Content warning - language

Supporting Rumors - Part 64

Sam rolled and stretched. The sunlight was already flooding the bedroom and she idly wondered what time it was. That had been the best night's sleep she'd had in a long time.

She stared sleepily at the other side of the bed. It was empty and for a second or two it didn't hit…

"Jack?" Calling out, she quickly rose, and grabbing a robe to cover herself, she strode out of the bedroom, repeating his name.

"Hey." He swung his chair around, grinning widely at her as she entered the kitchen. "Morning sleepy head."

Sam finished fastening the robe. "You should have woken me." She felt a little embarrassed at not stirring when he got out of bed.

"You needed the rest, honey. Coffee?"

"Please." She sat at the table beneath the window, rather than the breakfast bar. At the suggestion of Freund, she'd already removed one of the chairs so Jack could use the table freely, and she was glad of that, along with where the coffee machine and supplies were sited. She knew she had to resist the urge to try and see to everything – besides, he made much better coffee than she did.

"How did you sleep?" she asked as she brought the beverages over.

"Fine. Best night I've had since …" His voice trailed off.

"That's good." Sam kept it light and bright. "You going to cook breakfast or is that down to me?"

"Unless you want cereal, it's down to you. That stove is a bit high for me at the moment."

Sam frowned. "Oh, blast … guess I'll have to make it then."

"We could always get take-out," said Jack, his frown deepening, "The meals are pretty good at the Center … don't know if I can …"

Sam laughed and swatted a hand towards his head. "You showered already?"

"Yes ma'am, all done, shaved an' all."

Sam dipped her head to kiss him, her fingers gliding over his cheeks and chin. "Mmmm, not bad. What do you fancy doing today? Anything in mind? Unless we invite anyone specifically we won't be getting visitors."

Jack nodded. "No visitors is fine … maybe next time. Can we go for a drive? Don't need to stop anywhere, just want to see what's been happening in the neighborhood."

"Oh, what about your exercises?"

"Done while you were still asleep, except my legs, you can help me later with that."

"Let me shower and change, then I'll be right with you," she promised.

Jack playfully swatted her ass as she moved off. "Don't be long – or I'll get bored," he threatened.

Sam rolled her eyes to the ceiling. "Heaven help us. Be right back."

xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

The drive was nice, very relaxing really. The silence that descended on them was companionable, quite natural to them both. Sam had given Jack a brief tour of their immediate neighborhood and then they chose to drive further afield. They stopped at a diner and Sam grabbed some take-out and they headed out. The car park they found was quite deserted and it overlooked a nice view, partially surrounded by trees, making it a pleasant place to stop for a while.

"This is better," Jack said with a sigh after they finished their meal.

"You missed the trees huh?" Sam responded, with a grin.

"No – I meant it's better than your cooking." He crumbled the empty bag and lopped it at her.

"You looking for an adrenaline burst mister?" She growled and slid across the seat to him. Before he could answer she neatly twisted and sat in his lap, facing him.

His arms snaked around her without hesitation and he lifted his head, his grin wide, his eyes alight with amusement. "Hell, yeah … I'm sure they jabbed a lot of things in my ass at the hospital, but adrenaline wasn't one of them …"

Sam captured his lips, effectively silencing him, only breaking off when the need for air became immediate. She shifted heavily and was about to kiss him again when he yelped.

"Aagh."

Sam stilled. "What? Are you okay?" The clear look of pain on his face alarmed her.

"Crap … uh, get off … I've … oh crap."

Sam returned to her seat as gently as she could, but Jack continued to groan in pain, his hands grabbing at his right knee.

"Jack?"

"Uh, oh crap ... Christ." His face contorted in agony.

Sliding closer, Sam grasped him by the shoulder. "Jack, what? Can you feel ... should we go back to ..." She was beginning to panic and she knew it – all her military training had flown out of the window.

"Of all the ... why the fuck does it have to be this knee!" Jack spat and groaned again.

"Shouldn't I get you to ..."

"No – uh." He blew out a breath and began to draw air in deeply, obviously making an effort to clamp down on the pain. Then his face crumpled.

Sam almost became frantic then, fearing he was going to break down or collapse on her … but it was laughter that erupted from him - honest to goodness laughter.

"Jack?"

He turned his head to face her, still laughing. "Oh, Sam …" He couldn't get the words out straightaway, and it took him a few minutes to calm down.

"I can feel my knee. Hurts like fuck, but I can actually feel it."

"That's ... good?"

"That's great. At first I thought it was just that burning sensation I get sometimes, usually when my foot starts twitching ... but ..." He looked downwards and framed his knee between his two hands. "I can actually feel it ..."

Sam didn't know what to do. She was still somewhat dazed by the outburst of his emotions and the revelation. Jack took the indecision away from her by pulling her into a tight hug and as she gazed up at his face, she realized what had been missing for so long now from him was beginning to re-emerge – the light from within him.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

TBC