Revelations and Expectations

by Kariesue

Will things go awry when secrets are revealed? And will Sheppard pay the price?

8. Chapter 8

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John could sense movement around him and knew he should open his eyes but there was something nagging in the back of his mind that warned him not to. He started taking an inventory; wiggle the toes, still can't move the useless legs, move the arms, wiggle the fingers. Ow! Yep, that's where the problem was. His hands and fingers hurt and something was wrapped around them.

He opened his eyes to see someone's back walking out the door. A nurse, probably, making her rounds. Light was just starting to stream in the windows and John looked up to check the time. It was 7:10! He was usually awake long before this. He'd been trying to do some exercises by himself each morning and get in the shower before breakfast showed up at 7:30. But for some strange reason he'd slept late this morning.

He lifted his right hand to rub his eyes and saw the stark white bandages wrapped around it. He lifted the other hand and noticed the same, only the bandages wound around his arm, halfway to the elbow. Memories of yesterday came rushing back as he stared at these. As his mind played back the details, he groaned.

"John, are you all right?" Dave asked as he rushed into the room and over to the bed.

"Dave," John groaned again and closed his eyes as his brother came to sit of the edge of the bed.

"Hey, how are you feeling this morning?"

John rolled his eyes and lifted his lip in a sneer. "Ridiculous, stupid, pathetic. Am I getting close?"

"No," Dave replied and shrugged, "You had a bad day, that's all."

John shook his head and continued, "Look Dave, I owe you an apology. Heck, I owe a lot of people apologies. I'm sorry I flipped out yesterday. And I'm really sorry you had to come all this way to deal with it."

"No, John," Dave insisted, "I'm the one who should apologize. I brought you to stay here so I could keep an eye on you and when you really needed me, I wasn't available."

John shook his head. "You're busy. I get that. And I also get that the people here probably weren't too impressed by my little performance yesterday."

"Maybe not," Dave agreed, "But they'll get over it."

"Yeah, maybe once I'm gone," John said. "Has anyone contacted the Air Force to come and get me, yet?"

"What are you talking about?" Dave inquired. "Why would the Air Force come get you?"

John looked confused. "They're not kicking me out for almost destroying the room? And I'm pretty sure I threw something at the head doc here and your friend, Stanton. And I'm thinking it was something heavy."

"I think it was a phone," Dave commented dryly. "But when you're the brother of one of the largest donors they have, they give you a bit of leeway."

"Nice," John grinned. "But seriously Dave, the VA hospital is perfectly fine, especially now that I can do a few things on my own. Don't feel like you have to keep me here. I know this place is pretty expensive."

"John," Dave reached down and touched his brother's arm, "I don't care about the money. I care about you. I want you to know that you, and Julia, are the most important people in my life. And if I don't tell you that enough, then I'm sorry."

John's eyes were troubled as he sat staring at his bandaged hands. Dave started to worry until John looked up and said, "Thanks, uh …same here."

It took a second then they both snorted with laughter. "We are so pathetic!" John grinned.

Dave nodded and added, "Mmm, Dad sure did a number on us. I get nervous I won't tell Julia enough and she'll dump me."

"Tell her what?" John teased.

Dave just glared at his brother. "Oh, you're so funny. Like you should be talking."

John rolled his eyes and thought of all the missed opportunities with Teyla.

"Listen," Dave began, "I drove over here this morning because I wanted to make sure you could reach me if you need to, so I got this cell phone for you."

He pulled a phone out of his pocket and flipped it open to show John. "I've already programmed my cell number and Julia's into it. I've also programmed my phone with a special ring when you call."

John's eyebrows rose as he guessed, "Wild Blue Yonder?" thinking of the official Air Force song.

Dave chuckled and answered, "No, but that's not a bad idea. Anyway, if I'm in a meeting, I'll put it on vibrate so I can still answer if it's you."

"Dave," John shook his head, "I don't expect you to put every little thing on hold for me."

Dave gazed seriously at his brother. "You called me yesterday, right before your … incident. If you had been able to talk to me about why you were upset, do you think you still would have flipped out?"

John seemed pensive for a few moments then replied, "Maybe, maybe not….Probably not. But don't…"

"Use it!" Dave interrupted and pointed to the cell phone." Doesn't matter how big or small a deal, promise me you'll call."

Dave noticed John almost appeared relieved as he promised, "Okay."

Dave looked deeply into his brother's face. "Now, Lisa said you were upset by an e-mail you got. Want to tell me about it?"

John closed his eyes, gave a huge sigh and opened them again. This time his eyes were deeply troubled so Dave leaned forward and conspired, "I can buy them off, whoever they are."

John chuckled but the humor didn't reach his eyes. "I don't think you can buy off the US Air Force."

"What happened?" Dave asked seriously.

John took another deep breath. "They sent a Marine Colonel, by the name of Armstrong, to Atlantis … to replace me."

"Temporarily though, right?" Dave clarified. "Just until you can return?"

John shrugged and his eyes roamed the room, looking everywhere but at his brother. Dave reached down and held John's bandaged hand. John's troubled gaze focused back on his brother.

"What if … what if I don't fully recover? What if these," he tilted his chin toward his legs, "won't actually work anymore?"

"The physical therapist hasn't actually said anything like that, has he?" Dave asked horrified.

"No," John denied. "I guess I'm just thinking of worst case scenarios. I've gotta admit the thought of never walking again really freaks me out."

Dave put his hand on John's shoulder and reminded him, "They said it could take almost a year to get you up to speed. You've got to give it some time." But now he understood better why John had gone off the deep end.

"I know," John accepted. "But mostly I'm just so damn frustrated by the inactivity. I usually take care of my frustration by going for a ten or fifteen mile run."

"And that's not possible right now," Dave finished for him.

"Or I'll spar and beat the crap out of a couple of Marines," John added.

"Not Teyla or Ronon?" Dave asked.

John's eyes rolled and he grinned, "They usually beat the crap out of me."

"I'd think it would be distracting fighting with Teyla," Dave commented.

John's eyes widened. "And you haven't seen the outfit she spars in." John's eyes moved to the ceiling and almost glazed over. "Seeing her all hot and sweaty in that is so worth getting my ass kicked." John's smile turned dreamy and Dave chuckled at the lovesick expression on his face.

The sound brought John back to the present and his eyes opened in horror. "You did not just hear me say that!"

Dave just smiled a secret smile as John began chewing on his bottom lip. He slapped his brother on the knee and said, "Julia and I are planning on coming back tonight, so be a good boy until then and use that," he pointed to the phone lying in John's lap, "if you need me. Promise!"

"I will," John promised. "And thank you, again."

Dave walked to the door, turned around and said, "I'm leaving just in time for you to have breakfast." He walked out and a young nurse's aide walked in carrying a tray.

She looked a bit nervous and John told her, "Don't worry. I'm not throwing things today." Then he added, "At least, not yet."

She carefully placed the tray on the table, gave a nervous smile and almost ran from the room. John pulled the tray over and looked at his breakfast, a bowl of oatmeal, scrambled eggs and orange juice. He was getting damned tired of oatmeal.

He was just finishing the less-than-satisfying meal when Lisa and Helen poked their heads in the door. John grinned at them sheepishly, "I'm only psychotic the fourth Thursday of every month. Today's Friday, you're safe."

"I'm glad to see you're feeling better," Lisa commented happily. She came over and started her morning vitals check while Helen removed his breakfast tray and put it in the hallway. When she returned, she picked up his hands and checked the bandages asking, "How do they feel?"

"They're fine!" he insisted and put them back in his lap. "Listen …I …uh … owe you two a really big apology. I …usually… have a little more control than I did yesterday and things got a little … out of hand."

Lisa shook her head while Helen assured him, "You don't owe us anything. Everyone has a bad day every now and then."

"Yeah, Colonel," Lisa added, "You're the easiest patient we've ever had. Some of these people can be pretty demanding."

"I kind of made up for it yesterday, didn't I?" John asked. "I mean how many patients have you had trash an entire room and then throw things at everyone who walks in the door?"

Lisa and Helen exchanged looks and Helen replied, "Hmm, not that many. But we were thinking of putting a hit out on whoever sent you that e-mail that got your knickers in a twist."

"Never shoot the messenger," John advised. "Besides, he's the best XO I've ever had." He took a deep breath in and added, "And you can't put out a hit on the US Air Force."

Lisa and Helen looked at each other like they were thinking about it then both said, "Okay."

"I told Mary to forget OT today," Lisa informed him. "I figure your hands and fingers need some time to recover."

John looked at the bandages and frowned, "I don't … really remember …exactly what happened here. I remember a broken vase and water on the floor but most of it seemed like it was happening to someone else."

"That's called Disassociation, Colonel," supplied a voice from the hall. John looked up and saw a man walk in who was somewhat familiar but he wasn't sure why. But he could take a guess.

"I …threw something at you yesterday, didn't I? Probably yelled some obscenity, too?"

"Yes, Colonel," the man responded. "I was lucky enough to get the bedpan. Fortunately it was empty."

Helen patted John's shoulder and said, "I've got patients who actually need me so I'll check on you later," and she left.

John was still trying to place the man standing in front of him when he introduced himself. "I'm Dr. Carl Lambert. I'm the psychologist on staff here."

John shook his head. "I don't remember you or the bedpan but I do apologize for my actions yesterday. I don't typically do things like that."

"It's okay, Colonel. Like I said you had a Dissassociative Disruption. It's when extreme stress or trauma causes a person to forget an event or remember it as if it happened to someone else."

John's eyes moved up and down and his head nodded from side to side as he confirmed, "Yeah, that sounds about right."

