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Chapter 19
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John slowly crawled back to wakefulness but didn't want to open his eyes just yet. He figured he'd take inventory first and assess the situation. He started with the fact that he was in an actual bed and had a soft pillow under his head. He also had a few pillows in front and behind him keeping him on his side. That alone was nice.
Next he tried moving his hands and feet and discovered there was nothing keeping them in one place; no chains, or restraints of any kind. Also nice. Things were looking up. He began to focus on the body and could feel some uncomfortable soreness in his back and a few of his limbs. His chest felt tight and a few ribs were also sore. The throbbing in his left leg was minimal but still present and he was extremely weak. But overall he didn't feel half as bad as he thought he should. Nowhere near as bad as he usually did.
He decided it was safe to open his eyes and slowly focused on the room around him. Hospital bed and an IV attached but the gray cinderblock walls indicated this wasn't Atlantis. Little memories crept back in and he knew he was in the SGC in a private infirmary room. Teyla and TJ had been here. So had his brother Dave, and he had seen Ronon, hadn't he? Yeah, for a short time but he definitely remembered the big guy telling him to get his lazy ass out of bed.
He checked the clock on the wall and saw that it was early morning. Teyla was probably with TJ, either getting him breakfast or giving him a bath. Hopefully they would both come and visit soon. He turned his head slightly and saw a shadow in the doorway and his breath sucked in for a quick second of fear.
But when he looked closer he saw that it was McKay and he was busily dragging his finger across the screen of a data pad, his brow furrowed in concentration. John watched him for a few minutes trying to ascertain if it really was McKay and not some doppelganger attempting to get information from him. But the man didn't seem concerned with talking to him, just hanging out in the doorway. And that was pretty much McKay's style of support. He would be in your presence but he had much better things to occupy his time than idle chit chat.
"You just gonna stand there all day, McKay or are you planning on saying hi at any time?"
Rodney looked up quick and seemed very nervous as if he had been caught doing something he shouldn't have been. Had he been told not to come in here? John knew they were all treating him with kid gloves and he was sure there was probably a good reason but he tried not to go too far back in his memory to figure out what it was. His memory right now held way too many scary and terrifying things and he'd just as soon forget them and keep them buried way in the back, behind all sorts of other garbage.
"Oh, I um … no, I was … just …" Rodney hemmed and hawed and looked around anxiously. "I uh … thought I'd just stop in and … see how you were doing." He gave an awkward smile and asked, "How are you doing?"
John gave a little chuckle. There was no doubt in his mind that this was Rodney. No one could do baffled and dysfunctional like McKay. "I'm okay, Rodney. Really tired even though it seems all I've been doing is sleeping but better than I was. You want to come in and sit down or are you holding up that specific part of the wall for a reason?"
Rodney stood up straight and looked curiously at the doorframe he had been leaning against and shook his head. "Oh, no, the wall's fine, I think. I just didn't want to disturb you if you were sleeping."
"Well, I was sleeping but I'm not anymore so why don't you come in and sit down." John shifted in the bed and a new dilemma arose so he looked at Rodney and said, "Actually, is there any way you could give me a hand in getting to the bathroom. The doc says she doesn't want me trying to do too much on my own for a while and I really hate the idea of face planting on the floor again."
Rodney's eyes darted around the room frantically but he put his data pad on a nearby chair and said, "Uh, … sure, I guess. You don't need a nurse or a … I don't know … medical professional to help you?"
John moved to the edge of the bed and shook his head. "No, McKay, Teyla was helping me the last few days and my brother had a few turns also. Neither one of them have medical training so I'm sure you'll be fine. I don't need help IN the bathroom, just in getting there."
"Oh, okay," Rodney responded a bit more relieved when he realized he didn't have to get too involved in this.
John laughed and reached for Rodney's arm and held on for a moment to get his balance then began the short few steps to the door. He made sure to make it quick though getting the IV stand in and out of the small room wasn't the easiest thing to do. But he managed.
As he was walking back to the bed, the nurse he'd come to know as Nina came in and smiled at him. Rodney just rolled his eyes and John jabbed his elbow into McKay's side. He was with Teyla now, there was no reason for McKay to think snide thoughts.
