June 14, 2007
Sheppard flew across the room and plowed into Ronon, knocking him over. "Rononon!"
"Take it easy, John. You know you're too strong for me." The big man looked up at McKay. "Teyla and Weir are right behind me. They brought a lot of stuff from Atlantis. And Zelenka and Lorne and Beckett will be here in a little while. They had some things to finish up first."
Jeannie came out of the kitchen. "The cake's just about done but I can't frost it with John there, Rodney. He keeps trying to stick his fingers in the icing." She smiled and looked from McKay to Ronon, still on the floor with Sheppard.
McKay smiled back. "I think now that Ronon's here you shouldn't have a problem."
Sheppard was pulling on Ronon. "Outside! Outside, Rononon!"
"Okay, but you gotta take it easy on me." Ronon let himself be dragged out to the yard and McKay unlocked the vestibule as more people arrived.
"Teyla, Elizabeth…" McKay frowned at the sight of all the boxes. "Did you bring half of Atlantis with you?"
Weir smiled brightly. "Now, Rodney, it's John's first birthday since...well, it's his birthday and just about everybody wanted to send something. So? Where is he?"
"In the yard." They all went to the back door and watched Sheppard chase Ronon. The big Satedan would pull away, then slow down and Sheppard would catch him and bowl him over.
"He looks good, Rodney." Teyla put an arm around the scientist and gave him a quick hug. "You've done very well with him."
"You really have." Weir looked approvingly at the scientist. "Seeing him like this, I know you were right to come back to Earth with him."
"I'm always right," said McKay with the ghost of a smile.
They went outside and Sheppard broke off from Ronon and ran up. "Lizbeth! Teya!" He threw his arms around the women and they hugged him back, then Teyla held out a small gift-wrapped box.
"Happy birthday, John."
Sheppard took the box and tore it open, spilling beads all over the ground. "Sorry."
"That's all right." Teyla sat down on the ground. "Help me pick them up and then we can string them."
He dropped to the ground next to her and they started on their project. McKay cleared his throat. "I'm going to see how Jeannie's doing." He went back into the house, the bittersweet conflict tearing at him as always. He liked knowing their friends thought he was doing a good job with Sheppard, but at the same time, the grief that his friend needed caring for was more than he could bear.
He went into the kitchen and watched Jeannie frost the cake. It looked like a puddle jumper and he asked, "Where did you get the specs to make something like that?"
"Your friend Dr Weir sent them to me." His sister frowned with concentration as she picked up a black frosting tube and began to draw details. "Does it look right? Do you think he'll like it?"
"I think he'll love it. Thanks, sis." The doorbell rang and McKay went to unlock the vestibule. "Zelenka! How's it going? Lorne, glad you could make it. Carson."
The doctor was the last one to come in. "I wasn't sure I should come, considering how shy he is with me."
McKay pulled Beckett in and locked the vestibule. "He just always starts out thinking you want to give him a shot. You know that he's always glad to see you."
Beckett looked around. "Is everybody here?"
"They're all in the yard. Come on, Carson."
The two men went out into the yard and Sheppard ran up to McKay, then stopped when he saw Beckett. The doctor smiled. "Hello, John."
Sheppard turned his head away and regarded Beckett out of the corner of his eye. "Carson?"
"Oh, sure, your name he gets right," huffed McKay.
The doctor smiled. "Aye, lad." He held out a hand.
Sheppard leaned away, then reached out hesitantly and took the doctor's hand. "It's my birthday."
"I know." Carson shook his hand. "Happy birthday, John."
"Everybody came." Sheppard took Carson over to Elizabeth, then Teyla. He walked him around the yard until he had said hello to everybody, then went back to McKay. "Look what I made." He held up a string of bronze beads with thin silver inlays.
Rodney inspected it. "This is very good, John." He handed it back to Sheppard and his friend tied it around his wrist. "For me?"
Sheppard nodded. "Now you have a present too."
Everybody seemed to have something in their eyes as Rodney smiled at Sheppard. "Thank you, John." His friend yawned, and McKay steered him towards the house. "I think you could use a nap."
They all watched as McKay took Sheppard into the house. "I still can hardly believe it," said Zelenka. "When you think what Rodney used to be like…"
"He's changed a lot," said Teyla.
"Yes, he has." Elizabeth shook her head. "I admit I had my doubts about Rodney taking care of John but he's done a wonderful job."
Beckett nodded. "And John's made so much improvement. Did you notice he's talking more?" He sighed. "Sometimes I think about what would have happened to him if Rodney hadn't stepped in like he has. Do you ever wonder why he did it?"
They all nodded, except for Ronon. "I never wondered about it."
"Never once?" Teyla regarded him with surprise. "How could you not?"
Ronon's eyes clouded. "If I ever wondered why McKay did it, I'd have to wonder why I didn't."
