Chapter 13

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John sank further into the large, comfortable pillows scattered in front of the roaring fire. He looked down at his rough hand intertwined with the much smaller, softer one. Teyla's lips pressed a kiss to his fingers then stroked his skin and he gave a deep sigh.

"I didn't think I'd ever get warm again but this is nice," John murmured his gaze moving to the flickering flames in the fire place. "Nice and cozy and the most beautiful woman sitting here with me."

Teyla's smile warmed his heart even more than the flames as she snuggled deeper into his arms. "Yes, it is quite chilly outside. I am glad we are able to spend this time inside here with this lovely blaze."

John pressed his lips to the top of Teyla's head and sighed. He gazed into the crackling fire and his thoughts revolved around this woman and all she had done for him. Without her he would have perished long ago.

"I want to thank you, Teyla," John whispered in her ear as his hand ran along her arm and across her back. "For rescuing me."

Teyla cocked her head and seemed puzzled. "Rescuing you?"

"You saved my life," John replied in answer. "You saved me from a dark and lonely existence and brought light and beauty and happiness to me. Whenever I felt like I couldn't go on, I just thought of you. Your being here with me and being here for me was what got me through the lonely, dark days and nights. I wouldn't have made it without you."

Teyla smiled and caressed his cheek. "Yes, you would have, John. You are stronger than you know. I have faith that you can get through anything that is thrown at you. But you know I will always be here for you. You are vitally important in my life as well."

John just nodded and lowered his head so his lips were just skimming hers. Kisses were shared and then the warmth of the fire lulled them into a companionable silence where they each just soaked in the presence of the other.

Time passed and the embers dimmed but John knew the love they shared with each other would never follow suit. His arms gathered her close and he reveled in her companionship. He wanted her to know just what she meant to him.

"You're everything to me, Teyla."

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"Every…thing," John murmured and Teyla's eyes fluttered open at the scratchy voice nearby.

She had been having a dream that she and John had been sitting cozily by a warm fire and he had just said, …

"Everything … Teyla."

Her eyes opened wider as she realized that John had just spoken the words of her dream. Could it be that they had been having the same dream? How was that even possible?

She moved closer and saw John's eyes drift open for the briefest of seconds then close again. She reached up to touch his face and whispered his name.

"John, are you awake? I am right here if you need me."

A tiny smile crossed his features and his eyes flickered open again, squinting even though the light was dim. "Hey."

Teyla's smile grew and she pushed back some of the hair that had slipped into his eyes. "I am so happy to see you again. It has been very difficult without you here."

John's eyes narrowed in confusion and he looked around at his surroundings. He saw the IV attached to his hand then noticed Dave who was just stirring in the nearby chair. His eyes grew confused and scared and he started shaking his head back and forth as he attempted to sit up.

"You shouldn't be here, Teyla!" he whispered harshly then looked around frantic that anyone would see her. "You have to wait, wait until they're gone. You can't come here! You need to be there! I'll come to you."

"John, what's wrong?" Dave asked as he came fully awake and saw his brother groaning with the pain of trying to push himself upright.

John's eyes flew open even wider as he saw Dave moving toward his bed. He looked frantically around and then grabbed the IV and began trying to rip it out of his hand. Teyla attempted to stop him but he struggled even harder and finally managed to get it free.

"John! Stop it!" Dave yelled and noticed a few of the medical personnel had come to see what was happening.

"Colonel, you need to keep that in and stop moving around so much. The IV has much needed fluid and antibiotics that will help you." The nurse on duty rushed in and tried to get him to lie back down to no avail.

John narrowed his eyes suspiciously and gave a derisive snort. "Right!"

He began to push aside the blankets that covered his legs and then slide toward the other side of the bed from where Teyla and Dave had been sitting. His eyes roamed all around the room as he slipped off the bed. Within seconds Dr. Lam had entered with two guards who immediately moved in his direction.

John looked at them panicked then gazed back at Teyla and hissed, "You need to get out of here, Teyla. You can't let them get you. I promise I'll get back to you and TJ. Be patient okay. Go, now!"

