I'm feeling generous and had a little extra time so here's another bonus chapter

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Chapter 14

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"Now I'm guessing that he'll start waking up in the next hour or so considering the amount of sedative I last gave him," Carolyn Lam stated as she checked Sheppard' s vital signs again.

He had been moved into the smaller isolation room yesterday and kept sedated for the remainder of the day. They had tried to keep the room as bare as possible while still having the medical equipment necessary to use if they needed it. Much of it was being stored in the observation room next door.

Teyla looked at the small mirror on the wall and knew Ronon was behind there with Torren. They had set up an area with a small carpet on the floor and many toys so the child could occupy his time while Teyla sat here with John. David had needed to go back home last night but said he would be available by phone and he would make plans to come back soon. He had requested frequent updates on John's condition and Teyla had assured him that she would fill him in daily.

Teyla gazed around the room as Carolyn did a final exam on John's back and wrists. It was very different here from Atlantis. There were no windows to allow sunshine to float in, the walls were all gray and made of cinderblock and the people were all strangers, though they were certainly very pleasant.

Teyla walked into the small adjoining bathroom that consisted of a large shower stall, a sink and a toilet. She hoped John would be capable of using it soon. Carolyn had just removed his catheter knowing it would be very uncomfortable once he woke up.

She washed her hands and strolled back into the room to see the doctor wrapping light gauze around John's wrists. They were still very red and raw however the short time with medicated ointment and air had allowed them to begin the healing process. They had applied bandages to his back as well. But Teyla knew the physical healing would be the easy part. Getting John past all that he had endured would be most difficult but she had to have faith that he would eventually. They had left things unfinished but hopeful when he had gone to fight the hive ship and she needed that hope now.

"I'm encouraged by his color and skin tone," Carolyn said. "Obviously the fluids we've been giving him have helped with the dehydration. But we'll need to keep that IV in until we can get him taking fluids on his own. When he wakes up, see if you can get him to drink something. And we can get him some light broth if he's hungry."

"John is usually hungry when he is recovering from an injury," Teyla commented.

"Good. Now there's a nurse stationed in the next room to monitor his vitals and General Landry insisted on two guards as well. And honestly after what happened last time, I can't really blame him."

Carolyn edged closer to the bed and began adjusting the pillows around the Colonel. "I'm going to try and recline him a bit but I still want to keep him completely off that back and those pressure sores so I'm placing a few pillows along his back so he's still not laying fully on them."

Teyla assisted her in positioning John and was thankful they had clothed him in a pair of loose hospital pants though his torso was still bare to allow his back to be free for treatment. His IV was now in his right arm which was resting on a pillow also, the splint still keeping it firmly in place and his arm straight. His left arm was resting across his middle and Teyla thought he looked very comfortable. She was glad as she knew he had spent more than three months in terrible discomfort.

"Now when he wakes up, Shelly, the nurse, will let me know and I'll come down here. But I won't come in if he's at all agitated. Try and keep him as calm as you can. Dr. Marshall said that he needs to feel safe where he is before he can actually start believing anything around him. Hopefully if you're the only one here, that will be the case. I've instructed the guards to only come in if he begins to become violent. I'm trusting you to let them know if he gets to be more than you can handle. And, of course, Ronon will be watching through the window."

"Just give me the signal, Teyla, and I'll be right in," Ronon supplied from the doorway, Torren in his arms.

"I appreciate that, Ronon," Teyla replied, "but I do not wish for Torren to see John if he becomes as he was yesterday. If that does happen please make sure you take him away. I am sure the guards will be able to handle anything that happens. Hopefully that will not be necessary."

"Mama," Torren said and held out his hands to Teyla. She met Ronon halfway and took her son and gave him a sweet kiss on his cheek.

"Torren, Uncle Ronon will be taking you to play in the other room and I will be right here with Uncle John. If you need to see me then you may look through the window but you must not be loud as Uncle John needs to rest."

Torren looked down at John in the bed and pouted. "Dada. Dada booboo?"

