Tegan Chronicles
Origins of Truth 12
"Kiser?" Tegan lifted the receiver to her ear wondering who was calling their room.
"Tegan?"
The voice sounded familiar and she hoped she didn't make a fool of herself. "Debbie Craig?"
"Yes, I was afraid you wouldn't remember me."
"How could I forget you?" She smiled despite herself, while ignoring Janet's inquiring gaze.
"I took a chance that you'd still be at the Marriot today, I was afraid you'd be on your way back to Colorado and I'd missed my chance to catch you."
"Actually, I'm here for a couple days. My – uh – my boss told me to enjoy the time away, and go to the museums or something."
"I don't want to take away from all that, but if you don't have anything better to do I'm staying up at the cabin and I'd love the company."
"It'd be great to catch up but I have a traveling companion, and…"
"She's more than welcome to come."
Tegan wondered how she knew it was a woman. "Can I get your number and call you back in a few minutes?"
"Sure," Debbie rattled off the number and said goodbye.
Tegan placed the receiver back in the cradle and looked at Janet. "How badly do you want to go to the museums?"
It had been General Hammond's idea and Dana had readily agreed to watch Cassie for however long they would be gone. To be honest Janet wasn't looking forward to fighting the crowds, and kids on field trips even if they both could walk, and having to push a wheelchair around the cramped quarters made it even less inviting. "What do you have in mind?"
"An old friend has invited us to her cabin, I haven't talked to her since I left for the SGC." Tegan's remorse shone in her eyes, and had Janet wanted to say no she couldn't have.
"I'm game. Why don't you tell me you want to eat and I'll call for room service while you call her back." She'd watched Tegan punch the number into her cell phone.
Tegan took the menu from Janet. "She was one of my teachers."
Janet nodded, she didn't need an explanation.
"I'll take a hamburger and a baked potato."
"You're going to eat all that?" Janet had watched her barely eat at the banquet earlier that day.
Tegan shrugged and handed the menu back.
"What do you want to drink?"
"Pepsi."
"Well Coke be ok?" Janet scanned the drink list.
"It's fine." Tegan scrolled through the numbers in her phone and pushed dial.
"Hello?"
"So when do you want us?"
"Anytime, the linens are clean."
"Well be there tomorrow after lunch then."
"Alright, I'll see you then."
Tegan hung up her cell phone just as someone knocked on the door. "That was fast."
"Too fast." Janet noted they didn't identify themselves as room service as she'd expected them to. "Call Colonel O'Neill's room."
Janet waited until she heard Tegan lay the receiver back down before she pulled the door open to reveal a woman younger than Tegan standing there holding a duplicator box. Her hair was light blonde and her eyes were an eerie shade of crystal blue so pale they almost looked clear.
"Can I help you?" It was Jack's voice from the next room, and he nodded at Sam who stepped out of her room so they were blocking the girl's exit.
She looked between the three people, none of which were who she was there to see but all of whom she recognized from the news reports. "I'm looking for Tegan Kiser."
"You can start by putting the box down." Sam pointed to the floor.
As she leaned forward her long hair slipped off her shoulder, she sat the box at her feet and tried to look around Janet to spot Tegan. Janet moved with her blocking her view.
"Who are you?" Janet demanded.
"I'm Tegan's sister."
"She doesn't have a sister." Jack knew he would remember her mentioning it.
"I'm her half sister," She corrected, "Jessica Kiser."
Janet turned back to Tegan, and Jessica caught a glimpse of her shaking her head no.
"I remember you," Jessica pleaded.
"She doesn't remember you." Janet started to push the door closed.
"I've got her mom's stuff here; I found it when I was cleaning out the attic."
"You can just leave it." Tegan spoke from the bed.
Janet moved away giving Tegan a partial view of Jessica.
"I don't remember you." She lied, she didn't remember the face, but she'd heard the name before and probably her voice as a child.
Janet stepped back blocking the doorway. "Sorry."
"My number's in the box if your memory returns." She tilted her head up as if her voice needed to float over Janet to get into the room.
After she left Jack cautiously flipped the lid of the box up, it had a business card on top and what looked like two journals and a couple photo albums. "What do you want me to do with it?"
"If you can take it back with you tomorrow, I don't want to deal with it right now."
"Alright." Jack put the lid back on knowing it was somehow be Tegan's own personal Pandora's Box.
"I'd hoped you'd actually eat." Janet watched Tegan pick at her food. She'd known the minute a long lost half sister had shown up that Tegan wouldn't eat.
Tegan shrugged. "Lost my appetite."
"I know." Pushing the issue wasn't going to do either of them any good. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"I want to forget about it, at least until we get back. Think we can do that?" Tegan's voice was soft, non-accusing.
"I won't bring it up again."
"Good." She smiled lightly even though both she and Janet knew it was forced.
"Turn here." Tegan pointed to the gravel driveway leading a quarter of a mile off the poorly kept dirt road to an A-Frame cabin sitting on four acres surrounded on three sides by the George Washington National Forest.
"You've been here before?" Janet was thankful to get off the bumpy and curvy mountain road, relieved they hadn't run into any other traffic on the narrow path.
