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sga_flashficTitle: Diagnosis: Love
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
severusslave
Rating: Teen
Beta:natas_amsg <3
Pairing: Rodney McKay/Carson Beckett
Warnings: Fluff, crack ...and you realize this is a harlequin? Consider yourself warned!
Summary: Nurse McKay and paediatrician Beckett meet each other for the first time over a cup of coffee in the hospital's cafeteria. Both are completely smitten with the other. Will they find to each other?
Diagnosis: Love
It was a pretty unspectacular day at the central children's hospital. In fact it was a monday.
Doctor Carson Beckett did not like mondays. On mondays he could never easily get out of bed for the morning shift. The whole day seemed to be cursed.
Carson sat at a table in the back of the children's hospital's cafeteria, sipped his cup of coffee and came to terms with the fact that this day would be particularly monday-like.
But Carson was wrong.
A minute later, a man clad in the blue nurse uniform seated himself at the table next to Carson's and began to inhale his most probably scalding hot coffee as if it was air.
Carson watched him cuss and wave his hand in front of his face at the heat of the beverage and then the next moment take another sip. More hand waving happened and three more sips were taken, then the man leant back in his chair and wore the most intriguing expression on his face.
Blissed out would have been an understatement. Orgasmic was closer to reality.
Carson was unable to divert his gaze away from the man. Absentmindly he lifted his own cup to his lips - and the motion came to an abrupt halt as the man began to make noises over his cup of coffee that were appropriate for bedroom activities. Carson found himself being mesmerized.
Mere seconds later the man's beeper alerted him and Carson watched him gulp down the rest of his coffee and hurry off. He wasn't entirely sure what he should make of the fact that he felt surprisingly sad about seeing the man go.
The next day was a pretty unspectacular day at the children's hospital. In fact it was a tuesday.
As usual, paediatrician Carson Beckett lounged at the back of the cafeteria at his table during his break. He liked tuesdays, they served good vegetable casserole on tuesdays.
He sat on his chair, listened to music from his mp3-player and poked his casserole in search of some pieces of broccoli as the table shook. The coffee addicted male nurse was there again.
The man seated himself directly across Carson, ripped open a pack of sugar with his teeth, poured the sugar into his coffee. Carson sat straighter and watched the man's movements. The male nurse seemed to look for something, then quickly stole Carson's knife, turned it over and used the knife's handle to stir the sugar into his coffee. He then took it out of his coffee and into his mouth, sucking the metal handle clean of coffee.
Other parts of Carson sat straighter and paid attention.
The nurse, R. McKay according to his name tag, then drank of his sweetened coffee. The same facial expression of heavenly delight on his features that he had worn yesterday morning. As he put the cup down on the table he seemed to notice the knife in his right hand for the first time.
"Yes, that would be mine," said Carson dryly. Apparently Nurse McKay hadn't even noticed the other occupant of the table as he startled badly and jumped a bit in his seat. He looked at Carson.
And... it seemed that McKay was satisfied with just looking at him as he did do it for about a minute, and did not even attempt to start anything else.
Finally, Carson tilted his head to the side and asked, "You can keep it, of course, since you licked your claim on it and all, Nurse McKay."
The man blinked quickly three times in a row and then blushed. Intensely.
Carson had to chuckle, he couldn't help himself. "It's quite alright, lad.." And that, apparently, started of a whole series of apologies pouring out of McKay's mouth.
Dr. Carson Beckett knew he had it bad when he thought that he could listen to the babble for hours on end just to hear the man talk.
They often met over the course of the next month. Mostly in the cafeteria, but sometimes when dealing with some of their patients. McKay mostly cared for the comatose children, but worked on Carson's floor, too, sometimes.
Carson reckoned that McKay had originally wanted to become a M.D., too, as some of the recommendations and diagnoses the nurse threw in into their chats about patients and their illnesses spoke of vast knowledge. Carson wondered what had made McKay become a male nurse instead.
McKay worked five shifts a week and told Carson he was taking some med classes as well. He assumed that the man needed the money he earned as a nurse in the children's hospital. Carson worried about his friend, he seemed to be very stressed and exhausted at times.
Carson wanted to care for him and fuss over him, it was almost like a need. Now he just needed to get McKay to agree to go out with him.
He figured he had a chance.
Nurse McKay never had looked after Nurse Weir, except for the initial surprised gaze, who was a female nurse who has made it her mission to get one of the doctors to marry her and, well, dressed that way. Carson was slightly uncomfortable when around her - he thought that the woman was quite intelligent, but really he did not need to see a black string under her too short skirt while speaking to her. How she got the nurse uniform to look that sexy was still a miracle to Carson, even after two years of working with Nurse Weir.
She was one of his more capable nurses, though, as she had a knack with handling the smaller children, especially the girls, and the kids who have already hit puberty. The girls want to be like her and the boys lust after her and do anything she wants them to do.
Now, if he just had the affirmation about McKay's orientation... ah well, he thought, I think I'll risk it.
He went to find his man.
When he finally found McKay, he found him in a boy's four bed bedroom discussing maths of all things with one of the teenagers. Carson leant against the door frame, nodded a greeting to the one boy who could detect him there and listened to their conversation. This was one of Nurse McKay's qualities, he never did talk to the children as if they were stupid, just because they were children, he always talked with them the way he talked to an adult, he just explained more things.
McKay and the thirteen years old boy - Sheppard, John, broken left-hand tibia, broken left-hand femur, broken left-hand ilium; skateboard accident - were currently discussing about a topic of mathematics that Carson was convinced he had never even heard of.
Carson shivered and corrected his stance as he was affected by the innocent but oh so seducing enthusiasm that carried in McKay's voice as he talked about maths and physics.
