Learning Curve (4/?)
Title: Learning Curve (4/?)
Author: Nytel
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Up to 408
Pairing: Ronon/Keller
Genre: Pre-Relationship, friendship
Summary: Jen gets some private self-defense lessons
Word Count: 2,535
Beta: The wonderful
carpenyx.
Disclaimer: I am merely borrowing them. No copyright infringement is intended.
Chapter 4
Jen woke up the next morning feeling tired still, but good. She smiled as she thought back to the night before. The game night had been a ton of fun, and she was extremely glad Ronon had insisted she go. If he hadn’t, she probably would have spent the evening catching up on work, which was infinitely less appealing.
As she showered and changed, her mind drifted back to what had happened outside of her room. She’d been half asleep already, but she hadn’t missed how Ronon had tucked the piece of hair behind her ear. And she could have sworn she saw something in his eyes when he was prompting her to get some sleep. The more she thought about it, the more she convinced herself that his actions her based purely in friendship, and that what she’d seen had just been concern for a friend. After all, she was pushing herself to the limit and Ronon was exceptionally observant-he’d noticed, that was all.
When Jen entered the infirmary after grabbing her much-needed mug of coffee, she was surprised to see Colonel Carter waiting for her.
“Colonel. What can I do for you?” She asked, immediately placing the coffee to the side and walking toward where the other woman was standing near Jen’s desk.
Sam gave her a faint smile. “I just heard from the SGC about when the new doctors will be arriving.”
Jen’s face lit up with hope. “That’s great!”
Sam shook her head. “No, I’m afraid it’s not. They won’t be here for at least another week. Additionally the SGC has decided it’s pertinent that we expand the medical department. Their reasoning is that since we are giving medical aid to so many other people in the galaxy, as well as our own, we need to have a bigger basis of support. And while I agree with them, I have to say that the timing of this decision is terrible.”
“Oh,” Jen said quietly, her hopes plummeting.
The colonel sighed before continuing. “Unfortunately this means that at the very least the basis for the new department needs to be in place before they’ll send over new doctors. Now I’ll have as many people as I can help you with the changes, but regretfully most of the weight is going to fall on the shoulders of you and your staff, simply because in the end you’re the ones who know best.” She smiled sympathetically at Jen. “I’m really sorry, Dr. Keller. Please, let me know what the rest of us can do to help you out.”
Jen, partially in shock, nodded her head. “Okay. Um… to be honest I don’t even know where to start.” Running the medical department was challenge enough most days, and now she had to reorganize and expand it? She felt the panic beginning to set in.
Colonel Carter placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry, we already have some tentative plans made. If you’d like to meet me in the briefing room in two hours we can start going over everything.”
Jen nodded again, not sure what else to do. “Okay, I’ll be there.”
The rest of the day passed by in a blur for Jen. By the time six o’clock in the evening rolled around her mind was overwhelmed with plans for the expanded department, as well as all the normal duties she had. The new medical department would definitely be an improvement over the old one, even just one glance at the plans had shown her that, but Colonel Carter had been right-the timing of this expansion sucked.
She was just on the verge of a stressful breakdown when Ronon entered into the infirmary. She felt an instant surge of regret as she realized that she wouldn’t be able to make their scheduled lesson that night, nor was it likely that she would be able to until sometime next week or even the week after that.
***
The moment Ronon saw Jen from across the infirmary he knew something was wrong. His pace quickened automatically and within seconds he was standing beside her. She looked more haggard than he had ever seen her, and with the way the past few weeks had been going for her, that was saying something.
“What’s wrong?” He asked immediately.
She shook her head and opened her mouth to negate the fact, but he interrupted her. “Don’t say nothing. I know it’s something.”
“I’m not going to be able to come tonight,” she said, her voice heavy with regret.
Ronon let out a sigh of relief, thankful that was all this was. “It’s okay, Jen,” he said reassuringly. “There are always other days.”
She nodded, but didn’t seem any less worried. “I know, but … I don’t know when… it might be weeks from now.”
