A/N: Even though I will be meeting the actors/actresses in a few months, I do not own SGA. I also am now the proud owner of one of the books in the SGA series that was written.
Sorry for the delayed update after I said it should be up soon. Life happened, can you imagine that? I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as it seems you've been enjoying the past chapters. Remember, this story only has a few chapters left. Only going to Chapter 30 for this one. If I get enough requests I'll do a sequel though. Gotta let me know! Otherwise, I'll assume you want me to end it at Chapter 30. Once again, I am sorry about the extremely long delay. I got caught up in other stories and have recently gotten back into my love for SGA. So..without further ado, here is Chapter 25. ^.^
Chapter 25
Teyla sighed as she struggled to get out of bed. She couldn't wait for her child to be born. Carson had asked her if she wanted to know the sex of the baby, but she had declined. She wanted to wait until she met her child.
Once she managed to get out of bed, she went about her usual morning routine. Teyla had no plans for the day and wasn't sure what she'd do.
She made it to breakfast like usual. Ronon, Rodney, John, Nikki, and Jessie were already there. They made small talk as they ate, John and Rodney bickering occasionally.
She was beginning to wonder if they would actually make it through an entire meal John getting called away when his hand flew to his radio.
"Sheppard here." Rodney snorted, obviously having thought what she'd been thinking.
He was nodding to himself as he played with his coffee mug. "The Daedalus isn't due back for another week. Yes, the shipment is onboard. I spoke to Caldwell a few days ago. I'll be in my office in about half an-. Yeah, that's fine. I'll be right there." He sighed, rubbing his hand over his face.
John gave Nikki a small smile before kissing her briefly on the lips and standing up. "Looks like I'm on my way to a meeting. I'll see you guys at lunch."
They waved their goodbyes and watched John make his way out of the mess hall. Teyla finished her tea and rubbed a hand over her swollen belly. Ronon leaned towards her and lowered his voice. "Do you need help with anything today? I don't have lessons until later."
She smiled gratefully at him, but shook her head. "Thank you, Ronon, but I do not require your services today. John helped me with the last of it last night so there is nothing to do except wait for the baby to arrive."
He nodded, smiling at his friend. They had all pitched in every chance they got and helped Teyla as much as she needed since Kanaan had left. It wasn't right for an eight months pregnant woman to have to set up her child's room alone.
They continued to sit around the mess hall for about twenty minutes talking before they had to leave and get a move on with their day.
Rodney went to his lab to continue his work on whatever experiment he was working on. Ronon went for another run even though he had already went on one before breakfast with Sheppard. Nikki and Jessie went to Nikki's lab to start a simple experiment.
Teyla looked around the mess hall, wondering what she could possibly do to occupy herself.
SGA
The hours had passed and Teyla kept herself somewhat busy. She made it through lunch without a problem. Once everyone had parted ways once more for the afternoon, she became restless.
She decided to pay John a visit in his office, she had things to talk about with him anyway.
Teyla made her way down the hallways, nodding and smiling to those she passed. Once she arrived at John's office, she rang the sensor, asking permission to come in. The door slid open for her since John had opened it up with his mind with the use of his strong ATA gene.
She walked into the room and smiled when she saw that he was doing paperwork. He looked up from whatever he was signing and smiled. "Oh thank God. I finally have a distraction from this damn paperwork. Please, sit down, Teyla."
She sat down in one of the chairs that sat opposite of his desk. He leaned back in his chair and smiled. "So, what's up? There's no emergency is there?" She chuckled to herself and shook her head.
"No, there is no emergency, John. I just have found myself somewhat…restless today. There is not much I can do given my current state of pregnancy. I decided to come visit you and see if you were too busy to talk. Also, I was wondering if you and Nikki have set a date yet for the wedding."
His smile widened. "Actually, we have. It's going to be next month. We even have a location set finally too. When we were searching the city to make sure everything was safe, I found this room that would be perfect. I haven't shown Nikki yet though. We've been too busy. Actually, I haven't shown anybody."
