Chapter 8: Recovery.
A loud rumbling sound invaded his senses the next time he became aware, and his first thought was why is there a freight train in the room? The Next thing he heard was a tapping sound beside him and he instantly knew that Rodney was in the room with him. If McKay was in the room with him then there was a good bet that the loud rumbling, he heard was Ronon snoring – he often wondered how Ronon had evaded the wraith for so long if he snored so loudly. If Rodney was there and Ronon was casually snoring it was a good bet that he was on Atlantis in the infirmary.
Suddenly a shooting pain run through his left leg, and he had no choice but to open his eyes to try and get someone's attention. He tried calling out to one of his friends, but all that came out was a strangled moan.
For the first time, he noticed that he had a pillow supporting the middle of his back and his leg was heavily bandaged and placed on another large pillow.
Rodney jumped off the chair he was sitting on and ran out of the room, and he wondered what he'd done to offend him – all he was doing was lying in a bed. Looking at his blurry surroundings it didn't take him long to realise that he was in the infirmary – yet again. Ronon appeared to still be asleep, so he decided to leave him that way since for the moment he seemed to have stopped snoring.
He had a vague recollection of visiting the Satedans and going to bed, but after that things became a little hazy – had there been a mudslide? He remembered extreme pain and blurry vision and Ronon had been there with him. He had no idea how long he'd been back on Atlantis and that had him more than a little worried.
A loud voice interrupted his contemplations, and he wished that Carson would speak a little quieter as he had one almighty headache. The pain in his left leg had subsided, so at least his head and back were the only things that hurt right now.
"How are you feeling Colonel?"
"Headache…" He whispered hoping that he could get some relief from it soon.
By this time Ronon had awoken and John tried to track his movements, but a wave of dizziness overcame him, and he had to close his eyes again.
"I'll catch you later Sheppard," Ronon muttered and for a moment he felt his friend's big hand on his shoulder.
"Now, Colonel, do you remember what happened to you?"
He looked up at Carson and furrowed his brow, "mudslide."
"Yes, there was a giant quake on New Sateda, which led to a mud and rockslide, unfortunately, the house you were in was right in its path."
"Councillor Friall and Allyl?" He asked suddenly feeling panicked.
"Fortunately, they were not in the house, when it happened."
Immense relief overcame him and for some reason, he felt like crying, "was anyone else injured?" He asked trying to hide his emotions.
"There were a few broken bones, cuts and bruises, but unfortunately the house you were in caught the brunt of the mudslide."
Great, he thought, Rodney's right about me, I must have the worst luck in the world.
Carson's voice interrupted his thoughts, "are you alright Colonel Sheppard, you seem to have zoned out for a minute or two?"
"Huh?"
"I said are you alright?"
"How long have I been back Carson?"
"Around three days." Carson looked at him with compassion before continuing," do you need something for the pain lad?"
"That'd be great doc, but I don't think you've told me what the damage is yet?"
"You suffered a severe concussion," the doctor paused before continuing, "is your vision still blurry?"
"Yes," he replied suddenly feeling panicked again, "will my eyesight be like this forever?"
"You've irritated the optic nerve, but things should settle down within a few days."
He nodded and tried to smile at his friend feeling a little relieved that he should eventually have his eyesight back
"What happened to my back Doc?"
"A piece of glass pierced your back and damaged your left kidney. Although you lost a lot of blood, the damage was minimal, and we were able to fix it. You have a compound fracture of the left tibia, but we were able to fix it surgically and when the swelling goes down, we will put it in a cast."
"How long doc?"
"If everything goes well, you'll be out of action for eight to ten weeks. The good news is that you won't require any physical therapy."
He looked around the room and despite his blurry vision he realised for the first time that Teyla hadn't been there when he woke up.
"Where's Teyla and Torren?"
"Torrens had a wee bit of an ear infection, so Teyla has taken him to get some rest. She told me to tell you that she'll come by to see you in a few hours when Torren has had a rest."
"That suits me fine doc as I think it's time I had another nap myself."
"Aye lad, you do that. I'll give you a little something to help with the pain and then you can sleep for as long as you want."
Suddenly he felt his eyelids drooping and he was relieved when he felt Carson put something into his IV. He heard the doctor walk away a minute later and as the pain in his head began to dissipate, he was happy to fall into a deep sleep.
The next time he awoke, he was surprised to see that Jennifer was taking his vitals, "where's Carson?"
"He had to go back home – something about one of his patients needing him."
"How long have I been asleep this time doc?"
He looked around the room and realised that his eyesight was close to perfect, which was probably a good thing.
"This time you've been asleep for two days. Teyla and Torren came by earlier and sat by you for a while. Teyla said that she'd come back later when Torren's had a nap. Ronon wants to talk to you about something as well, but he said that can wait until you're feeling better."