"Don't worry, Colonel. It's not that uncommon. I'm just here to see how you're doing today. They said your brother was able to calm you down. That's good. Both Dr. Turner and Mr. Stanton thought it might be a good idea if maybe you and I start up some regular sessions. Suddenly finding one's self paralyzed is a fairly traumatic event as well as how it will impact your future. Talking about the event that caused this sometimes helps."

"I appreciate the effort, Doc," John said. "But first, I'm not really very good at talking, especially about my …feelings. And second, you don't have a security clearance to hear anything I have to say."

"Ahhh! Top secret stuff, huh?" Lambert theorized.

"You could say that," John agreed.

"Okay, Colonel I spent over a year in Kuwait as ground support for the 1057th Airborne Division. I understand. We'll probably be talking again, though."

John watched him go and complained, "Just what I need, someone trying to dissect my brain."

"Actually, Colonel," Lisa began, "Dr. Lambert's a pretty easy guy to talk to. Most of the people around here like him."

John made no comment. He knew that if anyone ever saw what was in his mind, they'd lock him away for good.

"Let me give you a hand getting ready today," Lisa offered, "Both of yours aren't in optimal shape right now. And you may have gotten out of OT this morning but I think you threw a fork and knife at Josh yesterday, so you might be in for a challenging workout from him today,"

John gave another big sigh and groaned, "Oh, great!"

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xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo.

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"There, all set," Lisa said as she finished replacing the bandages on John's hands. She opened his dresser, pulled out a t-shirt and handed it to him.

"Don't you own anything other than black t-shirts?" she asked curiously.

John laughed. "It's part of the uniform on base. I don't really need anything else." John stripped the sweat soaked t-shirt he'd had on and replaced it with a fresh one. Lisa hadn't been kidding when she'd said he'd get a challenging workout from Josh.

"I really think Josh was trying to kill me today," John pointed out to Lisa as she put away the bandages and moved his bed table closer to him in preparation for lunch.

"I told you he would," Lisa laughed. "But seriously, Colonel, he told me he thinks you're just about ready to join Kristy's afternoon aquatics therapy.

John nodded then looked up as he heard, "Boy howdy, that is not an appetizing sight, Sheppard! No wonder you're so damn skinny!"

John's eye lit up as he saw Cam Mitchell walk into the room. He deposited a bag on the chair by the door and was carrying his lunch tray.

"There is no way you can eat this crap," he continued as he put the tray on the table and rolled the table away from the bed that John was sitting up in.

Lisa saw the Colonel's eyes light up and a huge smile cross his face as this man walked in the door. She didn't know who he was but was guessing that Colonel Sheppard liked this one a whole lot more than that Colonel Everett who'd come by a month ago.

"Mitchell!" John exclaimed. "What the hell are you doing here?"

The two men shook hands and Mitchell said, "I heard you went postal and were terrorizing the nurses and figured I'd come and put a stop to that."

John rolled his eyes, complaining, "So that means that Landry already knows about my little escapade yesterday. Great!"

"Nope, I don't think he does, yet." Cam said as he pushed John's legs out of the way and practically bounced onto the end of the bed. "Your brother called Carter to see if she could come cheer you up and she called me thinking I was the better man for the job."

"Oh, nice," John cracked sarcastically, "Just delegate the crappy jobs to someone else down the line."

"Actually Sam wanted to come but she was tied up in Washington, some data analysis thing."

At this comment, John doubled over snorting with laughter.

"Okay, Sheppard, you are definitely going to have to explain that reaction. But first,…" and he looked at Lisa.

John took the hint and said, "Mitchell, meet my angel of mercy, Lisa Harrison. Lisa let me introduce you to Colonel Cameron Mitchell, United States Air Force."

"It's a pleasure to meet someone as lovely as you," he said as he took Lisa's hand in both of his.

She returned the greeting and asked, "Friend of yours, Colonel?"

"Ooh, that's right," Cam jumped in, "You're a full bird Colonel now. Guess that means you don't have to salute me anymore."

John's shoulders shook and he chuckled incredulously, "Yeah, that's exactly what I was thinking. You know what a stickler I am for protocol."

His eyes darted back to Lisa and he explained, "Mitchell and I … well I guess you could say we play the same game for the same team …he just plays on a different field."

John looked over at Cam and added, "And the big brass actually like Mitchell."

"I'm pretty sure General O'Neill likes you," Cam assured him.

"Of course he does," John agreed. "I saved his ass at least twice. The first time got me my present gig. And the second time, well, let's just say pulling O'Neill's bacon out of the fire kept Landry from enjoying the court-martial he was planning."

Cam smiled and shrugged, "Landry's not a bad guy. I'm pretty sure he thinks you're …"

"A pain in the ass," Sheppard finished.

Cam laughed and looked thoughtful. "Okay, maybe I have heard him use those words in reference to you. But seriously Sheppard, I know the guy respects what you do."

John's eyes were doubtful as he disagreed. "I may be paralyzed, Mitchell. I'm not brain dead."

Cam slapped the bed next to John's legs and declared boisterously, "That's why I'm here. Carter thought it made more sense for me to come since I've been right where you are now."

John nodded and his eyes narrowed, "That's right; I do remember something about you spending some time in rehab. That's when you got your Medal of Honor."

"Spinal damage from a 302 crash. Took about a year to get back on my feet again."

"Ouch!" Sheppard thought out loud. "So you know where I'm coming from."

"And where you're going to. And that's a field trip!" Cam announced. "Come on, Sheppard," he said as he moved the wheelchair closer to the bed, "Get your scrawny behind in this chair so we can get going."

John maneuvered himself to the edge of the bed and warned, "Don't watch. It's not the most graceful thing I've ever done."

He settled himself in the chair then winced at the sharp pain in his hands.

"What'd you do to those?" Cam asked.

"Had a little accident with a vase," John replied coyly.

Cam smirked knowingly. "A vase did that?"

"Well the broken shards of it did, after I smashed it on the floor."

John tilted his head toward Lisa. "Do I need Mom's signature on the permission slip?"

The humor in Lisa's eyes was apparent as she turned to Mitchell. "As long as you don't take him off the grounds, it's fine. But you're responsible for him. I'm on my lunch break."

"Enjoy it!" John called back as Cam rolled him toward the door and down the hall. He'd grabbed the bag he'd dropped earlier and handed it to John. John moved it closer to his face and said, "This smells suspiciously like food."

"That's cause it is," Cam replied as he backed John into the elevator. John gave a big smile and a wave to Helen and Gina, as they moved around the nurses' station, and then the doors closed.

"If you tell me this isn't mashed, minced or pureed," John looked hopeful, "I may have to marry you."

Cam hooted then replied, "How about we just eat it. The marriage thing might be a little hard to explain to my folks."

John snickered his agreement. Cam pushed him past all the benches and actually got down to the little pond John had seen from his window. Cam locked John's wheelchair, grabbed the bag from him and sat a few yards away on a grassy section under a tree.

"Now for the first part of the Cam Mitchell Therapy Session," Cam pronounced, "You want this food, you need to come get it."

"Oh, you are just plain ol' mean, you know that," John said disgusted but he ungracefully got himself out of the chair and onto the ground. While he decided if he was going to army crawl or skooch backwards, Cam took out what appeared to be a foot long sub. John's mouth watered when he saw that it was stuffed to capacity.

He kept moving toward his goal and only paused again when he heard the hiss of a can opening. His head whipped around and he saw Mitchell tipping a beer up to his mouth. He made record time in reaching him but collapsed on his back for a minute to regain the strength that he'd used to get there.

He finally managed to sit up and warn, "There better be something left for me, Mitchell, or I may have to kill you."

Cam grinned and pulled another huge sub out of the bag and handed it to John. John immediately saw a problem. He wasn't sure he'd be able to balance long enough to eat the sandwich.

Cam saw his dilemma and suggested, "If you cross your legs like this," he bent John's legs so they crossed, "you can keep your balance better. Just lean forward a little if you feel you're gonna fall."

John winced as muscles moved into positions they hadn't been in a while but he did find he could stay up without leaning on his hands.

He picked up the sub, unwrapped the end and took the biggest bite he could mange. It took almost a minute to chew and swallow but when he was done, he moaned in ecstasy. "Mitchell, there's no doubt, you are my hero!"

"I kind of figured," Cam grinned and handed John a can of beer. He cracked it open and downed almost half before he ran out of breath.

"You think it's bad to drink this with the meds they've got me on?" John asked.

Cam almost snorted beer out his nose at the question. "You're worried about that now?"

"Yeah, you're right," John said and he took another sip.

As John devoured the sandwich, Mitchell filled him in on the dealings of Stargate Command.

"So with Sam in D.C. and Walter on vacation," Cam finished up his story, "no one knew how the hell to operate the thing. I can tell you, Landry was pretty pissed."

John nodded as he rewrapped the unfinished half of his sandwich. He'd eaten so little in the past few months, he couldn't finish it all.

"I personally think Walter likes to have some things that only he can do," Cam continued, "just so he's indispensible."

John smiled. "McKay does stuff like that. He tells everyone he's the only one brilliant enough to be able to do something and then he waits for us to beg him to do it."

Cam rolled his eyes and handed John another beer. "So is that when you pull out the lemon?"

"Sometimes," John agreed. "But lately Chuck, Amelia, Zalenka and I have been hacking into Rodney's files and making copies of some of the procedures that he's so possessive of. It drives him absolutely nuts when I tell him I figured out how to do something on my own."

