Lorne barely saw Jennifer over the next week. The day after she returned from New Athos, she walked back through the gate, headed for home. He didn't blame her. He'd been through some pretty rough patches since coming to Atlantis, but none of them could compare to what she faced. She'd been assigned the position of CMO weeks before Elizabeth Weir died. Then, shortly thereafter, an alien entity killed Kate Heightmeyer. Now, she faced the memories of being hunted and captured by a tribe of cannibals. Even he would want to go home after that!

Jennifer returned while he was off-world. Lorne headed for the infirmary after his mission, expecting Dr. Cole to perform his post-mission exam. He walked through the door and nearly stopped walking. Jennifer stood next to her desk, studying reports from the few days she'd been home.

A few moments later, she headed his way. "Major."

"Doc." He studied her. "How are you?"

"Oh, you know," she said as she glanced around, "I'm fine."

"Right." He let her go about the post-mission check, trying not to glare. She didn't look fine. She still wore the brace on her ankle, and her split lip seemed to have healed slightly. As her hands moved with confidence, he tried to meet her eyes. "So, Jennifer, how was home?"

"Good." She offered a tiny smile. "You're good to go, Major."

Lorne took the insult with a grain of salt. She seemed nervous, and he squelched the desire to ask her to dinner the next evening. He buried his disappointment and headed for the conference room. Later, after the debrief, he worked on finishing his sister's painting.

Three days later, Lorne realized that he hadn't seen Keller outside of the infirmary. He knew she still wrestled with what she'd seen while on New Athos, and he doubted she'd told her father anything. He finished his sister's painting and twiddled his thumbs for a few moments before making a decision. He didn't know how it would be received, but he intended to drag Jennifer out of that infirmary and down to the mess hall for dinner. He was unprepared for what he found.

Dr. Cole glanced up as he walked through the door. "Major?"

"Doc." He gave her a slight nod. "I'm looking for Dr. Keller."

Cole gave him an irritated look and pointed to one of the beds. Lorne turned and stared. Jennifer lay on her side, curled into a fetal position as she slept. He blinked. Cole moved to his side. "She's been down here every night."

Lorne thanked Cole with another nod and walked to Jennifer's side. She curled one hand under her cheek, and she shivered slightly. He reached out and gently shook her shoulder. "Jennifer?"

She stirred slightly.

"Jennifer, it's Evan." He shook her shoulder again. This time, she woke with wild eyes. "Whoa!" He backed away as she sat up, swinging wildly. He grappled with her, trying to get her arms under control.

As quickly as she woke, she calmed. "Evan?"

"Come here." Lorne hopped up onto the edge of the bed and pulled her into his arms. She buried her face in his shoulder, letting her tears soak through his shirt. He simply held her, quietly running his fingers through the ends of her hair. "Shhh. It's okay. You're at home. You hear me? You're safe."

Finally, Jennifer nodded. She sat up and glanced around. Thankfully, Dr. Cole had given them their privacy, and Lorne knew rumors would not spread because of this. As soon as Jennifer regained her composure, he stood and pulled her to her feet. She frowned. "Where are we going?"

"Well, I was going to take you to dinner." He gave her a gentle nudge toward the door. "But I think you need sleep, first."

She sighed but walked out of the infirmary ahead of him. Lorne let her go, knowing she needed time to fully assimilate her experiences on New Athos. From her fight back there, she'd clearly been stuck in the past, still trying to fight off the monsters. He wished he could stick around and beat them back so she could get a good night's sleep, but he knew Jennifer wouldn't agree.

At her quarters, she tried to smile. "Thanks for walking me home."

"Don't worry about it." He waited while she opened her door. "We're having dinner tomorrow evening. You spend too much time in that infirmary."

She faced him, tucking her hands behind her back. "Is that an order, Major?"

"Ah. . .do I need to make it an order?"

This time, she truly smiled. "No."

"Good." He watched as she headed into her room. "Hey, Jenny?"

She turned again, appearing as surprised at hearing the nickname as he was at saying it. "Yes?"

"Sweet dreams." Lorne walked away before she said anything, not quite sure he liked the feelings stirring in his chest. For so many years, he'd been so careful to avoid personal relationships like this. Yet, somehow, he'd found a woman who almost asked for overprotective men to surround her. Not that Jennifer did it intentionally. But her innocence drew good men as well as not-so-good men. Lorne decided to be around when she fell apart so that the idiots on Atlantis who would take advantage of her wouldn't have a chance to even get close. He refused to allow her to be hurt again. One broken heart was enough. She didn't need another one.

oOo

The following evening, Evan appeared in the infirmary right on schedule. Jennifer grinned when he appeared, thankful he had followed through on his promise. She didn't want to spend another evening eating alone. Rather than dwelling on that, she let him pull her to her feet and lead her out of the infirmary. Once out in the corridor, she leaned close. "You're going to have my nurses gossiping about my love life."

Evan turned while she still spoke, surprising her. "Is that a problem?"

Jennifer pulled back. "No."

He gave her a look that said he didn't quite believe her, but he didn't comment. Instead, he put an empty tray in her hands with orders to eat something substantial. Jennifer filled the tray with food that really didn't appeal and limped over to the table he chose. She felt everyone's eyes on her, and she couldn't stop the flush that covered her face.

Evan noticed. "What?"

She glanced around, seeing no one really looking at her. "Nothing. I'm just a little on edge lately."

"You have every right to be on edge." He dug into his meal. "How was home?"

"Good." She took a bite and chewed while she figured out exactly how much to share. Did he really want to know that she still couldn't sleep at night? Did she want him to know that she jumped at shadows and kept the lights on all the time? "I took up crochet."

"Really?"

