Glancing occasionally at her brother, who stared out the window forlornly, Jeannie wondered if he was okay. She had so many questions about Mer's life in Atlantis, and his friends, but she didn't know how to broach the subject. Jumping in with both feet, she asked the first question that came to mind.

"What?" Rodney squinted at her. "Of course I'm fine."

Jeannie wanted to back away from her line of questioning, but she couldn't stop. John was broken, Mer was acting like a mother hen, and he actually bought things for other people. "I'm just asking. How about John? Did he sleep okay last night?"

Rodney actually hesitated; he was about to lie to his sister. Suddenly, he rolled his eyes. "No, he didn't. If I can get him to sleep more than two hours at a time, I will have achieved something." Leaning his head against the cool window, he closed his eyes. "One minute he's fine, acting perfectly normal. The next, he's skittish and clinging to me like a scared kid."

"I noticed. It's a little unnerving." With a surge of affection, Jeannie patted his knee. "You know what, Mer? You're a good friend. An understatement I know. But John trusts you. He trusts you so much, that he let you take him on a plane, away from familiar territory."

Frowning, Rodney glanced at her hand on his knee. "He trusts me when he's lucid, anyway. While he was in the infirmary, several times he didn't believe it was me. He thought someone was playing a trick on him. The first thing John told me was he couldn't do this anymore."

"Can't do what anymore?" Jeannie had a feeling she didn't want to know.

Crossing his arms, Rodney took a deep breath. "It's not like bad things happen to us every time we step through the gate. But the threat is there, and some people just don't like us."

Jeannie couldn't imagine cities and villages against the Atlantis expedition, let alone entire worlds. She squeezed his hand, hoping the contact would help. Turning down a street one block shy of hers, Jeannie glanced in the mirror. "Hey, Maddie. You wanna play with Lucy for a couple hours?"

The little girl beamed; it was hard to tell if the intense visit of her uncles was stressful yet. "Can I spend the night?"

"Not this time, sweetie. Maybe next week, okay?" Jeannie made a mental note to ask Lucy's mom about Maddie's impending plans.

oOoOoOoOo

When they finally unloaded the car, Jeannie turned to her brother. "Now, I'd really like you to take a nap, Mer. You are so cranky right now."

Rodney gave his best derisive snort. "Whatever. I'm always like this." After all, he'd only had two cups of coffee today. Speaking of which…

"Uh uh, no! You are going nowhere near my coffee maker. Poor thing hasn't seen this much action since Kaleb was a TA."

"Please. I'm not harming your precious appliance. If it breaks, I'll get you a better one."

"That's so not the point, Meredith." Jeannie pointed a severe finger at him. "If I smell coffee at two in the morning, I will punch you in the neck."

Giving a smirk to rival his best friend's, Rodney crossed his arms. "Now who's cranky?"

Jeannie mirrored his stance. "I am not cranky. You need to sleep as much as John," she said quietly.

"Actually, no, I don't. I'm not the one who was captured and beaten! I –" Slicing the air with a dismissive hand, Rodney gathered his scattering thoughts. "Well the point is, I don't sleep much anyway."

Saddened by her brother's tone, Jeannie took her brother's wrist, guiding him towards the bedroom. "Just lie down for one hour. Stare at the ceiling for all I care, but lie down!"

"Hey! What's going on?" Kaleb admonished quietly as he left the guest room.

"What are – What happened?" Rodney's blue eyes immediately widened as he snatched his hand away from Jeannie.

Kaleb raised his hand to calm the siblings. "He's fine. His fever went up a bit; I came to check on him. He had a bad dream earlier, but he's fine now."

Pushing past both people, Rodney entered the room to find John stripped to the waist and a cloth obscuring his eyes. The blankets had been pushed away, twisted at his feet.

"I wasn't sure what kind of medicine he was taking, so I didn't give him any Tylenol," Kaleb explained.

Flapping a hand in Kaleb's general direction, Rodney sighed wearily. "It's fine. As long as he's asleep." He took in the pillows stuffed under John's right side, keeping his body at an angle. "How bad was the dream?"

