xoxoxoxoxoxo xoxoxoxoxoxo xoxoxoxoxoxo
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.
"Incoming wormhole. It's Atlantis, Sir," Walter announced to General Landry.
"Right on time," Landry replied and watched through the window as Sam Carter appeared, followed by Dr. Beckett and Sheppard's brother carrying a stretcher.
Carolyn met them on the ramp and immediately started talking to the group. The three people standing all responded in some way. Landry noticed that Colonel Sheppard lay, eyes open but completely unmoving even as they transferred him to the gurney and wheeled him out of the gate room. There were many times he'd wished he could make the unorthodox Colonel silent and still, but not this way, and not for any length of time.
He grudgingly admitted that Sheppard was a valuable asset to the program no matter how much of a smart-ass, pain in the neck he could be. It was probably why Jack O'Neill defended the guy so much. O'Neill had those same qualities.
He thought about going to the infirmary and checking on things but figured Sheppard might not appreciate his showing up so soon after he arrived. Woolsey had said Sheppard's mood was not very good and Landry's relationship with him was tenuous at best, so maybe giving the guy a little time wasn't a bad idea.
.
.
John looked around the infirmary, taking note of the differences between this one and the one on Atlantis. No contest, Atlantis won hands down. The cinder block walls and total gray color everywhere made this place way too dreary and depressing. But he knew he'd have to stick it out for at least twenty-four hours before they released him to the upscale rehab center Dave had arranged.
His brother had made sure he was settled in then asked about using a phone and computer. He needed to finalize details for John's stay and check on business as well.
Carson and Dr. Lam had done a complete check up with blood work and scans, hooked up another IV, and then wandered off to another room to discuss the results.
The room he was in was fairly large with four beds. The others were empty and he was down by the end away from the door. They had pulled a curtain partially down the side to give him some privacy, but as the room was empty, John wondered privacy from whom. He closed his eyes to avoid the depressing gray walls but was too tense to try and sleep.
He heard someone walk quietly in but wasn't in the mood for conversation so he kept his eyes shut. When he heard a second person approach and two whispered voices, curiosity got the better of him and he cracked open his eyes just the tiniest bit.
.
Sam walked quietly into the part of the room that John was occupying so as not to wake him if he were asleep. She noticed his eyes closed and hoped he was getting some rest. The past week had been very stressful for him, actually almost two weeks if you counted the week with the reporters.
She heard the soft sounds of footsteps behind her and jumped slightly when a pair of arms wrapped themselves around her. A mouth nuzzled her ear and said, "Guess who?"
Sam leaned back into the embrace and replied quietly, "Hmm, let me think for a minute."
The arms tightened around her and the voice whispered gruffly, "You better not have to think too hard on this one."
Sam put her arms on top of the ones around her and leaned her head back on his shoulder. "I didn't realize you were still here."
Jack took advantage of her position and started placing little kisses on her exposed neck. In between kisses he said, "I heard you were coming back today so I found a few things to do."
He pressed a couple more kisses on her neck and continued, "Now that you're here, I could think of a few more things I could do."
Sam chuckled softly, "Would I be involved in any of these things?"
Jack's voice got deeper as he replied, "Oh, you would definitely be involved in these things."
Sam turned around in the circle of his embrace and put her arms around Jack's neck. "When are you going back to Washington?" Sam asked sadly.
"Soon, but I'm pretty sure we could find something there that requires your presence as well. You know, meetings and discussions."
Sam's eyebrow rose as she asked, "Private meetings?"
Jack nodded.
"You know, Sir," Sam suggested, "I'm sure there's some data that we need to analyze as well."
"Oh, most definitely! You know how much I like to analyze things."
"Mmmm," Sam almost purred, "Reports, memos, briefs…"
"Yes, briefs!" Jack jumped on that topic. "You absolutely must help me analyze some of my briefs."
Jacks lips were just touching Sam's when he heard a muffled snort coming from the direction of the bed. He and Sam turned to look and saw Sheppard, eyes squeezed tight, and his lip curled up on one side. Jack realized the man was trying not to laugh.
"You're not asleep, are you Sheppard?" Jack said loudly.
John's eyes opened and he responded slowly, "No … Ssir."
Sam was mortified, stepped away from Jack and started to explain. "Uh, John, what you just saw happen…"
"Ve …gasss." John stammered.
Jack chuckled, "What happens there, stays there. Good man, Sheppard! I knew I liked you for some odd reason."
Sam was still blushing. "Thank you, John. We'll let you get some real sleep, now."
She moved toward the door grabbing O'Neill by the arm and dragging him along. But not before John had given him a wink and O'Neill had returned one as well.
John gave an inward chuckle and thought of his former CO and General O'Neill. He shouldn't be surprised though. They had been on the same SG team for about eight years. He knew how close you could get to your teammates. The life and death situations you were in together made you rely on them and trust them in ways that were well beyond the ordinary. He thought of his team back on Atlantis. The brief amusement he'd gotten from seeing the interplay between Carter and O'Neill vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
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xoxoxoxoxo xoxoxoxoxoox xoxoxoxoxox
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"I've got to tell you, Carolyn," Carson said, "I'm encouraged by the improvement I've seen in John in just the last two days."
"Well, I've read through all the notes that Jennifer wrote about the Colonel's condition and I have to agree. His mobility's not much, but the fact that there has been improvement is a very good sign that he could have a complete recovery."
"Complete recovery?" repeated Landry as he walked into Dr. Lam's office. "I hope you're talking about Colonel Sheppard."
"That we are, General," Carson confirmed. "But it's still going to be quite a journey for our lad. I don't imagine he'll be back to the way he was in anything less than ten months to a year."
"I'd estimate at least a year, if not more," Carolyn added. "He'd have to be pretty dedicated and motivated to get back to Air Force standards in anything less than a year."
"You don't know John Sheppard very well, then. He's extremely dedicated and I think his motivation would be strong. He wants to get back to the only home he's known for the past six years; Atlantis."
"Good! Hopefully that motivation will work," Landry said. "So, is he ready to go?"
"I believe so. Carolyn?"
