Summary: Jack can't protect Sam anymore, and that five days before the wedding. Category: Angst, Romance, Series Season: future Season Pairing: Jack/Sam Rating: PG 13 Warnings: none Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. I have written this story for entertainment purposes only and no money whatsoever has exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author(s).
Author's notes:
Sorry folks, but this story isn't what I had intended to write. One night my sis woke up and asked (in the middle of the night!), what Jack's reaction would be in case something happened to Sam while not at home... I couldn't sleep and had to start writing. So you see this whole thing isn't entirely my fault and I hope you like it nonetheless!
Feedback me and let me know whether you want to read the marrying-part! Thanks for beating Susan! You did an excellent job, as always!
"Row, row, row your boat, up and down the stream..." 'What the hell...?'
Jack sighed angrily, when he heard the loud ringing of the doorbell... for the fifth time! Why couldn't the person just accept, that Jack was ignoring him, huh?
Turning off the water, Jack opened the Plexiglass door of the shower cubicle and grabbed the next best towel from the shelf beside the washbasin. He wrapped it around his mid-section and stormed out of the bathroom, swearing under his breath as the air in the corridor made contact with his dripping wet skin.
Again somebody rang the bell.
'Argh!'
"Dammit, I'm coming already!"
The front door came into sight and Jack gave it his best glare. Whatever or better whoever was waiting outside, would have to cope with a fresh-out-of-the-shower-ex-colonel, who was only wearing a maybe way too short towel... and he really, 'really' didn't care whether it was that nice old lady from across the street or a murderer hunting for his newest trophy!
Holding the towel securely in place, Jack turned the doorknob and pulled the door open... "Hey Jack."
Facing the man standing oppsoite him, Jack frowned and inclined his head slightly. "Ferretti...what are you doing here?"
"Jack, we've tried to reach you for the better part of the last two hours and the General finally decided to send somebody to your house to get you." "Well, you see, I've retired and have other things to do than waiting by the phone for one of you guys to call m... wait a sec."
Jack looked over the Major's shoulder, eyeing the two soldier's standing behind Ferretti.
"Is Sam alright?"
"Um... something happened to Major Carter..."
Jack had already turned his back to the three soldiers and was running down the corridor, back to the bathroom. He could hear them entering his house and following him to his destination.
"I can't tell ya everything Jack, but she got injured and the General thought it would be the best to get your ass back to base."
Jack swore soundly and pulled on a pair of jeans he'd found in the laundry basket. He didn't even close the buttons, instead he walked into his bedroom to get a shirt.
"Is it bad?"
He was in the process of pulling the black T-shirt over his head and his voice was muffled.
"I don't know... Jack, I can't give ya any details without the General's consent... you know the procedure."
For a long moment, all Jack could do was stare at the younger man.
His fiance was probably badly hurt and that damn right-to-the-book soldier was talking about 'procedures'! He so loved that day...
"Ferretti, get me to the damn mountain, ASAP!" The young Major nodded sharply and turned,
heading straight to the front door. Jack just took the nearest boots he could find and sprinted down the hallway, following right behind his friend.
As they stepped out of the house, Jack nearly forgot to close the door behind him. His brain was working in overdrive, trying hard to banish the pictures of her dead body lying battered and broken on some damn infirmary bed.
The air outside felt cool against his still damp skin and his wet clothes clung to his body. Right now he didn't care... he wouldn't have noticed a Goa'uld mothership entering earth's atmosphere even if somebody had pointed the thingy out to him.
"Sir."
Not answering, Jack got into the military jeep and fastened the seat belt across his chest. The young Captain immediately started the engine and drove off.
Had that thing always been 'this' slow?
Tapping his boot impatiently on the hard floor of the elevator, Jack watched the numbers of the floors changing in a regular pattern. His hands were jammed into the jeans pockets and he was trying really hard not to shake one of the guys standing around him senseless.
"We're there."
