Chapter 12: Back to Atlantis

The jumper had been in flight for almost four hours and at the moment John was unconscious and his vitals were stable. The man hadn't awoken since they'd been in the jumper and that in itself was a miracle because Sharnie and Lalla seemed to be giggling most of the way. Although Carson couldn't understand why Sharnie wasn't more upset about her mother's death. Perhaps it hadn't hit her yet and in a couple of days, she would break down.

He was surprised that Rodney hadn't complained, but had remained quiet as had Ronon and Lorne. In fact, the only other person who'd said anything was Sophia and that was only because she was trying to get the girls to stop giggling. Luckily ten minutes ago both girls had fallen asleep.

Now a deathly silence descended on the jumper and Carson could only imagine what each person was thinking. For him, his thoughts were of his patient and the General's long-term health. He was also thinking of Teyla and the Sheppard children. What would happen in Sheppard was permanently disabled, or what if Teyla never recovered? What would happen to their children then? He knew plenty of people on Atlantis would gladly step up to look after Torren and Charin, but what if Sheppard wasn't allowed to stay on Atlantis? He shook himself trying to get rid of all negative thoughts because there was no reason to expect that John wouldn't recover fully. He was convinced that they would be able to cure Teyla as well.

Suddenly a gasp broke the silence and he looked up to see that Sophia was gazing out the front window with her mouth open.

"Is that Atlantis?" She asked when she was finally able to say something.

Carson nodded his head as the majestic city came into view and even from this distance he could see the tall glass spires looking as beautiful as ever.

"She's beautiful isn't she?" Carson heard Lorne comment from the pilot's seat.

"I can't wait to see it, " Sophia replied before looking at Sheppard, "how is he, Carson?"

"His vitals are stable and the bleeding on the side of his head seems to have stopped for now. Hopefully, once we get him back to Atlantis, we can better understand how he's doing."

She nodded and Carson watched her as she turned to look out the jumper window again.

He remembered the first time he'd seen Atlantis in space it had been one of the most incredible moments of his life. The other was the first time that he'd stepped foot in the ancient city. She was a beautiful city and it had become his home. A large part of that was when Atlantis was on a planet. He thought back to when they were on New Lantia and the way the glass towers glistened in the afternoon sunlight. He thought about the picnics they had in the warmer months and how they'd spent hours swimming off the east pier. Now he wondered if he would ever have that kind of life again.

One of his best friends was critically injured and they were lost in space and time - so maybe not.

He knew that his memories of the early days were technically not his and they belonged to the original Beckett. He never thought about the fact that he was a clone much these days, but every so often something reminded him. None of his friends ever mentioned it and he wondered if they ever thought of him any less. If they did they never told him about it.

A moan from the floor brought him out of his revere, when he looked at his patient he was shocked to see that the man's muscles were trembling and he suspected that John was heading for a full-blown seizure.

Suddenly John's back arched off the floor and his whole body began to shake violently. Immediately he grabbed his patient's head so that he didn't injure it any further. Ronon was close by so he took hold of his legs and Sophia grabbed his arms.

All he could do was watch as the seizure played out because he had no anti-convulsant medication in his bag - something he was kicking himself for.

It seemed like forever - but it couldn't have been any longer than a minute - before the convulsions ceased although John still had fine tremors running through his body.

After wiping the corner of John's mouth and checking his vitals he looked up straight into the panicked eyes of Rodney.

"Geesh Carson, he's foaming at the mouth are you sure he doesn't have rabies?"

He knew that Rodney was worried about John, but unfortunately, when Rodney was worried he tended to be rude.

"Don't be cruel Rodney, he can't help it."

Luckily Rodney was silent, but it didn't stop Ronon from talking, "So is he brain damaged or not?"

"There's a strong possibility, but I won't know for sure until I get him under my scanner."

Ronon merely nodded and went back to staring out the window. He looked around the jumper and soon realised that Sophia was sitting with the girls and luckily they both seemed to be asleep. That was a good thing because the last thing they needed to see was General Sheppard having a seizure.

All he could do for now was sit and watch his patient and silently pray that the man wouldn't have any more seizures before they got back to Atlantis.

Silence fell on the jumper again and he was startled a few minutes later when Lorne announced that they were on approach to Atlantis and they should be landing in a couple of minutes.

oOo

Ronon watched as Carson, Jennifer and Sophia wheeled John away to the infirmary and he longed to follow as Rodney had. John hadn't moved - other than the seizure - in the last four hours and it had him extremely worried.

