Don't Ever Let it End: Part 1/4
Title: Don’t Ever Let it End
Summary: Jack and Sam spend some unexpected time together during Thanksgiving weekend.
Timeframe: Post season one’s ‘Solitudes.’
Characters/Pairing: Jack/Sam, Daniel, Janet
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Holiday, UST to RST, Friendship, Romance, Whump
Rating: PG
Started: Nov 10, 2010 Finished: Jan 9, 2012
Don’t Ever Let it End
Part One
Daniel slowly pushed the door to the private infirmary room open and stuck his head inside. “Jack? You ready to go?”
His friend was sitting on the edge of the bed, a pair of crutches on either side of him, and his right leg encased in a full cast that stopped about mid-thigh barely touching the hard floor. “Get me the hell outta here, Danny boy.” Jack pushed himself up with a grin, balancing on his good leg and using his crutches to hobble forward.
Daniel felt a smile spread across his face. “I hope you realize that Janet’s only springing you early because you’re driving her and the medical staff nuts.” He walked in to grab Jack’s care bag from the doctor which his friend had conveniently left on the bed.
“Hrmph.” Jack snorted. “You call this letting me go early? I’ve been stuck here for two and a half weeks, for cryin’ out loud.”
Eyebrows hitching upward, Daniel just shook his head and held the door open so Jack could hobble through. “Jack, on top of the broken leg you had severe hypothermia and internal bleeding. You almost died. Did you expect Janet to let you loose the day after your surgery?” he retorted.
Jack grumbled something unintelligible under his breath and disappeared down the hall without waiting for Daniel.
Rolling his eyes, Daniel followed after him, his natural strides easily catching up with Jack’s slow hobble.
Sam was there when the elevator doors opened, and Daniel greeted her with a friendly smile. “Hey, Sam.”
“Hey Daniel, Colonel.” She smiled tightly, her eyes quickly drifting to Jack. She absently waved toward him while stepping out of the elevator and holding the door so he could hobble inside. “How’s the leg, sir?” Sam asked, sounding a little uncomfortable.
“Oh, fine.” He blew out a breath. “Just fine, Carter.” Jack sent her a little nod as he balanced himself.
“Glad to hear it, sir. Well, have a good holiday; you too, Daniel,” Sam managed to get out before the doors closed.
“Holiday?” Jack gave Daniel a look, his brows furrowed deeply with confusion.
“Ah, yeah, Jack. You know, Thanksgiving? It’s in two days.” Daniel couldn’t believe that his friend had forgotten. Well, okay, Daniel thought after a moment, seeing genuine bewilderment on Jack’s face. Maybe he could believe it.
“Oh, right. Yeah, Thanksgiving,” he muttered somewhat testily, staring at the elevator buttons as the car rose up from the bowels of the SGC.
.
“Aggh…” Jack returned to consciousness as agony coursed through him, his broken leg screaming in pain, and his chest on fire. He tried to roll on his side, but something was stopping him from doing so.
“Colonel, don’t.” Gentle hands pressed down on his shoulders, then suddenly, the pressure was gone.
The familiar voice grounded him and his eyes opened slowly. “Carter?” he managed with little breath.
“Yes sir.” She was hovering over him, pale, with dark circles under her eyes, the scrape on her cheek looking more harsh under the artificial infirmary lights than it had in the dark of their ice cave.
“Y’okay?” Jack’s eyes narrowed as his head began to throb in tune with the rest of his body. Carter’s entire form took on an ethereal glow, and he wasn’t entirely sure what he was seeing anymore. Wait, this isn’t what happened, he thought to himself. “Carter…”
“Sir?” Her body shimmered oddly, almost like a hologram, and as Jack reached out a shaky hand to try and touch her, to make sure she was there, Carter was whisked away like a plume of smoke being sucked out of the room.
“Carter!”
Jack lurched sideways in bed, his heavy, plaster-encased leg following the rest of his body more slowly. He groaned and reached down toward his leg, swearing softly under his breath as he opened his eyes. It wasn’t pitch black out, but it wasn’t exactly daylight either.
Squinting at the clock, Jack saw that it was just shy of sunrise. Knowing he wouldn’t be able to fall back to sleep, he sat up and pushed himself toward the edge of his bed, reaching for the crutches that were leaning against his nightstand.
Wearing just his boxers and a t-shirt, Jack felt a shiver run through him and hobbled over to the closet door where he’d hung his robe. Ever since he and Carter had returned from Antarctica, Jack was almost constantly cold. Doc Fraiser said that it was mostly psychological and would dissipate given time, but sometimes he wasn’t so sure. Sometimes he felt like he might never get warm.
Balancing on one crutch momentarily, Jack struggled into his soft flannel robe and slowly hopped out of his bedroom. If he couldn’t get back to sleep, he might as well go to the kitchen and work on keeping himself awake.
That was where Daniel found him two hours later, sitting at the kitchen table and nursing his third cup of coffee. The archaeologist shuffled in sleepily, squinting and rubbing his eyes before he pulled on his glasses.
“Jack, what the hell are you doing?”
“Having coffee. Want some?” Jack waved off toward the counter and the near-empty coffee pot.
Pulling a hand through his mussed mop of hair, Daniel ambled toward the pot and grabbed a mug from the cupboard, pouring himself a cup. “How long have you been up?” He sat at the table across from Jack.