Ronon felt his chest tighten as he saw how upset she was over it. Acting on instinct he pulled her into a hug, one that she sank into easily. “It’s okay,” he repeated. He felt her nod against his chest as her arms came up to wrap around him tightly, almost clinging. He wondered what had happened today to bring this on.
After a few minutes she pulled away from him, looking slightly embarrassed. He smiled, letting her know it was okay. “Come eat supper with me,” he said.
Her shoulders slumped and she shook her head. “I’m sorry, but I can’t. I have all this…”
“You need to eat. You know that.”
“I know, but there’s just so much stuff to do…”
She was interrupted by one of the other doctors who had someone snuck up on them. If Ronon remembered correctly her name was Dr. Waterton. “Go,” the older woman told Jen. “We’ve all seen how you’ve been working yourself into the ground, trying not to overload the rest of us. And as much as we appreciate it, you need a break too.”
Jen hesitated.
“Go on,” the other woman continued. “Dr. Melsen and I will stay late and wrap things up for the night.” Then Dr. Waterton left, leaving Jen no room to argue.
Ronon gently reached for Jen’s shoulders and steered her towards the exit. Once they were in the hallway he slung one arm around her shoulders, squeezing her against his side gently. “You gonna be okay?” He asked quietly.
She sighed heavily, but nodded. “I think so,” though she didn’t sound fully convinced.
After they loaded up their trays with food, Ronon led Jen out to one of the nearby balconies, figuring she might appreciate a chance to eat away from the crowded mess hall.
However, his worry only increased when she ate her entire dinner in silence, staring blankly out across the water.
Leaving his own food untouched, he reached beside him and placed his hand lightly over hers where it lay on the ground. She started slightly, but then turned to give him a smile, albeit an extremely weak one. “Sorry. I know I’m probably making you worried.”
“A little,” he admitted, pulling his hand back to his side.
“I just don’t know how I’m supposed to do all this,” she told him quietly, not quite looking him in the eye. “I get that we need to expand the medical department, but why can’t it wait until after the new doctors arrive?”
Ronon stared at her in confusion. “What are you talking about?” This was the first he’d heard of any expansion.
Jen sighed and launched into an explanation of the day’s events, doing no small share of venting. He listened patiently, letting her release some of her frustration. When she finished, she seemed almost embarrassed. “Sorry,” she said quietly.
“Don’t be,” he assured her. “Did it help?”
She took a second to think about it before nodding her head. “It did actually. Guess I just needed a break and a chance to rant.”
He smiled. “Well, you have the rest of the night off too.”
She shifted uncomfortably. “I should probably go back and help them…”
He shook his head firmly. “No, you said it yourself, you need a break. They can manage without you for one night.”
Jen sighed, apparently giving into the fact. She stretched her legs out in front of her and lay down, looking up at the setting sun. Ronon couldn’t help but stare a little longer than was necessary.
“You need to stop worrying about it,” he said gently, breaking the silence.
She turned her gaze to look up at him, but didn’t move. “It’s kind of hard.”
He nodded. “I know. So we’ll talk about something else, to keep your mind off it.”
She smiled up at him. “And what would that be?”
He shrugged as he moved his food tray out of the way, so he could lie down in a similar manner. “Whatever you want.”
“Tell me about Sateda?” She asked quietly after a few seconds of silence.
He was always fascinated by how genuinely interested she was in his home planet. No one else he’d met really cared much past the basic details. It was nice, knowing that someone wanted to know about his past. But what was better was that he could now look back and talk about it without feeling the pain and regret he used to. The hurt of the tragedy was still there if he searched deep enough for it, it always would be, but it didn’t consume him like it once did. Maybe like her, talking about it had helped.
Ronon started talking, telling her a story from when he’d been in training for the military. He along with a group of friends had played a spectacular prank on one of their commanding officers, amazingly without getting caught. The story led into another, and another, until he found his throat almost too dry to speak.
