"You're Cadman?" he asked.
She looked at him curiously. "Yes, sir."
Mitchell shook his head. "Sorry. I just expected Cadman to be a man."
They rounded the corner leading to the infirmary. As a nurse came to greet them, Cadman waved her away. "Dr. Keller will be here in a second and will want to take care of this." Knowing full well Jennifer probably did not need to personally stitch up the colonel, she wanted to see Jennifer in action around this man. She led Mitchell to a row of beds and plopped down on one, gesturing for him to take the one next to hers.
"Been here a lot?" he asked, giving in and stretching out onto the bed. Closing his eyes, he felt his head pounding. Everything was beginning to hurt.
Smirking, she realized he was just now getting off the adrenalin rush and his body was finally realizing it was in pain. She walked over to a cabinet and pulled out a few Tylenol out of a jar. Grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge, she handed it to the colonel.
"Here, you'll feel better with this, sir," she said. "Anyways, yes, I'm here quite a bit with Jen when I'm off or just visiting. I'm usually stationed on the Daedalus, sir." She began kicking her legs, getting antsy at waiting. "So, why did you think I was a man?"
Thankful for the pain relievers, he chugged the water down and tried to sit up before Jennifer came in. "Nothing. It was just a passing comment this afternoon and that you would be ticked about something. Figured it was a man. And how about we drop the 'sirs.'"
"So you're the owner of the traitorous sweatshirt," she said, trying to connect the dots and pleased the colonel was not big on pomp and circumstance. "And you thought I was a guy. Jennifer's guy, right?"
He closed his eyes. "Oh, God, please tell me you're not Atlantis' version of Vala."
She hopped off the bed, seeing Jennifer enter the infirmary. "No, I've met you're Vala and she's scary. I'm harmless. Anyways, listen up quick because she's coming. If you're interested in her, you have to get through her big band of merry brothers- Evan, Sheppard, and Ronon. Jen hasn't seen anyone in Atlantis because those jerks either scare them off or conveniently send them back to Earth."
Wincing, he lowered his voice. "I'm not going there," he murmured, not denying anything. "Too many reasons... head of the team, headed back to Earth in a few months..."
Cadman smirked. "It's only been a few days and you can't keep your eyes off her. My bet is that you don't last for a week. Maybe two."
They stopped talking as Jennifer approached. "Why hasn't anyone stitched you up?"
Grinning devilishly, Cadman looked at her friend. "Figured you would want to do it yourself. And now, I'm off. Gosh, it's such a dreary day. Maybe things will perk up and I'll end up getting to blow something up."
Cameron sat up, confused, waiting for Jennifer to explain. "She's an explosives specialist."
"Ah," he said. There was an awkward pause where he just kept staring up at her. Jennifer, shaking her head, tried to get it together. She moved to grab the items she needed and sat on the stool next to him.
"Let me numb it and we'll get started," she said."Unless you don't want one."
He laughed. "Give me the shot, doc. I'm in enough pain through the rest of my body to have to deal with getting sewed up." He kept his eyes open as she worked. Her freckles were cute. He studied the light dusting across her nose and face as she worked.
"OK, can you not look at me?" she muttered.
"Where else am I supposed to look?" He asked.
"Try the ceiling," she retorted. He was silent for a few minutes. So much for getting her to relax around him.
Jennifer didn't know whether to be grateful or wonder what was going through her head when he grew silent. Finally, he seemed to not be able to contain himself.
"Has anyone ever called you freckles?"
Stopping, she glared down at him. "No."
He smirked. "Nothing to be embarrassed about. They're neat. I tried counting them, but you yelled at me."
Exasperated, she tried to stay focused on her task. "I think I would rather stitch up Ronon over you right now, which says a lot. I'm the only doctor who is wiling to stitch him up." She paused while she pulled through a stitch. "You're beginning to turn out to be a major pain."
"Colonel," he shot back. "That would be a colonel pain, doc."
Trying not to laugh, she finished her stitches. "What else hurts? Anything I should know about?"
He was having a hard time concentrating. Her face was framed by her hair, which was usually up in a half hazard pony tail. Cameron let his eyes trail over her face until he got to her lips. He had the incredible urge to kiss her to see what her lips would feel like against his.
"Lip hurts," he said innocently. Then remembering a line from Napoleon Dynamite, he grinned. "My lips hurt real bad, doc."
Expecting her to laugh, he was surprised when she yanked off her gloves and glared down at him. "Contrary to my idiot friend, I will not be kissing your boo-boos."
"Whoa whoa whoa, doc, calm down," he said, getting up too fast. His vision blurred from the sudden. Jennifer rushed back to his side, pushing him back on to the bed.
The room was still spinning, but he tried to explain. "It's a movie. Sorry, forgot you haven't been back to Earth."
She double checked and made sure it wasn't a concussion he was experiencing. Forcing him to lay back, she folded her arms. "Sorry. Cadman just can be a pain sometimes." Looking at his lip, she didn't feel it needed stitches but decided to clean it a bit and put some ointment on it. He tried to brush her away.
