The Arena-29
Jenna watched her patient with a hint of a smile on her face. The others had already left and Dr. Lam was working in the lab with the Viridian. Jenna knew they were close to an antidote, but she hoped it would not happen anytime soon. With Mitchell confined to the infirmary she could spend time with him.
Jenna looked at the clock and sighed in disgust. There was less than an hour left of her shift and then she'd be unable to return to duty for twelve hours. How could she take care of him if she was not here, where she belonged? Her fingers strayed toward his cheek and she gently stroked his face, sighing heavily as she felt the hint of stubble on his cheek. Jenna wanted him in her bed, craved the feel of his body next to hers, wished she could massage his bare shoulders, back, waist and buttocks, but she knew that was not to be. At least not while they were both here at the Cheyenne Mountain facility.
She let her fingertips press against his lips and felt a whisper soft breath on her hand. She knew he was calling to someone and leaned in close. "I'm here, Cameron…"
"Vala…so tired…"
Jenna could not stop herself and lashed out, striking Mitchell in the chest with the flat of her hand. She felt him flinch, but the medication kept him from waking up. She turned and stared when she thought she would be discovered. There was no one else nearby at this time of night, and she'd made sure the curtains were closed so that camera angles wouldn't catch anything that happened in this cubicle.
Jenna thought about her life before she'd come here and knew they could find her out any time. There was nothing to disprove she was who she said she was, but if they ever found her sister's body they would know something was wrong. The thought of her sister made her angry and she knew she was not to blame for her death. They were twins; identical in looks, but that was where the similarities ended. Where Janice was a hard worker who came by everything honestly, Jenna had manipulated everything so that she got what she wanted.
She had her nursing degree and knew enough to get by and when the opportunity came she'd taken it and her sister had paid the price. Jenna was dead, but so was Janice because she'd taken her sister's place after murdering her. It had been so easy to change everything so that she became Jenna and now that was who she truly believed she was. This was her life, the life she was meant to have and Cameron Mitchell was the man destined to spend his life at her side…in her bed…in her life.
"Jenna, how is he?"
"Oh, Donna, you startled me. His vitals are good, but his temperatures still elevated. Dr. Lam is in the lab, but she checks in on him from time to time," Jenna told her, amazed at how easily she'd taken on her sister's persona. She glanced at the clock and realized her replacement was early and fought the urge to snap at her.
"I know I'm not due in for half an hour, but I figured I might as well check on the patients before you left," the newcomer explained.
"Thank you, I really appreciate this. Colonel Mitchell is the only patient right now so things are very quiet," Jenna explained and looked at Mitchell once more before walking to the desk and signing out.
"Be careful on the ride home…it's raining and the roads are slippery," Donna explained and reached up to check the IV flow and contents. She didn't see the anger flare in the other woman's eyes, nor did she see her fingers clenching and unclenching in rage.
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Cameron Mitchell shifted on the bed and slowly opened his eyes. He felt better than he had the last time he'd been awake, except for the cough that tore at his chest, and the fact that he wasn't sure he had the strength to sit up on his own. He looked at the IV in his hand and reached for it, but a stern voice brought him up short.
"You do that and I'll have to find a new spot to put in another line…and since we've been poking your upper body so much I just might have to look a little lower," Carolyn Lam warned.
"You wouldn't," Mitchell spat and realized she rarely made idle threats. "Damn…you're as bad as your father…"
"Thank you, I'll be sure to tell him," Lam said and smiled at the look that came over his face. "I'm kidding, Colonel, but rest assured I can be just as bad as or even worse than my father. Now how do you feel?"
"With my hands…"
"Oh really…well I can see your sense of humor has returned and it's just as bad as it ever was," Lam teased and listened to his chest, frowning when she heard something she didn't like. "Colonel, I want you to stay put for another twenty four hours…"
"Come on, Doc, is that really necessary?" Mitchell asked indignantly and suddenly realized how ungrateful he sounded. He turned onto his side as a series of harsh wet coughs erupted from his chest.
"I was afraid of that…"
"Of w…what?" Mitchell asked.
"You've got some congestion building up in your chest…probably from being unable to move around much," Lam explained. "I don't think it's pneumonia yet, but it could easily turn into it if we don't treat this aggressively, especially with your immune system already weak from the drug you're receiving."
"Teal'c's not affected…"
"Teal'c injuries weren't has extensive as yours and he didn't argue with his friendly neighborhood doctor."
