PEANUT BUTTER CUP
The Stargate opens and medics rush in with someone on a stretcher. They rush straight through to the infirmary. At the infirmary, Dr. Keller is waiting to perform emergency surgery. A girl is transferred from the stretcher to the surgical bed and everyone else leaves as Dr. Keller and nurses start immediate surgery. Time is of the essence. Sam looks through the infirmary door window, trying to determine who is the only survivor of a team massacred by Koyla, they think.
"So who is it?" she asks one of the medics.
"It's P.B., Col. Carter. I mean, Lt. O'Brien. We found her under Lt. Col. Green. Looks like he tried to shield her from the blast and weapons fire. Did a pretty good job, considering. Looks like Koyla's forces took out the rest of the team. It was pretty messy over there, Col."
"Thank you, Sergeant." Sam looks back into the surgical room. "I better call Cam." She says to herself and heads for the control room.
Cut to the gateroom. Cameron Mitchell comes through in a jumper. As he disembarks Sam notices he is still wearing camouflage, his off-world gear. She goes down the stairs to greet him.
"Wow, that was fast!" Sam says as she gives him a hug. "I called you less than 2 hours ago."
"I was off-world when I got the call and pulled a few strings to get here ASAP. How is she?" Straight to the point that Cameron Mitchell.
"She's still in surgery. I'll take you there." Sam leads the way out of the gateroom and down the hall. "I called you as soon as I knew it was her."
"What, you couldn't tell?" asks Cam, wondering just what he is about to see.
" She was in bad shape, Cam, and covered in mud." They enter the infirmary and she leads him to the door to the surgery. He looks in.
"My God." All he can see is tubes running in and out of her tiny body and people all around just trying to keep her alive. He turns to look away from the room and leans against the wall for support as he closes his eyes.
"Why don't we go somewhere till they're done. Dr. Keller will page us when she can have visitors." says Sam, trying to help him through this.
"No. I'm not leaving her. She was there for me when I needed her and I'll be damned if I can't do the same." he says as he finds a chair and tries to get comfortable. He finally realizes he still has his gun attached to him so he unhooks it and puts it on the chair next to him and leans forward and puts his head in his hands. Sam moves his gun and sits down next to him. She tries to get him to talk, hoping to help him get through his pain and impatience.
"So, tell me about her. When was she there for you? After your Antarctica crash?" asks Sam.
Cam sits back up again and takes a deep breath as he looks into the surgical room. "Yeah." He's not quite ready to talk about it yet. Sam keeps trying.
"How did you two meet?" Cam massages his eyes and is about to tell her to leave him alone for a bit. "Cam, it might be a few hours before they finish surgery. You know talking makes you feel better." she smiles as he looks at her, knowing he's well known for his stories.
"Fine. You'll laugh, anyway. We met at one of those stale military parties that you go to because someone talked you into it! My buddy, Lt. Forester wanted to go cuz he was hot for a girl." He laughs. "Ya, HE was hot for a girl and I walked into the room and saw...an angel... and it was like there was no one else in the room. I could never resist a girl in uniform."
Cut to the party. Cam is chatting with his friends but doesn't take his eyes off her, Lt. Reese O'Brien. She's laughing with friends and then gets asked to dance. He knew he was forgetting to do something! Someone beat him to it. Cam excuses himself from his friends and goes to the dance floor. He taps the officers shoulder and asks to cut in.
"May I?" The lower ranking officer begrudgingly bows out. "I haven't seen you here before." He says to Reese as they start to dance.
"I was about to say the same to you. Are you based here?" she asks.
"No, I'm visiting friends. I'm based out of Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado."
"I've heard rumors about that place but no one will talk about it. What goes on there?" she asks, hoping to pry information out of him.
"Uhhh... sorry, it's classified."
"Figures." He laughs and changes the subject. They talk and dance all night. She still tries her best to find out about what he does. She's fascinated. So is he.
Cut back to the infirmary.
