The Tegan Chronicles
Too Busy for Love 3
The following Monday after SG1 had returned from a four day mission off world Janet popped into Tegan's lab, having been busy Dana had done Tegan's post exam. She stood there watching Tegan work for a couple minutes before she looked up. "Hey, what's up?"
"I'm looking for a really good friend of mine. She's five foot ten, has red hair, beautiful green eyes, rock hard abs, a beautiful smile. She's drop dead gorgeous."
"Wow." Tegan smiled. "If you find her could you send her my way?"
"I guess that means you haven't seen her?"
"Nope, can't say I believe anyone fitting that description exists."
"In that case, do you want to take her place at dinner tonight?"
Tegan took a deep breath.
"Never mind, forget I asked."
"Janet, please…"
"I know, you've got plans. It's probably the night you count silverware."
"I do have plans, but if you'll set an extra place for Sam we'll stop by and eat before we have to go."
"Sam?"
"She's helping me with something."
"Whatever it is, I'm sure I can help you with it."
Tegan shook her head. "Trust me on this, please."
"Sam's been spending a lot of time in your lab this week." Janet announced her presence from behind Tegan in the cafeteria line.
"She's been helping me catalogue plant life SG14 brought back." Tegan picked up a bowl of blue Jello.
"I didn't think you liked Jello."
"I don't." She put it on her tray along with a small side salad.
Janet followed her to the table where Sam was sitting. "Do you mind?"
"You know we don't." Sam smiled as she spotted Tegan's Jello. "They didn't have any blue when I went through."
"They just put it out." Tegan handed the dish across the table.
"Thanks."
"Don't mention it."
"Would you love me if I still had all those scars on my chest and back?"
"Of course." She didn't hesitate. "Why?"
"No reason." Tegan let her mind drift back to the night Jack dunked her in the pool. How it was Sam who'd shown up on her doorstep later that night. What she'd said when Tegan had accused her of staring and how Sam had handled her minor breakdown and the glass in her hands.
"What are you thinking about?"
"Nothing." Tegan whispered.
"It looks really deep."
Tegan turned her head to look at her. "Why didn't you bring my helmet and stuff over after Colonel O'Neill pushed me in the pool?"
Janet tried to think back, to remember what was going on at the time. "We weren't exactly talking then, remember?"
"Right;" Tegan smiled lightly. "You called me reckless."
"That's right, I did."
"Hey," Sam interrupted. "How's she doing?"
"I'm fine." Tegan smiled from the hospital bed in the middle of the otherwise empty infirmary. "Janet's just being overly cautious."
"I can't send you home with a potassium drip."
"Sure you can." Tegan looked at Sam for confirmation. "I didn't have a seizure."
"No, but you did kiss the floor." Sam reminded.
"You never did tell me what you were doing when it happened." Janet had asked before but both Sam and Tegan had been evasive.
"We were rearranging furniture." Tegan glanced at Sam.
"Mmhmm." Janet wondered briefly if it were the truth. She'd never known Tegan to straight out lie to her, but lately she just wasn't sure if the streak wasn't changing. She tried not to dwell on the thought.
"You could let me go with the IV, I mean it's not like I don't know what I'm doing."
"If it infiltrates…"
"I can restart my own line."
Sam laughed. "I'm glad you're feeling better. I'm going to hit the sack."
"Are you staying on base?" Tegan asked.
"No, I'm heading home." Sam had called Janet en route to base after Tegan had passed out.
Janet watched as Sam patted Tegan's leg. She couldn't remember seeing her do that before.
"Good night Janet."
"Night, Sam." Janet forced a smile.
"You ok?" Tegan asked when Sam had left.
"What was all that about?"
"What?"
"Nothing." Janet shook her head and let it drop for now.
After a few minutes of silence Tegan spoke. "You don't have to stay you know. I won't talk the medics into letting me go."
"They wouldn't let you go anyway."
Tegan rolled her eyes even though she knew it was the truth. "I'm just going to sleep, and you need to sleep which you can do better at home."
"Dana's going to get Cassandra off to school in the morning and I'm staying here, so give it up. And you're not sneaking out in the middle of the night either."
