Trauma 3/4 (femslash, Stargate SG-1 Sam/Janet)
Michaels went over to Janet's IV, and injected something.
"What are you giving me?" Janet's voice was shaky.
Michaels smiled. "It's true," she said, "doctors really are the worst patients. I just gave you some Ranitidine, to combat the nausea. You'll likely be feeling real sick for the next few days, I'm afraid. We had to treble the dose of Ceftriaxone to try and get your fever down. So you'll be feeling the side effects for a little while.
Janet nodded weakly. "'kay," she said, her eyes shutting.
Michaels leaned over Sam, and kissed Janet on the forehead. "It's real good to have you back," she told her favorite colleague with feeling. "Try and get some rest now."
Janet opened her eyes again. "You too," she croaked. "You look exhausted."
"On my way home now," Michaels said. "I'll see you this evening." She squeezed Sam's shoulder as she headed toward the door. "You should try to sleep too Sam," she said.
Janet turned her head toward Sam, and noticed just how pale and shaken her lover was. "You look like crap," she told her bluntly.
Sam took up Janet's hand again. "Well I'm feelin' great," she said, unable to keep a goofy grin from her face. "I just had the best news I've ever had." She stood up and reached over to caress Janet's soft cheek, then kissed her very gently on the lips. "You're gonna be okay, hon. I love you."
"Love you too," Janet slurred her words.
"Sleep," Sam whispered, settling back down in the chair again. Janet's eyes were already shut.
Sam continued to hold Janet's hand. Janet had not yet noticed the damage that her illness had caused to her hand. But she looked good, certainly in comparison to the previous few days. Sam pulled the twisted fingers to her lips and kissed them softly. "We'll fix it together, baby," she whispered. In a few minutes, she too was snoring lightly.
Ten minutes later, Daniel let himself into the room. He saw the two sleeping women, and smiled. Along with most of the rest of the base, he had heard that Janet was out of danger, but just wanted to check for himself. Sam looked exhausted, he realized. Her neck was also at an awkward angle, which would surely guarantee she would wake with one hell of a sore neck. Very carefully, making sure not to wake her, he adjusted the angle of her head, sliding the soft pillow underneath her. He then took the blanket which was draped over the back of the chair, and tucked it tenderly around her. Sam mumbled in her sleep, and snuggled further into the chair, pulling Janet's hand with her. "Sleep well, Sam," Daniel said quietly, and let himself out of the room.
= = =
Frankie Michaels sighed as she pulled up outside her apartment. It was 8.15am, and she couldn't remember when she had been this tired -- or emotionally drained. Janet was her favorite colleague, but recently she had also become a close friend, as had Sam. Just watching the anguish on the blonde woman's face had been heartbreaking. Never in her career had she been so relieved when a patient recovered.
She opened the door to the apartment, and her heart lifted when she saw her lover's jacket over the back of the couch. Due to shift work, and other commitments, they mostly only spent a couple of nights together a week. So she had expected the apartment to be empty when she got home. Usually she didn't mind too much, but today her nerves were strung as tight as a piano wire and she really didn't want to be alone. Quietly, she opened the bedroom door, and almost sobbed at the sight of the body in the bed, a tuft of blonde hair sticking up from under the quilt.
The usually fastidious Frankie stepped out of her clothes, and left them in a messy pool on the floor. She slid in naked next to her lover, keeping her movements as small as possible in an attempt not to wake the slumbering form.
Feeling the dip in the bed, Frankie's lover awoke, and turned to face her. "Hey Frankie," the voice was rough with sleep.
"Hey, Sharon," Frankie replied, reaching out to touch her face. "I'm so sorry, I tried not to wake you."
Sharon leant over and cupped her face, kissing her tenderly. "Missed you," she said simply. "How's Janet?"
Tears sprang to Frankie's face. "She's gonna be okay," her voice cracked with emotion. "It was touch and go. We had to treble the Ceftriaxone. I thought we'd lost her, Sharon," she was struggling not to cry.
"You didn't lose her, Frankie," Sharon said in a voice full of love and empathy. "You saved her. You took the risk, and it worked."
