Daughter of My Heart, Chapter Thirty-Five
Janet was in rough shape. Really rough. Cassie had seen plenty of injuries in her time on Earth, plenty of casts, dressings, stitches, and crutches, but nothing like this. There were tubes everywhere. In her arms, in her throat. Tubes to feed, tubes to breathe. Tubes for every job imaginable. Cassie could only stare in stunned shock.
"It's okay," her mom whispered, gently guiding her closer to their friend's bed. God, Janet was more like family than a friend. She was always there for them, no matter what.
"How can you say this is okay?," Cassie squeaked, eyes widening in horror.
"I know things look bad, Cass, but she's made it through the hard part. Her body is healing, it's just going to take some time," Daniel said from her other side, wrapping a reassuring arm around her waist.
"Has she woken up at all since it happened?," Cassie asked, staring straight ahead at the woman lying so tangled in equipment it was hard to believe she was still alive.
"They're keeping her pretty heavily sedated for now," Sam replied, watching her closely. "The pain would be unbearable otherwise."
"No kidding," Cassie breathed.
"You can still talk to her though," Daniel added. "Studies have shown that familiar voices can reach the unconscious mind. It might help to bolster her spirits."
"What could I possibly say that would make this any better?," Cassie demanded. "And where's Uncle Jack? Is he in even worse shape?," she accused, rounding on her parents.
"Uncle Jack had to hit the head," a familiar voice bit out, "but he's back now."
Cassie swiveled to stare at the man in question, relieved to see the standard dressings bulging slightly beneath his plain black t-shirt. "Are you all right?," she asked, just to be sure.
"Three cracked ribs and some minor internal bleeding that the doctors here were able to patch. Same old," he winced, sitting back down on the edge of his bed.
"If you were both hit with staff blasts, why are Janet's injuries so much worse?," Cassie asked, genuinely not understanding.
"The Jaffa who shot Janet came at us from a much closer range," Daniel replied.
"Teal'c nailed him in the back a heartbeat later," Jack added, sounding proud. He probably was, Cassie reasoned.
Wait. "Came at us?," she repeated carefully, glaring at her Dad.
"I was helping Janet with another patient at the time," he said, nodding.
"You almost died and you didn't tell me?," Cassie demanded, crossing her arms.
"Cassie," Sam warned.
"Unbelievable," she muttered angrily, quickly looking away. She knew it. She'd known all along he shouldn't still be out there.
"Cass, this is my job. You know that," Daniel said, placatingly.
"Yeah, well, it's a pretty crappy job," Cassie retorted, glaring at her dad.
"Cassandra!," Sam snapped.
"Don't be too hard on her, Carter," Jack said, cutting through the growing tension. "The kid is right."
"Sir, how could you possibly...," Sam began, only to be cut off.
"Ah!," Jack said, silencing the room. "We're asked to put our lives on the line every day here," he said, staring them down. "And I'm not saying it's not for a good cause. I want to see every last one of those slimy snake-heads dead more than anyone," he added vehemently. "But as good as our cause might be, it is not worth losing everyone we care about in the process."
"See?," Cassie demanded, pointing at the Colonel. "Uncle Jack understands."
"Jack. You can't really be giving up," Daniel pleaded, rounding on the man.
"I retired eight years ago, Daniel," Jack reminded him. "This part of my life was supposed to be behind me. And now, because of it, I have to watch...," he cut off, glancing silently toward Janet's bed.
"She's going to make it Jack. You have to believe that," Daniel replied.
"I hope she does, Daniel," Jack said sincerely. "But that still won't change my mind. One of these days our miracle isn't going to come. And there are a few things I'd still like to do before that time comes."
Daniel stared at him in open-mouthed disbelief, as if he'd just been told that the President of the United States wanted to travel to Abydos with a contingent of Eskimos to trade in furs.
"You're going to retire?," Sam asked into the silence.
"That's the plan," Jack grumbled.
Secretly, Cassie wished her dad would do the same. Glancing back to Janet, she shuddered.
No one should have to face this every day.
"You wanted to see me, Sir?," Jack asked, gently tapping at the open door.
"Come in and shut the door," Hammond said calmly, not yet meeting the Colonel's eye. That didn't bode well.
"May I ask what this is about, Sir?," he asked, beginning to fidget even as the General motioned for him to take a seat.
Hammond sighed. "There's really no easy way to say this, Jack, but it's come to my attention that you may be fraternizing with a member of our senior staff, one, I might add, directly responsible for your care."
"Yes Sir," Jack agreed, clearly surprising the man across from him with his easy candor.
"Why?," Hammond questioned, spreading his hands. "First the rumours with Major Carter while she was still under your command, and now this?," he asked, staring the Colonel down. "There's literally an entire universe of women out there, and you have to pick the ones you're not allowed to have?"
