Chapter 25 – The Best Medicine

Jack stood in the elevator, Maddie cradled in his arms and watched the numbers increase as they descended into the mountain. He looked behind him to where JJ and Grace stood silently and tried to give them a reassuring smile, but it came out looking more like a grimace. While Janet had informed him that Sam was going to be all right, Jack knew he wouldn't rest easy until he saw her for himself.

The doors slid open on level 27 and Jack turned forward, ready to step out. Standing there waiting for him was Teal'c, an expression of remorse on his face. They shared a wordless communication for a few moments, then Teal'c silently held out his arms for Maddie. The transfer was made without waking the little girl, who unconsciously turned her body into Teal'c's warmth and continued sleeping. Teal'c finally spoke, his voice a low grumble. "I will take the children to your quarters, O'Neill. You need not worry about their safety."

Jack nodded his thanks, then said, "Sam?"

"Samantha is resting comfortably. Dr. Frasier assures me she will recover in due time."

Jack closed his eyes briefly in thankfulness. Hearing the words from his trusted friend eased his mind more than the same words uttered by Janet just a brief time ago. Jack hesitated for a moment, torn between staying with his children and going to his wife. He also badly wanted to find out from Teal'c what had happened on that planet. Teal'c made Jack's decision for him. "We will discuss the ramifications that led to this accident at a later time, O'Neill. I will settle the children and remain with them until such a time as you are ready for them to visit their mother."

Jack nodded his thanks once again, then placed his hands on Grace and JJ's shoulders, bringing them forward. "Go with Uncle Teal'c. I'll come get you when mommy wakes up, OK?"

Grace nodded her head and moved toward Teal'c, pressing herself against his side and looking worriedly up into his face. Teal'c looked down at the young girl, nodded once, and gave a brief smile of reassurance.

JJ looked up at his father. "Can't I come with you dad?" he asked quietly, the worry evident in his tone.

"Not this time, sport," Jack replied, still keeping his hand on JJ's shoulder. "I need to see how your mom is doing first, and talk to Aunt Janet."

"But dad," JJ whined disappointedly.

"Your mother must sleep, Jonathon Jacob," Teal'c interrupted. "I do not believe you would wish to wake her from her rest, do you?" Teal'c's eyebrow rose questioningly.

JJ dropped his head and mumbled, "No, Sir."

Jack squeezed the boy's shoulder. "I promise I'll come and get all of you as soon as your mom wakes up and is ready for visitors, OK?" He gazed earnestly at his son, then added a bit quieter, "I'll need you to help look after your sisters, son. Especially Maddie. She might be frightened when she wakes up."

JJ looked up at his youngest sister, sleeping peacefully in Teal'c's arms, then back at his father. He nodded solemnly, then walked over to stand on Teal'c's other side. Both children looked at their father sadly, wanting to go with him but knowing they needed to stay with their uncle for now.

Jack gave them one more smile, then turned to leave. "Daddy?" Grace stopped him.

He turned back around. "Yes sweetheart?"

"As soon as mommy wakes up, will you tell her…that we love her?" she asked, her voice breaking slightly at the end.

Jack came back, got down on his knees, and enveloped her in a tight hug. "Of course I will, baby." His eyes misted with tears that he forcefully blinked away. He pulled back and pressed a kiss to her forehead, then he looked over at JJ. "You'll get to see her real soon, don't worry. And I bet, when she wakes up, the first thing she'll do is ask about you three." He tweaked Grace on the nose, ruffled JJ's hair, and got to his feet. "You be good for Uncle Teal'c now, you hear?" Both children nodded in agreement. After shooting Teal'c one last look of concern, Jack turned and left, his long strides taking him down the corridor to the infirmary.

JJ and Grace watched him go until he was out of sight, then turned to look up at their large uncle. "We shall retire to your parent's quarters," he intoned from above. "I have procured a supply of juice and donuts from the commissary."

The children's eyes lit up for the first time that morning. "Donuts?" Grace asked eagerly. Their mother rarely let them have donuts at home.

Teal'c smiled down at her. "Indeed."

-----

Jack stepped into the infirmary and stopped at its threshold, his eyes raking the room looking for his wife. Five beds were full; all of them occupants of the mission and the rescue from P3Y-998. On three of the beds, the injured were sitting up, their wounds obviously not as serious. The other two occupants were reclining and unmoving. Jack stopped searching when his eyes alighted on a bed in the corner. Its occupant laid quietly, one leg in a cast and resting on several pillows, a blond head visible from the inclined head of the bed. Jack moved with purpose toward the corner of the room.

He was halfway there when his progress was impeded by a short, auburn haired woman. "Jack?" she called to get his attention.

Jack stopped before he bowled her over, looking down at her with slight annoyance at the interruption.

