Transitions (10/12)
Title: Transitions (10/12)
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 Ten: Waking Up
Jack's return to consciousness was met with a gaggle of nurses swooping in to calm their abruptly flailing patient, not wanting him to dislodge tubes and wires put there for his own good. Janet was quickly shouting orders as she hurriedly pulled a surprised, groggy Sam up from the cot nearby and placed the other woman's hand on Jack's arm, pressing it gently to the mattress. "Talk to him," she said quickly.
Although it was obvious to Janet that Sam was struggling to gain some type of focus and reorient herself, she heaved a sigh of relief when her friend began whispering in a low, soothing tone.
"Jack, it's okay. It's Sam. Listen to me, okay? You need to calm down. You're going to hurt yourself." Sam gripped his hand with one of her own, then began to stroke his arm consolingly with the other. Her voice went even quieter. "Shh, it's okay. You're alright. Shh."
Janet was again relieved when her patient's arms and legs went limp once more, his head tilted toward Sam, and his eyelids began to flutter open. For a moment she was taken back to when Jack had been waking from his coma after the original emergency surgery to remove the shrapnel from his brain. She remembered feeling helpless, and the despair that had struck her when she realized that Jack O'Neill had woken as a very different person than the one they all knew. Janet prayed they wouldn't have to go through that again; that Jack wouldn't have to go through that again.
-
Sam's heart lodged somewhere in her throat as Jack's brown eyes opened and began to track towards her. She stopped stroking his arm to squeeze his hand in both of hers, and felt a flare of hope when his hand weakly clenched within her grip. "Hey, Jack, honey. Do you know who I am? Can you say my name?" Sam froze as she awaited some sort of response. He looked so fragile lying there, bandages wrapped around his head. He was breathing heavily in response to his frantic struggling moments ago.
His face twisted into a weak, crooked smile, and his voice was barely audible when he finally said, "It's . . . Teal'c, right?"
Choking out a strained laugh, Sam felt tears of relief streaking down her cheeks. "Oh, Jack," she cried softly, leaning over him and hugging him gingerly while placing a kiss on his cheek.
"Never . . . forget you . . . Sam." Jack's eyelids were already drifting closed again, and Sam could see Janet out of her peripheral vision, moving in to check his vitals as the doctor waved the hovering nurses off.
Janet went around the opposite side of the bed so Sam wouldn't have to move, then lightly cupped the side of Jack's face before he had to chance to drift off completely. "Jack, I know you want to sleep, but I need to know how you're feeling," the doctor told him, softly. "Any weird sensations or tingling in any of your limbs? Double vision? Odd smells, or anything like that?"
Sam watched intently as Jack blinked up at Janet, his eyebrows lifting as he tried to force himself to remain awake, though he was obviously failing. She stroked her thumb gingerly over his hand.
"Mrm . . . no," he mumbled, brows furrowing slightly now as his eyes closed. "Head . . . h'rrrts . . . Tired."
"Jack?" Sam called to him softly, but he was out for the count. She glanced over him at Janet, watching the doctor check his pulse and the output of his IV, injecting something into the IV port.
"Everything looks good right now, Sam," Janet assured her with a warm, consoling smile. "The pain is normal. I've just given him something for that. He'll probably sleep straight through to morning." Then she shot Sam a look of concern, and there was a sense of an order in her tone. "Go get something to eat, then I want you to rest."
Sam frowned and looked toward at her wrist watch. It was five in the evening, and she suddenly realized that SG-1 was due back soon. Her head lifted quickly, blue eyes meeting Janet's dark brown. "Daniel and Teal'c will be back soon."
Janet just smiled at her and came around Jack's bed again, so they were standing side by side. "I'll get them up to date when they arrive. Now go eat something; I need to go speak with the General. He wanted to know when Jack woke up."
Sighing softly, knowing her friend wasn't about to let her get away with anything, Sam nodded in acceptance and reluctantly started to leave Jack's recovery room. First she placed a gentle kiss on his forehead, then squeezed his hand one last time. She promised herself she wouldn't be leaving him for long, and knew that Janet would have someone looking after him.
-
Sam perched herself on the edge of Jack's bed and gingerly let her fingers play with the hair poking out from the bandage wrapped around his head. A day later, and he could finally stay awake longer than a few minutes at a time. It was nice to be able to speak with him and be reassured that he was no worse for wear after the surgery.
Jack's eyelids fluttered open, and Sam drew her hand back, letting it settle on his arm. As he focused on her, slowly, his mouth opened and his eyes shifted suspiciously. "Daniel? Teal'c?"
She gave his arm a gentle pat. "They were here a few minutes ago," Sam told him, softly. Since their return from off-world the previous night, Daniel and Teal'c had been updated on their friend's condition, and showed up in the infirmary every few hours to look in on him. "You were still asleep, and I told them not to wake you."
He nodded, once. "Oh." Jack tapped the mattress at his side with his other hand, then looked confused a moment later like he'd been expecting something. "No Dorothy?"
