AN: I apologize if there are any errors in this chapter. My usual Beta was at work so I proof read it instead. I hope you all like this chapter.

Chapter 3:

The group broke off going their own ways. Carson received a call saying he was needed in the infirmary. Major Lorne called for someone to come and tear down the make-shift conference room then went to his office to catch up on paperwork. Teyla, Ronon and Rodney went to get dinner. They invited John to join but he was beginning to hurt and wasn't in the mood to go to the mess hall so they offered to grab dinner for him and eat with him. He wanted to refuse but he was hungry and the company would be nice. So while they headed to the mess hall, he headed to his quarters.

John had only been in his quarters 10 minutes before his team walked in. He didn't know if he'd still be up and moving or in bed so he told them to just come in, no need to chime. As they entered and grabbed chairs to sit in, John eased himself onto his bed, hissing when he jostled his already throbbing ankle. He positioned himself to where he had his back against the wall with a small pillow between him and it. He leaned down to grab the two pillows that were by his bedside but stopped when he noticed Teyla grab them for him.

"Here, let me help." She told him, grabbing the pillows and gently placing them under his leg.

"Thanks." He told her, slightly blushing.

She placed his tray of meatloaf on his lap as the others did the same and began eating. They were all looking at him with looks of confusion and concern. For a while he didn't understand why until he figured out that it was because of his desperate want to go back to the planet. He realized he hadn't told them about seeing Ford. At first he didn't want to tell anyone but this was his TEAM. If he could trust anyone to not think he was crazy or seeing things, it was them.

Dinner was finished by the time the subject came up. Teyla was the one to bring it up.

"John, if you do not mind my asking. Why do you want so badly to return to the planet?" she asked, her voice hesitant.

John paused, organizing his thoughts before replying. "When Ronon and I were laying down cover fire, I saw another figure among the Genii. Only, this figure seemed to be studying the scene before him, like it was a science experiment." He began trying to describe what he had seen. "He wasn't in the fight, that much was for sure. It was like this was a test to see how we'd react. The figure looked like Ford."

"But I thought Ford was on the Hive Ship when it blew up." Ronon commented.

"Yeah, how do you know it was Ford?" Rodney asked, more than a little skeptical.

"Because I saw the man's eyes. One was brown, one was solid black, just like Ford's." John stated. He didn't know ANYONE else in this galaxy that had one solid black eye and one human eye. "Besides, just because we last saw Ford on the Hive Ship doesn't mean he didn't manage to get off before it blew up."

"How could he have gotten off? He can't fly a dart, otherwise he wouldn't have needed you." Rodney told him, still skeptical.

"I don't know, maybe he caught a ride with a dart by being caught up in a culling beam. I thought I heard somewhere that if the members of the Hive know their ship is no longer useful they will beam other members of their crew into a dart and escape to a planet or something." John said. He wasn't actually sure that he'd heard that but it did make sense.

"John, are you sure it was Lt. Ford?" Teyla asked, clearly skeptical as well.

"No, not 100% since I was in the middle of a gunfight, but like I said, the man had one human eye and one solid black eye. How many people do you know of that fit that description? Plus, this guy was dark skinned and had a bandana over his hair. When I last saw Ford, he had that same bandana on his head." John said, rather emphatically. He was glad he was done with his dinner and the tray was on the table beside him, otherwise most of it would've been on the floor by now. "That's why I want to go back to the planet, to see if it was possibly Ford or someone else I saw."

"But wouldn't Ford have left the planet by now if he saw us?" Rodney asked. He didn't know whether or not to believe Sheppard but at the same time, he didn't have any proof to call Sheppard crazy either.

"Maybe, but I'm not sure. Like I said, it was like he was studying our interaction with the Genii. Maybe he's a resident of the village or maybe he's left. Maybe he was never there at all, but that's why I've got to go, to figure it out." John told him. So close to pleading again it was depressing.

John felt a strong sense of guilt toward Ford. He felt like he abandoned Ford when he needed help most. He felt like he failed Ford, yet again and if Ford was on that planet, it was NOT going to happen again!

"Surely you can let others go instead of going yourself, especially since you will not be able to venture off the Jumper. Dr. Beckett will not let you off it and you yourself promised you would not leave it. Would it not be better just to let Sgt. Stackhouse go in your stead?" Teyla asked, understanding that he wanted to confirm whether or not it was Ford but she also knew he would not be allowed to get off the Jumper TO confirm it.

