A/N: Yay!! I see the PTB have fixed our formatting issues. Lovely! Thanks to everyone who's r&r-ing. I hope you enjoy the Remy/Keller interaction this chap, let me know if you think it's IC. -pj

Disclaimer: Not mine and Sci Fi execs have stopped returning my calls.

Day Twenty-Two

"Ow," Remy hissed, throwing a quick glare at Dr. Keller as she probed the ugly bruise forming over her ribs.

"Sorry," Jennifer let the black shirt fall back down and Remy tugged at it self consciously, "it doesn't look like you've broken anything but I'm going to tape them up anyway because the bruising is pretty severe."

Remy shook her head, trying to get off the exam table, "no, I'll be okay."

"Do you plan on being able to walk tomorrow?"

"Yeah."

"Then you're going to want me to give it some support," Jennifer gave her a stern look and Remy rolled her eyes, settling back onto the exam table.

"How'd you do it anyway?"

Jennifer had turned away, busy gathering her materials so she didn't see Remy grin.

"An Ourdnac."

Keller paused in ripping off several long pieces of adhesive tape, "I'm sorry?"

"It's a big, sort of…bull kind of thing, but like a more reddish-purple color and a long head like a horse. It's got claws instead of hoofs too."

"Okay…" Jennifer said, placing the first strip, still waiting for the 'explanation' part of this story.

"I was riding it," Remy said simply and winced when the doctor pressed it into place.

The doctor's head snapped up, "you were what?"

Remy grinned, expecting this reaction. It had pretty much been what her team said when she volunteered to give the large animal a go, "what? I never got to ride the bull at the rodeo…I figured I was finally getting my chance."

"Oh, you got it all right." Jennifer said humorlessly.

Remy shrugged, and then regretted it at the sharp pain that shot up her side, "All the locals were doing it." She said, as if that made it any better. She looked up when she saw a large figure move in the doorway of the infirmary.

Long leather jacket flapping behind him, Ronon stopped at the foot of the bed where Remy sat and crossed his arms over his chest.

"You rode an Ourdnac? Have you lost it completely?" he was trying to sound severe, but Remy could hear the concern underneath.

"I didn't try. I succeeded. Was on it for a full eight seconds before it threw me."

Ronon shook his head and Remy detected an amused smile on his lips when he did so.

"Okay, you're good," Keller stood up, finished with taping Remy's ribs, "I'm just going to go write you a script for some pain-killers and-"

"No way, I've got to fly a mission tomorrow. I need a clear head," Remy protested immediately.

Jennifer eyed her and, sensing that the Leut. was unlikely to give up this particular fight, she nodded and made her way over to the supply cabinet.

Ronon stepped forward, tilting his head to give her a serious look, "you okay? Really?"

Remy smiled briefly and nodded, "a little banged up, but I'll live."

"I'm leaving for Veda. Woolsey wants us to check on them, see how they're doing since Davos died."

Remy nodded, "to promote goodwill. I know."

"I guess we need all the friends we can get."

"Okay," Remy smiled for his benefit, although the thought of him being gone for three days did not really make her want to do so, "have a safe trip."

Ronon looked at her for several moments playing with the ends of her hair while dropping a quick kiss on her lips. Remy hated herself for blushing as he pulled away and turned to leave the infirmary, but he'd never kissed her in public before and the act of doing so was giving her much the same rush riding the Ourdnac had.

Just as Ronon left Jennifer returned with a few foil packets of Ibuprofen.

"You're pretty young," she said after a moment, handing Remy a glass of water for the pills.

"Okay…" Remy swallowed the aspirin and gave the doctor a look, trying to see where she was going with that comment.

"I mean, for Ronon."

"Oh. Well, I'm 26. And Ronon's young too, people just don't usually realize it because he carries himself older. Be hard not to when you've been through as much as he has."

"He's told you about that?" Jennifer seemed surprised.

"Not a lot," Remy bent and twisted a little at the waist, testing out the tape splint and was satisfied when her discomfort was limited to a slightly less grinding pain, "but this place is one giant grapevine. All you have to hear is 'the wraith captured him and put a tracker in him again' to know he's seen more than his fair share."

"Yeah." Keller nodded, distractedly reaching for a tablet on a nearby workstation.

"You and him too, huh?"

Her eyes snapped up to hers and Remy returned the look evenly, "like I said, one giant grapevine."

Keller cleared her throat, shifting the tablet from one arm to the other, "well, he was interested but…I was kind of involved so…"

Remy nodded and looked down at her hands, but glanced up several times at the suddenly fidgety doctor. She swallowed hard and shifted on the small exam table, thinking. The intelligence she'd received had been clear. At one time in the not so distant past Ronon had been pretty enamored with this doctor and more than a few people had been suitably stunned when she didn't return his attention.

Could so many people really be wrong?

"This, um…this isn't going to be a problem, right doc?"

"What?" Keller looked up at her as if she'd just realized Remy was there.

"Me and Ronon…"

"Oh. No. No. We, um, we're not…we were never….I have a boyfriend, so. Yeah. No."

Remy smiled, relieved. "Good. 'Cause I really like him. A lot," she carefully slid off the table and grabbed her jacket, "and I'd hate to have to fight you for him. I'd probably kick your ass and I don't need another note like that on my record."

Remy winked, and Jennifer wasn't sure if she was kidding or not. "See you 'round Doc."

TBC