Three hours and nineteen minutes later Sam began to stir. Jack felt her index finger, wrapped firmly in his hand, flex first. He could tell she was testing her body while trying to still look asleep. He was proud of her attempt to fool potential captors into thinking she was asleep while she tried to assess the situation. He squeezed her hand, letting her know he knew she was awake. She stiffened.
"Guys, she's waking up." Jack watched Daniel lean closer and brush a stray strand of hair off her forehead. She began to shake again. It was subtle at first but the shakes began to build. The doctor stepped out of her office to watch. She had a syringe prepared in case Sam needed to be sedated again.
"Come on Carter, it's us." Jack stood and leaned over the bed. He caressed Sam's cheek. She turned her head away from him and fear flickered briefly across her face. Daniel lifted her right hand and placed it on his cheek. Sam's shaking was getting intense and Jack knew the doctor was going to step in soon.
"You can do it Sam. Put all the pieces together." Daniel encouraged her to move her hand around his face. Her shaking subsided slightly when she touched his glasses. Her hand moved up to his hair.
"Daniel?" It was a whisper but everyone in the room heard her.
"Yes!" Daniel's verbal response was instinct but the vigorous nodding of his head was for Sam's benefit. She reached up with both hands and grabbed his neck. She lifted herself off the bed and buried her face on his shoulder. Daniel put his arms around her and supported most of her weight as she struggled to sit up without listing to one side. Jack raised the head of her bed.
"Is Teal'c ok?" Daniel stepped to the side but Sam didn't let go of him. Daniel placed her hand on Teal'c's face. She let go of Daniel and moved her hand up Teal'c's jaw. When she reached the familiar gold tattoo she smiled and pulled him close for a hug.
"This feels like an SGC gurney. We're back at the SGC, right?" Teal'c nodded.
"Did Colonel Mitchell get out too?" Teal'c nodded again.
"Good, I'm glad we all made it." Daniel had tears in his eyes and turned away from her. Jack placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Colonel Mitchell?" Jack picked up her hand and placed it on his cheek. She ran her hand up the side of his face, over his ear, and into his hair. She grinned and moved her hand down to his left eyebrow.
"General O'Neill." Jack shook his head no. Her brows creased and her nose crinkled in confusion. Jack lifted her hand off his face and turned it palm down. He wrote JACK in capital letters very slowly on the back of her hand. She grinned.
"Not inside the SGC, sir." Jack grinned and wrapped her in his arms. She hugged him back fiercely, digging her fingers into his shoulders as his head turned into her neck. Teal'c and Daniel stepped out of the room.
"We need a better system, sir." Sam didn't receive any type of response. "A better system of communication." Jack squeezed her hand once, lifted it to his face and nodded yes.
"One squeeze means yes?" Jack squeezed her hand once.
"So two squeezes means no?" Jack squeezed her hand once.
"Then I'm glad we cleared that up." Sam gave him a small smile. He couldn't resist reaching up and stroking her bruised and scarred cheek. She leaned into his hand. A nurse came in with a tray of food, green beans, corn, a baked chicken breast, a roll, and lemonade. Jack rolled his eyes. Could they have found a more difficult meal for her! She'd want to do it herself but how was she supposed to keep the corn on her fork or spear the green beans! Jack cut up the chicken and rolled the table in front of Sam. He raised the head of the bed a little higher and placed a couple more pillows behind Sam. She sat there placidly while he worked around her, as if she knew to stay out of the way. Jack tapped her lips and placed the fork in her hand.
"Is this breakfast, lunch, or dinner?" Jack didn't know how to respond. He looked from the tray to her three times.
"Sorry, sorry, wait. That wasn't a yes or no question and now you're struggling to find a way to answer me." Jack tapped her hand once.
"Is this breakfast?" Jack reached out and held her left hand. He squeezed it twice.
"Is this lunch?" He squeezed her hand twice.
"So it's dinner?" He squeezed her hand once. "Dinner it is. What am I having?"
Jack turned the tray a few times trying to get the food to fit into the clock motif he'd seen used on television so many times. Everything on television was always at twelve o'clock, three o'clock, and nine o'clock. What ever happened the six o'clock? Jack turned the tray one more time and finally gave up on getting the rectangular tray to mimic a clock.
