Bits and Pieces: Steady As We Go
Title: Steady As We Go
Summary: There was never any doubt that Jack would be well taken care of.
Timeframe: Pre-Changes
Characters/Pairing: Jack, Cassie, established Daniel/Janet.
Genre: hurt/comfort, family, fluff
Rating: G
Steady As We Go
Daniel helped Janet sit Jack up in bed, preparing to transfer him to his wheelchair. As Daniel stood behind the bed to hold his shoulders, keeping him upright, Jack grunted and shoved a hand under his t-shirt to scratch at his ribcage.
“He’s been doing that a lot today,” Daniel pointed out as Janet frowned.
“The injuries he sustained from the shrapnel are still healing. His skin must be tight and itchy, but I don’t want him ripping the wounds open.” Janet gently grasped at Jack’s hand, trying to get him to stop. “Jack, don’t.”
He made a displeased noise and yanked his hand away from her, continuing to paw at his ribs.
Janet heaved a soft, exasperated sigh and reached to still his hand one more time. “Alright, alright. Let me see.” Jack didn’t fight her this time, and she tugged up his t-shirt. There were angry, red scratch marks up and down his side, some disturbing the nearly-healed wounds there. Her eyes widened and she grasped his hand, examining his fingernails and frowning.
“Time to cut his nails?” Daniel guessed, still keeping Jack sitting upright by holding his shoulders. Without anything to support him, their former Colonel couldn’t keep himself up on his own yet.
“I’d say so.” Janet nodded, then flapped a hand toward Jack’s ribcage. “Just let me put some anti-itch cream on him and then I’ll need your help with his nails.”
“Okay.” Daniel agreed, and Janet pulled Jack’s shirt back down, looking into his dark, somewhat-vacant eyes.
“No more scratching, alright?” she instructed, and Jack turned his head away, making faces and looking anywhere but at Janet.
Jack was finally still as Daniel removed his t-shirt, then helped him lay on his left so Janet could apply the cream to the opposite side. The medication was cold on her fingertips, and when she touched Jack’s warm skin, he flinched slightly.
“It’s okay,” Janet assured him calmly when he started to make irritated noises. “This will make the itching stop, Jack.”
He endured the treatment, arms and legs curling inward as he laid on the bed. His motor function was quite poor at this point in his recovery, and his limbs tended to do that. Daniel put Jack’s shirt back on him, then he and Janet got Jack into his wheelchair, fastening the padded chest strap so he didn’t fall forward.
“Clippers?” Daniel asked.
Janet pointed to a cabinet. “There should be some in there.” She pulled a chair up beside Jack, and tugged one of his hands to her knee, unfurling the rigid fingers as Daniel brought her the nail clippers.
Jack resisted at first, twisting his head and making noises again, lightly tugging his hand from Janet’s grip to show his displeasure.
“I know you hate this,” Janet said sympathetically, “but it will be over soon. I promise.”
Daniel tried to distract Jack by rambling to him about his latest projects while Janet methodically cut each fingernail. Once she’d finished each hand, Janet got the bigger clippers and moved onto his toes. Jack seemed to have an easier time with that, possibly because he couldn’t really see what was going on with his feet as easily.
After Janet had finished up, she noticed that Jack was tapping a half-curled fist at his jaw. She smiled up at him and placed a hand on his knee. “Yes, I know we were going to get some lunch before all this started.” Getting up from her seat, she put the chair back against the wall and then stood facing Daniel, who was now poised behind Jack’s chair. “I’ve got some time off for lunch, so why don’t you take him to the commissary while I clean up in here, then I’ll meet you.”
“Okay. Sounds like a plan.” Daniel smiled at her tenderly in that way that always made her insides melt just a little. Then he glanced down at Jack, patted him on the shoulder, and pushed the chair towards the door. “Come on big guy, let’s get you something to eat.”
.
Having lunch with Jack these days was a lesson in preparedness. Janet met Daniel in the commissary to get Jack’s food, but they took his tray-and their own-back to Jack’s VIP room. Both she and Daniel knew that getting Jack to eat was a messy process that would probably gain a lot of unwanted attention from other base personnel in the commissary, and Janet wouldn’t make him a spectacle.
Daniel pushed Jack’s wheelchair to the table in the corner while Janet set up. A plastic, disposable cloth was laid over the wooden table, and then she divided up Jack’s food into small piles on the tray, making everything easily accessible. Janet stuck the straw in Jack’s plastic drink cup and moved it within his reach, then she and Daniel sat down on either side of him.
“Okay, Jack. Go ahead; eat.” Janet instructed gently.
Jack was re-learning how to feed himself again, and with his very limited dexterity, it wasn’t easy. He reached for some of the grilled cheese sandwich Janet had cut up for him, and awkwardly shoveled some bits into his mouth with his curled fingers. He managed to get most of the sandwich into his mouth, but had a little more trouble with the slippery apple slices and cut up banana.
