Murus
Chapter Eight – The Cove
SGA SGA SGA
Sheppard stood up slowly, leaving Bee lying on the sand at his feet. He held his hands outwards in a non-threatening manner and straightened his back.
"Whoa, we mean you no harm. Put the gun down."
The man continued to step towards them and Sheppard understood from the man's grasp of the gun that he was very familiar with it so took any possible threat as a real one.
"Who are you? How did you get here?" The gun remained in position as he spoke.
Sheppard held his gaze and hoped he was exuding an aura of calmness. "Look. We mean you no harm. We had an accident up above. Bee fell into the water from a height and she can't swim so I dived in after her." He looked down at Bee's trembling form. "Please, she is cold and shocked. Can you provide us with a blanket and some fresh water to drink?"
"We will do more than that! Jerome, what are you standing there gaping for? And put that stupid gun down. They need help."
The man, Jerome, continued to be wary of Sheppard but he followed the loud bellow of his wife's demand and lowered his gun. "Bring her into the house then." He said in a low tone, obviously unhappy at his wife's intervention.
Sheppard reached down for Bee and scooped her up into a protective hug against his chest.
"I can walk." Bee protested.
"Ssh, just take it easy for now."
Sheppard's eyes darted about him as they entered the tiny log cabin. It was refreshingly cool inside, quaint and sparsely furnished but the old woman directed him to a curtained area and when she pulled back the fabric. Sheppard could see a beautiful hand-carved bed, with crisp white sheets and it was on this that the old woman was directing he place Bee.
"No, I shall get it all dirty!" Bee voiced his thoughts.
"All can be washed. Now come on let's be having you." She pointed to the bed and Sheppard lowered her onto it, conscious of the fact his own hair and wet clothes were leaving wet patches everywhere.
The old woman busied herself in the large cabinet beside the bed and handed Bee a large towel to dry herself with and then flung one Sheppard's way. "You can sit by the fire and get dry." With that she pulled the curtain and Bee vanished out of sight.
Sheppard looked at the old man.
"Better do as she says." He sighed and gestured for Sheppard to sit beside the low burning fire that he suspected was constantly lit to feed the old metal stove with heat enough to cook on. He felt the warmth escape from it as he walked past towards a large wooden chair and watched as the old man pulled out some bars from the side of the stove and pointed to them.
"Take off your wet clothes and put them on the bars here to dry. You are tall but I've got trousers and a shirt spare I think you will fit." He had no sooner said the words, when they came flying over the curtains and landed on the old man's head.
Sheppard couldn't help but smirk when they were then handed to him. "Seems I am not allowed in that part of the room at the moment.
The gun was placed against the wall and Sheppard relaxed more.
"My name is John Sheppard. My friend's name is Bee. We are passing through and hope to be out of your way shortly. Thank you for the use of the clothes until ours dry."
"You don't just happen upon my house. Nobody even knows we are here! I thought we were hidden. How did you manage to see us, eh?"
The questions came fast and furious. Sheppard stripped off his wet clothes and put on the dry ones, detecting that the old man was nervous about them appearing on his doorstep the way they did. He dropped his stance and sat on the chair, hoping the man understood he meant him no harm.
"I've told you what happened. We didn't see you until we were in the water."
The old man seemed to study him some more but then grunted to himself and sat down on the other chair.
"Names Jerome, that bossy old woman is my wife, Jinny."
"You will have to excuse my rude husband's manner Mr Sheppard. We don't get visitors here and it looks like he's forgotten what it's like to welcome people properly." Jinny shouted over the curtains. "Are you going to offer the poor man something to drink Jerome?"
Sheppard clenched his lips together and caught Jerome's eye. The old man had a twinkle in it that hadn't been there before. "Tea?" He asked, trying to hide a smirk.
Sheppard nodded in agreement. "That would be lovely, I like tea."
Jerome set about filling up the heavy kettle with water and put it on the stove to heat. "That'll be a few minutes until it heats up. "Hey, are you okay?"
Sheppard vaguely heard Jerome asking him something, but a wave of dizziness had just hit him. He put his hands to his ears and allowed the room to settle before he lifted his head. Sweat broke out on his forehead and he realised that the adrenalin that had kept him going through Bee's fall from the cliff face had left him, and he was feeling ill again. The virus, without Sulli's remedy, had reared its ugly head again.
