The Best-Laid Plans – Chapter 16

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

Everett woke up the next morning, sore and stiff, from the night he had spent in the chair next to Missy's bed. He gazed at his wife who looked small and pale against the white sheets. Stroking her cheek, he told her, "Morning, honey. I'm here. Are you doing okay?" He waited for a moment, and then, seeing that there wouldn't be any response, continued, "Well, at least you're not in any pain. Don't worry about Katie and Matthew. One of the people on the Caprea's crew volunteered to feed them until you're conscious. The Alterans actually have a way to activate mother's milk. Pretty nifty, huh? So, all you need to do is wake up. I've got everything else under control." He felt a touch on his shoulder and turned to see Dr. Giovanni. "Good morning, Doctor."

"Good morning, Colonel," said Stacia with a warm smile. "How's she doing?"

"About the same. Can you tell me anything else medically?"

"Well, let's see." The doctor gave Melissa a careful exam. "She's resting comfortably, and the swelling has gone down some. That's good. Hopefully, she might become a little more responsive today."

"I hope so."

They heard a voice behind them. It was Commander Aurelius who said, "Good morning, Colonel. Good morning, Doctor."

"Good morning, Commander. What's going on?"

"Well, I've been talking with your General O'Neill, and I think we've come to an agreement to let you see the prisoners. Are you still interested?"

A determined look came over Ev's face. "Yes, I am." He glanced at Stacia. "If you'll watch Missy for me."

"Of course," said Stacia. "We have an Elite Squad outside. Nothing else is going to happen."

"All right." He motioned towards the facilities. "Give me just a minute." Aurelius nodded, and Ev walked into the bathroom. He threw water on his face, straightened out his uniform, and ran his fingers through his hair. Looking at his reflection in the mirror, he said, "I will find out why, Missy, if nothing else. I will find out why." He went out to rejoin the commander. Once he had kissed his wife good-bye, they walked out of the infirmary and towards the airlock. As they walked, Ev asked, "How did you talk him into it?"

An impish grin appeared on the other man's face. "Actually, it didn't take a lot once the communication from Earth was received."

"Communication?"

"Yes, apparently, the leader of your country was not happy about what the prisoners tried to do, and he was not going to let the murderers of American servicemen and women get away with it. And also, something was said about not letting George down since he was gone now and making sure George's daughter was taken care of." He gave him an inquisitive look. "Who's George's daughter?"

Softly chuckling, Everett replied, "That would be my wife. George Hammond was her adoptive father. He died about a year ago. And President Hayes is her godfather." He shrugged his shoulders. "She doesn't like being treated differently, and there are not a lot of people that know about either relationship, but if it means these people will get punished for what they did, I will take it."

"I would too." They walked up to where General O'Neill was waiting for them at the air lock. "Hello General."

Jack nodded politely. "Commander, Colonel." He looked over at Aurelius, and, indicating Everett, asked, "Did you tell him the conditions?

"We hadn't gotten that far. You may, if you wish."

Gazing at Ev, the general replied, "Well, the main one is: You need to keep the temper in check. Hayes wants them brought back in irons. He wants the satisfaction of telling them they'll never see the light of day again."

"I'm glad to hear that, Sir," said Everett.

"I was too. He's already started the process of reorganizing the IOA—told our allies that he wasn't going to tolerate any of what's just happened, and if necessary, he will put control of the stargate back in our hands."

"That's good."

"Well, let's do this." Gaius signaled to his ship to open the entrance, and the three of them walked through. After they arrived at the detention area, he said to Ev, "Okay, you can ask any questions you like, and you can also tell them they're never going to get out of prison if you want. Did you have anything specific in mind?"

A haunted expression came over Everett's face. "I just want to know why. Was getting the Destiny so important that sacrificing people was worth it to them? I've done my best since I've been here. So has Missy. I really just want to know why."

"Okay, we can do that."

They walked into the detention area where they saw the eight prisoners who had been grouped two to a cell. Edward Strom sneered at them. "So, General O'Neill, you finally deigned to see us, and you brought your lap dog too."

The British ambassador spoke up. "My government won't stand for this."

