The Best-Laid Plans – Chapter 13

Author's Notes – Refer to Chapter 1 for all the thank yous. I've really appreciated everyone that has read this so far. Reviews are always appreciated.

Disclaimer – Refer to Chapter 1

Meanwhile, Melissa had woken up, fed the babies, and had her own breakfast. Once she had finished, she let the babies sleep in the sling while she began working on the laptop that Dr. Rush had left for her. She had just finished translating the first screen when Linda walked in and came up to her bed. "Good morning, Melissa. How are you and the little ones doing?"

Missy smiled at her friend. "They're doing great, Linda. Want to see?" She pulled the flap of the carrier back, and the older woman could see the tiny babies asleep against the new mother's chest. "Dr. Giovanni examined them earlier, and she's pleased with their progress—especially Matthew."

"Oh, that's wonderful."

"How did everything go with the people coming from Earth?"

"It went well, and I've already been to the Mess to sign up for my physical. In fact, the doctors from Earth should be in here any minute."

At that moment, they saw Mac and Greer walk in with five other people. The two men introduced the others to Dr. Giovanni, Mac quietly whispering in her ear, before walking over to the beds where Melissa and TJ were. Greer said, "Morning ladies."

"Yes, good morning," said Mac, bending down to kiss TJ. "How are, I guess I should say, the five of you doing?"

TJ grinned at her boyfriend. "We're doing fine, Mac. I'm still bored though."

Pretending to pull his hair out, Mac said, "You are trying to drive me out of my mind, aren't you, Tamara?"

Missy and TJ burst out laughing with Missy saying "Told you he'd say that."

Mac gazed at both women and when he saw he'd been had, he started laughing with them. "The two of you are nuts." He addressed Melissa, motioning to the carrier, "How are Matthew and Katie doing?"

"They're doing well." She pulled the flap back once more so the men could see. "Dr. Giovanni is pleased with their progress."

"That's great!"

The other man nudged him. "We should probably tell her who's here."

Melissa looked at both of them curiously. "Who's here?"

"Well, if I understood it correctly, one of them is your sister. I guess, your adopted sister."

An excited look came over Missy's face. "Patti's here? Oh, that's neat! Who else?"

Mac gave Greer a warning glance, but before either of them could say anything else, Lieutenant Scott entered the infirmary with Dr. Somers. They walked over to the bed, and the doctor smiled warmly at her sister. "Missy, I'm so glad to see you."

Holding her arms out, Missy replied, "I'm glad to see you too, Patti."

Patti put the bags she was carrying down and gave her sister a hug. She then noticed the carrier. "Are the babies in there? Can I take a peek?"

"Sure." She unbuttoned the flap of the carrier and opened it. "The doctor said they were doing well."

"I'm sure she's competent, but, if you would, let the OB/GYN make her own judgment." She grinned and winked at her. "Now, which one's which?"

"The one on my right is Katherine, but we're calling her Katie, and the one on my left is Matthew."

Carefully lifting each baby a few inches before putting them back down, Patti said, "Wow, Katie's pretty big. And Matthew is small, but still in the normal range. How many weeks did you go?"

"Almost 36."

"That's great for twins! Wait a minute." Patti did some quick calculations in her head. "You've been gone from Earth for that long. That means you were…" She gave Melissa an accusatory look.

Knowing what she meant, Missy closed the flap and bit her lip before replying. "I'm not proud of how they were conceived, but I'm not sorry either. I know you don't know the whole story, but…"

The expression on her sister's face hardened. "I know enough. Listen, someone came with me."

She walked to the door as Greer murmured, "Oh crap," to Mac and Scott.

A moment later, Cameron came in with Patti and went over to Melissa's bed. When she saw who it was, her eyes widened in shock, and tears started pouring down her face. He softly smiled at her. "Hey darlin'."

Swiping at her eyes unsuccessfully, Missy said, "Hi Cameron."

