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Chapter 15
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Teyla was gone. John knew she had been there when he closed his eyes but he searched the room and she was gone. Not that it surprised him. He wasn't always able to keep her with him all the time. Athena had a nasty habit of interfering when he just wanted to get away from her. Sometimes he could just ignore her but not always. Too often she was just downright vicious.
An image of a gun and Athena standing there with blood pouring from her neck flashed through his mind. He tried to pull that thought from his memory and another picture passed by his eyes. The gun had been pointed straight at the little snakehead and as he followed the arms up, he realized it was his hands that had been holding it.
Had he shot Athena? He had thought of it and wished for it so often that he couldn't be sure if this image was real or not. And another image of him shooting Guido also floated across his memory. Had that also happened?
He looked around the room and a vague familiarity crept through him but it seemed like this was where Teyla had been. Wasn't it? And TJ, he had been sitting right here in John's lap and John had been playing with his toes. But then many images of him playing with TJ and his cute little toes wafted through his mind and he got very confused wondering where exactly here was.
It didn't look like any of the rooms that Athena had tried to trick him in but it wasn't that far off. Had they tried changing the location a bit to make him finally think he had been rescued. But they never left him alone on Thursdays, tricking day. Usually there was a pretty little nurse or some fake doctor who kept coming and going to supposedly check on his condition and adjust his IV.
His head whipped over to see the IV still there as always but for some reason John didn't feel as woozy and lightheaded as he usually did when he was hooked up. But his thoughts were as befuddled as ever.
He took inventory of his surroundings then started going through his body parts and figuring out what hurt and what seemed better. His mouth definitely wasn't as dry as usual and the constant ache in his gut from too little food and the small but obviously contaminated water, had eased somewhat.
He stretched out and felt the aches and pains in just about every region of his body, especially his back. Though he had to admit it didn't burn quite like it normally did. Was it Sunday? Usually by Sunday his back was starting to feel a little better.
He reached back in his memory to try and figure out what day it was. He had a vague recollection of Teyla telling him it was Sunday. Okay, that made sense since he had spent much of the day with Teyla and TJ. He did have to wonder though why he was here in this place. Usually Sundays were in a much nicer location, like the park or playground or the beach.
But Teyla had said he had fallen trying to retrieve a toy for Torren. That made sense too as he knew they had just gone for that long hike. But what about Athena? The longer he thought about it the more he wondered if Athena and her goons had simply been nightmares that he had been having all along. Terrible nightmares but then they were right up there with being fed on by a Wraith or turning into a bug.
His eyes grew frantic as he searched his mind for the answers to all these questions. He needed to know where he was and what was actually going on. Had Teyla simply gone to put TJ down to sleep again? The boy had slept curled up right next to him early this afternoon and John sighed as he remembered the sweet feeling that was associated with it. That had been real, hadn't it? It had seemed very real right down to the feel of Teyla's hand caressing his as he and TJ had both rested.
And Teyla had brought him some broth to eat later after TJ had gone back with Ronon to play in another room. But he hadn't actually seen Ronon. Had he really been there? Confusion warred inside his brain yet again and he gazed intently around the room trying to take in every little detail he could.
As his eyes roamed the room and he saw the bathroom door open, he knew he needed to get up and explore. He couldn't just waste this opportunity alone to do nothing but lie here. He needed to act. He needed more Intel on where he was and who was truly here and how he could possibly escape.
And he wondered if maybe he really could this time. So many other times he had been thwarted mostly due to his own weakness and injury. But for some reason he felt slightly stronger today and his body wasn't screaming in agony as was usually typical. He would admit though that he was far from his normal stamina.
He kept his eyes moving around the room and out the door making sure no one was coming in and when he didn't hear any noise he started slipping from the bed. He eased his legs to the edge and slid them over to rest on the floor. The fact that his legs were now encased in scrub pants made him pause since Athena had never bothered to change him into anything like that. It had always been a dead giveaway that he hadn't actually been rescued. Maybe she was wising up. Or maybe he wasn't there.
He gave himself a few minutes to adjust to his weight on the floor and made sure to keep his ears and eyes peeled for any approaching person. When no one came running in, he took a few steps away from the bed, pulling the rolling IV stand with him. He knew he needed to get rid of this but for now he would just take it with him. It might come in handy. He would never admit it was helping him to stay standing.
