Author's Note: Happy weekend! I've mentioned before that I imagined Jaz's rescue from Iran occuring in many different ways. This was one of the stories I wrote back while those episodes were airing. I hope you enjoy.

Time

The last few days had been challenging. Some of the hardest of Adam's life and he'd had some hard ones. Jaz being captured and tortured had hit every button he had. He hadn't been able to rest for even a second imagining what she was going through. His whole being had been focused on getting her back.

Fortunately they had been successful at retrieving Jaz but not before she had been through a lot. Now they were back at Base and he was staring into space instead of working on his overdue reports. He was finding it hard to stay focused when his mind kept wandering elsewhere. Not just elsewhere but to someone else. A black haired dynamo to be exact. One whom he had left sitting quietly on her hospital bed. Sitting too quietly. Something that he was going to need to address in the near future. She was going to need to talk to someone and he had the perfect person in mind.

He had jut started working on the reports again when McG walked into their hut with Jaz in his arms. Adam pushed up from his chair practically upending it in the process. How could this be? He had been assured she would be in their Base hospital for at least two days.

"Why isn't she in the hospital, McG?"

"Because she doesn't want to be."

Seriously?! Because she doesn't want to be?! He wished he could make his life unfold exactly the way he wanted it. If so, Jaz wouldn't have needed a hospital in the first place.

He couldn't resist walking over to get a better look at her. She looked so small in McG's arms. Fragile. He couldn't see her face because it was turned into McG's chest. For the moment all of her injuries were hidden.

"Top, she isn't heavy, but she's dead weight. I don't want to drop her if she moves around."

Adam quickly stepped out of their way but his anxiety was climbing. Jaz wasn't ready to be here. Or maybe he wasn't ready for her to be here? He wanted her to be getting the medical and psychological care that she needed. But regardless of how he felt, she was here, so it was time to suck it up and deal. There were plenty of days he thought he should get that phrase tattooed somewhere on his body.

Following them down the hall, he walked into her room and pulled down the blankets and sheets on her bed. McG very gently laid her down without disturbing her. Once she was settled, Adam covered her up so she would stay warm.

"What happened, McG?"

"You mean why is she out cold?"

"Yes. We're going to get back to why she's here in just a minute."

"Honestly, Top, she was doing pretty good. She must be sensitive to the injection of pain medication they gave her before we left. Initially she was leaning on me for some extra support but she was walking under her own power. We were almost here when she said she was a little dizzy and then her balance went a little wonky. I was afraid she'd hurt herself, so I picked her up, and the next thing I knew she was out like a light."

"Okay, that mystery is explained. Back to my other question. Why is she here?"

"I know a little less about that one. She was settled in her room, watching a game show with me, and the next thing I know I'm asked to leave as this guy goes in to debrief her. Less than 10 minutes later he walks out, talks to the doctor, and they tell me she's being discharged under my medical supervision."

"Did you talk to Jaz?"

"Yes, she said they agreed she was fine, and since she was, she wanted to come home."

Adam was frustrated. She didn't even know if she was fine yet. They'd only made it back eight hours ago. He couldn't believe that Medical was allowing this to happen. He still hadn't let go of the tension he'd been carrying since her capture. How could he? He'd seen the blood splatter on her prison uniform and knew she had multiple injuries that weren't visible. During her rescue, when he had held her in his arms, one small sob escaped her. It had said more than any number of words could have said. While Jaz was prone to outbursts of anger, she normally didn't show any of her softer emotions. Even though it was only one second of emotional pain, he had felt it like a knife to his chest. It just showed him how much she had been affected by her experiences.

"Do you think she's fine, McG?"

"Of course not. But her injuries aren't so severe that I can't manage them. Honestly, I'm so happy we got her back that I'm willing to do whatever she needs."

Adam closed his eyes and squeezed the bridge of his nose, "I'm happy she's back too. You know I am. I just don't want to do more harm than good. It's not like she's going to wake up tomorrow and everything will be back to normal."

"I know, Top. But if she wants to pretend it is, would that be such a bad thing?"

McG hit the big question head on. He wasn't qualified to make these types of decisions. He was superb at what he did and he knew it. But knowing how to deal with a traumatized teammate? Totally not in his skill set but it was looking like he'd better learn fast.