There were a few times in his life that he'd suffered a hangover and wished he was dead, but none had been this bad or lasted this long. Voices had been intruding on his sleep for some time and they'd been getting stronger. Some of them even sounded familiar and each time they spoke he found he was able to adjust his aching body, but didn't have the strength to open his eyes

The smells and sounds were also familiar, the clicks and beeps a reminder of other times he'd spent here. Someone touched his hand and he thought that maybe, just maybe he could force his eyes open and see who it was. The problem was, if he did that, he was pretty sure his head would explode. It was damn close to doing that right now.

One voice became more and more insistent and he could no longer fight it as he struggled to lift his heavy eyelids. God, he didn't know if he could do it, but those voices were getting more and more frantic and he heard someone shout something as his eyes opened and fixated on the light above the bed he lay on.

"Easy, Colonel, just lie still," Carolyn Lam ordered and smiled at the man as he worked to focus on the people around him.

"Doc?"

"That's right, Colonel. How do you feel?"

"I don't…I can't move," Mitchell managed and coughed. A straw was placed at his lips and he drank greedily in an effort to relieve the arid terrain inside his mouth.

"That'll pass, but it will take some time. You're going to need to let us help you until your strength returns," Lam explained.

"How long have I been here?" the colonel asked.

"We brought you back here nearly three weeks ago. You needed time to heal and I thought it best to keep you sedated until the worst of the changes were over," Lam told him.

"Changes?" Mitchel tried to make sense of what she was saying, but his mind seemed engulfed in a thick fog that made it hard to think. He sighed tiredly and looked at the three people near his bed and smiled before taking a deep breath and closing his eyes.

"Carolyn, how is he?" Carter asked hopefully.

"He's got a long way to go and he's not out of the woods yet, but I'm betting on his stubborn pride to pull him through. The changes are nearly complete, but that's not the end of it for him. He's going to be weak and need help with most things for several months. The physical changes really took a toll on his body, and we don't know about the emotional effects yet."

"How long before you let him out?" Jackson asked.

"At least a week, and that's being generous. As I said he's got a long way to go before he's back on the team and able to go on another mission," Lam told them and checked the monitors. His temperature was still higher than she wanted and his heart rate wasn't what it should be, but it was better than it had been and each day he seemed to be returning to normal. There were still a few minor ridges along his spine, but, given time they would also disappear. Walking would be another problem and one he would have to fight to overcome as his leg muscles and bones returned to normal.

"Colonel Mitchell will recover," Teal'c told them and turned to leave. He had to meet with Bra'tac, but he would return to Colonel Mitchell's side and help him deal with his physical limitations until he was able to do things on his own again. He knew how hard it would be for Mitchell and the challenges that lay ahead of him.

"How long before you take him off the medications?" Carter asked of the pain medications Lam was giving the injured man.

"Not for several days and even then I want to do it slowly. I was serious about the changes and the toll they've taken. He is going to be extremely sensitive to everything including a light touch for some time to come and you all need to remember that. Resandie found evidence of others who underwent the same changes and some of them didn't survive because they could not withstand the pain. The drugs will help him deal with the worst of the pain, but eventually I will have to take him off of those. He'll be able to function, but on what level we won't know until we run more tests. Resandie has been working with several Talosians who underwent the changes and managed to recover, but it's different with Colonel Mitchell because he is not from their world. The differences are not extreme, but they're enough to make this harder on him than the Talosians," Lam explained.

"How long before he wakes up again?" Carter asked.

"Hopefully not for several hours, but it's hard to say. I really didn't expect him to wake up this soon, but with him I'm not surprised," Lam said.

"Can I stay with him?" Carter asked.

"I don't see why not, but you should get some sleep. Why don't you take advantage of that bed over there and get some sleep," Lam said. Samantha Carter had been a constant once they'd brought Mitchell home and Carolyn wondered if there were feelings growing between her and Mitchell. Not that she could blame Carter, because Cameron Mitchell was a good man with a good heart. He had proven time and again that he would do anything for his team. She watched as Jackson left the room and Carter moved to take advantage of the empty bed near Mitchell.

SG1SG1SG1SG1SG1

Cameron Mitchell had known hell several times during his life, and this time was no exception as he forced his eyes open and stared around the SG infirmary. The smells and sounds hadn't changed, but there was no way he could ignore the pain running rampant through his body. He felt someone touch his arm and turned his head as Carolyn Lam spoke to him.

"It's okay, Colonel, I just gave you something to help ease the pain, but we need to take you off the heavy medications. I'm sorry, but you've been on them far too long already."