“Where do you think Carter’s going for Thanksgiving?” Jack asked abruptly, avoiding the question. He knew by the look on his friend’s face that Daniel was thrown. He also knew the younger man would let it slide because he wasn’t fully awake yet.
“Uh… Eh, I dunno.” Daniel shrugged. “To see her family I would guess, but what do I know? I don’t think I’ve ever heard her talk about her family.”
“She’s got a brother in San Diego. Niece and nephew,” Jack murmured, sipping at the last dregs of his coffee.
Daniel’s brows pulled together with confusion. “How do you-“
“She told me,” Jack answered briefly, leaving it at that.
The sound of a cell phone ringing distracted Daniel enough that he didn’t question Jack’s knowledge of his 2IC’s personal life any further. “Oh, that’s me!” the archaeologist jumped up and ran into the spare room where his things were.
It was a few minutes before Daniel came back into the kitchen. Jack immediately noticed the conflicted look on his friend’s face, and called him on it. “What’s up?”
Daniel paced a little, then flipped his glasses up and down over his nose before coming to stand beside the kitchen table. “Ah, that was Dr. Keith Paulson from SG-7.”
“Oh?” Jack rose an eyebrow and waved for Daniel to go on.
“He wants me to join him on an off-world dig this weekend. They found some ruins with writings that resemble the symbols we found on Cimmeria.”
Jack just nodded at him, but he could see the sparkle of interest in the young archaeologist’s eyes.
“You know, symbols of Thor’s race.”
Quickly losing his interest in this conversation, Jack heaved a sigh and said, “Yeah, so why don’t you go?” Daniel grimaced, and Jack thought, Here comes the kicker.
“They’re leaving tomorrow, on Thanksgiving.”
“So?” Jack’s brows furrowed. He obviously wasn’t getting why that was such a big deal. “You’re not doin’ anythin’.”
Daniel rolled his eyes. “Yeah, but I’m supposed to be keeping an eye on you.”
“For cryin’ out loud, Danny. I don’t need a babysitter,” Jack growled half-heartedly. He waved a hand in the air. “Go off-world and play with your rocks, will ya?”
Daniel still looked unsure. He opened his mouth to say something, but Jack cut him off before he could even start.
“I’ll be fine Daniel.”
.
Daniel left Jack’s house mid-afternoon to pack. He’d told Jack he was just going to get his gear ready to leave in the morning and come back to Jack’s place for the night, but Jack told him it’d be too much of a hassle and he should just sleep on base. Daniel finally agreed, but still wasn’t feeling so sure about having left Jack on his own.
He was shoving the last of his gear into his bag when Sam poked her head into Daniel’s lab, surprising him.
“Hey Daniel, what are you doing on base?”
Raising his eyebrows, he absently answered her. “Ah, I was invited to go on an off-world dig that I really didn’t want to pass up.” He smiled weakly. “Jack kinda insisted that I go.” Daniel shrugged, then furrowed his brows slightly. “What are you doing here? I figured you’d be off with family or something.”
Sam smiled tightly. “No. Actually, I just talked to Janet and she was supposed to go to her sister’s with Cassie, but it turns out they all got the flu over there.” She grimaced. “Janet’s decided to just have Thanksgiving at her place and she invited me over. She asked me to extend the invitation to you and the Colonel if you guys didn’t have plans. I was just going to call you.”
“Oh.” Daniel made a face and sighed, contemplating the offer for a moment before smiling. “Well, I’m sure Jack would enjoy the company. I mean, maybe you could keep an eye on him?” He looked at her hopefully. “I’m kinda worried about leaving him on his own with his leg and all, but if he was with you and Janet…”
“Okay,” Sam agreed with a somewhat-uneasy smile. “I’ll talk to him.”
“Great.” Daniel smiled swiftly and shoved one more thing into his pack. “Oh, and if he says no, get Janet to threaten to send him back to the infirmary or something.” He smirked, and Sam laughed softly with a nod.
“Alright, well, have fun Daniel.”
“Yeah, you too.”
.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m comin’!” Jack hollered from the lounge after several knocks sounded on the door before he could get himself to his feet. He groaned softly as he hobbled up the steps and toward the front door. Without looking out the window to see who it was, he pulled open the door, growling, “Daniel, go dig up your rocks, will ya? I’m gonna be just…” His mouth gaped open when he saw Carter standing there. “…fine,” he finished lamely.
Carter smiled a little bashfully. “Um, hello sir.”
“Carter.” Jack lifted an eyebrow and shifted a little on his crutches, leaning more heavily on his good leg.
“Ah, I would’ve called sir, but I was on my way home and coming by this way anyway, so…” She shrugged awkwardly. “I figured I’d see how you were doing.”
Jack’s eyes narrowed. “You talked to Daniel, didn’t you?”
She smiled, and Jack felt his heart flutter just a little. “Yes, sir. But that’s not entirely why I’m here.”
“Oh?” He shuffled sideways and motioned her inside. It was cold out after all, and the chill was sinking deep into his bones.
Carter hurried inside and pulled the door closed behind her. She stood with him in the hallway, less than two feet of space between them. She pulled her fitted pea coat tighter around her and shivered. “Janet asked me to extend her invitation to join her and Cassie for Thanksgiving.”
Jack ignored the discomfort of his crutches digging into his armpits as Carter explained about Janet’s last minute Thanksgiving plans. He found himself staring at the floor, and when he looked up, realized that Carter was expecting him to give her an answer.