His last words had barely been audible and his eyes had begged her to do what he asked. Dr. Lam stood close by assessing the situation, realizing that the Colonel wasn't fully cognizant of where he was. But she also knew he needed to be in bed, resting. In this state he could seriously hurt himself.

"Colonel," she began softly and slowly. "I need you to get back in bed. We're going to try and help you to feel better but we can't do it if you don't cooperate."

Teyla took a few steps around the bed to get closer to John but one of the SO's took her arm and stopped her. "He's not stable, ma'am. You shouldn't get too close."

The other SO had silently crept closer until he had his hand about to grasp Sheppard's arm to assist him back into the bed. But when John saw the guard touch Teyla, something snapped inside him and he lashed out and belted the man in the face and tried to rush the one who had taken hold of her.

"Let her go!" Sheppard roared as he attempted to punch him too. But his strength was minimal and his legs gave out and they managed to grab him under the arms before he hit the floor. But even with his strength diminished he still struggled against them and his petrified expression pleaded for Teyla to leave.

When he saw Teyla take a few steps back, he nodded vigorously and cried, "Get away, Teyla, now. Don't let them bring you in here. It's not safe. You need to go there. You'll be safe there and I promise I'll meet you there soon."

John pulled against the two who now wrestled to hold him still while Carolyn took a needle that her assistant had run to get. It took quite a bit of effort as John swung his arms about and kicked out and another guard was called to hold his legs while they secured his ankles to the bed with restraints.

Teyla could see John's agony and fear and she cried out, "Please stop! You are hurting him. He is frightened and does not know where he is. Let me talk to him, please."

Carolyn took only a second to acknowledge what she said, "I know, Teyla, but I can't have him hurting others and he's likely to hurt himself if he keeps thrashing about like this. I need to give him another sedative to calm him down. Maybe you should step out for a minute."

John's eyes were wild as he continued to struggle but he took in Dave gently placing his arm around Teyla's shoulder and finally stopped resisting so feverishly. "Dave, you need to get her out of here," he croaked anxiously as his eyes flew back and forth between the needle Dr. Lam was inserting into his arm and the guards who held him down. "Keep her safe. You be safe, too. Please!"

Dave seemed to understand that his brother was hallucinating and thinking that Teyla was in danger too. He wrapped his arm more firmly around Teyla and promised, "I will, John. Don't worry. I'll keep her safe."

Then he backed slowly from the room to stand near the door. He saw John give a relieved sigh and then relax against the pillows, his eyes filled with sorrow. Dave thought he saw his lips move and a faint, "Thank you," form on his lips.

He and Teyla stayed back in the doorway as the doctor waited until the sedative started working and John's eyes closed and his body drooped with sleep. Carolyn heaved a huge sigh, checked his vitals then turned around to look at the two ashen faces staring at her from the door.

Carolyn nodded for the guards to leave and they took position right outside the door. She stared down at John once more and undid his ankle restraints. She rolled him on his side again, pillows positioned along his front, then covered him up to the waist with a sheet. She indicated for the nurse to hook his IV back up again then walked over to the other side of the room indicating Dave and Teyla should follow her.

Teyla's chest heaved as she relived what had just happened. John's reaction was strange yet something niggled in the back of her mind but she could not grasp what was bothering her. She only wished to bring him relief from his pain and suffering but it seemed it would be much more work than just healing his physical wounds.

"Why don't you tell me what happened so I can get a better understanding," Carolyn requested.

Teyla wasn't sure about the dream and wondered if the doctor would think her also mad if she mentioned it so she simply said, "John woke and was a bit groggy at first. But when he looked around and saw where he was, he seemed to panic. He seemed frightened that I was here and begged me to leave, to be safe. But when he saw the IV attached to his hand, he grew almost frantic and immediately tried to remove it."

Dave nodded in agreement. "When the nurse said something about him needing it to get better, he actually seemed like he didn't believe her. For some reason he thought Teyla wasn't safe here and when the guard touched her, I think it set him off thinking she was being hurt."

