Misunderstandings (G)
May. 1st, 2007 10:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
skidmo_ficTitle: Misunderstandings
Rating: G
Pairing: Beckett/Sheppard
Disclaimer: None of these characters belong to me...sadly
Feedback: yes, please.
Summary: John’s worried about Carson.
Prompt: “Idiot” as an endearment
The door to the infirmary burst open. Or, well, it would have burst open if it could. Actually it just sort of whished open. But it was a much more impressive whishing than usual, John told himself. This was a whishing that conveyed urgency and concern. It was a whishing that should immediately be associated with a military commander whose CMO had been on a dangerous off-world mission. It was the whishing that came when said military commander entered the infirmary to check on said CMO’s state of health.
It was not, in any way, the whishing of a man desperate to find his lover.
He scanned the infirmary quickly and efficiently. Not hastily and worriedly.
No sign of Carson.
He snagged the sleeve of the first doctor to walk past and asked, in what he hoped was a nonchalant manner, “Hey, is Doctor Beckett around?”
The doctor shook her head and said, “He left about five minutes ago with Dr. McKay.”
John thanked her and left the infirmary.
Why had Carson left with McKay? It didn’t make any sense. He must have known that John would be worried about him. Why didn’t he wait for John?
It didn’t really matter, he supposed. They were probably in the mess. The only time McKay dragged Beckett out of the infirmary, it was to eat, so John made his way there.
Sure enough, Carson was sitting with McKay at a corner table, hunched over his tray and talking in animated whispers. John forced himself to casually fill his own tray before going over to the table.
“Hey, guys,” he said as he slid into the chair next to Carson. “What’s up?”
Rodney blushed and stammered. “Nothing. Nothing is up. Why would you think something’s up?”
John raised an eyebrow at him. “It’s just an expression McKay.”
“Oh, right. Of course. Um...not much then.”
“Right,” John said before turning to Carson. “How you doin’, Doc? I hear you ran into some hostiles on M9P-283.”
“Oh, I’m fine, Colonel. It was Major Lorne who took the most damage.”
“You sure?”
“Aye. Not a scratch on me.”
John smiled for the first time since hearing about the mission. “Good. Glad to hear it. So, if you’re not busy tonight, I thought we could watch the rest of those Dr. Who’s. You up for it?”
McKay darted a glance across the table at Carson, with something like abject terror written on his face.
“Sorry, Colonel. Rodney and I have some things we need to go over.” Was it John’s imagination or was Carson blushing now?
“Oh, okay. Well, maybe tomorrow then.”
“Maybe.” Carson stood and picked up his tray. “Well, we’d best be going. We’ve got a lot of work to do tonight. Coming, Rodney?”
McKay stood up a bit to fast and nearly knocked over his chair. “Yeah...yes...um...we have to go now, Colonel. Have a...a good night.” He waved awkwardly as they left.
Okay, that was weird.
John didn’t think to much of it at first. McKay was prone to bouts of strangeness. But it didn’t stop there.
Over the next few days, John kept running into the two of them around the city. McKay would always blush and stammer and look guilty, and Carson would smile and answer John’s questions about their activities in a roundabout way that didn’t really tell him anything.
He was determined not to believe the worst until the fifth night after their strange conversation in the mess.
He’d been unable to get Carson to come over to watch Dr. Who, so he decided to take the DVDs to Carson’s quarters and see if he could corner him there. He was standing at the door, DVDs in hand, ready to activate the door chime when the door suddenly whished open (and John didn’t even want to begin to speculate on what sort of whish it was) to reveal McKay, standing gape-mouthed and blinking.
“Colonel.” He squeaked.
“McKay.”
“Um..I was just... I mean...we were...I, uh...I have to go.” And McKay was off down the hall like a shot.
John stood there for a moment longer, not sure if Carson was aware of his presence. Eventually, he tore himself away from the doorway, not wanting anyone to see him standing there, stricken.
He took the discs back to his quarters and went for a late night run.
***
John didn’t see either of them for the next few days, which he thought was probably a good thing. Carson hadn’t seen him there that night, but John had no doubt that McKay would have told the Scot about running into him. So John kept himself busy with the various details of daily life that Lorne usually looked after but couldn’t due to his long projected recovery time. His life was a blur of runs with Ronon, training with Teyla, mounds of paperwork and hours at the firing range.
He was just running out of ways to distract himself when he heard Elizabeth’s voice on the radio. “Sheppard, this is Weir. Come in, please.”
“Sheppard.”
“We’ve got a situation in engineering lab 4. Can you go check it out?”
“I’m on my way.”
He was so glad to have something else to do, he didn’t even stop to ask what the situation was.
When he got to the lab, he could see that the lights were off, and there was no noise coming from the room. He took a cautious step inside.
His eyes had barely begun to adjust to the darkness when the lights were turned on and several voices yelled, “Surprise!”
“What the...?” The room was filled with about half of the science staff, all the officers and a handful of enlisted men and medical personnel. There were streamers hanging about the room and a large cake with the words “Happy Birthday Colonel Sheppard” written on it sat on a table in the corner.
John was still standing with his mouth open when Carson came over to him. “Were you surprised?”
John just stared for a moment. Suddenly it dawned on him. “Wait. This is what you and McKay have been up to?”
“Of course. We’ve been planning it for weeks.”
“I thought...” John blushed.
“What?”
“I thought you were having an affair,” he finally whispered.
Carson let out a loud guffaw that had several people staring at him. He gently cuffed John on the back of the head. “Idiot.”
“Well, what was I supposed to think?”
Carson just shook his head.
