having fun with them.
A/N: Teyla/Ronon and Carson/Laura are miner pairs. The end of season 3 didn’t happen nor did season 4
Chapter 1
“Rodney?” He thought he heard his name and tried to focus, but his eye lids felt so heavy. “Rodney,” the voice was becoming clearer and light was beginning to reach his eyes.
Rodney blinked and strained to focus until he saw the fuzzy outline of a familiar face.
“Just relax, Rodney,” Rodney realized it was Carson Beckett speaking to him. “It’s going to take some time to get your strength back; you’ve been unconscious for some time now.”
Rodney opened his mouth to ask what happened, but was shushed by the doctor. “Rest now, Rodney. We’ll talk later.”
Rodney wanted to protest, but his body wouldn’t cooperate and he slipped into sleep.
&
The next time Rodney woke up, he could hear voices in the background, but couldn’t make anything out. He lay there for a moment assessing himself and his surroundings. It was obvious he was in the Atlantis infirmary. He felt a large bandage around his head. That explained the headache. He looked down and realized his left leg was in a cast just below the knee.
He closed his eyes and tried to remember what had happened.
A voice broke through his haze. It was desperate and panicked. “Lizbeth, don’t do this. Please,” there was a crack in the voice.
“Oh God, no. You can’t leave us. Maddie needs you. I need you.”
Rodney’s eyes snapped open and he gasped.
“Rodney?”
“Carson,” Rodney looked at his friend. “What the hell happened?”
Carson swallowed hard and met Rodney’s desperate fearful eyes. “What do you remember?”
Rodney scrubbed at his eyes squeezing them shut for a moment.
He remembered going with Sheppard and Elizabeth to some planet where some energy readings were detected. Elizabeth wanted to go along to talk with the people. They had had several meetings with these people and Sheppard was comfortable enough that just the three of them go.
They had to take the Puddle Jumper to the location of the energy that had been detected and that’s when things went to hell. The jumper went out of control and Rodney remembered being knocked off his feet.
His second waking moment in the Jumper happened in agony. “Rodney,” it was Col. Sheppard’s voice. It sounded so tired and Rodney couldn’t place it, but there was something else in his friend’s voice. Whatever it was had Rodney forget the pain in his leg for the moment.
“Rodney, I know it’s going to hurt like hell, but we’ve got to get out of here.”
Rodney blinked and looked up at Sheppard. He had a fleeting moment to wonder why they had to move, but just said. “Okay.”
He felt the colonel grab him around the middle, and with several stops and starts mixed with terrible pain, he was hanging over Sheppard’s shoulder. For several minutes he was bounced around until at last he was almost dropped into soft grass.
He then looked up at his friend and something occurred to him. “Elizabeth. Where’s Elizabeth?” He tried to search his friend’s eyes, but Sheppard refused to look at him. “Damn it John, where’s Elizabeth?” And then John looked up at him.
“Oh God,” Rodney was back in the present. He looked at Carson and opened his mouth to speak, but couldn’t get the words past the lump in his throat.
“Her head impacted the front console. She died quickly.”
“That’s it?” Rodney all but screamed. “My head hit something and I lived?”
Carson winced. “Rodney,” he tried to calm his patient and friend down. “Given the location of the impact there was no way she could have survived.”
“There’s more,” Rodney stared into his friend’s eyes.
“Yes,” Carson sighed rubbing his eyes. “Whatever caused the jumper to crash also caused it to catch on fire,” he paused to catch his breath. “John was able to get you out before it exploded, but he wasn’t able to get Elizabeth’s body out.
“Did…?”
“John’s fine,” Carson jumped in getting a snort out of Rodney. Carson nodded. “Alive anyway. Devastated, but alive.”
“Maddie,” Rodney closed his eyes and sank into the pillow under his head.
“Laura and I’ve been taking turns watching the wee lass with Ronon and Teyla for the last week.” A week. He’d been unconscious for a week.
“I need some sleep if you don’t mind,” Rodney said all of a sudden. He felt a hand squeeze his shoulder before he drifted off to sleep again.
&
The next day Rodney was able to stay awake for longer periods of time. Ronon and Teyla visited him for a while bringing Maddie and their two month old girl Fallon only a month younger than Maddie.
Rodney reached out toward Maddie with both hands asking to hold her. He held Maddie close for a moment, dropped a kiss on her head and handed her back to Teyla. He brushed a hand over Fallon’s head as Ronon walked by with the infant when it was time for the couple to leave.
He closed his eyes and remembered the first time he held Maddie.
Rodney, Ronon and a very pregnant Teyla approached Elizabeth’s bed in the infirmary where John was sitting on the edge peering down at the bundle in Elizabeth’s arms.