He paused and sat up to take a drink from his water bottle. Jen sat up as well, doing the same before stretching her arms over her head. “Did you leave anyone behind?” She asked quietly.
Ronon nearly choked on the water he was drinking. He wondered if Jen could tell that he had been purposefully skirting away from that topic while he talked, though the temptation to tell her had been there too. He wasn’t sure if it was something he should talk to her about, but she had asked, and for some reason he wanted her to know.
“Melena,” he said softly, looking away from her and across the ocean. “We were supposed to get married.”
He felt Jen’s hand come to rest lightly on his shoulder nearest her. She squeezed once, gently. “I’m sorry,” her voice was soft and full of sincerity. It was enough to start the words flowing. Before he knew it he was telling her all about Melena: who she was, how they’d met, the plans they’d made, even about the stupid fights they’d use to have.
“You would have liked her,” he said quietly in conclusion. The sun had set now and he was staring out across the dark water that rippled lightly with the breeze.
He could practically hear Jen’s smile. “I’m sure I would have.”
Turning to look at her, he smiled. “So, tell me about you.”
She gave him a puzzled look. “You already know about me,” she said simply. “I’m the girl from Chippewa Falls.”
He shook his head. “No, you’re more than that. Tell me your story.”
“I don’t-”
“Sure you do,” he said, interrupting. “Everyone has a story.”
“It’s boring,” she warned.
He shook his head. “I doubt it. Tell me.”
Jen took a deep breath, pulling her knees up to her chest as she began talking. “There really isn’t much to tell. I grew up in a small town, not much to do. I read a lot, kept myself out of trouble for the most part. My mom got me into horseback riding lessons when I was ten. I fell in love and even had my own horse for a while.”
Ronon nodded. “What else?”
She looked at him oddly, skeptical that he actually wanted to hear this, but he did and told her so. She shrugged her shoulders and kept on talking, explaining to him what it was like to grow up on Earth, talked about her friends, what sports teams she was on. She swore that it was boring, but he found it more interesting than most of the stuff he’d told her.
When she began talking about her internship for medical school, he noticed that she tensed a bit, and that her voice became flat. It seemed almost like she wanted to rush over this portion of her life as quickly as possible.
“What happened?” He interjected quietly when she paused for a breath.
“What do you mean?” She responded, the words coming out of her mouth just a little too quickly.
He simply looked at her, knowing he didn’t need to explain himself.
“How’d you know something happened?” She asked, obviously surprised.
He shrugged. “Can just tell.”
She sighed and looked back out over the water. “There was this guy who worked at the hospital I was doing my internship at, another doctor.” She paused to take a deep breath before continuing. “I thought he was the one.”
Ronon felt a surge of sympathy as he heard her voice nearly crack with emotion.
“Turns out he wasn’t. I mean I really liked him, really liked him. He was perfect: smart, attractive, funny… but I should have known it was too good to be true when he asked me out. We only dated for a few weeks, but I was sure that we were destined to be together for the rest of our lives.” She paused, exhaling sharply. “Turns out he was just dating me to make his ex-girlfriend jealous. I was absolutely head over heals in love with him, and he used me.
“It’s also partly why I did so well in my internship though. After it was over, I couldn’t let myself think about it, so I put everything I had into my work. Actually, it’s probably in a round about way what brought me here. If I hadn’t done as well as I did back then, I doubt I would have been picked for the Atlantis mission.”
Ronon did the first thing he could think of and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into a one-sided hug. “I’m sorry he hurt you.” He was, more than anything. It explained a lot though: why she doubted herself so severely at times, why she had yet to acknowledge, or possibly even see this thing between them. And as much as it pained him to know that she’d been hurt like that, he was glad she’d told him. Maybe with time he’d be able to show her that that guy had been an idiot, and that she deserved someone a million times better.
“Thanks,” she said quietly as she leaned against him a little bit.
He squeezed her shoulder. “But I’m glad it brought you here,” he said honestly.
Tilting her head, she looked up at him, smiling. “Me too.”
