Blocked and Boxed

Disclaimer: Chapter 1

Thank you for your reviews it seriously sent me into overdrive on this chapter. I would like to clarify one thing: the idea of taking an injury into one’s self before healing it is something I got from a favorite author of mine, Maria Snyder in her book series, ‘Study.’

So enjoy. And if you do (or don’t) review.

Chapter 15: Blocked and Boxed

Ronon started to move the way he had come. His pace hurried but sure-footed. When Sheppard saw him he started moving hitting his comm as he went.

“Hold on Pixie,” Ronon whispered when he felt her go limp and unconscious.

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Jennifer was surprised when Carson walked in grumbling.

“Where’s the patient?” she asked.

“Who knows? Likely off somewhere bleedin’ to death,” he grouched, his accent getting heavier.

“Carson?”

He finally looked up at her and sighed. “I’m sorry Jennifer. Ronon was stabbed by Dawn during a fight in the ‘Gate room.”

“What?” she asked horrified by the implications. “Dawn would never do something like that.”

“I’m afraid she did lass,” at her fear filled look he continued, “I believe there is more too it than that. Ronon even got hissed at by Glinda. Ronon and Colonel Sheppard have gone to find Dawn.”

“Ronon refused treatment?”

Carson took a moment to think about what had happened as he tried to treat the Satedan. “Actually,” he smiled slightly, “he was adamant that he be allowed to find Dawn immediately. Said she wasn’t dangerous and as soon as he was standing he went after her.”

Jennifer looked at the CMO of Atlantis, “what are you thinking Carson?”

“I don’t know yet,” he admitted, “but something, definitely something.”

~Carson, it’s Sheppard, come in. ~ the comm in his ear sounded.

“Sheppard, Carson here,” he threw a worried look at Jennifer.

~Ronon is headed for you with Dawn; ~ the doubt in his voice was enough to catch Carson’s attention.

“What happened?”

~I don’t know, but Dawn is unconscious and Ronon looked worried. ~

“Alright son we’ll be here when he arrives,” Carson assured him as he deactivated the comm and looked at Jennifer. “Ronon’s bringing Dawn in, unconscious.”

“Did the Colonel say what was wrong?”

“He didn’t kn–”

“DOC!” was bellowed in their direction.

Jennifer and Carson turned to see Ronon carrying Dawn. Both of them were covered in blood. The doctors reacted at the same time. Carson yelled for nurses and units of blood. Jennifer ran to the counter grabbing her stethoscope.

Ronon didn’t wait for any instructions, he laid Dawn on the closest gurney and stepped back as Jennifer approached. “Her left side,” he said as he saw her look for the wound.

Carson was waved off as he tried to look over Ronon. “Lad, you can’t do anything for her now, I need to clean the wound on you–”

“She healed me,” Ronon replied not taking his eyes off the young woman. “We were talking. She agreed to come talk to you and Colonel Carter. She wanted to heal the wound. She was glowing and my wound was healed. Then she sagged against me.” He looked at Carson, “Her wound is exactly where mine was… I think she’s trying to punish herself doc. Something like that and she would heal within moments.” He looked back at the table, “it took me three minutes to get here and all it did was bleed.”

Jennifer looked up at Carson helplessly. “I can’t touch the wound.”

“What?” Carson came around the side of the bed.

“I can clean around the wound and put pressure on it, but I can’t touch the wound,” she demonstrated.

Carson tried also, “It’s like there is a force field around the wound.”

“What do we do?” Jennifer asked with a worried glance at Ronon.

“Use pressure to try to stop the bleeding. Do an ultrasound to look for damaged organs. Hook up some units of blood and an IV,” Carson took his gloves off as he backed away from the table. “I’m going to see Colonel Carter.”

Carson turned and left the infirmary tapping his comm as he went.

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Sam looked around her office. John, Rodney, Major Lorne, and Carson stood around her office in various states of restlessness.

It had been nearly forty hours since Ronon had carried Dawn into the infirmary. Lorne, Rodney, and Zelanka had returned when they had determined that the energy source on PX6-784 was not a ZPM. They had been back less than five hours.

Teyla walked in, “I apologize for my tardiness.”

Lorne looked behind her, “Where is Ronon?”

“He refused to leave… the infirmary,” Teyla replied quietly.

“That’s a first,” Rodney commented only to be treated to a set of glares.

Sam looked at Carson, “now for the benefit of those who aren’t completely caught up, explain the problem with treating Dawn.”

