The Thing About Names
By Sequoia Hope
Many thanks to Southern Red for beta-reading.
Thunder rumbled in the distance. John Sheppard crossed the street onto the next block and glanced up at the dark gray sky. He frowned at the dreary weather, wishing that it could have been nicer out during his one-week stay on Earth.
On his right was a neighborhood park. In spite of the gloomy atmosphere, spring on Earth certainly had its perks, and John contently took in the expanse of green grass and the tall trees that lined the sidewalk. The cool, fresh air was a welcome change from the balmy sea breeze to which he had become accustomed on Atlantis, and he breathed in deeply. His gaze meandered across the field, and he watched as a woman came in his direction with a white dog.
John stopped walking. As the woman neared, he peered more closely. She was wearing a dark brown jacket and jeans, but John recognized the wavy, coffee colored hair that fell gracefully over her shoulders.
The woman, apparently, had noticed him, too, and she acknowledged his presence with a smile.
"John," she called.
"Elizabeth," John greeted. "Didn't expect to see you here."
"Well, that kind of makes the two of us." Elizabeth Weir stepped up onto the sidewalk. "What are you doing out in this miserable weather?"
John shrugged. "Had to run some errands, felt like taking a walk," he replied. "What about you?"
Elizabeth gestured to her dog. "This is Sedgewick." She reached down to scratch her dog behind the ears. "I'm kind of obligated to take her out every day, no matter what the weather," she joked. She looked up at John. "You've seen her picture on my desk in Atlantis before."
"She's a beautiful dog," John remarked.
Elizabeth grinned. "Hyperactive, though. She gave me quite a workout today on the grass."
"You wanna sit down for a while?" John asked, gesturing to a relatively dry park bench near them.
"Yeah, that would be nice," Elizabeth replied, exhaling sharply. They walked over, and Elizabeth bent down to Sedgewick.
"All right, Sedge." Elizabeth spoke in a soothing tone as she tied the leash to the bench. "Lizzie's a bit tired now, so we're just going to sit down for a moment to rest, all right? Now –" She gave the leash a hard tug. "– Don't go anywhere."
Elizabeth looked up to see John giving her an odd look. "What?"
John shook his head. "Sorry, but did you just refer to yourself as 'Lizzie?'" he asked.
Elizabeth seemed to suddenly realize what she had said. "Oh, sorry," she apologized. "It's just a name that I use when I'm with my dog," she explained. "No one calls me that."
John nodded his head slowly. "That's what I thought," he said. "But, um, so how come you use that name when you're with your dog?" he asked, feeling a bit awkward at saying the actual name.
Elizabeth smiled. "Personal reasons." She sat down on the bench, seeming to ponder what to say as John took a seat beside her on her left. "My dad used to call me 'Lizzie' when I was little," she began, folding her hands together. "It was sort of a… pet name, I guess you could say."
"Really?" John asked.
"Mmm hmm," Elizabeth nodded. "My dad was the only one who ever called me that name," she said, lifting her head and looking thoughtful. "No one else ever did, so that name is kind of special to me."
"You and your dad must have been pretty close," John remarked.
Elizabeth nodded. "It kind of helped how I was an only child." She stopped, her face growing pensive. "I remember when I was little, he would sometimes lift me up high in his arms and twirl me around and say, 'My lovely little Lizzie,'" she said, smiling ruefully. "He kind of stopped as I grew older, but every once in a while, he would call me that just to remind me of when I was little and how quickly time was passing." Her face fell, and she looked down. "He passed away five years ago."
John didn't look at her. "Sorry," he said in a low voice.
Elizabeth shook her head. "It's gotten a bit easier for me these past couple of years. It's been more difficult for my mom." She sighed. "What about you?" she asked, changing the subject. "Were you ever called 'Johnny' or 'Johnny boy' when you were little?"
John forced a laugh. "Me? No," he replied. "No, I was – I was always just called 'John.' And 'John Sheppard,' if I happened to get in serious trouble," he added, looking at Elizabeth. "No, my dad wasn't one for little maudlin pet names," he said. "He never displayed much emotion for anything in his life."
"What about your mom?" Elizabeth asked.
"She died from cancer when I was eight," John said, grimacing. "I never really got to know her."
Elizabeth looked down. "I'm sorry."
John waved his hand. "Doesn't really matter much now," he said, dismissing the subject.
The two were silent for a few moments.
"But you know, it's funny, the thing about names," John said abruptly. He turned to Elizabeth. "It's interesting how you said no one besides your dad ever called you anything other than 'Elizabeth,'" he began. "It's a pretty strong name, and the fact that people call you that and not a shortened version of it shows that people have a lot of respect for you and for who you are."
Elizabeth blinked, looking surprised. "Well, I don't know what to say to that," she admitted, "except thank you. That means a lot to me."
"Hey, what can I say?" John replied, though he felt slightly uncomfortable. He cleared his throat. "Now, with Rodney, the fact that 'Rodney' is actually his middle name and not his first shows how he's probably insecure with himself, especially since his first name is actually a girl's name," he commented with a small smirk.