She nodded her head. "Yes, I see no reason to keep him here. The sooner he starts therapies, the better. Did Mr. Sheppard say the rehab center was ready for him?"
"They're all set," Landry stated. "Apparently Mr. Sheppard has connections that make things happen."
"Let's get him going then," Carson said.
"Just remember you're coming back here to help me with my research after you get Colonel Sheppard safely settled in the center," Carolyn reminded him as they walked toward the room John was in.
David Sheppard, General O'Neill and Colonel Carter were gathered around the bed. Sam was giving a business card to Dave saying, "The base number and my cell are on there. If you need anything, please just call. You can reach me anytime, unless I'm off-world, of course."
Dave took the card and shook Sam's hand. "Thank you, Colonel. I appreciate everything you've done for us."
O'Neill put his hand on John's uninjured shoulder and commanded, "Get your ass back here soon, okay? And this is one order you do not want to disobey!"
"Yes…Sir," John whispered.
O'Neill gave him a conspiratorial wink and moved to stand near Carter.
Landry moved towards the bed and addressed John. "Colonel Sheppard, you've been here almost twenty-four hours and you haven't caused any problems. I might let you come back."
He chuckled then continued, "Get better! And that's also an order!"
John gave a slight nod of his head and then they transferred him onto the gurney that would take him to where he'd spend who knew how much time.
.
They took a plane out of Peterson and then an ambulance to the rehab center and John slept almost the whole way.
Dave was surprised by this until Carson admitted that he'd given John a sedative. John's heart rate had been a bit fast and the doctor figured it was due to the stress he'd been under the past week.
When the ambulance got to the facility, Dave got out and was greeted by his friend, Roy Stanton.
"David, how was your trip? Everything go according to plan?"
"Roy," Dave shook the man's hand and replied, "I really appreciate your setting this up. And the trip was a long one, very long. But we made it and I think there's a reason to be optimistic."
Carson came out of the back of the ambulance at that point and announced, "I think he's all set to go."
Dave turned and introduced the two men explaining, "Dr. Beckett came along to make sure John was okay during the trip. They're good friends and he was headed back to .. the States… anyway."
"Glad to have you," Stanton said. "Now let's meet this brother of yours, David." and he motioned for two orderlies to get the gurney.
Dave and Roy moved aside as they wheeled John out and started toward the building.
"You may have to meet him another time, Roy," Dave suggested. "He was sedated for the last leg of the trip. It's … um… been pretty tough on him. John's usually the poster child for an active lifestyle and this paralysis has really dampened his spirits."
"I can imagine," Stanton sympathized. "How exactly did it happen?"
Dave looked at Carson as they entered the large elevator. Carson took the cue.
"Exactly how it happened isn't really pertinent. Suffice it to say the Colonel was infected with a high dosage of a neurotoxin which resulted in the paralysis of all his muscles. His respiratory system then shut down causing cardiac arrest. He was on a ventilator for about a day before his lungs were able to recover and start working again."
At the concerned look of Roy Stanton, Carson continued, "He's been stabilized for a few days now. We're fairly certain he's in no immediate danger. The hard part now will be getting him mobilized again."
They got off the elevator and followed the gurney down the hallway. Roy put his hand on David's arm and slowed his pace a bit. "Did they tell you what happened?"
David nodded in the affirmative but said softly, "I had to sign all sorts of documents saying to keep my mouth shut."
Roy tipped his head in understanding and walked into the private room John would be occupying. It wasn't huge but it had enough room for a hospital bed, dresser and bedside table. Across from the bed was a good sized TV mounted on the wall. To the left of the bed was a small bump out with a floor to ceiling window. The next corner over housed a small bathroom with a toilet, shower and there was a sink right outside the door.
As the orderlies transferred John to the bed, Carson took a good look around.
"It's absolutely lovely here. John's very lucky to be in an establishment like this."
"Thank you," Stanton beamed. "We do what we can to make people comfortable while they're recovering. We have an excellent staff of ten doctors, several Speech/Language Pathologists, Occupational Therapists, Physical Therapists, as well as an Aquatic Therapist and a full time psychologist. And our nursing staff are all highly qualified and trained in rehabilitative services. I'm confident we can give the Colonel the best care around."
"Is this our new VIP patient?" boomed a jolly voice entering the room.
David and Carson turned to look at a fairly large man in his early fifties walk toward them. Stanton smiled as he introduced, "Dr. Turner, this is David Sheppard, you may have met him at some of the fundraisers, and this is Dr. Carson Beckett." He indicated the newcomer and said, "This is our Chief of Rehabilitative Services, Dr. Philip Turner."
The men all shook hands and exchanged greetings then Turner walked over and gazed down at John whose eyes were starting to flutter but still remained closed.
"My brother, Colonel John Sheppard," David presented.
"Colonel?" Turner's eyebrows rose, impressed noting the age of the man lying there. "What branch of the Military?"
"Air Force."
"Pilot?" asked Turner.
David nodded his head. Carson took that opportunity to pull out a flash drive and hand it to Turner. "Here are the Colonel's medical files, well, most of them anyway. Any pertinent data you need for his treatment will be in there."
"Thank you," Turner replied. "We'll make sure to get it in the system right away so there are no surprises for our staff. Before you go, would you like a tour of our facility?"
Carson's eyes lit up. "I'd love one." He looked at David for confirmation.
"You go ahead," David insisted. "I've been here before, fundraisers and such."
Carson left with Turner and Dave moved to sit on the edge of the bed facing John. "He's my closest family. I expect you to take good care of him."
"We will. Our staff is the best," Stanton promised.
John's eyes took that moment to open completely and move from side to side, investigating his new surroundings. Dave cocked his head and gave his brother a big smile.
"Hey, John, you feeling okay? You were out of it for a while."
John's eyes narrowed and he stammered, "Ti…red."
"Dr. Beckett gave you a sedative for the trip. It may take a little while for you to shake off the effects."
John gave a small nod in acknowledgement then started looking around the room again. Dave pointed to his companion. "John, this is Roy Stanton, the friend I told you about. He arranged all this for you."
John's eyes closed again for a second before he popped them back open and attempted, "Th…anks."