Teyla gazed quizzically at her son. He had never referred to John as Dada before, except in her dreams. And he had not seen John in over three months. He had been barely a year old when they left Pegasus. Now he was almost sixteen months and she wondered how he could remember John. He was so young. But through her connection with her son she felt the affection that Torren had for the man lying in the bed though she was uncertain how this had happened. Could he truly remember John from several months ago? And why was he suddenly calling him Dada?

It was too much to think of at the moment. She needed to concentrate on making sure she could keep John calm and resting when he did wake. But she knew she would need to examine more closely why her son suddenly was calling John Dada.

"Yes," Teyla finally answered her son. "He has a boo boo and we need to allow him to rest so he can get better. So you need to play nicely with Uncle Ronon in the next room and I will wave to you at times through the window, okay?"

Torren nodded bobbing his short curls up and down. Then he started leaning out of her arms and said, "Tiss Dada?"

"Yes, you may give him a quick kiss," Teyla said and held him so his tiny lips pressed against John's cheek.

She heard Torren loudly whisper, "Luh you, Dada!" and was surprised when a faint smile came upon John's features. Could he hear Torren already? Was he waking up this soon?

Teyla stood back up and crossed to the door to hand Torren back to Ronon. But Torren was trying to remove his shoes saying, "Piddy, wee! Dada do piddy wee!"

Teyla's mind searched back and she knew he was referring to John playing with Torren's toes and calling them piggies. But she did not recall John ever playing that game with Torren for real. However he had done it many times in her dreams over the last three months. How was it her son knew of this? Had her connection to Torren allowed him to see what she had been dreaming? If so she feared that he may have also seen the many dreams where she and John had been quite intimate.

"Not right now, Torren," Teyla said firmly. "Perhaps later we can do it. Now please be good for Uncle Ronon." And she kissed his cheek and smoothed his hair back from his face.

Ronon took him back inside the next room and Carolyn gazed at John one last time. "Good luck, Teyla. Remember that it may take some time for the Colonel to know what's real and what isn't especially after all the games The Trust seemed to play with him. Be patient but also understand that we may have to use some force if it seems like he might hurt himself or anyone else."

Teyla nodded sadly, remembering yesterday and how frantic John had been and how much he had fought. "I understand and I will not take any chances however I do not think John would hurt me no matter how confused he is. That much was evident in his actions yesterday."

"I believe you're right," Carolyn said. "That's why I'm glad you're here. Right now I think you're one of the only ones who can get him to stay calm and rest."

She patted Teyla's hand and left the room. Teyla saw her speak with the guards and the nurse who were standing right outside the door but out of John's line of vision.

Teyla moved one of the chairs close to the bed but then decided she would actually sit next to John on the mattress. His new position left a little bit of room for her to slide her hip on and she could get much closer to him this way. She lifted his hand and stroked the skin as she had done so many times since he had been brought back.

Her hand wandered up his arm, running over the hair that covered much of it. She grinned as she realized how much she liked the amount of hair he was covered with. She usually needed to remind herself not to stare at his arms when they were together but now no one was here to see her do it. Well, Ronon was in the other room but she could hear him speaking softly to Torren and assumed he was playing with her son and not standing at the window staring at them.

She had a feeling Ronon knew of her feelings for John, though she had never come right out and admitted them to her friend. But he had made insinuations on occasion and had blatantly gotten up and left when it was just the three of them, leaving her and John alone together. He always made some excuse but she knew him well enough to see through his excuses.

She took this time to truly examine John, the part that was not under the sheet. He had lost much weigh but she could still see the definition of his muscles in areas and wondered if he had attempted to do some form of movement while he had been imprisoned. His arms still seemed very strong and she recalled several of the video clips showing John pulling himself up by his chains to kick out at his abductors.

Her eyes traveled from his biceps to his chest and she focused on his identification chain and tags. They sat in a nest of hair that swirled around his nipples then arrowed down the middle of his torso then swirled again around his navel. The sheet was resting along this line and she did not have the courage to investigate any further.

Though remembering the dreams she had been having every night since he had disappeared, she knew she had done more than that with him. She knew she would have to look through the notebook she had begun to record her dreams in after Jennifer had suggested it. She wondered if there was a pattern to them.

She knew many of them consisted of John and her behaving intimately in a variety of ways. But many of them, especially in the last month were of very pleasant events that also included Torren and at times David, Amy and the children. As she thought back to the details of them it seemed that John regarded Torren as his own in these dreams, the most recent ones anyway.

