This is what happen when you work night shift over New Year's Eve and you're bored. So instead of celebrating New Year, I wrote this story for my friend. It's been written in Czech and I finally managed to translate it to English. Have fun!
Also, I would like to say English is not my mother's language and I don't have a beta reader so all mistakes are mine and I do apologize in advance if you see any. I hope you'll be able to enjoy the story anyway.
The entire team SG1 met in gate room. Daniel, as usual, arrived a bit later than others, but this time he managed to be there before they started to dial the address of a planet they were supposed to visit. O'Neill gave Daniel meaningful glare, which meaning was lost, as Daniel was wrestling with a book which he was trying to put into his already overflowing backpack.
Carter noticed O'Neill's glare and smiled slightly. They have been a team for few years already, but it looked like Jack was still astonished over the thickness of books Daniel needed necessarily to carry with on reconnaissance missions. She had gave up years ago trying to understand why Daniel needed to carry his books when he had most of their contents stored in his head anyway. But that was they way he was and Sam really didn't want to change him.
Teal'c, who has been standing on the complete right, didn't pay attention to his colleagues exchanging looks. He was fixing his sight on chapa'ai, which finally started to spin and didn't stop till all seven chevrons locked to their assigned places. Teal'c was never tired of watching the black hole being established.
As soon as the connection was established with the other gate, Jack gave a command to go forward and his team started walking up the ramp so they could, one by one, go through the gate to a planet, which was a couple of thousand light years away from Earth.
Daniel emerged from the gate as the last one and immediately sneezed. He didn't even manage look around the planted, they came to explore, and sneezed again. He started searching in his backpack to locate a tissue, which must have been hidding purposely at the bottom. He couldn't reach it thanks to never ending sneezing that made his hand jump slightly and preventing him successfully locate the tissue.
"Here," It sounded next to him. Daniel gratefully reached for the tissue Sam was handing him over. He nodded his thanks while he was wiping his nose.
"Bloody allergy." He remarked as soon as his sneezing stopped.
"I think it's safe to say nobody is here. You had to give us away for miles around with all of your sneezing," Jack said. Nevertheless, he was still holding his P-90 at ready, as well as Sam, and Teal's was ready with his staff weapon.
"I'm sorry," Daniel mumbled. He wiped his eyes, which were a bit red from the allergy and put his glasses back on. Finally, he had the opportunity to look where he was.
The gate was standing on small hillock covered by grass. The hillock was lowering itself slowly to a wood, which looked more like forest, than the wood they were used to from Colorado. Even the climate was matching it. High temperature was accompanied by high humidity, which forced Jack, Sam and Daniel to take off their jackets and put them in their backpacks. Jack promptly put his sunglasses, which he always carried in his tactical vest, on.
"Alright kids, let's see what we've got here," Jack said as soon as he was sure there wasn't any enemy near the gate. He looked around and chose the easiest way down. His team was following him. Although they were sure there is no soul in close proximity, they didn't let their guard down completely. They had learned from the past that unpleasant surprises could have been waiting at any corner and people didn't have to notice right away.
They arrived to the border between meadow and forest and after a slight hesitation, they disappeared among the trees. They were walking slowly while looking around. The only thing they noticed however, were just the animal inhabitants of this planet. Birds were squeaking above their heads. The grass was rustling when the little animals were running through without being seen. Time to time, they heard something that sounded like monkey's scream, but they hadn't seen any animal making that noise. It looked like, for once, they had a recon mission without anything abnormal or any action going on. O'Neill was glad for that. His team had been through a lot and for once, nothing would happen, if everything could go right.
"Look! There, in front!" Daniel exclaimed and interrupted Jack's thoughts that it might have been better to have some action after all so it would keep his mind away from the bloodthirsty mosquito who evidently decided to suck all of his blood.
Sam looked up and glanced the way Daniel was pointing. At first, she couldn't make out what she was looking at thanks to the height of the trees. But then, a moment later, recognition hit her. Pyramid. So this planed had been under Goa'uld administration. She just hoped it wasn't the case anymore; otherwise it might have mean more trouble they could be able to manage. Although, they had so far a lot of dumb luck and were able to survive even that kind of trouble when one or more team members could have died. Thinking this, her gaze involuntarily fell on Daniel.