“You’re doing good, Jack,” Daniel said encouragingly after a few minutes as he rubbed Jack’s shoulder.
Jack cocked his head at Daniel’s words, and Janet suddenly envisioned him growling out a terse, “Quit patronizing me, will ya?” The thought momentarily froze her, and next thing she knew, Daniel was giving her a concerned look.
“Janet? You okay?”
Forcing herself to snap out of it, Janet cleared her throat and waved a hand dismissively. “Yeah, yeah I’m fine.” She smiled back at him reassuringly, touched by his concern. Janet went back to picking at her salad, glancing over after every few bites to see that Jack was doing okay.
Jack had finished all the grilled cheese, most of the banana slices, and only a few bits of apple when he stopped eating. Stopped, or gave up, Janet wasn’t sure. Even through the vacant expression on his face, she thought he might be frustrated, but he’d actually eaten a lot more than he’d been eating lately.
Daniel took one last bite of his sandwich before pushing his chair back and standing up. “Okay big guy, time to get you cleaned up.”
Janet cleared the table while Daniel took Jack into the bathroom. She busily put things away and tossed the trash.
When Daniel brought Jack out, the mess of food cleaned off his face, hands, and wherever else it had gotten, Daniel asked, “So what’s the rest of Jack’s day look like?”
“He’s got physical therapy with Dr. Jessup, then he’ll probably rest, and Teal’c will take him home for supper.” Janet stepped closer to Jack and brushed a hand through his typically unruly hair. He made a noise which Janet associated with him liking something, and she smiled.
“I can bring some of my books and sit with him when he’s done with therapy.” Daniel offered.
Janet agreed with a nod. “Alright. Teal’c’s going to stay with Jack during therapy. He’s still warming up to Dr. Jessup and doesn’t always cooperate with her, so one of us needs to be there.”
Daniel patted Jack’s shoulder. “Okay, well I’ve got to get back to work. I’ll see you later, Jack.” But the other man wasn’t paying attention, just staring down at the floor.
Janet tucked herself into Daniel’s chest when he came around Jack’s wheelchair and pulled her into his arms. She smiled and leaned up to kiss him. “Don’t work too hard,” she said while he reluctantly pulled away.
.
When a search and rescue mission detained Teal’c for the evening, Daniel and Janet realized that Jack would be staying with them for the night. For now, he was still resting, his post-therapy nap running a little longer than usual. Daniel wasn’t surprised, though. He’d had a rough session. Dr. Jessup had gotten Jack on his feet for a little while using a walking frame, with both her and Teal’c providing support on either side of him. When Teal’c brought Jack back to his quarters for a rest, Daniel could see that the other man was exhausted and toeing the line of cranky and irritable.
Daniel turned on the television for some background noise as he was reading his book. He felt himself drifting off a few pages in, and stretched out on the couch to close his eyes. He’d been working non-stop for much of the day and figured that a little cat nap would do him good.
The muffled sound of a thump woke Daniel from his nap, and he sat up with a jerk, the book on his chest falling to the floor. “Jack?” His voice cracked from disuse.
Getting up from the couch, he groggily spun around and saw Jack on the floor by the bed, curled in a ball with his hands around his head, whimpering softly. Scrambling over to his friend, Daniel quickly knelt at Jack’s side and touched his shoulder.
Jack moaned and shrugged off Daniel’s offered comfort.
“Dammit,” Daniel muttered under his breath, recognizing that the older man was having one of his debilitating migraines. He just hoped Jack hadn’t hit his head when he tumbled off the bed, fearing that his friend’s head injury was still too new.
While Jack writhed on the floor, holding his head, Daniel got up and made a beeline for the bathroom, fumbling through the cabinet until he’d found the correct pills.
Kneeling beside Jack again with his pills and some water, Daniel struggled to pull a resistant Jack to a sitting position. He managed to get him to swallow the medication before Jack curled up into a miserable ball on the floor again.
“Nnng…” Jack laid there, groaning softly.
Daniel grabbed a pillow from the bed and gently slid it beneath Jack’s head. He pulled the comforter down, too, putting a consoling hand on his friend’s shoulder as he waited for him to fall asleep.
With a sigh, Daniel slumped down on the floor near Jack’s head and leaned back against the bed. He could tell Jack’s meds were thankfully kicking in when his friend grew still and the soft moans coming from him ebbed away.
Daniel stayed there on the floor with Jack until Janet came in the room more than an hour later, ready to head home.
“Daniel? What happened?” Janet asked with alarm as she quickly moved across the room to the two men on the floor. Jack was still unconscious, his arms and legs tucked close to his body.
“One of those God-awful migraines,” Daniel answered softly, grimacing in sympathy.
