Fuzzily I grew aware that something did not… smell right. That inane thought roused me with a sneeze of humor. I caught myself thinking more and more like that dog the longer I spent with him. Naked concrete was the drab backdrop to the sterile hospital room and memories cascaded through me. Something was wrong and apprehension pricked at me. Then I saw a folded piece of paper on the bed stand. There was a poorly drawn caricature of a dog scrawled on it and that was when I realized that Cooper was not with me. Inside the paper was a neat, concise note.
‘Took Cooper sightseeing. Be back soon. -Carter’
Tracing a curious finger over the words, I smiled mistily. Thank whatever god watched over animals and fools that Cooper had bonded with the woman who had initially unnerved him so badly. The click of heels brought my eyes to the door where Doctor Fraser smiled at me.
“Good morning. Your partner seemed to be getting a little antsy, so Sam took him above ground to romp in the sunshine.”
Again I gave silent thanks that these people were making such a concerted effort to understand the bond between that dog and me. Before informing me of my own condition, my new physician had assured me Cooper was fine.
“Thank you. Hopefully he won’t wear her out.”
The grin turned mischievous as Fraser pulled up a stool to sit beside me.
“That’s why I didn’t take him myself. And I suppose I really should be more concerned with you, hmm? It’s just been so long since we’ve had any thing as interesting and banal as a dog around here. Generally surprises are a mixed blessing at best.”
We talked about my injuries as she did an embarrassingly thorough examination. With my dangerous bent towards the members of my own sex, I’ve never been able to decide if women doctors were better or worse for my peace of mind. Thankfully she was gentle and efficient, never letting me dwell on any particular sensation for very long.
“Have you dealt with many grenade cases?”
“Corporal, I’ve dealt with worse and weirder.”
There was a sudden thump against the door that made it rattle in its frame. A muffled oath accompanied a softer impact. Immediately Fraser tugged the open-backed gown up and went to the door. A sheepish and winded Sam Carter was there with a wriggling Cooper panting at her feet.
“I take it he’s done taking you for a walk?”
The embarrassed scowl in response to Fraser’s dry tone made me chuckle. When Cooper yanked at the leash to get to me, he jerked Carter heavily into the small doctor and managed to free himself. Thoroughly snarled up with the larger officer, Fraser tried to turn to check on me and only made their tangle worse. There was nothing for her to worry about. With gentleness at odds with his size, Cooper hoisted himself up to place big paws on either side of my hips and give me loving kisses.
“Back off cavewoman”, Fraser groused laughingly at her friend as they finally managed to disentangle themselves without falling down. That little perverse part of my brain noted that they made a really cute couple. A dangerous place to go when thinking about superior officers.
“I hope he behaved except for that last tug Major.”
“He was great, but we need to work on the communication issue. He’s either deliberately ignoring some of what I tell him, or he really doesn’t understand.”
“A little of both most likely. I’d be happy to train you on some of his basic commands.”
We both cringed under Fraser’s sharp look and I gave her my best sheepish puppy look.
“When the doctor says I can of course.”
“Great. You’ll need to know more about what’s going on here anyhow. Just let me know when you’re available.”
“I will.”
“Have a good day, you too Janet.”
“Bye Sam.”
After a few more pokes and prods, Fraser let me go with strict orders not to overdo it. While I slowly dressed, she knelt to give Cooper a cursory once-over.
“I’m no vet, but I’m sure I can spot anything obvious, right?”
Cooper wagged his tail enthusiastically at her attention. Her comment had gotten me thinking about who would take care of his medical needs. So far I had always had access to the veterinarians in the K-9 Corps. I made a mental note to talk to General Hammond about that when I spoke with him. Even with my hampered movements, the uniform was soon settled around me with familiar assurance. The sudden oddity of it was immediately apparent as I hobbled out into the infirmary proper. I really was the only Army personnel on this base, how bizarre. Bidding Doctor Fraser a warm goodbye, I took a solid grip on the aluminum cane and Cooper’s guide harness. Very quickly the irritating blandness of the place grated on my nerves. Every hallway and door looked identical except for the ID numbers. How the hell was a new kid supposed to find her way around? As though conjured by my thoughts, a voice spoke from nearby.
“You look like I did the first few weeks I was here.”