Teyla smiled at his excitement. "If you are not busy, I would very much like to see the room."
He sat up straight in his chair, clearly excited. "Really? Well, let's go then! I think you'll love it. It has an amazing view of the city."
He moved around the desk and helped her to her feet. He held out his arm for her to take to make it easier on her with their walk. She accepted and they were on their way to see where the wedding would be held.
On the way, they didn't pass too many people as many of them were busy off doing who knew what. They talked about the minor details: who would be there, who was conducting the ceremony, why John and Nikki had chosen who'd they'd chosen to be bridesmaids and groomsmen.
"Obviously Nikki wanted Kira as her maid of honor since their sisters. They've gotten really close in the past few months that she's been here. She asked Becca and Jess to be up there with her, as well as you, obviously. I think she feels closest to you four. And there's the fact that all five of you are family."
Teyla looked up at John in confusion. "John, I am not related to the other four women. I am the only one of the group to not be." John looked down at her incredulously.
"Are you kidding? Of course, you are, Teyla! Family doesn't end in blood, you know. Nikki views you as a sister. And, well, if I'm going to be Uncle John, then you're definitely family."
Teyla smiled at the thought of her child calling him Uncle John. She was very appreciative of all he had done and his offer of being a father figure for her child.
"What about your groomsmen? I am unaware of who you chose to be standing beside you."
John smiled shyly as they continued down the hallway. "Evan's going to be my best man."
"I assumed you would have asked your brother to be your best man. As I have been told, that is usually the way Earth weddings are held."
John nodded slowly. "Yeah, usually they are, but…Dave and I are just reconnecting after…years. I barely know the guy, you know? Evan and I have gotten pretty close and I'd rather have someone I'm close to standing next to me than practically a stranger. Anyways, he's going to be up there too though. He'll be next to Lorne. I also asked Ronon and Rodney to be up there."
Teyla knew that Ronon had been asked. She remembered when Ronon had shown up at her door completely thrilled with the fact that Sheppard had asked him to stand up with him at his wedding. He said he'd felt honored.
"I bet they all feel honored to have been asked to be a part of your wedding. I know I am." John looked down at her with a wide grin on his face.
He stopped and looked at a door. "Here we are." He ran his free hand over the door sensor and the doors opened, revealing a big room with one wall completely made of glass.
As they stepped in and Teyla got a better view of the wall of glass, she gasped at what she saw. They were high in one of the towers so the view consisted of the layout of Atlantis as well as the rolling waves of the ocean.
"Oh, John, it is remarkable. Nikki will definitely love this. You have picked a very beautiful location."
He smiled proudly of his find as they stared out the window, both entranced by the view. Suddenly the doors slammed shut, making both of them jump and turn around. John gently let go of Teyla's arm, telling her to stay there as he walked over to the door and attempted to open it. When it wouldn't open, he reached up and hit his radio.
"Control room, this is Sheppard. Come in."
"This is the control room, go ahead Colonel Sheppard."
"Teyla and I have just been locked into a room in one of the south towers. I can't get the door open. Is there any way you can open it from there?"
"We're experiencing a technical error throughout the city that has caused a city-wide lockdown. Dr. McKay is currently attempting to fix the error from his lab. We should be able to get the doors open soon."
John sighed and rubbed his face. "Keep me updated on his progress. Sheppard out."
He turned to Teyla who had a hand resting on her stomach. "There's been a glitch, it seems. Whole city is on lockdown. McKay's trying to fix it."
She nodded, keeping her hand on her stomach. He moved over to her and lead her towards the bench that was against one of the walls. "Why don't we sit down while we wait. Could be a while. Are you okay?"
She smiled somewhat tightly, but nodded. "Yes, John, I am fine."
They sat in silence for a few minutes before they started up a conversation.
