Chapter 13 – I Will Ease Your Mind
It was late when they arrived in Colorado Springs. But since General Hammond was not leaving the base until the mess in New York was under complete control, it looked like they all might be in for another night at the SGC.
Doc Frasier had stayed to check on Jack and Chanah. She was fine with the stitches put in by the Air Force doc in New York. She wanted to know more details than they cared to share about the ribbon device. Both were trying to avoid a stay in the infirmary.
"Just a headache, Doc. No worse than the one from the soprano's aria."
"Same here," volunteered Chanah a little too fast for Doc's liking.
"All right, Tylenol for both of you. Get out of here but check back in the morning."
"You'd think she was disappointed not to keep us here," Jack joked to Chanah.
At the same time, Janet's not keeping them led to a bit of a dilemma. To stay or not to stay at the SGC that night. Chanah had not fared so well there her first two nights.
In New York she'd done fine. She'd been kept busy, active, distracted, and had a little emotional purge or two. Jack could comfort her any way he chose without feeling his actions being scrutinized by others. Other lines could be crossed too. It had been good; even the bit of absurdity that ended it a little prematurely had its moments.
At the SGC, Jack had to be all business. Jack had turned that corner irretrievably with Chanah now and he wasn't interested in backpedaling. He could have her stay watched by others, but it didn't feel right at all. But the thought of him staying on the floor with her in the bed, not touching her if either wanted it, was not palatable. Maybe no one would ever know what went on in that room, but Jack didn't entirely trust the Security Officer not to turn on the camera. The SGC was a hotbed for gossip like any other place, and there were people inside whose interests were not fully aligned with those of the current command.
Given the events of the day, a little added Goa'uld torture for both their books, he figured the chances of a bad night for Chanah were high. He wanted to be there for her, with her. That meant taking her out of the Mountain. But then there was Micah. In the end, Jack decided to look to Daniel for counsel.
Daniel did help. He'd gotten to know Micah well over the past few days. He told Jack that Micah knew what was happening between Jack and Chanah. He was okay with it since the effects on her were good. His only concern, like that of all children, was that he not be ignored or forgotten. So far there had been little room for Micah. That would need to change. He needed more of his mother. He needed more time to get to know Jack.
Jack then demonstrated how much he did know about children. He talked to Micah directly. Jack excelled at talking to kids. Hell, he was just an overgrown one. Jack apologized to Micah for monopolizing his mother's time. He asked Micah his opinions, what he wanted for himself and his mother, how he felt about Earth. Whether there was room for Jack in the picture. He listened. He didn't push. When it was done, he did make Micah some promises contingent, of course, on his mother's approval.
Micah went home with Daniel for the night with assurances that better arrangements would be made soon. Jack took Chanah home. It wasn't about fooling around; it was about the freedom to handle the night as it might come. Without prying eyes, without anyone feeling self conscious, and without anyone needing to pretend things were other than whatever they were.
It was a quiet night for a few hours. Just the two of them lying next to each other. Until Chanah woke with a start. Jack was up holding her by the shoulders before he even thought about what he was doing.
"Are you okay? You know where you are?"
"Yes, O'Neill."
"Want to tell me about it?"
"It's the thing where Babi bit into my intestines, Jack. That really hurt, like nothing else before."
"It was extremely gross too."
"That too. All the crap that's happened in my life, this is the image that keeps replaying in my brain. It doesn't make any sense."
"Might."
"How?"
"Doctrine of recency. Worst pain of late, physically speaking. You could have gone for psychic injury instead. But I'm guessing you've had a lot of opportunity to manage that stuff through the years."
"You're making this crap up, aren't you?"
"Yup. Sounds plausible though."
"So how do I get past this one?"
"I've got an idea. We'll try it tomorrow night."
"About that Jack, this isn't fair to Micah. I just got him back. He needs more of my time."
"I know. I talked to him. Tonight sleep. Tomorrow we'll deal." Jack stroked her hair and held her until she drifted off to sleep again.