"Yeah, my mom crocheted all the time. She said it calmed her down." Jennifer shrugged. "I decided to give it a try."

He reached across the table and covered her hand with one of his. "You're going to make it through this."

She nodded. "I hope so."

Evan kept the conversation light, focusing on her visit with her dad. Jennifer appreciated that. He wanted to ask the really hard questions. She could see it in his eyes. But he held back.

Three days later, she wished he'd asked the hard questions. She woke in the middle of the night, screaming as she thrashed around in her bed. She could still smell the filth of the Bola Kai as they carried her away. She flinched when her movement reflected in the window, thinking a blade of some sort had been thrown her way. And her hands shook as she remembered using the gun on Nabel. While she understood Teyla and the survivalist attitude they had been forced to adopt, she didn't know if she could handle it. This was what being on Atlantis was about. Did she even belong here?

That evening, Evan appeared like usual. Tonight, she didn't argue when he pulled her out of her office. Just like she'd predicted, the entire infirmary buzzed about her relationship with Atlantis's most eligible major. Some of the nurses already had them spending the night at each other's places. Jennifer walked beside Evan, thinking about these things, when he turned to her. "How are you? Really."

She heard the steel in his voice and knew she couldn't hide anymore. "I'm fine."

"See, that's just it." He put his hands on his hips. "You're not fine. I can see it. Everyone else can see it. But you refuse to accept it."

"What do you want me to do?" She tried to roll with the anger and hurt that his words stirred in her but failed miserably. "Admit that I don't belong here?"

That confused him. "What are you talking about?"

"I shot a man, Evan." Tears pressed into the backs of her eyes. "Do you know what that did to me? After everything that happened on that planet, I shot a man in cold blood. Do you even know what I said? I told him that I was a healer, but I had to have something to heal, first. That makes me no better than someone who kills just to study the process."

He now looked thoroughly confused. "Wait. What does shooting a man in the leg have to do with you not belonging on Atlantis?"

"I'm not like you. I'm not brave. I don't do the outdoors thing. I don't even fight." She threw out her hands in exasperation, hating the tears that she could barely hold back. "I came back because I have a contract with the SGC. That's it. If it had been up to me, I would have stayed on Earth."

His confusion faded, and his face softened. "I'm glad you didn't."

His words, combined with the relief that she saw, undid her. Rather than standing there and falling apart on him, she excused herself. As soon as she rounded the corner, she began to run. She'd tried to run on the planet, and it had resulted in her sprained ankle. Now, that ankle hurt with every step she took. But she couldn't stop. She kept going, trying to outrun the pain, the anger, the nightmares. Maybe, if she thoroughly exhausted herself, she'd sleep that night.

Jennifer didn't hear the footsteps behind her. She didn't pay attention to her path. She ran until her lungs gave out on her. When she stopped, she stood on one of the piers, barely able to draw in the needed air as tears poured down her face. She bent over and braced her hands on her knees, and her tears dropped onto the ground. She tried to catch her breath, but the sobs kept that from happening.

Shoes appeared in her line of sight, and she jumped back when Evan touched her shoulder. He held up his hands, speaking softly to her, calling her Jenny, approaching her without quick movements. As soon as his hands settled on her shoulders, every barrier she'd built against the emotions of her ordeal on New Athos broke. She dissolved in his arms.

Evan just held her. He whispered to her, but she didn't hear him. Instead, she grabbed his shirt and held on for dear life. This man was real. He wasn't going away. Even though she'd run from him, Jennifer knew that she needed him in her life.

oOo

Sheppard walked out of the gym and toward crew quarters. He and Ronon had just spent the last hour sparring, and John needed a shower. He hated getting his butt kicked, and Ronon did it quite frequently. Still, he was improving. Or so Ronon said.

The transporter took him to crew quarters as he thought about what to do with Teyla. The Athosian had gone into a state of mourning in the last few days. She trained constantly, ran often, and spoke of revenge. While most wouldn't call that mourning, most didn't know Teyla. That woman never let anything get to her. While she cared and was passionate about her beliefs, she was also the first to forgive a wrong. John worried that the mood swings and the loss of her people had altered one of the many things that drew him to her.

Ahead of him, another transporter opened. John stopped and blinked. Lorne stepped out, carrying a sleeping Keller. The front of the major's shirt looked like it had seen better days, and his expression warned everyone to avoid commenting. Keller, however, actually looked peaceful in spite of the blotchiness of her skin. John stared, knowing Lorne had to pass him to get to Keller's quarters.

The major nodded once. "Sir."

"Lorne." Sheppard reversed his direction. "Let me get the door for you."

At Keller's quarters, Sheppard entered his command code. Lorne walked in, but he remained at the door as the major gently laid Keller on her bed. John watched as Lorne carefully removed her shoes, covered her with a blanket, and left a short note on the nightstand. When had this happened? From the look on Lorne's face, he cared deeply for the young doctor. Not that John really blamed him. Keller inspired many men, himself included, to adopt her as a younger sister. But Lorne's thought clearly ranged into the personal arena.

Once out in the corridor, Sheppard raised an eyebrow. "How is she?"

"Not doing good." Lorne met his eyes. "Sir, she's still stuck back there, on New Athos."

Sheppard nodded. He felt the major's pain. Teyla had been stuck on New Athos since her return, as well. He let out a deep breath. "Well, Lorne, what are we going to do about it?"

~TBC

Author's Note: Don't worry. I'm not leaving the confines of the show's plot. "The Seer" will be the next episode to be covered. But, in reality, it would have taken a lot longer than a week for Keller's and Teyla's injuries to heal-not to mention their emotional scars. So, I'm taking the time to explore a little of what that might have done to them. As always, let me know what you think. ~lg