"Do you really think this is for the best?" Jack asked softly once the
others had left them alone. He looked down at Mitchell, who he knew wasn't
going to open her eyes and tell him to get lost, or tell him to stop
worrying, or tell him to go get her a cup of coffee like he was her
personal servant.
"I don't know, Sir." Anderson said softly. He was just as lost as Jack was, and it plainly showed. "I don't want her to die, though."
"Me, either."
The two men were on either side of the bed, but they looked up at the same time, brown eyes meeting blue, and they both could see the concern and very real love the other had for the injured woman. The love was a little different, of course, but the intensity was the same, and there was no denying it.
"If we're wrong, then she'll hate us." Jack said.
Anderson shook his head. Melony would never hate Jack O'Neill. There was no way. Himself? Well, yeah, she could, but she'd be alive, and alive was so much better than dead.
"She loves you, Sir." He said, his eyes filling with tears that he hadn't allowed to come before. He didn't brush them away, though, and he wasn't embarrassed by them. "You're her constant reminder of what Michael could have been, and would have been, and I don't think you have any idea how much she looks up to you."
Jack was taken back slightly by that. Not that he was surprised that she'd told Anderson about Michael – he was her Second in Command, and Melony was far more open with her past than Jack was – but that Anderson had been willing to share that with him. The younger man was obviously trying to make Jack feel better about what was happening, and trying to reassure him that he wasn't going to lose this very important person in his life. A reassurance that Jack needed, and Anderson knew he needed. It was a sign of what kind of man Anderson was, and he was probably close to being good enough for Melony. (No one would be completely good enough for her, in Jack's opinion, but that was only natural)
"This will change that." Jack said, gruffly, as his own emotions threatened to take over. He quelled them, though, ruthlessly. They couldn't both break down.
"No, Sir, it won't." Anderson didn't say anything else. His tired legs were threatening to give out on him, so he sank into a folding chair that was close at hand, after dragging it over to the bed so he could still be close at hand. Leaning forward, he rested his forearms on the edge of Mitchell's bed, and put his head down on them, suddenly feeling older than dirt. Jack understood that feeling well.
He didn't think Anderson was right, but he wasn't going to kick the man in the gut by arguing with him when he least needed it. Looking around, Jack found another chair, and brought it over to his side of the bed, and assumed a position similar to Anderson's: head down, just close enough to Melony that he could feel the radiating heat of her fevered side, and his eyes closed as he tried to think of something – anything – that would fix this. Of course, nothing came to mind.
~*~
It wasn't even an hour later when the door to the infirmary opened once more. Jack looked up at the sound, as did Anderson, and both men stood when they saw Jacob had returned, accompanied by a very old man who was walking slowly, and who Jacob was treating with profound care and respect.
"Jack, Major Anderson, this is Haidar. His symbiote is named Talon."
Both men came over to take the old man's hand formally.
"Talon?" Jack asked. It didn't sound like much of a Tok'ra name to Jack – although he was hardly the expert, was he? Haidar smiled, and the man's silvery gray eyes twinkled with humor.
"My symbiote was originally called by a different name, but in my original tongue the name meant something wildly inappropriate, and I fell into giggles every time anyone addressed me as such. He wasn't as amused, and changed it. One hundred and forty years is a long time to have your host laughing at you."
Anderson smiled, despite his rough day, and even Jack couldn't suppress a slight grin. He liked this old man, already. What did that say about the symbiote?
Haidar looked past the two men and at the figure who was lying on the bed.
"This is her?"
"Colonel Melony Mitchell," Jack confirmed, letting go of Haidar's hand and watching as the old man walked over and looked down at her. Jack had a feeling host and symbiote were conferring. It wasn't Haidar who spoke next, though, it was Talon. The voice was deep and not at all frail.
"You two know her best?"
Anderson and O'Neill both nodded, wordlessly.
"What sort of person is she?"