TBC
Author: Nytel
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Up to 408
Pairing: Ronon/Keller
Genre: Pre-Relationship, friendship
Summary: Jen gets some private self-defense lessons
Word Count: 2,535
Beta: The wonderful
carpenyx.
Disclaimer: I am merely borrowing them. No copyright infringement is intended.
Chapter 4
Jen woke up the next morning feeling tired still, but good. She smiled as she thought back to the night before. The game night had been a ton of fun, and she was extremely glad Ronon had insisted she go. If he hadn’t, she probably would have spent the evening catching up on work, which was infinitely less appealing.
As she showered and changed, her mind drifted back to what had happened outside of her room. She’d been half asleep already, but she hadn’t missed how Ronon had tucked the piece of hair behind her ear. And she could have sworn she saw something in his eyes when he was prompting her to get some sleep. The more she thought about it, the more she convinced herself that his actions her based purely in friendship, and that what she’d seen had just been concern for a friend. After all, she was pushing herself to the limit and Ronon was exceptionally observant-he’d noticed, that was all.
When Jen entered the infirmary after grabbing her much-needed mug of coffee, she was surprised to see Colonel Carter waiting for her.
“Colonel. What can I do for you?” She asked, immediately placing the coffee to the side and walking toward where the other woman was standing near Jen’s desk.
Sam gave her a faint smile. “I just heard from the SGC about when the new doctors will be arriving.”
Jen’s face lit up with hope. “That’s great!”
Sam shook her head. “No, I’m afraid it’s not. They won’t be here for at least another week. Additionally the SGC has decided it’s pertinent that we expand the medical department. Their reasoning is that since we are giving medical aid to so many other people in the galaxy, as well as our own, we need to have a bigger basis of support. And while I agree with them, I have to say that the timing of this decision is terrible.”
“Oh,” Jen said quietly, her hopes plummeting.
The colonel sighed before continuing. “Unfortunately this means that at the very least the basis for the new department needs to be in place before they’ll send over new doctors. Now I’ll have as many people as I can help you with the changes, but regretfully most of the weight is going to fall on the shoulders of you and your staff, simply because in the end you’re the ones who know best.” She smiled sympathetically at Jen. “I’m really sorry, Dr. Keller. Please, let me know what the rest of us can do to help you out.”
Jen, partially in shock, nodded her head. “Okay. Um… to be honest I don’t even know where to start.” Running the medical department was challenge enough most days, and now she had to reorganize and expand it? She felt the panic beginning to set in.
Colonel Carter placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry, we already have some tentative plans made. If you’d like to meet me in the briefing room in two hours we can start going over everything.”
Jen nodded again, not sure what else to do. “Okay, I’ll be there.”
The rest of the day passed by in a blur for Jen. By the time six o’clock in the evening rolled around her mind was overwhelmed with plans for the expanded department, as well as all the normal duties she had. The new medical department would definitely be an improvement over the old one, even just one glance at the plans had shown her that, but Colonel Carter had been right-the timing of this expansion sucked.
She was just on the verge of a stressful breakdown when Ronon entered into the infirmary. She felt an instant surge of regret as she realized that she wouldn’t be able to make their scheduled lesson that night, nor was it likely that she would be able to until sometime next week or even the week after that.
***
The moment Ronon saw Jen from across the infirmary he knew something was wrong. His pace quickened automatically and within seconds he was standing beside her. She looked more haggard than he had ever seen her, and with the way the past few weeks had been going for her, that was saying something.
“What’s wrong?” He asked immediately.
She shook her head and opened her mouth to negate the fact, but he interrupted her. “Don’t say nothing. I know it’s something.”
“I’m not going to be able to come tonight,” she said, her voice heavy with regret.
Ronon let out a sigh of relief, thankful that was all this was. “It’s okay, Jen,” he said reassuringly. “There are always other days.”
She nodded, but didn’t seem any less worried. “I know, but … I don’t know when… it might be weeks from now.”