"I was happy to do it," Stanton declared. "And if you ever need anything, please don't hesitate to ask."
John looked about to say something, looked down at his left hand as the fingers moved up and down, and then sighed as his head relaxed again.
"Oh," Dave remembered. "I almost forgot." He walked over to where John's duffle bag had been placed and rifled through the front pocket. He took the small communication device McKay had created and took a few minutes to set it up on the side of the bed.
"Is it working? Did I do it right?" Dave asked his brother.
YOU LET ME KNOW
"I guess it is," Dave claimed and explained the device to Stanton who was highly impressed.
FOOD showed up on the small screen and Dave chuckled.
"John, you can't swallow anything, yet." He looked at Stanton and explained, "He hasn't eaten since before the accident. They've been giving him nutrients through an IV but it doesn't really appease the hunger."
"Well, the Speech Path will be here tomorrow," Roy explained. "Her name is Rosie. She'll be with you for breakfast, lunch and dinner to get you eating and swallowing again. And she'll also spend an hour each day working on getting you talking again."
HOW LONG
"I'm really not sure," Roy admitted. "Dr. Turner would probably have a better idea."
"I heard my name!" boomed Turner as he and Carson walked back in the room followed by an athletic looking man in his thirties. "Hope it was good stuff you were saying about me."
"Colonel Sheppard was wondering how long it would be before he could start eating again," described Stanton.
"John!" Carson exclaimed, "You're awake and already asking about food. You're beginning to sound like Rodney."
A crooked smile appeared on John's face.
"John," Dave introduced, "This is Dr. Turner, and he runs the place. My brother, Colonel John Sheppard."
Turner reached down and took John's hand in a quick shake and replied, "It's great to meet you, Colonel Sheppard. And while I was giving Dr. Beckett a quick tour of our facility, we ran into one of our physical therapists, Josh Graham. He had a few extra minutes and thought he'd come say hi."
Graham stepped forward and also took John's hand and gave it a little squeeze. John put all his effort and attempted to squeeze back. He knew it was pretty pathetic, but this was all about making improvement, right?
At his attempt, Josh broke into a huge grin and squeezed a bit more. John put even more concentrated effort in applying pressure into the handshake even though it was still not much. This time Josh chuckled and said, "Oh, this will be fun. You're going to be an amazing worker, I can tell."
Stanton looked curious and asked, "How?"
Josh released John's hand and revealed, "The effort he put into squeezing my hand. It was almost a little competitive, am I right?"
He finished looking at John for confirmation. The right side of John's mouth curled up at the same time that Carson let out a hoot of laughter.
"Just a wee bit competitive. But be careful, he's been known to take a month's pay off someone on just one bet."
"Okay, I've been warned," said Josh.
"We arranged for all your therapies to start tomorrow," Turner announced. "Figured we'd let you get here and settled before we threw you to the wolves."
John looked around and felt a little overwhelmed by all the people, especially since he was out of his element. Give him a war zone any day. He focused his gaze on Carson, feeling the familiarity ease the tension a little. But Carson wasn't staying. He was leaving him alone with all these strangers. Okay, so maybe Dave wasn't a stranger, but the amount of times he'd seen him in the past six years, he may as well have been.
Carson pulled a few things out of John's bag and walked to his bedside. "I promised Dr. Lam I'd come right back and seeing as she's General Landry's daughter, I better not disappoint her. But I wanted to give you these." Carson explained as he showed John two framed pictures. "Teyla gave them to me before we left. She said something about you not forgetting also."
Carson held the pictures for John to see before he placed them on the top of the dresser. One picture was of John's team. They were dressed in full gear and you could see the P-90's in John and Teyla's hands. It was outside and John tried to recall what planet they were on when Lorne, he was pretty sure, had snapped the picture. It didn't really matter; he wouldn't be back there for a while.
The other picture was harder to look at. It was of Torren and him. They had been sitting on the floor in the rec room stacking blocks. The blocks had just tumbled to the ground when the picture was taken so both Torren and John were laughing in the image. He was glad Teyla had sent them along. But he knew even without them he would carry a clear picture in his mind for as long as he needed to.
Carson put a comforting hand on John's shoulder. "Listen, lad, I've got to go. But I'll be working with Dr. Lam in … uh … Colorado for at least the next week or so. If you need anything, have someone call me."
Carson looked at the other people gathered in the room and requested, "Take good care of him. He's a very special person and a lot of people are counting on his coming back."
Carson nodded at everyone and Dave informed him, "The car I arranged for you is waiting out back."
Dave noticed John looked a bit panicked when Carson said, "Thank you," and walked out the door. Unfortunately there wasn't much he could do about the situation.
John attempted a "Bye," but it sounded weak in his own ears so he was fairly certain Carson hadn't heard.
Josh took that opportunity to leave and lifted a hand to John saying, "See you tomorrow."
Dr. Turner looked at Dave and said, "We've got several nurses doing private duty for your brother, but the main Day Nurse will start tomorrow. Her name is Lisa and she's excellent. For the rest of today and tonight, I've just arranged for the staff nurses to take turns in here. And before I go, I guess I should hook up that IV that's needed."
He set right to work getting it established and wrote down some instructions in the chart on the end of John's bed as well as the white board that was mounted between the TV and the door. He then excused himself.
Stanton decided to join the exodus and pretty soon John found himself alone with just his brother sitting on his bedside. He wasn't sure what he should say. Not that he could say much and doing Morse Code was getting tiring. Heck, even if John could talk, he and Dave may not have had a lot to say. John decided he'd make an attempt anyway.
THANKS FOR ALL THIS SORRY SO MOODY
"Oh, John!" Dave said, "Don't apologize. You've been through hell this past week, a little moodiness is acceptable. And the hard part is still to come. You know how much you'll have to work to get better, right?"
AT LEAST DOING SOMETHING
Dave nodded his understanding. He got up to move John's bag and started pulling things out and putting them in the dresser while saying, "I'll probably need to get you some more clothes for working out, you didn't have much. Maybe Julia can do it. She loves shopping."
He finished with the dresser and put John's electronic devices in the bedside table drawer. He sat back on the bed and said, "You know I spoke briefly with Julia yesterday. She can't wait to finally meet you."