“You gave him the pills?” Janet asked, kneeling on Jack’s other side to check on him.
Sighing, Daniel nodded. “Yeah. He went down not long after and hasn’t stirred much since.”
Janet smiled tightly. “Ready to get him home?” The look on her face told Daniel she hated to wake Jack, but they didn’t have much choice.
.
Jack was still sleeping off the effects of his headache when Daniel and Janet took him to their house. He’d missed dinner, but Janet found Cassie bringing him a little something to eat a short while later. She smiled softly as she leaned up against the doorframe just outside what had become Jack’s room. He was awake, but still lying on his side with Cassie perched on the edge of the bed beside him, a plate of chicken tenders in her lap, and Teddy on the floor awaiting any crumbs. The thirteen-year-old was telling Jack about her day at school while waiting for him to be ready to sit up and eat something.
Janet had to step back and lean against the hallway wall when hot tears leaked out of her eyes and slid down her cheeks. She pursed her lips, closing her eyes and trying to compose herself, not wanting Cassie to hear her crying. She was remembering the time Jack would spend with Cassie after she’d just arrived on their planet. Once in a while he’d pick her up from school and take her out to ice cream or something. Janet recalled Cassie telling her that she would always tell Jack about her day, and he said if any of the kids were mean to her because she was a little different, he’d go down there and straighten them out.
Janet smiled at the image of Jack talking sternly to a group of ten and eleven-year-olds. But he’d never had to do it, because Cassie quickly made friends who were impressed with stories of her ‘Colonel Jack’ and the rest of SG-1. When Janet worried that Cassie was revealing classified information, her adopted daughter assured her that she was only telling stories of things that happened on Earth.
Taking in a deep breath, Janet moved to peer back into the bedroom once more. Cassie was struggling a little to get Jack sitting up, but she managed to prop him back against his pillows and then handed him a chicken tender to nibble on.
Janet nearly leapt out of her skin when Daniel came up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. She gasped softly and spun around to find an amused smile on his face.
He chuckled softly. “What are you doing?”
“Shh.” Janet put a silencing finger to her lips and then pulled Daniel down the hall to the kitchen.
Daniel sat at the breakfast bar and gave her a curious look. “What?”
Janet smiled fondly and waved in the direction of the guest bedroom-Jack’s room. “Cassandra,” she said softly. “She’s in there, telling Jack about her day, just talking with him.”
“She’s good for him, you know?” Daniel said with a smile.
“Yeah. Cassie, she’s-she’s a pretty great kid.” Smiling again, Janet nodded.
“She is.” Nodding in agreement, Daniel stood and pulled Janet into his arms, just holding her.
.
Cassie was just slipping out of Jack’s room with a mostly-empty plate while Janet was bringing in his evening meds. Her daughter froze and looked up with a guilty expression on her face as she halted just outside the door. Cassie’s dog quickly scampered off to her bedroom.
“Cassie,” Janet began in a soft scolding tone. “What did I tell you about bringing Jack food in bed?” She wasn’t really mad at all, and her voice was light.
The thirteen-year-old grimaced and shrugged. “I thought he might want something since he missed dinner. And I cleaned up all the crumbs,” she promised.
Janet smiled warmly and placed her hand affectionately on top of Cassie’s hair before bending over and kissing her forehead. “It’s alright, Cass. Seeing how Jack is with you means more to me than a few crumbs in the bed.”
Cassandra smiled, somewhat unsurely, then leaned into Janet and wrapped her arms around her waist. “Love you, Mom.”
“I love you, too, Cass. Now would you go ask Daniel to come help me get Jack ready for bed?” When Cassie nodded, Janet smiled again and patted her daughter’s head lovingly before unwinding her arms from around her and slipping into Jack’s room.
Jack stared at her for a moment before turning his head, stretching his neck and legs before twisting his hands into the blanket.
Janet gave him some water and his pills, then helped him sit up and get his legs over the side of the bed to wait for Daniel. She had a hand behind his back rubbing in soothing circles, partly to keep him calm and mostly to help him stay upright.
Daniel walked in and immediately took out some pajamas for Jack; an old t-shirt and Homer Simpson pants that Cassie had gotten him on his last birthday. He set the clothes on the bed and then Janet helped Daniel get Jack into the wheelchair so he could take him to the bathroom down the hall.
“I’ll take him from here; be right back,” Daniel told her with a swift smile.
Janet went to get the anti-itch cream she’d left in the kitchen, then returned to Jack’s room to wait for Daniel to bring him back. After about five minutes they reappeared, and Janet helped Daniel get Jack on the bed again. They got him changed, put the cream on his scratches, and then he was back in bed beneath the covers.
