Elizabeth turned from her conversation with John Sheppard just long enough to make sure Rodney and Major Lorne's team were safely through the gate. Under their own steam. With no visible signs of blood.
She relaxed when a brief look in their direction showed all to be walking through unharmed, and turned back to John. The stunned look on his face, though, had her puzzled.
Her thoughts were immediately broken by a plaintive wail from Rodney, calling her name from below.
That was followed by a bellow that could only belong to a baby. Or a small animal that was being slowly tortured.
Elizabeth turned abruptly away from John, to look down to the gateroom below, and the panicking figure of Rodney McKay. He was still calling her down to him, while Major Lorne tried to silence both him and the baby --- she could see now it was definitely a baby.
By the time John and Elizabeth had reached the gateroom, Rodney was red in the face and Lorne had given up his role of peacemaker, standing back looking amused with the rest of his men.
"It's a baby." Elizabeth stated.
Rodney let out a loud groan. "I know it's a baby. Do something with it."
"Me?" Elizabeth stepped back nervously. "Oh, no... no, I'm not dealing with a baby."
"What?" Rodney gave her a pained and confused look. "What's the problem? Take it." He thrust the child in her direction.
Elizabeth took a further step back. "No," she told him firmly. "what makes you think I want to take it off your hands?"
"Well...." Rodney blustered, "You're a woman."
Elizabeth shot a shocked look over her shoulder at John, willing him to say something. When she saw nothing but a smirk on his face, she turned back to Rodney. "What," she asked, "is that supposed to mean, Dr McKay."
Rodney rolled his eyes, "You know," he told her, as though he was talking to a child, "You're a woman. You're supposed to know these things. It's... in your makeup."
Elizabeth threw him a disgusted look. "Negotiating is in my makeup," she told him, "knowing how to deal with egotistical scientists is in my makeup, this" she motioned towards the baby, "is most definitely not in my makeup."
It was then John finally decided to step in, still smiling, amused by the whole scene. "Here, give it to me," he told Rodney.
The scientist gave him a look of pure relief, and handed over the still wailing infant.
All were amazed when the baby suddenly fell silent.
"What did you do?" Rodney asked.
John shook his head, "Nothing..."
"Don't give me that, you have to have done something.."
"Nope."
"Huh..." Rodney muttered, "well you could have worked your magic before the thing perforated my left eardrum with its screaming."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Elizabeth paced around the infirmary. "So what are we going to do with it?"
She and Carson stood looking at the baby, still cradled in John's arms, and still quite content.
"I suppose the first thing to do is give the lass or lad a checkup..."
John quickly peered into the pile of blankets the baby was wrapped in. "Lass," he confirmed with a smile. "Perfect."
"Perfect how?" Elizabeth asked.
"Well, since I'm the only one who can get the kid to shut up, I figure I'll be here around changing time," he explained, "and I don't want some boy using me as target practice."
Elizabeth rolled her eyes and turned to Carson. "Okay, let's get this check done and we can figure out what to do with her."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Elizabeth wandered along the line of people, piling some pasta and a small cake onto her tray before moving to sit at the same table as John, Rodney and Radek.
And the baby.
It had been three days, and John had found himself on baby duties. Teyla and Ronon had gone with Major Lorne's team to try to find out who owned the child, and John seemed quite content to play babysitter.
"You've done this before, haven't you" Elizabeth asked, taking a sip of water.
"Nope."
She frowned. "How can you not have done this before? You and Carson are the only reason this baby's not screaming the city down."
"What can I say," John replied. "Maggie likes me."
Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. "Maggie?"
"Yeah, you know, like Maggie Simpson... she doesn't talk, so..."
"Maggie," Rodney finished.
Elizabeth gave them a look that told them in no uncertain terms she thought they were crazy. She then excused herself, and told them she'd eat while she worked, picking up her tray and leaving the room.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
It was late when John stopped by her office, Maggie still in tow, curled up in his arms, comfortably.
"Do you ever put her down?" Elizabeth asked, looking up from her reports.
"Sure.. usually when Carson or one of the nurses has time to hold her."
Elizabeth nodded. "You don't think you're getting too attached?" she asked, trying to look as though she was deeply committed to finishing the report she was working on.
