Fic: Sympathy for Eve, 23/27 (PG)
Title: Sympathy for Eve, 23/27
Author: SGAtlantisLight
Characters: McKay, Beckett, Sheppard, Lorne, Emmagan, Weir, Simpson, Kavanagh
Relationships: McKay/Beckett, Emmagan/Lorne
Rating: PG for this part, but the series as a whole is NC-17
Warnings: mpreg, gender-swap, medical things
Spoilers: None
Summary: Part 23 of the Sympathy for Eve series. When Rodney gets turned into a woman for a month, he decides to experiment, but little did he know it could have unforeseen consequences. Set somewhere in a nebulous third season AU after any cliffhanger-y stuff has been resolved.
Disclaimer: The characters, the setting, etc. are NOT mine, even if I wish they were.
Author's Notes: Beta and useful comments provided by mice1900, inkscribe and lapislaz, but mistakes are entirely mine.
Rodney sat looking grim. "So what can you do? Is there some sort of drug?"
Carson shook his head. "About the only answer to pre-eclampsia is delivery. I want to keep a close eye on your blood pressure and if it starts to spike, we'll need to induce."
"But he's not due yet."
"He's old enough he can survive if born now, though I want to give him the greatest opportunity to develop before birth as we can. I do want to use the device on you fairly soon before your BP goes up even more because I'm worried the shock of the change might be too much later on."
Rodney nodded. "I'll get it from the labs. When do we want to do this?"
Carson took his hand and squeezed. "This afternoon? I'll get things set up here and tell Elizabeth we're doing the change early."
Rodney sighed unhappily. "So much for the honeymoon. Sorry."
"Oh, I don't know, love. It gives us more options in bed, at least." He grinned.
Rodney snorted. "I thought you were gay."
Carson leaned down and kissed him. "For you, I can be straight for a wee bit."
***
The colonel looked up from the form, considering him. "Can I ask what this is about, Major?"
"It's personal, sir."
"Yes. Hence the name of the form. I'm not asking in my official capacity. I just wanted to make sure everything is okay."
Nothing was okay, but Evan couldn't exactly say that without encouraging further questions. Teyla wanted to go to the Mainland to be with her people through the coming ordeal. Evan intended to be with her. "It will be, sir."
Sheppard sighed and nodded. "Okay. It's been pretty quiet around here. Let's hope it stays that way." His eyes went distant a second and he reached up and touched his headset. "Hey, Rodney. What's up?" There was a short pause and Sheppard's eyebrows rose. "Today? I thought you were planning to wait a couple weeks." Sheppard nodded. "Okay. You can explain it to me later. You sure you trust me zapping you with it again? Yeah... Yeah... Okay. Yeah. I'll be there." He looked up and nodded to Lorne. "See you in a few days, Major."
***
"How much is Rodney at risk?" Elizabeth asked.
Carson shrugged. "It's a serious medical condition that can affect both mother and child. The baby's far enough along he can survive the delivery. Given that, we can induce if it gets worse and Rodney will recover in a couple of weeks, it's not as bad as it sounds, but even in developed nations like the UK and US some two percent of women with it die."
Elizabeth considered him a moment, then pulled open a drawer and produced an Ancient device. "I've been researching the text on this and have determined that this is essentially a pregnancy transfer device. I've been intending to hand my notes over to you, because it gets very medical, but I'm pretty sure it's not going to help Rodney, that he's too far along for it to work. But... If you think it might... I'd be willing to help."
Carson took it and the notes Elizabeth handed him, paging through her notes quickly, and nodded. "Thank you, Elizabeth. It's a generous offer, but I think you're right that the pregnancy is too far along. This is really only useful in the first tri..." His voice died as he stiffened, eyes going wide. "Elizabeth! Would you... would you be willing for someone else?"
Elizabeth gave him a confused look. "I wasn't aware that any other expedition member was pregnant."
Carson opened and shut his mouth, shaking his head. "I can't break confidentiality, but this woman has had more than one miscarriage and if we don't do something soon, she'll lose this one, too."