"No." Sam shook her head and smiled tightly, realizing he'd been expecting her to hop up onto the bed next to him. "Dorothy's at Janet's." She felt a little guilty that the loyal Shepherd was still staying at Janet's house. Cassie had called recently to worriedly tell them that the stubborn dog was refusing to eat today, and Sam was planning on picking Dorothy up if Janet would allow the dog to stay with them in a private room. The poor dog obviously missed her owners, Jack especially.
Jack offered another nod before his face contorted slightly in what Sam quickly assumed was discomfort.
"Are you in pain?" Sam asked with concern, squeezing his arm. She was reaching for the call button before he could respond.
He grunted, closing his eyes. "No. I'm . . . okay," he said softly, opening his eyes again and aiming a crooked smile her way.
Janet arrived swiftly and made a beeline for Jack's bed. She sent a smile toward Sam, then Jack as she stood on the opposite side of his bed so Sam wouldn't have to move. Pulling something out of her coat pocket, Sam didn't realize it was a syringe until Janet injected it into Jack's IV port. "Jack, I'm just giving you a mild painkiller," Janet said gently with a comforting smile aimed his way. "How are you feeling today?"
"Alright," he answered without thought, one hand fumbling to find the remote for the bed controls. Sam decided he must have found it, because soon the head of the bed was rising slowly so that he was able to sit up.
"I'm going to check your motor skills, okay?" Without waiting for an answer, Janet loosely grasped his hand and asked him to squeeze. After he did so, she smiled with a nod of approval and reached for the other hand, asking for the same thing.
Sam didn't know why, but she was nervous. As Janet asked him to complete different simple tasks, she had the sudden irrational fear that the doctor would find something wrong.
When Janet finished her simple tests to satisfaction, Sam released the breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. She smiled warmly at Jack as she noticed his gaze track toward her. He looked tired.
"Okay," Janet said with a smile, making a few notations in Jack's chart. "Everything looks good."
Jack perked up slightly, and Sam didn't fail to notice. "That mean I can go home?"
"Hmph." Shaking her head, Janet looked at Jack patiently. "Not so fast. I need to keep you around for a few days, just to allow the internal lesions some time to heal, and so we can monitor you." When Jack opened his mouth to protest, the doctor quickly added, "But I will allow you to go to your on-base quarters. We can do more tests later, or even tomorrow."
"Really?" Skepticism heavily laced Jack's voice.
Janet was smiling back at him. "You'll need to remain on a few monitors, but as long as you stay in bed and continue to take it easy, I can check up on you from there."
"Sweet." Jack exclaimed softly with a satisfied smile on his face that sent Sam's heart soaring.
Sam watched disinterestedly as Janet waved at an incoming nurse and sent the woman to fetch a gurney for Jack. She couldn't have been more relieved that the surgery went okay, honestly not knowing what she'd do with herself if anything happened to him again.
Once they'd gotten him settled, reluctantly, on the gurney, Sam stepped behind Jack, ready to do the driving. She knew Janet would want to set some rules down, so she waited for the doctor to come over to them.
"Sam," Janet called, gathering machinery, monitors, and leads. "Why don't you take Jack to your quarters, and I'll meet you there in a few minutes to set up, okay?"
"Sure."
“Do you need me to send an orderly with you to help with the gurney?” Janet offered.
“No, I think I can handle it.” Sam smiled, glancing down at Jack to see him craning his neck to grin wryly back up at her. He was okay, and that was all she cared about.
-
As Jack got comfortable in the bed, Janet set up the monitors and began attaching leads to his chest and at his temples. Then she addressed both Jack and Sam as she spoke. "Now, we can't yet be certain if the removal of the shrapnel and scar tissue made any difference in his condition. Over the next several months you'll need to keep track of any headaches, both regular headaches and the debilitating ones, seizures, including the type and length, and you'll need to record any nauseas episodes as well." Janet was looking at Sam, now. "Sam, I need you to help Jack keep a record, okay? Especially with the seizures, since he won't be as aware with those, and the bad headaches. I'll go over the different types of seizures with you, again, if you'd like."
Sam nodded and smiled tightly. "I'll need a refresher. The handful of times he's had seizures, they've all been the tonic-clonic ones."
"That's right; and that may not change, either." Janet nodded back at her. She adjusted some of the wires and then turned on the machines on the cart by the bed. "I'll give you a run down later, while Jack's getting his tests done. But for now, it's very important that he rests and takes it easy."
Jack groaned with exasperation, and Sam was well aware of how much he hated restrictions.
Janet handed Sam a small orange notebook with a pen clipped to it. "This is for the both of you to keep track. I want dates, times, and lengths of episodes, whichever ones they are. I'll also need you to make a note of any medications used to relieve his symptoms."
Sam sat on the edge of the bed, avoiding all the wires and Jack's IV line. She took his free hand, lightly stroking her thumb over his knuckles, and smiling gently when he gave her hand a faint squeeze.
