Christmas Miracles (Part 2 of 2)
Title: Christmas Miracles (Part 2 of 2)
Summary: Jack and Sam are stuck together, stranded in the middle of nowhere just before the holidays.
Timeframe: Somewhere between seasons three and four.
Pairings: Sam/Jack
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Drama, Romance
Rating: PG.
Feeling warm and comfortable, Sam rolled in her sleep and hugged her pillow closer. The soft material of the pillow molded into her arms and she froze. The pillow she wanted wasn't supposed to be so soft and pliable, it was supposed to be warm, a little hard, but much more comfortable. When she realized she wasn't curled close to Jack, Sam frowned and slowly opened her eyes, now fighting the effects of a dull headache.
"Sammy?"
Her father appeared in her line of vision, a relieved smile on his face. "Dad?" she managed to croak out, surprise at the sound of her own voice showing on her face.
"Hey sweetheart," Jacob lightly stroked a hand through her hair. "You've been out for a couple hours now. Doctor Fraiser says you've got a concussion and some mild hypothermia. How're you feeling?"
"Headache," Sam murmured, blinking several times to focus. Her eyebrows raised, bright blue eyes widening in panic. "Jack!" she rolled onto her back and sat up quickly, holding a hand to her suddenly spinning head. "Is he okay?! Where is he?"
Jacob's own eyes widened in surprise. "Jack?"
"Colonel O'Neill," Sam corrected hurriedly. "His back! Is he-?!" she left the question unanswered, her heart jumping into her throat, but her father seemed to understand.
"He's not paralyzed Sam," Jacob assured her in a low, soothing voice. "Fraiser said there was some swelling in the tissue of his lower back, pressing against his spinal cord. He's gonna have some trouble walking for a little while, but he'll be okay,"
Sam heaved a sigh of relief, her focus suddenly snapping toward Janet as the petite doctor entered the infirmary and swiftly made her way toward her. "Janet! How's...the Colonel?"
"He's resting now, but as your father told you, there was swelling in his back that caused the near-paralysis and numbness of the legs you explained that he'd been experiencing," Janet smiled at her friend gently. "I've got him on some corticosteroids to get the swelling down, and as far as we can tell right now, it seems to be working. Colonel O'Neill was also suffering moderate hypothermia, as well as a concussion and the dislocated shoulder you mentioned,"
Sam nodded, satisfied with the doctor's diagnosis. She was so relieved that his condition wasn't as bad as she'd feared. "His shoulder..." she began in a worried, hesitant tone. "I tried to get it back in place-"
Janet rested a comforting hand on her friend's arm. "You did an excellent job, Sam. The Colonel will be sore for awhile, but the joint suffered no fracture and was placed perfectly back in the socket."
"Good," Sam breathed, briefly closing her eyes. Peering tiredly between Janet and her father, her brows furrowed suddenly. "Where is he?"
Janet nodded toward Jacob, and he drew back the curtain around Sam's bed. Jack was sleeping in the next bed over, his right arm in a sling, and a bandage covering the stitched-up gash near his hairline. He was attached to an IV, and mostly covered by warm blankets. "He woke briefly while we were taking him for X-rays. He was asking for you," Janet said in a gentle whisper. "Wanted to make sure you were okay," she smiled a little.
Sam couldn't help the smile that quirked briefly on her face. Still looking over at Jack, she slowly laid back down on her side as a sudden wave of exhaustion hit her. Her eyes drifted toward her father once more. "I'm sorry I made you miss our flight," she murmured apologetically.
Jacob grasped one of her hands in both of his own. "Ah, don't worry about it. Mark will understand,"
Her brows furrowed in response, and she barely noticed Janet moving toward Jack's bed to check on him and give them some privacy. "You should go see them Dad. I'm sure General Hammond could get you a flight to California, courtesy of the U.S. Air Force,"
He heaved a patient sigh. "I don't want you to be stuck here alone for Christmas,"
"I'll be okay Dad," Sam smiled convincingly at him. "Colonel O'Neill will be here. We'll just have to have an on-base Christmas and keep each other company,"
"Sam... I can call Mark and we can go visit him together when the doctor discharges you," Jacob tried to reason. He then had to forcefully quash down the oncoming thoughts from his symbiote, Selmak. She wants to be with him. Let it be Jacob. He pushed the Tok'ra's opinions out of his own head, not wanting to face what the wise old alien was trying to tell him about his daughter and her CO.
"I'm fine Dad," she insisted. "Go see Mark, Trudy, and the kids. They miss you,"
Finally, Jacob nodded. He slowly released her hand. "Okay kid. I'd better go rearrange something with George. I'll come in and check up on you before I go," Winking at her affectionately, Jacob left the infirmary in search of his old friend.
-
After saying her goodbyes to her father, Sam must have fallen asleep again, because the next time she woke, it was to the sound of voices in the direction of Jack's bed. When her muzzy mind was able to understand what was being said, she realized that Janet was explaining Jack's condition to him. Rolling slowly onto her side to face them, she could see that the Colonel was sitting up in bed, propped up by a couple soft pillows, still looking a little pale, but otherwise much better now that he was awake. She smiled. Neither he nor Janet had noticed she was awake yet.
"I suppose that's a relief then, eh Doc?" Jack looked at her with a wan, lopsided smile. "I can walk,"
She gave him one of those stern looks, her own dark eyes narrowed. "Not at the moment you're not doing any walking," she warned. "It's going to take a little more time for the swelling to go down, and you'll be pretty sore. So that means wheelchair. For at least the next couple days. Then I'll want to get you into some physical therapy,"
"Oh joy," Jack grunted and heaved a sigh. He would have crossed his arms over his chest if the one wasn't in a sling. Suddenly, as if sensing that she was awake now, he turned his head in Sam's direction and quirked a smile. "Hey Carter,"
"Colonel, hi," Sam smiled back at him and slowly began to sit up. Her legs swung gingerly over the side of the bed, her movements slow and careful, knowing that Janet was watching her like a hawk.
Janet managed to contain her smile when she noticed the way that Sam and Jack were speaking to one another with their eyes. Stuffing her hands in the pockets of her white coat, she cleared her throat to gain their attention. "Now listen you two," Janet began in a motherly tone, "I'd like the both of you to try and eat something, but it's very late and straight after I want you to go right back to bed, is that understood?"
Sam laughed softly and nodded, tucking a rebellious strand of hair behind her ear.
Jack snorted and rolled his eyes. "I don't suppose this means we'll get to escape these beds, huh?" His eyebrows rose hopefully, though he knew there wasn't a chance Janet would let either of them - him especially - out of her clutches so soon.
"No Colonel, I'm afraid not," Janet shook her head at him. "I'll have one of the nurses bring something light down for the both of you," That said, the doctor's heels were soon tapping along the floor swiftly as she retreated to her office.
Sam's eyes skittered over to the clock on the wall. It was 2317 hours; almost Christmas Eve. Her blue-eyed gaze drifted back toward her Commanding Officer. She found it hard thinking of him that way right now. They'd gotten almost casual in that barn in Nebraska, and she found herself quickly wanting it back, worried that he was going to go all formal on her now, conveniently forgetting everything that happened there, and back at his cabin when they'd kissed.
Before Sam could bring up her concerns, Jack started talking as though he'd read her mind.
