Vala squirmed under the hands of Dr. Lam as she prodded at her stitched-up wound. "This would be a lot easier if you stopped moving," Dr. Lam pointed out.

"Well, I would stop moving if you would stop poking me!" Dr. Lam rolled her eyes, but apparently decided that Vala's healing was satisfactory and set to replacing her bandages. Teal'c was standing several feet away with his back turned to give her privacy. Vala honestly didn't mind his presence, but his gentlemanly behavior made her smile. "Everything looks good," Dr. Lam was saying. "You were lucky. Whatever shrapnel hit you didn't go deep enough to harm any organs."

"Oh, yes," Vala said sarcastically. "I feel so lucky."

The doctor ignored her. "I would strongly recommend bed rest for the next several days, and you won't be able to go out in the field for a few weeks." The doctor gave Vala a stern look. When Vala tried to look as innocent as possible, the doctor frowned and turned to Teal'c. "You heard those instructions, right?" she called to him.

"I did," Teal'c affirmed as he walked over. "I can assure you that she will follow them." Vala pouted, but she couldn't help that the corners of Teal'c's mouth were turned up in a tiny smile. Perhaps she'd be able to convince him to help her ignore a few doctor's orders.

Just as she was pulling her shirt back down over her stomach, the klaxons started going off. She and Teal'c looked at each other. Did she hope to dare? Teal'c looked torn between running to the Gate Room and staying here with her. She was about to tell him to go, when the phone in the Infirmary rang. Dr. Lam picked it up.

"Infirmary. What? No! Teal'c can go, but Vala is not well enough to be moved!"

"It's them!" Vala exclaimed. "They're back!" She pushed the blankets away and swung her legs off the bed.

Dr. Lam hung up the phone and rushed over. "Hold on! You're not going anywhere!" She looked up at Teal'c for back up, but Teal'c was already holding out a hand to help Vala stand up. Dr. Lam looked back and forth between them for an instance, and then exclaimed, "Fine! But you're going in a wheelchair!"

As she rushed off to find one, Vala put her hand in Teal'c's and let him help her stand. "Thanks, Muscles," she said quietly.

Teal'c nodded and smiled at her. "You are welcome."

Based on the speed with which he wheeled them through the corridors, Teal'c was as anxious to see their teammates as she was, and yet they still couldn't reach the Gate Room fast enough.

When they finally did, Landry was there to greet them. "I don't think Carolyn is going to be very happy with me," he admitted. "But I thought you'd want to be here. SG-1's IDC just came through. They're on their way."

And sure enough, there they were. Daniel was the first to step out of the event horizon, followed closely by Sam and Mitchell. Ignoring the bit of pain in her stomach, Vala pushed herself out of the wheelchair to greet them. When she stood, her eyes met Daniel's. He came down the ramp like a man on a mission. He didn't pause until he reached her, and as soon as he did, he pulled her to him and kissed her.

"Well, that's one way to do it," she heard Mitchell's voice from somewhere behind Daniel. She should have been worried about what the others would think, about what Landry would say, but she wasn't. All that mattered was Daniel. He was okay. They would be okay.