Making Amends

The Tag - Part 4

Memento Mori

John drove through the gates of the cemetery and followed the directions given to him by the reception desk. He parked behind Dave's black Lexus then sat there watching the group standing around a companion headstone made of gray granite. Without looking he knew that the right side said "Caroline E., Devoted wife and mother, February 11, 1942 - April 9, 1977." He'd been here many times in the last thirty-plus years and the image was burned into his brain. And though he hadn't yet seen it, he knew what was on the other side.

"If we're just going to sit here, can we at least open a window?"

Turning around, John glared into the back seat at his best friend while Jeannie and Jennifer scolded him for his insensitivity.

"No, Rodney's right. I just need to get out and…go…now." But he didn't. He turned his head sharply when Jeannie touched him on the arm, having almost forgotten she was there.

"Well, I need to stretch my legs so I'm getting out." Before any of them could stop him, the physicist opened the rear passenger door, slammed it and headed for the group that was now watching them.

"I'm gonna make sure he doesn't, uh…" Jennifer said as she got out. She ran to catch up and took her husband's hand as they approached John's family.

Jeannie got out as well and waited for John. He finally got out and came around to her side. "This isn't exactly how I wanted to meet your family."

"No kidding." They reached the others just as Jennifer was talking to his niece. "You know, Mel, she wouldn't tell you this but she's saved my life a time or two."

"Really?" Melissa was half impressed and half scared that she might have lost her uncle before she'd gotten to know him. "That's cool! Uh, not that he almost died but that you saved him."

Jennifer blushed and Rodney looked proud for a moment until he realized, "Hey, what about all the times I've saved your life?"

"Must've slipped my mind." John rolled his eyes and grinned. "Let's do this right. That's my little brother, Dave. The lady with the crooked nose is his wife, Blaire." His sister-in-law huffed genially. "The young man next to her is my nephew, Jason, and the funny-looking girl with the frizzy hair is my niece, Melissa." The girl squealed indignantly then realized he was teasing. "My family." This last was said with pride.

"And starting on my right we have Doctor Jennifer Keller and her husband, Doctor Rodney McKay. Medicine and physics respectively." He turned to the woman standing on his left and gave her a smile. "And this is Rodney's sister, Jeannie Miller." They shook hands all around as Dave pulled his brother to the side.

"So you need back-up to deal with your family?" His brother didn't appear to be upset.

John pushed a hand through his hair. "Uh, no. They offered to come and I thought you might like to meet, umm, Jeannie and her family, well, except for Madison. She's with her dad."

Dave's hands were in his pockets so he nodded his chin at the women. Jason had stepped away and was leaning on a tree texting. "She seems very nice. Intelligent, outgoing, funny."

"She's all of that and more." John forced himself not to rub his head again.

"What does she do?"

"Until a few months ago she was a stay-at-home mom. Now she works for the same organization that Rodney, Jennifer and I do. She's also going to university for her degree."

His brother's forehead creased in puzzlement. "I thought you worked for the Air Force."

John swore to himself. He'd never come so close to breaking the confidentiality agreement he'd signed with the SGC - not counting when he told Jason. "Uh, we work with a multi-national combined military and civilian oversight organization. That's how I met, well, all of them. Rodney and Jeannie are from Vancouver and the Doc is from Wisconsin."

"What kind of oversight organization?" He waited but John didn't say anything. "It's confidential. Sorry I asked again."

"It's okay. You understand why…"

"Yeah." The men stood there awkwardly for a few moments. "We should probably do this before the kids get restless." Dave looked over at his daughter who was deep in conversation with Jeannie. "You know, Melissa refused to come until I told her you'd be here. She really wants you to make peace with dad before it's too late."

John nodded. "I brought flowers. That okay?"

"It's fine."

Melissa rushed to John's side when they got close. She was excited to have him there and it oozed out of her in a steady stream of words that tripped over each other and were nearly incomprehensible. He gave her the keys to the rental and sent her to get the flowers from the trunk to help work off some of that excess energy.

Blaire said a prayer then one by one John's family laid flowers on his father's grave. There were already several bouquets and wreaths in place.

John's turn finally came and he glanced around to find that his friends had taken themselves a discreet distance away. His family had done likewise leaving him alone with his parents for the first time in decades.

