Fic: In the Family Way (2/11)

[rusty_armour]

Title: In the Family Way (2/11)
Author: Rusty Armour
Pairing: McShep, Beckett/Other
Summary: Some are born into families; others create their own.
Word Count: 4,543
Category: Slash, MPreg, AU
Rating: NC-17
Spoilers: Pretty much everything up to and including season three.
Disclaimer: Thou Shalt Not Steal. Even in the interest of fic. Most of these characters aren't mine. I, uh, borrowed them. Yeah.

---

Carson had first learned Rodney was pregnant, when Ronon literally dragged Rodney into the infirmary back on Atlantis. After hearing raised voices, Carson emerged from his office to find Rodney fighting to free himself from Ronon's iron grip. Teyla and Radek, who had accompanied the pair, seemed torn between concern and amusement.

"What's all this, then?" Carson asked.

Still struggling, Rodney said, "Conan, here, has suddenly decided that he wants to practice medicine. Now, while I admit it doesn't take a lot of brain cells to become a doctor -- a medical doctor -- I'm sure there must be at least some rudimentary training involved."

Ronon made no effort to loosen his grip. "It's for your own good, McKay."

Rodney glared at him. "For my own good? I've probably lost the use of this arm thanks to you! Please explain to me how that can possibly be for my own good!"

Ronon ignored Rodney. "He's sick," he told Carson.

Rodney opened his mouth to protest, but Teyla quickly interrupted him. "He threw up his breakfast," she said.

Radek grimaced. "He almost did not make it to balcony in time."

Rodney blushed. "I only threw up a little."

Ronon shook his head. "It was a lot. I watched."

"And he threw up yesterday," Radek said. "He denies it, but I saw him running from the lab."

"Right." Carson walked to the exam table. "Bring him over here."

"Hey!" Rodney said. "I'm perfectly capable of-Oww! Ronon! That's my arm! My very valuable arm! A limb I was quite literally attached to until you wrenched it from its socket!" Rodney's indignation went up another notch, when Radek took his other arm and helped Ronon hoist him on to the exam table. He moaned and covered his face with both hands. "This is humiliating. Utterly humiliating."

Teyla placed a comforting hand on Rodney's shoulder. "You are our friend and your well-being is very important to us."

"Well, uh…" Rodney cleared his throat. "I appreciate that, but I'm sure there's nothing wrong with me," he said. Then he faltered under Teyla's forbidding stare. "At most, it's just a stomach bug."

"How about I take a look and we find out for certain?" Carson said. He had already snapped on a pair of gloves and was reaching for a thermometer.

Rodney finally surrendered. "Fine, fine, take a look, but do you think we can lose the audience? There is such a thing as doctor-patient confidentiality."

"Yes, Rodney." Carson turned to Ronon. "I think your job here is done. I can take over from here."

Ronon bowed solemnly and started walking out of the infirmary. "Get better, McKay."

"I'm not sick!" Rodney said.

Ronon grinned, shook his head, and kept going.

Teyla's hand returned to Rodney's shoulder. "If you need anything, you have only to ask," she said.

Rodney forced a smile. "Uh, yes. Thanks, Teyla."

She nodded and followed Ronon out of the infirmary, which left only Radek. The Czech scientist pushed up his glasses and thrust out his chin, a gesture he had obviously picked up from Rodney.

"I will look after everything while you are gone," he said. "You must rest and do what Carson tells you."

Rodney almost leapt off the exam table. "I'm only going to be gone from the lab for about 20 minutes, tops. I don't need to rest and, as I've never followed Carson's advice before--"

Carson thrust the thermometer in Rodney's mouth, effectively silencing him. "Thank you for your concern, Radek. Rodney will be taking the rest of the day off. If he requires any more time than that, I'll be sure to let you know."

Radek smirked at Rodney. "Thank you, doctor," he said. Then he saw the angry look in Rodney's eyes and bolted from the infirmary. Carson chuckled quietly and removed the thermometer from Rodney's mouth.

"Why did you tell him I'm taking the rest of the day off?" Rodney demanded.

"You threw up, Rodney. There's obviously something wrong with you." Carson picked up a tongue depressor next and examined Rodney's throat.

"It's just a stupid stomach bug," Rodney said. "Why is everyone acting like I'm on my death bed?"