Carson seemed to have fallen deeper in a not so innocent daydream as the next thing he noticed was a game of guessing prime numbers.
"2161!"
"Prime. 2963?"
"Prime, that's simple, Rodney, really. 10335?"
"Not prime. Raising the stakes, boy? Alright, 16551?"
"...Er, not prime!"
"You sure?"
"Yes! 20641?"
"Prime! What about..."
The maths duel went on like this and Carson pitied the other three kids. So he nodded to the one boy who could see him, the instant he himself knew a right answer and the boy shouted, "Not prime!".
McKay - Rodney, Carson reminded himself - had looked up surprised and the boy blushed and confessed to his cheating as he nodded towards Carson.
As he had five pairs of eyes on him, Carson winked and stepped away from the doorway and left the room.
Rodney's gaze was locked onto the spot where Doctor Beckett stood before and he smiled. Then he snapped out of it, grinned at John on the bed, who raised both thumbs at him and grinned back, and hurried after the Doc.
"Doc! Doc!", Rodney yelled and Carson stopped going down the hall and waited for him.
"This boy's brilliant, isn't he? The way he handles his numbers reminds me of me and to be able to understand Darboux-Stieltjes' integral as a thirteen year old is ingenious -", Rodney was interrupted by Carson. "Young Mr. Sheppard is one of our more difficult patients. He has not opened up to anybody here, not even to Nurse Weir. We, that is Drs Markham, Zelenka and myself have already talked about sending Dr. Heightmeyer to him. You're good for him, Nurse McKay. I haven't seen him that lively before."
Rodney felt himself blush again, he hated that, he did not blush normally, ever! He talked on about the kid to stop the blood flush his cheeks, and really, one word of praise of the Doc and.. Aargh, he had to stop blushing now! This was getting ridiculously embarrassing.
"...and special teaching! And, Doc, why aren't you saying anything? I know I talk much, especially right now, but you can just tell me to shut up and I think it might be the best if I do that. Shutting up, I mean. Right now."
After Rodney got his own babbling subdued he looked questioning at Dr. Beckett.
"What?"
The man had an indefinable expression on his face - oh my, embarrassing didn't quite cut it...
"I wonder if I should ask you out for dinner."
Wha- Rodney stared. Did the Doc really... ?
He blinked.
He blinked again. "Yes!", he blurted out and he knew he grinned the most ridiculous grin. "Tonight then?", came the question - and, wow, how did the Doc keep his cool?
"Yes! Yes, of course." Rodney answered.
"I'm glad," said Beckett and smiled a most wonderful smile. A smile that vanished as Rodney went on, "Oh no, I can't! Sean!"
"Sean? A boyfriend, Mr. McKay?" Rodney had to roll his eyes, "A son, Dr. Beckett."
And there was the smile again, "Well then, I bring dessert, you get dinner and I come over to your and Sean's house at...?"
"Well, my shift ends at 6 pm, I've got to get Sean from the sitter and get dinner, would sweet-sour duck be alright? And I think I should at least clean a bit, so at 7:30 pm?", Rodney suggested. "Oh, and no nuts or citrus for dessert!"
"I was thinking more along the lines of mousse au chocolat," Carson said and was delighted by the bright smile that information got out of McKay, "and half past seven is really fine?"
"7:30 pm is most perfect, Doc Beckett.", Rodney assured him.
"Call me Carson, ...Rodney?"
"Rodney is fine, Doc - Carson. Till then, Carson." And they had to part ways and go on with their work, both of them full of expectation for the evening's outcome.
Five minutes late to their date Carson knocked on the door of McKay's apartment and was quickly greeted by Rodney who held his son upside-down and was tickling him.
"Come in, come in. I'll just get this little brat into his pj's, won't I, Sean?", and the small boy squealed with laughter, "and we'll be all set for dinner. Take a seat if you want to, Carson. Now, young man, ...oi!" And Sean had squiggled his way out of Rodney's hold and had taken off at full-speed.
Rodney had sighed, smiled at Carson and ushered him into the living room.
"I'm sorry for the bustle, I hope it doesn't bother you too much. You want a beer? Oh, wait. Did you drive? A soda or something then?", said Rodney and then stood still for the first time since Carson stepped in to the apartment.
"The bustle's fine, it's most endearing in fact, and I could help if you wanted? I did not drive, I took a taxi as I had no idea where exactly your apartment was, so a beer would be fine, to answer your questions."
Rodney nodded. Then he shook his head. "Beer, no problem. Help? No thanks, I got this under control." And he had already whirled around and headed for the freezer before he even had finished his sentence.
So Carson shrugged, not that anybody would have noticed it, and took a seat on the big, comfy couch, took his bottle of beer out of Rodney's hand when it was offered and then relaxed, leant back and listened to the conversation between father and son.
"Sean, pj's, now!" And then there was mumbling and a bit of whining, "Not the red ones, Dad, I want the green ones with the bats, Dad!" and then, "Brush your teeth, Sean. Why, yes, you have to." And other wonderful domestic things that Carson hadn't listened to since... since far too long in his opinion.
He turned his attention to the living room he was in. It was not all that big, but cramped in a wonderful lived in way that spoke of its user's personalities.
Sorted chaos would describe it best, Carson thought. On the one hand there were the bookshelves, sorted alphabetically by genre and author, so far as Carson could judge, then on the other hand there were the colourful children's paintings plastered across the back of said books.
There was a desk, and the two desktops indicated that two persons used it, and really Sean looked to be no more than two or three years old, what would he need a desk for? Ah, thought Carson, he would ask later.
