Work Text:
Moving On
by victoriaely
Rodney was carefully folding his shirts and piling them up according to their color. It was harder than an outsider might have thought, even if there were just six of them. Anyway, it was the only thing left to do after the cleaned up his desk, reorganized the closet and moved the furniture in the room.
The chime of the door, followed by muffled footsteps made Rodney stop. It could only be Carson, anyone else would have to get his permission to enter.
"What are you doing?"
"I was just... just... cleaning up a bit." He put the shirts on their shelf and rose to meet Carson's gaze.
"It' your day off."
"Yeah, and I'm not in the labs, you should appreciate that," Rodney replied, smiling contended.
"Aye, I am. But it's my day off as well, and I'd like t' do more than watch you organize everything for the third time this week."
Rodney bowed his head. Everyone suggested a few days off after the puddle-jumper incident and the labs were now off-limit to him. But there was so much he could do in Atlantis that didn't involve any experiments.
"I was thinking about something... to break the routine." Carson studied Rodney's face, trying to se if his words had any effects. The only thing he could see was that his Rodney needed some time off. Away from Atlantis. "I was thinking of a trip to the mainland."
"A trip to the mainland... How would we get there?" Rodney tried to keep an open mind, but he was afraid to go in one of those things. Not three days after he nearly died, stuck on the bottom of the ocean.
"Well, until you invent the teleportation device, we can only take the puddle-jumper."
Rodney looked at him, hoping that he was joking about the puddle-jumper trip. But Carson wouldn't joke about a thing like that.
"I'm... I can't go in one of those things again."
Carson gently directed him towards the bed and continued after both of them sat down. "I know it was difficult for you, Rodney. But you must get over it." He stopped for a few moments, then continued. "In a few days, you'll start going off-world again. Maybe in a puddle-jumper. We don't have to go now, but please, think about it."
"I already made up my mind, Carson. I just don't have the heart to..."
"You do." Carson smiled and placed his right hand on Rodney's chest. "I have proof."
end