Major Teldy was in the jumper bay when they arrived back and at that moment she was talking quietly to Lorne.

Sophia had left Lalla and Sharnie in the jumper bay, asking him to look after them and he had the perfect person for the job. When he had delivered them to Amelia he would head to the infirmary to wait for news along with Rodney. But first, he needed to see his wife to make sure that she was okay.

A tiny voice and a tugging on his sleeve soon caught his attention, "Ronon what is going to happen now?"

He looked down straight into the bright blue eyes of Sharnie and he was surprised at the worry he saw in them. Lalla was just standing next to her with her eyes open wide.

"I think that I will take you to see my wife," he said before turning to face Teldy, "where is she Major?"

"Amelia's in the Sheppards' apartment keeping an eye on Torren and Charin."

"Perfect," he said turning back to look at Sharnie," You're going to love Torren and Charin."

Sharnie looked serious as she answered, "Are they General Sheppard's kids?"

Ronon smiled at her before taking her hand, "Yes and I'm sure that Torren would love to give you a tour of Atlantis if you ask him nicely."

When she nodded and took his hand, he offered his other hand to Lalla and thankfully she took it without complaint.

He couldn't wait to see Amelia again, so with a deep breath he led both girls out of the jumper bay.

oOo

Once Rodney had watched Sheppard being loaded onto the gurney, he left the jumper bay with every intention of following him to the infirmary. Then he knew that Sheppard was in good hands and it would be a while before Carson would be out to deliver news to them.

During the four-hour trip back from the planet he had been conscious of the data chip in his pocket, he knew that his first stop should be his lab so that he could get his computer and start to analyse the data. He desperately wanted to talk to Jennifer as well, but that would have to wait until she had helped Carson with Sheppard.

Perhaps he would get his computer and then drop into the mess hall for a snack - it had been over four hours since he'd eaten after all.

Sighing he took one last look down the corridor where John and the medical team had just disappeared before turning in the direction of his lab.

He barely noticed it when he arrived at his lab a few minutes later and would have walked straight past the doors if Radek hadn't called his name.

"Rodney, where are you going?"

"Huh."

"I asked you where you are going because it seemed to me as if you were walking straight past your lab."

"Yeah I got that," he answered lethargically. Since right now he didn't have the energy to bite back in his usual acerbic tone.

"Well at the risk of repeating myself why are you here?" Radek asked and Rodney was surprised at how worried he sounded, "Surely you should be with General Sheppard."

"Umm… I have some data to analyse so I just came to get my computer. Because for some reason I didn't take one on the mission to Hilaring with me."

Rodney was thankful when Radek nodded his head and went back to what he was doing.

After collecting his computer he went to the mess hall, grabbed a muffin and coffee and headed to the infirmary waiting room to wait for news on Sheppard - hopefully, Ronon would be along soon to join him.

oOo

Sharine and Lalla appeared to be in absolute awe by the time they reached the Sheppards' apartment and Ronon was relieved because it gave him time to think. Sure he was looking forward to seeing Amelia again, but he had no idea what he was going to tell Torren. He'd promised the boy that he would bring his father back to him and although he'd succeeded in that mission, Sheppard was far from well.

Taking a deep breath he went to put his hand over the door sensors, but before he had a chance the door opened and Amelia threw herself into his arms. He quickly placed his hands around her shoulders and reciprocated the hug.

"I missed you, Melia," he whispered in her ear.

When he heard a giggle from beside him, he pulled away and soon realised that Lalla and Sharnie were giggling - again.

Smiling at Amelia he introduced the girls, "Amelia this is Sharnie and Lalla and I'm sure that they'd like a tour of the city."

Amelia smiled at him, but the smile didn't quite reach her eyes like it normally did, "I'm sure that Torren would love to show them around, but first he wants to speak with you.."

"Where's Charin?" Ronon asked looking around the room.

"She was asleep in her crib, "Torren replied, "but I can hear her moving about, so she's probably awake and ready to start screaming."

Ronon nodded and looked at Sharnie and Lalla, "How about you girls go and help Amelia with Charin, perhaps when I've spoken to Torren he can give you a tour of the city."

Both girls nodded and when Amelia left the room they very quickly followed.

