Ronon sat impatiently in his temporary quarters in the SGC waiting for Sam to return. He didn't fully understand why he had to wait for her, but decided not to argue. Instead he complied with the request and sat waiting in the small, sparsely decorated room, wondering if he had made a mistake. When he had first been shown to the room he immediately changed into his strange 'Earth' clothes, hoping Carter would arrive ahead of schedule. She hadn't, so he had been sitting in the uncomfortable, tightly fitting clothing allowing his doubts to surface. He had questioned what he was doing and just why he was doing it. He knew Jennifer would need a friend, especially if the worse happened, and she had as good as confessed that she had none on Earth. But deep down he knew he was not here solely with friendly intentions. For the first time since Malena he had found in Jennifer someone he couldn't stop thinking about and someone who, despite their differences, he wanted to spend his time with. He wasn't sure if she felt the same, he guessed not, but he did know now was not the time for her to discover his feelings, which is why he was questioning his decision to come.
When there was finally a knock on the door Ronon sprung up and made it to the door in just two strides. Pulling it open he was relieved to see Sam Carter on the other side.
"Ronon." She nodded, still surprised that Ronon had come to offer comfort to Jennifer. Still unsure what to say to or how to treat the big Satedan she said. "It's good to see you again." Ronon remained silent in response so Sam quickly continued. "If you are ready the Apollo is waiting to beam us over."
"Yeah." Ronon replied.
"Okay then, this way." She said as she led him to the beam out point. By the time they arrived Sam had failed with several attempts at small talk and finally gave up.
When they arrived at the hospital Sam turned to Ronon and said sternly. "No matter what happens do not intimidate the staff. Let me do the talking." Ronon silently nodded and followed Sam to the reception desk.
For the next few minutes they walked down several different corridors and Sam spoke to several people behind desks, but from Ronon's point of view there did not seem to be much progress. When they arrived at the fifth desk Ronon was beginning to get very frustrated, but contained his impatience to watch Sam introduce herself once again.
"I'm sorry Colonel." The nurse said apologetically. "I can't disclose any information to non-family members."
"Could you at least tell us where we can find his daughter? We are her friends." Sam said.
The nurse looked suspiciously at Ronon before finally saying. "Last I saw she was sitting in the first corridor on the left."
"Thank you." Sam said, before turning to face Ronon, only to find he was already half way down the corridor. Shaking her head she started to follow him.
When Ronon caught sight of Jennifer he came to such an abrupt halt Sam nearly walked straight into his back. Ronon carefully looked at Jennifer who was sat on a very uncomfortable looking plastic chair gazing at the floor. Even from so far down the corridor he could see the bruise on her jaw standing out against her pale skin, causing another wave of guilt to sweep through him.
"You could say hello." Sam suggested, surprised at Ronon being so unsure of himself. She then caught sight of her friend's jaw and asked. "What happened?"
Taking a deep breath Ronon said. "I hit her." Before walking slowly towards Jennifer. Getting over her shock Sam caught up with Ronon and walked by his side until they were a few feet from Jennifer.
"Jennifer." Sam gently called causing the young doctor's head to snap up and round until she was staring at Sam and Ronon with a look of complete surprise, her blood shot eyes now clearly visible.
"Sam? Ronon?" Jennifer stammered out. "What are you doing here?"
"You shouldn't be alone." Ronon said as he sat down next to her.
"How is your father?" Sam asked.
"In surgery. They missed some internal bleeding during the first operation." Jennifer answered as Sam looked down sympathetically. Before Sam could respond her phone rang. Mumbling an apology she walked down the corridor to take it.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Ronon asked.
"It wasn't relevant."
"Anything that hurts you is relevant." Ronon replied.
"There was nothing I or anyone else could do and thinking about it made me feel worse." Before Ronon could say anything Sam approached the pair.
"I'm sorry Jennifer I need to go. I'll be back as soon as I can." She said apologetically as she squeezed Jennifer's shoulder before leaving. Jennifer went back to her almost trance like state and Ronon wondered if Jennifer even remembered he was there. Eventually though he broke the silence and asked.
"How long will the surgery last?"
"It could be a while. First they need to find the bleeder and stop it. But then they will do a much more extensive check for any other bleeding. It could be hours." She said, unable to hide her worry.
Ronon's hand carefully moved over to Jennifer's lap and he wrapped it around Jennifer's hand. Squeezing he said. "He'll be fine."
"There is no way to know that." Jennifer said, her voice beginning to crack. "They aren't even sure of the full extent of the damage yet."
"He'll make it." Ronon said confidently. "He has you to live for."