"Morning." Cadman smiled at Jennifer as the doctor opened her eyes again. "How're you feeling?"
"Hurts." Jennifer croaked.
"What hurts?" Laura questioned as she stood, ready to go and get help.
"Leg, mainly."
"That's not surprising." McKay said from her other side. "It did get mangled. But if it makes you feel better it probably looked worse than it feels. My stomach still churns thinking about it."
"McKay." Laura chastised.
"What? It did."
"How bad is it?" Jennifer asked as she tried to sit up.
"See what you've done now?" Cadman scorned before trying to push Jennifer back down.
"It will make a full recovery." She assured her friend. "It'll just take a bit of time."
"What aren't you telling me?" Jennifer asked.
"If you don't believe me read your notes." Laura said defensively.
"You're hiding something." Jennifer commented. "You both look shifty."
"Shifty?" McKay asked.
"Yes Shifty. Where's Ronon?"
"On the Daedalus." Cadman and McKay said in unison, before glaring at each other.
"What's happened?" Jennifer asked getting stressed and nervous.
"Nothing unusual." McKay said.
"He's been shot? Culled?" Jennifer started.
"Ok, the details are unusual." McKay conceded. "But the upshot is that he is on the Daedalus and returning to Atlantis."
"What happened?" Jennifer demanded as she attempted to get up again, this time catching Laura off guard. Before her friend realised what was happening Jennifer was standing, then, as her leg gave out, crumpling to the floor. Only she never made contact with the floor, instead she found herself being supported by Sheppard's firm chest. Just as quickly as she stopped falling, she found herself being lifted by Sheppard and placed back on the bed.
"Not even I have disobeyed medical orders that blatantly." Sheppard said as Jennifer willed the pain to subside. "As for you two." The Lieutenant Colonel went on, turning his attention to Cadman and McKay. "You have a strange interpretation of looking after someone. What had you done to get the doc so upset?"
"Ronon?" Jennifer asked, stopping Rodney and Laura from having to answer.
"Is going to be fine. He required a bit of patching up on the Daedalus, but the doctors there assure me he'll be ok and he'll be beamed down here in the next few hours."
"What happened?" Jennifer asked. When Sheppard did not respond immediately she added. "I'll find out eventually and I'll remember if you hid something from me every time I give you a medical."
"I'll tell you everything as long as you promise to remember he'll be fine." Sheppard said before retelling the story, with more tact than he had when he recounted it to Woolsey.
-oo-
"Hey." Sheppard said as Ronon opened his eyes several hours later.
"Sheppard?" Ronon questioned, trying to work out where he was and how he got to where ever here was.
"Yeah, it's me. You are in the infirmary." Sheppard replied all too familiar with the disorientation that Ronon was feeling.
"Jennifer?"
"Next bed along, asleep."
"She-" Ronon started only for Sheppard to interrupt.
"She'll be just fine, which is very bad news for you." He paused and acknowledged Ronon's confused look before continuing. "She was kinda ticked that you went on a mission injured and that you got skewered." His words helped jog Ronon's memory causing the Satedan to look down at his stomach. "You had us worried back there, but the docs stitched you up, as long as you take it easy you'll be ok." The Lieutenant Colonel continued as Ronon started to sit up. "By easy I mean very easy, so easy in fact that you don't leave the bed."
"I'm fine." Ronon dismissed him.
"No, you're not. I said you would be fine, as in future tense would, if you rested." Sheppard argued. When his words had no effect he went on. "You know Cole wanted to keep you sedated until you were fully healed. I said there was no need and promised you'd follow orders."
"That was dumb." Ronon grimaced.
"So I'm learning." Sheppard muttered. "Where exactly are you going?"
"To Jennifer."
"That's it?"
"Yeah." Ronon replied as if Sheppard was being stupid.
"Ok, I have a plan." Sheppard said. "Lie back down and give me a minute." When he noticed Ronon was not reverting to lying down he added. "Trust me."