"I... I'd have to know more. I'm sorry."
He nodded. "I understand. But even if you can't, maybe we could get someone else... Excuse me. I need to see someone right away."
***
"See, I was right!" Simpson crowed as Rodney walked into the lab.
"Oh, no, no, no," Kavanagh responded. "Just because the final state of your model closely resembles actual observed states doesn't make you right. The interim behaviour is completely unlike your model."
"Oh, and I suppose your theory better accounts for the interim behaviour?"
"It most certainly does. As you can see on the--"
"Oh, no way. The final result of your model is completely contrary to the observed phenomena."
"A slight tweaking in the values should bring it more in line," Kavanagh said.
Rodney shut down his laptop and dug around in his desk, pulling out a couple of energy field graphs and two unidentified Ancient devices and stowing them in his pockets.
"In your dreams!" Simpson snapped. "Even a two-year-old could see we're looking at an asymptotic--"
Kavanagh snorted. "Only a two-year-old who was blind!"
Rodney turned and ducked Simpson's gesturing arm. "Oh, you are just impossible! I'm completely mystified how you ever qualified for a PhD."
"Ad hominem attacks? I'd expect better of you, Doctor Simpson. You can't seriously..." He blinked, his voice dying.
"What?" she asked.
"Did McKay just walk in here, grab a couple things and walk out without telling us to shut up?"
She looked toward the door. "I think he did. That was... Wow."
"I think we'd better call and warn Dr. Weir of imminent disaster because I'm pretty sure that's a sign of the end of the world as we know it."
Simpson laughed. "Hey, let's go grab some coffee and take a step back from this. Maybe we could look into some combination of our two models."
"Sounds good," Kavanagh said.
The two of them walked out, Simpson singing quietly under her breath, "It's the end of the world as we know it... and I feel fine..."
***
Evan set the last crate down and turned to the two Marines helping him. "I think that's it. Thanks, guys."
"No problem, sir," Fredericks said.
Santos nodded. Evan wondered if he ever talked of his own volition.
Evan turned and walked into the jumper, sealing the hatch and then headed up to the cockpit. "Ready?"
Teyla gave him a nod, her face grave.
He squeezed her shoulder, then dropped into the pilot's seat. He clicked his radio. "Atlantis Control, this is Puddlejumper Two. We're ready for take-off."
"This is Atlantis Control. You're set for... Wait. Puddlejumper Two, Doctor Beckett needs to speak with Teyla. In person."
Evan exchanged a look with Teyla. He didn't want to get his hopes up. It was probably just Beckett making sure she had all the medical supplies she might need. "Okay. We're holding."
Beckett arrived a couple of minutes later and stuck his head in through the jumper door. "I need to talk to Teyla privately," Beckett said. "If you'll excuse us, Major."
Teyla looked up, emotions flickering through her eyes. "You can say what you wish to say with Major Lorne present."
Beckett gave him an enquiring look.
Evan swallowed. "I'm the... I mean, I would be, if..."
"Ah! I see. I apologise." He stepped into the jumper and pulled the hatch closed. "I might have found a solution to your problem, but it's going to be a couple of hours before I'm sure."
"How strong a possibility is this?" Evan asked, fighting down hope, his eyes pleading with the doctor not to lead them on.
"Strong enough I'd like you to wait."
"Please, tell me more about this," Teyla said. Evan could see the tension in her body, though her face was serene.
Evan turned to the doctor and dared to hope.
***
Carson squeezed Rodney's hand. "We're all set, love. Are ye ready?"
Rodney's heart monitor beeped a little faster. He looked up at Carson, blue eyes wide. "Yeah. Yeah. Of course I'm ready."
Carson nodded, keeping his hand in Rodney's. "All right, Colonel. Just do what ye did that last time."
John nodded, the tension only showing around his eyes. "Uh, Carson, you might want to step away from Rodney. I don't know how wide the effect might be."
"Oh, aye. You're probably right." He turned and gave Rodney a quick kiss, then stepped out of the way.