Once he was sure that Amelia and the girls were out of earshot, he sat down on the couch and indicated that Torren should sit next to him. Rather than sit next to him Torren climbed on his lap and threw his arms around his neck.

"Uncle Ronon, did you find my Dad and bring him home?"

Taking a deep breath he decided to tell the boy the truth, "Yes we found him and brought him home, but unfortunately he has been injured and is in the infirmary. Uncle Carson and Auntie Jennifer are with him at the moment."

"What's wrong with him?" Torren asked and Ronon didn't miss the tears welling up in the boy's eyes.

He didn't want to tell the kid that his father had been shot in the head and was used as a human battery, so he decided that he would keep it relatively simple.

"He has a head injury and at the moment Uncle Carson isn't sure how serious it is."

His heart almost broke when Torren asked the next question, "Can Charin and I come to live with you?"

"Why?" Ronon asked feeling a little confused.

The tears were streaming down Torren's face and his voice was shaky the next time he spoke, "If my Momma and Daddy die, we will need someone to look after us."

Ronon felt the tears streaming down his face at this point and he didn't try to hide it. He knew what it was like to lose everything and he was an adult when it happened, so he couldn't imagine what Torren was going through.

He held Torren tighter and whispered in his ear, "You will always have a home on Atlantis, whether you stay with us or someone else."

Relief swept over him when Torren's tears began to dry up, but he could still sense the sadness in the child's voice, "You should tell Momma that you've found Daddy. I'm sure she'd like to know."

"I will, but I need you to do something for me." When Torren nodded, Ronon continued, "I need you to look after Sharnie and Lalla, Lalla's mom is helping to look after your Dad and Sharnie's mother died a few days ago. At the moment she seems alright, but I'm betting that she could use a friend."

"How about I show them Atlantis?"

"I would love that, " Sharnie said as she walked into the lounge room, followed by Amelia who was holding Charin. Lalla was walking beside Amelia.

"How about I get you children some lunch and then you can have the grand tour?" Amelia suggested.

Both girls nodded before Sharnie turned to Torren and addressed him, "I'm sorry about your Dad. My mom died a few days ago and I am very sad." She turned to Ronon before continuing, "It may not seem that way to you but I wish she were here now."

Ronon nodded and watched as the children walked over to the kitchen table before turning to Amelia, "Are you going to be alright to look after the kids because I need to see Teyla and then I need to be in the infirmary waiting for news on Sheppard?"

"You go and take as long as you need."

He leaned in and kissed her, before turning and leaving the apartment.

He walked through the corridors of Atlantis in complete silence thinking about how much his life had changed in the last couple of years. There were good and bad things that had happened to him and his friends. On the plus side, he now had a beautiful wife and a child on the way, he'd come across a thriving population of Satedans, and he was living in the most wonderful city in two galaxies. On the negative side, they were lost in space and time and two of his best friends weren't doing too well, leaving Torren and Charin as orphans for the moment. He had every faith that they would get well again, but he didn't know for sure.

Perhaps he would talk to Amelia about looking after Charin and Torren if John and Teyla didn't make it. Who else would do it? He wasn't even sure that Rodney and Jennifer were together at the moment and thethat kids deserved a family.

He debated whether to go in when he arrived at the stasis room. He was convinced that Teyla couldn't hear him, but perhaps he needed to tell her what had happened to Sheppard for his own peace of mind.

Taking a deep breath he entered the room and came face to face with Teyla's stasis pod. She looked as at peace as she had the last time he'd seen her and he wondered what had been going through her mind when she was put into stasis.

Clearing his throat he began to tell her what he needed to, "Hey Teyla, I just wanted to let you know that we've found John, but unfortunately he's not doing too well. His ancient gene has gotten him into trouble again. He was used as a battery to power an ancient city and it has caused blindness, whether it is permanent, we don't know. And when we tried to escape the city he was shot in the head. Again we don't know what the damage is. Jennifer and Carson are with him at the moment, so he is in the best possible hands. Don't worry about Torren and Charin, they are being well looked after, by Amelia.

"Anyway I know you probably can't hear this, but I felt as if I needed to tell you. I'm sorry that I couldn't protect John, but I will do everything in my power to protect your children."

He felt as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders by telling Teyla these things, so now all he had to do was head to the infirmary and wait for news on Sheppard.

oOo

Rodney let out a sigh of relief when he'd finished his muffin and coffee. He had been starving and a little shaky, so he'd needed it.