He sat down in a chair that was next to the bed and leaned forward brushing the tears off her face. "Missy, I didn't come here to make you cry. I just wanted to know you were okay."

"Cam, I'm…."

Reaching out to put a finger on her lips, Cameron told her, "If the next word out of your mouth was gonna be sorry, please don't."

"But Cam."

"Again, don't." He noticed the people standing around them and said, "Why don't you introduce me to your friends?"

"All right." She pointed to the people as she introduced them. "Cam, these are Lieutenants Scott, McDonald, and Johansen; Sergeant Greer; and Linda Wilson. Linda was admin at Icarus. Guys, this is Colonel Cameron Mitchell, my first husband."

The others greeted him pleasantly with Linda saying, "Let's give these two some privacy." She motioned to Patti to join them and then pulled the curtain around Melissa's bed.

Once they were gone, Cameron said, "They certainly are subtle, aren't they?"

Missy replied, "They've been good friends." She faced her former husband determinedly. "Listen, Cam, you have to let me say this at least once. I'm so sorry."

A few tears fell down his face. "I told you not to do that, darlin'. Besides, I'm not totally innocent in this mess. Like I told Everett, he could have hit me too. I still can't believe I went off and had an affair with Anna."

She touched his hand. "I heard about the baby she was pregnant with when she died. I know that had to hurt you."

Shrugging his shoulders, Cam replied, "It did, but, at that point, I knew I didn't want to be with her. I was just hoping you would forgive me. Then you guys were stuck here, and General O'Neill told me everything and showed me the file about B'aal. There's a lot you didn't tell me."

"Oh, that would have gone over well." Melissa laughed sardonically. "Tell the man I had just started dating that I was in love with my team lead, but we had been ordered to leave it in the room. I wish I had had more courage back then. Maybe I wouldn't have hurt you. But I can't deny what I feel for Everett anymore."

"I'm not asking you too." He took her hands in his. "I'm just hoping, Missy…that we can be friends."

"Of course." She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "You're a good man, Cameron Mitchell, a good man, and you deserve better than the likes of me."

"Well, I would have to disagree, but, enough of that." He motioned to the carrier. "May I see?"

"Sure."

She opened the flap, and he could see the tiny babies against her chest. Cameron's eyes widened with awe. "Oh wow! They're beautiful. Of course, they have a beautiful mom so that goes without saying."

Missy rolled her eyes. "You flatter me, Cam."

"You never liked being told you were beautiful the whole time we were together." He saw Katie start to stir and motioned to her. "May I?" Melissa nodded and handed him the baby. Cam cradled Katie in his arms, and when her big brown eyes opened, she grabbed his finger and cooed. "I was right. Beautiful. Which one is this one?"

"It's Katherine, but we're calling her Katie. Thank you."

At that moment, the curtain was pulled back. Patti and Linda walked to where Cameron was standing with Patti saying, "Did I hear a baby?"

"You did." Missy saw that Matthew was squirming and took him out. "This one's awake too. Would you like to hold him?"

"Sure." She took the baby from her, and they admired the babies for a few moments. Patti then motioned to the bag on the floor. "I brought you some stuff—clothes for you and for the kids."

Melissa smiled at her sister. "I appreciate that. Thank you."

"You're welcome." She looked down at the baby. "I think this one's hungry. What about the one you're holding, Cameron?"

Cam replied, "Well, she's moving her lips like she wants to suck."

"That's usually the way it works." They gave the babies back to Melissa one at a time, and she put them in the carrier where they found her breasts easily. Once they were feeding, Patti took a syringe out of the doctor bag she had brought with her. "I brought some prenatal vitamin injections with me since I figured you were probably deficient. Is it okay if I give it to you now?"