Clearly diverted piles of leggo's, matchbox cars, crayons and paper and piles of Rodney's... toys? Computer parts and tools and stuff Carson couldn't identify.
Many framed photographies hung on the walls and stood propped up on many surfaces of the room. Most of them were of Rodney and Sean together, some were of Rodney as a child or of him graduating and some were of a woman that had to be Sean's mother. She was a beauty, dark skin, beautiful hair and a very nice smile. Sean had her colouring from what Carson could tell. He wondered what had happened to her.
Carson looked around, there were no photos of Rodney together with that woman. Peculiar.
As he put a photo back down on his place atop of a piano Rodney re-entered the living room. He carried his son again, this time the boy was the right way up, clad in pyjamas and looked shyly at him.
"He does not want to go to sleep before he did not know you, so: Sean, this is Doctor Carson Beckett. Carson, this is Sean McKay. Are you now willing to go to bed, Sean?"
The boy waved at him then hid his face on his father's chest. Carson saw him nod and then the boy whispered something. Rodney wrinkled his brows as he listened, then abruptly looked up to Carson and smiled at him and left the room again, presumably to settle the boy into his bed.
Carson sipped on his beer while he waited for Rodney to return.
"He told me that he likes you and that he likes that I like you and that he likes that you like me, too. And, yes, I'm quoting here," Rodney had told him as he came back to Carson after he had brought his son to bed.
It had been a most welcome conversation starter for the very nice and surprisingly relaxed dinner they had together.
Now, after dinner, they had settled on the couch with a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon and continued their conversation.
Carson had already learnt that additionally to his shifts working in the hospital, Rodney also had a job in a local gay cocktail bar as a bartender, went to some classes this semester at university and tried to spend as much time with his son as humanly possible. Which was actually more time than what Carson would have been able to muster.
Carson worried about Rodney's health, but had kept quiet, he did not think that the man would appreciate being diagnosed and scolded for his hectic lifestyle during a romantic first dinner.
He had also learnt that the woman on the photos was indeed Sean's mother and the only woman Rodney had ever been with - It had been a one night stand! And a very drunken one at that. I mean I slept with a woman!
Her name was Emma Taylor and was currently engaged to a nice - seriously hot, she couldn't have done better - young man called Aiden and pregnant again. For the third time.
Emma still visited her son, but only three to four times a year as she, her other children and her fiancé have moved to his parent's old house - the next state.
Carson had learned that Rodney had been overjoyed by the fact that Emma had been very glad and relieved that he wanted to raise Sean by himself. She had told Rodney of her pregnancy and his oncoming fatherhood when she had been in her ninth month, mere three weeks before the birth and she had been desperate. Her fiancé apparently is a marine and had been on a long mission in a foreign country, and they had parted with an argument and then there had been Rodney and alcohol and Sean had been conceived that night. And then her fiancé had come back from his mission and would have had found her pregnant, so she came to live with Rodney for the weeks around the birth and she had left his apartment without her son some months later.
The story sounded like a bad romance novel with Emma as the heroine who got impregnated by the evil, but handsome bartender who got her drunk while her good and upstanding husband or fiancé was away on a mission for the country... and really, Carson was glad that this was reality and not some bad romance novel for the evil, but handsome bartender was actually gay and interested in him and he wouldn't have it any other way.
Carson had to smile at this thought and took a sip of his wine and again focused on Rodney. Who was looking at him and twirled the stem of his own wineglass, making the wine slosh around.
Their conversation was at one of those low points, where there was no need for words and companionship was completely enough. It was a very comfortable moment and Carson knew that they both would cherish it later on.
Still, ...
"So...", said Carson. "This would be the moment where the hero of the movie would ask the heroine to put out," he made Rodney snicker and histrionically flutter his lashes, purse his lips and blow him a kiss, "then the heroine would say that sorry, she isn't that kind of girl and...?"
Carson let the unspoken question stand between them and leant back into the couch cushion. It was Rodney's turn now.
The man took another sip out of his glass, then put it down on the couch table. He knelt up on the couch, maneuvered Carson's legs in the best position to accommodate himself between and put Carson's glass next to his on the table.
As he now knelt over Carson he put both his hands flat on Carson's chest and whispered, "Be glad that I'm not any kind of girl, my dear Doctor," quirked one eyebrow and pulled Carson up into a kiss.
"Oh," panted Carson after their kiss broke apart, "believe me, I am. Now, bedroom?"
"And much putting out, yes."
They had stumbled blindly into the bedroom not long after that. And they had made love that night.
Carson learned much about Rodney that night, as the way the man fucked seemed to be made out of the essence of his way of living.
Full of love and wonderfully careful. Disciplined and concentrated on each moment. Passionately and with enthusiasm. And absolutely honest.
Carson loved this unconditionally honesty. He revelled in the almost overwhelming complexity of things that made Rodney as he got to experience him.
He felt as if he was captured in all the attention of Rodney's and it felt right that way. Natural.
He had told Rodney all this when they had lain next to each other afterwards, on their backs, still touching, sweaty and out of breath.
And they had both known that they were in for something good when Rodney had confessed to feeling the same way.
Captured in each other.
It would stay like this. Wondrously they had known that even that first evening together. They were not to be wrong about this.
They hadn't had to keep their relationship a secret at work and still it had taken almost a week till the news travelled per rumour through the halls of the hospital.
Blunt as usual Nurse Weir had made them kiss in front of almost the whole crew to proof that she'd been right and to throw light on the rumour for once and for all.
To quote her, "Yes, now we all know they're a couple. And a very hot one at that, gentlemen.", she alternately spoke to Carson and Rodney and to the others, "And, if I'm allowed to say so, it's been time for both of you to settle down. And look, there's already a kid in the mix. When will be the wedding? You can practice kissing now, though."