Janet sat on the edge of Jack’s bed for a little while as he curled on his side. She gently massaged his scalp and he made the usual contented noises before falling asleep. She stayed with him for a little while, Daniel going around the bed to sit on the other side at Jack’s back. He’d had somewhat of a rough day, having a tough therapy session and then suffering from one of his debilitating headaches. She knew it was stressful for him, and hoped he could rest comfortably, at least for a while. With Jack’s often erratic sleeping patterns, she could never tell.
.
In the middle of the night Janet woke up to a worrying silence. She could hear Daniel breathing softly beside her, and a glance at the baby monitor on the nightstand showed the green light that indicated it was on, but she heard nothing. All Janet heard was white noise, which meant the volume on the monitor in Jack’s room was turned all the way down or it was off. But why would it be off?
Slightly worried, Janet slipped out of bed as carefully as possible, but she still managed to wake Daniel.
“What is it?” he mumbled sleepily, rolling over to face her and squinting.
“Jack’s monitor is off. I’m just going to go check on him, I’ll be right back.” Janet hushed him, finding her robe and putting it on before padding toward the door. “Go back to sleep.”
“Mm’kay.” Daniel rolled over again and was out.
Peering into the open door of Jack’s room, the light from the hall casting a faint glow through the darkness, Janet smiled and sagged slightly with relief. Cassie was lying on the bed next to Jack, her head propped on an arm and whispering softly to him, with her dog Teddy lying at the foot of the bed. Jack’s eyes were open and he lifted his head, noticing Janet in the doorway and making a soft noise.
Cassie immediately sat up and turned around. “Mom,” she said softly with surprise. “You scared me.”
Janet just smiled and stepped into the room. “I woke up and noticed that Jack’s monitor was off.” She gestured to the muted monitor on the nightstand. “Came in to see why.”
“Sorry.” Cassie grimaced apologetically. “I got up to go to the bathroom and when I was going back to my room I saw that Jack was awake.” She shrugged. “I just came in to talk to him until he fell back asleep. I shut the monitor off so I wouldn’t wake you and Daniel.” She made a face and apologized again. “I don’t have school tomorrow,” she added hurriedly.
Janet tried not to laugh. “It’s okay, Cass.” She smiled reassuringly and sat on the bed beside her daughter. She then noticed that Cassie was holding one of Jack’s hands, methodically pressing back his fingers and then stretching them each one at a time. Jack didn’t seem to mind, his eyes closing as Cassie continued to manipulate his rigid digits.
“I think his hands hurt from being so scrunched up all the time,” Cassie said softly when she noticed Janet watching what she was doing.
“I’m sure they do,” Janet replied, smiling thinly and watching Jack as Cassie switched hands. “I’ll have to talk to Dr. Jessup and see if she can work on that with him a little more in therapy.”
Cassie nodded and proceeded to massage and flex Jack’s hand.
“Have you done this before?” Janet asked, seeing that Cassie seemed to know just what she was doing, each movement of her own hands slow and practiced as she worked with Jack’s.
Her young daughter nodded sheepishly. “Yeah. Sometimes I get up to just check on him at night.” She shrugged. “Jack tucks his hands in his armpits when they’re bothering him, but he doesn’t make any noises, so usually you or Daniel don’t wake up.” Cassie shrugged, suddenly looking a little unsure. “Are you mad?”
“No, I’m not, Cass.” Janet smiled warmly at her daughter and reached out to smooth back her silky hair. She then looked at her seriously. “But I want you to know that it isn’t your responsibility to care for Jack, okay? Daniel, Teal’c, and I will worry about that.”
Cassie sighed, frowning a little and turning her head to stare down at Jack’s hands. “I know,” she said in a small voice, shrugging. “But I wanna help, Mom. I love Jack just like you guys do. He’s my family, too.”
Janet felt tears sting her eyes. She was so unbelievably proud of this little girl that had come into their lives through tragedy and come out so strong and full of compassion and wisdom beyond her years. She pulled Cassie into a hug.
“Is it okay if I help Jack?” Cassie wanted to know while she was being crushed to her mother’s chest.
“Of course it is, sweetie.” Janet kissed the top of her head.
“Good. ‘Cause I wasn’t gonna stop.” Cassandra smiled mischievously, and Janet knew that her daughter had certainly spent a fair amount of time with one Colonel Jack O’Neill, and she didn’t mind that one bit.
Janet finally let her go and leaned back before getting off the bed. “I just don’t want you up too late with him on school nights, got it?”
“Yes, ma’am!” Cassie sent her a sloppy salute and grinned. Yep, she’d definitely picked some things up from Jack.
“Goodnight Jack,” Janet called to him as she moved back to the door. “And make sure you get some sleep, Cassandra.”
“I will,” Cassie promised.
Janet hovered in the doorway for a moment, long enough to see Cassie lean over Jack for a hug, kissing him tenderly on the cheek before lying back down beside him again.