Carolyn nodded and looked thoughtful for a few seconds. "It's not uncommon for people who've been held prisoner for a good deal of time to not trust what's happening around them. The Colonel has been gone for three and a half months. And from the little I heard so far it appears he was held in a tiny cell with no light coming in chained to the wall so he couldn't even move around. Very little human contact and no light for long periods of time; that's sensory deprivation and it can cause some major problems after only a few hours. The amount of time he spent there, it's not surprising he's a bit neurotic and seeing things that aren't there."

"What can we do for him?" Teyla asked, John's well-being first in her mind.

Carolyn sighed again. "Right now, not much. I think I'll keep him highly sedated for a while so his body can have time to heal and we can get some fluids and nutrients into him. I was planning to wait until morning to get the x-rays and scans but I think maybe I'll get them now while he's out. I don't imagine he'll sit too well for those if a simple IV set him off."

She glanced back over to where he seemed to be sleeping peacefully then looked back at them. "Why don't you two get some sleep? I know you want to be here with him but for right now he's not going anywhere and I won't allow him to wake up yet. Once you're better rested tomorrow, I'll have more results and we can figure out where we want to go. I also want to call in Dr. Marshall, the base psychologist. He has lots of experience with Post Traumatic Stress and just dealing with soldiers who have been in bad situations. He may have more insight into what's going on in the Colonel's head and how best to deal with it."

Teyla turned her head to see that John was indeed resting comfortably but she knew she did not wish to leave his side. Carolyn sensed her need and touched her arm. "You won't do him any good when he does wake up if you're exhausted and falling asleep. It appears you're a large part of this fear he has so I'm thinking that you could be someone who's really useful in getting him to tell us what he's thinking. But not if you're falling asleep where you stand. Get some sleep now. I promise he'll be out until well into tomorrow. I may even give him another day just to allow his back to heal a bit while he's propped on his side."

She stared at Teyla with a pleading look and Teyla nodded. Dave sighed and nodded too. She motioned for one of the guards at the door and instructed him to bring them to the guest quarters. He nodded sharply and turned toward the door.

"I would just like to say goodbye," Teyla interrupted and walked toward the bed that John occupied. She ran her fingers through his much longer hair and bent to kiss his forehead. As she did she whispered, "Have pleasant dreams, John. If you need me there, call and I will come."

A few minutes later she was saying good night to Dave who was in the room next to hers, though she knew it was certainly closer to morning at this point. She closed the door behind her and went right to do a quick wash. Then she shed her clothing and crawled between the crisp, clean sheets. She thought of the many dreams she'd had over the past three months where she and John held and caressed each other in just such a location. Her smile was melancholy.

For so long she had refused to admit that John was dead and now she knew he wasn't. What had held her from accepting his fate? And why had his presence been so alarmingly real in so many ways? Had she somehow sensed that he was still alive? At that thought, a rush of tears flooded her eyes. Could she have alerted others to his situation earlier and kept him from having to endure the agony that she felt certain he had? But she did not know how she could have convinced anyone that her dreams were anything but her mind finding ways to keep John alive and in her memory.

She closed her eyes and attempted to relax her body with some meditation and soon she felt herself drifting off. And as she did, she thought she heard John calling her.

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It was ten the next morning before Teyla awoke to the sound of a knock on her door. It was Sam offering her some clean clothes.

"It's only BDU's but I figured you might appreciate something fresh instead of putting on what you wore on your mission yesterday," she said as she walked inside and handed over the green fatigues and green t-shirt. "I'm headed to a meeting right now to discuss some of the Intel we got from the Trust computers. Dr. Lam wanted to go over John's medical condition in about an hour with the team. Do you know how to get to the conference room?"

"I believe so," Teyla answered. "Though I wish to visit with John before I go there. Have you seen him yet this morning?"

Sam nodded. "I popped in about an hour ago. Carolyn was still asleep but Dr. Perlutski was there. He's still sedated and sleeping soundly. I'm sorry about what happened last night. It must have been pretty scary seeing John like that especially as he's usually so controlled."

Teyla felt her stomach drop at the memory of John fighting and struggling against the guards and the fear and agony on his face. "He will get better," Teyla said firmly. "We will help him in any way we can and he will get better. He will just need some time."

"Yeah," Sam agreed. "Jack, uh … General O'Neill was held and tortured by Ba'al for quite a while and even though he put on a great front when he was finally rescued, I could tell it changed him. He was very quiet and reserved for a long time after."

