The next time Sam woke, it was on her own. Not because Janet was waking her to get her ready to go home with a very anxious Colonel, and not because a big black lab had decided he was ready to get done being the guard dog and go outside and pee and had woken her. This time, she woke slowly, leisurely, and with ample time to take in her surroundings.
She was in Jack's bed. She remembered that without needing to open her eyes and look around. Pain medication that would floor Jack mentally tended to make her mind a little sharper, at times, although it made her just as groggy. She just used her sleep differently than he did. She worked out problems while she slept, and solved complicated things that were so far beyond the majority of the people around her that it was just as easy for her mind to work on it alone while she was asleep as it was for her to use one of them as a sounding board.
She was in Jack's bed, and she wasn't alone. Something was resting on her stomach. It was a comfortable something, though. Not heavy enough that it was uncomfortable, not so light that it tickled. She thought it must be Jack's hand. But when she opened her eyes and looked down, she saw it was Jaffer's head.
The black lab was sprawled next to her comfortably. He had to be comfortable, she reasoned, because he was snoring soundly as he slept. She smiled, still a little sleep fuzzled, and turned her head to find Jack. And looked right into his warm brown eyes.
"Jack..." She smiled. Since she hadn't seen his hand on her, she'd half expected him to be gone. It was a pleasant surprise to find he was with her, still.
"Hmmm?" His smile was for her alone, and Sam felt a warmth wash all through her, like she did every time he smiled at her like that. Did he have any idea what he did to her? Probably. Well... maybe.
"Nothing..." She reached her hand out and touched his cheek, just because she could, and he was close enough to let her. And winced when she felt the motion pull all the aching muscles along her ribs and bruised side.
Jack didn't miss the expression of pain that crossed her features, and his own eyes clouded with concern.
"Hurt?"
"Only a little." She told him, smiling again, and trying to get the expression on his face to change back to the one she'd originally seen. It wasn't going to happen, though.
"I'll get you one of those pills."
"It's okay. I don't need-"
"Yes, you do." He said, softly, but firmly. "They're for pain, and you hurt. Therefore... a pain pill."
"But..."
"Sam... don't argue with me about this, okay?"
Oh, sure. He could argue with Fraiser about his own medication until the cows came home and all the medical teams were blue in the face, but she couldn't argue with him about one little pill? It wasn't fair. Not one bit. She scowled, but he leaned over and kissed her softly. So softly that she wasn't even all that positive his lips had touched her own. It could have just been his breath on her lips that she felt. Whatever it was, though, it made the scowl go away, and she nodded.
"Fine. But only one. And find me a little one. I don't want to sleep the rest of the day."
"Janet said sleep is good for you."
He smiled, because he knew that she wasn't going to think it was fair that he was throwing Fraiser's words back at her when he always complained when it was him that was being forced to take them. It was different, though. This was Sam, and she needed to be taken care of. He wasn't nearly as important, and could gamble with his own health, but he would never do that with hers.
Predictably, she scowled again, and Jack leaned over once more.
"I'm still going to be mad, even if you kiss me," she warned him.
"I don't believe you're mad right now..." He kissed her, again. Another soft kiss that took her breath away far more quickly than any bruised ribs or aches and pains, and Sam moaned softly in response. He pulled away, looking down at her, the concern gone from his eyes and a smile on his lips. "Still mad?"
"That's not fair..."
He leaned over again, but she had a different plan in mind this time, and as his lips met hers, she brought her hand to Jaffer's ear, tickling the lab and waking him from his sound sleep. He opened his eyes and saw Jack's face far too close to be ignored. Sam moved her head slightly, just enough to make room for Jaffer's, and the black lab gave O'Neill a number of very sloppy kisses before he could pull his head back, sputtering.
"Oh, that was downright evil, woman..." He wiped the dog slobber off his face – there was a ton of it.
Sam laughed, despite the pain from her ribs. That was perfectly done, and she gave Jaffer a pat in thanks, and moved her head away before he could decide her face should be his next target.
"You know you love his kisses."
"In moderation, Sam."
Jack pushed himself up off the bed, and told her he'd be right back.
"Don't let her up, Jaffer."
"He can't stop me from getting up," She told him, looking at the black lab.
"Oh yeah?" Jack turned back from the door, and pointed at Carter. "Jaffer, hold her."
The black lab stood up and straddled Sam, his big feet on either side of her body, his head even with her own. Effectively pinning her down to the bed by standing on the blankets that surrounded her. She'd have to push him off her – something she couldn't do without a bit of leverage, which she couldn't get in her current position – or she'd have to convince him to let her up. Sam knew that Jaffer would obey Jack long before he obeyed Sam, so she was, literally, stuck where she was.
Jack grinned.
Sam scowled.
"That's not fair. It's two against one."
"We're not against you, Sam. Now stay put, and I'll be right back with your medicine."
Yeah, like she had a lot of choice? Just to see what would happen, Sam tried to sit up under Jaffer, to move out from underneath him. The big dog lowered his body slightly, resting about half of his weight on her, obviously responding to her movements as he'd been trained to.
