Hide and Sleep

Chapter 9

As You Dream You Shall Become

O'Neill, Mitchell, Zelenka and Dr. Jones stepped through the Stargate and onto the surface of PXX-275. They'd returned to the planet to further study the device. They were nearly there when they saw a huge pile of rubble that hadn't been there before. When they got close enough they could see it was the building in which the device had been housed.

O'Neill, the only one of them with the ATA gene, used one of the detectors brought to Earth by Rodney to scan the debris. He turned it so the others could see that the readings were negative.

"What's that mean exactly?" Mitchell asked.

"It means, Colonel that we are unable to detect the device either because it has stopped functioning, has been destroyed or has been removed. The only way to know which is to dig through the debris and try to locate it." Zelenka's glasses had slid down his nose and he pushed them back into place with an irritated gesture. He'd been looking forward to examining the machine for the next few weeks until the Daedalus returned and he, Rodney and Jennifer could return to Atlantis.

O'Neill exhaled loudly. "This wasn't an accident or an earthquake. See there, there and there? Someone used explosives so I'm gonna guess that it's gone or destroyed and not just inactive."

Mitchell laughed. "Then they probably don't know what it does because who would want to make off with a machine for curing trauma-induced sleep disorders?"

O'Neill thought for a moment then shrugged. "I got nothing."

The men all shared a look then at O'Neill's nod they turned and headed back to the Stargate.

*****

Rodney and Jennifer both shot to a sitting position in their beds breathing hard and calling each others names. A flurry of activity around Sam's bed pulled their attention in that direction. Jennifer tossed back the blanket and removed the EEG and heart monitors. Yanking the I.V. from the back of her left hand, she grabbed a gauze pad and tape from a nearby tray and applied pressure to the area. She reached up and turned off hers and Rodney's monitor screens to stop the alarms as she moved to join Carolyn and her staff. Sam's blue eyes were wide and she was clutching at her throat.

"Sam? Sam!" Carolyn spoke evenly and quietly. "You still have the breathing tube in and we need to remove it. That's why you feel like you're choking." Rodney, still with his I.V. but divested of the monitor leads, had joined Jennifer at Sam's bedside. When she saw the two of them she relaxed and the medical staff was finally able to remove the breathing tube. She coughed a few times and one of the nurses put a straw to her lips allowing her to take a few sips of water. "Better?" Sam nodded. "You'll have a sore throat and your voice will be a bit raspy but that will pass in a few days. I'll be giving you a full examination shortly but first we'll get out of the way and let your friends visit with you for a bit." Carolyn smiled motioning her staff away.

*****

O'Neill's radio chirped and he put up a hand to stop their forward motion. "O'Neill." A pause. "They have? That's fantastic news." Another pause. "Yes, I'll let them know." He turned back to his teammates. "Carter, McKay and Keller are all awake!"

The smile on O'Neill's face was mirrored on the faces of the other three and Mitchell gave a whoop of triumph. They continued their trek back to the Stargate with a lighter step.

*****

On the second day of their recovery, Rodney was helping Sam walk to the Mess Hall for lunch for the first time, Jennifer trailing behind. He had his right arm around her waist as she gripped his left. She was more than a little ticked off that her strength was taking so long to return and said so at every opportunity. Like now. Rodney tuned her out and kept smiling and nodding at random intervals. He must have done a good job because she didn't seem to notice he wasn't really listening. A glance at Jennifer's face and she rolled her eyes at him. He gave her a small shrug of apology.

In the Mess Hall they saw Jack sitting alone. Rodney settled Sam across from Jack and he and Jennifer went through the line to get their meals. Rodney carried two trays to the table, placing one in front of Sam.

"What's this, McKay?"

"What do you mean? It's lunch. A turkey sandwich on rye, an apple and a glass of milk." She just looked at him. He exhaled loudly. "What? Isn't that what you wanted?"

"Well, I was kind of craving lemon chicken."

He stood up and reached for her tray. "Oh. Sorry. I'll take this back and…"

She stopped him with a hand on his arm. "I'm kidding, Rodney. This is fine." Jack laughed and silently passed her the spicy mustard. She smiled her thanks and squirted a generous amount on each half of the sandwich.

The four of them spent an enjoyable meal together with Sam and Rodney regaling Jack and Jennifer with what happened before Jennifer joined them in the sleep state.

*****

Jennifer and Rodney were in the bathroom attached to their quarters at the SGC brushing their teeth. Jennifer rinsed, stuck her toothbrush in the holder to the right of the sink and dried her hands. She went to sit on the side of the bed to wait for Rodney. A few moments later he switched off the light and closed the door.

"Rodney," she patted the bed beside her. He was puzzled by her expression but did as she asked. "I have a question for you and need an honest answer."

"Um, okay."

"Are you still in love with Sam?"

"Still in love with…? I was never in love with her."

"Rodney, people talk and they did a lot of talking while she was in Atlantis." Her tone was reproving.

"Well 'they' were wrong. I was attracted to her for a long time but that's been over for a while. We're just good friends now." He met her eyes and held them, wanting her to know he was being truthful. "There's a saying that the best love affairs are those we never had. But you and me, right here, right now, that is the best love affair I've ever had or will have. Nothing and no one will ever matter to me as much as you do."

Jennifer reached out a hand and touched his cheek. "I knew that. I just needed to hear the words."

"I understand." He turned his face into the hand at his cheek and kissed her palm. A tug on her arm and he fell back bringing her across his chest. "Now let's talk about what you have on under those baggy pj's."

Laughing, she straddled his hips, pushing both hands up under his shirt to caress his chest. "I'll show you mine if you show me yours."

He grasped the hem of her shirt, pulled it over her head and tossed it to the floor. "Deal."

*****

Carolyn released Sam from the infirmary and Jack walked her back to her quarters. Once she was settled the atmosphere became tense with things left unsaid. "How much longer will you be here?"

"Oh, maybe another day or so. I'll need to get back to D.C. no later than Monday."

"Carolyn told me you stayed by my bedside for days, sometimes even sleeping in your chair. Thank you."

Jack waved away her gratitude. "You would have done the same for a…friend."

She turned away from him so he wouldn't see her emotions reflected in her eyes. "Friends? Is that what we are, Jack? Is that all we are?"

"Sam…" He stopped when she abruptly turned to face him again.

"Jack, while I was…asleep I could leave my body. More than once I was beside you while you held my hand and talked to me."

His face gave nothing away but his words did. "What did you…hear?"

Carefully, as if she expected rejection, she reached out and took his hand in hers. "Everything. I heard…everything."

"And…"

When she brought her eyes up to meet his, the light reflected in them told him all he needed to know but she voiced it anyway. "Ditto. To all of it."

He enfolded her in his arms, her head on his chest. "Good. That's…good."

They stayed just like that for a while. Not moving or talking. After a while Sam said, "Jack, I've been thinking..."

"About…?"

"Leaving the SGC. I've had several very lucrative job offers from the private sector. I could basically write my own ticket." She pushed out of his arms and sank down in the closest chair, her strength deserting her again. "I've talked it over with General Landry and if I do this he wants me to continue with the SGC as a civilian consultant to the Stargate program. That means…"

"I know what it means."

"And…"

He pulled her to her feet and into his arms again. "This…" His head came down to hers and their lips met, gently at first. Then it changed, became more urgent, more demanding, as if he might never get to kiss her again and wanted to imprint the feel and taste of her on his own lips. And she did the same.

TBC