"Sam," he said with a slight rasp to his voice. He could turn his head toward her, but twisting his upper body to better face her was definitely not going to happen. His back hurt too much for that. Smiling at her disarmingly, his mesmerizing brown eyes twinkled lovingly at her. "I'm not going to lock this up Sam," Jack told her quietly. "If we have to...put up a front around the others for..awhile, that's okay. But it's just us... I don't wanna pretend that I don't love you,"
Sam's eyes widened in shock. She expected something from him, some kind of reaction, but certainly not that! He'd said those words. He'd said that he loved her. For a moment she couldn't breathe, just stared at him. Then she saw a look of uncertainty and rejection flash across his face and managed a bright smile. Sam nodded emphatically. "Yeah. Me neither. I mean - Me too. I love you too," she whispered, wary that Janet or the nurse bringing their food could walk in at any moment.
"We'll talk more...later," Jack grinned, pleased beyond all reason with her response, "When we're outta here." He nodded. Jack couldn't love her more than he did right then. She was perfectly imperfect, beautiful and smart, and just so.... Carter. He loved her, and for whatever reason, she loved him too.
-
Despite having not eaten in awhile, neither Sam or Jack finished their small meal once the nurse dropped it off for them, and easily went back to sleep afterwards. Janet had stepped in to make sure her patients were okay, then returned to her office so she could brief Dr. Warner of their conditions. He was the next doctor on rotation, and Fraiser would be going home to her daughter. She almost hated to leave her two friends, but somehow knew that they'd be just fine.
By morning Janet returned to find that her patients had been permitted to go to the recreation room on the same level the infirmary was on. She went to check on them, peering discretely in the doorway. The doctor was relieved to see that the Colonel was in a wheelchair, having been prepared to scold him severely if he wasn't. He was positioned in front of a card table with Sam seated across from him, and it looked like they were playing Scrabble.
"Jack, d'oh is not an actual word!" Sam exclaimed, rolling her eyes.
"Is so!" Jack protested. "C'mon Sam, gimme a break. You're winning by like a gazillion points!"
"Gazillion isn't an actual number either," she told him smugly, trying hard not to giggle as he glared at her and childishly stuck out his tongue.
Janet's eyes widened momentarily and she pulled her head quickly out of the doorway before they noticed her, leaning her back up against the wall in the hallway just outside. Was it her imagination, or were they calling each other by their first names? Trying to wipe the shocked expression off her face, Janet composed herself and noisily entered the room to get their attention.
Seeing that Jack and Sam seemed to be in good spirits this morning, she smiled cheerfully at them. "Good morning! How are my two favorite patients doing this morning?"
"Doc, we're your ONLY two patients," Jack muttered, ignoring the question.
Sam smiled unabashedly at him for a moment before remembering Janet was in the room. Most of the morning they'd been relatively left alone, and able to be casual with one another. But she definitely had to put a dampener on that now.
Still smiling cheerily, Janet rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, I've got a surprise for you two!"
Jack raised his eyebrows skeptically, thinking he was in for a bunch more needles. He shuddered involuntarily at the thought.
Sam shot Jack a concerned look for a moment, then eyed Janet quizzically. "What kind of surprise?"
"I'm granting the both of you a two day pass to come and spend Christmas with me and Cassie. That is, if you want to?" Janet looked between her two friends for their reactions. She wasn't disappointed.
"Really?" Jack asked uncertainly, eagerness in his eyes. He really didn't want to spend Christmas on base, and if he could be with Sam and spend time with part of his surrogate family, that was a bonus.
"Janet, I'd love to! Thank you," Sam exclaimed excitedly. She would still get to be with Jack for the holiday, and that was all she wanted.
"Good," Janet grinned, then turned to Jack. "And yes, Colonel, really. There's not going to be much personnel on base, and I want the both of you being looked after,"
Jack narrowed his eyes at the doctor. "Well, if we're gonna be spending Christmas with you, I don't wanna hear any Sirs or Colonels while we're off base," he waggled his finger at Janet and winked over at Sam when the doctor wasn't looking. "That goes for the both of ya,"
"You got it," Janet nodded in agreement. Smiling, she turned her own stern glare at Jack. "And I want you taking it easy."
"Yeah, yeah," Jack was rolling his eyes, but then sent the doctor a reassuring crooked smile. He knew he'd definitely be taking it easy. He was sore enough as it was right now, and could feel his eyelids getting heavy.
"Have you eaten breakfast yet?"
Sam nodded. "Yeah, Lieutenant Rush brought us something already,"
"Okay," Janet could see that Jack was tiring and went to the back of his chair, pulling him away from the table. She patted his good shoulder gently when his head jerked up and he craned his neck to look at her questioningly. "I want you guys to rest for an hour or so before we leave, okay?"
"Alright," Sam got up from the table and followed at Janet's side as the doctor pushed Jack's wheelchair back to the infirmary.
-
When they'd been freed from the confines of the infirmary and the finally escaped the mountain, Janet stopped first at Sam's house, then at the Colonel's to pick up whatever they would need for the next two days. Jack had originally complained when Janet insisted he hand over his house keys and tell her what he would need so she could go get everything for him, but shut up when she threatened to send him back to the SGC. Sam wasn't as immobile as he was, so she was able to quickly go to her house and pack an overnight bag before returning to the doctor's SUV.
Getting out of the car, Sam carried their bags while Janet helped Jack into the wheelchair and pushed him up the walkway. Jack craned his neck to look up at the doctor skeptically when he saw the ramp of ply wood over the porch steps. "You planned this, didn't you?" he accused.
Janet just smiled back at him smugly. "Actually, Colonel, I just had Sergeant Siler bring the ramp over this morning."
"Very sly Doc, very sly," Jack snorted, then glanced sideways as Sam came over to help Janet push his chair up the ramp. He hated that he was so useless, and how tired he was again. His lower back was throbbing steadily in tune with the jackhammer in his skull and the pulsing pain in his shoulder. "And what did I say about the Sirs and Colonels?" he grouched.
"Sorry. Jack," Janet corrected herself, maneuvering his chair into the house and down the somewhat-narrow hallway when Sam held the door open.
"I think someone's getting a little cranky," Sam stage-whispered, following the doctor towards the guest bedroom with hers and Jack's bags.
Janet glanced over at Sam and knowing said, "His pain medication's probably wearing off,"
"Hey, I can hear you, ya know!" Jack grumped as she was just turning his chair into the bedroom.
Sam nodded in affirmative at the doctor. Stepping into the room after them, she dropped their bags just inside the door and looked around. The full-size bed was pushed against the left wall, and on the right was a twin-sized mattress on the floor.
Janet smiled apologetically at her friends. "I want the two of you in the same room so it'll be easier to keep an eye on you. And Sam, I'm sorry, but you're going to have to take the mattress on the floor."
"Oh, that's fine. I don't mind," Sam nodded in understanding. She knew Jack wouldn't have been able to get up from the floor, but also that Janet didn't want to say it aloud because he'd probably grouch about it. Turning her attention toward him, Sam smiled and shared a look with Janet. Jack's head was starting to tip forward as he began nodding off.
"Time for you to get some more rest," Janet said softly, lightly patting the Colonel's left shoulder. She pushed his chair beside the bed, then both she and Sam helped the grumbling man onto the bed.
Jack grimaced as he laid down, breathing hard from the effort of moving. Fraiser was fussing with his pillows while Sam gently tugged off his shoes and pulled a blanket over him.
"I'll get your pills," Janet told him as she retreated from the room, leaving Sam and Jack alone together.
