Cassie finally hobbled to the elevator and went to the next level and hobbled around. It was not helping. She sighed inwardly. She knew she was being silly, but she couldn't escape the fact she was terrified that something would happen to Jack. Sam would be devastated and she knew that she herself would be very lost with Jack not around and Sam on the Hammond. Worse she would be unable to watch over Sam. Well, she could always ask to transfer to the Hammond. She knew Sam would figure that one out in about three seconds, but she might allow it.
She got to the elevator. She got on and this time rode to the top. She also was honest enough to admit to herself that she had gotten dependent on being able to call Jack whenever she wanted. She knew that just knowing he was there, a phone call away, helped hold her anxiety in check. Maybe she needed to talk with Doctor Reagan again. Neither Jack nor Sam had called her on it, but they both had to be aware that she still had issues controlling her anxiety and nervousness especially if the occasional nightmare occurred. She usually immediately called Jack, who pretended he did not mind being woken up. On occasion, she had managed to talk to a control room tech into letting her call Sam on the Hammond. As with Jack, she never acted like it was out of the ordinary for Cassie to suddenly call, talk about very little, just taking comfort from their voices or faces on the computer. She figured they compared notes and knew the truth.
She signed out and hobbled out the entrance, following the path to the tree line. She found the bench she liked to sit on and think and sat down, and relaxed. She figured she would spend about ten to twenty minutes out here then go back down. Normally, when the leaves were full, and everything was still green, it was very secluded and peaceful. This had become one of her favorite places to get away. She thought a moment then reached into her cargo pocket. She knew Sam would be upset, but she was willing to risk it. She pulled out a cigarette and lit it.
She smoked in silence, and looked around at the trees. She started a moment. There were two coal black eyes staring back at her from a distance. She smiled as the doe regarded her a moment, then turned and walked off. She smiled as the deer disappeared into the trees.
She finished her cigarette, ground it out and put it in the can. She thought a moment and made a decision. She reached back into her pocket and pulled out the pack of cigarettes and threw them and the lighter away. She was not going to use them as a crutch again.
She made a mental note to check on Tiffany, her friend she had met her at this very spot. Tiffany had been an SF here for a long time, before she transferred to the Alpha site following the breakup of her marriage. Cassie had not talked to her in a couple of weeks. She needed to call.
She made her way back into the waiting room to find Sam dozing with her head against the wall. Daniel was sitting quietly. He smiled as Cassie came in.
"No word?" Cassie asked quietly
Daniel shook his head.
"I'm not asleep." Sam said, never opening her eyes.
"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you."
Sam opened her and looked at her. "You didn't. I was only dozing, and besides, we can hear your coming two halls away." She said with a grin.
Cassie stuck her tongue out her.
Carolyn came out about an hour later. Sam and Daniel jumped up. They both turned to grab Cassie who gotten up so quickly, she almost fell back down before she got her balance.
"It went well. Actually, better than expected. We got it all, and he is in recovery. We will do a follow up scan, but I suspect when he do a follow up scan, we will find that he is healing fine with no recurrence." Lam explained.
"Did you check…?" Cassie asked, her voice betraying her fear.
Lam smiled. "Benign. We will of course confirm that, but fairly certain it is benign."
They all smiled in relief. Carolyn looked at Sam. "Considering General O'Neill's normal reaction to hospital visits, I assume I can rely on you to…keep things under control?"
Sam's face flushed. It was no secret in the SGC that Jack was never a good patient. And it was also a secret known by everyone that if he was unusually cantankerous it was best to get Colonel Carter to get him under control. Cassie could usually get him to listen when she was especially forceful, but it was Sam who was the only one guaranteed to be able to get him to do what she wanted.
"Of course, Carolyn. I'm not going anywhere for a while. Besides, I believe I have one more surgery to sit through." Sam said, indicating Cassie.
Cassie groaned.
Cassie underwent her orthoscopic procedure later that same day. It did not take much to clean out the knee and close the tear. It was not even close to as bad as first believed. Sam had Carolyn install Cassie in the bed next to Jack's so she could watch both at same time. Sam was aware that Cassie could be a handful when she was in a combative mood, and she was never a good patient either. It would be interesting to see how she reacted to the rehabilitation. Doctor Lam had already warned her that the specialist would be by to force Cassie to walk, in order to ensure her knee did not stiffen up. Sam expected her first battle then.