Tegan Chronicles

Affairs of Love 1

Tegan woke up as sunlight filtered through the blinds. Her heart rate quickened as she realized she'd over slept, which was a split second before it stopped beating as she realized there was an arm draped over her. Attached to the arm was a warm body pressed into her back, and if Tegan's guess was right it was a female body.

She lay perfectly still trying to remember exactly what her last conscious moments had been. Her face began to flush as she remembered going to Mac's. What else? The heat in her own body continued to rise, she was certain from embarrassment. How could she not remember bringing some one home from a bar? A woman?

She opened her eyes to make sure it was even her own house she'd come back to, sure enough which meant no easy escape. Just what had she done? What had she been thinking? Worse yet, who'd seen her?

Her mouth tasted like she'd been sucking on Jack's dirty gym socks. She felt a tickle in the back of her throat as beads of perspiration formed on her upper lip. She swallowed. Hot, she was so hot. She swallowed again, the tickle only increased until loud harsh coughing ensued.

She felt a hand flatten against her back and remain there until the coughing subsided. She decided to speak before the other woman had a chance. "Look, I don't know why you're here, in my bed. I don't know…"

The owner of the hand waited until the second round of coughing halted. "I'm taking you in to have chest films done."

"Janet?"

"Who'd you think?" Janet almost laughed at the panic in Tegan's voice.

"I –" She turned to look at Janet who wore an amused look and a borrowed air force shirt and cotton shorts from one of Tegan's drawers. "I'm confused."

"What's the last thing you remember?"

"Walking into Mac's."

"You don't remember downing a shot of Jack Daniel's?"

She shook her head no. "I don't drink."

"I think you were self medicating."

That made sense, Tegan remembered a med professor saying if he didn't have cough syrup a shot of hard whisky always did the trick. "That explains the dead skunk in my mouth."

"You made it back to the table and went out like a candle in a wind storm within seconds. Sam and I brought you back here. You had a slight fever and I didn't want it spiking in the middle of the night. I figured…" She paused while Tegan tried to bring up half a lung. "I figured if I slept with you, I'd feel it if your temperature started to get too high."

"Ah." Tegan pushed to her feet. Janet sleeping with her was starting to become a habit. First it was after her psycho dad showed up, then some crazed guy on another planet drugged her, Janet had used the temperature excuse then too. Now this, Tegan shook her head. "I'm late for work."

"It's Saturday and you're off."

"That's good."

"Is it?" Janet knew she was up to something.

"Yup," She let her lips pop on the p. "It means I don't have to follow orders from some half naked woman in my bed."

"You know that's not true." Janet wasn't referring to the half naked part, even though she was completely clothed.

"It is." Tegan glanced at the bathroom. "I'm going to brush my teeth and try to get this mink coat off my tongue. I've got instant coffee somewhere in the kitchen, in the event I ever wake up with a stranger in my bed. Make yourself at home."

"That mink isn't from the Jack Daniel's, it's because you're sick."

"Man, you'd think you went to med school." Tegan winked before disappearing into the master bath.

When she came downstairs thirty minutes later, to find Janet sitting on the couch with a medical journal in one hand and coffee in the other, she was wearing her battle dress uniform and combat boots. Janet glanced up at her. "Did you forget you were off today?"

"No." Tegan sank weakly into the other end of the couch. Wiped out from the energy she'd exerted getting a shower. "I think I need to take you up on those x-rays."

Janet dropped Tegan's medical journal on her lap and turned her full attention to her. "What changed your mind?"
"I coughed up one of Santa's elves while brushing my teeth." She knew she didn't need to put on her uniform, but it was easier than figuring out what to wear at the moment.

"Red or green?"

"Both, he'd been through the blender." She wrinkled her nose.

"We're going to need to do cultures."

"Sorry, I didn't have a sterile cup on me." Tegan shrugged. "Besides, I'm pretty sure I can produce another one on command."

"You know, I'm probably going to have to admit you?"

"And you know, I'm probably going to have to complain, and be the worst patient ever."

"I don't think you could be any worse than Major Kiser," Janet joked. "She's a real PITA."

"I'm a pain in the ass? You should trying taking care of yourself sometime." She jabbed back before glancing around the living room.

"What?"

"Where's Shadow?"

"Sam took him for the night in case I had to call for a medical transport."

"Smart." Tegan tapped her forehead.

"So, what's the verdict?"

Janet snapped the films up on the light box. "You've got a mild case of pneumonia."

"How'd that happen?"

"Gee, it couldn't have anything with you being a workaholic now couldn't it?"

"No." Tegan rolled her eyes. "So, antibiotic and I get to go home right?"

Janet looked at her for a minute. "My house for the weekend?"

Tegan shrugged, it was better than being bored out of her mind in the infirmary. "I'm sure your staff would love you if you didn't make me stay here."

"It's your choice."

"Ok."

"Are you sick?" Cassie asked when she got home from her friend's slumber party and found Tegan sprawled out on the end of the couch.

"Just a little." She held her fingers apart about an inch.

"Cause otherwise mom would have you in the infirmary."

"Something like that," Tegan coughed.

"Cassie is that you?" Janet came in from the kitchen where she was fixing chicken and rice soup.

"Yeah."

"You need to take your stuff upstairs."

"Can I play video games?"

"After you put your stuff away."

Much to Janet's dismay Tegan spent most of the weekend playing video games with Cassie. "I thought I told you to rest."

"This is resting." Tegan elbowed Cassie as she passed her on the race track. "It surely isn't work."

"Cass, its bedtime."

"Mom, just let me finish this race."

Tegan paused the game. "You're mom's right, I can't have you sleeping through school tomorrow. Besides, I need to sleep so I can bring my A game at work tomorrow too."

"This doesn't count as a win." Cassie hopped of the couch and turned the game console off.

"Fine." Tegan watched Cassie give Janet a hug and then ask Shadow if he wanted to sleep with her.

Once they'd both headed up the stairs Janet turned to Tegan. "You're not going in tomorrow."

"I'm feeling better."

"I realize that, but I want you to give it another day. Go home and really rest, no cleaning, no video games, and report to the infirmary first thing Tuesday so I can release you for limited duty."

Rather than argue Tegan just nodded.

"Seriously."

"I'm not always a PITA." Tegan yawned. "I'm going to bed."