Chapter 10

Sheppard met with Lorne and Harris just after dawn over coffee at the small table in the kitchen area. John was given reports on the new construction and the rescue/recovery efforts before making some operational decisions.

Harris and his combat engineers had just started clearing away rubble to make way for new housing units. He estimated another four to five days before they'd be ready to start rotating teams to help the local construction crews start the building.

Lorne reported for Dr. Keller that the admissions to the hospital had slowed dramatically and they were starting to send patients home. She'd estimated another one or two days before she'd be ready to turn things over to the local healer and head back to Atlantis.

After making some quick decisions, Sheppard scheduled his team to gate back to Atlantis later in the morning. Lorne would stay with the medical team returning in two days while Harris and his team would supervise the clean up for the next week. Once they were ready to start building again Atlantis would recall Harris and rotate teams to help with the construction. Konners' and Teldy's teams would also gate back in the afternoon.

Once the plans were made the men left to implement the new orders. Sheppard found Ronon at the building site for the new community hall helping with debris removal. After informing him of their departure time he sent Ronon to check in with Major Harris to gather and load any equipment they were ready to send back to Atlantis. Next he set off looking for McKay knowing he'd be somewhere nearby playing with all his gadgets, taking measurements of continued seismic activity.

~OOO~

Jennifer rolled herself into a sitting position gazing around the room. The first thing she noticed was how rested she felt … next, she realized she was still in her uniform. Considering she was sitting on the edge of Ronon's bed she knew Sheppard's team was back and her protector had more than likely carried her from the infirmary to his bed. In her head she could hear her sisterhood of independent women screaming for her to declare her ability to take care of herself. In her heart she knew she was perfectly capable but liked the idea of a man wanting to protect and care for her even if he was just a friend. Some day she hoped to find the same qualities in a man who would love her passionately… "a girl could hope," she mumbled to herself.

Considering her other two uniforms were just as stale and wrinkled she decided not to change, instead put on her boots and jacket then headed to the changing room to freshen up. Ready for the day she headed to the infirmary to check in with Dr. Cole and begin her sixteen-hour day.

"Good morning Jennifer," Amanda greeted. "You look really rested today."

"Thanks … I feel better than I have in days. It's amazing what a little extra sleep can do."

Jennifer wondered if she should say anything else about last night. She didn't want her colleague to get any wrong ideas. "So … um… I'm sort of assuming… you know… someone must have helped me … home?"

"You could say that," Amanda laughed. "I think the men in your life are bringing back shivery single-handedly."

"So … it's safe to say Ronon is back?" she frowned, blushing. "I'm sure Evan would've woke me up."

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about. There's a certain Lieutenant I wouldn't mind carrying me home," she laughed.

"Oooh, would that be Lieutenant Smith? I've seen the way you look at him when you think no one's looking," Jen grinned.

"That obvious, huh?" Amanda sighed. "I feel guilty hoping he needs our services just so I can see him."

"Maybe we should have a Ladies Choice dance for our next social," Jennifer suggested.

Both women turned at the sound of the door closing to see Major Lorne walking across the room.

"He could carry me off in the dead of night and I wouldn't complain either," Amanda whispered, appreciating the swagger.

"Then I'd have to patch you up after Lieutenant Cadman got through with you," Jen snickered.

"Yeah, but there's no harm in admiring the view."

"You're insufferable!"

"Good morning ladies," Evan greeted as he neared the two doctors.

"Morning Ev," Jennifer smiled. "What's up?"

"Wanted to let you know we're starting to break camp … Sheppard's team will be leaving today and we'll be escorting your medical team in two days or as soon as you're ready," Lorne explained. "We'd like to send any gear you're not using with Sheppard's team this morning."

"We'll start packing up equipment. Maybe Lieutenant Smith could give us a hand if you don't need him." Jennifer suggested, smirking at Amanda.

"Sounds good … I'll be back in a couple of hours."

Jennifer had Amanda help her sort and tag items that would go back to Atlantis. She felt good about the two-day time frame for leaving hoping they could wrap it up as early as tomorrow night. The patients were all on the mend and Healer Nihra assured her that with the help of her volunteers she'd be able to handle the hospital on her own. The thought of a hot shower and clean clothes was the best thing she'd heard in days. Maybe it was time to break out the strawberry shower gel she'd been hoarding, stashed in the back of her lingerie drawer.