"I will echo his words," said the Chinese ambassador.

O'Neill, with a grim smile of satisfaction on his face, replied, "Already been taken care of, gentlemen. There's not a one of you that will ever see the light of day again."

"But, but…."

"There are no buts. Two servicewomen were murdered, scores of men and women were injured-some severely, and the chance for an alliance with a powerful ally was almost lost. President Hayes has no tolerance for this kind of garbage, and he especially doesn't have tolerance for the injuries sustained by his goddaughter. But, that's not why we're here." He indicated Colonel Young. "The colonel has something to ask you."

Strom gave Young a superior look as he tried to goad him. "And what would that be, colonel?"

Facing him with a steely stare, Everett didn't answer for a moment. Then he walked up to the cell Strom was in and said, "Why? Was the Destiny so important to you that the lives of this crew were irrelevant? Your lackey…" He motioned to Jones who was in another cell. "Murdered two women, one of whom was pregnant, and caused injuries to several other people some of them being severe. Did their lives just not matter to you?"

A voice answered him from one of the other cells. It was Camille Wray who said, "Colonel, you will probably not believe this, but it was not meant for anyone to die, and it was only meant for one person to be hurt."

"What!" Ev turned to her. "Who was the person meant to be hurt," already knowing in his heart what she was going to say?

"Your wife," answered Strom, "Or the slut you call your wife. You weren't meant to be here, and neither was she. This posting was meant to go to Colonel Telford." He paced back and forth in the cell. "But when you got here and your complete disregard for the rules became known, you weren't removed from command, and you had the support of the majority of the crew." He gazed at O'Neill. "I blamed the general for that, but when you met the Alterans, I realized we had an opportunity."

"You bastard!" Everett took several deep breaths to control his anger. "What were you planning to do to my wife?"

"Well, we kidnapped her sister and substituted Hilton here for her. She was going to feed her enough hallucinatory drugs to make all of you think she was crazy, and then you would have taken her through the gate, and we would have had more influence on the negotiations or at the very least we could have stolen this ship and brought it back to Earth.

General O'Neill spoke up angrily. "You're a son of a bitch, Strom! Did you ever think about how you would get the ship back?" He noticed the man starting to answer. "No, don't answer that. It would just mean you displaying your lack of intelligence once more. And as far as the rules go, General Hammond and I thought you making that rule about military and civilian members of a team not being allowed to be together was the stupidest rule the IOA had ever made up. And President Hayes agreed with me. That's why Colonel Young was never relieved of command. What I don't understand is why you were so angry. Was it because it limited your influence, or was there another reason?"

"Ahh yes, I had a personal reason for going after Colonel Young and Dr. Young too."

"What was that?" asked Ev.

"You do remember your first wife, don't you?" He saw the look of shock on the other man's face. "That's right; Anna and I went to the same college and stayed in touch until she married you. She contacted me right after you left for Icarus—said you had left her for her sister. And then she died when you all got stuck here. That is why I have tried to get rid of you from day one."

His thoughts in turmoil, Everett paced from one end of the detention area to the other. He realized that what had happened the night before they had left for Icarus had placed him and Melissa on a path that led straight to this point. It tore him apart to realize that her injuries were the result of this man who had such an extreme vendetta against him. But, then a look of determination came over his face. "I'm sorry to tell you, Strom, what you were told is not true, and there are more people than me that can testify to that. I didn't leave Anna. She left me, and the reason for that was because I wouldn't tell her about the stargate. Whatever she told you was a lie. Now, I will say that Melissa and I probably should have waited until we both were divorced, but I do not regret telling her that I love her because I do, and I do not regret anything about my children. And for what you have done, you are going to stay in jail for the rest of your life, and after your sorry life is over, I hope you rot in hell!" He left the detention area.

The prisoners and O'Neill and Aurelius gazed at each other in shock after he left. O'Neill said to Aurelius, "I think that covers what I wanted too. I will let you know when we're ready to transport them."

Gaius responded, "Of course, General."

