A/N: Thank you for the comments.
"Laura?" Jennifer asked when she saw her friend.
"Look who finally decided to wake up." Laura smiled, but her concern was obvious.
"How long?" Jennifer asked.
"Fifteen hours."
"Fifteen hours?" Jennifer asked trying to sit up before wincing in pain.
"Easy." Laura said. "You aren't going anywhere."
"What happened?"
"You don't remember the mission?" Laura asked concerned.
"I remember it. Everything until Lorne got me off the edge."
"Well that's when you passed out. Good news is there are no breaks."
"Really?" Jennifer asked.
"You thought there was more to it?"
"My wrist killed, still does. Not to mention my ribs."
"That's just you being a wimp." Laura pointed out.
"Thanks." Jennifer said dryly. "Is something else wrong?"
"Should there be?"
"You are acting weird."
"You just need to get better."
"What happened?" Jennifer asked getting worried by the dodging.
"Nothing."
"Laura."
"Fine. Things have got a little more complicated."
"In what way?" Jennifer asked.
"I hate to be the one to tell you this, especially after what you've been through-"
"Is my dad okay?" Jennifer asked frowning.
"What? Yes. As far as I know. This is a Pegasus problem."
"What is it then?" Jennifer pressed.
"If the rumours are to believed the Colonel cheated on you."
"What?" Jennifer asked completely confused as the man in question approached.
"Hey." John greeted.
"You cheated on me?" Jennifer asked.
"What? No. How do you even know about that?" John asked confused.
"That sounded like both a denial and an admission." Laura pointed out before adding a, "Sir."
"I did not cheat on the doc."
"Not what Rodney said." Laura countered.
"She threw herself at me and I turned her down." John said defensively.
"That's a very different story to what-" Laura started only for John to cut her off.
"Can we put the rumours to one side and focus on what happened to you?" John asked Jennifer.
"My luck struck again."
"That's all?" John asked.
"Isn't that enough?"
"I meant did your team look after you? I need to know the truth." John said.
"I slipped and fell of over the edge." Jennifer said.
"Where was Fletcher when that happened?"
"At the front."
"And you?"
"At the back. It was my fault, I was struggling to keep up."
"Then they slow down. They are there to protect you. If you need to go slower they go slower." John replied. "When you are up to it I need a full report on what happened."
"There's not much to tell." Jennifer said before repeating, "I slipped and went over the edge."
"We'll talk more later." John said turning before spinning round again and said. "One question. Did you fire your side arm?"
"Yes."
"I thought you were on a ledge by yourself." John said confused.
"I was." Jennifer said. "I fired a round every few hours hoping someone would hear it."
"Every few hours so you would conserve ammo?" John asked.
"No. It took me about four hours to build up courage to release the root and grab the gun each time." Jennifer confessed.
"You should have just nodded and not confessed to that." Laura said.
-00-
"Your ears did not deceive you." John said entering the office he and Lorne shared.
"You did cheat on the doc?" Lorne asked.
"What? How does everyone know about that?" John asked.
"So you did cheat on her?"
"No. I was the innocent party." John said defensively. "Where did you hear different?"
"Rhodes."
"Rhodes? Where the hell did Rhodes hear from?"
"It's Atlantis. Rumour travels faster then light." Lorne shrugged. "But what did you want to tell me I had heard right?"
"Gunshot. The doc did fire."
"At what?" Lorne asked confused, worried he had missed something.
"Nothing. She wanted to get your attention."
"Smart." Lorne said before saying. "I guess I was lucky she didn't shoot me. How is she?"
"Seems fine. Also doesn't blame Fletcher."
"That makes one person then." Lorne said. "What are you going to do with him?"
"Nothing."
"Nothing?"
"I can't. Conflict of interests. The doc being my girlfriend I have to sit it out. So you are in charge."
"I am?"
"Don't let the power go to your head. There is paperwork on every path."
"And no Major to pass it on to." Lorne pointed out.
"So what are you going to do?" John asked.
"Hear him out first then get creative."
"You do remember there is a whole rule book at your disposal?" John reminded him.
"When has that ever been used in Pegasus?" Lorne asked.
"True." John shrugged as there was a knock on the door.
"Fletcher, come in." Sheppard ordered when he saw the Captain.
"Yes Sir." He said entering the office where John and Lorne were waiting.
"Due to the nature of my relationship with Dr Keller, Major Lorne will be handling this." John started. "I am here to observe."
"Yes Sir." Fletcher nodded.
"The good news for you is that Dr Keller has woken up and should be fine." Lorne started. "The bad news for you is she was hurt on your watch. But that in itself would have been okay. What gets me is you waited sixteen hours to report it. Sixteen hours where she was on a ledge and could have fallen to her death at anytime." Lorne went on. "Sixteen hours where you showed a complete lack of leadership and responsibility." He paused to see if Fletcher would argue. When he didn't he asked. "Do you have anything you want to say?"
"Yes Sir. It was my decision not to report in, not my team. They shouldn't be punished."
"Did they suggest you report in?" Lorne asked.
"Yes Sir. Tupper did. I told him to stand down." Fletcher confirmed.
"Why didn't you listen?"
"I thought I could handle it. I was wrong. It won't happen again."
"Damn straight it won't." Lorne agreed.
"Are you sending me back to Earth?" Fletcher asked.
"I was thinking of it." Lorne said. "But I have something else in mind."
-TBC...