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SGA: Blank Slate
I wrote a short sort of episode tag for “Tabula Rasa”. This is the second story now that has hints of het in it, which isn’t my usual style, but due to the episode, was pretty much unavoidable.
Title: Blank Slate
Genre: SGA, Team, Gen with a hint of Het (Katie/Rodney)
Rating: PG for minor language
Season/Spoilers: 4.06 Tabula Rasa
Synopsis: “Rodney, I remember a man named Rodney,” Katie answered carefully.
Disclaimer: I don’t own them, people with a lot of money do. I’m just borrowing them in a completely not-for-profit way.
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“Rodney, I remember a man named Rodney,” Katie answered carefully when asked. She looked between the woman in front of her and the man at her side. “Can you help me find him? I think he’s important.”
McKay looked like he was about to burst into tears, or possibly go apocalyptic, Keller wasn’t sure. She placed a calming hand on his arm and addressed her patient, “Is there anything else you remember?”
She nodded her head fervently, like an excited child. “Green things! There were green things and they came in all sorts of different shapes, they were so pretty.”
“Plants,” Rodney helpfully provided.
“Yes! Plants!” she enthused. She looked around the infirmary and pouted. “There’s none in here, and that kind of makes me sad.”
“I’ll see if I can find some to bring in,” Rodney promised.
“Okay,” Katie readily agreed. “Maybe you should ask this ‘Rodney’ – if he’s so important, he should know stuff like where these plants might be,” she suggested.
McKay opened his mouth, but one look from Keller and he snapped it shut again. He clenched his fists at his side and tried to unclench his jaw enough to say, “That’s a good idea. Why don’t I go see what I can find out, okay?”
He didn’t wait for an answer, seeing her head rise for another one of her nonsensical nods before turning on his heel and storming out the door. Before it slid shut behind him, he heard the childlike voice say, “He’s such a nice man.”
He slipped through the hallways without a second look, his body guiding him to where he needed to be. Finally, with no one around to see him, he slid to the floor amongst the fichus, the petunias, and the strange cactus-like thing she had named for him, and cried.
His radio buzzed in his ear some time later. He ripped it from his ear and tossed it across the room, losing it in some Athosian herb that looked eerily like weed. They could handle their own emergencies for once; he just needed time to think, time to cope.
What felt like only a few minutes later, the door slid open and he listened to softly padded footsteps on the tile before a familiar voice said, “It might not be permanent.” He looked up to see Sheppard, still dressed in his hospital scrubs and footies, a life-signs detector in his hand. Any doubt of him staging a break out from the infirmary to find him was put to rest by one pissed off looking Athosian and one amused looking Satedan following their wayward leader.
“You can’t know that for certain,” he accused.
Sheppard shrugged and lowered himself to the floor next to him. “No, I can’t,” he admitted.
Rodney looked over to him wearily. “Aren’t you supposed to be spouting platitudes to make me feel better?”
“Why lie?” John asked, leaning his head against the cabinet lining the wall. “Besides, weren’t you thinking of breaking up with her?”
“She named a cactus after me,” Rodney deferred, gesturing at the sad looking specimen.
“And?” Sheppard prompted.
“And isn’t breaking up with your mentally-deficient girlfriend way high on the Asshole List of things to do?”
“Naw,” Sheppard said at the same time Teyla nodded, “Yes,” and Ronon asked, “He was actually seeing someone?”
He glared at all of them before admitting, “I care for her, really I do. I just didn’t know what to do when she was still she and now there’s a chance that she won’t be she again and...”
“And it would be really easy to break things off now while she doesn’t know to care, wash your hands clean and not have to go through the stress of it all?” John offered.
Rodney nodded. “Yeah.”
“Or, you could, you know, not be an asshole and be there for her when she needs you regardless of whether you’re still dating or not,” Sheppard finished with the same non-caring shrug.
“What if she doesn’t get better?” Rodney asked in a small voice.
“Then you were still her friend.”
“What is she does get better?” he asked in an even smaller voice.
“Then you were still her friend.”
Rodney sighed and darted another glance over at his friend. “When did you get so zen-like?”
“Teyla beat it into me,” John replied in the same calm voice before breaking into a slow grin. McKay looked up in time to see the Athosian gloat.
“She’s good at that,” Ronon added.
“A skill I would be happy to impress upon you should you ignore the advice,” Teyla said lightly.
“What if I screw up?” McKay asked. “This is me, you know. I’m not exactly good at personal relationship stuff.”
“Then you ask your friends for assistance,” Teyla replied.
Sheppard leaned in, bouncing his shoulder off of him. “She means us,” he stage whispered.
The tension wound in the center of his chest eased a little, and he slumped against the wall. “It’s not going to be easy,” he warned.
“Dealing with you never is,” Ronon replied. There was an “Ooff,” as Teyla’s elbow collided solidly with his stomach. “I mean, dealing with stuff like this,” he amended, rubbing the sore spot.
“Smooth,” Rodney commented, but he had to admit it got a smile out of him.
Teyla smiled as well, saying, “Now, if you will excuse us, I believe the infirmary has a patient waiting for you and restraints waiting for Colonel Sheppard.” She leaned down to help him up while Ronon lifted John to his feet, threatening to toss him over his shoulder if he did not come along quietly.
McKay stooped to pick up his headset from amongst the pot-like foliage, listening to John snicker behind him, only to have to explain the concept of illegal substances to the two aliens for his effort. They headed out the door together, Rodney stopping to grab one more thing along the way.
He reached the appointed room and stood just outside Katie’s line of sight, contemplating what he was going to say. Finally, most likely fed up with the stalling, Teyla and Ronon gently pushed him forward.
“You came back!” the botanist enthused upon seeing him.
“You remember me?” he asked, voice full of hope.
She screwed up her face for a moment and bit her lower lip. “Kind of,” she admitted. “I remember you from earlier, as in earlier today, not before whatever happened, um, happened.”
“That’s okay,” he told her, realizing it truly was. “Uh, here!” he said, thrusting his gift towards her.
“You brought me one of the green things,” she cooed, taking it into her hands. “That’s so sweet!”
“Plant,” he automatically corrected. “And, actually, this one you named yourself. Well, you named it by yourself for someone else. ‘Rodneius Something-or-another’ I think you called it.”
“Aw,” she sighed, truly pleased. “This way I always have a Rodney at my side.” She hugged the plant closer to her, careful of the bristles, before placing it on the stand to the side of her bed.
“Yeah,” he agreed, thinking about all the implications of that one little sentence, and then throwing them out the proverbial window. “Yeah, you do.”
End.
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Feedback is always welcome.
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I like the economy of words too.
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