Sam gingerly sat on the edge of the bed beside him. She smiled gently down at him, already well aware that he was exhausted and uncomfortable. Carefully, she raised a tentative hand and began to lightly thread her fingers through his hair in a soothing manner, avoiding the stitches near his hairline at the left of his forehead.
He smiled up at her sleepily, letting his eyes slide closed with the comforting feel of Sam's lithe fingers dancing across his scalp.
When Janet returned with Jack's medication, Sam didn't bother pulling away from Jack. She glanced at the doctor, half-expecting to a faint look of surprise on her face, but there was none. Somewhat glad that her friend wasn't reacting negatively, she reached for the glass of water Janet was holding for Jack.
Janet's eyes met Jack's as he opened them and blinked tiredly at her. She showed him a rather large pill. "This one's for the swelling. And I know you're already tired, but I'm going to insist that you spend as much time as possible in bed and resting. The MRI we took again this morning showed that the swelling has already gone down, but I don't want it to flare up again so you need to take it easy, okay?"
"Yeeees Doc," Jack sing-songed softly, quirking a faint smile. His eyes were on Sam the entire time, who was still sitting at the edge of the bed by his hip. He swallowed what he considered a horse pill, then another which Janet explained was for the pain.
"Oh!" Janet exclaimed suddenly, both Sam and Jack looking at her with puzzled expressions. "I've got to go pick up Cassie!" she began to explain. "She wanted to do some last-minute Christmas shopping with a friend, and I have to pick them up at the mall,"
Sam nodded and smiled. She'd been wondering where the fourteen-year-old was hiding. "Go get her, we'll be okay," she reassured her friend.
"Are you sure?" Janet asked with uncertainty. She grimaced. "The whole point of you both coming here was so that you'd be looked after,"
"Janet," Sam stated seriously, "I feel fine and...Jack is going to be resting. We'll be alright for an hour. Go and get Cassie," she commanded with a smile.
"Alright," the small woman was already backing toward the door. "I won't be more than an hour. I have to bring Cassie's friend home too. And Sam, if you get tired go ahead and take a nap. There's food in the fridge if you get hungry, and if your headache comes back there's Tylenol and Advil in the cupboard by the stove,"
Sam nodded. "Okay, I got it," She watched Janet hurry from the room, then heard her grab her keys in the kitchen and rush out the door to pick up her daughter. Her eyes automatically skittered back over to Jack, and she smiled, seeing that he seemed to be asleep.
Leaving Jack for a moment to get something to drink from the kitchen, Sam realized she actually was a little tired herself. When she went back into the room, she kicked off her shoes and was about to lay down on her mattress on the floor when her eyes slid toward Jack like she could feel him watching her. He was. His dark, hazy eyes were gazing her, a brief smile quirking on his face.
"Sam," he murmured softly, waving her over to him with his left hand. "C'mere," When she looked at him questioningly, he had a teasing smile on his face. "You're gonna freeze over there,"
Sam laughed softly and got up from where she was kneeling on her mattress. She strode toward his bed as he was trying to scoot over to make room for her. "It's warmer over there where you are, is it?"
"Oh yeah," he stated knowingly with a tiny grin, "Lots warmer,"
Laughing again, Sam got on the bed and slid in close to him when Jack lifted his blanket for her. She curled up to his left side, her head resting gingerly on his chest as he wrapped his arm around her. She only intended to lie there for a few minutes, but she was soon lulled into an easy sleep along with Jack.
-
The sound of voices out in the hall forty-five minutes later reached Sam's ears as she drifted back from dreamland. Her brows furrowed as she tried to listen to what the voices were saying. It was Janet and Cassie.
"Can I go say hi?" Cassie asked her mother brightly.
"Not now sweetie, later you can see them," Janet said in a quiet, placating tone. "They're both resting right now Cassandra, leave them be,"
"Okay," the teenager sighed.
"I've got to get dinner ready and bake some cookies for tomorrow, do you want to help?" Janet asked her daughter.
"Yeah, sure," Cassie agreed happily. She loved Christmas cookies, and making them with her mom was a tradition Janet had started during Cassie's first year with her.
Sam smiled to herself and heard them both walk away. Not bothering to open her eyes, she snuggled closer to Jack and readjusted the blanket, pulling it up over her shoulders. It was warm and comfortable against him, and she didn't want to move. Sam knew that Janet had probably checked up on them as soon as she and Cassie had come home, and probably saw the compromising position they were in, but she didn't care.
By the time they both woke again, it was time for dinner. Janet had peeked in on them and asked if they were hungry, acting as though it was perfectly normal to see them laying there together in Jack's bed. Sam shared a confused look with Jack for a moment before she helped him to sit up. When he made a comment about needing to use the bathroom, Sam ignored his indignant mutterings as she helped him into the wheelchair and pushed him into the bathroom. He wasn't really able to maneuver the chair himself, with one arm in a sling, and Sam had simply left her protesting Colonel to take care of things while she waited outside the door until he was done. She threatened to have Janet help him instead, but Jack was worried the doctor would want to give him a catheter and quickly got cooperative with Sam.
Quietly leaning against the wall in the hallway as she waited for Jack, Sam caught sight of Cassie out of the corner of her eye and turned to smile at the teen widely. "Cassie,"
"Sam!" the fourteen-year-old nearly bowled Sam over as she embraced her surrogate big sister in a hug. "Mom told me what happened. How are you?" Cassie asked as she took a step back and finally let go of the older woman.
"I'm good Cassie, real good," Sam smiled, nodding honestly. "Merry Christmas, sweetheart,"
"Not yet. Tomorrow," Cassie said emphatically with a laugh. She turned to glance down the hall toward the kitchen. "Oh, I'd better finish setting the table. You coming? Where's Jack?" the teen's brows furrowed as she leaned sideways to peer into the open door to the guest room. She didn't see Jack in there.
Sam gestured subtly toward the bathroom door she was standing by. "I've got to help him with his chair, so we'll come eat in a minute," she assured the eager young girl with a kind smile. When Cassie nodded solemnly, Sam could tell that she was concerned about Jack. Janet had no-doubt told her daughter what had happened to them.
Jack began to emerge from the bathroom a minute later, awkwardly trying to maneuver the wheelchair with only one useable arm. Grumbling under his breath, he heaved a sigh of what actually sounded like relief when Sam silently squeezed between the door and the chair to get behind him and push him out into the hall.
"I'm warning you to be prepared for a glomping from Cassie," Sam leaned over him, speaking softly into his ear and smiling.
He snorted, chuckling lowly as they arrived in the kitchen. Jack saw that the teenager had quickly spotted him.
"Jack!"
Smiling with gritted teeth, Jack tried not to cringe from the pain in his head when she excitedly screeched his name.
Cassie hurried over to him, but slowed down and was surprisingly careful as she hugged him lightly, mindful of his injuries, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I'm glad you guys are both okay,"
He nodded, a genuine smile spreading across his face. "Thanks kiddo," Jack affectionately squeezed her hand with his left one before she pulled away.
Janet spun around slowly from where she was pouring drinks at the table. "I hope you two brought your appetites," she looked at both her friends and patients, mentally checking each of them over with a glance.
"Oh yeah. I'm starved," Jack smirked lopsidedly with more enthusiasm than he was feeling and patted his stomach. He craned his neck to look up at Sam, their eyes locking briefly before she pushed him over to the table, sliding him into the spot where a chair was missing.
