Not mine. Don't own 'em. Didn't create 'em. Stargate Atlantis and all related characters are the property of MGM as far as I can tell.

Beta'ed by Nebbyjen (but I claim all mistakes as my own :-)

Guess which episode I was re-watching today?

"What happened to you?" asked Beckett as a dusty Rodney McKay came limping into the infirmary supported by Teyla. She helped him onto a bed.

"Had a little run-in with a wraith." Rodney leaned back on the pillow and shielded his eyes with his forearm, enjoying the sensation of being safe now that his team's mission had been successfully concluded.

Beckett took in McKay's bedraggled appearance and the small fresh cuts on his face and hands before looking to Teyla for more details.

"The wraith we attempted to capture activated a…" began Teyla.

"The wraith you attempted to what?"

"Capture," said McKay, removing his arm so he could see Beckett's expression.

"You tried to capture a wraith?"

"Actually," said McKay proudly, propping himself up on his elbows, "We succeeded in capturing a wraith. Sheppard and the rest of his men are taking it down to the holding area."

"You brought one of those bloody things back here?" Beckett squeaked.

Rodney sat the rest of the way up, wincing as abused muscles protested the movement, and began unlacing his boot. It was clear to him that the doctor was more concerned about the wraith then his ankle. "The cells are shielded. It's perfectly safe. My foot on the other hand…" he grimaced, trying to pull off the half-laced boot.

"Stop," said Beckett. Slapping Rodney's hand away, he pulled the rest of the laces out completely before removing the now loose boot and prodded at the ankle. "Looks like you twisted it but I don't think it's sprained," he said before going in search of an ice pack.

"How about you?" he asked Teyla upon his return, giving her a critical look as he squeezed the bag, crunching the ice to loosen it.

"I am uninjured." The expression he gave her said that he'd heard that line before so she clarified, "I was not in the area when the explosion occurred."

Beckett's hands paused in their crunching, "Explosion?"

"A wraith self-destruct device," she said.

He looked back to Rodney, "You, I take it, were in the area of the explosion?"

"Oh, yes, quite spectacular, too. There was nothing left of him…it…whatever."

Placing the ice pack on Rodney's ankle, he pulled out a penlight to check the scientist's pupils. "Did you lose consciousness?"

"Does having my life flash in front of my eyes count?"

Beckett gave him a wry smile and put a hand on either side of Rodney's head, probing for injuries through the scientist's hair. "Any headache or nausea?"

"Only the kind that results from sheer terror. I didn't hit my head, Carson. The blast threw us forward onto the ground."

Beckett dropped his hands. "Us?" He watched Rodney's expression change to that of a kid who had gotten caught with his hand in the cookie jar as he refused to meet the doctor's gaze. "Okay, who else?"

"Well, um, Sheppard. But he was ahead of me," Rodney hastened to add.

"How far ahead?"

"About a foot," admitted McKay wincing.

Beckett snapped on his radio, "Major Sheppard?"

"Yeah, Doc," came the distracted reply.

"I'd like to see you in the infirmary, please."

"In a bit. I'm kinda busy with our guest."

"So I heard. I also heard that you were involved in an explosion, so I suggest you make an appearance here ASAP."

"This is a bad time…"

"No, a 'bad time' would be ten minutes from now if you haven't appeared in my infirmary." He paused for effect. "Have I made myself clear, Major?"

"Crystal," was the annoyed reply before Sheppard audibly snapped the radio off.

Beckett turned his attention back to Rodney, "Off with the vest."

oOo

"I'm here, Doc," announced Sheppard testily as he entered the infirmary. "Let's get on with this."

"And about bloody time, too!" replied the Scot, equally grouchy. He waved Sheppard to an exam table.

"I was busy interrogating our prisoner." He gave Rodney an annoyed look before hopping up on the table and unzipping his vest. "And I'm not done, so the sooner we get this over with…"

Beckett began his exam with the penlight. "So what exactly happened?"

"Well, we took the target down with a combination of P-90 fire, stun grenades, and tazers."

"All that to take down one of them?" asked the Scot, examining a particularly bad bruise on the major's arm. "They must be incredibly resilient."

"No kidding," was Sheppard's dry reply.

"And the self-destruct?" prompted Beckett, setting his stethoscope against the major's chest.

"Left a sizable crater and not much else."

He took off the stethoscope after a moment, satisfied. "How far away were you and Rodney when this happened?"

"I dunno," he glanced at McKay and shrugged, "Fifteen feet or so?"

"Probably about that," Rodney agreed when Beckett looked to him for confirmation. "I was a little too busy running for my life to pull out a tape measure."

"What about the rest of your men? Anyone else in the blast radius?" he asked, making a few notations in the major's file.

"They were further away and had cover from the explosion. They're guarding the prisoner right now. As soon as we're done here, I'll go back down and have them report to you."

"Guarding the prisoner?" Beckett shot Rodney a startled look. "You said the shield would contain him?"

"It will," replied McKay.

"It's just a precaution, Doc," said Sheppard, realizing how alarmed the physician had become.

"Oh, similar to your post-mission checks?" asked the Scot innocently.

Damn he's good. "I've been a bad boy. Consider my wrists slapped."

Beckett snorted. He dabbed a bit of antibiotic ointment on the small cuts on Sheppard's hands and face. "Okay, you're good to go, Major."

Sheppard slid off the table and Beckett stepped in front of him so that they were eye to eye. "You will report back here if you feel dizzy or nauseous immediately. Is that understood?"

"Got it," said Sheppard sincerely, without a trace of a smile.

Beckett considered the response for a moment then stepped back, clearing the way for Sheppard to leave.

"Thanks, Doc," the major called over his shoulder as walked towards the infirmary door. "I'll send the rest of the guys up."

"No need to send them all at one time," said Beckett, nervous at the thought of the wraith unguarded despite Rodney's assurance. "They can take turns."

"Ford first then?"

"You took Lieutenant Ford on this mission?"

Sheppard's face took on an almost comically twisted appearance. Two expressions warring with one another: one, the desire to protect his second in command and two, relief that Beckett's ire might be directed towards someone other than himself. "Did you tell him he couldn't go?"

"I didn't bloody well know you were going on this suicidal jaunt, Major!"

"I'm sorry, Doc. I didn't know he wasn't cleared for duty yet."

Beckett's face took on an exasperated expression. "I didn't say he wasn't cleared for duty, but had I known what…"

"Oh, good. Then there's no problem," said Sheppard cutting him off. He gave him a quick grin and stepped out the infirmary door.

Beckett said something unkind under his breath then checked Rodney's ankle again. There was very little if any swelling. "You're free to go, but you need to stay off that foot as much as possible for the rest of the day."

"Are you sure? I mean, I was almost blown to bits by a Wraith."

He handed the scientist two Tylenol. "Take these and go get yourself a hot meal and a shower. If you don't feel better in an hour, come back and see me."

"Well, how am I going to get around?"

"Hey Doc," said Ford, entering the infirmary and smiling cheerfully.

"Just a minute." Carson stepped back towards his office and reappeared with a cane and a set of pink scrubs handing one to Rodney and the other to Ford.

"Oh, you can't be serious!" said both men at the same time.

The Scot folded his arms, his face expressionless except for his raised brow. "Try me."