Sheppard stared at the device for a moment, turning it in his hand, and then pointing it at Rodney. Suddenly, Carson made out a high-pitched humming which climbed till it was out of his hearing range, then a blue light shot from the device, hitting Rodney in the chest. Rodney stiffened and his monitors went crazy for a moment, then the blue light faded and Carson was looking into wide blue eyes set in a face with softer features. The heart monitor continued its quick tempo.
"Feeling all right, love?"
Rodney's hand slid down past generous breasts to his... her bulging abdomen where Carson could see movement. "Yeah. I'm... The baby's really kicking up a fuss."
"All right. I'm just going to pull the Ancient scanner over and check on him."
Carson moved quickly and was soon glancing through heart rate, blood pressure, and so on for their unborn child when John said, "Uh, doc..." Carson looked up and saw John pointing to the screen showing an image of the baby. "Isn't he, uh, missing something?"
***
"Elizabeth?"
Elizabeth looked up. "Teyla, come in. I thought you were going to the Mainland."
"I was, yes. But..." She took a breath. "Doctor Beckett showed me the device you have been studying."
"Oh?" Elizabeth said, and then was hit by realisation. "Oh!" Of course. That's why she wasn't aware of any other pregnancies among the expedition. Teyla wasn't technically a member of the expedition. "Oh, Teyla. I didn't know..."
Teyla's eyes glittered with unshed tears. "I know you had offered for Rodney's benefit. Would you... for me?"
Elizabeth was around her desk and wrapping the other woman in her arms. "Yes! Oh, Teyla, for you, I would do anything."
***
"You turned our son into a daughter!" Rodney shrieked, glaring at John.
John held out his hands. "It was the device! You asked me to zap you with it!"
"Calm down, Rodney," Carson said, squeezing his arm gently. "Your blood pressure's too high as it is for you to be getting overwrought."
"But Little Johnny!"
"Is a girl now. But we don't know if she'll stay that way or whether the change will reverse itself as it will with you. So, just calm down. All right?"
"We were going to name him after you," Rodney said, looking at John.
"But we've got girls' names picked out as well, thanks to your foresight. And we can always name another child John, right?"
"A... another child?"
Carson shrugged. "It might happen. That's what ye were thinking, right, love?"
Rodney opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again, shook his head. "When will we know whether it's permanent or not?"
"Oh, I expect if she doesn't change back with you, we can be sure. But until then, you need to stop worrying about it. We have a beautiful, healthy child. Others haven't been so lucky."
***
"All right, just a few things before we get to the procedure," Carson explained to Elizabeth. Teyla was waiting in the other room, having already answered the medical questions he'd had for her. "First, we'll be removing your IUD before using the device. You understand that if the procedure doesn't work, you'll need contraception or be at risk for pregnancy."
Elizabeth nodded. "Not that that's likely to be a problem," she said wryly.
Carson smiled in understanding, though he felt a twinge of sadness at how alone she was. "If the procedure does work, there's no guarantee the child will survive. It's very weak right now and there's no way of knowing the stresses it might experience from the procedure. Are you willing to take that risk?"
"Yes."
"If the procedure works and the child survives, you will be carrying a child that is genetically in no way your own and upon birth you will surrender the child to its natural parents, Teyla Emmagan and Major Evan Lorne. Am I correct?"
"Yes."
"All right. Just a couple of standard questions. Are you taking any drugs that would affect your ability to carry a child? Do you have any diseases such as HIV, hepatitis, syphilis, gonorrhea, herpes, etc., etc. that would affect the baby? Those would be no and no."
Elizabeth smiled. "I expect you can answer most of these questions yourself."
"I expect so. Let me just read down the list and give my answers and you can correct me if I'm wrong." He began reading. Elizabeth verified his records were correct in each instance. And then he got to, "Have you been pregnant before? No." He looked up.
Elizabeth hesitated. "Pregnant or given birth?"
He raised an eyebrow. "Pregnant."
