Fanfiction: "A Halloween To Remember", Gen, PG, 1/1
Author: mizz_magenta
Title: A Halloween To Remember.
Rated: PG (?)
Pairing: Hints of John/Elizabeth
Summery: Halloween at Atlantis General: The problems are stranger, the patients are crazier, and it's bringing the staff together.
Author's Note: Big thanks to lamichelle for the speedy beta and help with the summary.
Doctor John Sheppard strolled into Atlantis General at ten o’ clock and made his way to the locker room. He tossed his satchel on the top shelf of his locker and grabbed a clean pair of scrubs. Shrugging his white lab coat on over the top, he headed towards the door and was nearly knocked over when Teyla Emmagan came rushing in.
“Whoa, where’s the fire?”
“Sorry, John,” Teyla apologised. “I have to pick up my roommate’s son and take him out while his dad starts packing for the move.” She shoved her dirty scrubs in the bin and started pulling things out of her locker.
“Is this the boy whose mother was killed?” John asked.
“Yes.” She was cramming things in her bag and didn’t look up. “She was attacked by a gang. It was all very tragic and has obviously upset Jay a great deal. Halling thinks a move to the country would benefit him, make it easier than trying to cope with it all in a busy city.”
John nodded. Usually he thrived in the hustle and bustle of the city but there were times when even he wanted to get away for a while, just to find some peace and quiet.
“So, you getting a new roomie then?” he asked.
“I’ll have to,” Teyla answered. She wrapped a thick scarf around her neck and fastened her coat. “I cannot afford to keep it by myself. If I can’t find someone willing to share, I’ll have to find a new apartment,” she said walking towards the door.
“You could always move in with me,” John said.
Teyla stopped and turned around. “Really?”
“Sure,” he smiled. “I’ve a spare room going since Aiden transferred to County General. Might as well make use of it.” He dug through his satchel searching for his keys and threw them to her.
“Oh, thank you, John!” Teyla beamed. “This saves me a lot of hassle.”
“No problem,” he said, closing his locker and walking out the room with her. “You can cook, right?” he shouted after her as she approached the entrance.
“Tava beans on toast, do you?” she called over her shoulder, grinning.
John turned back to the main desk, laughing and started sifting through the charts. “So, what do we have today?”
~
Carson knew it was going to be busy shift. Halloween always was; full of idiots who thought it was funny to do death-defying stunts and deciding it was a good idea to drink their body weight in alcohol. At least he should have a few hours of peace before the rush came in, he thought looking at his watch.
He was signing one of his patients out when a young woman came running up to the desk, dragging a younger boy behind her.
“Hi, you gotta help me. He was trying to glue fake whiskers to his face as part of his costume but whatever he’s used has burned through the skin,” she panicked. “God, mum is going to kill me!”
Carson handed the chart to the receptionist. “Chuck, Mrs. Charin is ready to go. Just make sure she picks up her medication before she leaves, please.” He faced the young woman and boy. “If you’d like to come with me.”
Normally they would have to check in at reception and wait their turn but it was different with burns. They needed to be treated as soon as possible to prevent further damage to the skin. If the wound wasn’t cooled sufficiently then it would continue to burn through the skin tissue, thus increasing the risk of infection.
“Hop up on the bed and let’s have a look at you,” Carson smiled softly. The boy climbed up but continued to cry.
“Will you just stop crying and let the doctor look at you!” his sister yelled.
Carson put a hand on her arm. “No need to shout, love.” He grabbed a pair of latex gloves from the box beside the bed and turned his attention to the child.
“It hurts,” the youngster wailed.
“I bet it does,” said Carson, inspecting the burn. He took a brief history from the sister and then picked up a set of tweezers from the tray next to the bed. “And I bet you’re a brave lad, too,” he added. The boy sniffed and nodded. “I thought so. Now can you be extra brave while I use these magic tweezers to take off your whiskers?”
The boy nodded again. “Good lad.” Carson started removing the material that had stuck to the skin. When the boy whimpered, Carson glanced up to the sister. “Why don’t you take his hand? It’s not everyday we have a young man this brave in here,” he said, smiling at the child.
“There you go! Now we just need to put a special cover on your cheeks and then you can take your sister home, okay?”
“Does that mean I can’t be cat for Halloween?” The boy looked disappointed.
“I’m afraid so.” Carson placed small iodine based strips over the burns. “But I have something cooler for you to go as,” he winked, covering the strips with padding. The boy looked intrigued. “Have you heard of the Egyptian mummies?”
“Yeah, we did about them in school. They’re cool!”
“Well,” Carson started, fixing the pads in place with tape, “I’m sure if I give your sister a big roll of bandage, she’ll help turn you into a mummy. How does that sound?”
“Cool!” He jumped of the bed and hugged his sister. “Will you sis? Please!”
“Course, spud,” she laughed. “Thank you, doctor.”
Carson handed her the bandage. “If you see Chuck at the front desk, he’ll make you an appointment for tomorrow to get the dressing changed. If you’re parents have any questions before then, ring here and ask for Doctor Beckett.”
The young woman thanked him again and nudged her brother ahead of her as they made their way towards reception. Carson smiled to himself; it was nice to see siblings getting along, it reminded him of home. He picked up another chart and went to find his next patient.
~
Rodney swallowed the last of his sandwich just as his pager went off. He hurried out the café towards the elevators and entered, pressing the button that would take him back up to neurosurgery.
“Well, what is it that’s so important you had me rush my lunch?” snapped Rodney, walking into his department.
“Doctor Sheppard sent up a hydrocephalus patient. Male in his early twenties, brought in by his mother. Symptoms include severe headaches, constant nausea for the past three days and he started vomiting this morning.” The nurse handed Rodney a chart. “There’s a complete history inside, including the last date his shunt was changed.”
He flicked through the papers taking in all the relevant information.
“Oh, and your 4:30 cancelled,” the nurse added. “She said she’s suing you for being an insensitive bastard.”
