xoxoxoxoxox

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Teyla's eyes whipped around surveying the area and she knew she had very few choices for right now. She quickly clipped her gun to her vest and warned John, "Hold as still as you can. I am going to move you into one of the surrounding houses."

She could tell John wanted to argue but he was barely conscious and it was apparent he was in a large amount of pain. She knew once he became more fully aware he would claim he was well enough to move. But for now she was his only hope. But she also knew he was her only hope of getting the jumper back to the gate. She did not have the gene to fly the craft and she did not have a clue how to do it even if she did.

Teyla pulled on the back of his vest and dragged him down the street away from the approaching animals. They ducked behind one house then Teyla pulled him over the threshold of the one next to it. She knew the windows of this place would overlook where the dead creature was. And she suspected and maybe even hoped that these things were not real picky about whom they fed on and the one that had attacked John was their intended dinner.

Teyla quickly closed the door behind them then rushed back to John. She unclipped his gun, pulled open his vest and lifted his shirt.

"How bad is it?" John asked. He took one look at Teyla's face as she attempted to hide her anxiety. "That bad, huh? Can't say it feels … all that great."

"You are bleeding quite heavily," Teyla informed him as she reached for a field compress from her vest. "I need to try and slow it down. Please try to be still, John. I need to apply pressure and I fear it will hurt."

John grunted as Teyla pressed the dressing to his wound and said, "Go for it."

Teyla leaned into his side and exerted pressure and John made a few garbled sounds but gritted his teeth. He knew Teyla needed to get the bleeding stopped and didn't want to make her job any more difficult by crying out. But his side felt like it was on fire and he just wanted to curl up into it and let himself slide into oblivion. He fisted his hands and squeezed his eyes shut as she continued to press on the wound, his breathing rapid and shallow.

"I am sorry, John," Teyla whispered sadly near his ear and John cracked his eyes open just enough to see her eyes gleaming with moisture. He knew she hated to cause anyone pain. He also knew he wouldn't be any good to her if he bled out all over the floor.

"Fine," John managed to whimper. "Just wrap … me up. Good … to go."

Teyla's worried eyes looked at him distressed. "I do not think we should be moving you anywhere. Perhaps we could call for help and Major Lorne could send another jumper."

"They'll be … gone by now," John groaned. "I told them … not to wait. Our only chance is … to get back … to the jumper. And we need … to do it soon. McKay wasn't too sure … how much longer … this place has … until all hell breaks loose."

Teyla looked at John wondering if he could actually make it back to the jumper. He had already lost a lot of blood and it didn't seem as if it would stop. But then the wound was very wide and deep. She knew he probably had much internal bleeding as well.

But what was the alternative? If they waited too long, he would most likely die from blood loss and then neither of them would make it back. And she must make it back to take care of her son. And she wanted John right there beside her assisting her as he had so often since the boy had been born. Especially now as Kanaan was permanently back on New Athos.

"Hold this, John," Teyla instructed and guided John's hands to hold the compress over his wound. She stood and moved to the windows to peer outside. She had continued to hear snarling and growling as she tended to John and as she suspected, the creatures were still hungrily devouring what was left of the one who had attacked John. She shuddered when she thought of what might have happened had John not been able to get to his grenade.

Teyla left the window and moved to the others on this floor. She could feel John's eyes on her as she walked.

"Teyla," John's weak voice reached her oversensitive ears. "We need to get out of here. Help me up so we can go."

Teyla crept back and knelt by John, adding another bandage on top of the saturated one. "There are too many of the beasts out there right now. The ones we saw earlier are feeding off the one that attacked you however the noise of them has attracted several more and they are coming from the direction of the jumper. I fear we would not get very far in that direction."

"Okay," John's voice was shaky and soft and Teyla feared his strength was weakening even more. "We wait until … they start the feast and … then we move. Deal?"

Teyla sighed but nodded her head. Within minutes the howling outside got worse and Teyla ran to check what was happening. She ran around to the other windows and then back to John. She came back holding a towel and she began to tear it into long strips.

She lowered herself to John's side and pressed several folded strips against his wound then began to wrap the other ones around his torso to tie them tightly.

"Time to go?" John choked out as Teyla cinched another strip of towel.

Teyla nodded and continued her work. "They are battling each other for the carcass and one more has been killed so they are feeding off it as well. If we are lucky, they will be occupied with that while we attempt to escape."

John shifted slightly as Teyla tied off the last of the fabric strips and made to push himself up. Teyla reached behind him and assisted. She still did not think he should be moved but with no doctor in sight the options were limited. Even if she attempted to run to the gate and dial Atlantis to send help, it would be well over an hour before they could get anyone back here. She feared John would not last that long and this planet might not either. Even more fissures were opening up as she looked around the landscape.

