Chapter 20:Emotions

John stared at the beautiful woman in stasis. He was excited as soon he would speak to her again. Charin was sitting in his lap, and Torren stood beside his wheelchair, and both children stared at their mother.

As usual, Carson had insisted that he should sit in a wheelchair because he'd had brain surgery a week ago. The fact that his brain was one hundred percent healed didn't stop Carson from being overprotective. John was sure he could have walked to his current location, even though he was still weak on his right side. He would have even used a cane if Carson had insisted, but it was a wheelchair or nothing. As usual, Carson was a little scary when it came to matters of health.

Teyla had been in stasis for seven weeks, and so much had happened, so much so that he had no idea how to tell her about it.

Carson and Jennifer had left him and his children with Teyla for a few moments, giving John time to take in the enormity of the situation. Very soon, his wife would be coming out of stasis, and the doctors would give her the antidote for the poison of the Jazella plant. According to Jennifer, Teyla should be one hundred percent well in a few months. Although, she may need some physical therapy to strengthen her muscles.

A little voice interrupted his thoughts, "Momma."

He tilted his head to look at his daughter, "Yes, darling, that's Momma, and we will be able to speak to her soon."

He heard Torren take a deep breath before he spoke, "Okay, Dad, shall we get this over with, so we can tell Mom how much we love her?"

"How about you get Uncle Carson and Aunt Jennifer because I'm in a wheelchair? And if I stood on my feet, I'm sure Carson would give me a hard time."

Torren chuckled as he left the room, "You're just being paranoid, Dad."

He wondered where his son had picked up a word like paranoid because he was confident that he had never used it in his presence. Perhaps, Torren had been hanging around Rodney for too long.

Cuddling his daughter tighter, he continued to stare at his beautiful wife. As he told himself countless times, the scabs and blemishes on her skin didn't matter. Although Carson had informed him that he could heal most of the wounds that had left scabs and even though the scars on her skin should fade, she would still have some scarring.

Charin started to rub his cheek, and John knew she was trying to get his attention.

"What's up, Charlie?"

"Momma better?"

"She will be soon, Sweetheart."

"Tum home?"

"Very soon, Charlie.

She nodded and looked back at her mother. Just as Carson and Jennifer entered the room with another wheelchair.

"Is she going to be able to sit in a wheelchair, Doc?"

Carson smiled at him, "Don't worry, General, we have a gurney outside if she needs to lie down."

"Can we do it now, Uncle Carson?" Torren asked from beside him.

When Carson nodded and walked over to the controls, all John could do was watch as the stasis chamber door slid open.

He watched as Teyla slowly opened her eyes, and he knew that she would have fallen if Jennifer and Carson weren't holding her up. When Teyla looked around the room, her eyes settled on him.

Her voice was croaky as she spoke, "John, what is happening?"

"We found a cure for you, Teyla." He told her with tears brimming in his eyes.

By this time, Teyla was sitting in a wheelchair next to him.

"Momma!" Charin squealed from his lap.

Torren went and stood by his mother and took her hand, "it's so good to see you awake, Mom."

Teyla turned her eyes to him, looking bewildered as she spoke, "What happened to you, John?"

"It's a long story, Sweetie, and I will tell you in the infirmary."

Teyla nodded and turned to look at Jennifer, and he didn't miss the exhaustion in her eyes, "I want to lie down now, Jennifer."

Carson and Jennifer helped Teyla onto a gurney. It took a few minutes. Throughout the whole transfer, she couldn't take her eyes off him.

Once Teyla was on the gurney, he stood and kissed her cheek, "I'll see you in the infirmary Sweetie."

Teyl'a's eyes closed as Carson and Jennifer wheeled her out of the room.

He now found himself sitting in the room with his two children.

"Can we go to the infirmary now?" Torren asked.

All Charin could say was, "Momma." And he knew that she had the same idea.

"Okay, how about we wait in the waiting room? Then we'll be on hand to hear news from the doctors."

Charin threw her arms around his neck, and Torren nodded.

Deciding that he no longer wanted or needed to use a wheelchair, he stood up and put Charin down. He then took his children's hands and began the walk to the infirmary.

He knew it would take a while because Charin was learning to walk. That was his excuse, and he was sticking to it. He'd had brain surgery a week ago and still got tired quickly, but he didn't want to think about that.

oOo

Rodney had been in his lab for almost twelve hours and knew he should probably be sleeping. Jennifer hadn't been in to chase him away, so he'd lost track of time.

He knew that Jennifer and Carson planned on getting Teyla out of stasis sometime today. Perhaps, that's why she hadn't been in to see him. Looking at his watch, he realised that Teyla would be in the infirmary about now, so perhaps he could go to the infirmary to offer Sheppard some support.

There was still so much of the database that Isaac had given him to research, and he knew it could take weeks - if not months - to find the answer. Perhaps it was time to spend some time with his friend, who needed him.