As if he'd not realized that!
The doors opened and Jack practically jumped out of the slow thing... he had to find her! "Jack, this way."
The need to kick Ferretti's ass was nearly overwhelming... Jack 'did' know where the infirmary was and didn't need anybody to play tour guide for him. And he'd thought, that working more than seven years in this facility meant knowing every tiny little passage! Obviously, Ferreti was afraid Jack's old brain had already forgotten where to go...
"O'Neill!"
At hearing the voice of one of his best friends, Jack turned back to where it had come from and for the fraction of a second, a smile could be seen on his lips.
Finally somebody who'd tell him something! "Where is she Teal'c and what the hell happened?"
They were already heading again in the direction where the infirmary was, Teal'c walking beside Jack and leading the way. Jack immediately noticed the large gash on the other man's forehead and the bandages wrapped around his right arm.
"Yesterday, two Tok'ra came through the gate and asked for our help to destroy a Goa'uld Naquada-mine. General Hammond sent SG1 and SG2 with them for support, but we walked into an ambush..."
"What! I'll kill those pesky snake-heads!" "Unfortunately the Tok'ra operatives were killed on the planet O'Neill. They were actually the first to die in the fire fight."
Somehow, the news didn't satisfy Jack's inner tumult. The wish to beat the crap outta them was very strong and Jack swore, would he ever see one of them again (well, except for Jacob of course), he'd...
"Jack! God bless you're here."
Daniel had barely walked out of the infirmary when he'd run into the three men.
His face was covered in bruises and his left leg was plastered up to his thigh. He was leaning heavily on crutches for support.
A voice inside his mind screamed and Jack's fists clenched tightly together, knuckles turning white from the strain.
"Daniel, where is Sam... and I won't ask this question again!" "She's still in surgery Jack, but one of the nurses said that Janet could come out any minute now."
Good, that was good news... if Jack kept on repeating that, he could actually believe that they were indeed 'good' news. Which it wasn't...
"Jack."
If anybody (apart from Sam) called him by his name in the next ten minutes, he swore he'd start screaming and cursing some very not-to-hear-if-under-age swearwords!
"Jack...",'Argh',"... good to see you son. Though I've hoped for better circumstances.
" Jack smiled with false bravery and shook hands with his former CO.
"General, good to see ya too."
"Did they fill you in?"
Jack turned back to where Daniel and Teal'c were still standing, waiting patiently for the best moment to continue... and in Daniel's opinion the two expecting pairs of eyes were 'the' right sign to do so.
"Apparently the Goa'uld got their information from the inhabitants and knew when we were supposed to gate to their planet... they waited until we had reached the forest some hundred meter away from the stargate when they started to attack us."
"Colonel Carter was in charge and ordered the teams back to the gate, but Daniel Jackson and Major Wei had already been wounded."
Jack averted his eyes from Teal'c and watched as Daniel lowered his gaze, shaking his head as if he couldn't believe something.
"I fell, Jack, and Sam supported me, while still covering SG2's backs. We had nearly reached the gate when she stopped walking and swore... but I didn't know what had happened and when she started dragging me back to the gate again, I didn't even ask her whether she was alright...I'm so sorry Jack, I should have..."
A hand appeared on Daniel's shoulder and as he looked up he saw Jack smiling tightly down at him. "Let me tell ya something, Sam is one hell of a stubborn soldier... she would have carried ya through the gate even if they had amputated her legs."
Daniel smiled at that and nodded his head in obvious agreement. Glad that he'd been able to dispel Daniel's feelings of guilt, Jack squeezed the other man's shoulder reassuringly. It sure as hell wasn't Daniel's or Teal'c's fault... speaking of 'fault'... he so hoped to get his hands on the Tok'ra who had been responsible for this whole mess.
"Sir..."
"Doctor Fraiser, how's Colonel Carter doing?"