Elizabeth nodded slowly in understanding. "You're quite perceptive, John," she remarked, smiling at him.
John smirked, pleased with himself. "Don't tell Rodney I said that," he said.
Elizabeth gave a chuckle. She seemed about to say something when she paused, then turned around in her seat. Sensing movement behind them, John looked over his shoulder to see that her dog had spotted a squirrel behind a nearby tree. Sedgewick had risen from the ground and was on all four paws, eyeing the rodent with a hungry gaze.
"Oh, this is not good," John heard Elizabeth murmur.
Before John could respond, Sedgewick had broken free of her leash and was barking as she chased the very surprised squirrel across the park.
"Sedgewick! Sedge, come back!" Elizabeth leapt out of her seat and raced after Sedgewick.
"Elizabeth!" Without a moment's pause, John, too, got up and ran after Elizabeth.
They raced through the park, cutting across sidewalks and speeding past a children's playground. The grass was cold and wet, and though John had run through tougher terrain, he found himself threatening to slip more than once. He watched Elizabeth in surprise as she sprinted ahead of him, shouting Sedgewick's name. He had no idea that she could run so fast, and though he was close behind, he had yet to catch up to her.
As they ran up a small hill and began a precarious descent, John saw Elizabeth suddenly catch her foot in the ground and stumble. She gave a cry of surprise as she fell forward and tumbled down the hill.
"Elizabeth!" John caught up to her. "God, are you all right?" he asked.
Elizabeth let out a soft groan as John helped her sit up. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back, breathing in deeply. "Yeah, I think so," she replied.
"I never knew you could run so fast," John remarked, trying to make light of the situation.
"Well, like I said, Sedge here does give me a good workout," Elizabeth replied as she looked toward Sedgewick, who was running back to them. "Sedge, how many times have I told you not to go chase after squirrels?" she scolded as her dog bounded over. Sedgewick looked up at her, her black eyes apologetic as she appeared to feel guilty for what she had done. Elizabeth wrapped her arms around Sedgewick.
"It's all right, sweetie, it's all right," Elizabeth murmured as she stroked Sedgewick's fur. She gave her dog a soft kiss, and John couldn't help but smile as he watched Elizabeth.
After a minute, Elizabeth let out a sigh. "We should probably get back," she said. "It's going to get dark soon."
"Yeah," John said. He took a step forward and offered her a hand. "Here. Let me help you up."
"Thanks," Elizabeth replied. She took John's hand and started to stand up, then suddenly let out a cry of pain as she fell back down. John flashed her a look of concern as she sat on the grass, breathing hard. She gingerly took a foot out from under her and gasped in pain.
"John, it's my foot," she winced. "I think I twisted it," she said, her face contorted in pain and consternation.
John felt several drops of water land on his face. He looked up at the gray sky; it was starting to drizzle, and the weather looked like it would only get worse before it got better. Elizabeth was also staring at the storming clouds, looking dismayed.
"My car's not far from here," John began. "I'll help you walk over, and I can drive you home."
Elizabeth glanced over at her dog. "What about Sedge?" she asked.
"She can ride in the backseat," John replied. "I'll walk her."
Elizabeth nodded in acquiescence. John bent down, awkwardly wrapping one of his arms around her, and Elizabeth reached up and placed an arm over John's shoulder. John reached for Sedgewick's leash, and Elizabeth tightly held on to John as they slowly stood up together.
"All right. Ready?" John asked. Elizabeth just nodded in reply, and they set off in the direction from which they had come.
The drizzle soon turned into a fine misty shower, and John was glad his car was just around the corner. Elizabeth seemed to be struggling to keep up as she hopped along on one foot, and John supported her as best as he could, holding onto her tightly with one arm. With his other hand, he kept a firm grip on Sedgewick's leash. Sedgewick trotted obediently in front of them, keeping a moderate pace despite the rain. John didn't want to think about what would happen if Sedgewick suddenly broke into a sprint. He was glad that they were the only ones out on the sidewalk; he didn't need any eyewitness accounts about what he and Elizabeth looked like together.
They were at John's car in five minutes' time. Elizabeth was breathing heavily, and her damp hair was somewhat disheveled. John hastily fished his car keys out of his pocket.
"All right, let's get you in," he said to Elizabeth as he unlocked the car doors. He helped Elizabeth get settled in the front before opening the side door for Sedgewick. Elizabeth's dog jumped in, shaking her fur wildly to rid it of water before lying down on her paws. John shut the door, then went around to the driver's side and entered the car.
"Thank you, John," Elizabeth said as he started the engine.
"Hey, no problem," John replied. "It's the least I can do," he added, looking at her. Elizabeth just smiled in response.
The drive to Elizabeth's house was quiet. As they started down the road, it began to rain harder, and John adjusted the windshield wipers. Noticing that Elizabeth looked tired and was starting to doze off, he decided not to talk. Instead, he turned up the heat and sighed in relief that they were safe and warm.