He turned to leave his lab just as Radek walked in.

"Hey, Rodney, I didn't think you'd still be here."

"I still have a lot of work to do, Radek, if we're ever going to get home."

"Yes, I know that, but I thought you'd be in the infirmary waiting for news about Teyla."

"Well, that's where I headed when you came in." He furrowed his brow, then continued, "Is there some reason you're here, Radek?"

"Rodney, this is my lab as well. And in answer to your question, I have a system diagnostic to run. Do not worry, Dr McKay, I will not get in the way of your research."

"Well, I'd better be going then," he said with a wave as he left the lab.

He stepped into the transport outside the lab and hit the button to take him to the passage outside the infirmary. When he stepped out a few seconds later, he was surprised to see Sheppard and his kids in the corridor.

"Oh hey, Sheppard, shouldn't you be in a wheelchair?"

'I decided that I would like to walk with my children, and besides, Carson's not here to tell me off."

Rodney looked at his friend and decided that the man looked exhausted. He knew that Sheppard had been having nightmares since he'd woken up after the brain surgery - although John hadn't been awake for long. Maybe they could do something together later. Surely he could take a few hours off hunting through the database.

Sheppard slowly walked along the corridor, and Rodney wondered if he was in pain - not that he'd ask him about it. Taking another look, he realised that Sheppard still had the leg brace on his right leg, so there was clearly still some weakness on his right side.

"Ummm…do you want to do something later. I don't know, maybe, we can have a beer on the East Pier."

Sheppard stopped and turned toward him, "You know what, McKay? I think I'd enjoy that, but first, I want to spend time with my wife."

He felt a tugging on his sleeve and looked to see Charin staring at him, "Unca Wodney."

She'd never called him by name before. In fact, she'd barely ever spoken to him before.

"Yes, Charin?"

"See, Momma, " she said, pointing towards the infirmary.

"Sure," he said, and he was surprised when Charin took his hand.

He may have a child with Jennifer one day. The only problem was he needed to marry her first. Although the way things were going, that would never happen because they were still ten thousand years in the past and another galaxy.

He walked into the waiting room a few minutes later and was surprised to see Ronon and Amelia. He had barely seen Amelia for weeks. And, come to think of it was looking fatter than usual.

A sudden thought struck him, is Amelia pregnant? He vaguely remembered a meal in Sheppard's apartment about a month ago, where Ronon had told them something, but he couldn't remember what.

"Are you pregnant, Amelia," he suddenly blurted out.

He didn't miss the glare that Sheppard, Ronon and even Torren gave him.

"Yes, Rodney, I'm pregnant, "Amelia replied, "We told you a month ago in General Sheppard's apartment. Don't you remember?"

Suddenly he felt embarrassed, so he let go of Charin's hand and sat in the nearest chair. The next thing he knew was Charin was climbing on his lap.

"Unca Wodney," she said as she put her head on his shoulder.

He was stunned. The kid had never shown much interest in him before.

"Yes, Charin."

"Luh, you."

He looked at Sheppard, feeling panicked, "what did she just say?"

"She said she loves you, " Ronon responded.

"Oh.."

Charin was now asleep with her head on his shoulder, and for some reason, it felt good.

Yep, I can see myself becoming a father one day soon.

The room fell silent, and Rodney watched his friends as they all sat and waited for news on Teyla. It didn't take him long to realise that Sheppard was staring at him with a lopsided grin.

"What?"

"I think you'll make a great Dad one day," Sheppard replied.

Suddenly he felt embarrassed, and when Amelia and Ronon nodded, he blushed.

Things got even worse when Torren spoke, "So, Uncle Rodney, are you and Aunt Jenn going to have kids?"

"Ummm…."

At that moment, Jennifer walked into the room, and he sighed with relief.

"So, how is she?" Sheppard asked, standing to his feet.

"She's sound asleep at the moment," Jennifer replied, " We've administered the antidote, and so far, things look good. But we won't know whether it has worked for a few days."

A tiny voice entered the conversation, "can we see her?"

Jennifer smiled down at Torren, "You can go in with your Dad for a few minutes, and then I want you to go and have dinner with Uncle Ronon and Aunt Amelia." She turned to look at John before she continued, "And when you've seen Teyla, Carson wants to talk to you."

Rodney was confused and wanted to see Teyla, too, "when can we see her, Jenn?"

"She'll be asleep for another twenty-four hours at least. So, you can see her when she wakes up."

He was about to protest when John spoke, "How about I meet you on the East pier later for a beer."

"How about we meet at 1900 hours?" He suggested, hopefully.

"I'll see you then, McKay."

Ronon and Amelia stood up and turned to leave the room, "Catch you later, Sheppard, " Ronon said as he and Amelia walked through the door.

