sholio: sun on winter trees (House 1)
Sholio ([personal profile] sholio) wrote in [community profile] stargateficrec2009-04-25 11:11 pm

Asymptomatic by crimsonclad (PG-13)

Rec Category: Hurt/Comfort
Pairing: McKay/Sheppard (more implied than anything else)
Category: McKay/Sheppard, angst
Warning: mentions of medical ickiness
Author on LJ: [livejournal.com profile] crimsonclad
Author's Website: write wrongs: runway
Link: Asymptomatic

Why This Must Be Read: You know how sometimes a story just sticks in your head, gets under your skin, stays with you for ages? This one's done that ever since I read it a couple of years ago. It's not long, and there's no real context -- we don't know what happened to Rodney, or why, or what happens after -- but it's a clear-eyed and unsentimental snapshot of what it's like dealing with a sick loved one in the hospital (or infirmary, as the case may be): the unpleasant intimacy with bodily functions, the exhaustion, the awareness that the real battle isn't the initial medical crisis but the whole world of getting better that comes after it. Despite that, it's not bleak or depressing -- it's actually very tender and sweet. There are two plot threads entwined here: the basic medical situation with Rodney, and John's slow, subtle realization of how much work and sacrifice there really is to loving someone, being in a relationship with someone -- and that he's actually up to the challenge.