A/N: You say I own it? Well..I say hah! I wish!
Enjoy!
Chapter 11
Beckett and Keller got Dave settled in the infirmary. Becca had decided to go with them to make sure he was okay.
The others were still standing in the gate room. John looked down at Carrigan and Jayden. He'd met Carrigan when she was born and when Jayden was about four, but he hadn't seen them since.
"You probably don't remember me, Jayden, but I'm your dad's brother. The last time I saw you, you were about four, I think." Jayden nodded and looked away, taking in his surroundings.
He turned and looked at Carrigan. "And the last time I saw you, you were only a baby." She smiled and extended her hand to him. "My name is Carri. What's yours?"
He smiled as he took her hand and lightly shook it. "My name is John. And this is my friend Nikki." She turned and shook Nikki's hand as well. "It's a pleasure." John smiled again and looked up as Teyla walked down the stairs and into the gate room. She went straight for John's side and looked up at him. "It is nice to have you back again, John. All three of you." She smiled at John, Nikki, and Rodney. They smiled back.
"Yeah, it's good to be home. Oh, meet my niece and nephew. Teyla, this is Carri and Jayden. Guys, this is my friend Teyla. She'll be looking after you while you're here."
Teyla smiled at the children and then turned to look at John. "I will?"
"Oh, yeah. Um…you don't mind, do you? Becca will be in the infirmary most of the time, as will I. I figured you were the best candidate for the job."
She smiled and nodded her head. "That is fine. I do not mind looking after them while your brother gets better." She turned to Carri and Jayden. "Are you guys hungry?" They both nodded. "Okay, let's go to the mess hall and get some food. Then I will show you to your quarters."
John and Nikki watched them walk away. Elizabeth came down the stairs and stopped in front of them.
"Good to have you back. Things have been quiet since you left. With Rodney not fussing and you not finding us extra problems to deal with, things have been…calm." She smiled and looked at John. He rolled his eyes, but gave her a small smile. "Yeah, it's good to be back. I need to get down to the infirmary though. So, if you'll excuse me…" He walked away, leaving the three of them watching him go. Elizabeth turned to Nikki.
"Can you tell me what's going on?" Nikki nodded and followed her to her office while Rodney left to go to the mess hall.
In Dr. Weir's office, Nikki told her everything that had happened since they had left. Well, everything except what had happened in the hotel room. Elizabeth didn't need to know about that.
"I see you both have had an interesting couple of days." Nikki nodded and sighed, exhausted. Elizabeth smiled. "Why don't you go get some rest. You look like you could use it." She gave Elizabeth a grateful smile, stood up, and left her office.
She planned on going back to her quarters and going to bed, but she decided to go back to John's quarters instead. She had no idea when he'd be back from the infirmary, but she knew that when he did return to his quarters, he would need her.
She opened the door manually, set her duffel bag by the door, and sat down on his bed. She looked around his room. It was really tidy for a guy's room. Although, he had been in the military for, what? At least fifteen years.
She laid back on the bed and just looked up at the ceiling. She was laying with her legs dangling off the edge. It wasn't that comfortable, but it didn't have to be because about a minute after she laid back, she fell asleep.
By the time John got back to his quarters, they had been back on Atlantis for at least two hours. He walked into his quarters and saw Nikki lying on her side at the end of his bed. She must have come in there to wait for him, but had fallen asleep.
He chuckled and then got ready for bed. When he moved over to his bed, he decided to make her comfortable first. He took off her shoes first and then her socks. He carefully sat her up and removed her jacket. Then he moved the blanket aside, picked her up, and positioned her under the blanket. He pulled the corner up over her shoulder and looked down at her sleeping form.
He walked around to the other side and climbed in as well. He rolled on to his side, wrapped his arm around her, and fell asleep thinking about the woman that he loved.
SGA
Dave was in a coma for an entire week while on Atlantis. Beckett and Keller had tried everything they could think of to help him. Beckett had told John one day that they had given him a kind of drug that if he should come out of the coma, the chances of him having brain damage would lower. That had eased John's mind a bit, but it still didn't bring his brother out of the coma.
