A/N: There are no specific TWs for this chapter.

"Come on, Janet. I just want to go home. See the sky. Sleep in a real bed," Sam pleaded as she lay in her infirmary bed while Janet reviewed the notes from the night nurses.

It had been a week since she and Jack had been held captive and Sam wanted nothing more than to escape the constant looks of sympathy from the infirmary staff. Every time one of the nurses changed the bandages on her abdomen, they looked at her like she was either the bravest person ever or like they didn't know how she'd ever get past what was done to her. Even Daniel and Teal'c seemed to treat her like she was made of glass. It was downright irritating.

"What's the word, doc?" Jack asked from the doorway, drawing both women's attention. "Can I orchestrate a prison break?" He winked at Sam, making her smile.

While Jack had been a frequent visitor, checking in on her several times a day, they hadn't had a chance to actually talk. At first, she'd been too out of it, a constant morphine drip managing her pain made her groggy. She knew Jack had stayed with her constantly in the beginning, leaving only when General Hammond gave him a direct order to get some rest. She also remembered him holding her hand when they were alone. His whispers for her to come back to him and his promise to be waiting when she did.

But by the time she'd been coherent enough to hold an actual conversation, she'd also been awake enough to realize they couldn't. Not here. Not where she was under almost constant observation.

And coincidentally her being fully awake also coincided with Jack slipping back into CO mode. He'd kept his distance, but the physical separation was made easier by the way his eyes caressed her from across the room when no one was looking. Like right now. His gaze held an intensity that shook her and made her desperately want to be off-base so they could finally talk. It made her desperately want to get out of here and go somewhere away from prying eyes.

"Please," Sam asked again, giving Janet her biggest smile. "I promise I'll take it easy."

"I swear, Sam," Janet rolled her eyes, "I don't know who is the worse patient, you or Colonel O'Neill." She shook her head.

"Definitely me," Jack replied, stepping fully into the room. "At least I can give Carter here an order not to overdo it."

"I'm counting on it," Janet said as she began unhooking Sam's IV.

"So I'm free?" Sam asked hopefully, making Jack bite back his own grin at her enthusiasm.

"Yes," Janet confirmed, "but you are to stay off that leg. And your bandages need to be changed once a day for another two weeks." She turned to Jack. "Under no circumstances is she to be left alone. Understand?"

"Yes, ma'am," Jack nodded. That was one order he would have no problem following.

"Here," Janet had Sam hold some gauze against her IV site and crossed to the other side of the room. Handing Jack a small jar she explained, "This is medicated salve for the wound on her stomach. Apply it every time you change the dressing. Even if she protests," Janet eyed Sam knowing how much she hated the salve. It stung fiercely. "I'm counting on you to make sure she uses it. The painkillers, too. Don't let her be a hero; stay ahead of the pain. I'll stop by and check on you in a few days."

Sam didn't inquire why Janet gave the salve and medicine to Jack, and didn't care. She'd been wanting to ask him to stay with her, but didn't know how with everyone around. Now she sighed in relief, having realized it was already a foregone conclusion.

"You ready, Carter?" Jack asked when Janet had finished discharging her.

"Yes, sir," she nodded and reached for the hands he held out to her. Grasping his forearms, she stood up on her good leg, pivoted, and allowed him to lower her into the wheelchair.

"We heard someone was blowing this popsicle stand," Daniel said from the doorway with Teal'c behind him.

"Major Carter is in the infirmary, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c arched an eyebrow. "And I do not believe Doctor Frasier would appreciate an incendiary device being used."

"It means—you know what, never mind," Daniel said, making Sam and Jack chuckle.

"You still have a long road ahead of you," Janet cautioned. "Physical therapy isn't going to be a walk in the park."

"I know," Sam sighed, remembering her previous times in PT to overcome an injury.

"I was really hoping the Tok'ra would have responded by now," Janet shook her head. "A healing device would accelerate your recovery significantly."

"I'm sure my Dad will come back as soon as he can."

"He'd be here now if the high council had actually passed along Hammond's message," Jack grumbled.

"Dad already knew I was hurt," Sam shrugged. She knew Earth's relations with the Tok'ra had broken down while she was fighting the Super Soldier a few weeks ago, and that was the reason Jacob hadn't already come back with a healing device. He had more important things to deal with.

"He doesn't know about what happened after," Jack countered, his face growing grim at the memory. "If he did, there is no force in the universe that would prevent him from coming back. Trust me."

"Jacob Carter has shown on many occasions that he values your life over that of Tok'ra politics," Teal'c added. "I, too, believe he has not been informed about what has transpired."

"All right," Janet interrupted, noticing the look on her patient's face, "that's enough. While a healing device would help, good old fashioned rest truly is the best medicine at the moment."

"You heard the doc," Jack started pushing Sam's wheelchair forward, "let's get Carter out of here so she can see the light of day."