another bonus because it's a weekend

.

Chapter 12

.

"You want to tell me why exactly we're heading in the direction of all the little dots," Rodney complained as Mitchell kept glancing at the Life Signs Detector in his hand. "I would think we'd want to avoid running into anyone."

"Just a guess, McKay," Mitchell snipped back quietly, "but I'm thinking that's where we'll find most of the data storage we're looking for. If they're using any computers, it's probably where most of these people are."

McKay narrowed his eyes but followed the man and muttered, "Or it could just be the cafeteria and they're all eating supper, which I have not had yet, by the way."

Vala rolled her eyes and stared at Daniel. "And you thought I talked too much on missions."

Daniel gave a pained expression but lifted his weapon, a Zat, higher when they heard voices in the distance. Mitchell motioned for them to duck into an empty room and they waited until several people passed by the doorway and moved far enough away so they could proceed.

"Only two people left in the room they were all in," McKay informed them. "Let's hope it isn't that dinner just ended."

"More likely that dinner is just about to begin," Daniel said. "A few of them were speaking in Russian and they said something about going to get some food after a long day."

"Oh," McKay said deflated that he hadn't been right. Jackson just sighed at the unbelievable competitiveness of this man. It didn't seem to ever end.

They moved further down the hallway and stopped outside the door where they had seen the larger group earlier. Mitchell and Vala held their guns at the ready and Daniel crouched down to twist the doorknob as McKay simply held back looking nervously at the LSD for anyone else approaching.

The door was pushed in by Mitchell's foot and guns were trained on the two men sitting at a computer terminal with large screens and data flowing across it. They looked startled then one reached for what looked like a panic button but Vala managed to put a bullet in his shoulder. When his eyes glowed, she growled and put another one right in his forehead. The glowing stopped as he fell to the floor.

The other man stood up at Mitchell's gesture and he also dropped to the floor with a blue flash of light from Jackson's Zat. McKay gazed around the room and suddenly flashed his scanner in the direction of the corner.

"This is Ancient and it seems to still have power."

Mitchell looked at the shoebox sized device and shrugged. "You can play with it later. Right now we have a job to do.

Daniel quickly crossed the room and sat at one of the computers. He pulled out a flash drive and swiftly started running through files and copying them. McKay scurried to the second station and began a similar procedure.

Mitchell and Vala kept their eyes trained out the door as the two men worked feverishly to procure as much information as they could. Once they seemed close, Mitchell started placing C4 in strategic places around the room, especially right under the computer terminals. Vala wandered across the hall and put some near other equipment that looked important.

"Are we just about ready?" Mitchell asked as he saw the men tapping away frantically.

"Just … another … minute," McKay stalled for a little more time.

"One minute is all you're getting, McKay. We can't risk staying here much longer. There are still almost a dozen people in here and who knows when they'll be back."

Mitchell reached for his radio and clicked it once, waiting for a reply click from the other team. Nothing happened. He waited a short time and clicked again. Still nothing.

"Snap it up, Jackson, McKay, we could have problems on the other end of things."

"Just … about … done." McKay pulled the flash drive from the computer and Jackson gave a few last taps and did the same thing. "Got as much as we could."

Rodney started for the door then turned abruptly and grabbed for the Ancient device. "This could be important you know."

Jackson stared at McKay's retreating back and wondered if he would even get a chance to study it once the other scientist got his hands on it. He certainly hoped so he thought as he started off back down the hall wondering why the other team didn't respond.

.

.

"Colonel," Athena purred as she saw the group surrounding her prisoner. She had another large guard right behind her and his weapon was drawn. "You couldn't possibly be planning to leave me so soon. Not after all the fun we've had."

She turned slightly and ordered, "Kill the others but leave Sheppard alive."

Lorne, Ronon and Teal'c already had their weapons up and wondered at the audacity of this lady to think she could just get away with this.

"Even if you shoot, he'll get one of you," she warned. "Which will it be?" She started to smirk but they heard a click on the radio and suddenly a shot rang out and a hole appeared in her neck, blood slowly dripping out. John stood shaking ready to drop the weapon he had just fired.

The sudden shot gave Teal'c a chance and he took out the guard with a blast of the Zat. They watched as Athena dropped to her knees and her mouth opened wide. Suddenly the Goa'uld symbiote inside her shot out of her mouth and headed for the downed guard. Ronon's red blast took care of the creature while Teal'c blasted the guard two more times until he disintegrated. He then took a few shots at the unmoving symbiote until it too was gone.

