A/N: The time period for this story is approximately three years after the end of Threads II.

Many thanks to ladygris for the Beta. One section of this story is repeated almost word for word from an email where I'd sent her a QD (Quick and Dirty) of what I wanted a certain Air Force officer to say. She liked it so much, I used it. If you enjoy this segment, it's because of her encouragement and support.

Warning: Fluff and sugar alert!

Namaste,

~Sandy

Threads III

Sew Very Happy

Rodney and Jennifer

Rodney paced back and forth in the Green Room, John and Ronon watching from the sofa. He stopped, checked the time and began the trip again.

"Sit down, Rodney," John suggested forcefully.

"Can't. Nervous." He went to the coffeemaker, but John got up and took the pot away from him.

"That'll make it worse."

The physicist sat down, wringing his hands between his knees. "I've waited all my life for this day. Now it's here and I'm gonna make an even bigger fool of myself than I normally do."

John, in his Dress Blues, sat next to his friend. "You'll do great. Where's your speech?" Rodney pulled a battered piece of paper from the breast pocket of his tux and handed it to his friend. Unfolding it, John scanned the words. "Your handwriting sucks." Rodney just shrugged. "Let's hear it."

"Your Majesties, Your Royal Highnesses, distinguished members of the Nobel Committee, and citizens of this great planet Earth…" Ronon handed him a cup of water and he gratefully took a sip, "…I accept this honor with great appreciation and humility…" He looked up sharply when Ronon laughed. "Give it a rest, Conan. I wish Jennifer was here."

Giving Rodney's shoulder a squeeze, John brought out his sympathy. "I know, but the baby is due any minute now. You want her giving birth here?"

Rodney huffed. "No! We want our child to be born where she was conceived, in Atlantis." No sooner had he said the words than his cell phone rang. "McKay…What?! Now?! But I'm…yes…okay. I'll be right there." He was already on his feet and headed for the door when a blonde woman wearing a Bluetooth entered.

"Dr. McKay, you're up in sixty minutes. We need to get you backstage, check hair and make-up."

"Sorry. Gotta go." He pushed past her with John and Ronon on his heels. Over his shoulder, Rodney whispered, "Jennifer's in labor. I'll get a lift to the SGC from the Hammond. Now that Earth has a ZedPM, I'll be home shortly."

The young woman trotted alongside the quickly moving physicist. "But Dr. McKay…"

"My wife's having a baby. I have to be there." Without turning or slowing, he said over his shoulder, "Colonel Sheppard will accept in my place."

John Sheppard, a Colonel in the United States Air Force, military commander of the Atlantis expedition, fighter of Wraith, Asurans and rogue Genii, began to panic at the thought of giving a speech. "Rodney, I can't…"

Rodney tapped the paper still clutched in John's hand. "Just read the speech as I wrote it." He showed his ID to the guards at the door, explained the situation and was escorted away. The transport to the Hammond could have been done from inside the banquet hall, but it would've been difficult to explain how someone had disappeared from a super secure location.

John just stood there staring at the closed door until the young woman took him by the arm and led him down a different hallway. "Dahlia to Base. Dr. McKay has left the building. Colonel Sheppard will be accepting in his place."

Ronon followed the pair, waves of humor coming off of him. He tapped Dahlia on the shoulder. "Can I watch?"

She looked up at the Satedan. Gone were the dreadlocks he'd sported for much of the time John and Rodney had known him, replaced by short curly brown hair that looked as if he'd been standing on a windy street, and looking out of place in a tuxedo. Dahlia faced forward again. "Yes, of course. Just remember to stay in the wings."

John tried to turn and speak to Ronon, but the small and very strong woman kept pulling him inexorably forward. He held out the speech to Ronon. "You do it."

Ronon snorted a laugh. "No."

"That's it? Just no?"

The Satedan shrugged. "Yeah."

~~O~~

Rodney waited impatiently while the Stargate dialed. It wasn't that it was taking a long time. He just really needed to get to Jennifer quickly. At the moment, he was thanking a God he'd once only half believed in that they now had a ZedPM. It made travel to and from Atlantis nearly instantaneous.

Once on the other side, he removed the tie it had taken so long to get tied just right and shoved it in his pocket with the cummerbund. As he hit the Infirmary entrance, he heard the strained voice of his wife shouting over Carson who wanted her to push dammit!

"I am NOT pushing this baby out until RODNEY gets here! I don't care if he is accepting the damn Nobel Prize! He's the one who got me here, and he better get his ASS back so he can see his child being born or there's gonna be hell to pay-aaaahhhhhh!"

Stumbling to a halt at the scream that issued from his wife's beautiful mouth, he knew she had to be having one hell of a contraction. He hurriedly scrubbed up as he'd been instructed in preparation for this day and entered the surgical area, briefly wondering why there was a chair beside the bed. "I'm here, Jennifer."

"Oh, thank God! What took you so long? I'm ready to push now, Carson!"

Taking her hand, Rodney almost laughed as her words rushed out, nearly tumbling over each other. "Go ahead, Jen. Do it!"

Carson glanced his way briefly then back to his work. "About time you got here. Okay now, lass, when the next contraction comes, push!"

Squeezing her husband's hand, she did as she was told screaming loud enough to wake the dead. It ended on a big sigh of relief from Jennifer when, seconds later, a shrill cry split the air announcing a new life entering the universe.

"Here she is and she's beautiful!" Marie was there to wrap the squalling baby in a blanket and carry her to her mother and father. "The three of you visit for a bit then we'll get her cleaned up." Carson pulled off the latex gloves and rested a hand on Rodney's shoulder.