“Sir?”
Giving himself a mental shake, Jack sent her a crooked little smile. “Yeah, okay. I’ll go I guess.”
“Great.” Carter smiled and then shifted awkwardly, looking like she didn’t really want to leave.
In truth, Jack didn’t want her to go. Since she’d been discharged from the infirmary a few days after their return to Cheyenne Mountain, he’d been left with this weird, empty feeling. He and Carter had developed a strong bond when they thought they were dying together in that ice cave. Without her around, he’d felt off. It was very strange, and Jack couldn’t deal with the vulnerability; he wanted to be wherever she was.
Biting down on her lower lip, Carter opened her mouth to break the silence before he could. “Would you like some company tonight, sir?”
He looked up and sent her another crooked grin, trying to hide the relief he felt at her offer. Jack gave a short nod. “Sure, Carter.” His voice was nonchalant, but inside his chest his heart was hammering away, thrilled that she was going to stay.
.
Sam couldn’t believe she’d been so bold; couldn’t believe he’d actually agreed to her staying. She felt her cheeks flush with heat as she followed the Colonel’s slow hobble back down to his lounge.
He gestured for her to take a seat in one of the arm chairs while he got himself situated on the couch. He sat down awkwardly and then lifted his plaster-encased leg up on the cushions, following it with his other leg and heaving a low sigh when he finally got settled.
Sam found herself staring at the Colonel’s leg. He was wearing baggy black sweatpants that he’d managed to pull over the bulky cast. Sam remembered Janet telling her she’d done a good job setting and splinting the tib-fib fractures, but upon reviewing the Colonel’s X-Rays, the doctor discovered that there’d also been a small fracture to his femur that they hadn’t known about. O’Neill hadn’t been too happy when Janet told him he needed a full leg cast and was going to be out of commission for a few weeks longer than he’d thought. He’d be lucky if he didn’t still have the cast on by Christmas.
“It’s not as uncomfortable as it looks,” the Colonel quipped lightly, startling Sam out of her silent musings. He lightly tapped his cast, shifted a little, and grimaced. “Ah, yeah. Okay, it is.”
Smiling tightly, Sam tucked a stray lock hair behind her ear. “Do you need your medication or anything, sir?”
“Nah, I’m fine, Carter.” He waved a hand dismissively. Reaching for the remote on the coffee table, the Colonel’s fingers scrabbled to reach it without leaning too far sideways so he wouldn’t disturb his still-healing ribs.
Seeing his struggle, Sam got up and grabbed the remote for him, handing it over. “Here you go, sir.”
He smiled sheepishly in embarrassment. “Thanks, Carter.”
Sam relaxed back into the chair and turned her attention to the TV when the Colonel found an old football game and settled on that.
.
“Carter?”
“Hrm?” Sam opened her eyes and took a minute to focus, discovering Colonel O’Neill hovering over her, leaning on his crutches. “Sir?”
He smiled and gently reached down to tug at her elbow. “C’mon, Carter, it’s late. I’ll show you to the spare room.”
Sam sat up, suddenly feeling a little uncomfortable. “Ah, that’s okay sir. Maybe I should just head home. I’ll pick you up tomorrow for Janet’s?”
Something flashed in his dark eyes, and if she didn’t know any better, Sam would have thought he looked…anxious? He waved a hand toward the window. “It started to snow about an hour ago. It’s gettin’ kinda bad out there. You…ah, you probably shouldn’t drive. The plows haven’t been by yet; roads’ll be bad.”
Sam looked at him with brief confusion as she stood. Did he not want her to leave? She didn’t want to, but was afraid of what might happen if she stayed. Although, the thought of driving in the snow was not very appealing. She’d been rather cold-weather shy since their little stint in the arctic.
The Colonel turned and began to hobble toward the lounge steps. “C’mon Carter, it’s okay,” he insisted.
Feeling her heart flutter a little, she followed O’Neill out of the lounge and down the hall into a spare bedroom across the hall from his own. She stepped inside as he turned on the light. It was a very plain-looking room. One dresser and night stand, with a full size bed covered in a plaid comforter.
When she turned around, the Colonel had gone. Shrugging to herself, she pulled back the covers and started to situate the pillows the way she did at home. Sam kicked off her shoes and then turned around when she heard the unmistakable sound of O’Neill’s rubber-tipped crutches on the hardwood floor.
He hobbled forward in to the room, then handed her the pair of old sweats and a t-shirt that he’d carried in over his shoulder.
“Thank you, sir.” Sam sent him a grateful smile as she took the clothes.
O’Neill quirked a lopsided smile and said, “G’night Carter,” before slowly making his way out of the room, awkwardly closing the door behind him.
For a moment Sam just plopped down on the bed, staring at the clothes in her lap that undoubtedly smelled like him, and wondering what the hell she was doing here. But she still didn’t want to leave. She wanted to be near him.
.
A thick layer of pristine white snow blanketed the ground, giving Jack’s yard a serene Winter Wonderland look that would have been perfect on Christmas Day. But it wasn’t Christmas Day, it was Thanksgiving, and Jack would have preferred not to have any snow at all. The cold was bad enough, making his mending bones ache.