"I don't want anyone else other than us knowing that Ford may possibly be on that planet. He may be more likely to trust one of us to help him versus another member of the expedition. Especially, say, Carson or Elizabeth." John replied.

"I'm sorry, why are we helping him again?" Rodney asked. "I mean, it was terrible what happened to him but he drugged us against our wills then tried to use me as leverage to get what he wanted. Not to mention the time that he almost killed me because I accidentally shot him."

"Rodney, Lt. Ford is sick and our friend. If we can help him, we should try." Teyla interjected when she saw John's face go a deep shade of red.

"Well, I'd say he doesn't want our help." Rodney replied, his voice full of sarcasm. "I think he made that perfectly clear almost every time we run into him."

"McKay has a point." Ronon's gruff voice said. "I mean, the last time we saw him, he clearly wasn't interested in our help."

"Well, he was just not in the way we wanted to help him." Rodney replied. "They aren't going to let him come back to Atlantis until he agrees to let Carson help him and we all know that he will NEVER allow that because he doesn't think anything is wrong with him."

"Why don't we wait to see if it actually was Lt. Ford before we begin deciding his fate?" Teyla said, hoping to bring this argument to a stop.

"I think that's a great idea Teyla." John replied, his voice light with his usual cheerfulness but his eyes still hard and cold with anger.

The team sat in silence, not knowing what to say or do. Rodney was still annoyed at the prospect of trying to help Ford. Ronon was a little annoyed that Sheppard seemed to be thinking beyond reason by assuming he could help Ford. With what little interaction Ronon had with the man, he definitely was NOT thinking clearly and did want Atlantis' help. John was seething at Rodney's attitude toward Ford. He knew he wasn't being fair by expecting Rodney to help, Ford had almost killed them and then drugged the man against his will but what part of "Leave No Man Behind" did he not understand? Teyla sat in quiet contemplation. She understood each man's opinion and believed them all in their own right to feel them but didn't know how to get them all to see that.

Rodney gave a big yawn, whether it was faked to get out of the room or sincere no one knew. He stood up saying that he was tired and heading to bed, waved and left. Ronon was the next to leave, saying that he was going to his room. He gave no reason for leaving but John and Teyla understood perfectly why he left. The air was ripe with tension the argument had made.

John turned to Teyla, knowing she'd give him her honest but diplomatic opinion. "What do you think Teyla?"

Teyla said nothing for a while before finally replying, "I think that I do understand your desire to get Lt. Ford back to Atlantis but I do think that Rodney and Ronon have a point. Lt. Ford has made his decision, twice now, and we have to respect it, no matter how much it pains us to do so."

John sighed. He knew she was right, hell he knew Rodney and Ronon were right too, but he was having trouble admitting it.

"John." Teyla said, grabbing his attention. "I know that you believe in "Leave No Man Behind" but in this instance, you are not leaving him behind. He wishes to remain behind and you must let him. Maybe instead of trying to force him to come here, you could try getting him to trust you with you staying on his planet."

"No," John shook his head, "I've already tried that. When we were kidnapped by his boys and you three were drugged against your wills, I tried getting him to trust me and he switched plans on me at the last minute."

This time it was Teyla's turn to shake her head, "No, John. You tried to get him to trust you on your own terms with him, as you would say, playing you the entire time. Would it not be better to get him to trust you without you automatically telling him that he needs to come back with you?"

John thought about it for a moment before seeing her point. "Yeah, you're right. I just hope I get the opportunity to try. For all we know, Ford has left that planet or we won't even see him if he is there. He already has a deep seated mistrust for us, I'm not sure he'll reveal his position if we show up again."

"You said he was watching us like he was studying us. If that is so, then I believe he will show himself again when we return." Teyla said.

"True." John admitted, sighing heavily.

John then let out a jaw-cracking yawn, taking himself by surprise. He hadn't realized he was getting tired.

"Shall I let you go to sleep?" Teyla asked.

"Nah, it's ok. How is Torren?" He asked, genuinely interested.

"He is well. He is beginning to walk and it is getting harder to keep up." She replied, looking tired.

"Yeah, the more mobile they are, the harder it is to keep up with them." John replied. "If you need any help or someone to babysit, I would be more than happy to do so. To give you and Kanaan time together or just give you time alone." He offered.