The bathroom was only a few steps away from the bed so he limped over, his leg still aching as it had since Athena had whacked it fiercely the first week. The bathroom was sparse but he saw the toothbrush, paste and basin he had used earlier and more fear and anxiety arose in him when he didn't expect it to be there. Was he losing his mind? Had Teyla really been here to help him brush his teeth or had he just imagined it all? Was the injury from the hike something that had honestly taken place and he was simply recovering from that and Teyla had just gone to take care of TJ?
He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths as he leaned on the sink to try and calm himself. When he opened his eyes he saw a reflection of himself in the mirror and his anxiety rose even higher. He looked like crap! His hair was sticking up everywhere, though that was hardly surprising but the length certainly was. His face was covered in bruises and cuts and his eyes looked like he'd been on a drinking binge for about six weeks. And he obviously hadn't shaved in several months.
He turned the faucet on and splashed water on his face hoping he could wake himself up from this land of confusion he had found himself in. But his thoughts remained jumbled inside with no lucidity clarifying things for him. The water didn't have an annoying smell to it though so he took the small plastic cup by the sink and filled it several times, drinking his fill.
But once he did that he realized he needed to use the facility so he pulled the IV stand in all the way and closed the door. He stood there for a second waiting for the pounding of feet and the banging of someone at the door. But nothing came. So he spent a few leisurely minutes of privacy then washed his hands feeling like this was a luxury. The water was actually warm and there was soap in a dispenser.
John gazed longingly at the shower and reveled in the idea of taking one but wasn't sure he would be able to stand long enough to get through it. And he had some bandages on his back and butt that felt like they weren't healed yet. From the fall or something else? But he also was still unsure of his surroundings and didn't want to be taken unaware while in there. This place still confused him.
He opened the door and stood there trying to figure out the best way to remove the IV without anyone knowing it wasn't attached. In the end he just unwound the bandages from around the splint and pulled the needle from his arm.
As he started to walk out he took a last second to glance in the mirror and when he did he noticed the bandage on his back had come loose. He reached up with his free hand and pulled the tape off the top then pulled harder so the whole thing came off. He'd seen marks like that before and they hadn't been from any scrapes from a fall. They were whip marks. And from the amount he had and the scarring, he'd guess those Mondays had not been in his mind. He clenched his jaw and vowed if it was at all possible he wouldn't endure another Monday again.
He tossed the used bandages in the trash then rolled the IV back into the room but left it by the bed as he cautiously made his way to the door. This was the real test. So far no one had come in but he wondered how far they would let him get outside this room.
And, as if on cue, a cute little nurse appeared in the doorway and pleaded, "Colonel, you need to get back in bed."
John didn't know if this one was a snakehead or not. Not all of them were. So he simply played for more time. And as he stopped and leaned against the wall as if he was tired, he saw two uniformed men outside the door creeping closer. If he could get them close enough, he might actually have a chance at making this work.
"I just needed to stretch my back but I think I did a little too much," he croaked out weakly trying for the sympathy vote.
"Let me help you then, Colonel," the petite blonde offered and put her arm around his waist.
John took the opportunity to act like he was falling and one of the guards immediately rushed in to assist. It was the moment he'd been hoping for. He grabbed at the standard issue sidearm in the man's holster and pushed them both aside into the room.
He moved quickly into the hallway and held up the gun to dissuade the other guard from approaching. The lights here were much brighter and John had to narrow his eyes to accommodate for this.
"I think I'm still pretty good with this so I'd back off if I were you," John warned as he backed into the hallway his eyes frantically looking in every direction. The hallway behind him was clear so he started moving slowly his eyes never leaving the three people who were staring at him in horror.
The two men had their weapons out and were pointing them in his direction but they hadn't come any closer.
"Sir, I need you to put the weapon down," the one who had come into his room, a Corporal, said calmly.
The other one, a Private, also aimed his weapon but had pushed the nurse behind him. John sneered at them as he took a few more steps away. "That's Colonel to you, Corporal," John quipped. "And if you were any kind of a soldier you'd know you should be saluting me right now."
"And I will, Sir," the Corporal answered slowly and calmly. "As soon as you put the weapon down."
John gave a low chuckle then took a quick look behind him. He had come to an intersection and heard footsteps coming from one direction so turned and hobbled in the other. Too soon he heard shouts ordering him to stop. Then a few uniformed men appeared in front of him and John knew he'd blown it again. But he had gotten so much closer to freedom this time.