Carson sighed, “Honestly we don’t know what it is. Ronon suggested that taking his wound into her body was a punishment of some kind. We cannot touch the wound that appeared in the exact same place that Ronon’s was. There is a barrier keeping us out. We believe the reason is mystical…”

Sam watched as they all exchanged various looks of defeat. This was farther out of their league than anything they had come across.

“Has anybody asked Candrima?” Lorne asked. The looks he got pushed him to explain, “She is connected to this entire city. All you would have to do is talk directly to her…”

Sam frowned at the casualness with which Lorne explained. “Major?”

Lorne rubbed his bicep as he looked sheepishly around the room. “After the incident with the Energy-Dream-Jumper that looked like Colonel Sheppard, I had a few more sleepwalking incidences. One morning I woke up in a lab on the very outskirts of one of the piers. It was actually one of the parts that is below the water line. I had no idea how to get back.

“I wandered around a bit. When I hit a dead-end I… took a leap of faith, I started talking out loud to Candrima. All but one door closed. I went through door after door, and she led me back to a familiar part of the city. Since then she kept me from leaving while I’m still asleep.”

“You’ve communicated with Candrima?” John confirmed.

“How do you know it was not Dawn’s doing?” Teyla asked, “During the Kirsan fever incident she had Candrima lead people around at her request.”

“Dawn was off-world with Dr. Baylin on 9P6-341,” Lorne replied, “I double-checked when my shift started that morning.”

“So how should we do this?” John asked.

“It won’t work,” Rodney interrupted. “Look that was easy communication, in essence it was body language when she communicated with Lorne. How are you going to get her to respond to you with anything more than a door opening and shutting?”

Sam suddenly had an idea of who they needed to ask, “When is the next check-in with Earth?”

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Ronon sat beside Dawn as she remained unconscious in the infirmary. She was pale and still. Dr. Keller had reluctantly told him that the ultrasound had uncovered lacerations on her internal organs. But the barrier had prevented any type of surgery to operate. For now they used various pressure techniques to keep the bleeding from getting any worse.

‘This is my fault,’ he thought bitterly as he watched a nurse hook up another IV bag.

As the nurse left Dr. Keller walked in. Ronon’s gaze didn’t leave Dawn’s hand. Across the room he felt Jennifer hesitate a moment before coming over to him.

She placed something on the table next to him. “You need to eat Ronon,” she said quietly, walking to the other side of the bed.

He didn’t look up as he grunted in response.

And like that she snapped.

“Listen to me Ronon Dex!” her voice barely retaining its natural octave. “You aren’t doing anyone any good sitting here berating yourself especially Dawn. You need to eat. You need to sleep. And you need to stop wallowing. The only way either of us can help her is if we find a way to get rid of the barrier keeping us from getting to her.

“Now take your food and get out of my infirmary!”

Ronon looked up at the small woman. She had a fierce look on her face. Her arm was thrown out, pointing to the door. She took his hesitation for non-compliance.

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Honestly Carson had no idea what he had walked into. Jennifer stood on the far side of Dawn’s bed pointing at the door. Her face held an expression he had never seen on her.

“Don’t make me have to call security teams Ronon,” Dr. Keller demanded.

Ronon stood suddenly. If it wasn’t for his knowledge of Ronon’s character Carson would have been afraid for the young doctor. The Satedan looked down once at Dawn before turning on heel and leaving the room.

As suddenly as Ronon had left Jennifer seemed to crumble. She placed both her hands, shaking, on Dawn’s bed. Her mouth moved but he couldn’t hear the words. He moved slightly closer.

“I’m sorry Dawn,” she said. “I know I should have done that earlier, but I didn’t realize he felt so guilty.” Her voice choked slightly, “I need you to let us in to heal you, or you could just do your magic and get better… this is a misunderstanding.” She leaned in, “You are a stronger than this. It cannot kill you… or Ronon.”

Carson backed away. He hadn’t realized that Jennifer and Dawn had become such close friends. He had been worried that the young doctor wouldn’t come out of her shell. But it seemed the key from Earth had become a cornerstone for Jennifer in the Pegasus galaxy.

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John was shocked when he saw Ronon barreling down the hall. His friend seemed… lost. There were very few times he could use that word to describe his friend. The last time had been when he and Teyla had found Ronon being chased by Wraith on Sateda.

Ronon didn’t seem to see any of the people who moved out of his way. John pitied the person who stopped him. With a sigh and a look back he continued to his destination. Dawn’s isolation room was being blocked by Carson, who looked deep in thought.

“Doc?” he asked hoping not to scare the man.