He sat on the couch, wrapped in a flannel robe and covered in a big fleece blanket, both hands clinging to his warm coffee mug while he waited for Carter to wake up. His injured leg was propped up on a pillow on the coffee table, and the pain was muted slightly thanks to the handful of Tylenol he’d taken when he got up this morning.
Having not bothered to turn on the TV, Jack just sat quietly, sipping his coffee and relaxing. He was nearly finished with his drink and feeling a little drowsy by the time he heard Carter come down the lounge steps. He turned his head and noticed she had a mug of coffee in hand. Maybe he actually had dozed off for a few minutes because she’d gone into the kitchen without him hearing her.
“Mornin’,” he murmured placidly, raising his mug in greeting.
Sending him a small smile, Carter shuffled over and took the free spot of couch to his left. Her shoulders hunched as she sat, and Jack could see that she was chilled in the t-shirt he’d given her for bed.
“Here.” Jack unwrapped himself part way from his cocoon and offered her some of the fleece blanket he was covered with.
“Thank you, sir.” Carter’s cheeks flamed briefly as she accepted his offer, having to sit a little closer to him so they could share the blanket. Softly, she murmured, “Seems like I can never get warm enough.”
Jack grimaced and nodded in agreement as he settled back again. “I know how ya feel.” He and Carter both had the blanket pulled up to their chins, each with one arm sticking out to cling to their coffee mugs.
They sat in companionable silence for a while before Jack reluctantly pushed the blanket aside and reached for his crutches to lever himself upright. “Gonna go wash up,” he explained when Carter gave him a look. “Doc won’t let me shower with this,” Jack tapped his plastered leg, “so it’ll take me a while.”
Carter nodded with apparent understanding. She extracted herself from the blanket and got off the couch. “That’s alright, sir. I need to head over to my place for a shower and some clean clothes anyway.”
“Okay.” Jack began to hobble to the steps. Glancing out the window, he was reminded that it had snowed the previous night. He turned back to Carter. “Take my truck. It’ll get you through the snow, and if it’s slippery out, just throw ‘er into four wheel drive.”
Carter looked hesitant. “Are you sure?” She obviously knew he didn’t let just anybody drive it.
He nodded and sent her a reassuring grin. “Keys are hangin’ in the kitchen and there’s a snow scraper in the coat closet.”
.
Sam drove home, showered and dressed, then returned to the Colonel’s house in about an hour. She let herself in and took a brief look around, but didn’t see her commanding officer in sight. She remembered him saying it would take him a while to wash up and dress-as he essentially had to give himself a sponge bath-but she thought he’d be done by now.
Cautiously heading down the hall, Sam reached O’Neill’s bedroom and peered inside, seeing the door was wide open. “Sir?” She thought she heard something from the master bath and crossed the bedroom to knock on the door. “Colonel?”
“Yeah, Carter. I’ll be out in-ah-I’ll be out in a while.” His voice sounded pretty hesitant through the wooden door.
“Sir, do you need some help?” Sam couldn’t believe the words that had come out of her mouth. She wanted to bang her head on the door.
“No,” was the frustrated reply, followed shortly by a reluctant, grated, “Yes.”
Sam was momentarily startled by her CO admitting he needed her help. Suddenly, she was cursing herself for offering. “Can I come in, sir?” Oh God, Sam, what are you doing?! she was mentally yelling at herself.
“Ah-hang on. Gimme a minute.” There was a strained grunt, followed by a short clattering noise and the muted rustle of fabric. Then, about thirty seconds later- “Okay Carter, but be warned, I’m…underdressed, so don’t get excited.”
“No, sir.” His teasing soothed some of her nerves, and Sam braced herself before pushing the door open and stepping into the bathroom.
The Colonel was standing awkwardly by the sink, one crutch under his left arm and a towel around his waist. He was clean shaven, his body was damp, some of his hair wet, and there was water all over the floor.
Sam couldn’t help the path her eyes traveled from the edge of the towel, to his bellybutton-an inny, she noted-then following a trail of fine hair that went up his stomach to fade briefly before meeting a larger patch of coarse tawny hairs on his chest. She also noticed the fresh pink scar on his abdomen from surgery where Janet had to go in and repair the internal bleeding.
O’Neill cleared his throat, and Sam’s eyes locked onto his face to see him looking a little embarrassed. “Havin’ a little problem washing my hair,” he said with a grunt.
Looking at him thoughtfully for a moment, Sam nodded and then said, “I’ve got an idea.” He seemed open to anything that would get the job done, so she helped him to sit on the edge of the bathtub, throwing an extra towel on the water all over the floor so neither of them would slip. “I’ll be right back.”
Sam hurried to the kitchen where she found a plastic pitcher, then returned to the bathroom. “Can you lean back into the tub and tip your head a little sir?”
“Yeah, I think so.” She filled the pitcher with warm water, and put a hand on O’Neill’s shoulder to help steady him as he leaned back. She then poured the water over his head, soaking his hair before reaching for the shampoo.
“This is kinda nice, Carter. Ever thought of becoming a hairdresser?” the Colonel joked as she massaged the masculine-smelling Old Spice shampoo into his scalp.
“Well, I did at one point, but my dad threatened to disown me,” Sam joked right back. She cracked a small smile, appreciative that most of the tension had eased away. It helped her not to focus on the fact that her very attractive CO was sitting almost naked in front of her and she was washing his hair like a newborn.
When she’d finished washing and rinsing, Sam helped O’Neill up and then left so he could dry off and get dressed in his room.