"I'd love to know whose pyramid it is," Daniel said and unknowingly fastened his pace. "I can't see much from here."
Jack's walk quickened to catch up on Daniel. "Not so fast, Indiana Jones."
"C'mon, Jack, there isn't any Jaffa. This planet has been abandoned ages ago," Daniel bargained without success.
O'Neill didn't want to do anything reckless. He ordered Teal's to cover team's back; Daniel to stay in the middle and he himself and Carter went to the front. In this formation, they approached the pyramid. There couldn't be any stealth approach as birds were showing very loudly their unhappiness of being disturbed through their afternoon siesta. So all Jaffa's had to know about their approach for miles away. Also, the screaming of birds could have covered any arrival of enemies which Jack didn't like at all. But there wasn't any other choice. Unless he wanted to turn over 180 degrees and turn tail back to the gate, which wasn't in his nature.
Gradually, they made it through the greenery to such a distance from the pyramid that they could make sure nobody was around. No Jaffa, no Teltac, no death gliders. The planet was really abandoned. The team sighed with relief. They were observing their surroundings for a while, but when nothing moved even after tens of minutes, nobody could hold Daniel back any longer. He jumped on his feet and run toward the pyramid like a little kid at Christmas running to open Christmas presents. If the rest of the team wasn't used to his behaviour, nobody would have been able to keep the pace with him. This way, they were just a bit slower and in the end, it was Teal's who arrived first to the pyramid.
"Be cautious, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c spoke with reasonable voice. The answer he got was just slight nod of a head as Daniel was already rummaging in his backpack so he could triumphantly take out his camera just seconds later and start documenting right away.
"T, major, secure the perimeter. I'll stay with our cameraman," Jack ordered.
"Yes, sir," answered Carter and turned left while Teal'c set off to the right.
"Jack, it looks like Ra's pyramid," Daniel announced excitedly without even noticing Jack wasn't paying full attention to him as he was observing their surroundings.
But when he noticed the name of the first Goa'uld they had killed, he straightened. "He's somewhere on orbit around Abydos," he remarked.
"That doesn't mean this planet couldn't have belonged to those he had under his administration," Daniel objected. Then he started observing the statues on the outskirts of the entrance to the pyramid. They represented god of Sun for sure, like Ra used to be.
"Everywhere is quiet," Sam reported when she came back. A moment later, Teal'c confirmed her report. He arrived from the opposite side he went off. He and Sam walked around the pyramid but didn't find anything dangerous.
"Great. So we can go inside," Daniel reacted first.
"Daniel..." Jack's warning tone sounded.
"I know, I know," Daniel waved his hands in surrender. "After you," he said and stepped aside so Jack, with his P-90 still at ready, could step in first. But Daniel was so close behind he was almost stepping on Jack's heels.
While the rest of the team was making sure there wasn't any unpleasant surprise, Daniel was already rushing towards one of the walls covered in hieroglyphs and started eagerly translating. He lived for this, for finding new information about past, for the thrill from translating the writing, nobody had been using on Earth for over thousands of years. He was touching the pictures with his hands, forgetting were he was.
"I think Daniel found his entertainment," remarked Carter with amusement while observing the youngest team member touching the wall almost religiously and mumbling something under his breath.
"He's worse than a kid in a sweet shop," answered Jack. But he meant it in the good way. He knew Daniel loved to uncover something new and was sorry when he missed any opportunity doing so because Jack didn't let him. It happened usually when there wasn't time or their life was in danger. Or both.
Even after three hours it didn't look like Daniel was tired of translating. The rest of the team went through the whole pyramid. When they didn't find anything useful, which in Jack's dictionary meant "weapons"; they sat down on the floor in the room where Daniel was translating. They drank and ate one power bar each. Jack lay down, put his hat over his eyes and ordered Sam to wake him up if something was going on. He still was determined to let Daniel do, for once, what he loved. But he himself was bored so the only reasonable thing he could do was to take a nap to be ready if something went wrong, by any chance.
After another two hours, Jack was done. He looked around to find out that he wasn't the only one. Even Teal'c was standing by one of the walls and it seemed he was also trying to decipher the hieroglyphs. Major was standing in the middle and observing some low pillar covered by pictures. Jack joined her.
"Anything interesting, major?" he asked.
