Part 3
Elizabeth woke with a strangled cry, her lungs working hard to fill with air. Carson ran from his office to her bedside as her heart monitor beeped rapidly with her racing heart.
"Carson?" she queried with rapid breath. "What am I doing here?" She looked at him with confusion before taking in the rest of the infirmary.
Carson sighed. "You passed out in your quarters. We brought you here." He pulled up a chair to her bedside. "We can't find anything wrong, but from what Col. Shepard observed, we think it may be exhaustion."
Gently, he placed a hand on her shoulder. "And from what Rodney found in the work logs," he sighed, "I think Col. Shepard may be right. You can't work for almost 4 months straight and not expect to have some consequences. You've logged more hours than anyone since returning from Earth." He smirked slightly, "You even beat Rodney, which I think annoyed him to no end."
Elizabeth allowed herself a wry smile, "I suppose that's not quite something to be proud of."
"No, it's not. And as of now," he paused, knowing she would protest his words, "you are off duty for at least one week. No working at all. Just rest and relaxation."
"What?!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide. Scowling, she sat up straight in bed trying to reclaim some of the authority she felt she had just lost. "I can't just take that much time off Carson."
"Aye, you can and you will," Carson stated with finality. She frowned, knowing there was little she could do to counteract her chief medical officer's assessment.
"It's not like you haven't been gone for longer before," another voice stated. She frowned as she turned to glare at John, who had just walked in. "From what the doc's told me, you haven't taken a break since we got back from Earth. Even Rodney's taken some time off, and you know how hard it is to get him to leave his lab."
Elizabeth nodded, a slight smirk crossing her lips. "So…I suppose this is an intervention then? Hmm?" She sighed, "I'm not going to have the spend the entire week here, am I?" The idea of staying in the infirmary didn't sound very appealing or relaxing.
"Oh no, of course not," Carson replied quickly, "you'll be staying the night for observation, to ensure you actually get some rest for once, then leave in the morning with Col. Sheppard's team to the mainland."
"Actually," John corrected, "Rodney will be staying here to run things. He needs the experience and we'll only be on the mainland for a day or two. I'm sure he can handle things while we're gone."
Elizabeth sighed, suddenly feeling tired and defeated. She knew there was no way she was getting out of this, so she might as well try to enjoy it. Shaking her head at both men, she reluctantly lay back down and closed her eyes.
Carson got up from his seat next to Elizabeth and walked to his office, John following him.
"Teyla will be by at 0800 tomorrow to pick up Elizabeth. Will she be up by then?" John asked as he leaned against the wall.
"Aye, she'll be up and ready to leave," he said as he looked out to his patient. He noticed John had also turned to watch her.
"She'll be fine, no need to fret," the doctor placed a gentle hand on the other man's shoulder.
"She's so strong," John said quietly, "it's easy to think she's indestructible. But she's not." He ran a hand through his hair as he looked over to Carson.
"Aye, she's only human," he said as he returned to his desk. John nodded and quietly crept past Elizabeth's bed before heading out to return to work.
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When Elizabeth awoke the infirmary was dark. Night had descended upon the city with the only light coming from the glow of the various electronics and the night nurse's office.
A sudden rustling sound to her left made her jump in bed. Quickly glancing at the bed next to her, she was surprised to see it empty. Shaking her head she went back to staring back at the ceiling before closing her eyes again.
The sound came again, louder this time. She was tempted to look, but part of her was afraid to. Every part of her being was telling her something was wrong. She kept her eyes tightly shut and tried to ignore the sounds around her.
When she noticed the light increase, her curiosity overrode the panic that was building within her. She opened her eyes and found herself slowly looking to her left.
She gave a quick gasp as she saw a man lying on the bed next to her. Though the hood of his black jacket covered a clear view of his face, she knew what the man looked liked. She knew beneath the hood was a good-looking boyish face with blond hair. She knew how it felt to be held close by him, the sound of his laughter and his skills as a swordsman. So many bits and pieces floated through her mind, only to vanish before she could hold on to the knowledge.
He was looking in her direction, though he didn't seem to see her. For a second she thought she was mistaken when he sat up, but his gaze shifted and moved away from her to the edge of his bed.
Elizabeth followed his gaze and was shocked to see a younger version of herself dressed in a flowing white hooded gown. She was deathly pale with a ghostly bluish glow that seemed to surround her.
"I'm waiting Nicholas," her twin said softly in her voice as she moved closer to the man. "Once you said you'd follow," she whispered as she reached the head of the bed.
The man, Nicholas, stared at the apparition as she placed a gentle hand on his back. "I don't know," he said, "I still find life exciting." He paused, considering his next words as he let himself be pulled into her arms. "And I think I've got more to give."
The ghostly woman smiled, her hand gently caressing his face as it rested on her shoulder. "I always loved the romantic in you." She looked sadly at him, "But the time will come…"
"No," Nicholas said almost vehemently, "Not by my own hand."
Elizabeth wasn't sure what to make of the scene playing out before her eyes. She had a strong sense of déjà vu, though she's sure she'd remember if something like this happened. Her thoughts left her as her twin spoke again.
"By whose then?" the ghost asked, curious. "You don't really think you can become mortal. That's nothing more than a fantasy Nicholas," she chastised him gently.
Nicholas shook his head. "No, I believe it. There's only two ways to escape eternity. One is to join the dead…" he said as he gently removed her hand from him. "The other is to join the living," he finished as he sat up.
The ghost smiled sadly as she kissed the man on the forehead, moving towards the end of the bed. "I'll be waiting," she said as she faded away.
Elizabeth glanced back at the bed and found that it too was empty again. No sign that anyone had ever been laying there. No evidence of what had just transpired. She couldn't decide if she was dreaming or going crazy.
Though she didn't know exactly what that whole vision meant, one thought kept running through her mind.
"I didn't wait," she mumbled to herself.
"I don't remember that," an eerily familiar voice said behind her. Elizabeth spun around in her bed faster than she thought possible. There she stood, dressed in the red skirt and orange sweater from her nightmares.
Elizabeth dropped her head into her hands and squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to think about what was happening. She felt shattered, as if pieces of herself were flung all over the universe. Nothing made much sense anymore.
"Do you remember this?" her twin asked calmly.
Elizabeth shook her head before looking at her twin. "I don't."
Her twin gave her a wry grin. "Guess that makes two of us then." She looked to the empty bed, her eyes contemplating the scene that played out. "If it wasn't either one of us…"
"Then who was it," Elizabeth finished for her. Her twin nodded as they both stared at the bed.
So caught up in their own thoughts, neither one noticed the sunlight beginning to filter into the room. Simultaneous screams rang out in the infirmary as the harsh rays of sunlight burned through them both.
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