Lieutenant Smith showed up to help pack supplies and transport them to the jumper. Turning the task over to Amanda and Grant she watched the two walk off together both sporting a deeper shade of red as they shyly conversed. "They make a good match," Jen thought as she watched them work together.

Jennifer secretly hoped Ronon would show up and say goodbye but all too soon she'd heard they'd left leaving her feeling a bit disappointed. Maybe it was for the best … she didn't want to fall back into the same ol' trap of hoping their relationship would develop into something more. Instead she'd decided to change her focus and spend more time in her research lab. There were a lot of productive things she could be doing but pining for something she'd never have was not how she planned to spend her time.

~OOO~

Ronon wandered through the corridors of Atlantis feeling impatient and troubled. He'd wanted to stay on Reila until Jennifer came home and should have insisted even though Sheppard said it wasn't necessary. Now all he could do was think about her and worry that she might need him.

Walking into the sparring room for the umpteenth time he found Teyla gracefully working through some fighting moves with her rods and sat down to watch. A few minutes later she finished joining Ronon on the sidelines.

"It is good to see you home," Teyla offered, reaching for her water bottle. "Do you know when Dr. Keller and her team will be home?"

"One or two days," he grunted. "I don't like her being there alone."

"I am sure Major Lorne will take good care of her," she assured her teammate.

"Do you have time to spar?" he asked, not wanting to talk about his feelings.

"I am waiting for Amelia … she is giving me a kickboxing lesson. Maybe we could spar after the evening meal."

"Hey guys," Amelia called from across the room as she entered the gym. "Ronon, are you going to join us?"

"Sure, why not," he grumbled, thankful for something to take his mind off of Jennifer.

Watching Teyla reach up to take the call coming in on her comm., the two walked over to the mats giving her a bit of privacy. "So … have you been practicing any of your kickboxing moves?" Amelia asked in between stretches.

"No … but I'm not worried," he smirked.

"Pretty confident," she frowned. "Maybe we should make it interesting."

"Like what?"

"If I get you down on the mat just once you have to make dinner for me," she smiled, knowing he'd take the challenge.

"What do I get if you can't?" he grinned raising his eyebrows.

"I'll do your laundry for a week."

"Sounds good."

Teyla finished her call joining Ronon and Amelia on the mats, "I am sorry but Marie is needed in the infirmary so I must pick up Torren… maybe we can continue tomorrow."

"I'll meet you in the morning for breakfast," Amelia offered.

"That would be wonderful," Teyla agreed as she headed toward the door.

Turning back to the mat the two friends squared off beginning their training session. Amelia had years of experience with the sport and could hold her own but Ronon still had strength and speed on his size, which usually produced the win. The opponents jabbed and kicked for quite some time before Ronon's mind started to drift with thoughts of Jennifer filling his head.

Was she okay… taking care of herself … getting ready to come home … was she thinking of him?

Ronon ducked just in time to avoid a roundhouse kick to his head. Knowing he needed to rein in his scattered thoughts he pushed images of Jennifer to the back of his mind, unfortunately not before Amelia executed a series of advanced kickboxing moves that put Ronon on his back wondering what happened.

"What was rule number three in the Amelia Banks training manual?" Amelia chuckled as she stood over her opponent.

"Concentrate," he growled, jumping to his feet. "I guess I owe you a dinner."

"Tell you what … how bout a short round with the fighting sticks and if I loose I'll bring dessert," she offered smiling.

"Deal."

~OOO~

Dr. Keller finished her rounds early releasing several patients before calling it a night. She scheduled Darla and Sara to work the night shift with Dr. Cole after giving all three of them the afternoon off to sleep and pack their belongings for the trip home tomorrow.

Jennifer grabbed an MRE and cup of hot tea on her way to her bunk. This would be her first night in her own assigned and she wasn't looking forward to it. Approaching the back of the bunkhouse she noticed Ronon's bed was still where he'd left it complete with a fur blanket spread over the top. She'd assumed he'd have packed the covers away and taken them with him but once again he knew exactly what she needed.

After finishing her meal, Jennifer grabbed her bag and began packing up her few belongings. Once her duffle was secured she cleaned up and got in bed burrowing under the covers. Inhaling deeply she could close her eyes and picture Ronon, his scent strong in the pillow he left. Jen loved his smell … craved the deep woods tang and earthy aroma that was distinctly his.

Having fallen asleep to thoughts of her protector the young doctor rested through the night waking early in the morning. It was moving day and thinking of the comforts of home hastened her steps knowing the sooner they were packed the sooner they'd be traveling back through the stargate.