During the last few weeks they had begun to get more consistent in location as well. There had been a house that they were living in and a park very nearby that they often went to play in with Torren. These dreams had been so pleasant that she never questioned why they were living in a house and not on Atlantis but then they were only dreams, were they not, and dreams did not always make sense.

She heard a small sigh and looked down to see that her fingers had been playing with John's chest hair right around his navel. But the sigh had come from him. She left her hand there but stilled the fingers and leaned over to press her lips to his forehead.

"Are you finally waking up, sleepyhead?" Teyla teased and watched as John's eyes flicked open for a brief moment then closed again.

"I am right here, John," Teyla assured him in a soft, gentle tone. "It is just you and me. There is no one else around. Please show me those beautiful green eyes."

And he did. Slowly. But they did open and when he saw her face so close to his own, a smile grew on his lips. His eyes squinted slightly for a few seconds as if the light hurt but shortly they stayed open longer. Teyla saw him attempt to raise his right hand but knew seeing the IV yesterday had been part of what had set him off. So she quickly picked up his left hand and moved it to caress her cheek. He had done much of this in her dream world.

Teyla leaned in to touch her forehead to his and felt the familiarity comfort him as he again sighed. But too soon he began to look around to check out his surroundings. Confusion took hold again but Teyla swiftly tried to defuse it.

"You have a slight injury and are being treated for it. But I am here and all will be fine."

"I, …um … I don't …." his eyes told of his deep bewilderment so Teyla took a chance and leaned over and kissed his lips, hoping perhaps it would not confuse him further. John's hand pulled on her head and he deepened the kiss.

But he pulled back and said, "Maybe I need to brush my teeth a little before we take that further, huh?"

Teyla smiled. "Perhaps. I can assist you with that if you need me to."

John looked around again and this time Teyla couldn't get him to ignore the IV being held on to his arm by a splint. He scowled and tried to reach for it but Teyla grabbed his hand tighter and held it to her cheek again. She then moved her other hand to caress his bearded cheek.

"It is only there to help you," Teyla said gently and moved her face very close to his. "You must trust me, John. I would not lie to you or allow anyone to harm you. Do you trust me?"

She could see the confusion and uncertainty warring on John's face and wished for the words that would miraculously allow him to know she spoke the truth. He kept her hand in his and his eyes flew around the room, taking in every last detail. He looked back at her and touched her face again and sighed as his fingers stroked her soft skin.

Then his eyes flew up and he croaked, "Where's TJ? Is he all right? Was anyone else hurt when I was?"

Teyla pushed his hair back from his forehead and assured him, "Torren is fine. He is in the other room playing with Ronon."

As if on cue, a squeal of childish giggling could be heard floating from next door. Teyla immediately saw John's face soften and relax. She smiled as well.

"I believe Ronon is working him up again. He does so like to do that when it is almost his nap time."

"Ronon?" John asked quietly and his voice was tentative like he was trying to work something out in his head.

"Yes, Ronon," Teyla nodded. "Our friend. He was kind enough to offer to watch Torren while I sat with you. You know Torren would want to jump all over you and I do not think that would be conducive to the rest you need to recover adequately."

John gave a dry laugh and grinned. "Yeah, TJ would keep asking me to play This Little Piggy over and over again."

His tongue poked out and attempted to wet his dry lips. Teyla immediately reached for the cup with the plastic straw and moved it near John's mouth.

"Take small sips for now, John," she instructed then added, "Yes, Torren was just asking for you to play that game with him earlier when you were still asleep. It was after he came in to give you a kiss for your boo boo."

The same tiny smile that had crossed his face earlier came back. "Yeah, I … think I remember that. I must have just been … waking up and subconsciously heard him. He does love to play that game. Can't give him a bath … without needing to do it when I wash his feet."

John's words were slow and stilted and she could tell he was tired but what he had just said about Torren's bath was directly from her dream. She needed to see just how much of their dreams had been alike.

"Yes, I do like when you give Torren a bath," she probed. "And later when he goes to sleep …"

John's eyes lit up and a smirk appeared. "Yeah, I like the later part, too, especially when you're still in the tub."

