The Tegan Chronicles

Intuition and Lies 33

"Sam, hey." Janet spoke into the phone. "I just wanted to let you know she's not going to be ready. - I know it doesn't change anything, I just thought you all might want to know. - Yeah, Jessica called again. She was trying to get information. She reminded me Tegan has only three weeks left." Janet heard something outside the door. "I've got to go, bye."

Tegan knocked on the open door. "Hey, I'm going to go for a walk."

Janet nodded. She hoped she hadn't heard any of her conversation and silently reprimanded herself for not shutting the door.

Tegan slipped on her running shoes, she'd been sliding them on and off already tied to save herself the frustration of trying to get her bio-mechanical fingers to work right. She made sure she had her cell phone and wallet before heading out. As soon as she got to the end of the block she slowed to a walk and slid her cell phone out of her shorts' pocket.

"Kiser." The female voice on the other end picked up.

"Jessica, it's Tegan. What the hell is going on?"

"I'll have to call you back." She hung up without further explanation leaving Tegan standing on the corner with her phone in her hand.

Several minutes passed before it rang. "What the hell?"

"Sorry, I had to get out of the office before I could talk to you."

"What's going on? And why can't you talk in your office?" Tegan looked up at the gray sky that was beginning to fill with pockets of boiling black clouds. "Better yet, what's happening in three weeks?"

"You don't know?"

"Start from the beginning, and make it quick. Who do you work for?"

"I work for the department of defense under Senator McKenzie."

That explained a lot. Tegan would have hung up the phone right then if she didn't need information.

"And three weeks from tomorrow you have to pass the Air Force fitness test."

"Or what? I'm out of the military?" Her voice held sarcasm, and as much as she didn't want to admit it, the thought scared her.

"Yes, but it's more than that. Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter will be brought up on charges for misappropriations of government funds. Teal'c will be taken to a holding cell at area 51, and Dr. Jackson will be lucky to be able to find a job in anthology or archeology."

"This is a joke right? You work for Senator McKenzie?" It wasn't April first, but it would have been one hell of an April fool's joke.

"It's not a joke, he has the ammunition and plans to disband SG1 once and for all."

"And you're in on this."

"He wanted to give you 3 months, I talked him into four."

"And that makes everything alright. You really thought an extra four weeks would make a difference? You stupid little bitch." She yelled into the phone. "You know what, just stay the hell out of my life and stop calling Janet to find out how I'm doing. I don't ever want to talk to you again."

She disconnected the phone just as the sky tore open. She looked up at the rumbling sky and yelled at whoever would listen. "Bring it on!"

The clouds answered with a bright flash and a loud crack right on it's heels.

"Dr. Tillman?"

"I'm sorry, I'm locking up for the day. You can come back in the..." She turned to find Tegan standing there, her clothes and shoes completely drenched. Her wet hair was still creating small rivers down the contours of her face. "Major Kiser, you're soaked."

"It's raining outside."

"Come in." She unlocked the door to her office and held it open.

Tegan's shoes squished as she walked in.

"You're going to catch your death." Tilly couldn't even count the number of times her mother had told her the same thing. She reached for the phone.

"There's no correlation."

"I know." Tilly nodded. "Yes, this is Dr. Tillman, I need a pair of scrubs and a couple of blankets brought to my office ASAP." She hung the phone up. "Please have a seat."

"I'll ruin the furniture."

"I didn't pay for it." Tilly grinned lightly.

Tegan continued to stand and thought she could actually like Tilly as a colleague, probably not so much on a patient doctor basis; but then why was she here?

"So, did you walk here?" Tilly broke into her silent thoughts.

"Bus."

"Top of a double decker?"

"Funny." Tegan didn't laugh.

"You're the one who's standing there dripping on my carpet." Tilly opened the door when she heard the knock. "Thank you airman."

She handed the blue scrubs and gray wool blankets to Tegan. "I'll wait outside."

A few minutes later Tegan opened the door dressed in the scrubs. "Thanks."

Tilly nodded and shut the door behind her. "Couch?"

Tegan nodded.

"You canceled your appointment yesterday. I missed our staring contest."

"Everything I say is confidential, right? You can't tell anyone."

"Not even my pet goldfish, unless you are going to harm yourself or someone else."

Tegan nodded. "I found out today that everyone I trust has lied to me."

"About?"

"You tell me." Tegan's tone changed.

"I don't know."

"You talked to my entire team and Janet, surely one of them told you."

"Told me what?"

Tegan took a deep breath and blew it out through her teeth. "Senator McKenzie made a visit to the SGC before I regained consciousness; he informed SG1, General Hammond and Dr. Fraiser that I had four months to be ready to return to work and pass the Air Force's standard Physical Fitness test or he was going to dismantle SG1 for good. He followed with additional threats of court martialing Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter, as well as sending Teal'c off to area 51 and giving Dr. Jackson the boot."

"And no one told you about this?"

"No." Tegan studied her face. "No one told you either."

Tilly's left eye lid twitched.

"If they didn't tell you, it's not breaking patient-doctor confidentiality."

"No, and I'm just a little put out that they didn't."

"You're pissed. Admit it."

Tilly nodded once.

"But you can't say anything, this stays between us."

She gave Tegan a disapproving look, but ethically she was bound. "Of course, one condition."

"No conditions. You mention it, I'll have your license yanked so quick you'll be reeling for a month."

"No," Tilly corrected. "You will keep all your appointments with me from here on out, or I'll have to speak up under the assumption you've become a danger to yourself."

"I don't have any appointments with you."

"Your appointments have all been reinstated, same time as before. How long do you have?"

"Three weeks from tomorrow."

"I'm not so sure you're not already putting yourself in danger."

Tegan shrugged. "I'll be fine."

"You say that a lot, don't you?"

"What?"

"That you're fine."

"Everything is relative."

"Will in this room, that word is off limits. Got it?"

"Fine." The corner of Tegan's mouth curled slightly.

"So, how are you feeling?"

Tegan's mouth formed the 'f' before she stopped herself. "In what way?"'

"Physically? Emotionally? You pick."

"I'm mad. Well, I'm not even sure mad encompasses what I'm feeling."

"I'm not making light of your feelings, but is it possible they did this to protect you?"

"It doesn't matter why they did it. It matters that they did it."

Tilly watched as Tegan reached for her ringing phone and hit the silence button. "I guess the world doesn't need saving."

"Not like they'd let me help if it did."

"I noticed you said they wouldn't let you as opposed to the fact you're not physically able."

Tegan shrugged, it was a minor technicality in her book.

"Is that what this is about?"

"What?"

"Trying to prove that you're still a hero."

"I've never been a hero."

"No?"

"No."

"I've got quite a few people including a school full of children who would beg to differ."

"It's the job."

"What about the time you disobeyed direct orders and turned yourself over to Nirrti to save Colonel O'Neill and Dr. Jackson?"

"That again?"

"Yes." Tilly waited patiently.

"I told you before, leave no man behind."

"But this..." Tilly leaned forward resting her elbows on her knees. "This three week deadline isn't leaving anyone behind."

"They're my team, my family."

Family, that spoke volumes and it wasn't lost on Tilly. "But they lied to you."

"Yeah." Tegan sighed as her phone began to ring again.

"Somebody's missing you."

"Probably." Tegan cut her phone off. "And I should go, this isn't exactly office hours."

"I'll see you tomorrow at..."

"1400 hours." Tegan stood up.