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Sorry for the late upload, I had exams and some health issues. Hope you are well.

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It was very soothing to sit there and watch Carter interact with Gracie. The kitten could obviously sense she was a cat lover. Without her sight, Carter at least distracted herself from all the tests and exercises. She had a big smile on her face as she tenderly stroke the little animal, conversing with him about Daniel being gone and how long before they'd get to meet him. They briefly touched on his newly discovered daughter, but she could sense his panic, so she changed the topic soon after that.

Later they were interrupted by Laura who was looking for them. She was surprised that Sam wasn't in the infirmary and she also had to check on the general's health.

"You want to check on me too? Why?"

"I gave you a choice, remember? Either you wear the bracelet that monitors your health or you will be periodically tested in the infirmary. Remind me, which one did you pick?"

"Is this really necessary, Laura?" O'Neill sighed, not wanting to abandon the peaceful set-up Carter and he achieved.

"Yes, it is. Or you'll get only super healthy food."

"Hey! That is a mean threat."

"If I don't know how healthy you are, I cannot accurately predict how you react to certain substances, so it'll be back to simple soups and salads."

"Okay." He raised his hands in surrender and then, still with a rebellious smirk, he rolled his eyes.

"And I want to run some test on you before you have breakfast, so I will have to steal you right now. Sam, you can come with us and take Gracie with you."

"That's a good idea, isn't it? Want to take a little trip, Gracie?"

Another quiet, but long purr sounded in the room. Sam brought the kitten a little closer to her body and continued stroking it.

"You're so cute together." Laura said, and she could see in O'Neill's eyes he agreed. It made her narrow her eyes in deep thought for a moment before she heard him clear his throat. That woke her up enough from her dreaming, so she grabbed the handles of the wheelchair and then they headed to the infirmary.

He apparently fussed over nothing, Laura just needed to draw some blood and measure his blood pressure and so on. It didn't involve too many needles, so soon he was sitting on a bed, all relaxed, but tired.

Sam had more examinations ahead of her, so he ended up taking Gracie for her meal and since he was already in the kitchen, he treated himself to some roasted beef and potatoes. The kitten was very docile, staying exactly where he laid her and looking at him with her big blue eyes as he paced around and prepared the food.

He was grateful that Gracie was already able to eat from a bowl, because she was so hungry, she bolted for the food as soon as he put it down. That way he could enjoy his meal and only watch her instead of having to feed her.

His thoughts kept coming back to Laura. Their interactions since she told him she was his daughter had been scarce and shallow, mostly comprised of talking about Carter's condition. Intuition told him she was as clueless about what to do as he was. It was probably even more difficult for her since she'd been so lonesome for so long, although he spent most of his life keeping certain distance from everyone.

Laura had grown to be a kind, honest and independent woman without any of his input. She'd done great without him and from what he gathered she wasn't at all keen on telling him the truth. What was he supposed to contribute now?

Gracie finished her breakfast and hopped on his lap, snuggling up close to him. He knew that was his cue to return with the kitten to her playground, but there was still some delicious coffee left in his cup. So much to the annoyance of the little kitten, he simply stayed at the table, stroking her head from time to time.

A little rumbling sound came from his bracelet, and then he heard Laura calling Teal'c to the infirmary, which seemed strange to him, because she didn't specify why. He gulped down the last of his beverage and swiftly took Gracie into his arms. On his way to the infirmary, he stopped at Gracie's room to leave her there to play. She excitingly jumped from his arms and sprinted right towards her fluffy mouse. He watched for about a minute to make sure she was alright and then headed to the infirmary.

He got worried the moment he heard the commotion from afar and his worries only escalated from that point onward. As he stepped into the infirmary, he saw Sam half-lying and half-sitting on the table in the middle of the room, while Laura chatted hurriedly to Teal'c, whose shoulder Sam was leaning on. There was blood trickling down Sam's cheek from a fresh wound right around her temple. She seemed to be in a state of shock, her eyes unfocused and pointing somewhere in the distance.

"What happened?" He asked, his lungs suddenly devoid of any air and his chest constricted.

"She had a vivid nightmare and fell from the bed during a flashback." Laura answered without taking her eyes of her patient. "Alright, that's it. She might have a concussion, but I cannot find any other problems."

"Carter, you okay?" O'Neill said, but it elicited little response in the colonel. She just sort of shrugged to acknowledge she heard him. Her complexion was too pale again, like when she was unconscious, before it was even known if she was going to wake up.

Laura ran around the table so she had a good view of Sam's face and studied the woman's voice. "Sam, how do you feel? Nauseous?"

She nodded minutely and then closed her eyes, focusing on her breathing.

Laura took Sam's hand, caressing it gently. With the other one, she gestured to her father. "General, the bottom shelf, on the left."

O'Neill hunkered down, despite the objection of his tired old knees, and grabbed a little bucket.

"Here." He handed it to Laura, who slowly laid it on Sam's lap.

"Teal'c, will you help me prepare another bed for Sam?" Laura asked, her hand resting gently on Sam's thigh. Sam hold her hand for a moment and then gripped the bucket, hyperventilating.

"Of course." The Jaffa replied.