Tegan grinned sleepily. "I hadn't planned on it."
Janet was tired of the glazed stare coming from Tegan for the last twenty minutes. She wished she would just go to sleep already. "What?"
"You're beautiful."
"You're high."
"I am not." Tegan lifted her head from the pillow as Janet nodded. "What'd you slip in my IV?"
"Something to help you sleep."
"I hate you." She let her head fall back. "I really wouldn't have left."
"You need to sleep."
"That's not why I passed out."
"Then why did you?"
"You said so yourself," Tegan yawned. "Potassium was low."
"Borderline low." Janet reminded. "So what were you really doing?"
"Moving furniture." She mumbled as her eyes slid shut. "Night babe."
"Did you just call me babe?"
Tegan nodded and muttered, "not on base."
"How'd you sleep?" Janet walked into the infirmary to find Tegan dressed and ready to go back to work.
"Like someone slipped a Mickey in my IV."
Janet nodded. "Good."
"I just love how you make your patients submissive."
"Yeah well, the military frowns on whips and chains."
"And leather corsets." Tegan lowered her voice.
Janet cleared her throat. "What's so important that you're not sleeping at night and you never have any time for me?"
"I have time for you. I made you dinner last week."
"After I sent you home to rest." Janet checked her anger. "Look, if you want to see other people just let me know."
Tegan smiled. "It's not that. Are you busy Friday?"
Janet crossed her arms over her chest. "So you can take me out for a couple hours to try and prove you aren't…"
"No." Tegan pulled her close to the bed and pulled the curtain around them. She didn't want to cause a scene in the infirmary. "So I can show you why I've been so busy."
Janet didn't say anything as she looked at Tegan's hand that was still holding lightly to her forearm.
"Look," Tegan sighed and let her hand fall away. "I'm not going to bring it up again on base. The whole keeping the two parts separate, and all, but please just give me the weekend to show you that it's not what you think."
"Fine." Janet nodded.
"Hello." Dana smiled as she opened the door. "Janet said she'll be down in a minute."
"Thanks." Tegan looked nervously up the stairs.
"Good luck."
"Yeah, I'm going to need it." She wiped her palms on her multicolored gauze skirt.
"You look really…" Dana pursed her lips trying to find the right words.
"You're not hitting on my girl are you?" Janet interrupted before she could.
"Not at all." Dana turned to see Janet descending the stairs. "She looks very feminine tonight."
"Gee thanks."
"I meant it purely as a compliment. I'm just so used to seeing you in your field uniform or jeans. You clean up nicely."
"See, now you're flirting." Janet shook her head. "So where are we going?"
"It's a surprise." Tegan was glad she was in a better mood than she had been earlier in the week. She smiled as she took in Janet's more Colorado winter appropriate attire of jeans and a black long sleeve knit shirt.
"I feel under dressed."
"No, you're perfect." A sliver of her pink tongue snaked across her lower lip to stop it from quivering. "Are you ready?"
"Yes." She grabbed her coat from the rack.
"Where are we going?" Janet asked again as they entered a subdivision.
"You'll see." Tegan's smile was illuminated by the lights in the dash.
"Wait here." Tegan pulled into a driveway in front of a large duplex and put the car in park before grabbing a small Maglight.
"Don't tell me you're going to break in."
Tegan gave her a mischievous grin.
"Tegan."
"I'll be right back." Was her only response before she darted out into the cold.
A minute later she disappeared into the house. Five minutes passed before the door opened and Tegan came up to Janet's door and pulled it open. "You ready?"
"Do you want your keys?"
"Do you mind?"
Janet reached over and pulled the keys from the ignition and handed them to Tegan. "If the cops come, I entered under duress."
"Did you call the cops?" Her right eyebrow inched up.
"No."
"Too bad, because then we'd have to screw and run."
"I love it when you talk dirty." Janet got out of the car as Tegan stepped back.
Tegan laughed. "Close your eyes."
"What?"
"Do you trust me?"
"Yes."
"Then close your eyes."
Tegan's smile let Janet know everything was right in the world and she gave in, trusting her completely.