When All Else Fails

Chapter Twenty Seven

Disclaimer: Nope... the show isn't my idea, nor are the regular characters that appear on the show. The others that you've never heard of before my story (such as Fehr and Bridges) are my property, however.

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Since Doctor Brightman had given her sedatives Sam remained asleep during the time she received her stitches, as well as many hours after that. When she did finally wake up, however, he was still sitting by her side, his elbows resting on his thighs, and his face hidden in his hands. At first she thought that he was asleep, but when she shifted in her bed he looked up at her, his eyes dark and heavy with lack of sleep.

"Afternoon," he greeted, his voice thick and strained.

Her eyes darted around the room, falling on the clock above the door to the infirmary. Sure enough it was already after 1300 hours, "How long..." her throat burned, causing her to cut her sentence short. He noticed, smiled lightly, and reached for the glass of water that was waiting for her on the table beside her bed. Sam's eyes followed his hand, landing on the water, and she, too, smiled faintly.

"All night," he replied, handing her the glass of water. "You asked me not to leave, so I didn't."

Sam took a long drink of the water, sighing as the cool liquid made contact with her dry throat, then handed the glass back to him. He took it and put it back in its rightful place, then turned back to her. "How do you feel?" he questioned, brushing a hand across her forehead, moving the stubborn locks of hair that had been lying in her eyes, hiding them from him.

"Arm hurts," she mumbled in reply.

He nodded, reaching out and taking her hand into his. "Have I ever told you how much I love you?"

She blushed a brilliant red, then smiled, "Yeah, but don't let that stop you from saying it again."

Jack couldn't help but grin, and lean forward, catching her lips with his for a brief moment. "More than you could ever know," he told her.

Giving his hand a squeeze she grinned, "Oh, I think I have an idea."

He shook his head, "Nah. I don't think so." he leaned forward and kissed her again.

Deciding that there was no way she could win at the game he was playing she changed the subject, "Did you have the debriefing?"

"We did," he said with a nod. "Didn't get too much accomplished, since you and Fehr are both still locked up in the Infirmary and you two played the more important roles in the mission, but I got the basics. The rest can wait for your report, and his."

"What about Doctor Craig?"

"He was given a clean bill of health from Brightman. The sarcophagus did it's job."

That was certainly good news. "Has he been told yet?"

"No," Jack replied, shaking his head. "I'm still deciding whether or not he needs to know."

"What does he think happened, then?"

"Doctor Brightman simply told him that he was beaten to the point of unconsciousness, then we found him and brought him to the sarcophagus to be healed. He seems to believe it, which I don't see why he has to know that he died. It would only end up causing him paranoia every time he stepped through the 'Gate."

Which was something that Sam didn't doubt at all. She knew what it was like to be brought back with the healing powers of the Goa'uld device, and it wasn't fun. It only caused the injured person to be weary of themselves, as well as those around them. And, self doubt and being a member of a SG team didn't exactly go together.

"Maybe you're right..."

Jack recoiled in shock, "Wow. Could you say that again?"

She laughed and reached out to touch his cheek, "You were right, Jack."

A wide grin spread across his face, "Again?"

Her eyebrow crept up her forehead in true Teal'c fashion, and she shook her head. "I don't want you getting a bigger ego than you already have there, General."

He pretended to pout for a moment, before leaning over and kissing her yet again. "Are you hungry? I'm starved."

Well, she wasn't really hungry, but she could eat something. Sure. "Yeah... why don't you go get something for us, then bring it back here? Since it looks like I'll be in here for at least another day."

"Sounds good to me." That had been his original plan, anyway. "I'll be back in a few minutes." he told her as he got up from his seat on the side of the bed and headed towards the door.

"Take your time," she called after him, as she signaled for a nurse, who came over with an understanding look and helped her out of bed. "I think I'm going to shower."

He waved at her over his shoulder to let her know he heard and would comply, then walked out the door.

To Danny's office it was.

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The metal door slid open with a familiar hiss, causing Daniel to look over his shoulder in the general direction of the entrance to the room. When he saw that it was Jack standing in the middle of the doorway he set his rubbings down on his desk and reached for his fresh cup of coffee, taking a long sip of it. "Something I can help you with, Jack?" he asked, setting the mug back down, on top of one of his various language books.

His friend nodded, stepping into the room and taking a good look around. "Did you do something to the place?" he questioned, his eyes darting from bookcase to bookcase to fishtank. Something definitely looked different.

Daniel allowed his own eyes to dart around the room, yeah, he had changed it, almost a year prior. "No, Jack... it's the same as it's always been."

"Huh," Jack replied, taking one last look around. "I could have sworn..."

"Jack," Daniel interrupted. "As much as I enjoy the company, I was kind of in the middle of something."

"Oh," his friend said in realization. "Sorry..."

Sure he was. "Did you have something to ask me... or what?"

Jack slid his hands across his jean clad thighs, boy did it feel hot all of a sudden? "Just wanted to finish our conversation from yesterday..."

