Taxi Service
Title: Taxi Service
Author: Miss
Pairing: Sam/Janet (with appearances by Cassie)
Rating: PG (pre-slash)
Season/Spoilers: any/none
Everything was quiet in the infirmary for once. Or rather, it was quiet in here once again, and Janet was grateful for that fact. She opened her office door, made her way through the darkness to her desk, and slumped into her leather desk chair – the one personal luxury she had allowed herself to splurge on. Sighing, she turned on her desk lamp and gazed at the pile of file folders sitting beside her computer. It had definitely been one hell of a week, and paperwork had been one of many casualties. She looked over at the framed photo on her desk – a candid shot of herself, Sam and Cassie on a girls' weekend. Lord, she hadn't laughed like that in … too long. They were due for another vacation! Janet shook her head. As crazy as this week had been, there's simply no way she would have made it through without her girls.
Monday her heel had broken in the middle of a mad dash beside a gurney – almost costing her a turned ankle. Not to mention that trying to perform examinations when you're already a foot and a half shorter than a good portion of your patients with heels is decidedly less fun in surgical booties. She should have seen it for the sign of things to come… Tuesday itself was relatively sane, until she went out to the car-park, only to discover her car was totally dead. As was her mobile. Luckily Sam happened to exit the mountain right then, and offered her a lift home. Janet gratefully accepted on the condition that she come in for a visit at the house. Once there, Cassie had flipped out about the car, as she had apparently left her soccer cleats in the trunk, and her coach was going to 'absolutely skin her alive' if she didn't have them for the next practice. Sam had gallantly offered to run a rescue and delivery mission with them the next morning, and received a grin and a hug in return. Wednesday morning Janet helped her rescue said shoes, they muttered something about the things you do for your kids, and Sam left on her urban mission while Janet had dealt with the incredible hassles of trying to arrange to get her car towed out of a restricted military area to the shop, and then waiting for the phone call about damages. Said phone call didn't arrive until mid-afternoon, right in the middle of her weekly staffing meeting (of course), so it was almost dinner time before she had managed to call back, just to find out that her battery had an irreparable drain and would cost a good chunk of her paycheck to fix, especially since, while the guys at the garage had it up on the hoist, they also happened to notice rust all through the exhaust system, and her left rear tire was balding and … she told them to get the hulk back into running order, and she'd figure it out later. Sam had stopped by to see if she needed a lift home, and offered her services as a chauffer for both Fraisers until Janet's car was fixed, or she was sent off-world again. They made it home to wonderful smells emanating from the kitchen – Cassie had decided to make spaghetti and garlic bread to thank Sam for bringing her shoes in time to 'save her from a fate worse than death.' Unfortunately she had also made a chocolate desert, which Max had decided to try, then remembered that he was allergic to, so shared instead … all over the shoes by the door. Janet had managed to clean up while Sam drove Cassie and her very unhappy puppy to the emergency vets'. Max (and almost all of the shoes) would be fine. Thursday Cassie called her in tears because her science teacher had lambasted her in front of the class for her paper on the ethics of genetic manipulation for the furthering of science, but she couldn't very well explain her personal stake in the issue, it being classified material and all. Sgt. Siler managed to gain a concussion when his wrench fell from a shelf onto his foot, causing him to jump back, trip over his work bench, and smash his head off the concrete floor. A dessert in the commissary going off was the most likely culprit to blame for her influx of crewmen in complaining of gastrointestinal issues. Then, to nail the coffin shut on her day, when she checked her email while waiting for Sam to finish a late meeting, she noticed a message from one of the list-serves to which she belonged. Without having the decency to put a spoiler warning, some newbie had rudely announced that her favourite character on the show she had watched (or at least taped) religiously for over three years had just been unexpectedly killed off on that nights' episode. Which she had yet to watch, of course. It just wasn't fair. Then this morning she had awoken to a pre-dawn emergency message from the base – there had been an unexpected off-world activation and three SG teams were coming through heavily wounded from a surprise Goa'uld attack. By the time she made it to the front door, reached for her keys and remembered that she still had no functioning vehicle, a very tired Sam was pulling into the driveway. Apparently someone had noticed Sam's new job as taxi service, and had called her too.
So this week had not exactly been the most fun for either of them … Janet wondered what the heck she could do to thank her tireless and uncomplaining chauffeur. She looked at the photo again – it was a "head-smush", as Cassie had called it. Janet remembered the moment well. Cassie had set up the camera on the mantel, grabbed the two of them, and pulled their heads in together just in time for the snap. Janet's face was in a shocked 'oh!', Sam was pulling a very goofy grin, and Cassie just looked happy.
"Me and my girls…" Janet sighed. "What the heck would I do without the two of you?" she pondered aloud. There was a movement by the door. Janet looked up sharply, ready for action, then relaxed when she realised to whom the outline belonged.