Carson ran his hands along Rodney's neck and felt his glands. "Maybe they're acting that way because you're not -- on your death bed, that is. Usually, we gauge your health by the level of your complaints. When you're too quiet, we know it's time to worry."

"Ha, ha," Rodney said. "I almost find that amusing." Then he jumped when Carson raised his shirt, and a cold metal stethoscope landed on his back. "God, what do you do, Carson? Keep all your instruments in a freezer?"

Carson tutted at Rodney gently. "Don't be such a baby. You're full of enough hot air to keep you warm."

"Again with the jokes," Rodney said. "I'm beginning to think you spent more time in comedy clubs than residence." He winced as the stethoscope slid to another spot on his back.

"Deep breaths," Carson said. "In and out."

Rodney lifted his eyes to the ceiling. "Yes, Carson, I have actually learned how to breathe."

"Then start breathing and stop complaining," Carson said. Once he was satisfied that he'd heard everything he could from the back, he moved to the front and placed his stethoscope over Rodney's chest cavity. "Have you been experiencing any other symptoms? Dizziness? Headaches? Fatigue?" Rodney suddenly tensed and wouldn't meet Carson's eyes. "Rodney, anything you tell me will be kept in strictest confidence. You know that."

Rodney squirmed uncomfortably. "I've been feeling more tired lately and…and I've had a few headaches."

"How long have you been feeling this way?" Carson asked.

Rodney smiled nervously. "A couple of weeks."

Carson gazed at Rodney sternly. "And why am I only hearing about this now?"

Rodney threw up his hands helplessly. "I thought it was just me. The usual me. Well, the usual me during a crisis."

"Rodney, we haven't had a crisis in a long time," Carson said. "These symptoms aren't related to stress and exhaustion, unless there's something you're not telling me."

Rodney shook his head.

"Have you been experiencing nausea for the past couple of weeks too?" Carson asked.

Rodney hesitated then nodded.

Carson sighed. "Rodney, Rodney, Rodney." He stuffed his stethoscope in his lab coat pocket. "Lie down."

"Why?" Rodney asked, though he still complied.

Carson pulled up Rodney's shirt and started to palpate his stomach. "Any pain? Tenderness?"

"No," Rodney said. "Look, it's probably just a stomach bug."

"Stomach bugs don't last for two weeks." Carson removed his hand and studied his patient thoughtfully. "Colonel Sheppard left Atlantis a couple of weeks ago, which would be around the time you first began exhibiting these symptoms, is it not?"

Rodney stared up at Carson in confusion. "Are you suggesting that Sheppard poisoned me?"

"No, no, of course not," Carson said. "I just find it interesting, that's all."

"Interesting? Huh." Rodney propped himself up on one elbow. "Do you think I'm manifesting physical symptoms because I miss him?"

"Do you miss him?" Carson asked.

Rodney shrugged. "I suppose it isn't quite the same around here without him, but I don't regret that he's gone," he said. "This is an excellent opportunity, one that could lead to promotion. Besides, he'll be back in a few months." Rodney looked at Carson with pleading eyes. "That's what he said, right? It'll only be a few months?"

Carson patted his shoulder. "You're allowed to miss him, Rodney. He's your best friend. It's only natural that--"

"Yes, all right. If I had wanted to discuss my feelings, I could have gone to Heitmeyer." Rodney tried to sit up, but Carson pushed him back down on the table.

"I haven't finished my examination," Carson said.

"Oh?" Rodney asked. "Sorry. I just assumed that when you started wandering into the realm of psychology, you had run out of things to poke and prod me with and were clutching at straws."

Carson gritted his teeth and managed not to rise to the bait. "Wait here. I'll be back in a minute."

"I'll be counting the seconds until you return," Rodney said. "Literally. If it's more than 60, I'm outta here." He stretched, smiling smugly as Carson ran into his office. The smile faded when Carson returned in 28 seconds with something that looked like a cross between a computer tablet and an Etch A Sketch, only bigger. Its dimensions were approximately 30 cm by 50 cm, and it had a bronze metallic sheen. Rodney didn't like it one bit. "What the hell is that?" he asked.

Carson beamed brightly. "This is something I like to call a 'Portable Ultrasound,' though, being an Ancient device, the technology is obviously a bit more sophisticated than that."

"Obviously," Rodney muttered.