"Not really, sir," she answered with little smile on her lips. "But I understand why Daniel likes it. It's amazing that after so many years it's possible to find out what was going on here from something that simple as these pictures," she said and pointed towards the pillar.
"Yep, but that won't help us defeat Goa'ulds," Jack responded.
"I know, sir, but... Watch out!" Sam blured out of a sudden when Jack touched a part of the pillar and one part of it opened and clay pot, threatening to fall over any second, came out. Jack had his hands full trying to catch the pot.
"That was close," he mumbled. He gripped the pot in one hand so he could wipe out with his other one the sweat that appeared on his forehead; only partly appearing because of the humidity in the air.
In that moment, Daniel sneezed, which sounded in this enclosed spaced like gunshot. Jack involuntary jerked and a disaster happened. The pot, he was holding in one hand, slipped away, and even though he and Carter were trying their best, they were unable to prevent the pot falling on the floor. The pot crashed into few peaces. Out of the pot came small cloud of dust that irritated their mucous membrane and Sam's sneeze was almost lost in Jack's.
"Look what you did," said Daniel, who was observing everything from few meters away.
"Sorry, Danny," apologized Jack, although he didn't look really miserably. A moment later, he sneezed again. "Damn it!" he swore. "What the hell was in it?"
It was more or less rhetorical question but it wouldn't be Daniel not to point out all the possibilities that could have been hidden in the pot. When he reached the list of organs, which were usually hidden in canopy jars, Jack firmly stopped him. He really didn't need to hear that he probably inhaled dusty particles of some corpse.
"Daniel, do you think it could have been something dangerous?" Sam asked.
"Hold on a second, you don't mean any infection, right?" Jack intervened before Daniel could answer.
"I don't know, Jack," Daniel answered apologetic. "They haven't had it in Egypt but who knows what Ra could have came up with."
"T?" Jack turned to the oldest team member.
"Aphopis wasn't hiding weapons in pots, O'Neill," the brief answer came.
"Maybe we should go back," Sam suggested. "Daniel, Teal'c, you should probably stay way from us. The dust was sticking only around us."
Daniel wanted to object but Jack stopped him. "Major is right. Pack up and head back to SGC." Then he added that Teal'c would go first through the gate to alert general Hammond about possible infection so Janet would have enough time to set up quarantine. It was pointless for them all go through the gate when there wasn't any danger from Jaffa. He and Carter could wait peacefully until Janet would be ready to receive them.
Their return to the gate was without any event. Even Daniel, who would be normally excitedly informing them about information gathered from translation, was unusually quiet. He was walking in front with Teal'c but he was turning around now and then to make sure Jack and Sam were following them. They stayed a bit further away, although they weren't sure Daniel wasn't also infected. They didn't have to worry about Teal'c because Junior would take care of his health. Jack and Sam, on their way back, didn't stop sneezing but it wasn't as bad as Daniel's. But that could be explained by allergy. At least they hoped so.
After Teal'c explanation why he came back to SGC alone, hectic activity to build quarantine for the rest of SG1 broke up. Doctor Fraiser decided that even Daniel would be put in quarantine, to make sure he wasn't infected and wouldn't spread the infection among other people on the base. But she wanted to keep him away from Jack and Sam to make sure he wouldn't get infected just in case he was fine. She knew it won't be easy but she was ready to make it done.
In the end, two rooms normally reserved for staff that stayed overnight to sleep on the base, were given up. The rooms were turned into quarantine. Tents with their own AC that had to keep constant temperature were built in the rooms. One was to be for Daniel, other for Sam and Jack. Janet would be happier to keep them separate as well but she didn't have enough material to build another quarantine room. Besides, they were both exposed to the same unknown substance and with the highest probability in the same extent. That was why she decided to take the risk and keep them together.
As soon as both quarantine rooms were ready, there had to be build a corridor from the same material that would lead from the gate to both rooms. It meant to clear all corridors in question but general didn't object. In this case, the doctor could do whatever was necessary.
To build everything the way that would satisfy Janet took longer than expected. But there was nothing to be done about it. Everything had to be airproof and waterproof so no bacteria would get away from the quarantine zone. The doc herself and some of handpicked colleagues got into biohazard suit that looked more like spacesuit.
