The Tegan Chronicles

Intuition and Lies 10

Teal'c didn't move when Tegan screamed his name. Janet looked up at him before looking at the monitor and noticed only his jaw muscle twitching. "She's…"

"In pain." He finished for her as he stood to move out of the way.

"Yeah."

"She will pull through this Dr. Fraiser. She is strong."

Janet nodded, unable to say more.

"You need to get some rest." Dana spoke as she walked into Tegan's room. "It's been two days and if you don't I'll find someone who can make you."

Janet nodded.

"I'll stay with her and I'll wake you if anything changes."

"You'd better." It held about as much threat as a worm pretending to be a cobra.

Dana looked over the chart and then sat down beside Tegan's bed. "Go."

"I'm going." Janet stepped back eying the washbasin and natural sea sponge with curiosity. "She…"

"I'm just going to try and get her temperature down a little." Dana didn't even look back as she reached into the basin of water and picked up the sponge squeezing out most of the water. She carefully wiped the soft sponge across Tegan's forehead and cheeks.

Janet watched for several minutes slightly jealous of the Dana's gentle touch. She wondered why she hadn't thought of that, and if Dana would do it for any of her patients or if Tegan was somehow special to her.

"If you aren't out the door in the next five minutes I'm finding someone to make it an order and enforce it."

"I'm going." Janet looked at her watch.

"Then go." Dana dipped the sponge back in the cool water and glanced up at the monitor where Tegan's core body temp was still 102.2. She frowned lightly before turning and pulling out Tegan's chart to see when the last time she'd had an antipyretic had been.

"Two hours ago." Janet answered the question as if she were psychic before she slipped out the door knowing Tegan was in good hands.

Dana closed the chart and pulled the sponge back out. She again repeated the process. "My mom knows some thing is wrong. I called to tell her I'd be working over a bit, she worries if she calls when she thinks I should be home. She asked if it was anyone she knew. I told her she knew I couldn't say, which of course just confirmed her fears. She really likes you a lot. At first I thought she was bonding with you because of Melissa, but you two are so different. In fact you're a little more like me than Missy ever was. She wasn't as much for going after the adrenaline rush, she was a free spirit. I miss her."

She hadn't been surprised when her mom offered to stay with Cassie despite the teen not needing a babysitter. It was still a favor that Janet accepted, giving her one less thing to have to worry about.

Dana glanced at the monitor again. Tegan's temperature had dropped two tenths of a degree. Not really party worthy but it was a start. "You've got to wake up. The longer you're like this…"

She couldn't even think it let lone say it aloud. Tegan was going to be fine. She'd seen her come through some really bad things, and read about her coming through worse. Getting whipped to the point of resembling ground meat was worse than losing an arm in a vat of acid, right? Dana couldn't decide and really didn't want to think about it anymore. "I wish I had something to read. I bet you'd like Alice in Wonderland. You remind me of her."

Dana turned around and noticed General Hammond standing in the observation room. "You can come in if you'd like sir."

He flipped the intercom on. "Thank you Dr. Scully, but I'd rather not. I've got a cold and I understand she needs all her antibodies to fight her current infection."

Dana nodded.

"How is she doing?"

"There really hasn't been any change. I wish I could report otherwise. She's hanging in there though."

"Yeah." He nodded. "She's a tough one."

"Yes, she is."

"I'll let you get back to work." He reached forward and cut off the intercom before stepping back and disappearing into the shadows.

"See, even General Hammond is concerned." She settled on the chair. "But like everyone else. He knows how tough you are."

Dana thought for a moment, General Hammond hadn't sounded like he had a cold, and she hadn't heard anyone mention it. Then again when she thought about it, he never visited anyone who was in an isolation room even if they weren't on isolation. She shrugged and turned her attention back to sponging off Tegan's forehead.

"Hey." Cassie came into the living room.

"Yes?" Tegan knew without looking up from the New England Journal of Medicine she was immersed in that the girl wanted something.

"I lost my ring down the sink."

"Which sink?" Tegan was hoping for bathroom sink, so it would be as easy as removing the pipe and dumping it out.

"Kitchen."

"Alright." Tegan closed the journal and put it on the coffee table. As the doorbell

rang.

"I've got it."

"Fine, I'm going to go fish your ring out."

"Hey." Dana walked into the kitchen.

"Hey." Tegan had her left had buried to the elbow in the sink. "I guess you were the doorbell?"

"Ding dong." Dana smiled. "Do you need help?"

"Yeah, if you could flip on the light switch."

"Left or right?"

"Right."

Dana reached over and flipped the right switch up, as a horrible and familiar grinding jumped to life.

"Dana!" Tegan screamed out in pain.