"Sam?"
Carter was awake immediately. She hadn't been sleeping all that well, anyways, and the moment Daniel's hand touched her shoulder, she opened her eyes and sat up.
"Daniel? What's wrong?"
She saw he'd brought in a tray with a newspaper and toast – with a side order of jelly. Sam didn't like jelly on her toast. Daniel knew that.
"Nothing..." Daniel reassured her, quickly. Then he amended that. "Actually, something is, but I was hoping you could fix it."
"What are you talking about?" She'd just woken up, after all, and he was being obtuse.
"It's Jack."
She was immediately concerned.
"Is he worse?"
"No. The doctors I talked to say he's holding his own..."
"Then what's wrong?"
"I don't know. I think he'd depressed. Or maybe he's just tired... I'm not sure, but there's something wrong with him, and I was hoping you could get him to talk to you about it and maybe cheer him up."
"Me?"
"God knows when I tried, it didn't work."
"He kicked you out?"
"He sent me to get him some toast and a newspaper."
"That doesn't sound so bad..."
Daniel shrugged.
"Maybe I'm seeing something that isn't there. Why don't you take him the tray and see if it's just my imagination?"
Sam nodded, knowing that Daniel wouldn't have asked if he weren't truly worried.
"Sure, Daniel." She looked at the tray. "Did Janet say he could eat?"
"She's asleep. Doctor Bastion said he could, though."
"Okay."
Sam was glad to hear Janet had taken a break. Of course, she felt a little guilty that she'd been sleeping in her bed, though, which had probably sent Janet off somewhere else to find a different bed to sleep in.
"I'll be here," Daniel told her, plopping down at Janet's desk.
"You could come..."
"No. He can only have one visitor at a time. I'll check on him again later, once you talk to him."
She nodded, and picked up the tray and headed for Jack's little room.
&&
He turned his head when he heard the soft knock on the door. Sam smiled brightly when she entered his room, trying to ignore how tired he looked.
"Good morning."
"Hi, Sam..." He saw the tray, complete with toast and newspaper, and knew right away that Daniel had sent her to talk to him. He should have been annoyed, but Jack knew that Daniel was worried and had been when he'd left. How could you be annoyed about a friend caring enough to send someone in to make sure you were okay?
"I brought you some breakfast..." She looked down at the toast, and knew he was used to a lot more. "Sort of."
Jack's smile was tired, but it was genuine.
"Toast?"
Sam nodded.
"That's fine. I doubt I could eat much more than that."
Technically, he wasn't sure he'd be able to eat that and keep it down, but he was going to try, simply to keep her from worrying.
"There's jelly..."
"Ugh..." No, that he couldn't do.
Sam smiled, and settled the tray on his lap.
"Or not."
He picked up a slice of toast, ignoring the paper. His head ached, and he really didn't feel like trying to read the paper in a dimly lit room.
"Did you sleep?" He asked her.
Sam nodded.
"Did you?"
"A little."
She reached out and touched his cheek. Still hot. Of course, he was covered in blankets, so that probably had something to do with it. She noticed the towels that were packed around his neck, but didn't ask what they were.
"Are you too warm?"
He shook his head, his hand coming up to take hers.
"If anything, I'm cold."
His hand was cold.
"Maybe a cup of coffee?"
"Nah, I'm fine, Sam..."
"Fine?"
"Well... sort of fine."
"You look tired."
"Yeah... I'm having trouble sleeping," he admitted.
"Why?"
He shrugged.
Sam knew there was more to it than that. She frowned.
"Jack?"
He sighed. What the hell? He might as well tell her, huh?
"They've put icepacks around me to keep the fever down... it's... uncomfortable."
"It's bringing back memories better forgotten?" Sam asked, gently, rubbing his hand with hers, trying to warm it.
"Yeah..." Jack shrugged, trying to make it sound like it was no big deal. "If this thing gets the better of me... I'd just rather not be cold, you know?"
"It's not going to-"
"I'm not giving up, Sam," he told her, interrupting, and holding her hand still. "I'm just trying to explain-"
"I understand..." She moved from the chair she'd seated herself in, and sat on the edge of his bed. She could feel the cold from the icepack under the blanket, now, resting against her hip. "Does my presence bring back those memories, too? Would you rest better if I left?"
"God, no..." He sighed. "You were all that got me through, you know..."
"Nah... you didn't give up," Sam told him. "That's what got you through. It'll get you through this, too. You hang on until Janet finds the solution."
"Will you stay with me?"
"As much as I can." She assured him. "As long as you stay with me. Deal?"
He nodded.
"Good. Now, try to eat something, okay? The doctors are saying you'll feel better if you get something in your stomach."
"I doubt that."
He took a bite of the toast, though, just because she'd asked him to. It was only fair, after all; she was keeping him company, he could try to eat something for her.