Missy gazed around her to see if she could see Dr. Giovanni and saw that she was at the other end of the infirmary. Thinking to herself that it should be okay since it was only vitamins; she held out her arm and said, "Sure." Her sister put the needle against her arm and pushed it into her. When she withdrew it, a strong wave of dizziness came over Missy. "Whoa! What was that?"

Patti put the used needle into a sterile bag and threw it into a trash can. "That can happen when you've been vitamin deficient for a while. Don't worry about it."

"Oh, okay." Melissa continued to feed the babies while the group had a pleasant time talking and laughing. When she was almost finished, Dr. Giovanni came over with rations for Missy and TJ. Motioning to her sister, Missy said, "Doctor, this is my sister, Dr. Patricia Somers."

Nodding pleasantly to Patti, Stacia replied, "It is a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Somers. Are you a member of the family that adopted Dr. Young?"

Patti gave the doctor and Melissa curious looks. "Yes, I am. How did you know my sister was adopted?"

Realizing that they had almost given the secret away, Missy hastily gave an explanation. "Dr. Giovanni was taking a medical history, and I mentioned there were some things I wasn't sure about. She didn't know what adoption was so I explained it to her."

"Oh, okay."

Giovanni gave her two patients the rations telling Missy to call her when the babies were finished. Mac and Greer then told the women farewell saying that they needed to get back to their duties. Before they left, Mac bent down to give TJ a kiss and she quietly whispered to him, "Will you tell the doctor to keep an eye on Melissa? Getting a dose of vitamins shouldn't have made her dizzy."

Gazing over at the next bed, Mac saw Missy blink her eyes and act confused. "Do you think her sister gave her something besides vitamins?"

"I don't know. That's why I want you to say something to Dr. Giovanni. I didn't learn a whole lot about obstetrics in my studies, but I'm pretty sure vitamins aren't supposed to make you dizzy."

Mac nodded briskly as he stood up. "You got it." He left with Greer after briefly speaking with Stacia.

The others stayed while Missy and TJ finished their meal and the babies finished breastfeeding. Once they were done, Lieutenant Scott turned to Colonel Mitchell. "Did you need to check in with the security team, Sir?"

"Actually, I do," replied Cameron. "Can you take me to where they are?"

"I can."

Cam looked over at Patti. "What were you planning to do, Patti?"

"I thought I would help with the physicals," said Patti, "And look after Missy and the children."

"Sounds good. I'll catch up with you later."

Patricia nodded, and Scott and Mitchell left the infirmary. She turned back to Melissa and noticed her appearance of extreme fatigue. "Are the babies done?"

Missy shook her head to get it out of the fog it was in before answering her sister. "They are. Could you and Linda put the babies back on their bed so I can lie down please? And ask Dr. Giovanni to come over here?"

"I can do that, but you don't need the other doctor. I can look after you."

Melissa answered her sister as Linda took the first baby. "Ask Dr. Giovanni to come over here please."

A voice came from behind them. It was Stacia who said, "Did I hear my name?"

"You did. I am very exhausted, and I don't know why." Linda took the second baby from Missy, and the doctor helped the new mother take off the carrier. "I was wondering if you could make sure everything was okay."

"Sure." She turned to Patti. "Dr. Somers, I think one of your colleagues wanted to speak with you." She motioned to the far side of the infirmary.

Patti looked at her for a long moment before replying. "All right. I'll be right back, Missy."

She walked off, and Dr. Giovanni pulled the curtain around the bed. "Ok, what's wrong, Melissa?"

Gazing up at the doctor and Linda with half-open eyes, Missy replied, "I'm so tired and confused. I started feeling this way a few minutes ago when I was feeding the babies. Do you know what could possibly be wrong?"

"I don't know. Let's examine you." Stacia examined her, taking her vital signs and looking at her neck, arms, and legs. When she got to the needle mark on Melissa's arm, she asked, "What's this?"

"My sister gave me a vitamin shot—said I was probably deficient." A flash of memory came to her. "Actually, that's when I started feeling this way."