Now was the time to get some answers, he had no idea how long Carson and Jennifer would be, or where Ronon was, but right now he didn't care because he needed answers. And as much as he was worried about Sheppard, they needed to find a way home. He certainly wasn't happy about being so close to the planet that had caused Sheppard so much grief either, so the sooner they found a place to move to the better.

Taking a deep breath he connected the data chip to his laptop and he was surprised when a stream of data appeared instantaneously. From a glance, none of it seemed very useful, but it was a start.

He'd just finished reading the first document when someone entered the room, but rather than look up to see who it was he kept on with what he was doing - whoever it was would speak eventually.

"Have you heard anything yet?" Ronon asked

"Do you think I'd be sitting here working if I'd had any news?" Rodney grumbled, "Where have you been and how long have we been back anyway?"

"I had to take Sharnie and Lalla to Amelia so that she could look after them and then Torren wanted to talk to me and in answer to your second question, we've been back about an hour and a half."

He was a little puzzled as to why Torren needed to talk to Ronon, but it was probably about Sheppard.

Rather than continue the conversation further, he looked back at his computer and moved on to the next file. There appeared to be a lot of information on the data chip and he had no idea how long it was going to take to get through it all.

He'd barely finished the paragraph he'd started when Carson entered the room and when he looked up at the doctor's face he suspected that the news on Sheppard wasn't good.

"How is he, Carson?" Rodney asked with apprehension.

"I'm afraid that it's not good, there's damage to his temporal lobe which is causing seizures. When he wakes up he may have slurred speech and a weakness down his right side consistent with a stroke again due to the damage in the temporal lobe. To what extent I can't tell you. He had another massive seizure when we arrived in the infirmary and unfortunately, we may be looking at epilepsy long-term. The one piece of good news is that his eyesight should return in time because the optic nerve is only irritated and Swollen, and not damaged. At the moment we have him in a medically induced coma to give his brain a chance to begin to heal."

Rodney was devastated by what he'd just heard, "What good will his eyesight do for him if he suffers from epilepsy? They'll throw him out of the airforce for sure and if that isn't enough he'll be weak down one side of his body."

"And what am I supposed to tell Torren," Ronon growled from behind him, "the poor kid is still dealing with what happened to his mother."

"I'm sorry I don't have better news," Carson replied and Rodney could see the sadness in his eyes.

Taking a deep breath Rodney tried to keep his emotions in check, "Well can we see him and I want to sit with him?"

"Me too, Ronon replied, "although I should probably tell Torren what's going on. When can Torren come and see his Dad doc?"

"I want to monitor General Sheppard's condition for at least a week before I allow him to come. The last thing Torren needs to see is his father having a seizure."

"I think I need to go and see him now, he deserves to know the truth. Although I'm not sure what I'm going to tell him."

Rodney watched as Ronon left the room, before turning to Carson, "I want to go and see Sheppard now."

Carson just nodded and walked out of the room and he very quickly followed his friend.

oOo

For the second time in as many hours, Ronon completed what he was going to tell Torren. The kid needed to know that when his father woke up he would be different and although he would probably recover from his injuries he would never be the same man he was before he was injured. He didn't want to contemplate what would happen if John had to go back to earth. That was something that could be discussed at another time.

He'd almost reached the Sheppards' apartment when Amelia came around the corner with Torren and Charin.

"Where's Sharnie and Lalla?" He asked while trying to look behind her to see if the girls were coming.

"Colonel Lorne has offered to give them a grand tour, so I thought that I would bring Charin back to the apartment for a nap. Torren decided that he'd rather come with Charin and me than help with the tour."

"Did you see my Dad?" Torren asked in a whisper.

Torren was standing just behind Amelia and the kid looked more dejected than he had before he'd gone to the infirmary.

"How about you come into the apartment and I'll let you know what's happening."

"No, I want to see him now!" Torren demanded.

Maybe Torren had every right to see his father, but then he remembered back to what Carson had said. To hell with it, the kid deserves to see his father.

"Melia, I'm going to take Torren to see his father and we may sit with him for a while."

"I'll see the two of you later then," Amelia stated before heading into the apartment.

Once Amelia had gone inside and the doors to the apartment closed, he turned to Torren and spoke as gently as he could.

"I haven't seen your dad yet, but from what Uncle Carson is telling me he doesn't look good. I'm going to contact him now and tell him that you want to see your father, but he may still say no."