For about four months everything went on just fine. They managed to meet often and had dinner every week at least once. Carson spent time with Rodney and Sean and got to know the boy better - and found that he really liked Rodney's son. The boy was nice and unbelievable smart. His third birthday had been last month and Carson could not remember ever having experienced such innocent fun with just playing. Clearly his life had become too much dominated by work or scholastics in the past.
Carson shook his head. Such morose thoughts weren't typical for him. Still, during the last week Rodney seemed to be strangely... abrasive. No this was too strong a word. He was... distant.
Carson worried. They had not had an argument or anything of that sort, in fact Carson had absolutely no idea what could have gone wrong so that Rodney felt the need to distance himself.
Could have something happened with Sean's mother? Had Sean had any problems? With a sitter maybe? Or did anything happen in the bar? Or...
He sighed. It would do no good for him to worry about what if's. Especially now.
The stewardess told him and all the other passengers to fasten their seatbelts as they were ready to start the landing and Carson mentally prepared himself for the one week long conference he was about to attend.
Sean did not know what to do. His dad has told him to ask Mary, his sitter, to bring him home at 6pm. She had done that, had even brought him up right to his door and he had been allowed to turn the key around all by himself!
He had yelled hello to his dad and had turned around to wave at Mary. And Granny Mary had waved back and had gone home then.
He had hung up his anorak and had stripped off his sneakers and had yelled for his dad again.
So he then had searched for his dad, as his dad was always there when Mary brought him home, and maybe he had to use the bathroom or was on the phone and did not hear him.
He had found his dad in the kitchen. Lying face down on the floor.
Asleep.
Which was stupid, because his dad had his own bed and if he wanted to sleep why didn't he go there instead.
Sean tried to wake him up and tell him that, but he didn't succeed in waking him up.
Sean did not know what to do.
"Carson? Dad won't wake up," he still could hear these words echoing in his brain.
At first he hadn't understood them, the call had come mid meeting and he had been halfway ready to snap at the person calling him just then, as he had recognised Rodney's son's voice, and then he had become afraid.
He had asked Sean to tell him exactly what had happened and hoped that the three-year-old would and could do what he had told him to. Turning Rodney around, checking for breath and pulse and then staying calm enough to hang up and call old Granny Mary again, so that somebody would be with him.
While Carson called the hospital and ordered an ambulance to the McKay's apartment. And worried.
He had booked a seat on the next flight home and now was on his way to the hospital via taxi.
As Carson finally reached the hospital's entrance one of the reception's staff smiled at him and told him the room's number. 252. A regular bedroom. Thank God. Carson breathed a sigh of relief. Still nearby the emergency area of the hospital.
He hurried to the lifts and impatiently waited, punched the button #2, waited again and finally stormed out of the lift.
As he approached room number 252 he could hear laughter coming out of it. He opened the door. And was greeted by the grinning faces of Sean and young John Sheppard, who had the little boy on his lap.
He looked over to the bed. Rodney was asleep in it. He made four more steps towards the bed and slumped down in one of the chairs that stood next to it. He took Rodney's left hand into his both and let his forehead rest on them for a long while.
Sean had wanted to jump up and run to Carson as his dad's boyfriend had entered the room. John had hold him tight and had gestured him shush, though.
Now Carson had sat for so long next to his dad. He just sat there! It certainly had been an hour or so. Well, maybe a half a hour. Anyway totally too long.
Sean was about to flee out of John's grasp as Carson looked up and smiled at him and asked, "Hey there, Sean. Why don't you tell me what's wrong with your dad, lad?"
And he had, told Carson that the nice nurse had told him that his dad was 'clearly overworked and had fainted from exhaustion' and that he most likely had bashed his head on the kitchen table... and then Carson had interrupted him to scold his sleeping dad.
"You stupid man. You really can't look after yourself, can't you?", and then Carson had shook his head and smiled at Sean and John again.
And seemed to be lost in thoughts as he did not quit to just look at Sean for a while. Suddenly he nodded sharply and asked Sean the most cool thing!
Fainting from exhaustion. Well, it wasn't as if Carson hadn't thought that such a thing would happen if Rodney worked as hard as he did for any time longer. He shouldn't have agreed to attend to that conference.
He should have made Rodney quit one of his jobs. He would do it now. But then there was the question of money, Rodney had told him that he needed the money he earned. For the apartment's rent, for Sean special tutoring, babysitting and for university fees. Hmmm, maybe if... Yes.
"Hey, Sean, what do you think of you and your dad moving in with me, lad?
Author:
severusslaveRating: Teen
Beta:
natas_amsg <3 Pairing: Rodney McKay/Carson Beckett
Warnings: Fluff, crack ...and you realize this is a harlequin? Consider yourself warned!
Summary: Nurse McKay and paediatrician Beckett meet each other for the first time over a cup of coffee in the hospital's cafeteria. Both are completely smitten with the other. Will they find to each other?
Diagnosis: Love
It was a pretty unspectacular day at the central children's hospital. In fact it was a monday.
Doctor Carson Beckett did not like mondays. On mondays he could never easily get out of bed for the morning shift. The whole day seemed to be cursed.
Carson sat at a table in the back of the children's hospital's cafeteria, sipped his cup of coffee and came to terms with the fact that this day would be particularly monday-like.
But Carson was wrong.
A minute later, a man clad in the blue nurse uniform seated himself at the table next to Carson's and began to inhale his most probably scalding hot coffee as if it was air.
Carson watched him cuss and wave his hand in front of his face at the heat of the beverage and then the next moment take another sip. More hand waving happened and three more sips were taken, then the man leant back in his chair and wore the most intriguing expression on his face.