They heard a noise from one of the cells. It was Camille who said, "General, I just had one other question I'd like to ask if that's okay." When she saw Jack nod, she continued, "You said that President Hayes' goddaughter had been injured in the attack. Who is she?"

O'Neill gave her a Cheshire cat grin. "You people always talk about politics and who knows who. I hate playing that game, but in this case, it has been beneficial. Melissa is President Hayes' goddaughter, and I think you already know that she was George Hammond's adopted daughter. If he was still alive, he would have torn you apart so I and several otherpeople are doing it in his stead. Ladies and gentlemen, good day." The general and the commander left the area and rejoined Everett who was standing outside the door. Jack placed his hand on Ev's shoulder. "Are you okay, son?" He saw the other man turn around with pain and guilt in his eyes. "It wasn't your fault, Everett. Strom was crazy, and he managed to keep the fact he knew Anna a secret."

Shrugging his shoulders, Ev said, "I keep thinking that if we hadn't of gotten drunk that night, Missy wouldn't be in the position she's in now. But, I can't regret it. I can't regret telling her I loved her, because I do, and I most definitely don't regret my children."

"You shouldn't regret either. Life is too short. And if it helps, we're working on new rules for personnel in Homeworld Command, the SGC, and offworld bases because of what's happened."

"I just want her to get better, Sir. That's all I want."

"I think a lot of other people want that too. Let's head back." The two of them told Commander Aurelius farewell, and went back to the Destiny.

For the next day and a half, the crew of the Destiny healed from the horrific attack with those who hadn't been injured helping their friends who had been. Traffic was heavy going in and out of the infirmary, and Everett was glad to see people regaining consciousness. He made sure to walk around giving people encouragement, and they told him how sorry they were about what had happened to Melissa.

Specialist Gemini was also helpful in making sure Katie and Matthew were fed and had just finished doing so when Chloe and Eli, who had come to visit, noticed Melissa's eyes briefly blink. Chloe touched Ev, who had turned to say hello to his children, to get his attention. "Colonel, I think someone is waking up."

Turning his head back towards the bed, Everett saw the brief movement that Chloe had seen, and his eyes lit up with hope. He took Missy's hands in his. "We really want to see your eyes, Missy. Can you wake up for us?"

He heard a voice behind him. It was Nicholas Rush who said, "We would really like that too, lass."

Everett smiled as the other people standing with Dr. Rush added their voices of encouragement. Finally, Chloe gazed towards the bed and saw her friend blink several times in succession. "She's waking up, Colonel."

Nodding, Ev continued to speak to his wife, "Come on, Missy. You can do it. We're all waiting for you." Missy's eyes finally opened all the way, and she focused on him. "Oh, thank God. I love you." He noticed her trying to speak. "What is it?"

Melissa, who had fought her way back to consciousness, dimly saw her husband's face in front of her. She struggled to speak. "Ev…..what…hap….pened?"

"Someone hurt you, honey, but you're gonna be okay. How are you feeling?"

It took Missy a minute to process the information, but before she could say anything, a piercing pain went through her head. She flailed with her hands trying to get them up to her temples. "Head…hurt…..bad."

Her husband grabbed her hands, sitting directly in front of her. "Missy, focus!" When he saw her look directly at him, he said, "What can I do?" She took his hands and guided them to her temples, motioning for him to start massaging them. "Like this?" When he saw her nod, he kept the motion up and murmured comforting words. "It's okay, baby, I'm here. I'm here. You're gonna be okay." The pure intimacy of the gesture had the rest of the group standing around the bed in tears. Finally, Ev felt her body relax. "Better?"

"Yes…..thank…..you." She remembered the last thing that had happened, and she started looking around frantically. "Babies….okay?"

"They're both fine." He motioned to Chloe and Specialist Gemini who lifted them up. "See?"

An expression of relief came over Missy's face. "Good. Are…..they…hungry?"

Ev shook his head. "It's taken care of, Missy. Don't worry about it. You just need to get better."

"Okay." She gazed past him to see several of her friends, and she tremulously smiled. Then she saw a female figure at the end of the bed and started shaking with fear. Melissa lifted up her hand and pointed. "Patti…..hurt …..me."

