Transitions (8/12)
Title: Transitions (8/12)
Summary: Sequel to " Changes"Jack and Sam's relationship grows, going through it's ups and downs with a little help from their SGC family. SamJack, DanielJanet.
Timeframe: Takes place approximately one year after "Changes".
Characters/Pairing: Established SamJack, established DanielJanet, Team, Cassie
Genre: Drama, Hurt/Comfort, Family, Romance
Rating: T
Chapter Eight: Waiting
Their weekend together was over much too quickly for Jack's liking, and Jacob was back with Tok'ra. Sam had gone on a mission with the rest of SG-1 the first day back. She wasn't due home from off-world for another two days, and Jack had been so eager and anxious about asking her to marry him when she returned that he'd already gotten the table set up with candles and everything. The team was off on P6X-747, setting down the fundamentals for a temporary research site and it was taking a little longer than they'd expected. Jack was getting restless at home, unable to leave unless someone picked him up or he walked. Unfortunately, there weren't many places close by that he was really able to walk to, other than the park. He could have stayed on base, but Jack knew he'd be just as restless there. He'd recently finished up with a training group the previous day, and right now Hammond didn't have any other assignments to keep him busy.
Sitting down at the kitchen table for his dinner, which consisted of leftover homemade pizza from Monday night, Jack eyed his last beer of the week and figured, what the hell. He might as well drink it now.
Dorothy had wolfed down her dog food and was now sitting at his feet, staring up with hopeful amber eyes, expecting that maybe he'd slip a little something off his plate for her.
Jack shook his head when the German Shepherd rested her chin on his knee. "No pizza scraps for you, girl. The cheese gives you gas." He chuckled, then lightly rubbed the bridge of Dorothy's nose with his fingertip. Sighing, Jack solemnly took a bite of the pizza. He hated eating alone, and he hated when Sam was away.
Determined not to let his mind wander too much, hopefully to prevent a panic attack at the thought of Sam being so far from him, Jack quickly finished off his food, did the dishes, then grabbed what was left of his beer and headed for the couch. He took a long swig before sinking into the worn cushions, patting the space beside him and inviting Dorothy to join him. The dog curled up after a circling a few times, then laid her head in his lap.
By ten o'clock Jack had fallen asleep watching an old Paul Newman flick on TV.
-
Jack jerked himself awake two hours later when something cold and wet nudged at his hand. "Er? Whu-?" he spluttered, shaking his head and guardedly opening his bleary eyes. Discovering the cold and wet was coming from Dorothy's nose, Jack quirked a tired half-smile and looked down at the big amber eyes that were staring up at him from his lap. He heaved a sigh and rubbed a hand through his hair. "Okay girl, I get it. Bed time."
Dorothy hopped off the couch before him and stood there waiting patiently, her tail swishing back and forth.
Jack frowned slightly as he turned off the TV and the lights and headed up the lounge steps. He wasn't much looking forward to climbing in a cold bed devoid of Sam, and a lonely feeling settled in his gut. He loved her so damn much and hated being away from her for long. He hated that he couldn't take every single off-world trip at her side to watch her six, and have his watched in return. It was nights like this that made him long for field work again.
-
Spending half the morning in front of the TV playing video games after breakfast, Jack dragged himself off the couch when the phone rang and Dorothy started barking excitedly, wagging her tail. He quirked a smile, picking the phone up off the table by the front door. "It's not Sam, girl. She's not supposed to be back yet," Jack told the dog, shaking his head as he answered. "O'Neill."
"Hi Jack, it's Janet."
"Hey, Doc." By the calm, cheerful tone in Janet's voice, Jack knew she wasn't calling because something bad had happened to SG-1. He was instantly relieved as he asked, "What's up?" He covered the receiver with his palm and said to Dorothy, "See, I toldja it wasn't Sam." Jack chuckled as the German Shepherd's tail lowered to a sedate swishing and she followed him back to the living room.
"I'm just calling to see if you wanted a ride anywhere today. I'm off duty if you need someone to drive you."
"Naw, me and Dorothy are just gonna hang at home today," Jack told her, deciding he'd find his own ways to keep himself busy. He didn't want to put anyone out, but appreciated the offer. "Thanks anyways, Doc."
"Sure, no problem," she told him, her tone warm and friendly. There was a pause, then, "Did you remember to take your pills?"
Crap. Jack hadn't taken his seizure medication yet, and also realized he'd forgotten his nausea pills the previous night. Luckily, he hadn't gotten sick. Trying to throw the doctor off, he said, "Sam tell you to check up on me?"
"Oh no, she would never do that." The sarcastic lilt to her voice was unmistakable.
Jack rolled his eyes. He levered himself off the couch again and went to the kitchen for his medication. "Goodbye, Doc."
"Take your pills!"
"Goodbye, Doc!"
Janet laughed. "Take care, Jack."
-
Jack got out of the shower and quickly dried himself off, then pulled on a pair of boxer shorts. He stood in front of the mirror and leaned forward, examining the stubble growth on his face. He hadn't bothered to shave since Sam left a few days ago, but figured he ought to, now that she was due back soon. Jack wanted to be sure he looked nice for her when she returned so he could ask her to marry him.