"I had to," Frankie said. "She was dying, sweetheart. She wouldn't have made it to the morning." And she gave in to the relief of tears.
Sharon held her as she wept, whispering lovingly to her.
"I'm so grateful you were here when I got back," Frankie said eventually. "I need you."
"You've got me, you've always got me," Sharon replied lovingly.
"Not always," Frankie's voice was hesistant. She turned to face her lover again, and kissed her. "How about moving in with me? Permanently, I mean. I don't want to be apart from you any more than I have to."
"What about the Air Force?" Sharon asked.
"Don't ask, don't tell," Frankie said. "If they don't ask, we won't tell. And if they do ask, then screw them. We'll get other jobs."
Sharon smiled widely. "I'll cancel my lease tomorrow," she said, and pulled Frankie to her. "Now sleep," she whispered into her hair.
= = =
"How's she doing?" Frankie asked Sam that evening, when she returned for the night shift at 9pm. Janet was asleep, but according to the computer by her head her temperature was 99.8. She was also breathing well, and her color had improved.
"She's great," Sam smiled, barely able to keep her eyes open.
"Has she been sick at all?" Frankie wanted to know.
"Only once, much earlier today. Looks like the anti-nausea medication is doing its job," Sam said. "She's been sleeping most of the day. But she looks good, doesn't she Frankie?"
Frankie squeezed her shoulder. "She looks great Sam. You, on the other hand," Frankie smiled, "look just about as bad as I've ever seen. I'm gonna make it doctor's orders now. You have to go to your quarters."
"But what happens if she wakes during the night?" Sam protested, just as the door to Janet's room opened, revealing Daniel, holding his customary cup of coffee and a large book.
"Then I'll be here with her," Daniel told her with a grin. "Sam, you're going to make yourself sick. And that's not going to help Janet. Jack sent me, told me to tell you, and I quote, "to get her perky ass to her quarters, and not even think about coming back until 7am, or she'll have me to answer to"!
Sam put her hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay," she said. "I am a bit tired," she admitted, hugely understating the total exhaustion she felt. "But you call me if she needs me, you swear?"
"We will, Sam," Frankie reassured her. "We swear. But just look at her, she's fine." She motioned over to the bed, where Janet was sleeping peacefully. The only evidence of her recent brush with death was her hand which remained twisted at an awkward angle, and the IV which still snaked from her arm.
= = =
Just before 6am, Janet awoke, disoriented at first. She looked over at the chair, and was startled to see Daniel there. "Hey," Daniel said softly.
Janet smiled. "Hey," she croaked.
"How're you doing?" Daniel asked her, putting a gentle hand on her arm. "Can I get you anything?"
"Water?" Janet asked. Her mouth felt horrible, and she was desperately thirsty. Daniel held a cup with a straw up to her lips, and she drained it gratefully.
"You're looking good, Jan," Daniel said.
Janet grimaced. "I look horrible, I know I do. But I'm feeling okay. Considering. Is Sam okay?" she asked Daniel.
Daniel smiled. "She's good too, Janet. Jack sent her to her quarters last night. She was wiped out. She hadn't left your side, not for one minute."
"Poor baby. I hope she slept," Janet said. "Daniel," she hesitated. "Sam and me. I mean, me and Sam. We..."
Daniel grinned, and took her hand in his. "We know, Janet, we know," he said. "In truth, we've known for months."
Janet looked shocked. "We were trying to keep it quiet," she said, a smile quirking at her lips.
"Well you didn't succeed," Daniel grinned. "You may be two of the best officers on this base. God knows you're the smartest. But you can't act. Especially Sam. You should see her face every time she heads to the infirmary. She gets that dreamy look. Even Teal'c's noticed. We all know, Janet, and we couldn't be happier for you."
"What about the colonel?" Janet asked.
"He loves you both, Janet, and he's delighted. In fact, he and Hammond broke the rules to keep Sam with you when you were really sick, they wouldn't call your brother. Jack was afraid he would turn up and make Sam leave. And that would just about have killed her."
"Oh God, poor Sam," Janet realized how sick she must have been. She couldn't imagine what Sam had been through.