Stacia shook her head. "You probably shouldn't have let her do that. Alteran physiology is slightly different from human physiology." She noticed her eyes starting to shut. "Tell you what, why don't you sleep, and I'll keep an eye on things, okay?"

"Okay." Missy's eyes slowly shut, and she drifted off to sleep.

When the doctor opened the curtain and turned to leave, she bumped into Patricia who had returned. The other woman's eyes narrowed as she asked, "What were you doing with my sister?"

Not liking the predatory look on the other woman's face, Stacia smiled as she tried not to show her suspicion on her face. "I was just giving her an exam. Listen, the delivery was pretty rough. Why don't we let your sister sleep?"

As Stacia led Patti away from the bed, she gazed over at TJ and Linda and indicated with her eyes for them to watch over Missy. TJ nodded in acknowledgement and began visiting with Linda.

For the next several hours, the infirmary was very busy as different crew members came in to get their physicals. All of the doctors were pressed into service, and even TJ was asked a few times how different devices and machines worked. Every time Patti thought about going back over to her sister, another patient came in, and she was asked to help with the exam. Once everyone had left, Patti told Stacia, "I think I'm going to check on Missy. It's just about time for the children to have another feeding."

"I'll walk with you," replied Stacia.

They began to walk over to Missy's bed and then noticed that three other people had come into the infirmary. General O'Neill, Daniel Jackson, and Everett walked up to the two women with Ev saying, "Hello, ladies. How's Missy?" He pointed to the other two men. "The general and Dr. Jackson wanted to see her and the babies."

Dr. Giovanni warmly smiled at them. "All three of them have slept for most of the afternoon."

"Yeah, I don't know how," interrupted Patti. "People have been in and out of here to get their physicals. We were just going to check on them. Let me show you the babies first." She took Jack and Daniel over to the babies' bed.

Ev was about to follow when Stacia held him back. She quietly whispered in his ear. "I need to talk to you later."

He gave her a look of concern. "Is everything okay?"

"Not sure. That's why I need to talk to you. But let's do it later." She motioned to the others, and he nodded. They walked up to the makeshift crib where the other men were admiring the babies. "So General O'Neill, what do you think?"

Jack turned to them and grinned. "They're cute—both of them. What do you think, Daniel?"

His friend replied, "Oh, I think so too. Sam, Teal'c, and Vala will be disappointed they didn't get to come."

"Well, they'll get to see them when we get this group back to Earth." He gazed at Colonel Young. "You two did good." He motioned to Missy. "And I believe her dad would have thought so too—despite everything."

Everett smiled and said, "Thank you, Sir. I think it would mean a lot if Missy heard you say it."

A voice came from behind them. It was Melissa who said, "Missy heard you. Thank you, Jack." The group standing at the bed turned around and smiled at the new mom as she propped herself up on the bed. "Hello Jack. Hi Daniel. Hi sweetheart."

Her husband walked over to the side of the bed and gave her a hug and a kiss. He took note of the dark circles under her eyes. "How are you feeling, honey?"

Missy caressed his cheek. "I'm okay. Just very tired." She looked at Stacia. "Did the babies wake up?"

"Not yet," replied Stacia.

Both Jack and Daniel came to the other side of the bed, giving her hugs and kisses on the cheek with Daniel saying, "Vala really wanted to come and see the babies, Missy. I told her you would probably let her help with the nursery when you get home."

Patti spoke up. "You can plan on lots of help. Kayla and Tessa want to help too."

Chuckling, her sister replied, "So, I guess what you are all saying is, the nursery is going to be taken care of, and I don't need to worry about it." The rest of the group laughed. She gazed at Everett. "That sounds pretty good. What do you think, Ev?"

"I think so too, baby," said Ev.

At that moment, TJ woke up from the short nap she had taken and was introduced to their two visitors. The group continued to have a good time talking and laughing as the infirmary was straightened up from all of the activity of the day. Finally, a loud gurgling sound was heard, and everyone stared at Missy. She blushed as Everett grinned and told the others, "I think Missy is ready for dinner."