"Lad. What can I do for you?"
Sheppard looked up at him hazily. "I had a leather pouch on me. Have you seen it?"
A twitch of the curtains and Bee's walked out from behind them ignoring Jinny's demands to lay down.
"John, is it the virus? Do you feel sick?"
Sheppard had begun to slouch in the chair and realised he was feeling very sick and sweaty again. Without warning, he got up from the chair and ran outside, only to land on his knees in the sand to the side of the house and was violently sick.
"John!" Bee shouted, following him out of the door,
"What's wrong with him?" Jinny asked as she watched Bee lean over the man and stroke his head.
"He has the virus! He has been sick for many days with it but we had a remedy. It now appears that his pouch has been lost in the water." Bee knew her bottom lip was shaking but she couldn't stop it and the tears threatened to follow their lead. "Without it to keep the effects of the virus at bay, he could die."
The gravity of the situation was even more startling now that they knew the man was ill. Jerome took off down the sandy beach towards the water where they had first appeared and searched for the leather pouch as he walked.
Bee looked over to Jinny. "It will be soaked."
Jinny hated to see the young woman look so worried and upset. Her beautiful face did not suit being disturbed as it did now. She fretted. Just a few minutes ago, she had seemed so small and pale lying on the bed resting and Jinny had been gently covering her scraped areas of skin on her arms with her homemade salve and now here she was, tending to her friend, where she should really be sleeping off the effects of the near drowning.
"What was in it? Perhaps I have the herbs required?" She asked hopefully.
Bee shut her eyes before opening them and shaking her head. "I do not know."
Sheppard had now sat back and leaned against a large stone, holding his head as if it would fall off.
Bee kept a hand on top of his head to steady him. "I have lost my bag too. It had Bellus flowers in it and they help, but only slightly."
Jinny took off towards her house and looking over her shoulder, she shouted: "Bring him inside. I have dried Bellus and will put some in the hot water for him to drink until I get more herbs together."
"Can you move?" Bee gently asked Sheppard.
"Yeah. It's my head. It's pounding."
"You will feel better once you have sat down and had a drink of Bellus juice."
"Sorry…I…"
"Quiet." Bee ordered and helped him walk back into the house towards the bed she had just vacated.
"No, the chair is good." Sheppard directed and he aimed for there. With Bee's help, he sat down and accepted the drink offered to him by Jinny.
It tasted sweeter than Bee's flowers and he looked up to see Jinny's worried face looking down at him. "It's got some honey in it too. Make it go down better."
He nodded and smiled at her.
Sheppard closed his eyes and vaguely heard Bee and Jinny talk about him and Bee explaining about her fall from the cliff and eventually the horrible dizzy feeling left him and his headache subsided to a level that was bearable but he felt awful and very tired and annoyed that he was hindering their journey yet again - and just who were their hosts anyway!
The door opened and Jerome walked in holding Sheppard's leather pouch. "I found it!"
Bee put down her mug of tea and took the pouch off him and was delighted to find that, even though it felt wet, the inside had remained relatively dry. She quickly dipped her finger into the contents and asked Sheppard to open his mouth. He complied and Bee popped some of the green gloop into his mouth and it slid down his tongue so Sheppard flicked it over to his cheek where it would slowly melt down his throat.
Sheppard lazily grinned up at his audience and Bee chucked his chin, mimicking his continued endearment to her.
"Perhaps you two should sleep off your little adventure and then we can find out more about you." Jinny suggested.
Sheppard nodded, having to trust these strangers, for both of them were in no state to carry on their journey at present. He looked at the bed and then pointedly at Bee.
"Take the bed, Bee. I am good here."
Jinny did not want the young man to exert himself too much by movement or speech so ushered Bee over to her bed and Bee reluctantly left Sheppard's side. Sleep was not long in coming to her and Sheppard watched as Jinny draped a blanket over her still form. Jinny then picked up her wet clothes and placed them beside Sheppard's to dry by the stove.
"She's such a little thing isn't she? These old clothes I gave her are really much too big for her but will have to do just now."
Jinny walked over to Sheppard and took the empty cup from his lax hands.
"Erm, sorry…did you say something?"
"I did, but no matter. I can see you are half asleep. Are you feeling better now?"