"Colonel Sheppard, I see you already took care of business," Nina began then helped him to settle back in the bed. "I sent for breakfast and it should be here any minute. Dr. Lam ordered something light but she would like you to try and eat as much as you feel comfortable with. I just need to check your vitals and I'll leave you to eat your breakfast. If you need anything, just let me know, I'll be in the next room."
"Thanks," John responded then smiled as he saw one of the guards bring in his breakfast tray. He noticed the man stayed a good distance from him and kept his sidearm away from him at all times. John felt a stab of guilt as snippets of memory flashed through his mind of him grabbing a weapon from a soldier and then firing it in the hallway. He pushed it away as these little bits and pieces only made to confuse him more. He knew some day he'd need to sit down and take them all out and evaluate them and piece them together. But he wasn't ready for that now. Now he just needed to get his body back to being able to move around and function properly.
"Would you like me to spread some jam on your toast, Sir," the soldier asked respectfully once the tray was settled in front of Sheppard.
"What?" McKay squawked. "He isn't strong enough to spread jam on toast?"
John smiled awkwardly and answered, "They don't trust me with a knife. Think I might go postal again."
The soldier just stood at attention waiting for orders, though John knew if he ordered him to let him leave the room, the man would blatantly disobey. John gave a sigh and said, "I'm fine, Corporal, thank you. I can probably use the spoon if I really want jam. You can go back to being bored out in the hallway."
"Yes, Sir, thank you, Sir." And the man left.
"What was he thanking you for?" McKay asked curiously as John did indeed use the spoon to spread some jam, this time blueberry, onto his toast.
John shrugged and took a big bite of the toast then chewed as if he were eating lobster. "Probably for not grabbing his gun and shooting him or trying to get out of the room. If they haven't told you, I've had a few flip outs. I'm trying to cut back though, bad for the moral."
Rodney looked uncomfortable and so John took the opportunity to drink some of his juice and take a few bites of fruit. There wasn't much else on the tray. But he honestly didn't think he would be able to eat much more. After three months of only a small bowl of watery mush every day and then a few days of puking and fever, he figured his stomach must have shrunk to the size of a pea. As much as he'd love to wolf down a great big steak, he knew it wouldn't be happening for a while.
"So what cha' got cooking there, McKay?" John indicated the small computer that Rodney had been trying to pretend he wasn't looking at. John knew better. It was rare that McKay spent much time not working even when he was trying to be social.
"Oh, uh, …" Rodney looked up with a guilty expression, knowing he'd been caught. "Nothing really. Just uh … some of the stuff we pulled off the Trust computers when we got you, too."
"So, I was just an afterthought, huh?" John teased and saw more guilt come into McKay's eyes.
"No, no, of course you weren't," Rodney asserted. "We didn't even know where the Trust headquarters were until Athena contacted your brother. And then we only found out because Sam wrote some brilliant program that managed to find the millisecond interruption in their power grid that was masking your transmitter. But Landry and O'Neill decided if we were going all that way to get you back, well then we should probably try and get a little Intel too. So they sent SG-1 to go along with us."
John finished his third piece of toast and leaned against the mattress acknowledging that his back wasn't quite as bad today as it had been. He shook his head at Rodney. "I was just kidding, you know. It would be kind of silly not to try and get something else out of the rescue mission if they could at all do it."
John narrowed his eyes and images crossed his mind. "So tell me again what you did to the facility."
Rodney looked around the room like he thought John would know or maybe he wasn't sure if he should tell him. "Uh, we, um, blew it up."
John felt relief wash over him and he closed his eyes and gave a deep sigh. He thought he had remembered someone telling him that but his thoughts were still so foggy and unclear. He really hated this but he knew he wasn't ready to get the absolute truth on everything yet either.
McKay sat silently looking at him and his half eaten meal. "Are you going to finish that toast?"
John chuckled again. "No, Rodney, go ahead and take it if you want it. I've got two pieces of melon here if you want that too."
