Word Count: 578
Rating:
PG.
Category: Angst. Humour.
Story Status:
Complete
Summary: John can't sleep and goes for a run...
Beta:
Thank you to Leesa Perrie for the beta-reading.
Restless Night
By Jayne Perry
Sheppard twisted and turned, unable to find a comfortable
position. "Why can't I sleep?" he thought to himself. They
had come back from a trading mission, been debriefed by Elizabeth and
should have been ready to drop into bed with tiredness. There
wasn't even any of the team in the infirmary to worry about. "So, why
can't I sleep?" he asked himself for what felt like the thousandth time.
Giving up, he threw off the blankets and decided to go for a run.
Maybe, if he ran far and hard enough, exhaustion would allow him to get
a bit of sleep before the morning meeting with Elizabeth.
His run took him near Teyla's favourite exercise room. Sounds of
clacking sticks could be heard from within. Responding to his wish to
know who was in there, the doors opened.
Ronon lay on the floor, Teyla's stick at the side of his neck.
"Again," she told Ronon helping him to his feet.
"Can't you order her to bed, or something?" Ronon asked Shepherd, in what almost sounded like a pleading voice.
"Can't sleep either, huh?"
"I feel unsettled and cannot sleep," Teyla told him.
"Lot of that about," Shepherd drawled. "I'm going to check on McKay. And Teyla?"
"Yes?"
"Try not to kill or maim him," he smirked, not seeing the scowl on Ronon's face, which didn't bode well for Sheppard's future.
McKay wasn't in the labs, or even in the commissary. Which left
only one place, the last place Sheppard would expect to find him, his
room.
The 'Do Not Disturb' sign was the biggest clue that he would find the
scientist within. Shaking his head, Shepherd wondered how McKay
could sleep after the mission he had just been on. He felt
unsettled, Teyla felt unsettled and he assumed Ronon felt the same; he
realised he'd forgotten to ask.
The door slid open. There was no pacing scientist, no tapping on
the laptop, just a lump of human on the bed, snoring, loudly.
Grinning, John poked Rodney. Rodney grunted. John poked
harder. Rodney rolled over. John grabbed Rodney and made
him roll onto the floor.
"Whaaaat?" came a confused voice from beneath the blankets on the floor.
"Hi, Rodney. I see you had trouble sleeping too."
"I was sleeping fine, until Mr Caveman came and woke me up."
As Rodney's eyes came into focus he took in John's appearance.
The dishevelled hair, okay, more dishevelled than usual, the slightly
haunted look in his eyes.
"What's up? What's the emergency?"
"There is no emergency."
"So why d'you wake me up?"
"Didn't want you to have nightmares," Sheppard answered sheepishly.
"Why would I have nightmares?" Then Rodney understood. "You're
trying to tell me that you can't sleep because we went on a trading
mission and no one got hurt, killed, maimed, kidnapped, drugged,
imprisoned and you didn't get to be heroic or get your adrenaline fix?
And what's more, it was successful and we actually came home with food
and a trade agreement."
"Thought I might be changing into Stackhouse," John sounded like a petulant little boy.
"Go away and let me sleep," Rodney groused.
"Not this time, McKay. Your team can't sleep and last time I
looked, you were part of the team, so you don't get to sleep
either. Teyla should be about ready for another victim.. err.. I
mean sparring partner and you need the practice."
And shortly after, the halls of Atlantis reverberated with Rodney McKay's screams.