O'Neill approached Carter from the other side, letting her lean against him. Normally he'd be grateful to be in such close proximity to her, but it was all too apparent she felt really awful. Small tears were gathering in her eyes and slowly sliding down her cheeks. She leant forward to be above the bucket and continued breathing very heavily.

"It's okay." He whispered to her, holding her tightly, because she was too weak to sit by herself. He could feel her heart racing. "Deep breaths, Carter." A little sob escaped her and then she started to throw up. He kept talking to her, still supporting her to stay sitting upright as she vomited. Thankfully, there wasn't much food in her stomach, so her ordeal was soon over.

He got a water bottle and opened it. She shook her head, but then he clarified. "It's for rinsing your mouth, although you should drink something too." She took the bottle and cleaned her mouth, spitting into the bucket. He began drawing little circles on the small of her back in effort to comfort her. A few dry heaves rocked her body, which made his chin bump into her shoulder. He took a few steps to position himself behind her, instead of by her side. That way she could lay against him without much difficulty.

"Teal'c is just finishing up a nice safe bed for you." Laura said, rushing into the room and to her patient. She took in Sam's appearance, her glassy eyes and pale face, the way she was slumped against O'Neill and the ragged breathing that echoed in the room. "I will use the healing device to calm your stomach so you can sleep." Laura decided, rummaging under the table to find said technology.

Sam sucked in a deep breath, which led Laura to add she'd use the device only on the lowest setting. "You probably won't even feel anything." A dim light appeared, filling the space between Laura's hand and Sam's torso.

After a few seconds O'Neill felt Carter relax against him, her breathing becoming more regular and even. He shifted a little, putting slightly more weight on his left foot. His right one hurt quite badly now and the relief was only partial, but he pushed it out of his mind.

"It is done." Teal'c announced as he stepped in the room.

"Just in time. Sam, how do you feel?" Laura took the bucket from her and waited until Sam met her eyes.

"F-fine now." Sam said as her head fell on the general's shoulder.

"Good, let's get you to the quarters then." Laura motioned for Teal'c to bring the wheelchair.

O'Neill grabbed Sam tightly around the waist and felt as she hid her face in his shoulder. Ignoring the stabbing pain in his leg, he slid his other arm under her legs and lifted her up. She was still trembling when he sat her down in the wheelchair.

"Comfortable, Carter?" He studied her face, paying attention to the rhythm of her breathing and the way she crouched in the chair.

"I'm okay, thank you, sir."

"We modified a bed in the crew quarters. Can you drive her there, General? I'll pick up some medication and join you in a sec."

"Of course, let's go, Carter. Time to get you into bed."

He didn't realize what exactly he said until he saw Laura's raised eyebrow. He didn't dare look in the direction where Teal'c stood to find out what the Jaffa's expression was. Carter just cleared her throat quietly, gripping the armrests of the wheelchair.

"Goodbye then, kids." O'Neill said and wheeled Carter away hurriedly.

In the end, Laura had to wait for them. Carter insisted she had to brush her teeth so they took a detour. He didn't have it in his heart to rush her, even if her body desperately needed the rest.

Teal'c and Laura added a few boards to the bed so it was almost impossible for someone to fall out of it. There was only one side left completely open. Laura even expanded the ladder that was used to get to the top bunk and prepared a kind of hook for the IV Carter would certainly need.

"Everything alright, Sam?" Laura asked and Carter nodded in response, her movement still somewhat hesitant.

"She complained her head hurts." O'Neill objected.

Before Sam could speak, Laura took the floor. "Probably due to the light dehydration. I brought something for that. Let's get you settled now."

It took some time till they got Sam all snuggled up in a warm blanket, since she wanted to do it on her own. Laura surmised she was worried she had lost all her motoric improvement of the past days and needed reassurance in that regard.

O'Neill put the brakes on the wheelchair and sat down next to Carter's bed as Laura was collecting her medical supplies. There were many cushions on Carter's bed, some propping up the top half of her body, so she wouldn't lie flat on her back. That meant she was much closer to him than she normally would be. He turned around and met Laura's gaze just before she left, leaving them two alone.

"Anything else I could do for you?" He wanted to know, his hand next to Carter's.

"No." She said, sighing. Laura warned her that she might feel a little drowsy due to the medication. "Thank you, sir."

Very slowly he moved his hand closer to hers, stopping when they barely touched. He didn't want to put any pressure on her. "So, want to talk about the dream you had?" He was able to both see and feel her hand jerk away from his. Whether it was due to his question or touch, he didn't know…

"Jolinar."

He noticed how she tensed, answering only with one word. "I thought you remembered that a long time ago."

"Yes, but this time the memory was so fresh and complete. It was like I was back there, in that cell, standing before you, but nothing I wanted to say came out. She tried to manipulate you by using my voice to beg you to let us go." Her hand moved back to touch his. "I was struggling to break free and that's when I fell and woke up."

"I'm sorry." He exhaled loudly, gently taking hold of the offered hand. "Interviewing her was one of the hardest things I ever had to do."

"She did save my life in the end. I guess that's something."

"But she was also the reason you needed saving in the first place."

"There's that, too."