At this, John's eyes filled with horror. "N…ot….li…ke….thi…sss"
"She won't care," Dave objected, but John's eyes shown with a pleading intensity that Dave couldn't deny, so he compromised. "Okay, we'll give you a few weeks to get a little more language and maybe be able to shake her hand. But I don't want to put her off too long. Deal?"
"De…eal."
Dave looked around the room again, then looked at his watch. John knew he was dying to make a break for it and head to the office since he hadn't been there in close to a week.
GO TO WORK SEE JULIA
"I want to make sure you're all set before I go," Dave said.
TV REMOTE ESPN
Dave let out a huge laugh at this.
He found the remote, changed the channel and put the remote in John's hand.
"You're sure?" Dave checked.
GO John ordered.
"Okay, I'll try and be back tomorrow, but I'll have to see what's been going on at work first."
GO John insisted again and started flipping through the channels.
Dave put his hand on John's shoulder and said, "Take it easy, John," and he walked out of the room. Within seconds a petite nurse with short gray hair came in and introduced herself, probably sent by Dave.
"Hi Colonel, I'm Helen. I'm one of the nurses who'll be with you tonight."
"Hi," he breathed out slowly.
"Do you need anything right now?" she asked.
John attempted to shake his head but he didn't think it moved all that much. He flicked back to a college basketball game and stammered, "All … se…et."
"It's just that your brother's paid for private nursing so…"
John's fingers tapped on his touch pad and his eyes looked toward the small screen. Helen looked also and saw that it said HE WORRIES TOO MUCH.
"Wow!" she exclaimed. "This is cool! How does it work?"
MORSE CODE
"And it translates it. Wow! Oh, I already said that, didn't I?"
I'M FINE DO SOMETHING USEFUL
Helen chuckled, "What! You don't think sitting here watching you watch the game is useful?"
IF YOU LIKE SPORTS STAY
"Actually, I'd rather watch football," Helen informed him.
NOW YOU'RE TALKING
"Okay, next football game, it's a date, handsome," Helen promised then continued, "If you really don't need me, there are a million other things I could be doing. Promise me you'll buzz if you need anything."
John nodded.
"Can you reach the button? It's on the side railing here. It's the big red cross, kind of hard to miss."
John moved his fingers, then attempted to lift his hand. It only went up so high before it fell back on the bed. Next he moved his fingers and tried to crawl them over to and up the railing. It took a while and a bit of heavy breathing, but he finally reached the button.
Helen scowled and said, "You know, Colonel, that was pretty painful to watch. I can't imagine what it felt like to do it. We're going to have to think of another way."
HOW ABOUT THIS
John pushed the volume button on the remote until it got uncomfortably loud.
Helen laughed, grabbed the remote to lower the sound and said, "I think that'll do it. Good idea, Colonel. Enjoy the game and I'll peek in on you every now and then."
John gave her a half smile and she left. Okay, unlimited sports channels, nurses at my beck and call, I suppose this could be okay. If only I could move or walk or eat!
John settled in to watch the game but after barely twenty minutes he nodded off and was sleeping again. Helen looked in on him a few minutes after that and felt a sadness overcome her. Most of the patients they had were well over sixty and were recovering from hip or knee replacements, strokes or other injuries. This man's file said he hadn't quite reached forty. From the pictures on his dresser, it looked like he was an active military person which explained the trim physique and well-toned muscles. People like this shouldn't need their help.
She picked up the picture of the Colonel and the little boy. They looked like they were having so much fun. She wondered if the child was his and if so, where he was now. With or without specific instructions, she'd keep an extra eye out for this one. She figured he deserved it.
.
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xoxoxoxoxo xoxoxoxox xoxoxoxoxo
.
"Torren, please," Teyla begged, "it is very late and you must get some sleep!"
Torren continued to sit up in his bed holding a picture book. "Mama, we see Unta Dohn?" His eyes were sad and pleading.
Teyla gave a big sigh and wondered when her son would stop insisting on seeing John. She had told him many times that John was away healing. Torren had seen John go through the gate himself. But gate travel was so common for them that Torren did not understand that John would not be coming back any time soon.
Teyla still had difficulty believing it herself. John had only been gone for two days but already there was a different feel to the city, like the city herself was sad. John had been away for several days at a time before, but this time everyone knew he would not be coming back anytime soon. Some were even betting that he would never recover fully and therefore would not be allowed back by his country's military.
Just this afternoon, Teyla had torn a large strip off two Marines who were discussing that very possibility. But honestly, they knew more than she did what his country required physically to be considered fit for duty. She knew John was strong in both spirit and body; she just hoped and prayed he was strong enough to beat this newest challenge.
She looked back at her son and tried to think of a way to coerce him into lying down. Last night she had needed to play the recording of John reading Good Night Moon to Torren four times before he grew tired enough to rest. Tonight she had already played it five times and still the child refused to lie down.
Even the feel and scent of his quilt and stuffed giraffe could not comfort him. As she looked at these items in her son's hand, a thought came to her. She moved to pick him up as she said, "Let us go for a walk to get you tired."
She slipped a pair of shoes on his bare feet and held his hand as they walked through the halls. Torren got excited as he saw their destination. Teyla opened the door and walked into John's quarters. They felt empty and cold.
"Unta Dohn!" Torren yelled as he looked around the room. Teyla's heart broke as she saw the hope in her son's eyes. She had not meant to do that.
She walked over to John's hamper and pulled out a red, plaid shirt that John occasionally wore when off-duty. She called Torren over to John's bed, took off his shoes and deposited him under the sheets.
"I told you that Uncle John is not here. He will be gone for a long time, but I think he would like it if we kept his room safe and warm for him. Do you think you can help me with that?"
Torren blinked and nodded. "I seep here, Mama?"
Teyla smiled and handed John's shirt to Torren along with his quilt and stuffed animal. "For a little while, yes."
Torren took the items his mother handed him and put his head down on the pillow. His thumb went into his mouth and the red shirt was held to his face. Within minutes Torren's eyes drifted closed. Teyla sighed with relief. Maybe Ronon had been right when he said John's scent was what made her son fall asleep so easily with him.
