30 story challenge

Chapter 4: Photograph

John felt strange, this whole situation was practically out of some sort of fantasy novel. He had been told he was in some sort of accident. There were no real specifics that had been given to him. He had woken up in the infirmary with no real memory of who he was. The doctor, a kind looking man with a scottish accent had released him to a person that he was told was his second in command, and that man, lead him to a room that he was told was his.

As John walked into the room, the man with the dark hair and blue eyes stood in the doorway for a second. "If you need anything, there's a radio on the table. Just slip it into your ear and ask for Lorne."

John offered him a tight smile. "Okay."

The smile that Lorne offered seemed genuine, all sparkling blue eyes and dimples. For a brief moment, John thought that he could glimpse something in his mind but before he could put a name to the memory it was gone.

"It's good to have you back Sir. Whether you remember who you are or not." He gave a curt nod of his head, turned on his heel and was out the door.

John sat on the bed with his head in his hands. They wouldn't tell him very much. The doctors insisted that his memories would return on their own. What little they would tell him he had a hard time wrapping his head around. Apparently he was a Lieutenant colonel in the United States Air Force, and the Commanding Officer of this military base. He wasn't on earth, but in another galaxy...and he was married. He stared at the simple silver band on his finger. He was told not to worry, that his husband had been made aware of the situation and would be with him as soon as he could.

That notion struck John as odd. He was married; apparently to a man that didn't even live in the same galaxy as him. He grabbed the radio, stuck it in his ear. Lorne was the only person on this base that he had been introduced to, there was a cranky scientist that had been there at first (why did everyone have blue eyes?), but he just looked at John with pity and would leave the room. And John for the life of him couldn't remember his name anyway. "Um...Come in Major Lorne?" He had no idea if he was supposed to mention Lorne's title but it seemed appropriate all the same.

There was a crackle. "This is Lorne. What do you need Sir?"

John cleared his throat. I know that they are adamant that everything will come back on its own, but can you answer a question for me?"

He could hear the slight hesitation in the major's voice. "I guess that all depends on what it is."

Whatever John was going to ask was interrupted by commotion wherever the Major was. "Sir? I hate to do this but can your question wait?"

"Sure." John clicked off his radio. Whatever was happening where Lorne was he had a sneaky suspicion that it had something to do with him. He looked around the room. It was pretty sparse. If he had to guess he would say that him and his husband didn't live together often. The only thing of interest was a single photograph on the desk that had the computer on it. In the photograph there were two men. John recognized one as himself. The other had blue eyes (he was seriously starting to wonder if they came in any other colour) and John had his left hand on the man's chest and they were both smiling. They were wearing tuxedos. He briefly wondered if the blue eyed man was his husband and if that was a picture of them on their wedding day. He stared at the blue eyed man until his vision got blurry. What was his husband like?

Just as he was about to give up, close his eyes and lay down there was a knock on his door. He thought the door open. He stared at the door, then remembered that some of what the doctor had told him about him having an alien gene. Could his life get any weirder?

As he stood up he realized who was at the door. It was the blue eyed man from the photograph. He expected to see the same sympathetic look that everyone had been giving him since he woke up. But that wasn't what he saw. There was love there and understanding. "I'm sure you still have a lot of questions but if I am going to answer them honey, I'd rather not be in the hallway."

John liked the sound of his voice. He sounded calm. He sounded like the kind of man—no, the kind of Commanding Officer that could talk his troops into following him to hell and back. John really, really hoped that this man was his husband. John stood aside and let the man enter. John had no idea what was going to happen next, he could feel his anxiety pooling in his stomach, hot, white and irritating.

Cam knew the signs of when John was going to panic. This was his husband after all. He knew this man like the back of his hand and he knew that if he didn't implement some sort of damage control right now, things could quickly spiral out of control. He held out his hand, "Colonel Cameron Mitchell-Sheppard."

John awkwardly shook the man's hand. Unable to tear his eyes away from the other man's. They were stunning. "You out rank me but you took my last name." Cam smiled at the wonder in his husband's voice.

"Yes. You did ask me after all." Cam easily turned the handshake into him holding John's hand. "Look, until your memory comes back I will be staying here. Right by your side, where I should be. I will be here with you, to answer all the questions and to keep you safe. I promised you that in my wedding vows. I have no intention of backing out now."

John blinked away the tears that he would not permit to fall. "But..." he cleared his throat. "But what happens if they never return? What happens if I never remember?"

Cam held John close to him. He turned John so that John's back was against his chest. "Well then, I guess we'll just have to make new ones." He gently kissed the side of John's face. He didn't care if they had to rebuild their entire lives. He was just happy to have his husband back.