Teyla felt John start to wilt and moved in closer to remove the gun from his hand then try and hold him up. His eyes still stared intently at the woman who was lying on the floor but looking completely bewildered, like she had woken up from a nightmare only to find herself in another nightmare.

"We must help her," Teal'c insisted and moved closer to assist the woman.

Ronon growled and said, "Why? She's the one who tortured Sheppard."

Teal'c shook his head. "No, she was possessed by the creature and it is now gone. This woman is innocent and we must save her if possible."

Ronon looked uncertain but Teyla nodded and said, "Yes, we should. I will start with John back to the rendezvous point. Ronon help me."

Ronon scowled at the woman but grabbed Sheppard's other side and tried to move him past while Lorne pulled a field compress out and assisted Teal'c in wrapping it around the woman's throat.

John started pulling against them again glaring at the blonde on the ground. Ronon sighed and stood back a few steps. "He's gonna fight us the whole way. This will be easier."

He pushed Teyla away and shot John, making sure the weapon was on stun first. Then he hefted him over his shoulder and began to walk away. Lorne looked at the LSD and saw there weren't any life signs in the direction they were headed and allowed them to go.

Teal'c finished up the bandages and lifted the woman in the same way Ronon had and started after. Lorne finally remembered the click of his radio and clicked back twice.

"We're on our way," Mitchell's voice came through softly. "Did you run into any problems?"

"None we couldn't handle," Lorne replied. "We're on our way to the rendezvous point. ETA, six minutes."

"As long as we don't run into any trouble," Mitchell responded, "we should be right behind you."

Lorne doubled timed it and caught up to the others, checking the LSD along the way. There was one time they needed to stop and duck inside another hallway but once they took out the two people who had come along, the rest of the journey was smooth sailing. Lorne took only a few seconds during this time to set some C4 of his own.

They got outside and to the hole they had cut in the fence right around the six minute mark and within thirty seconds, McKay and his team had shown up. Rodney looked at Sheppard, thrown over Ronon's shoulder and asked frantically, "Is he all right?"

Ronon nodded. "He was putting up a little fight so I thought it was easier this way."

Vala had a similar face though hers was filled with disgust. "Why do we have her here?"

"Colonel Sheppard shot her and the parasite removed itself from her body," Teal'c informed her. "I believe it was injured but it was killed before it could take a new host."

Vala seemed to calm down at that and actually looked concerned. "Well, then let's get her back to the Daedalus for treatment."

Rodney led the way using the coordinates that he had downloaded and all followed. Lorne and Mitchell took up the rear and when they were far enough away, checked that the C4 had been placed accordingly then both pulled out their detonators and with a smile on their faces, flipped the switch, whispering, "Fire in the hole." A large explosion rocked the area.

Soon they caught up with the others and within another ten minutes they had reached the beam up location. Mitchell turned on his radio and said, "Daedalus, this is Mitchell. We have ten to beam aboard."

"Ten?" came the curious voice from his radio.

"We'll explain when we get there," Mitchell answered. He looked over and Vala, Teal'c, Mayfield, Lorne and McKay disappeared in a flash of twinkling light. Teyla moved closer and took John in her arms as Ronon lowered him to the ground. Then the rest of them were beamed up as well.

.

.

Caldwell watched as the first group was beamed aboard. His eyes grew concerned when he saw the woman in the arms of the Jaffa. Teal'c moved from the front of the room and Daniel explained, "The Goa'uld left her. But she's been injured and needs medical attention."

Caldwell reluctantly nodded and said, "We'll beam her down to the SGC in a second. How's Sheppard?"

"He didn't look good," Rodney said nervously and turned to see the second group beamed aboard.

Caldwell took a few steps down to see Teyla and Ronon attempting to hold Sheppard up. He'd seen Sheppard pretty beat up but this time was most definitely the worse. He was far skinnier than usual and he couldn't tell where the bruises ended and the hollows of his face began. He was just about to order them beamed down when one of the techs yelled a warning.

"Sir, we've located a ship charging weapons. It was cloaked and we didn't notice it until it started powering up."

"Get it up on screen," Caldwell ordered but before he could give any more commands the tech yelled, "It's firing weapons."

"Shields up! Brace for impact!" Caldwell moved back to his command chair and started giving orders to fire back.