"We could only manage to see each other about one weekend a month but I looked forward to that the whole month. It drove her crazy that I wouldn't talk about work. She tried everything to get it out of me." He stops and remembers all the things she tried to do to get him to let something, anything, slip. "That's how I met my Peanut." He looks into the room. Dr. Keller is taking her gloves off and coming out to see them. Cam and Sam stand up to met her at the door.
"It's touch and go right now but we've done everything possible. She's on life support but in a few minutes we'll get her into another room and you can see her. She's obviously unconscious but I truly believe it helps a patient to hear familiar voices. The next 48 hours are critical." says Dr. Keller as she looks back into the room and takes a deep breath.
"She's a fighter Doc. If anyone can make it, its her. Hell, I'd bet on her over Teal'C, any day!" Sam thinks Cam must be tired and definitely stressed. Reese is wheeled into another room and Cam and Sam follow. He sits down in a chair next to her bed amidst tubes and wires and monitors and and and... And he grabs her hand and gives it a kiss.
"Not looking too good there, Peanut. How big was THIS bear?" He smiles. Her heart rate speeds up and Dr. Keller smiles.
"Keep talking, Lt. Col. Mitchell. She seems to be responding, that's great. I'll leave you alone for now." She leaves the room. Sam sits on the other side of the bed.
"The bear? Peanut? You know, they call her PB around here. I bet you know why. " Sam asks.
"Well," he laughs, "that's another funny story."
"Keep talking, funny boy, it seems to be working." Sam says encouragingly.
"The first night I stayed at her place, the phone rang..."
Cut to Reese's apartment. She and Cam are sleeping. It's 7am and the phone rings. The phone is closest to Cam and he answers it, still groggy and forgetting where he is.
"Hello?" he says without really opening his eyes. There is silence on the phone.
"Have I got the right number?" says a lady rather sheepishly.
"That depends, who are ya lookin' for?" Cam says with a yawn. The person on the phone pauses for a moment.
"Is Reesy there?" she finally asks.
""Reesy?"' says Cam. Reese sits up in bed immediately and grabs the phone from Cam who is now smiling at her embarrassment.
"MUM. No, Mum. No...No...No...No. ...Can I call you back? Yes. Thanks." She hangs up.
"Reesy?" he asks as he rolls over to cuddle her. "I'd say you are more of a yummy Peanut Butter Cup." They kiss and snuggle and ... hey, this is rated T! Use your imagination!
Cut back to the infirmary. Cam is smiling at the memory.
"That's my Peanut. Word got around a bit at her base and people started calling her PB." He yawns and stretches. Sam notices then how tired he looks.
"How long have you been awake, Cam? You look like you need some rest yourself." she asks concerned.
"Don't worry about me, I just need to keep talking for the next 48 hours."
Sam gets up. " I'll get you some coffee. So what happened? The only reason I knew to call you is you mentioned her before and you were there when she came to the SGC and it was written all over your face."
"What was written all over my face?" he asks a little worried.
"Disappointment, anguish, longing, tenderness.."
"OK! Wow, I thought I hid it all so well. No one said a word." Sam finally yells out the door for some coffee (Politely, of course!). Comes back and sits down.
"So what happened?"
Cam looks sad. "That's another story." He smiles and looks at Sam. "you sure you want to hear all this?"
"Can't think of anything I'd rather be doing." she smiles.
"OK. After MY accident in Antarctica, she wasn't allowed in the hospital to see me, I was in a restricted area, as you know, immediate family and SG personnel only. We had been dating for over a year but we kept it mostly secret. Mostly. That didn't stop my Peanut."
Cut to Cam's hospital bed after his accident. Reese appears at his window. It's locked and he's on the 4th floor. She reaches in her back pocket and pulls out a glass cutter. She knew what she was doing. Cam sees this and motions 'Stop" to her as he gets slowly out of his bed and comes over to open the window.( He's in a johnny shirt, if I held the camera we'd all get a little peak of that beautiful butt!)
