"TOO LATE"
A/N: Hey guys… I'm back. Just had my last exam today and have my well deserved semester break now, meaning that I finally have loads of time to get back to writing.
This story has been swirling around in my head for some time, ever since I saw 'The Last Goodbye'. I personally thought the episode was pretty good, but would have been much more powerful with a different ending. But – that's what we are for, isn't it?
Sooooo, here's my interpretation and I wouldn't be me if it didn't include some decent Shep-whumping… g
Spoiler warning: 'The Long Goodbye' – obviously.
Medical knowledge warning: ER-viewer here, not a med student…
Disclaimer: Stargate Atlantis doesn't belong to me, neither do any of the characters used.
"Kill him!"
Teyla could not move. She still had her P-90 pointed at John, who was sitting tied up on the floor in front of her. Her brain was going a thousand miles per hour, trying to figure out a way around the inevitable. How could she shoot him? He was the most generous person she knew and now he was to die by her hands? How could she ever live with herself?
"Sheppard doesn't believe you'll do it." He said. It almost sounded as if he wanted to tempt her. Teyla knew this was not the John Sheppard she knew speaking, she had never seen those eyes so distant and cold.
Her hands began shaking. Did she have a choice? It was either John Sheppard or ¾ of the whole expedition. Although it was probably the hardest choice she would ever have to make in her life, it was one thought that did not leave room for another option – the thought that John would never forgive her or himself if she sacrified so many in order to save him.
"Forgive me, John." Teyla said cocking the rifle. Tears were already forming in her eyes and her face was full of pain, when she pulled the trigger.
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Meanwhile in the control room
"I've got it, I'm overriding her code now." McKay screamed, hammering on his keyboard.
"Are you sure?" Caldwell asked. They couldn't afford any mistakes in a situation such as this.
"It's done! Go!"
"Teyla, this is Caldwell. Do not fire! I repeat, do not fire!"
There was silence on the other end and nobody so much as moved in the control room. Beckett looked worried, McKay petrified, hanging onto his laptop for dear life.
"Teyla, what's your status?" Colonel Caldwell asked anxiously.
"It is too late." She replied quietly.
Dr. Beckett only hesitated for a few seconds, before he grabbed his case and ran out of the control room.
"Oh….my.. God. That can't be" McKay stuttered, his face pale.
Teyla still stood in the hallway, holding up her P-90 and staring at what she had done. If she had only waited one more minute. One more minute and this would have turned out differently.
But now it was too late. John Sheppard lay at her feet, a pool of blood already forming underneath him from the gunshot wound.
Teyla did not even notice the doors around her opening.
A groan was what pulled her out of her stupor. As soon as she realized where it came from, she dropped the weapon and knelt down to take a closer look at her friend.
Her instincts proved life-saving once again. Teyla had instinctively lowered the weapon the instant she shot and that last second move before pulling the trigger resulted in the bullet hitting the Colonel's side instead of his head – which would have been deadly for sure. However, now he was unconscious and bleeding, but at least still alive and breathing.
Teyla pressed her hand against the wound that was continuously oozing blood and tapped at her radio.
"I need Doctor Beckett here, now!"
She received an answer immediately: "He is already on his way, what's your situation?" Caldwell asked impatiently. In the control room, nobody had dared to hope that the Colonel was anything but dead.
"Colonel Sheppard is still alive. He has a gunshot wound to his side and is currently unconscious. I am doing my best to help him, but he needs Doctor Beckett." She said, panic already threatening to take over again.
"He should be with you any second now. Stand by Teyla."
"I will." She shifted her attention to Sheppard's face when she felt him tense.
However, he was not regaining consciousness as she had hoped, but going into convulsions. At first, Teyla thought the wound was causing them, but she did remember Doctor Beckett telling her that the Colonel's and Dr. Weir's bodies would start convulsing when Thalan's and Phebus' consciousnesses began to fade.
She tried her best to keep him down as well as keeping pressure on the wound, which wasn't an easy task.
Teyla was more than relieved when she heard hurried footsteps coming closer.
"Doctor Beckett! Over here." She called out when she saw him at the end of the floor.
He was by her side immediately.
Carson didn't have time to express his relief over finding the Colonel still alive. The man was still convulsing and Teyla seemed to have a hard time keeping him down.
"OK, ya just keep pressin' on the wound, I'll hold him down." He instructed. They'd have to ride out the convulsions before he could take a closer look at the wound.
It took about 3 minutes until the convulsions died down and the Colonel's body went slack.
Carson had to wipe his sweaty forehead, it had taken a lot of effort to keep the stronger man from aggravating his injury even further.
"Step aside, Love, would ya?"
"Of course, I am sorry." Teyla apologized and moved away to give the Doctor the space he needed. She noticed his friendly expression was immediately turning grim when he pressed on the wound on the right side of the Colonel's abdomen.
"Doctor Beckett? What is wrong?" She asked concerned.
Carson shook his head: "This isn't good at all. The abdomen is rigid. He's got internal bleedin', probably his spleen. We need ta get him to surgery as soon as possible." He explained while putting another dressing over the old, soaked one.
Both Teyla and Carson were so caught up in the Colonel's condition that neither of them noticed the figure approaching from behind.
"Step away from him, both of you!"
Teyla instantly hurled around, grabbing her knife only to face Dr. Weir pointing a weapon at them.
"Drop it or I'll shoot him." She threatened with a malicious grin.
Teyla hesitantly dropped her knife and stepped aside.
"Now, step away from him, Carson." She requested coldly.
"Don't do this, Elizabeth. If we don't stop the bleedin' soon, he's gonna die. Elizabeht, I know yer in there somewhere." Carson tried to reason with her.
"You're wasting your breath, Carson. Believe me, there's nothing more I want to see than him dieing a slow and painful death."
So, that's it for now. I know it's short, I just wanna know what you guys think so far and if it's worth continuing?
Pllllleeeeaaaaasssseeee review, makes my little fingers type faster..
PS: If you liked this, you should probably go and check out my other story 'Almost Healthy'...