She was glad her son was asleep but she had been a bit hasty in coming here. It was too soon to attempt to carry him back to their quarters. He would surely wake up. But Teyla herself was exhausted and in need of sleep. Torren had taken so long to go down that it was now the time that she usually retired for the night.
She looked down at the snug Athosian top and military style pants she wore and realized they were not conducive to resting. She glanced around the room and opened a few drawers. Many things had been packed by Dave to take back to Earth, but a few black t-shirts were still here. Guilt consumed her for a moment but then disappeared when she realized that John would never object to her borrowing a shirt of his.
She quickly shed her clothes and slipped into the shirt. John was not an overly large man but he was much taller than Teyla so the shirt fell almost to her knees. She slid into bed beside her son and gathered him into her arms. John's scent was strong on the shirt that Torren held and Teyla breathed it in.
Memories flooded through her; the first time she had seen John and he had flashed her that crooked grin, and later when he had found and put her necklace on for her.
John's defending her to both Elizabeth and Bates, giving her his complete trust.
The many missions they went on together and the many times they faced death together.
John's bravery when Kolya had allowed Todd to feed on him again and again.
John's enthralled face the first time he felt Torren move from within her.
And his bravery, yet again, when a few minutes later he climbed the outside of the central tower when the lack of ventilation started affecting her.
John coming to her rescue when she was about to give birth despite his severe injuries.
John holding Torren shortly after and flying them all to safety.
John reading her son bedtime stories with absolute patience and love.
These memories filled her with warmth but they also brought with them a sadness in knowing there would be no new ones in a very long time.
Wetness appeared on Teyla's cheeks but she made no move to wipe it away. The tears continued to course down her face until exhaustion, mercifully, made her join her son in slumber.
.
.
xoxoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo
.
"Good morning, Lisa. How are you this lovely morning?" Helen greeted her colleague.
"Good morning," Lisa returned suspiciously as she approached the nurse's station. She looked at the two women sitting there and addressed the younger one.
"Okay, Gina, why is Helen so cheery this morning?"
Helen looked insulted. "What? I can't greet a friend when they start the day. Especially this day when you're meeting a new patient."
"You've met him already?" Lisa asked.
Both women smiled broadly, eyes twinkling and said, Yes!" in unison. "We took care of him yesterday after he arrived.
"Oh, God!" Lisa said horrified. "He's like three hundred pounds, isn't he? My back will never be the same."
"Definitely not three hundred pounds," Gina confirmed, her eyes still gleaming. "You are one lucky woman, though."
"Okay, you've had your fun," Lisa accused, "Now give? What is wrong with him?"
Helen smiled again and replied, "Absolutely nothing from what I can see. Other than the fact that he's completely paralyzed."
"We are talking about the big wig Air Force Colonel with the rich well-connected brother?" Lisa confirmed.
"Yeah, and the brother's not bad, either!" stated Gina.
"How old is this guy?" Lisa asked. "I mean, Air Force Colonel. My uncle retired as a Major in his late fifties."
"Well this Colonel's done some pretty good stuff, I guess. He got a Medal of Honor from the President last year and I know they don't pass those out to just anyone."
"No, they don't," Lisa agreed. "So, under fifty then?"
"Birth date says he's not even forty yet," Gina supplied.
"Wow! What room do they have him in?"
"Room 201," Helen said. "Nice and private at the end of the hall."
"Is he up yet?" Lisa asked as she checked her watch. It was only 7:35 am. Their shift wasn't scheduled to start until 8:00.
"Donna was on last night and she said he was awake before five," Helen said, "But who knows what time zone he's coming from. Supposedly he was injured out of the country somewhere. But nobody's telling us where."
"I wanted to check out his medical file before I started today, but if he's already up…" Lisa began.
"Oh, don't worry," Gina assured her, "Rosie went in to terrorize him about ten minutes ago.
Lisa chuckled then sat down at one of the computers to look at her new patient's file.
"Hmm, let's see," she said as she started reading. "John Patrick Sheppard, Colonel, US Air Force, age 39. Next of kin and responsible party is David Sheppard. Hey," she looked at Gina and Helen, "this guy's the son of Patrick Sheppard, you know from Sheppard Industries."
"Hence the pull to get a private room here, even though there's a long waiting list."
Lisa continued, "It says here that a neurotoxin caused complete paralysis. That sounds scary. What was he doing to have that happen? And there's no other information other than neurotoxin. So, is Rosie working on talking or eating?"
"Both," came a new voice from the other side of the desk.
"Hey, Donna," Lisa greeted. "I'm just checking out the medical file on my new private patient. So he can't speak at all?"
"He can say a few things, but not a lot and not very fast. And it takes a tremendous amount of effort to do. He's also got dysphasia which is what Rosie's working on now. She put Thick-It in some juice to see if he can handle that. The poor guy's been fed through an IV for a week now. He must be starving."
"Any idea how he got infected with the neurotoxin?" Lisa asked.
Donna shrugged. "He's got some pretty nasty lacerations running from his neck to his shoulder. I had to change the bandages when I came on duty last night. Even after a week, they're still pretty raw. And even though he kept saying he was fine, I could tell he was in pain when I cleaned the wounds."
Lisa shook her head and looked through a bit more of Sheppard's file. "You know this guy must have seen quite a bit of action. His file lists a whole slew of injuries from gunshot and stab wounds to concussions and broken bones."
"And the cute Scottish doctor who brought him in yesterday, said it was only part of his medical records," Helen added.
Lisa stood up, put her stethoscope around her neck and grabbed her clipboard. "I guess I should go in and meet him and make sure Rosie hasn't chewed him up and spit him out yet."
Gina chuckled, "Oh, this one is quite delicious. I don't think anyone would be crazy enough to spit him out, not even Rosie."
"No," Donna agreed. "I think Rosie's already fallen for those eyes. He's got these sad puppy dog eyes. Of course, he's got a reason to be sad. He can't walk or talk."
"And we're going to fix that," Lisa claimed. "I've got his therapy schedule right here and it's a full one." She held up the clipboard, said goodbye to her colleagues and headed off down to the end of the hall.