“Weeks? That’s not encouraging.”
Daniel Jackson grinned and stepped closer.
“I think you’re probably better prepared for this kind of environment that I was.”
“Thanks for the vote of encouragement Doctor Jackson.”
“Call me Daniel, I’m not military and I’m sick of formalities. Are you hungry? We actually have a pretty decent commissary here.”
“Great. I need a guide anyway. If you’re a civilian, why are you here?”
“I’m a Egyptologist.”
My look of confusion and skepticism must have spoken volumes.
“Ancient Egyptian mythology heavily influenced Goa’uld culture. We’ve found that dozens of ancient cultures influenced various groups of both the Goa’uld and other aliens.”
“Wait, there’s more than just these Goa’uld?”
“Oh yeah, plenty. You’re in for a hell of a ride Corporal.”
“Call me Art.”
“Okay, Art it is.”
He was a very conscientious man, measuring his pace to match my awkward stride without any obvious indication he had done it. I decided right then that I definitely liked him. Over a light meal, Daniel began my education on the Stargate Project. He was far more interesting than the dry document I had managed to skim through. Passion and enthusiasm for his work here radiated off him like a palatable force while he spoke. The cook provided me with scraps for Cooper until I could get some proper food sent to the base. Some time passed with various uniformed personnel periodically interrupting us to admire the dog. Eventually my brain informed me that it had reached its weirdness threshold and I gently cut Daniel off. He was impressed that I had kept up with him for so long.
“I rarely get to ramble on for so long,” he admitted sheepishly and I laughed.
“So Major Carter’s not the only one that gets a hard time around here?”
“Absolutely not. Jack, ummm… I mean Colonel O’Neill can’t stand that he needs us scientific types as much as he does.”
“Well, I’m no scientist, maybe he’ll like me.”
“You have a dog, he’ll adore you.”
“Good. It never hurts to have an in with superior officers.”
We laughed over that one, but I knew I needed to track down O’Neill as soon as possible. All indications were that he hated being left out and his brainy teammates did that to him enough. Cooper would win him over of that I had no doubt, we just needed the opportunity. Now Teal’c was a whole different story. How to make Cooper understand that this alien was okay, but anything else that smelled like him might not be? Filing that problem away, I said goodnight to Daniel and went in search of General Hammond again. Luckily I caught him right before he was going off shift.
“Corporal Goldston, good to see you up again.”
“Thank you sir. Doctor Fraser and Major Carter took excellent care of Cooper and I.”
“Good. Come in and sit.”
He was very helpful with my list of needs for Cooper and promised to look into providing medical help if the dog needed it. Quarters were assigned and an Airman sent to get my bags moved there. The formalities aside, Hammond leaned back in his chair and fixed me with that laser blue gaze.
“So how are you adapting?”
“Better than I would have expected in all honesty. With as little warning I received about this assignment, I’m grateful that things are falling into place so smoothly. Doctor Jackson was very helpful over dinner in filling me in on some of the basic history of the Stargate Project.”
I flashed a loving grin at Cooper who was lying quietly on the carpet nearby.
“And Cooper seems to have developed somewhat of a reluctant crush on Major Carter.”
That earned a soft huff of amusement from the General and Cooper wagged his tail.
“She does seem to have quite startling effects on people, and now your partner. She’s one of our best assets here. Listen to her and Jackson and they’ll have you up to par in no time.”
“Yes sir. I got that impression from everybody but the two of them.”
“All of SG-1 is like that, non-egotistical almost to a fault.”
I had the feeling that Hammond was not normally quite so open. Funny the effect a dog had on people. Glancing at his watch, the General was suddenly all business again.
“You should go get settled in. I’ll be certain to schedule SG-1 to spend time with you for the next few days. There’s no set policy on military dogs in this facility, so I’ll trust you to use your best judgment. Keep communicating with Doctor Fraser, we want you as strong as possible to test your full potential for the project. Anything else?”
“No sir, none that I can think of at the moment.”
“Very good then, dismissed.”
With a halfway decent salute I left him. Automatically Cooper slid under my left hand and my fingers closed over the halter. Fatigue was pulling at me again, but I felt terrific. With all the new knowledge I had accumulated today, I knew this was going to be a wonderful assignment.
The End
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