Short chapter, but a chapter nonetheless!
As fate would have it, Major Paul Davis and Dr. Elizabeth Weir entered the police station at the same time.
They smiled, nodded to each other, and headed straight for Detective Sheppard's desk.
John was leaning back in his chair, waiting for the file to download, twirling a pen between his fingers, as Davis cleared his throat. "John?" he said, extending his hand.
John took it with a brief smile. "Paul. Good to see you." He quickly nodded at Elizabeth. "So what'd ya find out?"
She handed him another manila folder to add to his desk. "From what we've been able to ascertain, Jackie Cooper had no medical conditions. Her death is entirely due to the assault that she received. Like Alanna Brighton, she wasn't raped, but beaten into unconsciousness. And he kept going."
John's grim face looked determinedly at the small photo inside the folder. "This has gotta stop," he half whispered, half promised the deceased woman. "What about you? Anything on your end?" he asked the Air Force major standing in front of him.
Davis nodded. "We were able to determine that Lieutenant Walston did run away from the vicinity of Tampa. There hasn't been any activity on him in Florida for the past two weeks. However, we did track down an old buddy of his. Walston called him up last week, looking for a place to hang out. Said he had been suspended and was taking some time off."
"Really? Where's he at?"
"Aiden Ford lives in Baltimore, honorably discharged. Works private sector now, security with a large corporation. We think that Walston may be staying with him, maybe trying to gain employment with the company under an alias."
Elizabeth glanced between them, confusion in her eyes. "But if this Aiden Ford knows Walston, why would he recommend him under a false name?"
"I can't answer that one. I suggest asking him in person."
John nodded. "Sounds good to me. Thanks, buddy," he said appreciatively as he stood, shaking his hand to bid him farewell.
"Let me know if you need anything else," Davis told him, and with a quick nod of his head, he walked back to the doors.
John grabbed his jacket from the back of the chair, giving Elizabeth a disappointed smile. "Sorry I hafta cancel lunch today."
She pursed her lips in understanding. "Don't worry about it. You have a job to do."
"Thanks. I owe you dinner. Again."
She only nodded her silent acceptance, then looked to the back of the room as she saw Evan Lorne coming towards them.
"Ma'am," he inclined his head politely towards her.
"Evan, nice to see you."
"Likewise. What's the occasion?"
"Dr. Weir was bringing me some paperwork, and I was going to treat her to lunch, but it looks like we'll be getting take out, Lorne."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Davis just dropped off a lead. An Aiden Ford who lives in Baltimore was in contact with Shawn Walston within the past two weeks."
Lorne nodded, pulling out his Droid in expectation. "I'll call Chang's. They're close to the highway."
"All right," John approved, confident that Lorne already knew his order.
As Evan walked off, phone pressed to his ear, Elizabeth turned back to look at John. "I suppose I should be getting back to work. Let me know when you get back, okay?"
"You got it," he replied, giving her a small smile.
A brief smile fluttered across her own face as well, then as she turned to leave, she stopped short and turned around, gazing heart-wrenchingly warmly at John. "Be safe," she softly commanded, then turned and headed back out the way that she had come in.
"Come on, Sam, push! Just a little harder!"
"If I push any harder, my head is gonna explode!"
"Head's almost out!"
"Come on, baby, you got this!"
With one final and earsplitting scream, Sam felt her baby leave her body, and she laid her head harshly against the pillows behind her. Jack was still holding her hand, wiping a cloth over her forehead. He replaced the damp fabric with his lips, giving her a comforting kiss. "You did it, Sam. You did good," he told her, his quirky little smile spreading allover his face.
She started laughing, almost deliriously, then took her eyes from her husband to her doctor. "How is she, Janet? She okay?"
The doctors and nurses were busy wiping off the baby, cleaning all the placental fluids off her tiny body, and patting her lightly on the back.
The most beautiful sound in Sam's mind, at that moment, was the first cry that her baby let out.
Sam propped herself up on her elbows, staring in awed amazement at the miracle wrapped in the pink blanket that Janet was bringing around to her side. After her accident years ago, her first doctor had said that a pregnancy was 90% unlikely. Then she went to Janet, who promptly promised to slap the doctor if she ever encountered him.
Within six careful months, she was picking out baby names.
She couldn't control the tears that started rolling as Janet placed her daughter in her arms for the first time. "Sam, Jack. You have a healthy, beautiful baby girl."
Carefully supporting the newborn's head, she cradled her baby in her arms as her husband wrapped his large arms around her, holding his family together. "Oh my God," Sam croaked, overcome with emotion. "She's beautiful!"
"She looks just like you," Jack whispered reassuringly in her ear, pressing a gentle kiss to her temple.
Turning to smile at him, she returned the compliment. "Actually, I was just thinking that she looks just like you."
"So I'm beautiful?" Jack deadpanned.
Janet burst into laughter, then stripped her scrubs off. "I'll let you three get acquainted. But Auntie Janet will be back. She's going to need to spend some time with her to make sure she is perfectly healthy."
"Yes, ma'am," Jack mock saluted to her and she and the medical team left the room.
