Teyla can see John's reflection in the mirror, struggling to keep his rage in. His breathing becomes heavier, his lips puff in and out, as he tries to contain his emotions, and his nostrils are flaring. She waits for his emotions to explode, but he doesn't do anything. He just stares at himself in the mirror.
"John?" she finally speaks up.
His gaze moves off of his reflection and onto hers. She can see the anger in his eyes turn into sadness as he looks at her through the mirror and his whole demeanor change with almost a blink of the eye.
The tension in his body disappears, his shoulders droop and he hangs his head slightly as he lowers his eyes. He slowly walks to the edge of his bed and sits down, keeping his back towards the door.
"John? What is it?" Teyla asks with great concern, but John doesn't hear her.
She quickly goes to him and kneels in front of him. She reaches to gently stroke his upper arm to attempt to comfort him.
"Are you not going to answer me?" Teyla questions him.
He gives her a confused look, "I didn't hear you ask me anything."
His answer surprised her, but she didn't want it to show, "Oh… I just saw you go from being extremely upset to… to this. Is there something else wrong? Are you experiencing any pain?
"No," he simply replies.
Ronon, Rodney, Woolsey and Keller walk through the door of his quarters. John can see by Teyla's reaction that someone had entered the room. As they begin to approach him he turns to look at who had come in. They are shocked by what they see.
"What happened?" Ronon quickly asks.
John combs his hand through his hair, "I… I don't know. I didn't even know anything happened to me until Teyla came here."
"We need to…" Keller begins.
"I know. You got run some tests," John interrupts.
"How do you feel?" Rodney asks nervously.
"What?" John answers with a slightly louder voice than usual.
"I said… how… are…you...feeling!" Rodney shouts.
John gives Rodney a cross look, "You don't have to shout, Rodney. I'm not deaf!"
"Sorry," he apologizes. "Boy, he's cranky in his old age." Rodney doesn't realize that he is still talking loudly.
"I heard that McKay!" John retorts back.
Rodney is about to apologize again, but Woolsey stops him as the rest follow John to the infirmary.
"May I suggest, Dr. McKay that you and Dr. Zelanka go back to Janus' lab and try to find a solution to help Colonel Sheppard?" Woolsey says in a very serious tone. "But please, use caution. I don't want the same thing to happening to both of you as well."
Without saying a word, Rodney nods in agreement and leaves while Woolsey leaves in the opposite direction to go towards the infirmary. As he walks down the corridor he radios the control room with his comm.
"Dr. Beckett is scheduled to arrive at Atlantis shortly for a medical follow up. Please have him report the infirmary immediately," Woolsey requests.
"Yes, sir," Chuck answers.
--
In the infirmary, John is getting a series of tests done, which includes some blood work, a complete body scan and a hearing test. Teyla is pacing back and forth in the waiting room. Ronon sees the anxiety in her face and her body language. He walks up to her, but she ignores him and continues pacing.
He steps in front of her to make her stop, "He'll be ok. McKay will find away to fix this. Don't worry."
She forces a weak smile and nods in agreement. She wants to believe him, but her fear prevents her from doing so. She recalls the sadness in John's eye when she was in his quarters with him. It wasn't something she saw too often and it breaks her heart to see him this way.
Woolsey arrives at the infirmary shortly he finishes talking with Chuck. He sees the worried looks on John's teammate's faces. He gestures for them to sit down and he sits next to them.
He clears his throat, "I know you have every right to be concerned for Colonel Sheppard and believe me, I am as well. I have the utmost confidence that Dr. McKay and Dr. Zelanka will find a way to reverse all of this."
"Thanks you, Mr. Woolsey for those kind words," says Teyla.
"Not at all," he looks towards the infirmary doors. "Has Dr. Keller come out to say how Colonel Sheppard is doing?"
Both Ronon and Teyla shake their heads no.
"I have informed Chuck, that when Dr. Beckett arrives for him to come directly here. Maybe between him and Dr. Keller they can find another way of helping the Colonel."
Both Ronon and Teyla thank Woolsey again and just as Woolsey is about to get up and leave, Keller comes out with John. They all wait silently for her to explain what's going on with John.
Keller releases a long sigh, "Ok. Um… simply, what increased Colonel Sheppard's metabolism yesterday has now, obviously, started to increase his aging process."
John walks over and sits down next to Ronon and Teyla.
"For now, it seems like it has stabilized, but I don't know for how long. If he continues to age, things will continually get…." Keller begins.
"Worse," John blurts out. "She's already confirmed that I've lost some hearing, my eyesight isn't the greatest either and also arthritis."
"That's typical of someone that is about sixty years old, especially someone that live a life like you do," Keller tries to say with sympathy. "But… I know this is not what you want to hear, but at least you don't have other serious health issues, like heart disease or cancer."
John scoffs, "Yeah, you're right, not something I really want to hear."
"Colonel Sheppard," Woolsey scolds.
"Sorry," John halfheartedly apologizes.
Keller shakes her head to suggest that it wasn't necessary.
"Can I go now?" John queries.
"Would it not be better for you to stay here, where they can monitor you more closely?" Teyla asks with uneasy tone in her voice.
"I wouldn't suggest that he go off world or do anything to strenuous, but for now, since he seems stable, I think he can go," Keller answers.
An awkward silent falls in the room until Ronon breaks it, "Why don't we get something to eat? I'm starving."
"Sounds good," John replies.
He thinks of adding a "last meal" remark as well, but he isn't in the mood to hear anyone's rebuttal to his comment and decides to not to say it at all. It is so surreal for him. Suddenly turning forty seemed more appealing than it had yesterday.