"Why do you get to leave and I don't?"

"Because Carson said I could."

"But I'm-"

"You're still weak and I've heard you groaning whenever you roll over in your sleep, so I know you're still in pain." Melony smiled. "As long as you're in this infirmary, you're going to have to do what Carson tells you."

Dex scowled, glaring at her, but Mitchell was far from cowed by that stare. She'd faced worse, after all.

"I could get up whenever I wanted to," Dex told her, crossing his arms across his chest – and wincing when he pulled the stitches in his shoulder with the motion.

"I wouldn't advise it."

"Beckett isn't that big."

Melony hesitated, for the first time uncertain if he was being serious or not, and definitely not willing to allow an unveiled threat towards Carson – especially when she wasn't going to be there all the time to keep an eye on things.

Ronon noticed the hesitation, and figured out what caused it immediately. He'd only been in this infirmary for a day, now, but he was observant and it was hard to miss the relationship between Mitchell and the doctor. And while he'd already figured out that Carson Beckett wasn't a military man, he'd seen Mitchell in action and knew that she wasn't one to mess with – at least not feeling as lousy as he did.

"Relax," he said, leaning back into the soft pillow. "I wasn't serious."

She nodded, accepting that, and ran her hand along the arm of her clean uniform.

"Carson said he'll release you tomorrow. There are a few things we still need to talk about, but it'll wait until then, so you're not at the disadvantage of being in bed."

Dex nodded as well.

"Fine."

"I'll see you later. I have a date with a shower."

With that reminder that he was still stuck getting sponge baths, she left the room, whistling cheerfully to herself.

"That wasn't nice…" he muttered to himself as the door closed behind her.

OOOOOOOOO

"Ah, Colonel Mitchell! Out of bed so soon?"

Melony changed direction at McKay's call, and headed for his bed, where he was lounging, the remains of his dinner on a tray on the table beside his bed. While Carson had told her that Rodney was probably more than healthy enough to leave the infirmary, McKay didn't seem to be in any hurry to go. Of course, he was being waited on – more or less – in the infirmary, and he didn't have any pressing projects to get back to in his lab, so there wasn't any reason for him to go.

"Carson released me an hour ago," she told him. "How are you feeling?"

Since Rodney now knew (Weir had taken pity on him and told him) what he'd done and that he'd personally saved Melony's life by putting his own in jeopardy jumping on the back of the cat that had attacked her, McKay couldn't help but put on a slightly pained expression.

"Oh, I'm okay… a slight headache, but nothing more. I'll be up and about any day now."

She nodded, hiding her smile.

"Well, don't rush things…"

"I won't."

Oh, there's an understatement

She snorted, unprepared for Talon's sarcastic comment, and hid it with a cough.

"I'd better go get something to drink. I'll see you later."

"Yeah."

Rodney watched as she turned and left the infirmary, and then tossed his blankets back, standing up and watching the door to make sure that she wasn't coming back. Certain that she hadn't forgotten something, he straightened his clothing and headed for the small room on the other side of the infirmary, slipping through the door while no one was watching.

OOOOOOOOO

Dex looked up when the door opened, an eyebrow coming up when he saw McKay come into the room, looking for all the world as if he were sneaking in. He didn't say anything, though, as McKay closed the door behind him and turned to look at him.

"Hi."

Dex frowned.

"Hello."

McKay came over and sat down on the bed Melony had been stuck in the last day.

"I was hoping to have a chance to talk to you."

"You're talking to me now."

"Yes." McKay hesitated, though, gathering his thoughts. While he wasn't – quite – as injured as he was letting people believe that he was, his head did hurt, and it took him a moment to try and come up with a diplomatic way to open the conversation. Not that diplomacy was normally something Rodney cared about, but Ronon Dex was large and imposing, and no more someone that McKay wanted to annoy than he would want to irritate Teal'c. So he decided to beat around the bush, instead of simply asking him about why he thought the Wraith would want to chase him for seven years. He looked around the room. "I see Colonel Mitchell was released…"

Dex nodded.

"Yes."

"Not surprising, really…"

"Why do you say that?" Dex asked, curious despite the fact that he was certain that McKay didn't want to talk about Mitchell. Dex did, so he was more than willing to accept the obviously evasive comment.

Just as McKay was glad to have something to tal kabout to break the ice with.

"Because of Talon, of course," he said, shrugging. "She always heals quickly."

Ronon frowned.

"Talon?"

"Sure."

"Who is Talon?" He wasn't even sure if Talon was actually a person, but the way McKay was speaking of him made him decide he must be.

"Colonel Mitchell's symbiote, of course," Rodney said, sounding a bit smug about knowing something that Dex didn't. Of course, Ronon didn't know that McKay always sounded smug.

"Symbiote?"

Dex felt stupid repeating everything McKay was saying, but he was so confused he couldn't help it.

"You haven't heard about Talon, yet?"

Dex shook his head, and Rodney reached over and took a cup of pudding from the tray on Ronon's bedside table.

"Get comfortable," he said, taking up a spoon. "It's a long story."

And Rodney loved to tell it.