He turned in a circle eyeing the dozen soldiers all pointing their weapons at him. His weapon stayed up as he rotated, the defeat in his stomach churning and making him want to wretch. Panic welled up inside him. He couldn't go through another week with Medusa. He just couldn't. But could he give up Teyla and TJ? Were they even real? Somewhere in the back of his mind he had a notion that no one really knew he was even still alive. And if that was the case, maybe it was better if he wasn't. Tomorrow was Monday and it would start all over again.
The only other option had never been given to him before but maybe he could somehow manage it right now. One of these men must be trigger happy. He looked around and saw the young Private who seemed more than nervous and lifted his gun straight at him. The man's eyes grew rounder and John knew maybe he could succeed in this plan where he had failed in so many others. Because escape was escape, where you ended up didn't really matter. Any place was better than here.
John released the safety and cocked the gun. When he did the silence was deafening.
Finally the Corporal spoke again. "Colonel, Sir, no one wants to hurt you. We just want you to get back in bed so the doctors can make you better. That's all, Sir, just get back in bed and no one gets hurt."
"No one gets hurt!" John chuckled almost hysterically and continued to turn slowly and everyone got a good look at his back. "Is that right? So you'll take my turn with Medusa come tomorrow then, huh?"
John felt the laughter bubble up inside him and couldn't stop it when it reached the surface. He took a few steps closer to the Private but saw the Corporal edging along nearby.
"Sir, put the weapon down and let us help you get back in bed," he tried calmly once again.
But the calm finally made John snap. He didn't want calm anymore. He just wanted this over with. "No!" he roared as his gun went up again more firmly than before and he swung it at the Corporal now. "I will not get back in bed. Tell Medusa I'm not playing her little games anymore. It's over. Either let me go or shoot me."
"Sir, we can't let you go. But we don't want to shoot you either. Put down the weapon and we'll get you the help you need."
"What I need," John breathed out slowly but his voice was filled with menace, "is for you to shoot me!"
John squeezed the trigger but moved the gun a few inches to the right as he pulled. The bullet ricocheted off a wall and he saw several of the soldiers flinch. But none of them retaliated. He sighted at the Private again and mouthed his plea, "Do it!"
But before he could attempt to pull the trigger again he felt arms wrapped around him and the gun torn from his grasp. He tried to grab hold of it again but it had been moved too far away. He struggled against the hands that held him but when he looked around he saw four men all holding some part of him.
His legs kicked out and his arms and elbows flailed and he was glad to see that he landed a few well-placed blows. But behind these men were even more standing around at the ready to jump in if needed. Within seconds he was lying on the floor with people holding him in place. That didn't stop his struggles.
"No! No!" he yelled as he thrashed about trying to dislodge even one of them. Surprisingly none of them kicked or hit him as he was used to but maybe Guido and Bruno held the franchise on that. But he couldn't let them take him back. He couldn't do it again. He wouldn't.
He allowed himself to relax and feign unconsciousness and he felt the hands on him loosen slightly. When they relaxed even further he squinted open one eye to locate who was where and then a right cross and a knee to the nose and he had managed to get up and crawl a few feet away.
But too soon more jumped on him and held him as a man in a white lab coat nervously bent over him and injected a needle into his arm. John managed to give him a small kick, though with his bare feet he knew it was basically ineffective. His vision soon began to swim and he heard even more footsteps and voices. And just as his eyes were closing he saw a large man come running down the hall toward them.
"Ronon," he whispered then blackness overtook him.
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"What happened here?" General Landry boomed as he came upon several airmen hefting an unconscious Colonel Sheppard back to his room. "How did he get this far down the hall?"
Ronon had just heard about the ruckus and come as fast as he could. Sam Carter moved up behind him with O'Neill and Mitchell. They watched as Dr. Perlutski followed the soldiers into the isolation room.
Landry looked at Corporal Meyers and repeated his question. "Who was on duty, Corporal and what happened?"
"Private Barlow and myself were on duty, Sir, and I take full responsibility for the Colonel's actions, Sir."
Landry just rolled his eyes at the attempt at responsibility. He looked at the nurse who had shyly come out once the whole situation had died down.
