~Melony~
She was pulled from that peaceful emptiness at his purely mental touch, instantly alert to him.
Hmmm?
~Your friends are worried about you. You're well enough, now, why don't you open your eyes and let them know you're going to be okay?~
Am I?
There was amusement, but then he realized she was serious. She didn't want to tell them she was going to live and then not make it. Talon sent her an affirmation.
~You're going to be fine. I've repaired most of the damage to your body. Wake up and reassure them~
Melony opened her eyes, and promptly closed them again with a gasp of pain. The light was a bit bright in the infirmary, and she'd had her eyes closed for a long time.
Jack and Brad both had their heads up instantly at the noise, and both looked down at her, then at each other to see if they'd just been hearing things. If they had, then they'd been hearing the same thing.
"Melony?"
"Jack?"
She opened her eyes again, and turned her head. It was Jack. He looked tired, and worn, and uncertain, but she also saw relief in those dark eyes of his.
"Thank God."
He took her hand. She didn't see this, she felt it, but she knew it was his, and she squeezed it lightly to reassure him. Then she turned her head. Talon had said Brad was here as well, and she wanted to see him, too.
His blue eyes were just as worried as Jack's. His handsome face just as drawn and haggard. Mitchell held her left hand up to him, and the Major took it with a glad noise that he couldn't have stifled if he'd wanted to.
"Colonel..." Tears were streaming down his already grubby tear-stained cheeks, and she tried to reassure him as well, taking her hand from Jack's and resting it on the back of Brad's neck, pulling him close. He understood immediately, and wrapped his arms around her, carefully, and hugged her as tightly as he dared. And broke down completely, sobbing against her.
"Easy, Brad..." She whispered, turning her head and looking at Jack. O'Neill looked just as distraught, and his eyes were misty and uncertain, but he didn't need the reassurance that her Second in Command did, so Melony focused her attention for the moment on her Major.
"I'm sorry... we didn't know what to do..." His voice was broken, and his words were slurred since his face was tightly pressed against her, but she understood, and she ran her fingers through his dark hair, trying to soothe him.
"It's okay, Brad," She murmured into his ear. "It's okay. I'm okay..."
She didn't know how long she held him like that while he cried, and she didn't care. Talon kept her upright, and gave her all the strength she needed to stay in the same position – as uncomfortable as it was – for as long as Brad needed her. She told him over and over she was fine, and he was fine, and everything was going to be okay, and eventually the sobs quieted, and turned to sniffles, and then died completely.
He pulled back, still holding her, but not quite so tightly, and Melony smiled. He looked terrible. Even worse than he had.
"You're not taking very good care of yourself, Major." She noted.
His smile was only half-forced, and he shook his head.
"I'm sorry."
"You look sorry." Her hand squeezed his to let him know she was only teasing him. "Go take a shower and get some rest. Then find some clean clothes and come back and see me when you don't smell so bad."
He laughed, then. Only a short noise, but it was true laughter, and it made her smile. She felt Talon's amusement as well, and put her hand on Anderson's cheek.
"Go. Then come back. But not until you've rested, and I mean it."
"Yes, Ma'am."
He didn't stand up, though, and he didn't release her. He just looked at her. She understood, but she didn't want to be gawked at. Not even by the one she loved.
"Go."
He went. There was a far lighter step in his stride when he headed for the door, and Melony watched him all the way out the door before she turned her attention to Jack.
His eyes still held uncertainty, and she didn't understand it, but Talon did. He'd seen the same look when Major Anderson had told him that they didn't know for sure if Melony would want the blending or not. Jack was still uncertain if she was going to hate him for the rest of his life.
"You know what we did?" Jack asked, his posture as uncertain as his expression.
"Oh yeah."
She reached her hand out and took his. There was a bandage on hers, and she realized this was the arm that had been hit with the dart. The bandages were loose, because the swelling had been taken care of, and they'd have to come off before they drove her crazy, but that would wait.
Jack took her hand, understanding exactly how Brad had felt when he'd broken down, but trying very hard not to do the same. He needed to know how she truly felt. Not how she felt because he was crying and she was trying to comfort him.
"I didn't know what else to do..."
"You saved my life, Jack." She smiled when she was corrected from the inside. "Okay, TALON saved my life, but you made it possible." She shook her head, and looked down at the hand that she was holding. "I never could have made that decision for you. I can't imagine how hard it was."
Jack stood up and then sat on the edge of her bed, and pulled her into his arms. He needed to hold her, now. Needed to make sure that she really was all right.
"Is he okay? This Talon? Did I make the right call?"
Her cheek pressed against his chest, and she nodded.
"It's weird having him in there, but it's kind of cool, too. I guess he's some kind of egg-head type, because I feel a lot smarter than I did before."
"He yelled something as soon as he... went into you..." Jack said, hugging her tightly, still. "We were worried that something was wrong."
She was quiet while she waited for an explanation from her symbiote, which came instantly.
"He said I was just about beyond his abilities to heal, and that he was yelling at me, not at you guys."
"Ah."
"You probably should go do what I just sent Brad to do, Jack."
"I don't want to leave you alone, Melony."
"I'm not alone. I never will be." She turned her head and kissed his cheek – something she hadn't done for a long time. Far too long. "You smell. Go get cleaned up at least, okay? I can't believe Fraiser let you in here looking like that."
"I was pretty insistent."
"You?"
Jack smiled. She was so good at making him smile.
"You're really okay?"
"I'm tired. But I'm fine, and I will be fine." She pulled away, slightly. "Just don't be gone too long, okay?"
"I won't." He promised. He stood up and headed for the door.
"And get me some coffee, will you?"
"Yes, Ma'am."