"A couple of times after I graduated."
"How come you don't ever talk about her?"
Tegan shrugged. "I don't know, there's a lot in my past I just don't talk about."
"Yeah I know." Janet pulled to a stop along side the black Jeep in the drive as Tegan waved to Debbie who'd stepped out onto the porch.
"You found it," Debbie commented when Tegan opened her door.
"Well it's not like you moved it." Tegan smiled. "Debbie this Janet, Janet, Debbie."
"What can I do to help?"
"Nothing." Both Tegan and Janet answered in unison.
"Come on, I've still got the use of all my limbs." Her sandy blonde hair blew in the wind. "At least let me grab some luggage or something."
Tegan nodded as Janet brought the wheelchair around the side of the rental car. "It's in the back seat."
"I'm putting you down here." Debbie turned to Janet. "And you'll be in the guest room up stairs, the door on the end."
"I can't take your room."
"It's not my room, you forget I don't live here full time. Besides you can't do the stairs."
"Who says I can't?"
"I do." Janet gave her a look she reserved for ornery patients and a hardheaded teenaged daughter.
"Sorry I dropped the ball." Debbie gestured for Janet to take a seat after sitting her luggage at the foot of the stairs. "I've been meaning to write, but things have been difficult since Milton passed."
"I understand."
"I didn't know if you'd tried to write. I sold the house in Maryland, I just couldn't stay there any more. Too many memories."
"I've been pretty busy since I transferred." Tegan easily let her off the hook. "It just seems there's never time to do much outside of work."
"But you've always been a workaholic." Debbie looked around. "What kind of host am I? Can I get either of you a drink, something to eat?"
"I'm fine thank you," Janet declined.
"Same." Tegan nodded.
"If you don't mind I'm going to walk around outside and stretch my legs." Janet stood up.
"No, make yourself at home, please." Debbie watched Tegan's eyes follow her out the door. "So tell me about Janet."
"She's a doctor, a really good doctor. She's a Major and Chief Medical Officer on base. She's really smart, and has a wonderful teenage daughter named Cassie. Oh, she's also bossy." Tegan grinned. "We've become pretty good friends."
"Is that all?"
"I don't follow." She played dumb.
"I see the way you look at her." She waited for Tegan to say something, and when she didn't she went on. "You know I won't say anything, you also know I don't care as long as you're happy."
"Thanks, I'm getting there," Tegan admitted. Even though she wouldn't admit it right then she was glad Debbie approved, she was the closest thing to a parent Tegan had ever had aside from her maternal grandmother. "I've got a great group of people I work with. They're like family. We even hang out outside of work. Seems strange huh?"
"No, I'm just glad. You've been a loner for far too long."
"I know."
"She's welcome to stay down here with you."
"I'm not sure she'd be comfortable with that."
"See I knew it." Debbie smiled knowing Tegan hadn't really slipped up in admitting it.
The front door opened and closed.
"Back already?" Tegan threw over her shoulder, "You weren't gone long."
"It's cold out there."
"And Colorado is warm this time of year?" Debbie laughed.
"No, not really." Janet stepped into the living room. She looked at Tegan as she passed, her brown eyes inspecting the red head.
"So Janet, you're a doctor also?"
"Yes, I joined the Air Force right after I finished my residency. Until my recent post I was focusing on viruses."
"Now she does it all, including broken bones." Tegan pointed to her cast.
"Impressive." Debbie nodded. "So did any other injuries fall out of the sky with you?"
"A few scrapes, and some fractured ribs, hence the wheelchair."
"She's a pro on crutches you know." Debbie looked at Janet who had settled back in the chair.
"Yes, I know."
"Are you still into your extreme sports?"
"When I get time off which isn't very often."
"How about singing?"
Tegan nodded. "Just a little gig in a bar full of drunks, nothing major."
"She packs the house when they know she's singing," Janet interjected.
"I'm not surprised. I used to drive into DC when the Knight-n-Gales were performing." Debbie turned back to Tegan. "I'm sorry, I heard about Paige."
"So," Tegan changed the subject. "Are you still working?"
"I am." She'd switched career paths after Tegan had graduated from high school and had become a social worker. "I'm thinking about early retirement though. There are just too many kids in bad situations."
"Yeah," Tegan reflected.
"It doesn't get any easier."
"I imagine not." Janet pulled a hair belonging to Tegan off her jeans.
"You know…" Tegan laced the fingers of her right hand with Janet's. "Debbie said you could sleep in here with me."
Janet shook her head. "If you wanted to sleep with me, you should have stayed at the hotel."
"Are you upset that we came?"
"No, I'm glad we did. I'm getting to know you just a little bit better. And Debbie seems like a really nice person."
"She is." Tegan yawned. "I wouldn't be where I am today had it not been for her; which means we might never have met."
"Then I'm certain she's a wonderful lady." Janet leaned forward and kissed the tip of Tegan's nose. "Get some sleep."
"I love you."
Janet disentangled her fingers from Tegan's and crossed the room. She cut out the overhead light. "Don't let the bed bugs bite."
Tegan frowned lightly. She was going to start keeping track of the 'I love yous' starting now. Currently it was Tegan one and Janet zero.