Jennifer couldn't help it. For the first time in weeks she was laughing and as much as she tried to suppress it she couldn't.
"Some friend you are." Laura mumbled from the mud pool she found herself wading in as Jennifer continued to laugh.
"I'm sorry." Jennifer said still laughing. "But you have to admit it's funny."
"Not seeing the funny side." Cadman replied glaring at the doctor as she tried to shake the mud off her hands and make her way back to the more solid land where Jennifer was standing.
"Really? A cute little butterfly scaring a tough Marine into falling into a mud pool isn't funny?"
"Just you wait." Laura threatened.
"Doc?" Lorne asked running into the cave. "Are you okay? I heard a scream? Are you laughing? Why are you laughing? Cadman? What the hell happened?" He asked confused.
"Did you actually want answers to any of those?" Laura asked as she reached the side of the mud pool, her mood getting worse.
Offering Cadman a hand he asked. "Why are you taking a mud bath?"
"I lost my balance and slipped." Laura said glaring at Jennifer.
"Uh huh. Well next time you want a spa treatment, perhaps wait until you are back on Earth." Lorne suggested.
"Surrounded by comedians." Laura muttered as she shook more of the wet mud off.
"Sure you're not hurt?" Lorne asked.
"Yes Sir."
"Okay. I'm going to stand down the rest of the team and allow you a few moments to dry off." Lorne said heading out of the cave as Jennifer handed her friend a towel that she had dug out of her bag.
"Is this your apology?" Laura asked.
"Apology for what?" Jennifer asked smiling. "I kept quiet didn't I and didn't tell the Major a butterfly scared you into the mud."
"The way you were cackling he wouldn't have believed you." Laura shot back as she towelled the mud off.
"Sorry." Jennifer apologised. "I shouldn't have laughed."
"No you shouldn't." Laura said sounding grumpy, but then she smiled and added. "Hey Jen, it's good to see you laugh. Even if it is for something completely inappropriate."
As the two women walked towards the rest of Lorne's team Laura looked at the men and threatened.
"Don't say anything. So much as one word, one smirk or one look I don't like and you'll pay for it." With that she stomped off towards the gate.
"Ready doc?" Lorne asked.
"I am."
"Good, lets get home before the Captain gets grumpy."
"Gets?" Sanchez questioned.
"Trust me when I say this is nothing." Lorne smiled before looking back at Jennifer and asking. "So are you going to give me a few more details about how she ended up in the mud?"
"No."
"Because there are none or because you won't tell?" He pressed.
Before Jennifer could answer Lorne's attention was drawn to something in the bushes. Tensing he shouted, whilst pushing Jennifer behind some rocks. "Get down."
Diving for cover Laura unclipped her P90 before cursing about the mud that oozed from it. Knowing she could not offer firepower she looked round hoping to get a fix on the danger.
Before she located the source of Lorne's concern a bullet hit the rock to her left throwing up shards. Pressing herself lower she heard three more bullets hit before the P90 fire of her teammates started. Moments later she heard Lorne order.
"Stay down."
Peering round her rock she saw the Major leave his hiding place and walk towards the now deceased shooter. She watched him feel for a pulse before walking back over to his scattered team saying.
"He's gone. Let's pick the pace up. There could be more of them." As if on cue more gunshots echoed as Laura felt a blow to her back before falling to the ground, with P90 fire sounding.
When the firing stopped Laura tried to look round realising that the blow she felt was Jennifer tackling her to the floor. Before she could say anything she heard Lorne shouting,
"Cadman, Keller, you okay?" Before either woman could answer she heard Lorne swear before shouting. "Sanchez cover us, Keller's been hit."
"How bad?" Laura asked, frustrated she couldn't move.
Not answering the Captain, Lorne pulled Jennifer off Laura and dragged her back to the nearby cave.
Free from Jennifer's weight Laura scampered over to the Major and the doctor immediately asking.
"How is she?"
"Can't see any blood. Vest may have done its job." He said scanning the area before calling. "Keller open your eyes." Not getting a response he looked to Laura.
"Help me get her vest off." Nodding Laura waited for Lorne to lift the unconscious doctor into a sitting position before removing her vest. Once removed she said.
"Clear." Causing the Major to lower Jennifer back onto the ground, lying her on her front so he could examine her back.
Seeing no holes in Jennifer's clothes Lorne breathed a sigh off relief before lifting up Jennifer's shirt and T-shirt to look for damage. As his hand touched her skin she came to.