No luck.

“Sorry Colonel,” Carson apologized as he looked up. “What can I do for you?”

“I was headed here to ask how things were. I saw Ronon though, so I’m a little more worried.”

“Jennifer kicked him out.”

John raised an eyebrow. “Dr. Keller?”

“Aye lad, she did.”

“Good for her,” he stepped back to let Carson pass back into the infirmary. “How is she?”

Carson took a stab at his meaning, “Dawn is the only person outside of this infirmary that Jennifer has started a friendship with.” He looked at the Colonel a moment to get across his meaning, “It’s hard watching your friends come through here… especially when you can’t help them.”

John knew he was referring the numerous situations where Rodney, Teyla, Lorne, himself, or any of the others on base had been brought to the infirmary. He was also referencing the loss of so many; including Ford and Weir. And for someone like Dr. Keller who had a hard time connecting with people, losing her first friend, who she didn’t work with in the infirmary, would likely send her on the next transport back to the Milky Way.

“You aren’t the only one,” John replied. Bitterly he thought, ‘And I’m normally the ones getting them into these situations.’

“Carson!” came Jennifer’s yell from the doorway.

John followed the doctors into the isolation room. Dawn lay flailing and screaming. Jennifer and Carson rushed to secure the pressure devices.

“What happened?” Carson asked.

“Nothing,” Jennifer replied, “I was talking to her and now… she started to get restless after I yelled at Ronon.”

After a moment Carson looked at Dawn, “get him back in here.” He took a hit to the chest sending him back a foot. Holding his chest Carson looked at John. “Now Colonel!”

And John jogged out of the infirmary tapping his comm as he went.

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Ronon kept walking until he realized he had walked to the end of a pier. Physically standing still sent his thoughts into overdrive. He was so internalized that he didn’t hear the Kat-tail.

“You cannot help her like this Ronon,” was said softly.

Ronon turned to look at her, “Haven’t I caused enough damage. Leave me alone.”

Tara sighed, “I fear that this is my fault more so. I did not think coming to you would cause this severe a reaction. Perhaps there is a good reason the greater Powers of the universe do not interrupt the affairs of lower beings. Especially for those of us too connected to the affairs still going on… This is not your fault Ro–”

“I challenged her,” he yelled.

“And she stabbed you. And like any being of her nature she tried to fix it.”

Ronon sighed, “Are we of the same nature?”

“No,” Tara answered simply, “not entirely.” She let out a soft laugh, “You are warriors, stubborn, protective, afraid… and so lost. Maybe I should not have intervened. But watching her remain isolated was harder than it ever was with her sister. And I could not watch her destroy herself in the same way.”

“She is dying,” Ronon stated. “She has locked herself away and won’t allow the doctors to operate on her.”

“Dawn is not dying – yet.”

“Yet?”

“She’s hiding Ronon, as she was when she ran after the fight. Your pain, that which she inflicted on you, is now her pain… and she glimpsed a lot more – all of it Ronon; the constant heartache of the loss of Sateda, the mistrust, the betrayal. It’s like she opened your own personal Pandora’s Box… all the darkness of your past released–” she cut herself off, “Ask Sheppard.”

And then she was gone.

Ronon heard Sheppard running up to him.

“We need you back in the infirmary,” John panted.

“Dr. Keller kicked me out.” Ronon replied as he avoided his teammate’s eyes.

“Now Ronon!” John said as he stood up straight, before quietly adding “Dawn is – it’s not good.” He caught his friend’s eye. And like that, they were running.

When Ronon reached the isolation room he paused at the door to take in what he saw. Dawn was flailing, screaming as though she was immense agony. Carson was holding his chest. Lorne was out cold with his eye starting to swell. Jennifer’s hair was a mess and she had scratches on her neck and shoulder. Various members of the medical staff were around the room holding cradling a bruise or scratch.

Without a word Ronon walked to Carson. “Doc?”

Carson watched in amazement as Dawn settled almost instantly. He looked at Ronon as though he had just done some feat of magic. Then he was moving, resetting the devices to keep the pressure on her wound.

“Can you stay here Ronon?” he said as he looked around the room. “I must attend the other injured.”

The tall warrior only nodded.

Jennifer was holding a cloth between her shoulder and cheek to stem the slight bleeding on her neck as she checked Lorne. Carson seemed to be taking shallow breathes as though anything more caused great pain.

“I think Lorne has a concussion,” Jennifer said, a slight worry in her voice. A second medical team had brought a gurney and set about escorting people to the main infirmary.