.End.
Summary: There was never any doubt that Jack would be well taken care of.
Timeframe: Pre-Changes
Characters/Pairing: Jack, Cassie, established Daniel/Janet.
Genre: hurt/comfort, family, fluff
Rating: G
Steady As We Go
Daniel helped Janet sit Jack up in bed, preparing to transfer him to his wheelchair. As Daniel stood behind the bed to hold his shoulders, keeping him upright, Jack grunted and shoved a hand under his t-shirt to scratch at his ribcage.
“He’s been doing that a lot today,” Daniel pointed out as Janet frowned.
“The injuries he sustained from the shrapnel are still healing. His skin must be tight and itchy, but I don’t want him ripping the wounds open.” Janet gently grasped at Jack’s hand, trying to get him to stop. “Jack, don’t.”
He made a displeased noise and yanked his hand away from her, continuing to paw at his ribs.
Janet heaved a soft, exasperated sigh and reached to still his hand one more time. “Alright, alright. Let me see.” Jack didn’t fight her this time, and she tugged up his t-shirt. There were angry, red scratch marks up and down his side, some disturbing the nearly-healed wounds there. Her eyes widened and she grasped his hand, examining his fingernails and frowning.
“Time to cut his nails?” Daniel guessed, still keeping Jack sitting upright by holding his shoulders. Without anything to support him, their former Colonel couldn’t keep himself up on his own yet.
“I’d say so.” Janet nodded, then flapped a hand toward Jack’s ribcage. “Just let me put some anti-itch cream on him and then I’ll need your help with his nails.”
“Okay.” Daniel agreed, and Janet pulled Jack’s shirt back down, looking into his dark, somewhat-vacant eyes.
“No more scratching, alright?” she instructed, and Jack turned his head away, making faces and looking anywhere but at Janet.
Jack was finally still as Daniel removed his t-shirt, then helped him lay on his left so Janet could apply the cream to the opposite side. The medication was cold on her fingertips, and when she touched Jack’s warm skin, he flinched slightly.
“It’s okay,” Janet assured him calmly when he started to make irritated noises. “This will make the itching stop, Jack.”
He endured the treatment, arms and legs curling inward as he laid on the bed. His motor function was quite poor at this point in his recovery, and his limbs tended to do that. Daniel put Jack’s shirt back on him, then he and Janet got Jack into his wheelchair, fastening the padded chest strap so he didn’t fall forward.
“Clippers?” Daniel asked.
Janet pointed to a cabinet. “There should be some in there.” She pulled a chair up beside Jack, and tugged one of his hands to her knee, unfurling the rigid fingers as Daniel brought her the nail clippers.
Jack resisted at first, twisting his head and making noises again, lightly tugging his hand from Janet’s grip to show his displeasure.
“I know you hate this,” Janet said sympathetically, “but it will be over soon. I promise.”
Daniel tried to distract Jack by rambling to him about his latest projects while Janet methodically cut each fingernail. Once she’d finished each hand, Janet got the bigger clippers and moved onto his toes. Jack seemed to have an easier time with that, possibly because he couldn’t really see what was going on with his feet as easily.
After Janet had finished up, she noticed that Jack was tapping a half-curled fist at his jaw. She smiled up at him and placed a hand on his knee. “Yes, I know we were going to get some lunch before all this started.” Getting up from her seat, she put the chair back against the wall and then stood facing Daniel, who was now poised behind Jack’s chair. “I’ve got some time off for lunch, so why don’t you take him to the commissary while I clean up in here, then I’ll meet you.”
“Okay. Sounds like a plan.” Daniel smiled at her tenderly in that way that always made her insides melt just a little. Then he glanced down at Jack, patted him on the shoulder, and pushed the chair towards the door. “Come on big guy, let’s get you something to eat.”
.
Having lunch with Jack these days was a lesson in preparedness. Janet met Daniel in the commissary to get Jack’s food, but they took his tray-and their own-back to Jack’s VIP room. Both she and Daniel knew that getting Jack to eat was a messy process that would probably gain a lot of unwanted attention from other base personnel in the commissary, and Janet wouldn’t make him a spectacle.
Daniel pushed Jack’s wheelchair to the table in the corner while Janet set up. A plastic, disposable cloth was laid over the wooden table, and then she divided up Jack’s food into small piles on the tray, making everything easily accessible. Janet stuck the straw in Jack’s plastic drink cup and moved it within his reach, then she and Daniel sat down on either side of him.
“Okay, Jack. Go ahead; eat.” Janet instructed gently.
Jack was re-learning how to feed himself again, and with his very limited dexterity, it wasn’t easy. He reached for some of the grilled cheese sandwich Janet had cut up for him, and awkwardly shoveled some bits into his mouth with his curled fingers. He managed to get most of the sandwich into his mouth, but had a little more trouble with the slippery apple slices and cut up banana.