When everything was triple-checked, Janet permitted general to make contact with SG1 to allow them to return to SGC. There was one condition, after black hole was established; Jack, Sam and Daniel had to wait ten minutes so the rest of the quarantine could reach the gate. Then the gate room was evacuated and only the doc and her team stayed in the quarantine corridor.
Finally, the blue circle in the gate shimmered and Daniel came out first. He barely had time to get his bearings when Janet was ushering him to her colleagues who then let him into decontamination shower. As soon as Daniel was safely in the shower, Sam and Jack appeared on the ramp. They both looked tired but there was no trace of any infection. But that didn't mean anything. Some virus could manifest itself after a longer time. Besides, nobody knew what they were infected with, if they were in the first place.
"Did Daniel dial the correct address? I think we are on the Moon," declared Jack when he looked around noticing figures in shapeless suits. "Houston, we have a problem."
Janet smiled. Everything was in relative order when O'Neill was still making jokes. She walked them to the shower from which Daniel was already led away.
"I was imagining our first shower a bit differently, Carter," Jack turned to major and smiled.
"I'm sorry to spoil your amusement but you'll go in one by one," Janet interrupted.
Jack made a face but stepped aside to let Carter go in first. It took a couple of long minutes before Sam emerged on the other side in issued clothes and being led into quarantine. Then Jack stepped into the shower. He knew his clothes were about to be destroyed but there was nothing to be done about it. He undressed himself and allowed the docs to clean him thoroughly. He had the feeling he wasn't scrubbed clean like that in a while.
Finally, he was led to the quarantine room where Janet made pincushion out of his arm and took a couple of samples of his blood. Sam already had a Band-Aid on her arm in the place where her samples of blood were collected. She was sitting on field cot, unconsciously swinging her legs which were hanging over the edge of the cot. She really didn't look like she was infected with some kind of treacherous virus.
"How are you feeling, major?" Jack asked as soon as they were alone.
Sam shrugged. "I don't feel sick but it's better to be on the safe side."
Jack nodded, stood up in the middle of the room and looked around. There were only two field cots, two chairs and a table. Pillows and blankets were so ordinary it couldn't get any worse.
"It doesn't look like Hilton. It looks worse than a prison," Jack said when he finished his recon.
"It's just temporary, sir."
O'Neill looked at her. "If we are supposed to be stuck here for who knows how long, you can stop with that 'sir'."
"Yes, sir."
Jack sighed. Old habits died slowly.
Janet stopped by after dinner. She passed on greetings from general and Daniel, took their temperature, examined them and brought them pack of cards because Jack insisted on it. When Janet left, he and Sam sat on the floor and started playing cards so the waiting for the results would be a bit bearable. They were talking about Daniel for a while, wondering how he was spending the time in the quarantine when he was on his own. They agreed that Janet probably brought over to him a bunch of books which he had stacked by piles in his office. Daniel was the kind of human who didn't mind being alone, if he had his books. In that case, he easily lost track of time.
They were playing cards for couple of hours but then Jack got bored and ordered to go to the bed. He hoped sleep will shorten their waiting for couple of hours and in the morning, they would know more. He didn't really plan on staying too long in the quarantine. He didn't like doing nothing for too long. But he had to admit he ended up in the best possible company he could get. Not that he wished Carter to be ill. But if he had to pick up someone, Sam would be definitely the first choice.
Sam got under the blanket and tried to sleep. It wasn't the first time she was sleeping with colonel in the same room but it was different this time. At least it looked like it to her although she couldn't say why. Maybe because normally they were sleeping on different planets, always half ready to face some enemy. It wasn't this case today. The enemy, if there was any, was hidden in their bodies and they didn't know how to fight it. She was turning from side to side but she wasn't able to find a comfortable position. Besides, she was cold.
"What's going on, Sam?" Jack asked and his voice sounded differently than what she was used to. It sounded a bit worried.
"Nothing," she answered automatically. "I can't sleep," she answered after a moment, when Jack didn't react. "And I'm cold," she admitted.
In the sudden silence, she heard the cot squeak. Jack had to sit and got up. "Well, let's do something about it, no?" he said.
He didn't even wait for an answer and started pushing his cot to hers. She just sat up when she felt a little bump as O'Neill's cot bumped into hers. Then she heard Jack climbing back to the bed. "I suggest we should repeat Antarctica," he spoke up when he was lying back in his bed.
