Chapter Four: Sam's Turn

Opening her eyes for the first time in who knew how long, Sam groaned at the pounding in her head. She was staring up at the grey ceiling of the infirmary, and then suddenly, a blurred face appeared hovering over her. She blinked, willing the blurriness to go away as she was finally able to focus on Daniel's face. "Daniel?" she mumbled groggily.

He smiled down at her, and then turned as Janet walked into the room in answer to him hitting the call button when he'd noticed Sam was starting to wake. "Hey Sam," he said softly. "You're back at the SGC."

Sam blinked again as Janet appeared in her line of sight beside Daniel. "Janet?"

"Hi, Sam." The doctor smiled warmly at her, reaching out a hand to lightly brush some hair from Sam's forehead. "How are you feeling?"

Taking in a slow, deep breath, she squinted and quietly said, "Ugh, head's killing me."

Janet nodded. "I'll give you something for that. You have a concussion and a hairline fracture in your right ankle. Right now, you're wearing a soft splint and there's ice on it to keep the swelling down. How does it feel, any pain?"

Sam's eyebrows rose and she found herself smiling dopily. "Aside from my head, nope."

"Good," Janet said. That meant the painkillers were doing their job.

Brows furrowing slightly as she fought past the morphine-induced fog, Sam blinked in confusion. The one person she thought for sure would be there for her when she woke up wasn't in sight. Maybe he just left the room for a minute, she thought, trying to ease her immediate worries. "Jack? Where-? Did someone pick him up?"

"He's here." Daniel stepped out of the way and gestured to the bed behind him when Sam turned her head.

Sam's heart rate shot up and her eyes widened when she saw Jack curled up on the infirmary bed opposite her. "Jack!" She hastily struggled to sit up, hissing in pain and having to clench her eyes shut against the nausea and dizziness induced by the movement. "Daniel, what happened? Is he okay?"

"He's fine Sam; take it easy," Daniel said soothingly, trying and failing to get her to lie back down.

Janet stepped in with her own comforting words. "It's alright; he's just sedated. He got a little worked up when he found out you were hurt." She tactfully left out the part where Jack drove himself to the base, and hoped Sam wouldn't ask how he got there. She didn't need the added stress right now.

"Panic attack?" Sam groggily deduced, finally relaxing slightly against the pillows once more, though she reached for the button to raise the head of the bed.

"Yeah." Janet nodded. It had been a bad one too, but the doctor didn't think Sam needed to know just how bad right now.

Daniel talked to Sam quietly for a few minutes while Janet disappeared to get something for Sam's headache. When the doctor returned with some pills, her patient took them gratefully and her eyelids started to flutter.

"Sam, why don't you try and get some rest, okay?" Janet suggested cajolingly with a gentle hand on her friend's shoulder.

"How long was I out?" she asked, ignoring the instructions to rest for the moment.

"A little over an hour," Daniel told her with a tight smile. "You had a pretty good tumble down that hill." He grimaced as the image of her flying head-over-heels down the slippery embankment replayed in his mind.

"Yeah." Sam snorted, rolling her eyes. She blinked a few times in an attempt to keep her eyes open and looked around again. "Where's Teal'c? I remember him reaching out to try to grab me when I slipped. Did he fall, too?"

"No." Daniel smiled a little and shook his head. "Teal'c's fine. He's looking after Dorothy right now."

Nodding sleepily, Sam murmured, "Oh. Good." She shook her head suddenly and jerked herself awake again. "I want to be awake when Jack gets up," she said determinedly.

Janet heaved a soft sigh. "He'll probably be out of it for another hour or two. You just rest now Sam, that's an order," she said sternly.

Sam frowned. She knew this was a losing battle. "Okay. But wake me if he starts to get up."

"You got it." Janet agreed softly, patting her friend's leg as she drifted off to sleep. She turned to Daniel, moving toward the door, away from her two sleeping friends. "Why don't you find Teal'c and take up Dorothy watching duties for a little while so he can have a turn sitting with Jack and Sam?"

Daniel nodded and took Janet's hand briefly in his own, leaning in to give her a quick kiss on the cheek.