"She's okay, Janet, and so are you. That's what matters. You want some more water?" Daniel asked, solicitously. Janet nodded her head, and Daniel held a fresh cup to her lips.
Ten minutes later, Daniel looked up as the door creaked open. He looked at his watch. "It's 6.37am, Sam," he reprimanded his teammate. "You're early." He looked at her closely, and was delighted to see she looked much-rested. She had clearly come straight from the shower too; her hair was still wet, and her face was devoid of make-up. "Get dressed in a hurry?" he teased.
Sam grinned back. "Places to go, people to see, you know how it is." She looked over at Janet, and was thrilled to see her lover awake and looking better than she had in days. "Hey," she said shyly.
"Hey beautiful," Janet replied.
Sam leaned over and kissed her. Janet grimaced. "I must taste awful," she said. "I need a shower."
"You taste wonderful," Sam told her firmly. "I'll talk to Frankie, see if we can't get you a shower later today. See what she says. So how was she Daniel, did she behave?" her eyes twinkled mischievously.
"Model patient," Daniel said. "Slept all night, not long since she woke. I'm gonna go now, leave you two lovebirds alone," he winked at Janet, and left the room.
"So the cat's out of the bag?" Sam grinned.
"They've known for months, apparently," Janet laughed. "Let's face it, we didn't try that hard to hide it, did we?"
Sam shook her head. "If they don't like it, quite honestly I don't give a rat's ass. We can always find somewhere else to work."
Janet looked over at her. "They think it's great," she told her lover. "They're on our side, Sam." She yawned.
"Think you could sleep a bit more?" Sam asked her tenderly. "Your system's had a hell of a shock, baby."
Janet nodded. "Will you hold me? Jus' for a bit?" she asked, knowing she sounded rather pathetic.
Sam kicked her shoes off, and slid on to the bed next to Janet. She pulled her into her arms, and held her tight, trying desperately to forget how she had felt when she had last done so. Then, she hadn't known if Janet would ever wake up again. Her heart flooded with emotion, and she tightened her grip. "I love you so very much," she whispered into Janet's hair.
= = =
It was two hours later that Janet awoke again, feeling safe and secure in Sam's arms. Sam looked down at her lovingly. "Hey, how're you feeling?" she asked.
"Great," Janet said. "I always do, when I wake in your arms."
"Think you could manage some breakfast?" Sam asked, knowing that Janet had not had any solid food for four days, subsisting solely on what she could get through the IV. "Frankie said you could try some oatmeal this morning." She ran her hand down Janet's arm. She had lost a frightening amount of weight in just a few days, the raging fever stripping the flesh from her bones.
"I'll try," Janet said.
"I'll fetch some from the commissary. Want me to get someone to sit with you?" Sam asked.
Janet shook her head.
"Be right back," Sam said, kissing her tenderly.
When she got to the commissary, though, Sam was unimpressed with the stodgy-looking oatmeal on offer. It had clearly been sitting there for some time, and a skin had formed over the top. So she smiled at one of the cooks, and explained that she was collecting breakfast for Janet. Janet was universally loved, so the cook turned to and made a fresh bowl of oatmeal for her. He was rewarded with a 1,000 megawatt Carter smile.
It was therefore almost ten minutes later by the time Sam returned to Janet's room. Janet was sitting up in bed and was grasping her twisted left hand in her right hand. She was straightening the fingers, but as soon as she released her hand, the fingers turned back into the claw shape again. Sam could see tears on her face as she entered, and realized that this was the first time Janet had been conscious for long enough to notice the residual damage of her illness.
"Sam?" Janet's voice broke as she saw Sam re-enter the room, bowl in hand. She motioned to her twisted hand.
Sam placed the bowl of oatmeal on the side table, and went straight to Janet, taking her in her arms, rocking her gently. "I know, honey, I know," she said softly. "You've got some nerve damage there. We'll fix it. We'll work together. I'll be by your side. Every step of the way." She pulled back so that she could see Janet's face. She tucked an errant strand of hair behind Janet's ear, and kissed her tenderly on the mouth. "We'll do this together, huh baby?"
Janet nodded miserably, and snuggled into Sam's embrace. "I love you," she whispered.