"I thought it was friendly neighborhood Spiderman," Mitchell snapped.
"It was, but it works for me as well," Lam said with a slight grin. "Now why don't you lie back and relax…are you hungry?"
"A little," Mitchell told her.
"I'll order something brought up for you…"
"A bur…"
"No, unless it's a veggie burger," Lam offered and saw he look of disgust come over his face. "I'll have them bring you a light soup and sandwich."
"And coffee," Mitchell said.
"Coffee…decaf," the physician warned.
"What's the point of decaf?" Mitchell asked, turning away as a second series of painful coughing issued from his chest. He felt Lam taking his temperature, but he was tired and his chest hurt.
"Colonel, I'm going to start you on IV antibiotics and see if we can stop this in its tracks," Lam told him and wrote up the new orders. She made sure the nurse understood what she wanted and also ordered a light lunch from the cafeteria. She glanced back at her patient and wondered whether an invisible dark cloud hovered over Cameron Mitchell.
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Nadeena stood in the doorway watching the nurse place a tray of food on a table and push it closer to the bed. There were several men who'd caught her eye during her stay, but she still found herself drawn to this one. What was it about Cameron Mitchell that affected her this way? Was it his easy smile, his soft laughter, his eyes, or just everything combining to make him so desirable? Nadeena knew she would never have him, but she could and would fantasize and oh could she make up her own fantasies. She watched him pick at his food before stepping into the room. "Hello, Little One…"
"Ah, Hell, Nadeena, why'd they let you in here?" Mitchell snapped.
"Now, Little One, I know you don't mean that. How are you feeling? You know I could take you back to Viridian and lavish you with attention," Nadeena suggested.
"If you'd stop calling me little one I might consider it," Mitchell told her.
"Well now that just might be possible…"
"I wasn't serious, Nadeena, I don't want to be a kept man," the colonel told her and pushed back the table disinterestedly.
"How d you know if you haven't tried it?"
"I don't need to," Mitchell assured her. "I like making my own decisions and that includes who I want to spend the rest of my life with."
"Vala Mal Doran?"
"Maybe…but I don't think I'm ready for anything serious right now," Mitchell assured her.
"Too bad, Little One, because I know we could…"
"No…we couldn't," the colonel interrupted, and wondered if the heat attacking his body had to do with his fever or the woman's obvious interest in him. He leaned back against the pillows and closed his eyes, hoping she would take the hint and leave, but he could feel her watching him and finally looked at her.
"I am sorry for what we did to you, Little One, but I truly enjoyed seeing you and Teal'c in the Ta'neek," Nadeena told him before turning and leaving him alone once more.
Mitchell could not help, but smile as he watched Nadeena leave. The woman had a way of saying things that made him blush like a sixteen year old caught staring at a playboy magazine.
"You didn't eat very much, Colonel," Donna Rideout observed.
"I'm not that hungry," Mitchell told her and found his thoughts turning toward another woman who had the ability to make him smile with just one look. Vala had really gotten to him and he missed having her around. Cam looked at the clock and knew it would be several days before the others returned and closed his eyes to sleep.
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Vala Mal Doran was not a happy woman and she had already let the Carter and Jackson no exactly how she felt. The negotiations were not going well, but at least the warring factions were at a cease fire for now. She paced the spacious room and listened to the others talking about the best way to keep both parties seated at the table. Three days had passed since they arrived, three days of listening to the back-biting melodrama of the self proclaimed leaders of the principle parties.
Vala walked to the window and looked out over the busy streets and knew the people had a great deal to be angry about. Both sides had valid arguments, but neither one wanted to give anything that might tip the scales for one side. Mal Doran looked up as the meeting adjourned and the two groups left the room without coming to a decision one way or another.
"Vala, are you all right?" Carter asked.
"I'm worried…about Cam," Mal Doran answered honestly.
"Another one of your feelings?" the colonel asked. There were times when Vala seemed to have a strange intuition where Mitchell was concerned and Sam wished there was some way she could ease the woman's mind.
"Yes, I can't explain it, Sam, but something's happened. I need to go back," Mal Doran answered.
"Vala, the next phase is very important in the negotiations and it's imperative that you be present. These people see you as Qetesh and without your influence many people will die. They need to know you're here," Carter told her.
"I know that, but what of my needs? What if I don't want to have people seeing me as Qetesh anymore?"
