Diaper. Footy pyjamas. Giant stuffed frog. John turned the lights down. “Now get some sleep, buddy. Ok?”
Torren sat watching him like he had every intention of wreaking havoc the moment John was out of sight.
“I’m going to take a shower. I’ll be in here.” Where presumably he’d hear bloodcurdling screams.
Teyla had a nice bathroom. He’d always thought so, even when he wasn’t quite so loopy. The lights were starting to get coronas around them. At this rate they were going to start getting the wedge of lime too.
But the city made the water just the right temperature, and he stood under it for a long time, letting the sand and the mission wash off. Ok, it was a little weird to smell like Teyla’s jasmine shampoo, but that’s what there was. And she’d probably kill him for messing up her razor, but he had to shave if he was ever going on duty again. Which he was. Sooner than he’d like. Though mercifully Woolsey hadn’t called him to the gateroom for Dahlia to dial out to the Genii homeworld and talk to her brother. Or maybe Dahlia actually wanted some sleep too.
When he got out of the shower Torren was asleep, curled up with his big stuffed frog. John tucked the blanket around him and put on a clean t shirt and sweat pants. Bed. Teyla wouldn’t mind. He’d be up and out of here long before she was awake, with a shot of Demerol. And she wouldn’t care if he slept in her quarters when he was keeping an eye on Torren.
He left the door open to the outer room and fell onto her bed, still present enough to tug the coverlet up before his eyes closed on sheets that smelled like her.
Once back in Atlantis, the debriefing felt to Jennifer like it took nearly as long as the mission itself had taken, but when Jennifer finished telling him what they’d said and done, she thought Woolsey was at least cautiously pleased with their results.
“I sincerely hope Todd actually can provide us with information about the location of Queen Death’s ship,” Woolsey said.
“He said he’d contact us when he knew something. But even if he doesn’t actually come through with anything, at least now we know which hive ship we’re looking for,” Jennifer said. “If this Queen Death is the leader of a big alliance, there have to be people out there who know where she is.”
“Unless he’s lying about who’s got McKay,” Ronon put in. “I don’t think he’d be very sorry if we could take Queen Death out of the picture for him.”
“That may be, but if he were trying to encourage us to launch a full-scale attack against her hive ship, this isn’t the best way,” Woolsey said. “We can’t just go in guns blazing and have any chance of pulling off a rescue. I’m going to ask Colonel Sheppard for his recommendations for getting a small strike team aboard a hive, once we’re actually in a position to find it.”
“Is Sheppard back?” Ronon asked.
“He is,” Woolsey said. He didn’t look particularly pleased. “I suppose you haven’t had a chance to see the Ancient warship parked out on the pier.”
“Is everyone all right?” Jennifer asked.
“Actually, no,” Woolsey said. “Dr. Beckett sustained a fairly serious injury to his arm, and Teyla is also in the infirmary, although I’m told she mainly needs rest. We’ve also been given twenty-four hours to return the warship to Ladon Radim, and not incidentally return Radim’s sister along with it, or face unspecified unpleasant consequences.”
“Well, okay,” Jennifer said. “It sounds like everybody’s been busy.”
Woolsey smiled tightly. “Very.”
“I should go down and check on Carson and Teyla,” she said.
“And then you ought to get some rest,” Woolsey said, with a more genuine smile. “This is the best lead we have so far, and we’re definitely going to pursue it.”
Jennifer couldn’t help wishing their return had been just a little more triumphant than that. On the other hand, they had returned in one piece, which had seemed like a close question for a while. Ronon followed her out of Woolsey’s office, and there was a moment as they walked toward the transport chambers when neither of them seemed sure what to say.
“Are we good?” Ronon said finally once they’d stopped to wait for the transport chamber to be free.
“We’re good,” Jennifer said, with as much of a smile as she could manage at that point.
Ronon nodded. “I’m going to go get some sleep,” he said, and stepped into the transport chamber. “You headed the same way?”
“I’m actually going down to the infirmary, so…” she said, trailing off a little awkwardly and letting him go on without her. It was actually tempting to head straight for her quarters; it was early morning now Atlantis time, and she’d have to be up again later in the day. But patients came first. She waited until the transport chamber was empty again and took it down to the infirmary.
Carson was more than happy to tell her the whole gory story of his injuries, giant carnivorous reptiles and all; he made a restless patient, and it probably didn’t help that he knew full well he was going to be staying put for a while. She rummaged around while he talked until she found an energy bar and an abandoned fruit cup that she could consider dinner. Or maybe one was lunch and the other was dinner.
“You should be off to your own bed,” Carson said finally. She didn’t say that she would have been happily in it by now if he hadn’t been so eager to tell her his war stories. She’d learned by now that listening to everyone’s war stories was part of her job.
“Try and get some more sleep yourself,” she said.
Carson leaned back discontentedly. “Well, I haven’t got much else to do, have I? I should have let my mum teach me how to knit. She always says it helps her pass the time.”
“I can sort of knit,” Jennifer said. “Maybe we could get some craft supplies in here to improve patient morale.”
“I can just see Colonel Sheppard doing a nice bit of crochet,” Carson said. “Perhaps a sort of a gun cozy.”
“I don’t think they make knitting patterns for holsters,” Jennifer said. “I could ask around.”
Chapter Twenty-four: Carter Inbound
At least Ronon and Dr. Keller had returned with useful intelligence, Dick Woolsey thought as he watched them walk away. Unlike Sheppard, who had brought him a colossal headache and nothing to show for it. He walked back toward his office, thinking longingly of breakfast. He’d been up since before five, when Ronon had dialed in, and it was now after eight. Perhaps the universe could spare him long enough to get breakfast…
“Unauthorized offworld activation!” Banks said loudly, and the alarms sounded all over the place. Major Lorne and his Marine team dashed out of hiding like so many birds out of a cuckoo clock, automatic weapons covering the gate. Ronon Dex was down there too, of course.
“Shield up,” the young Airman said very seriously.
“We’re getting a video signal,” Banks said, looking over at him. “It’s Chief Radim.”
Of course it is, Dick thought to himself. Who else? They hadn’t spoken in nearly twelve hours. “I’ll take it,” he said.
The image of Ladon Radim stabilized as he made his way to the screen. “Mr. Woolsey.”
“Good morning, Chief Radim.”
“I hope that you can give me the timeframe in which I may expect my sister and our warship to return to us,” Radim said. His voice was pleasant, but the way he asked the question left no doubt that it was an ultimatum.