Jack had moved before anybody else and had positioned himself between Janet's body and the three men standing behind him. He would be the first to get the news... no matter how disrespectful that was towards Hammond!
"She's going to be alright General... we have been able to extract some kind of bullet out of her abdomen. It had penetrated her body on her right side at her liver's high. We found it where it had exited the liver and had stopped short from entering a kidney."
Janet could see the colour leaving Jack's face and explained hastily, that Sam was going to make a full recovery, though that could take some time due to the blood loss and the internal injuries, she and her team had been able to fix during the emergency surgery.
"Can I see her, Doc ?"
One look into the man's eyes showed her the desperation and concern. She smiled gently and led him into the ICU of the infirmary complex.
Jack swallowed the lump in his throat when he saw her lying motionless in one of the beds occupying the room. Monitors and IV's were hooked up to her and her skin was white like the sheet covering her body.
Silently Jack sat down in the chair that was beside her bed and took her hand carefully in his, stroking the pale flesh underneath his fingers tenderly.
"Hey, Sam... it's me, Jack. Janet said you're going to make it and I hope you heard her too, 'cause our wedding is in five days and I'm so not thinking about calling the whole thing off." His friends watched him, not daring to disturb this moment.
Jack found himself in a situation he had dreaded for so long. A situation he'd prayed to never be forced to experience for the rest of his life.
Here she was, injured and fighting against death and he could do nothing but hold her hand and hope. He knew it had to happen one day, he wasn't blind. Jack had seen and faced the dangers of the universe more than he could count and had had his own fair share of close encounters with death, too.
But during the time, when he'd been the leader of the SGC's flagship team, he had always had the chance to sacrifice himself for his team and earth. That had been his job... fighting and maybe dying for what he was supposed to do out there.
Now he couldn't protect them... her anymore. And while he was sitting in that uncomfortable plastic chair, he suddenly realized it for the first time.
She was on her own out there and there was nothing he could do from his cozy house to help her. His hands tightened their grasp around Sam's and he closed his eyes for a moment to get his emotions back under control.
"Um, Jack... your clothes are wet."
"Well, that is supposed to happen when you havn't had the chance to dry off after a shower, Daniel."
Now that Danny-boy had mentioned it... it was actually very uncomfortable in what he was wearing, though he had to admit that a pair of jeans and a shirt wasn't quite enough...
"You don't happen to have something for me to wear while I'm here General?" "I think Doctor Jackson can help you with that one, Jack."
It was the first time that nearly everybody was smiling or grinning since SG1 and 2 had come back from their disastrous mission two hours ago. Jack squeezed Sam's pale hand one last time before standing up and following Daniel to wherever he was leading him.
"Any news from the Tok'ra?"
Jack cringed inwardly at hearing Daniel asking his question. He was still 'very' angry and wouldn't stop fuming until he had taken at least one of them to pieces!
"Unfortunately not. We sent a message through the gate three hours ago, but we guess it's not safe to respond." Jack was facing away from the Lieutenant and Daniel, but nodded nonetheless as if he was taking part in the conversation.
"Any sign she's waking?"
Daniel had hobbled to Jack's side and sat down heavily in another chair, standing at the foot of the bed.
"Nope, but her face got some colour back." "She'll wake up, Jack... this is after all Sam Carter, soon to be O'Neill! The day she's giving up hasn't been written yet."
"She doesn't believe in that whole fate-crap, Daniel." "An even better reason for her to make it."
Jack smiled and leant down to kiss her forehead... when it suddenly moved away from his reach. Wait a sec...
"Sam? Can you hear me?"
She was no longer intubated and moaned slightly.
"My head... hurts."
A huge grin appeared on his face as Jack pressed the call button. His hand started stroking her upper arm and his other hand gripped her moving fingers tightly.
Suddenly, as if she had realized something, her eyes snapped open and seeked out his gaze... "What the hell are you doing here Jack?"
He kissed her on her still pale lips and grinned boyishly down at her. "Good to see you too Sam."