"Sam," Teyla pondered curiously. "May I ask you a personal question?"

Sam merely shrugged and said, "Sure, I guess."

"I noticed that you and General O'Neill were holding hands a few times yesterday. Do the two of you have feelings for each other?"

Sam gave a wry grin. "Jack and I have had feelings for each other for a while but we were on the same team for much of that time. Now that he works in DC most of the time and I'm not under his direct command, we can finally do something about it. A few people know but we've tried not to flaunt it too much. It's a little awkward at times."

"It was not obvious," Teyla assured her. "It was just something I happened to notice. I know it must be difficult trying to hide feelings for another while you are attempting to be professional."

"I'm guessing you know something about that, too, huh?" Sam asked a tiny smile on her lips. "I worked with you and John on Atlantis for a year. Honestly I thought the two of you had a thing for each other when I first got there. I have to say I was kind of surprised when John told me you were pregnant and that he didn't know who the father was. I thought it would have been him with the way he looked at you most of the time. But then I realized he was fairly upset that you were having a baby and wondered if he wasn't jealous."

Teyla blushed at the suggestion and looked around the room. "Yes, my night with Kanaan was unexpected and even more so the results of it. I felt John's censure at what had happened but recently I might have to agree that perhaps he was more upset that I had been with another man than that I had become with child. But all that will need to be put on hold until he is well again."

Sam nodded in understanding then said goodbye and that she'd see her in an hour. "There's an airman stationed in the hallway so if you need directions to anywhere, just ask."

"Thank you, Sam," Teyla replied, "for your honesty and your friendship."

Teyla closed the door behind her and went to dress. She made herself a cup of tea with the supplies in the guest room then found her way back to the infirmary. Dave Sheppard was already there, sitting in the chair he had occupied yesterday and he was reading a newspaper. He looked up when she came in.

"Did you get some sleep?" he asked as he pulled the chair she had been in back to the side of the bed.

Teyla sat down and took a sip from the disposable cup as her eyes roamed over John's sleeping form. "Yes, I slept for a good six hours. Were you able to rest as well?"

Dave nodded and said, "Yeah, I got just a little under that. I had to call Amy and let her know that we got John back. I didn't want to call her in the middle of the night. I filled her in a bit on what we know of his condition but told her I'd call when we learned more."

"Are you able to stay here for a little while?"

Dave nodded. "Yeah, for a day or so right now. I will need to go back to work out a few things at the office but I plan on being available if John needs me. What about you? Who's watching your son right now?"

"He is with friends on Atlantis," Teyla answered. "For now he is fine but I am hoping that John will be allowed to return and recover in the infirmary in the city."

Teyla now took a few moments to really look at John again. It was comforting to see that he appeared relaxed and peaceful. He was still on his side and the IV was more securely attached with bandages now covering where the needle pierced his skin at the inside of his elbow instead of on his hand. There was also a splint to keep his arm straight and Teyla figured this would make it much more difficult to remove the IV if yesterday's actions were to replay.

She hoped they did not. She wished for John to wake up and realize that he was indeed home and safe and that he just needed to relax and recover. And she wanted him to know she was here to help him in any way that she could.

She reached for his hand that was under the pillow and held tightly, hoping he could feel her presence. She leaned in closer and whispered, "John, you are safe here with me. I will not leave you and David is here as well. We will make sure that nothing harms you. You just need to rest and heal."

Dave smiled at her words and went back to reading his paper. Teyla sat holding John's hand, sipping her tea and smoothing the hair back from his forehead. They stayed that way until Teyla noticed the time and said they should go to the conference room so they could discuss John's condition and prognosis.

Dave agreed and several minutes later they were escorted into a large room that was already filled with many people. Teyla saw Richard Woolsey and greeted him.

"Mr. Woolsey, I did not realize you were still here. It was very late when we got back with Colonel Sheppard."

"Yes," Woolsey responded, "I managed a bit more sleep than most last night." With this he glanced at Dr. McKay and Jackson who were sitting on opposite sides of the table looking at a computer screen.

