Notes: I'm afraid my angsty inner child has decided to re-emerge. Worry not; I was
able to temper the angst with humor.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter 13
The cabin was completely silent as Sam and Cassie made their way inside. It didn't
take long to see why. Jack and Daniel sat deep in thought at the kitchen table
staring at rather nice looking chessboard, while Janet sat curled in the corner of the
couch reading a book.
"This could be a Norman Rockwell painting." Sam mumbled under her breath.
"Hi you two!" Janet said looking up from her book. "How was your walk?"
"It was really great mom." Cassie said plopping down next to Janet. "Did you know
northern squirrels have pointy ears?"
Janet looked at Sam curiously and shook her head. "No, I can't say I ever knew that
honey."
Sam walked over to the kitchen table and stared down at the chess set. It looked to
be a pretty evenly matched game. For all of Jack's self-deprecation, he was actually
a pretty damn smart guy and REALLY good at strategy games. Which made sense
really, after all he IS a Colonel in the United States Air Force.
Jack nodded to himself as he took Daniel's rook. With luck, he'd be able to get the
queen in just two more moves.
"Hey Sam!" Jack said smiling as he stood up to stretch. They had been hunched
over the board for nearly two hours now. Without even thinking he took a step
towards her and casually leaned over and gave her a small kiss on the lips. Sam
could feel the smile on his lips as he whispered into her ear, "If we make out in front
of Daniel, I'll bet he'll lose his concentration." To Sam's astonishment she laughed.
Both Daniel and Janet stared at her as if she had grown a second head.
"I heard that." Daniel muttered, continuing to examine the board. "Considering the
amount of flirting I have witnessed over the years, there isn't too much you two can
do to distract me." He picked up his knight and smiled wickedly at Jack. "Check."
"What?!" Jack quickly sat back down and began cursing under his breath. How
could he have missed that??"
Sam smiled as she absently touched her lips. Jack had just kissed her. And she felt
OK about that. It just felt so normal. Perhaps everything could just go back to the
way it was. Before. Unfortunately just thinking about that planet and the khans
caused Sam's stomach to turn in a most unsettling manner. *Or maybe not.*
"Do I have time to take a bath before dinner?" Sam asked, directing her question at
the chessboard as both Jack and Daniel seemed to only have eyes for black and
white squares at the moment.
"Yup." Jack said still looking at the board. A few months ago Jack would have
teased Sam relentlessly about her fondness for baths, but now he was used to it.
Who would have thought that Dr. Major Samantha Carter loved nothing more than a
nice long soak? He had been so surprised that first time they had gone home
together after a mission. No sooner had they walked through the front door, than
Sam had announced she was taking a bath. Apparently she adored baths. And as
subsequent research had proven, she wasn't above sharing them with others either.
Jack shook his head. * Focus O'Neill. Focus.*
"I think there's some of that bubble stuff you like under the sink." Jack yelled as
Sam headed up the stairs. Sam was just glad her back was turned away from her
friends. It was one thing for everyone to know she took baths, quite another to
know that she likes bubbles as well.
Sam had sat in the bathtub for nearly 40 minutes thinking about what Cassie had
said. Thinking about the mission and Jack and the perverted Goa'ulds that had
caused all this in the first place. She was both relaxed and agitated all at the same
time. She sighed as she pulled the plug on the bath and stepped onto the cold tiled
floor. Jack really needed a bathmat.
Sam had just finished putting on a pair of sweatpants when she heard the tentative
knock on the door. Quickly she donned a tank top. "Almost done." She yelled.
"Sam? Can I come in?" Janet asked. Sam took a quick glance at herself in the
partially fogged mirror. She still looked like shit. Sighing she opened the door.
"Jan, do you have to play doctor here as well?" Sam asked peevishly as she sat
down on the toilet seat. She wasn't surprised to see her friend carrying a rather
large bag over her shoulder. A doctor's bag no doubt.