Sam smiled weakly up and closed her eyes briefly. She felt so damn tired, but just couldn't remember why... something popped into her mind and Sam's eyes snapped open, searching frantically the room for something....
"Daniel! How are you...what happened with Teal'c and Wei?" "Whoah, slow down Sam...they're all OK." Jack laid a comforting hand on her upper arm and smiled gently.
Not entirely convinced (Jack was famous for ways of twisting the truth...), Sam watched Daniel's grinning face for a while... appeared to be alright, he still had two eyes, a nose, a full set of lips and teeth and his glasses...though that bruise on his cheek was suspiciously large and not as Sam had remembered it.
"What about your leg?"
"Still there, though Janet said I have to wear the cast for at least five weeks."
He was still grinning and slowly Sam allowed relief to surface. "Sam! Hey Honey, how ya feeling?"
Maybe the relief had to wait until the fear of needles had time to subside... why did Janet have the untamed need to draw blood on every given occasion? "I'm fine... when do you let me outta this bed?"
The needle pierced her skin and Sam hissed slightly... she was a soldier and therefore not allowed to be afraid of them! (Jack was the only one to know for sure that she had a needle-phobia ever since a pediatrician had vaccinated her against Tetanus... it had hurt, a lot!)
"I guess in..." Janet made a show of studying the clipboard in her hands, flipping through pages and reading some test results aloud,"...um, a week."
"What? Jan, you can't be serious! Our wedding is in... what date do we have?" "October the fifth."
"Thank God, I thought I missed my own wedding... Janet, the wedding is in five days and we can't blow the whole thing up! I mean we've invited so many people from earth 'and' off-world!"
"It's alright Sam, we gotta postpone it for as long as you need to recover..." "Jack, I'm going to marry you in five days, even if Teal'c has to wheel me to the altar!"
Silence...
"Unauthorized gate-activity!"
"I so hope somebody with a snake in the head comes through..."
Jack watched as Daniel hobbled out of the infirmary, closely followed by Janet. After he'd made sure that he was alone (well, except for the security cameras) with her, Jack leant down and kissed Sam passionately on her smiling lips.
She was right, he was so going to marry her!
"Sam! What the hell did you do?"
"Actually, it wasn't me doing anything Dad."
Sam grimaced as her father hugged her carefully against his chest. Behind him, Sam could see her friends and her soon-to-be-hubby waiting not so patiently for her Dad to stop playing the concerned father and get over to the task of healing her... especially Jack seemed to practically bounce with tension.
Jack saw her grinning cheekily over her Dad's shoulder and rolled his eyes. That woman didn't have the slightest respect for him... God, he so loved her!
"I'm going to use the healing device on your injuries honey... don't want you to wear an infirmary gown for your big day, now do we?"
Sam shook her head hastily no and lay back, trying to appear as relaxed as possible without looking like dead. Suddenly she felt somebody take her hand and her eyes snapped open, meeting deep brown.
Had she ever mentioned how much she loved that kind of brown? Well, she couldn't say it often enough.
"Jack, I love you."
Jack grinned and gave her a quick kiss.
"Love ya, too honey."
Sam smiled gracefully up at him and from beside her she heard somebody sigh... Janet so needed her own love life! And that ASAP!
A warm feeling spread out from her abdomen to her toes, making them tingle and her breathing evened... the hand twined with hers squeezed her gently and the feeling of warmth and safety was overwhelming.
"We are nearly done Samantha Carter."
She heard her Dad with a dark voice say. Her eyelids felt so heavy, but she kept on fighting exhaustion and willed her eyes to keep on looking into Jack's.
"It's alright Sam, just sleep...I'll wake you up for the wedding." Good... she had witnesses! If Jack O'Neill wouldn't do exactly that, she'd...
"Kill you otherwise..."
With that, Sam's lids dropped close and sleep engulfed her.
FINIS!!!