"I can imagine it would," Cam said. "How do you put up with that man anyway? I think Jackson's fairly hard to understand at times but McKay, he pretty much boggles the mind."

"He grows on you," John admitted. "And I gotta say, he comes in handy at times. You just have to know how to handle him. I'm wondering how Rodney's dealing with this new guy they sent to replace me. Lorne's worked with Rodney a long time. He's picked up a few of my tricks. But this Colonel Armstrong … you know anything about him?"

"Met him a few times," Cam said. "Typical gung-ho, by the book Marine."

"That's what I'm afraid of," John said. "McKay can't stand that type. I'm not sure how cooperative he'll be."

John turned as he heard someone come up behind him.

"Hey," Lisa greeted, "It's just about time for your afternoon PT, Colonel. I'm sorry."

"No, no, no, no," Cam objected. "Sheppard's gonna do the Cam Mitchell brand of therapy today. See, I already got him to sit up by himself for an entire meal, and not with a chair back."

Lisa's eyes narrowed, "That is good actually. Are you really going to work with him?"

"Of course I am, darlin'. He'll get a better, more useful workout with me, I promise," Cam insisted.

"Okay," Lisa gave in. "I suppose I could tell Josh that you're getting a military check-up this afternoon."

"Thank you, Lisa. I owe you," John told her. "And while I'm owing you, could you possibly do me a favor?"

John asked her to put the rest of his sandwich in the fridge and smuggle it out to him at dinner time. She laughed, took the wrapped leftovers and said she expected to see some exercise.

Mitchell got down on all fours and instructed, "Twenty push-ups, Sheppard. And ten bucks says I can do them faster."

John rolled onto his stomach and put his hands on the ground. "Twenty bucks says I can do more. Lisa, give us a start."

Lisa chuckled and said, "Ready … begin."

Cam and John both started pumping out push-ups at an extraordinary rate so Lisa just waved and walked back up to the building with the rest of John's lunch.

John kept cranking out push-ups but noticed Mitchell's eyes darting in the direction Lisa had left. "She gone yet?" John panted.

Cam's head perked up and he pushed out a few more repetitions before he stated, "She's inside."

Both men collapsed in unison and lay there breathing heavy for a few minutes.

"Pretty sure I did more than you," floated out from John whose face was still planted firmly in the grass.

Cam pushed himself up on his elbows and countered, "And I'm pretty sure I did 'em faster than you."

John rolled over onto his back and held his heavily bandaged hands up. "I've got thirty stitches in my hands and I'm paralyzed. You want to take my money, go ahead. I hope your conscience lets you sleep at night."

"You are good at playing the guilt card, aren't you, Sheppard?"

John put his hands behind his head, closed his eyes and smirked, "Damn straight."

Over the next few hours the two pilots spent the time swapping war stories and comparing aircraft, each trying to outdo the other in the number of different types they'd flown.

"Well, I haven't gone solo yet, but I've co-piloted a Goa'uld Al'kesh with Teal'c. Have you managed that one yet, Sheppard?"

John shook his head, "Gotta give you that one, Mitchell, we don't get too many of those in Pegasus. But let's see," his eyes lit up with mischief, "I fly an Ancient Puddlejumper almost daily when I'm on Atlantis, the occasional Wraith dart and oh, yeah, there were those Ancient Warships we managed to obtain, however briefly. Oh, those puppies were sweet. They just read your mind and did what you wanted them to do, if you've got the right touch," he lifted his hand hinting at the gene you needed to use to fly them. "Then let's not forget that I've actually flown the city of Atlantis a few times." He gave a whistle and watched Cam's grin disappear.

"Okay, Sheppard, you win. I know when I'm beat," Cam admitted then pushed John on his back and grabbed his feet.

"Let's keep those sit-ups coming, Sheppard!" Cam ordered and flicked his eyes up the walkway.

John got the message, put his hands behind his head and started swinging his body up and back down, chanting, "twenty-five, twenty-six, twenty-seven…"

"Four, five, six,…" Lisa contradicted as she sat down near the two men with a knowing smile on her face.

John stopped the sit-ups and claimed, "That was my third set, you just missed the first two."

"Mm hmm," Lisa mused. "Actually I came out here for a few reasons. First, Helen sends her thanks. They've had a few problems to deal with today and my being free gave them an extra set of hands. And second," she looked straight at Cam, "both Gina and Tammy want to know if your friend here is single and available?"

John laughed and Cam looked somewhat embarrassed. "Well, Mitchell, one's blonde and one's brunette, take your pick."

Cam cleared his throat and addressed Lisa, "If I didn't spend most of my time in Colorado Springs, I might be tempted. But as I need to head out shortly and I don't know when I'll be back this way again, I think I'll pass for now. But what? Sheppard's not good enough?"

"I'm a patient. It's like fraternizing with a subordinate."

Cam shook his head in understanding. Lisa stood back up and said, "I'm gonna go keep myself busy inside if you don't need me."

"Actually," Cam got up too. "I've got one more therapy for Sheppard to work those legs he's so worried about. Help me move him so his back's to that tree."

They both grabbed John under an arm and moved him. Cam sat down facing him and put his feet against John's. He then started moving closer so John's knees were bent a bit. "You have to push against my legs as hard as you can," Cam instructed.

John gave a crooked grin. "My brother and I used to play this game. We pushed until one of us fell off the bed. As Dave was always taller and heavier, I usually lost."

"But you never gave up, did you?" Cam surmised.

"Nope," John agreed. "But I also cheated a lot."

"Have fun boys!" Lisa called as she headed up the walkway toward the building.

At first, John thought this exercise would be pointless since he had so little control over his legs right now, but he was wrong. He was surprised to find he could push against Mitchell's legs, even if just slightly, and it gave him hope that maybe walking again wasn't out of reach.

They spent more time discussing their jobs and colleagues and Cam shared some of the thoughts he'd had during his rehab. John always dreaded conversations that dealt with feelings and emotions. But he had to admit that hearing Mitchell talk about being scared to death he wouldn't walk again made John's fears okay. He even admitted that he was pretty freaked out by the whole ordeal.

"But I think the worst part," John sighed, "was being bathed and dressed and fed like a damned infant. You feel completely useless and it's so demoralizing."

"It sucks, that's for sure," Cam agreed. "But you're on your way, Sheppard. And you're such a tenacious bastard that I know you'll make it. Just so you can be a thorn in Landry's side again."

John chuckled but thought Landry and the IOA would be exactly who he'd have to prove himself to. He didn't look forward to that.

Cam launched into another story, this one about rescuing Vala from kidnappers and it had John almost rolling with laughter at the image of Vala, the former Goa'uld System Lord K'Tesh, in a little waitress outfit serving greasy burgers in a diner.

"So the rest of the team walks in and I'm lying there, my uninjured arm handcuffed to the bed, in just my skivvies. I've got the remote in my other hand and a pile of half eaten junk food piled next to me. Not my finest moment, I can tell you."

The picture in John's mind doubled him over laughing and he actually fell back on the ground, the chuckles still emanating from his mouth.

"You look like you're having fun," Dave Sheppard commented as he strolled up next to his brother. John attempted to quell his laughter but the three beers he'd had over the past few hours had muddled his thinking slightly and made him a tiny bit giddy.

"Hey, Dave," John greeted. "You're here early." He attempted to sit up and finally managed when Cam extended his hand and pulled him up.

John introduced the two men and said, "I should be pissed at you for calling Carter, but she sent Mitchell here and … I'm okay with that. So …thanks."

Dave was unsure what a good response would be so he simply said, "You're welcome."

"Hey listen, Sheppard, it's been a blast this afternoon, but I really gotta go. Duty calls and all that." He grabbed John's wheelchair and moved it closer.

Dave and Cam helped John get into it and Dave asked, "So you work for the Stargate program, too. Travelling to other planets?"

They gathered up the trash and started up toward the building. "Yeah, I'm not a big Military Commander of an off-world base like your brother here, but I get around." Cam quipped.

"When you save the galaxy a few times like Mitchell here," John said, "you earn a little clout. Don't let him make you think otherwise."

When they approached the building, Cam announced it was time to go. John shook his hand again. "I really appreciate your coming, Mitchell. It helped a lot. It really did."

"Whatever I can do. And here, call me anytime." He handed John a card with phone numbers on it.

Dave shook Cam's hand also then wheeled John inside. Once in the elevator, Dave said, "Carter told me this Mitchell guy would probably be more help to you. So you knew him already?"

"Yeah, we've worked together a few times. He's a good guy. But Carter sent him because he spent a year in rehab learning how to walk again after spinal damage from a 302 crash."

Dave nodded in understanding but remained silent until they got to John's room.

"I brought you a little something I hoped might help you a bit." He moved toward the bed and picked up a laptop that was lying there.

"This is for you. It's got everything you need; a webcam and software to send and receive videos. And this," he pointed to a small device plugged into the side, "hooks you up to the Internet. I know the computer in the rec room's a little slow and not as well equipped.

John took the laptop and started scrolling through the menus. "Nice!" he commented, "Thanks Dave. You left work early to bring me this?"

"Sort of," Dave replied. "I wanted to give you this and make sure you were having a better day."

"Much better day," John assured him.

"Good! Julia's meeting me shortly and we're having dinner. We thought we'd visit after. But I wanted to make sure it was okay with you first."

John was floored that Dave had put someone other than himself first.

"I'd love to see Julia again," John informed him. "It's been a few weeks since I've seen her."

At Dave's nervous expression, John moaned. "Oh God! Tell me she wasn't here yesterday."

Dave just pasted on a big smile that brought John no comfort at all. "She's seen me delirious with fever and having a psychotic breakdown. What kind of show would she like tonight?"