Kaleb opened his mouth to answer, but the colonel blinked awake. "It wasn't that bad, McKay," he replied, sounding more like himself. "You're grumpy. Take a nap." Then he drifted away.

"Why do I keep hearing that? I am not cranky." Rodney sat down on the bed, surveying his patient. John had been propped up on the right side by pillows. Evidently, his side bothered him more than he let on. Watching John breathe deeply, Rodney felt a familiar lethargy overcome him.

Jeannie pulled her husband out of the room. When Rodney kicked off his shoes, she felt sure he would sleep. "Call if you need anything," she whispered. Closing the door behind them, she directed Kaleb to the living room. "I can't believe he's here and not in a hospital!"

"You should see the rest of him," Kaleb said, distracted by the overflowing bags. "What is all this stuff?"

Sighing, Jeannie placed her hands on her hips. "Bubble bath and koosh balls, among other things."

"I love koosh balls. Great for stress."

"Are you saying I'm stressed?" Crossing her arms, she glanced from her husband to the closed door of the guest room. "Maybe I am. A little. I'm just worried about them."

Putting his arms around her, Kaleb squeezed lightly. "Whatever is wrong, they'll sort it out. But we'll have to be patient. I mean, they've only been here less than two days."

"I know, I know. Maddie's seen them more than me." Jeannie gave a sidelong glance. "Am I being weird?"

Kaleb smiled. "As opposed to any other day? Ouch!" Rubbing his arm where she punched it, he sobered. "I'm sure when they're ready, they'll tell you everything. They need a lot of rest though. A continuously cranky Rodney is not something I want to endure."

Jeannie nodded, distracted by a running list in her head. "And we're almost out of coffee."

oOoOoOoOo

Swish. Thunkthunkthunkthunk. Swish. Thunkthunkthunkthunk. Swish.

Rodney opened his eyes, seeing a casted arm idly moving along the headboard. Long fingers lightly touched the dark wood, exploring every ridge.

"Why aren't you asleep?" Rodney mumbled.

John took a deep breath. "Can't feel her. She's gone."

Blinking awake, Rodney pushed himself up on one elbow. "Who?"

In the dimming afternoon light, John's eyes were dark and haunted. He closed them, taking a deep breath. "Doleo ere quod."

Now Rodney was fully awake. "What are you sorry about?" He watched John eye him suspiciously, but not see him at all. "Well?"

"Atlantica. Doleo ere quod."

Reaching out, Rodney pulled John's arm down without resistance. He knew the man was still half asleep, judging from the stilted Ancient John spoke. Rodney never thought the colonel listened to him; enduring long hours in the chair must have taught John a few things.

Rodney felt John's eyes following his hands as Rodney snagged a glass of water off the bedside table. "Bibere defensor." After a few gulps, John lay back against the pillows, mumbling his thanks. "Probe fecisti."

John smiled happily. "I knew you cared."

As much as he wanted to respond, Rodney knew it would be in vain. "Go to sleep. Idiot."

John let out a sleepy chuckle, and curled on his left side.

Rodney checked his watch as he climbed off the bed. He changed his shirt, and left the room quietly.

Jeannie and Kaleb lounged on the couch, each with a magazine. The house was more quiet than Rodney was used to, and he wondered if this was what set off Sheppard. "Hey, guys."

"Hey, Mer. Have a good nap?"

Out of habit, Rodney went straight to the fridge. "Fine, fine. Until Sheppard woke me by speaking Ancient."

Jeannie stopped idly flipping pages to gaze at her brother. "I didn't know he could speak it. What did he say?"

Rodney shuffled around the kitchen making a cheese sandwich. "Basically, he missed Atlantis. I think it's a little more quiet than he's used to right now."

"He sleeping okay?" Kaleb asked, looking a little apprehensive.

"He's fine, actually. Better than when he was at the SGC." Rodney turned around to find his sister staring intently at him. "What?"

"What about you?"

"If I recall correctly, I've already answered that question."