"Peanut, you're crazy!" He says as she jumps through the window and plants a gentle but well needed kiss on his lips. He stares at her as they embrace. "I must be in heaven cuz my angel has arrived."
"No, I'm Peanut. Angel is the other girl, remember?" she laughs.
"You're a sight for sore eyes, Peanut. But I don't want you in trouble because of me, this is a restricted area."
"No kidding! Everything about you is classified! Well, not everything is off limits. But I'll be good, somehow. It's taken me 2 weeks to pry this location out of your mother. But she knew I had to see you." She kisses him again and guides him back to his bed where she tucks him and his cute butt in.
"Reese, I mean it. I'm SO happy your here but go before they find you, PLEASE!" Reese bends over him and whispers in his ear.
"They'll have to catch me first." She whispers between kisses. "Besides, you're worth it. Haven't you missed me?" He turns his head and kisses her passionately.
"You have to ask? Your the best medicine I could get." She smiles. " But if you get caught.." She kisses him first to stop him finishing that sentence, then to show him how much she's missed him. He moans.
"Do you really want me to go?" She starts to kiss his chin, his neck, his shoulders, his nip...
There's a knock at the door as a doctor enters. "Excuse me, "he says, a little embarrassed, "I didn't realize you had company." He says at the door. The guard hears this and looks in. He walks past the doctor.
"How did you get in here?" He asks Reese. "You're not authorized in here, Miss." Ya, no kidding!
"I obviously got the wrong room. Sorry about that. My grandfather is in the next room. He's probably wondering where I am by now. " She smiles at Cam, wishing she could give him a better farewell. "It was nice to meet you." She says to him, trying to stay in character and she tries to walk past the guard but he grabs her arm.
"Come with me, please."
"Sergeant, come on! Give her a break, please!" Cam pleads.
"It's ok, Cam. You're worth it. I'll see you when you get out of here. I think." She looks at the guard and leaves the room with him.
Cut back to Atlantis.
"She got demoted to Major for that. She said she never regretted it." He pauses and looks at her now. "But it took a lot of work to fight her way back up the ranks. She would have been Lt. Col by now if it weren't for that." He laughs. "But once she got her mind set on the SGC there was no stopping her. "He looks down. "I certainly wasn't gonna stand in her way."
Cut to a restaurant. Cam is sitting at a table waiting for someone. He's in a suit! He's playing with something on the table. It's a little box. He opens it and looks at a beautiful engagement ring. He closes it and quickly puts it back in his pocket as a girl approaches the table. She looks beautiful and slightly out of breath. It's Reese, of course.
"Sorry, Cam. I'm NEVER late!" He gets up and pulls the chair out for her, like a gentleman. She gives him a quick kiss as they both sit down. She doesn't seem to be aware that something's different; the suit, the fancy restaurant, the chair, his demeanor. She's too excited about something. "I just came from an interview." She's beaming.
"Really. What, military life isn't good enough for my Peanut anymore?" he says smiling.
"Very funny." She grabs his hands across the table and leans forward. "OK, get ready. I need to ask you something important."
"That's funny," says Cam, "Because I have a question for you too." He pauses for a moment. "Ladies first."
She is so excited she's bursting. "How would you feel about working together?" He's surprised and confused at the same time. He knew there was a position coming up at the SGC but he didn't know she had applied.
"The interview was for a position in the Cheyenne Mountain Base in Colorado. We would actually be in the same state! We could see each other every day, instead of one weekend a month! And you could finally stop telling me 'it's classified'. I'm so excited!" She was obviously thrilled. He was not.
"Peanut, if we work together... we can't be together." He didn't know how else to put it.
"Cam, we are barely together now. One weekend a month does not constitute a serious relationship. If I get this job, we could see each other as much as we want, it just wouldn't be serious, no strings attached, fun! Like now but more of it!" She looks at him, trying to read his face. Why isn't he happy? "Cam, it's not like we were getting married. How can you marry someone you see once a month and can't talk to because everything is classified? We have a wonderful, fun fluffy relationship. The biggest change would be we could see more of each other and actually talk openly about everything important in our lives. Still uncommitted, as always." She again tries to read his face, not understanding why he's not happy about this. "I thought you'd be happy." She pauses."If you already have someone in Colorado I understand.."