She needed to get John into the jumper and somehow he must fly it back to the gate. There was no other viable way. Her arm supported him and together they managed to get him standing. But Teyla could feel his weight leaning heavily upon her.

"Don't forget…" John started and looked at their P-90's on the floor. "I know they don't … do a whole lot but I'd feel better … if we still had them."

Teyla nodded and propped John against a wall while she hooked hers to her vest and one to his. She slid under his arm again and they slowly crept to the back door. Once they knew all the apparent creatures were still around the other side of the building they cautiously opened the door and snuck out.

John took in a big breath of air as the pain in his side rose to a pinnacle of agony. His arm curled around his mid-section while his other hung on to Teyla tightly. He gave thanks for her strength, both physical and emotional. She'd dragged him away from the dinosaur things and hadn't once even come close to falling apart. Not many women her size could have done that.

They stumbled along with Teyla's head whipping back and forth, looking for other signs of danger. He knew he should be doing that too, but he honestly thought just trying to stay on his feet was taking everything he had out of him. And he hated being so damn week.

Teyla held onto John as tightly as she could but knew he was growing weaker. The towels she had wrapped around his middle were now completely saturated with blood and she was afraid he would expire right here in her arms. She did not want that to happen. John was very important to her. She had known that for some time. She had just never told him. Now she wondered why she had not.

Perhaps it was because she and John were so alike in so many ways. They were both leaders however neither relished the power and authority that came with that role. They were quiet leaders and ruled with wisdom and their heart; though both tried desperately to hide that heart at all costs.

And she knew they did it because it would cost them dearly if they dared show how much others truly meant to them. They needed to show strength and courage so others could also be brave. But as it was in both their cases, they had lost much because of it. They had lost the opportunity to be close to someone special and have that love returned.

Yes, she did now know it was love that she felt for John Sheppard and she only hoped he could someday return those feelings. There had been many times that his actions had spoken volumes and she suspected that perhaps his heart had also been taken by hers. If they got away from this place, she decided she would see how truly brave she was and tell John just how she felt about him. But they needed to survive first.

"Get over … to the tree line," John rasped as they moved through the field. He knew it was a straighter line to go through the field but then they'd be out in the open and if any of the dinos saw them, they'd be dead meat, literally.

Teyla adjusted her course and steered them closer to the trees and just as she slid them behind one they heard a deafening roar and saw two more of the creatures come running through the field heading toward the buffet dinner that had been created by John's grenade.

"Good instincts, John," Teyla whispered as they became still, hoping the beasts did not see them.

One ran by but the other stopped and Teyla saw it sniff and look in their direction. She saw the blood dripping from John's wound and wondered if that is what it had smelled. It sniffed the air again then slowly walked toward them.

"I can't outrun that thing this time, Teyla," John panted as he saw the creature head near them. He uncurled his hand from around his waist and dug in her pocket and handed Teyla a grenade.

"If it comes close, pull the pin and chuck that into its mouth."

Teyla nodded and released John to lean against a tree. And sure enough the animal moved even closer, grunting big wafts of bad breath near them. John nodded, his mouth tight and his face rigid in pain.

Teyla waited until the creature opened its mouth in a mighty roar then she took a few steps closer, pulled the pin and whipped the grenade inside. She quickly ran back to John who had slung his arm over a low branch of the tree he was propped against. But Teyla could see he was barely hanging on.

As she wrapped her arms around him, they heard the loud explosion and saw the creature stumble then fall to the ground with a loud crash. Luckily John was not in its grasp this time.

"We should go in case the noise attracts others," Teyla warned and John just nodded. He didn't have the energy for anything more.

It was slow going and Teyla gave John soft words of encouragement as they went but it was still almost fifteen minutes before they managed to get to where they had left the cloaked jumper.

"Where is the remote to decloak the jumper?" Teyla asked as they stood near the trees, still anxious more of the creatures would come. The mountains were now completely covered with flames and smoke and Teyla feared they had all been misplaced because of this.

"Left pocket," mumbled John and Teyla saw him attempt to reach across his body but his arm was still around her shoulders and he couldn't get it.

Teyla swiftly snuck her hand inside his pocket and felt awkward as her hand searched for the tiny device. She could feel his hip and thigh and tried not to thrill at the intimate gesture. She finally reached the remote and removed her hand. She glanced at John but could see he was barely conscious.

Once the jumper was uncloaked and the ramp lowered, she maneuvered John into the pilot's chair but truly wondered if he would be well enough to fly it. The lights had all come on when they had entered but Teyla knew the machine could not fly itself even though John and Major Lorne joked that it practically could. In this instance she hoped that was true.