“Fine, fine,” he waved his hands in the air. “She’ll probably die before it gets to court anyway.” He flipped the chart shut. “Looks like it’s Mr. Jones’s lucky day then. Get him prepped for surgery and page Zelenka.”
“Zelenka’s tending a patient in the ICU.”
“Lorne, then! Whoever. I don’t care, just make sure my patient is prepped and anesthetised for 4:30,” he snapped at her again before storming off.
“Sure thing, Doctor McKay,” she cheerily mocked, used to his demeanor.
~
“And drink plenty of water,” Sheppard instructed another patient, before moving to the next. “Now, what seems to the be the problem, ma’am?”
“Doctor Sheppard!”
John turned to see who was yelling his name all over the emergency room. He sighed and rolled his eyes. “I’m sorry, ma’am. I’ll be right back.” He walked over to Rodney and grabbed him by the arm.
“What, McKay?” he hissed.
Rodney yanked his arm free. “I’d appreciate it if you consulted with me before sending all your patients up to neuro.”
“I tried. I couldn’t get hold of you so I spoke to your nurse…”
“She’s not the surgeon. I am!” Rodney cut it.
“Look, McKay,” John growled. “I’ve got a list of patients as long as my arm to see to. If you’ve a problem with me, see me later. Or better still, go see Caldwell. I’m sure he’d be more than willing to help you,” he sneered. “But don’t go yelling at me in front of patients. It‘s unprofessional.”
“I just… sorry, John.” Rodney knew how he and the general surgery doctor didn’t exactly see eye to eye, and he didn’t want to get John into trouble - he was a fine doctor and they were hard to come by - but his surgery was busy as it was. A little consultation before cramming more patients into his department wouldn’t go amiss. “I’ll catch you after work,” Rodney said and took off to prepare for surgery.
“Yeah, you do that,” John called and walked back to his patient.
~
Teyla jogged over to the park bench and kicked the ball back to her friend’s son. She took a seat next to their bags and watched him kick the ball about for a while. Feeling tired, she pushed the bags to one side of the bench and swung her legs up so she could lie down. She closed her eyes, relaxing after a long shift,, knowing if Jinto needed her, he would call or come over.
She was just falling asleep when a voice startled her. “Teyla, can we get some ice-cream?”
“Jay, it isn’t exactly ice-cream weather,” Teyla said not moving. The teen shoved her feet off the bench and sat down.
“Okay then, a burger. I’m starving,” he drawled.
“Ugh, fine, come on then,” Teyla said, finally sitting up properly. She grabbed the larger of the bags and passed it to Jinto so he could put his ball away. He shoved it in then jumped up, heading to the burger stand.
“Wait for me,” Teyla called, striding to catch up with him. She stopped when she heard her cell ringing and dropped her bag on the grass, bending to route through it. Digging her phone out she flipped it open.
She finished her call just as Jinto came running back over carrying two burgers. “You owe that guy five dollars,” he said pointing, and offered her one of the burgers.
“What? Oh right.” She fished the money out of her trouser pocket and paid the vender, then came back to Jinto who had moved to sit on a swing while eating his snack. “Jay, that was the hospital on the phone. You’re dad’s been taken in.”
~
Doctor Elizabeth Weir walked through the ER into a private room and greeted her patient. “Hi, I’m Doctor Weir. I’ll be helping you through the birth. If I can just get some information off you, Miss…?”
“ARGH! This isn’t happening! Oh my god!!” screamed the heavily pregnant woman lying on the bed in front of Elizabeth.
“I know you’re in a lot of distress and I’m willing to help you, but first I need a little information so I can cater to your needs in the best way possible,” Elizabeth said calmly. “Let’s start with your name.”
“No, no, no, no! Argh, you can help me by getting this monster out of me!” The woman started clawing at her stomach, ripping her shirt in the process and scratching her belly.
“Miss, do you or your family have a history of mental illness?” Elizabeth asked, securing the woman’s hands.
“Mommy turned into an icicle and daddy flew into space,” panted the woman, struggling against Elizabeth. “Get this ‘thing’ out of me!”
Elizabeth tightened her grip. “Are you taking any medication for schizophrenia, depression or any other mental related illness?” she pressed.
The woman continued to struggle and then sat up quickly, butting Elizabeth. She released her hold on the woman and grabbed the bed railing, steadying herself and rubbed her head. She took a deep breath to compose herself.
“This baby is coming and I want to help you, but you need to calm down,” she said sternly. Elizabeth reached back and pressed a button on the comm system: “Ronon, I could use your help in room four.”
She knew the muscular scrub tech was floating around her department today and hoped his size would help intimidate the woman into cooperating. Failing that, he could always help restrain her, she thought and turned back to the woman.
“If you don’t stop struggling, I’m going to have to sedate you and your baby will born by caesarean, ” Elizabeth warned.
“It’s not my baby!” the woman screeched. “It’s Phoebus’s. It’s Phoebus’s baby and I don’t want it! She made me have it but I don’t want to…I’m not going to!” She started laughing manically. “You, you can make it go away,” she pointed at Ronon who had just walked in.
“Why isn’t she restrained?” he asked Elizabeth.
“Psych didn’t send her down,” she answered, knowing what he meant. “She turned up at the hospital already in labour. I’ve not long got around to seeing her,” she explained.
“Argh, are you going to help me or not!?”
They turned back to the woman. “Pounding on junior isn’t going to help,” said Ronon, taking hold of her arms and pining them against the side of the bed.
“But it’s evil! It can’t be born. I don’t want it,” she screamed. “Hear that, Phoebus? I’m not having your evil monster child. Argh!”
Elizabeth strode to the foot of the bed and grabbed hold of the woman’s knees. “She’s crowning. Ronon, I need you to keep her down while I get the baby out.” She looked up at the woman. “You’re having this baby now.”
The woman cried out in pain and shook her head emphatically. “Yes, you are,” Elizabeth said. “ And as soon as it’s born we’ll take it away for you, okay? But I need you to push for me. Come on, push now.”