Jeannie walked slowly into the kitchen. "Why did you send him to the SGC? You told me part of the story, so I want to hear more."

Rodney blinked at her quiet question. There were things he wasn't prepared to share about life in the Pegasus Galaxy. He went with a partial truth. "Well, it was for his own good, you know." Setting his sandwich on a napkin, Rodney cleared his throat. "Since John can communicate with Atlantis on a whim, he never got the rest he needed."

"Oh yeah, that's right. He can initialize Ancient systems with a thought." She smiled at her brother's surprise. "John told me about it when I first came to Atlantis. He said he didn't want me to freak out if doors start opening, and things start lighting up of their own accord."

"How considerate of him," Rodney replied, chewing thoughtfully. "I took him out of the SGC because any time they communicated with Atlantis, so would he. John can be a handful when he wants to be."

"You're not kidding."

Rodney sipped on a tall glass of water. "I think we're making progress." He glanced around the kitchen. "So, um, what's for dinner?"

oOoOoOoOo

After eating his fill of pizza, Rodney went to check on John, who was still sleeping. "I don't know if I should wake him or not. I mean, I doubt he's ready for double veggie surprise."

"You're probably right, Rodney,"Kaleb said. "There's some protein shake stuff in the cabinet if you want."

Wrinkling his nose, Rodney thought about every time a doctor forced those on his friend. "I don't know. We'll ask later."

"Uncle Mer?" Maddie demurely stood in front of him. "Can I say good night to Uncle John?"

Rodney thought about this for a second. He remembered what happened last night, and decided, "Yep. Let's go check on him."

"Hey, Maddie?" Jeannie called. "Be really quiet okay? John's still sick, remember?"

The little girl rolled her eyes. "Of course I 'member, mommy." She took Rodney's hand and led him to the guest room. Before he could stop her, she climbed onto the bed carefully.

Surprisingly, John was slightly awake, and didn't flinch away. A week ago, this action might have sent him into a panic attack. Nevertheless, his eyes tracked everything that moved.

"Hi, Uncle John," Maddie whispered. "You still feel bad?"

Nodding slightly, John offered a little smile.

"It's okay. You'll feel better soon. Uncle Mer's here, and Mommy and Daddy and me. Tomorrow's smoothie day. Do you like strawberries?" She barely waited for his nod. "Mommy'll make you a strawberry one."

"That sounds good, Maddie. I'm sure he'll like it." Rodney motioned his niece with reaching hands.

"Maddie. Time for bed," Jeannie called to her daughter. "Daddy's got a story for you."

The little girl rolled her eyes in the McKay fashion. "I gotta go to bed now. I hate bedtime. They read stories for babies, but I'm not a baby anymore." Scooting closer, her fingers barely touching John's hair. Shyly, Madison kissed his cheek. "Night, Uncle John," she whispered.

"Night," John whispered back, chuckling at her genetically crooked smile.

Hopping off the bed, Maddie wrapped her arms around Rodney's legs. "Night, Uncle Mer!" Then, she was gone.

oOoOoOoOo

John sat upright, willing the room to stop spinning. Again. He needed water, and to ready himself for bed. Brushing his teeth, he leaned against the sink, wondering what tomorrow would bring. When he exited the bathroom, John staggered back to the bed, avoiding Rodney's outstretched hand.

"I know you don't want to, but you need to take your meds for another week." Rodney refilled the glass of water, thinking about getting a pitcher. He was a little worried as he watched John gulp down the water. Carolyn had warned him that one of the pills would make him thirsty. Not that he could remember which one, but he made a mental note to get that pitcher.

John was asleep by the time Rodney turned out the lights, and it was only eight-thirty at night. Rodney flipped on the bathroom light, and pulled the door closed slightly. The last thing he needed was John or himself tripping over something in the dark.

Leaving the room, Rodney retrieved his laptop. A little work before bed was customary, even habit by now; Rodney was always in favor of routine. He deleted forty unread emails, and answered three. After an hour, Rodney rubbed his tired eyes. Sure, Jeannie was right. So was Carolyn Lam. He needed as much rest as he could get, especially taking care of his best friend.