Teyla looked reproachfully at Rodney and asked, "Rodney, did you not sleep at all last night?"

"Oh, no, no," he said quickly and took another sip from a mug in front of him. "I got a few hours but I needed to go through this data bank so I just filled up on coffee."

Dr. Lam walked in and gazed at everyone around the table. Landry and O'Neill were sitting at the front with Woolsey and Carter next to them. McKay and Jackson were by them with Mitchell, Vala, Teal'c, Lorne and Ronon. Teyla took a seat next to Ronon while Dave sat in between her and Lorne.

Just then a tall, slender man in his fifties with a head of thick silvery hair strolled in. He slipped into an empty seat while Dr. Lam did the same. The table was now full.

"Carolyn, good you're here," Landry said as his daughter placed a folder on the table in front of her. "I think everyone else is here so if you want to begin."

"Thank you, General," she answered and opened the folder. "Colonel Sheppard is currently sleeping and I plan to keep him that way for at least another day. I assume everyone heard about what happened early this morning when he woke up."

"What I don't get," Ronon broke in, "is what the heck caused him to flip out like that."

"Being kept in a small dark cell for the length of time he was," the silver haired man began, "is a form of sensory deprivation along with little human contact. This can lead to anxiety, hallucinations and paranoia."

Rodney narrowed his eyes at the newcomer. "And you are ….?"

"Oh, sorry," Carolyn apologized. "This is Dr. Alex Marshall, he's the psychologist on base. I thought it would be appropriate to have him here to listen to Colonel Sheppard's information."

Rodney just nodded and Ronon silently grumbled thinking Sheppard didn't need any shrink. But when he remembered back to the weird stuff Sheppard had been saying and the silly song he had kept singing, he figured maybe it wouldn't hurt. He looked back to where Dr. Lam had started talking again.

"We got the blood work and scans back and we've definitely got our work cut out for us. The x-rays showed several broken bones throughout his body. The top of his left tibia looks like it was fractured and with the remodeling it seems it happened shortly after he got there. It also looks like it was reinjured several times since then. A few of his ribs look like they had fractures at some point as well. Luckily the scans didn't show any signs of head trauma though it certainly looks like he was hit or slapped enough to cause the bruises and cuts that are fairly evident."

She looked down at her sheets of paper again. "Now the bones all seem to be healing to some degree but I want to up his calcium intake as I really don't think he got much while he was there. The malnutrition alone can cause his wounds to heal slower than usual."

"Which means at a normal rate to anyone else since Sheppard never seems to need as much time as anyone else to heal," Rodney added smugly.

"Dr. McKay, why don't you let Dr. Lam finish," Woolsey chastised mildly.

Carolyn nodded. "The Colonel also has a mild case of pneumonia which isn't surprising since he wasn't able to move around much and the shallow breathing he probably had to do because of his cracked ribs I'm sure didn't help. We've got him on a broad spectrum of antibiotics right now and hopefully that will fix a few other problems as well."

"What other problems?" Teyla asked anxiously.

"We found several bacterial infections as well as a viral infection in the Colonel's blood. That could also have caused the pneumonia. Apparently whatever he ate or drank or possibly even the conditions he was in resulted in the Colonel contracting these. Now bacteria can be killed by antibiotics but unfortunately viruses cannot. My concern at this point is that Colonel Sheppard's immune system has been compromised by the prolonged situation he was in. Little sleep, no activity, dehydration and malnutrition plus the stress of the imprisonment along with the torture are all contributing factors. His white blood count is very low and isn't really capable of fighting anything off right now. It's one of the reasons I need him to stay calm and rested. He could get very sick otherwise."

"I think it might be a good idea to move Colonel Sheppard to one of the isolation rooms," Landry suggested, "since the infirmary isn't really equipped to handle someone who is possibly unstable at the moment."

"That's not a bad idea to get him away from the main infirmary," Carolyn agreed, "but I'd prefer one of the smaller ones on level seventeen than one of the larger ones. If he wakes up and sees such a large room with people staring down at him from those big windows, … I think we might have an even bigger problem than what we had this morning."

Landry nodded agreement but Rodney interceded again. "Why can't we bring Sheppard back to Atlantis to recover there? I think he's less likely to freak out in a familiar setting than in this depressing place."

