“I do,” Teyla said. “It is always our prayer that our lost ones may somehow be returned to us.”
Ford’s grandfather had taken baby Jordan in his arms, pressing his rough cheek against the baby’s smooth one, whispering in his ear.
“Will you stay?” Sheri asked. “We’d love to have you for dinner and thank you.”
“I’m afraid we’ve got another flight to catch,” John said. “We just wanted to see Ford home. But I expect you can take it from here.”
“I’ll never forget what you’ve done,” Sheri said.
“We don’t leave our people behind,” John said, and shook her hand. He and Teyla walked away, leaving Ford and Atelia in his grandmother’s arms while Sheri corralled the carryon luggage. They made their way across the Atrium, around the potted plants and the business travelers with their rolling bags and the benches full of people talking on their phones. They stopped behind a huge palm tree at the edge, looking back. Ford’s grandfather was thumping him on the back while Ford explained something. His grandmother was taking the baby carefully, Atelia supporting her elbow.
“He’s going to be ok,” John said.
“Yes,” Teyla said.
“Really ok.”
“Yes,” she said. “In time. Aiden will be ok.” She looked at him. “And will this day come for you? Will your deployment end as well? Will there be the day when you come home to Earth and never look back?”
John shook his head, feeling free and light and utterly at peace. “No,” he said. “I have a home. Atlantis is home. And when I get back there, that’s when I’ve come home. That’s where my family is.” He opened the channel on his radio. “Hammond, this is Sheppard. Mission accomplished. We’re ready when you are.”
“You’ve got it, Sheppard,” Sam Carter’s voice said cheerfully. “Stand by for transport.”
“We’re going home,” John said, taking a long look around the atrium of the Atlanta airport. They were back in a corner, Ford and his family wrapped up in each other.
Nobody noticed when they disappeared in a faint shimmer of light.
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Table of Contents
Chapter one
Chapter two
Chapter three
Chapter four
Chapter five
Chapter six
Chapter seven
Chapter eight
Chapter nine
Chapter ten
Chapter eleven
Chapter twelve
Chapter thirteen
Epilogue
Stargate Atlantis: Third Path: Book 8 in the Legacy series Page 32