As soon as he entered the room, Rodney heard a whimper. Just when John could sleep deeply, a nightmare would pop up. This one seemed mild, however, Rodney got ready for bed noisily. Sometimes, if John could hear another person near him, he would calm.

"What are you doing here?" John's cold voice cut through the silence.

"What?" Rodney automatically looked over his shoulder then back. "Are you still dreaming?"

John suddenly sat upright. "You have to leave! They're coming back!"

Turning on a light, Rodney climbed onto the bed. John didn't even flinch at the sudden brightness. "John? You're safe. We're in Vancouver."

"Oh." John lay back down, curling on his side.

"Jeez, Sheppard. You're gonna be the death of me."

oOoOoOoOo

When John woke again, the sun was high in the clear blue sky. He glanced out the window hoping for a fluffy cloud to pass to ensure he wasn't dreaming. Muffled voices could be heard behind the closed door. Sitting up carefully, John stretched his stiff muscles. He also noticed he was wearing a clean shirt and boxers. "That's not right," he said aloud.

Dressing slowly, John sat on the bed for a few moments to gather strength to walk out of the room. He saw Rodney and Jeannie sitting at the dining room table, shoulder to shoulder, laughing. John thought he'd hear Rodney laugh like that again.

Papers littered the floor and table; numbers and symbols every which way filled every sheet.

"I cannot believe this math! Even if he was working on something top secret, and couldn't reveal everything, this math wouldn't make since."

"Maybe he stumbled onto something, and couldn't – No, it doesn't make sense at all." Jeannie rose, grabbing glasses. "Hey, John! Good to see you up and around."

"What?" Rodney whipped around in his chair. "Oh, hey."

"Hi, guys. What's goin' on?" John shuffled forward, calculating the distance to the next chair, and dividing it by his flagging strength.

Rodney stood, and in a split second, he was beside John, offering his arm. John took it willingly, placing one foot in front of the other. "Whatcha doin'?"

"Correcting math," Rodney said tersely.

"Not just any math. One of the leading theoretical astrophysicist in the U.S."

John glanced at the stray pages of a book. "This is crap. All of these sets are in the wrong place. Did anyone check this?"

"You'd think there was at least a proof reader," Jeannie said, placing a glass of juice in front of John.

Rodney snorted. "Maybe he did. That's the scary part."

"John? Are you hungry?"

"Yeah, I am, actually." Glancing around the living room, then outside. "Where's Maddie?"

The siblings looked at each other. "She's at school. She should be back in about an hour," Jeannie said with a sympathetic smile.

"It's Monday, John." Rodney turned to look his friend in the eye. "You slept through Sunday. Well, mostly. You don't remember the pleasant trips to the bathroom? The clothes changing incident? Or, hey let's hit Rodney because I think he's an alien? None of this ringing a bell?"

John felt a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Sorry, buddy. Must've missed that."

"Well," Jeannie chimed in. "I don't know about the last one, but your fever broke yesterday afternoon, and you were pretty vocal about someone named Kolya." She glanced between the men; both wore an identical grimace, shifting uneasily.

Rodney waved a hand. "The only thing that would shut you up was background noise. I turned on Cartoon Network, and endured ten hours of horribly inane cartoons."

Pursing his lips, the colonel thought back; there was a void in his memory. This only happened when he was in the infirmary. "Sorry I missed Smoothie Sunday."

Jeannie brightened. "Maddie insisted we save one for you." She handed over a frozen glass with pink liquid. "Strawberry, as ordered."

Picking up the glass with two hands, John drank the thick fruity drink. "Sweet," he responded with a smile. Setting the glass down with a thunk, he grabbed a blank piece of paper. "Gimme one of those equations." He felt his sluggish mind start to sharpen focus.

Rodney gave a crooked smile, shoving the book in front of the other man. "Go for it. What's more insulting than having an Air Force pilot correct theoretical aeronautics?"

oOoOoOoOo

After two hours of numbers, brackets, and sibling rivalry, John wandered to the living room. Dropping into a chair, he gazed out the big window, contemplating a walk. A short one of course, but a walk nevertheless. His heart rate picked up at the mere thought, and John began calculating.