-

Sam woke up again less than forty-five minutes later. Her first thoughts were of Jack, and she slowly turned her head to see that he was still sleeping in the bed next to hers. Smiling with a soft sigh of relief, she sat up, much more careful this time so she wouldn't get dizzy. Taking a brief look around, Sam was even more relieved to see that she was alone. Neither Teal'c, Daniel, Janet, or any medical staff were hovering around, and she was silently grateful for that. Very gingerly, she swung her legs over the side of the bed, aware of the soft cast on her right ankle, and the ice pack that slipped off when she moved.

Carefully hopping to the chair in-between the two beds, Sam made sure her right foot didn't touch the ground as she scooted the chair closer to Jack's bed. Once there, she lightly touched her foot to the floor, testing how much pain she'd be in. Grateful when there was only a little amount of discomfort, probably due to the painkillers Janet had given her earlier, Sam let out a soft sigh of relief and reached out a hand to take one of Jack's in her own. He was curled up tightly on his side, facing her, his face all scrunched up and looking worried even in sleep. With her free hand, Sam gently ran her fingers through his hair.

It only took minutes for Sam's gentle ministrations to awaken him, and she smiled lovingly when dark pools of chocolate fluttered open to stare back at her. Her hand finished dancing along his scalp before she drew back to rest it in her lap. "Hey sleepyhead," she said softly, her bright blue eyes twinkling lovingly.

"Sam," he murmured breathily, blinking slowly as he looked back with an almost-vacant stare, confusion clear across his features as though he were trying to determine whether he was truly awake or not.

She continued to smile at him. "Janet said you got all worked up when Daniel tried to tell you what happened," Sam said softly, her hand moving back up again to lightly brush at the hair along Jack's brow.

Eyes suddenly widening as his memory flooded back, Jack jerked himself upright. The after-effects from the sedative hit him all at once as he sat up too fast, and the strong urge to vomit struck him while his head swam suddenly at the same time.

Sam leaned back, looking at him worriedly, quickly recognizing the expression on his face. "Going to be sick?"

Jack nodded quickly as Sam fumbled to produce a basin from the cabinet between the two beds. When she hastily thrust the pink bucket toward him, Jack leaned over and promptly lost the contents of his stomach.

With her ankle the way it was, Sam couldn't stand up, but she managed to scoot her chair just a little bit closer and was able to reach an arm behind Jack to rub his back.

When he stopped heaving, Jack breathed a sigh and glanced sideways over at Sam. "Are you okay?" he asked worriedly.

She smiled gently at him, nodding slowly so as not to upset her aching head. "I'm alright. Concussion and fractured ankle. No big deal," she assured him. Sam nearly jumped out of her seat in surprise when she heard the click of heels enter the room.

"Sam, what are you doing out of bed?" came Janet's shocked, scolding voice behind her.

Both Sam and Jack glanced over at the doctor sheepishly. Luckily for Sam, Janet was distracted before she got the chance to answer.

Janet noticed Jack and the tray of vomit on his lap, and one of her nurses came over to remove it while the doctor went to get a smaller tray and a cup of water. Handing Jack the water, she held the tray out in front of him. "Rinse and spit."

Jack obeyed quickly, grateful to get the bitter taste of bile out of his mouth.

Janet raised the head of his bed and instructed him to lie back for a few minutes to make sure the nausea had passed. Crossing her arms, Janet then glared at Sam half-heartedly and helped her back to her own bed. Janet began checking her ankle methodically, and then with a satisfied nod to herself, removed the soft splint.

"Please say I don't need plaster," Sam pleaded hopefully with a grimace. Plaster casts were always itchy, bulky, and annoying.

Janet just smiled. "No, I'm going to give you a walking boot instead. But I still don't want you trying to put any weight on it for a few days, got it?"

"Crutches?" Sam guessed, making a face.

"Yep." Janet pulled a small orange container from her coat pocket and handed it to Sam. "Painkillers. Take one when you get home, then every four hours as needed. You should be able to take regular Tylenol for your head if these don't do the trick for that, too."

"Thanks." Sam smiled back gratefully before glancing over at Jack. He was watching her carefully, concern clear across his face. She sent him a reassuring look, her blue eyes twinkling gently. "So, this means I can go home, right?"