Teyla grabbed John and sunk to the floor as the Daedalus rocked with the force of the blast. Her arms held him tight and she could feel his ribs against her hands as she tried to protect him from any further trauma. She looked around hoping they would be able to triumph in this situation. She could not have found John only to lose him again.

Caldwell shouted more orders as the ship shook again with the impact of several more hits. "I want that ship gone!"

"The cloak's been disengaged. We've got it!" yelled Major Marks and he pressed a few keys and in seconds a stream of energy poured through the sky and the now apparent Al'Kesh exploded and shattered into millions of pieces.

"About time," Caldwell mumbled then looked at his crew, "Good job, people. Let's get our friends here back to the SGC. And I want scans of the buildings they just blew up on the ground. If there seems to be even a battery left with power, I want it destroyed."

Caldwell pressed his comm on his chair and said, "Stargate Command this is Caldwell. We just took out an Al'Kesh that attacked us after transporting our teams back on board. Now I have a few groups to send to you. The first has a seriously wounded Charlotte Mayfield, without her Goa'uld symbiote. Then we'll send Colonel Sheppard down with his team. We'll beam them straight to the infirmary."

He got confirmation and nodded at Marks. Teal'c and Mayfield disappeared. Rodney started to stand from his position hiding during the attack but looked at John and cried out, "Holy crap, his back!"

Teyla twisted to see what Rodney was shouting about but was at a weird angle. She saw all eyes on John's back and moved again to see a small area of his t-shirt that had ridden up. Vala moved to pull it up a little more and gasps rose in the air as they saw the pink scars and red lines crisscrossed on his skin. Teyla's heart sank even more and she steeled herself to keep her tears at bay. She was not sure how long she could last.

"Send them down," Caldwell ordered softly and closed his eyes with a big sigh. They had managed to rescue the Colonel today and take out a large portion of The Trust but he knew that would be small potatoes compared to what Sheppard would have to go through. Getting him back to where he was before both mentally and physically might just be the most difficult mission the man had ever faced.

.

.

The knock on the door roused Dave Sheppard from his drowsy state. He checked the clock and found it was well past midnight but then the teams to go find John had only left shortly before. And this was a different time zone from where he was used to anyway. The long hours and worry had finally taken their toll and he had dropped off.

He looked around the guest bedroom he had been shown to and heard the knock again. He had left one small light on and used that to find his way to open the door. A security officer stood there, his arms behind him waiting.

Dave nodded at him and he snapped back to attention. "The extraction team has returned with the Colonel, Mr. Sheppard. General O'Neill figured you'd want to know. I can take you to the infirmary if you'd like."

Dave shook his head to clear the cobwebs and ran a hand over his hair. He stepped out into the hallway and said, "Thank you. Lead the way."

Dave tried to straighten his clothes and tuck in his shirt though if he really thought about it he figured it wouldn't matter. What he'd seen of John on the video, his clothes hadn't looked too clean or pressed. It took only a few minutes and a short elevator ride until he entered what was a sort of waiting room. Teyla and several of the others were inside either sitting or pacing up and down.

Dave nodded his thanks to the airman who had brought him here then moved right toward Teyla. He had seemed to bond with her the most for some reason.

"You got him back?" He checked and at her nod asked, "How in the world did you do that? It hasn't even been two hours since you left. I know the Air Force must have some fast planes, but …"

"General Landry did not explain?" Teyla looked curious as she knew he had gone with the man to sign some papers.

"He said something about having technology in orbit to locate John but then after I signed my life away he sent me to get some rest and said he'd explain more later. Is he okay?"

Teyla's expression was one of sadness. "He is alive but as you saw from the video, he is injured and weak. And he was very confused."

Major Lorne stood up and moved toward Dave. "The Colonel's cell was incredibly small and I'm thinking he was in complete darkness for a lot of the day. Something like that can do a number on your mind. Being deprived of your sight and having no human contact for too long can cause someone to have hallucinations and become very paranoid. It's not an uncommon tactic in warfare when someone is taken prisoner."

Dave had to wonder if the US Military used it at times. But he didn't dare ask. These people had jumped right into a rescue mission for John and got him back in a fraction of the time it would have taken him to do it by giving up his companies. And now he still had his companies and his brother back. But he knew he would have given them everything he owned if it could have returned John to him. He knew money and power had lots of advantages but they sure couldn't bring people back from the dead.

Only this time John had come back. He just hoped he'd be in shape enough to enjoy life again.

