medicate, medicate I'm already incomplete--I know you will cover me--broken by your empathy.

[lt_col_sheppard]

John left Jinto's room by midmorning, his shoulders already slumped with the burden of knowing....of understanding that his men died out there in the great blackness of the universe without him. Of knowing that they'd have to search a lifetime to find the responsible civilization--and that the men and women who died on that planet would never be able to rest in their home soil. Most of all, John worried for his second-in-command, the man had lost a lover, had seen him die, then been unable to retrieve the man's remains....Calvin Penn Kavanagh, head Chemist and Biology Lead on Atlantis Base was forever lost to the universe.

And there was nothing he could say to make that better.

John comm'd Rodney briefly, made sure things were going along with the selection of the new Chemistry Lead, really just needed to hear his husband's voice in the brief moments he was giving himself inbetween debriefings.

After a few moments he tapped again, his fingers lingering a moment on his earpiece, wondering if he couldn't give Marcus just one more day, one more hour, without having to recount the tale. No--better now than later...better while the thoughts were fresh--retelling couldn't make it hurt any more.

"Sheppard to Lorne....are you available, Major? I was hoping we could get your debriefing over with."