The moans that came from John's mouth when she lowered him into the chair were much louder than she had heard yet. She glanced at his face and noticed a sheen of moisture covering it. His hair was sticking to his forehead and he hunched over to cradle his stomach.

Teyla bent over him and pushed the hair back from his face. "John," she whispered near his ear. "Can you fly it?"

John's head nodded and his hands lifted to reach for the controls but Teyla noticed they were shaking badly and covered with blood. The instruments all lit up and she heard the engine start.

John gave a little smile and looked at Teyla. "I'll get you … back to Torren, I promise."

"I know you will, John," Teyla returned emotionally, appreciating that John was thinking of her and her child.

John brought up the HUD and told Teyla, "You might want to … sit down. I'm not sure how … steady a ride … this will be. But don't tell anyone … okay."

"If you get us back alive I will not breathe a word. I promise." And Teyla kissed his cheek before she sat in the co-pilot's chair.

John's eyes found hers as he took off but before he could go very far a thunderous explosion rocked the small ship. The blast jarred John's injury and he actually cried out in pain and doubled over the console.

"John, the mountains!" Teyla wailed and when John looked up he could see the pyroclastic cloud heading in their direction.

"Damn!" he shouted and attempted to get the jumper to move at top speed. He wasn't sure it would be fast enough and the gate was still several miles away. It was going to be very close; if he could stay upright for that long. He could feel his energy waning and his pain escalating as he pushed himself to stay conscious.

"Teyla," John whimpered. "Forget sitting. You might need to … keep me up and … functioning. Don't let me … pass out. We need to … outrun this cloud. Not sure the jumper can … withstand the force."

Teyla immediately moved behind John and wrapped her hands around his torso, making sure she avoided his injury.

"You will be fine, John," she assured him attempting to remain calm as she watched the events play out on the HUD. "I have faith in you. You have come through much worse than this. Think of all you did to rescue me from Michael."

Teyla said this and hoped John was fooled by her temerity but she had seen his wound and knew it was far wider and deeper than it had been when he had been trapped in the rubble of Michael's building. But he did not need to know this. He needed to believe he could do this.

They continued to fly toward the gate and Teyla kept up her stream of encouragement as she held John firmly in his seat. They had managed to stay slightly ahead of the cloud flow but knew it would be a very tight squeeze to get the gate open and through before it reached them.

As they got closer John coughed a few times and choked out, "Can't go … to Atlantis. Can't risk … anything coming through."

"Where should we go then?" Teyla asked but was distracted by the blood she saw splattering her hands. It must have come from when John had coughed. She feared it meant his lung had been punctured when the creature's claw had pierced his skin.

John mumbled some numbers and letters and Teyla knew he was naming a planet but she did not always remember them by their designations and so allowed John to press the keys on the DHD. She marveled at how he could keep all those numbers inside his head and recall them so quickly. And unlike Rodney, he never drew attention to his intellect and shrugged it off whenever someone mentioned it.

The gate lit up as they approached and John slowed only slightly to allow the event horizon to settle before they got too close. But as they began entry, the ground around the gate started to rumble and crack and great spurts of magma erupted.

"John, the gate!" Teyla cried as she saw the gate fall back onto the ground and some of the lava began to flow inside.

"Hold on," John yelled and brought the jumper's nose into a dive and entered the wormhole.

When they came out the other end Teyla saw that they were on a lifeless planet and that much of the lava had flowed through. But once the jumper cleared the ring, the wormhole shut down.

"Made it," John crowed as he moved the jumper a short distance from the gate and settled it to the ground.

Teyla noted that even though the lava had come through, the gate on this end was relatively unharmed. The gate on the other end must have been swallowed up for it to shut down when it did. She could not believe how close they had come to being stranded on the other planet although it would only have been until the area completely exploded and they were killed. John had saved their lives.

"Yes, we made it, thanks to you, John."

Teyla leaned down and pressed her lips to John's cheek once again but noted his head had sagged and his body was straining against her hands. He was unconscious.

"No, John," Teyla whispered as she came around in front of him and checked his pulse. "You must get us back to Atlantis first."

But John didn't respond and Teyla moved him so he leaned back against the seat then belted him in. She moved in between the seats and pressed the DHD to dial Atlantis. They could send someone to come bring them home.

The wormhole engaged and Teyla activated the radio.

"This is Teyla. We are in need of assistance. Colonel Sheppard has been gravely injured and is unable to fly the jumper back through the gate."

"Where the heck have you been?" came Rodney's whining voice. "I'm surprised the planet hasn't blown up yet."

"I believe it has, Rodney," Teyla said then explained about the Colonel's injury and dialing to another planet so the magma didn't flow through to Atlantis.

"Good thinking." Rodney exclaimed. "So why aren't you just coming through?"