“You’re doing good, Jack,” Daniel said encouragingly after a few minutes as he rubbed Jack’s shoulder.
Jack cocked his head at Daniel’s words, and Janet suddenly envisioned him growling out a terse, “Quit patronizing me, will ya?” The thought momentarily froze her, and next thing she knew, Daniel was giving her a concerned look.
“Janet? You okay?”
Forcing herself to snap out of it, Janet cleared her throat and waved a hand dismissively. “Yeah, yeah I’m fine.” She smiled back at him reassuringly, touched by his concern. Janet went back to picking at her salad, glancing over after every few bites to see that Jack was doing okay.
Jack had finished all the grilled cheese, most of the banana slices, and only a few bits of apple when he stopped eating. Stopped, or gave up, Janet wasn’t sure. Even through the vacant expression on his face, she thought he might be frustrated, but he’d actually eaten a lot more than he’d been eating lately.
Daniel took one last bite of his sandwich before pushing his chair back and standing up. “Okay big guy, time to get you cleaned up.”
Janet cleared the table while Daniel took Jack into the bathroom. She busily put things away and tossed the trash.
When Daniel brought Jack out, the mess of food cleaned off his face, hands, and wherever else it had gotten, Daniel asked, “So what’s the rest of Jack’s day look like?”
“He’s got physical therapy with Dr. Jessup, then he’ll probably rest, and Teal’c will take him home for supper.” Janet stepped closer to Jack and brushed a hand through his typically unruly hair. He made a noise which Janet associated with him liking something, and she smiled.
“I can bring some of my books and sit with him when he’s done with therapy.” Daniel offered.
Janet agreed with a nod. “Alright. Teal’c’s going to stay with Jack during therapy. He’s still warming up to Dr. Jessup and doesn’t always cooperate with her, so one of us needs to be there.”
Daniel patted Jack’s shoulder. “Okay, well I’ve got to get back to work. I’ll see you later, Jack.” But the other man wasn’t paying attention, just staring down at the floor.
Janet tucked herself into Daniel’s chest when he came around Jack’s wheelchair and pulled her into his arms. She smiled and leaned up to kiss him. “Don’t work too hard,” she said while he reluctantly pulled away.
.
When a search and rescue mission detained Teal’c for the evening, Daniel and Janet realized that Jack would be staying with them for the night. For now, he was still resting, his post-therapy nap running a little longer than usual. Daniel wasn’t surprised, though. He’d had a rough session. Dr. Jessup had gotten Jack on his feet for a little while using a walking frame, with both her and Teal’c providing support on either side of him. When Teal’c brought Jack back to his quarters for a rest, Daniel could see that the other man was exhausted and toeing the line of cranky and irritable.
Daniel turned on the television for some background noise as he was reading his book. He felt himself drifting off a few pages in, and stretched out on the couch to close his eyes. He’d been working non-stop for much of the day and figured that a little cat nap would do him good.
The muffled sound of a thump woke Daniel from his nap, and he sat up with a jerk, the book on his chest falling to the floor. “Jack?” His voice cracked from disuse.
Getting up from the couch, he groggily spun around and saw Jack on the floor by the bed, curled in a ball with his hands around his head, whimpering softly. Scrambling over to his friend, Daniel quickly knelt at Jack’s side and touched his shoulder.
Jack moaned and shrugged off Daniel’s offered comfort.
“Dammit,” Daniel muttered under his breath, recognizing that the older man was having one of his debilitating migraines. He just hoped Jack hadn’t hit his head when he tumbled off the bed, fearing that his friend’s head injury was still too new.
While Jack writhed on the floor, holding his head, Daniel got up and made a beeline for the bathroom, fumbling through the cabinet until he’d found the correct pills.
Kneeling beside Jack again with his pills and some water, Daniel struggled to pull a resistant Jack to a sitting position. He managed to get him to swallow the medication before Jack curled up into a miserable ball on the floor again.
“Nnng…” Jack laid there, groaning softly.
Daniel grabbed a pillow from the bed and gently slid it beneath Jack’s head. He pulled the comforter down, too, putting a consoling hand on his friend’s shoulder as he waited for him to fall asleep.
With a sigh, Daniel slumped down on the floor near Jack’s head and leaned back against the bed. He could tell Jack’s meds were thankfully kicking in when his friend grew still and the soft moans coming from him ebbed away.
Daniel stayed there on the floor with Jack until Janet came in the room more than an hour later, ready to head home.
“Daniel? What happened?” Janet asked with alarm as she quickly moved across the room to the two men on the floor. Jack was still unconscious, his arms and legs tucked close to his body.
“One of those God-awful migraines,” Daniel answered softly, grimacing in sympathy.
