Jaffa Jack: Kelno'reem
Title: Kelno'reem
Summary: Jack gets a lesson from Teal’c and Sam has her concerns.
Characters/Pairing: Established Sam/Jack, Teal’c
Genre: Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Drama
Rating: G.
Note: Bits of this was taken from the season two‘s, ‘Holiday,’ for the kelno’reem scene, but have nothing to do with season two, or that episode.
Kelno’reem
Jack swiped the sweat from his forehead and took a deep breath, readying his stance again. He’d been spending a good amount of time sparring with Teal’c lately, and the sessions they shared were really paying off. He was already well-versed in hand-to-hand combat thanks to his Spec Ops background, and his enhanced strength was really combining to make him, quite literally, a lethal weapon. He was stronger than ever, and not even his notoriously bad knees bothered him now.
“O’Neill, you are sparring with greater proficiency today than even yesterday,” Teal’c complimented in his flat, stoic manner.
Jack felt himself grinning, then ducked to dodge one of Teal’c’s attempted grapples. He hooked his toe behind his friend’s knee while simultaneously shoving him hard in the chest, knocking the bigger man to the mat before hopping back and bouncing on his toes. “Thanks Teal’c.”
The Jaffa nodded, then rocked back to roll on his shoulders before flinging his legs outward and springing back to an upright position. He stood still with his feet slightly apart and gave Jack a slight bow, signaling an end to the match.
“Wanna grab a snack in the commissary after hittin‘ the locker room?” Jack asked his friend, his eyes lit up. He hadn’t felt this jovial in a long time, and it felt good.
Teal’c nodded in agreement, then as they picked up their towels and water bottles, asked, “Have you been having better success in performing kelno’reem, O’Neill?”
Jack tilted his head and made a face as they headed to the locker room. Teal’c still occasionally sat with him and schooled him on the ways of Jaffa meditation. It took a lot of getting used to and sometimes Jack still had a hard time of it. It was just easier to sleep than to make some connection with the snake in his gut, though the Jaffa assured him that if he did not perform the meditation at least once per day, he would feel its effects and begin to experience great weakness and fatigue.
“Sometimes I still have trouble reaching kelno’reem every time I try,” Jack admitted with a grimace.
“If you ever require aid, I would gladly assist you in your meditation ritual,” Teal’c offered sincerely.
Jack gave his friend an affectionate pat on the shoulder and glanced sideways at him, smiling. “Thanks buddy, I appreciate it.”
-
Sam was still working in the labs late into evening. Jack had managed to drag her away from her analyzing of the disease from Hanka, Cassie’s home planet, so they could sit down and have supper together. Jack would have much rather eaten in the comforts of their own home, but it didn’t look like it was meant to be. Sam had a lot of work she wanted to get done, and he had requisition forms to fill out for their next off-world mission.
Suddenly not feeling up to par as he finished signing off on his last form, Jack decided to go for a little walk around the base to see if it made him feel a little better. He stopped by Daniel’s lab to bother him for a bit, but much to Jack’s surprise, the archaeologist wasn’t there. He found out that his bookworm friend had actually gone home early for once, and had signed out of the base.
Continuing his walk, Jack got in the elevator again and made his way to Sam’s lab. Inside the elevator, he leaned heavily against the wall and groaned softly, leaning his head back and momentarily closing his eyes. His symbiote was moving around quite a bit, and he wondered, briefly, if it was the snake’s spiteful way of rebelling against him.
When the elevator doors opened up, he took a deep breath and stepped out, determinedly striding down the corridor and willing the creature inside his gut to quit it’s thrashing.
He walked into his wife’s lab and sat down heavily on a corner stool, seeing that she was staring intently at something or other in her microscope.
“Hey Jack, I’ll be done soon,” Sam said, obviously having heard him come in, and knowing that it was him.
Jack smiled a little at that, despite how cruddy he was feeling. He rubbed a hand at his sweaty forehead and closed his eyes, sitting straight in the stool and trying to reach a state of meditation. Maybe this was the fatigue Teal’c mentioned if he did not regularly perform kelno’reem. It was probably nothing, he thought positively.
By the time Sam finished with her work and looked over at him, Jack was slumped in the chair, having given up on his meditation. He felt like complete and utter crap.
-
Sam studied her husband intently, her brows knitting together slowly as concern washed over her face. He didn’t look good. He was pale and sweaty, and appeared as though it was an effort just to keep his head up. “Jack? What’s the matter?”
He heaved a sigh, grimacing. “I’m not feelin’ so hot.”
Sam stiffened with worry and went over to him. She pressed a cool, soothing hand to her husband’s forehead and frowned. “Did you try your kelno’reem thing?” She still wasn’t sure about all the particulars involving the Jaffa meditation, but she’d been there when Teal’c had first explained it to Jack and somewhat knew what it was all about. She’d understood enough to know that it was a necessary thing when one carried a symbiote in their guts as Jack and Teal’c did.
“Yeah.” Jack nodded slowly, looking pained. He sighed heavily, sweat beading on his upper lip, his face looking further drained of color. “I couldn’t do it; I tried though.”
Sam reached for her phone on the wall and began punching in the number for Teal’c’s quarters, her heart beating faster with slight panic. This couldn’t be good. “I’m calling Teal’c, maybe he can help.”