***
Later that night, after their own private birthday celebration, Carson pulled John into his arms and said, “Happy birthday, you daft, silly bugger.”
fin
Rating: G
Pairing: Beckett/Sheppard
Disclaimer: None of these characters belong to me...sadly
Feedback: yes, please.
Summary: John’s worried about Carson.
Prompt: “Idiot” as an endearment
The door to the infirmary burst open. Or, well, it would have burst open if it could. Actually it just sort of whished open. But it was a much more impressive whishing than usual, John told himself. This was a whishing that conveyed urgency and concern. It was a whishing that should immediately be associated with a military commander whose CMO had been on a dangerous off-world mission. It was the whishing that came when said military commander entered the infirmary to check on said CMO’s state of health.
It was not, in any way, the whishing of a man desperate to find his lover.
He scanned the infirmary quickly and efficiently. Not hastily and worriedly.
No sign of Carson.
He snagged the sleeve of the first doctor to walk past and asked, in what he hoped was a nonchalant manner, “Hey, is Doctor Beckett around?”
The doctor shook her head and said, “He left about five minutes ago with Dr. McKay.”
John thanked her and left the infirmary.
Why had Carson left with McKay? It didn’t make any sense. He must have known that John would be worried about him. Why didn’t he wait for John?
It didn’t really matter, he supposed. They were probably in the mess. The only time McKay dragged Beckett out of the infirmary, it was to eat, so John made his way there.
Sure enough, Carson was sitting with McKay at a corner table, hunched over his tray and talking in animated whispers. John forced himself to casually fill his own tray before going over to the table.
“Hey, guys,” he said as he slid into the chair next to Carson. “What’s up?”
Rodney blushed and stammered. “Nothing. Nothing is up. Why would you think something’s up?”
John raised an eyebrow at him. “It’s just an expression McKay.”
“Oh, right. Of course. Um...not much then.”
“Right,” John said before turning to Carson. “How you doin’, Doc? I hear you ran into some hostiles on M9P-283.”
“Oh, I’m fine, Colonel. It was Major Lorne who took the most damage.”
“You sure?”
“Aye. Not a scratch on me.”
John smiled for the first time since hearing about the mission. “Good. Glad to hear it. So, if you’re not busy tonight, I thought we could watch the rest of those Dr. Who’s. You up for it?”
McKay darted a glance across the table at Carson, with something like abject terror written on his face.
“Sorry, Colonel. Rodney and I have some things we need to go over.” Was it John’s imagination or was Carson blushing now?
“Oh, okay. Well, maybe tomorrow then.”
“Maybe.” Carson stood and picked up his tray. “Well, we’d best be going. We’ve got a lot of work to do tonight. Coming, Rodney?”
McKay stood up a bit to fast and nearly knocked over his chair. “Yeah...yes...um...we have to go now, Colonel. Have a...a good night.” He waved awkwardly as they left.
Okay, that was weird.
John didn’t think to much of it at first. McKay was prone to bouts of strangeness. But it didn’t stop there.
Over the next few days, John kept running into the two of them around the city. McKay would always blush and stammer and look guilty, and Carson would smile and answer John’s questions about their activities in a roundabout way that didn’t really tell him anything.
He was determined not to believe the worst until the fifth night after their strange conversation in the mess.
He’d been unable to get Carson to come over to watch Dr. Who, so he decided to take the DVDs to Carson’s quarters and see if he could corner him there. He was standing at the door, DVDs in hand, ready to activate the door chime when the door suddenly whished open (and John didn’t even want to begin to speculate on what sort of whish it was) to reveal McKay, standing gape-mouthed and blinking.
“Colonel.” He squeaked.
“McKay.”
“Um..I was just... I mean...we were...I, uh...I have to go.” And McKay was off down the hall like a shot.
John stood there for a moment longer, not sure if Carson was aware of his presence. Eventually, he tore himself away from the doorway, not wanting anyone to see him standing there, stricken.
He took the discs back to his quarters and went for a late night run.
***
John didn’t see either of them for the next few days, which he thought was probably a good thing. Carson hadn’t seen him there that night, but John had no doubt that McKay would have told the Scot about running into him. So John kept himself busy with the various details of daily life that Lorne usually looked after but couldn’t due to his long projected recovery time. His life was a blur of runs with Ronon, training with Teyla, mounds of paperwork and hours at the firing range.
He was just running out of ways to distract himself when he heard Elizabeth’s voice on the radio. “Sheppard, this is Weir. Come in, please.”
“Sheppard.”
“We’ve got a situation in engineering lab 4. Can you go check it out?”
“I’m on my way.”
He was so glad to have something else to do, he didn’t even stop to ask what the situation was.
When he got to the lab, he could see that the lights were off, and there was no noise coming from the room. He took a cautious step inside.
His eyes had barely begun to adjust to the darkness when the lights were turned on and several voices yelled, “Surprise!”
“What the...?” The room was filled with about half of the science staff, all the officers and a handful of enlisted men and medical personnel. There were streamers hanging about the room and a large cake with the words “Happy Birthday Colonel Sheppard” written on it sat on a table in the corner.
John was still standing with his mouth open when Carson came over to him. “Were you surprised?”
John just stared for a moment. Suddenly it dawned on him. “Wait. This is what you and McKay have been up to?”
“Of course. We’ve been planning it for weeks.”
“I thought...” John blushed.
“What?”
“I thought you were having an affair,” he finally whispered.
Carson let out a loud guffaw that had several people staring at him. He gently cuffed John on the back of the head. “Idiot.”
“Well, what was I supposed to think?”
Carson just shook his head.
***
Later that night, after their own private birthday celebration, Carson pulled John into his arms and said, “Happy birthday, you daft, silly bugger.”
fin
