Infirmary

[Tracy Jane]

Kate listened to her friend, a sad smile playing on her face. There was clearly something she wasn't saying, but Kate didn't want to force the issue.

She rose from where she was kneeling, placing a hand on Jen's thigh to steady herself as she stood, but the weight on her ankle made her buckle and she was foced to grab the edges of the bed to stop herself falling, putting uncomfortable stress on her weak arm.

Kate gently pulled herself back onto the metal trolley and lay down on her side, scooping up her feet and tucking them behind her. She hated how far away Jen now seemed, almost out of reach, but it meant that the woman would have one less thing to worry about.

"Jenny, it's healthy to have differences... actually, half the time, Tom and I hated each other," she told her. "And your parents, that's just a case of noone being good enough for their little girl. I used to dread the day that Suzie came home with a boyfriend." I should be grateful she never got to that age.

She stretched out to Jen and tried to pull her closer. "Come on, let's compromise on this. I'll stay put if you come over here," she said with a small smile. "And, Jen... this is comforting for me. You need more comfort than you care to admit. Please, just... just drop the military act, stop worrying about what people will think. Just for a little while."

[DragonGate]

Jen scooted her chair closer to the bed and grasped Kate's hands. "You're not the only person to fall for a superior. We weren't in the same chain, but there was a gap in age and rank. I won't judge you over it, the general's already made his call, I'm just saying I understand."

[Tracy Jane]

Kate shifted slightly. "Actually, we're still waiting on the General's decision. Though... I have a feeling..." she trailed off before loosely resting one of her arms across Jen's shoulders, the other hand still clutching her's. "What about Colonel Richarson, Jen?"

[DragonGate]

Jen blinked. "He's my CO and a good friend. There's nothing else there." Then she laughed. "If there was ever anything else, Paul would have killed him. Very jealous-natured."

[Tracy Jane]

It was the blink that made Kate smile, and she quickly supressed it. She became concerned about the way the conversation about Paul was going. "What do you mean, the jealous type, Jen?"

[DragonGate]

Jen shook her head. "Saw red if he thought someone else was after me. There was a good-sized age gap between us, thirteen years, he thought he'd lose me to a younger man." Jen looked at her ring. "I wouldn't have left, though."

[Tracy Jane]

"Hard, huh?" Kate said softly, watching Jen twiddle her ring. "You keep expecting them to phone... or for an email to be sat in your inbox... or for them to be laying there next to you when you wake up in the morning, and all you see is a grey concrete wall."

[DragonGate]

"Yeah. . . you get used to having them near." Jen looked to Kate. "You don't seem that shocked by the age difference, most people are." Jen propped her elbows on the bed and rested her head on folded hands. "One of the things I loved about being assigned at the SGC was being able to actually set up home with him. The first four years, my flight career had me overseas a lot while he was based at Peterson."

Jen had a completely off-topic question, but Kate had been here longer and might have an idea. "This is completely left field, but say someone needed to leave something in somebody's room, without them knowing. Who could get that someone into the room, and be confidential about it? The object is nothing malicious, it's a present." Jen glanced quickly at the splotch of red on her fingertip, then slipped that hand underneath her other.

[Tracy Jane]

Kate smiled and stroked Jen's hair gently, as if she were a child. She shook her head, of course she hadn't been shocked by the age difference. She had seen it all in her time. Who cared about age, it was only a number anyway.

"A gift?" Kate furrowed her brow as she considered the options. "There's Blue, I guess, or perhaps head of security. But if you know any of the base physicists, I'm sure they could trip the wire for you."

She leant over and kissed her lightly on the top of her head. "Are you sure there's.... nothing else?"


((To be honest, I never noticed the age difference, because the last person I was with was 14 years older. Didn't strike me as odd at all))

[DragonGate]

Jen considered it. Talking had helped, a lot. "I don't think so, it's been really nice to talk about it with you. By now, you know the life history."

Jen picked up one of Kate's hands. "How's your head feel? I've heard scuttlebutt that the doc's low on the good stuff, are you in any pain?" 'I've got to keep an eye out for analgesic plants in the future. Wonder what Doc Aaronson or Doc Steele would do if I handed them a plant for the infirmary?'

[Tracy Jane]

Kate smiled gently. "Life history? I feel I've barely scratched the surface with you." She stroked the redhead's hair, a tear falling down her face at how genuine she sounded about being able to talk.

She was mildly surprised at how Jen picked up her hand and held it. She had never had her down as the comforting type. Kate kept her other hand running lightly through her hair.

"A bit," replied Kate to the pain question, trying to understate it a bit. She didn't want Jen worrying about her, even if it did hurt like hell. "They gave me something earlier for my arm, but it doesn't really cut it with the headache from hell and the ankle to match. As for the shoulder..... nah, it's not as bad as it should be, the meds have numbed it a bit, but I doubt they'll let me take anything else for a good while."

Kate wrinkled her nose. "I assume this means you're going now?" she asked sadly. She loved spending time with Jen, wished she could help her more. Somehow she felt very protective of her, wanted to look after and mother her.

[White Knight]

*from Quarters*

Marshall half-staggered into the Infirmary. By now his head was pounding like a jackhammer, and he was extremely fatigued.

"Hello?" he called. "Can I get a nurse?"

[Ascended Times.2]

Gus had been rearranging his cupboard of medical things, as another face he hadn't seen in weeks stumbled into the infirmary.

He sighed and looked around, seeing that the others were preoccupied he walked over to the captain and stood next to him.

"What seems to be the problem, Paul?" Gus enquired, he had read a file about this man, however it had only been a small file and he barely knew anything about him to begin with.

Nothing but his name and rank that is.
Gus adjusted his white coat and looked at Paul.
'He looks rather ill. Must have eaten something bad in the commissary.'

[White Knight]

"A *little* bit of a headache," Marshall replied to the male nurse, making a *little* motion with his fingers. "Extreme fatigue. Can I lie down somewhere?"

[Ascended Times.2]

((OOC: He's not a nurse, he's a Doctor. Read the player list. ))

Gus sighed and said "Come on, follow me. Incase you don't know, I’m Doctor Gus Aaronson."

Gus walked over to bed six that was currently unoccupied and said "Lay down here, can you describe your symptoms a little more to me more than 'just' a headache and a 'little' fatigued? From the sounds of things, you're dehydrated."

Gus watched as he lay down and said "There isn't much I can do for you except get you something to drink and eat. What have you been doing to cause this?" Gus asked, he quickly turned around and walked over to the basin, where some plastic reusable cups were there.

He pulled out a fresh one and filled it up; he walked back over to the Paul who was now lying down.
"Drink this." he commanded.