A/N: Sorry that this is a day late. Homework ate my brain yesterday and I forgot. ;-)


As John rounded the corner, he saw Teyla and Carson walking and talking animatedly, both looking happy. "Hey, John," Teyla called when she saw him.

"What have you been up to, Teyla?" he asked.

"Oh, not much. Just got back from a check-up." She grinned.

"You seem awful happy for just getting pricked and poked."

Carson and Teyla exchanged a secretive smile. "It wasn't that kind of a check-up," Teyla said, practically bouncing on her heels.

It took John a second. "Are you… Are you pregnant?"

Teyla nodded, then jumped up and down. "I'm pregnant!"

"Congratulations," he smiled, while she tried to stop bouncing. "Was this…planned?"

"Oh, yes. John and I have been trying for about two months."

"And I'm sure that he'll be thrilled to hear the news when Rodney finds a way to bring him back here," Carson interjected reassuringly. Teyla nodded.

"So your John's the family type?"

Teyla nodded again. "He wants seven."

John's eyebrows about shot off his face. "Seven?!"

"I know. I told him I'd see how I felt after four."

"After watching Evie have Aiden, I'm amazed that women even make it through one." John shook his head.

"Well, if you two will excuse me, I've got patients to attend to," Carson said. "You come see me if you start to feel sick, love."

Teyla smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Carson." When the doctor left, she returned her attention to the not-quite-father of her unborn child. "Want to join me for lunch?"

"Sure." The two of them started walking to the mess hall.

Teyla sighed after a moment. "Well, Rodney has seven and a half months to get my John back here," she said. "I am not pushing this thing out without him."

"I'm sure he'll think of something," John said, though he didn't believe his words. Changing the subject, he asked, "So do you have a preference, boy or girl?"

Teyla made a face. "Girls are so emotionally needy. It had better be a boy."

"I know that once it's born, I won't care either way…" Evie placed John's hand on her growing abdomen and smiled. "But I hope it's a boy."

John pushed the memory out of his head and tried to smile at Teyla. "Well, congratulations again. I'm sure you'll make a wonderful mother."

Teyla smiled.

XXXXXX

"Ohh, this was a good idea, Radek," John said, stretching and then reaching to refill his glass.

"Nothing like a little homemade moonshine to take your mind off things," Rodney agreed, then raised his glass. "To Zelenka and his not-very-secret, secret distillery!"

Zelenka and John agreed heartily and raised their glasses. After taking a large gulp, John sighed contentedly. "Some things never change," he said with amusement. Unbidden, a memory of the first time John had taken Evie to Zelenka's still came to John's mind, but he quashed it before it could replay in his head. "So, Elizabeth doesn't have a problem with this?" he asked instead.

"Elizabeth?" Radek chuckled. "She was practically first one to come by for a drink!"

John was amused. "I told you guys that story about what happened in my reality when Elizabeth got drunk at that Athosian festival, right?"

Rodney and Radek both laughed. "Yes," McKay answered, "though feel free to tell it again."

"Nah… I'll let you know if I think of any other good ones, though."

"I do so love hearing about the differences in our realities. It both fascinates and amuses me. Maybe we should not send you back," Radek teased.

"If you two find a way and don't tell me, there will be serious consequences," John said, though he didn't sound very threatening at all.

"Oh, what are you going to do, John?" Rodney said sarcastically.

John thought for a minute. "I'll shoot you."

Rodney snorted. "That's it?"

John nodded. "I'm too drunk to be more creative than that."

"How long exactly have you been here?" Radek asked, staring at his empty glass as if more alcohol would materialize if he thought hard enough.

"It's been what, a month?" Rodney estimated.

"Three weeks, five days, eighteen hours," John said glancing at his watch.

"What do you miss most?" Radek asked without thinking.

John managed to glare daggers at the Czech despite his intoxication.

"Ah, right. Sorry." Radek winced. "Besides your family, what do you miss the most?"

John shrugged. "Maybe Ronon? And all the little things. Rodney yelling at everybody and being condescending all the time… You hitting on Elizabeth and failing… Teyla wearing slutty little tops cut down to here." Rodney grinned along with John.

When Radek noticed that Rodney's glass was empty, he picked up the pitcher and offered, "More, Rodney?"

He shook his head. "If I drink much more, my brain will get fuzzy."

"John?"

"Fill 'er up," John said, holding out his glass. "Maybe if I get drunk enough, I'll actually get a decent night's sleep."

When Zelenka refilled his own glass as well, Rodney cautioned, "Easy on the moonshine, Radek. You and I have to reconfigure the parameters on the gate diagnostic and reprogram the jumper drivepod systems tomorrow, remember?"