Feeling an unknown hand on her back whilst lying facedown on the ground she started to panic and struggle. Seeing what was happening Laura lowered her head so her face was next to Jennifer's and tried to assure her she was okay. As the doctor began to calm, Laura looked over to Lorne, whose face was etched with concern.
"I've got this." Laura quickly volunteered. "My gun is so clogged it'll be useless. Cover us."
"Okay." Lorne said backing away from the pair before radioing the rest of his team to take up defensive positions round the cave.
"Jen, I need to look at your back. You need to hold still."
Nodding the still dazed doctor lay motionless as Laura inspected her back. After a few moments the Marine asked.
"Can you breathe okay?"
"Yeah." Jennifer said, still feeling disorientated.
"Okay, let's sit you up." Laura instructed, the movement causing the now more alert doctor to gasp in pain.
"What's wrong?"
"Ribs hurt." Jennifer grimaced.
"I'm sure. You are already bruising." Laura said as Lorne returned carrying two of Jennifer's bags.
"How bad?" Lorne asked as he set the bags down and started searching through them.
"No bone sticking out so hopefully just bruising, maybe a crack. She says she can breathe ok." Cadman reported.
"Drink this." Lorne instructed giving Jennifer the vial of morphine sulphate. "It'll help with the pain. Looks like packing an entire infirmary pays off today."
"What's going on out there?" Laura asked.
"We're pinned down. We can defend this position, but we aren't going anywhere. We'll hold off for the check in and request backup. Seeing the doc is with us they'll call the second we're late. So, hopefully we only have two hours to wait. But in the mean time you need to try and dry off a bit or you're going to feel the cold." He then knelt down in front of Jennifer and said.
"We need to clean the mud off your face. You okay if I do it, or would you prefer Cadman."
"You're fine." Jennifer said.
"Okay, Cadman see if you can find any dry clothes for yourself in the doc's bags. I'll clean her up."
As he washed away the first of the mud he saw a bruised lump forming on her face. "What happened?" He asked.
"Marines have bony shoulders." Jennifer said. "My head slammed into Laura's shoulder on my way down."
"You know doc, it is our job to jump in front of the bullets and yours to dig them out, not the other way round."
"If I'd known it would hurt this much I wouldn't have done it." Jennifer assured him.
"See it as karma for all the laughing," Laura said returning to the pair, holding a blanket for Jennifer. "Seriously though, thanks."
"Why didn't you tell me bullets were worse than arrows?" Jennifer asked Lorne.
"Stupidly I thought the whole arrow thing would have put you off jumping in front of projectiles." Lorne said.
"What arrow thing?" Laura asked.
"Months ago the doc tried to tackle Ronon to the ground to stop him getting shot by arrows. Turned out, unsurprisingly, that she didn't carry the momentum and merely ended up jumping in front of the arrow."
"Ouch."
"The worse part was she was too stubborn tell anyone how bad it was."
"Jennifer? Stubborn?" Laura asked sarcastically.
"Hey, I told Ronon." Jennifer said, her voice beginning to slur as the drugs kicked in.
"Yes, sorry. She told the one person on the mission who had an unbelievably high pain threshold that she had been hit, then said it was just a flesh wound." Lorne corrected as he looked back over to Laura, who was still caked in mud.
"Cadman, clean your weapon, I have a nasty feeling we may need the extra fire power later."
"Yes Sir." Cadman agreed as Lorne returned his focus to Jennifer.
"How you doing doc?" Lorne asked
"Fuzzy."
"That's just the drugs. You warm enough? Breathing okay?"
"Yeah." Jennifer smiled as the drugs began to take full hold of her.
"That's good. Doc, I'm sorry for earlier. I just needed to make sure the bullet hadn't gotten through and you hadn't broken a rib. I didn't mean to scare you. I would never hurt you."
"I know. You're a good guy. But I thought he was as well."
"Huh?" Lorne asked not following the conversation.
"How are you meant to know?" Jennifer asked, although Lorne didn't think she was talking to him. "I mean is there some sort of sign that I missed or is that what everyone wants. I should have known. Shouldn't have gone." Jennifer said incoherently only stopping when Lorne spoke.
"No." Lorne said firmly. "If you still want to tell me tomorrow we'll talk. Right now, no talking. Try to get some rest."
Seeing Cadman's surprised expression as he walked over he whispered.
"Whatever it is she has deliberately hidden if from me for weeks. If she tells me I want it to be on her own terms, not because of drugs."
"You're a better person that I am." Laura said, seeing Lorne quirk an eyebrow Laura explained. "I got her drunk."
"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Lorne said. "Answer me something. She's not in danger is she?"
"No." Laura assured him.