Torren nodded his head and took his hand as they began to walk in the direction of the infirmary. Along the way he tapped his earpiece to talk to Carson and rather than take no for an answer, Ronon was going to insist that Torren be allowed to see his father.

oOo

Carson watched as Rodney approached John's bed and the scientist looked as if he were going to be sick as he sat down in the chair next to the bed.

John's head was heavily bandaged and he was hooked up to IVs, a heart monitor and there was a nasal cannula under his nose. A feeding tube has also been inserted to give John's healing body, much-needed nutrients. The poor General was incredibly pale and looked whiter than the sheet that was covering him.

"Is…he in a coma?" Rodney asked in a shaky voice.

"I'm afraid so. We had to put him in a medically induced coma, to give his brain a chance to heal."

Rodney nodded and took John's hand, "Geesh Carson, why is his hand so cold."

"He's suffering from bradycardia or low heart rate, we're hoping that as his brain begins to heal that his heart rate will pick up a bit."

"Thanks, Carson, but I'd like to be alone with him now."

"Now problems I'll be in my office if you need me and they'll be a nurse sitting at the end of his bed at all times."

When Rodney nodded, Carson took one last look at his patient and left the small room that was designated as ICU.

Carson needed to go to sleep, but he'd just sent Jennifer and Sophia for a rest. They had both insisted that he needed rest as much as they did, but he was adamant he would stay close to his patient for the time being. He would sleep in the cot in his office if he had to.

He'd just about made it to his office when his com activated, "Carson here," he said tapping his earpiece."

"It's Ronon here and I'm bringing Torren to see his Dad. I know you said that he should stay away, but he insisted and I think that he really needs to see John."

He knew it was against his better judgement so taking a deep breath he answered Ronon, "Aye that's alright, come see me in my office when you get here."

"We're almost there, see you in a couple of minutes, Ronon out."

He'd barely reached his office when Ronon and Torren arrived and Carson could clearly see how upset Torren was. He still wasn't entirely sure that the boy should see John, but he probably needed to know that his father was still alive and there was a good chance that he would recover.

Walking into his office he beckoned Ronon and Torren to follow him and sit down. Once they were seated he looked directly at Torren.

"Torren I want you to understand how injured your Dad is. He doesn't look too good at the moment, but I want you to know that we are doing everything that we can for him."

"I understand Uncle Carson, so can I please see my Dad now?"

The boy amazed him with the maturity that he was displaying right now, but maybe kids just had to grow up quickly in the pegasus galaxy. Considering what had happened to Torren and his family over the last six months it wasn't really surprising.

"Okay let's go then," he said standing up and taking Torren's hand.

A few minutes later when they approached the area designated as ICU, Ronon tapped him on the shoulder.

"I'll stay out her doc. That way Torren can spend some time with his father."

He nodded his head and walked into the room with Torren, only to find that Rodney was still there, fast asleep.

"Do you want Dr McKay to leave Torren?"

"No, it's okay Dr Beckett. Can I climb up onto the bed and lie next to him?"

That was probably a good idea, perhaps it would do the General good to have his son lying next to him.

"Aye lad, let me help you up."

It didn't take long for him to carefully lift the boy onto the bed next to his father and within a few seconds, Torren was snuggled up to him.

He was amazed when he looked across at the monitors, his patient's vitals had improved, so he decided to let Torren stay right where he was for now.

"Don't worry Daddy I'm here and I'm going to stay with you for as long as I can," he heard Torren whisper in John's ear.

Seeing the effect Torren was having on John he decided to call Ronon in as well. Perhaps later he would let Amelia bring Charin in to lay next to her father for a while.

"I'm just going to get Uncle Ronon to join you if that is alright Torren."

"Don't worry Doc, I'm here," Ronon announced walking into the room and pulling up a chair at the end of John's bed.

"Uncle Carson, you should stay too. I know that Dad would like that." Torren instructed from his position on the bed.

Rodney was still fast asleep so he carefully took the computer off the scientist's lap and then pulled up a chair beside him.

Looking at the people in the room, he knew that they would all spend as much time as they were able to with John over the next few weeks. For reasons that he couldn't explain the people on Atlantis had become a family and he felt privileged to be a part of it.

He settled in for a long night ahead, doing what he had done countless times over the last ten years - keeping watch over John Sheppard.

TBC…

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