Nodding patiently, Janet then went over to Jack's bed, casually taking a blood pressure cuff from the wall and wrapping it around his upper right arm when he sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. He was giving her a look, but she ignored it. "I'm sure Daniel and Teal'c will give you guys a lift." Taking note of Jack's blood pressure, Janet frowned slightly.

"What?" both Jack and Sam asked at the exact same time.

Fraiser smiled tightly and removed the cuff from Jack's arm. "Jack, you're still a little hypertensive." She sighed softly, then looked at Sam. "Do you still have the Diazepam?"

Sam avoided looking at Jack and nodded.

"What?" Jack frowned, narrowing his eyes at the doctor. "I don't need any more pills," he grumped, crossing his arms.

Janet stared right back at him, her expression unwavering. "They're only for emergencies Jack. It's a very mild sedative. Now I want you to take one when you get home if you feel anxious or you can't relax. It'll help you further calm down so your blood pressure goes back to normal, okay?"

Jack kept his eyes narrowed and didn't say anything, a firm scowl on his face.

"Jack, please," Sam asked softly. His feet had started to tap up and down on the floor, fingers nervously twiddling where they sat at the edge of the bed. She knew he was still jittery and the pill would help him to relax.

Looking over at Sam, Jack released a soft sigh, but kept his mouth firmly shut. He would do anything for Sam, and she knew that. He especially didn't want her worrying about him because he felt like he should be the one taking care of her right now. She was the one with the concussion and broken ankle.

-

When Teal'c and Daniel both took their friends home, Teal'c following in Jack's truck, Sam found out that Jack had driven himself to the mountain. She wasn't happy, but she got over it before they arrived home. Sam was just relieved that he'd gotten there okay, and she understood that he'd just been worried about her.

Arriving home, Jack remained steadfast at Sam's side as she hobbled up the walk on her crutches, Dorothy trotting along behind them, with Teal'c and Daniel trailing after the dog. He opened the door for her and hovered at her side as they moved through the house, guiding her toward the couch. Jack grabbed some extra pillows when she gingerly sat down, setting them on the coffee table for her so Sam could rest her foot there.

"Thank you Jack," Sam said appreciatively, relaxing gratefully into the couch. She heaved a soft sigh before Teal'c and Daniel appeared in her line of vision next to Jack. "Thanks for giving us a lift home guys."

"No problem." Daniel smiled at her while Teal'c did his head bow thing. "Do either of you need anything before we go?"

"No, we're okay." Sam shook her head and smiled after Jack, who had already gone off to the kitchen to get her a glass of water and some Tylenol for her head.

"If you require anything, do not hesitate to phone us," Teal'c told her before he and Daniel turned to leave, setting Jack's truck keys on the coffee table first.

Sam smiled at them. "Bye guys."

Jack rose a hand in a lazy wave and slumped down on the couch beside Sam. His foot began tapping rhythmically against the floor while Dorothy sidled over and hopped up on the couch at Sam's other side. "Want s'more pillows? A blanket? Anything?" he asked, eager to take care of her and make sure she was alright.

Letting her head loll back against the couch, Sam glanced over at Jack. She could see he was still full of nervous energy, and reached out to put her hand on his bouncing leg. She smiled lovingly, and softly said, "Jack, relax. I'm okay."

He heaved a sigh and began tapping his fingers on the couch cushions. Jack noticed Dorothy cocking her head at him from Sam's other side, avoiding her urges to get him to calm down. "You hungry girl?"

Practically grinning, Dorothy hopped off the couch, eagerly wagging her tail.

Sam watched Jack as he headed for the kitchen to feed the dog. Reaching for the television remote, she turned it on and set the volume down low, relaxing into the cushions and tiredly closing her eyes.

Minutes later, her eyes were open again when she heard Jack come back into the living room. She lazily glanced over to him and smiled faintly as she watched him standing unsurely at the bottom of the lounge steps. She assumed Dorothy was still eating because the dog wasn't at his side. "Come over here," Sam called softly, waving him toward her.

Jack strode to her side quickly, sitting down slowly when she patted the couch cushion next to her. "How's your head? Do you need anything?"

She smiled warmly at his concern. "Still got a bit of a headache, but I'm alright. Just tired." When his leg started tapping again, Sam reached a hand over to lightly stroke the back of his neck before slowly moving her hand in a subtle attempt to check his pulse. She frowned slightly as his heartbeat thumped rapidly beneath her fingertips.