~OOO~

Ronon spent a restless night chasing after sleep with little success. He felt restless and anxious, as if his whole future was on the line yet he didn't know why. He was content living on Atlantis, was fulfilled working with Sheppard's team fighting the Wraith and helping the people of the Pegasus galaxy. He even enjoyed his part in preparing the Lantians with advanced battle skills. So why can't I sleep, he kept asking himself.

As the mess hall began feeding the early risers, Ronon found himself in the front of the line. He'd already completed an early morning run with Sheppard and taken on several challenges in the gym from overconfident Marines. Finding Sheppard at his normal table he took a seat across from his teammate. Nodding a quick hello to Amelia and Teyla sitting several tables over he dug into his meal with his usual vigor. Listening to Sheppard plan out their day with various training sessions and weapons practice he found himself grateful for the busy schedule … less time to stew over when Jennifer would be getting home from Reila.

After depositing his tray and trash in the proper containers the Satedan stopped by the women's table on his way out.

"Hey," he addressed Amelia. "When did you want to do that dinner?"

"How about tonight … I'll bring dessert," she suggested. "At least we'll have something decent to eat," she teased.

"I have a late training session so come around 20:00 hours," he stated smirking. "That should give me enough time to pick through the MREs for something special," he grinned turning promptly for the doors.

~OOO~

Major Lorne and Lieutenant Smith met with Jennifer late in the morning to make arrangements for their return. Smith stayed to help with the heavy packing after Evan established 19:00 hours as their time of departure. Lorne and the rest of his team then met with Harris' team to identify any additional equipment and supplies that could safely be returned to Atlantis without hurting the clean-up efforts.

As the hour of departure drew close, Jennifer met with Healer Nihra and her volunteers for some last minute instructions going over each patient's individual needs and care. Right on schedule Major Lorne lifted the jumper into the sky heading toward the stargate and home. Jennifer breathed a weary sigh of relief filled with sadness at what the people of Reila had endured but found respite knowing there would be more mercy missions in the weeks to come until Atlantis was confident the people were well on their way to recovery. Closing her eyes she whispered a quiet goodbye to Elten as the Ring of the Ancestors came into view.

~OOO~

Colonel Sheppard met the returning team with a handful of Marines to help carry the totes and equipment freeing the bedraggled and weary returning team to hit the showers. He'd also arranged a hot meal to be served in one hour, which seemed to lift everyone's spirits.

Jennifer began wrestling with her duffle and bedding when Evan stopped her suggesting she let the men deliver her things to her room. With a sigh of relief the doctor left the jumper bay with Ronon's fur cover and pillow in hand. She'd convinced herself that civility demanded she return the items herself so she could thank him properly. As true as that might seem if she were honest with herself that little seed of hope had moved from its hiding place to her heart the minute she'd laid her head on his pillow last night.

~OOO~

Ronon stepped out of the shower trying to think of something to make for dinner that would actually be edible. His heart wasn't in this dinner but he thought maybe Amelia's company might help him pass the night without obsessing on Jennifer. He'd been down this road always coming to the same conclusion so why was it so hard to maintain this friendship. He had other female friends … Amelia … Teyla … they were easy, simple, and they never kept him up at night. Maybe it was time to back off and put some distance between himself and Jennifer while he still could. He liked his life and wasn't ready to make any changes.

Answering the door he ushered Amelia into his quarters trying his best to see what was under the covering she'd put over her container.

"No peeking," she ordered slapping his hand playfully. "I don't smell anything yummy."

"I haven't started cooking yet," he frowned. "Maybe we should just watch a movie and eat your dessert," he suggested hopefully.

"You lost … you cook."

"Fine," he growled reaching for his shoes.

"Where're you going?"

"I'm going to get some food from the mess hall … I'll be right back," he explained. "Why don't you pick out a movie … we can watch while we eat."

"Sounds good."

Amelia proceeded to pick up G.I. Jane and load it into the DVD player pausing it at the opening scene then moved over to the coffee table to make a spot for their dinner. Hearing the chime she moved over to open the door.

"Wow that was fast …," Amelia started thinking Ronon was back with the food. "Oh, hi Dr. Keller … I didn't know you were back already."

"Hello… uh … I hope I'm not interrupting … is Ronon here?"

