Sticks and Stones
Chapter 37:
"Morning, Jack. You look awful. I guess it didn't go well with Sam, huh." Daniel sat in the chair across from Jack's desk.
"I never found her." Jack's head lowered.
"What!" Daniel sat up straight.
"I did find her request for leave in my in box this morning. She requested the rest of the week. There's no indication where she went."
"Have you called her brother?"
"I didn't want to spook him if she isn't there."
"Ok. So where else would she go?"
"I have no idea." Jack and Daniel contemplated in silence. Teal'c found them still sitting there several minutes later.
"Is there a problem?"
"Sam requested leave and now we can not find her."
"Perhaps that is as she intended."
"It still bothers me. She hasn't gotten all of her memories back yet. I don't like the idea of her wondering around upset with partial memories."
"So what do you suggest, O'Neill." Jack looked at Daniel and then picked up his phone. He was still looking at Sam's file on his computer so the number he needed was right in front of him. Daniel sat further forward as Jack dialed.
"May I speak with Mark Carter, please? Thanks. Good morning, Mr. Carter. This is General O'Neill in Colorado. Your sister, Samantha Carter, has taken a couple of days leave and I need to ask her a few questions. I'm afraid I don't know where she was going. I'm calling in the hope you will be able to tell me where she has gone." There was a long pause. Daniel was wringing his hands and staring at the phone.
"Ok, thanks. I understand." Jack hung up the phone. "He said he would let her know I was looking for her."
"Then she must be ok." Daniel sat back in the chair.
"That means we have no choice but wait for Colonel Carter to chose to return." Teal'c turned and walked out of the room.
"Yeah." Daniel stood and moved out the door. Just as he passed the doorframe he heard Jack mutter, "I'm such an idiot." Daniel agreed but decided there was no point in voicing it.
Sam called late in the afternoon.
"O'Neill."
"This is Colonel Carter, sir. I had a message that you called."
"Are you alright, Carter?"
"Yes, sir. Didn't you get my leave request, sir?"
"Yeah but I was worried because you didn't talk to me before you left."
"I didn't know that was necessary, sir. I won't let it happen again. Is there a problem I can help with, sir?"
"That's not what I mean, Carter." Jack sighed in frustration.
"Daniel has a big mouth."
"Yeah, he can't keep a secret. We need to talk. I want to explain."
"I'll be back next week."
"What if that's too long?"
"It was over a year ago, sir. What can change in a week?"
"I'd rather not find out. Please come back so we can talk about this."
"I'm sorry, sir, but I haven't seen my brother or his family in months. I'll come straight to your office when I return."
"Or my house."
"I'll be in your office, first thing Monday morning, sir."
"I'll see you then, Carter." Jack flinched when he heard the phone click. He was sure he had lost her. Jack wasn't looking forward to the rest of this week.
Her return was quiet and uneventful. She went straight to Jack's office after checking in, changing into her BDU's, and dropping off her bags. Jack stood as she entered his office.
"Morning, Carter. It's good to see you're back. How was your trip?"
"Relaxing, sir." They both sat down.
"It's hard to believe you were able to relax with both kids around."
"They were in school most of the time."
"Until this weekend."
"I spent the weekend in Denver."
"Denver?"
"Yes." Jack looked down at some papers on his desk.
"Pete?"
"Yes, sir." He couldn't bring himself to look at her hand. He didn't want to know.
"I see. Well, Walters said a few glitches registered during a routine gate diagnostic while you were gone. He asked me to have you stop by and take a look."
"I'll be happy to do that, sir. Is there anything else?"
"No, Colonel. You're dismissed."
"Thank-you, sir." Sam stood. Neither saw the pained look on the other's face because they were each trying so hard to not make eye contact.
Sam took the print outs from the gate diagnostics back to the lab. None of it looked serious but she wanted to double-check them. Daniel found her there working a couple hours later.
"Hey, Sam. It's good to have you back. Are we still on schedule to go to 463 on Thursday?"
"As far as I know. Did you have a good week?"
"Yeah, although I was worried about you."
"You told him." Her eyes were hard and accusatory.
"Sort of."
"Sort of?"
"I told him you saw him with someone but that's it." Sam nodded her head and looked back towards her laptop. "Are we still on speaking terms?"
"Of course."
"So where are you...memory wise."
"Recovering from one hell of a concussion."
"The Prometheus."
"Yeah. Did I ever tell you I had hallucinations while I was on board alone?"
"Yeah, apparently we all visited with sage advice."
"Even my dad made an appearance. I wish I knew how he was doing."
"We all do. How are you dealing with Jack and Kathy?'
"Kathy?"
"Apparently that must be who you saw."
"Ah. I went to see Pete this weekend."
"And?"
"I remember my brother setting us up. I had a few flashes of going to movies and walks in the park while we were together this weekend. Nothing dramatic."
"Did you two get along alright?"
"He was a gentleman. He didn't push too much and he tried to be understanding. He looked a bit sad a few times when I couldn't remember some reference to something we had shared. He noticed the lack of the ring but he didn't ask. That says a lot, don't you think?"
"I guess so. Did you feel a bond?"
"I could definitely be his friend. He's nice, funny, and normal acting. That has appeal."
"Just a friend?"
"I don't know yet. We left it open."
"Does Jack know?"
"He knows I went to Denver and saw Pete."
"That's it."
"Yeah. He didn't ask me any more and the witch in me decided to let him stew over it a bit."
"How long are you gonna let him hang?"
"I don't know. Have you got any suggestions?'
"Let's ask Teal'c. He's really good at torture." Sam grinned. Daniel stood and held his hand out to Sam. She took his hand and let him lead her out of her lab towards Teal'c room.
