Jack was having the best dream. He was lying on a tropical beach enjoying a cold beer when a certain blonde came out of the water, naked and dripping wet. "Come inside," she said seductively, "the hockey game is about to start."
He woke up smiling, but groggy. Peeking through one half-open eye, Jack realized where he was. Again. He spent way too much time here.
With effort, he pried open both eyelids. Seeing the girl brought everything back. Carter, he thought, his adrenaline starting to rush. He tried to sit up, but the girl gently pressed him down. She directed his gaze with her eyes. Sam was a few feet away.
Jack released the breath he hadn't realized he was holding. How many times would he have to face this fear, the fear of having lost her? He didn't want to believe that life was a string of cruel jokes, but he'd never been given any reason to think differently. Here was the one woman he felt he couldn't breathe without, yet he couldn't have her. Here was the one person he never wanted to see hurt, but he could do nothing about it, not without asking her to become someone other than the woman he loved.
O'Neill didn't register that the girl had been holding his hand until she let go. He watched as she walked over to Sam and took her hand. She softly brushed Sam's hair away from her face, stroked her cheek, bent to kiss her temple. It struck him as odd, but somehow comforting. He allowed his heavy eyes to close and sleep overtook him.
Ushering Ana'lyss to one side, Janet looked over Sam's chart. Her vitals were strong, there were no signs of infection. "How do you feel?" she asked.
"Like death warmed over," Sam replied, her voice low and throaty from the combination of drugs and pain.
"You're recovering nicely, Sam. I think your enjoyment of our hospitality will be short-lived this time - relatively," Janet informed her friend with a warm smile.
Sam glanced over at O'Neill. She knew it must have been a minimum of twenty-four hours since their return, and though she'd been restlessly in and out of sleep they had yet to be awake at the same time. "How's the Colonel?" Sam asked.
Janet looked at her with too much sympathy, too much understanding. Sam felt the blush rise to her cheeks, but she kept her gaze steady. "He's fine," Janet answered.
"Can you define the word fine, Doc," Jack grumbled drowsily, "because I feel like hell."
"Fine, Colonel. It means you'll soon be back driving SG1 crazy, rather than me and my staff," Doctor Frasier replied wryly. Turning to Sam, she added, "I'll be back to check on you later. If it won't bother you, I'm going to leave Ana'lyss here with you until Daniel comes to get her."
"Sure, fine," Sam replied, mildly confused but always willing to help.
"She will want to hold your hand," Janet explained. Sam lifted her hand slightly to Ana'lyss, who took it and patted it gently. The doctor slipped quietly from the room.
O'Neill propped himself up on his elbows to better glare at Sam. "So, Carter," he began, sounding more alert. "Thanks for landing us in here..."
"I'm sorry, Sir," Carter said ruefully.
"No, seriously. You took it upon yourself to create some excitement in our otherwise drab lives. In addition to feeding my devout love of the medical profession, this little incident brings my scar count up to a nice round number."
Carter stared back at him with sad bemusement. Jack grimaced at her then dropped back to the bed. "What am I going to do with you, Carter?"
"I won't argue with any action you choose to take, Sir," Carter replied earnestly.
Jack looked at her sharply, then turned away. "That's easy to say when you know damn well I won't do a thing," he muttered.
Sam held back a smile. She couldn't help the little thrill it gave her to know she had some power over him. Very few people could make that claim. It made him all the more attractive that he didn't mind her knowing it. She simply answered, "Thank you, Sir."
Ana'lyss leaned over Sam, looking at her expectantly. Sam looked back, with no idea for what she might be waiting. Ana'lyss let Sam's hand slip from her grasp as she strode purposefully to O'Neill's bedside. In one quick motion, she straddled his hips and crushed her lips against his.
It took a lot to stun a man like Jack, but that did it. His thunderstruck brain ceased to function. Ana'lyss ran her hands from his shoulders to his chest, grinding her hips against his.
Carter, momentarily stunned as well, found her voice. "Ana'lyss! Sir!" she snapped, bringing Jack back to his senses. He began to push Ana'lyss up by her shoulders. She pressed down, using her full strength to fight against tearing her lips from his. Though he won out, she left him gasping for breath.
Ana'lyss slipped lithely off the bed. She grasped Jack's arm and smiled at him serenely, just as Daniel arrived.
"Jack, Sam," Daniel said pleasantly, "It's nice to find you both awake." Noting the tension in the room, he added, "Something wrong?"
"Nothing," Jack said quickly. "You're here for her?" he asked, nodding towards Ana'lyss.
"Yes," Daniel answered, reaching for her hand. "She can't be alone, so we are taking shifts. It's a long story; I'll explain when I come back later. For now, we're off to work on a way to communicate."
Sam was trying not to jump to conclusions about the girl, with whom she was presently not very pleased. Finding a vent for her irritation in the girl's skintight black vinyl attire, she asked Daniel, "Do you think you can find her something more appropriate to wear?"
Daniel glanced briefly at Ana'lyss, then quickly averted his gaze. Sam noticed with curiosity that Ana'lyss covered her own eyes. "I suppose they are a bit...revealing," Daniel replied, "I'll see what I can do."
Jack waited until Daniel and the girl were out of earshot. "What the hell was that about?"
"I was about to ask you the same thing," Sam said tersely.