She approached the door of Room 201 and stood for a minute to observe her new charge. Rosie was in the process of taking a spoon from his mouth. The man had his eyes closed and was obviously struggling to get the thickened liquid down his throat.
After a few seconds, he opened his eyes and nodded to Rosie who said, "You're a fast learner, Colonel. You ready for another one?"
He took a deep breath and nodded. Rosie waited and the man rolled his eyes and said, "Ye…ess."
Rosie chuckled and lifted the spoon to his mouth. Lisa was glad to see that he could open his mouth by himself and while attempting to swallow, she could see his fists clenching and unclenching. That was always a good sign.
Thinking back to the comments from the other nurses, she had to admit, they were right. He was very good looking. She wouldn't even have guessed that he was close to forty. His body was trim and athletic and he was probably about six feet tall, judging by how much of the bed he took up. He had a terrible case of bed head and desperately needed a shave but she could take care of that soon enough.
After a few more struggles with the juice, Rosie announced, "That's enough for right now, Colonel. You haven't had anything in that stomach for almost a week. We need to take it slow. I'll be back at lunch and we'll try again. Another few good feedings and I think we can take that IV out."
His eyes lit up and he asked, Rea…ll…y?"
Rosie nodded and said, "Yup, we've got some shakes that are filled with nutrients. If you can get this stuff down, you can get those down."
"Th…ank …yo…u," Sheppard stammered.
"Oh, now you're just trying to sweet talk me, Green Eyes," Rosie accused.
John's lips twitched and his eyes grew mischievous as he said, "Co …ff..ee?"
Rosie threw back her head and laughed. "Oh, you are good, honey, you are good! But no coffee right now. First off, the liquid's too thin and hot and you'll choke on it. You need a bit more control on those throat muscles. Second, I think we'll wait a few more days before we give you any caffeine."
At Sheppard's dejected look, she offered, "But I'll make a deal with you. When you can tell me all about the people in those pictures," she pointed to the two pictures on his dresser, "I'll bring you in a coffee shake."
His eyes moved to the left and he attempted to turn his head a bit. Lisa noticed his eyes turn dark and depressed and a sadness encompass his face. She'd have to look closer at the pictures later. Now she figured was a good time to introduce herself.
She walked all the way through the door and over to the bed. She nodded at Rosie then said, "Hi, Colonel Sheppard? I'm Lisa." She reached down and took his right hand in hers and gave a small squeeze. She was thrilled to feel a slight pressure back, no matter how weak.
"I've been assigned as your Day Nurse while you're here with us. I should be here most mornings by eight am, just in time to rescue you from being completely terrorized by Rosie, here."
Rosie just chuckled. "I took it easy on you today, your first day and all. But don't think you'll get by so easy from now on. We do breakfast, lunch and dinner together every day. And I'm not one for the strong, silent type, so you'd better start thinking up some scintillating dinner conversation. You hear me, handsome?"
John smiled then realized this woman expected more than that. "Yes,…ma…am."
Rosie got up and moved toward the door. "Oh, Lisa, if you really need some expanded answers, he's got some fancy communication device he brought with him. I confiscated it and put it in his bedside table. I told him that he won't make any progress unless he talks but I get that sometimes he might need to get across more than he can say."
"But don't worry, Colonel, we're going to fix that real soon. You didn't have any damage to the brain like we get with stroke victims. You know how to speak and make the sounds you need to make. We just need to loosen up those vocal chords enough to do it. Just watch, it's going to be a piece of cake."
"Choc…lit … or…va …nil…la?" John managed with a grin.
Rosie and Lisa both laughed and Rosie said, "Keep talking like this and you can have both, gorgeous. I may even have to leave my husband for you."
With that she walked out the door. Lisa moved over to the bed, checked John's IV and picked up his wrist to check his pulse. As she took his vitals, she told him, "Don't pay any attention to Rosie. She threatens to leave her husband for all her male patients. She's been married close to thirty-five years and we all think he's a saint for putting up with her."
Lisa picked up his chart to record his information. "Like…her," he said and Lisa chuckled.
"Well, don't tell her that. She might get nice or something. We need her mean to keep the patients in line."
"Our …se..cret," John smiled and winked at her.
Lisa laughed again then crossed her arms and stared at him. "I've gotta tell you Colonel, you're not at all what I expected."
"Tall…er?" John questioned.
Lisa nodded. "Taller, thinner, younger, sure. But truthfully, I expected some stuffy, pompous dignitary who felt entitled to the best of everything. You don't seem to be that type."
"Soon…prom…ise," John said.
Lisa's grin grew wider and she winked at John, "Just as long as you don't disappoint."
She finished her cursory examination and picked up the clipboard again. "Okay, Colonel, you've got a pretty full day today. Typically your schedule will run very similar each day with the exception of weekends. You'll still have some therapies but it'll be a little lighter. So, as you probably figured out, you start with Rosie around 7:30 for breakfast and torture. I come in around 8:00. Around 8:15, Mary, your Occupational Therapist will come in."
At John's confused look, Lisa explained, "An OT works on daily life skills; cleaning, dressing, using utensils, tying your shoes. Mostly fine motor skills."
John nodded and she continued, "Mary and I will use her time to give you a shower, do hair, teeth, and shave. You do shave, don't you?"
John gave a soft chuckle and nodded his head.
"Okay," she went on. "We'll get you dressed and ready for the day. Mary will work on this until you're able to do it yourself. After OT, you get an hour and a half of Physical Therapy. Josh will be working with you most of the time."
"Met…him," John said.
"Oh, good, so you know you'll have a little competition for the ladies' affections."
John gave Lisa a disbelieving look as he gazed down at his inert body.
Lisa shook her head and pointed her finger from John's head to foot. "Oh, don't think this is going to turn 'em off. You're the perfect man. You can't run away or interrupt while they're talking to you. They have your undivided attention."
John looked a little fearful wondering how much truth was in what she was saying.
"Don't worry; part of my job is running interference. Anyway, Josh will work on getting you mobile again. You'll do lots of stretching to begin with and focus more on large motor skills. After Josh, you get a half hour with Tammy, our Massage Therapist. You'll probably need it after Josh finishes with you. Then back to the room for lunch and Speech with Rosie."