-oo-
"Evening." Sheppard said as he sat next to Teyla and opposite Rodney.
"Why do you look so happy?" Teyla questioned.
"You ever achieve something that you'd thought impossible?"
"All the time." McKay answered swallowing a piece of chocolate cake.
"Something everyone else thought was impossible?" Sheppard rephrased.
"All the time." McKay repeated.
"You are so not the right person to have around right now." Sheppard said.
"What is your achievement?" Teyla asked amused by the banter.
"I got Ronon to not get out of bed." Sheppard said grinning.
"You stunned him? That's low." McKay commented between mouthfuls. "And not that impressive, I mean he's stunned you, what six, seven times?"
"Eight I believe." Teyla said.
"And that was when you weren't injured." McKay added.
"I did not stun him." Sheppard protested. "I reasoned with him."
"You take a blow to the head on the planet?" McKay asked sceptically.
"No."
"You sure, because I'm sure you just used the words Ronon and reason in the same sentence."
"Ok, maybe reason was the wrong word, incentivise might be better."
"Incentivise? You taking management courses? Oh wait you bribed him?" McKay asked. "How many new marines did you have to sacrifice?"
"Funny and none."
"His appetite returned already?" McKay conjectured, wondering what Sheppard could have used as leverage.
"Says the man scoffing his second piece of chocolate cake." Sheppard shot back.
"So what did you give to persuade Ronon?" Teyla asked.
"I guess you could call it prime real estate." Sheppard said cryptically as he noticed Lorne and Teldy enter the mess hall. Standing he said. "If you'll excuse me I need to catch Lorne."
"Wait, you haven't told us what you did." McKay protested.
"Yes I did." Sheppard shrugged walking off, leaving his friends feeling confused. By the time he reached the two Majors they were just sitting down on the opposite side of the room.
"Majors." He greeted, immediately causing Teldy to try and stand. "Sit down Major. Last I heard you weren't going to be on duty for weeks. In fact I'm a little surprised to see you in the Mess Hall. I thought you were meant to be confined to quarters?"
"I needed some fresh air Sir." Teldy shrugged.
"Yet you come to the Mess Hall?" Sheppard questioned.
"Her walls were about to request a restraining order." Lorne smirked.
"Look on the bright side Major." Sheppard said. "Over the next few weeks Lorne is going to bug the hell out of you with his cheery disposition and going on missions."
"How's that a bright side?" Teldy asked confused.
"You see I remember all the times he's been like that round me, but as his superior I can't be seen to act on my frustration directly and partnering him with Ronon is not that fun after the first beating. But in four or five weeks, you'll be fit again and have many reasons to kick his six in training. Plus I'll be turning a blind eye to anything that happens, so go for it."
"Thank you Sir." Teldy said as Lorne began to look worried.
"Lorne." Sheppard said switching his focus to his other Major.
"Yes Sir." Lorne said, hiding his worry well.
"I hear that your burns are minor and you are able to return to desk duty."
"Yes Sir."
"Good. I'm going to take a couple of days off and sleep. So you are in charge."
"Have a good rest." Lorne replied.
"I will." Sheppard said as he started to walk off before looking over his shoulder and saying. "And Lorne as acting commanding officier don't forget the meeting with Woolsey at 09.00 tomorrow, or the paperwork that needs to be done before then." Lorne's head shot round to look at the retreating back of Sheppard before returning his attention to his food, shaking his head as he did so. When he looked up he saw Teldy smirking unsympathetically.
"Don't suppose you want to return to duty early?" He asked optimistically.
"Think I'll pass."
-oo-
A short while later Rodney walked towards the infirmary, wanting to know what Sheppard had done to Ronon. Teyla had advised Rodney to stay away, in case he undid any of John's good work. However, the need to know and solve this puzzle was to much so he decided to go and take a look for himself. As he approached though he was intercepted by Cadman.
"What do you want?" McKay asked wearily.