“You gave him the pills?” Janet asked, kneeling on Jack’s other side to check on him.
Sighing, Daniel nodded. “Yeah. He went down not long after and hasn’t stirred much since.”
Janet smiled tightly. “Ready to get him home?” The look on her face told Daniel she hated to wake Jack, but they didn’t have much choice.
.
Jack was still sleeping off the effects of his headache when Daniel and Janet took him to their house. He’d missed dinner, but Janet found Cassie bringing him a little something to eat a short while later. She smiled softly as she leaned up against the doorframe just outside what had become Jack’s room. He was awake, but still lying on his side with Cassie perched on the edge of the bed beside him, a plate of chicken tenders in her lap, and Teddy on the floor awaiting any crumbs. The thirteen-year-old was telling Jack about her day at school while waiting for him to be ready to sit up and eat something.
Janet had to step back and lean against the hallway wall when hot tears leaked out of her eyes and slid down her cheeks. She pursed her lips, closing her eyes and trying to compose herself, not wanting Cassie to hear her crying. She was remembering the time Jack would spend with Cassie after she’d just arrived on their planet. Once in a while he’d pick her up from school and take her out to ice cream or something. Janet recalled Cassie telling her that she would always tell Jack about her day, and he said if any of the kids were mean to her because she was a little different, he’d go down there and straighten them out.
Janet smiled at the image of Jack talking sternly to a group of ten and eleven-year-olds. But he’d never had to do it, because Cassie quickly made friends who were impressed with stories of her ‘Colonel Jack’ and the rest of SG-1. When Janet worried that Cassie was revealing classified information, her adopted daughter assured her that she was only telling stories of things that happened on Earth.
Taking in a deep breath, Janet moved to peer back into the bedroom once more. Cassie was struggling a little to get Jack sitting up, but she managed to prop him back against his pillows and then handed him a chicken tender to nibble on.
Janet nearly leapt out of her skin when Daniel came up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. She gasped softly and spun around to find an amused smile on his face.
He chuckled softly. “What are you doing?”
“Shh.” Janet put a silencing finger to her lips and then pulled Daniel down the hall to the kitchen.
Daniel sat at the breakfast bar and gave her a curious look. “What?”
Janet smiled fondly and waved in the direction of the guest bedroom-Jack’s room. “Cassandra,” she said softly. “She’s in there, telling Jack about her day, just talking with him.”
“She’s good for him, you know?” Daniel said with a smile.
“Yeah. Cassie, she’s-she’s a pretty great kid.” Smiling again, Janet nodded.
“She is.” Nodding in agreement, Daniel stood and pulled Janet into his arms, just holding her.
.
Cassie was just slipping out of Jack’s room with a mostly-empty plate while Janet was bringing in his evening meds. Her daughter froze and looked up with a guilty expression on her face as she halted just outside the door. Cassie’s dog quickly scampered off to her bedroom.
“Cassie,” Janet began in a soft scolding tone. “What did I tell you about bringing Jack food in bed?” She wasn’t really mad at all, and her voice was light.
The thirteen-year-old grimaced and shrugged. “I thought he might want something since he missed dinner. And I cleaned up all the crumbs,” she promised.
Janet smiled warmly and placed her hand affectionately on top of Cassie’s hair before bending over and kissing her forehead. “It’s alright, Cass. Seeing how Jack is with you means more to me than a few crumbs in the bed.”
Cassandra smiled, somewhat unsurely, then leaned into Janet and wrapped her arms around her waist. “Love you, Mom.”
“I love you, too, Cass. Now would you go ask Daniel to come help me get Jack ready for bed?” When Cassie nodded, Janet smiled again and patted her daughter’s head lovingly before unwinding her arms from around her and slipping into Jack’s room.
Jack stared at her for a moment before turning his head, stretching his neck and legs before twisting his hands into the blanket.
Janet gave him some water and his pills, then helped him sit up and get his legs over the side of the bed to wait for Daniel. She had a hand behind his back rubbing in soothing circles, partly to keep him calm and mostly to help him stay upright.
Daniel walked in and immediately took out some pajamas for Jack; an old t-shirt and Homer Simpson pants that Cassie had gotten him on his last birthday. He set the clothes on the bed and then Janet helped Daniel get Jack into the wheelchair so he could take him to the bathroom down the hall.
“I’ll take him from here; be right back,” Daniel told her with a swift smile.
Janet went to get the anti-itch cream she’d left in the kitchen, then returned to Jack’s room to wait for Daniel to bring him back. After about five minutes they reappeared, and Janet helped Daniel get Jack on the bed again. They got him changed, put the cream on his scratches, and then he was back in bed beneath the covers.