For the first time, he noticed that his lower left leg was in a cast and his back didn't feel anywhere near as bad as it had. So, when can I get out of here doc?"
"I want to keep you here for a few more days because I need to know that you'll be able to get in and out of a wheelchair by yourself."
The comment left him feeling incredulous, "Really doc, a wheelchair? Just give me some crutches and I'll be fine!"
"You will use a wheelchair until your back is healed sufficiently. And I do not want to see you near your office until that time!" Keller took a deep breath before continuing her rant, "you will spend your time resting and trying to get well. I will try and get you on your feet in the next few days and give you some crutches, but only so you can move around your apartment. When you are going longer distances, you will need to use a wheelchair. Do you understand Colonel?!"
"Sure doc, but I think I'll go to sleep now."
He was relieved when she nodded and left the room – leaving him alone with his thoughts. He had a strong feeling that Ronon was going to leave Atlantis to be with the Satedans and he was going to take Banks with him. Who could blame him though, it was a chance to be among his own people again and perhaps begin to rebuild Satedan society.
But he had his own path to follow, he needed to become more than a stuffy administrator again. There was a time when he lived for a challenge, to protect people and Atlantis. He had every intention of being that person again. And the first thing he needed to do when he got out of there was; ask Teyla to marry him.
oOo
John stumbled down the hall, cursing the crutches he was using as the door chime chimed for the second time and right now he wished that whoever was at his door could be a little more patient.
He'd been released from the infirmary two days ago and he'd just woken up from his afternoon nap. Teyla had wanted to stay at home to keep an eye on him, but he had insisted that he didn't need her hovering over him. So, she had reluctantly agreed to go to work – much to his relief. Torren was in daycare, so basically, all he had to do was try and look after himself. It would be a dam sight easier if people would just leave him alone. Rodney had shown up that morning wanting to try and entertain him and although he appreciated the sentiment, he was just too tired to care. In the end, he'd thrown the annoying scientist out and he'd protested all the way.
He knew that within a week he would be bored out of his brain though and he would be begging his friends to keep him entertained, either that or he'd be angry at whoever crossed his path.
The door chimed again, and he wondered who it could be. He knew it couldn't be Jennifer because she wasn't due to check on him for another hour, Teyla wasn't due home for another two and Rodney had been annoying him this morning. So logically that left only Lorne or Ronon and since Lorne never visited without an invitation the only conclusion, he could come to was that it was Ronon.
"Hang on Chewie, I'm coming," he yelled before thinking to door open.
He arrived in the lounge just in time to see Ronon walk through the door, "what took you so long Sheppard."
John gave his friend a murderous look before sitting down in his recliner and putting the food rest up. He winced as his back hit the back of the chair and he felt more than a little embarrassed when Ronon rearranged the pillow behind him to cushion his still-healing back.
"Thanks," he muttered as relief swept over his sore and aching body.
"So, Sheppard, what took you so long?" Ronon asked again and John didn't miss the smirk on the big man's face.
He chose to ignore the question and asked one of his own, "why are you here Chewie?"
Ronon hadn't bothered to sit down yet, and he had to crane his neck upwards to look him in the eye.
"And can you please sit down, so that I don't add a sore neck to my list of injuries?"
Ronon immediately sat down on the couch that was opposite him and John sensed that he wasn't going to like what his friend had to say.
"Umm…Friall has asked if I want to go and join him on New Sateda. They would like to start setting up a military as they have several trained soldiers amongst their ranks, and he asked me if I would like to be a military leader. I think that I'd like to go, but I wanted to ask for your opinion first."
"When?"
"As soon as possible."
He'd known that this was coming, but it still didn't make it any easier, "What about Banks?"
"I've asked her to come with me and although she hasn't said yes yet, I think she will. I'm thinking that I might ask her to marry me as well. If she wants an earth ceremony, I'm happy to do that, but I think I'd like a traditional Satedan ceremony as well."
"I think you should go Chewie. It would be a wonderful opportunity for you and I'm sure that Amelia will say yes if you ask her."
"Thanks, Sheppard. What about you, what are you going to do once your injuries are healed?"
"I think that I will be delegating more of my duties to Lorne so that I can spend more time off-world. And I think that I'm going to ask Teyla to marry me."
"That's good to know Sheppard because I think that you're losing your touch. You're a soldier, not an administrator." Ronon paused and smiled before continuing, "and I'm sure that Teyla will say yes."
"I know," he whispered knowing that he had well and truly lost his way and it was time to find himself again.
John decided that the conversation was getting way too emotional, so he changed the subject, "so what are you doing now Ronon?"
"I think I'm going to the gym. Do you want to come?"
