This one kind of freaked a few people out -- it'sa little dark, but if you've ever known anyone who went through this sort of thing (and I have, unfortunately), it's not far from the truth ...
Although the apartment was comfortable and she had spent enough time there in recent months to be completely at ease, Jennifer had trouble sleeping. Janet warned her that this was likely, given the combination of painkillers and antibiotics she had prescribed for her.
She told Jennifer to keep her advised if anything changed; both felt just a bit better about this situation since Cassie was going over there every few days to keep Jennifer company and help her with changing the bandages. Though neither Cassie nor Janet would tell Jennifer, it was also the doctor's way of keeping an eye on her; Cassie would quickly tell her mother if Jennifer's recovery was not going well.
The insomnia wasn't really a problem, until the nightmares started, only a few short days after SG1 had left for their month long mission. They involved the goauld; in these dreams, Jennifer could clearly hear the Jaffa leader they had encountered on PX9 107 calling for his troops to kill them. Then she was running.
The dreams had the same theme, but there were variations; sometimes Gibson was the goauld, his eyes glowing as she stopped to help him, sometimes it was Colonel Taylor, eyes glowing as he stepped through the gate and the wormhole disengaged behind him, leaving her alone on the planet with the hostile forces.
Sometimes it was even Lieutenant Powers, the quiet one among them; in those nightmares, she would watch his eyes glow, just before he killed Colonel Taylor and then Captain Gibson before turning his P-90 on her; she would turn to run, and would feel the imaginary bullets in her injured shoulder blade and back; Jennifer always breathed a thankful sigh as the pain from the staff blast wound woke her from this particular version of the dream.
On the days after these nightmares, she would wake up groggy, and spend the morning in a semi catatonic state. That's when she realized that the drugs Janet had given her helped keep her alert.
What the doctor had not counted on was Jennifer's strength; she was young, had taken good care of herself and had been the picture of health. She was healing more quickly than Janet had initially thought she would.
As Jennifer's physical body began to heal on its own, the drugs, no longer necessary for her pain, sought out new areas of her nervous system to play with, wreaking havoc with her mind. She'd never been much of one for any kind of medicine, rarely even bothering with pain tablets; she had very little tolerance for the effect these were having.
Cassie dropped by every few days; since she came usually in the later afternoon, when Jennifer was wide awake, thanks to the drugs and the copious amounts of coffee she was drinking, the younger girl did not notice anything wrong right away.
Jennifer herself didn't know that the lack of sleep and the drugs were to blame for her increasing inability to separate these dreams from wakeful reality. She began to think that there were many more goauld on Earth than anyone knew about, began to suspect that they were hiding in plain sight, perhaps even among the SGC personnel.
She was grateful for Cassie's visits; it kept her from thinking too much about these spies, these hidden enemies. Knowing the story of how the younger girl had come to live on Earth, Jennifer felt safe with her, comfortable in the knowledge she could not be one of them.
With each successive nightmare and subsequent sleepless night, Jennifer became more convinced that the goauld were infiltrating the Earth somehow. She began to feel more protective of her young friend, determined to rid the universe of the presence of these heinous creatures. It angered her to think how they had tried to use Cassie to their own evil ends.
She started to notice that the sleepiness was winning her over, even after she had taken the prescribed dosage of her drugs – the pills weren't supposed to be for alertness, anyway, and the doctor had strongly warned her that she should not take any more than what was prescribed; in fact, she had given Jennifer just enough to carry her through the time that SG1 was to be away and had stated quite firmly she would not give her any more.
At first, it was just one extra in the morning, to keep her awake through the day, she told herself. Then it was another one at the next scheduled dosage time, to get her through the afternoon. She washed these down with as much strong coffee as her stomach could manage.
The breaking point was the day that she decided to watch the movie. Her mind had been on maximum power that day, her thoughts barreling along at top speed. She knew she needed to relax somehow.
The old movie series 'The Matrix' was one she had enjoyed, and she thought it would help her take her mind off the things she had been furtively wondering about. But, watching it, she had a sudden revelation: this was how the goauld were doing it; they were coming through the telephones, she realized.
She stopped answering the telephone then, determined not to be a pawn in their deeds. Every time it rang, she jumped; each successive series of rings seemed like another victory for them.
The rings were coming more often now; I wonder if we're losing the war against them, Jennifer thought to herself.