"What are they doing now? Can we see him?"

"They are assessing his condition," Teyla explained. "I am sure someone will apprise us soon of his injuries and hopefully let us see him."

Dave nodded and dropped wearily into one of the chairs against the wall. Teyla sat next to him and patted his hand. She gave him a warm smile then rested her head back and closed her eyes.

And so the wait began. They could see and hear lots of activity coming from inside the infirmary. McKay sat tapping away at his computer checking out some of the information he'd retrieved from the data base at the Trust Headquarters. Ronon paced and paced and would occasionally sit for a few minutes then he'd get up and pace some more.

Major Lorne had left a few times and could be heard speaking with Mitchell or Jackson in the hallway. Teyla simply relaxed against the wall, allowing her body to rest so she was ready and able to sit with John when they finally allowed her to. Dave tried to rest but the busy atmosphere he heard inside made him curious.

"Seems there's a lot of stuff going on in there. I heard the word surgery. Does John need surgery?"

Teyla lifted her head and sighed. "John is not the only patient. We brought back a woman who was injured and I believe it is she who needs surgery."

Dave lifted his eyebrow. "Was she a prisoner too?"

Teyla looked thoughtful for a second then replied, "Yes, in a way she was very much a prisoner but not like John. She did not receive the physical abuse that he did. But now she is free and I hope she survives to enjoy her freedom."

Teyla felt a little guilty about the Mayfield woman. She did not condone John for shooting her. She imagined his time with the woman had been unthinkable. But she too had been a prisoner being held by a sinister parasite that completely controlled her body. But perhaps John had done her a favor by shooting her. It had forced the creature to leave her, allowing them to bring her back and perhaps save her. She knew she would prefer to be dead than to be forced to do such horrific things.

After another twenty minutes, O'Neill walked in with Sam next to him. Teyla caught sight of their hands disengaging and hid the smile that came to her face at the thought of her former leader in a romantic relationship with the General.

Sam looked around and said, "Carolyn just called up and said she'd have her preliminary report on John in just a few minutes."

Teyla sat up straighter and gazed intently at the door that led to where they had taken John. Dr. Lam appeared momentarily along with a short, older gentleman who was also wearing a lab coat. Dave stood up and looked at the two with a concerned expression.

"This is Dr. Perlutski," she introduced to the non SGC personnel. "He did much of the preliminary evaluation on Colonel Sheppard while I managed to stem the bleeding wound on Ms. Mayfield. It looks like she'll make it. The gunshot may have been a blessing if it removed the Goa'uld symbiote. But there wasn't an exit wound. Was the bullet in the symbiote?"

Lorne looked thoughtful then nodded. "It could have been. Might be why it left her knowing it was also injured and didn't have the strength to cure Mayfield and itself. Ronon and Teal'c took care of it though."

Carolyn grimaced. "Can't say I'm upset about that. Now I just looked in on Colonel Sheppard and we still have lots of tests to run to find out exactly what was done to him. But I'll let Dr. Perlutski fill you in on what we found so far."

She looked at him and the doctor cleared his throat and started, "One of the most obvious physical injuries are the lacerations on his back. Some are only a few days old but some of the scarring is possibly a few months old. My guess is he's been whipped pretty regularly over the past few months. There are a few spots that have become infected but surprisingly it looks like he wasn't sitting in squalor like I've seen with many long term prisoners or refugees."

"There was a sink and toilet in the outer room," Lorne contributed. "I'm not sure how often he had access to those."

Dr. Perlutski nodded, took a deep breath in and continued, "But it does look like he might have been in the same position for quite some time. He has a few pressure sores on his backside that must be pretty painful. He started to gain consciousness when we began to clean them and he got more than a little agitated so I gave him a sedative. He's sleeping comfortably now and we have him propped on his side so both his back and the pressure sores aren't constantly aggravated."

Dave shifted his weight from one foot to the other and said, "When they showed us his cell, he was chained while sitting on the floor. His hands were just above his shoulders."

"It was how we found him as well," Teyla imparted. "Although we first saw him chained to a pole outside and he was on his knees. But they soon brought him in and placed him in the sitting position in the tiny cell."

"Well, I'd say he was very lucky that he got a chance to change positions occasionally, although I know nothing was lucky about his circumstances. But I've seen pressure sores that are big enough to put your fist into. His aren't nearly as bad but they do need some attention and he needs to stay off his back and bottom for a while."