He grinned at the thought, very much looking forward to the expression on Sam's face when he asked her. Jack was reaching for the can of shaving cream on the sink when Dorothy's loud scratching and whining sounded on the door. "Relax, Dorothy, I'll be out in a minute." He knew he should have let her outside before his shower.
The dog continued so scratch at the door and whine, leading Jack to believe something was wrong. He felt okay, figuring she couldn't be acting up because something was happening to him like last time. Brows furrowed, he grabbed the door handle. "Alright, hang on girl." Jack just managed to twist the knob when he was suddenly overcome by an odd, buzzing, tingling feeling that encompassed his entire body. Before he realized what was happening, Jack fell backwards with a groan, every muscle stiffening as he collapsed to the floor. He heard a sharp bark from the dog, and the last thing he saw was Dorothy's blurred nose in his face.
-
Jack wasn't sure how much time had passed when he began regaining his senses. Well, most of them anyway. He was disoriented and dizzy, every muscle aching. There was a heavy weight on his legs, and as he shakily reached up to his throbbing head with a groan, the weight lifted, and a wet tongue lapped at his face. He sluggishly realized that Dorothy had been lying across his legs.
Even with his head still feeling fuzzy, Jack knew he had to call someone, and Sam was still off-world. Janet, he told himself after a moment. Janet was at home. Opening his eyes to discover the German Shepherd staring at him intently and whining, he noticed the black medicine bag on the floor by his legs. She must have brought him his pills at some point, but the medication couldn't really do anything for him now. He'd already taken the anti-convulsants earlier, after Janet had called.
Seeing that Dorothy was awaiting some type of command, Jack was lucid enough to put a hand to his ear, then to his mouth. He closed his eyes and let his head thump back against the wall with a painful wince as the dog darted from the bathroom in response to his signals.
Jack had opened his eyes again when he heard Dorothy's paws tapping against the wooden floor of the hallway. She shoved the partially-open door again and pushed her way inside to drop the phone in his lap. "Guh...ood girl," he praised her weakly, managing to give her a pat on the head before picking up the phone. Dorothy sat down beside him, watching him carefully. His hand was still shaking, and it took all his effort to hit the speed-dial button for Fraiser's house and hold the phone to his ear.
It didn't take long for Janet to pick up. "Hello?"
"Doc," Jack breathed into the receiver, his voice much weaker than he'd intended.
Janet seemed to sense something was wrong from his voice, because she worriedly asked, "Jack, what happened?"
"I think..." he breathed slowly, "I think I jussst...had a..sseishure." Jack grimaced at the slur in his voice. His head was pounding and his whole body hurt.
"Alright," Janet took a breath, sounding like she'd regained her calm. "Just stay where you are; I'm coming over. I'll be there in ten minutes."
Nodding to himself, Jack turned off the phone and weakly let it slip from his hand. He groaned as his head thumped back against the wall again, and Dorothy laid her front half over his legs. The bathroom’s tile floor was cold and unforgiving, but he didn't have the strength to get up, so he stayed put, as Janet would have wanted him to.
-
Janet sped to the O'Neill house, making the normally-fifteen minute drive in just under ten minutes. As she rushed up the stone steps with her medical bag, she thanked her lucky stars that the front door was unlocked. Hastily entering the house, she glanced toward the lounge where she could hear the television, but her attention was drawn toward the hall that led to the master bedroom when she heard Dorothy's deep bark.
"Jack?" Janet called out, making her way down the hall. She nearly stumbled back as Dorothy loped out of the bedroom and nearly barreled straight into her petite frame. The dog was barking and whining. "Jack?" she tried again.
When the Shepherd swung around and darted back into the bedroom, Janet quickly followed, not doubting Dorothy's ability to lead the doctor to her owner. As Dorothy trotted into the master bath, Janet had no doubts as to where she would find her friend. "Jack?"
"H-here..." a weak voice called out, barely audible.
Janet's dark eyes glossed over irresolutely as she took in the sight of the former Colonel. He lay on the cool tiled floor in just his boxer shorts, slumped awkwardly between the tub and the wall, pale and vulnerable. For a moment she was brought back to nearly two years earlier, caring for Jack when he wasn't able to care for himself, before Sam had returned, when she, Teal'c, and Daniel were primarily Jack's caretakers. It broke her heart to see him looking so helpless and lost once more.
Kneeling at his side once she'd managed to get a concerned Dorothy out of the way, Janet set down her bag and reached for his wrist to take his pulse. Satisfied that he had a fairly steady heartbeat, she turned her attention to searching for any type of injuries. Noticing a bit of blood on the edge of the bathtub, she reached for Jack's head, gingerly probing all around, causing him to wince as she came across a sore spot on the right side above his ear. Her fingers came away wet with blood.
"Jack, did you hit your head when you fell?" Janet already knew the answer, but she wanted to test his lucidity.
"I....I thih... I thhiiiinkso," he mumbled in response with effort.
Janet took his hand and squeezed gently. She really needed to get him somewhere more comfortable and warm. He'd started shaking. "Let's get you up off the floor. Think you can help me?"