"It's fine. Thanks for the patch up." He got up much slower this time. Standing but still holding on to the bed, he felt a lot better. "Speaking of movies, maybe I should continue Sheppard's movie night thing he had going on. Maybe not just for the team, but for anyone. It will help me get to know more people. How long is Daniel's team building activity suppose to take tonight?"
"I think everyone is suppose to take at least two hours. He said after dinner at 7 p.m." Jennifer picked up her gloves and threw them in the trash.
Cameron followed her. "Want to walk to dinner or do you need to do stuff here?"
Wishing she had an excuse to not be with him, she sighed. "No, I might as well just leave it until morning. And I wouldn't want to have you get lost again."
Feeling like he was getting brushed off, he muttered. "Don't sound so excited, doc."
Dinner time in the mess was charged with energy. Most of the military personal on Atlantis spent their conversations filling in others about how Mitchell held his own with Ronon. The general consensus was that Mitchell didn't full get away unscathed due to the stitches, so Ronon had a slight sense of winning the fight. One marine got the fight on camera with a hand held recorder and began showing different tables.
Ronon, however, was not as thrilled as everyone else was. He didn't expect the much lighter man to be able to last as long as he did, and on top of that to hold his own. Sheppard noticed his sulking and slapped him on the back.
"Cheer up, Chewey," he said. "It could have been worse. He could have knocked you out."
Snorting, Ronon rolled his eyes. "Yeah, like that would have happened."
They both looked up as Mitchell, earning a few applause's from a few tables, walked through the door with Keller at his side. As they picked up trays, they noticed Keller rolling her eyes at the applause and muttering something under her breath about idiotic men.
The team, including Sheppard at their table, quickly ate. Daniel arrived late, saying he was prepping for his presentation. Ronon and Mitchell both groaned, making Jennifer laugh at their reaction.
"So what do you have planned for us, Daniel?" she asked.
Clasping his hands, he grinned. "I thought Ronon had a good idea about trust building. But don't worry, Jen, you won't have to fall into Mitchell's arms for this one."
Sheppard looked confused, sending Ronon a questioning look. Daniel quickly explained their morning training.
"You know," John said. "She probably would have been find paired up with Ronon. No offense, doc, or to you SG1 guys, but she has trust issues with people she doesn't know well."
"Thank you, Dr. Sheppard, for that wonderful psychotic write up on my trust issues," she said, slapping him on the head. "I'll remember that the next time you come bleeding to death into my infirmary." Grinning evilly, she added. "Or when I'm picking out the needle for your next blood work."
Deadpan, Sheppard tried to see if she was joking. The woman was being hard to read lately. Not acting like herself. He had a feeling it had to do with Mitchell's arrival on Atlantis.
Finishing, the team got up, leaving Sheppard on his own.
"Ah, yeah. Sheppard, want to tag along?" Daniel asked.
Sheppard shook his head. "No, Rodney's meeting me here soon for dinner. He wanted to talk to me about his latest discovery that may help us boost weapons power during a Wraith attack. Fun stuff."
Remembering his conversation with Jennifer earlier, Mitchell stood up. "How about all of us meeting after the training room in my room for a movie? Dr. Keller missed out on a classic, so I'm figuring the rest of you did as well. It's open to anyone, so spread the word to who you want to come."
Brightening, Sheppard smiled. "Sounds like a plan, Cameron. I'll let Lorne know and a few others."
"Seriously, Daniel?" Jennifer said, sitting across from Ronon. "We have to come up with ten questions we want to know about the other person? Like what? I already know a ton about Ronon. We practically are living in a dorm environment here."
"It can be anything. Serious, funny, random. Just whatever pops into your mind. It will be easy when you get to us since you don't know us as well. In fact," he said. "Why don't you guys not be together and you and I can pair up first?" Agreeing, Jennifer sat Indian style across from Daniel. She felt as easy with the scientist, almost like she was with Laura. He was funny and charming in a friendly way. "OK, sitting across from your partner, go back and forth asking each other basic getting to know you questions."
Ronon, snorting loudly, looked bored. Then he brightened. "So, Mitchell, how long did you train with the Sodan?" Jennifer laughed when she realized he was going to ask everything he wanted to know about Cameron's experience fighting with the rogue Jaffa.
Clearing her throat, she looked at Daniel. "OK, first question. What's your relationship with Vala? I've heard things from Sam."
Daniel's face flushed, not expecting the doctor to go for something personal on the first shot. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing."
"Ha!" Cameron yelled, obviously hearing the question. "They both are in love with each other. Half of the SGC just want to lock them in a room for a weekend and see what happens. They'll either kill each other or end up..."
"OK, Mitchell, thank you for the commentary of my love life," Daniel yelled back, interrupting him. Narrowing his eyes, he raised his eyebrow in a famous Teal'C like way. "Tit for tat, Jenifer. I heard rumors about you and..." He cupped his mouth and mouthed the word "Ronon" so that neither Ronon or Daniel could hear.
