Chapter 21: A family reunited.

John was sitting in his wheelchair, staring at his beautiful wife, and he couldn't wait to speak to her again. She had been in stasis for almost seven weeks, and finally, Carson had found a cure for her condition.

Taking a deep breath, he placed his hand over the control panel and hesitated. Why was he hesitating? Suddenly, he was afraid and wasn't sure he wanted Teyla to wake up.

Shaking his head, he realised how ridiculous it was to be afraid because this was his wife, the woman he loved more than life itself. Why would he be weary of her waking up?"

Letting out the breath he'd been holding, he waved his hand over the door panel and watched as the door to the stasis pod slid open.

He watched as Teyla opened her eyes and scanned the room. Eventually, her eyes settled on him.

"John. What is happening?"

He tried to answer her and was shocked at how slurred his voice sounded, "Foundddd, currrre."

She stared at him blankly, "What?"

Why couldn't people understand him? He would have expected more from Teyla.

He tried to repeat himself, but nothing came out, and suddenly he had a blinding headache.

"John, you need to tell me what is going on! Why am I awake?" Teyla demanded, and the look on her face sent a shiver down his spine.

Suddenly, Teyla's skin began to fall off, and he watched in terror as her body fell apart.

He tried to move towards her, but his wheelchair wouldn't move, and in the end, all he could do was scream.

He awoke to the sound of a scream and was breathing so fast he felt like he'd run a marathon. It took him a few seconds to realise the shriek had been his. Suddenly he felt nauseous, and he decided the best thing to do was to lay as still as possible, and with a bit of luck, it would settle his stomach.

A soft voice invaded his thoughts, "Come on, lad, breathe?"

Slowly he opened his eyes and soon discovered he was in the infirmary, with his clothes on from the night before. How the hell did I end up here?

A pair of blue eyes stared down at him, and it took him a while to realise that Carson was speaking to him.

"Settle, lad. You're safe. You've just had a nightmare."

"Carson, why am I in the infirmary? "

"What do you remember, General?"

"I remember sitting on the East Pier with Rodney and then nothing."

"We're you drinking beer?"

He had a feeling if he told the Doctor he had been, Carson wouldn't be too happy with him.

"Umm…Maybe."

Suddenly he remembered what had happened the night before. He was about to tell Carson, but the doctor started to tell him off.

"Did you forget that you're still on medication for headaches? Don't forget you had brain surgery a week ago."

"How could I forget Doc? You remind me all the time."

Carson's tone softened, "I'm just trying to look out for you, Lad. I know you want to get back to normal and believe me when I say it should only take a couple of weeks until I approve you for active duty."

"I know you're looking out for me, Doc, and in case you're wondering, I have remembered how I ended up in the infirmary. After I met with Rodney, I came in to sit with Teyla. Then I fell asleep, and you woke me up and guided me to a bed."

Carson became thoughtful, and John started to squirm in the bed, "Do you want to tell me about your nightmare, John?"

He'd been having nightmares since he'd woken up after brain surgery. But there was no way he was going to tell Carson about them. He'd talk to anyone but Carson. Hell, he'd even talk to Rodney.

Rather than tell Carson anything, he changed the subject, "So, how's Teyla this morning?"

"Well, believe it or not, General, it's the afternoon."

"How long have I been asleep?"

"Seventeen hours."

Wow! Did I really drink that much beer last night, or was it a combination of the beer and the medication I'm on?

"So I've missed breakfast and lunch then?"

"How about I get you something to eat, and then I would like to begin the massage therapy on your legs. PT can wait until tomorrow, then."

"Okay, Doc, but back to my original question. How's Teyla?"

"She's doing well, the antidote is working, and she is sleeping peacefully. Ronon wanted to bring the kids by earlier, but I told him to let the two of you sleep. He'll probably bring them by after dinner."

"Right then, Doc, what's for lunch?"

"I think there was pizza today."

He chuckled and thought, I wonder if Carson will let me have a beer with it?

Carson must have read his mind, "And there is no way you're having a beer with it. You drank way too much last night."

"I only had three."

Carson furrowed his brow, "Where did you get beer from anyway? You don't still have a stash from Earth. Do you?"

"Nope, Dr Z brewed it, and before you ask, not too many people know about it."

"Well, that explains a few things. If Zelenka made it, it would be potent. I've had his moonshine before, and I was sick for two days afterwards. I seem to remember you were at the same party, as was Rodney. Come to think of it. You were both sick afterwards as well.

He'd had enough of the conversation, and his stomach was growling.

"Any way Doc, where's my lunch?"