.
Part Two
Summary: Jack and Sam spend some unexpected time together during Thanksgiving weekend.
Timeframe: Post season one’s ‘Solitudes.’
Characters/Pairing: Jack/Sam, Daniel, Janet
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Holiday, UST to RST, Friendship, Romance, Whump
Rating: PG
Started: Nov 10, 2010 Finished: Jan 9, 2012
Don’t Ever Let it End
Part One
Daniel slowly pushed the door to the private infirmary room open and stuck his head inside. “Jack? You ready to go?”
His friend was sitting on the edge of the bed, a pair of crutches on either side of him, and his right leg encased in a full cast that stopped about mid-thigh barely touching the hard floor. “Get me the hell outta here, Danny boy.” Jack pushed himself up with a grin, balancing on his good leg and using his crutches to hobble forward.
Daniel felt a smile spread across his face. “I hope you realize that Janet’s only springing you early because you’re driving her and the medical staff nuts.” He walked in to grab Jack’s care bag from the doctor which his friend had conveniently left on the bed.
“Hrmph.” Jack snorted. “You call this letting me go early? I’ve been stuck here for two and a half weeks, for cryin’ out loud.”
Eyebrows hitching upward, Daniel just shook his head and held the door open so Jack could hobble through. “Jack, on top of the broken leg you had severe hypothermia and internal bleeding. You almost died. Did you expect Janet to let you loose the day after your surgery?” he retorted.
Jack grumbled something unintelligible under his breath and disappeared down the hall without waiting for Daniel.
Rolling his eyes, Daniel followed after him, his natural strides easily catching up with Jack’s slow hobble.
Sam was there when the elevator doors opened, and Daniel greeted her with a friendly smile. “Hey, Sam.”
“Hey Daniel, Colonel.” She smiled tightly, her eyes quickly drifting to Jack. She absently waved toward him while stepping out of the elevator and holding the door so he could hobble inside. “How’s the leg, sir?” Sam asked, sounding a little uncomfortable.
“Oh, fine.” He blew out a breath. “Just fine, Carter.” Jack sent her a little nod as he balanced himself.
“Glad to hear it, sir. Well, have a good holiday; you too, Daniel,” Sam managed to get out before the doors closed.
“Holiday?” Jack gave Daniel a look, his brows furrowed deeply with confusion.
“Ah, yeah, Jack. You know, Thanksgiving? It’s in two days.” Daniel couldn’t believe that his friend had forgotten. Well, okay, Daniel thought after a moment, seeing genuine bewilderment on Jack’s face. Maybe he could believe it.
“Oh, right. Yeah, Thanksgiving,” he muttered somewhat testily, staring at the elevator buttons as the car rose up from the bowels of the SGC.
.
“Aggh…” Jack returned to consciousness as agony coursed through him, his broken leg screaming in pain, and his chest on fire. He tried to roll on his side, but something was stopping him from doing so.
“Colonel, don’t.” Gentle hands pressed down on his shoulders, then suddenly, the pressure was gone.
The familiar voice grounded him and his eyes opened slowly. “Carter?” he managed with little breath.
“Yes sir.” She was hovering over him, pale, with dark circles under her eyes, the scrape on her cheek looking more harsh under the artificial infirmary lights than it had in the dark of their ice cave.
“Y’okay?” Jack’s eyes narrowed as his head began to throb in tune with the rest of his body. Carter’s entire form took on an ethereal glow, and he wasn’t entirely sure what he was seeing anymore. Wait, this isn’t what happened, he thought to himself. “Carter…”
“Sir?” Her body shimmered oddly, almost like a hologram, and as Jack reached out a shaky hand to try and touch her, to make sure she was there, Carter was whisked away like a plume of smoke being sucked out of the room.
“Carter!”
Jack lurched sideways in bed, his heavy, plaster-encased leg following the rest of his body more slowly. He groaned and reached down toward his leg, swearing softly under his breath as he opened his eyes. It wasn’t pitch black out, but it wasn’t exactly daylight either.
Squinting at the clock, Jack saw that it was just shy of sunrise. Knowing he wouldn’t be able to fall back to sleep, he sat up and pushed himself toward the edge of his bed, reaching for the crutches that were leaning against his nightstand.
Wearing just his boxers and a t-shirt, Jack felt a shiver run through him and hobbled over to the closet door where he’d hung his robe. Ever since he and Carter had returned from Antarctica, Jack was almost constantly cold. Doc Fraiser said that it was mostly psychological and would dissipate given time, but sometimes he wasn’t so sure. Sometimes he felt like he might never get warm.
Balancing on one crutch momentarily, Jack struggled into his soft flannel robe and slowly hopped out of his bedroom. If he couldn’t get back to sleep, he might as well go to the kitchen and work on keeping himself awake.
That was where Daniel found him two hours later, sitting at the kitchen table and nursing his third cup of coffee. The archaeologist shuffled in sleepily, squinting and rubbing his eyes before he pulled on his glasses.
“Jack, what the hell are you doing?”
“Having coffee. Want some?” Jack waved off toward the counter and the near-empty coffee pot.
Pulling a hand through his mussed mop of hair, Daniel ambled toward the pot and grabbed a mug from the cupboard, pouring himself a cup. “How long have you been up?” He sat at the table across from Jack.