"I have been told that it is customary to go on a trip after one is married. I believe it is called a…honeymoon?"
John nodded, looking around the room. "Yeah, we were going to go on one, but since she's quite pregnant, we decided to hold for now. We're going to wait until after the twins are born and then take a family vacation to go meet her parents."
Teyla looked at John questioningly. "You have not met her parents yet?"
He chuckled and shook his head. "No. That sounds horrible. I got her pregnant and we're getting married in a month, but I've never met her parents. I'm such the gentleman."
Teyla's eyebrows furrowed slightly. "Do they know about any of this that has happened?"
"Actually, they don't. Nikki decided it was best to just show up at their door with a new husband, two twin babies, and a step-daughter in tow. She said something about the Texan way and if they knew about it beforehand, they would not be happy. You see, there's an old Earth tradition where the man is supposed to ask the woman's father for permission to marry his daughter. And since I've never met the guy, have already knocked up his daughter, and we're getting married in a month…Well, let's just say it wouldn't go over very well."
Teyla nodded in understanding, still rubbing her belly. "Ah, I see. Yes, I do believe that that would not be very good. I wish you luck when you do finally meet them."
John chuckled and nodded. "Thanks, I'm sure I'll need all the help I can get."
She smiled at him before wincing. She had tried to hide her discomfort, but was unable to. She was hoping John had missed it, but he'd seen it. "Teyla, what's wrong?"
She sighed and looked down at her stomach. "I believe my child has decided that today is the best day to make an appearance. When the doors slammed shut, I jumped, causing my water to break. I have been having contractions the entire time we've been sitting here."
(Note: They've been sitting there for a good hour or more talking, waiting for McKay to fix the error.)
John sat up sharply and looked at her with wide eyes. "You're in labor and you're just now telling me? Why didn't you say something when your water broke?"
She rested a hand on his arm, trying to reassure him. "Dr. Beckett has been telling me that labor is usually several hours. I was hoping it would be the case here as well. Though, it seems my child has other ideas. I do not believe it will be much longer before it is here."
His hand flew to his radio. "Rodney, this is Sheppard, come in."
"McKay here. You know, I'd work much faster when people would stop interrupting me."
"Save it, McKay. Teyla and I are locked in a room on the south tower and her water broke over an hour ago. You need to get these doors open now."
There was a moment of silence before Rodney's panicked voice came over the radio. "I'm working as fast as I can! Just tell her to cross her legs or something! McKay out!"
John rolled his eyes, but hit his radio again. "Dr. Beckett, this is Sheppard. Come in."
"Colonel, how can I help you?"
"Doc, Teyla's water broke about an hour ago and we're locked in a tower on the south side."
"Oh sweet Jesus, how far apart are her contractions?"
John turned to Teyla. "Um, Beckett wants to know how far apart are your contractions?"
"About four minutes apart." Teyla's radio was patched through so that the three of them could communicate.
"Okay, Colonel, you may very well have to deliver the baby. Are you prepared for that?"
John's eyes widened. "How the hell could I be prepared for that? No, I'm not prepared for that!"
They heard Carson sigh, "Colonel, take a deep breath. The key is not to panic here. It could take several hours from now for the baby to be born. For all we know, Rodney could have the doors open by then. You may not have to do anything, but you do need to stay calm and keep Teyla calm, is that understood?"
John looked at Teyla and nodded. "Yeah, got it. What do I do?"
Carson ran John through what he would need to do in order to deliver the baby properly. John was slightly frightened at the idea of actually delivering a baby, but he was forcing down his panic and keeping a cool head. He needed to for Teyla and baby's sake.
She laid a hand on John's and smiled softly at him. "John, you can do this. I have faith in you."
He smiled weakly at her, not sure he had faith in himself, but nodded anyway.
"Oh, and by the way, Colonel, Nikki and Jessie are here in the infirmary for the routine check-up. Just wanted to let you know that everything checked out fine and the twins are in perfect health."