Rodney snatched at the blueberry topped bread and took a bite. "It's just that it's been a few hours since I had my breakfast and my hypoglycemia, well, you know."
John just nodded glad to have some things back to normal. And as he watched McKay he knew he was still feeling guilty about something. Sure enough he got the courage and spit it out.
"Listen, John, I just want to say I'm sorry."
John looked at him puzzled and raised his eyebrow. "For what?"
"For what?" McKay cried. "How about not getting here in time with Atlantis so you had to go all heroic and do your Sammy Suicide bit with the hive ship. How about not realizing that you had been beamed off the ship and were still alive. How about not rescuing you sooner and allowing you to go for three and a half months being … you know, … not in a good place. Is that enough to be sorry about?"
John just started laughing and Rodney looked perplexed. "McKay, none of that stuff could be helped. We didn't expect the hive ship to get here so fast and you had no way of knowing I had been beamed off the ship. You need to stop beating yourself up over it."
"Oh, right, says the Guilt King himself," McKay snapped back and they both started laughing.
"Did I miss a joke?" Teyla's sweet voice inquired as she walked into the room.
"Oh, hi Teyla," Rodney greeted her. "No, Sheppard here was just telling me not to feel guilty."
Teyla strolled closer to John and reached for his hand. "Yes, because we all know he never has that problem."
She then saw his empty plate and gave him a bigger smile. "You ate well this morning, John. And it is not bothering your stomach?"
"No, stomach is doing fine so far," John replied then looked at Rodney. "And how's your stomach doing, McKay?"
Teyla gasped and her mouth gaped open. "Rodney, you ate John's breakfast."
"Just one little piece of toast," Rodney defended himself. "And a few pieces of melon. And he wasn't going to eat it. You can't let food go to waste; it had blueberry jam on it!"
Teyla narrowed her eyes at him then she looked at John with a more pleasant expression. "And how are you feeling today?"
"Better," John answered. "I can lean against the back without it being too sore and Rodney helped me to the bathroom but I did the rest all by myself." His voice mimicked that of a little kid.
Teyla shook her head and laughed then leaned in and kissed his cheek. She saw Rodney squint in confusion at the gesture and knew she would most likely need to explain to him at some point.
Rodney looked down at his computer and then up at John again saying, "Uh, well, since you seem like you're okay, do you need me to stick around? I can but I promised Jackson and Sam that I'd help go through more of the Trust data bank that we swiped."
"You go help then, Rodney," John instructed. "I'm sure I'll manage without you."
"Okay, great," Rodney said as he got up and moved toward the door. He paused before he left. "Oh, and I'm glad you didn't think I was a Goa'uld. You didn't, did you?"
"No, McKay, nobody could fake being you this good."
"Oh, good, … I think." And he looked confused as he walked out of the door.
John saw Teyla was cleaning up his tray and he knew he wanted to kiss her soon. It had been too long as there were always people around and he knew they needed to be discreet. He pushed the covers off his legs and slid them over the side of the bed. When Teyla saw him she looked curiously at him.
"I thought you said Rodney had helped you earlier."
"He did but now I want to brush my teeth since I finished eating. I had to make due with using the edge of my t-shirt with putrid smelling water for so long that I want to make every effort to use the toothbrush when I can."
"I can assist you in getting there," Teyla offered and slipped herself under his arm as he held onto the IV stand and rolled it along.
Teyla stood just inside the door as John quickly brushed his teeth. Then he glared at himself in the mirror and said, "You think Dr. Lam will let me have a razor to shave this thing off?"
He thought about what he'd said then finished, "Maybe you could shave it off for me since I really doubt I'll be allowed to have anything that sharp for a while and I don't think an electric razor will even make a dent in this nest."
Teyla smiled at him and ran her hand over his beard. "I will be happy to, John, though I will admit it does give you a bit of a rakish appearance."
"Rakish, huh?" John said as one eyebrow rose mischievously. Then he pulled Teyla further into the bathroom and closed the door. "How long do you think we can get away with being in here without anyone pounding on the door?"