"I'll just go and get it for you. Don't go anywhere."

He stared at the doctor blankly, "Believe it or not, I wasn't planning on it."

He lay back on the pillows and closed his eyes. As Carson had told him, he would be back on active duty within two weeks, so it wouldn't hurt to go back to sleep while he still had the chance.

oOo

Rodney opened his eyes and moaned. He had no idea what time it was or why he was sleeping on Jennifer's couch. The last thing Rodney remembered was, drinking beer on the pier with Sheppard. He vaguely remembered stumbling into Jennifer's quarters and babbling on about something. He had no idea what it was and hoped he hadn't embarrassed himself.

He'd enjoyed his time with Sheppard, and It made him long for the old days when they managed to find plenty of downtime. Except for when there was a crisis, that is.

Chuckling, he remembered back to the time when Sheppard had lost his swimming trunks while swimming off the East Pier. John had lost a lot of weight before that incident, and although it was funny, everyone knew why he was so skinny. The incident happened right after John was held prisoner by Kolya and fed on by Todd. At the time, no one was laughing, and the man looked like he was about to cry when he got out of the water. Years later, they all looked back on the incident and were able to laugh. Not the Kolya part. Just where John had lost his swimming trunks.

He became sombre and remembered what John had been through when Kolyla had held him prisoner. A lot of things happened since then. And luckily, Kolya was dead. But now they were in the middle of another crisis.

The thought of their current predicament caused his headache to spike, so he moaned again. He hoped that Jennifer was still in the room and could offer him some assistance because the last thing he wanted was to get up.

As if she could read his thoughts, Jennifer walked into the room, "How are you, Rodney?"

"Umm…what happened, Jenn?"

"You showed up at my quarters at 2100 hours and started babbling about how you were such a lousy friend."

It was all coming back to him, the beer on the Pier, stumbling to Jennifer's room, and then passing out after raving on to her for an hour. Although he still couldn't remember what he was raving about.

He had no idea what to say to her, but he knew he wanted to kill Zelenka the next time he saw him. The beer that Zelenka had brewed for them was lethal - figuratively speaking. Although, they should have known better because Zelenka's moonshine was notorious for being potent. He had no idea where Zelenka was getting the ingredients, though. It wasn't like they could contact Earth every five minutes.

"Umm…what did I say next?"

What Jennifer said turned his cheeks red.

"You told me you wanted to have five or six children. That was right before you passed out on my couch."

The conversation had been embarrassing, and he only hoped that Jennifer would forgive him.

"I'm sorry, Jenn. I want to have children with you, but perhaps we can wait until we get married first?"

"Did you have a good time with the General?"

"What?"

I asked you if you had a good time last night."

"Yeah, I did. It's been a while since I've spent time with Sheppard."

"That's good, but may I make a suggestion?"

"Sure, go ahead, Jenn."

Next time you get together, don't drink Zelenka's homemade brew. You'll definitely feel better the next day."

He chuckled and tried to get off the couch, only to remember that he had a headache.

"Stay still, Rodney, and I'll see you after my shift, and maybe we can have dinner together."

He moaned and fell back on the coach again, "You'll get no arguments from me."

After watching her leave, he closed his eyes to try and alleviate the pounding in his head, and it wasn't long before he fell into a deep sleep.

oOo

Carson arrived in his office to find Jennifer sitting behind his desk. Looking at his watch, he realised it was time for him to go off duty. In fact, he should have left over an hour ago.

"What are you doing here, Carson? I thought your shift was over."

"General Sheppard slept late, so I've just finished the massage therapy on his right leg."

"Yes, Rodney slept late as well. It seems they had a little too much fun last night."

Carson replied thoughtfully, "It's good to see them having fun. Rodney has been so busy trying to find us a way home that he's barely rested. And the General has been through so much that he should give himself a break."

"Yeah, I know. It seems everyone has had a hard time of it lately, but I think General Sheppard more than most."

"It's good to see the General enjoying himself."

"What about you, Carson? Are you going to take some time to enjoy yourself?"

He had spent most of his time trying to find a cure for General Sheppard and Teyla that he'd forgotten about his happiness. But now that they were on the mend, perhaps it was time to ask Jasmine out. As soon as the opportunity arose, of course.

The opportunity presented itself a second later when the Doctor entered the infirmary. He looked around the room and realised that Jennifer had already left.

Jasmine smiled at him, and her blue eyes shone. Her long blonde hair was tied in a ponytail pulling it away from her tanned face. She was about the same height as him and was incredibly toned. Jennifer had told him that Jasmine spent plenty of time sparring with the young Marines.

