It was a year after Major General Hank Landry arrived at the Stargate Center. Sooner than anyone expected he was customized with this place: He understood what Dr. Jackson and Colonel Carter explained about the different places they visit when going through the gate. He did not have problems with meeting the inhabitants of other planets, which was very important. After a little while everyone understood why the former Colonel O'Neill has chosen him to be the new commander of the Center.
Only Dr. Carolyn Lam felt uncomfortable when she was around him. Their relationship was going to be better but she couldn't forgive him after all. Even after the events with the virus, where there was a chance that he could die she was not ready to go along with him.
But sooner than she was thinking she would rethink what her opinion about him would be.
General Landry headed back to his office. After a long time of working through piles of paper from the IOA and the SG-groups he needed a walk to clear his mind. He'd liked to ask his daughter about going to the mess with him again but was afraid of her searching for reason why she couldn't. He got desperate when she did this but never told anyone about it.
He was glad about any time when she had to tell him something and sometimes he thought he heard worry in her voice. Hank wished she would open up to him and would tell him as her father why she was so troubled.
Arriving at his office he was surprised to see her standing in front of his door. He was more surprised when he saw she was crying. She saw him, too, and actually rushed to her father. She threw her arms around him and cried openly. He hugged her back and was afraid to ask what happened.
Now sitting in Hanks office she tried to speak but it took a while for her to find her voice again. So she whispered: "Mum is going to die…"
Hank's eyes were now wide open. Then he took her in his arm and hugged her as firmly as he could. Tears ran down his cheeks and he tried to get a hold of himself. In this private place, with his daughter in his arm, he just wanted to be a feeling human-being.
"What happened?" he asked quietly.
"Mum got a diagnosis. She has cervical cancer, in a late phase. She tried everything she could, she had a hysterectomy, radiotherapy, nothing helped. She…she is going…t-t-to die…"
Carolyn sobbed and searched shelter in the arms of her father. Hank could not believe it. After all this years where he did not talk to his ex-wife, a urge to see her took hold of him.
"I go see her, Carolyn. Tell me, where she is."
"She is in a hospital in Colorado Springs."
Hank told Colonel Carter to take over his position while he is gone. Nobody wanted to stop him – he looked like a broken man.
Carolyn stayed; she has to look after the patients in the infirmary. Hank drove to the address Carolyn gave him and rushed in the hospital. As fast as he could he ran to the room where Kim was. As he opened the door she had looked out of the window and turned around to see the visitor.
"Hank", she said in a surprised tone.
Hank gulped and bowed his head. "Kim", he said.
"What are you doing here?" she asked with a shaking head.
"I've heard about your disease from Carolyn." His gaze fell to a lower part of her body. "I know, you don't want me here, after all this years we didn't talk to the other, but I…"
He stopped speaking when she approached him and took his face in her left hand. Then she kissed him and he hugged her desperately.
After a while she lay in her bed and he sat in a chair next to her. He held her hand and was shaken about this situation. After all this year's not seeing her he still cared about her. When she kissed him it was like they never split up.
"It was two years ago that I got the diagnosis. I told Carolyn for three weeks. I couldn't bear her knowing that I was ill so it was my secret for a while now. I'm lucky that my appearance didn't change much after all these therapies. But the doctor's couldn't help me. I'm going to die in a few months."
"What're you going to do now?" Hank whispered and fought his tears down. He knew he wasn't much around when they were married, but now she needed him. He couldn't let her doing this alone.
"I don't know. I was brought here because I wanted to be near my daughter. Carolyn wished to see me more often and the weather here is better for my condition. I stopped working a year ago, so I don't have any duties."
She took his face in her hand again and caressed his cheek. He leaned his face in her hand and watched her with his eyes slight open.
"I missed you Henry, in all this year's. When we split-up I wished we could be friends again. But I was too angry and scared to make the first step."
"I know, Kim, I know. I wasn't anything good when we get divorced. I let you down and you were alone with Carolyn. I…"
She stopped his speech with her lips and Hank caressed her cheeks, too.
"I want to help you, Kim. I'm sure there must be a way to help you. I can't let you down again."
She blinked and tears caught his sight. He wiped them away and whispered: "I will save your live; at least I will do anything to try it." He kissed her a last time and said good-bye.
I hope, nobody will mind my errors. English is not my first language. If you find any, tell me about them, so I can learn to get better.