sga_saturday | Fic: Good Medicine G, Prompt Orange (Reply)

Title: Good Medicine
Author: Rubygirl29
Rating: G
Characters: John Sheppard, Evan Lorne
Prompt: Orange

Summary: Lorne is miserable and John is looking for a cure.

The Pegasus Galaxy has viruses all of its own. The Ancestors, the Gate builders, had failed to address the issue of immunity. That was no surprise to John, but he would have thought that the cure for the common cold might have a slightly higher priority than rearranging the genetic code to make it easier for the spiritually challenged to ascend.

Lorne was sitting at a table in the mess, well-removed from everybody. His eyes were red, his shoulders shook with suppressed coughing, he was clutching a cup of tea like it was a lifesaver, and he looked completely miserable.

John slid in the chair opposite him. "You look terrible. Maybe you should see Beckett."

"Been there." He coughed hoarsely and grimaced. "He gave me zinc lozenges, cold meds, and sent me on my way. "It's just a cold, sir."

"It's a streaming, highly contagious cold. I'm relieving you from duty. Go get some rest."

Lorne sneezed. "Thank you, sir."

"Anything I can do for you?"

Lorne shook his head. "Not unless you have a source for black market orange juice. My mom always said that was the best. Then she'd give me a toddy, an aspirin, and send me off to bed. I don't know if it did anything, but ... Sir, you don't want to hear that."

John looked at him, "Sure I do. But you should really go to bed. Seriously. I need a functional SiC. Go."

"Yes, sir." Another tearing cough. Lorne wiped his eyes and wandered out of the mess. The crowds parted like he had the bubonic plague.

^*^*^*^*^*^*^

Teyla was drinking tea at her own table, reading something. She looked up and smiled at John when he sat across from her. "I saw you sitting next to Major Lorne. Clearly, he is not feeling well."

"He's got a cold. He's miserable. He tilted his head. "Looks like a shopping list."

"Sergeant Stackhouse is accompanying me to the Athosian Colony. They are requesting some provisions until they can be self-sufficient, which will be very soon."

John chewed on his lip. "What do you take when you have a cold?"

"A herbal tea called misa, tava bean soup, and the juice of a fruit, which Rodney says reminds him of a citrus fruit called an orange."

"Can you bring some back with you?"

"Yes, of course. It might not be the same."

"Hey, it's the thought that counts."

"Yes, it is." She patted his hand and rose. "I will be back in a few hours."

^*^*^*^*^*^*^

John waited outside Lorne's quarters. "Lorne?"

"Coming."

John heard a faint shuffle and then the door slid open. If anything, Lorne looked worse. Pale, exhausted, his nose starting to show telltale chafing. He blinked at John. "Sir?"

"Teyla thought this might help you sleep." He held out a tray. A glass of a pale orange liquid, a bottle of aspirin, and a mug, whose contents sent up a cloud of whiskey-scented steam. "And I added a few more things."

"Wow ... umm, I mean, thank you, sir."

"Can I come in?"

Lorne stepped aside. The only disorder in his quarters was the rumpled coverings on the bed. John set the tray down. "Try this. Teyla says the Athosians swear by it. And I tasted it. It's pretty good."

Lorne took a sip. "I can't taste anything, so I'll just pretend it's orange juice."

"Now you tell me." John grinned. "Enjoy. And I expect to see you back on duty on Monday."

"A day off?"

"A Sunday off."

"Yes, sir. And, thank you."

"My motives are entirely selfish," John grinned. They weren't, and Lorne probably knew it, but they would never admit to that He backed out of the door and the panel slid shut.

^*^*^*^*^*^*^

Lorne reported for duty on Monday, clear-eyed, well-rested and miraculously cured.

The End