"Ah," the archeologist finally got it. "Well, now that you mention it, I can spare a few minutes. Why don't you sit down."

And he did just that, taking the chair directly in front of Daniel's desk and bringing it around the side so he could set face to face with his friend. "I want to ask, but I think it's too soon. And, I'd have no clue what to say..." he looked down at his hands, picking at the dirt under his fingernails. "It's different, ya know? With Sarah I wasn't nervous when I asked, I just looked her straight in the face and told her I loved her and wanted her to be my wife, then asked her to marry me. That doesn't seem like enough for Sam... she deserves something spectacular, something amazing. You know, the kind of thing that she'll still be telling our grandchildren about when she's old and gray."

Daniel smiled at his friend warmly, "Trust me, Jack... it's not going to matter what you say, just that you're asking. She loves you, she'll say yes no matter how you word it."

He sighed in response, rubbing his temples in an attempt to sooth his growing headache. "How long do you think I should wait?" he asked. "One month... two? Longer?"

"I don't know what to say to you, Jack," Daniel told him truthfully. "This is something new to me, I didn't ask Sha're to marry me... When you think it's the right time, ask. I can't tell you when that is, though."

A groan escaped his lips, "Yeah... I know."

"Do me a favor, though," Daniel asked, causing Jack to look up at him with a questioning look. "Don't be so nervous, alright? Women can sense things like that. It's in there genes or something."

Jack nodded, standing up from the chair and putting it back where he found it. "I've gotta go get her something to eat, before she starts to wonder where I ran off to."

"Let me know how things turn out," he asked, "when you actually figure it out."

With a sigh he waved goodbye to his friend, swiping his card, and waiting for the door to open. The metal sliding against medal hissed and moaned and Jack made a mental note to have somebody check all the doors on the base. When was the last time something like that happened, anyway? Whenever it was, it hadn't been anytime soon, and Daniel's door proved that.

Mulling over what he and his friend had discussed he made his way to the elevator and slid his key card over the reader, then waited as the doors spread open. The elevator was empty, much to his thanks, and he stepped inside with a audible sigh that nobody was around to hear. Pressing the button for level 24 he stood back, leaning against the metal bar, and waited.

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Sam's hair was still damp when she was helped back into her bed, she hadn't felt up to standing around for it to be dried so the nurse had simply toweled it. It was short, anyway, it wouldn't be long until it was dry. She glanced at the clock above the door, noting that it was already after 1400, and Jack was still not in the room. Knowing him he had stopped by to see Teal'c or Daniel.

When she looked around the room she was surprised to see that Lieutenant Fehr had been moved from his bed at the end of the row to the bed directly next to hers, and that he was sleeping soundly. Frowning to herself she wondered what he was still doing in the infirmary, when it had been two days since he had returned from 785, or so Jack had told her. She looked around the room and singled for the same nurse who had helped her shower.

"What's wrong with him?" she questioned.

The nurse glanced over at the Lieutenant, "He got a pretty bad gash on his leg, had to get it stitched up. He could have been out today, on crutches, but he kept defying Doctor Brightman's orders and getting out of bed. It didn't cause his leg any trauma, but Doctor Brightman was pretty sore about it, so she's keeping him until tomorrow morning."

Sam smiled, "How old is he? 27?"

Nurse Rivers shook her head, "25."

"Wow," she replied, a bit surprised. "He's a bit young to be a 1st Lieutenant."

Rivers' grinned, "Has General O'Neill not told you? He's been bumped up to Captain."

She looked over at him once more, "Huh... I hadn't heard."

Nurse Rivers was about to reply when a gasp from the door caught both hers and Sam's attention, and she turned towards the noise. Cassandra Fraiser stood in the doorway, a worried expression on her face.

"Cassie," Sam greeted, waving her over. "Don't be so loud, huh? Some people are tying to sleep."

The younger woman glanced around the room, her eyes falling on the sleeping Lieutenant, who happened to be the only other patient there. "Sorry..."

"Just don't do it again," she told her, as Cassie pulled up a chair beside her bed.

"How does your shoulder feel?" she questioned.

"I'm fine," Sam assured her. "I've been hurt worse."

Jack walked through the door, carrying a tray off food. He looked at Cassie and smiled, "You're in my seat, youngin."

She rolled her eyes, but got out of the seat all the same. Instead of finding another chair to sit in she went to the foot of Sam's infirmary bed. "How are you, Jack?"

He shrugged, "I'm fine..."

Cassie gave him an incredulous look. She knew Jack O'Neill, and he certainly wasn't fine. Maybe he wasn't hurt, but something was definitely bothering him. When she turned to Sam she noticed that her friend saw it, too.

Nurse Rivers said goodbye to Sam and walked to the bed on their right and gently shook Fehr's shoulder. "Lieutenant," she called out softly. "You sleep any longer and you're going to miss lunch."

If that didn't wake him up she didn't know what would. Thankfully, her theories about men were correct and at the mention of food he left his sleeping state and opened his eyes, blinking back his tiredness. "Hmm?"