"I think you're right," said Jack. He glanced at Ev. "Daniel and I are gonna head for the Mess. We'll see you in the morning for that tour of the Caprea?

"Yes Sir. At 0900?"

"Yep." The two men left the infirmary after telling the others farewell.

Patti then told Dr. Giovanni, "We brought some MRE's from Earth. I can fix some for everyone if you like."

Happy that the other woman hadn't tried to give her patient any other injections, Stacia replied, "That will be fine, Dr. Somers. Do you need any help?"

"No, I'll be fine." She left to go to the Mess and came back a few minutes later with prepared rations. When she came back, she noticed that her sister had the carrier strapped to her again. "Oh, it looks like the babies are awake."

"Yes, and I'm starving," said Missy. "I think they've both gonna have voracious appetites."

"Well, I brought you something that should help with that."

Patti handed everyone the rations, and they began eating their dinner. While they were eating, Melissa looked at her husband and asked, "So, how did everything go today?"

Ev smiled at her. "It went well. The IOA, of course, wanted to know if the Alterans had any weapons or weapon technology while Dr. Jackson wanted to know if we could have access to their historical database. Gaius and Leia managed to put everyone at ease though. I don't think it will take long. We're going on a tour of the Caprea tomorrow."

"That's good. So, there haven't been any big revelations?" She pointedly gazed at him so he would know what she meant.

Knowing what she meant, Everett shook his head. "Nope." The group continued to eat with Ev, Missy, and TJ talking about some of the planets the crew had been to since they had been on the Destiny. When the babies and the adults finished eating, Everett and Dr. Giovanni helped place the babies back on the bed while Dr. Somers helped Missy take off the carrier. After they were settled, Ev turned to Patti, "Were you assigned quarters?"

"Yes, I was," said Patti. "Lieutenant Scott was supposed to come back and show me where they were." She gazed at her sister and saw the look of utter panic on her face. "Missy, what's wrong?"

Melissa, who had rested wearily on the pillows after the carrier had been take off, had opened her eyes to see someone behind her husband that she had least expected to see. "It's…it's B'aal."

Ev jumped as he turned around—that name giving him the same nightmares that it gave his wife. He looked around bewilderedly. "Honey, there's no one there."

"But I…I…see him." She started shaking.

Coming over to the side of the bed, Everett sat down and put his arms around Missy. He then leaned back and cupped her face in his hands. "You trust me, Missy? Right?"

She gave him a quick little nod. "Yeah, I do."

"Well, trust me when I say there's no one there."

Melissa thought for a moment and then said, "Ok," bringing Ev close to her in a hug.

As he held her, the others looking on concernedly, Patti said, "I hate to tell you this, Missy, but hallucinations can be a sign of postpartum psychosis."

The other two turned angry gazes on her with Everett saying, "Not helping, Patricia. Not helping."

Patti tossed her hair. "I call it like I see it." She noticed Lieutenant Scott at the door with a few of her colleagues from Earth. "I think I'm going to call it a night." She walked out before anyone could say anything else.

After she left, Missy glanced at her husband helplessly. "Am I going crazy, Ev?"

Shaking his head, Ev answered his wife. "Nope. You're just tired from the delivery, honey, and from everything that's happened. And from having to wake up every few hours to feed the twins. You just need to rest as much as possible, and you'll be fine." He helped her lie down. "Rest some more, okay?"

"Okay." She squeezed his hand. "I love you, Ev."

He tenderly touched her cheek. "I love you too." Everett pulled the curtain around the bed and then walked to where Stacia was standing next to TJ's bed. "Okay, would either of you like to tell me what happened?"

Dr. Giovanni looked at TJ. "I know you saw the same thing I did earlier. Should we tell him? It's a very serious accusation."

