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When Two Hearts Collide
Chapter 8
Casey looked around, wrapped her arms around her waist. She had some really bad memories of doctors and doctor's offices. There were no specifics, she was well aware that she had pushed down the details, hidden them. And that's exactly where she preferred them. But she remembered well the feelings of panic, the feeling of being…used. Feelings of anger, fear, helplessness...shame.
"Ms. Webster?"
She turned to find the owner of the perky voice, and came face to…forehead…with a diminutive woman with dark auburn hair and warm, friendly brown eyes...and a wide, welcoming smile. "Yes?"
"I'm Doctor Fraiser. Janet Fraiser. General Hammond has asked me to conduct a few tests. Are you ready?"
She nodded.
Janet had watched the young woman for a few minutes from the privacy of her office. She could tell that Casey Webster was not at all comfortable being in the infirmary. Her immediate self-protective stance had been the first clue. She might not be psychic, but the petite CMO knew that something had happened to give this woman a fear of doctors and hospitals. Or at least a strong dislike of one or the other, or both. She put her arm around a narrow waist. "We'll use one of the observation rooms."
"They're going to watch me?" Casey asked, a touch of panic in her voice, her heart hammering in her ribs.
"I doubt it. It's just one of the more quiet rooms on the med level. Less chance of being interrupted," Janet explained. No need to mention that the tests would be video-recorded, so that the President of the United States himself could view the tapes. She felt the tension in the slender body next to hers ease slightly.
It only took a few minutes for Janet to explain what the first test consisted of and what Casey was to do. It was a relatively simple test. It only took fifteen minutes. And the young seer had passed with flying colors. There were three other tests, each of them taking an hour. By the time it was over, Casey had a headache, and her stomach was growling. But she had most certainly found a friend in the very vivacious doctor. And had proven beyond a doubt that she was a very gifted seer.
When her stomach had rumbled loudly a second time, Janet had hustled her to the commissary, where the two women ate lunch, and continued talking, their friendship growing with each laugh, each giggle.
The two women were sipping coffee, comparing notes on their experiences at 'Thunder From Down Under' shows, where handsome, well built Australian men stripped and strutted their stuff for very appreciative female audiences.
"Stroke it, don't choke it," Casey intoned, imitating the emcee of the show, sending both women into fits of giggles.
Daniel walked into the commissary, heard a sound that made his heart pound in his chest. She was giggling, and it had to be the most amazing thing he'd ever heard. A smile on his face, he walked toward the table. Janet saw him, looked up and smiled. His heart nearly stopped beating when Casey looked up at him. Her welcoming smile was beautiful, and it warmed him to the core. "Hi, there," he said softly.
"Hi," she replied shyly.
Janet watched the two, could feel…could practically see…the sparks that flew between them. "Okay, in this instance, three is a crowd."
"No, please…" Casey said immediately, reaching for the doctor's hand.
Sam had told her all about the young woman's arrival, the letters, and their content. She for one was thrilled to the bone for her friend, the archaeologist whom she spent so much time patching up in the infirmary. Due to his incessant curiosity. His defiant loyalty. His insistence on being there for his friends, regardless of the consequences. Daniel had been alone, and lonely, as long as she had known him. Three years looking for his wife. Two years grieving for her. Time for him to smile. Really smile. To be happy. Really happy. Time for him to live again. She smiled, squeezed the slender hand wrapped around her own. "I think you two deserve a little time alone. You're still getting to know one another. We'll talk later." Janet stood up, patted Daniel on the arm, and walked away.
She was almost to the door when Janet overheard the voices, caught a snippet of the conversation. She glanced at the table, saw three of her nurses talking.
"-and I'll tell you right now, I'm not standing for this! I've worked too damned hard to get Daniel Jackson to notice me! I'm not about to let some bimbo just waltz in here and steal him from me!"
She looked at the woman speaking. Lieutenant Connie Chambers. 'E-Z CC' was what she had heard the woman called in various rumors that circulated within the mountain. "I don't think you have a thing to say about it," Janet said firmly. "If Doctor Jackson had any interest in you, believe me, he would have said something about it by now. Since he hasn't, I can assure you that it's because there is no interest. If I hear that any of you have said anything, have made comments that are hurtful, or spiteful, I'll have your asses for my lunch. Understood?"
"Doctor Fraiser, Danny…er…Doctor Jackson…was going to ask me to go to the Christmas party with him, I know he was!" Connie whined. "All I'm saying is that I'm not going to just sit back and let that…bitch…take over!"