“No! You can’t make me, argh!”
Just then, John appeared at the door. “Ronon, I’ve been paging you.”
“Kind of busy here, Sheppard,” he yelled over the woman’s screams.
John took a moment to view the scene in front of him, then turned his attention to Elizabeth who was having her own problems trying to keep the woman’s legs apart so she could deliver the baby.
“Anything I can do?”
“You can phone Psych and get them down here,” she inclined her head towards the phone on the wall.
John was lifting the handset off the wall when the woman took advantage off the distraction and lunged up, shoving Ronon backwards and bringing her feet up to kick Elizabeth away. He dropped the phone and rushed over to help her up, but she pushed him away telling him to pin the woman down so she could get the baby out and to safety.
Ronon joined John, syringe in hand, and stabbed the sedative into her arm. She cursed and screamed, twisting and managed to bite Ronon’s shoulder. She struggled back up, knocking John backwards and kicking at Elizabeth, who had managed to get the baby out and cut the cord.
She reached over to the tray of surgical instruments and made a grab for the nearest thing. Elizabeth, holding on tight to the new born infant, kneeled up and pushed at the tray but it was too late. The woman had already gotten hold of a scalpel and as Elizabeth made it to her feet, the woman made a frantic swipe to her face, before sinking back to the bed, the sedative finally taking effect.
Ronon took the baby off Elizabeth and handed her to one of the nurses who had come over after hearing the trolley crash into the wall. John called Psych to inform them they would have a violent patient coming there way and noticed Elizabeth moving over to the woman, presumably to check her out before sending her to the other ward.
Elizabeth waited until he had hung up. “John, can you get me a clean tray, please?”
“You’re bleeding.”
“What?”
“You’re bleeding,” John repeated. “Ronon, get one of the nurses to finish up here, then go and get that bite checked out,” he ordered. “I’m going to patch our lovely Doctor Weir up.”
~
Laura Cadman hurried over to the paramedics pushing a man in a wheelchair in.
“White male, forty-six, general good health, fell down the stairs while moving boxes. Right leg’s been temporarily splinted.” Laura listened to them rattle of the rest of the details then pushed him over to the far corner of the room for further examination.
“I’m fine,” the man said. “It’s just a twisted ankle. Look, I need to get back. My son’s due home and will be wondering where I am,” he complained.
“We can phone him, leave him a message,” Laura offered. “But from the look of that leg, you’re going to need it plastered.” He sighed, becoming more impatient. Laura continued, “We’ll need to send you up to X-ray to make sure but judging by the angle and the fact you can’t walk on it, I’m pretty sure you’ve broken it, Mr…”
“Halling, Tom Halling,” the man supplied.
Laura looked up from the chart she was filling in. “Teyla’s roommate, Halling?” she asked curiously.
“Yes.”
“Oh, well Teyla isn’t here at the moment…”
“I know,” he said. “She’s taking care of my son. She’s due back…” he looked at his watch, “within the hour.”
“How about we get you admitted upstairs, then I’ll give Teyla a ring?” Laura said, filling out the rest of the forms. “You’ll need someone to help you home anyway; it will take a while to get used to the crutches. That way she should be here by the time you’re ready to go home and your son won’t have to wait around worrying over nothing,” she smiled.
Halling nodded his consent so Laura ordered one of the orderlies to take him upstairs before going to the desk to ring her friend. She gave her the low-down on what had happened then hung up, picking up another handful of charts.
~
John led Elizabeth to the room next door and held the door open for her.
“I thought Teyla’s shift ended this morning,” Elizabeth said, having spotted the nurse coming in during their brief walk through the emergency room.
“It did.” John flicked the lights on and Elizabeth winced as the harsh light made her screw her eyes shut, the movement pulling at the skin around her wound.
“Then how come she’s back?”
“Maybe she loves the place so much she just couldn’t keep away,” John joked. He patted one of the beds. “Sooner we get you sorted, sooner you can go and cajole Teyla into doing an extra shift.”
Elizabeth sat on the bed, legs dangling over the edge, and stared at the dirty mark on his scrubs while he treated her wound. It was only small - about an inch long - but was deep enough to need a couple of stitches.
“You’re lucky; an inch lower and you’d have lost an eye,” John said, wiping the blood off her brow.
Elizabeth didn’t respond.
“You okay?” John broke the silence.
“Fine.”
“Sure? That was quite a deal in there.”
“I’m fine, John,” she assured him. “She’s not the first ecstatic pregnant woman I’ve had and probably wont be the last.”
“Well, if you’re sure,” John said, unconvinced, and they lapsed back into silence. He finished off the stitches and traced his thumb just under the cut. “All done,” he spoke quietly, handing her a small mirror.
She studied her reflection. It didn’t look too bad and with it being so small, she didn’t think the scar would be all that noticeable. “Thanks.”
John smiled. “Now get back to work, missus, before Caldwell notices you’re missing. Honestly, slacking off just because one patient attacked you,” he teased. “Any old excuse these days,” he exaggerated.
“Yes, sir!” she smiled and snapped him a sloppy salute. She left him clearing up and caught sight of the clock on the way out; only two hours to go.
~
Lorne walked outside to get some fresh air and rocked his head from side to side. His job wasn’t too strenuous but working with Doctor McKay would give anyone a crick in the neck. He heard a whimper and wandered over to the ambulance bay to investigate.
Stooping down, he found a young boy dressed as a vampire, crouched at the side of one of the vehicles.
“You know there are safer places for you to sit than out here,” Lorne said. “Warmer, too.”
The boy glanced up then looked back down at his sneakers.
“Your folks inside the hospital?” Lorne tried again.
The boy brought his knees further to his chest, hugging them. He shook his head. “I killed a man,” he whispered. Lorne came closer and joined him on the cold ground.
“Did you mean to?”