Sitting down once every else had, Janet filled their plates and they all began eating. "It's just some lemon chicken with rice and broccoli. The big dinner will be tomorrow,"
Sam smiled gratefully at her friend that had taken them in on such short notice. "Janet, this is more than enough. Thank you,"
"Yeah," Jack nodded, waving his fork in the air, "Thanks Doc,"
"It's my pleasure," Janet assured them both with a heartfelt smile. "It's usually just me and Cassie for the holidays, so it's nice to have others around,"
"Yeah," the teenager agreed whole-heartedly. "It's too quiet with just me an Mom,"
Janet, Cassie, and Sam all chatted throughout dinner, while Jack remained mostly quiet as he basically picked at his meal. He'd been a little hungry, but hadn't been quite able to finish all of his food. He couldn't stop gazing at Sam across the table, remembering the feel of her curled up against him. He just wanted to hold her again. Starting to suddenly feel like he was nodding off, Jack blinked several times and jerked his chin up when it dropped down to his chest.
"Hey Jack, are you okay?" Cassie asked for the third time when he wasn't answering her. Now her mother and Sam were also looking at him with concern.
"Hm?" Jack looked up at them sleepily. He shook his head to clear it and winced.
"I think someone's due for a nap," Janet whispered with a small smile, lightly nudging Sam with her elbow. "C'mon," she got up from the table as Sam did the same, "Help me get him into bed, then you, me, and Cassie can go in the living room and watch sappy Christmas movies,"
Sam laughed softly and got behind Jack's chair, pulling him back from the table.
"What if I wanna watch sappy Christmas movies?" Jack mumbled tiredly in a whiny, teasing tone that made all three women giggle.
"Maybe tomorrow," Janet lightly patted his shoulder, then glanced at her daughter as she started to follow Sam pushing Jack back to the guest room. "Cassie, would you mind cleaning up?"
The teen nodded, sighing as she began to gather the dishes to load them into the dishwasher.
-
It was nearly midnight when Jack woke and was unable to get back to sleep. He felt a sudden shiver travel through him and shifted, trying to get comfortable. His back and shoulder gave warning twinges as he moved. Managing to uncomfortably prop himself up on his left elbow, he peered through the darkness at the shadow on the other side of the room where Sam's mattress lay on the floor. He couldn't see if she was actually there, and it made him inexplicably uneasy. "Sam?" he choked out raspily, then cleared his throat and called again, softly. "Sam?"
A muffled groan came from the dark corner.
"Sam?" Relief that she was there was soon replaced with regret that she hadn't been beside him. Jack wished that he didn't hurt so much, that he could easily climb out of his bed and go to her, but he couldn't. He didn't want to wake her, but it was the only way he was going to be able to hold her again.
"Jack?" she mumbled sleepily, rolling over beneath her pile of blankets and turning so that she faced his bed. Suddenly, she sat up worriedly. "What's wrong?"
He smiled pathetically at her, and she could just make out his face in the darkness, a little bit of moonlight from outside the window shining upon him. "Can't sleep," he murmured.
Sam smiled gently back at him and got up, bringing one of the blankets with her. Silently, she climbed into bed beside him as he moved over gingerly, and pulled the covers up to their shoulders. She laid comfortably at his side, her cheek resting against his chest, and one arm draped lightly over his stomach. "This better?"
"Mm," he nodded, his chin moving against the top of her head and his good arm snaking around her. "Much better," he whispered, breathing deeply and closing his eyes again.
-
Christmas morning came around slowly. Sam was comfortable and warm in Jack's arms, but she was awake now, and realized that Cassie most likely would be up soon too. The teenager still got excited about Christmas morning, since they'd never had anything like it on her home planet. Lifting her head slowly from where it rested on Jack's chest, she peered out the window to see that it was still fairly dark outside. The sun hadn't risen yet, but a dull glow was coming from the outside lights, and she could see soft fluffs of snow drifting down from the sky.
Feeling Jack begin to stir, she gently rested her hand against his chest and leaned down to brush a feather-light kiss on his lips. When his bleary brown eyes opened up for her, she smiled widely and affectionately at him. "Merry Christmas," she whispered softly.
"Mm," he grinned sleepily back at her. "Merry Christmas," he rumbled, tightening his one arm around her.
"Jack, it's snowing, look," she whispered, her eyes shifting back to the window.
He tried to twist in the direction of the window to look, but couldn't turn that far and wound up laying back, hissing softly in pain.
"I'm sorry, I forgot," Sam apologized guiltily. She sat up and crawled out from under the covers, getting out of bed slowly to retrieve Jack's wheelchair. "Come on, let me help you up,"
When Jack had managed to get in the chair with Sam's guidance, she covered him up with a blanket and began wheeling him out of the room. "Where we goin'?" he whispered, not wanting to make a lot of noise because it was still so early.
"To watch the snow," Sam softly replied, pushing him out to the living room.
Jack was awed by the beautiful scene. The little Christmas tree in the corner was all lit up, presents were neatly placed underneath, and there were four stockings hung up on the wall. The ones with his and Sam's names on them surprised him the most. He smiled. He hadn't seen a Christmas morning like this in a long time, since Charlie. His own house was rather dull, just a wreath hung outside on the door. For years now he hadn't even bothered putting up a tree anymore. "Whoa," he whispered with a heart-warming smile spreading across his face. "When did all this happen?" he wondered aloud. Only the tree had been up the other night.
Sam was positively beaming at him. "I helped Janet set everything up after Cassie went to bed," she was pleased with the look of awe on his face, and could see he was looking at their stockings. "You like it?"
"Yeah," Jack breathed, his eyes getting a little watery. He realized at that moment, just how much he'd missed things like this.
"C'mon," Sam wheeled him to the front door, then bundled herself up in her coat, grabbed another quilt from the couch, and made sure Jack was warm enough with his blanket before unlocking the door and pushing him out onto the covered porch. She moved his chair beside the wooden swing.
Jack watched her with love and adoration in his eyes. When she laid the extra blanket down over the swing, he struggled to move from the chair to the seat. She immediately went to help him, and he let her, eager to be sitting at her side.
"Are you okay?" she asked with concern when they were both settled on the swing. She sat on his right side so that she was able to lean against his shoulder without hurting him.
"Yeah," he nodded, smiling at her with warm, dark chocolate eyes, "I'm good. Real good," Wrapping his blanket around both of them, he heaved a soft, contented sigh as she snuggled up against him.
"I love you," she whispered into his shoulder, lifting her head briefly to kiss the side of his neck.
Jack grinned, turning his head so that their lips would meet. "I love you too."
"Is it time to have that talk now?" she asked after a moment, knowing that at some point they would need to discuss how having a relationship would affect things at the SGC, but not really wanting to think about it. She didn't want to leave the team, and she knew he wouldn't want to either. They worked so well together side by side, no matter what their feelings were.
"Nah," Jack murmured in response after a few seconds of thought. He really didn't want to think about those things yet either. Everything was tranquil and nice right now, and he didn't want to spoil anything.
"Good," Sam nodded against him, smiling and heaving her own sigh of contentment.
Together they sat there, watching the gently falling snow and waiting for the sun to rise.
This had to have been the best Christmas either of them had in a long time, despite how the holiday had started. And they owed it all to a soft lantern light hanging from the window of a barn in the middle of nowhere.