He chuckled softly, "I don't think I'm in any condition to be frightening or running, Chewie."
"You wouldn't have to fight or anything."
"I think Keller would kill both of us if I went anywhere near the gym right now."
"You're probably right Sheppard, so do you want to watch a movie or something?"
"Nah, I'm right, I think I'll just go back to sleep for an hour until Keller gets here to check my wounds."
"Right, I think I'll go and find Amelia, I think her duty shift is finished, so maybe she wants to spar."
Thinking open, to open the doors he smiled and waved at his friend as he left. A sense of sorrow overcame him because if Ronon left Atlantis he would be losing one of his family. Sure, he could visit him, but he wouldn't be seeing him every day. But he would deal with that at some point in the future because all he had to do right now was get well and right now that meant going back to sleep again.
The door chime brought him to awareness again and this time he was happy that he was in his recliner and not in the bedroom – although his back was beginning to hurt, and he felt a little hot.
He thought open and wasn't surprised to see Keller standing there with her doctor's bag, "oh hey doc I thought you weren't coming for another hour."
"No Colonel I'm right on time." She looked at him and narrowed her gaze before continuing, "and why aren't you resting in bed?"
"Don't worry Doc, Ronon was just here for a visit, so I've only just sat in the chair."
"Believe it or not that was over an hour ago and the reason I know this is because Ronon has just shown up in my infirmary, with a nasty gash over his eye – something about Amelia getting in a lucky shot. When I asked him if he'd visited you today, he told me that he'd been here over an hour ago."
"Oh…have I been asleep that long?"
"How about you come and lay down on the bed and let me look at your back. Then I'll give you something for the pain."
"I'm not in any pain doc."
"Don't lie to me Colonel, I can see it in your eyes."
Sighing he tried to stand to his feet, and he winced when a pain shot through his back. He grabbed his crutches and hobbled down the passage to his bedroom hoping that the doctor didn't see just how much pain he was in.
Once he arrived in his room he immediately lay down on his bed and buried his head in the pillow gritting his teeth against the intense pain in his back. But that pain was nothing to what he felt when the doctor started to poke and prod his wound site.
"This wound is beginning to look a little inflamed, "she commented sticking a thermometer in his ear.
"Temps up to 100 and you are a little warm do you feel warm?"
"Yeah, a little bit."
"Right, I'm going to start you on a course of antibiotics and I'm going to keep an eye on you until Teyla gets home. If your temperature gets too high, I may have to move you back to the infirmary."
"Come on doc, will that really be necessary?"
"Don't argue with me Colonel, I know what's best for you and right now I need to keep an eye on you!"
He felt severely chastised by her tone, so closed his eyes and willed sleep to come – at least if he were asleep, he wouldn't have to deal with her watching him.
"I'm going to give you a strong painkiller and a shot of antibiotics. I will then be in the lounge room if you need anything."
He felt her push the needle into his shoulder and then a cool soothing liquid began to flow through his veins, giving him a feeling of intense relief. Suddenly he felt his eyes drooping and it wasn't long before he fell into a deep sleep.
When he awoke sometime later, he felt terrible, his head was pounding, he felt nauseous and he definitely felt a little too hot, but to make matters worse when he opened his eyes, he found that he was in the infirmary laying on his stomach.
Looking around the room he began to panic, how did he get here, what had happened this time?
"Hello is anyone there?" He asked as loudly as he could.
A soft soothing voice answered him, "do not worry John I am here. Jennifer has just gone to get some supplies to redress the wound on your back that is why you are laying on your stomach."
"Why am I here Teyla."
"Your temperature was up to 104 degrees, so Jennifer thought that it would be a good idea to bring you here so that she can keep an eye on you."
"Why is it so cold in here?" He asked his teeth beginning to chatter.
"It is not cold John; you have a fever."
"Can't you just get me a blanket please Teyla?"
He felt as if he were begging her when what he should be doing was proposing to her – perhaps he would do that as soon as he felt better.
At that moment Jennifer came back and started to clean the wound on his back again. And boy did it hurt.
"Doc can you please stop doing that?" He practically begged.
"Sorry Colonel, but we need to make sure that the wound site is clean."
He gritted his teeth while she continued to work, not only did it help with the pain, but it stopped his teeth from chattering.
After what seemed like an eternity, Jennifer stood up and announced that she had finished.
"That's great doc, but can I have a blanket and maybe lay on my side for a while."
"Your fever is hovering around 101 at the moment, so I'll give you a blanket, but if your temperature goes up again, I'm going to have to remove it. And no, you can't lay on your side right now as I need to keep an eye on your back."
Jennifer disappeared and for the first time, he noticed that there was an IV in his arm. He also realised that he had no idea how long he'd been here.