"What hap…happened?" Mitchell asked and tried to make sense of the nightmares he'd been having.

"What do you remember?" Carter asked. She'd been spending most of her time here since the first time Mitchell woke up and had been there when the nightmares were so bad he'd tried to get off the bed. It had taken Teal'c and Daniel to hold him down long enough for the nurse to inject a sedative into his IV line.

"Talosia…we went to visit them."

"Yes, we did," Carter said. "Do you remember anything else?"

"Dragons?" Mitchell asked.

"Sort of," Carter told him. "We went to Talosia and ran into some trouble."

"Why doesn't that surprise me? Trouble…seems to follow us everywhere we go," Mitchell said and smiled as Daniel and Teal'c joined them.

"It is good to see you awake, Colonel Mitchell?"

"Thanks, Big Fella," Mitchell said and swallowed several times as pain lanced through his lower back and down his legs. "Damn."

"That should pass, Colonel, but if it doesn't just let me know and I'll give you something to help you sleep," Lam ordered.

"Think I've had enough sleep for a lifetime. My Grannie always said sleep was just the body's way of keeping the mind out of trouble," Mitchell told her.

"Your granny was right…at least in your case she was. Sleep is what you need, Colonel, so don't fight it," the doctor told him as her father joined them.

"General," Mitchell said and shifted on the bed, but his commanding officer would not have it.

"At ease, Colonel, as of right now you are under strict orders to listen to your doctor. If I find out you're giving her a hard time I will see that you get KP duty for the next year. Understood?"

"Understood, Sir," Mitchell said and lay back on the pillows. What little energy he had disappeared with the least amount of movement and he looked at the people watching him with a weak smile. He could not remember everything that had happened, but he wasn't really sure he wanted to either. Something told him he was better off not knowing what was behind the nightmares he was having.

"Good, SG1 has enough to do here so they are on stand down until further notice. Dr. Jackson, the Talosians have asked for your help in going through the old records they found. Colonel Carter they have also requested your help. Since Colonel Mitchell is under strict orders to listen to his doctor and Teal'c has asked for a leave to help Master Bra'tac then I believe the other SG teams are capable of taking care of any pressing matters," Landry ordered.

"Yes, Sir," Mitchell said. He hated not being with his team, hated the idea that maybe they wouldn't be there when he got back on his feet.

"Don't worry, Colonel, your team will be there when you're cleared for active duty," Landry vowed. "For now, rest and don't worry about the paperwork. You can do it when you're back on your feet. Carolyn, if he gives you any trouble I can arrange for a guard."

"I don't think that'll be necessary," Lam said and noted that Mitchell was sleeping again.

"How long before the rest of the changes take place?" Landry asked his daughter.

"That's hard to say. The worst of the physical changes have already happened, but the small ridges in along his spine are taking longer than I thought. That's why I'm still keeping him heavily sedated, but I'm going to have to stop that soon or we'll only be adding to the problems. Resandie has people checking for more information and if Daniel can help then maybe we'll have more answers. The blood work and scans show elevated levels of white blood cells and he's still fighting a fever."

"But he will get back to himself?" Landry asked.

"I think so," Lam answered and looked at the monitors. She knew things were not always cut and dry in her profession, but she believed in what she did and the facts she had. There were still oddities showing up in Mitchell's blood work and she hoped Daniel and Sam found some answers on Talosia. If not, her words about Mitchell's recovery could come back to haunt her.

SG1SG1SG1SG1SG1

Mitchell opened his eyes and looked around the darkened room. He knew where he was and was grateful to be alone for the first time since this ordeal began. He knew it had to be late because during the day they kept the lights on, at night they kept the rooms fairly dark so patients could get their sleep. He didn't want to sleep anymore, not after the images that were ingrained on his mind. Several names had come to him during those nightmares, but it was the image of Layonna that plagued him.

Cam shifted on the bed and sat up until he could see past the darkness to the outer area where a nurse was working at her desk. He ached all over and every move he made sent daggers of pain through his back. He knew something was wrong and needed to see for himself what was wrong. The railing was easy to lower and he quickly slid his legs over the edge of the bed. If this room was like the others he'd been in, then there would be a mirror in the bathroom and he cursed the fact that an IV still fed into his arm.

Mitchell looked up at the bag of IV solution and glanced at the desk, glad that the nurse was no longer there. She was probably busy with another patient and hopefully she wouldn't check on him for several minutes. He pulled the IV from his arm and limped toward the small bathroom, ignoring the pain in his need to find out what no one was telling him.

The dreams were filled with images of serpents and dragons and pain, of blood and death, and people who were forced into a life they didn't want. He closed his eyes and tried to ride out the wave of dizziness that washed over him and tried not to think about a year of KP if Landry found out he'd ignored his orders to rest.