"I'm not going to start him back on his seizure medication for at least another forty-eight hours. We need to see if there's been any change in the severity or number of seizures with this surgery, but I've already told you that it may not have affected him at all." Janet paused and smiled tightly with a soft sigh. "We may not even know if the seizures have been affected until months from now, since the ones he's had have been mostly few and far between."
Jack made a face, and Sam knew he didn't like the idea of being without his seizure medication. She sympathized with him, not wanting him to suffer from any of his episodes either.
Propped up by pillows, Jack's head began to tip sideways as his eyelids fluttered. Sam touched his shoulder and he started slightly, snapping his eyes open wide. "You okay?"
"Mm-hm." He nodded, blinking several times and breathing in and out slowly.
"Okay," Janet announced, "Time to rest, Jack." She took one last look at the monitors. "We'll be keeping an eye on you via the computers at the nurses station if you need anything." The doctor had rigged up a call button in the room with Sam's help. "I'll have someone bring something in for you to eat in a little while, alright?"
Jack grunted in response. "Not hungry," he muttered groggily.
"You need to eat," Sam said before Janet could. He rolled his eyes, and she briefly cupped the side of his face, sandpaper stubble scratching her hand.
He snorted, raising an eyebrow at her as he pointedly said, "So do you."
Sam smiled at that, catching Janet's quiet laugh as well. "I will," she assured him, lightly. "I promise. Now try and rest for a little while."
"Yes, ma'am." Jack smirked, then sluggishly tried to rearrange his pillows with Sam and Janet's help. He settled down, almost completely flat on his back, and drifted off to sleep.
-
Jack opened his eyes and tilted his head, brows immediately furrowing at the sight of the familiar figure sitting in the chair beside his bed. "Daniel?" he rasped, blinking a few times to clear his sleep-fogged vision.
"Hey," Daniel greeted with a friendly smile, looking up from some notebook he'd been flipping through.
Pushing himself upright slowly, and realizing, with relief, that his head didn't hurt, Jack carefully swung around to let his legs dangle off the edge of the bed as he faced his friend. He was still connected to leads and monitors, and the wires all tugged slightly when he moved. He wasn't too happy about that.
"What's the matter?" Daniel asked suddenly, with concern, sitting straighter in the chair.
Jack lifted his head and blinked at his friend. He realized that he must have been frowning. "Ah, nothin'." He waved a hand at all the medical paraphernalia. "Annoying extra wiring."
Daniel's head tipped with understanding. "Ah." He shifted in his seat again, leaning forward slightly. "How you feeling?"
Closing his eyes, briefly, Jack just shrugged and said, "Alright, I suppose." He looked around the room, but the person he really wanted to see wasn't there. "Where's Sam?"
"She went to pick up Dorothy and grab you some clothes from home."
"Oh." Jack quirked a brief smile. That was thoughtful of her. He was glad he'd get to see Dorothy, too. He was really missing the ole' girl, and knew she could be a bit of a handful when he was away too long.
"So," Daniel slapped the magazine against his knees. "How you feeling?"
Narrowing his eyes suspiciously, Jack muttered, "You just asked me that."
"Just checking." Daniel grinned at him cheekily, and reached out to pat Jack's leg.
"Har, har." Rolling his eyes, Jack started to stretch a little when the leads attached to him were pulled again. Irritated now, he yanked them all off, sending the machinery squealing. He quickly blocked his ears with a groan, all the noise suddenly making his head ache. "Agh! Shut that damn thing off!"
Daniel hopped up from his chair and began flicking switches, trying to get the machines to shut up. With one final flick, it was quiet again. "Okay, okay, I got it. No more noise."
Heaving a sigh, Jack lowered one of his hands; the other was curiously plucking at the bandage around his head.
"Jack, leave it alone," Daniel warned, diverting his attention as a nurse came running into the room, looking alarmed. The archaeologist shook his head and waved her off, pointing to the machines that had been wailing. The woman nodded understandingly and left.
Jack was just grateful that she wasn't going to insist he keep the wires all attached. He was sick of being tethered to a bed. He wanted to go home, and he wanted Sam. Feeling the build up of a panic attack as irrational anxiety washed over him and he began breathing heavily, Jack muttered a curse and pushed the heels of his hands into his eyes.
"Jack?" Daniel's soft voice called out, and a hand pressed down on Jack's shoulder. "Easy, now; breathe slow," he instructed calmly.
Concentrating hard, Jack forced himself to even out his breathing. He felt himself slowly start to calm down, and shifted on the bed, lowering his hands from his face. "M'fine," he mumbled.
"Sam will be back here with Dorothy, soon."
Nodding, Jack pulled his legs back up on the bed and leisurely laid back again. He continued to concentrate on taking deep, calming breaths, telling himself that he'd feel much better when Sam arrived.
-
Sam stepped into the house, unsure about what she'd find there. She hadn't been home since her mission, and Jack had left in a bit of a rush, considering the fact that Janet had come over to drag him off to the infirmary. As she walked around a little, ensuring doors and windows were locked, the dirty dishes in the kitchen sink weren't a surprise. What was a surprise, however, was the particular way the dining room table had been set. The fine china had been laid out, with neatly folded linen napkins, a set of candles, and a bouquet of flowers that were well on their way to wilting. The thought of Jack planning a romantic dinner for her when she'd gotten home put a smile on Sam's face.