-The End-
[Back to Part 1 of Christmas Miracles]
Summary: Jack and Sam are stuck together, stranded in the middle of nowhere just before the holidays.
Timeframe: Somewhere between seasons three and four.
Pairings: Sam/Jack
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Drama, Romance
Rating: PG.
Feeling warm and comfortable, Sam rolled in her sleep and hugged her pillow closer. The soft material of the pillow molded into her arms and she froze. The pillow she wanted wasn't supposed to be so soft and pliable, it was supposed to be warm, a little hard, but much more comfortable. When she realized she wasn't curled close to Jack, Sam frowned and slowly opened her eyes, now fighting the effects of a dull headache.
"Sammy?"
Her father appeared in her line of vision, a relieved smile on his face. "Dad?" she managed to croak out, surprise at the sound of her own voice showing on her face.
"Hey sweetheart," Jacob lightly stroked a hand through her hair. "You've been out for a couple hours now. Doctor Fraiser says you've got a concussion and some mild hypothermia. How're you feeling?"
"Headache," Sam murmured, blinking several times to focus. Her eyebrows raised, bright blue eyes widening in panic. "Jack!" she rolled onto her back and sat up quickly, holding a hand to her suddenly spinning head. "Is he okay?! Where is he?"
Jacob's own eyes widened in surprise. "Jack?"
"Colonel O'Neill," Sam corrected hurriedly. "His back! Is he-?!" she left the question unanswered, her heart jumping into her throat, but her father seemed to understand.
"He's not paralyzed Sam," Jacob assured her in a low, soothing voice. "Fraiser said there was some swelling in the tissue of his lower back, pressing against his spinal cord. He's gonna have some trouble walking for a little while, but he'll be okay,"
Sam heaved a sigh of relief, her focus suddenly snapping toward Janet as the petite doctor entered the infirmary and swiftly made her way toward her. "Janet! How's...the Colonel?"
"He's resting now, but as your father told you, there was swelling in his back that caused the near-paralysis and numbness of the legs you explained that he'd been experiencing," Janet smiled at her friend gently. "I've got him on some corticosteroids to get the swelling down, and as far as we can tell right now, it seems to be working. Colonel O'Neill was also suffering moderate hypothermia, as well as a concussion and the dislocated shoulder you mentioned,"
Sam nodded, satisfied with the doctor's diagnosis. She was so relieved that his condition wasn't as bad as she'd feared. "His shoulder..." she began in a worried, hesitant tone. "I tried to get it back in place-"
Janet rested a comforting hand on her friend's arm. "You did an excellent job, Sam. The Colonel will be sore for awhile, but the joint suffered no fracture and was placed perfectly back in the socket."
"Good," Sam breathed, briefly closing her eyes. Peering tiredly between Janet and her father, her brows furrowed suddenly. "Where is he?"
Janet nodded toward Jacob, and he drew back the curtain around Sam's bed. Jack was sleeping in the next bed over, his right arm in a sling, and a bandage covering the stitched-up gash near his hairline. He was attached to an IV, and mostly covered by warm blankets. "He woke briefly while we were taking him for X-rays. He was asking for you," Janet said in a gentle whisper. "Wanted to make sure you were okay," she smiled a little.
Sam couldn't help the smile that quirked briefly on her face. Still looking over at Jack, she slowly laid back down on her side as a sudden wave of exhaustion hit her. Her eyes drifted toward her father once more. "I'm sorry I made you miss our flight," she murmured apologetically.
Jacob grasped one of her hands in both of his own. "Ah, don't worry about it. Mark will understand,"
Her brows furrowed in response, and she barely noticed Janet moving toward Jack's bed to check on him and give them some privacy. "You should go see them Dad. I'm sure General Hammond could get you a flight to California, courtesy of the U.S. Air Force,"
He heaved a patient sigh. "I don't want you to be stuck here alone for Christmas,"
"I'll be okay Dad," Sam smiled convincingly at him. "Colonel O'Neill will be here. We'll just have to have an on-base Christmas and keep each other company,"
"Sam... I can call Mark and we can go visit him together when the doctor discharges you," Jacob tried to reason. He then had to forcefully quash down the oncoming thoughts from his symbiote, Selmak. She wants to be with him. Let it be Jacob. He pushed the Tok'ra's opinions out of his own head, not wanting to face what the wise old alien was trying to tell him about his daughter and her CO.
"I'm fine Dad," she insisted. "Go see Mark, Trudy, and the kids. They miss you,"
Finally, Jacob nodded. He slowly released her hand. "Okay kid. I'd better go rearrange something with George. I'll come in and check up on you before I go," Winking at her affectionately, Jacob left the infirmary in search of his old friend.
-
After saying her goodbyes to her father, Sam must have fallen asleep again, because the next time she woke, it was to the sound of voices in the direction of Jack's bed. When her muzzy mind was able to understand what was being said, she realized that Janet was explaining Jack's condition to him. Rolling slowly onto her side to face them, she could see that the Colonel was sitting up in bed, propped up by a couple soft pillows, still looking a little pale, but otherwise much better now that he was awake. She smiled. Neither he nor Janet had noticed she was awake yet.
"I suppose that's a relief then, eh Doc?" Jack looked at her with a wan, lopsided smile. "I can walk,"
She gave him one of those stern looks, her own dark eyes narrowed. "Not at the moment you're not doing any walking," she warned. "It's going to take a little more time for the swelling to go down, and you'll be pretty sore. So that means wheelchair. For at least the next couple days. Then I'll want to get you into some physical therapy,"
"Oh joy," Jack grunted and heaved a sigh. He would have crossed his arms over his chest if the one wasn't in a sling. Suddenly, as if sensing that she was awake now, he turned his head in Sam's direction and quirked a smile. "Hey Carter,"
"Colonel, hi," Sam smiled back at him and slowly began to sit up. Her legs swung gingerly over the side of the bed, her movements slow and careful, knowing that Janet was watching her like a hawk.
Janet managed to contain her smile when she noticed the way that Sam and Jack were speaking to one another with their eyes. Stuffing her hands in the pockets of her white coat, she cleared her throat to gain their attention. "Now listen you two," Janet began in a motherly tone, "I'd like the both of you to try and eat something, but it's very late and straight after I want you to go right back to bed, is that understood?"
Sam laughed softly and nodded, tucking a rebellious strand of hair behind her ear.
Jack snorted and rolled his eyes. "I don't suppose this means we'll get to escape these beds, huh?" His eyebrows rose hopefully, though he knew there wasn't a chance Janet would let either of them - him especially - out of her clutches so soon.
"No Colonel, I'm afraid not," Janet shook her head at him. "I'll have one of the nurses bring something light down for the both of you," That said, the doctor's heels were soon tapping along the floor swiftly as she retreated to her office.
Sam's eyes skittered over to the clock on the wall. It was 2317 hours; almost Christmas Eve. Her blue-eyed gaze drifted back toward her Commanding Officer. She found it hard thinking of him that way right now. They'd gotten almost casual in that barn in Nebraska, and she found herself quickly wanting it back, worried that he was going to go all formal on her now, conveniently forgetting everything that happened there, and back at his cabin when they'd kissed.
Before Sam could bring up her concerns, Jack started talking as though he'd read her mind.
