Disclaimer: Nope. Still don't own anything. Not even close.
It Was a Dark and Stormy Night Part 4
After finishing breakfast, Tanner went outside to survey the damage. "Not too bad for the storm of the century," she thought to herself. There were a few tree limbs down, but nothing major. The neighbor's house across the road didn't look like it had been damaged either.
As she finished up her tour of the yard and was heading back to the house, Sheriff Billings' car pulled into the driveway. The sheriff got out and said, "Good morning, Doc. How are your guests?"
Tanner replied, "They're just fine, Sheriff. How're the roads?"
"Not too bad. The main roads are all right, but the back roads are washed out. Not as much damage as you'd think after last night's storm."
"Does this mean the colonel and Jonas can get back to their base?"
"Looks like it, Doc."
"I'm sure they'll be happy to hear it. Have you had breakfast yet?"
"Not unless you've taken to drinking coffee," Billings replied. Tanner was well known in these parts for her love of the smell of coffee, but her dislike of the taste.
"Nope, sorry. I could offer you a cup of really strong tea," she joked. She had a hard time trying to keep from laughing at the awful expression on the sheriff's face.
"I think I'll pass this time, Doc. I should get back to the jail. Travis needs to get some sleep." With that said, he got back in his car and backed out of the drive.
Tanner went into the house to see the colonel practically licking his plate clean. "You must be hungry. I'm not that good a cook."
"Don't sell yourself short, Dr. MacKenzie," O'Neill responded. He had been hungry. He couldn't remember when he had eaten last, but it had been in the base commissary when he picked up Jonas for their fishing trip. When had that been?
"I have some good news for you, Colonel. The sheriff says the main roads are clear and you can get back to Cheyenne Mountain."
"Great. When can we leave?"
"As soon as you two are ready. I have to call the doctor that fills in for me when I'm gone and then I'll be ready."
Tanner made her call. O'Neill rounded up Jonas who had been sitting on the steps of the porch taking in the scenery. "It sure is pretty up here, Colonel," he said.
"Yeah, it is. Too bad we didn't get to do any fishing while we were here. Dr. MacKenzie is going to give a ride back to the base."
"Great. When do we leave?"
"As soon as you get in the car. Let's go." The two men went back into the house. Tanner had a jacket and her keys in hand.
"Ready to go?" she asked.
"Yep and it looks like you're ready too."
"Let's go then. You know, I was starting to get used to having you two around."
"Go on, Doc. I'm going to start blushing."
"I sincerely doubt that, Colonel. I'm sure you've never blushed in your life. Jonas, on the other hand, is a different story," she joked.
"I'm not that bad," Jonas complained. "Am I?"
"Come on. Let's go."
The three climbed into Tanner's beat up jeep and headed for the highway. The trip back to Cheyenne Mountain didn't take as long as O'Neill would have thought, but it sure seemed like the good doctor knew her way to the base.
"Have you ever been to Cheyenne Mountain, Doc?" O'Neill wanted to know how a small town veterinarian knew about secluded base in the first place. Jack was a little surprised by her answer.
"I was stationed there a long time ago, Colonel."
"You were in the military?" Jonas asked from the back seat.
"Yes, I was, but that was a lifetime ago," came her vague response.
"Don't want to talk about it, huh, Doc?" O'Neill was starting to wonder what the woman had to hide.
"There isn't much to tell, Colonel. I was 18, my parents were dead, I couldn't afford to go to college, and had no place else to go. I wanted to see the world. And where did I end up? Smack dab in the middle of the Rocky Mountains."
"Were you there the entire time you were in the, what, the air force?"
"No. I was in the marines. I was there for about two years. Then I was transferred to San Diego. For the entire six years I was enlisted, I never once left the United States. I had to do that on my own." She sounded a little bitter.
"How did you become a veterinarian?" Jonas asked.
"I was too smart for my own good. I managed to get grants, a scholarship, a couple of loans and just a bit of luck. Veterinary school is harder to get into than regular medical school. After finishing my residency in California, I came to Spencer and took over for the town vet when he retired. I've been here ever since."
Just then, they pulled up the closed gates of the base. "Well, gentlemen. Here we are."
Colonel O'Neill handed his ID to the guard at the gate. They were then motioned through.
General Hammond and Major Carter were walking toward them as the jeep stopped. O'Neill and Jonas climbed out and thanked the young veterinarian for her help.
"Welcome back, Colonel, Jonas," General Hammond said.
"Good to see you two in one piece," Carter said as well. She was happy to see her two teammates. The colonel had a neat row of stitches on his forehead and Jonas had a black eye. Other than that, they looked fine.
"I want to thank you, Dr. MacKenzie, for taking good care of my people," Hammond said to Tanner.
"No problem, sir. I couldn't have asked for a couple of better patients. Even if they were a couple of grouches," she replied.
Carter turned to the colonel and Jonas and raised her eyebrow. Both men avoided her amused look. "Grouches, huh?"
"Jonas was worse than I was," O'Neill countered.
Tanner turned her jeep around and headed out the gate and back to Spencer. Jack and Jonas waved as she drove off.
They were then taken to the base infirmary and Dr. Frasier checked them over thoroughly. "She did a nice job of stitching you up, Colonel. You're likely to have only a small scar when this heals up."
"Gee, thanks, Doc."
"I'm sure you have quite a story to tell, Colonel," General Hammond said as he walked into the room. "Jonas doesn't remember much other than a pretty young woman telling him to take his clothes off."
"And did he, Sir?" Doctor Frasier asked.
"You'll have to ask him, Doctor."