"And all I'm saying is that if Doctor Jackson wanted to take you to that party, he would have asked you by now," Janet replied firmly. The annual SGC Christmas party was scheduled for Friday night. "He's indicated to me that he was contemplating not attending this year. It seems that he doesn't want to endure a repeat of last year."
Each of the nurses had the decency to blush. Daniel Jackson's inability to drink excessive amounts of alcohol was well known among the SGC personnel. The nurses, eager to see every delicious inch of one Dr. Daniel Jackson outside of the confines and regulations of the infirmary, had seen to it that he'd been slipped a few very strong drinks. They had managed to get him to one of the isolation rooms, and had him stripped to his boxers, aroused and willing to take all three of them. Teal'c had seen what was happening and walked in to find Daniel on the bed in his shorts, hard as a rock; the three nurses in various states of undress, about to take from the handsome archaeologist what they felt he so selfishly held back. Daniel had been mortified when he'd sobered up, believing that he'd taken advantage of the women; so much so that he'd avoided the infirmary until General Hammond had reminded him that post-mission physicals were a non-negotiable requirement. When he had seriously considered leaving SG-1 simply to avoid the three nurses, Jack had demanded that the women admit what they had done, and apologize. They had done so, although the confession had been almost more embarrassing for Daniel than it had been for them. It had taken months before he would let any of them take his vitals.
Janet could see the memory reflecting in their eyes, and the deepened blushes; nodded with satisfaction. "I think it's a safe bet that what the three of you did last year ruined any chances you might ever have had of getting to know Doctor Jackson on any personal level. You might have forgotten what you did to him. He certainly hasn't." She alone knew that his feelings on the matter went deeper than just three horny, out-of-control drunken nurses. When Hathor had infiltrated the SGC, she had literally raped the young man, at least twice, possibly three times, he wasn't certain. He still battled nightmares about the incidents, nightmares that had increased after the Christmas party. He had admitted the problem to her when he'd asked for something to help him sleep. She'd wanted him to take action against the nurses. He could have demanded that they be reassigned to other bases, or even court-martialed for sexual harassment. He had refused, telling her that everyone involved had been drunk, and thanks to Teal'c, nothing had happened. The nurses were well aware of that fact. Certain that her point had been made, she turned and walked away.
Connie looked over at Dr. Jackson. Even from here she could see how infatuated he was with that skinny blonde bitch...watched as he held her hand, the way his thumb moved over her knuckles. She also knew that unless she spoke to him first, he never talked to her, and even then it was just a hurried, mumbled hello. And he still refused to let her take his vitals, didn't want her near him if Janet wasn't around. But she'd continued flirting with him, and during the last post-mission checks that SG-1 had received, he'd told her she looked nice...sort of. "He told me he thought my sweater was nice," she mumbled out loud.
Andrea Walker snorted. "Yeah, sure he did. Right after you told him it was a brand new sweater, and you asked him what he thought! What was he supposed to say?" She'd seen Dr. Jackson blush and duck his head as he answered as well. She was ashamed that she had allowed Connie to talk her into that entire mess last year. "If you want to make a fool of yourself over Doctor Jackson, be my guest. No way am I going to humiliate myself again!"
The buxom, ash-blonde nurse pouted. "But I need you to help me!"
Terry Keeler stood to her feet. She'd managed to put the entire episode out of her mind. Dr. Fraiser's none-to-gentle reminder was more than enough to put an end to her willingness to listen to EZ CC. Besides, if she was accused of causing more problems, she could be facing worse than just a transfer to some god-forsaken hole of a base. She could lose her commission and possibly even be kicked out of the Air Force. "Just because Doctor Jackson is the only man on base who hasn't nailed you-"
Connie's eyes went wide. "That's so not true. And I love him!"
"You don't know what love is, Connie," Andrea retorted. She looked over at Terry. "Finished?"
"I am now. Damn, I was just starting to forget about last year, too!" the redhead grumbled.
Left alone at the table, Connie continued to stare at the object of her obsession. Until he looked over at her. She could see the shudder that moved over his absolutely to-die-for frame. Her sister had told her that she had screwed up in a big way that night, when she'd gone home and poured out the whole story of what had happened. She wasn't stupid. Desperate, yes. But not stupid. And she could tell by the look in those incredible blue eyes that if she made any sort of trouble for that skinny little bitch, this time he wouldn't just walk away from the situation. She let her eyes move around the room. Hello! Who was that? She had heard that there were two new teams on the roster now. Well, maybe she'd just go over there and welcome them to the SGC. They were cute. Not Daniel Jackson type cute. But they would do. Until Daniel got over his infatuation with the skinny blonde.
"We're going to be flying to Tacoma this afternoon," Daniel told her, sipping at his coffee.