"Sorry Sam." Janet said closing the door behind her. "If it makes you feel any
better, I did the same thing to the Colonel before I allowed him to start the chess
match with Daniel."
"Really?"
Janet nodded. "Really." Janet sat on the edge of the bathtub and opened up the bag
she was carrying. She pulled out a blood pressure cuff and a rather heavy looking
rectangular object. She set it down on the ground with an audible 'klunk.'
"Janet you didn't." Sam said in amazement.
"Yep. Might as well get it over with Sam." Sam stood up shaking her head in
disbelief. Janet had brought a bloody scale up to the cabin. A scale! It was quite
compact with just enough space for Sam to place her feet. She looked down but was
unable to read the numbers. Maybe this scale was invented for annoying doctors
who made house calls.
Janet sighed as she jotted down the number. "Well, it IS better than I had
imagined, but not good enough if you ask me." Sam just rolled her eyes as she
stepped of the scale and sat back down on the closed toilet seat.
"You're at 137 Sam. That's 1 pound less than 3 days ago and 3 pounds less than
when you left on that mission 5 days ago." Janet said putting her hand on Sam's
knee.
"When you joined the SGC Sam, you weighed 145 pounds. Which is the perfect
weight for a woman of your height with medium sized bones and good muscularity.
You're supposed to GAIN weight as you get older Sam, not lose it!"
"It's not like I'm losing it on purpose Jan." Sam said sullenly stepping off the scale.
"I know Sam. It's just that ever since.." Janet paused. "Edora, we have never been
able to get you back to your optimum weight.
"I am NOT that thin Jan."
"No Sam, you aren't. Thank god. And if I have any say in the matter, you never will
be again. Sam, you dropped 15 pounds in 3 months. Hell, if the Colonel hadn't
come home when he did, I was about ready to poke you with a glucose drip and
force feed you Ensure until you gained weight!"
"But he DID come home."
"Yes, he did. And it still took you nearly 6 months to get back up to 140 pounds.
And that seems to be where you hover these days."
"So? 140 is within acceptable limits."
"You're right. It is. But I know you Sam, and I also know why you don't eat."
"You know nothing Janet!" Sam yelled standing up angrily. "You have no idea what
It's like being in the field and fighting for your life and the life of this planet on a near
weekly basis. You have no idea what it's like to have a Goa'uld in your body or a
ribbon device pressed against your head!" Sam was nearly crying now.
"You have no idea what it's like to have 200 year old snakes pawing at you and
touching you intimately.." Tears were running down Sam's face as she lost the
battle to quell the nausea forming in her stomach. "Dammit!" She hissed as once
again her body betrayed her and she doubled over in pain as a violent heave leapt
through her throat. Quickly she yanked up the toilet seat as she retched loudly into
the toilet. Sam felt like she was on fire as she shook her head slightly, trying to
rid her body of what little remained within. Having only eaten a light lunch, there
was little left to bring up except bitter tasting bile. She heaved several more
times before her stomach finally quelled.
"Dammit." Sam whispered in tears as she closed the toilet seat. Silently she flushed
the toilet and rinsed out her mouth before sinking heavily to the ground.
Janet squatted down next to her and gently rubbed her back. "You OK?" she
whispered.
"Do I LOOK ok Janet?" Sam said glancing up at her friend. Janet was prevented
from answering by a knock on the door.
"Sam? You ok?" Sam started crying again silently. Jack sounded so worried and
concerned about her! How could he possibly trust her in the field again when it
seemed all she did these days was cry and throw up?
"She'll be all right Colonel." Janet Frasier answered calmly as she tried to console
her best friend.
"Should I come in Doc?" Jack asked in a worried voice.
"No, we'll be fine Colonel. We'll both be down for dinner in a little bit, ok?"
"Ok." Jack said placing his fingertips lightly on the bathroom door. He took a step
away before turning around and leaning his head onto the frame. "I love you Sam."
He whispered. Moments later he was heading down the stairs.