"You?" John asked
"Where will I be during this time? With you. You'll need a lot of help at first and I'll work with the therapists. After a while you won't need my assistance as much. It's kind of like my kids." She shrugged. "They don't need me now that they're a little bigger."
She saw the Colonel's eyes flicker over one of the pictures on the dresser. She now saw that it was the Colonel and a little boy playing with blocks. His eyes grew sad and he let out a sigh. As he looked back in her direction, she looked down at the clipboard, allowing him time for the emotion he was feeling without an audience.
"After Rosie's done with you," Lisa started up again, "you get a rest period until about two-ish. That's when I usually take my lunch unless Rosie doesn't need me, then I can take it earlier. But there are other nurses around who can give you a hand if you need something. Then at 2:00 you get PT for another hour and a half. Once you've got a bit more upper body mobility back, they'll let you do afternoon PT in the pool with Kristy. She's a PT who specializes in aquatic therapy. She does some individual and some group stuff."
"After PT you get another massage or once you're in the pool, you'll use the Jacuzzi. Then it's OT for another half hour and dinner with Rosie. I'll be leaving shortly after Rosie gets here. I've gotta go home and feed my guys."
"Who?" John asked.
"My husband and two boys. The oldest is twelve and the youngest is ten. I usually work Per Diem just a few days a week, but my oldest needs braces so I took on this longer assignment. So, don't get any ideas about getting better too fast." She wagged her finger at John. "Not until I've got those braces paid for."
They both snickered and John promised, "O…kay."
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xoxoxoxoxo xoxoxoxoxo xoxoxoxoxo
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John moved the head of his bed almost all the way down. When he was done, he let out a relieved groan. He had been sitting up in his bed or a wheelchair for a large portion of the day and his body was too tired to do it anymore. He'd thought basic training was bad but it certainly didn't compare to rehab.
He hadn't slept well during the night and he hated to admit that it was due to nerves. He'd been nervous about what the therapists would say about his condition, today. His fear was that they would take one look at him and say there was no way they could help him. He should just get used to his disability because he was going to have to live with it.
But none of them had said that. They had all been very encouraging actually, pointing out the progress he'd already made.
He thought back on all he'd done today and all the people he'd met. Yesterday he'd met Helen. She was one of the floor nurses but she had been in to visit him a few times today. She had talked about her grandson, who was two years old, about football, with John throwing in a word or two, if he could. There were a few other nurses who had wandered in throughout the night, but he couldn't remember all their names.
Then Rosie had shown up early in the morning. She had been like one of his drill sergeants, physically as well as personality wise. She'd told him in no uncertain terms that he would be talking again soon and he needed to cooperate fully or else. He didn't really want to know what the 'or else' was. But she had given him his first food in a week, such as it was. And she had massaged his face and neck and shown him some exercise he could do to improve both his eating and his speech.
Lisa, average size and a long brown ponytail, had come next. He had gotten to know her the most as she was with him all day. Crimson covered his face as he remembered exactly how much she had done. When his OT, Mary, had shown up, a tall, thin woman in her late forties, the two of them had made short work of disconnecting his IV, stripping him down, putting him in what they called a 'shower chair' and cleaning him up.
They'd soaped, shampooed, showered, shaved and brushed his teeth. They'd been as quick as possible but without his help it had taken about thirty minutes. Getting him dressed in a t-shirt and exercise pants had taken way longer than he thought possible. He was thankful for the help and to be clean but had been horrified that he couldn't do any of it himself. They'd laughed when they'd realized what they thought was just a severe case of bed head was actually his family of cowlicks dancing across his head.
Next they had transferred him to a regular wheelchair and strapped him in. He was disgusted that he didn't even have the body strength to sit upright in a wheelchair without falling out. He planned to make that his number one goal. Josh seemed to think so, too. He and Lisa had moved him to a mat where Josh had evaluated his range of motion and mobility. John couldn't do much but lie there as the man stretched and manipulated his limbs in every direction.
After almost an hour of this, John was covered in sweat and short of breath. Then Josh had announced the hard part. He would push against one of John's limbs and he wanted John to push back as much as he could. He was almost begging for a hungry Wraith to come along by the time he was finished.
Then it was off to a small, dimly lit room where he was once again stripped, this time only to his boxers and placed on another low mat. A sheet was draped over him and he almost wept when the young woman, Tammy, started working her magic on the tortured muscles that hadn't been used in a week.
He'd come back to his room and Rosie had gotten another dozen spoonfuls of the thickened liquid into him. It had a consistency not unlike baby food. The taste was fine but unfortunately it wasn't very filling.
He'd been so exhausted from his full morning that he actually fell asleep when he was supposed to be talking to Rosie. He'd been awakened by Lisa around 2:00 and had dreaded going back for more PT. But Josh realized it was his first day moving in a week so the only thing he did was have John sit up in his wheelchair. He'd take the strap off from around his chest and see how long John could go without toppling over.
As this was one of John's goals, he had put a significant amount of effort into beating his last time. They'd give him ten minutes in between to rest. Lisa had put his earphones in and turned his iPod to shuffle while he was doing this. He wasn't sure if they were trying to pass the time quicker or talk about him so he couldn't hear them. Either way, he didn't care as he had managed to get up to almost five minutes without the strap holding him up.
Josh seemed pretty impressed and told him he was encouraged by what John could already do. Of course, he also added that John was at least twenty years younger than most of his clients.
He had another massage and then Mary had come back for his second OT session of the day. John had been wiped and she had sensed this so Lisa suggested John show them how the communication device worked. John answered a few questions for them but was too tired to do more than that.
Lisa was just reattaching the IV that they had unhooked earlier for his therapy sessions, when Rosie came in again. She took one look at his eyes at half mast and said, "First day of rehab's a bitch, ain't it?"
John barely had the strength to smile and only managed a grumble that he hoped sounded enough like a yes to satisfy Rosie. Apparently it did, because she gave him a patient smile and said she'd see him in the morning.