Pulling a small sports duffle out of the bottom of the closet, Sam began to gather some of Jack's clothes to take back for him. She grabbed a couple of clean shirts, some sweats, a few old t-shirts for bed, some comfortable cargo pants, socks, and-
Sam's hand froze midway into his underwear drawer. There was a small, black velvet box tucked into the corner. Heart thudding in her chest with anticipation, she picked up the box, her thumb smoothing across the soft material for a moment before flicking it open. Inside was a simple white gold band, with two smaller diamonds on either side of a center larger one. Suddenly choked up with emotion, a slow smile spread across Sam's face as tears glistened in her eyes. Jack had been planning to ask her to marry him.
-
All of Jack's monitors and wires were gone by the time Sam returned to the SGC with Dorothy in tow. The big dog eagerly galloped over to the bed and hopped up to greet Jack before Sam could stop her. Jack had looked like he'd been sleeping so peacefully. She winced as Dorothy nosed at the blankets surrounding Jack to reveal his face for a good lick.
"Hrmph?" Jack rolled slowly onto his back, his eyes opening gradually and struggling to focus. "Hey, girl. I missed you, too." A grin spread across his face, arms reaching up to hug her thick, furry neck. He chuckled sleepily, then pushed himself to sit up. When his eyes shifted toward Sam, his grin widened. "Hey."
"Hey." Sam smiled back at him and held out a small carry bag. "I brought you some things from home." She set it down on the bed and sat down by Jack's legs.
"Thanks." The flash of relief in Jack's eyes, when he looked at her, didn't go unnoticed. She glanced at Daniel, who shrugged, then bid them both a "See you later," on his way out.
Sam had just finished helping Jack into his sweats and t-shirt when Janet strode into the room, pushing a cart with a few medical supplies. They both turned to the doctor in greeting as Dorothy sat up at the end of the bed, attentively watching the doctor and wagging her tail. Janet looked at the machines that had been turned off. "Sergeant Fitzgerald told me that you disconnected your wires earlier," she said mildly, a faint hint of disapproval in her tone.
Jack swung his legs over the side of the bed slowly, so that he was sitting side-by-side with Sam. He glared at the machines disdainfully, but didn't respond.
"It's alright. I was going to remove them anyway. I'll check in with you myself every couple of hours." Janet gave Dorothy a pat on the head and stepped in front of Jack and Sam, pulling a chair over and taking a seat. "I just came by to remove the bandages on your head, and see how you're feeling."
Sam moved over to give Jack room as Janet stood again to unwrap the gauze around his head. She couldn't help the twitch of a grimace on her face as Janet revealed the horseshoe incision that started at the back of Jack's right ear and curved over to his temple.
Janet pulled on a pair of gloves, then lightly probed along the incision, reaching for the tray she'd parked nearby, and then using antiseptic wipes to clean along the wound. After she'd applied some sort of gel, she removed the gloves and leaned back with a reassuring smile. "Okay, this looks good, Jack. The stitches should be able to come out in a week, and if this continues to heal well, the scar shouldn't be too bad once your hair grows out."
Jack snorted, lightly fingering the old scar above his ear without touching the new stitch work. "No problem. I'm no stranger to hideous scars, Doc."
Moving closer to him again, Sam's lips curved into a tight smile that matched Janet's. She reached over to place her hand on Jack's knee, giving it a gentle, comforting squeeze, then leaned sideways to kiss his cheek. He grinned lopsidedly and placed his hand over hers.
"Now, how are you feeling?" Janet asked, gathering up her supplies, ready to leave the two of them alone.
"Pretty good," Jack answered lowly. He shrugged. "Just tired."
Sam glanced at Janet, but she didn't seem concerned. Wanting to be close to Jack, she hooked her arm around his and rested her head on his shoulder, lovingly running her hand up and down his arm.
"That's normal. You're probably going to continue to tire easily over the next few days."
Jack heaved a sigh. Sam could tell that at that very moment he was ready to lie down and go back to sleep again.
"Have you eaten?" Janet wanted to know.
"Yeah. Earlier, when Daniel was here," Jack confirmed with a faint nod. He tilted his head, motioning Dorothy over with his left hand as Sam lifted her head from his shoulder. The German Shepherd walked around them and settled on the other side of Jack, resting her head by his leg.
Janet smiled at him. "Alright, that's good." She patted his knee. "Get some rest, and I'll come by in another couple of hours to check on you."
"Uh-huh." Jack nodded, tiredly, and Sam helped him to lie down again.
Dorothy moved to lie down by his feet as Sam crawled onto the bed, kicking off her shoes and curling up at his side. She closed her eyes, gently resting a hand on his stomach. "You okay?" she asked him softly.
Her hand rose and fell on his stomach as he took a deep breath and sighed. "Yeah." She could hear the relief in his voice. "I'm okay."