"Dr. Biro found it a few months ago," Carson said. "It's used to monitor the development of fetuses in the womb. I've found it extremely useful when examining my pregnant patients on the mainland."

Rodney grimaced in disgust. "I'm not pregnant, Carson."

"Well, I know that, you daft fool," Carson said. "It can also be used for other types of internal scans. In this case, I can use it to take a look at your stomach."

Rodney waved his hand irritably. "Yes, yes, yes. Fine. Whatever. Just get on with it."

"All right. There's no need to be snippy." Carson held out the device so Rodney could see the screen. "If you were pregnant, the portable ultrasound would allow me to monitor both you and the baby." He shoved the device under Rodney's nose. "You wouldn't believe how sharp and clear the image is, even at the earliest stages of pregnancy. It's vastly superior to the sonograms produced by conventional ultrasound machines."

"That's nice." Rodney reached out to swat the device away then thought better of it when he realized he would have to touch it.

Carson hit a button on the ultrasound and another screen appeared. "It has eliminated the need for traditional pregnancy tests, as it can detect the presence of hCG in the blood. It has even replaced such invasive procedures as amniocentesis. It's absolutely incredible."

"Yes, that's truly fascinating," Rodney said. "A triumph for medical science. If I were pregnant, I'm sure I'd be ecstatic."

Carson nodded absently, his eyes still fixed on the ultrasound. He had positioned it over Rodney's mid-section and was adjusting the settings. At first, he was so intent on examining Rodney's stomach that he didn't see it. When he did notice the uterus on the lower half of the screen, he almost dropped the ultrasound.

Rodney lifted his head in concern. "Carson?"

The ultrasound had to be displaying recorded images of the previous patient he'd examined. There could be no other explanation. He took a second look at the screen, and his jaw dropped. Just above the uterus was the vas deferens, a distinctly male anatomical feature. Carson's eyes flew back to the uterus and he discovered something even more shocking: a tiny embryo was attached to the uterine wall.

"It's impossible," Carson whispered. "It canna be."

"Okay, now I know it's serious," Rodney said. "Your Scottish brogue just got thicker." He sounded more frightened than annoyed, and Carson felt guilty for alarming his patient. The portable ultrasound was obviously malfunctioning.

It's either that, Carson thought, or I've gone completely mad. He lowered the portable ultrasound and plastered a smile on his face. "It's all right, Rodney. It's just a glitch."

"A glitch?" No longer facing imminent death, Rodney visibly relaxed. "Oh, well, so much for the wonders of medical science."

Carson gritted his teeth again. "It's just a temporary glitch, I assure you."

"If you say so," Rodney said. He sat up and slipped off the exam table.

"And where do you think you're going?" Carson asked.

Rodney pointed at the portable ultrasound. "Well, as your new toy doesn't work…"

"We'll use the MRI," Carson said. "Wonderful idea, Rodney."


~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~


Carson was watching a gardening segment on some morning show when the bathroom door opened. Jeannie's arm was around Rodney's waist and she was guiding him to his bed. Carson turned off the TV immediately.

"Is everything all right?" he asked.

Jeannie flashed him a smile, though it was a little strained. "I think Rodney needs a bit more sleep." She nudged a surprisingly quiet and complacent Rodney down on his bed. Rodney laid his head on his pillow, and Jeannie pulled the sheets up to his chin. Then, to Carson's amazement, Jeannie kissed Rodney on the forehead. "I'm just going to step out into the hall and talk to Carson, but I'll see you later, okay?"

"Okay, Jeannie," Rodney said. He closed his eyes and shifted to find a more comfortable position.

Jeannie jerked her chin at the door, and Carson realized that this was an order, not a request. Not waiting to see if Carson would follow, Jeannie walked out of the motel room. She stationed herself next to fire extinguisher and leaned against the wall. Carson stood across from her, near the door in case Rodney needed anything. But his eyes were fixed on Jeannie, who was biting her lip pensively.

"Thanks for taking care of Rodney," Jeannie said. "I can see now why you were so reluctant to discuss his…condition with me, especially considering what my reaction might be."

"Wait a minute," Carson said. "Rodney told you?"

"That he's pregnant? Yeah." Jeannie laughed quietly to herself and shook her head. "I always thought this would happen. In a way, I've been preparing for it my whole life."

Carson gaped at Jeannie in disbelief. "You thought Rodney would get pregnant?"