Carolyn now added her observations. "Just by looking at him you can see that he's severely dehydrated and malnourished. He's lost more than twenty pounds and the Colonel was always a bit underweight anyway. It was difficult inserting an IV due to the severe dehydration but we managed to start him on a saline drip and are also giving him a variety of antibiotics. He has a low grade fever and I'm not sure yet what it's from. Who knows what they've been giving him for food or water. It must have been something or he wouldn't have made it this long. But I can't imagine it was a whole lot either and it probably had little nutritional value."

"I've ordered a whole batch of blood tests along with X-rays, CT scan and MRI," Perlutski said once Carolyn had finished. "He's got a whole host of bruises all over his body as well as some strange looking welts. They almost look like burn marks but I've never seen anything like them before."

"I have," Carolyn informed him. "I didn't have time to fill you in, sorry. They look very much like the pain stick the Goa'uld use for torture."

O'Neill audibly winced. When eyes turned to him he shrugged. "Been there. Not fun."

"So, right now I've got people cleaning him up and tending to the obvious wounds. I plan on keeping him sedated for a while so I can get some fluids into him and allow him time to get some actual rest. If he was chained to a wall for most of the time, I don't imagine his sleep was all that consistent. And right now he needs all the rest he can get. It's going to be a long road to recovery and that's just the physical recovery. We have no idea how much this has affected his emotional wellbeing. Only time will tell with that."

"Thank you, Doc," O'Neill said. "Make sure you keep us informed if you learn anything new. I plan on having a few guards around Mayfield also. I know she doesn't have her little guest anymore but you can't be too careful."

Carolyn looked about ready to head back inside the infirmary when Dave asked, "Can I see him?"

Carolyn nodded and apologized. "Yes, sorry, it's been a long night. I don't really want too many at his bedside at once though. Maybe a quick peek for all of you, then leave it at two with him. He really does need rest more than anything else. I've got the lights dimmed knowing he was in dark quarters for most of the day. His eyes may be a bit sensitive to light for a while."

The lot of them followed her in and saw their friend propped on his side one arm under a pillow and one over, the top one sporting needles and tubes. Several monitors were attached underneath the hospital gown and they could see the back was left open; to allow his back to heal most likely.

McKay frowned and grimaced when he saw the typical hospital paraphernalia. "Maybe I'll go see if Jackson has gotten anything important from looking over his data. You'll call me if he needs anything, right?" He looked at his friends for confirmation. They nodded to him and he walked out, a sad expression on his face.

Sam noticed the barely contained fury emanating from the Satedan as he stood looking at the man who had been an absolute friend to him. She knew he would have a hard time just sitting here watching John sleep.

"Ronon, why don't you go to the gym and see if you can't interact with a few punching bags for a while," she suggested. "It might help. Maybe Teal'c is even still up."

"I'll show you where the gym is," Lorne offered. "I'm a bit too wired to try and sleep myself." He smiled at Teyla and Dave. "The Colonel would probably appreciate the two of you being here with him more anyway. I'll check in here later."

O'Neill moved a bit closer and frowned then looked at Teyla and Dave. "I know it's probably a moot point but we do have guest quarters if you need to sleep. My guess is neither one of you will be leaving here soon. Am I right?"

Dave just nodded but Teyla stood and took his hand. "Thank you, General O'Neill, for allowing our team to go and retrieve John and to spend time with him now. And yes, I do not think I will stray far from John's side for a while. I need to be here to see truly that he is alive and with us."

"I understand, and you're welcome." He gave a nod to them both then guided Sam with a hand to her back out the door. Teyla saw Sam's hand slip back inside his as soon as they left.

Dave took a chair and drew it so he was near the head of the bed then moved one for Teyla to be right near John's hand. He waited for Teyla to sit then took his own seat and gazed at his brother. He still couldn't believe that John was alive though looking at him now he realized how close to death his brother had really been. He looked horrible.

His pale, dry skin was stretched across sunken cheekbones and spotted with bruises and cuts that even the scraggly beard couldn't hide. His wrists were scraped raw and covered in some sort of clear ointment and Dave cringed when he thought of John being restrained for such long periods of time. He was pretty sure he never would have survived as long. But then he knew John was made of way tougher stuff than he.

He saw Teyla lean forward and run her fingers through the shaggy hair drooping into John's eyes then brush it back. Her eyes also searched John's face to assess the damage done for herself. And he could tell she was equally as dismayed as he was. He didn't understand who could do this to a human being.