Glancing back, Ev saw Patti standing there and cursed, "Oh, shit!" He turned back to his wife and took her in his arms. "No, baby, a fake Patti hurt you. This is the real Patti, I promise. She won't come near you if you don't want her to, but she wanted to see you."

Patti cautiously approached the bed and held her hand out. "I am so sorry, Missy. I wouldn't have wanted this to happen for the world. We've all wanted you to be home so badly. Kayla and Tessa haven't been able to stop talking about their new cousins." She stopped talking as she waited for Melissa to react.

Not understanding the concepts of fake and real, Missy latched onto the only thing she felt was secure. She wrapped her arms around Everett tightly and buried her face in his chest. "No…..no…don't…..come….near me! You…..hurt…..me!"

Starting to weep, Patricia allowed Cam to lead her away. "All right, Missy. But I will come back. I won't try and touch you until you want me to, but you need to know I am not the person who hurt you or tried to hurt your babies or the person…." She ignored the frantic shaking of Ev's head. "who shot and killed the other ones in here." She and Cameron left the infirmary.

When they were gone, Melissa leaned back and stared at her husband with a look of horror on her face. "Shot…and….killed?" What…happened?" Ev told her what had happened with TJ, Rush, and Linda adding in the details they knew. Once they were done, Missy gazed around the infirmary noticing all the full beds and then looked back at the others with tears pouring down her face. "Who….died?"

A look of deep sadness came over his face because he knew what this news was going to do to her. "Airman Schulz and….Sergeant Baker."

"No." She started weeping and tightened her arms around Everett who rocked her and whispered in her ear. Once she calmed down, Melissa stared at her husband determinedly. "I….want…..to…..see."

Ev shook his head. "No, Missy. You just regained consciousness."

They heard a voice behind them. It was Dr. Giovanni who said, "Well, well, look who's awake. How are you feeling, Melissa?"

Missy replied haltingly. "It's hard…..for…me…to talk. Feel like….my….brain…is in….a fog. Is something….wrong?"

The doctor nodded reassuringly at her while giving Everett a warning glance. "We'll just have to wait and see. Did I hear you say you wanted to get up?"

"Yes. I….want…to see…my….friends….who died." She tried to stand up, but stopped when Ev gently pushed her back. "Please, Ev."

Ruefully chuckling, Everett replied, "I've never been able to tell you no, Missy. All right, if the doctor says you can get up, you can get up. But you have to let me help you, okay?"

Missy smiled at her husband. "Always…..Ev."

They both looked at the doctor who held up her hands and smiled at them. "Melissa, if there is one thing I have learned in the days I've known you; it's that you are determined. I'm glad I requested for this to be brought from the Caprea." She motioned to one of the attendants who brought what looked like a wheel chair over to the bed. "This is a hover chair. It transports patients from one place to another. You can go if you use this and then come straight back."

"Oh….like…wheelchair. Okay." She let Ev help her get in the chair, and they went to the other end of the infirmary where Dr. Giovanni's staff had left the bodies. Missy cautiously stood up when they got to Jessie's body and touched her hand. "I….am…so sorry….Jessie. Thank….you….for…helping…..with my….babies." She touched her cheek and then went to the next body. Everett could see the emotion on her face as she touched Lindsay's stomach and began speaking. "Little one…I….am glad…you are….safe…in ….heaven…with your….mama." She turned to her husband. "Before…this…mess started…..Lindsay…had….decided…on….names. John Michael….for a boy…..and Shannon Melissa…for a….girl." Tears started coming down her face once more. "If…we….ever have….another….girl, I…want…to…..name her….Lindsay Jessica. Do….you like…it?"

Everett sadly smiled at her. "Of course I do, baby. We can do whatever you want."

Smiling through her tears, Melissa said, "Thank you….sweetheart." She started to sway on her feet. "I think….I should…go….back to….bed now."

Her husband caught her and helped her back to the chair. "I think that's a good idea." They went back to her bed, and he helped her get settled. Once he had done that, the doctor examined her and told her she needed plenty of rest so she could heal. When she was finished, Ev helped Missy lie down, and the others wished her farewell.