"Uh, hi, dad. Sorry this is my first time here. It's…I've been, uh, busy and…" John stumbled to a halt. Not knowing what else to say, he just stood there looking at the etching in the granite that was all that was left of the life of his father. "Look, dad, I'm sorry about…" That was all he could get out as he felt his throat begin to clench and took a deep breath to stop it. The soft rustle of grass came to him a moment before Jeannie touched him on the arm. Her blue eyes were filled with empathy and compassion and he remembered that her and Rodney's parents were gone as well.

Jeannie hooked her hand around his elbow, gave him a sweet smile then brought her eyes down to the headstone. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your parents, John?"

Just as they started to turn away, John saw a folded page tucked inside a zipper topped plastic bag. It had been shoved down between the headstone and the grass, obviously to keep it from being blown away or shredded by the lawn mower. It also had to have been there a while because the note looked faded though the bag looked nearly new. Someone was obviously taking care of it. He picked it up and pulled out a single page that was stiff with age. "Good-bye, Mr. Patrick. We'll Miss You!" was written in childish scrawl. It was surrounded by a dozen or more names, some in crayon. He replaced it in the bag, closed the seal, taking care to remove as much air as possible then slipped it back into its place of semi-concealment.

When he rejoined his family, he asked Dave about it. "That's from the kids at the hospital."

"Hospital? I thought the heart attack was, you know, sudden."

"It was. And I thought you knew about the hospital." Melissa came over and slipped her hand into her father's.

"We should show him, dad. He'll like it, especially…"

"Sh! That part's a surprise."

A Short Time Later

Sheppard Military Hospital

Fountain Valley, CA

The group of eight walked in the front door of the hospital and stopped at the security desk. A man and woman in dark blue uniforms were seated behind the counter. They looked up and smiled, the man addressing them. "Mr. Sheppard, good to see you again. And you Mrs. Sheppard."

"Officer Wheeler, Officer Fuller." Dave greeted them then gestured at the Atlanteans. "I've brought some visitors from out of state and we'd like a quick tour, if possible."

"Certainly, sir. We just need to see everyone's ID."

"Of course."

One by one, Dave and his family showed their IDs and were given a visitor's badge with their name and photo on it. John's turn came and he gave them his IOA ID. Fuller was watching the monitor over Wheeler's shoulder. When John's information popped up, both their eyes went wide and they straightened their slightly stooped stances.

"Thank you, Colonel Sheppard. Enjoy the tour." Wheeler told him as he passed over a badge. Rodney, Jennifer and Jeannie showed their IDs and with each one the security officer's eyes widened a little more. This little bit of byplay hadn't gone unnoticed by Dave who wondered what could have caused the officer's reactions. There was obviously more to his brother and his friends than he knew or could have guessed.

Wheeler made a call and another officer, Stanton, arrived to conduct the tour. When the group reached the elevators, Dave excused himself and went back to the security desk. They watched as he leaned close and spoke quietly to the officers, listened to their response then glanced sharply over his shoulder at them.

John and his friends exchanged puzzled glances but didn't say anything. Dave returned to the group, they got in the elevator and the tour officially began but he continued to watch his brother out of the corner of one eye. What he was looking for, he had no idea, but the wheels in his head refused to stop. He made a mental note that the two of them would have a long, long talk while he was here and this time he'd make certain he got the answers he was looking for.

"…and this is 'The Flight Deck'. Like a Ronald McDonald House, it's a place for the families of patients to stay to provide them with a support system while they receive treatment. Hospital patients recover faster when their loved ones are near." Officer Stanton held the door as the group filed in. They crossed the lobby and stopped at the kitchen door. "Everyone who stays here has the choice of cooking for themselves, ordering from the Mess Hall, going out or even ordering delivery. Just like at home."

Looking around, they saw patients in wheelchairs or walking with an IV pole with family or friends. Everyone looked well cared for and as happy as they could be under the circumstances.

Dave leaned down and whispered to Melissa. She nodded. "Excuse me, Officer Stanton. Why is it called The Flight Deck?"

Stanton smiled. "Mr. Sheppard's eldest son, John, is a soldier in the United States Air Force. He was very proud of his son and his accomplishments. This building was erected and dedicated in his honor." She gestured and they followed her down the hall.

Unobtrusively, John took the badge with his name on it and flipped it over. Jeannie used her shoulder to nudge him and gave him a sardonic smile. He just looked embarrassed and kept walking.

"Officer Stanton…" Rodney began, one hand raised to get her attention, "…I think you should know…" John stepped to the physicist's side and gave him a death glare causing Rodney to back down so fast he practically collapsed into himself. "Never mind."

