Downtime-24
"How long has she been asleep?" Carter asked when she entered the infirmary.
"Four hours," Lam answered.
"You know she's going to be angry when she wakes up?"
"I'll deal with that if or when it happens. She is exhausted and not doing herself or Mitchell any good by ignoring her own health," the physician explained.
"How is Cam?"
"His fever's higher than I'd like," Lam said and walked toward the door. She stared in at the unconscious colonel who was covered to mid chest with a cooling blanket. She knew the wound would need to be cleaned again soon, and hoped the greenish secretion would not be repeated.
"Is he showing any side effects from the Regala?" Carter asked worriedly. She'd seen how much damage the creature's extraction had caused and knew Lam had done everything she could to save his life.
"He has an infection in both kidneys and we may have to resort to Dialysis if his output doesn't improve in the next 24 hours. There's just so much damage…but he's fighting, Sam," the worried physician explained.
"Cam is strong…"
"He'll need to be," Lam told her as they entered the small room. She moved to the bed and checked the readouts on the monitors, worried that his fever had gone up half a degree even with the special equipment they were using. She placed her hand on his bare shoulder and looked up when she heard movement from the doorway. "Vala, you're supposed to be sleeping…"
"To quote Cam…I think I smell a rat," Mal Doran said, her mouth dry, her tongue thick making her words sound slightly slurred.
"I don't know what you mean," Lam said, with a hint of a smile.
"How do you feel, Vala?" Carter asked.
"I'm fine," Mal Doran said and looked at Lam. "How is he?"
"Nothing's changed, Vala," the physician answered.
"When will he wake up?"
"I don't know…he's been through so much and still has a long fight ahead of him. We're going to do everything medically possible to see that he makes a complete recovery, but the real fight is his," Lam answered.
"He won't have to fight alone," Mal Doran vowed and eased the rail of the bed down. She sat on the edge and reached forward, removing the Velcro restraint that kept him from grabbing at the tubes, and finally took his hand, carefully avoiding the IV line and leads as she pressed it against her right cheek. "Do you hear me, Cam? You don't have to do this alone…I'm here…so are Sam, Daniel, and Teal'c. We're SG1 dammit and we fight the enemy together. We're fearless and strong and loyal and we need you, Cam…Please listen to me…please come back to us…to me…"
Lam motioned for Carter to follow her out as tears filled Vala's eyes. She knew the woman needed time alone…needed to voice her worries and fears without worrying about anyone hearing her most intimate secrets. She closed the door and leaned against it, hoping Vala would get through to him.
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Cameron Mitchell had never felt so hopelessly lost in his life. There seemed to be no end to the stream of doors he opened and yet each time there was nothing but darkness behind each one. There were sounds, some he recognized, while others sent shockwaves of terror through him. There were voices, some loud, some angry, some sad, but the one he wanted seemed to be missing. God, he needed to hear her…needed to know she was waiting for him to find his way home.
'Vala,' he screamed, but the sound didn't reach his ears as his throat convulsed with pain. His guts felt like they were on fire as images flashed through his subconscious. He wanted to grab his skull, but his hands wouldn't obey his command.
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Vala watched his face, hoping and praying for any sign that he knew she was there, that he was safe now and could come back to her. There was no change since Lam and Carter left her alone, but she felt as if he was slipping away from her. She held tight to his hand, pressing it against her lips as tears slipped freely from her eyes. She thought about how much she'd changed since first meeting this man.
She'd been so sure that Daniel Jackson would make the perfect mate for her, but she'd been wrong and was totally floored when she realized this man had wormed his way into her heart without even trying. She'd never felt her heart ache so much as when he was hurt, sick, or when they were separated. The hell of it was she didn't need the bracelets to tell her when Cam needed her. It was some kind of natural instinct that brought them together and Vala was sure this man was her destiny.
"Cam, please, I need you…I need you to keep me from doing stupid things. I need you to love me like you promised…like we promised each other. I'm not ready to let you go, Cam…"
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'Vala,' God he was desperate to reach her, but the doors he'd opened offered nothing but pain. The one in front of him seemed impossibly large and heavy. It took both hands to encircle the doorknob, but there was no way he could turn it. He looked down at his hand as something wet struck it and stared at the droplet of water before looking around. There was nothing to tell him where it came from, but suddenly another struck his hand and he found the strength to turn the knob.
He pushed against the barrier, crying out as it remained in place no matter how much he prayed for it to move. "Va…Vala!"
"Cam?" Mal Doran whispered, fearful that it had been her imagination. She looked at the monitors, but couldn't tell if anything significant had changed so she dropped her gaze to watch his face. It took several seconds to realize his eyes were moving beneath closed lids and he was trying to speak. "Cam, I'm here…it's Vala…you're safe…"
"Vala," Mitchell managed and forced his eyes open. It took every ounce of strength he had left to focus on her and a thin smile formed before pain shot through him and he grabbed her hand in a white knuckled grip.
