Post by Izabella Riddle on Nov 11, 2006 16:10:40 GMT -5
I found him standing on Rodney’s balcony in the pouring rain looking down at his black wristband that he always wore and a picture he held in the same hand. I know he’s been here for a while cause he’s soaking wet.
“Look Colonel they need to clear out Rodney’s stuff so it can be sent back to his sister on Earth,” I told him, “its been over a week.”
“I’ve packed what can go back to Earth,” John said turning to face me
“What about the rest of it,” I inquired
“I plan on keeping it,” he smiled sadly
“Shouldn’t it go back to his sister,” I questioned
“It doesn’t mean anything to her,” he said hotly
“I know Rodney was your best friend Colonel but that stuff needs to go to his family. It wont do any good here,” I told him looking down at the box by the door which held a small silver plated cup, a certificate that colonel Sheppard made him after he taught Rodney how to use all the weapons in the armory, a shirt of two and his blackberry.
“She doesn’t need it and it doesn’t mean as much to her as it means to me,” John said forcefully
He walked past me stopping for a second to push the picture into my hands then he continues on to the box. He picked up the box and headed out the door. The door slide closed and the room was shrouded in darkness.
I looked around the room that I had never been in before now then down at the picture. The picture was folded in the middle and was worn on the edges. I can tell that it means a lot to who ever it belonged to since it has obviously been looked at many times over the years. In it two young men in black tuxes stand in front of a church. The small building sits somewhat on a hill over looking a valley by the looks of it. Its small painted an off white color with black trim. They have their fingers linked together and both are smiling at the camera. The taller of the two teens is a head taller than the other. He has black slightly unruly hair and green-hazel eyes. His smile is contagious even from a picture. The second teen has medium brown hair and bright blue eyes. In the background is a white banner with congratulations printed on it is whipping in the slight wind.
“Oh my god,” I breathed in shock
The two teens in the picture are John and Rodney. That’s when I noticed the black wristbands they both wore. One that till this day John wears on his left wrist and one that Rodney wore, on his right, until the day he died and was buried still wearing it.
I headed out of the room to find Sheppard. After twenty minutes I found him standing on a balcony on the East side of the city. The rain had stopped but John was still soaking but I don’t think he can really feel the cold at this point.
“What was he to you,” I asked stepping out on to the balcony.
He clutched the railing so hard that his knuckles were pure white and shivered.
“What does this picture mean,” I asked walking to him, “what is it.”
“It’s a picture from our wedding,” he said turning to me, “the only one left.”
“Your wedding but your in the military,” I stammered
“That picture was taken four months before I joined the military,” he told me
“Why did you join the military if you were married to Rodney,” I questioned
“No one but the two of us and two of our closest friends Allison and James knew about it,” he said sinking down to sit against the railing, “we were married in Canada a couple months after Rodney’s 18th birthday.”
“You look very happy,” I said sitting down beside him
“We were for those four months. We spent them living together in an apartment near Vancouver. When it came time for me to leave, it nearly killed me. You see we had been together since freshman year of high school. We were best friends since the day awe met in sixth grade. My father forced me into the military so I had to join. I wanted to join the Canadian army but my father insisted I serve the country in which I was born.,” he sighed
“What happened between you,” I asked
“While I was in basic Rodney was working on getting his associates. We kept in contact so that we could meet when I was on leave. I went to his graduation when he got his masters and he came to my ceremony when I got out of West Point. It worked we saw each other as often as we could. I talked to him on the phone every other night. I referred to him as Mer of course so my bunk mates wouldn’t know I hated that the most that I couldn’t even call him by his name,” the colonel told me
“And you guys stayed together,” I surmised
“Yeah when he was sent to Russia I worried but a month and a half later I was sent to Afghanistan. That was the hardest he worried so much about me since I was in a war zone but I worried more about him. I knew he would be okay cause he told me about his fiends that he worked with, you mostly. It was a year and a half later that both of us ended up in Antarctica 50 miles from each other. He was at the ancient base and I was stationed at McMurdo,” he explained
“Then you ended up at the outpost,” I urged him on
“Yeah when I found out I would be flying General O’Neill out to the base I called Rodney. He was going to try and find a way to see me. When the missile went off both of us freaked, but I got to the base,” he said, “then we got here to Atlantis and we were finally together all the time. We worked back up to the bond we had in high school back when we got together. He was on my team and to everyone else he was just my best friend,” John chocked back a sob, tears running down his face, “I loved him so much, he was my husband and no one can ever know it.”