"John managed to get us through the gate away from the other planet but as soon as we were settled on this one, he lost consciousness. I fear his injuries and blood loss are too great."

"We'll send someone to fly the ship back," Lorne cut in. "Where are you?"

Teyla looked around and checked the display panel. "I do not know. John dialed the gate but I do not remember exactly what combination he dialed. I was distracted by the blood he was coughing up. I would just drag him through the gate but according to the readings I am seeing, this planet has no breathable atmosphere and is lifeless. It is most likely why John chose it to come to. He knew if the lava flowed through it would not kill anything. But we do not have hazmat suits."

"And you don't remember what he called the planet?" Rodney sounded irritated and Teyla wished she had paid more attention to what John had said.

"No," Teyla said disheartened. She should have listened better but John had been mumbling softly and she hadn't really heard what he'd said. "I believe it began with a P but other than that, I do not recall, he was speaking too low."

"But if Sheppard remembered the designation and address it must be somewhere we've checked out before right?" Lorne's voice asked excitedly. "Can't we check the data base?"

"Yes, yes, yes," Rodney came through also sounding excited. "Teyla give us as much description as you can about what the place looks like, what's around the stargate and send us a sensor reading of the atmosphere. I can try and match it to what we have in the data base. We should have you back in no time."

Teyla did as asked and in just a few minutes Rodney stated, "We've got it narrowed down to five possible planets. We'll dial each one and try and make radio contact then send people through to help you. Sit tight."

"Please hurry, Rodney," Teyla begged. "John's pulse is growing weaker and he may not have much time. And remember that there is no breathable atmosphere on this planet and there is a good deal of lava near the Stargate so coming on foot would not be a very good idea."

"Roger that," Lorne replied and the Stargate shut down.

Teyla watched hoping the Stargate would light up again and this would be their first try but when several moments went by and nothing, she figured she should get John ready for transport to the infirmary.

She unstrapped him from his seat and eased him to the floor where she dragged him out of the way of anyone who would need to come and fly the jumper back to Atlantis. She removed his vest and began to cut his top away from his wound. She grabbed a few more field compresses and replaced the saturated strips she had applied before.

When the radio remained silent she began to worry that perhaps they had not found the correct planet after all. She continued to fuss around John and apply some disinfectant to his wound that she had gotten from the ship's medical supplies.

She gazed at John's pale, moist face and her anxiety rose. He was far too still and his breathing was slow and shallow. Teyla felt her stomach clench at the thought that he might not make it. She did not even want to think of a life without John Sheppard. He had been a part of it for so long now and she knew she would be miserable if he was not there for her.

She lowered her lips to press against his and whispered, "John, you must hold on and be strong. I need you with me. You are very important to me and to Torren and we both love you." I love you, she thought inside and knew she needed to tell him.

It was almost ten minutes later when her radio finally sounded. "Teyla, are you there?"

"Yes, I am here, Major," she responded frantically. "Please hurry as the Colonel is very weak and needs immediate attention."

"We've got a jumper prepped and ready to come through. I'll need you to close the bulkhead door so we can enter the back without exposing you to the toxic atmosphere on the planet. Once we get in, we'll depressurize and come through. Dr. Keller is coming with us."

"Yes, I will do that."

Teyla stood up quickly and closed the bulkhead door and within minutes she heard a clanking sound and then Lorne's voice asking her to open it up. She quickly did that and gave a huge sigh when she saw Lorne and Jennifer, in their red hazmat suits, standing there.

"Please help him, Jennifer," Teyla cried as Lorne moved past her to start up the ship. "He is barely breathing and I fear he does not have much time unless something is done. He has lost a great deal of blood over the last hour."

Jennifer immediately moved and lifted the new bandage that Teyla had just used but was already dripping again. She actually gasped when she saw the massive wound but began pulling items from her bag and giving Teyla orders.

By the time the jumper had made it back to Atlantis, John had an IV in his arm and Jennifer was cleaning out the wound hoping to avoid any infection. Teyla had helped as needed but had mostly held John's hand and whispered words in his ear.

"You must fight, John. You are strong and I know you can do this. You cannot leave me. You cannot leave Torren. He loves you as he would a father and he needs you as I need you. When you are better there is something I need to tell you. But you must fight and get well. It is very important and something I should have told you long ago. Please, John, be strong."

Jennifer's smile was melancholy as she heard Teyla's words. But as the back of the jumper opened, she patted Teyla's hand and instructed, "We need to get him on a gurney and to the infirmary. I need to take him right into surgery to get some of this internal bleeding stopped."

Teyla stood and watched as the medics placed John on a gurney and quickly rolled him away. She followed along right behind.

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xoxoxoxoxoxo