Blinking slowly, Jack nodded and reached for the edge of the bathtub, trying to push himself upright while Janet took hold of his upper arm and helped him to his feet. Dorothy backed out of the bathroom and jumped on the bed as Janet guided Jack over and had him lie down. She covered him with a blanket, then went back to the bathroom for some things.
Jack was obviously weak and exhausted, and his speech was slurred because of the seizure as well. Janet knelt on the bed on his right side, with her medical bag opened up near his legs. She gingerly touched his forehead in a comforting gesture, then began to clean away the blood on the side of his head with a wet cloth from the bathroom. "Jack, how do you feel?" she asked him softly.
Knowing that it was useless lying to her, and not having the energy for it, Jack murmured, "Tuh-tired... Huh..rts.." Why was it so hard to talk? He heaved a sigh and felt his eyelids trying to close. He winced slightly as she dabbed at his head with what was probably an antiseptic wipe.
Janet had stopped tending to his head wound and was rubbing his arm to try and keep him focused on her. "Jack, listen, I need you to stay with me for a minute, okay? Just answer a few questions for me. Where do you hurt? Everywhere? Your head?"
He weakly managed to nod for both. God, he wanted to sleep. He felt a weight pressing against his left side and shifted his hand, encountering soft fur. Dorothy was lying beside him.
Fraiser's fingers were lightly probing around the wound on the side of his head. "This isn't too bad, but I think you may have a concussion."
Jack had really stopped listening after that. His eyelids felt too heavy and he couldn't focus anymore, his head lolling to the side on his pillow. Thoughts of Sam flittered through his brain, and he felt oddly displaced, like he was in a different time, a different moment. There was a voice speaking to him, but he couldn't make out what it was saying. It was a woman's voice.
A gentle hand raked through his hair. "Sssaam?" he croaked weakly.
Janet quickly realized that Jack wasn't exactly with her any longer. Her brows furrowed slightly, and she slid off the bed, taking her medical bag and tugging the blanket up to his shoulders to ensure he stayed warm. "No, Jack," she told him softly. "It's Janet." Putting her bag down on the floor, she put a hand on his shoulder. "You'll be okay. Just rest now."
He was breathing slowly, losing his battle to exhaustion. When his lips began moving as he tried to speak, Janet leaned forward and listened closely. "Wuh was'gonna...ask'er..t'marryme..."
Janet's eyes widened marginally as Jack trailed off, then he was gone. She sighed somberly and lightly touched his stubbly cheek before stepping back. Dorothy had lifted her head to watch her, but didn't get up. Janet smiled gently at the dog. "You look after Jack for me, alright?" Dorothy laid her head on Jack's legs, as though in agreement. "Good girl."
Putting a hand to her forehead, Janet made her way to the kitchen to put some coffee on and keep herself busy for a while until Jack woke up. She wasn't going to leave him, and when he was more lucid she needed to take him to the SGC. On her way to the kitchen, she caught a glimpse of the dining room and her heart clenched painfully. Jack had set the table with what looked like their nicest dishware, complete with romantic candles waiting to be lit, and flowers. He really was preparing to ask Sam to marry him.
-
Jack felt like absolute crap. He rolled onto his side with a groan, but didn't open his eyes yet. Feeling a heavy, warm body shift to lean against his back, Jack reached back an arm tiredly and encountered the body. It wasn't Sam, as he'd hoped, but it was Dorothy, and that soothed his slight anxiety. He vaguely recalled having a seizure, and he didn't want to be alone. His faithful German Shepherd had tried to warn him about the oncoming seizure with her whining, but he hadn't realized it. Jack wouldn't make that mistake twice, though he hoped there'd be no need for a warning in the first place.
Maybe if he'd recognized Dorothy's warning, he could have gotten down on the floor in preparation, instead of falling and whacking his head, Jack thought ruefully. Oy, speaking of his head, it was killing him at the moment. Forcing his eyes open, Jack's vision blurred minutely, and he felt sick. Concussion; yeah, he remembered that. He sat up slowly, trying to force the nausea from the concussion aside, but it wasn't slow enough.
Jack flung himself from the bed, falling at first before he regained wobbly footing and stumbled into the bathroom. He sunk to his knees at the toilet and emptied the contents of his stomach. Between heaving, he heard the sound of Dorothy's clawed feet on the cold tiles and felt the wet nose press into his bare side, between his ribs. Even though it wasn't the kind of comfort Sam could bring, he was grateful not to be alone.
Thinking that it was only Dorothy that was there with him, Jack jerked with surprise when he felt a cool, human hand press against his back.
"It's okay, Jack, it's just me," a familiar voice said softly, before he could turn his head around.
"Doc?" he croaked blearily.
"Yeah," Janet acknowledged, gently. "You called me over here, Jack. You had a seizure; do you remember?"
He slumped against the toilet with a groan. Bringing one hand up to rub against his aching head, Jack nodded carefully, closing his eyes. He heard Dorothy whine next to him, then felt a rough, wet tongue against his face.
-
Janet retrieved a wash cloth soaked in warm water and folded if over the back of Jack's neck. He looked miserable, and she frowned at him with sympathy. "You've been asleep for nearly an hour and a half."
