Daughter
A/N: We get a little bit of everybody here today. All our favorite characters and key players get to make an appearance. Thanks for reading.
Chapter 39 – Recovery
Elda's eyes wandered about as she was led through the corridors of the Hammond. "What is it about Earth and the color gray?" she commented.
The marines simply laughed ahead of her. Crawford looked back to offer her an adoring smile. Mitchell's eye twitched from behind them. He wasn't sure he approved of how close the two of them had gotten while stuck on that station. He glanced at Vala next to him, whose face remained neutral. He sensed that she was still analyzing the situation.
Mitchell made up his mind to keep an eye on them. Somehow, he had a feeling Jack would be displeased if Gracie started dating one of these marines. If she was going to enter into a relationship with anyone from the base, it ought to be an airman instead. He had half a mind to tell her so.
Sam led them all to the ship infirmary. Given the long travel time back to Earth, SG-3 would simply have their post-mission physicals here. This could also afford everyone an opportunity to hear about Colonel Reynolds's condition from a trusted physician. As much as SG-3 swore by the quality of the medical professionals aboard the space station, the others still wanted to hear things from one of their own.
A doctor was already waiting for them at the entrance. "Hello, everyone," he greeted. He made eye contact with Sam especially and reached out to shake her hand. "Colonel," he said warmly to his former commanding officer.
She smiled back easily. "Doctor Lightman, good to see you again." Sam turned around to re-introduce SG-3. "You may remember Corporals Smith and Crawford. And this…" Sam gestured for her daughter to step forward. "…is Elda Mal Doran. She's SG-3's newest addition."
The doctor nodded to each of them politely. "Welcome aboard," he said to Elda.
She inclined her head. It didn't escape her that her mother had introduced her as a full-fledged member of the team. Elda already caught on to the way Mitchell addressed them before. But this felt like a whole other thing entirely. She glanced over to Sam, who seemed to be regarding her with great pride. It made her feel warm and fuzzy.
Dr. Lightman had everyone follow him to a back room, where Reynolds's pod was being kept. Techs were milling about, entering data into consoles or checking the status on the pod's display. "Give us the room," the doctor instructed. His staff quickly vacated the space. It was a tight fit with two full SG-teams in the same room as a large stasis pod.
"Well, Doc?" Mitchell asked. "What's your assessment of the Colonel there?"
"Our scans were able to penetrate the stasis pod. I concur with the opinion of the station medical professional. She was kind enough to send over a report. We had someone translate it from Goa'uld into English while I did my own evaluation. Colonel Reynolds was shot at least two times by energy blaster weapons. He sustained injuries to vital organs and is at risk of death the moment we release him from this pod."
"What will it take to save his life?" Vala queried.
"He will need multiple operations, performed in stages, to deal with the damage inside his body. There's a nicked artery, necrotic tissue, and a lot of internal hemorrhaging. The pod's been slowing the progress of his injuries down to a trickle, but he's been in there long enough for things to become even more dire."
"He was near death when we had to put him in there," Crawford quietly supplied.
Smith reached over to put a hand on the glass panel near his CO's face. He stared into the pod with concern. "So, you going to do the surgeries here? Or on Earth?"
"On Earth," the doctor replied. "He'll need significant recovery time when it's all said and done. He's better off being cared for at one of our military hospitals. I bet he'll recover even faster if his family can see him." The doctor turned to Sam now and spoke with familiarity. "He's got four kids, right?"
Sam nodded. "Yes, he does. And a wife." She shook her head at how close his family was to losing him. And not even knowing why.
Elda stared at Reynolds forlornly. "What about a healing device?" Everyone looked at her. "Wouldn't that accelerate his recovery?" She turned to Vala now.
The group's eyes followed. Vala instantly pulled out the healing device she always kept on hand. She tilted her head at the doctor, as if asking permission.
He seemed to consider her carefully. "I've seen that thing in action maybe once or twice. But never for injuries this severe. You think it could handle all this?" the doctor asked, gesturing toward Reynolds in the pod.
Vala stepped forward to stare at their unfortunate colleague. She eyed the display spitting out medical jargon in a language she was unfamiliar with. "Maybe not all of it. But perhaps the healing device could help things along. Make your jobs easier."
The doctor nodded. If a seasoned member of SG-1 was this confident, he could roll with it. "Alright. I'll put in orders to have you on standby once the patient is transferred to the next facility. I'll leave it up to the CMO on base to decide where he should go. She'll have a better idea than me who has a bed available for this case."
Everyone nodded. Sam spoke now. "Anything else, Doctor?"
"That's it for now, in terms of the Colonel here." He made it a point to make eye contact with the members of SG-3, including Elda. "We're optimistic that he'll get through this."
They seemed thankful for his words. If Reynolds survived and did well, then all their hard work on the space station would be worth it.
The doctor gestured for everyone to exit. "Time for your physicals, SG-3," he announced.
Soon Elda was whisked into her own private space with a nurse. She blinked uncomfortably when Sam and Vala followed her in. The nurse busied herself with loading her chart onto a tablet so the next doctor could review it. She didn't fail to notice Elda standing frozen out of the corner of her eye. The nurse looked up at the other people in the room. "I'll let you know when she's done," she said with a smile, clearly ushering them out.
Sam and Vala glanced at each other. They got the message. They were being kicked out. "We'll be right outside, Elda," Vala said.
The young blonde nodded. Then she flashed the nurse a thankful and exasperated smile. The nurse winked back at her. She pointed at the hospital gown on the bed. "Go ahead and remove everything and change into this. Opening in the front. You're going to have a full exam. Do you prefer a male or a female doctor?"