Jeannie barked out a laugh then quickly covered her mouth, as if fearing Rodney might hear her from inside the room. "You're horrible," she whispered, fighting back a grin. "Well, I guess a doctor with a sense of humour is a good thing in a situation like this. But, seriously, I always thought that Rodney might have a breakdown. I read somewhere that genius can be frighteningly close to insanity. In fact, I think that some geniuses have gone mad. Maybe some of them thought they were pregnant, like Rodney."

Carson's brow furrowed. Was she saying what he thought she was saying?

"Rodney can be cured, right?" Jeannie asked. "I mean, hysterical pregnancy isn't all that uncommon. They had an episode on Grey's Anatomy where this guy thought he was pregnant, though I think it turned out that he had some kind of tumour in his stomach, so it made it look like he was pregnant." Suddenly Jeannie's eyes grew wide. "Oh my God! Rodney doesn't have a tumour, does he?"

Carson massaged his temples. "No, Rodney doesn't have a tumour." He wasn't suffering from a hysterical pregnancy either. However, as Carson saw Jeannie slump against the wall in relief, he couldn't bring himself to tell her. Although she had the right to know, and Rodney had obviously trusted her with his secret, Carson wasn't sure if she was prepared to handle the truth. There was also the little matter of the information being classified, or it would have been if Rodney wasn't guarding the secret from Atlantis, the SGC, and, essentially, the entire world. Still, the truth could bring up awkward questions that neither he nor Rodney was in a position to answer. If Jeannie found it easier to believe that her brother had lost his mind then maybe it was best for everyone involved if she remained unenlightened.

"I hope you don't mind me asking this," Jeannie said, interrupting Carson's thoughts, "but if Rodney doesn't have a tumour, and this is obviously a hysterical pregnancy, then shouldn't he be seeing a psychiatrist or something? That isn't to say that you aren't doing a great job of taking care of him, but Rodney told me that you're a medical doctor, not a shrink."

Damn, Carson thought. She's got you there. He sighed and leaned back against the wall. "I'm here, first and foremost, as Rodney's friend."

Jeannie nodded quickly. "Yes, of course, but…but he still works for the Air Force, right? Surely they have people who can treat him."

"They don't know about it," Carson said. Then he winced inwardly, realizing he'd revealed too much.

Jeannie stared at him with an open mouth. "Rodney's gone AWOL?"

Carson just managed to smother a laugh. "Rodney's a civilian, so that isn't an issue. Besides, the Air Force knows that he's left, uh, the research base."

Jeannie's forehead creased in confusion. "But I thought…"

"He's on a leave of absence," Carson said.

"For medical reasons?" Jeannie asked.

Carson almost sighed in relief. "Yes, exactly." In fact, that was essentially what he'd told Elizabeth.

Jeannie crossed from her wall to Carson's side of the hall. "You kept it quiet to protect Rodney's reputation."

Carson hesitated, not knowing what to say. They were straying even further from the truth, and he hated the idea of lying outright to Jeannie. Then he felt a hand on his arm.

"I want to help him," Jeannie said.

Carson squeezed her hand. "Of course you do."

"No, I mean it," Jeannie said. "I can handle it. I-I want to handle it." She glanced at the door. "I want Rodney to come stay with me."

Carson raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Oh, I see. Well, that's great."

"You're invited too, of course," Jeannie said. "If you want to." She blushed and looked at the fire extinguisher. Carson thought it was rather sweet, and not because it reminded him of Rodney.

"That's very kind of you," Carson said, "but I don't want to be any trouble."

Jeannie's eyes flew back to his face. "You wouldn’t be. I assumed you would be staying to look after Rodney. I wouldn't have made the suggestion otherwise."

Carson smiled. "Well, if you're sure…"

"Good. Then it's settled," Jeannie said. "I'll need time to clean, so maybe you guys could come around 3:00 or 4:00."

Carson nodded. "That sounds perfect. Thank you."

Jeannie bit her lip. "You might not thank me when you see the place," she said. "There's only one spare room and it's in the basement. You and Rodney are going to have to fight over it and the couch in the living room."

Carson held back a grimace. "I'm sure it will be lovely."


~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~


As Carson sat on the edge of his desk watching Rodney breathe deeply into a paper bag, he wondered if there was a way he could have broken the news without causing his patient to hyperventilate.