"Sorry," he muttered, pulling his head out of the toilet and swiping at the dribble of vomit on his chin with obvious disgust. "Feel like crap."
"It's okay." Her gentle smile tightened into a grimace. "That's probably due mostly to the concussion." Janet watched him sit back on his heels with a moan and grab the cloth from his neck to wipe his face. She was pleased that his speech was back to normal again, if a little sluggish. "Can you get up?"
Jack gave a grunt of acknowledgement and reached out for the edge of the sink to pull himself up.
Janet hung onto his arm and helped him to his feet, letting go when he braced his arms against the edge of the sink. She backed off a little as he ran the water, splashing some on his face before grabbing for the mouthwash and rinsing the foul taste of vomit from his mouth. When he was finished, they returned to the bedroom and she stood in front of him as he sat down on the edge of the mattress, leaning forward with his head in his hands.
Dorothy was quick to hop onto the bed and lie down beside him. Janet could tell that Jack was grateful for the dog's warm presence.
"How about you lie down again, hm?" Janet suggested softly, bringing her hand up to rest on his shoulder.
Sighing, Jack straightened his back and slowly shook his head. One hand reached next to him to play with Dorothy's soft ears.
Janet dropped her hand from his shoulder and studied Jack briefly. His posture and attitude screamed to her the need to be in another's presence, desperate for some sort of contact, even if it was simply from the loyal dog beside him. She wished Sam didn't have to be off-world, because Janet knew her friend wouldn't even think twice about being here with Jack if she could. He appeared as though he really needed comfort; someone to hold him. Janet had no doubts that someone had to be Sam, just as it had over a year ago.
"Want to get dressed?" If he wasn't going to continue resting, Janet figured she might as well take him to the base. She needed to run some tests since he'd hit his head. If he'd only had the seizure, she wouldn't have to bring him in. The anti-convulsants Jack was taking made the seizures manageable; there wasn't a medication he could take to prevent them altogether. Because there was a head injury, Jack would need all sorts of tests and scans. Janet had to take extra precautions when the brain-injured former Colonel suffered any sort of head trauma.
When he nodded slightly in agreement, Janet went to gather some clothes for him without a word. Other than the fact that there was a new bureau in the room for Sam's things, and a subtle feminine touch, Jack had pretty much kept everything in place since she'd last taken care of him. She easily found some comfortable clothes for him, and handed him the sweats and t-shirt.
About to leave so Jack could finish getting dressed, Janet caught the warring look that flashed across his face. He looked like he wanted her to go, but needed her to stay. She frowned with uncertainty, wondering how bad he had to be feeling to be acting the way he was. He didn't want to be alone. Janet tilted her head slightly as she watched him shakily pull the t-shirt over his head. She was about to ask him if he was okay, then decided against it for the moment and quietly left the room.
When Jack came back out with Dorothy in tow, he was moving a little sluggishly, one hand gingerly massaging the knick on the right side of his head. He groaned, looking like he already knew what was coming. "You takin' me in, Doc?"
Janet had the car keys in her hand. "We're going to run an MRI, okay?"
"Doc," he started to protest, even as he began searching for his shoes.
"Jack, you know I have to," Janet said patiently, lightly taking him by the elbow when he'd slid his feet into a pair of old sneakers.
"But it's not bad," Jack whined half-heartedly as the doc grabbed Dorothy's leash from the coat rack and clipped it to the her collar.
Janet shot him a look. "It's bad enough, and I'm not taking any chances." They stepped out the door after Jack shrugged on his coat, and she handed him Dorothy's leash, picking up Jack's house keys that were on the table by the door and locking it behind them. "Do you have any idea what Sam would do to me if she found out I didn't make sure you were okay?"
Jack didn't have an answer for that one.
-
Once they'd dropped Dorothy off in Jack and Sam's suite on base, Janet took Jack straight to the infirmary. He seemed to be feeling a little better, if not tired, and had insisted she stop coddling him, pulling his arm out of her supportive grip. Needing to make arrangements for someone to take Cassie to the base when her daughter returned from her friend's house, Janet instructed Jack to sit on the infirmary bed and wait for her while she went to use the phone in her office. She ran into General Hammond on her way back to Jack.
"Doctor?" Hammond said with surprise when he saw her.
"Good afternoon, sir," Janet greeted, knowing he must have been confused to see her on base in her civilian clothing.
"Aren't you off duty for the day?" he asked curiously, possibly contemplating if it were the day he thought it was or not.
She smiled tightly, a little uncomfortable at the news she would need to give him. "Yes, sir." Janet paused, momentarily staring down at her sneaker-clad feet. "Jack called me at home after experiencing a seizure, sir. He hit his head and received a concussion when he fell. I've just brought him in to do a few tests."
The older man's face quickly molded into a concerned expression. "Is everything alright?"
"As far as I can tell at the moment, yes, sir. I'm just following procedure." Janet told him, eager to return to Jack before he got antsy and decided to go to his room or something.
Hammond nodded with understanding and waved for her to continue. "I'll let you carry on then, Doctor. Keep me appraised of his condition."
"I will, General. Thank you."