"Thank You John, I believe I may take you up on your offer. But for now, I believe we should both go to sleep. Do you need any help?" she asked.

"Nah, I got it but thanks. Go get some rest." He told her.

"Very well, good night John." She put her forehead to his and then left.

John was asleep 10 minutes later, his mind wandering from bring Ford home to Teyla. Right before he fell asleep his last thoughts were of snuggling with her instead of his empty bed with little Torren John in his cradle a little ways away.

John crutched into the infirmary for his follow up appointment to find Dr. Beckett ready and waiting for him, standing my an exam bed. John crutched over, hoping the doctor didn't notice that he wasn't using the wheelchair that was given to him.

"Good Morning, Colonel." Carson greeted him cheerfully.

"Good Morning Carson." He replied in kind, hoping the doctor wouldn't notice the dark circles under his eyes.

"Are you feeling alright lad?" Carson asked. Damn John thought, does he miss anything?

"Yeah, I'm fine, just didn't sleep too well last night." John replied truthfully. He had nightmares about leaving Ford on the Hive Ship and then Ford showing up accusing John of leaving him behind and blaming John for what happened to him.

Carson studied him before responding. "Aye, well, get yourself up on the exam bed and let me look at your ankle." Carson could tell that something was bothering the Colonel but he knew better than to ask.

John did as he was told, using the bed to steady him while he put his crutches against the wall next to the bed. He used his arms to hoist himself on the bed and then carefully swung his legs on the bed, gently laying his injured leg on the bed. It had been throbbing steadily since he woke up. He suspected that he had accidentally jostled it while he was sleeping so he applied an ice pack to it before coming down.

Carson gingerly examined the injury, all the while making little notes to himself. "Alright Colonel, the swelling has gone down enough for us to be able to apply the cast and get you slightly more mobile." Carson told him after a few minutes.

"Great!" John said eagerly. He was hoping to be able sneak into his office and catch up on emails and paperwork.

"That does not mean you're cleared to do any work Colonel." Carson told him as if he was reading John's mind.

"Come on doc! It's not like emails and paperwork are very strenuous activities. I can do them with my foot elevated on a chair. Please, all sitting around will do is drive me nuts." John pleaded.

"I'm sorry lad, not today. Today I want you to rest that ankle some more, not crutching around the city." Carson responded.

"I'm not walking on it, how much more rest could it need?" John responded annoyed.

"Just humor me Colonel, ok? Tomorrow, you will be cleared for desk duty." Carson told him, compromising for both of their sanities.

John smiled slyly before saying, "Deal." A nurse then came over to take him to where he'd get the cast on. As he was leaving he could hear Carson muttering something that sounded like "Bloody cheeky little bugger" under his breath, John just laughed.

An hour later, John was crutching out of the infirmary. It had taken longer than he or the nurse thought it would because Elizabeth had called while they were plastering him up and he asked them to stop while he talked to her.

"Go ahead Elizabeth." He responded to the call.

"I just wanted to let you know that we have sent a message to Ladon Radim requesting a meeting but he will be unavailable for the next 3 weeks."

"3 weeks? What is he doing, vacationing in Rome?"

"I do not know but given that timeline, I'd like to wait to send another team back to that planet until after then as well. We don't know if it really was the Genii on the planet and if he is gone until then, he may very well be there waiting for us to return." Elizabeth told him.

John was disappointed that he had to wait that long but he understood where she was coming from. "Sounds good." He told her coldly. The only plus side was maybe Carson would be more willing to let him off the Jumper. He doubted it, but he prayed for it anyways. He always healed fast it seemed so maybe he would be de-casted by then.

"I'm sorry John, I know you were wanting to get there sooner but I just can't justify it right now." She told him sounding sympathetic.

"It's ok, I understand. Sheppard Out." He replied. He really did understand but that didn't stop him from feeling more than a little disappointed.

"Colonel Sheppard." The nurse addressed him. He looked at her, "Can I continue now?"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry." He replied.

So now he was done and roaming the halls wishing he could go running or spar to blow off some steam. Instead he decided he'd go to his quarters and calm down. He was heading to there when he ran into Teyla and little Torren.

"Hey, Teyla. Hello Torren." He greeted.