Ronon felt his chest tighten as he saw how upset she was over it. Acting on instinct he pulled her into a hug, one that she sank into easily. “It’s okay,” he repeated. He felt her nod against his chest as her arms came up to wrap around him tightly, almost clinging. He wondered what had happened today to bring this on.
After a few minutes she pulled away from him, looking slightly embarrassed. He smiled, letting her know it was okay. “Come eat supper with me,” he said.
Her shoulders slumped and she shook her head. “I’m sorry, but I can’t. I have all this…”
“You need to eat. You know that.”
“I know, but there’s just so much stuff to do…”
She was interrupted by one of the other doctors who had someone snuck up on them. If Ronon remembered correctly her name was Dr. Waterton. “Go,” the older woman told Jen. “We’ve all seen how you’ve been working yourself into the ground, trying not to overload the rest of us. And as much as we appreciate it, you need a break too.”
Jen hesitated.
“Go on,” the other woman continued. “Dr. Melsen and I will stay late and wrap things up for the night.” Then Dr. Waterton left, leaving Jen no room to argue.
Ronon gently reached for Jen’s shoulders and steered her towards the exit. Once they were in the hallway he slung one arm around her shoulders, squeezing her against his side gently. “You gonna be okay?” He asked quietly.
She sighed heavily, but nodded. “I think so,” though she didn’t sound fully convinced.
After they loaded up their trays with food, Ronon led Jen out to one of the nearby balconies, figuring she might appreciate a chance to eat away from the crowded mess hall.
However, his worry only increased when she ate her entire dinner in silence, staring blankly out across the water.
Leaving his own food untouched, he reached beside him and placed his hand lightly over hers where it lay on the ground. She started slightly, but then turned to give him a smile, albeit an extremely weak one. “Sorry. I know I’m probably making you worried.”
“A little,” he admitted, pulling his hand back to his side.
“I just don’t know how I’m supposed to do all this,” she told him quietly, not quite looking him in the eye. “I get that we need to expand the medical department, but why can’t it wait until after the new doctors arrive?”
Ronon stared at her in confusion. “What are you talking about?” This was the first he’d heard of any expansion.
Jen sighed and launched into an explanation of the day’s events, doing no small share of venting. He listened patiently, letting her release some of her frustration. When she finished, she seemed almost embarrassed. “Sorry,” she said quietly.
“Don’t be,” he assured her. “Did it help?”
She took a second to think about it before nodding her head. “It did actually. Guess I just needed a break and a chance to rant.”
He smiled. “Well, you have the rest of the night off too.”
She shifted uncomfortably. “I should probably go back and help them…”
He shook his head firmly. “No, you said it yourself, you need a break. They can manage without you for one night.”
Jen sighed, apparently giving into the fact. She stretched her legs out in front of her and lay down, looking up at the setting sun. Ronon couldn’t help but stare a little longer than was necessary.
“You need to stop worrying about it,” he said gently, breaking the silence.
She turned her gaze to look up at him, but didn’t move. “It’s kind of hard.”
He nodded. “I know. So we’ll talk about something else, to keep your mind off it.”
She smiled up at him. “And what would that be?”
He shrugged as he moved his food tray out of the way, so he could lie down in a similar manner. “Whatever you want.”
“Tell me about Sateda?” She asked quietly after a few seconds of silence.
He was always fascinated by how genuinely interested she was in his home planet. No one else he’d met really cared much past the basic details. It was nice, knowing that someone wanted to know about his past. But what was better was that he could now look back and talk about it without feeling the pain and regret he used to. The hurt of the tragedy was still there if he searched deep enough for it, it always would be, but it didn’t consume him like it once did. Maybe like her, talking about it had helped.
Ronon started talking, telling her a story from when he’d been in training for the military. He along with a group of friends had played a spectacular prank on one of their commanding officers, amazingly without getting caught. The story led into another, and another, until he found his throat almost too dry to speak.