-
Chapter Nine
Back to Chapter One
Summary: Sequel to " Changes"Jack and Sam's relationship grows, going through it's ups and downs with a little help from their SGC family. SamJack, DanielJanet.
Timeframe: Takes place approximately one year after "Changes".
Characters/Pairing: Established SamJack, established DanielJanet, Team, Cassie
Genre: Drama, Hurt/Comfort, Family, Romance
Rating: T
Chapter Eight: Waiting
Their weekend together was over much too quickly for Jack's liking, and Jacob was back with Tok'ra. Sam had gone on a mission with the rest of SG-1 the first day back. She wasn't due home from off-world for another two days, and Jack had been so eager and anxious about asking her to marry him when she returned that he'd already gotten the table set up with candles and everything. The team was off on P6X-747, setting down the fundamentals for a temporary research site and it was taking a little longer than they'd expected. Jack was getting restless at home, unable to leave unless someone picked him up or he walked. Unfortunately, there weren't many places close by that he was really able to walk to, other than the park. He could have stayed on base, but Jack knew he'd be just as restless there. He'd recently finished up with a training group the previous day, and right now Hammond didn't have any other assignments to keep him busy.
Sitting down at the kitchen table for his dinner, which consisted of leftover homemade pizza from Monday night, Jack eyed his last beer of the week and figured, what the hell. He might as well drink it now.
Dorothy had wolfed down her dog food and was now sitting at his feet, staring up with hopeful amber eyes, expecting that maybe he'd slip a little something off his plate for her.
Jack shook his head when the German Shepherd rested her chin on his knee. "No pizza scraps for you, girl. The cheese gives you gas." He chuckled, then lightly rubbed the bridge of Dorothy's nose with his fingertip. Sighing, Jack solemnly took a bite of the pizza. He hated eating alone, and he hated when Sam was away.
Determined not to let his mind wander too much, hopefully to prevent a panic attack at the thought of Sam being so far from him, Jack quickly finished off his food, did the dishes, then grabbed what was left of his beer and headed for the couch. He took a long swig before sinking into the worn cushions, patting the space beside him and inviting Dorothy to join him. The dog curled up after a circling a few times, then laid her head in his lap.
By ten o'clock Jack had fallen asleep watching an old Paul Newman flick on TV.
-
Jack jerked himself awake two hours later when something cold and wet nudged at his hand. "Er? Whu-?" he spluttered, shaking his head and guardedly opening his bleary eyes. Discovering the cold and wet was coming from Dorothy's nose, Jack quirked a tired half-smile and looked down at the big amber eyes that were staring up at him from his lap. He heaved a sigh and rubbed a hand through his hair. "Okay girl, I get it. Bed time."
Dorothy hopped off the couch before him and stood there waiting patiently, her tail swishing back and forth.
Jack frowned slightly as he turned off the TV and the lights and headed up the lounge steps. He wasn't much looking forward to climbing in a cold bed devoid of Sam, and a lonely feeling settled in his gut. He loved her so damn much and hated being away from her for long. He hated that he couldn't take every single off-world trip at her side to watch her six, and have his watched in return. It was nights like this that made him long for field work again.
-
Spending half the morning in front of the TV playing video games after breakfast, Jack dragged himself off the couch when the phone rang and Dorothy started barking excitedly, wagging her tail. He quirked a smile, picking the phone up off the table by the front door. "It's not Sam, girl. She's not supposed to be back yet," Jack told the dog, shaking his head as he answered. "O'Neill."
"Hi Jack, it's Janet."
"Hey, Doc." By the calm, cheerful tone in Janet's voice, Jack knew she wasn't calling because something bad had happened to SG-1. He was instantly relieved as he asked, "What's up?" He covered the receiver with his palm and said to Dorothy, "See, I toldja it wasn't Sam." Jack chuckled as the German Shepherd's tail lowered to a sedate swishing and she followed him back to the living room.
"I'm just calling to see if you wanted a ride anywhere today. I'm off duty if you need someone to drive you."
"Naw, me and Dorothy are just gonna hang at home today," Jack told her, deciding he'd find his own ways to keep himself busy. He didn't want to put anyone out, but appreciated the offer. "Thanks anyways, Doc."
"Sure, no problem," she told him, her tone warm and friendly. There was a pause, then, "Did you remember to take your pills?"
Crap. Jack hadn't taken his seizure medication yet, and also realized he'd forgotten his nausea pills the previous night. Luckily, he hadn't gotten sick. Trying to throw the doctor off, he said, "Sam tell you to check up on me?"
"Oh no, she would never do that." The sarcastic lilt to her voice was unmistakable.
Jack rolled his eyes. He levered himself off the couch again and went to the kitchen for his medication. "Goodbye, Doc."
"Take your pills!"
"Goodbye, Doc!"
Janet laughed. "Take care, Jack."
-
Jack got out of the shower and quickly dried himself off, then pulled on a pair of boxer shorts. He stood in front of the mirror and leaned forward, examining the stubble growth on his face. He hadn't bothered to shave since Sam left a few days ago, but figured he ought to, now that she was due back soon. Jack wanted to be sure he looked nice for her when she returned so he could ask her to marry him.
