Chapter 5 – A Matter of Faith
Melody stood on a balcony overlooking her pier where she kept Ike. But Ike's ten thousand years in the future. Along with my husband. She was looking out at the ocean, trying to think of possible ways to get home, but only succeeding to miss Radek even more.
"Penny for your thoughts," John said as he moved next to Mel and leaned on the balcony rail.
"I was just thinking how this is my pier, and remembering a picnic Radek and I had here a few weeks ago."
"I know Rodney and Janus are wracking their collective brains trying to figure out what went wrong."
"I do know some about astrophysics, especially how it can be applied to oceanography, so I should probably go and help Rodney." Mel pushed away from the rail and immediately lost her balance.
"Did you get any sleep last night? And have you eaten anything today?" John had a very worried look on his face.
Mel looked up at him with sorrowful eyes. "I close my eyes and I see Radek standing there. And as for the food part, I just haven't been hungry today."
"My prescription is to eat a good meal, and then have a long nap. Let Rodney do all the heavy thinking for at least today."
"Is that a suggestion or an order?" Mel smiled.
"Make it a suggestive order," John laughed as he pushed Mel towards the dining hall.
An hour later….
"John, have you seen Melody?" Rodney had a wild look in his eyes when he found Sheppard in the dining hall.
"Yes, I have. She is in our assigned quarters, taking a nap," John responded before taking a sip of the wonderful tea Salacia had insisted he try.
"A nap! In the middle of the day when we are trying to get home as soon as possible for her?" Rodney's eyes bugged out as his temper tantrum went from mild to ballistic.
Sheppard got up from his chair and went face to face with McKay. "As it turns out, Doctor Hayden didn't sleep at all last night and hadn't eaten all day until I practically had to force feed her an hour ago because she's worried about getting home! Do you have a problem with that?" John's voice went up about a decibel on the last few words so that he was practically shouting in Rodney's face.
Rodney immediately got a sad puppy look in his eyes. "She's that bad?" His voice was hardly above a whisper.
John sighed heavily and brought a hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Yeah, she's terrified of not being able to go home to Radek."
"It is more than that." The men both startled when Teyla spoke only a few feet away from them.
"What do you mean?" John scowled even more.
"Carson had given some drugs to help Melody conceive a child. She told me one of the side effects is the tendency to become overemotional."
"Fertility drugs?" Rodney's voice squeaked out so loud that the other two looked at him strangely.
"I believe that is what Melody called them."
"Rodney, what have you and Janus found out?" John tried to get the scientist on some other subject than Melody's mental and physical status.
"Oh, that. Janus and his people found traces of some unusual energy spikes in their sensor logs. They think the solar flares came from our end." Rodney went and plopped in one of the mess's chairs. "But they have no idea how to get us back to our timeline."
"Have you asked Janus about his time-traveling puddle jumper?" Sheppard asked.
Rodney looked up at Sheppard with a blank look that changed to knowing in a heartbeat. "You mean the one that was in the alternate timeline where I drowned when the shields failed?"
"Yes, Rodney, the puddle jumper that saved the alternate Elizabeth to come back to this time and warn them to rotate the ZPM's that run the shield instead of running all three at once."
Rodney stood up and began to walk toward the door. "I hadn't thought about asking Janus if he had cooked up that puddle jumper yet. Thanks for the tip." Rodney waved at Sheppard and Teyla as he practically sprinted out of the door.
"Do you know where Ronan is?" Teyla asked.
"I have him guarding Mel's door."
"Is that to protect her or to keep her inside?" Teyla smiled.
"Some of the former, but mostly the latter. She's not eating or sleeping properly. Both Carson and Radek would have my hide if anything happened to her."
"I think I will go check on her. And provide a shoulder to lean on."
Sheppard reached out and laid a hand on her shoulder. "We will get home."
Teyla smiled as she laid her hand on top on his. "I have faith that Rodney and Janus will get us home."