Teyla felt her cheeks grow warm and vividly recalled many dreams where John would bathe Torren and then return to join her in the still warm water. Or occasionally they would be together in the shower and take turns washing each other. She had always woken from them with an extreme need and with the feel of John's hands on her. It could not have been a coincidence that John now had this memory also. But it seemed he did not remember that it had only been a dream. She did not think it would be a good thing to tell him otherwise at this point.

"Here, have some more water. You need to make sure you do not dehydrate."

Teyla allowed John to sip more of the water but when he was through his tongue poked out of his mouth and he grimaced. "My mouth feels like I ate a batch of cotton. Did you say there was a toothbrush around here somewhere?"

"Yes," Teyla answered and placed her hand on his chest. "If you stay right here I will get it and a basin. You should not be getting up yet."

The look he gave Teyla had suspicious written all over it but his eyes moved around the room again and when no one else appeared he relaxed against the pillows. Teyla quickly got the toothbrush, paste and the plastic basin and returned to his side.

She unwrapped the new toothbrush and applied a small amount of paste to the bristles then handed it to John's free hand. She then held the cup for him to sip some water from. John squinted at the brush for a second and Teyla knew he usually used his other hand but quickly enough he thrust the brush inside his mouth and scrubbed back and forth and around for more than a minute, frothy white soap bubbles appearing on his lips.

He nodded at her for the water and she held it to his lips so he could take a few more sips then placed the basin under his mouth so he could spit the excess back out. A few more sips and spits and he seemed done though Teyla grabbed a tissue from the bedside table and wiped some of the toothpaste that had remained on his face.

She quickly deposited the items in the sink in the bathroom and rushed to sit by his side again. She did not want him to think too long about why he was here.

John glanced at the IV again then at Teyla and she could see the wheels of his mind turning ferociously. He attempted to sit up a bit more and groaned at the pain that radiated through him at the action. Teyla reached over and raised the head of the bed slightly then encouraged him to recline against the pillow again.

"You said a slight injury," John questioned as he winced again in pain. "Why do I feel like I've been run over by a train and I don't even remember what happened."

Teyla thought quick not truly anticipating that he would want to know what happened. She had actually thought he would begin to panic and get upset like he had yesterday. Perhaps the fact that she was the only one here had played in their favor. Her mind whirred and she thought of one of their recent dreams. She had finally admitted to herself that they had been having similar dreams.

"Remember when we went for that hike in the woods," she began speaking of a lovely moment from a few days ago, "and we climbed that small hill. Unfortunately Torren dropped one of his toys and you offered to retrieve it. But the bushes that it had fallen in hid a steep descent and you fell quite far. Your back was scraped severely as were your hands and wrists. I am sure you twisted many muscles as you fell and tried to save yourself. You were unconscious when you landed at the bottom. I feared you were not alive."

Teyla's voice broke on the last few words as she remembered how she had felt when they had been given the news of John's demise on the hive ship.

John, as conscientious as always immediately apologized. "God, Teyla, I'm sorry I put you through that. I … I don't even … remember. I mean I remember the hike but not the fall. I must have hit my head."

Teyla touched his face again. "You do not have a concussion but you did bruise your face a good deal."

John lifted his good hand to his face and winced as he touched a few obvious cuts and bruises. When he felt the facial hair he paused looking pensive. But Teyla knew in their dreams he had not been clean shaven. And sure enough he just shook his head and smiled again.

But that didn't last long as he suddenly shouted, "Wait! Wasn't I carrying TJ in a pack on my back?"

Teyla swiftly shook her head. "No, not at that time. You had taken him down so he could move around for a few minutes before we started our hike back. He is fine."

John sighed and relaxed again. It seemed he was buying all that she had said so far. She was not sure how much longer it would last though. He looked at her with puppy dog eyes and asked, "Is he allowed to come and see me or won't they let him in?"

His eyes moved to the door and Teyla wondered if it would ease his mind more if he could see Torren. She followed his gaze and saw the hope that he had. She squeezed his hand and nodded.

"I will ask but I am sure it will not be a long visit. Do not move."

John groaned again and said, "Where would I go in this condition?"