"The best." Anderson said, immediately. Jack nodded his agreement.
"Are you certain this is something she would want?"
Jack shook his head, silently, and Anderson once more took the role of speaker.
"We can't ask her," He said. "But she respects the Tok'ra, and she hates the Goa'uld." What else was there?
"Talon is a scientist," Jacob said from the other side of the room where he'd been standing next to Hammond watching the exchange.
"Melony's a soldier." Jack told him, and the old man. "She's not going to want to sit in a lab looking at rocks all day."
Haidar smiled again, and nodded, and when next he spoke, it was him, and not Talon who was doing the talking.
"Talon has been confined to the lab for a long time due to my weaknesses. Far too long. It will be good for him to have a young host once more. One who will challenge him. The blending will be a good one for both of them, I believe."
Jack swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded.
"We'd better get to it, then."
Fraiser came up, watching Jacob and Haidar to see if there was anything she could do. Jacob told O'Neill and Anderson to step back – to avoid anything accidentally happening in the exchange – and the old man leaned over Mitchell's bed and kissed her, softly.
None of them actually saw the exchange, but the affect was instantaneous. The old man's legs gave out, and he slumped and would have fallen had Jacob not caught him. The Tok'ra had known it was going to happen and was ready for it. He and Fraiser carefully lifted Haidar and put him in the bed next to Mitchell's.
"No!"
The mouth the cry came from was Melony's, but the voice was definitely Talon's. Jack looked at Jacob, instantly, wondering what was wrong.
"What was that?"
"I don't know Jack," Jacob told him, easing a blanket over Haidar's feeble frame. "We won't know until they can tell us."
"He's dying," Fraiser said, looking at the old man's face as she was checking his pulse. Jacob nodded. Of course he was. He was almost 200 years old, and worn out.
"Without the symbiote, he will not live long. But he's in no pain."
"What about Melony?" Anderson asked, coming back over and looking down at his Commanding Officer.
"We'll have to wait until Talon can repair the damage done, and heal her, Major. Then we'll see."
There was no doubt that waiting was not something that Jack and Anderson wanted to do.
"I don't know, Sir." Anderson said softly. He was just as lost as Jack was, and it plainly showed. "I don't want her to die, though."
"Me, either."
The two men were on either side of the bed, but they looked up at the same time, brown eyes meeting blue, and they both could see the concern and very real love the other had for the injured woman. The love was a little different, of course, but the intensity was the same, and there was no denying it.
"If we're wrong, then she'll hate us." Jack said.
Anderson shook his head. Melony would never hate Jack O'Neill. There was no way. Himself? Well, yeah, she could, but she'd be alive, and alive was so much better than dead.
"She loves you, Sir." He said, his eyes filling with tears that he hadn't allowed to come before. He didn't brush them away, though, and he wasn't embarrassed by them. "You're her constant reminder of what Michael could have been, and would have been, and I don't think you have any idea how much she looks up to you."
Jack was taken back slightly by that. Not that he was surprised that she'd told Anderson about Michael – he was her Second in Command, and Melony was far more open with her past than Jack was – but that Anderson had been willing to share that with him. The younger man was obviously trying to make Jack feel better about what was happening, and trying to reassure him that he wasn't going to lose this very important person in his life. A reassurance that Jack needed, and Anderson knew he needed. It was a sign of what kind of man Anderson was, and he was probably close to being good enough for Melony. (No one would be completely good enough for her, in Jack's opinion, but that was only natural)
"This will change that." Jack said, gruffly, as his own emotions threatened to take over. He quelled them, though, ruthlessly. They couldn't both break down.
"No, Sir, it won't." Anderson didn't say anything else. His tired legs were threatening to give out on him, so he sank into a folding chair that was close at hand, after dragging it over to the bed so he could still be close at hand. Leaning forward, he rested his forearms on the edge of Mitchell's bed, and put his head down on them, suddenly feeling older than dirt. Jack understood that feeling well.
