The Tegan Chronicles
Thicker than Blood 6
Tegan didn't come downstairs until ten. She was showered and wearing her prosthetic along with a pair of running shorts and a heather gray air force t-shirt. Janet looked down at Tegan's bare feet and smiled. "Hungry?"
Tegan nodded as she moved to the cabinet and pulled out a bowl and found the Special K with strawberries.
"Ready to talk about what happened last night?" Janet watched her pour a bowl full of cereal.
Tegan pulled the milk out of the refrigerator and checked the date before pouring it into the bowl. She grabbed a spoon and shoved a spoonful in her mouth before heading for the table. She hated for her cereal to get soggy. "Let me eat first."
Janet sighed and got up to fix another cup of coffee.
When she finished eating Tegan gave the remaining tablespoon of pink milk to Galahad. "I was in the middle of cooking and my arm started hurting."
"Pretty badly if you asked for morphine." Janet pointed out. "Cassie said you fell onto the floor and started hitting your head."
"I didn't fall onto the floor."
"But you did ask for morphine and hit your head on the floor?"
"I was trying to focus on something besides the pain."
"Where was the pain?"
"It was in my head."
"Your head hurt?"
"No." Tegan shook her head frustrated. "My arm hurt, but it's got to be in my head."
"Why?"
"If you go with the theory that phantom pain is caused by the brain thinking the phantom limb is paralyzed, my brain shouldn't think that since it makes the bio-mechanical arm move."
"Yes, but it's just a theory. We really don't know the physiology behind phantom pain. I personally think it's because of the damage done to the nerves." Janet gave her opinion.
"What did Colonel O'Neill say when you called?" Tegan changed the subject.
"He said he hoped you felt better soon."
"What did you tell him?"
"That you threw up and I had to give you Phenergan."
Tegan shook her head. It technically wasn't a lie.
"Morning Teal'c." Tegan greeted as she passed him in the hall Monday morning.
He bowed slightly to her really not knowing what to say, she hadn't said anything to him in passing since she'd returned to active duty.
She stopped and turned around. "Are you busy?"
"No." He looked from her to his empty hands.
"Interested in a sparring match?"
She had never offered to spar with him, in fact he'd never sparred with any females before.
"Is that wise?"
"You're just afraid I'm going to hurt you." She smiled lightly knowing it couldn't be further than the truth.
He eyed her prosthetic and thought back to the glass incident. "Indeed."
"Good, then we're nicely matched."
Jack had stopped by Sam's lab and let her know Tegan and Teal'c were going to be working on some hand to hand skills if she wanted to join him in observing. She set aside the Naquada reactor she was troubleshooting and followed him down the hall. "Is this really a good idea?"
"I told him to go easy on her." Jack grinned.
"It's not Tegan I'm worried about."
Sam watched as they fought, both Tegan and Teal'c working up a sweat. She watched as Tegan effortlessly used her prosthetic, it really was working as an extension of her body, just as they had hoped.
Teal'c winced and Jack leaned over whispering in Sam's ear, "He never does that when I spar with him."
Tegan released her grip. "You know I just realized something."
"What's that?" Jack asked from his perch atop a stool.
"I'm carrying a lethal weapon."
"Sorry to burst your bubble;" Sam held her own hands up. "But you were a lethal weapon before you got the new arm."
"Yeah." She turned to Teal'c. "I'm beat."
They'd been going at it for close to two hours, and he nodded.
Somehow she knew she didn't need to clarify things with him, not with words anyway. She had forgiven him, he had accepted and that was that. "I'm going to hit the shower."
A few hours later she appeared in Sam's doorway. Sam glanced up concern wrinkling her forehead.
"Need any help?"
Sam shook her head. "I'm thinking about calling it a day. This generator is making my head hurt."
Tegan's eyes narrowed on her as if she had x-ray vision and was preforming a live CT scan.
"Not actual pain."
Tegan nodded her understanding as her checks flushed.
"You know what I could use though?"
"What?"
"A nice mocha frappe from that place on Vine. You want to join me?"
Tegan glanced at her watch. It was close enough to quitting time. "Sure, I need to lock up the lab on the way out."
Tegan ordered a frozen hot chocolate which turned out to be quite a tasty oxymoron topped with chocolate sauce drizzled. whipped cream She took a drag through the straw worthy of inducing a massive brain freeze and looked across the table at Sam who was currently regarding her.
Sam had changed into a blue peasant top that accented her eyes. Tegan had gone with a long sleeve olive button down over a brown tank top and a pair of comfy jeans. She still wasn't comfortable being out in public with her prosthetic.
"What?" Sam asked when she noticed Tegan staring back at her.
Tegan shook her head, then lowered her voice. "Did you use the healing device?"
"No." Sam looked down at her mocha frappe. "It's missing."
A wrinkle marred Tegan's forehead when Sam looked back up.
"It was at Area 51 last, and it's currently MIA."
"Five finger discount?"
"Yeah, something like that. I even went out to see if I could help them locate it. It seems it grew legs and walked off base."
Tegan nodded. "Are we cool?"
She knew Tegan wasn't asking if they were part of the in crowd. "You tell me."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"You didn't ask, and I was following orders."
Tegan nodded. It wasn't until they were about to part, in the parking lot, before she turned to Sam. "Yeah, we're cool."
"Tegan, dinner's ready." Janet called into the living room.
"I'm not hungry." She responded as Cassie stampeded by.
"You need to eat."
"Not this again." Cassie rolled her eyes while piling Janet's homemade macaroni and cheese on her plate.
"Sam and I went out after work."
Janet sighed. "That wasn't food."
"You go to a bar?" Cassie asked as she popped a grape tomato into her mouth.
"Cafe." Tegan responded.
"You could at least join us for the conversation." Janet speared a broccoli floret with the prongs of her fork.
Tegan closed her eyes.