Thank you all for the lovely reviews! Those are very much appreciated, so keep them coming.

Enjoy!

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She slept through the next day and night, waking up only for short times to see Carson or one of his nurses by her bed.

The next morning when she woke up, John was sitting on the uncomfortable looking chair next to her bed. She pulled her hand away from his, reaching to touch the bruises on her face.

"Hey, you´re awake." He straightened in his chair.

"So are you." She smiled softly at him.

He leaned closer to her, his hand coming to smooth her silky hair. "How are you feeling?" He asked almost whispering.

"Better."

He smiled too, but she could see the guilt in his eyes. "It wasn´t your fault."

"I know." He said, but the guilt didn´t leave his eyes.

She lifted her hand to cup his cheek, her thumb stroking the unshaven skin. He leaned even closer to touch her lips with his own. A soft sigh escaped from her lips as he pulled away.

"The girls want to see you." He said, his fingers caressing her bruised face.

"Carson told me that Rodney was fulfilling his duties as an uncle while we were gone."

He chuckled. "He said he had a great time but that wouldn´t want to volunteer to baby sit again until, well, in his words, never."

"Where are they now?"

"I left them with Teyla. You should have seen Ronon´s face when Cora climbed into bed to wake him."

"I miss them." She sighed softly.

"I´ll bring them over today." He promised, capturing her hand, their fingers entwining.

"Colonel, that better not be your voice that I am hearing!" Carson´s voice came from behind the curtain and John stood up quickly.

"I kinda sneaked out in here without him knowing. He has this weird desire to keep me here against me will when it´s convenient to him. But when I would willingly stay here, he´s kicking me out."

"That´s because when it´s convenient to me, you are usually either bleeding to death or unconscious." The curtain was pulled back and Carson smiled at Elizabeth. "How are you feeling, love?"

"Better, thank you."

The doctor moved around the bed to check the IV line again before turning his eyes to John. "What are you still doing here?"

John frowned slightly before leaned down to place a soft kiss on her forehead. "I´ll be back soon." He promised her and then looked at Carson. "And I´ll bring the girls too."

"Sure, lad."

He left the infirmary and went to get the girls. Teyla helped him to dress them and then the three of them walked into the mess hall. Both girls were sitting on their own seats, Lily in the high chair someone had gotten from somewhere.

Cora ate by herself, using the fork as best as the two year old could. Lily mainly opened her mouth as the spoon got closer. It took longer than before to finish the breakfast, but he was pretty proud of himself as he lifted Lily from the high chair.

"Let´s go see mommy." He said as they made their slow way into the infirmary, as both girls wanted to walk by themselves.

Elizabeth was sitting up, leaning against the pillows as they finally reached the infirmary. Cora let go of John´s hand and run to the bed, reaching her arms up so she would lift her in the bed.

"Hold on, sweetheart." John said, and Carson who watched them from a distance wasn´t sure if he meant his words for Elizabeth or Cora.

He lifted first Cora on the bed and the little girl crawled over the woman she thought of as her mother to snuggle closer against her side. Lily sat where John laid her and stared around her curiously.

Elizabeth wrapped her arm around the older girl, careful of the IV line Carson had promised to take out later that day. Her other hand reached to touch Lily who too crawled closer to her, ending up lying on her thighs.

And John Sheppard sat on the uncomfortable chair that was left next to her bed and smiled at the sight.

He owed everything to Cora and Lily.

His family was lying comfortably on the bed, the girls who had been scared and lost when he had carried them through the gate for the first time to Atlantis were now playing on the bed giggling, crawling and hiding under the sheets, and Elizabeth who had fallen into the role of the girls mother so easily, keeping an eye that they wouldn´t fall or accidentally hit her broken ribs.

Cora had for some reason become a daddy´s girl, Lily was more like Elizabeth, more calm and patient than her older sister. And it all amazed them, because so little time had passed, and yet it all felt like eternity. Like the girls had always been there in their lives.

Elizabeth met his eyes over the girls´ heads and smiled softly. She too was happy. Happier than she had ever dared to hope to be.

And it was all because of the two girls and a man who stood up and leaned to kiss her on the lips.

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Yes! Review, please. There is still an epilogue left. And I am kind of thinking of the sequel...I had so much fun with writing this one, and I do love writing Cora and Lily... but we´ll see. So, one last chapter left...