Disclaimer: I own none of the Stargate franchise...
A/N: My apologies for the delay... I've been very lazily enjoying my vacation, before work and college starts again. I'll try to update sooner next time though! My thanks to all of the sweet reviewers from Chapter 1, and I hope that this one does not disappoint.
Also a big thank you to Gater, who did an excellent job beta-ing for me. hugs
-Chapter 2-
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John tried to give his report of the mission as detailed and quick as he could – just so that he could go back to the infirmary again. He supposed that if there were any serious complications he or his commander would have been radioed. But he couldn't help but worry.
It seemed that Ms. Baker understood him, reading his behaviour correctly. She didn't ask any more questions than necessary, simply letting him tell his story and from time to time she asked a simple question, to clear up a few hazy areas in the report.
She dismissed him, and asked to have his mission report on her desk in two days, which gave him more time, since he usually only got one day. He thanked her gratefully, and left the office as calmly as possible, resisting the urge to run through the corridors.
The trip to the infirmary was only about two minutes when he took the transporters instead of walking through the many corridors and it normally didn't bother him but it seemed to him that he was getting no closer to the infirmary, despite the haste with which he walked.
His teammates were patiently sitting in the waiting room, until it was time for their check up. They nodded at him when he walked in, their faces showing that they hadn't forgotten about the mission yet. He doubted that they ever would really; it was something that lingered in the mind of a soldier, that haunted their dreams at night. John knew.
He could still remember the unpleasant missions from years back, when he was still a rookie and they still plagued his sleeping hours with their images.
"Any news yet?" he asked Conway – his second in command, and a good friend.
Conway shook his head sadly. "No, sir. Docs are still working on them," he answered. "Maybe you could get some information . . . ask that nurse that has the crush on you," he suggested, winking at him.
He shook his head, smiling slightly. "I don't think so Conway, we'll just have to wait and see."
Just as the words left his mouth, the doctor who had been working on the elderly man stepped out. He nodded at him, and then John's team. "Well, he's stable at the moment. He woke up a couple of minutes ago, told us his name is Jonas," he said. "You could go in now and talk to him if you like," he offered John.
John nodded willingly. "Thanks Doc, I'll make it short," he replied, following him to where Jonas' bed was.
They got to the intensive care ward and the doctor pulled aside a curtain, revealing the old man to him. His eyes were open, and he was staring at the curtain by his feet blankly.
John cleared his throat softly, catching the man's attention. "Sir, my name is Commander John Sheppard – do you remember my name?"
Jonas nodded weakly. "Yes, you were coming to our planet seeking trading partners," he replied slowly. "Are there any more survivors?"
John swallowed. "Yes sir. We found you and a young woman in the village, though there was nothing we could do for the rest of your people, I'm sorry," he replied sympathetically.
Jonas closed his eyes, perhaps holding back tears of grief. After taking a moment to himself, he opened them again, looking up at John with eyes filled with hurt and sadness. "The woman . . . How does she look?" he asked John.
"Err . . . well; I'd say she's in her twenties. She has tanned skin – brown hair . . . pretty face," he paused, trying to think of how else to describe her. "Petite . . ."
Jonas interrupted him. "It has to be Teyla, the leader of our people," he said with confidence. "Is she unharmed?"
John shrugged. "I don't know much about her condition at the moment, but she was in pretty bad shape when we found her," he answered. "Would you like me to call the doc? She'll be able to tell you a lot more," he offered, looking over his shoulder to see where the doctor was.
Jonas' nod went unseen by John, so when John turned back Jonas nodded again. "Yes, please."
The doc was close by, and John waved him over. "Hey doc, Jonas asked how Teyla – that's the name of the woman – is doing," he told him, hoping to get some answers.
The doctor nodded, walking towards his desk and got Teyla's chart. "Well, she has a serious head injury – and has yet to wake up. It might be a while before she does, but we are hopeful since her brain is still active. We call it a coma – meaning that she is unconscious, and is not responding to her surroundings," he paused, making sure that Jonas understood everything. "She has a broken wrist, and various bruises, but nothing that will decrease the chances of her waking up."
Jonas nodded. "How long can it take for her to wake?"
"Well, if her brain doesn't start to swell any more because of the concussion – then I would say it could take up to two weeks."
John breathed a sigh of relief – the doctor seemed confident that she would wake up. He stepped away from the bed silently as the doctor told Jonas to rest for a while. The old man nodded tiredly, resting back against several pillows lying on the bed.
Walking back towards the waiting room, John caught a glimpse of Teyla. She was in a secluded part of the infirmary, hooked up to numerous machines, all of which were beeping in a different rhythm.
A nurse was standing by her bedside, writing something down.
He was tempted to move closer to the partition to take a good look, but he wasn't sure if he was allowed. Plus, he'd just be in the way.
Tearing his gaze away, he continued his walk to the waiting room, settling in a chair beside Conway, and waited for his check-up.
--
It didn't take long; after some minutes a team of nurses came to check them all over. Hopping on one of the beds, he pouted when he saw the nurse reach for the needle. He'd never liked those very much.
Looking everywhere but the needle ready to plunge into his arm, his eyes found the corner of the room where Teyla was. She was alone this time, and the partition was drawn though he knew that if anything would happen the machines would alert the personnel on duty right away.
The nurse followed his eyes and smiled. "So," she said, getting his attention. "You must be glad to have found a survivor," she said, pressing a small cotton wool against his vein.
John nodded. "Yeah, definitely. It's the worst when all you find is bodies, and there's nothing you can do anymore," he replied.
The nurse nodded, looking to the floor. She finished with the rest of his exam quickly, and walked off to check his blood work.
Conway's exam was done as well, who didn't look too happy at the nurse walking off with his blood work either. John laughed at him, happy that he wasn't the only one who hated check ups. "C'mon, let's get something to eat," he suggested, his smiled widening when Conway nodded eagerly.
--
"So, how are the two patients doing?" Conway asked, as they exited the transporter.
John told him everything the doctor had told him, his eyes falling slightly as he spoke of Teyla. Conway noticed the look, and raised a questioning eyebrow at him when he looked at him again.
Ignoring him, he kept on walking, and started another conversation.
Conway snorted at the not-so-subtle change of subject, but answered him anyway, jogging to fall into step next to him again.
He'd have to ask his CO about that later then, 'cause he sure hadn't seen that look before…
TBC . . .