“Not for a while no, but at least now you know you have someone you can talk to,” I told him
I stood up and hand him the picture know now exactly what it meant to him. I went to leave the balcony but turned back to face him halfway, “don’t worry colonel Sheppard your secret is safe with me,” I told him
“Thank you Radek,” he said
I walked off the balcony palming the door closed behind me locking the door hoping Atlantis would sense John Sheppard’s need to be alone. Heading down the hall to my lab I thought about Rodney McKay that man who I spent four years working with but really never even knew. I had known that he had someone I had heard him talk to someone on the phone every other day for those years we worked together in Russia. The whole time he was talking to Colonel Sheppard. I remembered now how much love Rodney had in his voice every time he was on the phone. He loved John very much, he always did.
Flashback
“Rodney, John would you two stand still I’m trying to take a picture,” Allison yelled over the wind.
“Yeah come on guys its your big day,” her boyfriend James said from beside her.
Both of them stood watching their best friends figuring out how to stand for the picture. James and Allison had come as their witnesses and they were happy that the plan worked out.
“Okay were ready,” John yelled linking his fingers with Rodney’s
“Okay say cheese on three,” Ali called, “1…2…3”
“Cheese,” they both said smiling.
End flashback
Rodney McKay died October 5th 2006 in an explosion during an experiment in his lab. It happened in the early hours of the morning when he was trying to recharge a ZPM that was almost dead. Rodney had worked for months to get it right and one small short in the system killed him. He left behind his good friends on Atlantis, his sister Jeannie Millar, and his husband Lt. Colonel John Patrick Sheppard.
“Look Colonel they need to clear out Rodney’s stuff so it can be sent back to his sister on Earth,” I told him, “its been over a week.”
“I’ve packed what can go back to Earth,” John said turning to face me
“What about the rest of it,” I inquired
“I plan on keeping it,” he smiled sadly
“Shouldn’t it go back to his sister,” I questioned
“It doesn’t mean anything to her,” he said hotly
“I know Rodney was your best friend Colonel but that stuff needs to go to his family. It wont do any good here,” I told him looking down at the box by the door which held a small silver plated cup, a certificate that colonel Sheppard made him after he taught Rodney how to use all the weapons in the armory, a shirt of two and his blackberry.
“She doesn’t need it and it doesn’t mean as much to her as it means to me,” John said forcefully
He walked past me stopping for a second to push the picture into my hands then he continues on to the box. He picked up the box and headed out the door. The door slide closed and the room was shrouded in darkness.
I looked around the room that I had never been in before now then down at the picture. The picture was folded in the middle and was worn on the edges. I can tell that it means a lot to who ever it belonged to since it has obviously been looked at many times over the years. In it two young men in black tuxes stand in front of a church. The small building sits somewhat on a hill over looking a valley by the looks of it. Its small painted an off white color with black trim. They have their fingers linked together and both are smiling at the camera. The taller of the two teens is a head taller than the other. He has black slightly unruly hair and green-hazel eyes. His smile is contagious even from a picture. The second teen has medium brown hair and bright blue eyes. In the background is a white banner with congratulations printed on it is whipping in the slight wind.
“Oh my god,” I breathed in shock
The two teens in the picture are John and Rodney. That’s when I noticed the black wristbands they both wore. One that till this day John wears on his left wrist and one that Rodney wore, on his right, until the day he died and was buried still wearing it.