Sheppard offered up a weak smile. "I am, and thank you, Jerome for finding the pouch…it's proven to help my symptoms. I might have been in trouble without it."
Jerome nodded.
Sheppard looked around him. "How long have you lived here?"
Silence from them both made Sheppard a little sorry he had asked the question but moved his eyes back and forth between the two until Jerome spoke up.
"Too many years young man."
Sheppard remained quiet.
"Our story is long and tedious and you need to sleep. Perhaps later in the evening we can discuss our stories…will you be comfy enough in that chair?"
He would. To prove his point he sunk lower into it and started to shut his eyes as they had become very heavy.
A light touch and he felt a soft blanket spread from his feet up to under his chin. Sheppard succumbed to tiredness and fell asleep, dry and warm and comfortable for the first time in days.
Jinny looked at Jerome with worry in her eyes but he took her hand and patted it.
"Come let us go outside for a while and gather some of the herbs the young man needs. Later we can ask how they managed to find us. I had better check the boundary."
They closed the door gently behind them.
Jinny stopped walking and pulled on Jerome's arm. Do you think he knows we are here?"
"Now, stop shaking Jinny. I don't believe he sent them to find us, but we had better be careful with what we tell them."
"Oh, I know, I know…but Jerome, the girl! She looks like…"
"Jinny, no. Please."
"Sorry my love. It was just a bit of a shock watching the strangers turning up like that and then seeing her looking the way she does."
"I know Jinny. Be strong now and don't let old memories seep out. I hate to see you get upset over them."
Jinny hurried to hug her husband. "I won't Jerome. Sorry."
"Do not apologise my love. Come on, let's go to the garden. Oh I forgot! I'll be right back."
Sheppard moaned and tossed in his sleep but didn't waken when Jerome reached behind him to once again pick up the rifle. Jerome kept his finger off the trigger but pocketed a couple of extra bullets for the first time in ages. He cast Sheppard a long look and then hurried to join his wife outside leaving Sheppard and Bee to sleep off their days adventures.
SGA SGA SGA
"Well Tarahatt is exactly what I thought it would look like!" Rodney scoffed as they walked in amongst the tented stalls.
"Rodney, do not draw attention with your loud voice." Teyla warned.
"I doubt anybody heard me anyway. It's so loud here with all these stall holders shouting their wares and animal noises adding to the din."
"Then do not add to the volume!" Ronon pushed his shoulder.
Rodney spun and looked at Carson. "Do you not find this excessively loud Carson?"
"Do not add me to your revolt Rodney. I'm only interested in finding this man we are looking for and getting the Colonel home."
"Well, me too, obviously! I'm just pointing out that markets like these in this galaxy are always on the unsavoury side."
"Well you haven't lived then Rodney if you think Earth doesn't have anything like this in places."
Ronon raised his eyebrow at that and smirked at Rodney who had given up his rant and had slumped into a depression thinking about Sheppard.
"We'll find him Rodney." Ronon said close to his ear.
"I have no doubt. It's the state we find him in that worries me."
Ronon dipped his head for a moment but soon raised it to scan the crowds once more although he stopped ribbing Rodney as he knew he was just worried for Sheppard.
"It's that bloody virus that's got me worried. I hope whomever bought him knows what to do for him…and to help him." Carson said.
"Mahonet is a dead man when I catch up with him, that's all I'm saying." Ronon announced, not unexpectedly. "I knew someone was watching us up in that glass office and it disturbs me to think that he was watching us the whole time. Watching Sheppard as he got sick…who would do that!"
"Possibly his buyers were there too!" Rodney realised.
Everyone fell silent for a few minutes. Each trying to work out who would want him so much; or if they were honest; his pure gene, it was probably the most probable cause for the kidnap.
The day was nearing an end and even though Ronon had made contact with another bounty hunter for hire, he had backed off from Ronon when he had mentioned Mahonet's name.
"What did that man say again Ronon?" Rodney asked as they walked back to the cloaked 'jumper.
"It's what he didn't say. He said he had never heard the name Mahonet before but his eyes lied and he looked worried."
"Perhaps it would be best if just Ronon and I searched the market tomorrow. Your overcoats do not exactly hide the clothes underneath. Ronon and I are wearing clothes these people are familiar with."
"I want to find this Mahonet guy." Rodney said annoyed.