"The Colonel woke up and got out of bed," she started to explain. "The guards on duty thought we should go in and get him back but he wasn't doing any harm and honestly the first thing he did was go to the bathroom. You can't blame a man for wanting some privacy and he seemed to be moving okay on his own so I asked them to stay back and just keep a close watch. Dr. Lam said not to engage him if we could at all avoid it."
"He spent a few minutes in the bathroom and then came out and moved back to the bed but instead of getting back in he started toward the door. That's when I went in and asked him to get back in bed. He made some comment about stretching his back out and I guess I believed him. I know he was chained up for over three months and again I couldn't blame the man for wanting to move around."
"That's fine, Nina," Sam assured the woman then encouraged, "Then what happened?"
Nina sighed and said, "The Colonel said he thought he had overdone it and it seemed like he was going to fall. Corporal Meyers rushed in to help catch him and that's when the Colonel took the Corporal's gun and pushed us away. Then he moved quickly into the hall. I didn't go after him at that point, not with him having a gun and all."
"You did the right thing," Landry let her know then turned to the variety of soldiers who were still congregating in the hallway. "Corporal?"
"I'm sorry, Sir, I underestimated the Colonel. He looked so beat up and weak that I never expected this from him."
"You wouldn't be the first to underestimate Sheppard," Ronon grunted. "He's a lot tougher than he looks and he's incredibly smart."
"He'd have to be tough to make it through three months with what they did to him," O'Neill added and dour faces were seen on all those that had witnessed either the videos or just Sheppard's back.
"We gave a warning," Meyers continued, "but the Colonel didn't seem to want to listen, he just kept moving down the hall. We finally surrounded him and it looked like he was going to shoot one of us. He seemed pretty intent on getting away. We finally managed to overpower him from behind while his attention was in one direction."
Carolyn then came rushing down the hallway with Teyla beside her and they stopped when they saw all gathered. "Where is Colonel Sheppard? What's his condition?"
"Dr. Perlutski gave him a sedative and he's being settled back in bed," Nina supplied for the doctor.
"What happened?" Teyla asked breathlessly her heart beating with fear.
Sam gave her a quick update then Landry looked at his daughter and ordered, "I need you to keep him restrained until we're absolutely certain he won't do this again. Do whatever it takes but we can't have a soldier of his caliber thinking he's in enemy territory and acting on it. We're damn lucky he didn't kill someone. He very well could have."
"Sir," Private Barlow finally spoke up. "I honestly don't think he would have shot anyone."
Landry narrowed his eyes and said, "I definitely heard live ammo go off in the hallway."
"Yes, Sir," Barlow replied respectfully. "But he had been pointing the weapon at me and when he actually squeezed the trigger, he purposefully moved the gun so it wouldn't hit anyone."
"He aimed a weapon at a fellow soldier," Landry stated plainly as if that was bad enough.
"Yes, Sir," Barlow agreed. "But I don't think he wanted to shoot anyone. It seemed to me that he was doing it so … we would shoot him."
"You're saying he wanted to commit suicide by firing squad," the voice of Rodney floated up the hallway. "Usually his suicide missions involve flying and crashing and saving millions of people."
Teyla gave Rodney a stern look and gazed back at the Private. "Why do you think Colonel Sheppard wished for you to shoot him?"
The man just shrugged. "Because he asked us to."
Surprise lit up the faces of all who had not witnessed Sheppard's attempted escape. And concern then became evident as well.
Meyers shifted in place and reported, "He said something to the effect of 'tell Medusa I'm done playing her little games' and then he said to let him go or shoot him."
"Who's Medusa?" Rodney asked perplexed. "I thought it was Athena who had him."
"Just a guess," O'Neill inserted, "He was referring to Athena. Didn't Medusa have a head full of snakes, … Athena had one snake in her head, I can see the connection."
"Of course you can," Sam chuckled softly. She then looked at Landry. "Does he really need to be restrained? The man just spent three months chained to a wall. I'm not sure restraining him will help him to realize that we're the good guys."
"I understand that," Landry said and truly looked sorry. "But I am responsible for the safety of everyone on this base. Until I know that Sheppard isn't a danger to anyone else or even himself then he'll need to be kept under tighter security. For now that means restraints and a few guards. When he starts getting better then we can discuss loosening a few of the security measures. Let me know if there are any other changes." And he nodded and walked off.
