libra_traveller | Fic: Stenosis Pairing: John/Rodney PG-13

Title: Stenosis
Author: libra_traveller
Pairing: John/Rodney
Rating: PG-13
Summary: John helps a hurting Rodney.
Author’s Note: Story inspired by true life events. Thanks go out to Ellex for betaing this for me.

ETA: slight edit March 12, 2008.

It was the first quiet meal they’d been able to share in weeks, just the two of them in John’s quarters. Rodney had come down with a cold a few days ago, but John was determined to have this night together anyways. In between talking about work and just enjoying a comfortable silence, they reminisced over the past. They could now tell each other about those moments they rarely shared with anyone else.

Rodney was in the middle of telling John how he’d once dyed his hair purple, when he took a sip of wine and started gagging. Alarmed, John was about to jump up and try the Heimlich maneuver when Rodney waved him off and stumbled to the bathroom and began heaving into the sink. John followed uncertainly. Between spitting up half-digested food and mucus, Rodney croaked, “I’m fine.”

He didn’t look fine. John ran and grabbed his com link. “Infirmary?”

Carson answered, “Aye lad, is it an emergency?”

“Carson,” John said with relief. “I don’t think so.” He stopped and listened as he heard more gagging and spitting. “Rodney was choking–”

“Son, is he okay?”

“He’s still breathing, talking even, but he can’t stop throwing up. I don’t know what to do.”

“If it’s not affecting his breathing, I’m afraid there’s not much you can do, but wait it out.”

“Knew you’d say that; okay, I’ll call you if it doesn’t stop.”

John put his com down and walked back to check on Rodney. “Are you okay?”

“Sure, why not?” Rodney was sweating and had tear tracks running down his face.

Rodney let out a breath, trying to relax while his throat muscles trembled. John grabbed a face towel and started mopping up the sweat on Rodney’s face and neck. “This ever happen to you before?”

“Only when I’m sick and my esophagus has swollen a bit. Used to happen quite a bit when I was younger. It goes away after awhile.”

John rubbed Rodney’s arm, which was yanked away as Rodney flung himself back to the sink. John stared helpless.

“This sucks,” Rodney moaned. John stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Rodney. “I wasn’t even finished eating,” Rodney laughed sadly. “I didn’t want to ruin this night. God, I hate this.”

“Hey, you said it yourself, it’ll stop. We’ll still have the rest of the night.” John started rocking them back and forth, feeling Rodney start to relax against him.

“I hope you weren’t expecting me to go down on you, ‘cause I’m not going to be able to do that without making this worse.”

“Nah, we could just rub against each other, that’s always fun.”

For the next ten minutes John supported Rodney through numerous trips to the sink. When he finally seemed to be finished, Rodney was too tired to do anything but lay on the bed, spooning with John, who was content to simply hold him.

“Next time, can we have the romantic dinner when I’m not sick?”

“Or you could just learn to chew.”

Rodney turned around and smacked John on the arm. John laughed and snuggled closer.