A/N: I had lost all motivation for this little ficlet. Nothing could make me write more for it and my interest for it was gone. Then I noticed that people were still reading it and wanting to read more. I feel compelled to write more and I will try to finish this little story. I apologise hugely for the time it has taken me to add to this story.
It had been 3 weeks since Linda had had a decent sleep. John being there, hushing her back into the lull of darkness did help. But it never lasted. Even the sleeping tablets Carson had given her were starting to become ineffective.
Yet somehow, when the time ticked by to the fourth week she felt herself begin to waken up more. John had spent more time sleeping in the same bed as her, "to keep an eye on her" as he had said once. Now it was just normal for him to stay the night.
Her wounds were getting better and April had promised to train with her one afternoon. That afternoon was today, with her arm just out of a cast and her bruises and stitches pretty much gone now. When she entered the gym it was to find that a few of the other Marines, Army and Air Force personnel were using it. There was a mat set up in one of the corners that April stood by and Linda stepped over to it with a bright smile. "April," she said with a grin.
She looked her over with a smirk. "Well, someone's feeling better. And you look better. You sleeping better now?"
She shrugged her shoulder, "I'm used to it now I guess."
April slapped her friends arm. "That is not sensible."
Linda rolled her eyes. "It used to be."
"Well now it isn't," April rolled her eyes back to the Linguist and moved to her own gym bag and picked up two batons. She held one out to the Linguist, "Come on crazy."
Linda narrowed her eyes in a smirk and took the offered wooden item. They both made their way onto the mats and a slow paced five minute round of sparring took place. It was easy going and Linda found herself, after just five minutes, panting for breath and holding her side with a wince. "Oooh," April said as she helped her friend to sit down. "Not good."
"No, no, it's," she took in a sharp inhale, "it's fine. I can go on."
April shook her head and grabbed the water bottle from out of Linda's bag. "No, sit, drink and rest. I don't want to kill you on your first day back on your feet."
Linda laughed. "I've had worse." April clipped her round the back of the head, making Linda stare at her. "Really?"
April only shrugged and grabbed her own water bottle. "You deserve it for thinking like an idiot."
Linda rolled her eyes again and shook her head. "Everybody's an idiot. Come on," she put her bottle down, stood up and stretched her back. "I'm fine."
Her friend narrowed her eyes and shook her head. "I am not going to be held responsible for any injury."
"I'm responsible," Linda said with a frown. "Come on. I-" There was a faint buzzing from her gym bag and Linda sighed as she sat herself back down, pulled out her earpiece and put it on, "Say again?"
"Dr Parsons," it was one of the new kids the SGC had sent her when they returned to Atlantis. "I need to discuss the off world rota with you."
She sighed. Heavily. The rota she'd made to designate who was going off world and when had been up for much debate amongst the new linguists. Even after several hours of discussion with all of them, they still disagreed with it. "If it says you're going off world, you're going. I don't care what complaint you have this time. Unless something is medically wrong with you, you're not getting out of it."
"But-"
She took the ear piece out and threw it at her bag. April quirked a brow up to her. "Sounds fun."
Linda let a frustrated groan free. "Every time one of them has to go off world it's always, 'I can't because of this or that' or 'I don't want to go there and such and such as already agreed to swap'." She let another groan go and sat down next to the Lieutenant and sighed.
April nodded and stood back up, grabbed the wooden batons and held one out. "Come on, let's get this rage out of you."
It was Linda's turn to look up with a quirk of the brow. "What happened to you didn't want to injure me?"
"Pfft," April said, "Caring's overrated."
"Lovely," Linda said with a smirk as she took the baton and joined her friend on the mat. Their round of sparring lasted fifteen minutes this time, their paces and moves getting faster towards the end. When they did call it quits, April disappeared quickly to get ready for the mission her team were going on. "Don't get killed."
"I'll try not to."
That left Linda alone to take a long shower and relax on her bed for a while before she got back to work. She'd just gotten dressed when there was a knock at her door. With a frown she opened the door to find Timothy, a young Linguist who had just gotten out of College, stood there looking awkward. "Dr Parsons, I insist that somebody else goes on the mission with Major Domino's team."
She sighed and moved back into her room, "I would, but I'm in no fit state too. Trust me, any other day I would take your place. Just, play nice okay? They're not the worst people in the world."
She saw that Tim was going to open his mouth to say something, so she moved back towards the door and ran her hand over the sensor. She held her breath for a few seconds before letting it go and letting herself slide onto her bed. Now all she wanted to do was sleep. Sleep for the rest of the day, the night and maybe the next day too.
With a yawn and a stretch she changed into pyjamas, called Ryan and told him to keep him an eye on the other Linguists whilst she rested up. He bid her 'get well' and she thanked him, dropped her ear piece onto the night stand and turned the lights off.
Within seconds of her head hitting the pillow and the cover being pulled up, she was asleep.