TJ nodded. "You have to. Something's wrong. I can feel it. And Melissa's usually not like this."

A frustrated expression came over Everett's face. "Quit talking in riddles. This is my wife we're talking about."

"All right, Sir. This morning, when Melissa's sister came in here, she was giving her a hard time about…about…"

"Let me guess. A hard time about when the babies were conceived."

"Yes, Sir. And then she brought Colonel Mitchell in. Sir, Melissa wasn't prepped for that, but they seemed to have a good conversation. They agreed to be friends and all. I know it had to be strange for her though showing her newborn children from her second husband to her first husband."

Ev shook his head. "I told them not to surprise her like that. What else?"

"When Melissa was feeding the babies earlier, Dr. Somers took a syringe out of her doctor bag—said it was vitamins. After she injected her with it, Melissa said she was dizzy and acted confused. Sir, vitamins aren't supposed to make you dizzy."

It took Everett a moment to realize what she was saying and then a look of horror came over his face. "You think she gave her something else, don't you?"

"I do, Sir. There are several drugs that could cause dizziness and confusion. She's also been very tired ever since, and you saw where she just had the hallucinations."

Stacia spoke up. "There's also a chance it could be perfectly innocent, but it's just reacting badly with her Alteran physiology." She noticed the other two giving her pointed stares. "I know, I know. I don't believe that either—just thought we should consider everything. Colonel, in my opinion, you should go ahead and make your origins public. If anyone reacts badly, Commander Aurelius will protect you and your family."

Nodding solemnly, Ev replied, "Yes, I know. I just hate the idea that Missy has become a target."

Giving him an inquisitive look, TJ asked, "Target?"

"Yeah. Both of you are forgetting something. Who prepared Missy's ration tonight?"

The medic's eyes opened wide with horror. "Dr. Somers did, but she prepared our food too. Why weren't we affected?"

Grimly shaking his head, Ev replied, "We're not the target. Melissa is. Dammit! I bet the IOA has something to do with this."

"You're probably right, Sir." TJ gazed at Missy and the babies. "You do know that whatever Melissa was given is in the babies now, right?"

"Yes." He turned to Stacia. "Do you have anything that could flush it out of them?"

The doctor shook her head. "Not without knowing what it is. But it doesn't seem to have affected the babies as much as it has affected Melissa." She walked over to the bed where Everett was already standing and looked at the children—their faces peaceful in sleep. "Colonel, this is abhorrent to me and would be to any other Alteran—someone who would hurt a new mother and her children."

Everett nodded in appreciation. "Thank you." A look of determination came over his face. "Ok, this is what we're gonna do."

He leaned forward and spoke in quiet tones to the women for several moments. Then he called Mac on his radio and asked him to come to the infirmary explaining what had happened once he arrived. When he finished, the other man's eyes widened in shock. "I don't believe it, Sir. You know Melissa is like my sister. What do you need for me to do?"

"I want you to stay around here tomorrow. Keep an eye on Dr. Somers and anyone else who approaches Missy or the kids. Hopefully, between the three of you, they'll be protected, and we can get some proof. I am going on the tour of the Caprea with the negotiating team, and when we come back, I am going to make Missy's and my origins public. We'll see what happens after that."

The younger man nodded briskly. "Understood, Sir. I'll be back here first thing."

"Thank you. I'll see you in the morning."

Mac went to sit and visit with TJ pulling the curtain around her bed while Everett ducked back inside the curtain around Missy's bed. He stripped down to his t-shirt and boxers laying his uniform neatly on the chair beside the bed. As he climbed in the bed, his wife turned over and smiled when she saw who it was. "Hi sweetheart."

"Hi honey." He put his arms around her protectively. "Go back to sleep. I've got you."

"Okay." Missy's eyes slowly closed. "Love you, Ev."

"Love you too, Missy." The two of them drifted off to sleep content in their love for one another.