“Would you like to hold her, Rodney?”
“Wha-?” Rodney’s head jerked up. He had been fidgeting looking at anything but them. He realized Elizabeth had asked him a question.
“Do you want to hold Maddie, Mckay?” John asked annunciating every word and Rodney realized John was coming towards him with the baby.
Rodney glared at Sheppard who was smirking at him. “Fine,” he huffed and put out his hands. John managed to get the baby in his friend’s arms properly and then the crying began.
“Sheppard,” Rodney’s voice was panicky.
“All right,” John’s voice was calm as he picked up his daughter who calmed down upon returning to her father’s arms. John returned to the edge of his wife’s bed placing Maddie back into Elizabeth’s arms.
When their friends left the couple Rodney could be heard grumbling out of the room.
&
When Rodney woke up next he guessed it was late. The light in the infirmary was low and there was little sound around him. He was about to lift his hand to scratch his nose when there was some resistance. He looked over and was surprised to find John sitting in a chair next to his bed.
The colonel’s head was dipped and his eyes were closed. While he always sported some stubble, it looked as if he had not shaved for-well over a week. Dark circles had led to deep fissures under and around his eyes.
Rodney looked down at his hand and saw that John’s hand was covering his own. Feeling the pins and needles in his hand, Rodney flexed his fingers trying not to disturb the sleeping man. However John was apparently only in a light sleep and his head came up as his eyes opened.
The two men met each other’s gaze and held it for a moment. Rodney swallowed and said the only thing that came to him. “Hey.” That was brilliant, Rodney chastised himself. Was that the best he could do?
“Hey,” John returned and Rodney could see his friend make the effort to give him a slight smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
Rodney gulped at what was in those eyes or rather what wasn’t. Rodney opened and closed his mouth several times trying to think of what to say, but came up empty. He was no good at this. He’d only make things worse.
“I’m sorry,” he finally blurted out. “It should have been me.”
“Don’t,” the single word was spoken with such steal it startled Rodney.
The scientist tried to say something, but Sheppard was out the door before he could get the words out.
Rodney was left without a clue what to do. The rest of the night stretched out endlessly and with little sleep.
Author: sglab
Rating: G
Summary: Rodney is there for John after losing Elizabeth in an accident
Spoilers: None
Pairings/Characters: Sheppard/McKay and Sheppard/Weir
Warning: Character death, slash
Disclaimer: Characters aren’t mine, just having fun with them.
A/N: Teyla/Ronon and Carson/Laura are miner pairs. The end of season 3 didn’t happen nor did season 4
Chapter 1
“Rodney?” He thought he heard his name and tried to focus, but his eye lids felt so heavy. “Rodney,” the voice was becoming clearer and light was beginning to reach his eyes.
Rodney blinked and strained to focus until he saw the fuzzy outline of a familiar face.
“Just relax, Rodney,” Rodney realized it was Carson Beckett speaking to him. “It’s going to take some time to get your strength back; you’ve been unconscious for some time now.”
Rodney opened his mouth to ask what happened, but was shushed by the doctor. “Rest now, Rodney. We’ll talk later.”
Rodney wanted to protest, but his body wouldn’t cooperate and he slipped into sleep.
&
The next time Rodney woke up, he could hear voices in the background, but couldn’t make anything out. He lay there for a moment assessing himself and his surroundings. It was obvious he was in the Atlantis infirmary. He felt a large bandage around his head. That explained the headache. He looked down and realized his left leg was in a cast just below the knee.
He closed his eyes and tried to remember what had happened.
A voice broke through his haze. It was desperate and panicked. “Lizbeth, don’t do this. Please,” there was a crack in the voice.
“Oh God, no. You can’t leave us. Maddie needs you. I need you.”
Rodney’s eyes snapped open and he gasped.
“Rodney?”
“Carson,” Rodney looked at his friend. “What the hell happened?”
Carson swallowed hard and met Rodney’s desperate fearful eyes. “What do you remember?”
Rodney scrubbed at his eyes squeezing them shut for a moment.
He remembered going with Sheppard and Elizabeth to some planet where some energy readings were detected. Elizabeth wanted to go along to talk with the people. They had had several meetings with these people and Sheppard was comfortable enough that just the three of them go.
They had to take the Puddle Jumper to the location of the energy that had been detected and that’s when things went to hell. The jumper went out of control and Rodney remembered being knocked off his feet.
His second waking moment in the Jumper happened in agony. “Rodney,” it was Col. Sheppard’s voice. It sounded so tired and Rodney couldn’t place it, but there was something else in his friend’s voice. Whatever it was had Rodney forget the pain in his leg for the moment.