Each step he took reminded him that something was definitely not right with his body, but he was beginning to think he should have waited a little longer. This felt like a marathon, and yet he'd barely made it five feet from the bed.

"Just one more step…that's all…just one more step," he whispered and was shocked when he actually made it to the door and pulled it open. Once inside he closed the door and flicked on the light, shocked and surprised at the face that stared back at him.

The eyes were sunken and rimmed with dark circles, the cheeks were gaunt with slight ridges that didn't belong there. He grabbed the edge of the sink and leaned forward in an effort to quell the mounting nausea churning through his gut. He released his left hand, turned slightly until he could see his back, and gasped when he saw the changes there. It was as if his spine was being forced through his skin and he tried not to think about what would happen if it stayed this way.

Would he always look like a monster? Would he ever be able to walk in public without a shirt on? What if he did? Would he scare the hell out of everyone who saw him? Would it terrify children to see his deformity? He closed his eyes and leaned his head against the mirror as pain slammed through his back and legs. A soft knock on the door made him jump and he fought to keep his emotions in check as he heard her soft voice.

"Colonel Mitchell, are you in there?"

"I'm here," he managed; surprised that he was able to keep his emotions in check.

"You shouldn't be out of bed."

"I needed to see…to know…"

"It's okay, open the door and I'll help you get back to bed," the nurse told him.

"I'll be out in a little while," Mitchell said.

"Colonel, I really need you come out now…"

"I can't…I need some time…just give me some time," he told her.

"I could do that, but then I wouldn't be doing my job and that would mean Dr. Lam would have to report me and I could lose my job. I know you don't want that to happen, Colonel Mitchell, so please come out and let me do my job," Donna Collins said.

Cameron knew she would not lose her job, but he understood what she was doing and reached for the door handle. He opened it slowly and looked at the young woman standing there. He allowed her to help him back to the bed and sat on the edge while she pressed a piece of gauze against the small puncture wound left by the IV he'd extracted.

"I'm going to have to put that back in," she said softly, her eyes filled with sympathy.

"I don't need it," Mitchell told her.

"Dr. Lam wants it in place until…"

"Until what? Until I'm human again? How long have I been here?"

"Is there a problem here?"

"No, General, I don't think there's a problem," Collins said and smiled at Mitchell.

"Colonel, are you giving the medical staff problems?" Landry asked. He'd been on his way to check on Mitchell before leaving for the night when he'd heard the raised voice.

"I don't need the IV…as a matter of fact I don't need to be here, General."

"Until Carolyn says otherwise this is exactly where you belong," Landry said and sat on the edge of the bed as the nurse went to get the things she would need to restart the IV. "What's going on, Colonel?"

"Nothing, Sir, I just…I can't stay here any longer."

"Why not?"

"Have you seen my back? I can't…I'm not even human any more. Layonna was right…I'm one of those serpents and need to go back to Talosia," Mitchell snapped.

"No, you don't, Colonel. You belong here and you are returning to yourself. I know it's a slow process, but Carolyn assures me you'll be back to the Colonel Mitchell your Granny loves," Landry told him and saw a hint of a smile form as Mitchell stared down at the floor. "How would your Granny feel if she knew you were feeling sorry for yourself?"

"She'd kick my sorry ass to the curb," Mitchell answered.

"Sounds like a woman after my own heart. I'm going to do just that if I find you're letting this stop you from being the man I know you are. You'll be back on your feet and aching to go through the gate before you know it, but I won't let you do that until Carolyn gives you the all clear. Understood?"

"Yes, Sir," Mitchell said as the nurse returned and his shoulders slumped.

"Good, now don't let me hear about you giving Nurse Collins a hard time," Landry ordered. "Get some sleep, Colonel. That's an order."

"Yes, Sir," the injured man said as Collins set up the new IV line.

"Good night, Colonel."

"Good night, Sir," Mitchell said and lay back on the bed once the IV was running again and the general left him alone with the nurse. "I'm sorry I snapped at you, Donna."

"That's okay, Colonel, I understand how you feel," Collins said and injected something into the IV.

"What was that?" Mitchell asked.

"Dr. Lam left orders for something to help you sleep. It shouldn't take long to work," the nurse explained.

"Thanks," Mitchell turned his face away and closed his eyes. He licked at dry lips as he thought about the grotesque protuberances along his spine. Would they really go away, or would he have to hide his deformity from the world? He could almost hear his Granny telling him not to be so damn vain as he slipped toward the waiting nightmares.

TBC