Tegan Chronicles

Affairs of Love 12

Janet glanced up as she heard rustling from the lump on the couch. She tried to jump up, to stop what was happening. But it seems gravity always works faster than kinetics. The soft thud was followed by, "Ouch!"

"Sorry, I…"

"What are you doing…?" Tegan interrupted herself mid question as she realized she was no longer in her own house. "What am I doing here?"

"Greg brought you over after you collapsed in your hallway. He said he'd call and check on you after his flight landed."

"How long have I been out?" Hell could freeze over before he called for all she cared. Ok, so maybe she wasn't that mad at him.

"Four hours."

"Four?" Tegan looked at her watch. "What'd you slip me?"

Janet held her hand out as Tegan pulled herself back onto the couch without accepting the offer.

"Don't lie to me."

"I didn't lie to you." Janet moved back to the chair.

"You didn't answer me either, and I know you slipped me something otherwise I'd be waking up in the infirmary."

"I didn't slip you anything. I know you haven't been sleeping, grumpy." She added for effect. "I thought I'd give you a few more hours before I called for transport, figuring there was no need to over react."

"You promise you didn't give me anything?"

"Scout's honor."

Tegan rolled her eyes.

"Besides Warner's working tonight."

"Well, that kind of explains it."

"You're not going to work today."

"Yes I am." Tegan yawned.

"I'm not, and Colonel O'Neill has orders to relieve you of duty if you show up, so do yourself a favor and don't waste his time."

"Fine," She pretended to huff but Janet saw through the ruse.

"I've got Ambien in my bag if you want it."

"With my name on it?"

"I filled it for you Friday, two pills."

Tegan held out her hand.

Janet pulled the amber bottle out and handed it to her. "Why don't you get a bottle of water and go on up to the guest room so Cassie doesn't wake you when she gets up for school in a few hours."

"Thanks, what would I do with out you?"

"Funny, Greg asked the same thing."

"He could have been the catch of my life." Tegan stood up and stretched, her cotton shirt pulling lose from her shorts and showing a glimpse of smooth ivory skin.

"Could have?"

"Yeah, another time or place I…" She looked at Janet. "Some roads just aren't meant to go down."

"I thought you loved him."

"I did, but not the way you love someone you plan to spend the rest of your life with." She twisted her head working out a kink. "What about your husband?"

"Ex-husband," Janet corrected. "I was young, stupid."

"He hit you?" She wasn't sure why, but she instinctively knew it was more than just the verbal abuse Janet had alluded to once or twice it the past.

"Twice, the first and the last, it made for a real short marriage." She pointed to the unopened bottle. "Get some rest."

"I don't want you to go." Janet stood in front of Tegan who was still sitting on the exam table.

"You've already cleared my team."

"But I don't want you to go." Janet put her hand on Tegan's knee.

"So you said, but I don't have a choice. Beside, it's just a routine mission."

"I could keep you from going."

"On what grounds?" She raised a curious eyebrow, wondering why she was even entertaining the idea.

"Your weight for one."

"You've let me go weighing less."

"Well, you haven't been sleeping well."

"That was last week." Tegan shook her head. "You gave me that Ambien and I slept for two days."

"It was twenty-two hours, and you needed it."

"Might just as well been two days. I'm good to go, you said so yourself."

"I just have a strange feeling about this one." She moved her hand realizing it had lingered too long.

"I'll be fine Janet." She smiled lightly. "And if I'm not, you'll be here to patch me up when I get back.

"I always am."

"Don't worry about it. The MALP reports were unremarkable."

"I'm just afraid that one of these days you're not coming back." She wasn't sure why her brain didn't override her heart on that one, but quickly made up for it. "I worry about you all, but especially SG1."

"It's part of the job Janet, besides you should know by now you can't get rid of us that easily."

"No, I guess not." But that didn't stop the acid dipped dagger from twisting in her stomach.