"Hey!" Ronon said, yelling over to them this time. "No whispering."
"Then stop eves dropping," Daniel laughed. Seeing the Satedan confused, he quickly explained the concept of eves dropping. Looking pointedly back at Keller, she reddened. Rolling her eyes, she beckoned him to come closer and whispered. Noticing Mitchell eying her, she covered her mouth and spoke directly into Daniel's ear. "Nothing happened. We were locked in a room together... almost kissed. But nothing happened from it. He's been an honorary big brother ever since." Leaning back, she laughed.
"Ah," he said loudly, driving Ronon and Cameron nuts. "That explains some things."
"Hmmm..." she said, giggling. ""Seriously, I feel like I'm back in elementary school and I'm telling my BFF who I have a crush on. This is turning out to be fun. But I'm glad Cadman's not here. She would go all out with this." She swung her legs back to lay on her stomach, still facing him. Grinning, he did the same so that they were inches apart.
"So, like," he said, imitating a valley girl, "who do you have a crush on?"
Slapping away at his hands, she laughed. "No one, you dork!"
Mitchell stared at them both. He often saw Daniel become comfortable and friendly pretty quick with people they met, but never like this. He couldn't tell if his friend was coming on to the doctor or not. The good, "shy," young doctor seemed completely at ease and utterly charmed with Daniel.
The better part of an hour went by. Ronon and Mitchell found themselves finished before the others. Running out of things to say, he muttered to Ronon, "Is it me, or are they scaring you with how much fun they are having?"
Ronon grunted. Figuring that meant he agreed, Mitchell looked at his watch. Movie night seemed like it was in their future if the pair before him could wrap up soon.
"OK, we're done." Laughing, Jennifer sat up and grinned at Daniel. When he moved to sit next to Ronon, Jennifer's smile fell from her face.
"Hey," he protested at her look of doom. "I can be just as fun as Daniel."
She tried to smile, but sat up straight with her legs pulled up to her chest.
"OK, Dr. Keller, I'm going to prove you wrong. First question," he thought carefully, wanting all ten to count. Thinking back to his high school journalism days, he made sure it was an open ended question. He doubted she would elaborate with a yes or no question or something that would be a single word answer. "Describe the place you grew up."
Narrowing her eyes, she saw his strategy. "I grew up in Wisconsin. Chippewa Falls. It's a small midwest town... small enough where everyone knows your name but big enough to have your own space."
Waiting for her to continue, Cameron finally gave up. "OK. Your turn."
She thought carefully. "Favorite TV show?" She figured that was safe enough. For some reason, she just didn't want to get personal with Cameron.
"Easy," he said. "Extreme Makeover, Home Edition. I cry every time," he said, grinning at her. Earning a small smile, he considered it a major victory. "What's something no one else here knows about you?"
Puzzled by his question, she thought carefully.
"Hey, Daniel." Cameron called over as she thought. "No passing or no lying, right?"
"Correct," he called out. Although he was much more subdued with Ronon, he found himself fascinated by the answers he was getting from Ronon. Yes, they were brief, but the life he lived was fascinating to Daniel.
Jennifer looked back at Cameron once she found the answer. "OK, the truth. I'm scared the IOA will replace me the first time I mess up. I wasn't meant to have this job, but it fell into my lap on accident."
Impressed that she had revealed something personal about herself, he saw her loosen up a bit and unfold her legs from her chest.
"What's one thing on Atlantis that's surprised you?" Jennifer asked.
Mitchell didn't even have to think. "You," he blurted out. Never did he think he would meet someone who tugged at him more than any other woman. Her brains, personality, her smile. It all was wrapped up in a pretty package. Realizing he revealed too much, he tried to catch himself. "I mean, the first day we met. I didn't expect you to be the CMO." Hoping he covered himself, he saw that she was blushing slightly. "OK, my turn. What's your biggest fear?"
She paused. "Losing someone close. My mother died. It makes you realize how short life can be sometimes." Looking away with a sad look across her face, she mustered up a smile. "What about you?"
He answered immediately. "Losing my freedom. When I was shot down by Anubis' ship, I was in medical rehab for over a year. No one thought I would be able to walk again, but I was determined. My dad lost his legs during the war. I knew how devastated he was when I returned injured so bad, so it really pushed me to beat the odds."
Jennifer nodded. She had reviewed his medical chart after lunch. Partly for professional reasons as a CMO but also due to her interest in his background.
They went back in forth, asking some serious and some off the wall questions. He was finally pulling some genuine smiles from her by the time they finished.
"All right. Who's up for move night?" Cameron asked.
They all agreed to meet at his room. Jennifer mentioned she would be Laura and Ronon groaned. "So much for hearing anything. She talks more than anyone on this base." Then he stopped. "Not as much as Rodney, though."