As John drove up the driveway and turned off the ignition, he turned to Elizabeth, who stirred and opened her eyes groggily. It was still raining outside. John stepped out of the car and opened one of the passenger doors to let Sedgewick out before going around to help Elizabeth. She gingerly stepped out of the car on her good foot, holding onto John for support, and they hobbled up the steps to the front door.
They stumbled into the living room, Sedgewick coming in ahead of them and shaking her fur wildly again before disappearing off into a hallway. The curtains were closed and it was dark in the empty house, but John didn't bother trying to locate the light switch as he helped Elizabeth over to a couch. He then reached for an empty cup that was lying next to several open photo albums on the coffee table.
"I'll get you some tea and an ice pack," John said as Elizabeth made herself comfortable.
Elizabeth nodded. "Tea bags are in the second cupboard on the right," she responded.
John walked into an adjoining hallway that led into the kitchen.
He came back in a couple of minutes and found Elizabeth curled up in one corner of the couch. She had kicked off her shoes, her injured foot stretched out in front of her, and she was looking through a photo album. She looked up as John approached her.
"Thanks," Elizabeth said as John handed her the ice pack. He watched as she carefully set it down on the outside of her right ankle, flinching slightly at the sudden coldness, but then she relaxed.
"Is that all right?" John asked.
Elizabeth nodded. "Yeah," she replied. John handed her the cup of tea, and she blew on it gently before taking a tentative sip.
"Thank you, John," Elizabeth said, breathing out deeply.
"Anytime," John replied. He stood up straight, looking around the room.
"You want me to get you a blanket or anything?" he asked.
Elizabeth shook her head. She cupped her tea with both hands, letting her hands warm up. "That's all right, John, you've already done enough," she said.
John nodded, then slowly walked over to behind Elizabeth.
He stood behind the couch and looked at the photo album. The pages were worn around the edges, and he could tell from the faded photos that this was a relatively old album.
"This was when I was seven." Elizabeth pointed to a picture. "I used to love to go to the park when I was little."
John leaned over Elizabeth's shoulder and peered more closely. The photo showed a picture of a vibrant little girl on a swing. Her wavy brown hair was tied back in a ponytail, and she was laughing as she swung through the air.
John glanced at Elizabeth, who looked like she was in a reverie. He observed her face. For some reason, he didn't find it hard to imagine the strong, passionate woman he knew as a spirited, carefree girl.
Elizabeth turned the page, and a photo fell out and fluttered to the floor.
"I got it," John said. He stepped forward to pick up the photo, which had landed upside-down. He was about to hand it back to Elizabeth when an inscription on the back of the photo caught his eye.
Dear Elizabeth, it read, always keep in mind that there are no limits in life, primarily yours. Reach for the stars, my lovely little Lizzie. With love, Dad.
John flipped the photo over to see an older-looking Elizabeth donned in a black graduation gown and cap and clutching her diploma. Her hair was longer in this photo; it reached well past her shoulders. Her face was bright with joy, and standing beside her was an older man with a smile on his face.
John handed the photo back to Elizabeth. She took it out of his hand, looking puzzled at first as she studied the photo. Her face lit up in recognition.
"This was during my high school graduation," she said with a sigh. "I had wondered where this photo disappeared off to."
She flipped the photo over, and her smile faded away.
"I forgot he wrote this," she murmured, her face suddenly stricken with grief and sorrow.
John didn't say anything. The two of them were silent, and the gentle pitter-patter of the rain could be heard falling outside.
Elizabeth reluctantly tucked the photo back in the album. John looked up at the clock.
"I should probably go," he said.
Elizabeth nodded absently, still seeming to be in thought. John stood uncomfortably for a minute.
"Call me if you need anything, all right?" he asked.
Elizabeth nodded again. She looked up at him. "Thank you for everything, John," she said.
John just nodded in response. He headed toward the front door.
"John?"
John turned around. Elizabeth was staring at him, looking as if she were at a sudden loss for words.
"It's – it's nothing," Elizabeth said, dropping her gaze and shaking her head.
John nodded. With a final glance at her, he headed out the door.
Elizabeth remained on the couch, still lost in thought. She cupped her tea more tightly and looked up as her dog trotted over.
"Hey, Sedge." She gave a half-hearted smile, attempting to mask the sadness she felt at the moment, but it was as if her dog could sense her feelings of grief. She lay in front of the couch beside Elizabeth, and Elizabeth reached down to scratch her behind the ears.
"Good girl," she murmured.
A car started up outside, and Elizabeth looked up at the door. She listened as the car gradually pulled out of her driveway.
It was only after she heard it go out on the street that she slowly returned her gaze to the photo album in her lap.
The rain fell hard as John drove into the street. He stopped at a red light, then reached forward to turn on the radio, only to promptly shut it off again. He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, his gaze on the blurry, wet street through the windshield wipers. It felt quiet inside the car, and he glanced at the empty seat beside him.
The light turned green, and John drove on. He passed the empty park where they had chased her dog only half an hour earlier. He gave a small smirk, remembering her sprinting across the green grass, before his smile faded away.
"My dad was the only one who ever called me that name. No one else ever did, so that name is kind of special to me."
The rain continued to fall, and one thought remained in his mind.
I'll keep it that way.