She gave a small smile at his familiar scowl before putting up a hand. "I won't keep you. I just wanted to let you know that Sam is going to be fine. The break in her tibia was clean." Jack winced at the words…how could a break be clean when he knew from experience it felt like hell? And just who the hell had coined that particular term…a clean break? Janet continued, interrupting his thoughts. "Her leg has been set and I have Sam on pain meds. Her other scrapes have been dealt with. She did require ten stitches to close up the wound on her arm, but otherwise has only surface abrasions."

Jack, who had been looking over the doctor's head during the entire dissertation, now looked down at her. "How long?"

Janet looked back towards the bed before returning her attention to him. Not sure if he meant how long she'd be out or how long until she could come home, she answered both questions. "She'll be out for another few hours, at least, then she'll be quite groggy. I'll need to keep her on pain meds for a while. If everything looks good, she can go home late this afternoon."

Jack nodded once, then stepped around her and made his way quickly to Sam's side. He didn't even spare a glance at the other members of SG-9 or SG-3; he just pulled an empty chair to Sam's bedside, sat down, and took her limp hand in his. His eyes took in the scrape across her left cheek and the bandaged upper left arm that faced him. He was pretty certain that, underneath that bandage, lay the ten stitches that Janet had told him about. Jack let his eyes rove down her body, where they stopped at the solid white cast that encased her right leg from the middle of her thigh on down. He winced in shared pain as he imagined how it must have felt. He wondered absently how she had gotten back through the gate and knew almost immediately that Teal'c had probably carried her.

Rubbing his thumb absently against the top of her hand, Jack let his right hand reach up and lightly brush the hair away from her face. "Hey sweetheart," he whispered softly, "You've given us quite a scare, ya know. When I told you to be careful, I kinda meant not to let yourself get all broken up." Though he was trying to be light-hearted, Jack's last words were said with indrawn breath. God, he hated it when she was hurt! Hated seeing her or any of their children in pain.

Jack sighed. Knowing that she wouldn't be able to respond to him for a while, he still kept talking. "Well, I'm here now, and so are the kids. They're waiting for you to wake up so they can come and see you. Teal'c's watching them now, but you know how he gets…a few hours and the kids will be watching the cartoon network 24/7."

Jack turned as he heard a throat clearing behind him. Turning, he looked up at Colonel Reynolds. "Hey Jack," the other man nodded. "I just wanted…well, I wanted to tell you I'm sorry." He looked at the still form in the bed. "I tried, we all did, but the temple…it just came down so damned fast after Sam got that force field down. God, Jack, if I could, I'd take her place in a heartbeat!" the other man cursed in frustration.

Jack looked up at the man and said, "Then I'd look pretty stupid sitting here, holding your hand." The comment earned Jack a small smile from his friend. "Look. It's not anyone's fault, Matt. Don't go kicking yourself in the ass." He turned back to Sam. "Cause Sam would kick yours if she finds out you're taking the blame for this," he added forcefully.

Reynolds acknowledged the man's words with a nod of the head, even though Jack couldn't see him. After a few moments of quiet, Jack felt Reynold's hand on his shoulder. "If you need anything…coffee, food, someone to watch the kids…you know where to find me."

Jack nodded his head but didn't look back. "Thanks." Reynolds stayed another moment longer, then departed to give Jack time alone with his injured wife.

Several hours later, Jack was still sitting next to Sam when she began to stir. She moved her head slightly to the side, then tried to move her leg. She groaned softly from the pain. Jack was on his feet in an instant, one hand still clutching hers, the other gently brushing back her hair. "Shh. Don't try to move around Sam. You're safe. Just open your eyes for me. Can you do that, sweetheart?"

He watched with bated breath as her eyelids flickered a few times before opening fully. Her bright blue eyes locked with his almost immediately, but there was a haze to them that wasn't normally there. Jack smiled down in encouragement. "That's my girl," he whispered, the relief in his voice at seeing her eyes open was unmistakable.

His smile widened when, after a few moments, Sam croaked out, "You know…I hate it…when you call me that."

"Yeah. I know." He smirked before bending forward and kissing her on the forehead. He would have done anything, even incur her wrath, if it got her to look at him. His smile died as he pulled back and took in the lines of pain on her face. "How are you feeling?"

She moaned as she shifted slightly. "Been better." She looked past him to the table next to her. "Water?"

Jack grabbed the glass, lifted her head, and put the straw to her lips. After she had taken a few sips, he gently laid her back on the pillows. Feeling a little more lucid, Sam looked up at Jack, her eyes filled with remorse as she took in the pain and worry etched in the lines around his eyes. "I'm so sorry," she said softly.

