Thanks to charlie_sjer, Jaber, sandjgirl (I want them to do a spot of
fishing as well), macisgate and especially to Becky (Look! No author note
at the end. No one can say I don't take my reviews seriously). People you
got to believe me this story is going somewhere just bear with me through
the next couple of chapters.
O'Neill opened his eyes. Through the mists of anaesthesia he could see three pairs of eyes. One startlingly blue, the other also blue but bespectacled and one a deep brown. Maybe he was in heaven and these were angels or maybe he had ascended and these were fellow acsendees or...
"You are awake O'Neill"
Maybe not. Teal'c's habit of stating the obvious brought O'Neill crashing back to reality and back to the pain. Carter!
"Where is she? Is she ok?" He mumbled urgently.
"Relax Jack. She's fine, she's right here," said Daniel, a slight grin crossing his face.
"Thanks to you sir," said Carter stepping forward and smiling. "I'm all right."
His team was safe, he breathed out then immediately wished he hadn't; his shoulder throbbed unbearably. The rest of SG1 must have noticed his grimace because a collective wince crossed all of their faces, even Teal'c's.
"Sir, I wouldn't move for a while. Janet says you'll be out of here in a few days but until then you have to keep still otherwise you could tear some of your stitches," said Carter.
"Major Carter, I do not think that you realise what you asking O'Neill to do," said Teal'c stoically.
"Hey T! I'm not that bad." Teal'c had definitely been getting more defiant with only Danny around to tell him what to do.
"Yes, Jack you are. I don't think I've ever seen you sit still for any of mine or Sam's briefings before."
"Oh come on, you and Carter know that I find your little lectures very interesting," said O'Neill deadpanning.
There was silence. Then the whole team, minus Teal'c who raised an eyebrow, burst out laughing but not one of them would admit that they laughed partly with relief.
General Hammond, who had been watching the scene from by the door, smiled and walked slowly back to his office, satisfied that his premier team was back together again and happy.
* * *
That night, after Daniel and Teal'c had returned to their respective rooms, Carter and O'Neill were left alone in the infirmary. O'Neill was playing on his gameboy and Carter was engrossed in a book that she insisted on calling 'light reading' despite it being over two inches thick. Dr. Frasier bustled in with her white coat billowing slightly behind her, in her hand were two huge needles.
O'Neill stared at them. "Er... Doc those aren't for me, are they?"
Dr. Frasier laughed, slightly evilly in O'Neill's opinion. "No Colonel they are not for you. I was just taking them to the storeroom but if you like..."
"No! No, it's ok Doc. I'll survive without them I assure you," he said hurriedly.
Carter sat and watched the conversation with an almost imperceptible grin on her face. After Dr. Frasier had left saying goodnight, they lay in the darkness of the infirmary silently. O'Neill's mind wandered to the prospect of two weeks of downtime that lay ahead of him. He was looking forward to spending time with his team outside of the base, something that he couldn't really do for the simple reason that he hardly ever got downtime. That and when he did it was often interrupted by things like having to save the Earth and etcetera.
Perhaps this time he would get a chance to go fishing for a few days. He sighed and glanced at Carter who had her back turned to him in the bed across the room, her short blonde hair sticking up in all directions. Then he rolled over and started to drift off into sleep. "Sir? Are you asleep?" "Yes." Carter smiled. "Thank you," she said quietly. "You would have done the same for me Carter. However if we do ever get in that situation again but with me being the one who's knocked out..." "What?" She asked. "Don't even attempt to lift me, let alone carry me back to the gate."
* * *
The next day Carter was released from the infirmary after a stern warning from Dr. Frasier to use crutches for the next few days and the team spent most of their time preventing O'Neill from going crazy with boredom. Daniel and Carter spent the morning playing alternate games of chess against him. What many people didn't know about Jack O'Neill was that he was surprisingly good at chess. He won all but two games, one to both Daniel and Carter. They had just left to pack their things for their downtime when Dr. Frasier walked in.