Teyla felt her heart begin to pound at the thought of being in here alone with John. They had exchanged a few kisses yesterday but she knew they had not done more except in their dreams.
"What do you have in mind for us to do while we are here?" she asked not sure if she was nervous or excited.
John pulled her in close and allowed his lips to skim across hers. She happily joined in and allowed her own hands to slide around his sides. She was dismayed at the ribs that stuck out so prominently but quickly forgot that as John's tongue stroked along her bottom lip and tempted her own to come out and play. And it was happy as it played, for some time.
Teyla felt John lean back against the sink and wondered if he was getting tired. She knew just a few minutes of standing left him quite weak. "Do you need to get back in bed, John?"
"If you'll join me, sure," he winked and his mouth twisted into a grin.
Teyla rolled her eyes. "It is just I do not wish for you to overly tax yourself. Standing for too long can do that."
John glanced around the bathroom then smirked again. "Then maybe I should sit down." And he pulled her so he was sitting on the cover of the toilet seat and she was in his lap.
"This is lovely," Teyla said facetiously and stroked his cheek. "Do you take all your dates to places this elegant?"
John pulled her head down and his lips moved toward hers. "Only the really special ones."
Then he began to kiss her again. Teyla twisted her body so she was facing him and her lips aligned perfectly with his. She was enjoying kissing him so much. It was a shame they had not begun doing this much earlier in their friendship. Though she knew then they would have been much more than friends.
She felt John's hands caress her back and then slip under her stretchy tank top to explore her bare skin as his mouth devoured hers. She ran her own hands along his broad shoulders and neck and into the hair at the back of his head. His lips tasted and nibbled on her lips and then began to travel softly across her cheek to her throat and then down to her neck.
Teyla arched her neck and then her back as he pressed light kisses and licked sensitive spots along the way. Then his hand moved from her back to the thin strap of her top and pushed it aside to explore the skin that had been revealed. Teyla's breath picked up as his lips continued to play and then became harsh and fast as they lowered to the mounds he was slowly exposing.
The other strap was now lowered and Teyla could see John's hungry gaze fastened to her heaving chest and she knew they should probably stop. They were in a bathroom after all. But the memories of their shared dreams were still so real and fresh in her mind that she wanted desperately to know if they had done justice to reality.
John continued his pursuit of her exposed curves and Teyla wrapped her hands around his head and tugged closer. John did not even pause just accepted the invitation and lowered her top even further. Rough hands smoothed over silky skin and his thumbs flicked her nipples to make them even tauter than they had been. Then his tongue snuck out and licked along the bronzed globes only to zero in on the pert centers.
Teyla cried out and then quickly stopped herself from further noise when she thought about where they were. The door was closed but it was not locked and too much noise could have one of the guards bursting in on them while they were such engaged. She knew that would be more than a little embarrassing and she did not figure Dr. Lam would be happy with how she was allowing her patient to get so worked up.
And she could feel that John was getting worked up, the hard surface under her bottom growing as they sat here. But this was so much better than the dreams had ever been and those had been amazing and passionate. But she knew they could not continue much further. John was not strong enough yet and it was not the right time or location.
"John," Teyla's voice was barely a whisper. "Perhaps we should continue this another time, when you are stronger and have more energy."
John pulled his mouth from her breast but kept it so she could still feel his breath upon her skin. "I don't know, Teyla, I don't seem to be getting tired from this at all."
Teyla laughed and was about to say something when a short knock on the door sounded. They both turned toward the door quickly and Teyla pulled her straps back up and over her shoulders.
"Colonel, are you okay in there?" Nina's voice floated into them. Teyla stood up and flushed the toilet them turned on the water.
"He is fine," she called out trying to keep her voice from sounding too breathless. "We are just washing up a bit."
"Okay, I was just checking."
Teyla helped John to stand and thought it was good that the hospital gown was very loose so it hid the reaction he had had during their contact. John just smirked and leaned down for another quick kiss then nodded for her to open the door. Nina was across the room straightening his bed and Teyla hoped she hadn't heard them while they were kissing.