-
Chapter Eleven
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 Ten: Waking Up
Jack's return to consciousness was met with a gaggle of nurses swooping in to calm their abruptly flailing patient, not wanting him to dislodge tubes and wires put there for his own good. Janet was quickly shouting orders as she hurriedly pulled a surprised, groggy Sam up from the cot nearby and placed the other woman's hand on Jack's arm, pressing it gently to the mattress. "Talk to him," she said quickly.
Although it was obvious to Janet that Sam was struggling to gain some type of focus and reorient herself, she heaved a sigh of relief when her friend began whispering in a low, soothing tone.
"Jack, it's okay. It's Sam. Listen to me, okay? You need to calm down. You're going to hurt yourself." Sam gripped his hand with one of her own, then began to stroke his arm consolingly with the other. Her voice went even quieter. "Shh, it's okay. You're alright. Shh."
Janet was again relieved when her patient's arms and legs went limp once more, his head tilted toward Sam, and his eyelids began to flutter open. For a moment she was taken back to when Jack had been waking from his coma after the original emergency surgery to remove the shrapnel from his brain. She remembered feeling helpless, and the despair that had struck her when she realized that Jack O'Neill had woken as a very different person than the one they all knew. Janet prayed they wouldn't have to go through that again; that Jack wouldn't have to go through that again.
-
Sam's heart lodged somewhere in her throat as Jack's brown eyes opened and began to track towards her. She stopped stroking his arm to squeeze his hand in both of hers, and felt a flare of hope when his hand weakly clenched within her grip. "Hey, Jack, honey. Do you know who I am? Can you say my name?" Sam froze as she awaited some sort of response. He looked so fragile lying there, bandages wrapped around his head. He was breathing heavily in response to his frantic struggling moments ago.
His face twisted into a weak, crooked smile, and his voice was barely audible when he finally said, "It's . . . Teal'c, right?"
Choking out a strained laugh, Sam felt tears of relief streaking down her cheeks. "Oh, Jack," she cried softly, leaning over him and hugging him gingerly while placing a kiss on his cheek.
"Never . . . forget you . . . Sam." Jack's eyelids were already drifting closed again, and Sam could see Janet out of her peripheral vision, moving in to check his vitals as the doctor waved the hovering nurses off.
Janet went around the opposite side of the bed so Sam wouldn't have to move, then lightly cupped the side of Jack's face before he had to chance to drift off completely. "Jack, I know you want to sleep, but I need to know how you're feeling," the doctor told him, softly. "Any weird sensations or tingling in any of your limbs? Double vision? Odd smells, or anything like that?"
Sam watched intently as Jack blinked up at Janet, his eyebrows lifting as he tried to force himself to remain awake, though he was obviously failing. She stroked her thumb gingerly over his hand.
"Mrm . . . no," he mumbled, brows furrowing slightly now as his eyes closed. "Head . . . h'rrrts . . . Tired."
"Jack?" Sam called to him softly, but he was out for the count. She glanced over him at Janet, watching the doctor check his pulse and the output of his IV, injecting something into the IV port.
"Everything looks good right now, Sam," Janet assured her with a warm, consoling smile. "The pain is normal. I've just given him something for that. He'll probably sleep straight through to morning." Then she shot Sam a look of concern, and there was a sense of an order in her tone. "Go get something to eat, then I want you to rest."
Sam frowned and looked toward at her wrist watch. It was five in the evening, and she suddenly realized that SG-1 was due back soon. Her head lifted quickly, blue eyes meeting Janet's dark brown. "Daniel and Teal'c will be back soon."
Janet just smiled at her and came around Jack's bed again, so they were standing side by side. "I'll get them up to date when they arrive. Now go eat something; I need to go speak with the General. He wanted to know when Jack woke up."
Sighing softly, knowing her friend wasn't about to let her get away with anything, Sam nodded in acceptance and reluctantly started to leave Jack's recovery room. First she placed a gentle kiss on his forehead, then squeezed his hand one last time. She promised herself she wouldn't be leaving him for long, and knew that Janet would have someone looking after him.
-
Sam perched herself on the edge of Jack's bed and gingerly let her fingers play with the hair poking out from the bandage wrapped around his head. A day later, and he could finally stay awake longer than a few minutes at a time. It was nice to be able to speak with him and be reassured that he was no worse for wear after the surgery.
Jack's eyelids fluttered open, and Sam drew her hand back, letting it settle on his arm. As he focused on her, slowly, his mouth opened and his eyes shifted suspiciously. "Daniel? Teal'c?"
She gave his arm a gentle pat. "They were here a few minutes ago," Sam told him, softly. Since their return from off-world the previous night, Daniel and Teal'c had been updated on their friend's condition, and showed up in the infirmary every few hours to look in on him. "You were still asleep, and I told them not to wake you."
He nodded, once. "Oh." Jack tapped the mattress at his side with his other hand, then looked confused a moment later like he'd been expecting something. "No Dorothy?"