"Nice to see you to Rodney." She smiled. "And although this might bruise your ego I'm going to check up on Jen, not assault you. What are you doing here?"
"Checking up on Ronon." McKay said as Cadman fell into step beside him causing him to look over at her. Noticing he was looking at her she said.
"If I really make you feel uncomfortable I'll walk behind you or in front of you."
"No no, it's fine." McKay said.
"Good, so how've you been?"
"Since I last saw you three hours ago?" McKay questioned, drawing a nod from Cadman. "Fine. Well I've had to deal with the idiots in the science department, which I'm sure is knocking hours off my life, but it has been a whole three days before anyone tried to kill me. So I guess I've been good." McKay rambled, before falling silent.
"This is where it is customary to ask how I've been." Cadman pointed out.
"No need. You are an explosives expert who is in one piece. So I can deduce that you have successfully avoided blowing yourself up, which means you've been fine." McKay argued. "And here we are at the infirmary so-" He added before stopping mid sentence. "Where are they? Sheppard said he got Ronon to stay."
"Doctor, Lieutenant." Cole greeted looking up from a workbench. "It is nice to see you two not re-enacting a war."
"Where's Jen?"
"In the private wing." Cole said.
"What private wing?" McKay asked wondering how he had missed it all this time.
"The one Colonel Sheppard constructed. It's the curtained area over there. You are welcome to say hello, but they need to rest."
"Thanks doc." Laura smiled walking over to the small area and pulling open the curtain
"How come I never get that treatment?" McKay asked as he looked into the makeshift room of the infirmary where three beds had been pushed together. The beds were occupied by Jennifer and Ronon who were sound asleep. Ronon had wrapped himself round Jennifer.
"Not having a girlfriend is probably the first stumbling block." Cadman pointed out as she tugged on Rodney's arm. "Come on, let's leave them alone to sleep. You can buy me a drink." She added, pulling him out of the infirmary.
"Why am I buying?"
"Apart from the fact you are a perfect gentleman?" Cadman asked as she paused for effect. She waited for Rodney to look confused before adding. "The fact that you earn way more than me."
-oo-
"Ronon?" Jennifer questioned, confused to find him wrapped round her.
"Where...are you ok?" She asked while trying to work out where she was and how she got into such a large bed.
"I'm fine?" Ronon said, causing Jennifer to raise her eyebrows skeptically. Gently rubbing his thumb over her hand he asked. "How're you feeling?"
"Fine." Jennifer mirrored Ronon's words, causing him to mimic her expression. "The painkillers are good." She added. "Where are we?"
"Infirmary."
"The infirmary doesn't have king size beds." Jennifer argued.
"Sheppard rearranged the furniture." Noticing the expression crossing Jennifer's face he added. "You can criticise him later. For now just enjoy it." Jennifer looked at Ronon and relaxed, happy to lie still and silent in his arms. Soon, however, Jennifer's brain began working again and she tried to sit up, only for Ronon to gently hold her down.
"Lie still you need to rest." He ordered.
"Ronon." Jennifer said looking the Satedan in the eye. "I'm sorry I stabbed you."
"Not your fault, not deep either."
"Not the point and it was my fault. I was the one holding the knife." Jennifer argued, her voice full of guilt.
"Do you remember doing it?" Ronon asked.
"No."
"Then not your fault." He countered, silencing Jennifer for a few moments before she said.
"I'm sorry."
"Stop blaming yourself."
"I can't, you had to relive living on the run because of me, then I stab you."
"None of it was your fault, apart from choosing to leave the city without me."
"Lesson learnt. Not leaving the city again." Jennifer mumbled.
"Good." Ronon smiled before his expression turned serious. "You're safe now."
"I know."
"When you want to talk, I'm here."
"I know." Jennifer repeated, moving further into his embrace. For now though she was just happy to draw on Ronon's strength and forget.
-The End
A/N: Thank you to everyone who read the story and for the reviews. A special thanks to Frankius17 for suggesting the addition of Teldy.