She stared down at her hands.
"Elizabeth?"
"I... Yes."
"Oh," he said, very quietly.
"You know I carry the gene for Haemophilia A, right?"
He nodded.
"Shortly before the expedition was to leave, I found out I was pregnant." She shook her head. "Beyond the foolishness of coming to another galaxy while pregnant and the regulations already in place, there was the chance of having a son with the disease under unknown and possibly primitive medical conditions. I couldn't risk it. And my career was too important to give up Atlantis. So..."
"Ye had an abortion."
She nodded.
He looked down at his notes. "I'm sorry."
"I never regretted it," she answered, "until Rodney got pregnant and you were so happy and..." She shook her head.
He reached out and squeezed her hand.
***
Teyla lay, fingers curled into Evan Lorne's hand, and breathed steadily, calmly.
Carson knelt between her sheet-covered legs. "This might be a wee bit uncomfortable. Relax for me, luv."
She took a breath and slowly let it out, her hands tightening as she felt pressure and heat. There was a musical bleep.
"All right. Your part's done. Just rest a while." Carson stepped over to Elizabeth's bed and smiled down at her. "Are you ready for this, Elizabeth?"
She gave him a nervous smile. "As ready as I'll ever be."
He knelt down, his hands disappearing under the sheets covering her legs. Evan kept his eyes down, even though there was nothing to see. "Just a bit of pressure... Relax... There we go..." There was another tone and Carson sat up. "Well, that was easy. Of course, the getting-pregnant part usually is."
Elizabeth laughed and the tension in the room eased a small fraction.
"Now let's see how our little lad or lass is doing, shall we?"
Four sets of eyes stared at the tiny life now growing inside Elizabeth's body.
"Ah, beautiful," Carson murmured. "This is simply amazing. All the necessary structures are there just like the pregnancy started here."
Teyla looked over and met Elizabeth's eyes. They smiled at each other. "Thank you," Teyla said. "Words cannot convey what is in my heart."
Elizabeth nodded. "I wanted to." Her hand curled over her abdomen. "I wanted to."
Next part
Author: SGAtlantisLight
Characters: McKay, Beckett, Sheppard, Lorne, Emmagan, Weir, Simpson, Kavanagh
Relationships: McKay/Beckett, Emmagan/Lorne
Rating: PG for this part, but the series as a whole is NC-17
Warnings: mpreg, gender-swap, medical things
Spoilers: None
Summary: Part 23 of the Sympathy for Eve series. When Rodney gets turned into a woman for a month, he decides to experiment, but little did he know it could have unforeseen consequences. Set somewhere in a nebulous third season AU after any cliffhanger-y stuff has been resolved.
Disclaimer: The characters, the setting, etc. are NOT mine, even if I wish they were.
Author's Notes: Beta and useful comments provided by mice1900, inkscribe and lapislaz, but mistakes are entirely mine.
Rodney sat looking grim. "So what can you do? Is there some sort of drug?"
Carson shook his head. "About the only answer to pre-eclampsia is delivery. I want to keep a close eye on your blood pressure and if it starts to spike, we'll need to induce."
"But he's not due yet."
"He's old enough he can survive if born now, though I want to give him the greatest opportunity to develop before birth as we can. I do want to use the device on you fairly soon before your BP goes up even more because I'm worried the shock of the change might be too much later on."
Rodney nodded. "I'll get it from the labs. When do we want to do this?"
Carson took his hand and squeezed. "This afternoon? I'll get things set up here and tell Elizabeth we're doing the change early."
Rodney sighed unhappily. "So much for the honeymoon. Sorry."
"Oh, I don't know, love. It gives us more options in bed, at least." He grinned.
Rodney snorted. "I thought you were gay."
Carson leaned down and kissed him. "For you, I can be straight for a wee bit."
***
The colonel looked up from the form, considering him. "Can I ask what this is about, Major?"
"It's personal, sir."
"Yes. Hence the name of the form. I'm not asking in my official capacity. I just wanted to make sure everything is okay."