"He just ran down to get us something to eat … he should be back any minute. Would you like to come in and wait?" she asked smiling

"No … it's nothing important … I … uh … just wanted to return some things of his," she stammered feeling the heat begin to rise up her neck.

"I'm sure we can set another plate at the table," Amelia laughed gesturing at the coffee table.

"No … I'll just leave these with you if you don't mind," Jennifer said placing the bedding in Amelia's hands. "Nice to see you Amelia … hope you have a good evening and please tell Ronon thank you."

The gate tech watched Jennifer scurry down the corridor as she closed the door. Taking the items to Ronon's bed she placed them beside her coat in the darkened part of the room. She finished preparing the table just before Ronon returned with the overflowing tray of food. The visit from Dr. Keller was quickly forgotten as she helped arrange the plates and utensils next to the food and started their movie.

Jennifer forgot about the hot meal prepared for them in the dining hall choosing to flee to the safety of her room before she did anything stupid. Once the doors closed behind her she couldn't stop the tears of disappointment from flowing down the now familiar path. "What was I thinking … again?" she berated herself. She'd gotten her hopes up, thought maybe he'd be waiting for her with open arms.

The doctor thought about all the care she'd taken to look her best when she arrived at his door. She'd taken a long hot shower washing all the grime off, letting the hot sudsy water slide over every part of her body. She took extra care with her hair using the scented shampoo she knew he liked. Having spent extra time with her wardrobe she stood in the hallway looking like a million bucks until the door opened catching her totally off guard. She'd never considered he'd be busy with another woman … "What is wrong with me," she ranted at herself.

There were so many things she should be doing … should be collecting her clean uniforms from the laundry … should grab her mail she hadn't checked in weeks … should get something to eat. Instead she curled up on her bed and cried herself to sleep vowing never again to get involved with a man … never again waste time dreaming about what could be … never again cry herself to sleep.

~OOO~

Ronon and Amelia sat scooping out the last of the cobbler from the bowl as the credits rolled giving proper recognition to everyone involved in the making of yet another military film. Seems like that's all they'd watched lately.

"Well, it's been a lovely evening but I need to run," Amelia announced knowing her new boyfriend, Sergeant Rivers, would be waiting now that he was back from Reila. "I'll take these dishes back to the mess hall for you," she offered piling everything back on the tray.

"I'll grab your coat," he offered walking over to the bed. Reaching for her jacket Ronon spotted his pillow and blanket. "What's this," he asked as Amelia walked up beside him.

"Oh … I totally forgot … Dr. Keller came by when you were in the mess hall. She asked me to give you those," she explained taking her jacket.

"Did she say anything else?"

"Said to say thank you … actually, she seemed a bit nervous. I invited her to eat with us but she seemed in a hurry to leave."

Ronon hissed under his breathe knowing he'd probably messed up again. After seeing Amelia out he returned to his bed sitting on the edge with his head in his hands… thinking.

This was not how he'd imagined Jennifer's homecoming. He'd wanted to have a meal with her … help her carry her supplies back to the infirmary … suggest they watch a movie together. Instead, he'd probably given her the idea that he and Amelia were still seeing each other.

Growing increasingly angry, he put on his boots deciding to try and work it off in the gym rather than trash his quarters. He needed some kind of relief and going to Jennifer was out of the question. Walking down the corridor he tried to convince himself that everything was okay. He and Doc were friends and that's all he needed. After all, he was never interested in her … he had no intentions … she was the one who wanted more.

Jennifer was different. He didn't want a casual relationship with her and he didn't want anything more than a short fling with anyone else. A year ago he'd spent some time with a pretty Marine who'd given him an earful when they'd gone their separate ways … what had she called him … oh, yeah … a crippled moron who couldn't handle a serious relationship. Of course he'd had to ask Sheppard what a moron was but in hindsight she'd pretty much nailed it … he was crippled.

Bypassing the gym he headed for the outer edges of the city deciding to run off his frustration rather than interact with others who might be in the sparring room. Halfway through his usual circuit he realized his thoughts were full of Jennifer… the way she walked … smelled … laughed. He loved the way she commanded those around her in the infirmary and her complete devotion to everyone in her care whether they were from Atlantis or other worlds. He loved the way she thought of others first and wore herself out meeting the needs of Atlantis.

He loved her hair.

He loved her smile.

He loved the way she loved him unconditionally.

He loved the way she felt in his arms.

He loved … her.

"Sheppard, this is Ronon."

"What's up," Sheppard answered.

"Where are you … I need your help."