Characters: John Shepard, Teyla
Genres: Episode Coda for 38 Hours
Rating: G
Warnings: none
Chapters: 1/1
Archiving: Please ask first.
Summary: Just a short episode Coda for "38 hours." John awakens in Sickbay to find Teyla by his bedside.
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John Shepard woke up in sickbay and experienced a moment of disorientation. 'Where the hell was he?' As he turned his head to figure it out the sharp pain on the right side of his neck brought the reason back in hurry. The puncture wounds from the life-sucking insect still throbbed and hurt like hell. Although he felt better than he did twenty-four hours ago, he still couldn't feel his toes and fingers.
Sitting up, John realized that he wasn't alone. In the chair next to his bed was Teyla, sound asleep, her feet curled up under her and her head resting on her hands. As if sensing his regard, she opened sleepy eyes and slid her feet to the floor. Seeing him sitting up and awake she smiled and touched his hand.
"You're awake. How are you feeling?"
"I'm still a little numb in places, but I'm good. Have you been here all night?" John asked surprised and a little worried that maybe his condition was worse that he'd been told.
"I couldn't sleep so I came in to make sure you were going to be all right. When I got here you were very restless, but when I sat down next to you, you seemed to quiet down. So I stayed" Teyla looked away, embarrassed at what that might mean. "I must have fallen asleep myself."
"Thanks." John looked directly at her. What an incredible woman she was. Beautiful, smart, brave, tough enough to lead her people, but compassionate. He was more than a little bit attracted to her.
Could it be possible that she might feel the same way? He tried to analyze her behavior around him. It didn't seem impossible…
"It's all right, I wasn't sleeping anyway." She looked embarrassed again.
"No, I mean thanks for what you did for me on the shuttle. Some of its kind of hazy, but I do remember you were there with me the whole time. It helped, more than you know." John waited for her reaction hoping he was right about her feelings.
"You're welcome. My comfort was the only thing I had to offer you. I wish that I could have done more. I felt powerless watching you suffer." Teyla paused unsure if she should give voice to some of her deeper feelings for this man. It was a risk to be so open with someone she knew so little, but his courage in saving her people made him deserving of her trust. So she continued more quietly. "It has become important to me that nothing happen to you. You are my friend."
He was right! Teyla felt a connection to him just as he did to her. However her tentativeness hadn't escaped him and he knew he would need to go slowly with her, to get to the passion beneath her calm demeanor. Bridges of trust and desire weren't built in a day; they took months, sometimes years. But John has a strong sense that the time he invested would be well worth it.
"Friends, yeah definitely friends." He smiled his sexiest smile hoping it would communicate some of what he was feeling, without scaring her away.
"When you are feeling better maybe we could watch more of your "football" together?"
She asked shyly.
"I'd like that. It's a date." John said smiling again.
"A date? What date?"
John chuckled at her confusion. He was always forgetting that despite their shared language, there were still cultural differences.
"Where I come from 'a date' is when two people spend time together to get to know each other better and have a good time. A date."
Teyla smiled back, understanding. "A date then. I'll look forward to it. In the mean time, you must rest and I have much work to do so I will leave you to recuperate."
John watched Teyla as she left sickbay. He was feeling better already. It was gonna be a great day.