"You will not find him here anyway Rodney. It is the people he hires at this market that we need to find." Teyla interjected.
"I know, but…"
"Rodney, Teyla is correct. We stood out today and caused the wrong attention." Carson sympathised with Rodney but understood just what the natives of the Pegasus Galaxy were trying to convey.
"Fine. But you come back to the 'jumper when you have a lead."
Teyla bowed her head and hoped that that was the end of Rodney's rant. It was going to be along night with all four of them staying in the 'jumper for another night without a trace of their missing team leader.
A shiver passed through Teyla as she started to think again about what he may be facing. To be kidnapped was bad enough, but to be as ill with a virus as he had been the last time they saw him…well, she didn't want to think too much about what he is going through.
Years of worry for other people's welfare was something Teyla was used to, but the thought of losing him for good was unfathomable. Atlantis would not be her home without him, or anybody else's. He was integral to the physical and mental wellbeing of every single resident there, including herself. The lanky, often mysterious Military Commander was as enigmatic as they come, but she had slowly been able to peel layers off his persona and found him to be the most caring man she had ever met. She often thought that he probably didn't even realise just how much he was respected and loved.
"Penny for them love?" Carson's blue eyes were hooded and concerned.
"I have heard that phrase used before Carson but I am afraid that they are priceless!"
Carson smiled and patted her back and whispered in her ear.
"We'll find him."
"Please make it soon."
SGA SGA SGA
Mahonet rose slowly from his chair, solid arms supporting his tall, muscular frame easily. Everyone in the room took in his imposing posture when he stood erect and they all took a slight step back in respect of his presence.
The anger in him was evident in his intense expression.
"You are telling me that the drones have now lost track of them!" He looked between his four guards, waiting on someone to own up to their incompetence
One gulped heavily and spoke up. "Sir, we followed their journey from when we blocked their cars receptors and up until one of the drones discovered them in the mountains, but then…"
"So it was both of them?"
"Yes, sir. The prisoner and Bee."
Mahonet had turned his back but then came over to stand beside the man who had spoken up so swiftly and suddenly the guard took another step back and swallowed.
"What footage have you been able to retrieve from the drone?"
The guard braced himself for the anger that was surely to follow. Here goes. His life was at an end, he had failed on his mission big time.
"Sir. We have been unable to see anything clearly in the footage. It was hazy – just one still of the prisoner's hand holding Bee's elbow." He raised his hand held screen for Mahonet to look at.
Mahonet stared at it for a good minute before replying. "Why is he keeping her hostage?"
"Sir, I do not think he is. Without the car they could have continued on the road but they chose to walk towards the mountains and they have taken one of the higher passes. Sir, if I may suggest…I think they are making their way around the mountain pass."
"And around the mountain is?" Mahonet asked, getting impatient.
"There are several tracks to take and it would take many days to walk it but, my thoughts are…eventually, it will reach the prison complex where Pauley is being held."
Mahonet's eyes widened. Realisation that perhaps this prisoner named Sheppard was in fact helping Bee, was not what he had expected. The fact that Bee knew Pauley was being confined there suggested she had witnessed his capture and hated the fact she would have worried about that.
He never questioned his customers' reasons for using his services, he didn't care usually, but there did seem to be a bit more to this task than normal. This prisoner was military trained, he knew that, so he would be able to survive the terrain, but he also knew about the virus that had been injected into him whilst unconscious when they had been caught by his men, and was surprised that his clients had refused the antidote. It had amused him at the time but this was different now. Although he did not care if he died or not, he was with Bee and she was reliant on his skills to survive the harsh mountain and all it would throw at them.
"Then you take some men and drones with you and and take the train to the prison complex and look for them from that end."
"Sir."
Mahonet pointed to the door and the four guards made their way there, breathing hard.
"Guards." Mahonet said in a low voice as one touched the handle.
They turned around to face him again.
"I want them both back here alive, but you can use any force on the man to keep Bee alive if you think he is a danger to her life. Do I make myself clear? Bee is not to be hurt.
Several Sirs! And they all filed out the room to get ready for their next mission.