Maybe they're after me now, the suspicions told her; she wondered if they would come in the form of Captain Gibson or Lieutenant Powers, or anyone else she might know. She knew it would not be Cassie, and it had been some time since the girl had come to visit. Maybe the goauld have finally gotten to her, too, Jennifer mused sadly, bitterly.
Jennifer thought she should stay alert in case they needed her in battle; she increased the pill dosage again. She knew that she would not be able to do this for long; Janet would not give her any more, but she would be useful as long as what she had held out. She'd negotiate for more after that, pointing out the need for her battle skills with the goauld so pervasive now.
Cassie frowned as the telephone in Dr. Jackson's apartment rang continuously, with no pick up on the other end.
It has been over a week now since she'd last seen Jennifer. She'd tried calling repeatedly, but there had been no answer, and Dr. Jackson's answering machine had not been picking up for the last several days. She'd tried Jennifer's cell phone too, but that had apparently been shut off.
"What's the matter?" Jonas asked, noticing her look.
"Jennifer's not picking up the telephone," she said.
Janet and Jonas looked at each other, exchanging looks of concern.
"Maybe you should look in on her tomorrow, anyway," Janet suggested lightly.
"SG-1 is coming back tomorrow, ahead of schedule," Jonas put in. "Maybe you could go over there with Dr. Jackson," he said reassuringly.
Cassie bit her lip; their tone did not assuage her.
"Alright," she agreed. She was anxious to see Jennifer and know that she was okay.
SG-1 came down the ramp; Daniel limping between Sam and Teal'c. Colonel O'Neill had the same bored look he usually had when these things happened, as they sometimes did with Daniel.
"Colonel O'Neill, what happened?" General Hammond asked, as the med techs helped Daniel off to the infirmary. He had a vague sense as to what it would be; Dr. Jackson might be an incredibly brilliant man and an imperative member of the SGC, but he had a knack for getting into trouble.
"Oh, Danny boy tripped over some rocks he was investigating; looks like he may have torn a ligament in his knee," Jack said in his bored tone. Secretly, he was sometimes glad when one of Daniel's plights shortened their mission, and this was one of those times.
"Alright, Colonel, debrief tomorrow morning, dismissed," General Hammond replied. He knew that sometimes an abbreviated mission was the only break his primary team got, no need to rush the details on what had been a routine cultural exploration mission.
Jack decided to check in on Daniel; he knew the younger man would feel responsible for this sudden end to their current mission and he thought it only fair to let his friend off the hook.
Down in the infirmary, Janet and Cassie were equally dismayed as the med techs helped Daniel in.
"Now what?" Cassie said to her mother, her young face reflecting a level of concern that one might expect to see on an adult.
Janet smiled at her, trying to ease her obvious anxiety. "Don't worry, it'll all work out, it always does," she said reassuringly.
"Now what what?" Jack said jovially, standing in the doorway. "And what's going to work out?"
Janet and Cassie smiled at each other. Cassie pulled Colonel O'Neill aside so Dr. Jackson would not overhear, as Janet went over to attend to his knee.
"Uncle Jack, would you give me a ride over to Dr. Jackson's place? I'm a little worried about Jennifer, I haven't been able to reach her on the telephone for a few days now," Cassie said with a concerned tone.
The hairs on the back of Jack's neck rose. Watching the young lieutenant come through the gate that fateful day had completely torn him apart; he was equally concerned about what it would do to his friend if there was something wrong with her. During their now aborted mission, Daniel had confided to Jack the conversation between he and Jennifer about the true nature of their feelings for one another.
"Sure, no problem honey, let's go," Jack said, playfully mussing her hair.
Arriving at the Victorian, Jack's instincts were still on high alert. He walked Cassie to the door of Daniel's apartment.
Jennifer's heart skipped a beat at the sound of the knock; maybe the goauld had given up trying to get her through the telephone and were coming for her in person. She grabbed her service revolver, proceeding to the door and looking through the keyhole; it was Cassie and Colonel O'Neill. She sighed with relief, setting the gun down on the coffee table.
There was no answer to their first knock; Cassie and Jack looked at each other. Cassie raised her hand to knock again when the door opened. Jennifer was standing there, smiling.
"Colonel O'Neill, sir," Jennifer saluted the senior officer. She was relieved to see him; maybe the goauld hadn't gotten to everyone yet.
"At ease, Lieutenant Hailey, at ease," Jack said quietly. He looked her over critically, the look in her eyes wasn't quite right; his hair still stood at attention.
