14/?
Three hours after Daniel applied the salve to Jack's eyes, Sam found herself crawling into the bed next to Jack. He was still sleeping soundly and it had been a long day for Sam. She could have gotten in another bed, or gone back to her base quarters, but she wanted to be there when Jack woke up. Really, she wanted to be the first person he saw. If the medicine worked. She prayed silently that the medicine would bring back his sight before closing his eyes and falling asleep.
Scared to open his eyes, Jack lay awake in his bed for a few moments. He moved his arm that was numb even though he hadn't been laying on it. He felt something heavy laying on it and for a moment fear hit him. If the salve didn't work, then he wouldn't be able to see what was stopping him from moving his arm. Not one to succumb to fear's, Jack slowly opened his eyes. Everything was a haze, and the room was dark, so he wasn't sure if he could see or not. Gently turning his head towards his immobile arm -- his head was pounding -- Jack blinked at what he saw. A blurry, very blurry, woman was sleeping next to him. A few more blinks and he knew who it was. Sam.
He knew he should make it known that he was awake, and that he could see, albeit blurry or not, but right now the biggest miracle was that he was holding Sam. He squeezed her gently, bringing her closer to him. She cuddled against him and turned to snuggle his chest. The movement must have woken her up because after a few moments she opened her eyes and looked up at him.
"Good morning." He whispered, having no idea what time it was.
"You can see." She said quietly.
He wanted to tell her that even if he remained blind for the rest of his life, he'd still be able to see her. Instead, he smiled at her, squeezed her tightly for a moment, then made the motion to get out of bed. As he tried to sit up his head began to pound and he slumped back on the bed. He closed his eyes to try to slow the pounding down. "Got a headache." He told Sam before she could ask what was wrong.
Sam didn't have any intentions of getting up yet. When Jack had opened his eyes again and stared at her, she felt her heart begin to beat. "Let's lay here for a while."
As good as it felt to have her in his arms, he knew it wasn't a good idea. "Sam…"
"Jack, I love you." She whispered against his shoulder.
Jack closed his eyes and let those words sink in. "What about Pete?"
That wasn't what she expected to hear. "I loved him too." There was silence and she was about to say something else when Daniel walked in.
"You're awake." He smiled down at Jack. Sam got out of the bed pretty quickly, thankful that Daniel had enough tact not to mention them sleeping next to each other. "Can you see me?"
"Yeah." Daniel broke out into a wide grin that Jack couldn't help but return. "Thanks Daniel."
"You'd have done the same for me Jack." Daniel sat down on a nearby chair. Sam excused herself to get some sleep, leaving Jack and Daniel alone. Well, almost. They heard some whining from the other side of the bed on the floor. "Jack, this is Rooster." Daniel tapped the bed and Rooster jumped up on it, wagging his tail and licking Jack's face.
Jack laughed and hugged the dog to him, petting him continuously. "You're even more good looking now that I can see you." He said, enjoying the attention Rooster was giving him. "You've been a good boy Roo." Jack said as the dog settled down in the spot Sam had vacated.
Moments later the room was filled with guests. Janet demanded that Jack see an ophthalmologist the next morning, then ushered everyone out a half-hour later. Jack was left to sleep with Rooster by his side for the night.