"Is there any actual food as part of this dinner?" Jack shook himself out of his contemplation and picked up her hand. He drew a rectangle on the back of her hand. He tapped the top left corner of the tray and used the fork to place a piece of chicken in her mouth. She chewed slowly.
"Chicken?" He squeezed her hand. He drew the rectangle again and tapped the upper right corner. He placed several corn kernels in her mouth.
"Corn in the upper right side. I know that one's right, no reason to respond." Jack redrew the rectangle.
"I got the shape of the tray now, sir."
"Smart ass." He was glad she didn't hear that. He tapped the lower right side of the rectangle and placed three green beans in her mouth.
"Green beans. I assume it must be Wednesday so there's also a roll." Jack's brow creased as he squeezed her hand once. He'd never noticed chicken, corn, and green beans were related to Wednesdays. Sam removed the fork from his hand and tried to spear a piece of chicken. She missed. She lifted the fork to her mouth and grimaced when she only tasted metal. Jack wanted to tear his eyes away from her as the failure registered on her face but he couldn't. Sam tried again and failed. She moved to the lower right and missed the tray completely. Her hand hit the glass of lemonade, which Jack had forgotten to mention. The yellow fluid ran off the table and into her lap before Jack had a chance to grab the cup. Sam threw the fork across the room and screamed.
The doctor came running out of her office. Jack pushed the table away from Sam. The doctor grabbed a handful of napkins and tried to help mop up the worst of the spill. Sam thrashed and threw the covers off.
"Get away from! Stop touching me!" Sam didn't know to whom the second set of hands belonged and she wasn't in the mood for another surprise.
"I said get away!" Sam pushed out towards the stranger. Her hand connected roughly with the doctors hip, knocking the doctor off balance. The doctor staggered back and hit the gurney behind her. She grabbed to mattress to stop herself from falling to the floor. All movement stopped as the doctor leaned against the gurney. Jack stopped trying to help Sam and Sam breathed rapidly, clutching the mattress cover.
"I wasn't hungry anyway." Sam voice was soft again but still strained. Jack locked eyes with the doctor as she straightened.
"It's my own fault. I shouldn't have touched her without her consent. We'll all have to be patient." Jack nodded his agreement.
"Now what?" Jack stopped himself from reaching out to Sam.
"Give her a couple minutes to relax. I'll have a nurse bring in a new gown and fresh sheets. It's time to get her up anyway." The doctor stepped around the gurney and disappeared. Jack reached out for Sam's hand. Her body stiffened slightly but her fingers curled around his hand.
"Jack?" It was a whisper. He squeezed her hand once. She nodded and let her head fall back onto a pillow.
"I made a real mess of it this time." He squeezed her hand twice.
"Liar." The nurse arrived and laid the new gown over the back of the chair Jack had been sitting in before the failed dinner.
"How can I help?" Jack looked at the nurse for direction.
"Could you get her to stand?" The nurse's eyebrows rose slightly and her lips pouted.
"I can try." Jack tapped Sam's leg lightly and pulled it towards the side of the bed. She moved her leg in the indicated direction.
"Are you asking me to get out of bed?" Jack reached out for her hand and squeezed it once. "Ok, but I might need a little help at first." Sam shifted her legs over the edge of the bed. She scooted closer to Jack. He wrapped his arms around her waist. He pulled her slightly but she resisted. She sat on the edge of the gurney, looking like she was deep in thought.
"Ready?" He laid his head on top of hers and nodded yes. "Ok." Sam slid off the gurney. The floor was cold and she lightly shuddered. Jack thought she was losing her balance and he pulled her closer.
"You're going to make yourself wet if you keep pulling me so close. I don't know what I spilled on myself but I doubt you want it on you too." Jack relaxed his hold but didn't move away.
"Now what?" Jack looked back at the nurse who was quickly stripping the bed.
"Untie her gown."
"Me?"
"Are you talking about me?" Jack flushed and looked down at Sam. "I can feel the vibrations in your neck when you talk." Jack chuckled. Her mind never ceased to amaze him.