“Rodney, I know it’s going to hurt like hell, but we’ve got to get out of here.”
Rodney blinked and looked up at Sheppard. He had a fleeting moment to wonder why they had to move, but just said. “Okay.”
He felt the colonel grab him around the middle, and with several stops and starts mixed with terrible pain, he was hanging over Sheppard’s shoulder. For several minutes he was bounced around until at last he was almost dropped into soft grass.
He then looked up at his friend and something occurred to him. “Elizabeth. Where’s Elizabeth?” He tried to search his friend’s eyes, but Sheppard refused to look at him. “Damn it John, where’s Elizabeth?” And then John looked up at him.
“Oh God,” Rodney was back in the present. He looked at Carson and opened his mouth to speak, but couldn’t get the words past the lump in his throat.
“Her head impacted the front console. She died quickly.”
“That’s it?” Rodney all but screamed. “My head hit something and I lived?”
Carson winced. “Rodney,” he tried to calm his patient and friend down. “Given the location of the impact there was no way she could have survived.”
“There’s more,” Rodney stared into his friend’s eyes.
“Yes,” Carson sighed rubbing his eyes. “Whatever caused the jumper to crash also caused it to catch on fire,” he paused to catch his breath. “John was able to get you out before it exploded, but he wasn’t able to get Elizabeth’s body out.
“Did…?”
“John’s fine,” Carson jumped in getting a snort out of Rodney. Carson nodded. “Alive anyway. Devastated, but alive.”
“Maddie,” Rodney closed his eyes and sank into the pillow under his head.
“Laura and I’ve been taking turns watching the wee lass with Ronon and Teyla for the last week.” A week. He’d been unconscious for a week.
“I need some sleep if you don’t mind,” Rodney said all of a sudden. He felt a hand squeeze his shoulder before he drifted off to sleep again.
&
The next day Rodney was able to stay awake for longer periods of time. Ronon and Teyla visited him for a while bringing Maddie and their two month old girl Fallon only a month younger than Maddie.
Rodney reached out toward Maddie with both hands asking to hold her. He held Maddie close for a moment, dropped a kiss on her head and handed her back to Teyla. He brushed a hand over Fallon’s head as Ronon walked by with the infant when it was time for the couple to leave.
He closed his eyes and remembered the first time he held Maddie.
Rodney, Ronon and a very pregnant Teyla approached Elizabeth’s bed in the infirmary where John was sitting on the edge peering down at the bundle in Elizabeth’s arms.
“Would you like to hold her, Rodney?”
“Wha-?” Rodney’s head jerked up. He had been fidgeting looking at anything but them. He realized Elizabeth had asked him a question.
“Do you want to hold Maddie, Mckay?” John asked annunciating every word and Rodney realized John was coming towards him with the baby.
Rodney glared at Sheppard who was smirking at him. “Fine,” he huffed and put out his hands. John managed to get the baby in his friend’s arms properly and then the crying began.
“Sheppard,” Rodney’s voice was panicky.
“All right,” John’s voice was calm as he picked up his daughter who calmed down upon returning to her father’s arms. John returned to the edge of his wife’s bed placing Maddie back into Elizabeth’s arms.
When their friends left the couple Rodney could be heard grumbling out of the room.
&
When Rodney woke up next he guessed it was late. The light in the infirmary was low and there was little sound around him. He was about to lift his hand to scratch his nose when there was some resistance. He looked over and was surprised to find John sitting in a chair next to his bed.
The colonel’s head was dipped and his eyes were closed. While he always sported some stubble, it looked as if he had not shaved for-well over a week. Dark circles had led to deep fissures under and around his eyes.
Rodney looked down at his hand and saw that John’s hand was covering his own. Feeling the pins and needles in his hand, Rodney flexed his fingers trying not to disturb the sleeping man. However John was apparently only in a light sleep and his head came up as his eyes opened.
The two men met each other’s gaze and held it for a moment. Rodney swallowed and said the only thing that came to him. “Hey.” That was brilliant, Rodney chastised himself. Was that the best he could do?
“Hey,” John returned and Rodney could see his friend make the effort to give him a slight smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
Rodney gulped at what was in those eyes or rather what wasn’t. Rodney opened and closed his mouth several times trying to think of what to say, but came up empty. He was no good at this. He’d only make things worse.
“I’m sorry,” he finally blurted out. “It should have been me.”
“Don’t,” the single word was spoken with such steal it startled Rodney.
The scientist tried to say something, but Sheppard was out the door before he could get the words out.
Rodney was left without a clue what to do. The rest of the night stretched out endlessly and with little sleep.