O'Neill looked at the soldiers who were still mulling around from earlier and dismissed them with a "Get back to work." He then ushered the rest inside the observation room and ordered the two who were on duty to stand guard outside.
Nina and Carolyn went inside the room and the others watched through the window as they fussed about with the IV and added more bandages to his back. Teyla moved to the door and leaned against the frame. She hated what was happening and could not stop the tears from gathering in her eyes.
When they attached the straps to John's ankles she winced and felt Sam's presence behind her. She took a shuddering breath and glanced at her friend. "I do not know how John will get better if we continue to treat him as a prisoner. He will not be able to differentiate between what we are doing and what they did."
Sam hated to see her friend so distraught. She had always admired Teyla for her strength and courage but now it seemed she had come up against something that challenged that. She knew Teyla's feelings for John had much to do with it as well.
"He will eventually, Teyla," Sam tried to reassure her. "We're not torturing him daily and we're giving him food and water and actual medicine to help him heal. But yeah, it may take a while for him to figure things out but I have faith that he will eventually. We have to give him time."
"And I will be right here while he is healing," she said decisively. "I hope your people will allow me to do that for as long as I need to."
Sam looked over to where Jack was watching dismayed as Sheppard's arms, slightly up from where his wrists were healing, were also strapped to the bed. She had confided in Jack about John and Teyla's possible feelings for the other as she knew he would completely understand.
"I don't think you'll have to worry about that. I can put in a good word with General O'Neill if I need to. Where's Torren right now?"
Teyla wiped some of the moisture from her cheeks and said, "Vala offered to watch him so I could come back and sit with John. Perhaps if I had been quicker in putting Torren down this would not have happened. He had a wonderful afternoon and I thought I could leave him for a short while."
"Don't put this on yourself, Teyla," Sam insisted as she patted her shoulder. "No one knows what would have happened in any circumstance. We should just concentrate finding the right way to get him better and trusting that he's really home. What did you do that worked so well this afternoon?"
Teyla glanced inside and noticed Carolyn was finishing up. She motioned for Sam to follow her quietly saying, "I wish to tell you something but I wonder if you will think I am crazy."
Sam laughed. "After all the escapades we've been through, there isn't much I won't believe."
Carolyn approached and sighed. "Not sure how much this'll do to his mental recovery but orders are orders and I have to agree that we can't risk him hurting anyone. But it doesn't look like he did himself any harm, at least bodily. I can't say the same to some of the airmen out in the hallway. There were a few bloody noses out there and I'm assuming they were from the Colonel. Now his lungs are still filled and I have to say I'm amazed that he could do as much damage as he did in his condition.
She took one last look and said, "The sedative he was given was a light one so if he wakes in a little while, try and keep him calm. I'll be on duty until midnight then Dr. Travis will be here in the infirmary. There will be a nurse stationed in the observation room though I don't want you to feel she's here to keep an eye on you. She'll be doing paperwork mostly and will just peek in every so often to check his vitals. But make sure you get some sleep tonight too. Promise?"
"Yes, I promise. But I may stay with him now, correct?"
Carolyn nodded and rubbed her arm then walked out leaving Teyla and Sam alone with John. Sam pulled her along and guided them both into chairs near the bed. She looked up at the mirror and said, "Now they can see us but you can't really hear what anyone's saying in here. So what is it you wanted to tell me? Something that might help John? And I promise I won't think you're crazy."
Teyla reached out and took John's hand and began to stroke his long fingers though it was a bit more difficult as his hand was strapped to the bed frame with wide strips of thick fabric.
"Shortly after John was missing," Teyla began and glanced at the door to make sure no one else had come in, "I began having dreams about him. Now I know that in itself is not unusual but the dreams were extremely real and very detailed and I had them every night."
Teyla looked at John's peaceful expression and wished it could always stay that way, the way it had been in her dreams.
"I mentioned them to Jennifer after a few weeks and she told me to keep a journal of them and perhaps it would help me in confronting my grief at John's departure. I did this but very soon the dreams became more than real at times. I began to feel what I thought was John's presence with me. In my mind I truly wondered if John had been able to ascend and he was visiting me throughout the day. Now that I see he is still alive I realize that was not the case."
Sam's eyes were perplexed but she didn't interrupt at all. Teyla knew this was one of the reasons she had first taken to this woman. She listened to all the facts before passing judgment.