"Sam," he said with a slight rasp to his voice. He could turn his head toward her, but twisting his upper body to better face her was definitely not going to happen. His back hurt too much for that. Smiling at her disarmingly, his mesmerizing brown eyes twinkled lovingly at her. "I'm not going to lock this up Sam," Jack told her quietly. "If we have to...put up a front around the others for..awhile, that's okay. But it's just us... I don't wanna pretend that I don't love you,"
Sam's eyes widened in shock. She expected something from him, some kind of reaction, but certainly not that! He'd said those words. He'd said that he loved her. For a moment she couldn't breathe, just stared at him. Then she saw a look of uncertainty and rejection flash across his face and managed a bright smile. Sam nodded emphatically. "Yeah. Me neither. I mean - Me too. I love you too," she whispered, wary that Janet or the nurse bringing their food could walk in at any moment.
"We'll talk more...later," Jack grinned, pleased beyond all reason with her response, "When we're outta here." He nodded. Jack couldn't love her more than he did right then. She was perfectly imperfect, beautiful and smart, and just so.... Carter. He loved her, and for whatever reason, she loved him too.
-
Despite having not eaten in awhile, neither Sam or Jack finished their small meal once the nurse dropped it off for them, and easily went back to sleep afterwards. Janet had stepped in to make sure her patients were okay, then returned to her office so she could brief Dr. Warner of their conditions. He was the next doctor on rotation, and Fraiser would be going home to her daughter. She almost hated to leave her two friends, but somehow knew that they'd be just fine.
By morning Janet returned to find that her patients had been permitted to go to the recreation room on the same level the infirmary was on. She went to check on them, peering discretely in the doorway. The doctor was relieved to see that the Colonel was in a wheelchair, having been prepared to scold him severely if he wasn't. He was positioned in front of a card table with Sam seated across from him, and it looked like they were playing Scrabble.
"Jack, d'oh is not an actual word!" Sam exclaimed, rolling her eyes.
"Is so!" Jack protested. "C'mon Sam, gimme a break. You're winning by like a gazillion points!"
"Gazillion isn't an actual number either," she told him smugly, trying hard not to giggle as he glared at her and childishly stuck out his tongue.
Janet's eyes widened momentarily and she pulled her head quickly out of the doorway before they noticed her, leaning her back up against the wall in the hallway just outside. Was it her imagination, or were they calling each other by their first names? Trying to wipe the shocked expression off her face, Janet composed herself and noisily entered the room to get their attention.
Seeing that Jack and Sam seemed to be in good spirits this morning, she smiled cheerfully at them. "Good morning! How are my two favorite patients doing this morning?"
"Doc, we're your ONLY two patients," Jack muttered, ignoring the question.
Sam smiled unabashedly at him for a moment before remembering Janet was in the room. Most of the morning they'd been relatively left alone, and able to be casual with one another. But she definitely had to put a dampener on that now.
Still smiling cheerily, Janet rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, I've got a surprise for you two!"
Jack raised his eyebrows skeptically, thinking he was in for a bunch more needles. He shuddered involuntarily at the thought.
Sam shot Jack a concerned look for a moment, then eyed Janet quizzically. "What kind of surprise?"
"I'm granting the both of you a two day pass to come and spend Christmas with me and Cassie. That is, if you want to?" Janet looked between her two friends for their reactions. She wasn't disappointed.
"Really?" Jack asked uncertainly, eagerness in his eyes. He really didn't want to spend Christmas on base, and if he could be with Sam and spend time with part of his surrogate family, that was a bonus.
"Janet, I'd love to! Thank you," Sam exclaimed excitedly. She would still get to be with Jack for the holiday, and that was all she wanted.
"Good," Janet grinned, then turned to Jack. "And yes, Colonel, really. There's not going to be much personnel on base, and I want the both of you being looked after,"
Jack narrowed his eyes at the doctor. "Well, if we're gonna be spending Christmas with you, I don't wanna hear any Sirs or Colonels while we're off base," he waggled his finger at Janet and winked over at Sam when the doctor wasn't looking. "That goes for the both of ya,"
"You got it," Janet nodded in agreement. Smiling, she turned her own stern glare at Jack. "And I want you taking it easy."
"Yeah, yeah," Jack was rolling his eyes, but then sent the doctor a reassuring crooked smile. He knew he'd definitely be taking it easy. He was sore enough as it was right now, and could feel his eyelids getting heavy.
"Have you eaten breakfast yet?"
Sam nodded. "Yeah, Lieutenant Rush brought us something already,"
"Okay," Janet could see that Jack was tiring and went to the back of his chair, pulling him away from the table. She patted his good shoulder gently when his head jerked up and he craned his neck to look at her questioningly. "I want you guys to rest for an hour or so before we leave, okay?"
"Alright," Sam got up from the table and followed at Janet's side as the doctor pushed Jack's wheelchair back to the infirmary.
-
When they'd been freed from the confines of the infirmary and the finally escaped the mountain, Janet stopped first at Sam's house, then at the Colonel's to pick up whatever they would need for the next two days. Jack had originally complained when Janet insisted he hand over his house keys and tell her what he would need so she could go get everything for him, but shut up when she threatened to send him back to the SGC. Sam wasn't as immobile as he was, so she was able to quickly go to her house and pack an overnight bag before returning to the doctor's SUV.
Getting out of the car, Sam carried their bags while Janet helped Jack into the wheelchair and pushed him up the walkway. Jack craned his neck to look up at the doctor skeptically when he saw the ramp of ply wood over the porch steps. "You planned this, didn't you?" he accused.
Janet just smiled back at him smugly. "Actually, Colonel, I just had Sergeant Siler bring the ramp over this morning."
"Very sly Doc, very sly," Jack snorted, then glanced sideways as Sam came over to help Janet push his chair up the ramp. He hated that he was so useless, and how tired he was again. His lower back was throbbing steadily in tune with the jackhammer in his skull and the pulsing pain in his shoulder. "And what did I say about the Sirs and Colonels?" he grouched.
"Sorry. Jack," Janet corrected herself, maneuvering his chair into the house and down the somewhat-narrow hallway when Sam held the door open.
"I think someone's getting a little cranky," Sam stage-whispered, following the doctor towards the guest bedroom with hers and Jack's bags.
Janet glanced over at Sam and knowing said, "His pain medication's probably wearing off,"
"Hey, I can hear you, ya know!" Jack grumped as she was just turning his chair into the bedroom.
Sam nodded in affirmative at the doctor. Stepping into the room after them, she dropped their bags just inside the door and looked around. The full-size bed was pushed against the left wall, and on the right was a twin-sized mattress on the floor.
Janet smiled apologetically at her friends. "I want the two of you in the same room so it'll be easier to keep an eye on you. And Sam, I'm sorry, but you're going to have to take the mattress on the floor."
"Oh, that's fine. I don't mind," Sam nodded in understanding. She knew Jack wouldn't have been able to get up from the floor, but also that Janet didn't want to say it aloud because he'd probably grouch about it. Turning her attention toward him, Sam smiled and shared a look with Janet. Jack's head was starting to tip forward as he began nodding off.
"Time for you to get some more rest," Janet said softly, lightly patting the Colonel's left shoulder. She pushed his chair beside the bed, then both she and Sam helped the grumbling man onto the bed.
Jack grimaced as he laid down, breathing hard from the effort of moving. Fraiser was fussing with his pillows while Sam gently tugged off his shoes and pulled a blanket over him.
"I'll get your pills," Janet told him as she retreated from the room, leaving Sam and Jack alone together.