Mahonet thought to breathe again and ended up loudly sighing and curled his hands into a fist. At least he had a bit more information now on the whereabouts of the missing pair. He walked towards his coat and put it on. Next he went to his desk and pulled a small key out of his top pocket to open its locked drawer. He reached inside and pulled out his blaster and keycard and was about to close it again when something caught his eye. It was the second time in two days he had thought to look at the small stone that he had kept hidden away in the drawer for many years. He picked it up and felt its smooth surface. It had an intricate painting of a log cabin adorning it and he turned it over to see a date hand written on it and up above that a word that made him close his eyes. Beatha. He felt a sadness he had not felt in years and it was a feeling he did not enjoy or want to continue. The stone was thrown back into the drawer and he roughly locked it again and pocketed the key.
He walked out the door of his office and locked it. He was going away for a few hours and would make sure nobody had access to it. He had decided his customers needed a personal visit from him. He needed to find out more about just who this John Sheppard is and why they had wanted him captured. They had paid good money for his capture, and he was curious as to know why he was so important to them, and he also had his reputation to keep alive.
For now, he knew, they had not bad mouthed him and actually he allowed himself a small grin. They were in no position to bring attention to themselves as he knew they were busy building their own army to take over the neighbouring lands on their planet. They had shared that much with him. Perhaps their knowledge of Sheppard could help in his search for them both. Something he might have to do himself it seemed if he wanted the job done properly.
Mahonet stood at the Ring as the address to his client' planet was dialled. In the next few hours he would assure them that he had gained some ground in the retrieval of John Sheppard whilst tapping them for any useful information he could use.
Bee was in trouble and he was going to bring her home. Nothing or nobody would stand in his way. John Sheppard had better watch his back.
SGA SGA SGA
Sheppard woke up suddenly and winced as a stabbing pain across his stomach took his breath. Panting hard, he dragged his slouched body up into a sitting position and automatically felt for the leather pouch in his pocket.
He dug a finger in the contents and brought out a larger helping than normal of the remedy. The pain in his stomach, had been more of intense of late, so he upped the amount to see if that would help him.
He observed Jerome watching him as he placed the green remedy in his cheek, and waited on it to melt and run down into his throat, where blessed relief from pain and nausea gave him a temporary fix. It was the best he could do until Carson got his hands on him anyway.
"That helping you son? You were thrashing about, I was about to wake you."
Sheppard licked his finger. "Yeah, it'll last a few more hours anyway."
"I'm sorry you are suffering with it. It was a terrible thing in the past, killed lots of people, including…"
Jerome stopped talking and Sheppard cocked his head to the side, judging him. He had obviously suffered a loss by the virus but didn't want to push his host to tell him who.
"It's strange how I got it and not my friends. We arrived here at the same time." Sheppard mentioned.
Jerome looked like he was about to say something and then stopped himself.
"Tell me what happened to you and why you are both here?" He asked instead.
"I will, let me check on Bee first."
Sheppard went to stand up when Jinny joined them and pushed down his shoulder.
"She is sleeping peacefully. I just checked on her."
"Still I'd like to see for myself." Sheppard said and strode across the room to the bed Bee was sleeping on.
He pulled back the curtain and watched her sleep for a minute before turning back to Jerome and Jinny.
"She is a pretty thing. Is she your girlfriend?" Jinny asked innocently.
Sheppard pushed a hand through his hair and smiled.
"No, she is married. He's…" Sheppard now scratched his head. Where to begin with this story? Usually slow to trust people, Sheppard found the pair to be warm, friendly and especially kind and giving. He didn't know their story and respected their obvious need for secrecy. He could especially understand that. He thought, however, that he owed them an explanation so, after accepting another drink of tea from Jinny, he perched on the arm of the chair she was sitting on gave them a brief run down on what had happened since they had run away from the confines.
"Goodness me, you poor things. Jerome this is just terrible…Jerome?"
But Jerome sat in stony silence and Sheppard watched him for any reaction whilst he continued talking.
A heavy silence hung in the air for several minutes until Sheppard got up to stand.
"Look, I don't want to trouble you any longer." Sheppard said, suddenly wondering if he had said something wrong. "If you can tell me the best path to take, we will be on our way."
Jinny put a hand to her mouth.
"No! You must stay the night and recover. Poor Bee almost drowned and is all cuts and bruises…You are ill too, you should rest."
Jerome flashed her a look and she backed down from her next expected cry.
"You are welcome to stay the night but you must answer me one thing?" Jerome said.
