Well, it appears I've made many of you happy camperswith Jack starting to stir! Last chapter was a shorty, but I promised another post quickly...and Jbird warned me not to back up on my promise...so here is another. I hope you like the "little twist" in this one. Let's go see what happens next...

Chapter 14 – Warmth and Barbs

Jack slowly woke up and tried to clear his mind. He remembered a doctor...or someone...telling him he was sedated. How long ago was that and why am I in a hospital? He felt like he was in a murkiness that wouldn't lift, but his senses perked up when he caught a whiff of familiar perfume. Listening intently, he heard quiet rustling of paper and occasional tap of a pen on paper.

His thoughts smiled even if his face couldn't. He struggled through his shut jaw, "Sham?"

Samantha's head shot up from the case file and she couldn't help the big smile that spread instantly across her face as she moved to his bedside. "Hey! You're awake. How are you feeling?"

"I ah-ite" was all he could muster. Trying not to laugh she replied, "I'm guessing that was I'm all right."

Then more softly, she said, "I'm really glad to hear that" as she couldn't help but cover his hand with hers. Watching his face, she could tell the swelling had gone down a little, and he wasn't as pale, but his eyes were still swollen shut. She didn't realize how much she missed those beautiful and expressive eyes.

"Here. Let me fluff your pillow a bit and help you sit up." As she leaned over him and cradled his head in one hand, she re-arranged the pillow with the other.

Jack felt her fingers in his hair, and her chest lightly pressing on his as the aroma of her perfume filled his senses. He pictured her gorgeous face and voluptuous red lips and fought the incredible urge to moan. Look at you Jack. You can't even sit up on your own power and you're thinking about making love to her!

Her skin tingled as she felt his warm breath on her neck. Get a grip Spade. The man is lying in a hospital bed for godsake and you are getting aroused!

"How's that?" she asked in a voice that came out too sultry in spite of her efforts to sound casual. Nodding he replied, "Ood. Anks."

Realizing her fingers were still tangled in his hair, she straightened up asking, "Can I get you anything? Are you comfortable? Julie should be here soon and Dr. McDonald will be here in about an hour."

"Oolie?"

"Yes. Julie is the charge nurse assigned to you. She's been with you since the brought you in to the ER. Mark is the orderly and Jonathan and Joshua are shift nurses; they're brothers."

Jack tried hard to smile. "Bin ear ots. Ank ooh."

He could feel the smile in her voice when she answered softly, "Yes. I've been here a lot. And you're welcome." Then with a lighter voice, "How about some water? I bet you're thirsty."

She was just finishing helping Jack with the straw and cup when Danny, Viv and Martin came in. They all were happy to see Jack awake and moving around a bit. Of course, Danny didn't miss a beat with a few timely wise-cracks about getting away with stuff at the office since the boss was out for few days.

When Jack responded to their questions, Martin was keenly aware that Samantha was the only one who could understand Jack's answers and translate for the group. He thought to himself, Amazing. It is so clear now how in tune they are with each other. She knows him so well. We never communicated that well even with clear words.

Jack got quiet and appeared to doze off, but Samantha stayed by his bedside, while Vivian moved closer to the table when the conversation turned to the cold case files Samantha was working on. Martin moved away from the door and joined in the conversation when it came to the Renato Zuniga case. He thought he might have a lead on where Zuniga's brother-in-law was working. Danny hung around the foot of Jack's bed and fiddled with the TV remote.

Mark came in and was surprised to see the room filled with people. "Whoa! This is a few more visitors than the doctor would allow, but let's keep it our little secret as long you don't stay too long. I'll run interference for you if I have to." He flashed a quick smile at Samantha as he excused himself to start cleaning the sink and restroom.

As Mark was finishing up, he reminded them, "Seriously folks. Dr. McDonald and Nurse Julie will have my scalp if they catch you in here. Please don't stay too long." He turned to leave when a woman came through the door.

He couldn't see the surprised and stunned looks on the faces of the agents behind him as he said, "Sorry miss. There are too many visitors here right now. Please wait outside until someone leaves."

Throwing an indignant chin in the air, Maria spat out, "I'm his wife. Don't you dare tell me what to do!"

Mark was clearly confused as he spun quickly to look at Samantha and stammered, "but I thought you"…and then back to Maria, "but if you are…"

Maria's eyes narrowed as she stepped closer to Mark. Her voice was venomous as she said, "No. She is NOT his wife. I'm Agent Malone's wife. Now get out of my way!"

Mark was taken aback and was fumbling for words when Danny stepped forward, crossed his arms defiantly across his chest, and got in Maria's face, effectively blocking her path to Samantha and Jack.

"Make that EX-wife Maria. Jack is doing fine, but he needs a lot of rest….physically and emotionally. I don't think being a frosty bitch will help either one of those, so just leave. Tell his daughters he is getting better and that he can see them in a week or two. Oh, and make sure you understand that we are here to protect him from anything that will hamper his recovery. Comprende?"

Maria actually shrunk back from the oral attack leveled at her, but recovered enough to say through clenched teeth, "Yes Agent Taylor. I understand very well. Tell him I did my duty and stopped by." She shot Samantha her best go to hell look and stormed out of the room.

Mark was shocked at the tirade. Turning to Samantha, he apologized, "I'm sorry. I didn't know. I just assumed that… You've been here the whole time. I thought you were…. I'm sorry."

Samantha shook her head saying, "Hey. Don't worry about it Mark. It was nothing."

The room was uncomfortably quiet after Mark made a hasty exit. Samantha was looking for a hole to crawl into when Jack said, "Ank ooh Anny" and gave a thumbs-up.

Everyone broke into a laughter that brought Julie into the room to see what was going on. She admonished them for breaking the rules, but gave them five minutes to clear out, saying, "Dr. McDonald will be around shortly. You are going to get us all in trouble."

Viv, Martin and Danny said their goodbyes after verifying one more time what follow-up action they would take on the cold case leads and then gathering up the files.

Samantha looked nervously at Jack. She certainly could have done without Maria's outburst and Mark's faux pas in front of the team. For once, she was thankful Jack couldn't pin her down with those dark eyes.

Not knowing what to say, she decided to ignore it, and said, "Well, I need to go chase down some of these leads. I think we have a good chance of finding Zuniga. But, I'll be back this evening to check on you. Do you need anything?" She tried to keep the nerves out of her voice, but she wasn't sure she was convincing.

Jack turned toward her and said, "I shorry Sham. Ooh okay?"

He held out a hand that Samantha immediately took. He gently pulled her closer, then reached up to find her cheek. As he softly caressed her cheek with the pad of his thumb, she closed her eyes and said, "Yeah. I'm okay Jack…now. Thanks." Leaning over to kiss his forehead she whispered, "I need to get going. You get some rest. I'll see you tonight."

tbc