He wasn't ready when she returned. He wasn't even close. But he'd tried, and she knew that the instant she walked into his house – without knocking, since she knew how difficult it would be for him to move quickly. He was sitting on his bed where she'd left him, but he was wearing clean boxers – evidence that he hadn't just been sitting there the entire hour or so she was gone. He also had the rest of the clothing he was planning on wearing piled on the bed next to him. He just couldn't get them on. Already the little dressing of himself that he'd done had caused him far more pain than the Tylenol could deal with, and he looked fairly miserable when she came through his bedroom door.

"I was tempted to go back to bed..." he said when he saw her come into the room.

She crossed over to the bed and gave him a quick examination – which was just a habit for her.

"Why didn't you?"

"You weren't here to cuddle with."

Startled, she looked up from his shoulder and into his eyes, and saw that he was grinning. Oh, the teasing was going to begin full-force, now, she could tell. Probably it was a calculated way to take his mind off just how bad he felt, and she smiled despite herself.

"I was drunk."

"Oh, I know."

"As I recall, you were the one who told me to have the beer..."

"Only because you wouldn't let me have it." They both remembered that much, at least.

She picked up his t-shirt and gingerly helped him get it on, hearing him gasp when they jarred his wounded shoulder, although he didn't say anything in complaint. He knew she was helping him, after all, and unless he was in a foul mood – which he wasn't right then – he wasn't going to whine about something that couldn't be helped.

"Wait till Sam hears that you seduced me," Janet said once she had his shirt on. Two could play the teasing game.

"I did not seduce you."

"Got me drunk, pulled me into the bedroom..."

"I..." He paused, thinking through the fog of the night before. "I pulled you into the shower... or called you into there... I'm not sure which."

"Oh, well that's much better."

He chuckled.

"Yeah. It does sound bad, I suppose."

"Maybe a little."

"Nothing did happen, right?" He asked her, seriously.

She shook her head. "Not as far as I remember. And I'm pretty sure I'd remember if we did something serious."

"You'd never be able to forget it."

"Oh, please." She rolled her eyes, and he smiled, as she'd intended.

Janet took his pants and put his feet through the legs and helped him stand up, which he did carefully. He'd picked slacks this morning, which would be much easier for him to manage, but right then she just pulled them up, zipped and buttoned them for him before it could become a big deal. Especially with their bantering just then.

"Did you eat?"

He shook his head. She'd been pretty sure that would be the answer.

"Are you hungry?"

"I have this odd desire to smoke a cigarette."

It was her turn to smile, and she did.

"Don't get used to the special treatment, Colonel. It's only because no one else is here to take care of you, and I know you can't do it yourself."

"I could."

"You choose not to?"

"Well... what would I do if no one was around to bully me and keep me occupied?"

"Uh huh."

They left the room as soon as she helped him onto shoes and socks, and went down the hall. The mess from the pizza the night before was contained to a small area of the living room – the coffee table and a section of the sofa.

"I'll clean that up later," Jack decided.

"Good. I want to get you back to the infirmary and get that shoulder taken care of."

"Can't wait to get your hands on me again?"

"Be nice, or I'll use a sewing needle to stitch you up."

"Nah, you're better than that."

He was full of compliments today! Fraiser smiled as she opened the door and they went to her car.

"Stop and get something to eat?"

"No. You can eat after I take care of you."

"Come on... I want some donuts."

"The commissary-"

"Has stale donuts."

"They do not."

"Yes they do."

"Not if you arrive to work on time, like we're going to."

He pouted.

She ignored it and started the car.

He sighed, and then sulked.

She smiled, and ignored it.

"You know... I seem to remember your hand running along my belly... my naked belly..."

"Fine, we'll stop and get some donuts."

He grinned.

She scowled. But a moment later she smiled, too.

"You can be very bad sometimes."

"I know."

They pulled into a Dunkin' Donuts, and he bought far more than either of them could eat.

"When does Cassie come home?"

"Tomorrow night." She said, starting the car with one hand, while she picked a glazed donut out of the box with the other. "What about Sam?"

"Day after tomorrow."

They were quiet for a while.

"What are your plans for tonight, Colonel?"

"Oh, the usual... nothing."

Mope around the house. Wish Carter was there to annoy.

"Why don't you come over?"

He looked over at her, and she rolled her eyes when she saw the leer he'd set on his face. Made a little less serious by the wicked gleam of laughter in his brown eyes and the powdered sugar on his nose and face.

"Oh, please..."

He smiled.

"You mean it?"

"Sure. I'll even cook dinner. No pizza. Easy to eat stuff."

"Really?"

"No promises I'll go to bed with you afterwards, though..." She trailed off, grinning now when it was his turn to roll his eyes.

"It'd have to be a pretty good meal to get me to do the whole waking up with someone immediately intent on stitching me up again thing."

"Pot roast?"

"That might do it."

She pulled into the base.

"So?"

"Sounds nice, Doc. I accept."

It did sound nice. And it was nice of her to offer.

"No medication?"

"And no beer." She agreed.

They both grinned.

The end!

Author's Note: Yeah, no Jack and Janet relationship... nothing more than a friendship... but these two spend a lot of time together arguing in the show, and I think their relationship should have a chance to be shown in a slightly different manner, since there's no way you can always argue with someone you like. (And when someone's saved your life a gazillion times, you have to like them, right?)