Sheppard followed Jennifer out of the room, leaving Rodney alone in the waiting room. He wondered if he should return to the lab for a while but then realised he was hungry. So, he decided to go to the mess hall for dinner.

oOo

John walked into the infirmary with Charin in his arms, and Torren was next to him. He walked up to Teyla's bed and was happy to see she was sleeping peacefully. It looked like Carson had used the healing device on her as some of the scars that littered her body had faded.

There was an IV in her arm and a nasal cannula under her nose, but that was nothing different to when she'd first gone into stasis. The only difference was she was supposed to be getting better.

By this time, Charin had awoken, "Momma!" The little girl exclaimed.

He put his finger to his lips and whispered in her ear, "Shh… Momma's sleeping."

Charin reached out and tried to touch her mother's hand, so John gently placed her beside Teyla on the bed.

Torren sat next to the bed and held his mother's hand while he just stood and stared. He'd been doing that a lot lately, but Teyla was his wife, and he couldn't wait until they could get on with their lives together.

He knew Carson would be in to chase them out in a few minutes, so he leaned down and whispered in Teyla's ear, "Don't worry, sweetie Carson and Jennifer will look after you."

Torren and Charin started to giggle. That was nothing new for Torren when he and Teyla were affectionate, but it was the first time Charin had laughed at him.

It was good to hear his kids laughing, though. The last seven months had been difficult on him, but he could only imagine what his kids had been through.

It didn't surprise him when Carson came rushing into the room, "What is going on here? I have patients trying to rest, and that includes Teyla. If you can't be quiet, I will throw you out."

"Sorry, Uncle Carson," Torren said, using his best puppy dog eyes.

"I sowry," Charin said with a lopsided grin.

"Don't worry, Carson. We were just leaving." John said, using the same puppy dog look as Torren.

It was clear Torren had spent way too much time around him, as they had both perfected the puppy dog look.

"No, Charin and Torren can leave, but I need to stay and chat with you."

Carson didn't look happy. And the last thing John needed was to have his leg poked and prodded by the good doctor.

"Really, Carson? You know Torren and Charin can't walk to the apartment without an adult.."

Carson had a no-nonsense look as he answered, "Don't get smart with me, General. Ronon is outside waiting to take them home."

Rather than push the matter further, he turned and talked to his kids, "How about you say goodbye to Momma, and Uncle Carson will take you to meet Uncle Ronon."

Charin nodded and kissed Teyla on the cheek, "Luh, Momma."

"I love you, Mom, and I'll see you soon," Torren said as he leaned over and kissed his mother's cheek.

Carson picked Charin up and took Torren's hand, "Don't go anywhere, General. I'll be right back."

He wanted to make a smart-alec comment but decided against it since Carson was already on the warpath. Instead, he sat next to Teyla and held her hand. He then began to tell her about what had gone on over the last seven weeks.

He'd only just told her about the anomaly when Carson returned.

"Can you give me a few seconds Doc?"

"Aye, lad. I'll be in the next room."

"Thanks, Doc."

He leaned close to Teyla's ear and whispered," I'll be back soon, Sweetie. I just have to see Carson and then have dinner."

Kissing her cheek, he turned and left the room. He knew it would be months before she was in good health again, but at least now he knew she would get well.

oOo

Carson looked at the scan's he'd done on Sheppard's right leg that morning, and it was clear he'd lost muscle tone. John's left leg was as healthy as before his accident - although the muscle tone was a little low.

He decided now was as good a time as any to start on some therapeutic massage on Sheppard's legs, and perhaps he would set up a PT session for him in the morning. His arms were in good condition, so he would get John to do weights and pushups to build those muscles. Some sit-ups wouldn't hurt either, as he needed to strengthen his core.

The general had been in excellent physical health before his accident, so it shouldn't be that difficult to get him in top form again.

He thought about what John had gone through. He'd been shot in the head and used against his will to power the Hilaring city. Although Carson knew what had really happened, he refused to admit it. That is why he always referred to the incident as an accident.

He was so deep in thought that he didn't hear John come in until he spoke.

"Hey doc, I'm here. What is it you want to speak to me about?"

"Please sit on the exam bed, and then I'll tell you what's happening."

"Okay…" John said as he climbed on the bed.

"I was looking at the scan I took this morning, and you have lost significant muscle tone in your right leg. You have also lost some in your left leg, but I'm not worried about your left leg. Your arms should be fine with some extra weight training.

"What's the problem, Doc? Surely you can fix that with some PT?"

"Well, I thought I'd start with some therapeutic massage just to get the muscles loosened up, and then you can start some physical therapy in the morning."

"Sounds like a plan, Doc. Let me know when you want to start because, right now, I want my dinner."

"I thought we could start the massage now, and then we can loosen up your muscles before you start your PT. in the morning."