"Umm… it doesn't really matter."
"Okay, great. I'll remain in here with you as a chaperone when Doctor…" she tapped around in the tablet, seeking out the name of an available physician, "…Bedford comes in. He's really nice. You'll like him."
Elda smiled in acquiescence. She was given the space to change out of her station clothes. The nurse returned with a fresh uniform in hand for later. This time the door was slid shut for privacy.
"Okay, some questions to answer before doctor sees you. Are you in any physical pain at the moment?"
"No, not really."
The nurse nodded and tapped at the tablet to record her response.
"Any major changes in your medical history since you were last seen by one of our doctors? Surgeries? New conditions?"
"Does exposure to toxic gas count?"
"What kind of gas?"
"Whatever they use to power the space station. Crawford and I hallucinated," Elda reported. Aurelia had implored them to be re-evaluated by their own medical professionals from Earth. She said something about checking that their body chemistries were still normal, whatever that meant.
"Huh. That's a new one for me. I'll make a note of it here for the doctor to go over that with you in more detail." She typed into the tablet quickly. Then the nurse moved on. "When's the first day of your last menstrual period?"
"Oh." She grit her teeth. "I don't remember. And we were marking time very differently on that space station."
The nurse hardly seemed surprised. "That's okay. Would you say it's been in the last month at least?"
"Eh."
The nurse smiled. She tapped into her display, unbothered. "Sexually active?"
Elda blinked. "Yes."
"Are you on any contraception? Birth control?"
"There's this thingy in my arm that Dr. Lam made me get," she said, pointing at her right upper arm.
"Oh. Hang on, that's not in your chart." The nurse came closer to feel Elda's arm. She seemed to find what she was looking for. She looked back down at the tablet and clicked around more. "Ah. Found it buried in here. The system just got updated; still getting used to it. Sorry."
"No problem."
"Okay, birth control in place…" the nurse said to herself as she typed.
A doctor knocked on the door and opened it slightly. "Hello? Okay to come in?" he called.
Elda nodded to the nurse, who then replied, "Come on in, Doctor."
The door slid open further to reveal a friendly-looking man in a white lab coat. "Hello Elda, I'm Dr. Bedford. Colonel Carter says you need a subcutaneous transmitter. We'll be implanting that today."
"Okay."
He closed the door behind him as he stepped into the private room.
"She already has Nexplanon on the right," the nurse dutifully reported.
The new doctor reached out to her arm. "Okay if I check?" Elda nodded. He felt for the birth control implant in question then nodded. "No problem, then. We'll just put the transmitter on the other arm." He smiled at her reassuringly. "This is all pretty routine. We'll get you out of here and back to your team in no time."
Elda rubbed at the sore spot on her left arm. The implantation procedure was fast, but the wound sure smarted once the anesthetic wore off. She briefly looked down, but her new flight suit was covering the dressing. She ignored the pain and turned back to the screen.
"So… you're okay?" Jack asked.
"Yeah, I'm good. Doctor said I'm cleared for duty."
Her father nodded from far away on Earth. "Glad you're alright. Had me worried there for a second."
Elda looked guilty. "Sorry. Things just happened so fast…"
"No, no. I know exactly what you mean. Remember: been there, done that." Jack smiled slightly, eyes lost in memories.
"So what happens now?"
"Now? Now, we get you all back home. The Hammond is heading straight for Earth. They need to rotate in fresh personnel anyway. Might as well do it now. They'll figure out how to get Colonel Reynolds down to solid ground and get him the help he needs."
"With him out, what happens to SG-3?"
"That's up to your Uncle Hank. He'll want to hear for himself how this all went down. Then he'll decide if SG-3 goes on stand-down or simply proceeds with Baker in charge until Reynolds is back on his feet."
Elda gasped slightly. She'd nearly forgotten about Lt. Baker. "How is he, by the way?"
"He's fine. Don't think he had it as bad as Reynolds. He should be good to go by the time you get back."
She let out a breath. "Good. That's good."
"Kid?"
"Yes?"
"How close did you three get? Ya know, stuck on that space station all alone for two months?" It was like Three's Company, except in reverse. Instead of a single man rooming with two women, his own daughter was filling the role of the odd woman out. He wasn't really worried so much as curious. Jack knew she could kick both of those marines' asses if she needed to. And he also remembered that she had someone she cared about waiting for her to come back. He was optimistic that she would've fought off any complicated temptations.
Elda sensed his innocent curiosity. It only encouraged her to simply tell him the truth. "I guess we got pretty close. I could say those two are like brothers to me now." She smiled a little at this. Jasuf had already been referring to them that way, before she left. As if he was trusting her not to regard them as anything more than her peers. She felt proud of herself for not betraying him while in close quarters with the marines. Crawford and Smith were good-looking people. Anyone would have been tempted. It was no wonder Smith had attracted a mark on his first day.
"Dad… we went through some things. Well, me and Crawford did."
"Toxic gasses, right? Hallucinations?"
She looked away. "Yeah."
"And Smith supposedly got you out of there before any permanent damage was done?"
"Right."
"Good on him."
"We were thankful. That's for sure."
"You okay?"
Elda locked eyes with her father. She took in a deep breath. "I'll be alright." She nodded to emphasize it.
Jack smiled softly to her on the screen. "What's this I hear about you learning to dance?"
Elda's face slowly drew into a grin. "Well, after we secured Reynolds in my shuttle, we had nothing to do. We were still stuck for another month."