John and Becca took turns staying with Dave. Sometimes they would both sit with him. Sometimes the kids would be there, and sometimes Nikki would be there, either with Becca or John, it didn't matter. She stayed with both of them.
Nikki and Becca had become really close over the time they spent on Atlantis. It made John happy that his girlfriend got along with his family. Or at least the family that wasn't in a coma.
On the tenth day that Dave and his family were on Atlantis, John was sitting with him with a data pad. He was going over mission reports and filling out necessary paperwork.
He heard a noise that sounded like rustling, but he figured he had imagined it. He had heard it before several times, snapped his head up thinking Dave was waking up, only to be disappointed.
He heard the noise again and looked up this time just to be sure. When he looked up, his hazel eyes locked with a set of blue eyes, Dave's eyes.
John's eyes widened. His hand snapped to his com. "Carson! He's awake!" He leaned forward, setting his data pad on the bed next to Dave's.
"Dave, how are you feeling?" He looked around the infirmary confused. "Where am I?"
"You're on the military base where I'm stationed. I brought you here because I thought it might help your recovery with more advanced medicines. You're safe. Do you remember anything?"
He slowly shook his head. "No. What happened?" Carson came running into the room followed by Jennifer. "You were in a car accident and slipped into a coma." John looked up at Carson. "He said he doesn't remember anything."
"Aye, I'm not surprised. He was in a coma for almost two weeks." Carson checked his vitals as Jennifer went over the standard questions you ask a patient who just came out of a coma.
"I'm going to ask you a few standard questions. Do you remember your name?"
He nodded. "David Sheppard." Jennifer nodded. "Your birthdate?"
They went through several more questions, Dave answering them perfectly. He looked back at John and their eyes met. "John, am I seeing things or is it really you?"
John gave him a sad smile. "Yeah, Dave. It's me." Dave looked confused again. "But, why? Why are you here?"
The look that passed through John's eyes next was pain. He reached up and hit his com again. "Nikki, will you please bring Becca to the infirmary? Dave's awake."
John took Dave's hand and squeezed once, but Dave took it back. "I'm here because you're my brother and I wanted you to get better."
He stood up and moved away from the bed. Jennifer threw John a sad smile that he missed and continued to ask Dave some questions and filled him in on some of the details. Dave's eyes never left John's. Dave's eyes were accusing where John's were filled with raw pain. He had tried to save his brother's life, but that wasn't good enough for Dave.
As soon as Becca and Nikki walked in, John left. He didn't look at anyone, but he didn't have to. Nikki immediately saw the pain in his eyes. She looked at Jennifer confused. Keller stepped aside so that Becca could see her husband. They stepped out of earshot of the bed and Jennifer told her what had happened between the men when Dave had awoken.
Nikki nodded and excused herself to go find John.
She found him in his quarters. He had his head in his hands and his shoulders were shaking. She went to his side and put her arm around his shoulders. He leaned into her arms and she held him while he couldn't hold in his feelings any longer.
Having Dave ask him those questions had broken him. His own brother was asking why he was there at his sick bed. Some brother I am, he thought.
It took him a while to get his feelings under control again, but he didn't move away from her. He needed her right now. She was his anchor to sanity. She kept rubbing his back and trying to soothe him. Before she knew it, his muscles relaxed and he started to snore softly.
Good, he needs some sleep, she thought.
She laid him down on the bed and then took his boots off. She grabbed an extra blanket that was laying on a chair, curled up next to him, and fell asleep with him. She wanted to make sure she was with him when he woke up.
SGA
John hadn't gone back to the infirmary in three days since Dave had woken up from his coma. He didn't feel it was his place to visit him. Nikki visited once with Becca.
She had introduced Nikki as a good friend of hers, and then as John's girlfriend. They had talked for a while, but then Nikki had to go. She was late for her shift.
