Deadly Intent

Chapter 12

Both parents looked at each other until Teyla eventually found her voice. "I already have a good idea, but if you agree to it John, then please tell us, Carson."

John looked a little overwhelmed. He nodded anyway, "Its fine by me."

Carson nodded and patted his friend's shoulder. "Poor Teyla will have two lads in the family plus you and wee Beth. Lord, help her."

If anything John looked even more tearful. He didn't take offence to Carson's teasing. He looked lovingly at Teyla. "Another boy that's great." Teyla returned his look. Although she had already guessed it was a boy, she really wouldn't have minded a daughter. Of course, she had Beth their adopted child whom she loved very much. However, she would be very content with another son. He would no doubt be strong with both her and John's genes. She hoped very much that he was a powerful ATA carrier and that he also had the ability to feel the Wraith like she could. Although it was still too early to tell, she had a notion that Torren was strong in that direction so the new baby might also be. With Beth's ATA capabilities their family would make quite a team, no doubt

John turned to Carson and winked. "So you could clearly see his…you know what?"

"Oh, aye. If you look here," Carson pointed to the image, "There's no mistaking the, you know what. Now, I'll run off a few photocopies for you to keep."

Both children had remained very quiet during this conversation, not really understanding what was being said. They had lost interest anyway and were getting a little bored by the whole matter. Beth, in particular, had been very disappointed as she thought the image would be just like the first photographs of baby Peter. They were also hungry. They wanted their lunch and then some playtime afterwards just like momma had promised them.

"Can we go now?" Torren asked impatiently.

Carson had already switched the machine off, and he and John were now looking at the images. Teyla really felt quite comfortable just laying there as a nurse began to wipe her stomach clear of the gel. She didn't feel like moving yet but knew she would have to eventually. "We can go when the nurse has finished cleaning me up and Uncle Carson says we can go," Teyla told them.

Hearing Teyla say that Carson turned to her, "Aye, well as far as I'm concerned you can go. I'll have the blood test results back in a few hours, but I'll only let you know if there's a problem. I'm not expecting there to be as you're doing fine, love. We'll do another scan at twenty-eight weeks or so. Now you don't need me to tell you to eat well and, no putting yourself in danger off-world. Actually, I would recommend no more missions as you've enough to do with looking after yourself and the family."

Teyla know that was sound advice. Although she really didn't like to stop, she now had more than just Torren to think about this time. She nodded. "You are quite right, Carson. I will work from Atlantis, and curtail my off-world trips as they can be quite stressful at times."

John felt relieved that she wouldn't be going off-world for the foreseeable future. He would certainly make sure Mr Woolsey understood that. He also wanted to be officially married to her before she got too big for her wedding outfit. So as soon as Trumble was out of their hair, he planned to do just that. He turned to the children. "I'm a little hungry. As soon as we're finished here we can all go for lunch."

The children seemed to like that idea and squealed quite loudly causing Peter to finally stir from his morning sleep. He opened his bright eyes and blinked up at his Uncle John. Thankfully, he was already quite used to being looked after by him. Even when laid up with his broken leg, John had child-minded as soon as he'd been more mobile.

Julia moved over and looked at the little one more closely. "You're going to have your hands full with four children, Colonel." Then she did the math wondering just how old this baby really was. He looked no more than about three months, which certainly didn't tally with Teyla's current state.

Realising her confusion, John quickly said. "Oh, no, this isn't our child. This is Peter Alex McKay. He's the son of Doctor Rodney McKay and Doctor Jennifer Keller-McKay."

"Did someone mention my name?" A new voice asked. "Oh, John, I'm so sorry. Did Rodney dump Peter on you again?"

"That's okay, Jennifer. Luckily I had a little spare time. By the way, this is Dr Julia Ross who's here to do my medical assessment."

Jennifer shook hands with the doctor. "Pleased to meet you."

"Likewise. This is some infirmary you've got here." Julia said before turning to address Sheppard. "You know I can't see any disability in you at all. I will read the doctors reports and do a quick examination, but I see no reason at the moment to recommend a medical discharge, Colonel. If only my patients were as fit and active as you seem to be."

