Dark Hour

In the darkness, John could hear faint voices. He tries to open his eyes to see, but he can't. Suddenly, he begins to feel cold and tired.

"John! John!!" Teyla pleads.

"Hold on buddy. We'll get you out of here. Just hold on," Ronon encourages.

"I'm having trouble stopping the bleeding," Rodney says franticly. "Where the hell did that guy come from any way?"

"I don't know, but his uniform looks like Genii," Ronon begins to reply. "There's not threat of him telling anyone now."

"Maybe not, but I have no doubt that there is more Genii around. If he is gone long enough… they will be looking for him. We need to get John out of here now," Teyla says with a stern tone.

"I don't think we can move him," Rodney begins. "He's losing a lot of blood and if we don't stop it….."

"We need to get the jumper," Ronon interrupts.

"Yes, that's a great idea," Rodney smiles slightly as he points a finger to Ronon.

Teyla takes over for Rodney and applies pressure to John's chest to try to stop the bleeding from his gunshot wound. She can see the complexion of his face begin to pale. She fights to try to keep her composure and only concentrate on helping John, but a lone tear makes its way down her cheek.

She is finally able to get the bleeding to stop, but when she checks his pulse and hears his shallow breathing, she fears that it won't be long before he slips away from her.

She cups his face and lean over to whisper in his ear, "Do not leave me, John Sheppard. Please John…" Her voice grows softer. "I love you."

Her fight to keep her tears back fails and she begins to sob.

John hears her plead and tries to reply, but all he wants to do is sleep. He finally gives in to it and no longer hears her voice.

----------

John's eyes slowly open and he can see that he's in the infirmary. He also sees Teyla's head resting by his and her hand on his.

A low, but deep voice comes from the corner of the room, "She stayed with you all night long."

John turns his head and sees that it's Ronon, "What happened?"

"Just as we got to the abandoned village, a Genii shot you," Ronon walks closer to John's bedside. "You almost didn't make it."

"Genii? Were there more?" he asks a little louder then he wanted.

Teyla and Rodney begin to stir.

"Not sure. I killed him and we got you out of there as soon as we could," Ronon replies.

Teyla's eyes open and bright smile crosses her face as she sees that John is awake. Before she can say anything, Keller walks in.

"Ok, guys. I need you all to leave. You can come back later," she orders.

As Teyla gets up to leave she can feel John's hand tighten around hers. She looks back and he mouths the words, "I love you too."

Without any hesitation, she leans over to give him a kiss on his forehead and whispers, "I know."

The End.