“No. I was trick-or-treating with some friends and we knocked on this door and this old man answered and I shouted ‘Boo’ really loud then he fell to floor.” The boy took a deep breath before continuing. “He was moaning and holding his arm like Grandpa did before he died, so I ran inside and called an ambulance. When I came out, there was no one there. They’d all ran off and left me.” He kicked a stone across the driveway.
Lorne studied the boy. He couldn’t be more than ten years old. He was shaking, probably a mixture of the late autumn weather and shock. “Do your mom and dad know you’re here?” Lorne asked.
The boy nodded. “The man at the desk phoned them. He said they’re coming to get me. I was supposed to wait inside but it was too noisy.”
“Yeah, it can get pretty loud in there,” Lorne agreed. “Tell you what, why don’t you come with me inside? I know a warm room that’s nice and quiet and I might even be able to rustle up a mug of hot chocolate. How’s that?”
“But the old man… The police will want to talk to me when my parents get here,” he started to panic.
“Listen kiddo,” Lorne said, looking him in the eye, “you didn’t do it on purpose, did you?” The boy shook his head. “No. And you did the right thing by calling 911 straight away. You just tell the police what happened exactly like you’ve just told me, okay?”
The boy nodded but didn’t look totally convinced. Lorne stood up and helped him to his feet. “You know it was an accident. I know it was a accident. The police will know it’s accident.”
“So I’m not going to go to jail?”
“Afraid not, buddy,” Lorne said, patting his shoulder and guiding him back through the building. “You get to enjoy the rest of Halloween a free man.”
The boy still looked downcast. “I think I’ll stay in when I get home. Don’t want to give another person a heart attack.”
Lorne shook his head in dismay. “It’s not your fault,” he said entering the doctors lounge. “There’s no reason why it should happen again.” He walked over to the coffee machine and pressed the button for hot chocolate.
Gesturing to the chairs around the small circular table, he carried the two cups over and sat opposite the boy. “The important thing is that you learnt a lesson from this. Next time you go trick-or-treating, make sure you know whose house you’re knocking at.”
The boy wrapped his hands around his cup, watching the steam rise up.
“And don’t shout ‘Boo!’ so loud. You make a pretty scary vampire as it is,” Lorne winked, making the boy chuckle. They both turned as the door swung open and a burly woman came rushing over to the boy, pulling him into her arms in a crushing hug.
Lorne looked to the door where Chuck stood. “Mum?” he mouthed. Seeing Chuck nod, he stood and moved towards the door, giving them some space. He cleared his throat. “I better get some work done before it’s time to go home. If you need anything, just ask Chuck here,” he said, slapping the man on the back and stepped out of the room.
~
Ronon signed off on his last patient for the night and headed straight for the locker room. He quickly changed, zipping up his jacket and was fixing his dreads for the fifth time that day when Cadman walked in with Teyla.
“Weir rope you in for some overtime?” he asked looking at Teyla.
“No, my roommate broke his leg so I had to come and pick him up. His son’s just gone home with him in a cab,“ she explained. “He gave me some money to go for a drink after looking after his son all day.”
“Always said he was a nice man,” Laura winked, pulling her hat on.
“Motherhood not your thing, then?” Ronon asked.
Teyla inclined her head. “Let’s just say it’s nice to be able to give them back at the end of the day.”
Laura slammed her locker shut and came over, linking her arm through Teyla’s. “We going for drinks, or what?” she asked cheerily. Teyla rolled her eyes; only her friend could be this bubbly after a twelve hour shift.
“Sure,” she answered, shooting Laura a mock glare. “You coming, Ronon? Carson's coming later and Lorne is following us down shortly. I think John and McKay are coming down too, as soon as they finish up here.”
Ronon flicked his collar up and walked out behind them. “Drinks with two gorgeous women, how could I resist?” he grinned, and threw his large arms around the girls’ shoulders.
~
John adjusted the satchel on his shoulder and walked out into the cold, crisp night air. He walked over to the lone figure leaning against the wall.
“I didn’t know you smoked,” he said, bemused.
“I don’t,” Elizabeth grinned and took another drag.
“So how’s the head?” He moved out the way of an ambulance driving by.
“A little sore but alright, I guess.” She held the cigarette in her mouth so she could wrap her coat tighter around her.
John watched in amusement. He wasn’t used to seeing this side of her.
“What?” she asked, lips still around the ciggie.
“Nothing,” John lied, grinning. “Listen, some of us are going for drinks downtown,” he said, changing the subject. “You up for it? Help numb that pain.” He nodded towards her head.
“I don’t know…” she trailed off.
John nudged her shoulder with his. “Come on! Lorne, Teyla, Ronon and Cadman are already down there. McKay is stuck in surgery for the next hour, although I’m sure he’ll find his way down later so he can finish grilling me over sending patients up…”
“He’s under a lot of pressure from the budgeting committee, John,” Elizabeth said, putting a hand on his arm. She gave a light squeeze and smiled at him. “Cut him some slack, okay?”
“Fine,” he agreed. “So, you coming or not? I’ll buy the first round…”
She pushed herself up and stubbed the ciggie out on the wall before walking over to the trashcan and dropping it in.
“Elizabeth, I thought you’d quit,” a deep voice joined them.
“I have,” she smirked and walked back over to John.
“I heard about what happened. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, Stephen. Thank you for asking.” She linked her arm through John’s. “We were just about to go for a drink. Care to join us?”
Caldwell looked between the two of them. He could see how uncomfortable John was with the idea and didn‘t want to ruin Elizabeth‘s night by causing an atmosphere. “No, that’s okay. I have somewhere to be myself,” he said. “But have a good night.”
He reached the corner and turned, hearing Elizabeth giggle. Her hand had dropped from John’s arm to his hand, their fingers entwined. He watched as they walked down the dimly lit street, John pushing her away and then pulling her back to him, casually throwing an arm round her waist. He whispered something in her ear causing another fit of giggles.
It was nice to see her so happy. He’d never admit to it, but he thought the rookie doctor would be good for Elizabeth, loosen her up a little. He wondered just how close they really were as he continued strolling on his journey home.