Sheppard nodded. He would have been quite happy to continue their journey but at Jinny's mention of Bee's name, he knew she wasn't used to this type of adventure and she did need to recover from the accident earlier. She deserved a soft bed for the night.
Jerome leaned forward in his chair, the wood creaking noisily in the silence that followed until he raised his head and looked at Sheppard.
"Did he send you? Does he know about us?"
Jinny wrung her hands round and round on her lap and bit her bottom lip.
"Jerome, I have told you our story. Nobody has sent me anywhere. We were not looking for you… or anybody for that matter. It was pure accident that we landed on your doorstep."
Jerome now stood up beside him. Not quite reaching his height but needing to assert himself. "Then that's the strangest thing son, because our property is protected by a shield and you should not have been able to see us, never mind make it on the beach without my knowledge. Care to explain that?"
Sheppard was confused. "No. I have no explanation. Again Jerome, we do not even know this area so how could we know you were here, whoever you both are. And with regard to a shield, maybe it is down?"
"I checked, it is working fine."
Sheppard shifted his feet and shrugged his shoulders. "Then I don't know what else to say to you. I just want you to know that I mean you no harm and we will be out of your way in the morning."
"John?"
Sheppard spun round to see Bee watching him with a worried expression on her face.
"What's happening?" She asked him, looking for all the world like someone who had just remembered how much their life had changed, and how things were still not great.
"Erm, nothing Bee. I was just telling Jerome and Jinny how we ended up on their property and what the last few days have been like."
"Oh." Bee said, catching on to the atmosphere quickly.
"Would you like us to leave now?"
Jinny rushed to her and smoothed down her ruffled hair. "No." She said, throwing Jerome a look but waited on a response from him.
"No. Not at all." He said. "It's good to have you stay. We never have guests anymore. I was just saying to Sheppard here, that you must stay the night and Jinny can put a lovely meal in your stomachs."
Sheppard relaxed and patted his stomach at the mention of food. Maybe, he was hungry enough to eat something.
"Can I help?" Bee asked eagerly.
Jinny smiled. "That will be lovely and young man, I have some herbs soaking that will help your pains. In the morning I will wrap them up for you to take with you."
Sheppard smiled and moved to the door.
"Excuse me." He said.
Sheppard was weary of talking and went outside to get some air. The mysterious couple inside were obviously hiding from someone or something but he couldn't get involved in their lives too. His predicament was enough of a dilemma, without adding more to it. Still, a level of distrust had steeped in, but Bee seemed happy so he would watch over her tonight and be glad to leave in the morning.
The sun was lower than it had been, indicating that the evening would be upon them soon. Sheppard brushed his sweaty hands down his borrowed clothes and looked at his palms stunned. He hadn't noticed how raw they were from the slide down the bedrock but dismissed them as just something else to add to the list. He worried that the sickness was getting worse. If he had to keep taking more and more of Sulli's remedy, then it was doubtful he would have enough to get Bee to the prison territory, get Pauley out somehow and then find his own way home.
The kindness of strangers had helped him so far though and as the sun glinted off Jerome's axe stuck in a log, Sheppard noticed one way he could repay the older couple for their hospitality.
He pulled it out and rested his palms on the handle for a moment and decided they would hold up to a good grip. Sheppard deftly swung it up and into the nearest log needing cut and smiled when it neatly cut it in two. Sharp. Great.
He spent the next hour or so cutting up a neatly chopped pile of logs for the couple. It was nice to feel like he had helped and as he worked he decided not push the couple to explain themselves although he was really curious as to why they felt the need to hide themselves.
One piece flew off to the side and Sheppard stooped down to pick it up when the sun bounced of something that caused a prism of light to catch his attention.
Walking towards it, Sheppard realised he had found what looked like a mini panel. He was no Rodney, but he understood it to be a section of a solar cloak. So that was part of Jerome's secret. He looked over to the rock wall behind the cabin and over to the right hand side of the beach and noticed the two others areas had the same panels. Triangulated and hidden under the cloak, the couple and their house would be hidden from sight. No wonder they got a surprise when they had turned up. As for why they had managed to arrive with a warning, Sheppard ran his hand over the panel and watched as the light underneath died down and came on intermittently. Sheppard understood that the panels must be failing and vowed to tell Jerome what he had found. They were in danger from being noticed from the sky if they did not replace them soon.