“Where do you think Carter’s going for Thanksgiving?” Jack asked abruptly, avoiding the question. He knew by the look on his friend’s face that Daniel was thrown. He also knew the younger man would let it slide because he wasn’t fully awake yet.
“Uh… Eh, I dunno.” Daniel shrugged. “To see her family I would guess, but what do I know? I don’t think I’ve ever heard her talk about her family.”
“She’s got a brother in San Diego. Niece and nephew,” Jack murmured, sipping at the last dregs of his coffee.
Daniel’s brows pulled together with confusion. “How do you-“
“She told me,” Jack answered briefly, leaving it at that.
The sound of a cell phone ringing distracted Daniel enough that he didn’t question Jack’s knowledge of his 2IC’s personal life any further. “Oh, that’s me!” the archaeologist jumped up and ran into the spare room where his things were.
It was a few minutes before Daniel came back into the kitchen. Jack immediately noticed the conflicted look on his friend’s face, and called him on it. “What’s up?”
Daniel paced a little, then flipped his glasses up and down over his nose before coming to stand beside the kitchen table. “Ah, that was Dr. Keith Paulson from SG-7.”
“Oh?” Jack rose an eyebrow and waved for Daniel to go on.
“He wants me to join him on an off-world dig this weekend. They found some ruins with writings that resemble the symbols we found on Cimmeria.”
Jack just nodded at him, but he could see the sparkle of interest in the young archaeologist’s eyes.
“You know, symbols of Thor’s race.”
Quickly losing his interest in this conversation, Jack heaved a sigh and said, “Yeah, so why don’t you go?” Daniel grimaced, and Jack thought, Here comes the kicker.
“They’re leaving tomorrow, on Thanksgiving.”
“So?” Jack’s brows furrowed. He obviously wasn’t getting why that was such a big deal. “You’re not doin’ anythin’.”
Daniel rolled his eyes. “Yeah, but I’m supposed to be keeping an eye on you.”
“For cryin’ out loud, Danny. I don’t need a babysitter,” Jack growled half-heartedly. He waved a hand in the air. “Go off-world and play with your rocks, will ya?”
Daniel still looked unsure. He opened his mouth to say something, but Jack cut him off before he could even start.
“I’ll be fine Daniel.”
.
Daniel left Jack’s house mid-afternoon to pack. He’d told Jack he was just going to get his gear ready to leave in the morning and come back to Jack’s place for the night, but Jack told him it’d be too much of a hassle and he should just sleep on base. Daniel finally agreed, but still wasn’t feeling so sure about having left Jack on his own.
He was shoving the last of his gear into his bag when Sam poked her head into Daniel’s lab, surprising him.
“Hey Daniel, what are you doing on base?”
Raising his eyebrows, he absently answered her. “Ah, I was invited to go on an off-world dig that I really didn’t want to pass up.” He smiled weakly. “Jack kinda insisted that I go.” Daniel shrugged, then furrowed his brows slightly. “What are you doing here? I figured you’d be off with family or something.”
Sam smiled tightly. “No. Actually, I just talked to Janet and she was supposed to go to her sister’s with Cassie, but it turns out they all got the flu over there.” She grimaced. “Janet’s decided to just have Thanksgiving at her place and she invited me over. She asked me to extend the invitation to you and the Colonel if you guys didn’t have plans. I was just going to call you.”
“Oh.” Daniel made a face and sighed, contemplating the offer for a moment before smiling. “Well, I’m sure Jack would enjoy the company. I mean, maybe you could keep an eye on him?” He looked at her hopefully. “I’m kinda worried about leaving him on his own with his leg and all, but if he was with you and Janet…”
“Okay,” Sam agreed with a somewhat-uneasy smile. “I’ll talk to him.”
“Great.” Daniel smiled swiftly and shoved one more thing into his pack. “Oh, and if he says no, get Janet to threaten to send him back to the infirmary or something.” He smirked, and Sam laughed softly with a nod.
“Alright, well, have fun Daniel.”
“Yeah, you too.”
.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m comin’!” Jack hollered from the lounge after several knocks sounded on the door before he could get himself to his feet. He groaned softly as he hobbled up the steps and toward the front door. Without looking out the window to see who it was, he pulled open the door, growling, “Daniel, go dig up your rocks, will ya? I’m gonna be just…” His mouth gaped open when he saw Carter standing there. “…fine,” he finished lamely.
Carter smiled a little bashfully. “Um, hello sir.”
“Carter.” Jack lifted an eyebrow and shifted a little on his crutches, leaning more heavily on his good leg.
“Ah, I would’ve called sir, but I was on my way home and coming by this way anyway, so…” She shrugged awkwardly. “I figured I’d see how you were doing.”
Jack’s eyes narrowed. “You talked to Daniel, didn’t you?”
She smiled, and Jack felt his heart flutter just a little. “Yes, sir. But that’s not entirely why I’m here.”
“Oh?” He shuffled sideways and motioned her inside. It was cold out after all, and the chill was sinking deep into his bones.
Carter hurried inside and pulled the door closed behind her. She stood with him in the hallway, less than two feet of space between them. She pulled her fitted pea coat tighter around her and shivered. “Janet asked me to extend her invitation to join her and Cassie for Thanksgiving.”
Jack ignored the discomfort of his crutches digging into his armpits as Carter explained about Janet’s last minute Thanksgiving plans. He found himself staring at the floor, and when he looked up, realized that Carter was expecting him to give her an answer.