"If it was a simple injury," Landry explained, "I'd have a tendency to agree with you. But we have no idea what The Trust did to him. For all we know they may have planted some deep programming inside him to kill us all. Or to kill everyone once he got back to Atlantis. And right now both Dr. Keller and Dr. Beckett are away visiting family which leaves a few doctors with much less experience in this type of situation. And here we can lock down the mountain much quicker than you can lock down the city. If Colonel Sheppard were to get loose in Atlantis, it could take a very long time to find him."

"If we even could," Ronon muttered but loudly enough for everyone to hear. "Sheppard knows and controls the city better than anyone. He could hide there for months and possibly never be found."

"So, Dr. McKay," Landry reasoned, "until we know Colonel Sheppard is back to being himself in body and mind, he stays here. At some point we need to find out what he knows about the people who imprisoned him and what their plans were."

Rodney sat back and sighed but didn't argue. He truly didn't want John to hurt himself or others. He just wanted his friend back the way he was before.

"Was he really singing some weird song when you guys first found him?" Rodney asked quietly hoping maybe John was really fine and the few things he'd heard weren't really as bad as they had sounded.

"It was similar to the chanting rhythms of one of Torrens' books that John likes to read to him," Teyla informed them. "It is about animals and the food they each have on specific days of the week. But the words John was singing did not mention food."

"He said Friday was outside," Lorne contributed. "And that's where we found him and yesterday was Friday. He also seemed really upset and kept insisting that Thursday was tricking and Friday was outside."

"Wait!" Daniel raised his hand and started clicking away at his computer. "That just reminded me that some of the files that are in here were labeled with days of the week. I didn't see it as a big priority so I skipped those to look at others that had stuff that seemed more important. See, here's Monday."

He clicked a few more keys and reported, "It's a series of videos. I can put them up on the screen."

All eyes turned to the screen between the two generals and they saw the men who had been with Sheppard hauling him into the larger room. They pulled off his shirt and hooked him to the overhead chains. Soon Athena was striking his back with the long strip of leather attached to a handle.

Groans and whimpers came from a few mouths as they watched then Daniel shut it off and said, "There are fourteen entries in the Monday file. Here's a much later one."

They watched again as John was hung on the chain and whipped savagely. This time he barely even grunted as he did the first time. His eyes were unfocused and a tiny smile played about his lips though he did close his eyes briefly each time he was struck.

"Fourteen entries?" Lorne repeated. "The Colonel was gone for fourteen weeks. One for each week?"

"Looks that way," O'Neill growled. "Maybe it's sadistic but we should check out the rest of the days to see exactly what we're dealing with here in terms of helping him recover."

"I hate to say I agree, General," Lam said, "but if I know what was done to him I can have a better idea of treatment."

"The same goes for me," Marshall piped in.

Daniel pulled up the Tuesday file and they quickly skimmed through several weeks of John being beaten and then Wednesday where he was shocked with the pain stick. Wednesday was the worst as even towards the end John's reaction was still one of extreme anguish. His cries of agony echoed in the room.

As Daniel shut down the video, Dave got up and stumbled from the room with a mumbled excuse. Vala immediately followed and offered, "I'll check on him. I don't need to relive any more of this. I've been there already."

And they knew she had, only she had been on the other end of the stick from John. And even though she had not had control of her own body at the time, they knew she still felt guilt and remorse for what she had done while she had been inhabited by Qetesh. Carolyn thought Charlotte Mayfield would do well with a few visits from Vala to help in her healing process.

When the Thursday videos were viewed the groans and whimpers were not present though several people had thoughtful sounds.

After forwarding through half a dozen, Dr. Marshall spoke up. "Seems like they tried very often to convince him he was rescued then gave him some sort of hallucinogenic drugs to convince him his friends were with him."

"Which explains why he ripped his IV out yesterday," Carolyn said. "This is not going to be easy making him realize he's really been rescued and we're not just tricking him again."

"Play through one more, Daniel," Sam requested knowing these weren't as hard to watch as the beatings and whippings. "I want to see something."

