Chapter Text
1) Yell at GySgt Paul Warszawski
There is no need to corner him - Major Teldy has already done it for her. He's at the extra table in her office, working on a mission briefing for AR7, and when Lee drops by to catch up, the Major pointedly leaves them alone.
She gets about five words into an inarticulate rant before he wraps her up in a hug, and says he is sorry. It's what he first did when they'd found Harnin and she got to her feet after declaring his death, covered in his blood and too enraged to say anything at all. It derailed her then, and it derails her now. She stands completely frozen for the space of a few seconds.
"You fucking jarhead, I missed you," she grinds out finally, and hugs him back.
2) Arrange for an exchange
Captain Ben Morton is the SGCs Combat Rescue Officer. They went through part of the CRO training together and have always kept in touch, from 'how would you have handled this' (full-scale assault on a Genii base to free AR1) to 'can you believe this shit?' (SG11's Colonel Edwards starting a war. Again). They catch up over commissary food and she asks him if he would be interested in swapping places for a couple of months, which he is.
3) Take her Paramedic exams
She has never been a sit-down-and-concentrate sort of person - she's one of nature's multitaskers, much better at spinning six plates at the same time than at concentrating on a single thing. This time, rather than helplessly feel her mind grind itself into little circles, she imagines walking point on some unknown planet, sweeping the horizon while her teammates chatter quietly behind her, and toss her random medical questions interspersed with movie trivia.
4) Visit her ex and spend time with the dogs
Jolly, at 13, doesn't really seem to remember her, but 9 year old Zoomie does. Fliss is the kind of ex she should have just stayed friends with in the first place, and they get along well. They have sushi lunch, which might be close to a religious experience, and take a long walk to catch up, in as much as it's possible to catch up when you can't talk about what you do at all. They go shopping for craft materials and yarn while Fliss tells her how their former squadmates in Aeromed Evac are doing, the ones she keeps in touch with.
She does not cry when saying goodbye to the dogs, but it's a close call. If only she could sneak in one of the furry creatures she's sometimes gifted and keep it as a pet.
5) Go to the Pentagon to address the Board
She stands up in her hated dress uniform that still says she's a Flight Nurse, and pictures Colonel Carter standing on her right and Major Teldy on her left. Both women have spent time coaching her for this moment, and she tries to think of it as just another battle situation, facing hostiles but having people that she trusts at her back. The Board is read in about the Stargate program, so she can actually tell them what it is she does, and why she deserves recognition for it. It doesn't go bad, and when a trick question gets her stalled, General O'Neill jumps in to unfuck things. The Board does one concession (long overdue) and will raise a committee about another issue, which General Landry assures her is a victory even if it doesn't feel like one.
Generals Landry and O'Neill take her out for drinks afterward, which is so intimidating she doesn't say more than ten words all night, but they don't seem to mind. At the end of the night she's bounced up to the Odyssey with a vague sense of accomplishment.
6) Get handled by Colbert's former team
She's still feeling a little raw from her encounter with Warszawski when two Marines invite themselves to her lunch table. Something about the way they exchange looks sets her teeth on edge - there's a plan in motion here, or a joke she isn't in on. Lee knows she isn't the kind of approachable where strangers sit down at her table for the pleasure of her company - she's no Cadman and most of the time she is fine with that. She considers cutting the meal short, because her tolerance for being the butt of a joke is lower than ever. But then Tim Bryan, the corpsman who did her medical intake, joins them at her table, and he smiles like he is genuinely pleased to see her again.
The Marine sergeant is Hispanic, fast talking and with the thoroughly competent air of an NCO who has seen enough of the shit Earth has to offer to not be surprised by whatever the rest of the galaxy can dish out. The Lieutenant looks the sort of young that's belied by the weight behind his gaze, and if that didn't tell her of his competence then the way the other two look at him would. Their subconsciously protective bodylanguage is not the kind of 'inexperienced idiot we need to keep from getting killed' body language she's used to seeing. He's their LT all right. Only after that conclusion she notices name tapes, and yes, that makes sense, if the Corpsman is going to Atlantis like he told her in the infirmary. This is part of the future AR7 - this is Colbert's old team. And being the subject of Nate Fick's careful handling teaches her a lot about Colbert, even if she does ends up saying more than she'd intended.
There's people who tolerate Atlantis for a command, and people who really take to it, and you can't always tell in advance. Recruiting is good enough these days that it's almost never such a bad fit that people transfer out before their time is up, but the Atlantis intellectual-military pressurecooker doesn't work for everybody. She has a hunch Nate Fick will take to it like nobody's business, and Sgt Espera might not become an Atlantean but he does urgently need to be introduced around the Social Science department. Fournier is going to love the guy.
Bryan.. well, she doesn't know yet, but then she didn't really know about Colbert either, and he seems to be settling in better than she'd thought. She hopes it works out for Tim.
7) Go to a theatrical supply shop
She's only in command of corpsmen when they come along on SRE missions, but she's in charge of their training all the time, and they have accepted her beyond what she ever expected. Apparently the shared bond of field medics eclipses the gulf of rank, gender and even Navy vs Airforce. They are the Marine platoons morale barometres - and frequently boosters - and they have a way of casually caring for their men that is not casual at all. She can't resist the urge to indulge them a little with an arterial bleed simulation pump and enough paints, make-up, wax, putty and fake blood to keep their drill scenarios interesting for a long time to come. And maybe to do some really excellent zombie makeup, too.
8) Think about calling her family
She has this internal debate every time she's on Earth leave. On the one hand, she probably has new siblings she doesn't know about. On the other hand, some of them are probably in their teens now, and apart from her curiosity she doesn't actually want to be in touch with her parents. She has made sure she is findable online to any older siblings who want to get in touch, the ones she raised, and that will have to be enough.
9) Decide to go back to Atlantis
She's not quite sure if it is a decision or a realisation, that no matter how much the team has been a struggle lately, she doesn't want to transfer back to Earth at all. When the unofficial word comes that she has passed her exams, it's a relief in so many ways: there is no resentment needed toward Avery. He has not caused her to fail. She can go back, she can figure things out with the Captain, she can stay in Atlantis. Maybe she never really thought she wouldn't, given the amount of shopping she's done for people back home.
She'd intended to talk to General O'Neill about the exchange with Morton, but now she is itching to go back and fix things, to focus her energy on the team without the dread of exams and DC speeches hanging over her head. So she leaves it. Morton understands - it's good to have options. Maybe they'll do the exchange at a later point.
She can go home.