In the bathroom Sam continued to cry.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
tbc. Sniff.
able to temper the angst with humor.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter 13
The cabin was completely silent as Sam and Cassie made their way inside. It didn't
take long to see why. Jack and Daniel sat deep in thought at the kitchen table
staring at rather nice looking chessboard, while Janet sat curled in the corner of the
couch reading a book.
"This could be a Norman Rockwell painting." Sam mumbled under her breath.
"Hi you two!" Janet said looking up from her book. "How was your walk?"
"It was really great mom." Cassie said plopping down next to Janet. "Did you know
northern squirrels have pointy ears?"
Janet looked at Sam curiously and shook her head. "No, I can't say I ever knew that
honey."
Sam walked over to the kitchen table and stared down at the chess set. It looked to
be a pretty evenly matched game. For all of Jack's self-deprecation, he was actually
a pretty damn smart guy and REALLY good at strategy games. Which made sense
really, after all he IS a Colonel in the United States Air Force.
Jack nodded to himself as he took Daniel's rook. With luck, he'd be able to get the
queen in just two more moves.
"Hey Sam!" Jack said smiling as he stood up to stretch. They had been hunched
over the board for nearly two hours now. Without even thinking he took a step
towards her and casually leaned over and gave her a small kiss on the lips. Sam
could feel the smile on his lips as he whispered into her ear, "If we make out in front
of Daniel, I'll bet he'll lose his concentration." To Sam's astonishment she laughed.
Both Daniel and Janet stared at her as if she had grown a second head.
"I heard that." Daniel muttered, continuing to examine the board. "Considering the
amount of flirting I have witnessed over the years, there isn't too much you two can
do to distract me." He picked up his knight and smiled wickedly at Jack. "Check."
"What?!" Jack quickly sat back down and began cursing under his breath. How
could he have missed that??"
Sam smiled as she absently touched her lips. Jack had just kissed her. And she felt
OK about that. It just felt so normal. Perhaps everything could just go back to the
way it was. Before. Unfortunately just thinking about that planet and the khans
caused Sam's stomach to turn in a most unsettling manner. *Or maybe not.*
"Do I have time to take a bath before dinner?" Sam asked, directing her question at
the chessboard as both Jack and Daniel seemed to only have eyes for black and
white squares at the moment.
"Yup." Jack said still looking at the board. A few months ago Jack would have
teased Sam relentlessly about her fondness for baths, but now he was used to it.
Who would have thought that Dr. Major Samantha Carter loved nothing more than a
nice long soak? He had been so surprised that first time they had gone home
together after a mission. No sooner had they walked through the front door, than
Sam had announced she was taking a bath. Apparently she adored baths. And as
subsequent research had proven, she wasn't above sharing them with others either.
Jack shook his head. * Focus O'Neill. Focus.*
"I think there's some of that bubble stuff you like under the sink." Jack yelled as
Sam headed up the stairs. Sam was just glad her back was turned away from her
friends. It was one thing for everyone to know she took baths, quite another to
know that she likes bubbles as well.
Sam had sat in the bathtub for nearly 40 minutes thinking about what Cassie had
said. Thinking about the mission and Jack and the perverted Goa'ulds that had
caused all this in the first place. She was both relaxed and agitated all at the same
time. She sighed as she pulled the plug on the bath and stepped onto the cold tiled
floor. Jack really needed a bathmat.
Sam had just finished putting on a pair of sweatpants when she heard the tentative
knock on the door. Quickly she donned a tank top. "Almost done." She yelled.
"Sam? Can I come in?" Janet asked. Sam took a quick glance at herself in the
partially fogged mirror. She still looked like shit. Sighing she opened the door.
"Jan, do you have to play doctor here as well?" Sam asked peevishly as she sat
down on the toilet seat. She wasn't surprised to see her friend carrying a rather
large bag over her shoulder. A doctor's bag no doubt.