Nothing was okay, but Evan couldn't exactly say that without encouraging further questions. Teyla wanted to go to the Mainland to be with her people through the coming ordeal. Evan intended to be with her. "It will be, sir."
Sheppard sighed and nodded. "Okay. It's been pretty quiet around here. Let's hope it stays that way." His eyes went distant a second and he reached up and touched his headset. "Hey, Rodney. What's up?" There was a short pause and Sheppard's eyebrows rose. "Today? I thought you were planning to wait a couple weeks." Sheppard nodded. "Okay. You can explain it to me later. You sure you trust me zapping you with it again? Yeah... Yeah... Okay. Yeah. I'll be there." He looked up and nodded to Lorne. "See you in a few days, Major."
***
"How much is Rodney at risk?" Elizabeth asked.
Carson shrugged. "It's a serious medical condition that can affect both mother and child. The baby's far enough along he can survive the delivery. Given that, we can induce if it gets worse and Rodney will recover in a couple of weeks, it's not as bad as it sounds, but even in developed nations like the UK and US some two percent of women with it die."
Elizabeth considered him a moment, then pulled open a drawer and produced an Ancient device. "I've been researching the text on this and have determined that this is essentially a pregnancy transfer device. I've been intending to hand my notes over to you, because it gets very medical, but I'm pretty sure it's not going to help Rodney, that he's too far along for it to work. But... If you think it might... I'd be willing to help."
Carson took it and the notes Elizabeth handed him, paging through her notes quickly, and nodded. "Thank you, Elizabeth. It's a generous offer, but I think you're right that the pregnancy is too far along. This is really only useful in the first tri..." His voice died as he stiffened, eyes going wide. "Elizabeth! Would you... would you be willing for someone else?"
Elizabeth gave him a confused look. "I wasn't aware that any other expedition member was pregnant."
Carson opened and shut his mouth, shaking his head. "I can't break confidentiality, but this woman has had more than one miscarriage and if we don't do something soon, she'll lose this one, too."
"I... I'd have to know more. I'm sorry."
He nodded. "I understand. But even if you can't, maybe we could get someone else... Excuse me. I need to see someone right away."
***
"See, I was right!" Simpson crowed as Rodney walked into the lab.
"Oh, no, no, no," Kavanagh responded. "Just because the final state of your model closely resembles actual observed states doesn't make you right. The interim behaviour is completely unlike your model."
"Oh, and I suppose your theory better accounts for the interim behaviour?"
"It most certainly does. As you can see on the--"
"Oh, no way. The final result of your model is completely contrary to the observed phenomena."
"A slight tweaking in the values should bring it more in line," Kavanagh said.
Rodney shut down his laptop and dug around in his desk, pulling out a couple of energy field graphs and two unidentified Ancient devices and stowing them in his pockets.
"In your dreams!" Simpson snapped. "Even a two-year-old could see we're looking at an asymptotic--"
Kavanagh snorted. "Only a two-year-old who was blind!"
Rodney turned and ducked Simpson's gesturing arm. "Oh, you are just impossible! I'm completely mystified how you ever qualified for a PhD."
"Ad hominem attacks? I'd expect better of you, Doctor Simpson. You can't seriously..." He blinked, his voice dying.
"What?" she asked.
"Did McKay just walk in here, grab a couple things and walk out without telling us to shut up?"
She looked toward the door. "I think he did. That was... Wow."
"I think we'd better call and warn Dr. Weir of imminent disaster because I'm pretty sure that's a sign of the end of the world as we know it."
Simpson laughed. "Hey, let's go grab some coffee and take a step back from this. Maybe we could look into some combination of our two models."
"Sounds good," Kavanagh said.
The two of them walked out, Simpson singing quietly under her breath, "It's the end of the world as we know it... and I feel fine..."
***
Evan set the last crate down and turned to the two Marines helping him. "I think that's it. Thanks, guys."
"No problem, sir," Fredericks said.
Santos nodded. Evan wondered if he ever talked of his own volition.