He grinned at the thought, very much looking forward to the expression on Sam's face when he asked her. Jack was reaching for the can of shaving cream on the sink when Dorothy's loud scratching and whining sounded on the door. "Relax, Dorothy, I'll be out in a minute." He knew he should have let her outside before his shower.
The dog continued so scratch at the door and whine, leading Jack to believe something was wrong. He felt okay, figuring she couldn't be acting up because something was happening to him like last time. Brows furrowed, he grabbed the door handle. "Alright, hang on girl." Jack just managed to twist the knob when he was suddenly overcome by an odd, buzzing, tingling feeling that encompassed his entire body. Before he realized what was happening, Jack fell backwards with a groan, every muscle stiffening as he collapsed to the floor. He heard a sharp bark from the dog, and the last thing he saw was Dorothy's blurred nose in his face.
-
Jack wasn't sure how much time had passed when he began regaining his senses. Well, most of them anyway. He was disoriented and dizzy, every muscle aching. There was a heavy weight on his legs, and as he shakily reached up to his throbbing head with a groan, the weight lifted, and a wet tongue lapped at his face. He sluggishly realized that Dorothy had been lying across his legs.
Even with his head still feeling fuzzy, Jack knew he had to call someone, and Sam was still off-world. Janet, he told himself after a moment. Janet was at home. Opening his eyes to discover the German Shepherd staring at him intently and whining, he noticed the black medicine bag on the floor by his legs. She must have brought him his pills at some point, but the medication couldn't really do anything for him now. He'd already taken the anti-convulsants earlier, after Janet had called.
Seeing that Dorothy was awaiting some type of command, Jack was lucid enough to put a hand to his ear, then to his mouth. He closed his eyes and let his head thump back against the wall with a painful wince as the dog darted from the bathroom in response to his signals.
Jack had opened his eyes again when he heard Dorothy's paws tapping against the wooden floor of the hallway. She shoved the partially-open door again and pushed her way inside to drop the phone in his lap. "Guh...ood girl," he praised her weakly, managing to give her a pat on the head before picking up the phone. Dorothy sat down beside him, watching him carefully. His hand was still shaking, and it took all his effort to hit the speed-dial button for Fraiser's house and hold the phone to his ear.
It didn't take long for Janet to pick up. "Hello?"
"Doc," Jack breathed into the receiver, his voice much weaker than he'd intended.
Janet seemed to sense something was wrong from his voice, because she worriedly asked, "Jack, what happened?"
"I think..." he breathed slowly, "I think I jussst...had a..sseishure." Jack grimaced at the slur in his voice. His head was pounding and his whole body hurt.
"Alright," Janet took a breath, sounding like she'd regained her calm. "Just stay where you are; I'm coming over. I'll be there in ten minutes."
Nodding to himself, Jack turned off the phone and weakly let it slip from his hand. He groaned as his head thumped back against the wall again, and Dorothy laid her front half over his legs. The bathroom’s tile floor was cold and unforgiving, but he didn't have the strength to get up, so he stayed put, as Janet would have wanted him to.
-
Janet sped to the O'Neill house, making the normally-fifteen minute drive in just under ten minutes. As she rushed up the stone steps with her medical bag, she thanked her lucky stars that the front door was unlocked. Hastily entering the house, she glanced toward the lounge where she could hear the television, but her attention was drawn toward the hall that led to the master bedroom when she heard Dorothy's deep bark.
"Jack?" Janet called out, making her way down the hall. She nearly stumbled back as Dorothy loped out of the bedroom and nearly barreled straight into her petite frame. The dog was barking and whining. "Jack?" she tried again.
When the Shepherd swung around and darted back into the bedroom, Janet quickly followed, not doubting Dorothy's ability to lead the doctor to her owner. As Dorothy trotted into the master bath, Janet had no doubts as to where she would find her friend. "Jack?"
"H-here..." a weak voice called out, barely audible.
Janet's dark eyes glossed over irresolutely as she took in the sight of the former Colonel. He lay on the cool tiled floor in just his boxer shorts, slumped awkwardly between the tub and the wall, pale and vulnerable. For a moment she was brought back to nearly two years earlier, caring for Jack when he wasn't able to care for himself, before Sam had returned, when she, Teal'c, and Daniel were primarily Jack's caretakers. It broke her heart to see him looking so helpless and lost once more.
Kneeling at his side once she'd managed to get a concerned Dorothy out of the way, Janet set down her bag and reached for his wrist to take his pulse. Satisfied that he had a fairly steady heartbeat, she turned her attention to searching for any type of injuries. Noticing a bit of blood on the edge of the bathtub, she reached for Jack's head, gingerly probing all around, causing him to wince as she came across a sore spot on the right side above his ear. Her fingers came away wet with blood.
"Jack, did you hit your head when you fell?" Janet already knew the answer, but she wanted to test his lucidity.
"I....I thih... I thhiiiinkso," he mumbled in response with effort.
Janet took his hand and squeezed gently. She really needed to get him somewhere more comfortable and warm. He'd started shaking. "Let's get you up off the floor. Think you can help me?"