John smiled at her. "That's a relief."

Teyla squeezed his hand. "It most certainly is," she agreed. Even before this news, she couldn't help noticing that John seemed much brighter than he did earlier this morning. It pleased her greatly as she had been more than concerned about him lately. He had seemed stressed out, what with one thing and another. John was the strongest man she knew, but it had always concerned her that he kept his problems to himself. He had improved in recent years, openly sharing his worries with her, especially since his near-death experience on Calabria with the dreadful plague that had claimed so many lives.

John gladly handed Peter over to Jennifer as the little guy was getting grizzly with hunger. She quickly left the room to find a place to feed him. "Okay, then, let's go eat." He helped Teyla off the table and took the children's hands. "I'll see you at 13:30 hours, Dr Ross."

"Yes, of course, Colonel. It shouldn't take too long." Julia said before turning to Carson. "Now can I please see his medical records, and don't worry there is no way I would want to break up that lovely family. Trumble can go to hell."

"Now, now, Doctor Ross, anyone would think you didn't like the man?"

"How did you guess, Doctor Beckett?"

"Oh, that wasn't too difficult." Carson had had the misfortune to deal with the man during the routine medical check-up required for all visitors, new personnel and returning off-world teams. The General had protested about it not being necessary as he'd been cleared by the SGC before leaving Earth. Carson had told him in so many words that it was protocol and to suck it up. Pushing the horrible General from his mind, Carson looked at his watch. "You know I'm feeling a bit peckish myself, so would you care to join me for lunch before looking at the Colonel's medical file. Mind you it was quite comprehensive and if she read it all, it could take quite a while, Carson thought. Naturally, he didn't mention that to the lovely doctor.

Even though Julia wasn't that hungry having had a very late breakfast, she couldn't resist going with this delightful man, "That would be lovely, Dr Beckett."

"Oh please call me Carson."

Julia nodded as they left the infirmary.

oOo

Four hours later, the moment Julia Ross had been dreading finally arrived. Having been summoned to an office on the command level by General Trumble, the doctor was about to deliver her verdict. She knew very well that the General was not going to like it.

Trumble had commandeered the office in order to drill various military personnel in an effort to find anyone with a grievance about the base or its command structure. So far he'd come up empty-handed as everyone seemed content with the way things were and they all had great admiration for their commanding officer.

The whole frustrating issue wasn't helping the General's foul mood, as poor Julia was just about to find out. Tablet computer in hand, she carefully took a seat in front of the positively unpleasant man. It displeased her greatly that she now had to deal with him after having spent a delightful lunch with Carson Beckett, followed by the pleasant conversation she'd had with Colonel Sheppard. So the quicker she delivered the report, the quicker she could get out of here.

Steeling herself, Julia took a deep breath. "I agree with Doctors Keller and Beckett's verdict. I can find nothing to suggest that Colonel Sheppard is medically unfit for duty. His broken leg has healed very well. He is extremely fit for a man in his age group, especially considering all that he's had to endure since arriving…"

"Enough!"

Julia physically jumped at Trumble's shout. She glanced up at his red and angry face before saying. "I will not give a false report to appease you, General."

"And I brought you here to do just that!" he spat out with a good deal of scorn.

Julia was getting angry. "I beg your pardon! I was asked by Mr Coolidge to assess the extent of the Colonel's injury on behalf of the I.O.A. and the Air Force. I do not recall being asked by you, General. Now if you will excuse me, I wish to take a tour of the infirmary with Doctor Beckett." That wasn't quite a lie as Carson had asked her if she'd like to look into their research methods and see the machines left by the Ancients.

However, she was somewhat shocked by Trumble's hurtful reply. He stood and glared down at her. "I don't care who asked you! You're obviously very incompetent and a totally useless doctor."

Now Julia was really incensed. She stood up to face him. "How dare you question my competence? I'll have you know I've worked at the Lake Medical Center for over ten years, and nobody has ever questioned my abilities. Four years ago, I was given highly confidential access to state secrets simply because I am completely professional and trustworthy. Now if you've finished insulting me, I wish to go. Oh, and I will be making a full report regarding your behaviour, General. I don't know what your problem is, but your hatred of Colonel Sheppard goes beyond excessive."