Evan turned and walked into the jumper, sealing the hatch and then headed up to the cockpit. "Ready?"
Teyla gave him a nod, her face grave.
He squeezed her shoulder, then dropped into the pilot's seat. He clicked his radio. "Atlantis Control, this is Puddlejumper Two. We're ready for take-off."
"This is Atlantis Control. You're set for... Wait. Puddlejumper Two, Doctor Beckett needs to speak with Teyla. In person."
Evan exchanged a look with Teyla. He didn't want to get his hopes up. It was probably just Beckett making sure she had all the medical supplies she might need. "Okay. We're holding."
Beckett arrived a couple of minutes later and stuck his head in through the jumper door. "I need to talk to Teyla privately," Beckett said. "If you'll excuse us, Major."
Teyla looked up, emotions flickering through her eyes. "You can say what you wish to say with Major Lorne present."
Beckett gave him an enquiring look.
Evan swallowed. "I'm the... I mean, I would be, if..."
"Ah! I see. I apologise." He stepped into the jumper and pulled the hatch closed. "I might have found a solution to your problem, but it's going to be a couple of hours before I'm sure."
"How strong a possibility is this?" Evan asked, fighting down hope, his eyes pleading with the doctor not to lead them on.
"Strong enough I'd like you to wait."
"Please, tell me more about this," Teyla said. Evan could see the tension in her body, though her face was serene.
Evan turned to the doctor and dared to hope.
***
Carson squeezed Rodney's hand. "We're all set, love. Are ye ready?"
Rodney's heart monitor beeped a little faster. He looked up at Carson, blue eyes wide. "Yeah. Yeah. Of course I'm ready."
Carson nodded, keeping his hand in Rodney's. "All right, Colonel. Just do what ye did that last time."
John nodded, the tension only showing around his eyes. "Uh, Carson, you might want to step away from Rodney. I don't know how wide the effect might be."
"Oh, aye. You're probably right." He turned and gave Rodney a quick kiss, then stepped out of the way.
Sheppard stared at the device for a moment, turning it in his hand, and then pointing it at Rodney. Suddenly, Carson made out a high-pitched humming which climbed till it was out of his hearing range, then a blue light shot from the device, hitting Rodney in the chest. Rodney stiffened and his monitors went crazy for a moment, then the blue light faded and Carson was looking into wide blue eyes set in a face with softer features. The heart monitor continued its quick tempo.
"Feeling all right, love?"
Rodney's hand slid down past generous breasts to his... her bulging abdomen where Carson could see movement. "Yeah. I'm... The baby's really kicking up a fuss."
"All right. I'm just going to pull the Ancient scanner over and check on him."
Carson moved quickly and was soon glancing through heart rate, blood pressure, and so on for their unborn child when John said, "Uh, doc..." Carson looked up and saw John pointing to the screen showing an image of the baby. "Isn't he, uh, missing something?"
***
"Elizabeth?"
Elizabeth looked up. "Teyla, come in. I thought you were going to the Mainland."
"I was, yes. But..." She took a breath. "Doctor Beckett showed me the device you have been studying."
"Oh?" Elizabeth said, and then was hit by realisation. "Oh!" Of course. That's why she wasn't aware of any other pregnancies among the expedition. Teyla wasn't technically a member of the expedition. "Oh, Teyla. I didn't know..."
Teyla's eyes glittered with unshed tears. "I know you had offered for Rodney's benefit. Would you... for me?"
Elizabeth was around her desk and wrapping the other woman in her arms. "Yes! Oh, Teyla, for you, I would do anything."
***
"You turned our son into a daughter!" Rodney shrieked, glaring at John.
John held out his hands. "It was the device! You asked me to zap you with it!"
"Calm down, Rodney," Carson said, squeezing his arm gently. "Your blood pressure's too high as it is for you to be getting overwrought."
"But Little Johnny!"
"Is a girl now. But we don't know if she'll stay that way or whether the change will reverse itself as it will with you. So, just calm down. All right?"