“Sir?”
Giving himself a mental shake, Jack sent her a crooked little smile. “Yeah, okay. I’ll go I guess.”
“Great.” Carter smiled and then shifted awkwardly, looking like she didn’t really want to leave.
In truth, Jack didn’t want her to go. Since she’d been discharged from the infirmary a few days after their return to Cheyenne Mountain, he’d been left with this weird, empty feeling. He and Carter had developed a strong bond when they thought they were dying together in that ice cave. Without her around, he’d felt off. It was very strange, and Jack couldn’t deal with the vulnerability; he wanted to be wherever she was.
Biting down on her lower lip, Carter opened her mouth to break the silence before he could. “Would you like some company tonight, sir?”
He looked up and sent her another crooked grin, trying to hide the relief he felt at her offer. Jack gave a short nod. “Sure, Carter.” His voice was nonchalant, but inside his chest his heart was hammering away, thrilled that she was going to stay.
.
Sam couldn’t believe she’d been so bold; couldn’t believe he’d actually agreed to her staying. She felt her cheeks flush with heat as she followed the Colonel’s slow hobble back down to his lounge.
He gestured for her to take a seat in one of the arm chairs while he got himself situated on the couch. He sat down awkwardly and then lifted his plaster-encased leg up on the cushions, following it with his other leg and heaving a low sigh when he finally got settled.
Sam found herself staring at the Colonel’s leg. He was wearing baggy black sweatpants that he’d managed to pull over the bulky cast. Sam remembered Janet telling her she’d done a good job setting and splinting the tib-fib fractures, but upon reviewing the Colonel’s X-Rays, the doctor discovered that there’d also been a small fracture to his femur that they hadn’t known about. O’Neill hadn’t been too happy when Janet told him he needed a full leg cast and was going to be out of commission for a few weeks longer than he’d thought. He’d be lucky if he didn’t still have the cast on by Christmas.
“It’s not as uncomfortable as it looks,” the Colonel quipped lightly, startling Sam out of her silent musings. He lightly tapped his cast, shifted a little, and grimaced. “Ah, yeah. Okay, it is.”
Smiling tightly, Sam tucked a stray lock hair behind her ear. “Do you need your medication or anything, sir?”
“Nah, I’m fine, Carter.” He waved a hand dismissively. Reaching for the remote on the coffee table, the Colonel’s fingers scrabbled to reach it without leaning too far sideways so he wouldn’t disturb his still-healing ribs.
Seeing his struggle, Sam got up and grabbed the remote for him, handing it over. “Here you go, sir.”
He smiled sheepishly in embarrassment. “Thanks, Carter.”
Sam relaxed back into the chair and turned her attention to the TV when the Colonel found an old football game and settled on that.
.
“Carter?”
“Hrm?” Sam opened her eyes and took a minute to focus, discovering Colonel O’Neill hovering over her, leaning on his crutches. “Sir?”
He smiled and gently reached down to tug at her elbow. “C’mon, Carter, it’s late. I’ll show you to the spare room.”
Sam sat up, suddenly feeling a little uncomfortable. “Ah, that’s okay sir. Maybe I should just head home. I’ll pick you up tomorrow for Janet’s?”
Something flashed in his dark eyes, and if she didn’t know any better, Sam would have thought he looked…anxious? He waved a hand toward the window. “It started to snow about an hour ago. It’s gettin’ kinda bad out there. You…ah, you probably shouldn’t drive. The plows haven’t been by yet; roads’ll be bad.”
Sam looked at him with brief confusion as she stood. Did he not want her to leave? She didn’t want to, but was afraid of what might happen if she stayed. Although, the thought of driving in the snow was not very appealing. She’d been rather cold-weather shy since their little stint in the arctic.
The Colonel turned and began to hobble toward the lounge steps. “C’mon Carter, it’s okay,” he insisted.
Feeling her heart flutter a little, she followed O’Neill out of the lounge and down the hall into a spare bedroom across the hall from his own. She stepped inside as he turned on the light. It was a very plain-looking room. One dresser and night stand, with a full size bed covered in a plaid comforter.
When she turned around, the Colonel had gone. Shrugging to herself, she pulled back the covers and started to situate the pillows the way she did at home. Sam kicked off her shoes and then turned around when she heard the unmistakable sound of O’Neill’s rubber-tipped crutches on the hardwood floor.
He hobbled forward in to the room, then handed her the pair of old sweats and a t-shirt that he’d carried in over his shoulder.
“Thank you, sir.” Sam sent him a grateful smile as she took the clothes.
O’Neill quirked a lopsided smile and said, “G’night Carter,” before slowly making his way out of the room, awkwardly closing the door behind him.
For a moment Sam just plopped down on the bed, staring at the clothes in her lap that undoubtedly smelled like him, and wondering what the hell she was doing here. But she still didn’t want to leave. She wanted to be near him.
.
A thick layer of pristine white snow blanketed the ground, giving Jack’s yard a serene Winter Wonderland look that would have been perfect on Christmas Day. But it wasn’t Christmas Day, it was Thanksgiving, and Jack would have preferred not to have any snow at all. The cold was bad enough, making his mending bones ache.
He sat on the couch, wrapped in a flannel robe and covered in a big fleece blanket, both hands clinging to his warm coffee mug while he waited for Carter to wake up. His injured leg was propped up on a pillow on the coffee table, and the pain was muted slightly thanks to the handful of Tylenol he’d taken when he got up this morning.