"No." Sam shook her head and smiled tightly, realizing he'd been expecting her to hop up onto the bed next to him. "Dorothy's at Janet's." She felt a little guilty that the loyal Shepherd was still staying at Janet's house. Cassie had called recently to worriedly tell them that the stubborn dog was refusing to eat today, and Sam was planning on picking Dorothy up if Janet would allow the dog to stay with them in a private room. The poor dog obviously missed her owners, Jack especially.
Jack offered another nod before his face contorted slightly in what Sam quickly assumed was discomfort.
"Are you in pain?" Sam asked with concern, squeezing his arm. She was reaching for the call button before he could respond.
He grunted, closing his eyes. "No. I'm . . . okay," he said softly, opening his eyes again and aiming a crooked smile her way.
Janet arrived swiftly and made a beeline for Jack's bed. She sent a smile toward Sam, then Jack as she stood on the opposite side of his bed so Sam wouldn't have to move. Pulling something out of her coat pocket, Sam didn't realize it was a syringe until Janet injected it into Jack's IV port. "Jack, I'm just giving you a mild painkiller," Janet said gently with a comforting smile aimed his way. "How are you feeling today?"
"Alright," he answered without thought, one hand fumbling to find the remote for the bed controls. Sam decided he must have found it, because soon the head of the bed was rising slowly so that he was able to sit up.
"I'm going to check your motor skills, okay?" Without waiting for an answer, Janet loosely grasped his hand and asked him to squeeze. After he did so, she smiled with a nod of approval and reached for the other hand, asking for the same thing.
Sam didn't know why, but she was nervous. As Janet asked him to complete different simple tasks, she had the sudden irrational fear that the doctor would find something wrong.
When Janet finished her simple tests to satisfaction, Sam released the breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. She smiled warmly at Jack as she noticed his gaze track toward her. He looked tired.
"Okay," Janet said with a smile, making a few notations in Jack's chart. "Everything looks good."
Jack perked up slightly, and Sam didn't fail to notice. "That mean I can go home?"
"Hmph." Shaking her head, Janet looked at Jack patiently. "Not so fast. I need to keep you around for a few days, just to allow the internal lesions some time to heal, and so we can monitor you." When Jack opened his mouth to protest, the doctor quickly added, "But I will allow you to go to your on-base quarters. We can do more tests later, or even tomorrow."
"Really?" Skepticism heavily laced Jack's voice.
Janet was smiling back at him. "You'll need to remain on a few monitors, but as long as you stay in bed and continue to take it easy, I can check up on you from there."
"Sweet." Jack exclaimed softly with a satisfied smile on his face that sent Sam's heart soaring.
Sam watched disinterestedly as Janet waved at an incoming nurse and sent the woman to fetch a gurney for Jack. She couldn't have been more relieved that the surgery went okay, honestly not knowing what she'd do with herself if anything happened to him again.
Once they'd gotten him settled, reluctantly, on the gurney, Sam stepped behind Jack, ready to do the driving. She knew Janet would want to set some rules down, so she waited for the doctor to come over to them.
"Sam," Janet called, gathering machinery, monitors, and leads. "Why don't you take Jack to your quarters, and I'll meet you there in a few minutes to set up, okay?"
"Sure."
“Do you need me to send an orderly with you to help with the gurney?” Janet offered.
“No, I think I can handle it.” Sam smiled, glancing down at Jack to see him craning his neck to grin wryly back up at her. He was okay, and that was all she cared about.
-
As Jack got comfortable in the bed, Janet set up the monitors and began attaching leads to his chest and at his temples. Then she addressed both Jack and Sam as she spoke. "Now, we can't yet be certain if the removal of the shrapnel and scar tissue made any difference in his condition. Over the next several months you'll need to keep track of any headaches, both regular headaches and the debilitating ones, seizures, including the type and length, and you'll need to record any nauseas episodes as well." Janet was looking at Sam, now. "Sam, I need you to help Jack keep a record, okay? Especially with the seizures, since he won't be as aware with those, and the bad headaches. I'll go over the different types of seizures with you, again, if you'd like."
Sam nodded and smiled tightly. "I'll need a refresher. The handful of times he's had seizures, they've all been the tonic-clonic ones."
"That's right; and that may not change, either." Janet nodded back at her. She adjusted some of the wires and then turned on the machines on the cart by the bed. "I'll give you a run down later, while Jack's getting his tests done. But for now, it's very important that he rests and takes it easy."
Jack groaned with exasperation, and Sam was well aware of how much he hated restrictions.
Janet handed Sam a small orange notebook with a pen clipped to it. "This is for the both of you to keep track. I want dates, times, and lengths of episodes, whichever ones they are. I'll also need you to make a note of any medications used to relieve his symptoms."
Sam sat on the edge of the bed, avoiding all the wires and Jack's IV line. She took his free hand, lightly stroking her thumb over his knuckles, and smiling gently when he gave her hand a faint squeeze.
"I'm not going to start him back on his seizure medication for at least another forty-eight hours. We need to see if there's been any change in the severity or number of seizures with this surgery, but I've already told you that it may not have affected him at all." Janet paused and smiled tightly with a soft sigh. "We may not even know if the seizures have been affected until months from now, since the ones he's had have been mostly few and far between."