"Vala, I know you're worried, but until this is settled you have to be here," Carter said and saw the dejected look on her face. "I'm sorry, Vala, but we really need you here if we're going to make this ceasefire last."
Vala took a deep breath and returned her attention to the over crowded streets below. If there was some way she could make these people see that what they were doing was wrong, and then maybe they could all be home by mid morning. With that thought in mind, Vala set her mind to finding a way to make Qetesh a force these people would not dare disobey.
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General Hank Landry looked up as his daughter hurried toward him with a hint of a smile on her face. He knew she was using every waking moment searching for an antidote, but so far she'd come up empty. Nadeena was also working with her and he had no doubt that they'd find the answer if given enough time. Something about Carolyn's stride told him she just may have found the answer they were looking for. He stood up and moved to sit on the corner of his desk as she entered his office. "Tell me you've found something?"
"I did…or rather we did. Nadeena was a tremendous help with this and so far in each of the tests we had positive results," Carolyn explained. "That's why I'm here…we need permission to try this on Teal'c and Mitchell."
"Have you spoken with either of them yet?" Landry asked.
"No, I didn't want to get their hopes up too soon," the physician explained. "We've been able to isolate certain aspects of the drug Nadeena was giving them and the antidote just seemed to fall into place."
"Are you sure it'll work?" the general asked.
"No, but the preliminary tests are excellent and there have been no residual affects so far," Carolyn explained.
"Are you willing to back your work?"
"I am…"
"Then so am I," Landry told her. He'd been speaking with his superiors in Washington and had been given special dispensation in Teal'c and Mitchell's case. He knew his daughter well enough to understand she wasn't doing this on a whim and hoped the antidote worked, for all their sakes. "Do it," he told her.
Carolyn nodded, took a deep breath and headed back to the infirmary.
Hank Landry watched her leave and felt a father's pride for his daughter well up inside. He wasn't one to show his emotions, but lately it seemed Carolyn was surpassing even his beliefs in her abilities. Making his way behind his desk, Landry tried to concentrate on the paperwork before him, but he knew it was almost impossible until he knew how his daughter's work played out.
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Teal'c sat on the edge of the bed watching Cameron Mitchell sleep, while he waited for Lam to give him the daily shot required to keep him alive. There was something about the man that could be frustrating, but Teal'c had learned that Mitchell was a good man to have watching your back or covering your behind in a fight. He knew something was happening to the Colonel, and was worried about the heavy wheezing breath that escaped the other man's chest. He wondered briefly if it had something to do with the Viridians, but if that was the case shouldn't he be showing the same type of illness?
The big Jaffa looked up as the nurse entered and hung a small bag of medication on the pole and then ran it into the existing IV line. He had no idea what it was, but he knew the nurse would not do anything Dr. Lam had not ordered. "How is Colonel Mitchell?"
"He's fighting a fever and Dr. Lam thinks he's on the verge of pneumonia," Donna Stockton answered and smiled at the Jaffa. "He's fighting, Teal'c and if I know one thing about Colonel Mitchell it's that he's not a quitter."
"Where is Dr. Lam?"
"I believe she went to see General Landry," Stockton explained and turned to see the physician and the Viridian enter the infirmary. "Here she is now."
"Teal'c, I'm glad you're here," Carolyn said upon spotting the man seated on the opposite bed. "We've found the antidote…"
"That is good news," Teal'c said, a hint of hope creeping into his eyes.
"I'm going to give it to you and I want you to spend the night here so we can monitor you closely," Lam explained and carefully loaded a syringe before turning to Teal'c. "It's up to you whether I give you this now or waited a couple of weeks until we can study it further."
"It is important to find out if this is the answer before Mitchell grows worse," Teal'c said and offered his right shoulder. He knew he'd said the right words as Lam cleaned an area of his shoulder and injected the antidote.
"Teal'c, I'm going to have Donna hook up the monitors so we can keep an eye on you," Lam explained and moved out of the way as the nurse moved in to do as she'd ordered. "I want you to let us know immediately if you start to feel strange or if you feel sick."
"I will," Teal'c said with a slight tilt of his head. "How long before you know it is working?"
"The nurses will take blood samples at two hour intervals tonight and if there is no sign of the drug in the morning then we know it's working," Lam explained. "In case I never told you there won't be any injection of the Water Sham Derivative today."
"Indeed," Teal'c said and laid back so the nurse could do her job.
TBC