"Good afternoon Dr Becket. I'm surprised you're still here."

"I was just leaving Luv, but I want to ask you something before I go."

Her lips curled into a lopsided grin as she answered, "And what would that be, Dr Beckett?"

Suddenly his mouth felt dry, and he had no idea what the say. A million negative thoughts started to roll around in his head, what if she rejects me? Does she even know I'm a clone, and if she does, would she want to go out with me? What if she laughs at me and tell's me I'm too old for her? Oh well, there's only one way to find out.

"Umm…Dr White, would you like to go out with me sometime?"

"I would love to, Carson, but on one condition."

He couldn't believe what he'd heard. Jasmine had agreed to go out with him, "And what would that be?"

"Please call me Jass. All my friends do."

"Okay, then, Jass, I'll catch you later."

"How about I meet you in the mess hall when I finish my shift," she suggested leaning in and kissing his cheek.

"I'll see you at 1900 hours then."

When she nodded and flashed him a smile, his heart swelled. Finally, he was going to allow himself some happiness.

oOo

"Uncle Ronon, when can we go see Mom?" Torren asked, in between mouthfuls of food.

Ronon had looked after the children all afternoon so Amelia could rest. Although, for the most part, her morning sickness was over, sometimes she needed an afternoon sleep.

They were at the dinner table eating food sent from the mess hall, and Amelia was still fast asleep.

Torren's constant questioning was beginning to wear thin, and Charin had been whining all afternoon - that's when she wasn't trying to escape the apartment. When Amelia looked after the children, she seemed to do it effortlessly, and he had no idea how she did it. Because when he tried, he struggled to maintain control.

"Uncle Ronon, are you going to answer my question!?" Torren asked forcefully, interrupting his contemplations.

"Umm…Maybe we'll go when you've finished your dinner. Don't forget that your Mom may not be awake yet."

"Yeah, I know. But I still want to see Mom. I want to see her every day if possible."

"See, Momma?" Charin asked from her highchair.

"Soon, Charin," Torren replied, "when Uncle Ronon says we can."

There was rudeness in Torren's tone, and it was something that he'd never heard from the child before. Perhaps it was time to have a private conversation with Torren and discover what was bothering him.

He was relieved when Amelia walked in but horrified when Torren spoke, "Aunt Amelia, Uncle Ronon won't let us see Momma."

"Umm…Amelia, how about you take Charin and clean her up while I chat with Torren?"

Amelia nodded and picked Charin up from her highchair before leaving the room.

Once he was sure she'd left, he turned to Torren and sighed. The boy was only five and a half and already seemed mature for his age.

"Okay, Torren, why don't you tell me what your thinking?" It's not like you to be rude to anyone."

"Why are my Mom and Dad always sick or injured?"

That was a question that he didn't quite know how to answer. But he had to try and tell the boy something.

"Your Mom and Dad have important jobs, and sometimes people want to hurt them, or sometimes they just have bad luck."

"Can't they give their jobs up?"

"I'm not sure whether they'd give up their jobs. You would have to ask them. I do know one thing, though. They do their jobs to keep you and your sister safe and everyone else on Atlantis and in the Pegasus galaxy."

"I know. I just wish Mom and Dad didn't get hurt all time."

He smiled at the boy and tousled his hair, "How about we get your sister and go and see your Mom and Dad."

Torren nodded, and Ronon felt a little better. He couldn't imagine what Torren had been through in the last seven or eight weeks. But loss was all part of life in the Pegasus Galaxy - not that they were in the Pegasus Galaxy any longer.

oOo

It had been over two hours since John's therapeutic massage with Carson, and his legs were screaming in pain. The massage was supposed to loosen up his leg muscles for when the PT torture began. He dreaded his first PT session tomorrow morning, especially when his legs felt like this. Carson had offered him pain medication when he'd limped to Teyla's bedside, but he had refused, stating that he was fine. Now he wished he'd taken the doctor up on his offer.

After his massage, he'd fallen asleep for half an hour, and when he woke up, he limped over to Teyla's bedside, determined to sit with her until she woke up.

Carson had told him she could be waking up any time, so John had insisted on sitting with her until she woke up. According to Carson, the toxin in her system was dissipating, and within a few days, it should leave Teyla's system. Then she would have the fun of doing physical therapy as well. Oh, joy, he and Teyla could be PT buddies.

Dinner had been and gone, but given how late he'd had his lunch, he wasn't hungry. When Carson had challenged him on how dangerously low his weight was, he'd snapped at his friend and said he'd eat when he was good and ready. Luckily the conversation had ended there because the last thing he wanted or needed was to get into an argument with his Doctor.