"But it's impossible!" Rodney gasped.

Carson laid a hand on one of Rodney's taut shoulders. "I know," he said. After receiving the same results from the MRI, and even a conventional ultrasound machine, Carson had been forced to accept that it was possible.

Rodney pulled the paper bag away. "But I never had a uterus before! I'm sure I would have noticed if I had! And-and pregnant? I can't be pregnant!" He grabbed Carson by his lab coat. "I'm a man! A man! How can I be pregnant?"

It was a struggle, but Carson managed to wrench free. "I don't know, Rodney. I was rather hoping you could tell me."

Rodney's face flushed. "Well, how the hell am I supposed to know? You're the quack, not me!"

"And you're the one who got knocked up!" Carson shouted. "You must have some idea how it happened!"

Rodney leapt up so quickly that his chair almost fell on the floor. He advanced towards Carson, who dodged behind his desk. "Do you think I had something to do with this?"

"As you're the one who's pregnant, yes!" Carson said. "I'd say you have everything to do with this!" He tensed when Rodney took another step towards him. Then Rodney pivoted on his heel and sank back in his chair. He passed a shaking hand across his face. Carson came out from behind his desk and approached Rodney cautiously.

"Do you know who the father is?" he asked.

Rodney stared at Carson for several seconds then started to laugh. When his laughter edged towards hysteria, Carson crouched in front of him and gripped his hand.

"Is it Colonel Sheppard?" he asked.

The laughter stopped abruptly. "What makes you think it's Sheppard?"

"I've seen the way you look at him," Carson said. "You've practically been in love with the man since the first day you met. And there have been signs from him as well.

Rodney groaned. "Please tell me he didn't ask you for lubricant."

Carson's lips twitched. "Well, he did now that you mention it."

"Oh, for the love of…" Rodney jumped up from the chair again and started pacing. "No one can know about this," he said.

Carson rose from his haunches. "We should at least tell Elizabeth."

"No!" Rodney said. "No one! You can't tell anyone! Doctor-patient confidentiality! I-I have rights!"

Carson lifted his hands in a placating gesture. "Of course you do, Rodney. You know I won't tell anyone. Not if you don't want me to."

Rodney closed his eyes and sighed deeply. "Thank you."

"Look, this is an awful lot to take in," Carson said. "You haven't even had a chance to consider all your options."

Rodney's eyes flew open. "Options? What options?"

"Well," Carson said, "whether you want to keep the baby or not, for one thing."

Rodney's hand moved instinctively to his belly. "What are you? Crazy? Of course, I'm keeping the baby!"

Carson was surprised by the intensity of Rodney's reaction. Given Rodney's dislike of children, Carson had just assumed he wouldn't want any of his own. Then the truth came out.

"This is a scientific miracle," Rodney said. "I'm the first human male to ever become pregnant. I have to carry through with the pregnancy in the interest of science." Rodney was now buzzing around the office in excitement, his hands fluttering. Carson decided it was time to introduce a dose of reality to the situation.

"Do you intend to spend your entire pregnancy in a lab?" he asked. "Are scientists going to adopt the baby?"

Rodney froze and paled visibly. "Oh my God. I hadn't even considered…" He fell back in his chair.

Carson rushed to his side. "Rodney, what's wrong?" He hadn't meant to upset him. Usually, Rodney was immune to sarcasm.

"They'll want the baby," Rodney said. "As soon as they find out about my pregnancy, they'll take it from me."

Carson frowned in confusion. "What are you talking about? Who's going to take the baby?"

Rodney gazed down at his belly. "The military, of course. They'll want to keep it in a lab, experiment on it."

Carson shook his head in disbelief. "Rodney, why would the military want your baby?"

Rodney snapped his fingers under Carson's nose. "Hello! We just discussed this. First male pregnancy. Miracle baby. Ring any bells? I think the question should be why wouldn't the military want my baby?" Rodney looked around the room cautiously, as if expecting a marine to ambush him. "I have to get out of here."

"Well, I was hoping we could finish our discussion first," Carson said, "but…"

Rodney shook his head. "No, not the infirmary, Carson. Atlantis."

"Leave Atlantis?" Carson said. "Are you serious?"

Rodney looked around again and lowered his voice to a whisper. "Very. I'll need to go into hiding. Probably in Canada. They won't find me there."