Jack pulled away when he realized what she was doing. "Stop." He frowned, still leaning away from her.

Sam sighed with exasperation, her eyes looking him over with concern. "You're still all wound up. Your pulse is racing." Her frown matched his own now. "I want you to take one of the sedatives from Janet. I put them in the cupboard with your other pills."

Huffing, Jack narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms stubbornly over his chest. "I don't need it; I'm fine," he insisted.

"Jack, come on. Please, just take it and come sit down. You're all tense and it's making me nervous," she said pleadingly in a soft, coaxing voice. He wasn't really making Sam nervous, she just said that because she knew he'd be more likely to comply. It was a ruthless tactic, but she knew it would work and was too exhausted to get into an argument with him right now. "Please?"

"Okay, okay. Fine, I'll take it," he said softly, resignedly. Sighing with a groan, Jack got up off the couch and stomped off to the kitchen to retrieve the medication.

While taking the pills out of the cupboard, Jack noticed the opened microwave where his pizza from lunch was still sitting, obviously cold. He suddenly realized just how hungry he was, having skipped breakfast and forgetting about lunch when Daniel called him about Sam. Tossing the pizza in the trash and apologizing to Dorothy who was staring at him hopefully and wondering why he was throwing away perfectly good food instead of giving it to her, Jack spied the telephone dangling from it's cord on the wall. The annoying sound emanating from the ear piece prompted him to pick it up and set it back in it's cradle.

Getting a glass of water and taking the sedative with a look of disgust on his face, Jack bent down to pat Dorothy on the head and then moved to the cupboard, rummaging around for something to make for dinner.

Sam roused from a light doze almost an hour later when she heard Jack noisily come back into the room. She squinted to find him setting down dishes and silverware on the coffee table before dashing out of the room again to come back seconds later with two glasses of water. "Jack? What's this?" she asked somewhat drowsily.

He grinned proudly back at Sam and took a seat beside her on the couch, handing her a plate of pan-fried chicken, green beans, and salad so she didn't have to take her foot down from the coffee table. "I made dinner."

"This looks good. Thank you, Jack." She leaned toward him and he met her half-way for a kiss.

"No problem." He smiled back at her, then picked up his own plate and leaned back with the dish in his lap as he hungrily began to eat.

Sam noticed Jack was more at ease now, as she watched him while she ate, and she knew that he had taken the pill as she'd asked him to. He wasn't tapping his feet or hands, and wasn't pacing, so that was a good sign. She smiled at him without his knowledge, appreciative of the meal he'd prepared. He really was doing a good job taking care of her, and Sam was pleasantly surprised that he hadn't ordered take-out or just heated a frozen dinner.

-

Feeling a slight jarring, and the odd sensation that she was floating, Sam opened her eyes to discover that Jack was carrying her to their room. She was cradled in his arms like a baby, her head lolling against his shoulder. It seemed those painkillers she'd taken during supper had really done a number on her. "Jack?" she questioned in a soft, drowsy voice.

"You fell asleep after dinner," he told her quietly, entering their bedroom and being careful not to let her injured leg hit the doorframe. "I was trying not to wake you. Sorry." Jack craned his neck so he could kiss the top of her head, then gingerly set her down on the mattress.

"It's okay." Her voice was a sleepy murmur, and she automatically started to lay down and curl up on her side.

Jack chuckled and glanced down at Dorothy as she nudged against his leg and rested her chin on the bed, watching Sam with perked ears and curious amber eyes. He then helped the very sleepy Sam change into some pajamas and trade the walking boot for a soft ankle brace before allowing her to fully go back to sleep. Once he'd covered her up with the blanket, Jack changed into some pajama pants and a t-shirt, and actually remembered to take his own pills before crawling into bed beside Sam. He smiled when Dorothy hopped onto the bed and laid at their feet where she usually slept, however leaning more towards his feet rather than Sam's, as if knowing she was hurt. "Good girl," he murmured softly to the dog, closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep within minutes.

He woke again sometime later from an insistent nudging against his shoulder. Opening bleary eyes, he groaned and squinted up at the shadowed form of Sam, sitting up, and hovering over him. His brows furrowed worriedly and he started to sit up. He noticed Dorothy sitting up at the foot of the bed, looking at the two of them curiously. "Sam? Hrm? What is it?" he asked sleepily.