"Hello John, we were just on our way to come see you." Teyla replied.

"You were?" John asked a little surprised.

"Yes, we were wondering if you wanted to join us for the day." She told him.

"Did Carson call you?" he asked a little suspicious.

"No, why?" Teyla responded curiously.

"Oh, he is trying to keep me from doing work today and I thought he might have called you to keep an eye on me." He told her, a little embarrassed.

"No, he did not call me. I remembered you inquiring after Torren last night and I realized that you haven't been able to spend a lot of time with him lately so I thought maybe you'd like to today." She told him.

"Of course, that sounds fun! What shall we do?" he asked, checking his watch. It was then that his stomach started to rumble, letting him know that he was hungry. He smiled shyly, "How about lunch?" he asked.

"Sounds wonderful." She said before heading with him to the mess hall.

As it was noon when they got there, the mess hall was rather busy so they grabbed a table for John and Torren to sit at while Teyla grabbed the food. She came back with a large salad and fruit for herself, some pasta for Torren and a turkey sandwich and fruit for John.

"Thanks Teyla." He told her as he began to eat the turkey sandwich. "So, what all shall we do today?" he asked.

"I thought we could just relax while Torren plays." She told him. She wanted him to rest and was more than willing to do that with him to make sure he did it.

"Yeah, it's too bad there isn't a park around here or something that Torren could play at." He told her. He wished they could go to the mainland and let Torren play there but he knew Carson and Elizabeth wouldn't agree to it. "We could always head to a balcony and let Torren play there." He suggested. John was tired of sitting in his quarters and craved some fresh air.

"That sounds perfect." Teyla told him while she wiped Torren's face.

When they finished their meals, Teyla put the trays away and went back over to the food line to grab some snacks for Torren and some water for all of them. She put them in her bag so that she could carry Torren or walk with him with ease and headed back to the table. The sight that greeted her warmed her heart. John was playing with Torren and Torren was giggling madly while trying to escape his seat to get to John.

John saw her approach and told Torren, "Sorry little man, maybe later. For now, we have a balcony to get to."

He moved his injured leg off his crutches so that he could grab them and stand. Teyla hadn't noticed until then that he hadn't used a chair to elevate his leg, but instead used his crutches which were propped at a diagonal angle.

"Did Dr. Beckett not say that you should elevate your ankle while you were sitting?" she inquired.

"Yeah, and I did." He told her.

"I rather got the impression he meant on a chair." she replied stubbornly.

"Ah, but he didn't specify." John replied proud that he'd found a loophole.

Teyla just sighed and picked up Torren. Together they made their way to the closest empty balcony. This particular balcony had a long bench which was perfect for them to sit on, while Torren wandered on the ground. Teyla and John sat down next to each other until Teyla insisted John lay horizontal on the bench with his back against the wall so that he could elevate his leg. It put a bit of distance between them that neither really liked but Teyla knew it was better for him.

They both sat silent for awhile, watching Torren play and explore. After awhile Torren became more interested in John than his surroundings so he made his way over to John. John laughed, the smile warming his eyes, and began to maneuver himself onto the ground, hissing slightly when he accidently bumped his now casted ankle on the ground.

John and Torren played for over 30 minutes, the child somehow understanding that John couldn't move to easily and therefore did all the work for him. All John had to do was tickle him, throw him in the air, or act like he was going to chase Torren and he would try to run away, squealing with joy.

Teyla loved watching them interact. Torren had always had a fondness for John and seemed to easily pick up on John's moods or hurts and knew how to be gentle if John was injured or rough if he was fine. John was always the one who could calm Torren down if the child was upset or cranky from teething, it often amazed Teyla.

She noticed that John was getting tired and decided it was time to head back inside, the sun in the early stages of setting. She hadn't realized they had stayed out there so long.

John looked up from playing with Torren, noticing for the first time the sun beginning to set and checked his watch. 1730. Wow, where did the day go? Once Teyla grabbed Torren, he began to gingerly get off the ground and sit on the bench. His muscles grumbled their protest, stiff from sitting on the ground so long. His ankle was beginning to throb angrily. It hadn't helped that his self proclaimed grace seemed to have left him, leaving him clumsy and banging his casted ankle against the bench when he got up. He sat on the bench for a bit, preparing himself for stage 2 of the process, letting the pain in his ankle die down a bit.

