In the Naked Light I Saw8
Moira woke to the sounds of Emily fussing. She sat, freeing herself from the blankets. John was asleep, facing away from her. Seamus was curled up next to him, holding onto his father with one little hand. The other clasping his wooly mammoth toy. She smiled at the pair. Nudged her son. "Seamus? Seamus, honey, let's go." She lifted the sleeping boy, kissed him and carried him back to his own bed. Settled him into the blankets and moved to take care of the baby. "Hush now, Emily. You'll wake everybody with your noise."
She changed the baby's diaper, fussed over her. Dressed her in a pink and lavender outfit, shaking her head at the excessively girly clothing that John had insisted on getting her. Just as he had re-done the entire nursery in some over the top pink princess room with flowers and baby animals and pastels. The baby gurgled happily, making little soft sounds. Moira carried the infant back to the crib. Returned to her room to use the bathroom unimpeded by husband or sons. She dressed quickly, but frowned. Her hairbrush was missing. She searched the drawer. Found a comb and trapped her long hair in an inefficient ponytail. Stood a moment looking at the bed. John was asleep on his side, softly snoring. She smirked. Shook her head fondly.
"Mommy?"
She smiled, turned. "Morning, Johnny. Why don't you get your brother and the pair of you go wake up daddy."
"Okay, mommy!" He ran back into his room.
Moira smiled, hearing her sons giggling. John's growling voice, his exclamations of outrage. Then laughter. She turned as the other Johnny entered sleepily, rubbing his eyes. "Morning, Johnny. How do you feel?"
The little boy moved to her. "Okay, I guess...I..."
"It's all right, Johnny. Go get washed up and I'll find some clean clothes for you. Then we can have breakfast. Go on, it's all right." She followed him into the other room. Produced another shirt and jeans for him to wear. Another set of her son's old clothes. She returned to the nursery, set the baby into her stroller. Wheeled her into the children's room, adjusting the diaper bag slung across the back of the stroller.
Her two sons charged into the room, laughing wildly. "Mommy, mommy!" they cried, running to hide behind her.
John entered, arms upraised. "Where did those little boys go? I'm hungry!" he bellowed. The boys laughed behind her.
Moira laughed. "What a grumpy bear you are, colonel! Shouldn't you be getting ready for work?"
"Should I? Not until I've had my breakfast!" He lunged. The boys screamed in delight, running round their mother and back into the other bedroom. The dog followed, barking merrily. John laughed, paused. Smiled as his daughter who was staring at him, mouth open in amazement. "Hey, princess." He squatted, kissed her gently. "How's my precious princess this morning? So pretty in her new outfit, isn't she?" The baby cooed in response.
Moira shook her head. "Colonel, will you go get that fine, fine ass in gear?"
He stood. Moved to his wife. Kissed her. "It is, baby, believe me. We need to find a time to get your pert little ass in–"
"Mommy!" The boys ran back to her, breathless. The dog chasing them. "Daddy a bear!"
She laughed. "Yes, he is! He's a right old grumpy bear who ow!" she complained as John swatted her rear.
"Pert little ass. Get dressed, boys! Last one to the mess hall is a rotten egg!"
The boys giggled. Ran round their mother as the dog barked. Johnny emerged from the bathroom, stood staring, startled by the joviality of the family. The noise.
Moira smiled. "Boys! Boys, calm down! You heard your father. Johnny, come with me." She pushed the stroller out of the room. Johnny followed, glancing back at the boys who were staring at him. Their game and hilarity halted. At John who was staring as well. All merriment gone from his face. Even the dog had quieted. He gulped, quickly caught up to Moira.
"Where mommy?" Seamus asked again, waving his spoon in the air.
John sighed. "Probably working with Uncle Carson. Now finish your cereal."
"Mommy always have breakfast with us," Johnny noted sourly.
"Has," John corrected. "I know, buddy. But not this morning. It's all right."
"Where mommy?"
"Seamus, I told you."
"Mommy always have breakfast with us! She can't have breakfast with him!"
"Where mommy?"
"Boys!" John sighed, tapped his earpiece. "Moira, copy? Moira, I need you in the cafeteria! ASAP!"
Moira jerked at John's harsh voice in her ear. She smiled at the little boy. "Johnny, finish your waffles." She glanced at the baby in the stroller. "John, I'm busy here. Surely you can manage to give your own sons breakfast."
"Yes, but they want you," he replied, sounding annoyed. "Apparently you always have breakfast with them."
"Mommy!" Seamus called.
She smiled. "Not today, John. You can handle it, can't you, colonel? Moira out." She tapped the earpiece, cutting off his protest. "There. Carson?"
"Just bringing up the data, love. How's the boy?"
"Fine." She patted his arm. "We are going to find a better treatment for you, all right? It won't hurt. Well, a little, but only for a moment. And you're a big boy so you'll be fine. I will hold your hand the entire time."
"Mama, mama, mama!" Emily called, chortling.
"Hush, Emily! You're fine." She sighed. Patted the baby's head. "Your wiles won't work on me like they work on your father, young lady."
