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“I’m going to go check over there,” Rodney called to John as they were exploring the recently culled planet XM9-347 for survivors. He had his life signs detector out and was scanning the village.
“Okay, just be careful,” Sheppard warned him.
He licked his lips nervously. The smoke was still rising from the recently burned buildings. The village looked to him like a ghost town from the old west with scattered houses and buildings around a central street. More than half were burned and looked deserted. Teyla and Ronon were searching on the other end to cover more ground.
Rodney carefully made his way inside one of the half burned houses, “Hello? Anyone here?”
He held out his device and followed the life sign until he came into what had once been a bedroom. The interior was filled with burnt furniture including a charred bed, still standing somehow. There was broken glass and soot everywhere from the previous night’s fire.
Rodney called again, “It’s okay to come out. We’re here to help.”
He heard a soft whine coming from under the bed. He looked underneath to see a pair of soft brown eyes staring back at him. Rodney shone his flashlight underneath the charred mattress and saw a black dog, resembling a German Sheppard, tangled in a chewed up rope.
“Hey, fella,” Rodney coaxed, “C’mon out of there…”
The dog whined at him, his eyes filled with terror. He seemed lost and scared. Rodney managed to drag him out from under the bed, despite him thrashing with terror. He held him down and cut through the rope. The dog let out a terrified yelp.
“It’s alright. I’m not gonna hurt you. You’ve had a very bad day, boy.” Rodney tried to calm him with reassuring pats.
He had a few burns on his back and seemed in pain. When the last piece of rope was off, the dog took off running.
“Really? That’s the thanks I get?” Rodney called, harshly, more disappointed than anything. Dogs always seemed to run from him. At least the dog he had when he was kid did. It had run away and had never come home. He worried about his dog as a kid and he worried about this one too. It was hurt and might not survive.
“Rodney? You find anything?” John radioed him from the other side of the street.
“No, no one here,” Rodney answered, he sighed. “Guess I’ll check the next one. I saw another life sign behind the next house. I’ll check back in a minute.”
“Alright…just…”
“Be careful, I know.” Rodney snapped. He knew John meant well but did he have to say it every other sentence?
He went outside following the life sign coming around to the back of the next house. It was only partially burned.
He came around the disheveled back fence, eyes glued to the device, “Hello? Anyone there?”
He screamed as a Wraith threw him against the wall, his P-90 went flying to the other end of the yard. He stood against the wall, dazed. It lunged at him. He lifted his arms over his face in terror as the creature’s claw device sliced through his arm. He leapt away and fell hard on his back.
“Help! Help!” He screamed as he tried backing away from the raging monster.
“Rodney! We’re coming!” John called to him from his radio.
The Wraith was right on top of him when out of nowhere a black blur attacked, knocking it to the ground, growling and thrashing. The dog’s mouth hung desperately to the Wraith’s arm.
Rodney reached for his sidearm and his eyes grew wide as he took aim. The monster sliced through the dog's back. It yelped as he threw it off and knocked Rodney’s gun out of his hand in one fell swoop.
Rodney screamed as it held him down, ready to plunge its feeding hand into his chest.
“No!!!” Rodney cried out.
Growling furiously, the dog leapt onto its neck, pushing him off Rodney. The Wraith grasped him in its claws, ripping him away, claws slicing into him again. He threw him to the side and stood up, turned around to go after Rodney again.
Boom!
A hole went right through its chest and it fell to the ground. Ronon stood at the fence opening, his gun still pointed, smoking. He holstered it and ran towards Rodney who was still on the ground holding his arm. Teyla came up behind him.
“McKay! You alright?” Ronon bent down to help him sit up. Rodney looked at him in shock, his lip trembling but couldn’t form any words.
“Rodney!” John’s heart was beating out of his chest as he came running around the half broken fence, “What happened? Are you okay? I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have let you go off by yourself.”
He pulled his forearm helping him to his feet, blinking back tears. Rodney waved him off and stumbled over to the dog and knelt down beside him. He was lying in the grass, whimpering, his black matted fur mixed with blood. Rodney petted him gently then looked up at John standing over him, “H, he saved me…”
“Rodney, you’re hurt,” John tried to pull him to his feet again, “We need to get you home.”
Rodney looked at him with tear filled eyes and refused to stand. John held his breath, his heart pounding in desperate worry.
“What’s wrong? Can you move?” He asked Rodney frantically, fearing the worst.
Rodney bent over the dog, attempting to pick him up, “I’m, I’m not leaving without him…”
He pulled the dog up half a foot, it whimpered as he buckled under the weight. He fell to the side and John caught him, holding his head off the ground. John pulled his hand away to steady him. Terror seized him when he saw blood on his hand where he’d been holding Rodney’s head.
“We have to get you back now, Rodney,” John choked out, “Your head…it’s bleeding…we need to get you to Carson…”
“I’m not leaving him, John! He saved my life…” Rodney gritted his teeth in pain as he knelt next to the dog. He lay a shaky hand on the matted bloody fur, attempting to calm the whines and whimpers. The dog’s pleading eyes met Rodney’s as he lay on his side.
John bit his lip in a panic, “Fine, we’ll take him with us. But we need to hurry. There could be more Wraith around…Ronon, take Rodney. I’ll get the dog. Teyla, watch our backs.”
Ronon scooped Rodney up, while John carefully picked up the bleeding dog. It let out a whimper but lay still in his arms. Teyla followed from behind, watching for more Wraith. They were soon through the gate with Rodney’s new friend.
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“You’ve had a head injury, Rodney. Of course, I’m treatin’ you first.” Carson sighed as his obstinate patient tried to rush him.