He didn't think Anderson was right, but he wasn't going to kick the man in the gut by arguing with him when he least needed it. Looking around, Jack found another chair, and brought it over to his side of the bed, and assumed a position similar to Anderson's: head down, just close enough to Melony that he could feel the radiating heat of her fevered side, and his eyes closed as he tried to think of something – anything – that would fix this. Of course, nothing came to mind.
~*~
It wasn't even an hour later when the door to the infirmary opened once more. Jack looked up at the sound, as did Anderson, and both men stood when they saw Jacob had returned, accompanied by a very old man who was walking slowly, and who Jacob was treating with profound care and respect.
"Jack, Major Anderson, this is Haidar. His symbiote is named Talon."
Both men came over to take the old man's hand formally.
"Talon?" Jack asked. It didn't sound like much of a Tok'ra name to Jack – although he was hardly the expert, was he? Haidar smiled, and the man's silvery gray eyes twinkled with humor.
"My symbiote was originally called by a different name, but in my original tongue the name meant something wildly inappropriate, and I fell into giggles every time anyone addressed me as such. He wasn't as amused, and changed it. One hundred and forty years is a long time to have your host laughing at you."
Anderson smiled, despite his rough day, and even Jack couldn't suppress a slight grin. He liked this old man, already. What did that say about the symbiote?
Haidar looked past the two men and at the figure who was lying on the bed.
"This is her?"
"Colonel Melony Mitchell," Jack confirmed, letting go of Haidar's hand and watching as the old man walked over and looked down at her. Jack had a feeling host and symbiote were conferring. It wasn't Haidar who spoke next, though, it was Talon. The voice was deep and not at all frail.
"You two know her best?"
Anderson and O'Neill both nodded, wordlessly.
"What sort of person is she?"
"The best." Anderson said, immediately. Jack nodded his agreement.
"Are you certain this is something she would want?"
Jack shook his head, silently, and Anderson once more took the role of speaker.
"We can't ask her," He said. "But she respects the Tok'ra, and she hates the Goa'uld." What else was there?
"Talon is a scientist," Jacob said from the other side of the room where he'd been standing next to Hammond watching the exchange.
"Melony's a soldier." Jack told him, and the old man. "She's not going to want to sit in a lab looking at rocks all day."
Haidar smiled again, and nodded, and when next he spoke, it was him, and not Talon who was doing the talking.
"Talon has been confined to the lab for a long time due to my weaknesses. Far too long. It will be good for him to have a young host once more. One who will challenge him. The blending will be a good one for both of them, I believe."
Jack swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded.
"We'd better get to it, then."
Fraiser came up, watching Jacob and Haidar to see if there was anything she could do. Jacob told O'Neill and Anderson to step back – to avoid anything accidentally happening in the exchange – and the old man leaned over Mitchell's bed and kissed her, softly.
None of them actually saw the exchange, but the affect was instantaneous. The old man's legs gave out, and he slumped and would have fallen had Jacob not caught him. The Tok'ra had known it was going to happen and was ready for it. He and Fraiser carefully lifted Haidar and put him in the bed next to Mitchell's.
"No!"
The mouth the cry came from was Melony's, but the voice was definitely Talon's. Jack looked at Jacob, instantly, wondering what was wrong.
"What was that?"
"I don't know Jack," Jacob told him, easing a blanket over Haidar's feeble frame. "We won't know until they can tell us."
"He's dying," Fraiser said, looking at the old man's face as she was checking his pulse. Jacob nodded. Of course he was. He was almost 200 years old, and worn out.
"Without the symbiote, he will not live long. But he's in no pain."
"What about Melony?" Anderson asked, coming back over and looking down at his Commanding Officer.
"We'll have to wait until Talon can repair the damage done, and heal her, Major. Then we'll see."
There was no doubt that waiting was not something that Jack and Anderson wanted to do.