She smiled broadly at Cassie. "Hi Cassie, I'm glad you're here," she said warmly.
"Hi Jen, we've been trying to contact you," Cassie said with a note of concern.
Jennifer looked quizzically at them both; she didn't understand. She was more convinced than ever that the goauld were using the telephone to try and infiltrate Earth. She wondered how they had been trying to contact her; she would have to ask Cassie.
"I don't know how I missed you, but I'm glad you're here," Jennifer said with sincerity.
Cassie smiled. "Me, too," she said warmly, a note of relief in her voice. They both looked over at Colonel O'Neill now.
Jack suddenly felt a bit awkward with the two girls. "Well, don't let me interrupt your fun," he said with his usual mild sarcasm.
"Thanks for the ride, Uncle Jack," Cassie said, reaching up and giving him a hug and a kiss.
"Oh, any time if it means I get one of those," he replied warmly, returning her hug. He looked over at Lieutenant Hailey again, he noticed there was a slight tremble in her hands.
"Colonel O'Neill, permission to speak freely, sir," she addressed him.
"Permission granted, Lieutenant," he said, her adherence to military conduct easing his fears a bit. Maybe I'm just being over protective, he thought.
"Colonel O'Neill, where is Dr. Jackson, sir?" she said, trying to hide an obvious tremor in her voice.
Jack smiled to himself; that was it. She was just concerned about the man that she loved, his friend, he thought, reveling in his new knowledge.
"Oh, Danny tore a ligament in his leg, tripping over some Rosetta stone or something that he discovered," Jack said with a grin.
A new wave of fear washed over her; maybe he's been taken over by a goauld and they're just not telling me because they don't know about us, she thought to herself.
Jack smiled warmly at her as he saw the clouds darken her eyes.
"Don't worry, Lieutenant, he's fine; but Dr. Fraiser is keeping him in the infirmary over night just to be on the safe side," he said reassuringly. "He's done this before, he'll live" Jack continued.
She smiled then; his words had seemed to eradicate the dark look in her eyes.
"Thank you, Colonel O'Neill, sir," she said with a relieved note in her otherwise tremulous voice.
Feeling a bit better about the situation now, Jack looked from one to the other. "Well, I guess I'll just go now, girl parties aren't my thing," he deadpanned, with a smile.
The two giggled conspiratorially as Cassie entered the apartment, chatting with Jennifer; Jack left for home.
"So, what have you been up to? Are you okay?" Cassie asked, her concern returning.
"Oh, nothing, really, reading, trying to sleep, watching movies," Jennifer replied. "They were trying to get in for a long time, but they haven't tried today," she said off handedly.
Cassie frowned. "What do you mean, they were trying to get in?"
Just then, the telephone rang. Jennifer jumped, but made no motion to answer it. Cassie looked sharply at her.
As the ringing continued, Cassie moved to answer it.
"No, don't! That's how they get in," Jennifer said, a knowing and urgent tone to her voice.
"Who?" Cassie asked. She was suddenly very afraid for her friend's well being; there was definitely something wrong.
Jennifer leaned towards her. "The goauld, I figured out that's their new way of trying to get a foothold here on Earth," Jennifer said in a hurried, quiet tone, looking around furtively as if someone might be listening.
Cassie noticed the pill bottles then; they were empty, and she saw the service revolver on the coffee table. Her blood ran cold; she felt an urgent desire to go home, her mother and Jonas would know what to do.
"Well, listen, Jen, I can't stay; Mom and Dad are holding dinner for me. I just wanted to make sure you were okay," she said.
Jennifer looked at Cassie; the girl seemed very nervous. She couldn't blame Cassie for feeling like that, the way that the goauld had treated her, though she couldn't quite understand Cassie's obvious lie.
For a brief second it occurred to her that Cassie could be a goauld; the naked fear in her eyes convinced Jennifer otherwise. Goauld didn't generally exhibit fear. Jennifer remembered that Cassie could sense the goauld; maybe she could sense they were coming and just didn't want to be around for it.
At the door, as Cassie turned to leave, Jennifer suddenly gave her a big hug, startling the younger girl. Then she looked directly into her face.
"Don't you worry Cassie; as long as I can draw breath I'm going to see to it that they pay for what they did to you," Jennifer said sincerely, her eyes glassy and slightly unfocused.
Cassie felt a terrible wave of sadness come over her; she loved Jennifer and seeing her like this was awful.