"Hey, none of that," he replied quietly, bending to kiss her once more. "I'm just glad you're going to be all right." He looked down at her leg. "Although, you're going to be out of action for a while." Sam grimaced as she looked at her plaster encased leg. "On the upside, you'll finally be able to catch up on your reading," Jack tried for lightness. "And I'm sure the kids will be happy to play board games with you. Maddie's become quite adept at Candyland as of late," he added with a smile.

Her eyes widened at the mention of her children. "The kids…where are they? You didn't leave them…" She had started to sit up but Jack put a restraining hand on her shoulder.

"Take it easy, Sam. They're fine. Teal'c's got them in our quarters. He's probably plying them with donuts as we speak." Jack smiled down at her while he still kept a restraining hand on her shoulder.

Janet, who had been hovering in the background while they had some private time, came forward. "OK, Ambassador. Now that she's awake, I think it's time for me to check out my patient." She gave Sam a reassuring smile then turned back to Jack. "Why don't you go and check on the children? Give us about thirty minutes, then they can come and see Sam."

Jack quirked an eyebrow at her. "Are you sure?" His mind automatically conjured up images of the kids running around the infirmary and causing boundless amounts of chaos.

Sam lifted her hand and grasped Jack's tightly in her own. "Please, Jack," she stated quietly. "I want to see them. And I want them to see that…that I'm all right." Her eyes pleaded with him to understand.

Jack looked at her for a moment before nodding in agreement. "All right, sweetheart. JJ and Grace were pretty worried about you," he acknowledged. "Maddie was still asleep when we came, so she didn't know what was going on. I'm sure one of the others has told her by now."

"Ok, then," Janet shooed him toward the door. "You go and prepare the kids while I check Sam out." At the edge of the curtain, Jack looked down at the diminutive doctor.

"She's really going to be OK, isn't she Doc?" Jack asked with one more look back at his wife.

"Yes, Jack, she's going to be just fine. And the sooner you go, the sooner I'll be able to make sure of that," she stated firmly. Then she lifted a hand and pointed toward the door.

A smile passed his lips as he replied, "Ok, Ok, I can take a hint. I'll be back in 30 minutes…with the entire entourage in tow. Better batten down the hatches, Doc," he quipped as he turned to leave the room.

"They can't be any worse than you, Ambassador," Janet muttered under her breath before returning to her patient.

-----

Jack's return down the corridor toward his quarters was made with a much lighter heart than when he had set out a few hours ago. When he reached his destination, he slowly opened the door and stuck his head in. His lips quirked in a smile as he surveyed the scene in front of him. Maddie sat nestled in Teal'c's lap, her eyes riveted to the TV while one hand held a half eaten powdered donut. JJ and Grace sat on the floor holding twin controllers in their hands. They bobbed left and right as they raced their cars around the on-screen track. Even from this distance, Jack could see Grace's tongue poking out in concentration.

"That was a most prodigious move, Grace Aeryn. You have regained your position over your brother and appear ready to win the race," Teal'c stated from his place on the couch.

"Having fun kids?" Jack asked as he came more fully into the room, a smile on his face.

Four sets of eyes turned quickly to him, then JJ and Grace dropped their controls and ran to him. Maddie slid off of Teal'c's lap and ran to her father as well. All three of them tried to talk at once. "Daddy, is Mommy OK?" "When can we see her?" "You were gone so long!" "Unca T gibbed me a donut!"

Jack held up his hands. "Hold on buckaroos! One at a time!" He stepped around them and moved to sit beside Teal'c on the sofa. Bending, he took Maddie onto his lap while JJ and Grace stood in front of him. "Ok, then; where were we?"

JJ spoke for the three of them. "How is mom? We've been worried." His blue eyes bored into his fathers and Jack remarked to himself how like Sam's they were. Then he smiled.

"Your mother is going to be fine. She woke up a little bit ago and talked to me." He looked around at his children. "She misses all of you and wants to see you real soon."

"Really?" Grace asked, her eyes pleading with him to be telling the truth.

Jack reached out a hand and cupped her cheek gently. "Really, princess. Your Aunt Janet has given the OK to bring you down to see her in a little while."

Maddie put a powdered sugar coated hand to her father's cheek and turned his attention to her. "I wants to see mommy, too, daddy."

Jack gave a slight grimace as he wiped the sugary substance off his cheek. "You will, pumpkin."

Shooting a glare at her older sister, Maddie stated, "Gwacie sayed I couldn't see mommy. She sayed I was too little. But JJ tolded me to just 'nore her."

Jack gave Grace a questioning look. The older girl shrugged slightly. "I thought she might be too young to go down there. 'Cause, you know, there might be b-l-o-o-d all over the place." She tipped her head and looked at him with interest. "Is there?"

Jack gave her a measured look; perhaps this one was going into medicine, not science; though medicine was science, if you stopped and thought about it. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he replied, "No Grace. The infirmary is very clean…like always." He gave her a slight warning glance. Grace took the hint and looked slightly abashed.

