Author's note: I'd have Sam walk in on them if not for the fact that she's
established as being out of town...yes, that would be too funny! : )
.............
The next time she woke up, she felt far more human. Her head was still pounding, but it was manageable now, and it didn't quite hurt so much when she opened her eyes. She was warm, and comfortable, and it'd been a very long time since Janet had woken up wrapped up in someone's arms. And that was what woke her up; since she knew immediately she wasn't where she belonged.
She stretched, unable to wake up completely as lousy as she felt, and the arm around her moved slightly.
"Colonel?"
"Hmmm?"
"Just making sure."
"Who else would it have been?"
"Well..."
"Don't make a list."
"It'd be a short one," She told him, slipping out of his arms with a groan as her head started pounding a little harder.
"You okay?"
"Yes. You?"
"My arm's going to fall off, I think."
"It's probably been bleeding off and on all night..."
"Not that arm."
It took her a minute to realize that he was teasing her. His other arm had been the arm that she'd ended up sleeping on as he'd wrapped it around her. She grinned, despite her headache.
"That wasn't very nice."
"What?"
Oh, sure, he sounded innocent. She knew better. She could also hear the laughter in his tone, and she knew if his eyes were open they'd be gleaming with good humor. Which was a good sign, since she knew he had to be hurting. The pain pill she'd given him had most likely worn off hours before, and he was probably in a good deal of pain.
"Seriously." She sat up and pulled the blanket that was covering him down to bare his chest. "How do you feel?"
"I hurt." He told her, simply, opening his eyes and looking up at her.
"I bet."
She pulled the bandage aside – far more carefully than she'd put it on the evening before when she'd been grumpy – and grimaced.
"That bad, huh?" He asked, noting the look.
"You've managed to rip all the stitches again."
"What's the record?"
She ignored that.
"I'll put them in when we get back to the infirmary. As long as you're careful, you should be okay until then. How much pain are you in, scale of one to ten – ten being agony?"
He was quiet for a moment, calculating.
"Six. Maybe a five."
"Then you'll be okay."
She needed to get home and get cleaned up – and change into some clean clothes.
"I told you that yesterday."
She ignored that, too.
"I'm going to go home. Get ready, and I'll come back and get you, and take you to the base."
"Kay..."
He didn't move.
"Colonel?"
"Yes, get ready, you'll come back and get me. I got it."
"Are you going to?"
"Going to what?"
"Get ready."
"For what?"
"For me to come get you."
"Sure. When?"
"Soon. An hour at the most. I don't want to leave that wound open any longer than necessary."
"Okay."
"You know... I'd feel a little more optimistic about you being ready to go if you'd at least open your eyes ad pretend you're following along with this conversation."
He opened his eyes, obediently, and she smiled despite herself.
"Do you have any aspirin here?"
"In the medicine cabinet."
She got off the bed and left the room. Finding a bottle of extra strength Tylenol in the medicine cabinet, she downed a couple – washing them down with a quick drink from the sink. Then she took a couple more, and a glass of water and went back into his room. He hadn't moved. And his eyes were closed again.
"Colonel?"
"Doc?"
"Open your eyes."
He sighed, and opened them again, and she helped him up into a sitting position. THAT hurt him, and she knew it. She was a doctor, after all. And a damned good one – even with the hangover. Of course, the badly concealed look of agony probably gave it away.
"Here, take these."
She waited for him to swallow the aspirin, then handed him the glass so he could wash them down.
"I don't want to give you anything stronger right now."
"I don't want to take anything stronger."
"You can later-"
"I don't want to."
"We'll see what happens."
He scowled. He really hated it when she did that whole ignoring everything he said thing.
"I'll be back in a little bit."
He nodded. "I'll be ready."
She took another look at his shoulder.
"Try not to move too quickly and reopen it. And NO shower."
That sounded familiar to both of them, and there was a moment's pause while thy tried to recapture a memory that was tantalizing close. But he gave up, and she shrugged, too. Whatever it had been, it could wait for her to get home and cleaned up.