She looked up when the two walked to the bed, IV trailing beside them. "Colonel, I was wondering if you might be able to get a nutritional drink down. I know you had breakfast only a short while ago but Dr. Lam really wants you to have a few of these each day in between your meals."
Teyla deposited John on the side of the bed and pulled the sheets down for his legs to slide under. He looked at Nina and answered, "Can you give me another twenty or thirty minutes? I know it was only a few pieces of fruit and some toast but that was much more than I've had in a long time."
"Sure, Colonel, I'll bring one in then. Would you prefer chocolate, strawberry or vanilla?"
John seemed unsure. "Too much choice. Maybe we should start with something mild like vanilla and then I can work my way up to chocolate or strawberry, huh."
Nina chuckled and nodded then left the room with a, "If you need anything I'm right out here."
John shifted on the bed so he was on his side but sitting up and he reached for Teyla's hand. She happily sat next to him on the space he had provided for her. He leaned in a bit only after checking the door that no one was peeking in on them.
His smile was content. "The only thing I really need is already in here."
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"Sheppard, I really need you to help me figure this thing out," Rodney burst into John's room much later after supper.
John had just taken a short trip around the room all by himself with Denise now, watching. Teyla had brought Torren in for a little while and he and the boy had taken naps together again today. But Teyla had gone to feed him and he knew she would be another hour before she came back. He figured he was due for another nap himself. He'd been awake for several hours and was starting to feel lightheaded, possibly from too much exertion. He looked up when Rodney came in and had to blink a few times as the man was a little blurry. Either he was moving too fast or John was really exhausted.
"Let me get Colonel Sheppard back to his bed and then you can speak with him, Dr. McKay," Denise instructed.
Rodney bounced on his feet impatiently while John settled just on the edge of the bed, his stocking clad feet barely touching the ground. John wondered what he could possible need help with. They weren't on Atlantis so nothing here was Ancient and that was usually what he was needed for. It was one of the main reasons Medusa had plucked him out of the hive ship.
"What do you need, Rodney?" John asked quietly hoping whatever it was didn't take long. He was wiped.
"Well, Jennifer is finally coming here and I haven't seen her in close to two weeks and she's due here any minute and I want to see her but I am just about on the brink of figuring out what this thing does and so I need you to just help me since I saw that you had played with this little toy before."
McKay's rapid fire speech made John's head swim and he grabbed hold of the mattress under him. "What?"
McKay looked like he was about to repeat his little rant but just waved his hands wildly in the air and said, "Just sit there and don't move. I'll get it."
And he followed Denise from the room and came back in a second later with a device that John knew only too well. It was the Ancient thingy that Medusa had wanted him to get working almost every day. And when he couldn't she always took her bad mood out on him. And the result was usually painful; very painful.
John stared at the device and then at McKay and felt his vision go blurry again and the room begin to spin. He didn't like this feeling as he had felt it too often, especially on Thursday, tricking day. Was it Thursday? He didn't think so since he hadn't had his shock yesterday … or had he? He tried to think and knew some of the last few days were a blur and he had been very sick and barely conscious. Had they put something in his IV again?
John swallowed hard and took deep breaths to try and stay calm. Hadn't they rescued him? He was in the SGC, wasn't he? He stared at the device again and could almost feel the whip on his back after Medusa hadn't gotten what she wanted from the machine. Maybe all of this had simply been one long dream and he was still back in his cell and he was about to experience hell once again.
But he knew he couldn't let on that he knew. He needed to think and try and outmaneuver them. It was just this McKay imposter. He didn't see anyone else nearby. But then he knew that was never really the case. There was always someone else nearby. He'd need a weapon of some sort.
He gave what he hoped was a reassuring smile to the imposter and nodded. "Sure, I can help you. No problem. Let me just move this IV out of the way." As he did, he unhooked the tube from his hand.
He checked the doorway and saw the pretty young nurse wasn't there so he twisted on the bed making room for the device, keeping one foot on the floor and the other folded under him. As impostor McKay placed the machine in front of him his gaze scoured the room. He didn't see much but he thought maybe the IV stand could be useful. He knew it came apart and if he could somehow managed to get the top half off, he could use it as a kind of sword or at least swing it around a bit. It might get him close enough to the guard to grab his weapon again.