"Wow," was all Sam could get across at the moment, amazed at how quickly you could fall in love with someone that you hadn't even known all that long. The baby girl let out a yawn, shaking her little, tired fists at her parents.
"And the rebellion starts," Jack murmured, running a finger across her cheek, feeling his daughter gurgle beneath him.
Sam gave her husband a sideways glare. "Ssh, she just got here! Don't go putting any crazy notions in her head just yet, okay?"
Jack kept grinning like a fool.
Sam leaned down to kiss her daughter's forehead, imitating the same comforting motion that Jack had been providing throughout her labor. "Welcome to the family, baby girl."
Rodney had been typing up a report until his computer crashed. Having a degree in computer science, he just decided to take it apart himself instead of waiting for tech support.
Woolsey stopped in front of his open doorway to say something, then thought the better of it, shutting his mouth and walking back to the chief medical examiner's office.
His phone vibrated on the desk next to the dismantled computer. He almost ignored it until a single word caught his eye.
Sam.
He frowned. Why would she be texting me? She's at the hospital! Unless-
Quickly dropping the screwdriver and various electrical items in his hands, he opened the text message.
Which was actually a picture message.
The text above it read, Amanda Leigh arrived at 11:16am, weighs 7 lbs, 4 oz, has my hair and Jack's eyes. Visitors welcome, she wants to meet the rest of the family! Below was a picture that her husband had obviously taken from his seat next to her, arm extended as far as possible without needing medical assistance. O'Neill was kissing Sam's cheek, who in turn was kissing Amanda's cheek.
Rodney had to grin at that. They were an adorable family, and between having Sam as her mother and Rodney as an honorary uncle, the kid would be a genius.
And, he silently remarked as he closed the message and turned his attention back to the disemboweled computer tower in front of him, she would probably be better with computers.
Yep.
In a Dodge Charger leaving a parking lot, two phones began buzzing.
John pulled out his iPhone, smirked, and saved the picture.
Evan unlocked his Droid, chuckled, then began typing on the screen.
Sheppard glanced over at him as they stopped at a red light on the way to the interstate. "What are you doing, tweeting the picture?"
"No," Lorne scowled at him. "Just sending it to somebody who might appreciate it."
"Cadman?"
Lorne nodded without a second thought. After a moment, his fingers paused and he looked at his partner, casting a weary look his way. "Does it bug you?" he asked.
John turned his head sharply at Evan, then back to the road. "No! Why would it?"
Lorne shrugged, then tried to drop the issue. "No reason. Just wondering."
"Evan. You don't bring topics like that up out of the blue. Something's on your mind."
Lorne sighed, then laid his phone on his lap. "Well, I mean, Laura and I, we've been going out for a while, and most people that we work with know about it. But-"
"Elizabeth and I have to stay on the down low?" John asked, straight to the point.
Lorne swallowed a breath he didn't realize he had been holding as his partner said that. "Umm, yeah, I suppose."
John let out a quiet groan of frustration. "Look, Evan, you and Cadman are both cops, but you work in different stations. Generally, your work doesn't interfere with your personal lives. With me and Elizabeth, every case that we've ever worked together, every bad guy that we've put behind bars, her reputation can be brought down by the simple suspicion if people thought we were sleeping together."
"You're not?" Lorne blurted out without thinking.
Instead of slapping him, John only smirked. "Well, I mean, not - God, why am I telling you this?"
"Because I'm your partner and I take my secrets to the grave, unlike McKay who posts them on Facebook?"
"You're never gonna let that go, are you?" John said sotto voce as he merged onto the interstate.
Evan only chuckled, then steered the conversation back to the original question. "So … you haven't slept together?"
"We've slept together, like, passed out on a couch after a movie, but we've never … been intimate," John offered, wanting to drive the car into a brick wall after saying that. It made him sound so soft.
To his astonishment, Lorne only nodded. "That's admirable."
John raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Really? Why do you say that?"
"There are so many relationships where sex is the focal point, and there's no thought given to the emotions, the implications, the future. You and Elizabeth seem like you've really thought this through. And I'm proud of you for not wanting to rush into anything."
"The thought has crossed my mind," John replied, shaking his head.
Evan glared at him sideways. "You know what I mean," he retorted. He nodded again, then began tapping on his phone. "I'm glad we had this talk."
"I'm not," John responded, feigning annoyance. "I used to think having to go through sessions with Heightmeyer was horrible. You just topped it."
"Try Teyla and Kate in the same room. With Laura. And Elizabeth. And Jennifer Keller."
John winced. "Ooh. You walk in on a girls' poker night?"
Evan blew out a breath through clenched teeth, then ran a hand over his clean shaven jaw. "Eeh, not exactly."
"Oh?"
"I lost a bet."
"Uh-huh."
"I was their slave for the night."
"Lorne?"
"Yeah?"
"Shut up."
"No problem."
And the men continued on to Baltimore in relative silence.
Next chapter: What will the detectives find when they get to Baltimore? Will Rodney ever fix his computer? And -
*fic bunnies grin sheepishly and stop typing*
Ugh. Til next time!