"Carolyn, he's awake!" Mal Doran shouted and heard the sound of running feet just before the door opened and Lam rushed inside, followed by one of the nurses.
"God!" Mitchell cried and tried to grab at his stomach, but Vala clung tightly to his hand while the other was still in restraints. His whole body felt as if it was on fire and he struggled against the people trying to help him.
"Colonel, I know you're hurting right now and I'm going to do something about that," Lam explained while Vala continued to talk to her patient.
"Cam, the nurse is giving you something for pain right now…just look at me…"
"Re…Regala," Mitchell mumbled and tried again to claw at his gut, but his hands were held fast and he managed to focus on the woman staring down at him with tears in her eyes.
"The Regala is gone, Colonel," Lam assured him, smiling as his head turned slightly toward her.
"Gone," the injured man whispered hopefully.
"Yes, it's gone, but it did do some damage internally and we need you to relax and let us take care of you," the physician explained.
"Head hurts," Mitchell told her.
"Only your head?" Lam asked with a smile. "Julie just gave you some morphine and it should already be working…"
"Is…so tired," the colonel told her.
"Then close your eyes and sleep, Cam," Mal Doran said and smiled when he returned his gaze to her.
"Be here…when…when I wake up?"
"Where else would I be?" Vala asked, watching as Lam and the nurse continued to examine the injured man even after his eyes closed. "Carolyn…"
"He's doing better, Vala, but his fever is still high and I've just ordered a stronger antibiotic cocktail for him," Lam explained. "He's probably going to sleep the rest of the day, Vala, so I want you to go get something to eat."
"I'm not..." she stopped and stared at the other woman suspiciously. "If I refuse to eat will I get another one of your special trays?"
"Probably," Lam warned.
"I'll be back in half an hour," Mal Doran said, leaning forward and brushing her lips against Mitchell's before leaving the room.
"Julie, keep an eye on him for any reaction to the antibiotics," Lam ordered.
"Yes, doctor," the nurse said and hung the new medications on the IV pole as the physician left the room.
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General Hank Landry looked up from the papers on his desk and smiled when his daughter stepped into the office. "Tell me you have good news?"
"Colonel Mitchell woke up, but he's far from out of the woods," Lam answered and sat across from her father. "The injuries caused by the Regala are dangerous and he's fighting a massive infection."
"Don't give up on him, Carolyn."
"I don't plan on giving up," the physician assured him. "I've changed the antibiotics, but we're running out of options here."
"I know you're doing everything you can, Carolyn, and I have every confidence in your skills as a surgeon. I've seen you work and I know you'll exhaust every angle until you've found the right one," Landry told her.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Lam said and looked at her father. They'd made up a lot of ground since she'd come to the SGC and the fact that he spoke so highly of her made her wonder if it was just her father's way of making up for lost time.
"Carolyn, your work is exemplary and I'm not just saying that because I'm your father. I'm saying it as a man who has seen those skilled hands save many lives. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't proud that you're my daughter, but I'm also confident that I chose the right person for the job. Don't ever think otherwise," the general told her.
"Thanks, Dad…have you heard anything from the Regalions since we returned the creature?"
"Lorapadose contact us to say the Regala he brought back attacked and killed Antropodes and that the other creatures were also dead. He said the cycle is over and his people are ready to move forward under their own rule and they've asked for our help," Landry answered.
"After everything they did to Colonel Mitchell I don't feel any pity for them," Lam said.
"Neither do I, but they've asked for help this time and hopefully they'll be able to move forward with our help. The IOA are sending several representatives to speak with them and Dr. Jackson has volunteered to be on the team we send in…with one stipulation," the general told her and watched her eyes as she waited for him to continue.
"What stipulation?" she finally asked.
"That they be allowed to keep their clothes on," Landry answered with a grin.
"Good plan," Lam said and rubbed at tired eyes.
"You look like you should be sleeping."
"Believe me that's exactly what I'm going to do as soon as I get back to the infirmary," Lam vowed, standing and making her way to the door. "Thanks, Dad," she said softly and closed the door behind her, but not before she saw the astonished look on his face. She knew he was proud of her, but it wasn't often they spoke so openly and she wanted him to know she appreciated his words.
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Cameron struggled against the arms holding him in place and fought to get to the bed, but his captors were too strong. He saw the Regalion step forward, holding the creature high above his head before placing it on the woman's bare abdomen. He heard her scream and watched in horror as the Regala began to bore its way into her body. "NO!" he screamed and watched as her terrified eyes turned toward him.
"You did this!" she cried as her body convulsed with pain.
"No, God, Vala, No!" He managed to pull free, but when he moved toward the bed the creature stared at him through Vala's eyes.
"She is mine…just as you belong to my mate!"
Mitchell's eyes grew wide as he felt the familiar biting sensation at his gut. He lifted his shirt and stared in disbelief at the creature that was slowly eating its way inside him. "Vala!" he screamed, but there was no answer from the woman who meant so much to him.
TBC