"No," he answered. "I think there's something wrong if you can't get attached to baby... whether it's a human or a cat or a dog or ..."
"How about a Wraith?"
"Okay," he agreed, "I'll draw the line at Wraith."
She nodded, offering him a smile.
"Why don't you hold her?" he asked.
Elizabeth shook her head. "No, no I couldn't do that."
"Sure you can," John insisted, stepping closer to her.
"No, John, don't..."
He sighed and she couldn't help but think he looked defeated. "What's the problem. You hate kids?"
"No," Elizabeth assured him. "I'm fine with kids... it's just... when they're that small, I always think I'm going to break them."
He laughed at that, and she shot him a disapproving look. "You won't break her," he promised, stepping a little closer.
"John...."
"Just hold her for a few minutes," he asked, "it's amazing.. she's kind of calming."
"She's just going to start screaming if you give her to me." Elizabeth told him, starting to look panicked.
"She won't," he countered, "and if she does, you can give her back to me."
Elizabeth gave him a look that told himm she wasn't convinced.
"Come on," he told her, "It's easy."
Reluctantly, she moved over to the couch as indicated, and sat down.
"Okay," John reached out, positioning the baby in Elizabeth's arms, "make sure you support her head."
She rolled her eyes at that "John, I'm not stupid, I do know something about babies."
Maggie shifted a little, making herself comfortable.
"Hey, she likes you!" John whispered, running a hand over the baby's head.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Elizabeth watched nervously, three days later, when John handed Maggie over to her parents.
Lorne's team had found them. The baby had been snatched at just two days old by human traffickers, and had been left for dead in the forest when the Atlantis team had inadvertantly stumbled upon the criminals.
John's attachment to the child was obvious. He, Carson and some of the nurses from the infirmary fussed around the baby as her mother held her, and Elizbeth couldn't help but feel pain for them.
When the family left, John was the last one standing in the gateroom.
Elizabeth approached him slowly, quietly, laying a hand on his shoulder.
"Hi," he said with a sad smile as he turned to face her.
"You're going to miss her, aren't you?" Elizabeth asked.
He merely nodded.
"Me too," she confessed.
She relaxed when a brief look in their direction showed all to be walking through unharmed, and turned back to John. The stunned look on his face, though, had her puzzled.
Her thoughts were immediately broken by a plaintive wail from Rodney, calling her name from below.
That was followed by a bellow that could only belong to a baby. Or a small animal that was being slowly tortured.
Elizabeth turned abruptly away from John, to look down to the gateroom below, and the panicking figure of Rodney McKay. He was still calling her down to him, while Major Lorne tried to silence both him and the baby --- she could see now it was definitely a baby.
By the time John and Elizabeth had reached the gateroom, Rodney was red in the face and Lorne had given up his role of peacemaker, standing back looking amused with the rest of his men.
"It's a baby." Elizabeth stated.
Rodney let out a loud groan. "I know it's a baby. Do something with it."
"Me?" Elizabeth stepped back nervously. "Oh, no... no, I'm not dealing with a baby."
"What?" Rodney gave her a pained and confused look. "What's the problem? Take it." He thrust the child in her direction.
Elizabeth took a further step back. "No," she told him firmly. "what makes you think I want to take it off your hands?"
"Well...." Rodney blustered, "You're a woman."
Elizabeth shot a shocked look over her shoulder at John, willing him to say something. When she saw nothing but a smirk on his face, she turned back to Rodney. "What," she asked, "is that supposed to mean, Dr McKay."
Rodney rolled his eyes, "You know," he told her, as though he was talking to a child, "You're a woman. You're supposed to know these things. It's... in your makeup."
Elizabeth threw him a disgusted look. "Negotiating is in my makeup," she told him, "knowing how to deal with egotistical scientists is in my makeup, this" she motioned towards the baby, "is most definitely not in my makeup."
It was then John finally decided to step in, still smiling, amused by the whole scene. "Here, give it to me," he told Rodney.
The scientist gave him a look of pure relief, and handed over the still wailing infant.
All were amazed when the baby suddenly fell silent.
"What did you do?" Rodney asked.
John shook his head, "Nothing..."
