He spent the night in a chair in her room. Fraiser had tried to talk him
into sleeping on the couch in the room next to Sam's, but he'd wanted to be
close to her bedside in case she woke in the night. Frasier didn't argue,
which actually surprised Jack. She just sighed, and gave him one of those
looks that she always gave him when he was being difficult. Jack ignored
it, and scooted the chair closer to Sam's bed, then sat in it.
He hadn't intended to fall asleep. He'd planned on just sitting there in the dimly lit room and watch her as she slept. But the rhythmatical beeping of the monitor was soothing, and the day had been a long one. He found himself nodding off almost immediately, and by the time Frasier came in to check on Sam, Jack was asleep as well, slouched in the chair with his head tilted back in an angle that was guaranteed to leave him with a crick in his neck the next morning. Janet shook her head and smiled, then carefully covered him with a blanket and left him to his rest.
~*~
She woke before he did. Her eyes opened and she looked around, uneasy when she realized she was in an unfamiliar place. Then she remembered where she was and why, and she wished she could forget again. She sat up, slightly, uncomfortable, and saw him sleeping next to her bed. And started crying.
Jack came awake instantly. Whether it was the crying, or the change in the beeping of her heart monitor, something woke him. He saw she was awake, and was quick to sit next to her on the bed and pull her into his arms once more.
"Easy, Sam. I'm here."
She nodded, but didn't say anything. She didn't have the breath for anything but her sobs. Of course he was there. He'd been there for her all the time. And she'd failed him. The sobs came harder, and he responded by holding her tighter.
"I have you," he whispered. "It's going to be okay. I promise."
She cried herself out on his shoulder. Cried until there didn't seem to be another tear in her, and her sides were screaming with pain, and still he held her. Finally the sobs diminished, then eased into sniffles and then sniffs as she tried to pull herself together a little.
"I'm sorry..." She said, not moving her head from his shoulder.
"Don't be," he whispered. There was no blame in his voice that she could hear. Only love and concern. A lot of concern.
They held each other for a long time, and probably would have held each other longer if Frasier hadn't interrupted by knocking on the door and entering.
Sam tried to quickly let go, but Jack held her close for another moment.
"It's okay. She knows."
Sam nodded, and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and then pulling away a little more slowly. Then she opened her eyes and looked at Frasier, who gave her the best bedside manner smile she had.
"Good morning."
"Hi." Sam's voice was weak, and hoarse from her tears.
"Colonel? I need to have a few minutes with Major Carter. Why don't you step outside?"
"I don't-"
"Do it, Colonel."
He sighed, and glared, but she ignored it, and Jack relented. Brushing a kiss across Sam's tear streaked cheek, he told her he'd be right back.
"Do you have any pain?" Janet asked Sam as soon as the door closed behind Jack.
She shook her head. "No."
"None at all?"
"A little."
Fraiser nodded.
"Any headaches? Any nausea?"
Sam shook her head again, and Fraiser checker her readings on the EKG.
"We don't need to keep you here, Sam. I'm going to let Jack take you home."
Carter nodded, but lowered her head, and when she did, Frasier saw a tear fall into Sam's lap. She reached out and rubbed Carter's back gently, soothing her as well as she could.
"It's going to be all right, Sam. I know it hurts, right now, though. You have to believe me."
"I killed his baby."
"No, you didn't. Don't even think this was your fault, because it isn't. It was just a terrible fluke. Nothing you could have done would have made any difference."
"I can't believe he's not angry with me."
"He loves you. And he knows it wasn't your fault."
She was silent, and Frasier continued with what she'd been saying, trying to keep Sam's mind off her erroneously placed guilt.
"I'm going to let him take you home," she repeated. "He's promised that he'll take care of you, but I'll be stopping by occasionally, just to make sure he's feeding you more than cereal."
Sam managed a weak smile, but her eyes were as haunted as O'Neill's had been. Worse.
"And if you need me, you only need to call, and I'll be right there."
"Thank you."
"Are you hungry?"
She shook her head.
"I'm not going to force breakfast down you, but I do want you to eat a good lunch later. I'll make sure the Colonel knows that, too. He's not eating, either. So you'll have to keep an eye on him." Hopefully the two of them could watch each other.
"Because he's mad?"