"NO! It's not that." He tries to think about what to say. "You're describing friendship with ...perks." He leans back in his chair and looks at the ceiling, not wanting to look at her or for her to see the disappointment on his face. Too late!
"And right now we have a long distance friendship with perks." she says trying to figure this out.
"I guess we just see things differently."
"Cam, I know you're not interested in marriage." He wiggles in his seat as she says this." See, you get uncomfortable when the word is mentioned. And that's OK. I'm not looking for marriage either, I thought that was partly why we worked so well together. But there is a part of your life that I do want to be a part of and that is in Cheyenne Mountain. The look on your face when you start to tell me something and then stop... I know whatever you do there is something big and important. And you LOVE it!" Well, he couldn't deny that.
"I still have to get through training. I hear it's brutal. There are only 4 positions and 12 recruits."
"You know you'll make it, Reese. You always get what you want." He said trying to seem positive even though he felt his world just fell apart.
"Wow, you never call me Reese. I'm sorry, Cam, I really thought you'd be happy about this."
"Look, I know how much it kills you when I can't talk about what I do everyday. I knew you wanted in for a long time now. I just didn't realize how you felt about us." He grabs her hand across the table. She plays footsy with him under the table, trying to break the tension. He laughs. "And you look so damn good in that dress." She smiles.
"So what are we doing here? Let's go back to my place and order in!" They get up and start to leave the table. "Wait. Did you have a question for me?" She asks as she holds his hand.
"Yes, Chinese or Sushi?"
Cut back to the infirmary. Cam is really tired and Sam notices.
"Cam, you really need to get some sleep. There's quarters waiting for you."
"I'm not leaving and don't even try to order me cuz I won't go. She got demoted for me and I would do the same for her." he said firmly.
"I wouldn't think of it." Sam gets up and grabs a blanket from another bed and throws it at him. "There's an empty bed over there or sleep in the chair. Up to you. I wish I could stay with you but I have to go. I'll bring you some breakfast in the morning." She starts to leave but Cam gets up and goes over to give her a hug.
"Thanks, Sam."
"Get some sleep." She leaves and Cam sits back in his chair and puts the blanket over him and closes his eyes.
Open to the morning. Sam enters with the breakfast she promised. Cam is still sleeping but the smell wakes him up.
"MMMMM, coffee. Oh, bacon and eggs. I can't remember the last time I ate." he says as he greedily takes the tray from Sam and starts to dig in. "Thank you." Dr. Keller comes in to check on everything.
"How is she doing, Doc?" Sam asks, since Cam's mouth is full.
"She's still critical but she got through the night. That's promising. The next hurdle will be getting her better enough to be off life support."
"She's a fighter. I know she can do it. If she can fight off a grizzly bear with a knife, she can get through this." says Cam between bites.
"WHAT?" say Sam and Doctor Keller.
"During the training mission to become part of the SGC there were 12 marines vying for 4 spots. All they had to do was find Gen. Landry..."
Cut to training in the woods, in the rain. The commanding officer is barking orders.
"Today is the day 8 of you will go back to your warm beds and cushy lives back in Kandahar. Four of you will embark on something you probably couldn't dream of. If you want to know what that is... you need to be one of the first 4 recruits to reach Gen. Landry, who is being held by terrorists for ransom about 10 miles from here." he glares at them all. "I can tell you to head east, the rest is up to you. Only the best will be able to find him. Last year, no one found him. Who is the best here today?"
" I AM SIR!! " They all yell at the top of their lungs.
"Then what are you doing here?" Four recruits take off immediately running due east. The others take a minute to look around for clues, and scope out each other first. Reese takes a chance.