He paused and sat up to take a drink from his water bottle. Jen sat up as well, doing the same before stretching her arms over her head. “Did you leave anyone behind?” She asked quietly.
Ronon nearly choked on the water he was drinking. He wondered if Jen could tell that he had been purposefully skirting away from that topic while he talked, though the temptation to tell her had been there too. He wasn’t sure if it was something he should talk to her about, but she had asked, and for some reason he wanted her to know.
“Melena,” he said softly, looking away from her and across the ocean. “We were supposed to get married.”
He felt Jen’s hand come to rest lightly on his shoulder nearest her. She squeezed once, gently. “I’m sorry,” her voice was soft and full of sincerity. It was enough to start the words flowing. Before he knew it he was telling her all about Melena: who she was, how they’d met, the plans they’d made, even about the stupid fights they’d use to have.
“You would have liked her,” he said quietly in conclusion. The sun had set now and he was staring out across the dark water that rippled lightly with the breeze.
He could practically hear Jen’s smile. “I’m sure I would have.”
Turning to look at her, he smiled. “So, tell me about you.”
She gave him a puzzled look. “You already know about me,” she said simply. “I’m the girl from Chippewa Falls.”
He shook his head. “No, you’re more than that. Tell me your story.”
“I don’t-”
“Sure you do,” he said, interrupting. “Everyone has a story.”
“It’s boring,” she warned.
He shook his head. “I doubt it. Tell me.”
Jen took a deep breath, pulling her knees up to her chest as she began talking. “There really isn’t much to tell. I grew up in a small town, not much to do. I read a lot, kept myself out of trouble for the most part. My mom got me into horseback riding lessons when I was ten. I fell in love and even had my own horse for a while.”
Ronon nodded. “What else?”
She looked at him oddly, skeptical that he actually wanted to hear this, but he did and told her so. She shrugged her shoulders and kept on talking, explaining to him what it was like to grow up on Earth, talked about her friends, what sports teams she was on. She swore that it was boring, but he found it more interesting than most of the stuff he’d told her.
When she began talking about her internship for medical school, he noticed that she tensed a bit, and that her voice became flat. It seemed almost like she wanted to rush over this portion of her life as quickly as possible.
“What happened?” He interjected quietly when she paused for a breath.
“What do you mean?” She responded, the words coming out of her mouth just a little too quickly.
He simply looked at her, knowing he didn’t need to explain himself.
“How’d you know something happened?” She asked, obviously surprised.
He shrugged. “Can just tell.”
She sighed and looked back out over the water. “There was this guy who worked at the hospital I was doing my internship at, another doctor.” She paused to take a deep breath before continuing. “I thought he was the one.”
Ronon felt a surge of sympathy as he heard her voice nearly crack with emotion.
“Turns out he wasn’t. I mean I really liked him, really liked him. He was perfect: smart, attractive, funny… but I should have known it was too good to be true when he asked me out. We only dated for a few weeks, but I was sure that we were destined to be together for the rest of our lives.” She paused, exhaling sharply. “Turns out he was just dating me to make his ex-girlfriend jealous. I was absolutely head over heals in love with him, and he used me.
“It’s also partly why I did so well in my internship though. After it was over, I couldn’t let myself think about it, so I put everything I had into my work. Actually, it’s probably in a round about way what brought me here. If I hadn’t done as well as I did back then, I doubt I would have been picked for the Atlantis mission.”
Ronon did the first thing he could think of and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into a one-sided hug. “I’m sorry he hurt you.” He was, more than anything. It explained a lot though: why she doubted herself so severely at times, why she had yet to acknowledge, or possibly even see this thing between them. And as much as it pained him to know that she’d been hurt like that, he was glad she’d told him. Maybe with time he’d be able to show her that that guy had been an idiot, and that she deserved someone a million times better.
“Thanks,” she said quietly as she leaned against him a little bit.
He squeezed her shoulder. “But I’m glad it brought you here,” he said honestly.
Tilting her head, she looked up at him, smiling. “Me too.”
TBC