Dave laughed. "I'm sure she'd be happy with just your company."

"Okay," John said. "But no guarantees."

Dave clapped John on the shoulder and said, "I'm gonna leave unless you need something."

John shook his head and turned his attention back to the computer in his lap. "I think I'm gonna use this to send a few messages to Atlantis. I'll see you in a bit."

Dave left and John spent the next hour cobbling together some videos and finishing his sandwich that Lisa smuggled back in for him. When he was done he decided to get on the bed. Even without the afternoon PT, he'd still worked hard today and his back was getting a little sore. And he hadn't had his afternoon massage today.

It felt good to relax on the mattress and he actually fell asleep for a short while until Dave and Julia showed up.

"He's already asleep," John heard subconsciously then another voice say, "It's only 6:30. He must have been tired. We'll come back tomorrow."

At the last comment, John finally got his eyes open and called out, "Dave, don't go. I'm awake.

Dave and Julia turned around and came back in. Julia moved to the bed and said, "Hi John, we didn't mean to wake you." She gave him a kiss on the cheek and sat on the end of the bed. Dave pulled a chair over and sat down also.

John rubbed his freshly rebandaged hands over his eyes and shook his head a bit. "No, no, it's okay. I knew you were coming. I usually take a nap after lunch," he rolled his eyes showing how ridiculous he thought it was that he needed one. "But with Mitchell here today, that didn't happen."

"If you're too tired, we can come back tomorrow," Dave offered.

"I'm fine Dave, really." John assured his brother. "If you'd let me sleep any later, I'd wake up at four. And there's really no one fun to play with at that time."

Julia smiled. "Dave told me you looked like you were having fun this afternoon. Someone you knew came to visit."

"Cam Mitchell," John answered. "We do … a lot of the same kind of stuff, only he works out of the command center here in the States and I'm at an outpost."

Julia's eyes looked hopeful. "Have you ever thought about seeing if you could work back in the States? You've put in enough time, haven't you?"

"Yeah, I've paid my dues," John grinned. "I could probably write my ticket to any Air Force base in the country. But the thing is Julia, I like where I am. I think I'm making a difference and doing some good there. Or I was until…" John's face fell and his eyes moved to his motionless legs. John shrugged and added, "Now who knows."

"But you've been making such great progress," Julia encouraged.

"John's afraid he won't progress all the way to military standards," Dave interjected.

Julia reached over and took one of John's hands. "Well, Dave and I will do anything we can to help you, you know that don't you?"

John squeezed the hand holding his and said, Thanks."

"Speaking of us helping you," Dave brought up, "Julia and I have been talking and I spoke with Lisa earlier today, and we wanted to run something by you."

John perked up curiously, "Okay."

"You're at the point now where you don't need someone doing basic care for you. Lisa says you can shower, eat, dress and even get in and out of the chair by yourself," Dave stated and John just nodded so he continued, "So we were thinking you should stay back at the house with us and just come in during the day for your therapies."

Dave looked curiously at John to see what his reaction was. There wasn't much of one. John was wearing his Patrick Sheppard poker face. His eyes narrowed slightly and he checked, "You're serious about this?"

At Dave's nod, John asked further, "So how would I get here and back every day?"

Dave just smirked, "I think I can probably manage a car and driver to get you here and home again. I can even bring you myself if I don't have an important meeting at the time."

"You're really serious about this!" John repeated, amazement written all over his face.

"We're serious about this," Julia clarified. "We thought you'd feel more comfortable in familiar surroundings and family near you every night."

"Would you rather stay here?" Dave questioned.

"God, no!" John declared. "I'd love to get out of here. I just don't want to be in your way."

"Come one, John," Dave chuckled, "You know the ranch is huge. I figured we'd put you in one of the rooms past the den. The ones Dad had fixed up for Mom when she uh … you know … at the end."

John nodded uncomfortably and Julia stepped in, seeing that both men remained quiet. "Both bedrooms and the bath are wheelchair accessible and on the first floor. And that second bedroom can be used if we need to get you some assistance."

"I'll be fine on my own," confirmed John. "Are you living there now?"

Julia's eyes glittered with mischief. "We're not married yet, John. That wouldn't be proper now, would it?"

Dave's snort told the real story. "Only three quarters of her wardrobe is taking up space in my closet. But no, she's not living there."

"David Sheppard, don't you be fresh to me!" Julia warned her eyes still sparkling.

Dave's eyes took on a similar gleam and he confessed, "Never! You know how much I love you."

"Ooh, you so got out of that one," John praised. "Used the L-word and everything and in front of someone else."

"You will definitely be rewarded tonight," Julia promised.

John cringed. "And that's why maybe I should stay here."

"No!" both of them cried and Julia continued, "I promise I'll behave and you know your brother will. And we'll give you real food, solid food." Julia put on her best pair of pleading eyes and John relented.

"Okay. But just make sure if you two decide to run around the house naked or something, you'll give me a little notice so I can lock myself in my room."

"Oh, absolutely," Julia guaranteed and she patted John on the knee. Dave just shook his head and lowered it into his hands.

"He's a little puritanical," John advised.

"You're telling me," Julia conceded. "You'd think we committed a mortal sin when we did it on his desk at work."

Dave's head shot up and he squawked, "Julia!"

John roared at the sight of his brother's face and the oh-so-calm and serene one of his fiancée who was lifting her chin and daring Dave to actually get mad at her. Oh this woman was so good for his staid and dignified older brother.

John was about to make a comment when a sharp pain spiked up his back. He sucked in a deep breath and squeezed his eyes shut, willing the pain to recede quickly. When it didn't, he let a few shallow breaths out between his clenched teeth and held his breath one more time. He'd had this happen a few times since he'd been here and knew it could get really bad.

Julia was the first one to notice the pain on John's face even though he was doing his best to hide it.

"John! What's wrong?" Dave now noticed his brother holding himself very still with his fists clenched tightly at his sides. He stood up and leaned over John.

"John!" Dave cried again concern etched in every corner of his face. "What is it? Where's the pain?"

John got his eyes open but Dave could see they were tortured and his teeth were clenched so hard he wasn't sure he could get any words out.

A few more short breaths and the word, "back," whistled between his lips.

Julia grabbed one of John's hands and Dave grabbed the other. Both of them looked at each other in wonder at the strength John was using to squeeze their hands.

"Has this happened before?" Julia questioned.

John managed a quick nod of his head and tried several times before the word, "spasms" found its way to the surface.

Dave was panicked and declared, "I'm going to find someone to help him," and he sprinted out of the room.

Julia kept holding his hand firmly and encouraging, "You're going to be fine. David went to find someone to assist you. We're here for you. Don't worry."

It took a few minutes but Dave finally came back in with a nurse in tow. She moved swiftly to the bed, did a quick examination as she asked him a few questions. She looked at Dave and instructed, "I need a cup with water and a straw. No, you can stay right there," she told Julia as she started to move out of the way.

"Colonel, I need you to take some medication. It'll help ease the muscle spasms and the pain." She pulled two blister packs from her pocket as Dave brought the water over. She got the pills in John's mouth along with the straw then started taking his vital signs.

Dave stood at the foot of the bed watching his brother try valiantly to mask his pain. "Do you know what's happening to him and what did you give him?"

The nurse started recording data in his chart and responded, "The Colonel occasionally gets muscle spasms in his back. It's just a byproduct of the trauma he sustained. We have standing orders to administer Carisoprodol, which is a muscle relaxant and Vicodin for the pain. He should start feeling some relief soon. If it doesn't seem to be getting any better in the next fifteen or twenty minutes, come get me again, okay."

"Absolutely," Dave agreed. "Thank you for the quick response."

Julia reached for Dave's hand with her right while still holding John's in her left. She kept up a running banter of encouragement and support while John stoically tried to say he was fine in between holding his breath and gritting his teeth.

After about ten minutes, John's breathing became more regular and his face slightly more relaxed. As Dave started to relax a bit himself, he touched Julia's shoulder and said, "John wondered what he could plan for you tonight. He'd already given you the delirious fever and the psychotic episode. How do you think this one rates?"

Julia slapped playfully at Dave's hand and addressed John, "How about we get you more comfortable. You look like you might nod off soon."

She started pulling off his shoes and socks while Dave got the sheets out from under him. When he was settled under them and his eyes kept fluttering, Dave asked, "Are you feeling any better?"

"Yeah," John said, "Much." But Dave could still see John flinch every now and then.

"Listen, John," Dave got his attention, "I was thinking we could move you to the house on Sunday. That would give me tomorrow to make sure we're all ready for you there. Would that be okay with you?"

John nodded, "I'd really like that, Dave, thanks. And you, too, Julia. I appreciate it. I'll be ready."

Dave clapped John on the shoulder a few times. "We'll let you sleep now. See you on Sunday."

Julia leaned down and kissed his cheek. As she did she whispered in his ear, "The other shows were better. We didn't get to take your shirt off for this one." And she gave him a saucy wink. John barely had the energy to laugh but he did have a big smile on his face as they left his room.

.

.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

.

Maybe I can make lunch to bring with me," John wondered out loud as he pushed at the half eaten meal and moved the table away from the bed. He leaned his head back against the pillows and was about to recline the top of the bed, when a voice broke the silence.

"I'm not disturbing you, am I, Colonel?"

John opened his eyes to see Dr. Lambert, not only coming through the door but closing it as well. "Nothing to worry about, Colonel, just thought you'd like some privacy while we chat."