"Hi Sam," she greeted her friend. "How's your day been?"
"Long…" chuckled the blonde. "Though not nearly as exciting as yours, I hear."
Janet snorted. "You could say that. Three concurrent surgeries plus multiple fractures and head wounds? I think I'm gonna just melt into this here chair…"
Sam wound her way over to behind her friend's chair, and hugged her loosely from behind. "Time for home soon?" she asked, hopefully.
"Oh gawd yes! I was just about to shut down …." Janet answered, reaching forward to turn off her computer, and just about getting strangled by Sam (who had neglected to let go) in the process.
"Oh sorry!" Sam apologised, and shook her head. "I'm just tired, I guess….. anyway, Cas made me promise to get you home at a decent time tonight. I think she's really looking forward to the three of us all having a day off tomorrow."
"Decent?" Janet's eyebrow reached for the ceiling. "Sam honey, it's almost 22.30!"
"Decent enough," Sam conceded. "You know, she's threatening to give you a curfew…." Janet laughed. "…but I told her that you were too much of a rebel to let a little thing like that stop you from your wild and crazy ways!" She nodded towards the immaculate desktop, without so much as a coffee ring stained on the top, or a paperclip out of place. Janet rolled her eyes. "You know I clean when I'm stressed, Sam!" she exclaimed. "I think this week qualifies!"
"Yes ma'am," Sam dutifully replied. Janet responded with a yawn.
"Oh …." she sighed. "All right, I give. Time for this wild rebel to go home to bed." She stretched her arms towards the ceiling.
"Your wish is my command," intoned Sam, grabbing Janet's hands and pulling her up out of the chair. She began to steer her friend toward the office door. "Freedom is thataway….."
"Sa-a-am…." Janet resisted. Sam froze, still holding her hands.
"Mmmmm?" she queried.
"Lights, purse, coat, keys?" Janet recited off. Sam nodded and let go of Janet's hands. Janet just smiled. "Besides – you holding my hand and dragging me off to parts unknown – or home – whatever might people think?" she amusedly pondered. Sam grinned.
"You mean besides thinking the kettle was calling the pot black?" Janet paused to retrieve her purse and relocked her desk.
"Yes Sam, besides that," she prodded, switching off the desk lamp and moving closer to her friend.
"Well…" Sam dragged out, helping Janet into the jacket that had been hanging behind the door. "They'd probably wish they'd been around on Tuesday to offer you their services instead!" she quipped. Janet sighed quietly and rolled her eyes at her office door that she had turned to lock. 'Bad Janet – get the mind out of the gutter!!!' she reprimanded herself. On the other hand, it was so much fun to tease Sam once she had caught on to what she said…. For a genius, Sam could be a bit slow on the uptake at times. Cute but clueless – the apt description of her relatively innocent friend returned the smile to her lips. She turned to see Sam trying to stifle a yawn.
"Hey Sam, maybe I'm not the only one who needs a nap!" she poked her, jokingly. "Good thing there's always room for you at Casa Fraiser!" Sam immediately blushed. Maybe not so clueless after all. Still damn cute, though. And so fun to tease … Janet wiggled her eyebrows semi-suggestively. Sam turned a much brighter red, and began to open her mouth, but no words came out. Janet let Sam's embarrassed fish routine go on for a moment or two, then grinned and decided to let her friend off the hook – this time. "Cassie called to let me know that she had made up the spare room for you when she realised that you must've been my ride in at that ungodly hour this morning. I think she's worried about you trying to drive any more than necessary."
"Ah," Sam let out a breath that she probably hadn't realised she had been holding. "Good kid we've got, eh?"
"That we do," Janet nodded as the second elevator stopped on the surface level. She'd done the trip up and down so many times over the years that the route from her office to the parking lot had become auto-pilot.
"Are you sure you don't want to come climbing with us tomorrow?" Sam asked as they walked towards her car. Janet shook her head.
"No, somehow the idea of being strapped into a harness and picking my way up a wall seems … um … not exactly my cup of tea," she replied. "I think I'll do a bit of gardening, and sit in the backyard with iced tea and a book, and wait for my sweaty and banged up girls to return and tell me lots of stories of their adventures instead."
Sam rolled her eyes. "Bo-ring," she stuck out her tongue. Janet smacked her on the arm. "Okay, okay! Each to their own, I suppose." Sam shrugged. Janet nodded sleepily.
"Each to their own," she quietly repeated. "Home, James!" she commanded, pointing vaguely in the direction of her house. Sam smiled at her friend – Janet could fall asleep but fast. Then again, she hadn't had the benefit of a quick nap this morning to make up for coming in at 4:30, either.
"Yes ma'am!" she saluted, and turned on the headlights. She swiped through the checkpoint and began carefully winding the car down from the base. "Home."