"It's not that bad," Sam says, pale even against the bland walls of her lab. "I've got painkillers, just in case, but the pain has been negligible."
She holds up her broken arm so John can see it through the webcam. It's not the broken arm that concerns him, not really. They have plenty of broken bones between them, and there will be plenty more.
There's something in Sam's smile. It's too tight around her eyes and her lips are pressed together just so. Something happened on that planet that Sam's not telling him.
"I've got leave coming up; I could probably take it a little early," John says. They don't always talk about their problems or what's happened to them, but sometimes it's easier to have someone there who can understand without asking for too much.
Sam looks down and shakes her head. "Like I said, it's not that bad." Someone says something to her that John can't hear. "Sorry, I've gotta go."
"Talk to you later?"
Sam just nods and moves to turn off the camera.
John stares at the blank screen, leaning back in his chair. Sometimes Earth feels impossibly far away.