sg_lab2

Title: Adopting Rodney
Author: sg_lab
Rating: G to PG
Summary: “We’re adopting Rodney,” John said. What happens after Rodney suffers a brain injury. Set a few months after First Strike
Pairing: Sheppard/Weir
Characters: Sheppard, Weir, McKay
Spoilers: First Strike, Sunday, McKay and Mrs. Miller, Vengeance
Warning:
A/N: So sorry this took so long. My muse chose to take another trip elsewhere.
Disclaimer: The characters and Stargate Atlantis don’t belong to me and I’m not making anything from this.
Feedback: Yes please

Chapter 24

They were back in the infirmary. John sat next to the bed Rodney lay on. Dr. Cole was monitoring the device on the other side of the bed. Rodney was asleep as he always had been during these sessions.

Elizabeth, Teyla and Ronon were in their usual spots as well.

“How long has it been?” Elizabeth asked.

“Fifteen minutes,” Dr. Zagoran said.

“How many more of these do you think he’s going to need?” Elizabeth asked.

“He may need at least one more,” the doctor said.

“Everything is going to be all right, Elizabeth,” Teyla assured her friend.

“I hope…” Elizabeth’s words died on her lips when they heard a loud beeping.

They looked down at Rodney to see his body convulsing. John stood frozen next to the bed.

“Dr. Zagoran?” They heard Dr. Cole’s voice over the intercom.

“Doctor, turn off the device gradually,” Zagoran said.

“It’s off,” Cole said. “But he’s still convulsing.”

Zagoran left the observation deck without a word. The three remaining watched as he entered the exam room. John was pushed aside. He looked from Rodney to the observation deck.

After awhile, John was standing with his arm around Elizabeth’s shoulders. Her head was resting on his shoulder. Ronon and Teyla stood next to them. They had been moved to the waiting area giving the medical team space to work.

An eternity later, Dr. Zagoran came in. “He’s stable.”

Some the tension in Elizabeth’s shoulder’s released, but she could feel something more was about to be said and they were not going to like it.

“He’s in a coma.”

Elizabeth heard a gasp from beside her. She felt John’s arms tighten around her. She swallowed past the lump in her throat. “What is his prognosis?”

“I’m sorry, I just don’t know,” the doctor said. He looked deflated. “I was wrong to push this. He may wake up tomorrow, weeks from now or never. I’m sorry.”

“Can we see him?” John asked.

“Of course.”

Rodney’s friends entered the room they had put him in. John helped Elizabeth sit next to the bed and sat next to her. Teyla and Ronon stood on the opposite side of the bed.

Elizabeth was seated near Rodney’s head. Reaching out, she placed a hand over the side of his head. “Rodney, please come back to us,” her last word was almost cut off by a sob. John wrapped his arms around her holding her against his chest. On the other side of the bed Ronon was holding an equally distraught Teyla.

&

It was two days later and Rodney hadn’t woken up yet. John was worrying about Elizabeth. She spent her free time next to Rodney and the rest of her time working. With the stress of keeping this city together against the external threats and worrying about Rodney, she was exhausted by the time she got to bed. He was certain she wasn’t eating properly. She had less than a month left before giving birth and everything was catching up to her.

“Come on, buddy,” John looked down at the unconscious man before him. “We need you.”

The door came open and Dr. Keller came in. “John, you’re needed out here in the infirmary.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Elizabeth passed out.”

John rushed past Keller almost knocking her against the wall. He entered the larger area of the infirmary and looked around until he found the bed Elizabeth was resting in. He rushed over to her. She was turned on her side. He looked at her face and saw the tears rolling down her pale cheeks.

“Lizabeth?” He brushed a tear from her cheek.

“She’s going to be fine as long as she gets some rest and stays off her feet for the next two weeks,” Keller said from behind John. “The baby’s fine,” she rushed to tell him.

John looked back at his wife who looked miserable. He leaned down and pulled her into a hug. She continued to cry into his shoulder.

Several minutes later when she had calmed down Elizabeth was leaning against John’s chest. “I’m sorry,” she said.

“I’ve been worried about you,” he said. “Promise me you’ll follow the doctor’s orders.”

She could only nod before burying her face in his chest.

&

John was moving between Rodney and Elizabeth for the next day. It was late when he fell asleep in a chair next to Elizabeth’s bed. He startled when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Dr. Keller stood next to him.

“What’s wrong?” He asked.

“It’s good news, actually,” she said. “Rodney just came out of his coma.”

“Damn, he was alone,” John stood up.

“Ronon was sitting with him,” Keller said.

“Can I see him?” John asked.

“For a minute,” Keller said.

John glanced at his sleeping wife and decided to fill her in, in the morning. They entered the private room. John patted Ronon on the shoulder. He looked down at the man on the bed who was blinking his eyes trying to focus.

“Hey Rodney,” John came over next to the bed. “Glad to see you awake.”

“John,” Rodney’s voice was a little slurred.

“The doc’s gonna kick us out in a minute, buddy.”

“No,” Rodney’s voice was panicked.

“It’s okay, Rodney,” John put a hand on the back of Rodney’s hand.

“Lizbeth?” Rodney asked.

“She’s resting now. She’ll see you in the morning. And Teyla. We’ll all be here in the morning. You just need to get some rest.”

Rodney didn’t look happy, but relented. “Okay.”

John gave Rodney’s hand a squeeze before letting go. He and Ronon said goodnight and left the room. Keller convinced John to go home and get some sleep.

&

“Why didn’t you wake me?” Elizabeth was standing up letting John help her into a robe as she let him have it.

“You needed your sleep and so did Rodney,” John said. “I told him we would all see him in the morning.”

Ronon and Teyla walked in then. John grimaced when he saw the look on Teyla’s face and then looked at Ronon in sympathy.

John stood next to Ronon when Teyla came over with a wheelchair for Elizabeth. “Feels a little chilly in here,” John said to Ronon when the two women looked their way.

“I’m a little out of practice dealing with women,” Ronon said. “What’s your excuse, Sheppard?”

John glowered at the smirk on Ronon’s face. “So much for solidarity.”

John and Ronon stood back while Teyla and Elizabeth gave Rodney their undivided attention.

&

A couple days later Rodney and Elizabeth were released from the infirmary. Elizabeth was still confined to bed rest and Rodney was ordered to take it easy. For the day Elizabeth spent it mostly on the couch.

John had already stopped going off world as it got closer to Elizabeth’s due date. He spent his time taking care of Elizabeth and making sure Rodney took it easy.

It was the second night back in their bed together when Elizabeth brought up one of the subjects foremost on their minds.

“We can’t let Rodney go through another session with that device,” she said.

“I know,” he said wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her against him. “He’s not going to be happy about that.”

“I know,” she hesitated. “I’m not sure his last session improved anything anyway.”

“I know,” John closed his eyes. In fact they suspected Rodney’s progress had taken a couple steps backwards.

“Dr. Zagoran would like to run some tests,” Elizabeth said.

“Yeah,” John said. “Ronon and I will take him to the infirmary tomorrow. Teyla said she’d stay with you.”

Elizabeth nodded while yawning. They turned off the lights and tried to get some sleep.