Carson laughed. "I can just imagine, love. I've made some adjustments here. After the treatment we'll run a comparison and see exactly what is going on in there."
"Do you think you can cure him?" she whispered, glancing back at the boy. He was finishing his waffles, licking the syrup off his lips.
"We will do what we can, Moira. We will do what we can."
"Where mommy?"
"Mommy always have breakfast with us, daddy."
"Where mommy?"
John sighed. "I know, okay? Just not this morning. It's all right, boys. Finish up here. We've got a long day ahead of us. Or at least I do," he ruefully commented.
"Daddy, daddy, where mommy?"
"Mommy always have breakfast with us."
John lowered his head to the table, hid his face on his folded arms with a groan.
"You see? The cells are increasing at an alarming rate. If I didn't know better I'd say this part of the genome is reproducing itself. Almost like a regeneration."
Moira frowned. Staring at the screen. Baby on her lap as Emily was sucking on a pacifier, staring round. "How can that be? Some kind of trigger? A switch in the junk DNA?"
"Perhaps. It shouldn't be happening, but it is. His genetic inheritance should be completely stable. Like our Teyla's is with her own son. But this...this shows otherwise."
Moira glanced at the little boy. He was sitting near her on a bed, coloring in a book. Face all concentration as he worked. A bandage was on his arm where he had been injected. She looked back at the screen. "Could the anomaly have done something? No, the colonel said it was happening before he came here," she answered her own question.
"I don't see how the anomaly could affect him in either case. The thing is...those cells have increased since his arrival here."
"What? How is that–"
"Mommy! Mommy where go?"
"Mommy, you missed breakfast!"
She turned as her sons ran to her. Faces full of concern, of worry. "Boys, I'm right here. Didn't daddy tell you? Where is–"
John followed after them. "They insisted, Moy. You've upset their schedule."
"Mommy, mommy where go?" Seamus caught her leg.
"Mommy, you missed breakfast and you said breakfast is the most important. No, Uncle Rod said that."
"He says that about every meal," John quipped.
"I'm busy here, Johnny, relax. Seamus, I'm not going anywhere."
"You, you, mommy, you had breakfast with him?" Johnny pointed at the other boy.
"Yes, and with Emily and with Carson as we worked," she explained, startled by his flare of jealousy, of anger. So like his father she almost felt guilty. "John?"
"You should have been with us, Moy."
"Not helping, John. Boys, go on now. I've got work to do here."
"With him?" Johnny asked, frowning.
"Yes, Johnny, to make him all better. That's why he's here, remember? Be nice now."
"He, he don't feel right, mommy!" Johnny informed. "He feel worse now! Worse than even Auntie Teyla," he confided in a whisper.
"Why, mommy?" Seamus added.
"Boys, that is enough!" she scolded.
"Worse now? Carson, are his Wraith cells increasing?" John asked, glancing at his son. "If that's the case then he is a threat to the city and must be moved to a more secure–"
"John, stop! He is no threat! You are scaring him! Scaring your sons now!" She stood, baby in her arms. "Boys, go on now! Johnny, you have lessons. Seamus, you have your play date. Go on now, both of you."
"Wait." John halted his sons, glancing at them. He eyed his wife. Eyed the kid. Eyed Emily who was watching him, gurgling. Eyed Carson who was watching him, concern on his face. "If there is a problem here I need to know now," he said sternly.
"It's not contagious, John," Carson assured. "It's not a threat of any kind."
"You're overreacting, John. Go! Go on, boys. Everything's fine. Would I have Emily here if I thought otherwise? Now go on. We'll have lunch together, all right?"
She moved to the kid. Touched his arm. "It's all right, Johnny. Don't you worry now. That's a lovely picture you've colored here. Look, Emily. See what your cousin has made? Look at the blues and the greens. Like Atlantis, right?"
The little boy nodded, smiled. "Yes, mommy. Moira," he swiftly corrected, blushing. "That's my room in Atlantis."
"You have your own room? Wow. That must be nice. And very grown-up, to have your own room. What's this?" She pointed.
"That's my football. Daddy gave it me."
"He did? How nice of him. That's a game for a big boy, isn't it? I bet the Athosians don't play, do they?"
Johnny laughed. "Not really, no. Daddy and I had to teach them, but the other kids from Earth can play. We formed two teams. Team, team Sheppard and team Elliot."
"And I bet team Sheppard wins a lot."
"Yes! We do! Team Sheppard wins a lot!"
"Of course." She looked up suddenly. All of the Sheppard males were staring at her, eyes narrowed. Similar expressions of annoyance, of jealousy on their similar faces. She frowned at them. "What? Didn't I tell you three to go? Johnny, lessons! Seamus, play date! John, work!" She looked at the other Johnny. "Can you color this one for me, dear? Make it all pretty for Emily?"
"Okay, Moira! I'll make it all girly." He laughed.
She laughed. "Yes, all girly for the little girl here." She moved back to Carson. "Have you made the..." She looked back to see her husband and her sons hadn't moved. "John!"
John scowled. Relented. "Fine. But if there's any significant increase I need to know. Boys, let's go."