"There are four positions open. I say we have a better chance winning this as a team. Pool our experience and we'll beat everyone else working alone. Anyone with me?" They all look at each other, questioning. "I'm a great tracker but I'm not as phycially strong as you, Major Bates. Major Giles, you may be the smartest one here but you'll never make it 10 miles in the woods without help. What do you say?"
"I agree with you, " says a recruit Reese didn't know. "But I think teams of four would be better, especially since there are only 4 positions." They all agree and team up. Giles, Brown and Bates go with Reese. Brown and Reese are the trackers and take point. They quickly find the clues the C.O. had talked about. Giles was the best at deciphering some of the signs they found. Unfortunately they found more than they intended. They hear a noise up ahead. They all crouch down to listen. Reese, being in the lead, goes to investigate, thinking its part of the training. But it's a bear. She tries to quietly crawl back to her team to warn them but the bear starts after her and she is forced to scream to the others "BEAR!" as she turns to face the bear so it won't go after her team mates. She has only a knife for defense as no guns were permitted in this training exercise. The bear rears up on its hind legs, growling. It's a grizzly and it's huge! She rushes under it and lunges at its abdomen before she rolls away and is up again, ready. She only makes it MAD! It lunges back at her and she tries to stab at its eyes with her knife to blind it but it is too fast and it bites her right arm and holds her in its grip. She screams in pain and manages to use her left arm to grab the knife out of her right hand and again stab the bear till it starts to try and shake her. From out of the trees her team jumps down on the bear and, using their own knives, they all attack the bear at the same time. The bear flailes wildly at them but won't release Reese's arm from its grip. She thinks her arm is about to be torn off when gunfire erupts from behind the bear and it rears up one last time, with Reese hanging onto its fur, before it falls, on top of Reese, dead. It takes all 3 of her team mates, plus the two gun men to roll the monstrous beast off of the now unconscious and bleeding Reese. She regains consciousness as they put her on a stretcher. What is the first thing out of her mouth?
"Who was in the bear outfit? I'm not done. Stitch me up and let me get back to my team."
"Someone sedate her, please." said the C.O. "The rest of you keep going. No one has reached Gen. Landry yet."
Once in the ambulance the medics attempt to sedate Reese but she pulls their own guns on them.
"Bandage me up and start driving to Gen. Landry. You know where he is. NOW!" The medics did as they were told. Why not? They didn't want to stop her, they just wanted to make sure she didn't bleed to death. So they drove up an old logging road for about 5 miles and stopped.
"There's an underground bunker within ½ mile south of here. Can't tell you more than that except I'm sure it's well hidden cuz no one has ever found it. That's all we know. " He looks at her bandaged arm."You really need to go to the hospital for that arm. I'm pretty sure it's broken and those bandages will only hold for a little while. And we haven't even talked about your ribs."
"I know. Will the bandages buy me a couple of hours?" she asks.
"Maybe. If you're careful."
"Thanks." She exits the ambulance and heads south, keeping the gun. Within ½ hour she finds the bunker, well hidden under bushes that have grown up around it, untouched for many years. There must be another way in. (Yes! Asgard beaming technology but she doesn't know about that!). She carefully lowers herself down the narrow pipe, wincing all the way as she only has one good arm. At the bottom its dark and she takes a minute to let her eyes adjust. She sees another door about 10 feet away and there's a faint show of light peeping out from underneath. She opens it and surprises Gen. Landry who is sitting reading reports, never expecting anyone to find him.
"Gen. Landry, I presume?" she says boastfully. He looks at this small, dirty girl with bloody bandages on her right arm and a gun in her left. "We need to get out of here before your 'captors' return." she says, knowing full well she is just playing into a hoax, but she can play along.
"There are no captors, of course, Major Reese. Finding me WAS the battle. No one has ever found me before, you've interrupted my work." he says with a smile.
"So, its over?"
"Yes, its over."
"Great. I need a doctor." She collapses on the floor.
Cut to the SGC gateroom where Reese O'Brien is receiving her new rank and embarking on a new career. Gen. Landry is at the podium and all the SGC staff are present, standing at attention. Reese has a cast on her arm.