Daniel found another one and pressed play. As they watched it, Sam cocked her head to the side and looked thoughtful.

"You know a few of these try and make John think that Rodney or Ronon are there," Sam pointed out, "but it doesn't look like they knew about the whole team because there's no one trying to be Teyla."

"Oh, I found a few clippings and pictures of me, Ronon and John in one of these files," McKay shouted. "They look like they're from when Jeannie was kidnapped. Obviously someone was hanging around then."

Teyla shifted in her chair. "Aside from a short trip to the SGC for an evaluation several years ago, I had not been on this planet until we landed a few months ago."

"Just another reason that you should stay around for Colonel Sheppard," Carolyn mentioned. "He seemed very protective of you and didn't think you were trying to hurt him. And The Trust didn't know to use you to try and get information from him. I am wondering what Colonel Sheppard was talking about though when he kept saying that you needed to go there. Where is there?"

"I have a theory about that," Dr. Marshall told them. "Correct me if I'm wrong but those training for Special Forces are given training in combatting torture. I believe one way is to create a place deep inside that they retreat to whenever things get too bad. Well we saw that things were pretty bad so perhaps there is the place the Colonel created. And it seems that Ms. Emmagen was the one he chose to be with him."

"Huh?" Rodney seemed slightly perturbed. "How come he didn't pick me? I'm one of his closest friends."

"I'm thinking Sheppard wanted someplace peaceful and calm," Ronon grunted. "With you all he'd get is bickering and whining. He didn't pick me and I'm not complaining about it."

"That's because you're Mr. Action/Adventureman. That's not calm and peaceful either." McKay sat back in his chair with a huff.

"John also mentioned Torren when he told me to go back," Teyla informed them trying to pacify both. "So apparently he was there as well."

"All the more reason for you to stick around until we can get the Colonel back on his feet again, if Mr. Woolsey will allow it."

Woolsey straightened in his chair and said, "Of course she can. We all want what's best for Colonel Sheppard."

Teyla nodded but added, "I am more than willing however I would ask that my son be able to come stay with me here. I do not wish to be away from him for very long. It is why I risked the journey for him from our galaxy."

"That won't be a problem, Teyla," O'Neill guaranteed then looked back to Daniel.

"Friday you said was outside, right?" Jackson clarified and played a few moments of a couple of the Friday videos. They were obviously taken from inside but you could see John pushing and pulling against the pole in all the ones they saw. The sight of him struggling so valiantly to free himself nearly broke Teyla's heart. But he had never been defeated and had finally pulled it free on the day they had arrived for him.

Daniel clicked some keys and looked perplexed. "There's only Saturday left. I can't find one that says Sunday."

Teyla narrowed her eyes and cleared her throat. "If I am remembering correctly, I believe when John was singing the song while we were attempting to leave, he said, 'Sunday, rest,'. Perhaps they merely left him alone on Sundays."

Daniel shrugged and clicked on Saturday only to see John stripped and water thrown on him as the goons scrubbed him down with soap.

Sam sat up and looked nervously at Daniel. "Oh, um, well apparently Saturday is bath time. Maybe we don't really need to see any more of those, huh, Daniel?"

Daniel shut the files off and Carolyn finished making marks in John's folder. "I guess that explains why he wasn't in worse shape when you got him. After three months he should have been filthy and his back should have been completely infected. But a weekly scrubbing, as crude as that seemed, probably saved his life. I don't imagine he would have survived if the lacerations on his back had gotten infected and gone without treatment."

A silence fell over the room as all took in what had happened to their friend. Vala took that moment to re-enter the room.

"Is he okay?" Teyla questioned the woman, her face showing her concern.

"Yes, he just needed some air. And to empty the contents of his stomach. I made him a nice cup of tea and he's sitting quietly by his brother's bedside for now. I think the severity of what he saw was a little much for him. Those corporate types don't really have the stomach for what we do."

"Thank you, Vala," Teyla said to her and gave her a pleasant smile.

Vala moved back to her seat and settled in noisily. She plastered on one of her huge smiles and asked, "So, what are we doing now?"

"I think it's time for everyone to get back to work," Landry announced. "Carolyn, please let us know if there are any new developments with either Colonel Sheppard or Miss Mayfield."