"You're not getting any ideas, are you?"

Taking several breaths to calm himself, he set his face in what he hoped was an impassive mask. "Now who's being stealthy?"

Rodney shrugged, then crossed his arms. "Learned from the best." He came forward to stand next to the colonel, gazing out the window. "What are you planning?"

"I'm not planning. I'm plotting."

"Ha! I knew you were up to something."

John rolled his eyes, instantly regretting the action. "I just want to go for a walk."

"What?" Rodney sat in the opposite chair, and leaned forward. "Sheppard, you can't even stand for more than ten minutes, now you want to walk? Next you're going to tell me you're going for a jog."

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes again, John raised a hand to calm his friend. "I – Just to the end of the driveway." With his best puppy dog eyes, he leaned forward. "Please?"

Rodney looked out at the driveway; now he knew the course John had been plotting. "All right fine. But I am not carrying you back."

"I'll be fine." John pointed at the bags positioned by the door. "What's with the bubble bath?"

Rodney shrugged. "Bribery, actually. Do you know what Miko will do for things that smell like jasmine?"

All teeth and dimples, John rose from the chair at the same time as Rodney, who immediately offered his arm. John took it, and together they shuffled out of the house and down the driveway. He walked unaided down the cement path, however, the return trip was spent clinging to Rodney's arm.

But he was outside, under a bright blue sky.

oOoOoOoOo

Rodney woke to weak sunlight filtering through the sheer curtains. And an empty bed. He closed his eyes, knowing that John was more mobile now, and insisted on taking care of himself.

Barking dogs brought him out of his fugue; Rodney had heard those dogs every day around the same time. This was the first time he was conscious enough to realize it really was the same time every day. Checking his watch, Rodney pushed back the covers, shivering against the chilled air. He wondered if John was in the backyard again, where he'd been every morning since he woke from his twenty-six-hour nap.

Today was Friday, and Maddie had plans to spend the night at Lucy's house. Her mother and her uncle planned a night of bad movies and take-out. Eager to start the day, Rodney rubbed his hands together, anticipating his first cup of coffee.

Pouring the rich, dark roast into a giant mug, Rodney turned at the sound of the front door quietly opening and closing. What he didn't expect to find was John, shrugging out of a jacket.

"Were you outside?" Rodney asked, a little louder than he intended.

Tossing his most cavalier smile, John strode into the kitchen. "Mornin', Rodney. You're up early."

Rodney took a large gulp of scalding coffee to avoid blowing up at his friend. Setting it calmly on the counter, he scowled at the dark depths. "How long?"

Knowing better than to play ignorant, John filled a glass with water. "Since Tuesday. I just walk Maddie to the curb where she catches her bus, then I come straight back."

As much as Rodney wanted to be angry, he knew this day would come. John's health was improving, and he was a lot more independent. Even his nightmares had lessened. He should be happy for John, but Rodney still felt he needed to watch for cracks in the mask. The better the colonel got, the better his mask.

"... first day. We were almost late! I couldn't walk that fast," Sheppard was saying, eyes distant as Rodney's mind. "Sat on that bench for damn near twenty minutes before I could come back."

"I know you want to do stuff on your own, but could you please let me know before you do that?"

John nodded sagely. "Copy that, buddy. Don't think I'm not watchin' you either."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you should be getting more sleep. We do share a room, you know."

"Oh please. I'll probably never sleep again after this trip."

Sipping his water, John checked his watch. "Hey, there's an X-Files marathon on today. You game?"

Refilling his mug, Rodney nodded absently. "I guess. Anyone else here?"

"Nope. Jeannie's volunteering at Kaleb's school. Some sort of special day today."

"Uh, that would be graduation. It's tomorrow or tonight. Something."

John's limp was almost non-existent as he puttered around the kitchen. "Cool. Want breakfast?"

"Yes, but let's get outta here. I need bacon." Rodney hurried to change.