She reached over and hugged Jennifer back. "Thank you, Jennifer," Cassie said; she realized that she meant it, for whatever it was worth in reality.
Daniel dialed the number again; it was his own, he was sure he'd gotten it right. She should be there; Janet had told him that Cassie had gone over to keep her company. He'd tried her cell phone a few times already; each time he'd heard the customer unavailable message his sense of foreboding deepened another level.
Something wasn't right; he dialed another number now.
"Yes, Daniel?" Jack answered. He stopped the truck; somehow, he knew he'd be turning it around.
"Jack, I'm worried about Jennifer," Daniel said. "You saw her, right? She was okay, wasn't she?" the archaeologist quizzed him.
Jack sighed in response. "Yes, she seemed okay, Daniel," he said, regretting as he heard the words leave his mouth that he couldn't keep the concern out of his voice, knowing Daniel would pick up on it.
"Jack."
"I know, Daniel, I know, I'm on my way," he said with another sigh. "I'll pick you up and we'll go over there together." Jack turned the truck around and stepped on the gas. He was beginning to get nervous; Jack O'Neill was not a nervous man.
The telephone rang, Jonas jumped up. "I'll get it," he called out.
Janet smiled; she knew he got restless whenever it was his turn to sit out an SG-1 mission and that he was hoping the call would be to let him know when the next one was coming.
"Dad?"
"Cassie?" Jonas said quizzically. He hadn't recognized the telephone number; she wasn't calling from Dr. Jackson's place.
"Are you okay?" he asked with obvious concern as he looked over at Janet; knowing that look, she grabbed the extension in the kitchen, just in time to hear Cassie's reply.
"Yeah, I'm okay, I'm calling from the payphone at the coffee shop. Something's wrong with Jennifer," she said quietly, with a note of anxiety.
"Cassie, honey, it's Mom – can you tell me what happened?" Janet asked, grateful that her doctor training kicked in over her mother's concern. Cassie was okay, she'd done the right thing and gone to a safe place to call them, and now she was the key to determining what was wrong with Lieutenant Hailey.
"Mom, all of the pills are gone; the bottles are empty, and her gun's on the table, and she hasn't been answering the telephone because she thinks…." Cassie looked around her; she had to be careful what she said in public. There was no one within immediate earshot, but the shop was busy. She cupped the mouthpiece.
"She thinks that the goauld are using the telephone lines to get to Earth, like in that old movie 'The Matrix'," Cassie whispered urgently into the telephone.
Jonas and Janet looked at each other; Janet immediately recognized the symptoms of drug-induced hallucinations, most likely involving some post-traumatic stress from the battle on PX9 107.
"I'll call Sam from here and ask her to pick you up, okay, beautiful?" Jonas said quickly. "She'd like to see you anyway, I'm sure, and she's got the bike," Jonas added with a warm tone to his voice, knowing how much Cassie enjoyed the infrequent rides she got on Sam's motorcycle.
Janet felt a wave of gratitude come over her at his quick thinking and the easy, charming nature he had, which always put people at ease; the bond he shared with her daughter was something she often counted among the blessings in her life.
"Thanks Dad, that'd be great," Cassie said, sounding obviously relieved. "What about Jennifer?" she asked, the anxious note returning.
"Cassie, honey, I'm on my way to the infirmary and I'll see to it that Jennifer gets taken care of, okay?" It was Janet's turn to be reassuring now.
"Okay, Mom," came the now calm reply.
They hung up the telephone together; Janet looked at Jonas.
"Go," he said, as he hit the speed dial for Sam's cell phone, waving at her. He smiled at her, that big, warm, smile that made Janet tingle in spite of herself. "It'll all work out, it always does," he said reassuringly with a knowing wink at her, his use of her standard phrase endearing and comforting to her.
In one move she grabbed her keys, jacket and purse and headed out the door, her other hand efficiently flipping open her cell phone and hitting the speed dial for Jack O'Neill; he'd handled things like this before. It would not go well if they sent strangers.
"Hi Janet," came the smooth, deep voice of the Colonel, sounding a bit defeated.
"Colonel O'Neill, sir, it's Lieutenant Hailey," Janet began; the anxious note in her voice telling him it was worse than he had thought.
"Yeah, I know," he said, the regret obvious in his voice. He never should have left them alone like that; he ignored his better judgment because he didn't want it to be bad.
He looked over at the silent man in the passenger seat. "We're on our way over there now," he said.