"It's after fourteen hundred hours, Lieutenant."

Matt lifted his head, looking around the room. "Really?"

Rivers nodded, why would she lie about something like that. "What would you like for lunch?"

Apparently he was still under the influence of pain killers. "Lunch?"

Jack decided to answer for the Lieutenant, "Just get him what we have."

The nurse glanced at his tray and nodded, "I'll be right back."

Fehr turned to the General, "Just what am I getting for lunch, sir?"

"Lemon chicken and macaroni and cheese."

"No desert?"

Sam reached for a familiar blue, wiggly snack. "Jell-O."

"Red?"

Jack shrugged, "Depends on Nurse Rivers."

The Lieutenant frowned, but since there was nothing he could do about it accepted whatever she would bring him. "How are you feeling, Colonel?"

Sam sighed in frustration, "I'm fine, Captain."

"Captain?" Cassie asked, speaking up for the first time. "Jack called him Lieutenant."

"I am a Lieutenant," Fehr explained, "I'm being promoted to Captain... sometime."

"Oh," she replied, looking over at Sam, realizing that the woman had changed the subject without anybody else knowing it. "That was dirty," she said with a grin.

Sam shrugged, "I do what I can."

Cassie shook her head, turning to the Lieutenant. "I'm Cassie."

"Doctor Fraiser's daughter," he replied. "I know. Your mother was a wonderful woman."

Cassie smiled at the compliment towards her mother, "Thank you."

He nodded, "So, are you going to be a doctor?"

Jack answered for her, "Yes, she is. Janet left her the big needles."

Fehr's face twisted, "Ouch." He had been on the receiving end of Janet Fraiser's needs a few times. It wasn't a fun place to be. Then again, he was beginning to think the same thing about Doctor Brightman.

Before anybody could continue the conversation Nurse Rivers came back into the room and handed Fehr his tray, and the younger man took it happily. He was hungry.

Sam and Jack began eating to, leaving Cassie to sit on the end of the bed and watch them.

"This is just so interesting..." she mused, laying her hand on the covers over Sam's foot.

"Do you want something?" Sam asked her.

"Nah," she replied. "I hate before I came."

"So," Jack asked. "How's Dominic?"

Cassie frowned, looking down at Sam's feet once more. "Fine... I guess."

"What's wrong?" Sam asked, sensing the uncertainty in the younger woman's voice.

"We got into an argument..."

"What about?" This was from Jack.

"I want kids and he doesn't," she shrugged, "and apparently he isn't open to changes."

Jack scowled, he hadn't really liked the guy in the first place. "So... what are you going to do about this?"

She shook her head, "I don't know. We had a long discussion about it the other day and he just does not want to be a father, no matter what. There's no way I'm not going to have kids, so..."

Sam reached out and took her friends hand into her own, "Are you two calling off the wedding?"

"I think so," she replied. "I can't marry somebody who doesn't want kids, Sam. If we can't even decided on whether or not to have children, then maybe we weren't as right for each other as I thought we were. I don't know... it's complicated."

"Did he say why he didn't want to have kids?" Jack questioned. For the life of him he couldn't understand not wanting to have children, but that was just because he had already had one, and was secretly hoping for at least two more. "Or did he just throw it out there and then end the conversation."

"The second sounds about right," Cassie said with a snort. "I gave him the ring back," she held up her hand to show them, "I told him that I needed to think about whether or not I really wanted to spend the rest of my life with him, and only him. Not with him and a bunch of little ones running around."

"Well," Sam said, letting go of Cassie's hand. "I think you did the right thing. If he doesn't want kids, and you do, then he's not the one for you."

Cassie sighed, looking around the room, remembering when she was younger and would follow her mother around the Infirmary like a scared puppy. She wanted that. To have somebody depend on her so much that just being close soothed their fears, she wanted a relationship like she and her mother had. There was no way she was going to go through life without it. She felt tears brimming behind her eyes and blinked a few times, holding them back. There was no way she would cry over a guy, there was no point. It was over.

"I hope your right."

Matthew Fehr had been listening to the entire conversation- because was there really anything else for him to do?- and had pretty much decided that this guy Dominic sounded like a jerk. Not only that, but he had one hell of a girly name.

"Well," he said, adding his opinion into the conversation. "I don't know about this guy, but he'd have to be an idiot to let you go."

Cassie's cheeks flushed a bright red and she turned to Sam once again, who winked at her. Fehr was very good looking, when his face wasn't bruised (as it was at that moment), and even with the bruises he was still very appealing to the eye. Cassie, feeling a swell of courage she looked over at the Lieutenant again, "Thank you. That was a really nice thing to say."

Jack huffed silently, so that only she would hear, and Cassie held back a laugh. According to him, nobody was good enough for Cassie, and nobody ever would be.

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A/N: See, I played around with the idea a bit, and maybe I will some more... I really didn't have her fiancé as a developed character anyway, so I don't care to let him go. And, whew, is this a long chapter! Anyway... let me know what you think about it.