Title: A Halloween To Remember.
Rated: PG (?)
Pairing: Hints of John/Elizabeth
Summery: Halloween at Atlantis General: The problems are stranger, the patients are crazier, and it's bringing the staff together.
Author's Note: Big thanks to lamichelle for the speedy beta and help with the summary.
Doctor John Sheppard strolled into Atlantis General at ten o’ clock and made his way to the locker room. He tossed his satchel on the top shelf of his locker and grabbed a clean pair of scrubs. Shrugging his white lab coat on over the top, he headed towards the door and was nearly knocked over when Teyla Emmagan came rushing in.
“Whoa, where’s the fire?”
“Sorry, John,” Teyla apologised. “I have to pick up my roommate’s son and take him out while his dad starts packing for the move.” She shoved her dirty scrubs in the bin and started pulling things out of her locker.
“Is this the boy whose mother was killed?” John asked.
“Yes.” She was cramming things in her bag and didn’t look up. “She was attacked by a gang. It was all very tragic and has obviously upset Jay a great deal. Halling thinks a move to the country would benefit him, make it easier than trying to cope with it all in a busy city.”
John nodded. Usually he thrived in the hustle and bustle of the city but there were times when even he wanted to get away for a while, just to find some peace and quiet.
“So, you getting a new roomie then?” he asked.
“I’ll have to,” Teyla answered. She wrapped a thick scarf around her neck and fastened her coat. “I cannot afford to keep it by myself. If I can’t find someone willing to share, I’ll have to find a new apartment,” she said walking towards the door.
“You could always move in with me,” John said.
Teyla stopped and turned around. “Really?”
“Sure,” he smiled. “I’ve a spare room going since Aiden transferred to County General. Might as well make use of it.” He dug through his satchel searching for his keys and threw them to her.
“Oh, thank you, John!” Teyla beamed. “This saves me a lot of hassle.”
“No problem,” he said, closing his locker and walking out the room with her. “You can cook, right?” he shouted after her as she approached the entrance.
“Tava beans on toast, do you?” she called over her shoulder, grinning.
John turned back to the main desk, laughing and started sifting through the charts. “So, what do we have today?”
~
Carson knew it was going to be busy shift. Halloween always was; full of idiots who thought it was funny to do death-defying stunts and deciding it was a good idea to drink their body weight in alcohol. At least he should have a few hours of peace before the rush came in, he thought looking at his watch.
He was signing one of his patients out when a young woman came running up to the desk, dragging a younger boy behind her.
“Hi, you gotta help me. He was trying to glue fake whiskers to his face as part of his costume but whatever he’s used has burned through the skin,” she panicked. “God, mum is going to kill me!”
Carson handed the chart to the receptionist. “Chuck, Mrs. Charin is ready to go. Just make sure she picks up her medication before she leaves, please.” He faced the young woman and boy. “If you’d like to come with me.”
Normally they would have to check in at reception and wait their turn but it was different with burns. They needed to be treated as soon as possible to prevent further damage to the skin. If the wound wasn’t cooled sufficiently then it would continue to burn through the skin tissue, thus increasing the risk of infection.
“Hop up on the bed and let’s have a look at you,” Carson smiled softly. The boy climbed up but continued to cry.
“Will you just stop crying and let the doctor look at you!” his sister yelled.
Carson put a hand on her arm. “No need to shout, love.” He grabbed a pair of latex gloves from the box beside the bed and turned his attention to the child.
“It hurts,” the youngster wailed.
“I bet it does,” said Carson, inspecting the burn. He took a brief history from the sister and then picked up a set of tweezers from the tray next to the bed. “And I bet you’re a brave lad, too,” he added. The boy sniffed and nodded. “I thought so. Now can you be extra brave while I use these magic tweezers to take off your whiskers?”
The boy nodded again. “Good lad.” Carson started removing the material that had stuck to the skin. When the boy whimpered, Carson glanced up to the sister. “Why don’t you take his hand? It’s not everyday we have a young man this brave in here,” he said, smiling at the child.
“There you go! Now we just need to put a special cover on your cheeks and then you can take your sister home, okay?”
“Does that mean I can’t be cat for Halloween?” The boy looked disappointed.
“I’m afraid so.” Carson placed small iodine based strips over the burns. “But I have something cooler for you to go as,” he winked, covering the strips with padding. The boy looked intrigued. “Have you heard of the Egyptian mummies?”
“Yeah, we did about them in school. They’re cool!”
“Well,” Carson started, fixing the pads in place with tape, “I’m sure if I give your sister a big roll of bandage, she’ll help turn you into a mummy. How does that sound?”
“Cool!” He jumped of the bed and hugged his sister. “Will you sis? Please!”
“Course, spud,” she laughed. “Thank you, doctor.”
Carson handed her the bandage. “If you see Chuck at the front desk, he’ll make you an appointment for tomorrow to get the dressing changed. If you’re parents have any questions before then, ring here and ask for Doctor Beckett.”
The young woman thanked him again and nudged her brother ahead of her as they made their way towards reception. Carson smiled to himself; it was nice to see siblings getting along, it reminded him of home. He picked up another chart and went to find his next patient.
~
Rodney swallowed the last of his sandwich just as his pager went off. He hurried out the café towards the elevators and entered, pressing the button that would take him back up to neurosurgery.
“Well, what is it that’s so important you had me rush my lunch?” snapped Rodney, walking into his department.
“Doctor Sheppard sent up a hydrocephalus patient. Male in his early twenties, brought in by his mother. Symptoms include severe headaches, constant nausea for the past three days and he started vomiting this morning.” The nurse handed Rodney a chart. “There’s a complete history inside, including the last date his shunt was changed.”
He flicked through the papers taking in all the relevant information.
“Oh, and your 4:30 cancelled,” the nurse added. “She said she’s suing you for being an insensitive bastard.”