"We were going to name him after you," Rodney said, looking at John.
"But we've got girls' names picked out as well, thanks to your foresight. And we can always name another child John, right?"
"A... another child?"
Carson shrugged. "It might happen. That's what ye were thinking, right, love?"
Rodney opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again, shook his head. "When will we know whether it's permanent or not?"
"Oh, I expect if she doesn't change back with you, we can be sure. But until then, you need to stop worrying about it. We have a beautiful, healthy child. Others haven't been so lucky."
***
"All right, just a few things before we get to the procedure," Carson explained to Elizabeth. Teyla was waiting in the other room, having already answered the medical questions he'd had for her. "First, we'll be removing your IUD before using the device. You understand that if the procedure doesn't work, you'll need contraception or be at risk for pregnancy."
Elizabeth nodded. "Not that that's likely to be a problem," she said wryly.
Carson smiled in understanding, though he felt a twinge of sadness at how alone she was. "If the procedure does work, there's no guarantee the child will survive. It's very weak right now and there's no way of knowing the stresses it might experience from the procedure. Are you willing to take that risk?"
"Yes."
"If the procedure works and the child survives, you will be carrying a child that is genetically in no way your own and upon birth you will surrender the child to its natural parents, Teyla Emmagan and Major Evan Lorne. Am I correct?"
"Yes."
"All right. Just a couple of standard questions. Are you taking any drugs that would affect your ability to carry a child? Do you have any diseases such as HIV, hepatitis, syphilis, gonorrhea, herpes, etc., etc. that would affect the baby? Those would be no and no."
Elizabeth smiled. "I expect you can answer most of these questions yourself."
"I expect so. Let me just read down the list and give my answers and you can correct me if I'm wrong." He began reading. Elizabeth verified his records were correct in each instance. And then he got to, "Have you been pregnant before? No." He looked up.
Elizabeth hesitated. "Pregnant or given birth?"
He raised an eyebrow. "Pregnant."
She stared down at her hands.
"Elizabeth?"
"I... Yes."
"Oh," he said, very quietly.
"You know I carry the gene for Haemophilia A, right?"
He nodded.
"Shortly before the expedition was to leave, I found out I was pregnant." She shook her head. "Beyond the foolishness of coming to another galaxy while pregnant and the regulations already in place, there was the chance of having a son with the disease under unknown and possibly primitive medical conditions. I couldn't risk it. And my career was too important to give up Atlantis. So..."
"Ye had an abortion."
She nodded.
He looked down at his notes. "I'm sorry."
"I never regretted it," she answered, "until Rodney got pregnant and you were so happy and..." She shook her head.
He reached out and squeezed her hand.
***
Teyla lay, fingers curled into Evan Lorne's hand, and breathed steadily, calmly.
Carson knelt between her sheet-covered legs. "This might be a wee bit uncomfortable. Relax for me, luv."
She took a breath and slowly let it out, her hands tightening as she felt pressure and heat. There was a musical bleep.
"All right. Your part's done. Just rest a while." Carson stepped over to Elizabeth's bed and smiled down at her. "Are you ready for this, Elizabeth?"
She gave him a nervous smile. "As ready as I'll ever be."
He knelt down, his hands disappearing under the sheets covering her legs. Evan kept his eyes down, even though there was nothing to see. "Just a bit of pressure... Relax... There we go..." There was another tone and Carson sat up. "Well, that was easy. Of course, the getting-pregnant part usually is."
Elizabeth laughed and the tension in the room eased a small fraction.
"Now let's see how our little lad or lass is doing, shall we?"
Four sets of eyes stared at the tiny life now growing inside Elizabeth's body.
"Ah, beautiful," Carson murmured. "This is simply amazing. All the necessary structures are there just like the pregnancy started here."
Teyla looked over and met Elizabeth's eyes. They smiled at each other. "Thank you," Teyla said. "Words cannot convey what is in my heart."
Elizabeth nodded. "I wanted to." Her hand curled over her abdomen. "I wanted to."
Next part