Blissed out would have been an understatement. Orgasmic was closer to reality.
Carson was unable to divert his gaze away from the man. Absentmindly he lifted his own cup to his lips - and the motion came to an abrupt halt as the man began to make noises over his cup of coffee that were appropriate for bedroom activities. Carson found himself being mesmerized.
Mere seconds later the man's beeper alerted him and Carson watched him gulp down the rest of his coffee and hurry off. He wasn't entirely sure what he should make of the fact that he felt surprisingly sad about seeing the man go.
The next day was a pretty unspectacular day at the children's hospital. In fact it was a tuesday.
As usual, paediatrician Carson Beckett lounged at the back of the cafeteria at his table during his break. He liked tuesdays, they served good vegetable casserole on tuesdays.
He sat on his chair, listened to music from his mp3-player and poked his casserole in search of some pieces of broccoli as the table shook. The coffee addicted male nurse was there again.
The man seated himself directly across Carson, ripped open a pack of sugar with his teeth, poured the sugar into his coffee. Carson sat straighter and watched the man's movements. The male nurse seemed to look for something, then quickly stole Carson's knife, turned it over and used the knife's handle to stir the sugar into his coffee. He then took it out of his coffee and into his mouth, sucking the metal handle clean of coffee.
Other parts of Carson sat straighter and paid attention.
The nurse, R. McKay according to his name tag, then drank of his sweetened coffee. The same facial expression of heavenly delight on his features that he had worn yesterday morning. As he put the cup down on the table he seemed to notice the knife in his right hand for the first time.
"Yes, that would be mine," said Carson dryly. Apparently Nurse McKay hadn't even noticed the other occupant of the table as he startled badly and jumped a bit in his seat. He looked at Carson.
And... it seemed that McKay was satisfied with just looking at him as he did do it for about a minute, and did not even attempt to start anything else.
Finally, Carson tilted his head to the side and asked, "You can keep it, of course, since you licked your claim on it and all, Nurse McKay."
The man blinked quickly three times in a row and then blushed. Intensely.
Carson had to chuckle, he couldn't help himself. "It's quite alright, lad.." And that, apparently, started of a whole series of apologies pouring out of McKay's mouth.
Dr. Carson Beckett knew he had it bad when he thought that he could listen to the babble for hours on end just to hear the man talk.
They often met over the course of the next month. Mostly in the cafeteria, but sometimes when dealing with some of their patients. McKay mostly cared for the comatose children, but worked on Carson's floor, too, sometimes.
Carson reckoned that McKay had originally wanted to become a M.D., too, as some of the recommendations and diagnoses the nurse threw in into their chats about patients and their illnesses spoke of vast knowledge. Carson wondered what had made McKay become a male nurse instead.
McKay worked five shifts a week and told Carson he was taking some med classes as well. He assumed that the man needed the money he earned as a nurse in the children's hospital. Carson worried about his friend, he seemed to be very stressed and exhausted at times.
Carson wanted to care for him and fuss over him, it was almost like a need. Now he just needed to get McKay to agree to go out with him.
He figured he had a chance.
Nurse McKay never had looked after Nurse Weir, except for the initial surprised gaze, who was a female nurse who has made it her mission to get one of the doctors to marry her and, well, dressed that way. Carson was slightly uncomfortable when around her - he thought that the woman was quite intelligent, but really he did not need to see a black string under her too short skirt while speaking to her. How she got the nurse uniform to look that sexy was still a miracle to Carson, even after two years of working with Nurse Weir.
She was one of his more capable nurses, though, as she had a knack with handling the smaller children, especially the girls, and the kids who have already hit puberty. The girls want to be like her and the boys lust after her and do anything she wants them to do.
Now, if he just had the affirmation about McKay's orientation... ah well, he thought, I think I'll risk it.
He went to find his man.
When he finally found McKay, he found him in a boy's four bed bedroom discussing maths of all things with one of the teenagers. Carson leant against the door frame, nodded a greeting to the one boy who could detect him there and listened to their conversation. This was one of Nurse McKay's qualities, he never did talk to the children as if they were stupid, just because they were children, he always talked with them the way he talked to an adult, he just explained more things.
McKay and the thirteen years old boy - Sheppard, John, broken left-hand tibia, broken left-hand femur, broken left-hand ilium; skateboard accident - were currently discussing about a topic of mathematics that Carson was convinced he had never even heard of.
Carson shivered and corrected his stance as he was affected by the innocent but oh so seducing enthusiasm that carried in McKay's voice as he talked about maths and physics.
Carson seemed to have fallen deeper in a not so innocent daydream as the next thing he noticed was a game of guessing prime numbers.
"2161!"
"Prime. 2963?"
"Prime, that's simple, Rodney, really. 10335?"
"Not prime. Raising the stakes, boy? Alright, 16551?"
"...Er, not prime!"
"You sure?"
"Yes! 20641?"
"Prime! What about..."
The maths duel went on like this and Carson pitied the other three kids. So he nodded to the one boy who could see him, the instant he himself knew a right answer and the boy shouted, "Not prime!".
McKay - Rodney, Carson reminded himself - had looked up surprised and the boy blushed and confessed to his cheating as he nodded towards Carson.
As he had five pairs of eyes on him, Carson winked and stepped away from the doorway and left the room.
Rodney's gaze was locked onto the spot where Doctor Beckett stood before and he smiled. Then he snapped out of it, grinned at John on the bed, who raised both thumbs at him and grinned back, and hurried after the Doc.
"Doc! Doc!", Rodney yelled and Carson stopped going down the hall and waited for him.