Sam paused in a surprise for a moment. It wasn't because she didn't know what he meant. On the contrary, she had it in front of her eyes as if it happened just a few days not few years ago. But she didn't expect O'Neill to suggest it; especially when anyone could come in anytime.
"C'mon, Sam, we won't be playing Eskimos," Jack said when he didn't hear her answer. He knew very well what was going on in her head because he was thinking the same. But she was cold and he had no way of reaching Janet. He wasn't sure if this explanation would be enough but at this point, he didn't care.
Finally, he felt a movement when Sam lay back down. A moment later, her head ended up on his chest. That was unexpected but he wasn't about to chase her off. He put one arm around her waist and pulled her closer. He felt her shaking with cold. He made sure she was covered with her blanket and then he put his blanket over her. He wasn't much covered himself but he wasn't cold. Jack was laying there for a moment listening to her breathing. He had the feeling the shivering stopped.
"Is it better?" he asked.
"Yes. Thank you."
He was glad she refrained from 'sir' this time. It would feel weird. He was lying still, listening to her quiet breathing. He wasn't sure she wasn't sleeping but he didn't want to talk to her not wanting to wake her up if she was asleep. He knew he won't be able to fall asleep any time soon. He had feelings toward Sam that weren't appropriate. Jack knew very well it was same on both sides, that's why suggested this arrangement to keep her warm. Were it someone else, he would just pass his blanket over. But Sam was someone different.
"I'm glad you're here with me, Jack," Sam mumbled all of a sudden.
Jack went completely still for a moment. He really didn't expect that. Before he had a chance to answer, he noticed the change in her breathing and this time O'Neill was sure she was asleep. He was felt a bit sorry he didn't answer but, on the other hand, he had no idea what he would say. He just sighed and moved slightly to find a better position. Sam's head was resting over his heart and provided pleasant warmth. He still thought he wouldn't be able to fall asleep this night but before he knew it he was fast asleep.
When Jack woke up in the morning, he felt some weight on his chest. It took him a moment to get his bearings. Suddenly, he realized that neither of them probably moved through the entire night and that they slept in the same position they fell asleep. The thought was incredible but it wasn't unpleasant. His back hurt a bit but he didn't want to move as he didn't want to wake up Sam. O'Neill just hoped nobody would come in. He knew he wouldn't be able to justify this. Not with her arm around his waist and his arm around hers. Besides, he had the feeling Sam was smiling while sleeping but he wasn't sure as the room was dark.
Suddenly, Sam moved and Jack knew she was awake. But he didn't speak because he didn't want to interrupt this nice feeling.
"Good morning," mumbled Sam with her eyes still closed.
"Good morning," answered Jack and gently put aside hair falling on her face.
"Do we have to get up yet?" she asked.
Jack had to smile. This would have been a perfect morning, if… Yes, if. And there weren't exactly a few of them. "If you'll explain it to Janet then…" he didn't finish.
In that moment, Sam sharply lifted herself on her elbows. Suddenly, the reality hit her hard and it wasn't a pleasant one. She would love to turn the time to the moment when she was comfortably lying in Jack's arms and felt safely. But that wasn't possible.
As soon as Sam moved to her bed, there was knocking on the door and then, without invitation, Janet stepped in turning lights on. Sam and Jack were squinting at her through their half open eyes trying their eyes to get used to the light.
"Good morning, you two," she greeted them without even pausing when seeing their beds being pushed next to each other. Luckily Jack managed to pull his blanket to himself so there was no indication something inappropriate was going on. "I have news for you, one better, one worse. Which one do you want to hear first?"
"The worse one will be that you won't let us go, yet, when you're still wearing the suit, no?" Sam tried to guess while her eyes finally adjusted to the light.
Janet smiled slightly. She knew she won't be able to hide something from Sam so she wasn't surprised she was able to guess the worse news. She told them she released Daniel from the quarantine because no virus in his blood was proven. At least not one from all the tests Janet was able to come up with.
"That was kind of fast," remarked Sam surprised.
Doc explained them she concentrated on Daniel first and was comparing the results of all the tests to Jack's and Sam's. They found out some information that was different from Daniel's tests. Daniel was showing all signs that he was alright. Nevertheless, Janet kept him under doctor's supervision but out of quarantine.