Before John could say that they had nothing to chat about, Lambert held up a piece of paper. "I got this hand delivered today after I received a phone call at home. You see I don't usually work Saturdays."

John's eyes narrowed as he asked, "And that is?"

Lambert put the letter on the bed next to John and said, "That's the official authorization saying I now have Security Clearance to talk to you. Of course I had to sign a mile high stack of non-disclosure agreements to get it. And that was after I got a personal phone call from an Air Force General named …" and as he searched his memory for the name John said a quick prayer that it would be O'Neill.

"Landry, yes that was it. Hank Landry." At John's grimace, Lambert said, "I take it you know him?"

"Yeah," John acknowledged, "But I still don't have anything to say to you."

"I've heard that you're a very private person, Colonel, and I respect that. But General Landry and a few other military personnel seemed to think you would benefit from some counseling, especially after the incident on Thursday."

"Great!" John muttered, "so I can be discharged with a Section 8."

"No one thinks you're crazy, Colonel," he admonished. "But you've been through, and are still going through, a very traumatic event. And you military types are used to dealing with your stress and frustration by using physical outlets. Well, you have limitations on that right now and that in itself, I'm sure, is causing more stress."

"That obvious, huh?" John said.

Lambert chuckled. "I told you I'd been in the military for a while, back in '91. I got to know the military mind pretty well. But I'm just here to give you that outlet you need. I know you're not happy about talking to me, but you might find it helps."

"Right," John seemed unconvinced. "I spill my guts and you type it up all neatly and send it off to Landry. Very reassuring."

"Actually, Colonel, you can spill all you want but General Landry doesn't hear about any of it," Lambert contradicted. "My oath says I can't tell another soul what you've said to me. Everything is completely confidential. And remember, I don't work for the military."

John looked confused for a moment. "Then why did they give you clearance to talk to me?"

"Apparently they thought of sending someone else over but they didn't have anyone close by who could work with you for any length of time. With my military record, I was the next best thing."

John's eyes were still wary so Lambert continued, "Landry said if you still didn't cooperate, I could pull out the big guns."

"Let me guess," John gave a half hearted grin. "Landry's making it a direct order."

Lambert chuckled, "He thought it might come to that with you."

"Did he also tell you I have a history of disobeying direct orders?" John took in a deep breath. "Everything's confidential, huh?" he clarified. "So, if I tell you Landry's a tight ass, I'm not gonna get court martialed?"

"No, Colonel. But I think you misjudge this General Landry a bit. He insisted that you were vital to the success of their basic mission and he needed you back healthy, both physically and mentally."

"Really?" John still appeared dubious but replied, "Fine, what do you want to talk about?"

Lambert pulled a chair closer to the bed and said, "Well, like I told you Colonel, I don't usually work on Saturdays but since I'm here now anyway, why don't we spend a little time getting to know each other. We can figure out how often we want to meet and when a bit later."

"Well, you know I'm busting out of here tomorrow, right?"

At Lambert's raised eyebrows, John explained, "I'm going to be staying at my brother's and just coming here during the day for my therapies."

"Ahh, and how do you feel about that?" Lambert questioned.

John just chuckled, "Oh, yeah, we're not going there, yet. But I will say it will be nice to have a bit more privacy, no nurses walking in to check on you every half hour. And the real food I'll get to eat is a big plus."

Lambert snickered and his eyes moved around the room trying to find something the Colonel would talk about. His eyes rested on the pictures. "So tell me about the people in those."

John picked up the first one and proudly said, "This is my team." He pointed out each person. "Rodney, Ronon, me," he smirked, "and this is Teyla."

Lambert just smiled and nodded, "You care for them a great deal."

"They're my team," John emphasized, like that was explanation enough.

"How long have you been together?"

"Six years."

Lambert's eyes got wider. "You've all been together for six years? That's a heck of a long time."

"Well, Ronon's only been with us for five," John clarified. "We lost someone the first year, and no, I don't want to talk about him."

"Okay, why don't you tell me about the other picture."

John picked up the other picture and a tiny smile automatically appeared on his face. "This is T.J., he's Teyla's son."

Lambert was surprised, "He's not your son?"

John paused for a second, then monotoned, "No."

But Lambert had seen enough. The Colonel had tried to keep his face impassive but there had been emotion in his eyes and Lambert recognized it as regret. But he figured the Colonel would clam up if he pushed the issue so he went in another direction.

"T.J. What do the initials stand for?"

Sheppard was still staring at the picture as he responded, "Torren John."

"Torren, is that his father's name?"

John shook his head, "It was Teyla's father."

"And is the John, after you?"

Lambert noticed Sheppard's face and eyes soften at this question and one side of his lip lifted slightly. "Yeah."

"You know," Lambert said, "There are some people here who have the impression that he is your son."

John made a face and rolled his eyes as he defended, "I never actually told anyone that. But when I was first here, I couldn't really say a whole lot, so …"

"So people made assumptions and it was too difficult to try and communicate otherwise," Lambert finished for him.

John shrugged and said, "It's not like anyone here is ever gonna meet him."

"But he means enough to you to be upset that you missed his birthday Thursday," Lambert surmised.

John looked up from the picture and explained, "He's only two. He doesn't understand why I'm not there."

"I'm sure that's very frustrating for you. And not being able to see his mother, she means as much to you as the boy," Lambert guessed.

John gave a nod, "She's a member of my team."

"I understand that, Colonel. And I know your team means the world to you. But my guess is that Teyla means a little more than that."

Before John could attempt a denial Lambert informed him, "When you were introducing your male teammates to me, you said their names in a good, solid voice with warmth and caring. But when you said Teyla's name, both times, her name came out softer, almost like a caress. I'm sure you're completely unaware of doing it."

Lambert figured Sheppard would attempt another denial but instead the pilot was looking at him like he'd performed voodoo magic.

So he chuckled, "No, Colonel, I can't read your mind but I can read your body language and interpret your facial expressions and notice other minute details that give me insight into what you're thinking and feeling. They say the eyes are the windows to the soul. Your eyes, Colonel, are like huge picture windows, very easy to see into."

"Great!" John muttered. "I'll just have to remember to keep the blinds drawn when you're around."

Lambert chuckled again. This Sheppard was an extremely interesting man. He was looking forward to delving deeper into what made him tick. For now, he'd just try for a little more basic information.

"You know, Colonel, travel around the world these days isn't so difficult. It's not inconceivable that arrangements could be made for your friends to visit."

A sparkle came into John's eyes at that comment and he thought, now's where the fun, and that Security Clearance, begins.

"You're right. If they were on this world," John said cryptically. "But you never asked me where I've been stationed. You see, Doc, for the last six years, I haven't been on this world. Heck, I haven't even been in this galaxy."

.

.

xoxoxoxox xoxoxoxox xoxoxoxox

.

As the Volvo wagon pulled up the long driveway, John had a twinge of dread. He had to remind himself that things were different now. This wasn't him, coming home to a first class lecture from his father on how he'd let him down with his total disregard for responsibility and authority. His father was no longer here.

And that brought the twinge of regret. Regret that they had never resolved their battles. Regret that he'd been a huge disappointment to the man. Regret that his father had died not knowing that John had actually done some good in his life, that he had changed. Maybe not into what his father wanted him to be but certainly into much more than he'd ever thought he was.

He transferred himself into the wheelchair Dave had pulled out of the back and started rolling toward the door. He still wasn't sure if this was the right decision. This house held lots of memories for him and the most recent ones were not that great.

But he knew if he dug back far enough in his mind, he'd find some great ones. Like when his Mom had still been alive. She'd made everything great.

He paused in front of the door while Dave and Julia got his bag and took one last deep breath in. The door suddenly opened and a voice rang out, "Are you coming in or staying out? Make a decision."

John couldn't believe his ears or his eyes as he looked through the door. "Josie!" he cried, "Holy Crap! I didn't know you were still here."

The woman took a few steps out the door and shook her head. "And your language hasn't improved any in twenty years, young man!"

John reached up and put his arms around the woman who had helped raise him once his Mom had died. God, she must be close to seventy by now he thought then laughed, "Josie, I haven't been a young man in close to twenty years."

Josephine Stearns had come to work for the Sheppard family shortly after their mother had died. She'd taken care of the house, laundry, shopping, dinner and to a certain degree, the boys. John had been fourteen at the time and didn't think he needed a babysitter anymore. But Josephine, or Josie as he'd liked to call her, had been more than that.

She'd been his shoulder when he missed his Mom too much. She'd been his sounding board when his father had been too controlling. And she'd been a silent supporter of his desire to join the Air Force. She'd been the only one to encourage that dream and she'd been the one to help him with his application and letters of recommendation for the Air Force Academy. She'd been the only one who celebrated with him when he'd gotten his acceptance letter. But they'd never let his father know how much she'd done. She had desperately needed the job and Patrick Sheppard would not have been happy.

"I can't believe you're still here. You look great!" John said.

"And you need a haircut and a shave," she scolded back but with the twinkle in her eyes that he knew meant she wasn't all that serious.

Julia and Josephine helped get him over the threshold and Dave dropped the bag on the floor behind him.

"Why didn't you tell me Josie was still here?" John addressed Dave.

But Josephine answered, "I've only been coming one or two days a week lately. I haven't needed to come much more. David here, is almost never home to make much of a mess. But with you coming I figured I'd be needed a bit more. You were never one to be neat and tidy."

"You'd be surprised what twenty years in the military can do," John laughed.

At Josie's doubtful glance, Dave confirmed, "I stayed in his quarters when I went to get him on base. They were spotless."