For once William Trumble was left speechless. Was she right? Had it all become an extreme obsession? An obsession that was driving him to madness? Feeling suddenly shaky, he slowly sank back down into the hard office chair. "You have no idea how I feel. That man disobeyed my direct order. He was disrespectful and arrogant that day in my office. A lowly Major facing down a Colonel. All high and mighty just because he wanted to rescue a few men stuck behind enemy lines before we and the Afghans were ready to do so." The General fell silent after that.

Julia couldn't help thinking. Good on you John Sheppard. A man who was unwilling to leave anyone behind and fight for his people was the impression Sheppard had already given her. "Surely after all these years and the outstanding work Colonel Sheppard has achieved since then, could you not find it in your heart to forgive him? If I understand it correctly, he helped save us all from the Wraith when they threatened Earth a few years back?"

"Nonsense that was the timely arrival of Atlantis. They were the ones to save Earth. And Sheppard was the one to wake the Wraith in the first place! They would not have been a threat if he'd kept his nose out of things."

Julia chose to ignore the last bit as she didn't know all the details. "So John Sheppard didn't fly a small ship into the Hive to deliver a nuke? And he wasn't willing to trigger it to save Earth even though it meant losing his own life? Strange I remember reading a secret report that stated that the Hive was destroyed by a nuclear explosion. Luckily, John Sheppard and his team managed to escape just in the nick of time via an onboard Stargate." Julia heard him mutter something like, 'more the pity,' before she spoke again. "Or is there another reason to hate him so much?"

"You bet there and the whole damn family. The Sheppard family were responsible for my family's downfall. His father Patrick Sheppard took millions from us and never gave a dime back! The loss of that money caused my father to lose everything he held dear, including his wife, my mother. She contracted cancer that needed a very expensive treatment, but they were forced to opt for a cheaper method, which proved ineffectual. She died six months later."

Of course, Julia didn't know any of the details about the goings-on between the families. Only she didn't think the Colonel had anything to do with it. "I'm sorry about your mother, but blaming the son for the father's possible mistakes is very unfair."

"It was no mistake! That very same father poured money, our money into the best lawyers he could get. They went on to save his son's bloody neck when he should have been court-marshalled and sent to Leavenworth for years. Insolent, disobedient, spoilt brat! He dared treat me, the best officer the Air Force ever had, with such contempt!"

After listening to the General's ramblings for several weeks and right now, Julia decided there was something seriously amiss about the man. She had briefly touched psychology in medical school, so she didn't have too much knowledge. Knowing she needed to do something, Julia decided she would mention it to Carson and maybe together they could inform the base psychologist. Now for her own sanity, she needed to leave before it got any worse.

Standing, Julia said. "You can think what you like, General, but I will not change my report just to satisfy your vendetta."

"Well, it will certainly change mine. I will be filing a report saying how incompetent you are which will ruin your career. Of course, if you don't want that, then I suggest you change your mind."

"Not ever happening, even if you hold a gun to my head!" Julia called as she left the room. She didn't see the General sweep everything off his desk in a fit of rage.

That's how Doctor Finnegan found him ten minutes later. "You know you'll give yourself a stroke one of these days. Why don't you calm down? Once we've got what we came for, you can go back to Earth and retire in comfort."

"Not until I've made sure John Sheppard is no longer breathing."

Finnegan just shook his head. How did it go from just wanting to remove the man to now wishing him dead? "Whatever you say, but they're bound to find out if you murder him. Then it will be a prison for you if Sheppard's people don't kill you first. I hear Ronon Dex is very protective of his friend."

Trumble didn't say a word, so Finnegan decided to leave him to stew. However, before leaving the office, he turned back to say. "Just stay away from Sheppard and don't ruin things before our trip off-world tomorrow night. In fact, I will be resting up tomorrow and getting some sleep in as we'll need to be ready at 03:00 hours. I suggest you do the same, General."

As Finnegan left the office, he clearly heard the General mutter, "Fat chance on those damn uncomfortable beds around here!" Because despite having a different room and a bigger bed, Trumble's opinion hadn't changed.

TBC

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