Her father seemed amused. "Mitchell complained that you decided to party."
"What else were we gonna do?"
Jack laughed. Ahh, to be young again. "I'll bet Daniel would have had the time of his life studying everything on board that station."
"Meanwhile Sam would be taking apart the station just to figure it out."
Jack nodded emphatically at this. Then he said, "Teal'c would… well, I dunno what the big guy would do."
"Probably kel'no'reem."
"Yeah, probably."
"And Cameron?" Elda asked.
"Run laps."
She quirked a smile. "I know what Vala would do."
"Oh?"
"Find ways to get money. And then spend it."
"Just like you did, huh?"
She nodded proudly. "Mmm hmm." She then shared, "Smith's female mark was less than pleased to realize she had been deceived. We all felt kind of bad. Since we had time, we decided to try and make it up to her."
"How?"
"By offering to help her with whatever she needed. I put in time at her medical facility, like how I help Carolyn here and there. And the boys continued working with her brother. When everyone was off, we just socialized. Next thing we know, she's showing us her crew's moves and we started practicing with them. It was fun. And as a bonus, we could make money doing it. So why not?"
"Yeah, why not?"
Elda grinned. "Dad, what would you have done, if you were stuck there like us?"
"Me?" Jack looked contemplative. "Depends. Did they have a place to fish?"
Crawford dutifully dictated logs on his data pad while they were stuck on the space station. His mission report was technically ready. Sam just needed to figure out how to download it off the fascinating tech they had taken with them. Their data pads were her new toys to tinker with.
SG-1 was eager to hear some of the details that would surely have been left out of the report. So they invited Elda to join them in the mess. She described station culture and technology in detail. And she reported on how the trio leaned on her galaxy-class skillset whenever it was needed. Vala found herself fascinated, agreeing with just about every decision Elda reportedly made. From the ruse of looking for employment to the long-game she had Smith play with his female mark, it was all very impressive. Her other self's hard work training this girl hadn't gone to waste.
Mitchell, meanwhile, regarded Elda with skepticism. She never gave any indication that anything happened between her and Crawford. As if she would even admit that to them. But a single female bunking with two guys was simply asking for trouble. What's worse was this girl was like a niece to him. He felt very protective. She did admit to how they would sit together in comfort after they both woke up from nightmares. It sounded like it happened a lot.
Vala and Sam were more concerned with why she was having nightmares in the first place. Sam insisted that she check in with Dr. McKenzie, her established psychologist, once she was back on base.
Elda now shifted the topic toward SG-1. "So how'd you get the new shuttle?" She seemed very eager to finally hear the story.
Mitchell laughed. "The tel'tak your sister was able to get us was a piece of shit." Vala rolled her eyes and smacked Cameron's arm. "So I suggested we just go straight to the source for the good stuff."
Daniel chuckled while Teal'c adopted a slight smile.
Vala continued, "And so we went, but your dear friend Gen wanted nothing to do with us."
Sam grumbled, "He tried to blow us off." Her eye twitched in annoyance.
"However, the minute he turned around and saw Jasuf, it was over." Vala smirked.
Sam grinned delightedly. "We got a shiny new ship with all the trimmings. All he had to do was breath down Gen's neck. It was magnificent."
Vala turned to Sam. "I want to bring him along for all our negotiations from now on," Vala said mischievously.
"Oh, definitely."
Elda was smiling ear to ear. "I'm sure he enjoyed that." She began to laugh. "He was so mad at Gen for what he did."
"What exactly did that guy do?" Mitchell asked curiously.
Elda paused in her laughter to look at him. "You don't know?" He shook his head. "He propositioned me." She shrugged. "Everyone made a big deal out of it," she said, as if the incident was meaningless to her.
Mitchell's eyes bulged. If he had known, he would have knocked down that rep's door himself! "Does your… I mean…" he sputtered, catching himself, "Does the General know about this?"
"Yeah, he wasn't happy about it either." Elda shrugged again. She noticed Cameron's look of concern. "Oh, please, don't worry. I handled it," she said confidently.
Daniel shook his head at her. Teal'c just stared.
"Good God, woman," Mitchell muttered in amazement, also shaking his head at her. Then he quietly scrunched his face, wondering what Jasuf had to do with anything. Why would that Jaffa out of everyone Elda knew be offended on her behalf?
The conversation moved on, forcing him to push the thought aside.
"Tell me more about the languages on the station," Daniel prompted.
Mitchell groaned.
"It was a little bit of everything. I think you would have liked it there," Elda guessed. "They had their own written station language. And a lot of it was customarily translated into Goa'uld, which was good for me. There were others, but it seemed like only certain pockets of the station used those specific tongues. I never had to deal with those. I just saw the translations all the time."
"How many total?"
"Eh… four? Five?"
"Fascinating."
"I thought you might think so." She leaned forward now to address everyone. "Hey, do you think we'd ever go back there?"
Mitchell narrowed his eyes at her. "Why?"
"I dunno. It's a fun place to be. And they're a bit advanced. I'd think Earth wouldn't mind being friends with a place like that."
Sam smiled again and nudged Mitchell next to her. "You were saying something to that effect not too long ago, Cam."
Vala hummed in agreement.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he muttered. He pointed at Elda. "We're not going back there just so you can have some R & R."
"Huh?"
"Nevermind."
Elda gave him a look of annoyance for not translating his gibberish for her.