Janet sat on the edge of Jack’s bed for a little while as he curled on his side. She gently massaged his scalp and he made the usual contented noises before falling asleep. She stayed with him for a little while, Daniel going around the bed to sit on the other side at Jack’s back. He’d had somewhat of a rough day, having a tough therapy session and then suffering from one of his debilitating headaches. She knew it was stressful for him, and hoped he could rest comfortably, at least for a while. With Jack’s often erratic sleeping patterns, she could never tell.
.
In the middle of the night Janet woke up to a worrying silence. She could hear Daniel breathing softly beside her, and a glance at the baby monitor on the nightstand showed the green light that indicated it was on, but she heard nothing. All Janet heard was white noise, which meant the volume on the monitor in Jack’s room was turned all the way down or it was off. But why would it be off?
Slightly worried, Janet slipped out of bed as carefully as possible, but she still managed to wake Daniel.
“What is it?” he mumbled sleepily, rolling over to face her and squinting.
“Jack’s monitor is off. I’m just going to go check on him, I’ll be right back.” Janet hushed him, finding her robe and putting it on before padding toward the door. “Go back to sleep.”
“Mm’kay.” Daniel rolled over again and was out.
Peering into the open door of Jack’s room, the light from the hall casting a faint glow through the darkness, Janet smiled and sagged slightly with relief. Cassie was lying on the bed next to Jack, her head propped on an arm and whispering softly to him, with her dog Teddy lying at the foot of the bed. Jack’s eyes were open and he lifted his head, noticing Janet in the doorway and making a soft noise.
Cassie immediately sat up and turned around. “Mom,” she said softly with surprise. “You scared me.”
Janet just smiled and stepped into the room. “I woke up and noticed that Jack’s monitor was off.” She gestured to the muted monitor on the nightstand. “Came in to see why.”
“Sorry.” Cassie grimaced apologetically. “I got up to go to the bathroom and when I was going back to my room I saw that Jack was awake.” She shrugged. “I just came in to talk to him until he fell back asleep. I shut the monitor off so I wouldn’t wake you and Daniel.” She made a face and apologized again. “I don’t have school tomorrow,” she added hurriedly.
Janet tried not to laugh. “It’s okay, Cass.” She smiled reassuringly and sat on the bed beside her daughter. She then noticed that Cassie was holding one of Jack’s hands, methodically pressing back his fingers and then stretching them each one at a time. Jack didn’t seem to mind, his eyes closing as Cassie continued to manipulate his rigid digits.
“I think his hands hurt from being so scrunched up all the time,” Cassie said softly when she noticed Janet watching what she was doing.
“I’m sure they do,” Janet replied, smiling thinly and watching Jack as Cassie switched hands. “I’ll have to talk to Dr. Jessup and see if she can work on that with him a little more in therapy.”
Cassie nodded and proceeded to massage and flex Jack’s hand.
“Have you done this before?” Janet asked, seeing that Cassie seemed to know just what she was doing, each movement of her own hands slow and practiced as she worked with Jack’s.
Her young daughter nodded sheepishly. “Yeah. Sometimes I get up to just check on him at night.” She shrugged. “Jack tucks his hands in his armpits when they’re bothering him, but he doesn’t make any noises, so usually you or Daniel don’t wake up.” Cassie shrugged, suddenly looking a little unsure. “Are you mad?”
“No, I’m not, Cass.” Janet smiled warmly at her daughter and reached out to smooth back her silky hair. She then looked at her seriously. “But I want you to know that it isn’t your responsibility to care for Jack, okay? Daniel, Teal’c, and I will worry about that.”
Cassie sighed, frowning a little and turning her head to stare down at Jack’s hands. “I know,” she said in a small voice, shrugging. “But I wanna help, Mom. I love Jack just like you guys do. He’s my family, too.”
Janet felt tears sting her eyes. She was so unbelievably proud of this little girl that had come into their lives through tragedy and come out so strong and full of compassion and wisdom beyond her years. She pulled Cassie into a hug.
“Is it okay if I help Jack?” Cassie wanted to know while she was being crushed to her mother’s chest.
“Of course it is, sweetie.” Janet kissed the top of her head.
“Good. ‘Cause I wasn’t gonna stop.” Cassandra smiled mischievously, and Janet knew that her daughter had certainly spent a fair amount of time with one Colonel Jack O’Neill, and she didn’t mind that one bit.
Janet finally let her go and leaned back before getting off the bed. “I just don’t want you up too late with him on school nights, got it?”
“Yes, ma’am!” Cassie sent her a sloppy salute and grinned. Yep, she’d definitely picked some things up from Jack.
“Goodnight Jack,” Janet called to him as she moved back to the door. “And make sure you get some sleep, Cassandra.”
“I will,” Cassie promised.
Janet hovered in the doorway for a moment, long enough to see Cassie lean over Jack for a hug, kissing him tenderly on the cheek before lying back down beside him again.
.End.