"Because he's worried about you." She corrected. "You know how he gets."
She nodded. She did know.
"Let's get you dressed, shall we? Then I'll go tell the Colonel to bring the truck around while we get you discharged."
He hadn't intended to fall asleep. He'd planned on just sitting there in the dimly lit room and watch her as she slept. But the rhythmatical beeping of the monitor was soothing, and the day had been a long one. He found himself nodding off almost immediately, and by the time Frasier came in to check on Sam, Jack was asleep as well, slouched in the chair with his head tilted back in an angle that was guaranteed to leave him with a crick in his neck the next morning. Janet shook her head and smiled, then carefully covered him with a blanket and left him to his rest.
~*~
She woke before he did. Her eyes opened and she looked around, uneasy when she realized she was in an unfamiliar place. Then she remembered where she was and why, and she wished she could forget again. She sat up, slightly, uncomfortable, and saw him sleeping next to her bed. And started crying.
Jack came awake instantly. Whether it was the crying, or the change in the beeping of her heart monitor, something woke him. He saw she was awake, and was quick to sit next to her on the bed and pull her into his arms once more.
"Easy, Sam. I'm here."
She nodded, but didn't say anything. She didn't have the breath for anything but her sobs. Of course he was there. He'd been there for her all the time. And she'd failed him. The sobs came harder, and he responded by holding her tighter.
"I have you," he whispered. "It's going to be okay. I promise."
She cried herself out on his shoulder. Cried until there didn't seem to be another tear in her, and her sides were screaming with pain, and still he held her. Finally the sobs diminished, then eased into sniffles and then sniffs as she tried to pull herself together a little.
"I'm sorry..." She said, not moving her head from his shoulder.
"Don't be," he whispered. There was no blame in his voice that she could hear. Only love and concern. A lot of concern.
They held each other for a long time, and probably would have held each other longer if Frasier hadn't interrupted by knocking on the door and entering.
Sam tried to quickly let go, but Jack held her close for another moment.
"It's okay. She knows."
Sam nodded, and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and then pulling away a little more slowly. Then she opened her eyes and looked at Frasier, who gave her the best bedside manner smile she had.
"Good morning."
"Hi." Sam's voice was weak, and hoarse from her tears.
"Colonel? I need to have a few minutes with Major Carter. Why don't you step outside?"
"I don't-"
"Do it, Colonel."
He sighed, and glared, but she ignored it, and Jack relented. Brushing a kiss across Sam's tear streaked cheek, he told her he'd be right back.
"Do you have any pain?" Janet asked Sam as soon as the door closed behind Jack.
She shook her head. "No."
"None at all?"
"A little."
Fraiser nodded.
"Any headaches? Any nausea?"
Sam shook her head again, and Fraiser checker her readings on the EKG.
"We don't need to keep you here, Sam. I'm going to let Jack take you home."
Carter nodded, but lowered her head, and when she did, Frasier saw a tear fall into Sam's lap. She reached out and rubbed Carter's back gently, soothing her as well as she could.
"It's going to be all right, Sam. I know it hurts, right now, though. You have to believe me."
"I killed his baby."
"No, you didn't. Don't even think this was your fault, because it isn't. It was just a terrible fluke. Nothing you could have done would have made any difference."
"I can't believe he's not angry with me."
"He loves you. And he knows it wasn't your fault."
She was silent, and Frasier continued with what she'd been saying, trying to keep Sam's mind off her erroneously placed guilt.
"I'm going to let him take you home," she repeated. "He's promised that he'll take care of you, but I'll be stopping by occasionally, just to make sure he's feeding you more than cereal."
Sam managed a weak smile, but her eyes were as haunted as O'Neill's had been. Worse.
"And if you need me, you only need to call, and I'll be right there."
"Thank you."
"Are you hungry?"
She shook her head.
"I'm not going to force breakfast down you, but I do want you to eat a good lunch later. I'll make sure the Colonel knows that, too. He's not eating, either. So you'll have to keep an eye on him." Hopefully the two of them could watch each other.
"Because he's mad?"
"Because he's worried about you." She corrected. "You know how he gets."
She nodded. She did know.
"Let's get you dressed, shall we? Then I'll go tell the Colonel to bring the truck around while we get you discharged."