"I just had a thought," Sam cut in. "We don't technically have enough space for two shuttles in the SGC." Everyone adopted contemplative looks.
"Can't we just leave them here?" Daniel asked, referring to the bay of the Hammond.
"No," both Elda and Sam said emphatically.
Teal'c and Vala shared an amused smile.
Elda looked side to side. "What if…" she started. Everyone waited. "What if you take the dock on Earth and I leave mine on Tek'ron?" she suggested to Sam. "Plenty of space there for me to set mine down."
"But then you'd have to go to Tek'ron every time you need to use it," Mitchell pointed out.
Elda simply smiled at him.
"Oh boy. You're itchin' to go back, aren't ya?"
She only continued smiling at him.
"Yeah, that'll work," Sam agreed readily.
Mitchell snapped his head toward her in surprise. He gazed around at the rest of the team, who seemed to be in complete agreement with the plan. He contorted his face in confusion but said nothing more.
The Hammond arrived in Earth orbit and remained there while a flurry of activity was initiated. Their first priority was to get Reynolds down to the ground. The decision had been made to open his stasis pod on the ship and beam him straight to a bed in the infirmary. Dr. Lam put in orders for an emergency medical team to stand by. Vala was beamed down alongside him. She used her healing device until it could help him no further, then let the doctors take over. Carolyn wasn't there, being stuck at home watching Gracie. She trusted that her team could take care of Reynolds and get him safely transferred to the outside hospital she had contacted. An ambulance was already waiting in the parking lot outside the entrance to the mountain.
Meanwhile, the gate room had been cleared and a wormhole to Tek'ron opened. With the transport jammers still off, Elda's entire ship was beamed into the gate room. She flew it straight through the wormhole. She never even set foot on Earth. The gate deactivated immediately.
The SGC's new shuttle was beamed in next. It carefully rose up the missile silo to its special parking level. Sam let it hover while some techs activated the Tok'ra crystals to form a deck underneath it. The new floor encompassed the entire span of the silo. Once she received the all-clear, Sam slowly lowered the ship down and placed the vessel in standby mode. Elda had shown her mother how to program the ship to hover automatically if it ever lost contact with the ground. No one expected the crystalline deck to fail, but they weren't taking any chances. They didn't need anyone below getting crushed by a falling ship.
While Sam disembarked, the SGC sent up fresh personnel to mind the Hammond. Crew who had been away on long assignments were simultaneously beamed down to Earth for some much needed break time. Some of them were long overdue to come home. SG-1 and SG-3's missions had given them the perfect opportunity to do so.
As soon as the Hammond confirmed that all of its personnel were accounted for, General Landry ordered the transport jammers to be activated again. He breathed a sigh of relief when it was done. "Re-dial Tek'ron," he instructed a control room tech. The gate activated as expected. "Call Elda Mal Doran."
The tech complied. Once she responded, he nodded to the General.
"Ms. Mal Doran."
"General!"
"What's your plan?"
"I'm currently in contact with our Ha'tak vessel. Apparently it's in orbit now. I'm letting them know I'm parking my shuttle here."
"I take it you'll be wanting to stay?"
"Yes, please, if that's alright. I haven't seen anyone here in months."
Her uncle chuckled, knowing there was someone in particular she was aiming to see. He wasn't surprised by her request at all. Jack had already given his blessing for this. The teams completed their official debriefings and post-mission physicals up on the Hammond. There was no operational need for Elda to be on Earth right this minute. "Permission granted. Report back here in twenty-four hours, Earth time."
The gratitude could be heard in Elda's voice. "Yes, General," she answered compliantly. "I'll be there."
Jasuf watched attentively as two warriors sparred before him. A Hak'tyl was driven into the wall of the small training room deep within the Ha'tak. She didn't let this phase her. She quickly dodged the next staff hit and darted away from the wall. A guardsman followed, but was suddenly forced to block a return strike from her. Soon, his female opponent was driving him back instead.
A young boy ran up to Jasuf's side. He leaned down so the child could whisper in his ear. His eyes widened. He nodded to the boy and dismissed him, who ran back the way he came.
"Krel shak," he called out to the sparring duo, urging them to continue without him. Jasuf left them. He found Lo'zim and Idul sitting in another room, resting after their own sparring match. "I am returning to the surface," he announced. "She is home." The pair could see the anticipation in his eyes. They both stood and inclined their heads to him.
"Please extend our greetings to her," Lo'zim requested.
Jasuf nodded. He locked eyes with each of them. "I leave you both in command." They bowed as he rushed out. Lo'zim smiled proudly at Idul, who was quietly stunned by Jasuf's acknowledgement of her. He placed a hand on the small of her back to lead them out.
Minutes later, the rings activated on the surface of the planet. Jasuf was among a group of Jaffa returning to the villages. The ring platform had been placed at the border so that both tribes of Tek'ron could have equal access. The group dispersed easily, but no one left faster than Jasuf. He rushed forward at the sight of a shuttle gleaming in the moonlight overhead. It appeared to be landing.
Jasuf reached his settlement quickly. The vessel was still hissing as it powered down not far from the huts. When the hatch opened, Elda stood at the entryway holding her staff weapon. She was dressed in the typical green military uniform of the Tau'ri. Her special blaster sat plainly on her thigh.
Her eyes lit up at the sight of him approaching. "Jasuf," she called out.
He ran up the ramp and captured her mouth with his. She was pushed back into the wall with the force of his kinetic energy. Elda let the staff weapon reconnect with its storage clamps. Both of her hands wrapped around the back of his neck. She desperately responded to his hard kiss, grateful to be home in his arms.
