Title: Encourage
Disclaimer: Still not mine.
Author’s Notes: Another episode, another tag. It’s a new phase I’m going through. :D This takes place after "Hide and Seek". Also, thanks to Linda who unknowingly helped me with this story.
Sheppard walked into the infirmary, looking for McKay. It had been nearly thirty minutes since the medical team escorted him from the gate room; plenty of time for him to recover from his "fainting spell", John assumed.
As he walked inside the room, Carson approached him. "What’s the prognosis, doc?" asked the Major.
The irritated look on the doctor‘s face was enough of an answer, but Carson spoke anyway. "I told him he could go back to his quarters fifteen minutes ago, but he’s insisting the I do a full body scan on him to make sure nothing is wrong with him internally," he answered, his voice full of annoyance. "You would think that I would know what I’m talking about. I am the head physician here after all."
Sheppard suppressed a grin. He knew between his hypoglycemia and his hypochondriac personality, Rodney had spent more time in the infirmary than his quarters since they arrived in the Pegasus Galaxy.
"Let me see what I can do," Sheppard offered.
Carson held up his hands. "I‘ll make you a deal, Major. If you can get Rodney to leave, when we get back to earth, I‘ll buy you a case of Irn-Bru. Scotland‘s finest drink."
Sheppard grinned, enjoying a challenge. "Give me five minutes."
John walked to the bed where Rodney was. Before he could open his mouth, Rodney started speaking, "Can you believe that Beckett hasn’t run a full scan on me yet? For some reason, he thinks it is better to save energy outputs than make sure the chief scientist on the expedition is going to survive the night," he said loud enough for everyone in the room to hear him.
"Sorry about that," John said disingenuously. "I just wanted to come down here and tell you that I was impressed by what you did up there. I’d even go so far as to call it--"
"Noble? Heroic? Gallant?" Rodney suggested.
"Kind was the word I was going to use," John responded.
Rodney’s face fell slightly, not getting the expected stroke to his ego.
John knew if McKay began pouting, he would have no chance of getting him out of the infirmary, so he continued speaking before the scientist could start whining, "You know, I hear that Jinto and the kids are pretending to be you. Something about playing ‘Dr. McKay and the Monster of Darkness‘," he lied.
Like a parched man given water, Rodney drank in all of the Major’s words. "Really? I thought they all wanted to be you."
John shook his head. "Nah, not after they heard about what you did," he forced himself to say. "But, I guess I’ll have to tell Teyla to tell them that you’re injured. I hope they aren’t too disappointed that their hero didn‘t slay the monster as easily as they thought."
Rodney hopped off the side of the bed as if miraculously healed. "You know what? I think I’m feeling better." He looked down at his body. "Yeah, you know, I feel fine." He spotted Carson from across the room. "Beckett, don’t worry about the scan."
Carson looked at John disbelievingly. John, in turn, flashed him a smug grin. Rodney started walking out of the room with John following him closely.
"But if I were you, I’d keep your hands off any more devices you find. You don’t want people to expect you to be the save the day all the time, do you?" John asked.
Rodney turned to him with a self-satisfied look on his face. "You’re just jealous now, aren’t you?"
"McKay, it’s not that!"
"Sure it is. Don’t worry, Sheppard, I’m sure your turn to be hero soon enough," he said condescendingly.
The Major closed his eyes, trying to keep down his frustration level. That’s it, John decided, when they got back to earth, Carson owed him two cases of Irn-Bru.