Ronon had contacted him half an hour ago to let him know that he would bring the children down once Charin had woken up from a late afternoon nap, or was it an early evening nap? Whatever the case, he pitied the person who had to try and get the little girl to sleep later. He just hoped it wasn't him.

A moan from the bed caught his attention, and when he felt a twitch from Teyla's hand, he began to yell, "Carson, get your butt in here because I think Teyla is waking up."

He squeezed her hand and whispered in Teyla's ear, " Sweetie, it's time for you to wake up."

She moaned again before opening her eyes, "John?" She asked with unfocused eyes.

At that moment, Carson came running into the room, "What's all this noise?"

He grinned at the Doctor, Teyla's, waking up, and I thought you should know."

John watched as Carson started to take her vitals, "how is she, Doc?"

"Her vitals seem normal, but I need a blood sample to see what the toxin is doing."

"So, you really did find a cure then?" Teyla asked with a shaky voice.

"Yes, we did, Sweetie, and administered it nearly twenty-four hours ago."

John sat and watched as Teyla looked around the room, and he was sure she was trying to take in what had happened to her. Finally, her eyes settled on Carson, "Dr Beckett, can you please give me some time with my husband?"

"How about I bring you back something to eat, Lassie?"

"That would be nice. Thank you, Carson."

"Let me help you sit up before I leave, "Carson suggested, raising the head of the bed.

Once Carson had left the room, he turned to Teyla and smiled, "Carson thinks you will make a full recovery, but it may take some time. You will need some PT to strengthen your muscles as well.

By this time, she was fully awake, and her mind appeared to be working overtime.

"That is wonderful news, honey, but what happened to you?"

Suddenly he felt embarrassed, "I don't know what you mean." He answered sheepishly.

Teyla raised her eyebrow before she answered, "John, do not think that I have not noticed the scar on your left temple or the scars across your forehead. I have not missed the leg brace on your right leg, either.

Stalling for time, he asked her another question, "Ummm…how did you know, Sweetie?"

"The Scar on your temple is red. And you have shaved the hair on your left temple recently because it is shorter than the rest of your hair. And by the way, you need a haircut."

He knew he needed to tell Teyla the truth, but he also knew it would take time, "are you sure you are up to this? Because a lot has happened since you have been in stasis."

When Teyla nodded, he began, "Well, right after we put you in stasis, Atlantis was sucked into a strange anomaly and sent back in time."

Teyla's eyes were wide, but she remained silent, so he continued.

"The anomaly not only sent us back in time ten thousand years but sent us to another galaxy."

Before he could continue, Teyla interrupted, what happened to the ship chasing us across the Pegasus galaxy?"

"Well, that's where the story gets weird. So how about you stay quiet, and I'll tell you everything."

"Anyway, when we arrived in this galaxy and time, we started to look for a way to get home. That is when we came across the planet Hilaring. We went down there to find answers and soon found out they had a unique way of powering their city. They used ATA gene carriers."

Teyla answered with one word, "Why?"

"It turns out that a ship crashed landed on the planet ten thousand years ago, and the crew discovered the ancient city of Ilaria. Most of the ancients had left the city by this time, so whatever ancients remained were subjugated and put to work. There was another thriving population on the planet too, and there were gene carriers amongst them." taking a deep breath and checking to see that Teyla was still awake, he continued, "The weirdest thing is the ship that crashed on the planet was the unknown enemy that was chasing us through the Pegasus galaxy. The ship had followed us through the anomaly, and somehow it had ended up in this galaxy ten thousand years before us."

"How is that possible?"

"I'll get to that later, Sweetie, but first, I'll tell you what happened to me." When she nodded, he continued.

"Well, we went to the planet looking for answers, and unfortunately, they discovered my strong ATA gene and put me in one of the chambers to power the city. Carson and Rodney accompanied me to the planet, and the Hillarians decided to put them in a breeding program to guarantee there would be ATA carriers in the next generation. Sophia, the woman who cared for me when I wasn't in the chamber, admitted it was wrong what they were doing to me, but the council had kidnapped her daughter and thrown her husband out of the city."

"Why did they throw him out of the city?"

He looked at Teyla for signs of weariness but was surprised when she seemed alert and sharp.

"Because he knew the truth of what had been happening in the city for thousands of years. Others knew the truth but were waiting for the right time to act. To cut a long story short, Ronon and a man named Logo tried to rescue me."

"Wait...did you say Ronon?"