Jack made a face, and Sam knew he didn't like the idea of being without his seizure medication. She sympathized with him, not wanting him to suffer from any of his episodes either.
Propped up by pillows, Jack's head began to tip sideways as his eyelids fluttered. Sam touched his shoulder and he started slightly, snapping his eyes open wide. "You okay?"
"Mm-hm." He nodded, blinking several times and breathing in and out slowly.
"Okay," Janet announced, "Time to rest, Jack." She took one last look at the monitors. "We'll be keeping an eye on you via the computers at the nurses station if you need anything." The doctor had rigged up a call button in the room with Sam's help. "I'll have someone bring something in for you to eat in a little while, alright?"
Jack grunted in response. "Not hungry," he muttered groggily.
"You need to eat," Sam said before Janet could. He rolled his eyes, and she briefly cupped the side of his face, sandpaper stubble scratching her hand.
He snorted, raising an eyebrow at her as he pointedly said, "So do you."
Sam smiled at that, catching Janet's quiet laugh as well. "I will," she assured him, lightly. "I promise. Now try and rest for a little while."
"Yes, ma'am." Jack smirked, then sluggishly tried to rearrange his pillows with Sam and Janet's help. He settled down, almost completely flat on his back, and drifted off to sleep.
-
Jack opened his eyes and tilted his head, brows immediately furrowing at the sight of the familiar figure sitting in the chair beside his bed. "Daniel?" he rasped, blinking a few times to clear his sleep-fogged vision.
"Hey," Daniel greeted with a friendly smile, looking up from some notebook he'd been flipping through.
Pushing himself upright slowly, and realizing, with relief, that his head didn't hurt, Jack carefully swung around to let his legs dangle off the edge of the bed as he faced his friend. He was still connected to leads and monitors, and the wires all tugged slightly when he moved. He wasn't too happy about that.
"What's the matter?" Daniel asked suddenly, with concern, sitting straighter in the chair.
Jack lifted his head and blinked at his friend. He realized that he must have been frowning. "Ah, nothin'." He waved a hand at all the medical paraphernalia. "Annoying extra wiring."
Daniel's head tipped with understanding. "Ah." He shifted in his seat again, leaning forward slightly. "How you feeling?"
Closing his eyes, briefly, Jack just shrugged and said, "Alright, I suppose." He looked around the room, but the person he really wanted to see wasn't there. "Where's Sam?"
"She went to pick up Dorothy and grab you some clothes from home."
"Oh." Jack quirked a brief smile. That was thoughtful of her. He was glad he'd get to see Dorothy, too. He was really missing the ole' girl, and knew she could be a bit of a handful when he was away too long.
"So," Daniel slapped the magazine against his knees. "How you feeling?"
Narrowing his eyes suspiciously, Jack muttered, "You just asked me that."
"Just checking." Daniel grinned at him cheekily, and reached out to pat Jack's leg.
"Har, har." Rolling his eyes, Jack started to stretch a little when the leads attached to him were pulled again. Irritated now, he yanked them all off, sending the machinery squealing. He quickly blocked his ears with a groan, all the noise suddenly making his head ache. "Agh! Shut that damn thing off!"
Daniel hopped up from his chair and began flicking switches, trying to get the machines to shut up. With one final flick, it was quiet again. "Okay, okay, I got it. No more noise."
Heaving a sigh, Jack lowered one of his hands; the other was curiously plucking at the bandage around his head.
"Jack, leave it alone," Daniel warned, diverting his attention as a nurse came running into the room, looking alarmed. The archaeologist shook his head and waved her off, pointing to the machines that had been wailing. The woman nodded understandingly and left.
Jack was just grateful that she wasn't going to insist he keep the wires all attached. He was sick of being tethered to a bed. He wanted to go home, and he wanted Sam. Feeling the build up of a panic attack as irrational anxiety washed over him and he began breathing heavily, Jack muttered a curse and pushed the heels of his hands into his eyes.
"Jack?" Daniel's soft voice called out, and a hand pressed down on Jack's shoulder. "Easy, now; breathe slow," he instructed calmly.
Concentrating hard, Jack forced himself to even out his breathing. He felt himself slowly start to calm down, and shifted on the bed, lowering his hands from his face. "M'fine," he mumbled.
"Sam will be back here with Dorothy, soon."
Nodding, Jack pulled his legs back up on the bed and leisurely laid back again. He continued to concentrate on taking deep, calming breaths, telling himself that he'd feel much better when Sam arrived.
-
Sam stepped into the house, unsure about what she'd find there. She hadn't been home since her mission, and Jack had left in a bit of a rush, considering the fact that Janet had come over to drag him off to the infirmary. As she walked around a little, ensuring doors and windows were locked, the dirty dishes in the kitchen sink weren't a surprise. What was a surprise, however, was the particular way the dining room table had been set. The fine china had been laid out, with neatly folded linen napkins, a set of candles, and a bouquet of flowers that were well on their way to wilting. The thought of Jack planning a romantic dinner for her when she'd gotten home put a smile on Sam's face.