I know that's not what you may have hoped to find, but the part where they actually marry is already in work!... whispers... it's going to be a celebration of pure shippiness!! Hehehe...
Author's notes:
Sorry folks, but this story isn't what I had intended to write. One night my sis woke up and asked (in the middle of the night!), what Jack's reaction would be in case something happened to Sam while not at home... I couldn't sleep and had to start writing. So you see this whole thing isn't entirely my fault and I hope you like it nonetheless!
Feedback me and let me know whether you want to read the marrying-part! Thanks for beating Susan! You did an excellent job, as always!
"Row, row, row your boat, up and down the stream..." 'What the hell...?'
Jack sighed angrily, when he heard the loud ringing of the doorbell... for the fifth time! Why couldn't the person just accept, that Jack was ignoring him, huh?
Turning off the water, Jack opened the Plexiglass door of the shower cubicle and grabbed the next best towel from the shelf beside the washbasin. He wrapped it around his mid-section and stormed out of the bathroom, swearing under his breath as the air in the corridor made contact with his dripping wet skin.
Again somebody rang the bell.
'Argh!'
"Dammit, I'm coming already!"
The front door came into sight and Jack gave it his best glare. Whatever or better whoever was waiting outside, would have to cope with a fresh-out-of-the-shower-ex-colonel, who was only wearing a maybe way too short towel... and he really, 'really' didn't care whether it was that nice old lady from across the street or a murderer hunting for his newest trophy!
Holding the towel securely in place, Jack turned the doorknob and pulled the door open... "Hey Jack."
Facing the man standing oppsoite him, Jack frowned and inclined his head slightly. "Ferretti...what are you doing here?"
"Jack, we've tried to reach you for the better part of the last two hours and the General finally decided to send somebody to your house to get you." "Well, you see, I've retired and have other things to do than waiting by the phone for one of you guys to call m... wait a sec."
Jack looked over the Major's shoulder, eyeing the two soldier's standing behind Ferretti.
"Is Sam alright?"
"Um... something happened to Major Carter..."
Jack had already turned his back to the three soldiers and was running down the corridor, back to the bathroom. He could hear them entering his house and following him to his destination.
"I can't tell ya everything Jack, but she got injured and the General thought it would be the best to get your ass back to base."
Jack swore soundly and pulled on a pair of jeans he'd found in the laundry basket. He didn't even close the buttons, instead he walked into his bedroom to get a shirt.
"Is it bad?"
He was in the process of pulling the black T-shirt over his head and his voice was muffled.
"I don't know... Jack, I can't give ya any details without the General's consent... you know the procedure."
For a long moment, all Jack could do was stare at the younger man.
His fiance was probably badly hurt and that damn right-to-the-book soldier was talking about 'procedures'! He so loved that day...
"Ferretti, get me to the damn mountain, ASAP!" The young Major nodded sharply and turned,
heading straight to the front door. Jack just took the nearest boots he could find and sprinted down the hallway, following right behind his friend.
As they stepped out of the house, Jack nearly forgot to close the door behind him. His brain was working in overdrive, trying hard to banish the pictures of her dead body lying battered and broken on some damn infirmary bed.
The air outside felt cool against his still damp skin and his wet clothes clung to his body. Right now he didn't care... he wouldn't have noticed a Goa'uld mothership entering earth's atmosphere even if somebody had pointed the thingy out to him.
"Sir."
Not answering, Jack got into the military jeep and fastened the seat belt across his chest. The young Captain immediately started the engine and drove off.
Had that thing always been 'this' slow?
Tapping his boot impatiently on the hard floor of the elevator, Jack watched the numbers of the floors changing in a regular pattern. His hands were jammed into the jeans pockets and he was trying really hard not to shake one of the guys standing around him senseless.
"We're there."
As if he'd not realized that!
The doors opened and Jack practically jumped out of the slow thing... he had to find her! "Jack, this way."