Nikki went back when no one was there. She wanted to talk to Dave and see if he really thought things between him and John were really hopeless as John did.
She walked into the infirmary and saw that Dave was awake and reading a book Becca had brought him. She walked over to his bed and he looked up at her and smiled. "I hope I'm not interrupting."
"Oh no, of course not. Please sit." She sat in the chair that was sitting next to his bed. "So, what do I get the pleasure of seeing you here for?"
She bit her lip once, but sighed and told him why she was there. "I was wondering why you don't want John to visit you while you're here."
That took Dave by surprise and he looked away. "It's not that I don't want him to visit. I do, I want to see him. He's my little brother. But…he doesn't want to see me. That much is clear since I've been awake for three days now and he hasn't come by once."
Nikki wanted to shake her head at him, but she refrained. "He doesn't think you want him here, that's why he hasn't come by." Dave looked up with sad eyes. "Why wouldn't I want him here?"
"Don't you remember what you said when you woke up and he was here?"
His eyebrows furrowed. "He was here when I woke up? I'm sorry, I don't really remember what was going on when I first woke up. The first thing I remember is when Becca came."
Nikki sighed and looked down at her hands. "Then I have a story to tell you, Dave. And you need to listen." He nodded and gestured for her to continue.
"Two weeks ago, we were sitting at our usual table in the mess hall eating breakfast when John got a call from Earth saying he was needed. All the message said was that there had been an accident involving you. He was instantly worried and went to pack his bag. When John and I stepped through the gate and were back on Earth, General O'Neill told us that you had been in an accident and that you were at St. Rose Hospital. It took us hours to get there, but John couldn't do anything but stare out the window and hope his brother was okay.
We got to the hospital and immediately his stress doubled. We ran into Nancy and they argued. We got to your room and I could see the pain and sadness in his eyes from looking at his big brother lying motionless on a bed with a breathing tube in his throat. He blamed himself for not being there sooner. He didn't admit that, but I knew he did because I know him. When the doctors told him there was nothing they could do for you, that didn't stop him. He immediately made a call and made sure that you received the best treatment possible, which was to come here. He arranged security clearances for all of you. He made sure your kids would be able to come. He didn't leave your side for practically the entire time we were on Earth. The only time he did was because of Nancy.
When we got here to Atlantis, John and Becca took turns sitting by your side. John didn't want you to be alone when you woke up. He made sure there was someone here at all times. Someone that you knew. Dr. Beckett had to force him out of the infirmary several times because he didn't want to leave your side, sure that you'd wake up soon. And then you did. And he was there for it. He tried to grab your hand, but you pulled away from him. You asked him why he was there. He said it was because you're his brother, but you just sat there and stared at him. That made him feel like a horrible brother. He went back to his quarters and mourned the loss of his brother that was very much alive and awake."
He just sat there staring at nothing, taking it all in. She stood up and looked down at him. "You needed to know that. Now the ball is in your court. If you don't want to do anything with that information, fine. You might want to mourn the loss of your brother as well and just forget you have a brother. You put him through hell and I don't want to see him in that much pain again because of someone he calls family."
Dave looked up at her with sad eyes. "But if you do want to do something with that information, than do something before you leave. Don't wait until you're back on Earth, because it'll be too late then. He needs his big brother now. He brought you here, to his home in another galaxy to make sure you survived. To make sure you could function again if you ever woke up from the coma. If anything, don't you at least owe him an apology?"
Dave could do nothing but stare at her. She shook her head and started for the door. "Wait."
She stopped and turned to look at him. "Does he even want to see me after all of that?"
"You're his brother. His family. You should know the answer to that."
Nikki walked out of the infirmary, not realizing she passed Becca on the way out. She stepped into the infirmary and walked over to Dave's bed.
"You know she's right. About everything. John turned the world upside down for you, risked his career to bring you and your family to another galaxy where he knew you'd get the help you needed. He's a good man. I've gotten to know him since he came to the hospital in California. You're missing out on a relationship with an amazing man. Dave, he's your brother." Dave nodded and took her hand. "You're right. You both are."