"So are you talking about me?" Jack pulled her closer and then relaxed again. "Is that a yes?" Her voice indicated her surprise, whether it was with his answer or his honesty Jack would never know. He hugged her again and relaxed.
"Devil." There was a slight bit of humor in the word, which made him happy.
"Any chance I'll get to put on real clothes since I messed up the thin, irritating, and far too revealing infirmary gown?" Jack looked over at the nurse. The nurse glanced up shyly and shook her head slowly.
"Maybe tomorrow or the next day, sir. I'll let the doctor know she requested it." Jack placed his right index finger against her left shoulder, attempting to communicate more then yes and no.
"S...O...O...N. Soon? Can I wear real clothes tomorrow?" Jack gave her a light squeeze.
"I still want out of the wet gown. I can only image what a horrible sight I must be right now. Is there a nurse that can help me to the bath room so I can use the facilities and change?" Jack squeezed her again and glanced at the nurse who quickly moved around the bed. Jack slowly let Sam leave his arms as the nurse took Sam's hand and placed it on her arm. The nurse directed Sam to the bathroom and closed the door. Jack slumped down into the chair next to Sam's bed. He'd enjoyed holding her close and missed the feel of her against him.
"How are you doing, sir?" Jack looked up at the doctor who was placing a cup of strawberry yogurt and an energy bar on the now clean tray. She finished making Sam's bed as Jack pondered an answer.
"I've been better. It's hard to see her this dependent."
"She'll figure things out if we let her. We'll force her if necessary."
"I can't do that."
"You'll lose her if you don't. Independent people are that way by choice. Once she gets use to her new limitations she'll find ways around them or simply find new paths to travel. Give her the room to discover."
"I'll try. What kind of treatments do you have planned and how long will she have to stay here?" The doctors face hardened and she pulled back slightly.
"I used a neutralizer in her eyes and ears which has eliminated most of the pain."
"Neutralizer?"
"When she arrived there was still acid present in both the ocular and auditory areas. I applied a buffer to neutralize the acidic effects. Her pain diminished significantly upon the initial application and will continue to lessen as the scar tissue finishes being formed."
"And then what?"
"I've already been in contact with the Tok'ra. They said they would send someone tomorrow. I don't know how much they can help."
"It's better then nothing I suppose." Jack's face tightened as he groused. "What if they can't help?"
"Let's go one step at a time, sir." The door to the bathroom opened. Jack and the doctor both turned to watch Sam being directed back towards the bed. Sam settled back on the fresh pillows and sighed.
"Anybody still here." Jack placed his hand on her knee and squeezed. The doctor watched him place the opened yogurt in her left hand and a spoon in her right hand. Sam lifted the yogurt to her nose, getting a small bit on the tip.
"Strawberry yogurt?" Jack squeezed her knee again and lifted a napkin to her nose to clean off the yogurt.
"That seems like a safer plan." Sam used her right hand to find the yogurt container in her left hand and dipped in the spoon. She lifted it slowly the few inches necessary to reach her mouth.
"Ummmm. Ok, I was lying. I really am hungry. My cell mates weren't into sharing." Sam smiled and moved back in for a second bite. The yogurt was quickly devoured. Sam frowned when three spoonfuls in a row were empty. The doctor left as Jack removed the spoon and empty container from her hand. He placed the energy bar in her right hand and a bottle of water in her left hand.
"Ohhhh, more." Sam smiled again and drank the water first. She ate the energy bar slightly slower then the yogurt but still much faster then Jack was used to seeing her eat. As she got to the end of the bar her chewing slowed. Jack knew exhaustion when he saw it. He took the bottle from her hand and put the wrapper in the trash before she had a chance to drop them. He leaned the head of the bed back so she could sleep more comfortably. Her head rolled to the side, away from him, and her body followed. The iv line got tangled for a moment but Jack quickly fixed it so she could sleep on her side.
Jack called Daniel and gave him a list of items to retrieve from Sam's house before laying claim to the gurney closest to Sam's. Jack dimmed the light over his bed and Sam's, even though a small voice in his head reminded him that the light wouldn't bother her. He watched her chest rise and fall for several minutes before falling asleep.