Author's Note: Okay! I'm back in business – more or less.

[Melony]

Hmmm?

[You need to wake up for a while]

Will it hurt?

She'd had enough pain to last a lifetime, and the memory of the last time she'd woken was still vivid. No one could hurt like that and not remember it.

She felt a gentle wave of reassurance go through her, and then a purely mental caress. She felt exhaustion from him, but also a wave of love and affection that was as therapeutic as the healing he was doing to her body.

[No. It won't hurt anywhere near as bad as that. No more than a bit of an ache. I promise]

She allowed her subconscious mind to focus a bit, coming out of the deep sleep she'd been in for so long. The closer she came to waking the more she hurt, but as he'd promised her, the pain wasn't unbearable as it had been the last time.

[I'm sorry about that.]

He was, too. She knew it. But she also knew it had been necessary or he wouldn't have done it. Talon would never hurt her if he could avoid it.

[Open your eyes, love. I need to see how you're focusing]

He'd done all he could do without her input, but he needed to know what hurt and what didn't, now, and to do that he needed her awake and aware of what was going on inside her.

She opened her eyes and immediately wished that she hadn't. Even though the room's lighting was muted it still seemed incredibly bright. Of course, part of that was the fact that her eyes had been closed for day, now, and it would take a bit to get used to the lighting. Talon was already easing the agony, anxious to keep his word that she wasn't going to have to hurt this time, and it wasn't long before the pain eased and she found herself able to look around without having her eyes water.

Where is everyone?

The room was empty.

Talon didn't know. He'd been far too busy keeping her alive to use her senses to keep tabs on the people around her.

[Probably sleeping]

I want to see Brad.

[I can't pull him out of your butt]

She actually chuckled at that, like Talon knew she would, and the two shared a quiet moment of shared laughter before he spoke again.

[We need to find out what is happening. How do you feel?]

I'm not ready to jump out of bed and go for a run or anything...

Again there was a surge of good humor, which was far better than the continual concern he'd been feeling. He'd never had to heal such serious injuries before, and her own very strong will had been the final factor in her recovery. She had a will to live, and he was there to make sure she did. It wouldn't do to finally finish off the Goa'uld and not live to enjoy it, after all.

[I wouldn't let you jump out of bed. Just stay awake until someone comes in, okay? Then we can get some information]

She nodded, which hurt – but not so much as it would have had Talon not deadened the aches. She was also tired beyond belief. It might have been an echo of what Talon was feeling, but a lot of it was also her own. He'd been using her own energies to heal her, and it had taken its toll on both of them.

I'll try.

[Want me to tell you a story?]

She smiled. He was feeling really good, considering how tired he was. She felt good, too.

I'll pass, thanks.

She looked around the room without moving her head from the pillow. There was a machine of some sort – medical, of course – that was hooked up to a bunch of wires that were hooked up to her. She knew that the needle in her wrist was an IV – it wasn't the first she'd ever had – and the machine was keeping tabs on her heart rate and her respiration and who knew what else, so probably the other wires were going to those parts of her. Whatever. It didn't hurt her, and at the moment, that was all that really mattered.

Broken legs?

She'd looked down at herself, only to find both arms were in splints and both legs were bandaged thoroughly and had air casts on them.

[Oh, yes. Both arms, and both legs]

What else?

[Broken ribs, internal injuries that you don't need to know about, broken collarbone, two vertebrae in your back were broken and a whole lot of cartilage damage. I'm working on it]

Good thing.

[Well, that is my job, after all]

She smiled, and saw there was a clear plastic cup filled with what looked to be water on the stand next to her bed. Immediately, she was thirsty.

Can I move my arm?

[Try]

Will it hurt?

[Everything's going to hurt, Melony] He told her, reasonably. [It shouldn't be too bad]

She reached out with the hand that was attached to the IV, and found that it did hurt, but it was bearable. Certainly worth the effort of getting a drink of water.

[If it's even water]

It has a straw in it.

[Maybe it's ammonia]

With a straw?

[Well... you never know]

She grinned despite the pain of moving her fingers to grip the cup and pick it up. And found that the splints went past her elbows and she couldn't get the cup to her lips and couldn't even get close enough to use the straw.

Talon snickered.

Mitchell scowled.

"Son of a bitch..." Just her luck. The words were a croak. Her throat was dry and parched – which would have been fixed if she could have taken a sip of the water.

[It's probably ammonia] Talon said as she struggled once more to maneuver the cup to her lips with no success.

Don't patronize me.

[Moi??] She could feel his amusement, and she had to admit that it was pretty amusing. It'd be funnier if it were happening to someone else, but ah well. Mitchell sighed and started to put the cup back on the table and promptly dropped it with a slight clatter. [Why don't you call for someone to come in? I can't imagine they're too far away]

I would if my mouth wasn't so dry.

[Then I suppose I could tell you a story]

You don't have-

[Once upon a time there was a large creature named Fa'warius...]

Mitchell scowled and rolled her eyes, but Talon was on a roll, now, and she was pretty much as captive an audience as he was ever going to get. He continued the story while she looked around for some way to reach into her head and pull out her brains.