"Teyla," Dave asked after sitting quietly for a good long while. He spoke softly not wanting to disturb John, though he knew his brother was sedated. "Tell me a little about The Trust and these things everyone was talking about. I have to admit to being more than a little confused. They used words like symbiote and Goa'uld. What exactly are they? And you never did explain how you got there and back so quickly."

Teyla rested her hand next to John's on the pillows and touched his fingers with hers. She needed a connection with him right now and knew this would have to suffice until John regained some of his strength.

"Some of this I have limited knowledge of as they are of your world and not mine. But as to how we retrieved John so quickly I have your answers."

Dave looked even more confused and Teyla knew she might need to do more explaining later. "There is a ship in orbit called the Daedalus and it has the capabilities to transport matter, humans or supplies, from one location to another within moments. We were simply transported from this base to the ship and then down to a location very close to where John was being held. When we had rescued John we were transported back to the ship then down here. The transportation part was minimal. Most of the time was used in getting to and from the transport area and getting inside to release John from his captors."

Dave took a minute to process all the information then an angry expression crossed his face and he said, "So the people who did this are still down there. You just grabbed John and left."

"No, they are not," Teyla said resigned. "Those responsible have been taken care of and the facility destroyed. Much information was also gathered during that time which is why the second team was dispersed along with us. They hope to find information to rid this world of this organization and its corrupt power."

Dave narrowed his eyes. "You keep saying this world, what do you mean by that?"

Teyla sighed knowing this would be a long discussion. She was unsure to what extent General Landry would wish disclosure to be given. But she truthfully thought this man should know what his brother had been doing for so long and why he had been taken.

"I am from a planet called Athos thought it has been far too long since I set foot on the soil of that world."

"You're … wait!" Dave sat up straighter his eyes focused fully on Teyla. "From another planet? So you're an … alien?"

Teyla chuckled softly. "I am human if that is your concern. But I am not from your world but a world in a galaxy far, far, away, as John would tease me. But we are kindred, sewn from the same seed but just cultivated on different sides of the universe."

She waited to see what his reaction would be but he just stared at her intently then gave a tiny chuckle himself. "You know John always had a habit of picking girls who were out of this world. Why should anything change? So how did you come to this planet?"

"I did not originally," Teyla said with one eyebrow raised. "Your people came to us."

Teyla then gave him a brief rundown of the Ancients and how the expedition found the city of Atlantis and how they had come to her people for help only to be attacked by the Wraith. She kept her account of the Wraith succinct as to not frighten him too much but she did mention how the one hive had discovered the location of Earth and that it was John who kept them from succeeding in their mission when he detonated the bomb from inside the ship.

"So when O'Neill said he had saved the lives of millions of people he really meant billions, basically the whole population of the planet." Dave was dumbfounded by this thought. His brother really had saved the entire planet.

Teyla gave a simple nod.

"And John has been living in your galaxy in the city of Atlantis for the past five years?" Dave asked as he glanced at his brother lying so peacefully on the bed. "No wonder it's been impossible to get messages to him."

"Yes, the first year they were completely cut off from your planet with no possible communication or contact. It was quite difficult for many who served. Yet they all were aware that this was a possibility when they volunteered for the expedition. Once your people finished the Daedalus, travel became possible though it was still a very long journey."

Teyla didn't try and explain about the Stargate as she knew it was an even longer explanation and at this moment she was exhausted and needed to rest. But she did not wish to leave John's side. She leaned closer and pressed her lips to John's fingers that still lay snuggly in her own.

"I will give you more information later. General O'Neill or Colonel Carter will need to fill you in on The Trust and the Goa'uld. For now I wish to rest my eyes. When John awakens I would like to be near if he needs me."

"Of course," Dave nodded and leaned back in his own chair and stretched out his legs. "I may see if I can close my eyes for a few also. Thank you for the information, Teyla. I appreciate it. And for keeping me company while I sit with John. I'm sure he would appreciate it too."

Teyla thought of all the times she had sat at John's bedside and nodded. "He always does."

She laid her head on the pillow and pressed John's scarred fingers against her lips and closed her eyes. She wondered if she would have dreams again tonight. She had not had time to truly ponder what had transpired for so many months with her feeling John's presence but right now she knew he was actually here and his presence was real. She would take comfort in that.

.