The memory of facing a dozen soldiers all pointing weapons at him, surfaced and panic hit him again. He hadn't wanted to face another Monday with Medusa but they hadn't let him go. They hadn't shot him either and that would have been preferable. Wouldn't it have been? But then he would have given up on being with Teyla and TJ. But they weren't really here, were they? Confusion swirled through his mind as he glared at the piece if equipment near him.
"Well, what does it do, Sheppard?" McKay whined impatiently. "You have to touch it to turn it on, don't you? I don't have all day, Jennifer should be here any minute and I really want to see her. And I told Jackson that I had it figured out already, so don't make a liar out of me, okay?"
John lifted his hands cautiously and placed them on the pads of the device and as he knew they would, the lights on it started glowing. He could see imposter McKay's eyes light up though they didn't glow so he figured this one wasn't a snakehead. It didn't matter though. They were only here for one thing and that was to make his life miserable.
He concentrated on the device and immediately knew he wanted to escape so he could see Teyla. He needed her again. He needed her now. He could feel her presence beckoning to him. But he didn't want her coming here. He'd go to see her. They'd be in their little house and take a walk to the park and let TJ play on the swings. Maybe he could talk Teyla into playing on the swings too as she had finally gotten the hang of pumping. But he knew he'd be the one to take TJ down the really high slide, though Teyla would never admit to fear of the thing.
"So what's it doing? Jackson said the corresponding text was something about communicating but he hadn't finished translating yet. I was hoping I could come up with the answers first so he didn't think he was better than me. I'll admit the guy is smart but let's face it he's no astrophysicist. He's got a doctorate in archeology for Pete's sake."
"It sometimes takes a few minutes to warm up," John tried to stall as the man's greedy eyes stared at the glowing buttons on the machine. "Do you think you could get me a cup of water, please?"
McKay picked up the plastic cup and pitcher on the bedside table and said, "There's water in here."
"I know but it's warm. My throat's a little sore; could you get me some cold water, from the tap in the bathroom is fine. But rinse the pitcher out a few times first."
The imposter gave a big sigh and John thought he sure did sound like the real McKay but the room was still wavering in front of his eyes and his limbs felt weak. That's always the way it was when they tried to trick him. This time was no different.
As McKay walked away John reached for the IV stand and quickly pulled it apart and slid the long slim pole behind his back on the bed. He only had a second before McKay was back and handing him the now filled cup. He took it and noticed the man's face fell when he saw that the lights had gone off now that his hands were not touching it.
"Hey, it turned off."
John set the cup down and touched the surface again and the lights came back on immediately. McKay's face squinched in confusion. "I don't get why I can't turn the thing on. So what does it do, Sheppard? What did Athena want this thing for?"
John took in a deep breath and a little plot began to form. He knew he would only get one shot at this and it better work. He knew the punishment for trying to escape if it didn't and he didn't think he had the strength for anymore beatings or whippings. He was truly at the end of his rope.
"Well, once it's all warmed up," John began his little story, "there's a little thing, door maybe underneath that opens up. Help me pick it up and I'll show you."
McKay moved closer and began to lift the machine though his voice was filled with bewilderment. "Why the heck would they put a door underneath this thing? I swear those Ancients …"
He never finished his sentence as John shoved the machine against him causing him to tumble to the floor. McKay had twisted trying to make sure it didn't fall and break and that gave John the opportunity to grab the long metal pole and hit him on the side of the head with it. John knew it was only a glancing blow and wouldn't actually knock him out but any extra time it would give him was needed.
He then moved stealthily but swiftly to the door and noticed the nurse was sitting on the far wall with a laptop on the table in front of her. She was facing away from him. He didn't think he could have been any luckier when he continued to move and saw two guards and they were both on the same side of the door, talking. He thought he might make it when he heard McKay shout behind him and both guards looked up and drew their weapons.