"Thank God."

oOoOoOoOo

They spent the afternoon doing absolutely nothing. A little golf, a long nap, and the finishing touches on the love letter two geniuses and a pilot would send to the pseudo-scientist.

"This is awesome," John said, checking over his last equation. "I can't believe you're letting me send trajectories for Blackhawks and Ospreys. This guy'll never know what hit 'im."

Rodney's crooked grin remained fixed as they gathered all the stray pages filled with numbers. "Well, it's just like those variations he wrote. But yours will actually work."

"Do you think this guy is laughing at us? Did he think no one would notice? Or is that the plan?"

"I seriously doubt he thinks anyone will read this drivel. And by the time you get through this tome, your brain is fried."

The overhead light flickered, and eventually went out. It wasn't quite dark out at four in the afternoon, but the day had been cloudy.

"Oh great. Now we have to look for a bulb. John, I – John?"

The man sat, absolutely still, glowing pale in the dim light. The light flickered back on, revealing vacant eyes and white knuckles. Rising stiffly from the table, John turned on his heel and left the dining area.

Rodney heard the guest room door quietly close as the bulb finally gave out. "I don't know how to respond to that. What do I do?" He paced around the kitchen, wondering if he should go after his traumatized friend. Stepping in the direction of the room several times, then finally made his body enter the room.

John sat on the bed visibly shivering. "Not yet."

Exasperated, Rodney flopped down beside John, who flinched and scooted away. "Sorry. But are you okay?"

John seemed to concentrate on breathing, closing his eyes. "Gimme a minute."

Rising slowly, Rodney made sure his hands were visible. He jerked his head in the direction of the door. "I'm gonna look at take out menus. I'll tell Jeannie –"

"No, I'm good. I just need to lie down for a while."

"Uh, okay." Rodney had an idea. "We could go for a walk before dinner if you want."

Lying in the middle of the bed, John folded his casted arms across his chest. He hoped his smile looked genuine. "Sure, Rodney." The darkening room felt like a good place to freak out.

Nodding, the scientist left the room, tightly closing the door. He searched the closets for new light bulbs. If this were Atlantis, I would be more concerned. Replacing the bulb, Rodney sat down staring at the sliver of the closed door he could see from his chair.

oOoOoOoOo

Jeannie came home to a dark house, and her brother dozing on the couch. Kaleb followed her, arms full of bags. "Why's it dark? Are they home?" he asked.

Turning on a light farthest from Rodney, she glanced around the house. The guest room door was closed; either John was sleeping, or there was a fight.

"Oh, hey guys. I didn't hear you come in," Rodney said around a yawn. I ordered from the Chinese place down – What?"

"What did you do? Where's John?" Jeannie placed her hands on her hips; Rodney tried and failed to wipe the image of their mother from his thoughts.

"Nothing! He's taking a nap." Checking his watch, he weaved around the coffee table, and walked towards the guest room. "I'm going to wake him. He said he was looking forward to bad movies."

"Sorry, Mer. I didn't mean to accuse you, but sometimes... Anyway, Chinese sounds great." Jeannie frowned as Kaleb shuffled around, conspicuously ignoring the potential argument.

Waving a dismissive hand, Rodney continued walking. "I know, I know." Quietly opening the door, he took a deep breath, prepared for the worse.

Instead, he found John awake, and flipping through a comic book. "Hi, Rodney." Closing the book, he rose, pulling on a zip-front sweatshirt Rodney had bought for him. He shoved his fists into the oversized pockets. "Sorry about, um, earlier. The light. It... it just reminded me of something."

"I figured. Well, the food should be here shortly, and Jeannie and Kaleb are home." Rodney stepped aside to let John pass. Soon they were in the kitchen dishing up various Asian foods.

"Jeez, Rodney! All of Atlantis could dine on what you ordered!" Jeannie looked around the cartons of food. "Who's gonna eat all this?"

Rodney shrugged. "No worries on that front. We'll have a nice lunch tomorrow."

Kaleb picked through the cartons. "Is that meat?"