The need to kick Ferretti's ass was nearly overwhelming... Jack 'did' know where the infirmary was and didn't need anybody to play tour guide for him. And he'd thought, that working more than seven years in this facility meant knowing every tiny little passage! Obviously, Ferreti was afraid Jack's old brain had already forgotten where to go...
"O'Neill!"
At hearing the voice of one of his best friends, Jack turned back to where it had come from and for the fraction of a second, a smile could be seen on his lips.
Finally somebody who'd tell him something! "Where is she Teal'c and what the hell happened?"
They were already heading again in the direction where the infirmary was, Teal'c walking beside Jack and leading the way. Jack immediately noticed the large gash on the other man's forehead and the bandages wrapped around his right arm.
"Yesterday, two Tok'ra came through the gate and asked for our help to destroy a Goa'uld Naquada-mine. General Hammond sent SG1 and SG2 with them for support, but we walked into an ambush..."
"What! I'll kill those pesky snake-heads!" "Unfortunately the Tok'ra operatives were killed on the planet O'Neill. They were actually the first to die in the fire fight."
Somehow, the news didn't satisfy Jack's inner tumult. The wish to beat the crap outta them was very strong and Jack swore, would he ever see one of them again (well, except for Jacob of course), he'd...
"Jack! God bless you're here."
Daniel had barely walked out of the infirmary when he'd run into the three men.
His face was covered in bruises and his left leg was plastered up to his thigh. He was leaning heavily on crutches for support.
A voice inside his mind screamed and Jack's fists clenched tightly together, knuckles turning white from the strain.
"Daniel, where is Sam... and I won't ask this question again!" "She's still in surgery Jack, but one of the nurses said that Janet could come out any minute now."
Good, that was good news... if Jack kept on repeating that, he could actually believe that they were indeed 'good' news. Which it wasn't...
"Jack."
If anybody (apart from Sam) called him by his name in the next ten minutes, he swore he'd start screaming and cursing some very not-to-hear-if-under-age swearwords!
"Jack...",'Argh',"... good to see you son. Though I've hoped for better circumstances.
" Jack smiled with false bravery and shook hands with his former CO.
"General, good to see ya too."
"Did they fill you in?"
Jack turned back to where Daniel and Teal'c were still standing, waiting patiently for the best moment to continue... and in Daniel's opinion the two expecting pairs of eyes were 'the' right sign to do so.
"Apparently the Goa'uld got their information from the inhabitants and knew when we were supposed to gate to their planet... they waited until we had reached the forest some hundred meter away from the stargate when they started to attack us."
"Colonel Carter was in charge and ordered the teams back to the gate, but Daniel Jackson and Major Wei had already been wounded."
Jack averted his eyes from Teal'c and watched as Daniel lowered his gaze, shaking his head as if he couldn't believe something.
"I fell, Jack, and Sam supported me, while still covering SG2's backs. We had nearly reached the gate when she stopped walking and swore... but I didn't know what had happened and when she started dragging me back to the gate again, I didn't even ask her whether she was alright...I'm so sorry Jack, I should have..."
A hand appeared on Daniel's shoulder and as he looked up he saw Jack smiling tightly down at him. "Let me tell ya something, Sam is one hell of a stubborn soldier... she would have carried ya through the gate even if they had amputated her legs."
Daniel smiled at that and nodded his head in obvious agreement. Glad that he'd been able to dispel Daniel's feelings of guilt, Jack squeezed the other man's shoulder reassuringly. It sure as hell wasn't Daniel's or Teal'c's fault... speaking of 'fault'... he so hoped to get his hands on the Tok'ra who had been responsible for this whole mess.
"Sir..."
"Doctor Fraiser, how's Colonel Carter doing?"
Jack had moved before anybody else and had positioned himself between Janet's body and the three men standing behind him. He would be the first to get the news... no matter how disrespectful that was towards Hammond!