"You don’t think the SGC could find you in Canada?" Carson asked. "What’s to stop them from tracking you down?"

Rodney snorted. "Please! Most Americans don't even know where Canada is!" he said. "The lucky few that do stumble across the border have skis strapped to their cars and are off in search of igloos and polar bears."

Carson laughed then realized that Rodney wasn't being entirely facetious. "So your brilliant plan to evade the military is to go into confinement…in Canada?"

"Confinement," Rodney said, enunciating each syllable carefully. "Huh." He tilted his head to one side as if contemplating the word. Then he broke into a grin. "Confinement. Yes, that's it exactly. I'll go into confinement."

Carson sat down heavily, landing on his desk. "Rodney, you've had some rather shocking news. Maybe you should take some time to--"

Rodney raised his hand. "No, I'm not going to change my mind. I'm going into confinement. As soon as possible."

"You're only six weeks pregnant. You're not even showing yet." Carson sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "You're going to leave Atlantis no matter what I say, aren't you?" Rodney lifted his chin, but remained silent, which was the only answer Carson needed. "All right," he said. "I'll talk to Elizabeth and--"

"But you can't say anything! You promised!" Rodney had that panicked expression on his face. He grabbed Carson's arm, his fingers digging into the skin.

"Rodney, I wasn't going to tell her about your condition," Carson said. "I was going to tell her that you require a leave of absence."

"For what reason?" Rodney asked. His fingers were still wrapped tightly around Carson's arm.

"I'll tell her that you've been under a great deal of stress and could use some time off," Carson said.

Rodney wasn't impressed. "Okay, that might buy me a few weeks, but not a gestation period."

Gestation period? Bloody hell. "I'll tell her that you're exhausted," Carson said aloud, "and at serious risk of a breakdown."

Rodney looked thoughtful. "Do you think she'll buy it?"

Carson studied Rodney, taking in his pale complexion and the dark circles under his eyes. He knew how little sleep Rodney got, even on the best of days, and how hard he worked in general. Claiming that Rodney was on the verge of a collapse wouldn't be a huge stretch.

"I think I can convince her," Carson said.

"Oh, okay." Rodney's grip on Carson's arm loosened and he pulled his hand away.

Carson smiled. "Great. With any luck, we should be able to leave in the next week or two."

Rodney's eyebrows shot up. "We?"

"Aye," Carson said. "Someone will need to keep an eye on you."

"For God's sake, I'm a grown man, Carson," Rodney snapped.

"You also happen to be pregnant. I'm going to need to monitor you." Carson's eyes were gentle and full of concern.

Rodney's own eyes shifted to the floor. "I can't ask this of you."

"You don't have to," Carson said. "You're my friend. I'm going to be there."

Rodney's head jerked up and he stared at Carson. Then he gave a nervous nod. "Uh, yeah, okay. I…I guess I really can't do this on my own." Rodney rose from his chair. "I should go. I, uh…"

"You have a lot to think about, yes." Carson stood and, placing an arm around Rodney's shoulders, he escorted him from his office. "Get some rest," he said, as they walked through the infirmary. "We can talk again later."

Looking lost and hopelessly bewildered, Rodney simply nodded again and stumbled out the door. Carson managed to make it to a bed before his legs gave out. Torn between laughing and crying, he put his head in his hands.

"Trust Rodney McKay to get himself knocked up," he muttered.


~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~


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Comments

Part Two!

[jackycomelately.livejournal.com]

Hee! I love how Carson is bubbling on about how the machine is so great for babies only to discover the pregnancy! I agree that Jeannie's assumption that Rodney's crazy is the logical one. You so just wouldn't accept it as true as your first reaction! Or, even your second! I hope you have a scene that explains why Rodney didn't come to Carson sooner. Depression over John leaving?

Re: Part Two!

[rusty-armour.livejournal.com]

You ROCK! Thanks for reading this so quickly! :-)

I had fun describing Carson's new toy, especially as I knew about the huge shock he was about to receive. *g* I'm really glad you agree that Jeannie's assumption about Rodney is logical. I would think that most people would have a very hard time accepting the truth and would look for some other (just about any other) explanation.

I like your idea about including a scene that explains why Rodney didn't come to Carson sooner. I have to admit that I hadn't envisioned one, but that doesn't necessarily mean that one couldn't work its way into the story... :-)