John arrived at the isolation room door. He leaned against the doorway as he tried to regain his breath. The chaos around him truly was a sight. And in the middle of it all stood Ronon about a foot from Dawn’s bed. They were completely ignorant to the mess around them.

When the last of the medical team was cleared out John watched them for a moment. As he tried to slip out quietly Ronon’s voiced stopped him.

“What is ‘Pandora’s Box’?” his deep voice questioned.

John spent a moment trying to figure out where Ronon would have heard such a thing before shaking it off and answering.

“Simple version: It’s a story about a woman, Pandora, who was given a gift from the gods, a box. The gods gave her only one rule, ‘do not open it.’ But she was curious and she opened the lid. Unleashed upon mankind were all the vices and evils. Pandora was able to close the box, and she was able to save the most important thing: hope.”

John scratched the back of his head, “If you want the full understanding you’d have to ask someone who studied mythology.”

“No,” was the reply, “I think I understand.”

What it was Ronon understood was beyond John’s grasp.

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It was nearly an hour later when Carson and Sam entered the isolation room. They had been discussing the solutions they had been offered. They stopped when they found Ronon asleep in the chair next to Dawn’s bed.

They eased back towards the door.

“What?” Ronon asked scaring them both.

“We think we have an idea,” Sam informed him as her heart rate settled.

When she got no reply she continued.

“Daniel believes that Dawn may have shielded her consciousness by putting it on another plane of existence. He believes that Candrima may not be able to help because Dawn’s put herself on a level just below Candrima’s awareness.”

Rodney caught the tail end as he walked in with John and Teyla. “So we need to access that level,” he concluded.

Sam nodded.

“Well I’m out,” Rodney voted. At the round of looks, “I have no concentration.”

“I would be happy to,” Teyla volunteered. “Meditation is something I have always enjoyed.”

“No,” was Ronon’s reply. “I have to.”

“Ronon, we don’t know what being in this state is doing to her,” Carson reasoned, “Teyla is the most qualified.”

“She wouldn’t be able to reach her,” he replied. “And we can’t risk what happened to you and your team physically happening to Teyla on another level.”

Teyla looked taken back as Ronon slid out of the chair and onto the floor in the meditation pose. After a moment he looked at all of them, “could you stare at me from somewhere else?” and he promptly closed his eyes and started focusing on his breathing.

She motioned the others out. They went to the viewing room that over looked the isolation room to wait.

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Three hours later they had been joined by Jennifer who reported that Lorne was fine but was being kept for the night. Ronon still sat in the same position on the floor. If it wasn’t for the team’s assurance that Ronon snored loudly when just napping, one would have thought he had fallen asleep long ago.

Rodney stared at his computer. He was working on something that didn’t require his full attention. It helped to make him feel a little less useless in this situation. They had all tried to make small talk but had deemed it unnecessary.

Sam had been called away within the first hour. They checked in with her every hour. John was teaching Teyla to play cards. Jennifer and Carson came and went to check on other patients.

As the third hour bled into the forth Rodney noticed something out of the corner of his eye. When he looked it was gone. With a shake of his head he went back to working. When he saw it again he turned to see Glinda sitting with her face pressed against the glass.

With a quick check that he saved his work, Rodney set down his computer and stood. He walked to look fully through the window to the isolation room. For a moment he thought he saw green but he wrote it off. After another minute he looked back at the team.

“Do you see that?” he asked with a vague gesture to the couple.

John and Teyla joined him at the window as Jennifer walked in.

“What’s going on?”

“I see it Rodney,” Teyla confirmed. John nodded that he saw it too.

When Jennifer reached the glass she gasped, “She’s glowing.”

“They both are,” Rodney corrected.

“When did this start?” Jennifer asked.

“I don’t know,” he confessed, “I thought it was just my imagination until a moment ago.”

“Perhaps that means Ronon has reached Dawn,” Teyla suggested.

The light surged suddenly and in the next moment was gone. Ronon sagged from his position and was lying on the floor.

Everyone observing moved at once. Jennifer ran to the isolation room calling for Carson as she went. John, Teyla, and Rodney headed for Ronon. Jennifer brought in a gurney and ordered them to get Ronon into it. Then she set about checking Dawn as Carson headed for Ronon.

“Oh my,” she whispered as she released the clamps. “The wound is gone.”

Carson checked Ronon’s side to make sure, “he has no injuries.”

After a thorough check of both they found nothing wrong. “It appears that they are both sleeping,” Carson informed Sam as they debriefed.