"Oh, look at her, Rodney." Jennifer, wearing a hospital gown, sweat-soaked and hair a mess, looked more beautiful to him than ever.

"I am. She is beautiful. Just like her mother." A brief wave of dizziness assailed the physicist and he swayed on his feet. "Whoa."

"Ah…here it comes." Carson grabbed the chair and pushed it behind Rodney as his legs gave out. He landed in the chair with a thump, one hand still touching Jennifer's arm. "Don't pass out on us, Rodney."

"I-I-I'm not. At least I don't think so."

Marie came forward to take the baby. "It's time for this little one to get cleaned up."

Reluctantly, the new parents allowed the nurse to take their child away. Scooting the chair up to the bed because he still felt a little dizzy, Rodney leaned close and kissed his wife. A few minutes later, Amanda Sheppard came in with a hairbrush, mirror and other unidentifiable objects.

While Jennifer's best friend helped her clean up, Rodney went to the door between this room and the one where Carson and Marie were examining his daughter and making her presentable to the world. But he already knew she was perfect in every way. It didn't matter what she looked like in the future. The way she looked the moment she first emerged into the light would always be his favorite memory of her.

He made a quick call as he watched them dress her, slip a knit cap over her tiny head covered with light hair and wrap her in a fresh blanket, brightly colored and made of Athosian cloth, a gift from Teyla. Marie smiled as she nestled the child into the bassinet and carefully wheeled it in his direction. He opened the door and followed as Amanda and Carson pushed Jennifer's bed out onto the ward. Rodney rested his hip on the edge of the bed while the baby was placed in her mother's arms.

None of them noticed their friends gathered at the entrance loathe to interrupt the tender scene. One of them, Lieutenant Colonel Evan Lorne, snapped a photo and sent it to the Tower to be immediately forwarded to their commander by way of the SGC. That done, they turned as a group and left the family to get acquainted.

Back at the Awards Ceremony

John stood at stage left awaiting his cue to go on. Brushing a hand through his hair sometimes helped calm him, but it wasn't working. Ronon stood next to him, arms crossed and leaning against the wall, completely at ease.

"Sure you don't wanna do this, Chewy?"

"Yeah."

"Damn." John tuned in to the speaker who was just beginning his introduction.

"This year's recipient of the Nobel Prize for Physics is Dr. Rodney McKay. His groundbreaking research into…"

Nearly all of his friend's work was over his head so the rest of what the man said was lost to John. When Dahlia touched him on the arm, he jerked back to the here and now.

"Colonel? You're on."

"Oh. Right." Tugging his jacket down in front, he took a deep breath and walked out onto the stage. He shook hands with the Master of Ceremonies and leaned close to explain the situation. The white-haired man nodded understanding and stepped out of the way. John cleared his throat, casting a quick glance at the giant view screen above his head. "Um, hi. I'm Colonel John Sheppard. Now I know you were expecting to see another geek in a penguin suit, but you got me instead." A few of the attendees laughed politely. "Rodney…Dr. McKay had to leave because his wife is about to give birth to their first child." He waited out the gasps and applause. "I'm just going to read his speech."

John scanned the faces in the crowd picking out Jeannie, Kaleb and Madison sitting with Jennifer's dad, William and her Aunt Sylvia. His hands resting on the podium, the paper held between them, his eyes found the gold band on his left ring finger, bringing a vision of his wife, Amanda and his son, John Rodney. With it came a sense of calm like he hadn't known since he left Atlantis this morning to accompany his friend on this very special day. He took a deep breath and started to read. "Your Majesties, Your Royal Highnesses, distinguished members of the Nobel Committee, and citizens of this great planet Earth. I, John Sheppard, accept this honor on behalf of my good friend, Dr. Rodney McKay, with great appreciation and…"

Trailing off, John again looked out at the sea of faces all eagerly waiting for him to finish so they could get to the entertainment. This year's festivities were being provided by Cirque Du Soleil and singer Josh Groban. He balled up the paper and shoved it in his pocket. "Think I'll just wing it." Hands resting on the edges of the podium, he took a moment to organize his thoughts. How could he say what he wanted to say without saying what he couldn't say? And then he had it.

"Look, no one deserves this award more than McKay. I have seen him perform what can only be called miracles under conditions where most of us would have given up because it seemed hopeless. He has saved countless lives, including mine more than once, and in places you've never heard of using technology that seemed like magic, almost losing his own life in the process.

"T. Allen Armstrong said, 'In a world where we are forced to conform to society, it is necessary to have personal chaos.' Well, McKay has had more than his fair share of personal and professional chaos. I know. I've been right there with him.

"We all know he doesn't tolerate ignorance or fools easily. But why should he? He is the smartest man I know, will probably ever know." John paused a beat. "But don't tell him I said so." Titters of polite laughter greeted his pronouncement. "When I first met him…"

The ringing of the phone interrupted John. With a sheepish grin, he told the audience, "Oops. Forgot to put it on vibrate." Pulling his cell from his inside pocket, he looked at the screen. Again there was laugher as he answered it. "Sheppard. That's great! Congratulations, Rodney."

Thumbing the end key, he continued to hold the device in one hand. "That was Rodney. A few minutes ago, he and his wife, Dr. Jennifer Keller-McKay welcomed their own little miracle into the world, a baby girl whom they have chosen to name for his mother and for a good friend who gave her own life so that others could live." He looked down at the phone when it beeped and grinned. Turning the screen around and holding it up for the camera, he stood straight and proud. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you for the first time anywhere, my goddaughter, Inez Elizabeth Keller-McKay!"

On the screen above him, the universe was treated to the sight of the most recent winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics, his wife, a brilliant medical doctor and researcher, and the child they created together.

TBC: Evan and Sydney