The Other Sheppard von T L Kay
After that John never left the infirmary; he wasn’t going to leave his sister’s side until he knew she was ok. Ronon kept him company, and although John knew the real reason his friend was there, he didn’t care. Elizabeth postponed their missions, not only because of Kate and John, but to give Rodney the time to collect the immense amounts of data from Adrainus’ lab. When the rest of his team wasn’t off world they came by the infirmary, so John was never alone. One day, almost a week after the Goa’uld took Kate over and when Ronon was out, Major Lorne dropped by.
“Hello Major,” said John as he got up from his seat next to Kate’s bed.
“Colonel.” Lorne looked uncomfortable. “Just came by to see how she’s doing…how you’re doing sir.”
John restlessly ran his fingers through his hair. “There hasn’t been any change. Thankfully she hasn’t gotten worse, but she also hasn’t gotten better.”
Lorne nodded. John noted the concern on the Major’s face.
“Did you get a chance to meet my sister, Major?”
Lorne shifted. “Not here sir, no. But I met Kate back at the SGC when we were both working there. She was, I mean is a good friend, sir.”
John smiled. Lorne was a good person, a good soldier, he was glad that Kate had befriended him. “Well, I’ll make sure you know if there’s any change.”
“Thank you sir.” He looked like he was going to say more, then seemed to think better of it. He nodded then left, nearly bumping into Ronon, who was just entering.
“Hello Ronon,” said John, turning his back on the man and taking his seat. “I was beginning to think you weren’t coming.”
Ronon stepped into John’s line of vision and sank into the chair opposite him. “I wouldn’t miss it.”
John couldn’t help but smile. He knew Ronon was there to babysit him, but he was getting to enjoy the man’s company.
“So what kept you?”
Ronon shrugged. “McKay couldn’t be dragged away from that place.”
John nodded. “Well, when Rodney gets attached to something…but why did you go? I thought Lorne was in charge of that.”
“He asked Dr. Weir for some time, so I went instead. That place gives me the creeps Sheppard. Thinking about having a snake in my head…” he broke off and shuddered slightly, which for him was unusual.
“Well, there was only one that we know of, so I don’t think you have to worry.”
“I didn’t say I was worried.”
John smiled again. “Of course not.”
They sat for several moments in silence, just taking everything in. This was normal for them, a distinct lack of conversation, and yet John couldn’t help but feel awkward this time. He shifted in his chair and opened his mouth to speak when he was interrupted by Elizabeth’s entrance.
“Hello John,” she said. “How are you doing?”
He shrugged as he got to his feet.
“Do you feel up to a quick walk?”
He glanced anxiously down at Kate.
“We won’t go far,” she said with a smile.
John nodded and followed her out into the hallway. “What’s up?” he asked, assuming it had something to do with his team.
“It occurred to me that you’ve never talked about your sister, and I wondered why that was. And then, with this happening, you must want to talk.”
John didn’t know what to say. He felt an intense urge to hug her, but felt that would only lead to awkwardness. Instead, he cleared his throat and began to talk.
“I was almost eleven when Katie was born. Naturally I wasn’t too pleased. My mother was a nurse with the Air Force, my father a General, so most of Katie’s care fell on me; they hated the idea of us being raised by a nanny, so I got the job. Then, when she was two our father died. It was rough; my mom had to work extra long hours and more than ever before I became Katie’s guardian. I took care of her for ten ears, almost more of a father than a brother. I put off going to college so that I could take care of them. And then, almost out of nowhere my mother was in love and getting married. Paul’s things were barely moved in before he shipped me off to the Academy. He rarely let me come home, I was a disappointment. He said I lacked initiative, and he didn’t like the choices I made in my personal life.” He grimaced, but continued before Elizabeth could probe any further. He didn’t like talking about his ex-wife.
“Then there was that whole thing in Afghanistan. After that I was completely cut off. Paul wouldn’t let me anywhere near my sister, wouldn’t let me see her, talk to her. It was horrible. That was the main reason I chose to be stationed in Antarctica. If I couldn’t see the most important person in my life, then I really didn’t care anymore.
“Nonetheless it was hard to take this assignment. The middle of nowhere on Earth was one thing, the middle of nowhere in another galaxy…But in the end, when Paul stonewalled me again I decided to come here. Katie was doing well at the Academy; she didn’t need my black mark hindering her.”
“Is that how she felt?” asked Elizabeth. She had remained quiet for all of John’s speech, but she could tell that he wasn’t going to continue without some prodding.
“I wouldn’t know, I couldn’t talk to her,” he said sarcastically.
“My point John is that your sister probably didn’t feel the same way as your step-father. In fact, I’m certain she didn’t. I had a chance to talk to her, before this unfortunate ordeal, and she told me her side of the story. Trust me; she doesn’t hold anything against you.”
“I should have been there for her despite Paul’s objections. I should have been the family she needed, but I guess I was too scared that after all that she didn’t want me to be, didn’t need me to be.”
To John’s surprise, Elizabeth hugged him. “She needs you now,” she said, pulling away. “Whatever your problem’s in the past she’s here now and you can start over.”
They had made a small circuit around the hall and were now standing back outside the infirmary. They walked through the door and John stopped dead at the sight that met him. Dr. Keller and her team were gathered around Kate’s bed and Ronon was standing off to the side. John’s heart seemed to have leapt into his throat, but then he heard the familiar “beep beep” of the heart monitor. It calmed him down, even if it was a slower beep than before.
He stepped forward but Ronon stopped him from going any further. He didn’t say anything he just gave John a look, and with a sigh John complied. They stood there for several moments as Dr. Keller issued commands in a concerned voice. And then it happened.
“Beeeeeeeeeeeep.”
John’s heart seemed to stop with his sister’s. He lunged forward, knowing that Ronon would stop him, but having to try. If John had been at all lucid he would have noticed that Ronon wasn’t bustling him out of the room, just holding him there. John fought with everything he had to get away from the bigger man, but it was no use.
To John it seemed that the whole world slowed down, and all he could hear was that cold, flat beep. If it would just go back to the way it was everything would be ok, the world would be right again.
Elizabeth watched the scene with tears welling up in her eyes. She prayed that Kate would come back, come back for John’s sake, because she didn’t think that the man could survive getting her back just to lose her.
Dr. Keller paused in her attempts to resuscitate Kate and looked at the clock. With a sigh she switched off the monitor. “Time of death, 3:14 pm,” she said.
A sound unlike any Elizabeth had every heard from her second-in-command escaped him and he fell to the floor, Ronon letting go of him. She sank down next to him and pulled him into her arms, letting him sob into her shoulder.
They heard a gasp and looked up to see Kate sitting bolt upright in the bed, breathing heavily and looking around in confusion.
“Katie?” John asked in astonishment, not able to move from his position on the floor.
“Johnny?” she said, before her eyes rolled back in her head and she collapsed back onto her pillows.
John moved lightning fast, getting to her side right as Keller switched on the heart monitor to reveal the steady “beep beep” of normal heart rhythm. John took his sister’s hand in his and bent over her, shaking from silent sobs.
“What just happened?” Ronon asked as Elizabeth got to her feet.
“I could be mistaken, but I think the Goa’uld just sacrificed itself for her.”
Ronon looked at her in surprise. “I thought those things were evil, why would it do that?”
“That,” she sighed, “is an excellent question.”
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