“When should they be awake?” John asked.

At this Carson looked slightly uncomfortable, “I’m not sure. Theoretically it shouldn’t be long.”

“But everything, when it comes to Dawn, is outside the theoretical,” Rodney concluded. Carson just nodded his agreement.

Sam rubbed her forehead in thought before looking up at those gathered, “Let’s get some sleep. We’ll see if there is anything new in the morning.”

They agreed as Carson and Jennifer worked out their schedule so one of them was always in the infirmary.

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A slight sound woke her completely. Dawn felt better than she had in awhile. She wondered what it was that had woken her. But there was no sound save for breathing and it was dulled, a background sound to what she was hearing. She stood, pulling the IV from her arm and shutting off the machines as she passed so they would not make any sound.

The door opened before she reached it and the one after it too. She let her feet guide her. As she got closer she recognized the sound as crying. She opened the last door between her and the sound to find Jennifer sitting with her back against a wall. The crying she heard wasn’t evident in this room, the Tiny Medic made no sound as a tear rolled down her face.

Dawn moved forward masking Jennifer’s awareness as to not scare her. Gently she spoke.

“What’s wrong?”

The answer was simple, “I’m afraid.”

“Of what?”

“I made a friend and almost lost her.”

“It was not your fault.”

“I know.”

“Then why the tears?”

“I was checking on Major Lorne… and I was suddenly plagued with ‘What Ifs.’ If I stay here would I make any more friends or spend all my time meeting people based on their injuries?”

“That is not your destiny,” Dawn replied, “you are meant to see this great adventure through. To get married and have a swarm of kids.”

Jennifer laughed through her tears, “Marry?”

“Yep, and he’ll even reach General,” Dawn smiled as she projected the idea that the conversation was a dream. But anchored the feelings of assurance Jennifer felt at the moment.

When she was sure the doctor was in a light snooze, Dawn left the room. She returned to the isolation room only to stop as she was overwhelmed with the presence of another.

“Ronon,” she breathed as the man in question sat on the bed next to hers.

“Where were you?” he asked quietly.

“Talking to Jennifer.”

He only nodded before standing and stretching.

Carson walked in with a look on his face. Then he smiled.

“It is good to see you up and about,” he shifted his eyes between them, “both of you.”

“When can I get out of here Doc?” Ronon asked.

Carson looked over the charts in his hand. “It looks like everything is fine. But Colonel Carter will want to be completely debriefed this morning.”

Ronon nodded as he headed for the door only to be blown passed by Jennifer as she ran to hug Dawn. “You are so stubborn,” she said by way of greeting.

Dawn laughed, “That is not the first time, nor will it be the last, I’ve been accused of that.”

“Well next time could you do so without having it being life threatening?”

“I’ll try,” Dawn promised as Jennifer gestured for her to sit on the bed.

Ronon glanced back once more before leaving.

Carson recovered himself as well, “Morning Jennifer.”

“Good morning Carson,” for a moment he paused to consider asking what had caused her good mood, but he wrote it off as relief for a friend.

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By mid-morning Dawn had been released to change and head to the debriefing. When she had showered, changed, and felt fresh she headed for the meeting. The debriefing consisted of Carter, Sheppard, McKay, Teyla, Carson, and Ronon.

“So what happened when Ronon found you out on the ledge?” Carter asked.

“I took injury into myself,” Dawn explained, “when we fought I ended up with a cracked rib, and several gashes. I had healed them but between the fight, the healing, and the running; not to mention the emotional impact of what I had done, and turning off the ‘broadcast’ I had spent all my own energy. Honestly I knew it when I tried to heal Ronon, so I was only able to absorb the wound.”

“What about us not being able to get to it?”

Dawn looked a little uncomfortable, “my emotional reaction to everything was to block it out.”

“Including help,” Carson asked.

“Family trait,” she confessed, “get into a mess by any means possible and to get out you only have yourself.” She glanced a Ronon knowing to a degree it wasn’t true.

“What do you remember?” Carter asked.

“Nothing until waking up this morning.”

“Ronon?” Carter asked.

“I remember finally being able to sense her. Then waking up.”

John looked between the two of them, “so you remember nothing of the hours spent on a different conscious level?”

Dawn fielded the question, “I can recall faint feelings but it’s like a dream that once you wake you only know what it left you with not its contents.”

Carter sighed, “What are the chances of this happening again?”

“Slim ma’am,” Dawn assured her.

“Very well, you are all on leave until Carson says otherwise.”

‘Or the city needs saving,’ Dawn thought.