Blinking slowly, Jack nodded and reached for the edge of the bathtub, trying to push himself upright while Janet took hold of his upper arm and helped him to his feet. Dorothy backed out of the bathroom and jumped on the bed as Janet guided Jack over and had him lie down. She covered him with a blanket, then went back to the bathroom for some things.
Jack was obviously weak and exhausted, and his speech was slurred because of the seizure as well. Janet knelt on the bed on his right side, with her medical bag opened up near his legs. She gingerly touched his forehead in a comforting gesture, then began to clean away the blood on the side of his head with a wet cloth from the bathroom. "Jack, how do you feel?" she asked him softly.
Knowing that it was useless lying to her, and not having the energy for it, Jack murmured, "Tuh-tired... Huh..rts.." Why was it so hard to talk? He heaved a sigh and felt his eyelids trying to close. He winced slightly as she dabbed at his head with what was probably an antiseptic wipe.
Janet had stopped tending to his head wound and was rubbing his arm to try and keep him focused on her. "Jack, listen, I need you to stay with me for a minute, okay? Just answer a few questions for me. Where do you hurt? Everywhere? Your head?"
He weakly managed to nod for both. God, he wanted to sleep. He felt a weight pressing against his left side and shifted his hand, encountering soft fur. Dorothy was lying beside him.
Fraiser's fingers were lightly probing around the wound on the side of his head. "This isn't too bad, but I think you may have a concussion."
Jack had really stopped listening after that. His eyelids felt too heavy and he couldn't focus anymore, his head lolling to the side on his pillow. Thoughts of Sam flittered through his brain, and he felt oddly displaced, like he was in a different time, a different moment. There was a voice speaking to him, but he couldn't make out what it was saying. It was a woman's voice.
A gentle hand raked through his hair. "Sssaam?" he croaked weakly.
Janet quickly realized that Jack wasn't exactly with her any longer. Her brows furrowed slightly, and she slid off the bed, taking her medical bag and tugging the blanket up to his shoulders to ensure he stayed warm. "No, Jack," she told him softly. "It's Janet." Putting her bag down on the floor, she put a hand on his shoulder. "You'll be okay. Just rest now."
He was breathing slowly, losing his battle to exhaustion. When his lips began moving as he tried to speak, Janet leaned forward and listened closely. "Wuh was'gonna...ask'er..t'marryme..."
Janet's eyes widened marginally as Jack trailed off, then he was gone. She sighed somberly and lightly touched his stubbly cheek before stepping back. Dorothy had lifted her head to watch her, but didn't get up. Janet smiled gently at the dog. "You look after Jack for me, alright?" Dorothy laid her head on Jack's legs, as though in agreement. "Good girl."
Putting a hand to her forehead, Janet made her way to the kitchen to put some coffee on and keep herself busy for a while until Jack woke up. She wasn't going to leave him, and when he was more lucid she needed to take him to the SGC. On her way to the kitchen, she caught a glimpse of the dining room and her heart clenched painfully. Jack had set the table with what looked like their nicest dishware, complete with romantic candles waiting to be lit, and flowers. He really was preparing to ask Sam to marry him.
-
Jack felt like absolute crap. He rolled onto his side with a groan, but didn't open his eyes yet. Feeling a heavy, warm body shift to lean against his back, Jack reached back an arm tiredly and encountered the body. It wasn't Sam, as he'd hoped, but it was Dorothy, and that soothed his slight anxiety. He vaguely recalled having a seizure, and he didn't want to be alone. His faithful German Shepherd had tried to warn him about the oncoming seizure with her whining, but he hadn't realized it. Jack wouldn't make that mistake twice, though he hoped there'd be no need for a warning in the first place.
Maybe if he'd recognized Dorothy's warning, he could have gotten down on the floor in preparation, instead of falling and whacking his head, Jack thought ruefully. Oy, speaking of his head, it was killing him at the moment. Forcing his eyes open, Jack's vision blurred minutely, and he felt sick. Concussion; yeah, he remembered that. He sat up slowly, trying to force the nausea from the concussion aside, but it wasn't slow enough.
Jack flung himself from the bed, falling at first before he regained wobbly footing and stumbled into the bathroom. He sunk to his knees at the toilet and emptied the contents of his stomach. Between heaving, he heard the sound of Dorothy's clawed feet on the cold tiles and felt the wet nose press into his bare side, between his ribs. Even though it wasn't the kind of comfort Sam could bring, he was grateful not to be alone.
Thinking that it was only Dorothy that was there with him, Jack jerked with surprise when he felt a cool, human hand press against his back.
"It's okay, Jack, it's just me," a familiar voice said softly, before he could turn his head around.
"Doc?" he croaked blearily.
"Yeah," Janet acknowledged, gently. "You called me over here, Jack. You had a seizure; do you remember?"
He slumped against the toilet with a groan. Bringing one hand up to rub against his aching head, Jack nodded carefully, closing his eyes. He heard Dorothy whine next to him, then felt a rough, wet tongue against his face.
-
Janet retrieved a wash cloth soaked in warm water and folded if over the back of Jack's neck. He looked miserable, and she frowned at him with sympathy. "You've been asleep for nearly an hour and a half."