Sam gingerly sat on the edge of the bed beside him. She smiled gently down at him, already well aware that he was exhausted and uncomfortable. Carefully, she raised a tentative hand and began to lightly thread her fingers through his hair in a soothing manner, avoiding the stitches near his hairline at the left of his forehead.
He smiled up at her sleepily, letting his eyes slide closed with the comforting feel of Sam's lithe fingers dancing across his scalp.
When Janet returned with Jack's medication, Sam didn't bother pulling away from Jack. She glanced at the doctor, half-expecting to a faint look of surprise on her face, but there was none. Somewhat glad that her friend wasn't reacting negatively, she reached for the glass of water Janet was holding for Jack.
Janet's eyes met Jack's as he opened them and blinked tiredly at her. She showed him a rather large pill. "This one's for the swelling. And I know you're already tired, but I'm going to insist that you spend as much time as possible in bed and resting. The MRI we took again this morning showed that the swelling has already gone down, but I don't want it to flare up again so you need to take it easy, okay?"
"Yeeees Doc," Jack sing-songed softly, quirking a faint smile. His eyes were on Sam the entire time, who was still sitting at the edge of the bed by his hip. He swallowed what he considered a horse pill, then another which Janet explained was for the pain.
"Oh!" Janet exclaimed suddenly, both Sam and Jack looking at her with puzzled expressions. "I've got to go pick up Cassie!" she began to explain. "She wanted to do some last-minute Christmas shopping with a friend, and I have to pick them up at the mall,"
Sam nodded and smiled. She'd been wondering where the fourteen-year-old was hiding. "Go get her, we'll be okay," she reassured her friend.
"Are you sure?" Janet asked with uncertainty. She grimaced. "The whole point of you both coming here was so that you'd be looked after,"
"Janet," Sam stated seriously, "I feel fine and...Jack is going to be resting. We'll be alright for an hour. Go and get Cassie," she commanded with a smile.
"Alright," the small woman was already backing toward the door. "I won't be more than an hour. I have to bring Cassie's friend home too. And Sam, if you get tired go ahead and take a nap. There's food in the fridge if you get hungry, and if your headache comes back there's Tylenol and Advil in the cupboard by the stove,"
Sam nodded. "Okay, I got it," She watched Janet hurry from the room, then heard her grab her keys in the kitchen and rush out the door to pick up her daughter. Her eyes automatically skittered back over to Jack, and she smiled, seeing that he seemed to be asleep.
Leaving Jack for a moment to get something to drink from the kitchen, Sam realized she actually was a little tired herself. When she went back into the room, she kicked off her shoes and was about to lay down on her mattress on the floor when her eyes slid toward Jack like she could feel him watching her. He was. His dark, hazy eyes were gazing her, a brief smile quirking on his face.
"Sam," he murmured softly, waving her over to him with his left hand. "C'mere," When she looked at him questioningly, he had a teasing smile on his face. "You're gonna freeze over there,"
Sam laughed softly and got up from where she was kneeling on her mattress. She strode toward his bed as he was trying to scoot over to make room for her. "It's warmer over there where you are, is it?"
"Oh yeah," he stated knowingly with a tiny grin, "Lots warmer,"
Laughing again, Sam got on the bed and slid in close to him when Jack lifted his blanket for her. She curled up to his left side, her head resting gingerly on his chest as he wrapped his arm around her. She only intended to lie there for a few minutes, but she was soon lulled into an easy sleep along with Jack.
-
The sound of voices out in the hall forty-five minutes later reached Sam's ears as she drifted back from dreamland. Her brows furrowed as she tried to listen to what the voices were saying. It was Janet and Cassie.
"Can I go say hi?" Cassie asked her mother brightly.
"Not now sweetie, later you can see them," Janet said in a quiet, placating tone. "They're both resting right now Cassandra, leave them be,"
"Okay," the teenager sighed.
"I've got to get dinner ready and bake some cookies for tomorrow, do you want to help?" Janet asked her daughter.
"Yeah, sure," Cassie agreed happily. She loved Christmas cookies, and making them with her mom was a tradition Janet had started during Cassie's first year with her.
Sam smiled to herself and heard them both walk away. Not bothering to open her eyes, she snuggled closer to Jack and readjusted the blanket, pulling it up over her shoulders. It was warm and comfortable against him, and she didn't want to move. Sam knew that Janet had probably checked up on them as soon as she and Cassie had come home, and probably saw the compromising position they were in, but she didn't care.
By the time they both woke again, it was time for dinner. Janet had peeked in on them and asked if they were hungry, acting as though it was perfectly normal to see them laying there together in Jack's bed. Sam shared a confused look with Jack for a moment before she helped him to sit up. When he made a comment about needing to use the bathroom, Sam ignored his indignant mutterings as she helped him into the wheelchair and pushed him into the bathroom. He wasn't really able to maneuver the chair himself, with one arm in a sling, and Sam had simply left her protesting Colonel to take care of things while she waited outside the door until he was done. She threatened to have Janet help him instead, but Jack was worried the doctor would want to give him a catheter and quickly got cooperative with Sam.
Quietly leaning against the wall in the hallway as she waited for Jack, Sam caught sight of Cassie out of the corner of her eye and turned to smile at the teen widely. "Cassie,"
"Sam!" the fourteen-year-old nearly bowled Sam over as she embraced her surrogate big sister in a hug. "Mom told me what happened. How are you?" Cassie asked as she took a step back and finally let go of the older woman.
"I'm good Cassie, real good," Sam smiled, nodding honestly. "Merry Christmas, sweetheart,"
"Not yet. Tomorrow," Cassie said emphatically with a laugh. She turned to glance down the hall toward the kitchen. "Oh, I'd better finish setting the table. You coming? Where's Jack?" the teen's brows furrowed as she leaned sideways to peer into the open door to the guest room. She didn't see Jack in there.
Sam gestured subtly toward the bathroom door she was standing by. "I've got to help him with his chair, so we'll come eat in a minute," she assured the eager young girl with a kind smile. When Cassie nodded solemnly, Sam could tell that she was concerned about Jack. Janet had no-doubt told her daughter what had happened to them.
Jack began to emerge from the bathroom a minute later, awkwardly trying to maneuver the wheelchair with only one useable arm. Grumbling under his breath, he heaved a sigh of what actually sounded like relief when Sam silently squeezed between the door and the chair to get behind him and push him out into the hall.
"I'm warning you to be prepared for a glomping from Cassie," Sam leaned over him, speaking softly into his ear and smiling.
He snorted, chuckling lowly as they arrived in the kitchen. Jack saw that the teenager had quickly spotted him.
"Jack!"
Smiling with gritted teeth, Jack tried not to cringe from the pain in his head when she excitedly screeched his name.
Cassie hurried over to him, but slowed down and was surprisingly careful as she hugged him lightly, mindful of his injuries, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I'm glad you guys are both okay,"
He nodded, a genuine smile spreading across his face. "Thanks kiddo," Jack affectionately squeezed her hand with his left one before she pulled away.
Janet spun around slowly from where she was pouring drinks at the table. "I hope you two brought your appetites," she looked at both her friends and patients, mentally checking each of them over with a glance.
"Oh yeah. I'm starved," Jack smirked lopsidedly with more enthusiasm than he was feeling and patted his stomach. He craned his neck to look up at Sam, their eyes locking briefly before she pushed him over to the table, sliding him into the spot where a chair was missing.