He knew Carson had said that to help keep him calm. If he knew that his unborn twins were healthy and doing good, that gave him something positive to focus on.
"Thanks, Doc. Good to know."
John did his best to keep Teyla talking. They made their way through numerous topics as two hours went by. The contractions were getting closer and closer together and Teyla had a firm grasp on his hand. He was doing his best to help her through each contraction. By this point, Carson had Nikki set up a radio so that the staff, as well as anyone in the infirmary, could hear what was going on with the delivery process since it was getting closer and closer to that time.
He had taken that time to prepare for when the doors would open and they would be able to go to John and Teyla's assistance. For the moment, they could only listen over the radio and talk them through it.
Nikki was getting more nervous as time went on. She had full faith in John just like Teyla did, but she was worried about Teyla. Babies were born for years without doctors, but if something were to go wrong, there was nothing John could do for her or the baby. All he had were his sidearm and his knife.
"John, I believe the baby is…almost here." John looked at her seriously.
"Are you sure?" She nodded and squeezed her eyes shut through a wave of pain. "Yes, it is coming. Now."
He moved to the floor and positioned himself in front of her, lifting up her dress and resting it on her knees. He moved her feet and positioned them on his knees like Carson had instructed him to. It would give Teyla some leverage as she pushed.
Teyla began to push and cry out in pain. John kept glancing up at her, worried. He hated seeing anyone this close to him in pain, especially Teyla, and there was nothing he could do.
"You're doing good, Teyla, just keep pushing." He kept trying to reassure her, keep her focused. After a few pushes, a smile spread across his face. "I see the head! You're almost there, Teyla! Keep pushing."
Carson and the rest of the occupants in the infirmary were practically holding their breath as they listened to Teyla's child being born. They were listening to a miracle coming into the world. Nikki had tears in her eyes as she heard the sheer love and encouragement in John's voice.
"Here's the shoulders…the arms. You're doing good, Teyla." A sharp cry burst through the air as John pulled the baby the rest of the way out and the baby came into the world.
Teyla was trying to catch her breath as she looked down. John was holding the baby with the biggest smile on his face. He cut the cord with his knife and wrapped the baby in his jacket. "It's a boy! Teyla, it's a boy." The entire infirmary burst into applause and cheer. Teyla's child had come into the world.
A bubble of laughter escaped her throat as she looked at her son for the first time. She watched John handle her son with care, not sure if she had the strength to hold him quite yet.
John stood and sat on the bench next to her. "Teyla, I'd like to introduce you to your son." He placed him into her waiting arms and she smiled down at him lovingly. "He's beautiful."
John smoothed the hair away from her face and smiled at her. "He sure is. What are you going to name him?"
She looked up at him with a sparkle in her eye. "Torren."
He nodded, looking back down at her son. "I like it. Torren Emmagen. It has a sort of ring to it."
She nodded, "Yes, I thought so as well. Well actually, if it's alright with you, I was thinking of Torren John, after my father and after you."
His eyes snapped to hers and his mouth opened in shock. "Really? Wow. I would be very honored."
Teyla's smile grew as she looked down at her son. "Torren John Emmagen."
Suddenly the doors opened and John looked up. "Oh, now he fixes it!" He rolls his eyes, but directs his attention back to his radio. "Hey doc, don't worry about coming to get us. I'll bring her to you."
He switches off his radio as Teyla does the same, but with a look of confusion. "John?"
He wraps an arm around her waist and looks at her. "Wrap you left arm around my neck. I'm going to carry you to the infirmary. Hell of a lot faster than waiting for them to come get us and then go all the way back there."
She nodded and did as he said. He picked her up and they made their way out of the room and towards the infirmary.
They entered the infirmary not too long after leaving the room. Carson swarmed the pair and was shouting orders to get both Teyla and Torren checked out. Nikki and Jess appeared at John's side as he still had Teyla in his arms. He smiled proudly at Nikki when he saw her.