"It is my honor to give Major Reese O'Brien the Purple Heart Medal for bravery, courage and perseverance in 'grizzly' conditions." Everyone laughs at the pun. "She has re-earned the rank of Lieutenant today." She approaches Gen. Landry and he pins her medal and rank onto her uniform. Everyone is clapping. "Would you like to say a few words, Lt. O'Brien? I think you earned it." Reese approaches the podium and stares out at her future.
"I just wanted to thank my team, Major Giles, Major Bates, and Major Brown. I wouldn't be standing here if it weren't for them and I wish they were here with me. If it weren't for that guy in the bear outfit we would have all made it." Everyone laughs.
"Actually, Lt., no they wouldn't. We told you there were four positions available to encourage team work. If we told you there was only one spot no one would work as a team and in this job, team work means everything. Don't worry about your team. Their actions are all noted in their files and they will get the first crack at the next position. But this one goes to the bear hunter."
Cut back to the infirmary on Atlantis.
"That poor bear. Didn't know what hit him." says Cam sarcastically. Sam looks at Cam.
"Cam, why don't you go shower. You look like a bear yourself. And you smell like one too!"
"Will ya let me finish breakfast? Jeez!" Reese's eyes flutter. She starts to cough as the breathing tube is down her throat and chocking her. Dr. Keller quickly comes running through the door and slowly removes the tube and watches all the monitors.
"Lt. O'Brien, do you know where you are?" she asks. Reese is groggy, her throat is sore and she's still trying to focus her eyes.
"Atlantis." She smiles as she focuses on Cam. "Who's the guy in the bear outfit?" Cam laughs and cries and takes her hand and kisses it.
"You think I look bad!" he laughs.
Reese looks around the room and then at Sam. "My team?" Sam shakes her head.
"Sorry, Lt." says Sam.
"Lt. Alexander said it was vital for you to know someone named Ford was working with Koyla." Reese says horsely.
"Lt. Ford?" Sam says surprised. "Thank you, Reese, that's good to know. He had to show up sometime. We'll talk about it later when you're feeling better. I'll leave you two alone." Sam takes Dr. Keller with her as she leaves.
"You gave me quite a scare, Peanut." Cam says softly.
"Now we're even." she says with a smile. They look at each other without talking for a minute. Not knowing what to say after being apart so long, after everything that has happened between them.
"I've missed you so much." says Cam.
"Me too." He caresses her cheek. He leans in to kiss her and quietly whispers in her ear, "I love you, Reese O'Brien." Her heart monitor is still on and races for a minute. Reese looks at him and a tear comes to her eye.
"You've never said that before, Camy. All the years we were together, you never said that."
"I know. I wanted to say it so many times. I wanted to tell you at the restaurant before you told me about your interview. But you were so excited about joining the SGC. It didn't seem like the right time."
"Anytime is the right time." she corrected him. "I love you too."
"I don't want to lose you again, Peanut."
"Cam, risk is part of our jobs. I love it as much as you do."
"I know."
"I'm not the type to 'stay home with the kids'".
"I know." They look at each other, not knowing what else to say or where this might be going.
"I'm really tired, Camy. And you smell. There are showers here, ya know." she smiles.
"Very funny. I'll go and let you sleep. I'll be back in an hour." He stands up. "I really do love you, Peanut. Ya know, Reese Mitchell sounds really nice together."
"It does. I love you too, grizzly bear."
"I get the hint!" He walks out the door and walks over to Dr. Keller as Reese falls asleep. "Call me if there's any change. I'm just gonna shower."
"My nose thanks you." He laughs and leaves the infirmary.
Later Cam comes rushing back into the infirmary, hair still wet from the shower.
"What? What happened!?" He looks over to Reese's bed. The sheet is over her head. "NO!"
"I'm sorry, Cam. It looks like she had a brain hemorrhage. There was nothing more I could do."
Cam slowly walks over to her body and sits down. He cradles her now lifeless hand next to his face and cries quietly. Alone again.
The end.