The Long Way Home

Chapter Eighty Two: Health Warning

'Til all my sleeves are stained red
From all the truth that I've said
Come by it honestly I swear
Thought you saw me wink, no
I've been on the brink,

One Republic - Secrets

Cassandra was sleeping when Rodney checked in on her. The light in the isolation chamber was off but the night vision on the camera was on showing her restless slumber. The white sheets were twisted around her body, her dark hair was already a bird's nest from the constant tossing and turning he guessed she had been subjecting herself too.

"How long has she been like that?" Rodney asked Teyla as Cass moaned out loud in her sleep.

The sound was weak, like listening to a kitten crying out in the night and Rodney felt he was witnessing something intensely personal. His own nightmares were full of clocks counting down until the minutes until something terrible was going to happen, they were filled with Wraith and the inability to make his fingers work whilst the self destruct alarm donged loudly in his ears.

Sedatives were common practise in his life along with an assortment of tablets for various other ailments he harboured. He had even been taking trips to the resident Psychologist Doctor Heightmeyer in attempt to deal with some of he issues that he was suffering with.

Being off world could have a great effect on your psyche, having lost so many people over the past year and being in such constant life threatening situations wore down your mind in ways you never realized. He had gone on pretending that he was fine for such a long time but sometimes the pressure became too much and he needed to work through that so that he didn't end up letting down his team when they needed him the most.

"She has nightmares sometimes like we all do." Teyla confessed to him passively. "I imagine going to sleep in a strange place is a little disconcerting for her."

The other woman was sitting a long side the darkness of the window, her eyes fixed on the little screens in front of her that revealed the screens of the cameras. Teyla knew a thing or two about being tainted by the Wraith and she also remembered what a truly terrifying experience it was to await news about your own condition. She did not want Cassandra to feel alone the same way in which she had the majority of her life.

The other woman had been kind to her over the time they had spent together and the two of them were very close in terms of their friendship as was Teyla and the Colonel. The Athosian felt like she owed it to the both of them to make sure that Cassandra was as comfortable as possible.

"Well I would find it a little disconcerting myself if I had some alien retrovirus thing making a home inside of me." Rodney submitted, peering into the darkness below through the glass window.

"She is being very brave about this, as is the Colonel." Teyla spoke quietly. "I'm not sure I could so calm about this given the circumstance."

"There's not much more you can do when your in a situation like this." Rodney told her, shaking his head as he folded his arms over his chest, leaning against the surface of the desk. "Sheppard's still in that meeting with Caldwell, Weir and Beckett, I could hear him shouting from the control room."

"I have the feeling that Colonel Caldwell is less than sympathetic in regards to Cassandra's medical care. He views her as unruly." Teyla murmured as she rubbed at the bridge of her nose with her forefinger and thumb.

"What do you think they're saying?" Rodney asked her, shaking his head at the situation.

He had his own thoughts on Caldwell's suggestions and none of it was good. The man thought with a clear and concise military mind, if Cass was a threat to the expedition his response would be to eliminate the problem.