"Yes, Sweetie, he and Amelia were sucked into the anomaly just after us. They are on Atlantis and have been looking after our children for the last eight weeks."

"Please tell me what happened, John. If others have been looking after our children, you have not been able to.

Sighing, he continued his story, "When Ronon and Logo tried to free me from the chamber, Toth, the lead councillor, held a gun to my head. Powering the city had sent me blind, so I couldn't see what was happening. However, I could hear. I heard the trigger click right before I felt the bullet graze my left temple. I was unconscious before I hit the ground, and my last thought was, would I ever wake up again? Apparently, Voth, one of the councillors, had knocked Toth's hand right before he pulled the trigger, so I didn't die. Some of the city's population weren't happy when people who carried the ancient gene, were released from the power chambers, so civil war broke out, and Voth took control of the council.

Before the conversation could continue, Carson walked in with a tray of food, "Here you go, lass. I've brought you something for you to eat."

"Thank you, Carson," Teyla said with a smile.

John knew that was her fake smile, and she desperately wanted him to go on with his story,

Luckily Carson took the hint and left straight away.

"Are you sure you want me to continue, Sweetie?" He asked, not wanting to wear her out.

"Yes, John. I am fine, so please continue."

"We managed to escape the city, but not before I suffered brain damage."

Teyla's eyes filled with tears, "what kind of damage?"

He didn't want to remember what it had been like to be disabled, and he certainly didn't want her to know," Does it matter? Rodney found a cure, so I'm fine."

"Yes, it does matter, and I want to know what happened!" She demanded.

"The damage caused a condition known as epilepsy and weakness down my right side. My speech slurred, and there was no chance of recovery."

"What is epilepsy?"

"It is a condition that causes seizures."

"Oh…John, I am so sorry I wasn't there for you and the children."

"It's not your fault, Teyla, and as I said before, my brain is healed, and I should recover fully. So why don't you eat your broth, and I'll tell you what happened next."

"Please go ahead, John?"

"The Hillarians gave Rodney the information from their database, and we worked out where the Ilarians went. So we went to the planet and found their crashed ship. We assumed it had crashed ten thousand years ago. While we were there, I had a seizure, got attacked by a wild bear, and then transported to an outpost of Atlantis. To cut a long story short, the ancients from the outpost had a serum to inject into my brain, and they also had an antidote for the poison of the Jazella plant."

He took Teyla's hand before continuing, "Unfortunately, we couldn't help Eva."

Teylas eyes opened wide with fear, "What happened to Eva?"

"An unknown insect bit her, and we couldn't find a cure in time."

Teyla's eyes filled with tears, and she didn't try to hide it. So he sat on the side of the bed and pulled her close while she sobbed. He couldn't imagine how Teyla felt about the death of a close friend like Eva. He could see the anguish on her face, but all he could do was hold her while she sobbed.

"I'm so sorry, Teyla," he soothed.

"It is not your fault John, "Teyla told him between sobs.

He held her until she finished crying, and then she pulled away with a determined look on her face.

"So, did you find anything about the anomaly that brought us here?"

"Yes, apparently, it was a failed experiment by the Ilarians."

Teyla nodded thoughtfully, "so, how are we going to get home?"

"Rodney is researching the database that the ancients from Atlantis in this time gave him."

"If anyone can find an answer, Rodney can, "Teyla commented before closing her eyes.

"How about you go back to sleep Sweetie, and I will wake you if Torren and Charin turn up?"

Before Tetla could respond, John heard a deep voice, "Too late for that now, Sheppard."

When John turned around, he was surprised that Ronon was standing at the door with his children.

Teyla's eyes lit up as she answered, "Ronon, I am so happy to see you."

"It's good to see you awake, Teyla, but I will leave the kids here and return later. We can catch up then."

John watched Ronon leave, then he turned and watched his children greet their mother.

"Momma!" Charin exclaimed before climbing onto a chair to lie beside Teyla on the bed.

"Hey, Mom," Torren said almost shyly.

Torren sat in the chair and held his mother's hand while Charin cuddled closer to her mother's side.

"You have both grown so big since I last saw you. What have you been up to."

Torren started to tell Teyla about his sister's exploits in trying to escape from their apartment, and Teyla's eyes shone. Although he knew that Teyla was tired and needed a rest, he allowed her time with her children.

They hadn't been together as a family for far too long. Sure, he and Teyla still had some obstacles to overcome before they were one hundred percent healthy, but the important thing was; they would be well.

TBC…

So, John and Teyla are on the mend. But can Rodney find them a way home?