"How long have I been here Teyla?"
"We brought you in as soon as I came home from work and that was seven hours ago, and we haven't been able to wake you until now."
"Where's Torren?"
"Ronon and Amelia are looking after him tonight."
He nodded his head as best he could while lying on his stomach and when Jennifer returned a few minutes later he was feeling much better – except for the chattering teeth.
"Here's a blanket Colonel and I'm going to give you something for the pain. Then you can go back to sleep and hopefully when you wake up, you'll be feeling much better."
It didn't take long for his teeth to stop chattering and for the pain meds to take effect and by this time he felt his eyelids beginning to droop, he desperately wanted to stay awake and spend time with Teyla, but it wasn't long before he fell into a deep drug filled sleep.
oOo
The next two days were spent in a feverish haze as the infection in his back took hold. He went from hot to cold and back again in a matter of minutes and on more than one occasion, he was sick all over the bed and floor. During that time, he was vaguely aware that Teyla and his team came and went, but for some reason, Torren never seemed to be there. But perhaps that was a good thing given his condition.
His fever finally broke on the third morning and although he felt exhausted, he felt better than he had for the last two days.
The minute he opened his eyes he was happy to see that Teyla was sitting by his side – alone. He knew that he wanted to ask her to marry him and although it wasn't the romantic setting that he had envisioned, there was no time like the present.
"Teyla, umm…I know that this isn't what you might expect…but I…umm…"
"John," Teyla interrupted, "I do not need flowers or romance, for you to ask me to be bonded with you."
Suddenly he felt a little embarrassed, "Umm…how did you know, I wanted to ask you to marry me?"
"You have asked me three times over the last two days."
How embarrassing, I really hope that Ronon or McKay wasn't here to hear it.
She must have read his mind because when she spoke again she was able to allay his fears, "do not worry John, I was the only one around to hear it."
"And what is your answer?" John asked using his best puppy dog look.
"My answer is yes; I want to be bonded to you for the rest of my life John Sheppard."
He suddenly felt a pang of regret because he was sure that she would have said the same thing to Kanaan if he had asked.
Teyla must have read his mind again because when she spoke a few moments later he was shocked by her response, "John do not think of yourself as my second choice for a mate. Although I loved Kanaan with all of my heart, and we had a child together. I was in love with another long before I loved him and that someone was you, John Sheppard."
He didn't know what to say to that, so he changed the subject, "so did you want to have an Athosian bonding ceremony?"
She leaned down and kissed him on the lips before answering him and although he was still in some pain, he was able to kiss her back.
"I will marry you however you want John, but now I must get back to our son. He has been rather cranky over the last couple of days without his Daddy."
He watched as she walked away and at that moment, he couldn't be happier, although there was something that he'd have to face in the next couple of days and he wasn't happy about it.
oOo
It was over a week since the mudslide on New Sateda and in that time the people of Atlantis had spent many hours helping the Satedan people clean up and repair the damage. It turned out that Councillor Friall's house had been the only one that had been completely destroyed and it had now been rebuilt in a different location.
He'd spent most of that time in the infirmary but was now well and truly on the mend. The doctor had given him permission to return to light duty within a few weeks and full duty within eight. He had every intention of going off-world more often and had even mentioned it to Lorne who thought it was a fantastic idea.
Now he was standing on crutches by the gate dreading what was coming next – it was time to farewell Ronon and Amelia.
He was dressed in clean BDUs and for the first time in a while, he felt like a soldier again.
Ronon walked up and stood in front of him, and he felt himself tearing up. Ronon was his brother, and the man was about to take a different path to him. Everyone else had said their goodbyes earlier, so right now it was just him and Ronon.
"I'm going to miss you, Sheppard," Ronon said pulling him in for a bear hug and he was relieved when the big man let go, because he didn't want to be crushed, or knocked over either considering he was still on crutches.
"I'm going to miss you too Chewie, but we'll see each other soon, won't we?'
"Sure, will buddy, I need you to stand beside me on my wedding day."
"And you'll need to stand with me on mine Ronon."
He looked at his friend nodded and smiled as Ronon walked away.
Before he had a chance to blink Amelia was hugging him and luckily, she was gentler than Ronon had been.
"Thank you for everything sir," she said before kissing him on the cheek.
He blushed a little before looking into her eyes, "make sure you look after him."
"I will sir."
She walked away to stand next to Ronon and John smiled when she slipped her hand in the big Satedans. Suddenly at the moment, he was happy for his friend, as Ronon had found love and a chance to build his beloved Sateda again.
Although he'd miss his friend desperately, he knew that Ronon was on the right path, so when the wormhole engaged a few seconds later he was able to watch with pride as Ronon and Amelia walked into the blue puddle and their wonderful future together.
TBC…