“Fine, fine,” he waved his hands in the air. “She’ll probably die before it gets to court anyway.” He flipped the chart shut. “Looks like it’s Mr. Jones’s lucky day then. Get him prepped for surgery and page Zelenka.”
“Zelenka’s tending a patient in the ICU.”
“Lorne, then! Whoever. I don’t care, just make sure my patient is prepped and anesthetised for 4:30,” he snapped at her again before storming off.
“Sure thing, Doctor McKay,” she cheerily mocked, used to his demeanor.
~
“And drink plenty of water,” Sheppard instructed another patient, before moving to the next. “Now, what seems to the be the problem, ma’am?”
“Doctor Sheppard!”
John turned to see who was yelling his name all over the emergency room. He sighed and rolled his eyes. “I’m sorry, ma’am. I’ll be right back.” He walked over to Rodney and grabbed him by the arm.
“What, McKay?” he hissed.
Rodney yanked his arm free. “I’d appreciate it if you consulted with me before sending all your patients up to neuro.”
“I tried. I couldn’t get hold of you so I spoke to your nurse…”
“She’s not the surgeon. I am!” Rodney cut it.
“Look, McKay,” John growled. “I’ve got a list of patients as long as my arm to see to. If you’ve a problem with me, see me later. Or better still, go see Caldwell. I’m sure he’d be more than willing to help you,” he sneered. “But don’t go yelling at me in front of patients. It‘s unprofessional.”
“I just… sorry, John.” Rodney knew how he and the general surgery doctor didn’t exactly see eye to eye, and he didn’t want to get John into trouble - he was a fine doctor and they were hard to come by - but his surgery was busy as it was. A little consultation before cramming more patients into his department wouldn’t go amiss. “I’ll catch you after work,” Rodney said and took off to prepare for surgery.
“Yeah, you do that,” John called and walked back to his patient.
~
Teyla jogged over to the park bench and kicked the ball back to her friend’s son. She took a seat next to their bags and watched him kick the ball about for a while. Feeling tired, she pushed the bags to one side of the bench and swung her legs up so she could lie down. She closed her eyes, relaxing after a long shift,, knowing if Jinto needed her, he would call or come over.
She was just falling asleep when a voice startled her. “Teyla, can we get some ice-cream?”
“Jay, it isn’t exactly ice-cream weather,” Teyla said not moving. The teen shoved her feet off the bench and sat down.
“Okay then, a burger. I’m starving,” he drawled.
“Ugh, fine, come on then,” Teyla said, finally sitting up properly. She grabbed the larger of the bags and passed it to Jinto so he could put his ball away. He shoved it in then jumped up, heading to the burger stand.
“Wait for me,” Teyla called, striding to catch up with him. She stopped when she heard her cell ringing and dropped her bag on the grass, bending to route through it. Digging her phone out she flipped it open.
She finished her call just as Jinto came running back over carrying two burgers. “You owe that guy five dollars,” he said pointing, and offered her one of the burgers.
“What? Oh right.” She fished the money out of her trouser pocket and paid the vender, then came back to Jinto who had moved to sit on a swing while eating his snack. “Jay, that was the hospital on the phone. You’re dad’s been taken in.”
~
Doctor Elizabeth Weir walked through the ER into a private room and greeted her patient. “Hi, I’m Doctor Weir. I’ll be helping you through the birth. If I can just get some information off you, Miss…?”
“ARGH! This isn’t happening! Oh my god!!” screamed the heavily pregnant woman lying on the bed in front of Elizabeth.
“I know you’re in a lot of distress and I’m willing to help you, but first I need a little information so I can cater to your needs in the best way possible,” Elizabeth said calmly. “Let’s start with your name.”
“No, no, no, no! Argh, you can help me by getting this monster out of me!” The woman started clawing at her stomach, ripping her shirt in the process and scratching her belly.
“Miss, do you or your family have a history of mental illness?” Elizabeth asked, securing the woman’s hands.
“Mommy turned into an icicle and daddy flew into space,” panted the woman, struggling against Elizabeth. “Get this ‘thing’ out of me!”
Elizabeth tightened her grip. “Are you taking any medication for schizophrenia, depression or any other mental related illness?” she pressed.
The woman continued to struggle and then sat up quickly, butting Elizabeth. She released her hold on the woman and grabbed the bed railing, steadying herself and rubbed her head. She took a deep breath to compose herself.
“This baby is coming and I want to help you, but you need to calm down,” she said sternly. Elizabeth reached back and pressed a button on the comm system: “Ronon, I could use your help in room four.”
She knew the muscular scrub tech was floating around her department today and hoped his size would help intimidate the woman into cooperating. Failing that, he could always help restrain her, she thought and turned back to the woman.
“If you don’t stop struggling, I’m going to have to sedate you and your baby will born by caesarean, ” Elizabeth warned.
“It’s not my baby!” the woman screeched. “It’s Phoebus’s. It’s Phoebus’s baby and I don’t want it! She made me have it but I don’t want to…I’m not going to!” She started laughing manically. “You, you can make it go away,” she pointed at Ronon who had just walked in.
“Why isn’t she restrained?” he asked Elizabeth.
“Psych didn’t send her down,” she answered, knowing what he meant. “She turned up at the hospital already in labour. I’ve not long got around to seeing her,” she explained.
“Argh, are you going to help me or not!?”
They turned back to the woman. “Pounding on junior isn’t going to help,” said Ronon, taking hold of her arms and pining them against the side of the bed.
“But it’s evil! It can’t be born. I don’t want it,” she screamed. “Hear that, Phoebus? I’m not having your evil monster child. Argh!”
Elizabeth strode to the foot of the bed and grabbed hold of the woman’s knees. “She’s crowning. Ronon, I need you to keep her down while I get the baby out.” She looked up at the woman. “You’re having this baby now.”
The woman cried out in pain and shook her head emphatically. “Yes, you are,” Elizabeth said. “ And as soon as it’s born we’ll take it away for you, okay? But I need you to push for me. Come on, push now.”