Having not bothered to turn on the TV, Jack just sat quietly, sipping his coffee and relaxing. He was nearly finished with his drink and feeling a little drowsy by the time he heard Carter come down the lounge steps. He turned his head and noticed she had a mug of coffee in hand. Maybe he actually had dozed off for a few minutes because she’d gone into the kitchen without him hearing her.
“Mornin’,” he murmured placidly, raising his mug in greeting.
Sending him a small smile, Carter shuffled over and took the free spot of couch to his left. Her shoulders hunched as she sat, and Jack could see that she was chilled in the t-shirt he’d given her for bed.
“Here.” Jack unwrapped himself part way from his cocoon and offered her some of the fleece blanket he was covered with.
“Thank you, sir.” Carter’s cheeks flamed briefly as she accepted his offer, having to sit a little closer to him so they could share the blanket. Softly, she murmured, “Seems like I can never get warm enough.”
Jack grimaced and nodded in agreement as he settled back again. “I know how ya feel.” He and Carter both had the blanket pulled up to their chins, each with one arm sticking out to cling to their coffee mugs.
They sat in companionable silence for a while before Jack reluctantly pushed the blanket aside and reached for his crutches to lever himself upright. “Gonna go wash up,” he explained when Carter gave him a look. “Doc won’t let me shower with this,” Jack tapped his plastered leg, “so it’ll take me a while.”
Carter nodded with apparent understanding. She extracted herself from the blanket and got off the couch. “That’s alright, sir. I need to head over to my place for a shower and some clean clothes anyway.”
“Okay.” Jack began to hobble to the steps. Glancing out the window, he was reminded that it had snowed the previous night. He turned back to Carter. “Take my truck. It’ll get you through the snow, and if it’s slippery out, just throw ‘er into four wheel drive.”
Carter looked hesitant. “Are you sure?” She obviously knew he didn’t let just anybody drive it.
He nodded and sent her a reassuring grin. “Keys are hangin’ in the kitchen and there’s a snow scraper in the coat closet.”
.
Sam drove home, showered and dressed, then returned to the Colonel’s house in about an hour. She let herself in and took a brief look around, but didn’t see her commanding officer in sight. She remembered him saying it would take him a while to wash up and dress-as he essentially had to give himself a sponge bath-but she thought he’d be done by now.
Cautiously heading down the hall, Sam reached O’Neill’s bedroom and peered inside, seeing the door was wide open. “Sir?” She thought she heard something from the master bath and crossed the bedroom to knock on the door. “Colonel?”
“Yeah, Carter. I’ll be out in-ah-I’ll be out in a while.” His voice sounded pretty hesitant through the wooden door.
“Sir, do you need some help?” Sam couldn’t believe the words that had come out of her mouth. She wanted to bang her head on the door.
“No,” was the frustrated reply, followed shortly by a reluctant, grated, “Yes.”
Sam was momentarily startled by her CO admitting he needed her help. Suddenly, she was cursing herself for offering. “Can I come in, sir?” Oh God, Sam, what are you doing?! she was mentally yelling at herself.
“Ah-hang on. Gimme a minute.” There was a strained grunt, followed by a short clattering noise and the muted rustle of fabric. Then, about thirty seconds later- “Okay Carter, but be warned, I’m…underdressed, so don’t get excited.”
“No, sir.” His teasing soothed some of her nerves, and Sam braced herself before pushing the door open and stepping into the bathroom.
The Colonel was standing awkwardly by the sink, one crutch under his left arm and a towel around his waist. He was clean shaven, his body was damp, some of his hair wet, and there was water all over the floor.
Sam couldn’t help the path her eyes traveled from the edge of the towel, to his bellybutton-an inny, she noted-then following a trail of fine hair that went up his stomach to fade briefly before meeting a larger patch of coarse tawny hairs on his chest. She also noticed the fresh pink scar on his abdomen from surgery where Janet had to go in and repair the internal bleeding.
O’Neill cleared his throat, and Sam’s eyes locked onto his face to see him looking a little embarrassed. “Havin’ a little problem washing my hair,” he said with a grunt.
Looking at him thoughtfully for a moment, Sam nodded and then said, “I’ve got an idea.” He seemed open to anything that would get the job done, so she helped him to sit on the edge of the bathtub, throwing an extra towel on the water all over the floor so neither of them would slip. “I’ll be right back.”
Sam hurried to the kitchen where she found a plastic pitcher, then returned to the bathroom. “Can you lean back into the tub and tip your head a little sir?”
“Yeah, I think so.” She filled the pitcher with warm water, and put a hand on O’Neill’s shoulder to help steady him as he leaned back. She then poured the water over his head, soaking his hair before reaching for the shampoo.
“This is kinda nice, Carter. Ever thought of becoming a hairdresser?” the Colonel joked as she massaged the masculine-smelling Old Spice shampoo into his scalp.
“Well, I did at one point, but my dad threatened to disown me,” Sam joked right back. She cracked a small smile, appreciative that most of the tension had eased away. It helped her not to focus on the fact that her very attractive CO was sitting almost naked in front of her and she was washing his hair like a newborn.
When she’d finished washing and rinsing, Sam helped O’Neill up and then left so he could dry off and get dressed in his room.
.
Part Two