A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! The chapters I have written are all preset lengths but this one is a little longer.
Major Sam Carter lay in the infirmary bed, staring at the ceiling. She wasn't sure what time it was, but it didn't really matter. She'd be stuck under the mountain for a little over a week and a half, and then she would finally find out after months of recovery and rehabilitation if she'd be allowed back on active duty.
She heard the soft knock on her door, but tried to ignore it. She wasn't sure she could take seeing anybody at the moment.
"Hey, Carter," she heard the soft deep voice of her CO, possible former CO, call from her doorway. She didn't answer but made no motion to turn him away.
"I, uh, just wanted to come in and see how you were doing before I left the SGC for a few days. Listen, I'm gonna talk to Janet, get you out of here a few days early." He rested his hand on her limp one, hoping to get some reaction out of her. She hadn't looked into his eyes, knowing what he was thinking. She knew he would think she was weak. She was a woman in the Air Force, for cryin' out loud.
"You know, you did good out there." He leaned forward to whisper in her ear, just for her. "You don't have to prove anything to me, I already think you're amazing." He turned to leave her to her rest, knowing she was having a hard time.
"Sir! Where are you going?" It was the first words she had spoken to anybody since they had returned from the mission.
"I have something to take care of. I'm not going far. I'll come by and visit when I get back from Chicago." Jack walked forward, resting his hand gently on her forearm. He couldn't show her as much concern as he would have liked, but it was what he could do for now.
"What's in Chicago?" Her curiosity surprised him, but she was talking and it made him happy. He knew she was having a hard time dealing with the fact that she could possibly end up pulled from active duty.
"My ex brother-in-law. I have to talk to him in person." He didn't give her any more information, but under the circumstances he would tell her if she asked. She was the only person he would fully open up to if that was what she wanted.
"Sara's brother?" She knew she was getting nosy, but she really just wanted him to stay with her. She wasn't ready for him to leave. She needed the company.
"Yeah," he replied softly. He didn't want to be talking about this with his 2IC. It was his life. She was conning him into staying. It was Sam, he was okay with that, sort of. He figured she'd find out some of this anyway.
"What happened? Is Sara okay?" Sam knew Jack talked to his ex-wife every once in a while, Sara had told her as much. They had seen each other for coffee and such since they had met at the hospital. She had gently taken Sara outside during that time. Afterwards, Sam had felt bad that Sara couldn't know anything and had befriended her. They had a common link: Jack O'Neill. They never talked about him, other than to discuss the difficulties of working under him as the only female on the team. The rest of the time, they talked girl talk. It was nice having a female friend outside the SGC, as much as Sam loved having Janet Fraiser around.
"No, Sam, she's not." Jack's eyes dropped down, staring at the bed. His fingers twittled with the edge of the sheets. "There was an accident while we were away. Her plane went down in the mountains. There were no survivors."
"Oh, God, Sir! I'm sorry."
"It's uh, yeah. Greg's been trying to call you for two days, but I had to explain to him that you were laid up after an injury on our last mission. He'd like you to be at the funeral, but understands if you're not let out in time. I didn't tell him how extensive your injuries were." He gripped her hand gently squeezing it in comfort more for himself than for her. He knew she would have a hard time with this, seeing how close she and Sara had become.
He'd talked to Sara about it at times. He'd always been one to look out for his team and the three unique people he worked with on a daily basis were no different. In fact he'd been concerned with the amount of time Sam had spent inside the mountain, knowing she'd just moved into town from D.C. When she'd forged a friendship with his ex-wife, he'd been a little taken aback, but saw the positive effects it had on her work. He had to wonder if this would be a horrific set back for her.
"When's the funeral?" Sam's voice was shaky, at best.
"Saturday at 0800. I'm going to try to convince the Doc to let you out for it."
"Thank you, Sir." Her hand dropped slack in his as she turned away from him, effectively letting him know she needed time to absorb all he had told her. With a quick squeeze of her hand and a pat on her forearm, Jack left her alone with her thoughts.
A/N: Thank you again andI hope you liked it.