"Morning, Jack. You look awful. I guess it didn't go well with Sam, huh." Daniel sat in the chair across from Jack's desk.
"I never found her." Jack's head lowered.
"What!" Daniel sat up straight.
"I did find her request for leave in my in box this morning. She requested the rest of the week. There's no indication where she went."
"Have you called her brother?"
"I didn't want to spook him if she isn't there."
"Ok. So where else would she go?"
"I have no idea." Jack and Daniel contemplated in silence. Teal'c found them still sitting there several minutes later.
"Is there a problem?"
"Sam requested leave and now we can not find her."
"Perhaps that is as she intended."
"It still bothers me. She hasn't gotten all of her memories back yet. I don't like the idea of her wondering around upset with partial memories."
"So what do you suggest, O'Neill." Jack looked at Daniel and then picked up his phone. He was still looking at Sam's file on his computer so the number he needed was right in front of him. Daniel sat further forward as Jack dialed.
"May I speak with Mark Carter, please? Thanks. Good morning, Mr. Carter. This is General O'Neill in Colorado. Your sister, Samantha Carter, has taken a couple of days leave and I need to ask her a few questions. I'm afraid I don't know where she was going. I'm calling in the hope you will be able to tell me where she has gone." There was a long pause. Daniel was wringing his hands and staring at the phone.
"Ok, thanks. I understand." Jack hung up the phone. "He said he would let her know I was looking for her."
"Then she must be ok." Daniel sat back in the chair.
"That means we have no choice but wait for Colonel Carter to chose to return." Teal'c turned and walked out of the room.
"Yeah." Daniel stood and moved out the door. Just as he passed the doorframe he heard Jack mutter, "I'm such an idiot." Daniel agreed but decided there was no point in voicing it.
Sam called late in the afternoon.
"O'Neill."
"This is Colonel Carter, sir. I had a message that you called."
"Are you alright, Carter?"
"Yes, sir. Didn't you get my leave request, sir?"
"Yeah but I was worried because you didn't talk to me before you left."
"I didn't know that was necessary, sir. I won't let it happen again. Is there a problem I can help with, sir?"
"That's not what I mean, Carter." Jack sighed in frustration.
"Daniel has a big mouth."
"Yeah, he can't keep a secret. We need to talk. I want to explain."
"I'll be back next week."
"What if that's too long?"
"It was over a year ago, sir. What can change in a week?"
"I'd rather not find out. Please come back so we can talk about this."
"I'm sorry, sir, but I haven't seen my brother or his family in months. I'll come straight to your office when I return."
"Or my house."
"I'll be in your office, first thing Monday morning, sir."
"I'll see you then, Carter." Jack flinched when he heard the phone click. He was sure he had lost her. Jack wasn't looking forward to the rest of this week.
Her return was quiet and uneventful. She went straight to Jack's office after checking in, changing into her BDU's, and dropping off her bags. Jack stood as she entered his office.
"Morning, Carter. It's good to see you're back. How was your trip?"
"Relaxing, sir." They both sat down.
"It's hard to believe you were able to relax with both kids around."
"They were in school most of the time."
"Until this weekend."
"I spent the weekend in Denver."
"Denver?"
"Yes." Jack looked down at some papers on his desk.
"Pete?"
"Yes, sir." He couldn't bring himself to look at her hand. He didn't want to know.
"I see. Well, Walters said a few glitches registered during a routine gate diagnostic while you were gone. He asked me to have you stop by and take a look."
"I'll be happy to do that, sir. Is there anything else?"
"No, Colonel. You're dismissed."
"Thank-you, sir." Sam stood. Neither saw the pained look on the other's face because they were each trying so hard to not make eye contact.
Sam took the print outs from the gate diagnostics back to the lab. None of it looked serious but she wanted to double-check them. Daniel found her there working a couple hours later.
"Hey, Sam. It's good to have you back. Are we still on schedule to go to 463 on Thursday?"
"As far as I know. Did you have a good week?"
"Yeah, although I was worried about you."
"You told him." Her eyes were hard and accusatory.
"Sort of."
"Sort of?"
"I told him you saw him with someone but that's it." Sam nodded her head and looked back towards her laptop. "Are we still on speaking terms?"
"Of course."
"So where are you...memory wise."
"Recovering from one hell of a concussion."
"The Prometheus."
"Yeah. Did I ever tell you I had hallucinations while I was on board alone?"
"Yeah, apparently we all visited with sage advice."
"Even my dad made an appearance. I wish I knew how he was doing."
"We all do. How are you dealing with Jack and Kathy?'
"Kathy?"
"Apparently that must be who you saw."
"Ah. I went to see Pete this weekend."
"And?"
"I remember my brother setting us up. I had a few flashes of going to movies and walks in the park while we were together this weekend. Nothing dramatic."
"Did you two get along alright?"
"He was a gentleman. He didn't push too much and he tried to be understanding. He looked a bit sad a few times when I couldn't remember some reference to something we had shared. He noticed the lack of the ring but he didn't ask. That says a lot, don't you think?"
"I guess so. Did you feel a bond?"
"I could definitely be his friend. He's nice, funny, and normal acting. That has appeal."
"Just a friend?"
"I don't know yet. We left it open."
"Does Jack know?"
"He knows I went to Denver and saw Pete."
"That's it."
"Yeah. He didn't ask me any more and the witch in me decided to let him stew over it a bit."
"How long are you gonna let him hang?"
"I don't know. Have you got any suggestions?'
"Let's ask Teal'c. He's really good at torture." Sam grinned. Daniel stood and held his hand out to Sam. She took his hand and let him lead her out of her lab towards Teal'c room.