Julia took this time to interrupt. "Why don't we get John settled into his room and we can all catch up at dinner. You are staying for dinner, aren't you, Josephine?'

"Well, you know I don't normally, but …" and the pleading look in John's eyes made her decision, "I guess I have a little catching up to do."

Josie excused herself to check on dinner and Julia and Dave moved John down another hall past the office and the den and came to the few rooms at the end.

"I put you in this one," Dave said as he walked into the room on the left and deposited the bag near the dresser. "It's a bit bigger and has a view of the pool and stables. I hope that's all right."

John looked around the room and noted the differences since he'd been in here last. Painted walls, new carpet, different furniture, but it was still the room his Mom had died in.

The intense emotions flooded over him for a minute but then he noticed something sitting in the middle of the bed that helped him gain control. John started chuckling uncontrollably and finally put his head in his hands and took a deep breath.

"Where in the world did you find that?" he said as he stared at the once-white stuffed bunny that was lying against a pillow.

"It was in a box in the attic," Dave informed him as he picked up the toy and handed it to John.

"I thought he was nuts putting that here," Julia commented, "But he said you'd appreciate it."

John stared at the stuffed animal in his hands nostalgically and nodded. "We talked about this last year when we met in San Francisco. I didn't think we actually still had it."

"Julia and I have been going through a bunch of stuff stored in the attic, trying to clear some room for her …stuff." Dave caught himself from saying the word 'junk' because he knew he'd end up paying for that one.

"You might want to go through some of it," Dave suggested. "It's amazing what Mom saved. I'd forgotten about half of the stuff in there. But when I saw Foo Foo, I knew I had to show you."

Julia's eyebrows rose as John groaned and closed his eyes. "Foo Foo? Your big, strong military brother had a stuffed rabbit named Foo Foo?"

John looked up with a pained expression on his face and defended, "It was Little Bunny Foo-Foo. You know, hopping through the forest, scooping up the field mice and bopping them on the head. You know, the song."

Julia shook her head laughing and moved to start putting John's things away in the dresser. John rolled over to the sliding glass door, opened it and practiced rolling back and forth onto the patio. Easy enough.

"Mom used to like sitting out there when she could. I think that's why Dad had that door installed," Dave shared with Julia.

Julia held up the two pictures John had gotten from Teyla and asked, "Where?"

"Next to the bed." There was no hesitation in his answer.

Josie appeared in the doorway and announced the food was ready.

Once settled at the kitchen table, Josie insisted they say grace then they all dug in. When everyone had taken a few bites, Josie put down her fork and said to John," I'm real sorry about what happened to you, honey. It's a terrible thing."

"But there's no reason to think that he won't have a complete recovery," Dave jumped in.

John flashed a smile at his brother, appreciating the support. Dave knew what some of his fears were and was trying to allay them. John pierced a meatball with his fork and claimed, "Now that I'm getting real food, I might have the strength to work harder."

"Just don't overdo it, John," Dave warned seriously. "Your therapists say you've been pushing yourself fairly hard since you've been here."

"I know," John admitted. "But sitting around isn't my style. I like to be where the action is."

"And where exactly has that action been?" Josie inquired. "The last we heard you were in Antarctica, six years ago. And then, nothing. You know sometimes your father used to listen to the news with a map in front of him. He'd hear about the fighting in some place or an incident in another and he'd check the map to see exactly where it was. It used to drive him crazy that he didn't even know where you were."

John's jaw tensed and his eyes stared intensely at his plate. "Yet he never made one attempt to contact me to find out," he accused.

"Your father was an extremely proud man," Josie admitted. "Often too proud, I thought."

The room grew silent as everyone suddenly focused on putting food in their mouth. Julia felt more than a little uncomfortable. She'd only met Patrick Sheppard a few times before he died and she hadn't started seeing David until after. She'd seen though, that he could be a tough character and she imagined he'd been more than a little tough on his sons.

She'd worked long and hard, heck she was still working long and hard, to get David to loosen up a bit. And she was making some gains but where David was uptight, John seemed so laid back. Except now, of course, where she could feel the pain of dejection pouring off him.

She didn't know the whole story behind the rift, just the book jacket summary that David had given her. John had joined the Air Force against his father's wishes and the rift had started. But when his required eight years were up and he'd stayed in the Air Force, instead of joining the company, the rift had split wide open. And David had been stuck right in the middle.

David didn't talk too much about his feelings, apparently a Sheppard trait, but he'd vocalized enough at different times to her to get a feel for his emotions.

She knew he'd been worried at the time of the funeral that John would show up demanding a good portion of the inheritance. And this she had only known because he had sought her advice as a lawyer on what he could do about it, if it happened.

But within weeks his opinion had changed and he'd become almost fixated on his brother's well-being. And then ten months ago, after a visit with John in San Francisco, David had actually started loosening up without her express effort. And when David talked about John after that, it was always in a softer more caring way.

The transformation of John, in her mind, from money grubbing opportunist to cherished brother had her eager to meet him. And now that she had, she was still bewildered. The picture that Dave painted of the action adventure hero was very different from the fevered, almost emotional and physical wreck she'd seen a few times.

She knew it wasn't fair to make judgments while John was in a weakened state and she was very much looking forward to seeing him grow stronger and become himself again. And she was glad she could be here while the relationship between the brothers, hopefully, grew strong again.

The silence had stretched on long enough so she decided to break it. "So, John, what can you tell us about where you've been stationed? David wouldn't tell me anything more than it was utterly amazing. I'm guessing it's not a tent in the middle of the desert."

Dave and John looked at each other and Dave prompted, "Might as well tell them now. They'll be ticked if that news special comes out and they didn't know."

John shrugged and said, "Mitchell told me the military has that tied up with about a hundred miles of red tape." John smirked, "It could be another month or more before they fight their way through it. But you're right, we should tell them …even though they'll never believe us. And you can't tell anyone, at least not yet." This last comment was aimed at the two women.

Julia rolled her eyes and quipped, "What…have you been stationed on the moon?"

"I told you she was a smart cookie," Dave confirmed and John grinned.

Julia's eyes grew wide in disbelief and she said, "You haven't been stationed on the moon, … have you?"

"No," John quickly denied then added, "not our moon anyway."

He and Dave both chuckled and Josie scolded, "Boys, stop teasing the poor girl and just tell us where you've been."

"Okay," John began, "for the past six years, I've been stationed in …Atlantis."

"Atlantis?" both women repeated and Julia stated, "I don't know what that's code for."

"It's not a code," John claimed. "I've been stationed in the city of Atlantis."

"Right," Julia refuted sounding almost like Dave. "The city of Atlantis, mythical city of ancient times, filled with advanced technology, sitting in the middle of the ocean. Only problem with that is, Atlantis sunk into the ocean over 10,000 years ago."

"Yeah," John agreed, "and luckily it had a force field holding the ocean back so the city was intact when we got there." John's eyes lit up, "I gotta tell you it was pretty cool looking out the windows and seeing the whole place under water. It was kind of freaky, too, especially once the force field started to fail. Too many of us there overtaxed the power grid. I'm not gonna tell you I wasn't scared when it looked like the shield was failing completely and we were all about to drown. But those Ancients knew what they were doing and built a fail-safe so when the shields failed, the city just popped to the surface like a cork."

Josie and Julia were staring at John like he had three heads.

"You and those stories you make up, John Sheppard," reprimanded Josie.

John's mouth opened and closed again for a second then he sputtered, "I couldn't make up anything that good, believe me."

Julia looked at Dave who confirmed, "Atlantis, the most amazing place you've ever seen with technology you can't even imagine."

Julia still looked skeptical as she interrogated, "And it's just floating in what, the middle of the Atlantic Ocean?"

Dave and John just looked at each other again and John took a deep breath before he continued, "Atlantis isn't on Earth, at least not anymore. It's in another galaxy, the Pegasus Galaxy."

Julia looked at John, not sure how far he would take a joke. But she could tell David was deadly serious and he had been completely stunned when he'd returned from getting John. He'd said he couldn't talk about it at that point but that the scope of it would completely blow her mind.

Well, her mind was completely blown, if John was telling the truth. She still didn't know him well enough to figure that out. But now another question nagged at her.

"You went to get John and were back within a week. How'd you get there, a space ship, with hyper drive?"

"No, even in hyperspace a ship would take you at least three weeks, one way," John disclosed. "So we mostly take the direct route through the Stargate."

"The Stargate?" Julia parroted as her eyes darted back and forth between David and his brother.

"This thing is extraordinary!" Dave enthused. "You've got to see it. It's this huge ring that forms a wormhole and brings you to another planet."

"Another Stargate, actually," John corrected. "Some of the Stargates in Pegasus are space gates and are only accessible if you're in a ship small enough to go through them. You don't want to make the mistake of walking through a gate if the other end is a space gate."

Julia was still looking completely befuddled so John gave her a quick history and technical lesson on the Stargates and how they found Atlantis. Her eyes kept getting larger until John thought they might pop right out of her head. He figured he might need to tone it down until she could digest everything he'd already fed her.

But all of a sudden, her head whipped toward John and she gasped, "Teyla? David said your friend, Teyla, was local to where you were stationed. Does that mean she's … an alien?"

John shook his head. "Teyla's as human as you and me, mostly. She's just from another planet."

Dave got a strange look on his face and admitted, "I never even thought of that. I've actually met someone from another planet."

"A few actually," John corrected. "You met Ronon a few years ago. He's from a planet called Sateda. And then T.J.'s also Athosian."

At Julia's confused look he clarified, "Teyla's from the planet Athos, she's Athosian, although T.J.'s never actually been on the planet Athos since it was pretty much decimated before he was born. Teyla's people are now on another planet they've named New Athos."