"What did Gwacie 'pell?" Maddie asked impatiently.

"Never mind," Jack replied as he looked down at his youngest. Then he brushed some powdered sugar off her face and looked over at Teal'c. "Donuts T?"

Teal'c cocked his head, as if daring the man to say anything about his choice of breakfast food for the children. Jack quirked an eyebrow. "Any left?"

----

Jack ate a few donuts of his own, then cleaned up Maddie from the remnants of her breakfast. Just as he was about to prepare the children for their visit to the infirmary, Daniel knocked on the door. JJ went and opened the door for him. Upon entering, Daniel greeted the children and his friends. He spied the few remaining donuts on a plate. "Hey, donuts! Mind if I have one?" Jack waved him over to the table while Teal'c gave the man a measured look. He was not too pleased that his stash of donuts was disappearing so quickly. Daniel picked up a donut and bit into it with relish; Janet didn't let them have donuts at their house so this was a rare treat.

After a few moments of silence, watching his friend devour the sweet treat, Jack said, "You just stop by for breakfast? Or was there a particular purpose to your visit?"

Daniel hastily wiped the crumbs from his face. "Oh…yeah. I just stopped by the infirmary. Janet says whenever you're ready, you can go see Sam."

"Can we go now, daddy? We're ready!" Grace jumped to her feet, the others following suit.

Jack smiled at them. "All right, munchkins. I think we're all ready." After obtaining promises from all three of them to be very quiet and not to go and jump on their mother when they saw her, Jack led the kids from the room and down the corridor to the infirmary. Just as they were about to enter, he reminded them that mommy had some cuts and bruises on her body, and they must all be very gentle with her. Three pairs of eyes nodded solemnly up at him. Jack took Maddie and Grace by the hands and led them into the infirmary, JJ close on his heels.

Sam looked up when she heard Janet softly greet the children. She shifted herself higher on the bed and smiled in encouragement as they drew near. Her smile faltered somewhat at the sadness she saw in their faces. "Hey guys. Am I ever glad to see you!" she exclaimed as the came closer, making her voice light, cheerful, and welcoming.

Jack released the girls' hands and drew up to the side of the bed. "Hey." He bent to kiss her. "You're looking better already."

Sam smiled gratefully up at him, then over to the children, who stood rooted to the spot, looking unsure. "Hey. Come over here and give me a hug. I won't break."

Grace looked at her, then to her father, before replying, "But you already did." Her comment broke the tension and caused Sam and Jack to laugh out loud. Sam then held out her arms to her kids, a more natural smile on her face. All three of the children looked to Jack, who smiled and gave them a nod, then all three of them rushed forward, once again talking at once. Daniel, Teal'c and Janet smiled from their places near the divider curtain.

"I was so scared mom!" "What happened?" "Can we sign your cast?" "Where was you mommy?" "Does it hurt real bad?"

Jack rolled his eyes. "Slow down, you three." He lifted Maddie off the floor and set her gently on the bed beside Sam. Grace climbed up on her own and sat near her mother's feet, her eyes raking over the cast with interest. She reached out a tentative hand and gently touched its rough surface. Sam and Janet shared a knowing look at the girl's interest in the cast.

JJ stood next to the bed and held his mother's hand gently in his own. "When can you come home?" her son asked.

Sam smiled at him and cupped his cheek in her hand. "This afternoon, actually. Aunt Janet wants to keep an eye on me for a while, but then I can come home." She squeezed his hand gently, noting the worry in his eyes. "I'll be fine JJ. It's just a fractured leg and some bruises. Nothing major."

Maddie was studying her mother's bruised face and bandaged arm. "You got lots of boo-boos, mommy. Did you fall into the bushes, too?"

Everyone chuckled at the little girl's question, for they had all heard of her first outing on her bicycle. Jack, who had gotten the low-down on the mission from Teal'c while they waited to visit Sam, replied, "No pumpkin. Mommy got her boo-boos from rocks, not bushes."

Maddie gave her mother a sympathetic look. "Rocks is harder than bushes," she stated knowingly.

Sam laughed and hugged the little girl close. "Yes, baby. They certainly are." She pulled back and surveyed her family, then smiled. Though the circumstances that had landed her here were less than appealing, and her injury rather serious, Sam was starting to feel better already.


I wanted to thank everyone for the encouraging reviews after the last chapter. Many of you expressed the desire for me to continue. I really only have one more chapter in mind but, as SG1-Fanfic mentioned, this story is one that can be left open and I can come back to it as I have more ideas. Each chapter is a story in and of itself, so that is something I will do. Hope you can all live with that! EGQ - special thanks for all your reivews. I tried to put your idea in this chapter, but it didn't work. Will go for the next one!