"Well good news Colonel, I think that your wound is free of infection and the stitches seem to be healing well. So, you are free to go on your downtime off base if you don't do anything to tear those stitches." She laughed at the expression of joy on O'Neill's face. "Be careful though, if you or Major Carter for that matter, feel unwell, if you feel sick or dizzy then report back to me. You could suffer some after-effects of your concussions."
"Thanks Janet, you don't know how much this means to me," he said as he clumsily stood up. "Er... Have you got my clothes because walking around the base in these," he pointed to the scrubs he was wearing, "wouldn't do much for my reputation."
Dr. Frasier smirked and fetched his clothes from the cupboard next to his bed. "Remember to take these painkillers twice a day." She handed him a container full of small, white tablets. "Oh and have a good downtime Colonel," she said as she left.
He got dressed slowly and painfully then made his way down to his quarters where he changed into his civilian clothes and packed his bag. He met Teal'c who was standing patiently outside his room.
"Hey T. You been waiting for me?" he asked.
"Indeed, O'Neill. I was instructed by Daniel Jackson to escort you to Level 1 where we are meeting him and Major Carter," Teal'c said impassively. He was in his civvies and was already wearing a black beanie hat to cover the gold symbol on his forehead.
"Great, I've got a 6'4 Jaffa as a babysitter", muttered O'Neill as they walked towards the lift.
* * *
They met Daniel and Carter outside the lift; both were wearing their own clothes.
"Listen Jack..." Daniel began.
"You guys want to come round mine for a few days or so?"
"Sir... I don't know..." Stuttered Carter.
"What I was going to say was..." Daniel started.
"T?" Asked O'Neill interrupting him.
"Thank you O'Neill. I would very much like to stay at your house," said Teal'c calmly.
"Great! Daniel? Carter? Come on, a bit of team bonding?"
"Jack! Do you ever shut up? I was going to invite you all round mine but sure I'll to go to your place for a bit." Daniel grinned.
"What about you Carter?" Asked O'Neill with a bit too much casualness in his voice. Everyone looked at Carter.
She was silent for a moment. O'Neill was surprised at how nervous he was. "I'd love to Sir." With that SG1 turned and walked out into the bright Colorado sunlight.
O'Neill opened his eyes. Through the mists of anaesthesia he could see three pairs of eyes. One startlingly blue, the other also blue but bespectacled and one a deep brown. Maybe he was in heaven and these were angels or maybe he had ascended and these were fellow acsendees or...
"You are awake O'Neill"
Maybe not. Teal'c's habit of stating the obvious brought O'Neill crashing back to reality and back to the pain. Carter!
"Where is she? Is she ok?" He mumbled urgently.
"Relax Jack. She's fine, she's right here," said Daniel, a slight grin crossing his face.
"Thanks to you sir," said Carter stepping forward and smiling. "I'm all right."
His team was safe, he breathed out then immediately wished he hadn't; his shoulder throbbed unbearably. The rest of SG1 must have noticed his grimace because a collective wince crossed all of their faces, even Teal'c's.
"Sir, I wouldn't move for a while. Janet says you'll be out of here in a few days but until then you have to keep still otherwise you could tear some of your stitches," said Carter.
"Major Carter, I do not think that you realise what you asking O'Neill to do," said Teal'c stoically.
"Hey T! I'm not that bad." Teal'c had definitely been getting more defiant with only Danny around to tell him what to do.
"Yes, Jack you are. I don't think I've ever seen you sit still for any of mine or Sam's briefings before."
"Oh come on, you and Carter know that I find your little lectures very interesting," said O'Neill deadpanning.
There was silence. Then the whole team, minus Teal'c who raised an eyebrow, burst out laughing but not one of them would admit that they laughed partly with relief.
General Hammond, who had been watching the scene from by the door, smiled and walked slowly back to his office, satisfied that his premier team was back together again and happy.
* * *
That night, after Daniel and Teal'c had returned to their respective rooms, Carter and O'Neill were left alone in the infirmary. O'Neill was playing on his gameboy and Carter was engrossed in a book that she insisted on calling 'light reading' despite it being over two inches thick. Dr. Frasier bustled in with her white coat billowing slightly behind her, in her hand were two huge needles.