"We, sir?" she asked. Janet was relieved he wasn't going alone, Jennifer could be dangerous in her current state, but she was curious as to whom he was bringing with him.
"Yeah, I rescued one of your patients to help me out," he said, hoping a dose of his usual wit would lighten things up a bit. He felt a terrible wave of guilt about leaving this woman's daughter in a dangerous situation; he couldn't begin to describe the feelings he had about not having tried to resolve the situation before he left the Victorian. Even if everyone else involved were able to forgive him; it would be a long time before he forgave himself on this one.
Janet smiled; Jack O'Neill was a good man with a big heart that he hid from the rest of the world.
"Well, sir, make sure they both get back in one piece, okay? Or I'll be reviewing your vaccination record," she said, her voice indicating that the joke had done its job.
In front of the apartment now, Jack helped Daniel out of the truck.
"I should probably go first," Daniel suggested quietly, "given the nature of things, that is," he added thoughtfully, pushing his glasses up on his nose.
Jack looked over at him, feeling another wave of anguish at the look on Daniel's face.
"Okay, I'll back you up," he said.
Daniel looked at him, grateful Jack hadn't felt the need to dictate how this would happen. They went up to the door of the Victorian.
In the apartment, after Cassie left, Jennifer tried to pull herself together. SG-1 was back in town; she'd need to go back to the barracks, she thought. She'd run out of the pills the night before; she knew that soon she wouldn't be at the top of her game.
She busied herself around the apartment, tidying up, gathering the few things she had brought with her, stuffing them into her bag. She needed to keep her mind occupied. Having her hair down all this time suddenly seemed an inconvenience; she tucked it up. That was better; anyway, she'd need to be ready for battle when the goauld did show up.
Looking around the apartment, she realized that she really didn't have anything else to do until someone could come and take her back to the barracks. She wasn't about to pick up the telephone to call a cab, and anyway, she wanted to see Daniel when he came home, see him for myself and know that the goauld didn't get him she thought. Besides, the rapid-fire paranoid thoughts still rushing pell-mell through her brain, the cab driver could be one.
She set her bag down next to the armchair on the far side of the living room, facing the door, and collapsed into the chair. Colonel O'Neill had said Daniel was in the infirmary over night, so he wouldn't be home before at least the next day.
Trying to distract herself from the whispering voices, speaking urgently to her about the goauld, she settled back, one eye on the door, and burrowed into an article on deep space telemetry – the stuff they were supposedly doing up on Cheyenne Mountain.
She felt an increasing sense of anxiety; she was getting sleepy, and really wished she had more of the pills to help her stay awake. Sleepiness won the battle as she read; she dozed off, into fitful sleep, interrupted by visions of her SG-17 team members as goaulds.
The sound of the front door of the Victorian woke her. The hairs on the back of her neck rose; fear springing into her throat. They're coming for me, she thought. As the noise of footsteps drifted closer, she set the magazine down and reached for her gun.
She curled up in the chair, cradling the arm that was still in its sling. She drew her knees up to her, using her right knee as a platform for her free hand, service revolver at the ready. She wasn't going to go quietly. The steps were definitely coming towards the apartment; she heard the sound of a key in the lock.
She drew a bead on the door. She was in battle ready stance; finger on the trigger, eye on the mark; all she had to do was hold steady and squeeze – she'd be able to take out at least one this way. Holding steady was proving difficult, though; she tried to concentrate. This was no time to lose her cool.
She kept her eye down the barrel as the door opened slowly to reveal the figure in the hall; the red laser light from the target finder fell upon it. It was Daniel.
As he opened the door, Daniel saw her sitting in the armchair facing him, her service revolver at the ready, pointing directly at him. She had her eye on the mark, safety off. Daniel stopped dead in his tracks, his jaw involuntarily dropping open; guns meant business, no matter who was holding it.
In the hallway, Jack watched Daniel, his own gun drawn. As he tread slowly closer to the now open doorway, silently, so as not to disturb the girl, he saw with horror the red laser pointer in the middle of Daniel's chest; she had her service revolver trained on him. Jack didn't want to startle her; he knew she was a crack shot and wouldn't miss if she pulled the trigger.
Jennifer didn't move an inch. He could be a goauld, her fear urgently advised her, but from somewhere, the unpolluted portion of her normally keen analytical abilities noted that he would not have used a key to open the door if he was a goauld.