Their hearts beat wildly as they reunited.
"I missed you," she whispered into his mouth.
"Not more than I for you," he countered. He held her face with his hands. "Are you well, my love?"
"I am." She smiled at him. "I'm happy to be home."
Jasuf smiled back gently. "Come." They both disembarked with arms around each other. The shuttle automatically sealed itself shut. The hut they shared was only steps away. He quickly brought her inside.
And then he trapped her against the door unexpectedly. His mouth reconnected with hers in a fiery kiss.
She chuckled into it. "This is what 'welcome home' looks like, huh?"
Jasuf didn't answer. He picked her up by the bottom and moved them both toward the bed.
Daniel threw his key ring into the bowl on the counter. He groaned as he rubbed his neck, glad to finally be home.
Vala opened the fridge and shuffled things around. "I have a feeling nothing in here is safe to eat anymore," she announced.
Daniel peeked in from behind her. "Nope." He turned around to open a drawer full of take-out menus. He grabbed a bunch and dropped them on the counter. "Take your pick."
Vala started to rummage through the choices.
When Daniel's phone rung, he fished it out of his pocket. It was Jack's number calling. "Hello?"
"Uncle Danny?"
"Hey, Gracie!" he responded sweetly. "Where are you?"
"My mommy pick me up!"
"Oh yeah? Did you have fun with Auntie Carolyn?"
Vala grinned as she listened in. As much as Daniel complained about babysitting her, he couldn't deny how much he actually loved that little girl. She settled on two menus and held them up for him to pick between. He distractedly pointed at one of them.
"Uh huh!" Gracie answered. "Are you home now?"
"Yup, your Auntie Vala and I just got home."
"Can I go there and play?"
Daniel laughed. "Already?"
"Yeah!"
He could hear Jack in the background reminding his daughter that her uncle must be tired. Daniel quietly wondered why he let the girl call him in the first place. He then imagined her insisting until her father finally acquiesced.
"What about tomorrow?" Daniel suggested. "I bet you missed your mommy. And I know she missed you."
He could sense her pouting through the call. "Okay," she whined. "Mommy, did you miss me?" Gracie then asked Sam.
Daniel heard Sam reply, "Of course I did, Baby! I love you."
"I lub you, too. I lub Uncle Danny, too," she announced.
"Awwww!" Vala teased, pinching his cheek. Daniel swatted her away while smiling.
Soon Gracie's parents were both encouraging her to hang up so that her aunt and uncle could rest. "Bye!" the girl said brightly. "See you 'morrow!"
Daniel chuckled. "Bye, Gracie." He brought the phone down and hit the button to end the call.
Vala wrapped her arms around his waist. She gazed up at him admiringly. "She's your number one fan. She's so sweet." She pecked him on the lips.
"Yeah," he agreed. "A sweet little monster." He kissed her chastely in return. "So… tacos again?"
She kissed him fully, other things now on her mind. She hummed into this mouth, "Maybe later." Vala pulled him out of the kitchen. "We need to work on making something else first."
Daniel bit his lip and grinned.
"Master Meil'nor," Elda greeted, bowing low in the governance hut early the next morning.
"Kal'ma," the tribe leader intoned with affection. He gestured for Jasuf and Elda to quickly come in out of the cold. "Come. Sit. Both of you." The door shut heavily behind them. The pair took seats together before the throne. Jasuf's father poured tea. He sat on the floor and took a sip from the cup in his hand.
Jasuf reached over to take two cups, handing one to Elda next to him. It wasn't lost on her how informal they were behaving here. Normally, Meil'nor would sit on the throne with Jasuf beside him on a slightly lower seat. She still tried to wait until they had both taken a drink, however, before she sipped hers. It felt odd not to engage in the formality.
Meil'nor regarded her befuddlement with amusement. He noticed that she noticed. "You look well, EldaMalDoran. This pleases me."
She smiled and inclined her head respectfully. "Thank you, Master Meil'nor."
"And what of your commander?"
"He lives. It took great effort on that space station. But my brothers and I were able to recover him and bring him home."
"A fine accomplishment then. I congratulate you."
She bowed her head in gratitude.
"Tell him of the strange time dilation you experienced," Jasuf prompted.
Meil'nor's brow raised.
Elda sighed. "The space station purposely placed itself in a time dilation bubble. While only one week passed on the outside, two months went by on the inside. Perhaps it may not have felt like I was gone long, but for me, it was so much longer."
"You were trapped inside?" Meil'nor verified.
"Yes."
"Strange, indeed." He shared a look of awe with his son. "No doubt that gave you ample time to complete your task."
"That is exactly what happened." She smiled.
"And how long will you be home, Kal'ma? I assume your Earth family expects you back now."
Elda grimaced. "I get to stay through the afternoon. Then I must return. We will hear of our leadership's decisions regarding my team by then."
"Then we will cherish your time here," Meil'nor announced decisively. "Jasuf, delegate your duties to others today. You may escort her as she greets the peoples from both her tribes."
His son blinked with surprise. "Yes, Father." Gratitude was written all over his expression.
Meil'nor inclined his head toward them with a smile of satisfaction.
Carolyn knocked on the open door of her father's office. "General?"
"Dr. Lam, come in." He addressed her formally, knowing anyone could be within listening distance through that open door. They both silently agreed to use their titles when the topic involved work. And he knew why she was here. "You just got back?"
Carolyn took a seat before his desk. "Yes, Colonel Reynolds is stable. Surgery just finished up a few hours ago."