"This boy's brilliant, isn't he? The way he handles his numbers reminds me of me and to be able to understand Darboux-Stieltjes' integral as a thirteen year old is ingenious -", Rodney was interrupted by Carson. "Young Mr. Sheppard is one of our more difficult patients. He has not opened up to anybody here, not even to Nurse Weir. We, that is Drs Markham, Zelenka and myself have already talked about sending Dr. Heightmeyer to him. You're good for him, Nurse McKay. I haven't seen him that lively before."
Rodney felt himself blush again, he hated that, he did not blush normally, ever! He talked on about the kid to stop the blood flush his cheeks, and really, one word of praise of the Doc and.. Aargh, he had to stop blushing now! This was getting ridiculously embarrassing.
"...and special teaching! And, Doc, why aren't you saying anything? I know I talk much, especially right now, but you can just tell me to shut up and I think it might be the best if I do that. Shutting up, I mean. Right now."
After Rodney got his own babbling subdued he looked questioning at Dr. Beckett.
"What?"
The man had an indefinable expression on his face - oh my, embarrassing didn't quite cut it...
"I wonder if I should ask you out for dinner."
Wha- Rodney stared. Did the Doc really... ?
He blinked.
He blinked again. "Yes!", he blurted out and he knew he grinned the most ridiculous grin. "Tonight then?", came the question - and, wow, how did the Doc keep his cool?
"Yes! Yes, of course." Rodney answered.
"I'm glad," said Beckett and smiled a most wonderful smile. A smile that vanished as Rodney went on, "Oh no, I can't! Sean!"
"Sean? A boyfriend, Mr. McKay?" Rodney had to roll his eyes, "A son, Dr. Beckett."
And there was the smile again, "Well then, I bring dessert, you get dinner and I come over to your and Sean's house at...?"
"Well, my shift ends at 6 pm, I've got to get Sean from the sitter and get dinner, would sweet-sour duck be alright? And I think I should at least clean a bit, so at 7:30 pm?", Rodney suggested. "Oh, and no nuts or citrus for dessert!"
"I was thinking more along the lines of mousse au chocolat," Carson said and was delighted by the bright smile that information got out of McKay, "and half past seven is really fine?"
"7:30 pm is most perfect, Doc Beckett.", Rodney assured him.
"Call me Carson, ...Rodney?"
"Rodney is fine, Doc - Carson. Till then, Carson." And they had to part ways and go on with their work, both of them full of expectation for the evening's outcome.
Five minutes late to their date Carson knocked on the door of McKay's apartment and was quickly greeted by Rodney who held his son upside-down and was tickling him.
"Come in, come in. I'll just get this little brat into his pj's, won't I, Sean?", and the small boy squealed with laughter, "and we'll be all set for dinner. Take a seat if you want to, Carson. Now, young man, ...oi!" And Sean had squiggled his way out of Rodney's hold and had taken off at full-speed.
Rodney had sighed, smiled at Carson and ushered him into the living room.
"I'm sorry for the bustle, I hope it doesn't bother you too much. You want a beer? Oh, wait. Did you drive? A soda or something then?", said Rodney and then stood still for the first time since Carson stepped in to the apartment.
"The bustle's fine, it's most endearing in fact, and I could help if you wanted? I did not drive, I took a taxi as I had no idea where exactly your apartment was, so a beer would be fine, to answer your questions."
Rodney nodded. Then he shook his head. "Beer, no problem. Help? No thanks, I got this under control." And he had already whirled around and headed for the freezer before he even had finished his sentence.
So Carson shrugged, not that anybody would have noticed it, and took a seat on the big, comfy couch, took his bottle of beer out of Rodney's hand when it was offered and then relaxed, leant back and listened to the conversation between father and son.
"Sean, pj's, now!" And then there was mumbling and a bit of whining, "Not the red ones, Dad, I want the green ones with the bats, Dad!" and then, "Brush your teeth, Sean. Why, yes, you have to." And other wonderful domestic things that Carson hadn't listened to since... since far too long in his opinion.
He turned his attention to the living room he was in. It was not all that big, but cramped in a wonderful lived in way that spoke of its user's personalities.
Sorted chaos would describe it best, Carson thought. On the one hand there were the bookshelves, sorted alphabetically by genre and author, so far as Carson could judge, then on the other hand there were the colourful children's paintings plastered across the back of said books.
There was a desk, and the two desktops indicated that two persons used it, and really Sean looked to be no more than two or three years old, what would he need a desk for? Ah, thought Carson, he would ask later.
Clearly diverted piles of leggo's, matchbox cars, crayons and paper and piles of Rodney's... toys? Computer parts and tools and stuff Carson couldn't identify.
Many framed photographies hung on the walls and stood propped up on many surfaces of the room. Most of them were of Rodney and Sean together, some were of Rodney as a child or of him graduating and some were of a woman that had to be Sean's mother. She was a beauty, dark skin, beautiful hair and a very nice smile. Sean had her colouring from what Carson could tell. He wondered what had happened to her.
Carson looked around, there were no photos of Rodney together with that woman. Peculiar.
As he put a photo back down on his place atop of a piano Rodney re-entered the living room. He carried his son again, this time the boy was the right way up, clad in pyjamas and looked shyly at him.
"He does not want to go to sleep before he did not know you, so: Sean, this is Doctor Carson Beckett. Carson, this is Sean McKay. Are you now willing to go to bed, Sean?"
The boy waved at him then hid his face on his father's chest. Carson saw him nod and then the boy whispered something. Rodney wrinkled his brows as he listened, then abruptly looked up to Carson and smiled at him and left the room again, presumably to settle the boy into his bed.
Carson sipped on his beer while he waited for Rodney to return.