Bee's metal flask came into view and he took it from her and had a long drink of Bellus juice.
"Thanks." He said. "How are you feeling now?"
"I'd say I'm fine, but you know…not so! Have you seen my hands? Raw they are! My backside is numb. I half drowned and …have you seen my hair?"
Sheppard smiled as he took in her appearance.
Her hair, once long and sleek and perfectly brushed, now had soft curls replacing the smoothness and her once painted face was naturally pink and slightly tanned with the sun. Her borrowed clothes were too big for her, in contrast with his too small ones. But the soft, neutral tones suited her and Sheppard, although noticing she still looked tired, thought she was really beautiful and suddenly couldn't wait to meet Pauley so he could eye him up and deem him a suitable wife for his surrogate 'sister'.
"I think it looks fine." He said.
"Really!... Men!"
She eyed him up. "How are you? Jinny said you were taking a lot of the remedy."
"Jinny needs to mind her own business."
"No need to get defensive. She is just worried about you."
"I'm fine."
"Um…I'm kind of used to you saying that now, so you'll understand me when I say I don't believe you."
"Let it go Bee."
Bee did. For now.
"Hey, I was thinking." Sheppard turned her to look at the water. "Our clothes will be dry by now, so how about you let me teach you to swim?"
"To swim! No way!"
Sheppard tugged her hand but she pushed into the sand with her heels.
"Come on, it's still warm, the water is lovely and you need to get over the shock of your near drowning."
"Thanks for reminding me!"
"Ok maybe I said that wrong but you will love it. It's good to be able to swim."
Bee looked at him and then studied the water.
Sheppard tugged at her again and she relented, allowing him to guide her into the water.
Damn. She would do anything for him it seemed. She couldn't believe he was putting her in the water after what had happened earlier, but she did understand his reasoning, so allowed him to do this for her. Besides, it was something she had secretly always wanted to do.
Sheppard told her to lay flat on her back first and he would support her, just like when he had towed her to shore, allowing her to get the feel of the weight of the water underneath her. She struggled against him to begin with but soon relaxed in his grip and moved her arms out to the side and back again a few times. Without warning, Sheppard flipped her over onto her stomach whilst getting ahead of her and only holding onto her hands. She went under and he lifted her up by her stomach and just held her there until she stopped throwing him daggers.
"Hold me properly Sheppard." She screamed when she could speak.
"Kick your legs!" He screamed back.
"Shep…pard!"
"What?" he laughed at her screwed up face.
"I hate you."
"No you don't."
"I do!"
Sheppard walked backwards, pulling her along and soon she found she was automatically kicking her legs. Two hands being held, went down to one and soon Sheppard was swimming in deeper water and just holding on to her finger tips. He realised she was a quick student and let go of her fingers all together. Without the security of Sheppard's hands, Bee went under, but she soon surfaced and determined to conquer the water, she listened to Sheppard's instructions and was soon swimming by herself. Her face lit up and Sheppard watched her as she swam this way and that until he joined her and then they swam for shore.
"Thank you Sheppard." Bee panted and cupped some water in her hands and threw it at him, until she went under and came up spluttering, to which he laughed.
Really laughed too. A proper belly laugh. Something he had not done in a long time. He grinned at her and splashed her back.
Soaked, they arrived at the cabin to find Jinny waiting on them with two large towels.
"Dry yourselves outside please and don't be traipsing all that sand in my house again thank you very much!" She said with a glint in her eyes.
"Your clothes are dry. No doubt you will be relieved to get into ones that fit you John. As for the ones you are wearing Bee, they were my daughters. I know they are too big for you but you are welcome to keep them if you want."
"That would be lovely thank you. I would have adjusted them to fit but I have lost my bag with my sewing box in it."
"You sew? My daughter did too. She was very talented. She died of the virus before you ask, at least that's what I was told." She ushered them in.
"Sorry, I shouldn't have told you of my past. Please do not tell Jerome I said anything. He will get upset."
Both Sheppard and Bee nodded.
"I am sorry for your loss Jinny." Bee said. "We won't say anything. Just tell me her name so I know whose clothes I am wearing to give thanks?"
Jinny smiled. "Beatha. Her name was Beatha and she was very beautiful." Jinny cupped Bee's cheek. "Just like you!"
SGA SGA SGA
TO BE CONTINUED….