"He awake yet?"
"Not yet. His attending physician promised to call and give me an update when he does."
Landry nodded. "I'd like to head over there with you later this afternoon. I'll have SG-3 meet us there so they can see him. How's Mrs. Reynolds doing?"
"She's overwhelmed, unsurprisingly. But grateful that he's alive."
"I can imagine," her father responded pitifully. The phone on his desk rang. Hank looked back at her apologetically.
She waved a hand at him, unbothered. Carolyn knew her father was busy. She let him take the call and got up to leave.
Carolyn went straight to the O'Neill family quarters, where Sam and Vala were waiting at the small table. She sat down heavily with them. They handed her a coffee. "Thanks."
"So?" Vala asked eagerly. "How is he?"
"He'll be okay. Surgery was successful. They were able to clean out a lot of the necrotic and inflamed tissue. Your healing device did wonders on the nicked artery. He didn't lose as much blood as we thought he would."
The other women sighed in relief. Sam asked, "Did you scrub in, Carolyn?"
"No, not me. But I went there to receive the report personally from the doctors there. And to see his wife."
Sam murmured, "Oh my God. I can't even imagine how she's doing right now."
"I know. I reassured her that he'll be okay. Dad and I will go back in the afternoon to see him when he's awake. He wants SG-3 to meet us there. I don't think they know how well he's really doing."
"That will be a nice little surprise for them then," Vala commented. She let out a breath, glancing at Sam. "So…" she started, apparently changing the subject.
Sam smirked. "Yeah, so."
Carolyn looked between them suspiciously. She sipped her coffee as she stared. "What?"
Sam said, "While we were up on the Hammond, the two of us were wondering if you knew about a certain piece of news."
"What news?"
"Elda-related news."
Carolyn's eyes widened slightly. She suddenly got worried. Did the girl get pregnant? But she put her on birth control! The doctor coughed and tried sipping her coffee to distract herself. She simply waited for the other women to spill the beans.
They studied her. Neither of them missed her sudden look of concern.
Vala narrowed her eyes at Carolyn. "What do you know about a certain Jaffa boy that Gracie befriended on Tek'ron?"
Carolyn forced her face not to move. "What Jaffa boy?"
"The same one we watched her spar with when we all went on your medical mission," Vala clarified.
She glanced between them. "She may have mentioned something to me," she said cautiously. It wasn't Carolyn's place to spill these beans, although she'd been dying to for months. She cleared her throat again. "You say there's news?" she asked curiously.
Sam grinned. "She's dating him," she declared.
Carolyn sucked in a dramatic breath, then sighed loudly as she grumbled, "Finally."
The other women contorted their faces. "What do you mean 'finally'?" Vala asked with consternation.
"Finally," Carolyn repeated. "As in, finally, she admitted it."
Sam was bewildered. "I only just found out. You make it sound like you've known a while." She looked left and right, trying to establish a timeline in her head.
Carolyn suddenly looked pensive. She regretted not controlling her reaction.
"Gracie should have told you sooner," Vala muttered toward Sam.
Now Sam's eyes shot toward her pirate friend. "Why?" she said suspiciously. "How long have you known?"
Vala's mouth opened and closed. Then she grimaced. "A little while," she responded evasively.
Sam's eyes narrowed. Her voice adopted a warning tone. "Vala." It was a command, one that told her she better tell Sam exactly what she wanted to know.
Carolyn glanced between them uncomfortably. Oh boy. She sipped her coffee as she watched them.
Vala gazed at her friend quietly, blinking her eyes rapidly. "Since we all went to Tek'ron."
"What!?"
Vala jumped in her seat a little.
Sam shouted, "And you didn't say anything?"
"Hey! I thought it would be better if you heard it straight from her! I was trying to show respect and deference. You are the birth mother."
"Jack is the one who told me."
"Yes, well, he would. He's your husband."
Sam let out a breath. Now she turned to Carolyn, who sat there frozen. "And what about you? Hmm?"
Carolyn swallowed. She pointed an index finger into the air. "I'd like to remind you that I am her doctor." She nervously nodded her head to emphasize her point. "There are certain things between a doctor and a patient…"
"Oh cut the bullshit Carolyn," Sam groused.
Vala cringed.
Eyes wide, the doctor quickly admitted, "Since she came back the first time she stayed with the Hak'tyl."
Sam's mouth dropped to the floor. So did Vala's. They both incredulously complained, "That long?"
Carolyn put up two hands in defense. "It was very innocent at first. I didn't know she'd actually end up in a full-fledged relationship with this guy until recently. When I heard Uncle Jack got kidnapped with him and then gifted a ship to his planet, I realized things must have… progressed."
Her two friends simply stared at her in shock. She felt the need to keep talking.
Her hands flapped around as she spoke. "Oh come on. Give me a break! She wasn't ready to tell anyone before! And then she never told me if it got serious or not! She's never here!"
They deflated.
"You're right," Vala said. "Gracie is never here."
"Never here to tell us one shred of detail about her life," Sam complained. She sat back in her chair in disappointment.
Carolyn sighed. Then she leaned forward to grab each of the women's hands. "She's going to start being here more," she said reassuringly. "After what she willingly did for Reynolds, I would think she's going to join SG-3 for sure now."
Sam closed her eyes briefly, taking her words to heart. "Right." She hazarded a hopeful smile then took another breath, resetting herself. "I've already got her patches ready."
Vala and Carolyn shared a glance then smiled back at Sam. "She'll do us all proud," Vala declared.
