Author's note: This story is for a challenge: to write a tag for 38 Minutes and what John's thoughts were after his friends left.
Words Unspoken
John laid back, reclined with his head resting on some pillows, thinking about the words he was going to tell Dr. Weir when he thought he wasn't going to make it back to Atlantis. She wouldn't let him say anything at the time, but now she had changed her mind. She wanted to know what he was going to say, but he could bring himself to say it. The point was moot and the time had passed. He felt a bit uncomfortable to say it now. He hated sentiments anyways…. well at least the mushy ones or the ones that seemed lame. He wasn't one those kinds of guys that wore his heart on his sleeve.
He enjoyed Elizabeth's character. She was fair, but firm. She had passion for her job, but knew when to keep it in check. She also was obviously good at reading people, a good trait to have when one is a diplomat and a good leader. Plus, he liked it when she could put people in their place.
She could tell what he had told her and his team, "Take care of each other," was not what he was really going to say. Hence where she was good at reading people, but his team was none the wiser. How could they really know? They barely knew him and he them.
Ford was a good kid. A bit green, but he knew one day he'd be a great asset to fighting against the Wraith. He felt fortunate to have him on his team. Today was a rough day for all of them, but he remained calm through it all.
Rodney… well Rodney is like any other scientist that thought highly of himself and his accomplishments. He may be a great guy, but couldn't really see him as a close friend, but at least he wasn't like Kavanagh. He would have to shoot him… or feed him to the Wraith.
And then there was Teyla, a native of this galaxy. She had a lot of traits similar to Elizabeth, like being a diplomat…. he saw that when they first met. Though she was hesitant to strangers, she was willing to give them a chance. Maybe his charm helped a bit, he thought with a smile. She had a hardness to her, obviously from her difficult life and the constant fear of the Wraith for her and her people. She also was a quick learner for their weapons. She mentioned about some bantos rods and teaching him how to use them. He was sure whatever they were… he'd master them in no time.
So, what he was thinking of saying all and all what he wanted to say to Dr. Weir was, "Thanks. Thanks for giving him the chance to be on this exhibition and thank s for believing in him." Despite the unimaginable things he's seen… like the death of Colonel Sumner, the monstrous foes they have to fight and insanely giant, Wraith-like, life sucking bugs. He was grateful for this opportunity, away from Earth and what little it offered him and for a new fresh beginning here.
The End