"So we have something in our bodies?" Sam asked.
"I can't rule it off. I have to take your blood again and do more tests. Untill I won't know for sure you're fine, you have to stay here."
Jack sighed. He didn't like this any more than Sam but there was nothing to be done. Doc was the boss here and they had no other option but to obey her orders. That's why he let Janet to take his blood again and to take his temperature. Then Janet went to Sam. When she was taking her temperature, she stopped for a moment in surprise.
"Sam, you have fewer. I'll have to monitor you closely. I'll be back in two hours to check on you. If it gets worse before that, let me know right away."
Sam promised to do everything Janet asked for. But Sam didn't really feel any different. She was just tired but that was because of the uncomfortable bed. These cots weren't really ideal for sleeping; besides, part of her body was stuck on the edge of both beds, which was really uncomfortable. But at that time, it didn't cross her mind. On the other hand, she was glad she could snuggle up to Jack to get warm. She wasn't cold anymore. Carter wasn't sure if it was because of her temperatue.
As soon as Janet left, another doctor brought them breakfast. Jack ate it hungrily but Sam was just nibbling on piece of wasn't hungry or had any appetite. But she was thirsty so she gladly drank as much tea as possible. Coffee, which would have been better, wasn't on the menu.
After breakfast, Sam laid down on the cot. She wasn't in any mood to do anything; not even playing cards. She still felt tired. She hoped to get better if she rested for a while. Carter felt Jack's eyes on her but she was glad he didn't ask any questions. She didn't want to answer any questions, especially those about last night.
Jack was keeping a sharp eye on Sam. He didn't like what he saw but he didn't want to cause panic and call Janet right away. He hoped Sam was just tired thanks to the uncomfortable beds. He decided to wait for a spell and if her condition got worse, he would call Janet immediately.
Sam was restlessly turning around, getting angry at herself, for drinking too much tea. She needed to use the bathroom but her legs felt weak. She wasn't sure if they would be able to carry her. But she didn't want to ask Jack for help. She was soldier and woman moreover; she couldn't permit herself to show weakness. She sat up slowly, put one leg after the other over the edge of the cot and got up. She made few wobbly steps when her legs finally gave up.
Jack was watching her with worrying look when Sam slowly sat up and even slower got up. She looked really pale, yet there was sweat on her forehead. That didn't truly look good. Before he managed to tell her to get back to bed, she was able to do few steps till her legs gave up under the weight of her body. He had full hands to catch her up in time. He pulled her closer to him and called Janet.
Janet appeared in the room almost instantly. With one look, she was able to assess the situation, which she didn't like at all. Sam was lying on the bed, her chest was moving shallowly. Jack was sitting next to her, with one hand holding hers and with the other moving aside her hair from the forehead glistering with sweat. Janet immediately went to Jack who left Sam's side to make space for the doc. Not even an hour passed by since Janet has spoken with Sam but a lot changed. She quickly took her pulse, checked her enlarged pupils but luckily Sam was awake. Nevertheless, it was obvious she had trouble breathing so Janet gave her oxygen mask. She needed to know right away what was wrong with Sam but she couldn't rush the tests. In the meantime, she had to come up with a solution how to keep Sam alive. For now, she gave her medication she knew wouldn't hurt her but she wasn't sure how much of help it will be.
"Colonel, I gave her something to reduce the fewer. Stay here, keep wiping her forehead with cold towel and check her temperature time to time. Call me immediately with any change. I'll go finish the tests to know what we are staying against and then I can cure her."
Jack nodded in agreement, went back to his place and started wiping Sam's forehead with cold towel. Were it not for the click of the lock, he wouldn't have noticed Janet walking away. His eyes were focused only on Sam who didn't look good. He would do anything to make her better but he had no idea how. He felt completely helpless and he didn't like it at all.
"C'mon, Sam, fight it!" O'Neill said louder than he wanted. But he was worried about her. This wasn't an enemy he could put bullets in from the magazine of P-90. This wasn't someone to whom he could break neck. This enemy was so small Jack couldn't even see it, let alone fight it. That pissed him off.
"Sam, I didn't let you to give up!" Jack spoke up more urgently. He had no idea if she heard him because he didn't see any reaction. Something happened! Her eyelids shivered and lips moved under the oxygen mask. He slowly pulled off the mask and put his ear to her lips. He felt a breath on his ear.