"She's going to be alright General... we have been able to extract some kind of bullet out of her abdomen. It had penetrated her body on her right side at her liver's high. We found it where it had exited the liver and had stopped short from entering a kidney."
Janet could see the colour leaving Jack's face and explained hastily, that Sam was going to make a full recovery, though that could take some time due to the blood loss and the internal injuries, she and her team had been able to fix during the emergency surgery.
"Can I see her, Doc ?"
One look into the man's eyes showed her the desperation and concern. She smiled gently and led him into the ICU of the infirmary complex.
Jack swallowed the lump in his throat when he saw her lying motionless in one of the beds occupying the room. Monitors and IV's were hooked up to her and her skin was white like the sheet covering her body.
Silently Jack sat down in the chair that was beside her bed and took her hand carefully in his, stroking the pale flesh underneath his fingers tenderly.
"Hey, Sam... it's me, Jack. Janet said you're going to make it and I hope you heard her too, 'cause our wedding is in five days and I'm so not thinking about calling the whole thing off." His friends watched him, not daring to disturb this moment.
Jack found himself in a situation he had dreaded for so long. A situation he'd prayed to never be forced to experience for the rest of his life.
Here she was, injured and fighting against death and he could do nothing but hold her hand and hope. He knew it had to happen one day, he wasn't blind. Jack had seen and faced the dangers of the universe more than he could count and had had his own fair share of close encounters with death, too.
But during the time, when he'd been the leader of the SGC's flagship team, he had always had the chance to sacrifice himself for his team and earth. That had been his job... fighting and maybe dying for what he was supposed to do out there.
Now he couldn't protect them... her anymore. And while he was sitting in that uncomfortable plastic chair, he suddenly realized it for the first time.
She was on her own out there and there was nothing he could do from his cozy house to help her. His hands tightened their grasp around Sam's and he closed his eyes for a moment to get his emotions back under control.
"Um, Jack... your clothes are wet."
"Well, that is supposed to happen when you havn't had the chance to dry off after a shower, Daniel."
Now that Danny-boy had mentioned it... it was actually very uncomfortable in what he was wearing, though he had to admit that a pair of jeans and a shirt wasn't quite enough...
"You don't happen to have something for me to wear while I'm here General?" "I think Doctor Jackson can help you with that one, Jack."
It was the first time that nearly everybody was smiling or grinning since SG1 and 2 had come back from their disastrous mission two hours ago. Jack squeezed Sam's pale hand one last time before standing up and following Daniel to wherever he was leading him.
"Any news from the Tok'ra?"
Jack cringed inwardly at hearing Daniel asking his question. He was still 'very' angry and wouldn't stop fuming until he had taken at least one of them to pieces!
"Unfortunately not. We sent a message through the gate three hours ago, but we guess it's not safe to respond." Jack was facing away from the Lieutenant and Daniel, but nodded nonetheless as if he was taking part in the conversation.
"Any sign she's waking?"
Daniel had hobbled to Jack's side and sat down heavily in another chair, standing at the foot of the bed.
"Nope, but her face got some colour back." "She'll wake up, Jack... this is after all Sam Carter, soon to be O'Neill! The day she's giving up hasn't been written yet."
"She doesn't believe in that whole fate-crap, Daniel." "An even better reason for her to make it."
Jack smiled and leant down to kiss her forehead... when it suddenly moved away from his reach. Wait a sec...
"Sam? Can you hear me?"
She was no longer intubated and moaned slightly.
"My head... hurts."
A huge grin appeared on his face as Jack pressed the call button. His hand started stroking her upper arm and his other hand gripped her moving fingers tightly.
Suddenly, as if she had realized something, her eyes snapped open and seeked out his gaze... "What the hell are you doing here Jack?"
He kissed her on her still pale lips and grinned boyishly down at her. "Good to see you too Sam."
Sam smiled weakly up and closed her eyes briefly. She felt so damn tired, but just couldn't remember why... something popped into her mind and Sam's eyes snapped open, searching frantically the room for something....