"Sir, with all due respect, nothing ever happened between me and Carter," he said, deciding to end that nasty little half-truth once and for all.
"And Doctor Fraiser?," the General demanded pointedly.
"I plan to ask her to marry me, Sir," he answered frankly.
"Are you aware, Colonel, that you are toeing the line of military discretion here, or that you have already crossed the line of medical professionalism?"
"I am, Sir."
"And?"
"And I'd like to formally present you with my resignation," he replied, removing the carefully folded page from his pocket.
"Are you serious?," Hammond asked, tentatively grasping the single sheet of paper.
"Yes, Sir.
"I don't know what I'm going to do without you, Jack," Hammond sighed, surprising them both. "You'll retain full clearance and responsibility until Doctor Fraiser has recovered. At that time, you may consider your resignation granted."
"Thank you, Sir."
"And Jack?"
"Yes, Sir?"
"I expect an invitation to the wedding."
She was weak. She was tired. And she was furious. Storming from the infirmary and down the halls, Jack raced to catch up, dodging personnel left, right and centre as they very wisely stepped out of her way.
"Doctor," General Hammond greeted in surprise, rising to his feet. "It's certainly good to see you up and about."
"How could you let him resign?," she spat angrily, not really caring that she was yelling at a superior officer. Superior her ass.
His brows shot up in surprise. "I take it you're referring to Colonel O'Neill," he said, retaking his seat.
"Yes Sir," the man in question replied, glaring at her from the doorway. "We don't seem to see eye to eye on the matter, Sir."
"So I gathered," he replied, shuffling his papers.
"General, Colonel O'Neill is a valuable asset to both SG-1 and this base. We've come so far, and we could be so close to wiping out the Goa'uld threat once and for all. Now is not the time to let him give up the fight!"
"I don't disagree with you, Doctor. But in light of your own stellar career, and the relationship the two of you have cultivated, I really don't see another choice."
"I could resign," she said, glaring down at him.
Hammond sighed. "Doctor, you are one of the best in the field. Losing you would be a huge blow to this program."
"Besides, you're too young to retire," Jack retorted.
"I could go into civilian service," she snapped, glaring at him.
"And miss all the fun of alien viruses and crazy off-world injuries?," Jack asked.
"This is not a joke, Colonel!," she spat. "I can still do my job off-base. You can't. And you're no more ready to retire than I am!," she retorted angrily. "Besides, I'm the one who broke medical protocol. I'm the one who should have to leave."
"Doctor, none of this has gone on record. Jack's retirement is not a punishment," Hammond reasoned. "Think of it more as an early wedding present."
"A what?!," she asked, exasperated.
"I should think knowing that your husband was out of the line of fire would be more than ample consolation for his leaving the Stargate program."
Jack, at least, had the good grace to look sheepish behind her. In front, Hammond frowned.
"You haven't asked yet, have you?," he asked, a little sheepish himself.
"No, Sir. But there's no time like the present," Jack replied, grinning. Lowering himself to one knee, he took both her hands in his. "Janet Fraiser, will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?," he asked solemnly, his warm brown eyes melting into her own.
She felt as if someone had just winded her.
"I have a ring, but it's in my other pants," he added, a touch nervously.
"You retired so you could marry me?," she asked carefully.
"Yes."
"And General Hammond knew?"
"Yes."
"Jack?"
"Yes?"
"You should have started this conversation with the proposal."
"Oh," he said, frowning. Janet grinned.
"Yes," she said, at last.
"Yes?"
"Yes."
"Help me up."
Helping him to his feet, he wrapped her up tight in his arms, holding her closer than he ever had with an audience before. "I love you so much," he murmured against her cheek, shifting ever so slightly to capture her lips in his own. It'd been weeks since she'd felt the soft press of his lips, the warmth of him against her. It was heavenly, and she took a step closer, rising up onto the balls of her feet to deepen the kiss.
"Am I to assume that I can accept Colonel O'Neill's resignation effective immediately?," General Hammond asked politely after a few moments.
"No Sir," Janet breathed, breaking away from her fiancée. "He's too valuable to the base. I can recommend a dozen other medical officers with top credentials and qualifications to replace me. Let me resign instead."
"Janet...," Jack began.
"This is non-negotiable, Colonel," she replied archly, staring him down.
"You really are a Napoleonic power-monger, you know that?," he said.
"Yes, but I'm your Napoleonic power-monger," she replied, grinning.
"Well, spank me rosy and call me Josephine," he breathed, leaning in for another kiss. "Looks like you can't get rid of me that easily after all, General."
Hammond snorted. "You're both dismissed," he said casually. "And take the rest of the day off, Colonel. I'd hate to face the wrath of your bride-to-be for making you miss your own engagement celebration."
"Thank you, Sir," Janet said, pulling a somewhat bemused Jack out of the office behind her. "I'll have that list on your desk tomorrow.