10 – Bad Boy
It was becoming a habit, calling for a med team while on base. Vala had only been gone for about an hour when Daniel had collapsed right in front of Cam. With quick reflexes he'd been able to slow Jackson's descent to the floor. It'd been frantic in the infirmary, Dr. Lam and her staff racing around hooking up machines. Thankfully when Vala came back through the gate, things turned around.
Dr. Lam had rechecked both patient's vitals and told them a nurse would be along to disconnect them from monitors so they could be discharged. Cameron watched her walk away and told Jackson he'd check on him later before making his own departure.
He caught up with Lam near the nurse's station. "This will get pretty old, pretty quick, if we can't figure out how to sever the link they seem to have."
"Hopefully Dr. Lee will have better luck. He's doing some research now and hopes to try a few things by tomorrow." Dr. Lam set down the patient charts on the counter before turning back to face Cameron. "So, you pick a team yet?"
"I was in the middle of asking Jackson to join, but he collapsed before I got an answer. Unless this is his way of avoiding giving me an answer." Cameron looked back over at Jackson and Vala as if to assure himself they'd truly had a medical issue.
"Seems a bit elaborate to me," Carolyn delivered in a monotone voice, but Cameron could see a slight twinkle in her eyes.
"The word elaborate reminds me," Mitchell began, switching subjects, "I was thinking fancy Italian restaurant… you, me… menus, waiters… even that wine that always seems to be absent when we eat together."
"That's a shame; I'm starting to enjoy seats welded to the tables. Makes it easier to maneuver when your hands are full" she delivered sarcastically. "I think I'll pass, Colonel."
"There's always the cafeteria," he countered, not deterred in the least. "I'd be game for that."
"Yeah, but then no fancy Italian food or wine," she shook her head as if it was a dilemma. "Well… I have some patients I need to write discharge orders for. Have a good evening, Mitchell."
He knew on the inside she was laughing at him, and sadly it kind of made his day.
The next morning Lam made it to the mountain and went through security, her mind occupied with Jackson, Vala and what she hoped was going to be a positive report from Dr. Lee. She looked up when she saw someone stop the elevator doors from closing and she couldn't help the eye roll upon seeing who the arm belonged to.
"You weren't going to hold the elevator for me were you?" Mitchell accused playfully.
"To be honest, I didn't see you almost missing it."
"And if you had?"
"I guess we'll never know," she replied, pressing the close door button again.
"I was thinking about it last night, and can't help but wonder if it's the clean cut persona."
Carolyn looked at Mitchell completely confused, "What?"
"The reason you won't agree to even one date with me."
Carolyn shook her head, but didn't take the bait. This man was just as infuriating as he was entertaining and she had to admit she was curious to see where he was going with this.
"See, I think it's because every woman goes through their "bad boy" phase. I figure you just can't get past my clean cut look."
"Yeah, that's got to be it," Carolyn agreed sarcastically. "You are definitely clean-cut, all-American good guy. Not at all what women are looking for in a man."
"I can be a bad boy," Cameron protested, taking a step toward her. "You've seen my motorcycle."
"First of all, I've heard of it, Lorne is the one that gawked at it while Amanda and I visited," she reminded him. "For all I know it doesn't even exist."
"You could come over…" he started, but Carolyn cut him off.
"Secondly… look at you." She always enjoyed teasing Cam. "Hair cut is high and tight, BDU's buttoned up, all except the last one…" she trailed off, pointing at the top button and trying not to laugh at his obvious desire to protest, while his manners kept him from interrupting. Definitely not hiding the heart of a bad boy under his military persona.
Cameron ran his hands over his head, but not much he could do there. He reached then for his buttons on his green shirt and began unbuttoning, "I can be just as unbuttoned as the next guy," he teased; taking a step toward her once he'd freed his next button.
Carolyn had to fight an internal battle to keep from taking a step back. He was too close. She'd learned early on that distance helped her keep his effects on her to a minimum.
Mitchell saw a seriousness engulf her features and he wondered if he was finally getting to her. Lord knew she affected him every time he was in her presence. "You could come for a ride on my motorcycle and we could grab a bite to eat." He gave her a quick wink before continuing. "A bit of leather, fast down the open road," he took another step closer, invading her personal space even more, "your arms wrapped around me, Care."
Carolyn laughed nervously and pointed up at the readout for the elevator. "This is my floor, Colonel."
The doors opened up and she exited quickly, but stopped short… right in front of her father. She tried to still her racing pulse as she answered the General's questions. He seemed more distracted with Cam trying to re-button his shirt than her answers. Thankfully he ran out of questions and with one last look at Cameron left.
"So did the General seem a little…?" Cameron began, unsure of what word to use.
"Weird?" Lam supplied, ready to laugh at Mitchell's discomfort.
"Yeah."
"He's my father," Carolyn stated before turning and taking a step away.
Cameron stood rooted to the spot, stunned by Dr. Lam's revelation. General Landry was Carolyn's father… the man responsible for her take on all military men. His commanding officer. He hadn't missed Carolyn's reaction to him in the elevator though. She wasn't immune to him.
Cameron sat in the infirmary and thought it might have been a good idea to change out of the leather clothes before getting his mandatory post mission physical. They were definitely not as comfortable as his BDUs.
Dr. Lam approached him and their encounter in the elevator a few days back entered his mind for a moment. Maybe the leathers weren't so bad, at least for a few more minutes. They kinda gave off a bad boy vibe.
"Colonel, anything about the mission I should know about?" She asked the question briskly; it was a standard first question for most missions.
"No ma'am, no hitches or hi-jinks… well, apart from the typical ones with Vala on the mission with us."
"I heard it was a rather…," she searched for the right word, "well, a bit like a scavenger hunt was the impression I got."
"Yeah," Mitchell agreed, "I've had the song, "I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly" stuck in my head all day."
Lam looked at him oddly, not quite understanding how that was relevant.
"During our briefing meeting we went over what had to be done in order to get Arlos to tell us how to sever the connection between Jackson and Vala. We had to get this ship, to get the power coil, to get the necklace, to give to Arlos before he'd part with the secret of the connection."
Cameron paused to make sure Carolyn was still following along, "So of course my mind then immediately went to 'she swallowed the dog to catch the cat, she swallowed the cat to catch the bird, she swallowed the bird to catch the spider…'" he sing-songed until Carolyn interrupted.
"That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her," she continued for him minus the sing-song voice.
"Exactly," he laughed.
"And now I'll have it stuck in my head for the rest of the night."
"You're welcome." He hopped off the exam table and turned toward her. "So… do you still think I can't pull off the bad-boy…" he searched for the word, "thing?" he finished lamely while turning slightly so she could take a proper gander at his attire.
"That outfit is really uncomfortable, isn't it?" she asked matter-of-factly.
"Completely," he agreed, his shoulders drooping.
"Thought so," she said with a smirk as she left him to go tend to her next post mission physical. The man did look good in leather, but there was no reason he needed to know that.