"Don't give me that, you have to have done something.."
"Nope."
"Huh..." Rodney muttered, "well you could have worked your magic before the thing perforated my left eardrum with its screaming."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Elizabeth paced around the infirmary. "So what are we going to do with it?"
She and Carson stood looking at the baby, still cradled in John's arms, and still quite content.
"I suppose the first thing to do is give the lass or lad a checkup..."
John quickly peered into the pile of blankets the baby was wrapped in. "Lass," he confirmed with a smile. "Perfect."
"Perfect how?" Elizabeth asked.
"Well, since I'm the only one who can get the kid to shut up, I figure I'll be here around changing time," he explained, "and I don't want some boy using me as target practice."
Elizabeth rolled her eyes and turned to Carson. "Okay, let's get this check done and we can figure out what to do with her."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Elizabeth wandered along the line of people, piling some pasta and a small cake onto her tray before moving to sit at the same table as John, Rodney and Radek.
And the baby.
It had been three days, and John had found himself on baby duties. Teyla and Ronon had gone with Major Lorne's team to try to find out who owned the child, and John seemed quite content to play babysitter.
"You've done this before, haven't you" Elizabeth asked, taking a sip of water.
"Nope."
She frowned. "How can you not have done this before? You and Carson are the only reason this baby's not screaming the city down."
"What can I say," John replied. "Maggie likes me."
Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. "Maggie?"
"Yeah, you know, like Maggie Simpson... she doesn't talk, so..."
"Maggie," Rodney finished.
Elizabeth gave them a look that told them in no uncertain terms she thought they were crazy. She then excused herself, and told them she'd eat while she worked, picking up her tray and leaving the room.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
It was late when John stopped by her office, Maggie still in tow, curled up in his arms, comfortably.
"Do you ever put her down?" Elizabeth asked, looking up from her reports.
"Sure.. usually when Carson or one of the nurses has time to hold her."
Elizabeth nodded. "You don't think you're getting too attached?" she asked, trying to look as though she was deeply committed to finishing the report she was working on.
"No," he answered. "I think there's something wrong if you can't get attached to baby... whether it's a human or a cat or a dog or ..."
"How about a Wraith?"
"Okay," he agreed, "I'll draw the line at Wraith."
She nodded, offering him a smile.
"Why don't you hold her?" he asked.
Elizabeth shook her head. "No, no I couldn't do that."
"Sure you can," John insisted, stepping closer to her.
"No, John, don't..."
He sighed and she couldn't help but think he looked defeated. "What's the problem. You hate kids?"
"No," Elizabeth assured him. "I'm fine with kids... it's just... when they're that small, I always think I'm going to break them."
He laughed at that, and she shot him a disapproving look. "You won't break her," he promised, stepping a little closer.
"John...."
"Just hold her for a few minutes," he asked, "it's amazing.. she's kind of calming."
"She's just going to start screaming if you give her to me." Elizabeth told him, starting to look panicked.
"She won't," he countered, "and if she does, you can give her back to me."
Elizabeth gave him a look that told himm she wasn't convinced.
"Come on," he told her, "It's easy."
Reluctantly, she moved over to the couch as indicated, and sat down.
"Okay," John reached out, positioning the baby in Elizabeth's arms, "make sure you support her head."
She rolled her eyes at that "John, I'm not stupid, I do know something about babies."
Maggie shifted a little, making herself comfortable.
"Hey, she likes you!" John whispered, running a hand over the baby's head.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Elizabeth watched nervously, three days later, when John handed Maggie over to her parents.
Lorne's team had found them. The baby had been snatched at just two days old by human traffickers, and had been left for dead in the forest when the Atlantis team had inadvertantly stumbled upon the criminals.
John's attachment to the child was obvious. He, Carson and some of the nurses from the infirmary fussed around the baby as her mother held her, and Elizbeth couldn't help but feel pain for them.
When the family left, John was the last one standing in the gateroom.
Elizabeth approached him slowly, quietly, laying a hand on his shoulder.
"Hi," he said with a sad smile as he turned to face her.
"You're going to miss her, aren't you?" Elizabeth asked.
He merely nodded.
"Me too," she confessed.