Now here he was, reclined in his bed, without even the strength to press the button to turn the remote on. Well it had definitely not been a boring day, he had to admit. Painful, yes, but boring, no. He groaned as he thought about doing it all over again tomorrow and his eyes fluttered closed and his mind drifted off.
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"Hey handsome, I heard you were supposed to stop working when the clock struck five." Julia said as she walked into David Sheppard's office. "It's almost six and you're still here…working."
Her fiancé looked up from the laptop in front of him and replied, "I know but I was gone for a week and there's a ton of things I need to catch up on."
Julia walked behind him and started rubbing his shoulders. "It'll still be there tomorrow," she pointed out.
David leaned his head back against her and let out a soft, "Mmmmmm, that feels nice."
"So tell me what happened with John," Julia instructed. "You didn't get a chance to say much more than you both arrived back safely and that John was settled in at Meadowgreen."
"I'm not sure how much of this I can actually tell you about," David said.
"Top secret, huh?" Julia teased.
"You have no idea. Top secret doesn't even begin to describe this place," David confessed. "It took a few days to actually get there, and no, I can't tell you where, not yet anyway," he added when he realized the news crew that had caused John's injury were planning to tell the world soon enough anyway. He'd make sure he told Julia before then.
"When we got there, John had already started breathing again and had been taken off the ventilator. It took a few days to get him stabilized enough to travel so I spent quite a bit of time with his team and a few other people he works with."
"Can you tell me about them?" Julia asked.
"Yeah," David replied. "I've actually mentioned a few of them before. Ronon was at Dad's wake. Dr. Keller, Amelia and Dr. McKay, I'd met in San Francisco when I had lunch with John last year."
"What about the little boy and his mom you said John was so taken with?" Julia inquired.
"Teyla and Torren, or as John calls him, T.J." David supplied. "Teyla spent quite a bit of time with John and she brought Torren to see him a few times as well. They take care of him there. He was almost never alone. He's pretty important on base and everyone spoke very highly of him. It was really weird hearing everyone talk about all the stuff he'd done."
"What kind of stuff?"
"Mostly crazy, dangerous things to save people's lives," David said. "I'll tell you more later. Now I want to call the rehab and see how he is. I'm wondering if I should drive out to see him."
"When do I get to meet him?" Julia asked.
David looked guilty and assured her, "He does want to meet you. It's just that right now John's pretty upset about what happened. He doesn't want you to meet him the way he is; unable to move or talk."
"He's really that bad?" Julia wondered.
David nodded his head. "A few words and he can wiggle a couple of fingers. Not much else."
Julia sat herself down in David's lap and kissed him softly on the lips. "You okay?"
David sighed and shook his head. "I've never seen John like this before. He's hurt himself plenty, believe me. He always envisioned himself a mini Evel Knievel. But this time…" David closed his eyes and sighed again. When he opened them, Julia could see the sorrow he was feeling.
"It's painful watching him struggle just to get one little word out. And I know it's getting him down. I wish I could do more for him."
"Well, why don't you start with that phone call you were going to make," Julia suggested.
David agreed, dialed the number on the business card he had sitting in front of him and pushed the speaker phone button. Julia smiled. She loved it when he did things that showed they were a team. The phone rang a few times then was picked up.
"Meadowgreen, second floor, West"
"Hi, this is David Sheppard. My brother John is a patient there. I was calling to check on him."
"Of course, Mr. Sheppard. Lisa's gone for the day but let me see if I can track down his file to see what kind of day he had."
David and Julia could hear some talking in the background then a different voice came on the line.
"Mr. Sheppard, This is Rosie Lynch, I'm the Colonel's Speech Path. You're lucky you caught me. I was just on my way out."
David leaned forward a bit and said, "Did you work with John today? How is he?"
Rosie chuckled, "I've gotta tell you, your brother's pretty amazing. I managed to get some food into him today. Not quite solid food, but he tried his damndest to get it down. I also gave him some vocal exercises and like before his effort was outstanding. I'm supposed to meet with him three times a day but he was so wiped at dinner that I didn't have the heart to make him do anything else."
"Why was he so tired?" David asked, concerned.
"The first full day of rehab is always difficult, especially when there's been any length of time between the injury and the start of therapy."
David sighed, "It was almost a week before he was stable enough to travel back to the States."
"I wouldn't worry about it too much, Mr. Sheppard. Your brother impressed pretty much everyone today with his stamina and he never complained once, about anything. That doesn't happen too often. He was pushed quite a bit in his morning PT because Josh wanted to get an evaluation of his condition. And the Colonel pushed himself in his afternoon therapy."
"How is he now?" David asked. "I was thinking I would drive out to see him tonight."
"You could," Rosie agreed, "But you wouldn't see much. He crashed about forty-minutes ago and he's out for the count. After the day he had, I don't imagine he'll wake up any time before morning."
David was torn. He wanted to make sure John was all right but he didn't want to make the thirty minute drive just to watch him sleep. "If you're sure he's out for the night, I guess I could wait for tomorrow."
"That might be best," Rosie concurred. "I'll see him first thing in the morning. How about if I tell him that you called asking about him."
"That would be great. Thank you. Let him know I'll try and get there tomorrow."
"Will do, Mr. Sheppard. It was nice talking with you. And don't worry; the Colonel has already wormed his way into everyone's heart around here. We'll make sure to look after him."
David thanked her again and hung up. He leaned back in his chair and pulled Julia with him. Julia was more than happy to rest against him.
"So I guess I'm not going tonight," David stated.
Julia leaned away from him slightly and started loosening his tie. "So I guess that means you have time on your hands right now." She started unbuttoning the top few buttons of his shirt. "Hmm, I wonder what we could possibly do." Her hands undid a few more buttons then moved inside his shirt.
David looked scandalized and grabbed her hands as he said, "Julia, what if somebody walks in?"
Julia gave him an 'are you serious' look. "You're the CEO. Who's going to walk in without knocking? Plus it's almost 6:30. Any decent person is home now. Besides you've played it safe far too long, David Sheppard. You need to start living dangerously."
As she said this, her hands started on his belt buckle. David sucked in a large breath as his heart beat sped up. His hands started their own exploration to the point he didn't care if anyone did walk in.
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