"He told me that he likes you and that he likes that I like you and that he likes that you like me, too. And, yes, I'm quoting here," Rodney had told him as he came back to Carson after he had brought his son to bed.
It had been a most welcome conversation starter for the very nice and surprisingly relaxed dinner they had together.
Now, after dinner, they had settled on the couch with a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon and continued their conversation.
Carson had already learnt that additionally to his shifts working in the hospital, Rodney also had a job in a local gay cocktail bar as a bartender, went to some classes this semester at university and tried to spend as much time with his son as humanly possible. Which was actually more time than what Carson would have been able to muster.
Carson worried about Rodney's health, but had kept quiet, he did not think that the man would appreciate being diagnosed and scolded for his hectic lifestyle during a romantic first dinner.
He had also learnt that the woman on the photos was indeed Sean's mother and the only woman Rodney had ever been with - It had been a one night stand! And a very drunken one at that. I mean I slept with a woman!
Her name was Emma Taylor and was currently engaged to a nice - seriously hot, she couldn't have done better - young man called Aiden and pregnant again. For the third time.
Emma still visited her son, but only three to four times a year as she, her other children and her fiancé have moved to his parent's old house - the next state.
Carson had learned that Rodney had been overjoyed by the fact that Emma had been very glad and relieved that he wanted to raise Sean by himself. She had told Rodney of her pregnancy and his oncoming fatherhood when she had been in her ninth month, mere three weeks before the birth and she had been desperate. Her fiancé apparently is a marine and had been on a long mission in a foreign country, and they had parted with an argument and then there had been Rodney and alcohol and Sean had been conceived that night. And then her fiancé had come back from his mission and would have had found her pregnant, so she came to live with Rodney for the weeks around the birth and she had left his apartment without her son some months later.
The story sounded like a bad romance novel with Emma as the heroine who got impregnated by the evil, but handsome bartender who got her drunk while her good and upstanding husband or fiancé was away on a mission for the country... and really, Carson was glad that this was reality and not some bad romance novel for the evil, but handsome bartender was actually gay and interested in him and he wouldn't have it any other way.
Carson had to smile at this thought and took a sip of his wine and again focused on Rodney. Who was looking at him and twirled the stem of his own wineglass, making the wine slosh around.
Their conversation was at one of those low points, where there was no need for words and companionship was completely enough. It was a very comfortable moment and Carson knew that they both would cherish it later on.
Still, ...
"So...", said Carson. "This would be the moment where the hero of the movie would ask the heroine to put out," he made Rodney snicker and histrionically flutter his lashes, purse his lips and blow him a kiss, "then the heroine would say that sorry, she isn't that kind of girl and...?"
Carson let the unspoken question stand between them and leant back into the couch cushion. It was Rodney's turn now.
The man took another sip out of his glass, then put it down on the couch table. He knelt up on the couch, maneuvered Carson's legs in the best position to accommodate himself between and put Carson's glass next to his on the table.
As he now knelt over Carson he put both his hands flat on Carson's chest and whispered, "Be glad that I'm not any kind of girl, my dear Doctor," quirked one eyebrow and pulled Carson up into a kiss.
"Oh," panted Carson after their kiss broke apart, "believe me, I am. Now, bedroom?"
"And much putting out, yes."
They had stumbled blindly into the bedroom not long after that. And they had made love that night.
Carson learned much about Rodney that night, as the way the man fucked seemed to be made out of the essence of his way of living.
Full of love and wonderfully careful. Disciplined and concentrated on each moment. Passionately and with enthusiasm. And absolutely honest.
Carson loved this unconditionally honesty. He revelled in the almost overwhelming complexity of things that made Rodney as he got to experience him.
He felt as if he was captured in all the attention of Rodney's and it felt right that way. Natural.
He had told Rodney all this when they had lain next to each other afterwards, on their backs, still touching, sweaty and out of breath.
And they had both known that they were in for something good when Rodney had confessed to feeling the same way.
Captured in each other.
It would stay like this. Wondrously they had known that even that first evening together. They were not to be wrong about this.
They hadn't had to keep their relationship a secret at work and still it had taken almost a week till the news travelled per rumour through the halls of the hospital.
Blunt as usual Nurse Weir had made them kiss in front of almost the whole crew to proof that she'd been right and to throw light on the rumour for once and for all.
To quote her, "Yes, now we all know they're a couple. And a very hot one at that, gentlemen.", she alternately spoke to Carson and Rodney and to the others, "And, if I'm allowed to say so, it's been time for both of you to settle down. And look, there's already a kid in the mix. When will be the wedding? You can practice kissing now, though."
For about four months everything went on just fine. They managed to meet often and had dinner every week at least once. Carson spent time with Rodney and Sean and got to know the boy better - and found that he really liked Rodney's son. The boy was nice and unbelievable smart. His third birthday had been last month and Carson could not remember ever having experienced such innocent fun with just playing. Clearly his life had become too much dominated by work or scholastics in the past.
Carson shook his head. Such morose thoughts weren't typical for him. Still, during the last week Rodney seemed to be strangely... abrasive. No this was too strong a word. He was... distant.
Carson worried. They had not had an argument or anything of that sort, in fact Carson had absolutely no idea what could have gone wrong so that Rodney felt the need to distance himself.
Could have something happened with Sean's mother? Had Sean had any problems? With a sitter maybe? Or did anything happen in the bar? Or...
He sighed. It would do no good for him to worry about what if's. Especially now.
The stewardess told him and all the other passengers to fasten their seatbelts as they were ready to start the landing and Carson mentally prepared himself for the one week long conference he was about to attend.