Pulling a small sports duffle out of the bottom of the closet, Sam began to gather some of Jack's clothes to take back for him. She grabbed a couple of clean shirts, some sweats, a few old t-shirts for bed, some comfortable cargo pants, socks, and-
Sam's hand froze midway into his underwear drawer. There was a small, black velvet box tucked into the corner. Heart thudding in her chest with anticipation, she picked up the box, her thumb smoothing across the soft material for a moment before flicking it open. Inside was a simple white gold band, with two smaller diamonds on either side of a center larger one. Suddenly choked up with emotion, a slow smile spread across Sam's face as tears glistened in her eyes. Jack had been planning to ask her to marry him.
-
All of Jack's monitors and wires were gone by the time Sam returned to the SGC with Dorothy in tow. The big dog eagerly galloped over to the bed and hopped up to greet Jack before Sam could stop her. Jack had looked like he'd been sleeping so peacefully. She winced as Dorothy nosed at the blankets surrounding Jack to reveal his face for a good lick.
"Hrmph?" Jack rolled slowly onto his back, his eyes opening gradually and struggling to focus. "Hey, girl. I missed you, too." A grin spread across his face, arms reaching up to hug her thick, furry neck. He chuckled sleepily, then pushed himself to sit up. When his eyes shifted toward Sam, his grin widened. "Hey."
"Hey." Sam smiled back at him and held out a small carry bag. "I brought you some things from home." She set it down on the bed and sat down by Jack's legs.
"Thanks." The flash of relief in Jack's eyes, when he looked at her, didn't go unnoticed. She glanced at Daniel, who shrugged, then bid them both a "See you later," on his way out.
Sam had just finished helping Jack into his sweats and t-shirt when Janet strode into the room, pushing a cart with a few medical supplies. They both turned to the doctor in greeting as Dorothy sat up at the end of the bed, attentively watching the doctor and wagging her tail. Janet looked at the machines that had been turned off. "Sergeant Fitzgerald told me that you disconnected your wires earlier," she said mildly, a faint hint of disapproval in her tone.
Jack swung his legs over the side of the bed slowly, so that he was sitting side-by-side with Sam. He glared at the machines disdainfully, but didn't respond.
"It's alright. I was going to remove them anyway. I'll check in with you myself every couple of hours." Janet gave Dorothy a pat on the head and stepped in front of Jack and Sam, pulling a chair over and taking a seat. "I just came by to remove the bandages on your head, and see how you're feeling."
Sam moved over to give Jack room as Janet stood again to unwrap the gauze around his head. She couldn't help the twitch of a grimace on her face as Janet revealed the horseshoe incision that started at the back of Jack's right ear and curved over to his temple.
Janet pulled on a pair of gloves, then lightly probed along the incision, reaching for the tray she'd parked nearby, and then using antiseptic wipes to clean along the wound. After she'd applied some sort of gel, she removed the gloves and leaned back with a reassuring smile. "Okay, this looks good, Jack. The stitches should be able to come out in a week, and if this continues to heal well, the scar shouldn't be too bad once your hair grows out."
Jack snorted, lightly fingering the old scar above his ear without touching the new stitch work. "No problem. I'm no stranger to hideous scars, Doc."
Moving closer to him again, Sam's lips curved into a tight smile that matched Janet's. She reached over to place her hand on Jack's knee, giving it a gentle, comforting squeeze, then leaned sideways to kiss his cheek. He grinned lopsidedly and placed his hand over hers.
"Now, how are you feeling?" Janet asked, gathering up her supplies, ready to leave the two of them alone.
"Pretty good," Jack answered lowly. He shrugged. "Just tired."
Sam glanced at Janet, but she didn't seem concerned. Wanting to be close to Jack, she hooked her arm around his and rested her head on his shoulder, lovingly running her hand up and down his arm.
"That's normal. You're probably going to continue to tire easily over the next few days."
Jack heaved a sigh. Sam could tell that at that very moment he was ready to lie down and go back to sleep again.
"Have you eaten?" Janet wanted to know.
"Yeah. Earlier, when Daniel was here," Jack confirmed with a faint nod. He tilted his head, motioning Dorothy over with his left hand as Sam lifted her head from his shoulder. The German Shepherd walked around them and settled on the other side of Jack, resting her head by his leg.
Janet smiled at him. "Alright, that's good." She patted his knee. "Get some rest, and I'll come by in another couple of hours to check on you."
"Uh-huh." Jack nodded, tiredly, and Sam helped him to lie down again.
Dorothy moved to lie down by his feet as Sam crawled onto the bed, kicking off her shoes and curling up at his side. She closed her eyes, gently resting a hand on his stomach. "You okay?" she asked him softly.
Her hand rose and fell on his stomach as he took a deep breath and sighed. "Yeah." She could hear the relief in his voice. "I'm okay."
-
Chapter Eleven
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