John almost laughed when that worked out more to his advantage. He swung the pole in their direction and managed to knock the sidearms right out of their hands. He didn't wait to see what would happen next. He just ran as fast as he could down the empty hallway.
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"So have you figured out what the dreams were that you were having?" Jennifer asked Teyla quietly after they had greeted each other and were walking down the hallway. A young airman was escorting them to Dr. Keller's quarters and they were catching up on what she had missed the last two weeks.
"There is a pattern and I have a vague idea of what they meant but why is still a mystery to me. But my concern now is making sure that John begins to heal physically and to keep him from being anxious or distressed from emotional confusion."
"Yeah," Jennifer sighed. "I still can't believe he was alive all this time … and being tortured daily. I don't even want to think about what that did to him, both physically and mentally. I've gotten a few reports from Mr. Woolsey about the incidents he had. Have things improved at all?"
Teyla smiled though it was far from enthusiastic. "He has been much better the last few days though he spent much of the days before that in the throes of fever and was very delusional. He seemed much less disoriented today and yesterday …"
Jennifer heard Teyla trail off and tilted her head curiously. "But …"
Teyla sighed and slowed her steps so the airman in front of them did not hear. "John is under the impression that he and I … that we …"
Jennifer's eyes grew wide. "You mean he thinks that … Wait, does this have anything to do with those dreams?"
"I am …" Teyla trailed off and Jennifer saw her eyes grow wide with what could only be called fear. She stopped in her tracks and turned in the other direction. "It is John. Something has happened. He has much fear in him right now."
And she tore off down the hallway, Jennifer staring at her back.
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John ran down the hallway, his limbs heavy and his breathing rough. He tried to hold in the coughs that threatened to slow him down but moving quickly wasn't helping. He could hear the footsteps behind him and it was like déjà vu. But he didn't even have a loaded weapon this time, just this crummy piece of metal.
He'd swung it a few times when anyone had tried to come close to him but his arms were like lead and he was having a difficult time keeping the thing in the air. He knew soon he'd be surrounded again and he couldn't let that happen. He had to get out of here. He put as much effort as he could into moving his feet along the corridor and staying ahead of those behind him.
He'd made it further this time than he had before and he wondered why he was in better shape now. Or was he? He didn't ache all over like he had each time he had tried to escape from Guido and Bruno but he was having a hard time breathing and he could barely stand up. The IV, they had put something in it again, he was sure. That stuff always made him feel lightheaded and dizzy. And that was how he felt now.
He trudged a few more steps then shook his head trying to clear his vision. But he could hear the people who had appeared in front of him and they were asking him to stop and put down the pole. But he wouldn't do it. He couldn't. It would all just start over again and then he'd be chained to the wall and beaten and tortured then left alone in the dark to sit and wallow in his misery and his soiled clothes.
He glanced down and saw that he wasn't wearing his military gear. He was in a pair of scrub pants and a hospital gown with a pair of thick socks on his feet. He paused and wondered when he'd been put in those. It didn't make any sense that he'd be wearing hospital clothes. Medusa never changed him into anything else even when she was trying to trick him. Maybe she'd gotten smarter and knew it was a dead giveaway.
He looked up and quickly swung the metal piece in the air as he saw soldiers trying to move in closer to him. He couldn't let them. He needed to get out of here. He took a few more steps but then felt hands on his shoulders and some on his arms. The metal pipe was torn from his weakened grasp and he yelled out, "NO!" as more hands grabbed for him.
He put up a valiant fight but the hallway was whirling around his head and the dizziness grew worse. His hands lashed out and his feet kicked. He could feel them connecting with something or someone and so he kept moving them. And he would for as long as he had breath in him.
"Stop!" he heard someone scream from far away and it almost sounded like Teyla. He could feel her presence and knew she was coming for him. But he wanted her to wait until they were all gone, at least from his mind. Then they could be together.
But her voice rang through the hallway again. "Please release him, you are hurting and scaring him."
"Ma'am," a low, deep voice interrupted and John struggled a bit more. "We need to contain him and we don't want you to get hurt. He's not stable right now."
"He will not hurt me, I assure you," Teyla said with authority and John loved how formidable she was when she wanted something. "Release him and I will get him calm and back to his room."