O'Neill stared at them. "Er... Doc those aren't for me, are they?"
Dr. Frasier laughed, slightly evilly in O'Neill's opinion. "No Colonel they are not for you. I was just taking them to the storeroom but if you like..."
"No! No, it's ok Doc. I'll survive without them I assure you," he said hurriedly.
Carter sat and watched the conversation with an almost imperceptible grin on her face. After Dr. Frasier had left saying goodnight, they lay in the darkness of the infirmary silently. O'Neill's mind wandered to the prospect of two weeks of downtime that lay ahead of him. He was looking forward to spending time with his team outside of the base, something that he couldn't really do for the simple reason that he hardly ever got downtime. That and when he did it was often interrupted by things like having to save the Earth and etcetera.
Perhaps this time he would get a chance to go fishing for a few days. He sighed and glanced at Carter who had her back turned to him in the bed across the room, her short blonde hair sticking up in all directions. Then he rolled over and started to drift off into sleep. "Sir? Are you asleep?" "Yes." Carter smiled. "Thank you," she said quietly. "You would have done the same for me Carter. However if we do ever get in that situation again but with me being the one who's knocked out..." "What?" She asked. "Don't even attempt to lift me, let alone carry me back to the gate."
* * *
The next day Carter was released from the infirmary after a stern warning from Dr. Frasier to use crutches for the next few days and the team spent most of their time preventing O'Neill from going crazy with boredom. Daniel and Carter spent the morning playing alternate games of chess against him. What many people didn't know about Jack O'Neill was that he was surprisingly good at chess. He won all but two games, one to both Daniel and Carter. They had just left to pack their things for their downtime when Dr. Frasier walked in.
"Well good news Colonel, I think that your wound is free of infection and the stitches seem to be healing well. So, you are free to go on your downtime off base if you don't do anything to tear those stitches." She laughed at the expression of joy on O'Neill's face. "Be careful though, if you or Major Carter for that matter, feel unwell, if you feel sick or dizzy then report back to me. You could suffer some after-effects of your concussions."
"Thanks Janet, you don't know how much this means to me," he said as he clumsily stood up. "Er... Have you got my clothes because walking around the base in these," he pointed to the scrubs he was wearing, "wouldn't do much for my reputation."
Dr. Frasier smirked and fetched his clothes from the cupboard next to his bed. "Remember to take these painkillers twice a day." She handed him a container full of small, white tablets. "Oh and have a good downtime Colonel," she said as she left.
He got dressed slowly and painfully then made his way down to his quarters where he changed into his civilian clothes and packed his bag. He met Teal'c who was standing patiently outside his room.
"Hey T. You been waiting for me?" he asked.
"Indeed, O'Neill. I was instructed by Daniel Jackson to escort you to Level 1 where we are meeting him and Major Carter," Teal'c said impassively. He was in his civvies and was already wearing a black beanie hat to cover the gold symbol on his forehead.
"Great, I've got a 6'4 Jaffa as a babysitter", muttered O'Neill as they walked towards the lift.
* * *
They met Daniel and Carter outside the lift; both were wearing their own clothes.
"Listen Jack..." Daniel began.
"You guys want to come round mine for a few days or so?"
"Sir... I don't know..." Stuttered Carter.
"What I was going to say was..." Daniel started.
"T?" Asked O'Neill interrupting him.
"Thank you O'Neill. I would very much like to stay at your house," said Teal'c calmly.
"Great! Daniel? Carter? Come on, a bit of team bonding?"
"Jack! Do you ever shut up? I was going to invite you all round mine but sure I'll to go to your place for a bit." Daniel grinned.
"What about you Carter?" Asked O'Neill with a bit too much casualness in his voice. Everyone looked at Carter.
She was silent for a moment. O'Neill was surprised at how nervous he was. "I'd love to Sir." With that SG1 turned and walked out into the bright Colorado sunlight.