"Sorry Sam." Janet said closing the door behind her. "If it makes you feel any
better, I did the same thing to the Colonel before I allowed him to start the chess
match with Daniel."
"Really?"
Janet nodded. "Really." Janet sat on the edge of the bathtub and opened up the bag
she was carrying. She pulled out a blood pressure cuff and a rather heavy looking
rectangular object. She set it down on the ground with an audible 'klunk.'
"Janet you didn't." Sam said in amazement.
"Yep. Might as well get it over with Sam." Sam stood up shaking her head in
disbelief. Janet had brought a bloody scale up to the cabin. A scale! It was quite
compact with just enough space for Sam to place her feet. She looked down but was
unable to read the numbers. Maybe this scale was invented for annoying doctors
who made house calls.
Janet sighed as she jotted down the number. "Well, it IS better than I had
imagined, but not good enough if you ask me." Sam just rolled her eyes as she
stepped of the scale and sat back down on the closed toilet seat.
"You're at 137 Sam. That's 1 pound less than 3 days ago and 3 pounds less than
when you left on that mission 5 days ago." Janet said putting her hand on Sam's
knee.
"When you joined the SGC Sam, you weighed 145 pounds. Which is the perfect
weight for a woman of your height with medium sized bones and good muscularity.
You're supposed to GAIN weight as you get older Sam, not lose it!"
"It's not like I'm losing it on purpose Jan." Sam said sullenly stepping off the scale.
"I know Sam. It's just that ever since.." Janet paused. "Edora, we have never been
able to get you back to your optimum weight.
"I am NOT that thin Jan."
"No Sam, you aren't. Thank god. And if I have any say in the matter, you never will
be again. Sam, you dropped 15 pounds in 3 months. Hell, if the Colonel hadn't
come home when he did, I was about ready to poke you with a glucose drip and
force feed you Ensure until you gained weight!"
"But he DID come home."
"Yes, he did. And it still took you nearly 6 months to get back up to 140 pounds.
And that seems to be where you hover these days."
"So? 140 is within acceptable limits."
"You're right. It is. But I know you Sam, and I also know why you don't eat."
"You know nothing Janet!" Sam yelled standing up angrily. "You have no idea what
It's like being in the field and fighting for your life and the life of this planet on a near
weekly basis. You have no idea what it's like to have a Goa'uld in your body or a
ribbon device pressed against your head!" Sam was nearly crying now.
"You have no idea what it's like to have 200 year old snakes pawing at you and
touching you intimately.." Tears were running down Sam's face as she lost the
battle to quell the nausea forming in her stomach. "Dammit!" She hissed as once
again her body betrayed her and she doubled over in pain as a violent heave leapt
through her throat. Quickly she yanked up the toilet seat as she retched loudly into
the toilet. Sam felt like she was on fire as she shook her head slightly, trying to
rid her body of what little remained within. Having only eaten a light lunch, there
was little left to bring up except bitter tasting bile. She heaved several more
times before her stomach finally quelled.
"Dammit." Sam whispered in tears as she closed the toilet seat. Silently she flushed
the toilet and rinsed out her mouth before sinking heavily to the ground.
Janet squatted down next to her and gently rubbed her back. "You OK?" she
whispered.
"Do I LOOK ok Janet?" Sam said glancing up at her friend. Janet was prevented
from answering by a knock on the door.
"Sam? You ok?" Sam started crying again silently. Jack sounded so worried and
concerned about her! How could he possibly trust her in the field again when it
seemed all she did these days was cry and throw up?
"She'll be all right Colonel." Janet Frasier answered calmly as she tried to console
her best friend.
"Should I come in Doc?" Jack asked in a worried voice.
"No, we'll be fine Colonel. We'll both be down for dinner in a little bit, ok?"
"Ok." Jack said placing his fingertips lightly on the bathroom door. He took a step
away before turning around and leaning his head onto the frame. "I love you Sam."
He whispered. Moments later he was heading down the stairs.
In the bathroom Sam continued to cry.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
tbc. Sniff.