"Can't you get an underling to do it?" John pointed out.

"It's a highly specific process with complex equations that anyone besides me would probably screw up."

John scoffed. "I helped Rodney do that last month; it's not that complicated."

Rodney and Radek stared at John in astonishment.

"…what?" John asked after a pause.

"You…know how to do that?" Rodney asked, shocked.

"Sure. I coulda been Mensa." He grinned and took another drink.

"Really?" Radek said, then chuckled.

"Yeah… Why?"

"Well, our Colonel Sheppard isn't exactly Mensa material," Radek explained. "He's more of a…well…"

"He's a dumb, horny flyboy," Rodney said amusedly.

"Hey!" John said defensively.

"Oh, sorry. That describe you, too?" Rodney smirked.

"No. I'm a smart, horny flyboy!" They all laughed.

"Hang on a sec, Evie's calling me," Rodney said, reaching up to his earpiece. "Hey, honey, what's up?" There was a pause while Evie answered. "I'm having a drink with John and Radek." He frowned. "No, I'm not getting 'shit-faced', Evie, I've only had a couple glasses. …Right now? Yeah, I guess I can. It's not like we're talking about anything important. …Okay. See you in a few minutes."

John stood up at the same time as Rodney. "I should probably go, too," he said, stretching.

Radek stood as well, and began putting things away. "I as well. Troy is probably wondering where I am."

"Thanks for the moonshine, Radek," John said as he and Rodney left.

XXXXXX

"No way is she the best Catwoman," John argued a few moments later as they were walking down the corridor.

"Julie Newmar is clearly sexier and the better actress," Rodney insisted.

"Oh, please. Eartha Kitt was--"

Rodney held up a hand when he heard his wife's voice in his ear. "Hang on, shut up a second. What's wrong, Evie?"

"I don't feel very good." She paused for a moment to cough harshly. "Where are you?"

"I'm coming, we're two corridors down."

"Rodney, I don't feel good…"

"Lie down, honey! Drink some water, where's your injector?" There was no response. "Evie?" Still silence. Rodney swore and looked at John. "C'mon!"

John and Rodney reached the McKays' quarters a minute later. "Evie?" Rodney called worriedly.

John stood passively to the side as Rodney searched the room; he was slowly accepting the way things were here, slowly accepting his place.

He watched as Rodney rushed into the bathroom, felt a wave of dread when he heard Rodney's quiet, "Oh, my God." He was quickly by Rodney's side, hoping he'd be able to help. He wasn't prepared for what he saw.

Water and broken glass were scattered across the floor, most likely a drinking glass that had fallen from her hand. There was an unsettling amount of blood spattered inside the sink, and a bloodied washcloth hanging from the edge. But what broke John's heart was Evie's body sprawled out on the floor, her skin ghostly pale, her lips bloody.

Rodney knelt next to his wife and gently pulled her head into his lap. "Evie? Please wake up, honey." He tenderly felt her head, trying to see if she'd hit it hard when she fell. Looking up at John with tears in his eyes, he managed, "Alert the infirmary. Tell Carson we're bringing her to him."

John nodded and keyed his comm as Rodney gently picked up Evie's limp body. "Carson, have a medical team ready in the infirmary. We're bringing Evie in."

XXXXXX

A little while later, Rodney was sitting in a chair next to Evie's bed in a private room off the infirmary. He'd been pushed to the background while Carson had worked on getting her hooked up and stabilized; now he'd pulled the chair close to the bed and was holding her hand between his.

Rodney thought she looked better now. A little bit of the color was returning to her face, and the blood had been cleaned from her mouth. Alas, her frail beauty was marred by all the wires and tubes going into and out of her. A canula had been placed under her nose, she had an IV in her left arm, and she had electrodes monitoring her heart, as well as a finger clip.

Carson had had a very painfully honest conversation with Rodney a few minutes before. The doctor had explained that she was entering the final stage of the disease, when all her muscles -- including her heart -- started shutting down.

Rodney knew she wasn't going to leave this bed.

He didn't know how long he sat there with her, but he was immensely happy when she murmured his name, slowly opening her eyes.

"Hey," he said gently. "How're you feeling?"

"'m tired," she answered. "And I'm thirsty."

He helped her sit up, then handed her a cup of water with a straw. After sipping, Evie lay back on her pillow, breathing heavily like sitting up and drinking had been physically demanding.

"Do you need anything else?" he asked.

"No," she answered. "I think I'm'a…" She yawned. "Go back to sleep."

"Okay."

"You aren't gonna go anywhere, are you?" she asked worriedly.

"I'll stay right here, I promise," he replied, squeezing her hand.

"Good," she said, then closed her eyes.