Once John was standing, crutches in hand, they made their way back inside. They decided dinner was a good idea as it was almost 1800 now, so they headed to the mess hall once again. This time Teyla insisted that John use a chair to elevate his leg and he was happy to comply, though he did grumble about it. He didn't want it looking like he was giving in too easily.

He played with Torren some more while Teyla went and grabbed their dinner. She came back, accompanied by Rodney and Ronon.

"Hey guys" John greeted.

"Sheppard" both men said at the same time before sitting down and digging into their food.

The team ate while they made idle conversation, last night's conversation still hanging awkwardly in the air. John knew he needed to apologize to the others and figured now is as good a time as any.

"I owe you guys an apology for last night. I shouldn't have gotten so angry with you when all you were doing was stating your opinions and the truth. I'm sorry."

Ronon just shrugged. It was his way of saying forget about it. Rodney looked up from his meal slightly before saying, "it's forgotten."

"We understand why you're so desperate to help Ford." Ronon told him by way of explanation.

John didn't like the sound of him being desperate but he knew he truthfully was. "Thanks guys." He told them. Sincerely thankful, knowing he had the best family in the world.

They all finished their meals, chatting jovially. Torren started getting fussy, bringing their fun to a halt as Teyla excused herself to go put him to bed. She thanked John for the wonderful day and left.

Rodney and Ronon looked at John with inquisitive looks. "What were you guys doing today?" Ronon asked.

"Nothing, we just hung out." John told him, slightly defensive.

"You hung out with them all day?" Rodney asked baffled. He never understood how someone could spend that much time with a child.

"Yep, we hung out on the balcony playing with Torren. We didn't notice it was getting so late until the sun started going down." He told them while he began to stand up.

"Where are you going?" Rodney asked, clearly not done with his questions.

"I'm tired, Rodney so I'm going to bed." John told him.

"Yes, but whose bed are you going to?" Ronon quipped knowing full well that John was going to his own.

John just smirked at him and left, looking forward to lying in his bed and getting off his feet. He reached his quarters to find Teyla standing there.

"Teyla, are you ok?" he asked, puzzled as to why she was at his door.

"Yes John, I am fine. I just wanted to check on you and wish you good night." She told him.

"Ook, well, come on in." he responded suspiciously while he crutched into his room and headed for the bathroom. "I'll just be a few minutes."

She nodded and sat down. He came out 10 minutes later wearing a t-shirt and sweat pants. He eased himself onto his bed, sitting up so that he could talk to Teyla and reached for the pillows. Only to, once again, have them taken from him by her and placed under his aching foot. He breathed a sigh of relief as he felt a weight being lifted off his ankle.

"Are you alright?" she asked him.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It feels good to be in bed." He said, then paused and added while laughing, "I never thought I'd say that!"

She smiled as well, "I can imagine that it is very taxing to carry around a small amount of weight on an already weak injury."

He chuckled again, "I never thought of it that way."

"Maybe next time Dr. Beckett recommends that you rest, you will listen." She told him, playfully scolding him, making him laugh a little more.

"I doubt it." He replied, making them both laugh.

When they both had calmed down, John decided to ask the question he'd been dying to ask since she showed up at his door. "Teyla, are you really ok?"

"Yes John, why?" she responded.

"It's just, you don't normally show up at my door to tuck me in."

"I left rather abruptly early and didn't get a chance to properly thank you for the wonderful day and wish you good night. I wanted to do that before you went to sleep." She told him matter-of-factly. The word "properly" piqued his interest.

"What do you mean by properly?" he asked half scared to find out half curious.

She leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you for the wonderful day, John." She told him.

Ok, not what he had in mind but he'd take what he could get. "You're quiet welcome Teyla. I really enjoyed our day together with Torren." He told her making sure his tone relayed the pleasure he felt in spending time with them. "I hope we are able to do it again." He added wanting to make sure she knew that.

"Yes, that would be great. Maybe we could sometime in the next few weeks, I have a feeling your schedule will be quite open and you will need the company." She told him smiling.

"Sounds perfect." He told her knowing she was right. "Good night Teyla." He told her after he let out another jaw-cracking yawn.

"Goodnight John, sleep well." She told him and gave him another kiss on the cheek before leaving.

I don't think that will be a problem John thought as he fell asleep with the biggest grin on his face.