“But…but…Bruce has been hurt bad and he needs help right away. That Wraith sliced him to ribbons…not to mention his burns. He saved my life. I don’t know why you’re treating me first.” Rodney huffed, as he held his injured arm, now covered in gauze and tape.
“Perhaps because you’re a human bein’ and he’s a dog. Good lord! It’s gettin’ to where a doctor can’t do his job without gettin’ it from both ends.” Carson shot a glare at John, who was standing uncomfortably close while Carson wrapped Rodney’s head. He could practically feel Sheppard’s breath on him.
“Colonel, do you mind?” Carson muttered, motioning him to back away, “He’ll be alright. His head’s not gonna fall off and roll away, ya know.”
John took a step back but didn’t look any less worried. Carson rolled his eyes wishing he’d used a less gruesome expression to calm the worrisome Colonel’s nerves. The shepherd dog was lying on the bed next to Rodney’s and a nurse was bent over him, cleaning his wounds. The dog seemed lethargic from blood loss and dehydration. He groaned every so often.
“Psst, John,” Rodney whispered, “Bruce may need some water…he might not be ready for solid food but we could get him some milk or broth from the mess…please?”
He batted his long lashes innocently at John to hold his attention. John groaned, “But, Rodney…you’re not finished yet…I don’t want to leave you…and why’d you name him Bruce anyway?”
“Ya know, Bruce Wayne…Batman,” Rodney grinned, despite his pain, “Can you see the resemblance? Black, pointy ears…saved my life. It’s just right for him, dontcha think?”
John grinned, despite himself, “Yeah, I can see it. Okay, I’ll get him something from the mess. You want anything?”
“Yeah, sure, you know what I like,” Rodney continued to stare at the dog.
John bit his lip in worry and came around to the other side of the bed, needing an excuse to touch him before he left. He held his bicep until Rodney looked at him, “Dinner or just some jello?”
“Jello’s fine,” Rodney reached up patting John’s hand and winced at the pain from his arm. Carson hadn’t gotten a chance to stitch it up yet. It was haphazardly held together with a wad of gauze and tape.
“Ooh, careful,” John’s chest tightened, feeling Rodney’s pain.
Carson sighed. Loudly. “Colonel, if ya don’t mind, I’m not finished with him. He needs to keep still. Go fetch his jello. Be off with ya.”
Sheppard gave him a pouty lip, “Don’t tell me to fetch! I’m not the dog here.”
He gave Rodney’s arm a gentle squeeze then promptly left to fetch the jello and whatever Rodney’s dog needed.
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It was late at night in the infirmary and Rodney began to doze, while holding Sheppard’s hand. He’d eaten his jello and Bruce had been patched up and nestled comfortably in a crate in the corner. Rodney had insisted his new pet have plenty of blankets. He’d only lapped up a little of the milk John brought him and this had Rodney worried.
His eyes shot open when Bruce started whimpering. He looked over at John sleeping in the chair. He squeezed his hand to test if he was awake. John let out a short breath then kept sleeping. His head was in an awkward position and Rodney wished he’d sleep on a bed instead of a chair.
He sighed, got up and laid John’s head gently on the mattress. John moaned but settled back in. Rodney moved a pillow down against the top of his head to feign himself lying next to John. Wouldn’t want him to panic or anything.
Bruce continued to whimper. Rodney whispered, “Coming, boy.” as he grabbed a pillow and a few blankets from a nearby bed. He laid a blanket next to the crate, opened the latch and hooked a leash to Bruce’s collar. It wasn’t really necessary. Bruce thumped his tail against the floor as he crawled into Rodney’s lap.
“Now be a good boy and be quiet. People are sleeping.” Bruce licked Rodney’s face and thumped his tail some more. His loving eyes stared into Rodney’s and he melted, “That’s it. Good dog.” He patted his head, “I think you’ll really like it here. Thanks…for saving me back there. That was scary. I’m glad you came back. Don’t know what I’d do if you hadn’t come back.”
Bruce licked his hand hanging outside the sling and Rodney’s heart grew light. He’d forgotten what wonderful creatures dogs were, having dubbed himself a cat person ever since his missing dog all those years ago. This was something he could get used to.
He gently covered him up and draped a side of the blanket over himself, leaving Bruce’s head poking out on his lap. He sighed and drifted off, leaned against the wall, hand on his sleeping friend’s head. Bruce quit whimpering and fell fast asleep almost immediately.
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Carson nearly panicked when he saw the empty bed in the middle of the night. Well, almost empty. He saw Sheppard slumped over onto the mattress from his chair where Rodney had left him.
“Colonel,” Carson shook him awake, “Where’s Rodney?”
“Huh? What?” Sheppard shot awake and bolted upright, “He, he was just here…oh, there he is…”
John pointed to the crate where Rodney and Bruce were curled up together. John took a pillow and laid it between Rodney’s head and the wall. He stepped back next to Carson. They both stared at them a minute before Carson nudged John, “Ya know, I’m beginning to think Rodney has a thing for Shepherds.”
“Yeah, guess he does.” John smiled at Carson’s pun. Any feelings of jealousy for the dog he had washed away with the contented look he saw on Rodney’s face. He wanted to see that look more often.
“You think he’ll mind if I…?” John gestured at the empty space next to Rodney.
“No, couldn’t hurt,” Carson handed him a pillow and blanket and John curled up on the floor next to Rodney. Carson chuckled to himself as he left for the night at the two guys huddled together on the floor all for a dog.
John kissed Rodney’s cheek and very carefully positioned himself behind Rodney’s cast so as not to disturb it as he laid his head on his shoulder. Bruce thumped his tail happily much to John’s delight. He patted his head and the three fell asleep together. He guessed Elizabeth would just have to get used to it. Atlantis had a dog now.