Josie was just sitting there, taking it all in. John knew her well enough to know she had a very open mind and was more willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. But she'd probably require some proof at some point.

Julia was still wearing a look of disbelief although you could see the wheels in her mind still turning.

"I thought they were nuts, too," Dave remarked, "until they turned it on and this shimmering pool appeared inside this ring."

John chuckled, "You dial the gate, like a telephone number. Each gate has its own unique address. And the blue pool is the event horizon of the wormhole."

The intellectual part of Julia's mind kicked in and she started asking more technical questions. John could only give her the 'Physics for Dummies' version but he managed to fill her in on Milky Way gates versus Pegasus gates and how the Earth and Atlantis gates were the only ones with control crystals to reach each other.

He told her about the Midway Station and the X303's like the Daedelus and the Apollo. He steered away from any mention of the Wraith, Goa'uld, Replicators or Ori. He figured she had enough information to deal with right now.

"I don't get it. Where did all this technology come from?" Julia asked.

"This is pretty cool, too," Dave bobbed his head so John would continue.

"Atlantis and all the Stargates were created by a race of people we call the Ancients. The Ancients had Atlantis on Earth at one point a very long time ago but because of some plague here they took it with them to the Pegasus Galaxy to start the evolutionary process there. But about 10,000 years ago, they were fighting a never ending battle with an enemy and decided to leave. They came back to Earth through the Stargate and sunk the city into the ocean, hoping some day they could go back there."

"But they never did?" Julia asked.

"Not exactly," John answered. "You see the Ancients created their technology so their enemies could never use it. It only worked if it was activated and run by someone with an Ancient gene."

"So how did your people get this stuff working?"

"Well," John explained, "like I said, the Ancients came back and lived on Earth so there are some people now, although it's extremely rare, who actually carry this Ancient gene. Some have it stronger than others and some can control it better than others."

"What do you mean control it?" Julia questioned.

"Much of the Ancient tech works on thought patterns. Kind of like it reads your mind and does what you want it to do. So the stronger the gene, the better you can control the technology. The expedition specifically recruited some people just because they carried this gene."

"You aren't telling her the best part," encouraged Dave.

John dropped his head and let out a huge sigh. When he lifted his head, he rolled his eyes and sneered, "What, that I'm a human light switch?"

It took Julia a second to get the implication but when she did, she gasped, "You have the gene? You're descended from these Ancients?"

Dave gloated, "Dr. McKay says John's got the strongest gene of anyone they've ever tested. He can get a whole room up and running just by walking in."

Julia looked at John, amazed.

He gave her a crooked grin and repeated, "Human light switch."

"Come on, John," Dave probed, "You have to admit it's pretty cool that you've got this thing."

John stared straight at Dave and said, "You do realize chances are that you have the gene, too. I'm kind of surprised McKay didn't test that out while you were on Atlantis. Unless he did," John thought out loud. "Did he have you touch anything while you were there?"

Dave shrugged, "He didn't hand me anything and ask if I could turn it on but he did give me a tour of his lab where he had a bunch of stuff lying on a table."

"Smooth and subtle, Rodney," John chuckled. "So did anything turn on when you walked by?"

"I don't really, wait…" Dave snapped. "There was a small device that McKay said was yours. I picked it up and there were a few dots on the front. I thought it was just a video game so I told him I'd bring it back to your room. McKay was a little hesitant but then let me take it. I actually brought it back," his thumb pointed in the direction of John's room. "It's in with the other electronic devices."

Julia popped out of her seat, zoomed down the hall and was back within a minute dropping a handful of stuff in front of John.

He just laughed and picked up each piece and moved it aside. "That's an iPod, that's a Play Station, the communication device McKay hooked up, but this …" he picked up a rectangular device, "this is a Life Signs Detector."

He put it in the middle of the table. "Go ahead, Julia. Pick it up and think 'on'."

Julia did but frowned when nothing happened. She handed it to Josie who also had no luck.

"Your turn, big brother. The moment of truth."

Dave reached for it and a blip sounded the second his skin made contact. Dave's eyes grew wide with excitement as he stared at the three dots on the screen.

"Welcome to the club!" John snickered.

Dave held the device out so everyone could see it. "What does this mean, though?" he asked.

John swallowed the bite he'd been chewing and pointed, "These dots are us, right here in this room."

"But I can see that we're here, so what good is it?" Dave inquired.

John smiled, "Think about the whole house now." and Dave saw the display change and the dots got smaller. "Now think about the ranch and the property."

Dave's eyes lit up when he saw what looked like a map of the estate with other dots scattered around. John's finger moved over the screen. "See, us in the house, half a dozen horses in the stables and you've got two people in the office in the barn.

Dave replied, "Wow! That's Carlos, he's working today. I don't know who's with him, maybe his son, he sometimes brings him to help."

"I can't believe McKay let you leave Atlantis with this," John observed. "And this is the one he's been adapting to differentiate between humans and other life signs. See the horses are a lighter shade than Carlos or us."

Dave gulped, "I …um … don't think he knew I took it. He told me I could just leave it in your room. I'm sorry, John, I didn't realize."

"Don't even worry about it. Atlantis has plenty of these. McKay will just have to find another one to experiment on."

John was getting tired of the conversation so he grabbed another helping and let Dave talk about all the stuff he'd seen while he was there. The conversation finally wound down and the table was cleared. Josie quickly tidied the kitchen and said goodbye. She told John she'd see him tomorrow.

John rolled out onto the patio and sat enjoying the afternoon sunshine for a while until Julia came out to say goodbye.

"I so want to get more information about Atlantis and this other galaxy you've been living in but you look tired and I've got a real early meeting tomorrow morning. But I'll be here for supper. Now," her voice lowered conspiratorially, "David's a little nervous about being here with you by himself."

John looked confused, "I'm not gonna bite him."

"I know, but my apartment's almost forty minutes from here and there's no doctor or nurse on duty. So promise me, no fevers, breakdowns or back spasms tonight."

John grinned, "Julia, you're the only one I'll put on a show for."

"You make me feel so special, John. Thank you!" She kissed him on the cheek and gave one last warning, "Be a good boy!"

"Yes, Mom!" John quipped but realized Julia did have many of the same qualities their mother'd had. Beauty, poise, sophistication but intermingled with a touch of mischief and a little cheek, all topped off with a tender and loving heart. No wonder Dave was so crazy about her.

A few minutes later Dave came out and stood by John, his hands in his pockets staring at the horses that Carlos had let out for some exercises.

"You've got an amazing woman there, Dave, you know." John broke the silence.

Dave just nodded, "I know."

A few more minutes went by before John spoke again. "Make sure you do whatever you need to in order to keep her. You'll regret it if you don't."

"You thinking of Nancy?"

John, like Dave, continued to stare at the horses. "I loved Nancy, I did," John insisted. "But she wanted someone who'd …. show up for dinner every night. That's … not who I am. And I can't change into something I'm not."

"So is your regret for losing Teyla?" Dave challenged.

John sighed, "I never lost Teyla because I never had Teyla," John said. "And thinking back now there were so many opportunities that I just ignored."

"So you and she never … actually …" Dave paused searching for the right word but John just bluntly answered, "No."

Dave's heart was heavy when he thought of what John was missing. But he knew his brother was too good a man to come between two other people. That didn't stop him from wishing that something would change.

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xoxoxoxoxo xoxoxoxox xoxoxoxoxo

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"Do you know what's so important that Rodney wants us all down in the rec room right now?" Jennifer said to Teyla as they walked down the hall. "It better not be another one of his dopey movies. I finally have a night off and I was planning on curling up with a good book."

"My guess would be a video message from John," Teyla replied. "I also received one today."

Jennifer stopped and looked at Teyla. "You did? How is he? What did he say? I don't think anyone's heard anything about his condition since he left."

Teyla looked concerned. "The SGC has not sent you any updates regarding his condition?"

"No!" Jennifer grumbled. "I would have told you if they did. He's been officially removed from the Atlantis roster so he no longer falls under my medical care."

"I have made inquiries to Mr. Woolsey quite often for updates on John's condition. The only information he will divulge is that Colonel Sheppard is making good progress," Teyla shared. "This lack of any details has been most unsatisfying."

"So, the video?" Jennifer prodded.

A huge smile spread across Teyla's face. "His speech has greatly improved. There is only the occasional pause between words."

Jennifer shrugged, "And he usually talks like that anyway."

Teyla chuckled, "True. It was wonderful to hear his voice and see his face again. Although he has lost much weight and appears far too thin. He complained that they were not feeding him anything that he could chew."

Jennifer nodded in understanding. "I'm sure he'll put on some weight once he can eat regular food again. So what else did he say? How much progress has he made? Did he give you any details?"

Teyla's eyes clouded with sorrow. "It was difficult to watch. He made an attempt to be cheerful but I could see he was filled with a great sadness. He apologized extensively for not being here for Torren's birthday and hoped Torren liked the tricycle he left." Teyla appeared thoughtful. "He did appear able to move his arms and fingers although his hands were extensively bandaged and he gave no explanation as to the cause."

"Really?" Jennifer seemed concerned with that as well.

Teyla continued, "It was not a long message. Aside from what I have told you, he said he missed Torren greatly and myself and everyone else on Atlantis. He asked that we also send video recordings, now that his brother has provided a laptop for his use."

They began walking down the hallway again and Jennifer commented, "Let's see what he sent Rodney."

When they entered the rec room, Rodney was just finishing the procedure that would connect his laptop with the large screen on one wall.