Teyla chuckled and went through the door to the other room to see Carolyn, Rodney, Sam and Ronon all in the room. They were standing by the window with Torren playing by their feet. When she walked in all eyes turned to her.

"So, he's back to normal," Rodney said positively as she picked up her son.

Teyla closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "No, he is still very confused but I have been able to keep him calm. He thinks he was injured during a fall while hiking. He is concerned that Torren might have been injured. I assured him he is fine however I think he will relax better if he sees him."

Carolyn nodded at Teyla's inquisitive look. "Not long though. If something happens to set him off, I don't want your son to be in the line of fire."

"John would never hurt Torren," Teyla argued but she nodded knowing that sometimes innocent people got hurt and she would never forgive herself if something happened to Torren because she had brought him in there. "I will keep it brief."

She moved back to John's room whispering to Torren that he needed to be careful. But she knew she had made the right decision when she saw John's eyes light up and a sheen of moisture begin to glisten in them. Torren was equally as happy.

"Dada! Dada!"

John reached out his one available arm and Teyla lowered Torren to right between John's legs warning him again to not move around too much. But the boy had already pulled off one shoe and was handing it to John.

"Dada, piddies wee!" And he began to remove the other shoe.

"Okay, Pal," John chuckled as he wiggled a sock from the boy's foot. "Very subtle. Your Daddy can take a hint though."

Teyla took another deep breath when she heard John call himself Daddy to the child. It was exactly like the dreams she had been having. As she watched John play with her son's toes and saw the child squeal with glee, she felt moisture gather in her eyes. This was real. It was not a dream; however it was what she had wished for so very long.

John gave Torren a few more tickles then noticed Teyla watching them. He saw her eyes misting and frowned at her. He pointed to the spot she had occupied earlier. When she sat down, John gave her a bright smile.

"I'm fine, Teyla, just a little tired. You know there isn't much that can take me down. You just need to give me time to get back on my feet. I'd never leave you and our son. I'm here to stay for as long as you want me."

Teyla smiled though it was still watery. "Then you must stay forever."

John looked up at the ceiling and smirked. "I think I can manage that. Now stop worrying, okay?"

Teyla nodded and agreed then saw that Torren had snuggled between John's legs on top of the sheets. "Very well, but it looks like this little boy is in need of his late morning nap. I should get him to lie down."

Torren popped his head up when he heard this and gave a deadly pout. "No, Mama, seep a Dada, peeeease!"

Teyla was about to explain to him that he could not when John said, "Sure, Pal. Just scoot over here a little and you'll be more comfortable."

John settled him in between his body and the arm with the IV and had him rest his head on the same pillow the arm was on. The child smiled happily then stuck his thumb in his mouth and closed his eyes.

John gazed mischievously at Teyla and whispered, "They wouldn't wake a sleeping baby now would they?"

Teyla narrowed her eyes at John's manipulations then saw his own eyes flutter a bit. "Are you also in need of a nap, John?"

John made a face at her then grinned wryly. "No, although since I can't really go anywhere else, I suppose I could rest for a little while. You know, allow myself to heal quicker so I can come home with my family sooner."

John's eyes roamed the room again nervously then anxiously asked, "What day is it, Teyla?"

"It is Sunday," she answered and she saw John relax again and gaze down at Torren.

Teyla reached down and smoothed Torrens' hair from his face and saw that he was already deeply asleep. In her dreams John had always had a way with comforting Torren so completely. But then she admitted that even before John had been taken, he had spent many nights holding Torren and singing to him until he was asleep. That had not changed.

Teyla glanced toward the door and saw Carolyn peeking in and smiling. She then saw that John's eyes had closed and his breathing had evened out. She turned back again and gave a curious look to the doctor who just smiled again and nodded then backed away.

Teyla settled herself more comfortably on the side of the bed and rubbed Torren's back as he slept. John's hand had moved and it also rested on the child's back. She was glad Dr. Lam had allowed Torren to stay here even if only for a short while. John was now resting again and they had managed to keep him calm even though he was obviously not quite himself.

But Teyla had to admit, she did not mind this new John Sheppard one bit. After all, she had been spending much time with him over the past three and half months and had gotten quite used to him.

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