The thought pattern continued, gaining strength; his knee would not be wrapped in a cast nor would he need a crutch due to his torn ligament if he were a goauld. His eyes had not glowed at the threat of her shooting him; instead he was frozen in motion, hands up at the sight of the gun, a torn, anguished look in the beautiful blue eyes behind the glasses, which he wouldn't need if he were host to a goauld.
As the remainder of her rational mind struggled to win this debate, the realization that it actually was Daniel sinking in, she was suddenly horrified at the situation she had almost created, she slowly took her finger off the trigger and pointed the gun up and away in the routine threat removed /stand down mode.
She closed her eyes and bowed her head, tears suddenly rushing up to escape from the lids. She covered her eyes with her arm, as if to block them, no longer trusting them to accurately translate what she was seeing.
As she took her finger off the trigger, Daniel let his breath out, carefully. The sight of her like this was unbearable; he felt a catch in his throat.
Daniel went into the apartment, slowly, leaving the door open behind him for Jack. He limped over to her, silent sobs now racking her body. He gently took the gun out of her hand, making his way over to set it down on the desk across the room. He looked over at her, tears rolling unchecked down her face.
He crossed back over to where she was sitting, and seated himself on the coffee table facing her. He reached over to her.
"Jennifer," he said, quietly, soothingly, gently pulling her into his arms. She collapsed against him, then, openly sobbing as he held her.
The expression of her raw need for him, the way she suddenly clung to him, surprised him, filling him with a strangely endearing feeling; not for the first time, he felt an overwhelming desire to take care of her, to protect her and keep her safe.
Knowing that he could not, his sense of anguish returned full force; the lump in his throat won its battle then, and he felt tears of his own pricking at the corners of his eyes. He rocked her gently; it was as close to taking care of her as he was likely to get in this lifetime.
Jack listened carefully from the hallway, through the open door. The sound of Lieutenant Hailey's sobs and Daniel's soothing voice were clear now; he stepped into the open doorway, gun at the ready.
The sight of them, she with her sling and Daniel with his leg wrapped, holding each other while she cried, broke Jack's heart as he holstered his own gun. He was instantly reminded of Daniel's plight in trying to recover from the effects of the sarcophagus after they had returned from P3R 636.
He pulled out his cell phone and called Janet, suggesting that it might be better if a medical transport vehicle came for them; no sirens, though, he warned her. Daniel could ride with Jennifer then and get himself back in. He didn't tell the doctor that it was his own emotions he couldn't trust in regard to driving the two of them back up to the base.
Coming back from Janet's after she had dropped off Cassie, Sam felt a strong urge to drive by Daniel's place. She was worried about them; all of them, she thought.
As she maneuvered the motorbike down the street, her heart skipped a beat at the sight of the military ambulance with no lights on in front of the Victorian. Jack's truck was also there.
She parked the bike a few feet away, and dismounted. She strode quickly towards the front of the building, stopping short, staying out of the light in order to assess the situation before proceeding.
The front door suddenly opened; heeding caution, she ducked beside the porch of the next building, peering carefully over the edge.
Daniel and Jennifer emerged; he was holding her with one arm, the other negotiating his crutch. Two med techs assisted them down the stairs, and into the waiting ambulance. As they shut the doors to the vehicle, Sam heard another door shut. She looked up; Jack was on the front porch of the building now.
Sam felt an immediate wave of relief wash over her at the sight of him. As she watched him walk dejectedly down the stairs, she stepped out from her hiding space.
"Colonel," she addressed him.
He looked up, startled, but she noticed the relieved, happy look in the big brown eyes.
"Carter, what are you doing here?"
"I thought I'd stop by just to see if everything was okay, sir," she said. "Looks as if you've got everything under control," she offered hopefully.
He smiled; he knew what she was up to.
"It's okay, Carter, I don't think it's ALL my fault," he said dryly.
She looked directly at him; the beautiful eyes telling him she didn't necessarily buy it.
"Well, okay, but I'm going to get over it," he said, with a more believable note of wit this time.
That got him a glimpse of the smile.
"Everything's under control, Carter; why don't you go home and get some sleep," he said in his best don't-forget-I'm-your-commanding-officer-and-I-know-best tone of voice, the broad smile telling her that he was glad she'd stopped and that yeah, he would be okay.
"Yes sir," she replied, giving him another one of the smiles she knew would help as she watched him get in his truck. She turned to leave as he drove away.