"Sorry, vegetarians. John and I needed something –"

"With seared flesh in it," John supplied. "No offense."

Jeannie wrinkled her nose. "Yucky. None taken." Surreptitiously, she watched John place food on his plate. The portions were small, but at least he was eating more than he had all week. Glancing over at her brother, she noticed him doing the same thing. They caught each and laughed.

John eyed them both, then moved off to the living room to claim his spot. "You owe me a walk, McKay."

"After dinner."

"I'll hold you to it."

oOoOoOoOo

Dinner was unrushed and calming. Kaleb and John chatted about War and Peace, while Jeannie and Rodney argued about the CNO cycle, and what may have caused their new planet's sun to go red. The two men moved on to electronics, and the subsequent setup of the new home theater system.

Tapping John's shoulder, Rodney gestured towards the door. "We can take a walk while Jeannie makes popcorn."

"Okay." They walked outside; Rodney shivered in the cool evening air. "Do you need a jacket?" John asked as they walked down the driveway.

"I'm fine. We're not going that far."

They walked two houses down and back. Halfway up the driveway, John faltered. The meds had all but stopped, but he still tired easily.

"Let's go back inside," Rodney said quietly. "I'm sure everything's set up by now. It's not like you're going to make it through two movies."

"Hey! I'll be fine." John was tired, but optimistic for the first time in a long time.

oOoOoOoOo

Twenty minutes before the second movie ended, John was sound asleep. He had found a way to curl up on his right side comfortably, propped against the back of the sofa.

"God, Mer. How does he look so young? Are you sure he's older than you?"

Rodney threw popcorn at his sister. "Teyla always says, 'while the man is at rest, the boy will appear.' Or something like that."

"I guess so," Jeannie replied. "How is Teyla? And Ronon?"

"They're fine. Did you know Teyla's pregnant?"

Jeannie gasped. "No!"

"Yeah! Some guy from her village. Didn't even know she had anyone."

"Wow. Tell her I said congrats."

"Yeah, from me too." Kaleb said, shouldering his wife. "One day I'll get to meet her."

"Absolutely, honey." Jeannie snuggled against Kaleb. "When's she due?"

Rodney shrugged, leaning back against the couch. He would've never known if she hadn't said anything. "No idea. Can't even tell yet. I mean –"

John woke suddenly, narrowly missing Rodney's head with his foot. His skin was so pale it glowed in the dim light. "Rodney?" John asked weakly, as he tried to rise.

"Whoa, whoa! Hang on!" Rodney jumped to his feet, knowing that look in John's eye so well. Grabbing his arm, Rodney propelled John towards the bathroom, where John threw up everything he'd ever eaten.

When it was over, the colonel leaned back against the tub, letting the coolness of the object seep through his damp shirt. Peripherally, he felt his body being lifted and placed somewhere warm. They're going to kill me now. Nice of them to do it on a warm soft bed.

Weakly, he struggled against too many hands. Instinct took over; he wasn't going down without a fight. The soldiers called his name over and over, but one voice broke through the fog. One voice determined to pull him out of the darkness.

"Sheppard! Open your eyes! It's me!"

A whimper escaped his lips. John knew they were lying again. Hands tightened around his sore shoulders. If it were really Rodney, he wouldn't hurt him like this.

"Come on, John. Wake up, okay?" A woman's voice pleaded with him.

Now they're using women? Where did they find these people who sounded like his friends? John knew the Genii were devious, but this was just plain mean.

"Sheppard? John! Snap out of it! You're safe! Can you hear me?"

Rodney? No. Not Rodney. This Rodney was tired and frightened and pale.

Liars.

"You're safe, John." A new voice announced.

The colonel focused on a dark-haired man across the room. He didn't look like the rest, wearing a blue shirt with words across his chest.

I only like one Rilo Kiley song, John thought as he focused on the man's shirt. Focus becoming sharper, the faces above him coalesced into Jeannie and her brother, Meredith Rodney McKay.

"Hey, hey! There you are," Rodney said with a faltering smile.