"There! Just… about … done. Yes. I think we're good to go." Rodney looked up at the small crowd that had assembled.

Lorne was the first to speak up. "You want to share with the rest of the class, McKay, why you called all of us down here?"

Rodney puffed up with self importance and looked around at the group assembled: Teyla and Jennifer, Ronon, Lorne, Amelia and Chuck, Zalenka, Stackhouse, Teldy and a few Marines whose names he didn't know, but who'd been standing around when he'd thrown out the invitation."

"Yes, well friends. I got a recording from our illustrious but missing military leader today and I thought you might all want to be the first to view it. Well, except for me of course, since I've already seen it. Or at least the first few minutes since I figured I'd share before I watched the whole thing."

"And Teyla saw one," Jennifer threw out.

"What!" Rodney's head snapped up.

"Teyla got one, too," Jennifer supplied. "So she's already seen a message from the Colonel."

"Oh, right, okay," Rodney seemed confused and a bit miffed that his e-mail wasn't exclusive. "Well, let's begin, shall we?"

Everyone grabbed a seat or space on the floor or leaned on tables and someone lowered the lights as Rodney started the message.

The screen came on with John's face in front of the camera and a little cheer rose up from the audience. He was looking at the keys then looked into the camera and said, "Hey Rodney … and anyone else on Atlantis that's watching. Sorry you haven't had any communication from me since I got here but I had to make a few improvements before I could do that. Plus, I only got this laptop from my brother about an hour ago and the one computer they have here for patients, I think still uses DOS.

Rodney gave a huge burst of laughter at that and a few other voices made comments as well.

"Wow, he looks a lot better than he did when he left here."

"It is good to see Colonel up and talking again."

"Oh, he's improved much more than I thought. I might need to change my bet for when he'll return."

"Uh uh, bets were closed five weeks ago. No changes allowed."

The image of John continued to talk. "And thanks to those who sent e-mails. Chewie, you really outdid yourself. Try to be a little more conservative next time. It took me almost … three and a half seconds to read yours." A few chuckles rang through the room.

"And Rodney, nobody's trying to drive you insane. You can do that pretty well, all by yourself."

"Ooh," Rodney muttered, "I forgot I wanted to delete that part before I showed everyone."

"Lorne," John continued, "Message understood. Thanks for the effort."

Teyla looked at Lorne and saw his face tighten. She knew it had been difficult for him following the command of a new leader, especially this Colonel Armstrong, who was a far cry from the laid back command of Colonel Sheppard.

Teyla looked back at the screen to see John giving everyone a tour of his room and a brief rundown of his daily therapies. He wheeled away from the camera to get something and Ronon grumbled, "When are they gonna get him out of that damn wheelchair?"

"Ronon," Jennifer chided, "You don't seem to understand that it's absolutely amazing that he's even sitting up, rolling around in that wheelchair. Seven weeks ago he was lying in a bed unable to move even a finger or utter a sound. Now look at him. You should be thrilled at the progress he's made. At this rate, I think he'll be back in less than the year we originally predicted."

"Damn!" muttered Stackhouse and when everyone looked at him, he explained, "I picked thirteen months for recovery."

A few chuckles escaped and all eyes went back to the screen. John was reaching for something from someone standing behind the camera.

"Don't you tell anyone I gave you this!" a soft, feminine voice demanded and John grinned.

"Well it's not like you got it for me, you just brought it to me."

His hands moved back down with a paper bag in them when the voice said, "Have a nice weekend, Colonel. I'll see you on Monday."

"Wait, Lisa. I'm sending a video message back to the base. Why don't you say hi?" The computer started panning across the room until it stopped on a thirty-something brunette in a ponytail and nurse's scrubs standing in the doorway.

John continued, "So guys, meet Lisa. She's my private nurse, which means she gets the unfortunate task of taking care of me all day."

"Oh, and you've been such a difficult patient," Lisa suggested sarcastically."

"She just likes me because I'm not eighty like the rest of the patients here, and I've got my own teeth," John quipped.

Lisa rolled her eyes and grinned at John's words.

"Oh, yeah, of course his private nurse is gorgeous," Rodney complained. "He's still got the whole Kirk thing going for him."

"Rodney!" Jennifer reprimanded as Lisa continued. "I just came to give you the rest of that sandwich. Now I'm leaving, be good!"

"You doing anything fun this weekend?" they heard John's voice ask.

Lisa nodded, "My husband and I are taking the boys camping."

"Well, have fun!" came back John's voice. "But be careful of your youngest. I have it on good authority that ten year old boys like to wander off looking for bears and moose. And sometimes they fall out of trees and break their arms and spend their whole summer vacation in a cast."

Lisa giggled and said, "I'll take that under advisement, Colonel. It's good advice. Now turn that thing around and finish your message. I don't think your troops want my life story. Bye!" and she walked out of the room.

"See, Rodney," Jennifer said as she slapped him on the arm, "she's married with kids so stop jumping to conclusions."

The screen moved back to John who then moved the paper bag in front of the camera and said, "Contraband."

He then seemed to realize his bandaged hands were in full view so he gave a crooked grin and partially explained, "Just a little accident yesterday."

He quickly put the bag aside and his hands in his lap. He moved closer to the camera and said, "Cam Mitchell came to visit today. He brought me this huge sub. That's the half I didn't eat. I'm pretty sure the six-pack he brought isn't part of my dietary requirements either, but since I only had three, I'm sure it's fine."

John's eyes lit up with mischief until he heard another feminine voice say, "You know, handsome, there's word on the floor that you've got some unauthorized goods in here. I'm wondering what it's worth for me to keep my mouth shut."

John's eyes immediately went into puppy-dog-begging mode as he replied, "Oh, Helen, you wouldn't do that to me now, would you? Not after the time we've spent together."

"Ha!" Rodney exclaimed. "See, ha! I told you he was still Kirking it. Tell me this one doesn't have a thing for him." And he finished with one last, "Hmph!"

The raspy voice of Helen continued, "I still need to know what's in it for me, sweet stuff."

John replied, "I might be willing to conveniently forget the twenty bucks you still owe me from the Superbowl if …you conveniently forget that there's an illegal food substance lying on the bed."

"I might be able to do that," Helen sent back. "But I still have to give you this swill, even if you don't eat it. I'll just leave it on your dresser."

"Thanks Helen," John said sarcastically. "Hey, say hi to everybody at my base. I'm sending them a video."

And the camera turned swiftly to show another woman in scrubs leaving a tray on John's dresser. Rodney's mouth fell open while a few snickers filled the room. "Why, she's gotta be close to sixty!" Rodney objected.

Helen scowled at the camera and said, "They don't want to see me, they want to see you and I don't blame them. Listen honey, I'm leaving now but I'll be home all weekend so if you have another bad day, have them call me if you need someone to come in and hold your hand."

Helen left the room and John flipped the camera back as he said, "Thanks." then continued, "I'm gonna go and eat the rest of that sandwich before the night nurses come in. They're not as nice as Lisa and Helen. But everyone treats me pretty well here so I can't complain. And I'll get back there as soon as I possibly can. I promise. Keep my seat warm." And the recording ended.

"I hope someone feeds him soon. You're right, Teyla," Jennifer confirmed. "He's far too thin."

"Too thin!" Rodney bellowed. "What are you talking about? Did you see the size of his arms? It looks like he's been pumping iron all day."

"That happens to people in wheelchairs," Jennifer described. "They have to work on his upper body strength so it'll support him when he finally starts walking again. But he's definitely lost weight and he didn't have a whole lot to spare to begin with."

"I thought he seemed kind of sad," observed Amelia. "I know he was joking around somewhat but …"

"I agree," Teldy added. "The laughter never quite reached his eyes."

Some of the guys thought they were nuts and Jennifer and Teyla joined in the debate on the side of the women until Rodney snapped, "Of course he's sad, you twits. He's stuck in a wheelchair in a place full of geriatric people, bad food, no single hot nurses and he's not here with us." He humphed loudly and declared, "I'd be sad, too."

"Well said, Rodney!" Lorne complimented and then everyone seemed to be nodding.

"Teyla," Rodney asked, "Did you want to log in and show us the message Sheppard sent you?"

Teyla smiled serenely and stated, "My message was not quite so lengthy and I do not think Colonel Sheppard intended it to be for public exhibition."

At Rodney's hurt look and a few raised eyebrows, Teyla prevaricated, "It was primarily a birthday message for Torren."

That seemed to soothe everyone and discussion soon began on the recording just viewed and more bets placed on how the Colonel had hurt his hands and gotten the bruise on his forehead that they had noticed.

Jennifer pulled Teyla aside and asked, "Have you sent him an e-mail, yet? He didn't mention it in the video."

"Yes," Teyla confirmed. "He acknowledged it in the message he sent me."

"And did you tell him that you and Kanaan split up?"

Teyla took a deep breath and replied, "No, I was not sure an e-mail was the correct place for such a disclosure."

"You've got to tell him, Teyla," Jennifer implored. "He has a right to know. And if you tell him now, he'll have more time to think about how he wants to handle it when he gets back."

"I … will consider it." Teyla placated. She was trying to think of how to change the subject when she heard her name on the radio. She clicked on her earpiece and responded, "Yes, Mr. Woolsey. What can I do for you?"

Woolsey's voice returned through the head set, "Teyla, could you come to my office when you have a minute, please? I have a special request for you from Colonel Carter."

"Certainly, I will be right there," came her response. Her eyes narrowed in curiosity as she headed for the door.

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xoxoxoxoxo xoxoxoxoxo xoxoxoxoxo