"Jack, you need to take your pill," she mumbled, sounding like she wasn't fully awake.

He smiled comfortingly back at her and reached out a hand to cup the side of her face. She was always worried about him, reminding him about his medication and everything. "It's okay, sweetheart, I already did. I actually remembered for once," he told her softly.

"Oh. Sorry." She smiled faintly back at him and laid down again.

"S'okay." Jack laid down with her and pulled the blanket up over them, chuckling softly. He moved closer, mindful of her injured foot beneath the blankets. "Go back to sleep, Sam." Gently, he kissed her cheek and wrapped his arms around her.

Dorothy yawned loudly and resumed her position at the foot of the bed, satisfied that everything was well.

-

When morning came, Sam woke up to find the bed empty, but her crutches were lying close by against the night table, and she could smell coffee wafting in from the kitchen. Gingerly swinging her feet over the side of bed, she reached for her crutches and carefully hoisted herself up on one foot. After a quick trip to the bathroom, she hobbled off to the kitchen where the wonderful smells of breakfast were coming from.

She found Jack standing in front of the stove, flipping pancakes and then scooping scrambled eggs onto a big serving plate. Dorothy was sitting on the floor by his feet, looking hopeful that he might drop something for her. Sam smiled when Jack turned and grinned at her. "Hey," she greeted softly.

"Mornin'." He stopped what he was doing for a moment and strode toward Sam, giving her a sweet kiss on the lips. "How ya feelin'?"

"Okay." Sam smiled. "My ankle hurts a little, but my head's not bothering me."

"Good." Jack grinned back at her and turned to get Sam's pills that were by the sink. "Here."

Taking the capsules and the glass of water that was quickly thrust into her hands, Sam balanced herself on the crutches carefully and swallowed the pill. She then set the glass on the counter and shot Jack a pointed look while he turned off the stove and finished plating the rest of the food. "Speaking of medication...." she hobbled toward the table and took a seat, laying her crutches on the floor. "Have you taken your pills this morning?"

"Yes ma'am," Jack told her with an obedient grin as he brought the food and coffee to the table before sitting down.

Sam eyed the big breakfast in front of her hungrily. She glanced over at Jack and laughed softly. "If all it took to get you to cook for me all the time was a little broken ankle, I would've done this sooner!" she joked teasingly, laughing again when Jack shot her a shocked expression.

"Right." Jack snorted and bit into his stack of pancakes. "Enjoy it while you can," he teased right back with a devilish smirk. When Dorothy leaned into his leg, Jack slipped her a piece of pancake under the table.

Sam smiled at him again and continued eating. She was feeling a lot better today. Her ankle didn't hurt so much, and her headache wasn't doing anything at all for the moment. Always a good sign. She loved Jack for taking care of her. He was always so concerned with her well-being, and although she was sure to be annoyed with lots of mothering while she was out of work, Sam wouldn't have him any other way.

-

For a little while after breakfast, Sam, Jack, and Dorothy all lounged on the couch watching TV. Jack then went to take a quick shower, returning in a pair of faded jeans and a black Henley, holding a couple of towels under his arm so Sam could take her shower. Once she was refreshed and dressed in some sweats and a comfortable old sweater, Sam realized she was feeling pretty drowsy and decided to take a nap on the sofa.

Jack got Sam settled comfortably with a few pillows to prop up her foot, then he decided to take Dorothy outside with him for a little while so Sam could get to sleep without any noise.

Upon waking from her nap, Sam stretched carefully on the couch and yawned, gingerly swinging her feet to the floor as she sat up, reaching for her crutches. When she looked around and didn't spot Jack or Dorothy anywhere, Sam stood and began hobbling slowly toward the kitchen. Her eyes drifted around the empty room, and she rose a curious eyebrow while noticing an old towel tied to the handle of the cupboard beneath the sink, and another tied to the back door.

Making her way to the glass door that led outside to the deck, Sam saw Dorothy pulling at the door handle from outside, a towel tied to that end as well. Her eyes widened in surprise as the dog managed to open the door, but as her gaze drifted out toward the lawn, Sam felt her heart leap into her throat. She saw Jack lying in the grass with his head in his hands. "Jack!" Sam gasped worriedly as Dorothy stopped in front of her, gazing up curiously, tail swishing sedately behind her.