“No! You can’t make me, argh!”
Just then, John appeared at the door. “Ronon, I’ve been paging you.”
“Kind of busy here, Sheppard,” he yelled over the woman’s screams.
John took a moment to view the scene in front of him, then turned his attention to Elizabeth who was having her own problems trying to keep the woman’s legs apart so she could deliver the baby.
“Anything I can do?”
“You can phone Psych and get them down here,” she inclined her head towards the phone on the wall.
John was lifting the handset off the wall when the woman took advantage off the distraction and lunged up, shoving Ronon backwards and bringing her feet up to kick Elizabeth away. He dropped the phone and rushed over to help her up, but she pushed him away telling him to pin the woman down so she could get the baby out and to safety.
Ronon joined John, syringe in hand, and stabbed the sedative into her arm. She cursed and screamed, twisting and managed to bite Ronon’s shoulder. She struggled back up, knocking John backwards and kicking at Elizabeth, who had managed to get the baby out and cut the cord.
She reached over to the tray of surgical instruments and made a grab for the nearest thing. Elizabeth, holding on tight to the new born infant, kneeled up and pushed at the tray but it was too late. The woman had already gotten hold of a scalpel and as Elizabeth made it to her feet, the woman made a frantic swipe to her face, before sinking back to the bed, the sedative finally taking effect.
Ronon took the baby off Elizabeth and handed her to one of the nurses who had come over after hearing the trolley crash into the wall. John called Psych to inform them they would have a violent patient coming there way and noticed Elizabeth moving over to the woman, presumably to check her out before sending her to the other ward.
Elizabeth waited until he had hung up. “John, can you get me a clean tray, please?”
“You’re bleeding.”
“What?”
“You’re bleeding,” John repeated. “Ronon, get one of the nurses to finish up here, then go and get that bite checked out,” he ordered. “I’m going to patch our lovely Doctor Weir up.”
~
Laura Cadman hurried over to the paramedics pushing a man in a wheelchair in.
“White male, forty-six, general good health, fell down the stairs while moving boxes. Right leg’s been temporarily splinted.” Laura listened to them rattle of the rest of the details then pushed him over to the far corner of the room for further examination.
“I’m fine,” the man said. “It’s just a twisted ankle. Look, I need to get back. My son’s due home and will be wondering where I am,” he complained.
“We can phone him, leave him a message,” Laura offered. “But from the look of that leg, you’re going to need it plastered.” He sighed, becoming more impatient. Laura continued, “We’ll need to send you up to X-ray to make sure but judging by the angle and the fact you can’t walk on it, I’m pretty sure you’ve broken it, Mr…”
“Halling, Tom Halling,” the man supplied.
Laura looked up from the chart she was filling in. “Teyla’s roommate, Halling?” she asked curiously.
“Yes.”
“Oh, well Teyla isn’t here at the moment…”
“I know,” he said. “She’s taking care of my son. She’s due back…” he looked at his watch, “within the hour.”
“How about we get you admitted upstairs, then I’ll give Teyla a ring?” Laura said, filling out the rest of the forms. “You’ll need someone to help you home anyway; it will take a while to get used to the crutches. That way she should be here by the time you’re ready to go home and your son won’t have to wait around worrying over nothing,” she smiled.
Halling nodded his consent so Laura ordered one of the orderlies to take him upstairs before going to the desk to ring her friend. She gave her the low-down on what had happened then hung up, picking up another handful of charts.
~
John led Elizabeth to the room next door and held the door open for her.
“I thought Teyla’s shift ended this morning,” Elizabeth said, having spotted the nurse coming in during their brief walk through the emergency room.
“It did.” John flicked the lights on and Elizabeth winced as the harsh light made her screw her eyes shut, the movement pulling at the skin around her wound.
“Then how come she’s back?”
“Maybe she loves the place so much she just couldn’t keep away,” John joked. He patted one of the beds. “Sooner we get you sorted, sooner you can go and cajole Teyla into doing an extra shift.”
Elizabeth sat on the bed, legs dangling over the edge, and stared at the dirty mark on his scrubs while he treated her wound. It was only small - about an inch long - but was deep enough to need a couple of stitches.
“You’re lucky; an inch lower and you’d have lost an eye,” John said, wiping the blood off her brow.
Elizabeth didn’t respond.
“You okay?” John broke the silence.
“Fine.”
“Sure? That was quite a deal in there.”
“I’m fine, John,” she assured him. “She’s not the first ecstatic pregnant woman I’ve had and probably wont be the last.”
“Well, if you’re sure,” John said, unconvinced, and they lapsed back into silence. He finished off the stitches and traced his thumb just under the cut. “All done,” he spoke quietly, handing her a small mirror.
She studied her reflection. It didn’t look too bad and with it being so small, she didn’t think the scar would be all that noticeable. “Thanks.”
John smiled. “Now get back to work, missus, before Caldwell notices you’re missing. Honestly, slacking off just because one patient attacked you,” he teased. “Any old excuse these days,” he exaggerated.
“Yes, sir!” she smiled and snapped him a sloppy salute. She left him clearing up and caught sight of the clock on the way out; only two hours to go.
~
Lorne walked outside to get some fresh air and rocked his head from side to side. His job wasn’t too strenuous but working with Doctor McKay would give anyone a crick in the neck. He heard a whimper and wandered over to the ambulance bay to investigate.
Stooping down, he found a young boy dressed as a vampire, crouched at the side of one of the vehicles.
“You know there are safer places for you to sit than out here,” Lorne said. “Warmer, too.”
The boy glanced up then looked back down at his sneakers.
“Your folks inside the hospital?” Lorne tried again.
The boy brought his knees further to his chest, hugging them. He shook his head. “I killed a man,” he whispered. Lorne came closer and joined him on the cold ground.
“Did you mean to?”