"Okay okay." She allowed her body to relax under him, and he took his weight off her, looking down at her intently, his brown eyes grinning at her as cheerfully as Jack's had. "Don't those dog guys have anything better to do all day than teach you useless tricks?"
She was in Jack's bed. She remembered that without needing to open her eyes and look around. Pain medication that would floor Jack mentally tended to make her mind a little sharper, at times, although it made her just as groggy. She just used her sleep differently than he did. She worked out problems while she slept, and solved complicated things that were so far beyond the majority of the people around her that it was just as easy for her mind to work on it alone while she was asleep as it was for her to use one of them as a sounding board.
She was in Jack's bed, and she wasn't alone. Something was resting on her stomach. It was a comfortable something, though. Not heavy enough that it was uncomfortable, not so light that it tickled. She thought it must be Jack's hand. But when she opened her eyes and looked down, she saw it was Jaffer's head.
The black lab was sprawled next to her comfortably. He had to be comfortable, she reasoned, because he was snoring soundly as he slept. She smiled, still a little sleep fuzzled, and turned her head to find Jack. And looked right into his warm brown eyes.
"Jack..." She smiled. Since she hadn't seen his hand on her, she'd half expected him to be gone. It was a pleasant surprise to find he was with her, still.
"Hmmm?" His smile was for her alone, and Sam felt a warmth wash all through her, like she did every time he smiled at her like that. Did he have any idea what he did to her? Probably. Well... maybe.
"Nothing..." She reached her hand out and touched his cheek, just because she could, and he was close enough to let her. And winced when she felt the motion pull all the aching muscles along her ribs and bruised side.
Jack didn't miss the expression of pain that crossed her features, and his own eyes clouded with concern.
"Hurt?"
"Only a little." She told him, smiling again, and trying to get the expression on his face to change back to the one she'd originally seen. It wasn't going to happen, though.
"I'll get you one of those pills."
"It's okay. I don't need-"
"Yes, you do." He said, softly, but firmly. "They're for pain, and you hurt. Therefore... a pain pill."
"But..."
"Sam... don't argue with me about this, okay?"
Oh, sure. He could argue with Fraiser about his own medication until the cows came home and all the medical teams were blue in the face, but she couldn't argue with him about one little pill? It wasn't fair. Not one bit. She scowled, but he leaned over and kissed her softly. So softly that she wasn't even all that positive his lips had touched her own. It could have just been his breath on her lips that she felt. Whatever it was, though, it made the scowl go away, and she nodded.
"Fine. But only one. And find me a little one. I don't want to sleep the rest of the day."
"Janet said sleep is good for you."
He smiled, because he knew that she wasn't going to think it was fair that he was throwing Fraiser's words back at her when he always complained when it was him that was being forced to take them. It was different, though. This was Sam, and she needed to be taken care of. He wasn't nearly as important, and could gamble with his own health, but he would never do that with hers.
Predictably, she scowled again, and Jack leaned over once more.
"I'm still going to be mad, even if you kiss me," she warned him.
"I don't believe you're mad right now..." He kissed her, again. Another soft kiss that took her breath away far more quickly than any bruised ribs or aches and pains, and Sam moaned softly in response. He pulled away, looking down at her, the concern gone from his eyes and a smile on his lips. "Still mad?"
"That's not fair..."
He leaned over again, but she had a different plan in mind this time, and as his lips met hers, she brought her hand to Jaffer's ear, tickling the lab and waking him from his sound sleep. He opened his eyes and saw Jack's face far too close to be ignored. Sam moved her head slightly, just enough to make room for Jaffer's, and the black lab gave O'Neill a number of very sloppy kisses before he could pull his head back, sputtering.
"Oh, that was downright evil, woman..." He wiped the dog slobber off his face – there was a ton of it.
Sam laughed, despite the pain from her ribs. That was perfectly done, and she gave Jaffer a pat in thanks, and moved her head away before he could decide her face should be his next target.
"You know you love his kisses."
"In moderation, Sam."
Jack pushed himself up off the bed, and told her he'd be right back.
"Don't let her up, Jaffer."
"He can't stop me from getting up," She told him, looking at the black lab.
"Oh yeah?" Jack turned back from the door, and pointed at Carter. "Jaffer, hold her."
The black lab stood up and straddled Sam, his big feet on either side of her body, his head even with her own. Effectively pinning her down to the bed by standing on the blankets that surrounded her. She'd have to push him off her – something she couldn't do without a bit of leverage, which she couldn't get in her current position – or she'd have to convince him to let her up. Sam knew that Jaffer would obey Jack long before he obeyed Sam, so she was, literally, stuck where she was.
Jack grinned.
Sam scowled.
"That's not fair. It's two against one."
"We're not against you, Sam. Now stay put, and I'll be right back with your medicine."
Yeah, like she had a lot of choice? Just to see what would happen, Sam tried to sit up under Jaffer, to move out from underneath him. The big dog lowered his body slightly, resting about half of his weight on her, obviously responding to her movements as he'd been trained to.
"Okay okay." She allowed her body to relax under him, and he took his weight off her, looking down at her intently, his brown eyes grinning at her as cheerfully as Jack's had. "Don't those dog guys have anything better to do all day than teach you useless tricks?"