Her eyes went wide. "We are?"
"Yep. You need to get matters settled there, so that you can move here. We'll make arrangements for your belongings to be shipped. I'll talk with your employer to explain why you'll be leaving without notice-"
"If I still have a job," she muttered, staring into her coffee cup. She looked up into surprised blue eyes. "I remembered to leave a note for Kelley, just told her that I'd be gone for a couple of days…she has enough to worry about right now. I totally spaced leaving any messages for Jan…my boss," she explained.
He nodded his understanding. "Well, we'll still go to talk to her, so that I can let her know where to send your last check. How much do you have to move?"
She smiled. "In the apartment I have my stereo and CD's, and my clothes. A few candles. I have a few boxes of things in storage."
"That shouldn't be too difficult to arrange shipment for. We have to be back on Thursday."
"Okay."
"I have a rental car reserved, and I booked a room." He stirred his coffee.
She waited, knowing that there was more.
"Stay with me. At the hotel."
"I need to stop by the apartment. To get a few things," she said softly. Like the dark green teddy that she'd picked up right after Thanksgiving, not having a clue why she felt such a need to buy it. Now she knew. She couldn't hold back her smile.
"What?"
She shook her head. "I'll tell you later."
He studied her for a moment, noted the twinkle in her eyes, smiled. "Fair enough."
"So when do we leave?"
"Couple of hours. I have a translation I need to get finished."
"I understand."
He stood up, held out his hand. "Come on. I have a couple of books I think you'll find very interesting."
That feeling of pure energy raced through her when her fingers came into contact with his. She shivered appreciatively when his arm went around her slender shoulders. Hers went automatically around his waist. It felt…right. It felt…good. It felt…safe.
It was all he could do not to strut out of the room, his arm around the beautiful blonde. He'd fought like hell against falling love with her. It hadn't worked. Destiny, his heart told him gleefully. She's yours. She's been yours since time began…made just for you. He thought about the words of the letter. No way could he stop the grin that covered his face as he led her to the corridor and the elevator.
Three of the men from SG-5 were sitting at a table nearby, watching with unmasked interest as the couple left the commissary. "I thought he was gay," one of the men grumped. He'd been watching the beautiful blonde as she ate with Dr. Fraiser, had determined to try and speak to her. He was also relatively new to the mountain. Had heard some of the locker room gossip, and believed it.
The second man snorted. He'd heard the rumors too. Knew that they weren't true. "Who the hell told you that?"
The first man shrugged. "Heard it around. He never dates."
"Hell, he's got a woman on every planet SG-1 has ever visited!" the third man said, grinning broadly. "Or so the scuttlebutt goes. And with the schedule he keeps, when the hell would he have time to date?"
"Yeah, well he's a widower," said the second man. "When I first got here, he was still looking for his wife. Three years he spent looking for her. She'd been taken by a snake, had one of those damned things put in her."
"That sucks," the first man said, shuddering slightly.
"Yeah. Teal'c had to kill her, the snake would have taken out Doctor Jackson out if he hadn't. That was a couple of years ago. God, he was torn up over that!"
"No doubt," the third man said quietly. "Thing like that has to be hard to deal with."
"Well, he sure as hell got lucky, didn't he?" the first man asked, staring at the door the archaeologist and the blonde had walked through. "I mean, she's a knock-out!"
"Yep. And she's obviously interested in him," the second man said. Although, he thought, watching the two disappear toward the elevator, the looks she was giving the archaeologist were full of more than just mere interest. Those green eyes had been full of love!
"Hey look, EZ CC is on the prowl!" the first man said, nodding toward the table where the nurse was sitting, flirting and giggling shamelessly.
"One of the new teams," the second man observed.
"We should warn them to be sure to use condoms," the third snorted.
"So have you done her?" the first man asked.
"Yep. Supply closet on level nineteen," the second man replied. "She's eager. Not so great…but eager."
The third man nodded. "Yeah. You'd think as much…experience…as she has, she'd be better. Lousy at blowjobs. I do a better job jerking off!"
"How many poles around here has she greased?" asked the first.
The second and third men grinned. "How many poles are walking around here?"
"Makes you wonder if she's ever greased Hammond's or O'Neill's poles."
"I doubt it. She's not smart enough to seduce them. I don't think she's had much success with any of the CO's on the base," the second man said.
"Trailer trash," the third man said, nodding sagely. "Just trailer trash."
"Yep. Let's go. We have training in five minutes," the second man said. He watched as EZ CC's hand disappeared under the table. Yep, she was gonna give a hand job. He shook his head. Hoped like hell that the men on that new team had all of their shots up to date.
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