AN: So this was going to be the last part, but you know how that goes... I'm fairly certain there's only one more part after this.

Chapter Seven

Silly Janet. She was the only member of the SGC who was still openly amused by our predicament and not afraid of General Hammond. So amused, in fact, that she didn't see any need to separate us. She only smiled as we took our seats for our exams, saying nothing when we chose to sit next to each other on one of the cots. And although I couldn't be certain, she seemed to be taking her good old time to get to us, leaving us to our own devices for quite a while before she managed to fit us in to her busy schedule.

Carter and I didn't mind. We tried to resist. Really, we did. Kind of. But we were sitting right next to each other and we were bored and it seemed like a good way to pass the time. Carter reached for my hand - I swear it wasn't me. Her touch was just as amazing as the first time. We were right out in the open. It was forbidden, illicit, perfect.

It was only a minute before the hand holding seemed tame. I knew, somewhere in the back of my head, that I shouldn't be kissing her or touching her or admitting to those feelings I'd always, almost always, denied. I thanked God once more for the wonderful chip in my head that made me resistant to rules.

Janet politely cleared her throat a moment later. "I'm sorry to bother you, sir." At least she looked apologetic.

"Sure you are." I wanted to be stern and mean and order her to leave us alone, but I knew that would only resort in Hammond getting involved and I'd already determined that it was much better that Hammond not be involved when making out with Carter was also involved. "Just hurry up." I'd also realized that the time between Hammond sneak attacks was pretty small and it was about time for one.

"It's probably better this way, sir."

Janet earned my meanest glare, but that was all. There was nothing I could say. She wasn't wrong. I reluctantly sat back, but I didn't move to another bed. Instead we sat side by side while Janet examined us. All three of us pretended there was nothing peculiar about Carter and I holding hands. Eventually, she had to separate us, despite my protests that we could both fit in the MRI machine together if we snuggled. Carter giggled playfully when I suggested it which put me in a good enough mood to give in to Janet's insistence that we split up.

I waited patiently, impatiently really, while Janet had Carter locked in the MRI machine. Carter did the same for me. Once that was done, I climbed up on the bed next to Carter; my hand immediately entwining with hers. A minute later, she was leaning against me. A minute after that, my hands were in her hair, guiding her mouth to mine. I swear, no matter how many times I'd kissed her by then, there was still such a spark between us that it felt like the first time. I told myself it was just because of the chip in my head, but part of me believed that it was just Carter and I. But then Carter climbed into my lap, surprising me to no end and distracting me from any thoughts besides the feel of her against me.

I pulled back, glancing at Janet. "Can you pull that curtain?" I figured it would be nice to spare Carter needless embarrassment by preventing the staff from witnessing the show we were about to put on.

"Absolutely not."

I was so startled by Hammond's voice that I jumped right off the bed. Unfortunately, Carter hadn't been expecting it and she went flying off my lap and onto the floor at Hammond's feet. The drop stunned her for a minute; long enough that I started to worry and Janet crouched down to see if she had bumped her head. Carter was, apparently, more embarrassed than injured and reluctantly stood up next to me to face a very unhappy general.

His face revealed neither anger nor concern as he looked at her. "Are you all right, Major?"

I watched her wince out of the corner of my eye. "Define all right, sir."

Janet spoke up, if only to extricate herself from the situation a moment faster. "Sir, there are no new injuries or changes that I can detect. I'm waiting for the results of their MRIs, but I doubt they will shed any new information."

Hammond looked us over. I watched as an evil smile took firm hold of his face. "Colonel, both you and Major Carter hate the infirmary, right?"

I nodded while I tried to ignore the shocked, hurt look on Janet's face. "We don't necessarily hate the room itself or the staff, sir. It's really the 'infirm' part of being in the infirmary that Carter and I both dislike."

He glared at me, unappreciative of my attempt to both amuse and assure Janet. He turned to Janet. "They're yours for the day. Keep them here. Make them wear those gowns. Poke them full of holes. Experiment on them." He looked at me. "I told you there would be a punishment."

Janet looked confused, not eager, thank God. "But, sir-"

"Separate beds, Doctor Frasier."

Janet looked even more confused. "How am I supposed to manage that, sir?"

"Sedate them if you have to." He patted her shoulder. "Or if you want to. I know they're uncooperative and this isn't meant to be a punishment for you." He turned and walked out, humming happily to himself. Janet stared after him.

My hand snaked over and wrapped around Carter's, pulling her closer until I could put my arms around her. She smiled up at me, with a fairly disarming mixture of innocence and seduction shining in her eyes. I felt myself smiling at her. I must have looked like the world's biggest idiot, but I didn't care. I stared straight into her eyes and confessed feelings which I would later have to admit to myself had nothing to do with an enhanced sense of touch. "I love you, Carter."

She grinned and leaned forward to kiss me. "I was hoping you'd say that." She kissed me again. "Cause I'd feel awfully stupid to be this in love with someone who wasn't in love with me."

"Um sir?" Janet's voice sounded as small and miserable as I'd ever heard it.

"What?" I didn't look at her. I couldn't tear my eyes off the beauty in my arms, who just so happened to be in love with me.

"I, uh, have orders, sir, and, um-"

Carter turned away for a second to smile placatingly at her friend. "Come on, Janet, be a sport."

"Sam, I would, but-"

Luckily, the phone rang. "Go answer that, Doc. That's an order!"

Carter giggled. I really liked it when she laughed at my jokes. It was so much more fun than when she pretended they weren't funny or forced herself not to smile. I closed the distance between us once again and was thoroughly exploring Carter's mouth when I heard the phone slam in its cradle. Carter and I both turned to look, amazed to see Janet storming unhappily from the room.

That was the last thought we gave her as we relocated once again to the bed.

Unfortunately, Janet came storming back in only a few brief moments later with General Hammond at her heels. She paid no mind to us or what we were doing, although we did defer to authority and at least sit up when we saw our boss. Janet was holding x-rays or something in her hands, flicking on the light behind the bed we were on and hooking the films into the light.

I looked at Carter. She shrugged. I shrugged back and slid my arms around her as we intently studied the pictures Janet was intently studying. Ok, well, I started out that way, but then I started intently studying how nice Carter smelled and how nice it felt when she snuggled back into my arms and I noticed her eyes were closed, intently not studying at all.

"General Hammond, these are the most recent MRIs from Major Carter and Colonel O'Neill."

The general took a moment to glare angrily at me before turning back to Janet and actually looking concerned. "What's wrong with them?"

Dr. Frasier folded her arms over her chest and glared at me. "Nothing, sir. There's nothing wrong with either one of them."

My big mouth opened up before I really thought about what she was saying. "Oh, Doc, I'm sure that statement is categorically untrue."

Carter stiffened in my arms, cluing me in to the fact that something was very, very wrong.

Hammond was a second behind Carter in understanding Janet's words. "Nothing?"

Janet pouted at me and Sam before turning back to Hammond. "Absolutely nothing. They're fine. The scans are clear."