A few minutes later they reached the Mess Hall and were invited to have drinks and a snack. More than once John caught his brother watching him musingly. When John caught him at it he would turn away pretending to look at something else or talk to Blaire.

Dave had a keen eye and mind for details or he wouldn't have made it in the world of big business. If John had to guess, he'd say that Dave was putting the pieces of a puzzle together and making assumptions about his older brother based on the picture those pieces revealed. When he felt he had as much information as possible, Dave would pounce, demanding answers. John debated with himself if he would give those answers and risk not being believed as with Jason or if he should go all the way, the full Monty.

It was late when they reached the Sheppard home and Blaire insisted they stay the night. After the sleeping arrangements were sorted out, they all met in the den. Melissa and Jason had both gone to their rooms.

Dave took drink orders and enlisted John's help. When the two of them were alone, Dave leaned against the large center island of the gourmet-sized kitchen. "John, what exactly are you involved in?"

"Excuse me?"

"Your work." He huffed when John opened the refrigerator and started taking out beers and bottles of water. "What is it you and your friends do that requires all of you to have higher than Top Secret clearance?"

"Dave…"

The younger man made a sound of aggravation and frustration with little specs of anxiety. "I know. I know. Confidential." He waited for John to face him again. "Tell me this, does it involve national security?"

Again, John's hand pushed through his hair. "I…sort of. I can't…"

"Hey! Are you two brewing the beer yourselves? Hurry up! We're gonna play the new X-Box space game." Blaire shouted down the hall.

Each man picked up four bottles and started down the hall. "This isn't over, John."

Yeah. I know. John could tell from his brother's tone and expression that he wouldn't rest until he was satisfied. By the time they reached the den John had made a decision. It made him just a little antsy but he stuck by it. No more hiding or prevaricating.

While Blaire and Jennifer were going head-to-head John slipped away from the den, stepping out the patio door and closing it softly. After making certain he was alone, he hooked his headset over his left ear. "Sheppard to Carter." He was trying to sound sheepish but Sam wasn't buying it and he knew.

"Carter." She made a world-weary sigh. "Don't tell me. You need another favor."

John paced back and forth on the patio surrounding the pool behind the home he and his brother had grown up in. "Do this one last thing and I will owe you big." Sam didn't say anything for a few heartbeats and he could almost hear the wheels spinning in her head.

His suspicions were confirmed when she asked, "Bigger than Island Truffles big?"

"Your own Island Truffles store big."

There was silence again as she weighed the implications of his statement. "Name it."

He laid out his favor and waited for her answer. When it came, it wasn't what he was expecting.

"That's it?"

"It's a pretty big it." John rolled his eyes when she snorted a laugh. A few minutes later he heard the trill of the transporter above his head and looked up just in time to be hit in the face with a small sheaf of papers. "Thanks a bunch."

"John, where are you taking me?" Dave followed his brother out the back door toward the darkness of a grove of trees beyond the pool house. John didn't answer so he clamped a hand on his shoulder and dug his heels in bringing them to a stop, crossing his arms stubbornly. "This isn't another snipe hunt, is it? I slept with a nightlight for six months after you left me alone out here that time. And what's that in your ear? A Bluetooth?"

John ignored the last question as he walked over to a table and pulled out folded papers and a pen from the back pocket of his jeans. "And I was grounded for two weeks. It's nothing like that." When Dave stayed put he grabbed his brother's arm, dragging him forward and handing him the pen. He pointed to the papers, flipping the pages as he spoke. "Initial here, here and here then sign on the last page."

"What am I signing?"

"It's a surprise." Dave looked at him with a cynical stare. "It's not like when you were nine and I stuck a snake in your underwear drawer. This one won't make you scream like a little girl…" John shrugged deprecatingly "…probably."

"Okay, I'm gonna trust you, but if we get thrown in jail, Blaire will kill both of us."

John was starting to get frustrated with his brother. "We're not gonna go to jail."

"Then…where…are…we…going?" Dave put emphasis on each word.

They finally arrived at the spot John had chosen earlier. It was dark and far enough from the house that no one would be able to see them. He and Dave faced each other in the gloom, John's hand still clamped on his brother's arm. "It's take-your-brother-to-work day, uh, night."

"Excuse me?"

"You wanna know what I do?"

"Yeah. So?"

"So…I'm taking you to work with me." John tapped his headset. "Sheppard to Hammond. Two to transport." Less than a second later, both men were gone.

The End ?