SGA
John, his team, Nikki, and Alex were all sitting around the same table they had been sitting at the day John had gotten called back to Earth. Ever since Dave had woken from his coma, John had been subdued and kept to himself more than usual. Today, he had tried to insert himself into the conversation again and make things go back to normal.
He needed normality. They were talking about the next mission the team was going to go on, when John's radio came on.
"Colonel Sheppard, this is Dr. Beckett. I need to see you in the infirmary right away." He reached up and hit his com. "Is there some kind of emergency?"
His teammates stopped and stared at him. It was like déjà vu. "Aye, I need you in here now."
"On my way." He looked at his team. "There's an emergency in the infirmary. Carson needs me. I'll see you guys later."
He jumped up and jogged out of the mess hall. Nikki watching him go, silently hoping it was Dave trying to make amends.
He made his way to the infirmary in record time. He ran in, but the only one there was Dave. He was sitting on the end of the bed he had been occupying for days. He was dressed in his usual clothes. It looked like he was being released.
Dave looked up when John ran into the room. John froze as their eyes connected. What was going on here?
Dave gave him a small smile and gestured to the chair near him. "Please, sit? I'd like to talk."
John slowly walked over to chair, but instead he stood behind it and tucked his hands into his pockets.
"Fair enough. John, I wanted to apologize. For everything. What I said to you when I woke up, that wasn't fair." He paused and looked down at his hands. "I've had some time…okay, a lot of time…to think about what has happened. I've been told everything that you did for me when I was in the coma. And then for me to just dismiss you like that when I woke up. That wasn't right. You didn't have to come back to Earth for me, but you did. You didn't have to risk your career to get me and my family-our family-here to another galaxy, but you did. And you did it for me. I owe you an apology for everything."
He looked up at John and saw the pain in his eyes. He was always good at hiding his feelings from his features, but his eyes told everything. "You're my little brother. And I'm sorry."
John nodded. He accepted the apology. John knew Dave meant it. He could see it in his eyes.
"You know, I've had a lot of time to just sit here. There have been several military personnel in here and they have all told me what an honor it is to serve under your command. They told me about how you sacrificed your life time and time again to save several people, not only on this base or from Earth, but strangers from different planets. They told me about how you used your smarts to think up solutions to problems that seemed impossible to fix, but you managed it. I don't know how many stories I was told of you and your team."
He chuckled and nodded. "And then there's Nikki. She came in here a couple of nights ago and let me have it." He looked down at his hands. "She really opened my eyes to what I did and to what kind of man you are. And then Becca really ground it in afterward. It seems you have my wife on your side." John chuckled and gave Dave a small smile. "Well, I can't help that I'm so charming."
Dave actually laughed and looked up at his little brother. "Same old John." John's smile grew and he looked at the floor and blushed. "Now, I was just released and I'm starving. So, would it be too much to ask if we could go to the mess hall and maybe get to know each other again?"
John looked up at his brother and his smile grew. "I'd like that, Dave." Dave nodded and stood up. "Well, it's settled then. You need to tell me more about this girlfriend of yours…" They laughed and walked out of the infirmary together.
They entered the mess hall laughing and telling each other stories. Now that John didn't have to keep secrets from his brother anymore, it was easier to get to know him.
Everyone sitting at their regular table looked up when the brothers walked in. They all smiled as they watched their friend get to know his brother again. John was finally happy and had his family back.
Nikki smiled when John glanced over at her and met her eye. She winked at him and his smile grew. She could practically feel the happiness coming off of him as John and Dave sat down at an empty table and shared stories.
Everything was back to normal. For about a month. And that's when their next adventure began.
And the brothers are finally getting back to being brothers after years of silence. Doesn't that just make you smile? I know it made me smile while I was writing it, hah! Review! I'll try to have the next chapter up tomorrow, but for now, I am going to bed. Feel lucky that I posted 4 chapters in one day! Hah! Review! =D