"Of course, General," she answered then looked at Vala. "Do you think I could have you help me out with something?"

She led the woman away discussing plans for Charlotte Mayfield's recovery while the others all stood and began to move out of the room.

"Major Lorne," Woolsey addressed the military man. "I plan on going back to Atlantis this afternoon. Pressing matters unfortunately so I won't be able to stay long around here to check on the Colonel's condition. I'd like you to take me in the jumper and resume temporary command of Atlantis again. I know Major Teldy has been doing a great job as your second in command but she requested the next few weeks off and I need a ranking officer in the city who knows what they are doing."

"Of course, sir," Lorne responded in agreement though he really wanted to stay and make sure Sheppard would be okay. He'd have to trust that job to the man's team. He didn't think anything would be able to drag them away. With that thought he turned to Teyla.

"I can make arrangements to get Torren here if you'd like, Teyla. That way you don't have to take too much time away from the Colonel. I think he needs you here."

Teyla sighed in relief. "That would be wonderful, Major, thank you very much for your thoughtfulness."

"No problem. Just give me a list of anything you need for him or for yourself. I don't know how long you'll be here but I imagine it'll be longer than a few days. The Colonel's pretty beat up."

"Yes," Teyla nodded. "I will need much. Amelia and Dusty have been taking turns watching Torren and I will contact them and have them pack for the both of us."

Sam walked over as they were talking and offered, "We can have a crib brought into the room for Torren if he still sleeps in one. And I'd be happy to watch him occasionally if I'm not on duty."

"I can watch him, too, Teyla," Ronon suggested. "Looks like these creeps made me seem like the bad guy so I may have to keep my distance from Sheppard until he figures things out."

Sam patted Ronon on the arm comfortingly. "The room they're putting John in has a small observation window into another room. It's reflective glass so he wouldn't be able to see who's on the other side. It simply looks like a mirror. The room's big enough for a playpen for Torren or even has room to let him crawl around with some toys."

"That would be perfect," Teyla replied. "Though he is walking now and does not always wish to be penned in. But given enough items to play with he is often content in one area. He is truly a well behaved child and for that I am enormously thankful. Right now I wish to see John again if that is permissible."

Sam smiled her assent but before Teyla could leave Rodney walked toward her. "Listen, I heard what you said. I think I'm gonna go back with Lorne and Woolsey just to get some of my stuff and a few other items that might help me in figuring out some of what we downloaded from The Trust. Get that list to Amelia and I'll make sure to bring it all back."

"Why don't I go back with you, McKay, and we can both get the stuff and Torren much quicker. You'll need someone to hold the kid while you fly," Ronon proposed. "We can probably be back in a few hours right?"

"Maybe a little longer," McKay altered. "I don't fly those jumpers like one of those Air Force pilots. I need to take a little more time. I'm not sure how good I'll be at parking it inside the mountain."

"Then go," Teyla ordered with a false sternness to her voice. "So you may return. I will stay with John until you come back."

McKay started to walk out and they followed him. They heard him mutter, "Though it's not like he even wants to see us. We'll just set him off and he'll think we're out to get him."

Teyla said goodbye to her friends and set off for the infirmary. David and John were in the exact same positions as last time though David looked a bit paler now.

"How are you feeling?" Teyla asked and reached over to touch his hand as she sat in her usual chair.

Dave gave a wry grin that reminded her so much of John. "Better, thanks. Sorry about that. Watching what they were doing to my little brother …" He took a deep breath and glanced at John so still and pale in the bed. He gave a little chuckle. "I'm thinking I shouldn't have eaten breakfast."

Teyla squeezed his hand again. "I completely understand. You do not need to apologize. Unfortunately I have seen John tortured before though it certainly does not make it any easier to watch."

Dave's eyes narrowed. "When did this happen?"

Teyla now reached for John's hand and stroked the rough skin. "Perhaps one day I will give you more information but for now we must concentrate on helping John recover from this ordeal."

She leaned down and pressed her lips to John's fingers then rested her cheek against his hand. She closed her eyes and immediately felt John pulling her from where he was. And it was lovely so she willingly went.

.