She returned the smile just as proud and looked at Teyla. "How are you doing, Teyla?"
She smiled weakly and nodded. "I will be fine. I am just in need of some rest." Nikki nodded and moved out of the way as John carried her over to a bed and laid her down. A nurse appeared and took Torren from her to give him a check-up as she was wheeled to another section of the infirmary to get a check-up of her own.
John sat on a stool and sagged in exhaustion. Sure, he hadn't had to do a whole lot, but the adrenaline had been rushing through his veins and it had already worn off. An arm wrapped around his shoulders and he looked up tiredly to find Nikki smiling down at him.
"You did wonderful, John." His smile widened slightly and he rested his head gently against her stomach, feeling the kick of one of his children against his cheek.
"Just promise me I won't have to deliver the twins and I'll be okay." She chuckled and lightly played with his hair in the way that he secretly loved.
"No promises given what happens around here. Hell, Torren wasn't due for another month and yet here he is!" He nodded, thinking about the beautiful little baby that shared his name.
He truly felt honored that she had decided to name her son after him.
Carson appeared back in the main area of the infirmary and made his way over to John. "Colonel, you did wonderfully. He is in perfect health given that he is a month early and wasn't born in a sterile environment."
He nodded, lifting his head from Nikki's stomach. "What about Teyla? Is everything okay?"
Carson smiled. "She's fine, lad. I gave her something for the pain and she's resting comfortably. I suggest that you go back to your quarters and get some much deserved rest. I will radio you if there is any change in either of them or when Teyla wakes up."
He nodded and was about to stand, but became curious. "Hey, Doc…Not that I'm complaining, but why would you radio me? I mean, I want to know about both of them and all, but isn't that for family?"
Dr. Beckett nodded and leaned against one of the beds. "Usually, yes, but given that you are the one that delivered the baby and you are also the one Teyla has down as a health care proxy. So if anything were to happen to her and she were unable to make the decisions regarding her health, you would be the one to make them. She had also made it so that if anything were to happen to her, her son would be placed into your care. She did talk to you about it, correct?"
John racked his brain to try to remember if they'd had that conversation. "Actually, I think we did, but it was a while ago. I must have forgotten."
Carson nodded, "She spoke to me about it around the time she learned she was pregnant. She said she would speak to you about it and get back to me. A couple of days later, she was in my office and signed the papers."
He nodded and stood. "Well, I'm going to go get some rest. Let me know when she wakes up." Carson nodded, "Will do, Colonel!"
The three of them made their way out of the infirmary, John's arm around Nikki's waist. He was starting to sag a little, but he was trying his best not to put any of his weight on her since she was so pregnant.
They made it to their quarters and John didn't even stop to take off his boots before he fell in bed and was asleep before he hit the pillow. Nikki chuckled as she watched him quickly fall asleep. She sat down on the chest that was placed at the end of their bed and took off John's boots, making it more comfortable for him to sleep.
She crawled into bed after changing into something more comfortable and scooted closer to him. She ran her hand down his face a couple of times and played with a piece of his hair. She watched him sleep for a while, thinking about all of his responsibilities. He was the Commanding Military Officer of a base stationed a galaxy away from Earth, a fiancée, a father of an eighteen-year-old and soon to be twins, a good friend to many, a leader, commander, negotiator, an uncle, a brother, a son-in-law, the health care proxy for three people, and a God father. He had a lot on his shoulders and he carried it well.
She admired him for all that he was able to take on and handle, for all that he did for those he loved and even for those he never met. He was an outstanding man and she knew how lucky she was to be marrying him and carrying his children.
I busted my ass getting this chapter out tonight because I feel HORRIBLE about not updating in...over a month. Not sure how long it's been... . I am soooooo sorry! I hope this kind of somewhat made up for it! Review and let me know what you think! =) And if you forgive me..haha!