Chapter 1

The birds outside Sam's window gathered around the almost empty feeders. After her run-in with the Super Soldier during the mission on the Alpha Site, she landed in the infirmary for two days. During that time, the birds had almost emptied the feeders. Sam envied the freedom of the birds as they fluttered about the feeders, competing for access to the food. Unless she had some project or problem, she didn't cope very well with being cooped up inside for long periods of time. Because of her concussion she suffered during her ordeal, Janet ordered bed rest for her. She had threatened Colonel O'Neill with her biggest needles, if he even thought about letting Sam have access to her laptop. That had been enough to ensure her laptop was nowhere in sight.

She supposed she should be grateful that Janet didn't admit her to the base hospital. That would have been so much worse. Pete could have visited her more often, but her team members wouldn't have been able to pop in as often as they had. Their impromptu visits helped her keep her sanity during her infirmary confinement.

Janet wanted her to stay in the SGC medical wing for a week, but Sam balked at that. She was normally a compliant patient, but after two days of being awakened every few hours for vitals, she had fantasies of strangling the well-meaning caregivers with their own stethoscopes. While Janet didn't invoke Colonel O'Neill's name, she did tell Sam that the nurses were complaining almost as much as they did when another member of SG1 was confined to the infirmary. So, she released Sam a few days early, with some stipulations.

The first was that Sam needed specialized wound care for her leg. She needed several stitches to close the gash she had received during the Alpha Site self-destruct activation. One of the infirmary nurses lived close to Sam and volunteered to stop by each morning on her way to work, check the dressing, and change it when necessary.

The second was that she needed someone to stay with her around the clock, because Janet didn't want her putting any weight on the injured leg for a few days. Daniel, Teal'c, and the Colonel had volunteered to take turns staying with her but General Hammond couldn't spare them at the moment. The fallout from the breakup of the Tok'ra and Jaffa alliance required all their attention – not to mention the clean up of the Alpha Site itself.

Fortunately, Pete had been able to take a week off to stay with her. Sam wasn't entirely comfortable with that because they had only been seeing each other for a few weeks, but he seemed eager to help out and it did provide her an escape from the infirmary.

However, after a week of Pete's smothering attention, she longed for the overly attentive nursing staff. For the first 2 or 3 days she had been flattered by his concern. He constantly checked on her and asked if there was anything she needed. Soon, however, all that care and attention grated on her nerves. She wasn't sure how much more she could put up with.

Earlier today, Pete had taken her to the infirmary for a scheduled checkup, and Janet had told her she could begin to walk on the injured leg a little. Sam had wanted to hug her—she was so tired of being treated like an invalid. Maybe Pete would give her some room now. When they arrived at Sam's house, relief came in a call from his precinct. The discovery of new evidence, for a case on which Pete had been working, needed Pete's scrutiny. The captain wanted him to come in for a few hours and review the significance of the new data. Sam was able to assure him that she would be okay. If she needed anything, she could call Janet or Cassie. Pete verified that the pantry and refrigerator were well stocked, and he gave her a quick peck on the cheek as he gathered his gun and badge and left for work.

Now alone for the first time in a week, Sam was overwhelmed with the need to be outside, and those bird feeders needed refilling. Decision made, she bundled up in a warm coat and a wooly cap. She stopped by the storeroom on the way out and picked up the container of bird feed. She didn't feel the cold even thought the temps were just above freezing. She was so happy to be outside, that she was disappointed when it only took a short time to fill the bird feeders. She wasn't yet ready to go back inside. She looked around for something else to do outside and sighed when she couldn't find any other chores to do.

She slowly walked back to her house, putting off going back inside as long as she could. With her head hung down, she walked in the back door, taking off her coat and cap. Just inside the door, she noticed a book under the bench where she sat to take off her shoes. She bent down and picked it up. She had been reading this rom-com several months ago. The genre was one of her guilty pleasures. That gave her an idea. She went to the kitchen, and made a cup of hot tea. She put her coat and cap back on, picked up the book, and once again stepped outside into the sun. A little more time sitting out in the fresh air and sunshine would do wonders for her mood.