Rilo Kiley – Kaleb – disappeared briefly, returning with a glass of water and a damp towel. Feeling warm hands under his head, John focused on Rodney, who held the glass to his lips.

"Just rinse first. I think you bit your lip."

John did as he was told, spitting into a proffered bowl. The salty coppery taste in his mouth vanished, and he greedily drank until Rodney stopped him. The room tilted to the left, making John squeeze his eyes shut. He wanted to open his eyes to assure his friends he was fine, however, his body had other plans. Warm darkness swallowed him whole.

"Oh my God, Mer," Jeannie whispered. "What was that?"

Rodney closed his eyes, sagging just a little. "That was a John Sheppard Special." Glancing at the clock, he reached for his cell phone. "I need to call Carolyn."

"Okay, Mer. Let us know if we can help." Jeannie squeezed Kaleb's hand. She watched John's pulse throbbing at his exposed throat. Too fast. Way too fast. Leading her husband from the room, Jeannie closed the door behind them.

"Well of course it's an emergency!" They heard Rodney yell behind the closed door, footsteps pacing the length of the room.

Ten minutes later, he threw open the door. "Okay, okay. She'll be here in ten minutes, so if you could…" Rodney distracted himself with a list, making sure he could find his journal.

"No worries, Mer. Take care of John."

"Yes. Yes, yes." Disappearing back into the room, Rodney gathered all his supplies.

It had been such a good week. Everything seemed better. John seemed better. But Rodney's suspicions were confirmed; John was a ticking bomb that just went off.

oOoOoOoOo

A knock at the door jolted Rodney from his trance-like state. Carolyn Lam entered the room, all business. "Rodney? How's my patient?"

Behind her, Jeannie pulled her husband away from the bedroom. "Wait. Didn't you say the SGC was in Colorado? Is this how you saw that ship in space? What –" The questions whirled in his head; there was too much he didn't know.

"Sorry, honey. Classified." Jeannie smiled brightly as she closed the door.

Jerking her head towards the door, Carolyn frowned. "Rough night?"

"No, no. It was a great night. Great week, actually. Well, four days."

The doctor smiled. "I saw the popcorn." Smoothing away the damp hair on John's brow, she frowned again. "Well no fever. That's good."

"He had one about a week ago. Went away after about a day. Wrote it down and everything."

Glancing over the meticulously written daily reports, Carolyn nodded. "He slept an entire day?"

"Yeah," Rodney replied, straightening the blanket over his friend. "He's been okay since."

"Looks like it did him some good." She raised a casted arm. "Help me with him. I'd like to run some tests."

Rodney blinked. "What, now?"

"I'll be quick." She tapped her radio. "Doctor Lam to Colonel Caldwell."

"Caldwell, here. What can I do for you?"

"I need your infirmary for a bit. If you could beam the three of us directly there, I'd appreciate it."

"Copy that, Doctor. Three ready for transport."

In a flash of light, they were in the infirmary, levering John's long body onto an exam bed. Fifteen minutes later, the doctor sighed. "Well, his blood pressure's a little low, nothing to worry about right now. Other than that, John should be fine tomorrow."

Nodding absently, Rodney leaned against the next bed. "And he'll be sore and achy, probably with a scratchy throat."

Carolyn flashed a smile that turned sad. "You know the drill." She touched Rodney's shoulder. "You go get some rest. I'll take over John-watching duty."

"How long will he need to stay?"

"I'll radio you in the morning. We'll start an IV for now, and go from there."

Crossing his arms tightly across his chest, Rodney began pacing. "It's for the best. Keep him as long as you need to." He rubbed a hand over his face. "I guess I'll let Jeannie know he's okay."

"He'll be fine," she assured him. "Just hit a bump in the road."

Rodney wearily made his way back to the transport area. He would have to explain to his niece that her favorite uncle was out of commission again.

oOoOoOoOo

Because my Latin rocks. Not! These are approximate, but probably not too accurate.

Doleo ere quod = I'm sorry

Bibere defensor = Drink defender

Probe fecisti = You did well