~~ FINITO ~~
It Was a Dark and Stormy Night Part 4
After finishing breakfast, Tanner went outside to survey the damage. "Not too bad for the storm of the century," she thought to herself. There were a few tree limbs down, but nothing major. The neighbor's house across the road didn't look like it had been damaged either.
As she finished up her tour of the yard and was heading back to the house, Sheriff Billings' car pulled into the driveway. The sheriff got out and said, "Good morning, Doc. How are your guests?"
Tanner replied, "They're just fine, Sheriff. How're the roads?"
"Not too bad. The main roads are all right, but the back roads are washed out. Not as much damage as you'd think after last night's storm."
"Does this mean the colonel and Jonas can get back to their base?"
"Looks like it, Doc."
"I'm sure they'll be happy to hear it. Have you had breakfast yet?"
"Not unless you've taken to drinking coffee," Billings replied. Tanner was well known in these parts for her love of the smell of coffee, but her dislike of the taste.
"Nope, sorry. I could offer you a cup of really strong tea," she joked. She had a hard time trying to keep from laughing at the awful expression on the sheriff's face.
"I think I'll pass this time, Doc. I should get back to the jail. Travis needs to get some sleep." With that said, he got back in his car and backed out of the drive.
Tanner went into the house to see the colonel practically licking his plate clean. "You must be hungry. I'm not that good a cook."
"Don't sell yourself short, Dr. MacKenzie," O'Neill responded. He had been hungry. He couldn't remember when he had eaten last, but it had been in the base commissary when he picked up Jonas for their fishing trip. When had that been?
"I have some good news for you, Colonel. The sheriff says the main roads are clear and you can get back to Cheyenne Mountain."
"Great. When can we leave?"
"As soon as you two are ready. I have to call the doctor that fills in for me when I'm gone and then I'll be ready."
Tanner made her call. O'Neill rounded up Jonas who had been sitting on the steps of the porch taking in the scenery. "It sure is pretty up here, Colonel," he said.
"Yeah, it is. Too bad we didn't get to do any fishing while we were here. Dr. MacKenzie is going to give a ride back to the base."
"Great. When do we leave?"
"As soon as you get in the car. Let's go." The two men went back into the house. Tanner had a jacket and her keys in hand.
"Ready to go?" she asked.
"Yep and it looks like you're ready too."
"Let's go then. You know, I was starting to get used to having you two around."
"Go on, Doc. I'm going to start blushing."
"I sincerely doubt that, Colonel. I'm sure you've never blushed in your life. Jonas, on the other hand, is a different story," she joked.
"I'm not that bad," Jonas complained. "Am I?"
"Come on. Let's go."
The three climbed into Tanner's beat up jeep and headed for the highway. The trip back to Cheyenne Mountain didn't take as long as O'Neill would have thought, but it sure seemed like the good doctor knew her way to the base.
"Have you ever been to Cheyenne Mountain, Doc?" O'Neill wanted to know how a small town veterinarian knew about secluded base in the first place. Jack was a little surprised by her answer.
"I was stationed there a long time ago, Colonel."
"You were in the military?" Jonas asked from the back seat.
"Yes, I was, but that was a lifetime ago," came her vague response.
"Don't want to talk about it, huh, Doc?" O'Neill was starting to wonder what the woman had to hide.
"There isn't much to tell, Colonel. I was 18, my parents were dead, I couldn't afford to go to college, and had no place else to go. I wanted to see the world. And where did I end up? Smack dab in the middle of the Rocky Mountains."
"Were you there the entire time you were in the, what, the air force?"
"No. I was in the marines. I was there for about two years. Then I was transferred to San Diego. For the entire six years I was enlisted, I never once left the United States. I had to do that on my own." She sounded a little bitter.
"How did you become a veterinarian?" Jonas asked.
"I was too smart for my own good. I managed to get grants, a scholarship, a couple of loans and just a bit of luck. Veterinary school is harder to get into than regular medical school. After finishing my residency in California, I came to Spencer and took over for the town vet when he retired. I've been here ever since."
Just then, they pulled up the closed gates of the base. "Well, gentlemen. Here we are."
Colonel O'Neill handed his ID to the guard at the gate. They were then motioned through.
General Hammond and Major Carter were walking toward them as the jeep stopped. O'Neill and Jonas climbed out and thanked the young veterinarian for her help.
"Welcome back, Colonel, Jonas," General Hammond said.
"Good to see you two in one piece," Carter said as well. She was happy to see her two teammates. The colonel had a neat row of stitches on his forehead and Jonas had a black eye. Other than that, they looked fine.
"I want to thank you, Dr. MacKenzie, for taking good care of my people," Hammond said to Tanner.
"No problem, sir. I couldn't have asked for a couple of better patients. Even if they were a couple of grouches," she replied.
Carter turned to the colonel and Jonas and raised her eyebrow. Both men avoided her amused look. "Grouches, huh?"
"Jonas was worse than I was," O'Neill countered.
Tanner turned her jeep around and headed out the gate and back to Spencer. Jack and Jonas waved as she drove off.
They were then taken to the base infirmary and Dr. Frasier checked them over thoroughly. "She did a nice job of stitching you up, Colonel. You're likely to have only a small scar when this heals up."
"Gee, thanks, Doc."
"I'm sure you have quite a story to tell, Colonel," General Hammond said as he walked into the room. "Jonas doesn't remember much other than a pretty young woman telling him to take his clothes off."
"And did he, Sir?" Doctor Frasier asked.
"You'll have to ask him, Doctor."
~~ FINITO ~~