"Yes," Carolyn agreed, smiling fully now.
Sam wagged a finger at the doctor, but this time she was less intimidating. "I can't believe you knew."
The space pirate laughed. "This woman is better at keeping secrets than me," Vala complimented.
Carolyn smiled humbly, then took another sip of coffee, lest her expression become too boastful. She liked it when Vala pointed out things like that about her. She almost felt like she was on the same level as her amazing and worldly friends.
Vala now addressed Sam directly. "You should probably have 'the talk' with Gracie."
Sam's eye twitched. "What."
"You know, avian lifeforms and insects of a hive variety?"
Carolyn started cracking up. "The birds and the bees!" she squeaked out between fitful breaths of laughter.
"Oh God," Sam moaned. "No, no, Vala, you do it. She's more like you. She'll understand it better coming from you."
Vala gestured to herself. "Me!? No, no, no, no." She looked at Carolyn now. "Let the medical professional do it."
Sam gazed over at Carolyn now hopefully.
The doctor stopped laughing to stare back at them incredulously. "What?" They kept staring. Carolyn groaned. "I gave you two a head start. I already warned her to be responsible." She flapped a hand in their direction, urging them to be the ones to continue the education. She crossed her arms to signify she would do nothing further.
"When you say 'responsible,'" Sam started.
"What do you mean?" Vala finished.
Carolyn answered, "Exactly that. I struck fear into her. Then I put her on birth control." She took another casual sip of coffee.
Her friends' mouths dropped open again.
"Doctor Lam," Vala chided.
"What happened to doctor-patient confidentiality?" Sam asked.
Carolyn looked at the ceiling. "Oh my God," she complained. "And here I thought we were being honest."
Sam and Vala began laughing.
The doctor quirked a smile. "This is stupid."
"I know," Sam agreed. "She's already grown."
"Well if she was going to have a partner," Vala said slyly, tilting her head, "he's not a bad-looking pick."
Sam cringed but was forced to agree. She laughed uncomfortably.
Carolyn grinned. "I always wondered what he looked like. And then when I saw him and realized who he was…" She put a hand up and fanned herself.
"Imagine the beautiful babies they could make," Vala suggested. "If that were even possible."
"Ohhhh…" Sam put a hand up to stop them. "Okay, going too far now. I'm not ready for grandchildren."
Carolyn wheezed as she laughed at her. "I wish you were my mother."
Crawford and Smith stood waiting at the bottom of the ramp in the gate room. They were both facing the gate, staring at the active wormhole. At first they were patient, hands casually buried in their pockets. But as the seconds ticked by, they raised their brows at each other.
On the other side of the wormhole, Jasuf was busy devouring Elda's mouth near the event horizon. She giggled into it, holding a button on her radio to keep a silent signal punching through so the gate wouldn't deactivate. Elda broke off the kiss with a devilish smile. "I love you," she said.
"You have my heart," he replied. "Tal'ma'te, my love."
"Tal'ma'te," she said sweetly. "I'll try to call." She let him go and stepped backwards through the gate.
She turned around to face the gate room, trying desperately to shut off the grin that was plain on her face.
"Ohhhh, that explains it," Smith commented.
"Yup," Crawford agreed. He bared his teeth in amusement toward Elda.
She kept her lips smashed together, but couldn't fight her smile. The boys laughed at her and led her out of the gate room. The defense team members shared looks, unsure of what that was about.
"Let me guess," Crawford teased in the corridor.
"Please," Smith said encouragingly as they headed toward the mess hall.
"He was so happy to see you that he banged you like almost instantly."
Elda scoffed loudly.
Smith began to crack up. "You know why he's sayin' that, right?" He poked his elbow into hers. "Cuz he did the same damn thing with Chelsea!" He laughed even more.
Elda laughed with him. She smiled up at Crawford, who had a look on his face that confirmed it as the truth. He just shook his head and chuckled.
"If you must know…" she said conspiratorially.
The boys both turned their heads toward her in interest.
"…there was no hesitation on his part." She tilted her chin up proudly. The satisfied smirk on her face was undeniable.
The marines hooted at this, absolutely tickled by her admission. Soon they entered the commissary. A few people glanced briefly at these noisy newcomers. The trio grabbed trays and loaded them with food so they could sit together for a meal.
"Well, did you two get in trouble?" Elda asked curiously.
They both blew out breaths of exasperation. "Yeah, technically, we received formal reprimands," Crawford reported.
"Ouch."
"But then we got pats on the back for bringing our CO home. So go figure," Smith added.
"What does this mean for all of us now? Am I in trouble, too?"
The boys shrugged. "Not sure," Crawford said. "That's probably between you and the General. Although, I have a feeling you've got a Get Out of Jail Free card. You weren't technically SG-3 yet when we grabbed you."
Elda raised an eyebrow, not quite following his meaning.
"He means: you might get away with it. Maybe you'll get a slap on the wrist for being naughty, but that could be it," Smith clarified. He then addressed Crawford. "We need to introduce her to Monopoly."
"Are you kidding?" he replied indignantly. "She'd wipe the floor with us."
"Dude, it's fake money."
"Still not playin' a game I know I'll lose," Crawford groused.
Elda grinned delightedly. "Oooh, now I really want to know more."
A shadow fell over the trio. "Fellas. Elda." It was Lt. Baker.
"Sir," the marines greeted. They invited him to join their table.
He sat down easily with a tray of his own. "What are you two jokers teaching her now?" he asked.
Elda chuckled at him then looked back at the other marines.