"Sorry," he muttered, pulling his head out of the toilet and swiping at the dribble of vomit on his chin with obvious disgust. "Feel like crap."
"It's okay." Her gentle smile tightened into a grimace. "That's probably due mostly to the concussion." Janet watched him sit back on his heels with a moan and grab the cloth from his neck to wipe his face. She was pleased that his speech was back to normal again, if a little sluggish. "Can you get up?"
Jack gave a grunt of acknowledgement and reached out for the edge of the sink to pull himself up.
Janet hung onto his arm and helped him to his feet, letting go when he braced his arms against the edge of the sink. She backed off a little as he ran the water, splashing some on his face before grabbing for the mouthwash and rinsing the foul taste of vomit from his mouth. When he was finished, they returned to the bedroom and she stood in front of him as he sat down on the edge of the mattress, leaning forward with his head in his hands.
Dorothy was quick to hop onto the bed and lie down beside him. Janet could tell that Jack was grateful for the dog's warm presence.
"How about you lie down again, hm?" Janet suggested softly, bringing her hand up to rest on his shoulder.
Sighing, Jack straightened his back and slowly shook his head. One hand reached next to him to play with Dorothy's soft ears.
Janet dropped her hand from his shoulder and studied Jack briefly. His posture and attitude screamed to her the need to be in another's presence, desperate for some sort of contact, even if it was simply from the loyal dog beside him. She wished Sam didn't have to be off-world, because Janet knew her friend wouldn't even think twice about being here with Jack if she could. He appeared as though he really needed comfort; someone to hold him. Janet had no doubts that someone had to be Sam, just as it had over a year ago.
"Want to get dressed?" If he wasn't going to continue resting, Janet figured she might as well take him to the base. She needed to run some tests since he'd hit his head. If he'd only had the seizure, she wouldn't have to bring him in. The anti-convulsants Jack was taking made the seizures manageable; there wasn't a medication he could take to prevent them altogether. Because there was a head injury, Jack would need all sorts of tests and scans. Janet had to take extra precautions when the brain-injured former Colonel suffered any sort of head trauma.
When he nodded slightly in agreement, Janet went to gather some clothes for him without a word. Other than the fact that there was a new bureau in the room for Sam's things, and a subtle feminine touch, Jack had pretty much kept everything in place since she'd last taken care of him. She easily found some comfortable clothes for him, and handed him the sweats and t-shirt.
About to leave so Jack could finish getting dressed, Janet caught the warring look that flashed across his face. He looked like he wanted her to go, but needed her to stay. She frowned with uncertainty, wondering how bad he had to be feeling to be acting the way he was. He didn't want to be alone. Janet tilted her head slightly as she watched him shakily pull the t-shirt over his head. She was about to ask him if he was okay, then decided against it for the moment and quietly left the room.
When Jack came back out with Dorothy in tow, he was moving a little sluggishly, one hand gingerly massaging the knick on the right side of his head. He groaned, looking like he already knew what was coming. "You takin' me in, Doc?"
Janet had the car keys in her hand. "We're going to run an MRI, okay?"
"Doc," he started to protest, even as he began searching for his shoes.
"Jack, you know I have to," Janet said patiently, lightly taking him by the elbow when he'd slid his feet into a pair of old sneakers.
"But it's not bad," Jack whined half-heartedly as the doc grabbed Dorothy's leash from the coat rack and clipped it to the her collar.
Janet shot him a look. "It's bad enough, and I'm not taking any chances." They stepped out the door after Jack shrugged on his coat, and she handed him Dorothy's leash, picking up Jack's house keys that were on the table by the door and locking it behind them. "Do you have any idea what Sam would do to me if she found out I didn't make sure you were okay?"
Jack didn't have an answer for that one.
-
Once they'd dropped Dorothy off in Jack and Sam's suite on base, Janet took Jack straight to the infirmary. He seemed to be feeling a little better, if not tired, and had insisted she stop coddling him, pulling his arm out of her supportive grip. Needing to make arrangements for someone to take Cassie to the base when her daughter returned from her friend's house, Janet instructed Jack to sit on the infirmary bed and wait for her while she went to use the phone in her office. She ran into General Hammond on her way back to Jack.
"Doctor?" Hammond said with surprise when he saw her.
"Good afternoon, sir," Janet greeted, knowing he must have been confused to see her on base in her civilian clothing.
"Aren't you off duty for the day?" he asked curiously, possibly contemplating if it were the day he thought it was or not.
She smiled tightly, a little uncomfortable at the news she would need to give him. "Yes, sir." Janet paused, momentarily staring down at her sneaker-clad feet. "Jack called me at home after experiencing a seizure, sir. He hit his head and received a concussion when he fell. I've just brought him in to do a few tests."
The older man's face quickly molded into a concerned expression. "Is everything alright?"
"As far as I can tell at the moment, yes, sir. I'm just following procedure." Janet told him, eager to return to Jack before he got antsy and decided to go to his room or something.
Hammond nodded with understanding and waved for her to continue. "I'll let you carry on then, Doctor. Keep me appraised of his condition."
"I will, General. Thank you."
-
Chapter Nine
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