Sean did not know what to do. His dad has told him to ask Mary, his sitter, to bring him home at 6pm. She had done that, had even brought him up right to his door and he had been allowed to turn the key around all by himself!
He had yelled hello to his dad and had turned around to wave at Mary. And Granny Mary had waved back and had gone home then.
He had hung up his anorak and had stripped off his sneakers and had yelled for his dad again.
So he then had searched for his dad, as his dad was always there when Mary brought him home, and maybe he had to use the bathroom or was on the phone and did not hear him.
He had found his dad in the kitchen. Lying face down on the floor.
Asleep.
Which was stupid, because his dad had his own bed and if he wanted to sleep why didn't he go there instead.
Sean tried to wake him up and tell him that, but he didn't succeed in waking him up.
Sean did not know what to do.
"Carson? Dad won't wake up," he still could hear these words echoing in his brain.
At first he hadn't understood them, the call had come mid meeting and he had been halfway ready to snap at the person calling him just then, as he had recognised Rodney's son's voice, and then he had become afraid.
He had asked Sean to tell him exactly what had happened and hoped that the three-year-old would and could do what he had told him to. Turning Rodney around, checking for breath and pulse and then staying calm enough to hang up and call old Granny Mary again, so that somebody would be with him.
While Carson called the hospital and ordered an ambulance to the McKay's apartment. And worried.
He had booked a seat on the next flight home and now was on his way to the hospital via taxi.
As Carson finally reached the hospital's entrance one of the reception's staff smiled at him and told him the room's number. 252. A regular bedroom. Thank God. Carson breathed a sigh of relief. Still nearby the emergency area of the hospital.
He hurried to the lifts and impatiently waited, punched the button #2, waited again and finally stormed out of the lift.
As he approached room number 252 he could hear laughter coming out of it. He opened the door. And was greeted by the grinning faces of Sean and young John Sheppard, who had the little boy on his lap.
He looked over to the bed. Rodney was asleep in it. He made four more steps towards the bed and slumped down in one of the chairs that stood next to it. He took Rodney's left hand into his both and let his forehead rest on them for a long while.
Sean had wanted to jump up and run to Carson as his dad's boyfriend had entered the room. John had hold him tight and had gestured him shush, though.
Now Carson had sat for so long next to his dad. He just sat there! It certainly had been an hour or so. Well, maybe a half a hour. Anyway totally too long.
Sean was about to flee out of John's grasp as Carson looked up and smiled at him and asked, "Hey there, Sean. Why don't you tell me what's wrong with your dad, lad?"
And he had, told Carson that the nice nurse had told him that his dad was 'clearly overworked and had fainted from exhaustion' and that he most likely had bashed his head on the kitchen table... and then Carson had interrupted him to scold his sleeping dad.
"You stupid man. You really can't look after yourself, can't you?", and then Carson had shook his head and smiled at Sean and John again.
And seemed to be lost in thoughts as he did not quit to just look at Sean for a while. Suddenly he nodded sharply and asked Sean the most cool thing!
Fainting from exhaustion. Well, it wasn't as if Carson hadn't thought that such a thing would happen if Rodney worked as hard as he did for any time longer. He shouldn't have agreed to attend to that conference.
He should have made Rodney quit one of his jobs. He would do it now. But then there was the question of money, Rodney had told him that he needed the money he earned. For the apartment's rent, for Sean special tutoring, babysitting and for university fees. Hmmm, maybe if... Yes.
"Hey, Sean, what do you think of you and your dad moving in with me, lad?
The End
(no subject)
Date: 2005-09-17 02:18 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-09-17 03:10 pm (UTC)The insane thought of Nurse!Weir started this whole harlequin affair, as I saw a RL counterpart last week while shopping. My first though upon seeing that woman had bee: Eeeeks, omg, whorish. My second thought had been: Omg, plotbunny. :P
Yay for Sean! :D
(no subject)
Date: 2005-09-17 02:25 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-09-17 03:12 pm (UTC)Fluffy, sweet, crack and eeeks. ...Yeah. :P
(no subject)
Date: 2005-09-17 03:03 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-09-17 03:12 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-09-17 03:30 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-09-17 03:49 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-09-18 04:24 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-09-18 06:53 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-09-18 10:31 am (UTC)Reminds me of various (German) TV-Hospital-Series... (my Mum made me watch!!! ^^)
That's lovely, really lovely. ^^
(no subject)
Date: 2005-09-18 10:34 am (UTC)Schwester Nikola und Cohorten, vielleicht?! :P Ich renne regelmäßig aus dem Raum wenn dahin rübergeschaltet wird. Mannomann.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-09-18 12:56 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-09-18 03:02 pm (UTC)Love the icon. So true.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-09-18 12:05 pm (UTC)Gonna go back and reread again ::huggle::
(no subject)
Date: 2005-09-18 03:03 pm (UTC)Btw, have I told you already that I adore your icon? *luffs*
(no subject)
Date: 2005-09-18 03:06 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-09-18 03:32 pm (UTC)is late with commenting...
Date: 2005-09-20 01:55 pm (UTC)Nevermind that, hon
Date: 2005-09-20 01:58 pm (UTC)Thanks! :) I had, oh, so much cracky fun with getting them semi-new characteristics. :P
Re: Nevermind that, hon
Date: 2005-09-23 10:42 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-04-26 07:47 pm (UTC)any chance of a sequal????
(no subject)
Date: 2008-04-26 09:13 pm (UTC)Em... probably not, sorry. At least not in any way soon. My SGA muse is hibernating.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-04-27 09:08 pm (UTC)oh its 3 years old!!!!
*shrugs*
its a damn good fic!!!
get that muse motivated!!!! lol!
*bribes with chocolate*