"Not now, Doc. I'm spending time with my kids before they go to bed."

Carson watched as Sheppard got off the exam bed and stood to his feet. He noticed that Shappard still had the leg brace on and was still unsteady when he put his weight on his right leg.

"See you later, Doc," Sheppard said before leaving the room.

He thought about insisting the General stay for the evening, but he knew what a stubborn man he could be. If the General said he'd talk about it in the morning, that's what the General would do.

Sighing, he went to take one last look at his patient before he went to bed. Dr white was on duty tonight, so he knew that Teyla was in capable hands.

Thinking of Dr White made him smile, and he was definitely going to ask her out when this was all over.

oOo

It was 1900 hours on the dot when John walked out onto the East Pier with a six-pack of beer. Although, there was no East in space. The Peir could be one of the other Piers for all he knew.

Feeling paranoid, he looked at his surroundings and hoped he was in the right place. After scanning the pier, he was happy he was in the right place.

He had no idea why Rodney wanted to meet him here because the view was the same as it had been for the last seven months. The endless void of space was staring back at him, even laughing at Atlantis' predicament.

Shivering, he pulled his coat around him, walked to the end of the Pier and sat down with his legs dangling over the edge.

Smiling, he thought back to the warm summer days on New Lantia. They used to swim off the Pier, and after a few hours in the water, he and his friends would cook a BBQ, and have a picnic. Some nights if it were warm enough, they would all get their sleeping bags and sleep under the stars.

He chuckled at the last thought because now they were surrounded by stars, and if they had time, they could spend the night outside - although it was freezing cold, and they'd need more than a sleeping bag.

A touch on his shoulder brought him back to his surroundings.

"Hey, Sheppard, we could sleep under the stars if we wanted to."

He chuckled at his friend, who was now sitting next to him, "Yeah, I was just thinking the same thing."

He handed Rodney a beer and took a sip of his before speaking to the man, "So Rodney, why did you want to meet me out here?"

"I thought it was time for us to spend quality time together."

Looking at his friend, he realised that Rodney wanted to speak to him about something, and he suspected things were about to get emotional, and that was the last thing he needed right now.

Taking a deep breath, he spoke to Rodney, hoping to work out what was bothering his friend, "What's up, Rodney."

He could see the emotion on Rodney's face as his friend replied, "Do you remember when I had that parasite in my brain, and I was losing who I was?

"Yeah, one night we sat here and drank beer, and you wanted me to say goodbye to you."

"I was losing a part of me every day, but you refused to give up on me."

Suddenly, John felt embarrassed, "yes, well. That's what anyone would do for a friend."

"At that moment, you were to truest friend anyone could ever have."

He was beginning to feel extremely uncomfortable by this conversation, "What's this about McKay?"

"Well," Rodney replied, taking a deep breath before he continued, "I'm sorry for not being there for you when you had brain damage."

"What do you mean?"

"I locked myself in my lab and avoided you. I even cancelled Torren's science lessons because I didn't want to deal with what was happening to his Mother and Father."

He was shocked by Rodney's revelation and had no idea that the scientist felt that way.

Placing his hand on Rodney's shoulder, he closed his eyes and tried to say something to help his friend, "Look, Rodney, you were busting your gut to try and find a cure for Teyla and me. You spent night and day in your lab trying to find us a way home. I understand why you couldn't spend more time with me."

"Are you sure you feel that way, John?"

Wow, things must be getting really sappy. Rodney never calls me John.

They were on to their third beer by this time, which was good because they never usually admitted their feelings.

John turned to face his friend, "You know what."

"What?" Rodney replied.

"You're a good friend Arthur."

Rodney started to laugh, and John began to chuckle. It had been a while since he'd had a good laugh. And he was going to enjoy every moment of it.

It took a few minutes before he stopped laughing enough to speak, "So McKay, do you want to sleep under the stars?" He was only joking, and he hoped Rodney would say no.

"What have you lost your mind, Sheppard? We'll freeze to death."

"Right answer, Buddy. Now, what shall we do now?"

"I don't know about you, Sheppard, but I think I'm going to bed. I still have a lot of research to do tomorrow, so I need some sleep."

"Ronon and Amelia are looking after the kids, so I think I'll go and sit with Teyla".

"Watch out for that Scottish voodoo doctor. He was searching for you earlier and didn't look happy."

"Yeah, I know I have an appointment with him in the morning, and I'm sure he wants to torture me."

"Well, goodnight Sheppard."

"Goodnight, McKay."

Rodney stood up and he was surprised that the man didn't fall over. Although when Rodney started to walk towards Atlantis, John could see him stagger.

For the first time in almost eight months, he felt relaxed. They were still ten thousand years in the past and another galaxy, but he was well, and they had found a cure for Teyla. He did not doubt that Rodney would find them a way home, bu the only question was - how long would it take?

TBC…

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