Jack suddenly snapped to an upright position, and upon seeing Sam staring at him with concern, scrambled to stand up. "Sam!"

"Are you okay?" she asked, her heart still beating rapidly in her chest as Jack strode toward, jogging up the porch steps to meet her. "What on Earth are you doing?"

"I'm fine." He smiled somewhat sheepishly, his hands at her elbows. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I wasn't expecting you to be awake yet." Jack shoved one hand deep into the pocket of his jeans and waved his other at Dorothy. "I was just working on training Dorothy. She can open the door now." He grinned proudly, pulling a dog treat from his pocket and tossing it to the eager German Shepherd.

"Okay..." Sam said slowly, still looking a little surprised and confused.

Jack led her back inside the house gently and sat her down at the kitchen table. "I'm tryin' to teach her how to help if anything happens. I figure she always seems to know when something's wrong with me, so I thought she might be able to do something about it."

Sam's eyebrows rose in interest. She'd noticed Dorothy's uncanny ability to sense when Jack was in trouble, too. "How can she help?" she asked him curiously, wondering what exactly Jack had been training her to do.

"Watch." He grinned, then got Dorothy's attention and held his hands to his head, as though he was having one of his headaches.

Sam studied the dog as she cocked her head, letting out a short yip before trotting over to the kitchen sink. She tugged at the towel tied to the handle with her teeth, then yanked the door open and stuck her head inside the cupboard. Sam's mouth dropped open in amazement when Dorothy pulled out a black, nylon carry bag and quickly brought it over to Jack, nudging it into his hand.

"Good girl." Jack grinned, patted Dorothy on the head, then pulled another treat out of his pocket and tossed it to her. "See? She can bring me my pills. I put 'em in the bag and moved them under the sink so she could reach."

"Wow." Sam smiled, then looked at Jack again. "How long have you been working on this with her?"

He sent her a lopsided grin. "Just a couple hours. But I've been thinking about doing it for a while now." Jack reached out to scratch the dog behind her ears. Her tail wagged appreciatively. "She's really smart."

"What brought this on?" Sam asked him curiously.

Jack just shrugged and nonchalantly said, "Boredom."

Sam's brows furrowed briefly before she quickly masked her concern with a smile. She could tell that there was more reason for him to start training Dorothy like this, something he didn't want her to know. But she already knew. Sam guessed that he was worried about having any one of his episodes when no one was around. So far, in the past year, he'd had four severe headaches and two seizures. The first seizure had happened pretty early on, and afterwards Janet prescribed him with the anti-convulsants to manage them, and he had only had one other one since. But the headaches were something else. The extremely bad ones were frighteningly debilitating to the point where Jack would collapse and barely be able to move. Sam knew those were the ones that scared him the most, even if he'd never admit it.

The next training session with Dorothy would have her fetching Sam to help him if she was around. Jack explained this to her, and Sam was pleased and willing to play a part in the training. "We can work on that later, though. I think Dorothy deserves some play time." Jack suggested with a grin.

"Yeah, she's earned it." Sam smiled and ruffled the dog's fur, praising her for her efforts in training. She had to admit that it made her feel better knowing Dorothy could actually do something for Jack if he needed help and she couldn't be there.

"It's pretty nice out. Wanna come sit on the deck?"

"Sure." Sam agreed with a nod.

Jack went to grab some pillows and a blanket for Sam while she put on a shoe and hobbled out to the back deck. When he went outside, he got her settled in one of the wooden chairs with her injured foot propped up on another chair with the pillows. He helped her put her walking boot on and gently draped a blanket over her. "Comfy?"

"Mm-hm." She nodded with an adoring smile. "Thanks Jack."

"No problem." Jack leaned over and gave Sam a long, loving kiss before Dorothy nudged impatiently at his leg with a tennis ball in her mouth. He chuckled and stepped back, hands on his hips while he stared down at the dog. "Okay girl, okay. Let's play."

Sam laughed and watched Jack jog down the steps with an eager Dorothy rushing out ahead of him and wagging her tail.

-