"I couldn't if I wanted to."
She nodded, and left him alone.
.............
The next time she woke up, she felt far more human. Her head was still pounding, but it was manageable now, and it didn't quite hurt so much when she opened her eyes. She was warm, and comfortable, and it'd been a very long time since Janet had woken up wrapped up in someone's arms. And that was what woke her up; since she knew immediately she wasn't where she belonged.
She stretched, unable to wake up completely as lousy as she felt, and the arm around her moved slightly.
"Colonel?"
"Hmmm?"
"Just making sure."
"Who else would it have been?"
"Well..."
"Don't make a list."
"It'd be a short one," She told him, slipping out of his arms with a groan as her head started pounding a little harder.
"You okay?"
"Yes. You?"
"My arm's going to fall off, I think."
"It's probably been bleeding off and on all night..."
"Not that arm."
It took her a minute to realize that he was teasing her. His other arm had been the arm that she'd ended up sleeping on as he'd wrapped it around her. She grinned, despite her headache.
"That wasn't very nice."
"What?"
Oh, sure, he sounded innocent. She knew better. She could also hear the laughter in his tone, and she knew if his eyes were open they'd be gleaming with good humor. Which was a good sign, since she knew he had to be hurting. The pain pill she'd given him had most likely worn off hours before, and he was probably in a good deal of pain.
"Seriously." She sat up and pulled the blanket that was covering him down to bare his chest. "How do you feel?"
"I hurt." He told her, simply, opening his eyes and looking up at her.
"I bet."
She pulled the bandage aside – far more carefully than she'd put it on the evening before when she'd been grumpy – and grimaced.
"That bad, huh?" He asked, noting the look.
"You've managed to rip all the stitches again."
"What's the record?"
She ignored that.
"I'll put them in when we get back to the infirmary. As long as you're careful, you should be okay until then. How much pain are you in, scale of one to ten – ten being agony?"
He was quiet for a moment, calculating.
"Six. Maybe a five."
"Then you'll be okay."
She needed to get home and get cleaned up – and change into some clean clothes.
"I told you that yesterday."
She ignored that, too.
"I'm going to go home. Get ready, and I'll come back and get you, and take you to the base."
"Kay..."
He didn't move.
"Colonel?"
"Yes, get ready, you'll come back and get me. I got it."
"Are you going to?"
"Going to what?"
"Get ready."
"For what?"
"For me to come get you."
"Sure. When?"
"Soon. An hour at the most. I don't want to leave that wound open any longer than necessary."
"Okay."
"You know... I'd feel a little more optimistic about you being ready to go if you'd at least open your eyes ad pretend you're following along with this conversation."
He opened his eyes, obediently, and she smiled despite herself.
"Do you have any aspirin here?"
"In the medicine cabinet."
She got off the bed and left the room. Finding a bottle of extra strength Tylenol in the medicine cabinet, she downed a couple – washing them down with a quick drink from the sink. Then she took a couple more, and a glass of water and went back into his room. He hadn't moved. And his eyes were closed again.
"Colonel?"
"Doc?"
"Open your eyes."
He sighed, and opened them again, and she helped him up into a sitting position. THAT hurt him, and she knew it. She was a doctor, after all. And a damned good one – even with the hangover. Of course, the badly concealed look of agony probably gave it away.
"Here, take these."
She waited for him to swallow the aspirin, then handed him the glass so he could wash them down.
"I don't want to give you anything stronger right now."
"I don't want to take anything stronger."
"You can later-"
"I don't want to."
"We'll see what happens."
He scowled. He really hated it when she did that whole ignoring everything he said thing.
"I'll be back in a little bit."
He nodded. "I'll be ready."
She took another look at his shoulder.
"Try not to move too quickly and reopen it. And NO shower."
That sounded familiar to both of them, and there was a moment's pause while thy tried to recapture a memory that was tantalizing close. But he gave up, and she shrugged, too. Whatever it had been, it could wait for her to get home and cleaned up.
"I couldn't if I wanted to."
She nodded, and left him alone.