“No. I was trick-or-treating with some friends and we knocked on this door and this old man answered and I shouted ‘Boo’ really loud then he fell to floor.” The boy took a deep breath before continuing. “He was moaning and holding his arm like Grandpa did before he died, so I ran inside and called an ambulance. When I came out, there was no one there. They’d all ran off and left me.” He kicked a stone across the driveway.
Lorne studied the boy. He couldn’t be more than ten years old. He was shaking, probably a mixture of the late autumn weather and shock. “Do your mom and dad know you’re here?” Lorne asked.
The boy nodded. “The man at the desk phoned them. He said they’re coming to get me. I was supposed to wait inside but it was too noisy.”
“Yeah, it can get pretty loud in there,” Lorne agreed. “Tell you what, why don’t you come with me inside? I know a warm room that’s nice and quiet and I might even be able to rustle up a mug of hot chocolate. How’s that?”
“But the old man… The police will want to talk to me when my parents get here,” he started to panic.
“Listen kiddo,” Lorne said, looking him in the eye, “you didn’t do it on purpose, did you?” The boy shook his head. “No. And you did the right thing by calling 911 straight away. You just tell the police what happened exactly like you’ve just told me, okay?”
The boy nodded but didn’t look totally convinced. Lorne stood up and helped him to his feet. “You know it was an accident. I know it was a accident. The police will know it’s accident.”
“So I’m not going to go to jail?”
“Afraid not, buddy,” Lorne said, patting his shoulder and guiding him back through the building. “You get to enjoy the rest of Halloween a free man.”
The boy still looked downcast. “I think I’ll stay in when I get home. Don’t want to give another person a heart attack.”
Lorne shook his head in dismay. “It’s not your fault,” he said entering the doctors lounge. “There’s no reason why it should happen again.” He walked over to the coffee machine and pressed the button for hot chocolate.
Gesturing to the chairs around the small circular table, he carried the two cups over and sat opposite the boy. “The important thing is that you learnt a lesson from this. Next time you go trick-or-treating, make sure you know whose house you’re knocking at.”
The boy wrapped his hands around his cup, watching the steam rise up.
“And don’t shout ‘Boo!’ so loud. You make a pretty scary vampire as it is,” Lorne winked, making the boy chuckle. They both turned as the door swung open and a burly woman came rushing over to the boy, pulling him into her arms in a crushing hug.
Lorne looked to the door where Chuck stood. “Mum?” he mouthed. Seeing Chuck nod, he stood and moved towards the door, giving them some space. He cleared his throat. “I better get some work done before it’s time to go home. If you need anything, just ask Chuck here,” he said, slapping the man on the back and stepped out of the room.
~
Ronon signed off on his last patient for the night and headed straight for the locker room. He quickly changed, zipping up his jacket and was fixing his dreads for the fifth time that day when Cadman walked in with Teyla.
“Weir rope you in for some overtime?” he asked looking at Teyla.
“No, my roommate broke his leg so I had to come and pick him up. His son’s just gone home with him in a cab,“ she explained. “He gave me some money to go for a drink after looking after his son all day.”
“Always said he was a nice man,” Laura winked, pulling her hat on.
“Motherhood not your thing, then?” Ronon asked.
Teyla inclined her head. “Let’s just say it’s nice to be able to give them back at the end of the day.”
Laura slammed her locker shut and came over, linking her arm through Teyla’s. “We going for drinks, or what?” she asked cheerily. Teyla rolled her eyes; only her friend could be this bubbly after a twelve hour shift.
“Sure,” she answered, shooting Laura a mock glare. “You coming, Ronon? Carson's coming later and Lorne is following us down shortly. I think John and McKay are coming down too, as soon as they finish up here.”
Ronon flicked his collar up and walked out behind them. “Drinks with two gorgeous women, how could I resist?” he grinned, and threw his large arms around the girls’ shoulders.
~
John adjusted the satchel on his shoulder and walked out into the cold, crisp night air. He walked over to the lone figure leaning against the wall.
“I didn’t know you smoked,” he said, bemused.
“I don’t,” Elizabeth grinned and took another drag.
“So how’s the head?” He moved out the way of an ambulance driving by.
“A little sore but alright, I guess.” She held the cigarette in her mouth so she could wrap her coat tighter around her.
John watched in amusement. He wasn’t used to seeing this side of her.
“What?” she asked, lips still around the ciggie.
“Nothing,” John lied, grinning. “Listen, some of us are going for drinks downtown,” he said, changing the subject. “You up for it? Help numb that pain.” He nodded towards her head.
“I don’t know…” she trailed off.
John nudged her shoulder with his. “Come on! Lorne, Teyla, Ronon and Cadman are already down there. McKay is stuck in surgery for the next hour, although I’m sure he’ll find his way down later so he can finish grilling me over sending patients up…”
“He’s under a lot of pressure from the budgeting committee, John,” Elizabeth said, putting a hand on his arm. She gave a light squeeze and smiled at him. “Cut him some slack, okay?”
“Fine,” he agreed. “So, you coming or not? I’ll buy the first round…”
She pushed herself up and stubbed the ciggie out on the wall before walking over to the trashcan and dropping it in.
“Elizabeth, I thought you’d quit,” a deep voice joined them.
“I have,” she smirked and walked back over to John.
“I heard about what happened. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, Stephen. Thank you for asking.” She linked her arm through John’s. “We were just about to go for a drink. Care to join us?”
Caldwell looked between the two of them. He could see how uncomfortable John was with the idea and didn‘t want to ruin Elizabeth‘s night by causing an atmosphere. “No, that’s okay. I have somewhere to be myself,” he said. “But have a good night.”
He reached the corner and turned, hearing Elizabeth giggle. Her hand had dropped from John’s arm to his hand, their fingers entwined. He watched as they walked down the dimly lit street, John pushing her away and then pulling her back to him, casually throwing an arm round her waist. He whispered something in her ear causing another fit of giggles.
It was nice to see her so happy. He’d never admit to it, but he thought the rookie doctor would be good for Elizabeth, loosen her up a little. He wondered just how close they really were as he continued strolling on his journey home.