"That Crawford's bein' a pussy again."
Crawford pushed Smith. "The fuck, man," he complained.
Elda started laughing.
Baker quirked a smile. "Sounds about right."
Crawford scowled.
"You guys are too funny," Elda said.
"This shit doesn't bother you in the least, does it," Baker concluded, waving a hand at the table and referring to their vulgar banter.
"Of course not. I've seen worse than you lot," she answered nonchalantly.
Smith leaned forward. "Tell us one of the worst you've seen."
Elda tilted her head in thought. "Ever seen a smuggler have his bowels pulled out of him while still alive? By his own friends?"
The marines scrunched their faces.
"Didn't think so." She shuddered. "If friends can do that to each other, then what you three do is nothing."
"You fuckin' serious?" Baker asked.
She nodded. "Witnessed that when I was twelve."
Knowing her, she was telling the truth. "Well, shit."
Elda sighed loudly. "How 'bout we not focus on my past and look forward to our future instead." She addressed Baker directly. "Any idea what's going to happen to the team now?"
"We're scheduled for a meeting with General Landry in a bit. He'll tell us what he decided."
"Well, I know I'm good to go," Smith announced.
"Same," Crawford agreed.
Elda nodded. "Yeah, me too." She was now looking forward to seeing what she could contribute out in the galaxy with SG-3. And to challenge herself to sneak in time to see Jasuf as much as possible. Elda had no idea how she'd work it out; she just knew that she would. His support for her was a huge motivator. It made her realize that she could have the best of both worlds. She didn't really have to choose between them. Her previous fears were proving unfounded.
The team received a message to meet off base at the nearest military hospital. It would seem that whatever General Landry had to say, it would be in the presence of Colonel Reynolds. They found that odd, assuming their CO to still be unconscious.
Elda was a bit surprised to see Carolyn standing in the hallway of a squeaky clean hospital outside of the SGC. She was wearing civilian clothing without a lab coat. She had an ID tag hanging from her blouse. The doctor was busy conversing with another woman.
General Landry hovered near them in his typical uniform. The marines paused before the General and saluted. He greeted them formally, then briefly touched the elbow of the unfamiliar woman. "Mrs. Reynolds, your husband's team. Allow me to introduce their newest member, Elda Mal Doran."
The wife's eyes lit up at the sight of her. She quickly pulled the young blonde into a tight hug. "Thank you for helping Malcolm come home safely," she said emphatically.
Elda was a bit shocked. Her surprised eyes were met by Carolyn, who encouraged her with a smile. She briefly touched the woman's back to reciprocate the hug, but certainly not as tightly as she was being given. "My pleasure," she responded.
The wife then pulled Baker into a hug as well. "David, so glad you're alright, too," she said. Then she pointed at the younger two marines. "You two," she said with affection, wagging her finger at them.
Crawford and Smith smiled shyly at her. "Hi, Mrs. Reynolds," they both said. They were promptly pulled into a group hug. She pulled back and patted them both on the shoulders. "Well, I know you all have a briefing to get to. Don't let me keep you. Elda, it is so very nice to meet you. Welcome to the team."
Elda found herself touched by the woman's kindness. She inclined her head to her automatically. "Thank you. Nice to meet you, too." She glanced around, wondering if any of those four children of theirs might be around. She saw no one else in the hall.
"I'll let you know when they're all done," Carolyn said with a friendly tone toward the wife.
She nodded thankfully then walked away down the hall.
"Shall we?" the General said, gesturing toward the door of a hospital room.
SG-3 entered and was shocked to see Colonel Reynolds sitting up awake in his hospital bed. "Hey, hey," he said weakly. He managed to offer them a smile.
"Colonel!" The two younger marines rushed to his side. Elda and Baker followed eagerly.
Everyone turned to Dr. Lam with questions in their eyes. "He's gonna be okay. Vala had a chance to do her thing before we transferred him out of the base infirmary. He only needed one long surgery, which was completed by early this morning."
They all breathed sighs of relief.
Landry spoke up. "Thought it might be nice to let you all catch up. And so the Colonel could hear firsthand what you went through while he had his beauty rest."
Reynolds dropped his chin at Landry's good-natured dig.
"Sir?" Baker asked the General, "What's the team's status?"
"Active," he answered confidently. "You'll resume your mission schedule when Colonel Reynolds here is released." The General looked toward his daughter.
"We'll give him another day for recovery here. Then he can be transferred back to base for final treatment. Vala agreed to help complete that for him. She's standing by."
"Wow," Elda breathed out. "Who knew that her abilities would be put to such good use."
"Amen to that," Reynolds agreed. He seemed grateful. He turned to Carolyn now. "And Doc, thanks for letting me be here. I know you could have kept me on base."
The doctor reached out to touch his arm. "Family first," she declared. "Having them around does wonders to support healing." Carolyn seemed to have agreed with the doctor on board the Hammond that it was a good idea to have Reynolds treated in a facility that his own family was allowed to visit. They certainly didn't have clearance to see him in the super secret base that was the SGC.
Elda quietly wondered what sort of cover story they cooked up to explain all this to his wife and children. The woman was immensely thankful, so she must have had an idea of how close to death her husband had gotten. But did she really have any clue what he went through offworld? Elda doubted it. It made her uncomfortable to think that she'd have to continuously lie to a good woman who probably didn't deserve it. She looked forward to the day when the SGC would finally just admit everything to the rest of the planet. All this secrecy was exhausting.
She had enough secrets of her own to keep.