She was pulled from that peaceful emptiness at his purely mental touch, instantly alert to him.
Hmmm?
~Your friends are worried about you. You're well enough, now, why don't you open your eyes and let them know you're going to be okay?~
Am I?
There was amusement, but then he realized she was serious. She didn't want to tell them she was going to live and then not make it. Talon sent her an affirmation.
~You're going to be fine. I've repaired most of the damage to your body. Wake up and reassure them~
Melony opened her eyes, and promptly closed them again with a gasp of pain. The light was a bit bright in the infirmary, and she'd had her eyes closed for a long time.
Jack and Brad both had their heads up instantly at the noise, and both looked down at her, then at each other to see if they'd just been hearing things. If they had, then they'd been hearing the same thing.
"Melony?"
"Jack?"
She opened her eyes again, and turned her head. It was Jack. He looked tired, and worn, and uncertain, but she also saw relief in those dark eyes of his.
"Thank God."
He took her hand. She didn't see this, she felt it, but she knew it was his, and she squeezed it lightly to reassure him. Then she turned her head. Talon had said Brad was here as well, and she wanted to see him, too.
His blue eyes were just as worried as Jack's. His handsome face just as drawn and haggard. Mitchell held her left hand up to him, and the Major took it with a glad noise that he couldn't have stifled if he'd wanted to.
"Colonel..." Tears were streaming down his already grubby tear-stained cheeks, and she tried to reassure him as well, taking her hand from Jack's and resting it on the back of Brad's neck, pulling him close. He understood immediately, and wrapped his arms around her, carefully, and hugged her as tightly as he dared. And broke down completely, sobbing against her.
"Easy, Brad..." She whispered, turning her head and looking at Jack. O'Neill looked just as distraught, and his eyes were misty and uncertain, but he didn't need the reassurance that her Second in Command did, so Melony focused her attention for the moment on her Major.
"I'm sorry... we didn't know what to do..." His voice was broken, and his words were slurred since his face was tightly pressed against her, but she understood, and she ran her fingers through his dark hair, trying to soothe him.
"It's okay, Brad," She murmured into his ear. "It's okay. I'm okay..."
She didn't know how long she held him like that while he cried, and she didn't care. Talon kept her upright, and gave her all the strength she needed to stay in the same position – as uncomfortable as it was – for as long as Brad needed her. She told him over and over she was fine, and he was fine, and everything was going to be okay, and eventually the sobs quieted, and turned to sniffles, and then died completely.
He pulled back, still holding her, but not quite so tightly, and Melony smiled. He looked terrible. Even worse than he had.
"You're not taking very good care of yourself, Major." She noted.
His smile was only half-forced, and he shook his head.
"I'm sorry."
"You look sorry." Her hand squeezed his to let him know she was only teasing him. "Go take a shower and get some rest. Then find some clean clothes and come back and see me when you don't smell so bad."
He laughed, then. Only a short noise, but it was true laughter, and it made her smile. She felt Talon's amusement as well, and put her hand on Anderson's cheek.
"Go. Then come back. But not until you've rested, and I mean it."
"Yes, Ma'am."
He didn't stand up, though, and he didn't release her. He just looked at her. She understood, but she didn't want to be gawked at. Not even by the one she loved.
"Go."
He went. There was a far lighter step in his stride when he headed for the door, and Melony watched him all the way out the door before she turned her attention to Jack.
His eyes still held uncertainty, and she didn't understand it, but Talon did. He'd seen the same look when Major Anderson had told him that they didn't know for sure if Melony would want the blending or not. Jack was still uncertain if she was going to hate him for the rest of his life.
"You know what we did?" Jack asked, his posture as uncertain as his expression.
"Oh yeah."
She reached her hand out and took his. There was a bandage on hers, and she realized this was the arm that had been hit with the dart. The bandages were loose, because the swelling had been taken care of, and they'd have to come off before they drove her crazy, but that would wait.
Jack took her hand, understanding exactly how Brad had felt when he'd broken down, but trying very hard not to do the same. He needed to know how she truly felt. Not how she felt because he was crying and she was trying to comfort him.
"I didn't know what else to do..."
"You saved my life, Jack." She smiled when she was corrected from the inside. "Okay, TALON saved my life, but you made it possible." She shook her head, and looked down at the hand that she was holding. "I never could have made that decision for you. I can't imagine how hard it was."
Jack stood up and then sat on the edge of her bed, and pulled her into his arms. He needed to hold her, now. Needed to make sure that she really was all right.
"Is he okay? This Talon? Did I make the right call?"
Her cheek pressed against his chest, and she nodded.
"It's weird having him in there, but it's kind of cool, too. I guess he's some kind of egg-head type, because I feel a lot smarter than I did before."
"He yelled something as soon as he... went into you..." Jack said, hugging her tightly, still. "We were worried that something was wrong."
She was quiet while she waited for an explanation from her symbiote, which came instantly.
"He said I was just about beyond his abilities to heal, and that he was yelling at me, not at you guys."
"Ah."
"You probably should go do what I just sent Brad to do, Jack."
"I don't want to leave you alone, Melony."
"I'm not alone. I never will be." She turned her head and kissed his cheek – something she hadn't done for a long time. Far too long. "You smell. Go get cleaned up at least, okay? I can't believe Fraiser let you in here looking like that."
"I was pretty insistent."
"You?"
Jack smiled. She was so good at making him smile.
"You're really okay?"
"I'm tired. But I'm fine, and I will be fine." She pulled away, slightly. "Just don't be gone too long, okay?"
"I won't." He promised. He stood up and headed for the door.
"And get me some coffee, will you?"
"Yes, Ma'am."