"Daniel! How are you...what happened with Teal'c and Wei?" "Whoah, slow down Sam...they're all OK." Jack laid a comforting hand on her upper arm and smiled gently.
Not entirely convinced (Jack was famous for ways of twisting the truth...), Sam watched Daniel's grinning face for a while... appeared to be alright, he still had two eyes, a nose, a full set of lips and teeth and his glasses...though that bruise on his cheek was suspiciously large and not as Sam had remembered it.
"What about your leg?"
"Still there, though Janet said I have to wear the cast for at least five weeks."
He was still grinning and slowly Sam allowed relief to surface. "Sam! Hey Honey, how ya feeling?"
Maybe the relief had to wait until the fear of needles had time to subside... why did Janet have the untamed need to draw blood on every given occasion? "I'm fine... when do you let me outta this bed?"
The needle pierced her skin and Sam hissed slightly... she was a soldier and therefore not allowed to be afraid of them! (Jack was the only one to know for sure that she had a needle-phobia ever since a pediatrician had vaccinated her against Tetanus... it had hurt, a lot!)
"I guess in..." Janet made a show of studying the clipboard in her hands, flipping through pages and reading some test results aloud,"...um, a week."
"What? Jan, you can't be serious! Our wedding is in... what date do we have?" "October the fifth."
"Thank God, I thought I missed my own wedding... Janet, the wedding is in five days and we can't blow the whole thing up! I mean we've invited so many people from earth 'and' off-world!"
"It's alright Sam, we gotta postpone it for as long as you need to recover..." "Jack, I'm going to marry you in five days, even if Teal'c has to wheel me to the altar!"
Silence...
"Unauthorized gate-activity!"
"I so hope somebody with a snake in the head comes through..."
Jack watched as Daniel hobbled out of the infirmary, closely followed by Janet. After he'd made sure that he was alone (well, except for the security cameras) with her, Jack leant down and kissed Sam passionately on her smiling lips.
She was right, he was so going to marry her!
"Sam! What the hell did you do?"
"Actually, it wasn't me doing anything Dad."
Sam grimaced as her father hugged her carefully against his chest. Behind him, Sam could see her friends and her soon-to-be-hubby waiting not so patiently for her Dad to stop playing the concerned father and get over to the task of healing her... especially Jack seemed to practically bounce with tension.
Jack saw her grinning cheekily over her Dad's shoulder and rolled his eyes. That woman didn't have the slightest respect for him... God, he so loved her!
"I'm going to use the healing device on your injuries honey... don't want you to wear an infirmary gown for your big day, now do we?"
Sam shook her head hastily no and lay back, trying to appear as relaxed as possible without looking like dead. Suddenly she felt somebody take her hand and her eyes snapped open, meeting deep brown.
Had she ever mentioned how much she loved that kind of brown? Well, she couldn't say it often enough.
"Jack, I love you."
Jack grinned and gave her a quick kiss.
"Love ya, too honey."
Sam smiled gracefully up at him and from beside her she heard somebody sigh... Janet so needed her own love life! And that ASAP!
A warm feeling spread out from her abdomen to her toes, making them tingle and her breathing evened... the hand twined with hers squeezed her gently and the feeling of warmth and safety was overwhelming.
"We are nearly done Samantha Carter."
She heard her Dad with a dark voice say. Her eyelids felt so heavy, but she kept on fighting exhaustion and willed her eyes to keep on looking into Jack's.
"It's alright Sam, just sleep...I'll wake you up for the wedding." Good... she had witnesses! If Jack O'Neill wouldn't do exactly that, she'd...
"Kill you otherwise..."
With that, Sam's lids dropped close and sleep engulfed her.
FINIS!!!
I know that's not what you may have hoped to find, but the part where they actually marry is already in work!... whispers... it's going to be a celebration of pure shippiness!! Hehehe...