"Ma'am," the voice warned again but John now saw Teyla moving toward him and she pushed past the blurry figures and he felt her warm hand on his arm. His struggles ended. This was where he wanted to be. With Teyla.
"John," she whispered softly to him, "I am right here. You are safe now. I will not hurt you and I will not allow any of the others to harm you either."
John felt Teyla's arms slide around him and he leaned his head to rest against her side. He could smell her tantalizing scent and wished he had the energy to take her in his arms and kiss the daylights out of her. But his eyes would barely stay open and his limbs sagged.
"Teyla," he pleaded softly and she leaned closer so she could hear him. "Please, … take me … home."
Teyla was here with him and she would never allow him to come to any harm. Her lips pressed to his temple and when John felt it he allowed his eyes to close and blackness to overtake him.
Teyla felt when John finally succumbed to the exhaustion of his overtaxed body and became unconscious. She cradled his torso and pressed another kiss to his forehead as those around her looked on in concern.
"Get a stretcher and we will bring him back to his room," she instructed then glanced up and saw Rodney standing nearby, his expression one of horror.
When he saw Teyla look at him he immediately burst out, "It was my fault. I did it! I don't know what I did, but I did something and it set him off and he flipped out and oh God, I'm so sorry. I should never have gone in to see him. But I wanted to see you, Jennifer," and he looked at the doctor who had followed Teyla to this destination, "and so I was in a hurry and maybe I didn't think. But I don't think he even knew it was me. He did this morning. He even said so but right now, he actually hit me. He hit me with that pole, see, right here."
Jennifer looked at the tiny scratch on Rodney's forehead and frowned. "No one thinks you purposely went in to set off Colonel Sheppard, Rodney. And your head will be fine. That IV stand isn't very heavy and it looks like it barely touched you."
Rodney started to sputter and Teyla stood up and placed her hand on his arm as John was loaded on a stretcher and carried back to his room. "Rodney, please, this is about John, not about you. You need to stay calm and I need to see that John is settled."
Teyla followed alongside the stretcher and kept her hand on John's arm as they walked. Dr. Lam met them at the door and Teyla was dismayed to see General Landry coming down the hallway from the other direction. She sighed when she thought of what this man would now insist upon again, John in restraints.
And sure enough when he heard what had happened he ordered the restraints to be attached again regardless of Carolyn's plea that his pneumonia would never get better if he was kept in one place.
"We need to figure out what the hell happened and then we can revisit the restraints but for now he keeps them on."
Teyla insisted on being in the room with John as Carolyn, Denise and one of the guards strapped John to the bed, Carolyn saying his back was healed enough for now that it wouldn't be too painful for him to lie on it for a short while. Teyla just stood by morose, her jaw clenched as she felt again the fear John had been feeling.
Out in the observation room, Jennifer was wondering about that. "What I don't get," she said to Landry, Rodney and the two guards who had been told to stay close, "is how Teyla knew something had happened. We were walking down the hallway to my quarters and all of a sudden she stopped and went running here, like she knew exactly what was going on."
"I think I have the answer to that."
Jennifer turned and saw a man with shaggy hair and glasses standing behind her in the doorway to the hall.
"Dr. Jackson," Landry addressed him. "Do you mind sharing?"
"It would probably be best if we had all the people involved there so I only have to explain it once," he said. He looked in at Teyla and Carolyn and indicated them.
"Carolyn," Landry called in to the room. "Get him settled then conference room. We need to discuss this and Dr. Jackson has something important to tell us." The general then turned and said, "This is your party, Dr. Jackson, you get to invite whomever you want."
As the general left, Daniel looked around the room thoughtfully and said, "Right, uh, you and you," he pointed to McKay and Keller then looked into where they were taking care of Sheppard, "um, can you tell Teyla also. I need to go get a few things and tell a few more people."
He started walking out of the door then stopped and added, "Oh, uh, as soon as you can. Conference room and bring that device."
McKay just stared at the empty spot where Dr. Jackson had been. He found the man very strange.
.