''Interstellar Destiny''

Stop Pacing!

For the last six months, Lara and Evan settled into a comfortable routine. Sure, with them now being married, some things have changed, but all in all they have managed to make it work, even if sometimes is hard to separate Evan, the Major, and Lara, the Doctor, from Evan, her husband, and Lara, his wife.

That doesn't mean that they haven't gotten their fair share of scares, even if everything ended up okay. From Wraith attacks, Genii ambushes and the Orthals making one last surprise appearance, the Atlantis expedition managed to always come out on top, although not without a few losses.

It's just another day in the infirmary, Lara finishing taking care of an Airman who have sprained his ankle while off-world, and telling him to ice it and keep it wrapped, when she hears Evan's voice, her husband sounding hurried and worried. When she looks over, she sees him and another Airman carrying an unconscious Marine.

-"Over here." - She points to the free bed next to where she is. -"What happened?"

-"We were training with Ronon and he just collapsed."

Lara can tell Evan is worried, as she starts treating the still unconscious man.

-"Unless anyone else is hurt, get them out of here."

Lara signals with a tilt of her head to the group of Airmen and Marines that had followed Evan into the infirmary, Evan quickly turning around to look at them.

-"You heard the Doc. Everyone out!"

Evan watches the group starting to disperse, a few trying to linger behind, but one look from him has them quicken their pace. He starts pacing at the foot of the bed, Lara feeling his worry.

-"Either you stop pacing, or you can get out of my infirmary too."

Her voice is hard and professional, and it's enough to make Evan take a step further back and away from the foot of the bed, giving her and her team more room to work on the fallen Marine, his mind racing with questions.

There's no apparent explanation as to why that Marine collapsed. He has just arrived at the city not even three days ago, had gone through all the medical exams necessary to be cleared for off-world missions, both in Atlantis and at the SGC. They were just training with Ronon, making sure the new arrivals knew different hand-to-hand combat techniques from the ones the military teaches. And he wasn't even the one going at it with Ronon, he had just stepped out of the mat when he collapsed.

The reason why Evan is worrying more than usual is because this young Marine has already been assigned to his team, replacing one of his men that, unfortunately, had died during the last Wraith attack. All the man needed was this "special" training with Ronon and he would be ready to go on his first off-world mission.

Evan looks at Lara, watching her administer some medication to the Marine and telling a nurse to keep an eye on him, just before walking over to him.

-"Do you know what's wrong with him?"

-"From the scans that we took, I already have a pretty good idea."

-"What is it?"

-"He has a heart problem."

-"What? How? I mean, that should've been detected back at the SGC, or even when he joined the Marines."

-"I won't know more until he wakes up, but it doesn't look like he has had it for long, at least there's nothing in his file that would suggest otherwise. It is something that developed over time, but from what I can see, it's been there for a while now, probably after he started at the SGC. I need to report this to Elizabeth and Sheppard. Just so you know, I'm gonna recommend that he is sent back to Earth."

-"That man has no luck." - He shakes his head, his voice low.

-"I'm sorry. I know he is already assigned to your team, but I can't in good conscience allow him to stay with the expedition."

-"I know. I just wish there was something I could do for the guy. From all I read about him, he sounded like he would be a good addition to the expedition."

-"I get it. I'm going to talk to Elizabeth and Sheppard. You coming or do you wanna stay a little longer with him?"

-"No, I'll go with you. I should be there."

Lara grabs his hand and squeezes it, before dropping it and starting to leave the infirmary towards Elizabeth's office, Evan keeping pace with her, thinking that she can understand where Evan is coming from.

They have lost too many good people over the course of the last six months and now that they are getting more people to join the expedition, one of them has to go home because of an undetected heart problem. It just isn't fair.

Lara feels bad for the young man, having to send him back to Earth so soon after he has arrived, but they can't have someone with his condition going on missions off-world. It is just too dangerous, not only for him but for the other members of his team as well.

Let's say that she lets him stay and he goes off-world, and, God forbid, his team finds themselves in trouble. He can just collapse again, putting his entire team in even more trouble. And this has nothing to do with the fact that he is already assigned to Evan's team, she would give the same recommendation to any Marine or Airman in the same condition.

Still, as they walk the corridors to meet with Elizabeth and Sheppard, Lara can't help but feel a bit guilty for leaving Evan with a team that is a man short a little while longer.