Jack nodded his assent, and she knew that he was worried too. This wasn’t normal. She’d never seen Teal’c get sick, and Jack had been physically sound since he’d had his symbiote. He shouldn’t be ill.
-
Teal’c arrived quickly after Sam’s call, and she instantly felt some relief with his calming, sturdy presence. She watched as he strode toward his ill friend and studied the other man’s appearance.
“What are you feeling, O’Neill?” he asked steadily, his voice low.
Jack grimaced and motioned with his hands, making a circular gesture over his stomach. “All of a sudden, Sparky’s movin’ around a lot in there.”
Sam’s eyebrows went up. “Sparky?” She couldn’t hide the faint amusement in her voice.
Her husband quirked a smile at her and shrugged weakly. “Hey, I hadta call it something.”
Teal’c, however, didn’t miss a beat. “This likely means your body has contracted an illness the symbiote must repair.”
“Illness. Great.” Sam ran an agitated hand through her hair, belatedly realizing she had just sounded like Jack.
“It is common,” Teal’c assured both her and Jack. “The symbiote will remedy the problem.”
Jack heaved a sigh. “Okay, when?”
“The symbiote can only accomplish it’s work if you put your body into a state of kelno’reem.”
Sam could tell that Jack was getting anxious and agitated. He hated feeling sick and unable to control what was going on inside his own body.
“I tried that,” Jack muttered, “I couldn’t do it.”
Teal’c looked serious, and Sam thought she detected a hint of worry in his features. “It is imperative that you do this, O’Neill, or it will be as though your body has no immune system.” He placed a hand over his friend’s shoulder. “I will assist you.”
Sam’s eyes darted to Teal’c’s, helplessly. “What do we need to do?”
The big man helped Jack off the stool and placed a steadying hand on his friend’s back when the other man swayed. “Come, it would be best to do this in your shared quarters.”
Sam nodded and followed along quickly as Teal’c began leading her husband from the lab.
-
Jack stood in front of the bathroom sink in his and Sam’s shared quarters, staring at his reflection in the mirror. His eyes looked sunken and his face was grey and sweaty. He knew he looked worse than before.
Jack could see Sam in the mirror, leaning against the doorframe, her eyes revealing her concern. “I don’t look so good,” he muttered, bracing his hands on either side of the sink.
From inside the other room, Teal’c was lighting candles in preparation for the meditation. “You will become increasingly ill as long as your symbiote does not have the opportunity to make the necessary repairs.”
Jack turned around and slowly walked towards Teal’c, weakly sinking down in a nearby chair. He felt Sam place a hand on his shoulder and was grateful for her presence. His eyes closed. “Teal’c, you’re telling me this is just gonna get worse?” He felt the hand on his shoulder squeeze gently.
“If you do not perform kelno’reem, it could lead to your death,” Teal’c replied in a blunt, yet sympathetic tone.
Clenching his jaw, Jack nodded. “Can you help me?” He didn’t want to die; couldn’t bear the thought of leaving Sam.
He saw Teal’c give a slight nod. “Please, be seated.” He gestured to the area on the floor that was now surrounded by candles.
Sam helped Jack get down to the floor. He grimaced, holding his gut with one hand as he folded his legs to mimic Teal’c’s meditation pose. Normally, when he did this, Jack would just be lounging in a chair or lying in bed. Perhaps the new position would help.
-
It was over an hour that Sam waited for Jack to reach kelno‘reem. Not wanting to disturb the two men in the room, Sam pulled a chair out into the hall and waited. She was confident that Teal’c, the more experienced carrier of a symbiote, would be able to help Jack get better, but she was still worried.
Sam stood up as the door opened and Teal’c came out, looking pleased.
“O’Neill is well,” Teal’c informed her, already knowing the woman’s concerns were with her husband.
Her shoulders sagged with relief. She placed a hand on the Jaffa’s shoulder as he passed with a slight bow. “Thank you, Teal’c.”
“I was glad to be of assistance.”
Sam stepped inside her quarters and found Jack moving about the room, blowing out the candles. He looked up when she approached and offered a lopsided grin.
“All better,” he assured her, now collecting the various candles and stacking them on a bureau. “Teal’c said I could keep these.”
Sam couldn’t help herself; she rushed up to her husband and flung her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. She felt him hesitate with surprise and confusion before his arms automatically wound around her waist, giving her a loving squeeze and rocking them from side to side.
“It’s okay,” he said softly, tucking his face into the side of her neck. His hands began soothingly rubbing her back.
Sam could tell that he’d been discomfited over the situation himself. “How are you feeling?” she asked him seriously.
“Good.” Jack’s voice held conviction as he slowly pulled away from her, smiling faintly. “I actually think I understand the whole kelno’reem thing better now.”
Smiling back him, Sam nodded. She felt a little more at ease now, knowing that Jack was feeling more comfortable with his meditation. It gave her a sense of security in being sure that her husband was adjusting as well as she’d hoped.
She reached up to run a hand through his unruly hair. “Ready to head home?”
He grinned. “You bet.”
Sam remembered she still had work to finish up, but she didn’t care. Research could wait.
-