"I'm not giving up, Jack," Sam spoke exhaustingly.
Small smile crossed Jack's lips. This was his Sam; invincible fighter. He put the mask back on and squeezed her hand. He just hoped Janet was doing everything she could because he was really afraid and he wasn't sure how long Sam could keep fighting.
Finally, Janet returned with slight smile on her lips. She explained to colonel that she probably came up with solution how to cure Sam. Jack was really glad to see Janet's mild optimism but he still stayed skeptic. He gave up his place for her and was observing while Janet injected Sam with something. She then looked at the infusion and changed the bag. She adjusted the pillow under Sam's head and looked at Jack.
"No," Jack said resolutely.
"Oh yes," Janet answered with same resolution in her voice. "You'll get the same medication as Sam. You had the same virus in your blood; it just didn't turn on like it happened to Sam. I won't risk that it has longer incubation time."
Jack sighed but he couldn't have any objections. He let her to give him the injection. Then Janet left. She needed to go back to the microscope to make sure, once again, that she gave them the medicine that will fully work. She couldn't afford to neglect anything.
Jack was sitting on the chair, snoozing. He had no idea how much time passed since last time he had slept. He had the feeling it has been two days he kept vigil over Sam. Since Janet gave her the medicine, he had relaxed slightly and adrenalin and worry about Sam partly left him. O'Neill was still holding her hand and every time he stopped snoozing, he wiped her forehead with wet towel. But the frequency was slowing down. He was really tired. Jack closed his eyes fighting sleep which was getting stronger than he was. At that moment, he felt a squeeze on his hand.
He opened his eyes but it took him a moment to focus. He looked at Sam who was looking at him. Slight smile reached her lips. She wanted to say something but her throat was dry. Jack handed her a cup of water. He helped her lift her head with one hand and let her drink. He was making sure she was drinking slowly as not to choke. He then gently put her head back on the pillow and put the cup on a side. After that, Jack took his pillow and supported Sam's had with it.
"Thank you," Sam whispered. It didn't sound like her voice at all.
Jack pulled aside her hair falling on her forehead. "How are you feeling?" he asked quietly as if he were afraid anything noisier would hurt her.
"Alive," she answered truthfully. She felt weak and exhausted but she didn't have to tell Jack that. She knew he could see it. She was glad he didn't comment on her appearance. She had to look terrible.
"You're alright?" she asked.
Jack smiled. That was just Sam. She was almost on death bed but she was still interested in other well being. He liked that about her; besides other things. He liked more stuff about her but he wasn't supposed to admit it to himself. Their relationship didn't have any future; at least not the official way. He wasn't sure he would be willing to try it anyway. But the feelings for Sam were stronger than he was. He was trying to silence them for so long, to cover them with work, to burry them deep inside. But one of her fleeting smiles was enough to destroy his efforts. He couldn't help himself.
"I'm fine," he answered finally.
Sam gave him one of the fleeting smiles he was just thinking about. As if she was reading his mind. There was no defense against it and at this moment, he had no strength to defend against it. O'Neill had no idea what would happen with their relationship but he didn't want to jeopardize her career. He didn't care about his but Sam had a lot waiting for her and he never forgot it. That was one of the main reasons he was keeping a distance. He didn't care about himself but Sam; that was something different. She was clever and great soldier. He was sure that one day, she will be leading her own team. He couldn't deprive her of the opportunity.
Sam propped herself on her elbows. It cost her lot of strength but she forced herself to do it. She knew very well what Jack was thinking. Part of it she could read it in his face, the other part wasn't difficult to guess. She was thinking the same. The two of them didn't have future together; not if they were both in the army. She could leave for private sector. It wouldn't be a problem for her to find a job with all the knowledge she had. But would the army let her go? She knew way too much.
She lifted her hand and touched his face. He didn't shave for few days so his stubble was scratching her palm but she didn't mind. Jack captured her hand in his. He pressed a kiss in her palm. Then he bended down and kissed Sam's forehead. Sam took advantage of it, put her hand on the back of his neck and looked in these eyes she's kept loosing herself in for few years. She decided to do something she should have done ages ago.
Jack met her halfway and their lips interconnected in a long kiss. The worry about their future was forgotten. They were living for this moment.
THE END