I headed out of the room to find Sheppard. After twenty minutes I found him standing on a balcony on the East side of the city. The rain had stopped but John was still soaking but I don’t think he can really feel the cold at this point.
“What was he to you,” I asked stepping out on to the balcony.
He clutched the railing so hard that his knuckles were pure white and shivered.
“What does this picture mean,” I asked walking to him, “what is it.”
“It’s a picture from our wedding,” he said turning to me, “the only one left.”
“Your wedding but your in the military,” I stammered
“That picture was taken four months before I joined the military,” he told me
“Why did you join the military if you were married to Rodney,” I questioned
“No one but the two of us and two of our closest friends Allison and James knew about it,” he said sinking down to sit against the railing, “we were married in Canada a couple months after Rodney’s 18th birthday.”
“You look very happy,” I said sitting down beside him
“We were for those four months. We spent them living together in an apartment near Vancouver. When it came time for me to leave, it nearly killed me. You see we had been together since freshman year of high school. We were best friends since the day awe met in sixth grade. My father forced me into the military so I had to join. I wanted to join the Canadian army but my father insisted I serve the country in which I was born.,” he sighed
“What happened between you,” I asked
“While I was in basic Rodney was working on getting his associates. We kept in contact so that we could meet when I was on leave. I went to his graduation when he got his masters and he came to my ceremony when I got out of West Point. It worked we saw each other as often as we could. I talked to him on the phone every other night. I referred to him as Mer of course so my bunk mates wouldn’t know I hated that the most that I couldn’t even call him by his name,” the colonel told me
“And you guys stayed together,” I surmised
“Yeah when he was sent to Russia I worried but a month and a half later I was sent to Afghanistan. That was the hardest he worried so much about me since I was in a war zone but I worried more about him. I knew he would be okay cause he told me about his fiends that he worked with, you mostly. It was a year and a half later that both of us ended up in Antarctica 50 miles from each other. He was at the ancient base and I was stationed at McMurdo,” he explained
“Then you ended up at the outpost,” I urged him on
“Yeah when I found out I would be flying General O’Neill out to the base I called Rodney. He was going to try and find a way to see me. When the missile went off both of us freaked, but I got to the base,” he said, “then we got here to Atlantis and we were finally together all the time. We worked back up to the bond we had in high school back when we got together. He was on my team and to everyone else he was just my best friend,” John chocked back a sob, tears running down his face, “I loved him so much, he was my husband and no one can ever know it.”
“Not for a while no, but at least now you know you have someone you can talk to,” I told him
I stood up and hand him the picture know now exactly what it meant to him. I went to leave the balcony but turned back to face him halfway, “don’t worry colonel Sheppard your secret is safe with me,” I told him
“Thank you Radek,” he said
I walked off the balcony palming the door closed behind me locking the door hoping Atlantis would sense John Sheppard’s need to be alone. Heading down the hall to my lab I thought about Rodney McKay that man who I spent four years working with but really never even knew. I had known that he had someone I had heard him talk to someone on the phone every other day for those years we worked together in Russia. The whole time he was talking to Colonel Sheppard. I remembered now how much love Rodney had in his voice every time he was on the phone. He loved John very much, he always did.
Flashback
“Rodney, John would you two stand still I’m trying to take a picture,” Allison yelled over the wind.
“Yeah come on guys its your big day,” her boyfriend James said from beside her.
Both of them stood watching their best friends figuring out how to stand for the picture. James and Allison had come as their witnesses and they were happy that the plan worked out.
“Okay were ready,” John yelled linking his fingers with Rodney’s
“Okay say cheese on three,” Ali called, “1…2…3”
“Cheese,” they both said smiling.
End flashback
Rodney McKay died October 5th 2006 in an explosion during an experiment in his lab. It happened in the early hours of the morning when he was trying to recharge a ZPM that was almost dead. Rodney had worked for months to get it right and one small short in the system killed him. He left behind his good friends on Atlantis, his sister Jeannie Millar, and his husband Lt. Colonel John Patrick Sheppard.