"When Dr. Marshall began speaking of soldiers who created fantasy worlds to help themselves deal with the pain of torture, I had hoped that John had been able to ease his suffering in some way. But as I listened to his mutterings and actions, I realized that John was having the same dreams that I had also dreamed. I do not know how this happened but it did."
Teyla gazed at John again. "When John asked how he had injured himself, I used one of the recent dreams that I had and added to it to create a likely scenario. He remembered quite clearly the hike we went on and had no problem thinking he was injured during that. Realizing this, I worked several of my dreams into our conversation … and in every case, John thought of them as fact. There could be no doubt that every dream I have had in the last three months, was also one that John had indulged in."
Teyla stood and ran her fingers through the long pieces of hair over John's brow as she allowed Sam to digest what she said. She touched John's face and caressed down his cheek then sat back and waited.
Sam looked thoughtful and took a few minutes before she responded. "Well, we did run into that entity in Pegasus that somehow got into our dreams but what you're talking about here doesn't seem to be quite like that. You and John seem to have some connection almost like he somehow pulled you into his fantasy world along with him."
Teyla looked sheepish as she added, "And I also think perhaps Torren somehow was privy to some of the dreams as well. In the dreams John acted as father to Torren and he called him Dada. They played many silly games together often over the past few months. Today when Torren saw John, he acted as if he had just seen him recently and he called him Dada and asked to play a game that they had only played in the dreams. Torren had not seen John since before he left for his mission to the hive ship. I do not understand how this is possible but it appears it is."
Sam looked concerned and she remained thoughtful. "I don't know either, Teyla, but I plan on helping Daniel and Rodney go through some of that information we got from The Trust. Maybe Athena was using something that allowed you to see each other's dreams. We've seen technology where people can actually switch minds, so I suppose it's not inconceivable. I'll let you know if we find anything. You haven't touched any odd looking stones lately, have you?"
Teyla looked confused and Sam just smiled and stood up. "I won't say anything to anyone else for now but it might not be a bad idea to have Carolyn do a few more blood tests. Maybe John's got some Wraith DNA we don't know about and it's connecting to yours."
Teyla merely smiled and nodded. Sam patted her on the shoulder again and left the room. Teyla heard voices discussing John and some of the information they had gained from the download and then Rodney came in to sit near her for a few quiet minutes.
"I figured since he wasn't awake it was okay if I was here," Rodney said. "I know he probably still thinks I'm some sort of traitor/spy/Goa'uld/faker who's only trying to get information from him."
He grew quiet again for a while and finally gave a huge sigh. "I'm not very good at sitting around doing nothing so maybe I'll go and … you know … help find useful information from the stuff we grabbed off The Trust computers. That's okay, right?"
"Yes, Rodney," Teyla said and patted his hand. "It is fine. I do not expect you to sit here and watch John sleep or watch me through the window speak to him while he is awake. You should help Dr. Jackson and Colonel Carter with their research."
"Oh," Rodney looked excited. "And I think I may have figured out how to get that Ancient machine thingy to turn on though I can't really get it to do anything. Snake Lady had it for some reason but I'm not really sure what it was so I need to see if she took notes about it somewhere. I'll uh … see you later."
"Good bye, Rodney, do not forget to sleep at some point."
"Oh, right," Rodney called back then disappeared through the door. Ronon appeared in it a few seconds later.
"You okay?" he asked quietly as he approached a bit closer.
Teyla turned and started to nod but knew she could not lie to Ronon. He would never believe her so her head changed directions and shook negatively. "He was so peaceful this afternoon and even though I know he was confused and possibly not truly cognizant of where he was, he did not become violent. I should not have left him alone while he slept. Perhaps he would not be lying here in restraints at this moment."
"Don't blame yourself. They put him through hell and that's what caused this. But he'll come through, he always does. I was in pretty bad shape after Tyre sold me out to the Wraith but I eventually came around to seeing what was real. Sheppard will too."
"Thank you, Ronon," Teyla smiled at him then looked back at John. "But it was painful to see you as you recovered."
"But you and Sheppard never gave up on me," Ronon reminded her. "I kind of remember yelling some pretty horrible things to both of you. Sheppard would just stand there letting me know he was there for me. I plan on being here for him, too." He looked to the mirror on the wall. "Even if I have to watch from another room until he'll trust me enough to let me in."
Teyla simply nodded and they both just watched as John rested.
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