Sitting down once every else had, Janet filled their plates and they all began eating. "It's just some lemon chicken with rice and broccoli. The big dinner will be tomorrow,"
Sam smiled gratefully at her friend that had taken them in on such short notice. "Janet, this is more than enough. Thank you,"
"Yeah," Jack nodded, waving his fork in the air, "Thanks Doc,"
"It's my pleasure," Janet assured them both with a heartfelt smile. "It's usually just me and Cassie for the holidays, so it's nice to have others around,"
"Yeah," the teenager agreed whole-heartedly. "It's too quiet with just me an Mom,"
Janet, Cassie, and Sam all chatted throughout dinner, while Jack remained mostly quiet as he basically picked at his meal. He'd been a little hungry, but hadn't been quite able to finish all of his food. He couldn't stop gazing at Sam across the table, remembering the feel of her curled up against him. He just wanted to hold her again. Starting to suddenly feel like he was nodding off, Jack blinked several times and jerked his chin up when it dropped down to his chest.
"Hey Jack, are you okay?" Cassie asked for the third time when he wasn't answering her. Now her mother and Sam were also looking at him with concern.
"Hm?" Jack looked up at them sleepily. He shook his head to clear it and winced.
"I think someone's due for a nap," Janet whispered with a small smile, lightly nudging Sam with her elbow. "C'mon," she got up from the table as Sam did the same, "Help me get him into bed, then you, me, and Cassie can go in the living room and watch sappy Christmas movies,"
Sam laughed softly and got behind Jack's chair, pulling him back from the table.
"What if I wanna watch sappy Christmas movies?" Jack mumbled tiredly in a whiny, teasing tone that made all three women giggle.
"Maybe tomorrow," Janet lightly patted his shoulder, then glanced at her daughter as she started to follow Sam pushing Jack back to the guest room. "Cassie, would you mind cleaning up?"
The teen nodded, sighing as she began to gather the dishes to load them into the dishwasher.
-
It was nearly midnight when Jack woke and was unable to get back to sleep. He felt a sudden shiver travel through him and shifted, trying to get comfortable. His back and shoulder gave warning twinges as he moved. Managing to uncomfortably prop himself up on his left elbow, he peered through the darkness at the shadow on the other side of the room where Sam's mattress lay on the floor. He couldn't see if she was actually there, and it made him inexplicably uneasy. "Sam?" he choked out raspily, then cleared his throat and called again, softly. "Sam?"
A muffled groan came from the dark corner.
"Sam?" Relief that she was there was soon replaced with regret that she hadn't been beside him. Jack wished that he didn't hurt so much, that he could easily climb out of his bed and go to her, but he couldn't. He didn't want to wake her, but it was the only way he was going to be able to hold her again.
"Jack?" she mumbled sleepily, rolling over beneath her pile of blankets and turning so that she faced his bed. Suddenly, she sat up worriedly. "What's wrong?"
He smiled pathetically at her, and she could just make out his face in the darkness, a little bit of moonlight from outside the window shining upon him. "Can't sleep," he murmured.
Sam smiled gently back at him and got up, bringing one of the blankets with her. Silently, she climbed into bed beside him as he moved over gingerly, and pulled the covers up to their shoulders. She laid comfortably at his side, her cheek resting against his chest, and one arm draped lightly over his stomach. "This better?"
"Mm," he nodded, his chin moving against the top of her head and his good arm snaking around her. "Much better," he whispered, breathing deeply and closing his eyes again.
-
Christmas morning came around slowly. Sam was comfortable and warm in Jack's arms, but she was awake now, and realized that Cassie most likely would be up soon too. The teenager still got excited about Christmas morning, since they'd never had anything like it on her home planet. Lifting her head slowly from where it rested on Jack's chest, she peered out the window to see that it was still fairly dark outside. The sun hadn't risen yet, but a dull glow was coming from the outside lights, and she could see soft fluffs of snow drifting down from the sky.
Feeling Jack begin to stir, she gently rested her hand against his chest and leaned down to brush a feather-light kiss on his lips. When his bleary brown eyes opened up for her, she smiled widely and affectionately at him. "Merry Christmas," she whispered softly.
"Mm," he grinned sleepily back at her. "Merry Christmas," he rumbled, tightening his one arm around her.
"Jack, it's snowing, look," she whispered, her eyes shifting back to the window.
He tried to twist in the direction of the window to look, but couldn't turn that far and wound up laying back, hissing softly in pain.
"I'm sorry, I forgot," Sam apologized guiltily. She sat up and crawled out from under the covers, getting out of bed slowly to retrieve Jack's wheelchair. "Come on, let me help you up,"
When Jack had managed to get in the chair with Sam's guidance, she covered him up with a blanket and began wheeling him out of the room. "Where we goin'?" he whispered, not wanting to make a lot of noise because it was still so early.
"To watch the snow," Sam softly replied, pushing him out to the living room.
Jack was awed by the beautiful scene. The little Christmas tree in the corner was all lit up, presents were neatly placed underneath, and there were four stockings hung up on the wall. The ones with his and Sam's names on them surprised him the most. He smiled. He hadn't seen a Christmas morning like this in a long time, since Charlie. His own house was rather dull, just a wreath hung outside on the door. For years now he hadn't even bothered putting up a tree anymore. "Whoa," he whispered with a heart-warming smile spreading across his face. "When did all this happen?" he wondered aloud. Only the tree had been up the other night.
Sam was positively beaming at him. "I helped Janet set everything up after Cassie went to bed," she was pleased with the look of awe on his face, and could see he was looking at their stockings. "You like it?"
"Yeah," Jack breathed, his eyes getting a little watery. He realized at that moment, just how much he'd missed things like this.
"C'mon," Sam wheeled him to the front door, then bundled herself up in her coat, grabbed another quilt from the couch, and made sure Jack was warm enough with his blanket before unlocking the door and pushing him out onto the covered porch. She moved his chair beside the wooden swing.
Jack watched her with love and adoration in his eyes. When she laid the extra blanket down over the swing, he struggled to move from the chair to the seat. She immediately went to help him, and he let her, eager to be sitting at her side.
"Are you okay?" she asked with concern when they were both settled on the swing. She sat on his right side so that she was able to lean against his shoulder without hurting him.
"Yeah," he nodded, smiling at her with warm, dark chocolate eyes, "I'm good. Real good," Wrapping his blanket around both of them, he heaved a soft, contented sigh as she snuggled up against him.
"I love you," she whispered into his shoulder, lifting her head briefly to kiss the side of his neck.
Jack grinned, turning his head so that their lips would meet. "I love you too."
"Is it time to have that talk now?" she asked after a moment, knowing that at some point they would need to discuss how having a relationship would affect things at the SGC, but not really wanting to think about it. She didn't want to leave the team, and she knew he wouldn't want to either. They worked so well together side by side, no matter what their feelings were.
"Nah," Jack murmured in response after a few seconds of thought. He really didn't want to think about those things yet either. Everything was tranquil and nice right now, and he didn't want to spoil anything.
"Good," Sam nodded against him, smiling and heaving her own sigh of contentment.
Together they sat there, watching the gently falling snow and waiting for the sun to rise.
This had to have been the best Christmas either of them had in a long time, despite how the holiday had started. And they owed it all to a soft lantern light hanging from the window of a barn in the middle of nowhere.
-The End-
[Back to Part 1 of Christmas Miracles]