Trust Once Broken | SGA John Sheppard

0.39.0

Hello friends! I hope you have been enjoying the story thus far!

Happy Reading!

><><

John stood over Kai's bed in the infirmary. It was late and most of the lights had been turned down. The Siege was over and almost everyone had gone to bed. For some, it was the first rest they had in days. But Kai was still unconscious and John couldn't quite bring himself to go to his quarters until he was sure she would be all right.

He glanced up as Beckett walked in. "Major," Beckett greeted with a yawn. Beckett had been attending the injured the last couple days without stop. Kai was the last to come in and she had come out of surgery less than an hour ago. He had sent most of his staff to bed, but he wanted to make sure she was entirely stable before allowing himself to rest.

"Hey doc," John said tiredly. "How's she doing?"

Beckett's face was grim. "The damage was extensive. Given Lieutenant Ford's enhanced strength I'm not surprised, but by the nature of the injuries and their severity it's clear our Kai put up one hell of a fight before she was shot."

John crossed his arms over his chest and he swallowed thickly as he thought about what Ford had done. None of them realized how far gone he was until they saw the damage.

Beckett lifted Kai's chart. "Several broken ribs both anterior and posterior. A, frankly, impressive concussion. Perforated lung, a small hairline fracture along the femoral head, and of course the GSW to her left shoulder."

John sighed and scrubbed at his face with his hands. It never should have come to this. She had been working on a jumper. She should have been safe. "She's a fighter," he finally said. Her eyelashes were thick and dark against her pale cheeks, but she didn't look peaceful. There was a small line of tension still between her eyes and he wondered if she was still in pain. "Ford needs help," he added in a low voice. He had failed them both today.

"This was extreme Major," Beckett said in a low voice.

John turned back to Beckett. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying the injuries suggest he beat her once she was down. And the GSW barely missed her heart. It was either luck or extreme skill. Either way...we almost lost her today." Beckett flipped the clip board closed and hung it on the bed. "If you don't need anything else Major, I think I'm going to turn in."

John nodded but he hadn't moved. "Good night," he called after Carson. Then he dropped down into the chair beside the bed and hung his head. All senior staff were set to return to earth in the morning for a full debriefing with the IOA. He didn't know what would happen once he got there. He could be reassigned and never come back. He looked back up at Kai's face. He wasn't ready. Not yet.

This was his fault. If he had stopped Ford before he got to the transporter he never would have had a shot at Kai. He needed to find Ford and he needed to apologize to Kai. Leaving without saying something felt...well he wasn't sure what exactly it was he felt. He pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers. He was exhausted and his thoughts were taking him places he normally refused to allow himself to go.

John leaned back in his chair and yawned. He looked down at his watch. He only had another handful of hours left on Atlantis. This was as good a place as any to spend them. His eyes slowly started to droop and the steady beeping of Kai's heart monitor quickly lulled him to sleep.

><><

Teyla was up early the next morning. She and Zelenka would be in charge of the city while the senior staff was away and she was eager to get started on the clean up. The sooner they could return life to normal, the better for everyone. Her first stop however was to check on Kai. Kai was a hard woman to get close to, but Teyla considered her one of her dearest friends. She stepped into the infirmary and hesitated when she saw the Major fast asleep in the chair beside her bed.