I just finished working on Sam and Jack's blood tests. They were perfectly fine except they each have half the level of serotonin they should have in their systems. That would cause severe depression but I haven't noticed any symptoms of it in either of them. Meanwhile their chest x-rays were confusing. The first one I took of Sam has a lump over her heart; the next one shows it decreases in size from the size of a fist to the size of a quarter. Jack had a similar lump it was the size of a dime on the first x-ray and the size of a ladybug in the second. I would have been more concerned but it seemed to be shrinking for no reason at all. It was somewhat of a mystery, one that I knew I had to solve.
I walked into the infirmary to check on Colonel O'Neill and Sam, figuring the sedative would have worn off by now. Nothing could have prepared me for the sight I saw before me as I stopped in front of their beds. Sam was curled up against the Colonel with her head on his shoulder and her hand over his heart. The Colonel had both arms wrapped around her, with his noise buried in her hair. I couldn't believe it! I had no idea they were involved.
I tapped on Sam's shoulder hurriedly, hoping to wake her up so she could realize her mistake without someone other than me seeing this little transgression. "Sam wake up." I whispered to her. The only reaction I got was a moan from her as she snuggled into the Colonel's side. His response was to pull her closer and nuzzle her hair. Direct route is best, I decided. Okay here goes...
"Major Carter, Colonel O'Neill WAKE UP!" I shouted at them. Instead of jumping apart as I thought they would they simply opened their eyes blinking in confusion.
"What do you two think you're doing?" I was shocked, didn't they realize what this could do to their careers.
"Sleeping." Colonel O'Neill muttered as he stretched.
Sam sat up and moved onto her own cot, explaining, "It's my fault, I couldn't sleep."
"What do you mean you couldn't sleep? I gave you a sedative you should have been out for hours." I asked, astonished that anyone could stay awake through that level of sedative. It always worked on her before.
"She's right." The Colonel piped in. "She was awake when I came in, I was too after you gave me the sedative. She told me she couldn't sleep and after last night..." He shrugged.
"Excuse me but what happened last night?" I inquired, sitting down on Sam's bed watching them both very closely.
Sam started up the story and I turned to her, "Last night I was really tired and I saw the Colonel in the hallway and I asked him to take me home. I really didn't think I should be driving..."
Jack continued on. "I started driving her home, but I didn't feel right about leaving her all alone. So I took her to my place, and ran her a bath so she could clean up..."
"He told me a bed time story and tucked me in..." She smiled.
"But she didn't want to be alone, so I held her..." He looked over at her and smiled back.
"While I slept..." Sam finished.
It was like watching a tennis match, my attention switching between the two as they told their story. "I have the results of your blood tests and x-rays. Both of you seem to be low in serotonin, which is the chemical in the body that produces sleep. Actually you each have half the level you should. This should result in insomnia, headaches and severe depression. Have either of you had any of those symptoms?"
"Nope, Doc I feel great." O'Neill answered right away, probably hoping to get out of the infirmary without any more needles stuck into him. Sam though, had a different answer.
No headaches, my mood has been fine no depression at all. But I couldn't get to sleep until the Colonel and I..." she gestured with her hand. "...even with the sedative."
"It was only about five minutes after you gave me the sedative but I couldn't sleep without Sam." He added in.
"It must have been at least twenty-five minutes between the time I gave you the analgesic, Sam and the time I gave the Colonel one. I don't understand how it's humanly possible to stay awake through that level of sedation. I also can't understand why your moods are so high you should be feeling gloomy and depressed. But I think this could explain why you need to be in close quarters to sleep."
"How's that?" I asked looking to Sam then Doc Fraiser for the answer. Not surprisingly I didn't understand what she was talking about. I smiled a little as I realized Sam didn't get it either. I smiled again at the fact that Sam's not completely brilliant at least.
She put down her clipboard and tried to explain it to us, "Your serotonin levels are each one half of a whole," she led her hands apart. "It makes sense that you have to be touching to sleep. The touch connects you two and you share serotonin in order to sleep." She laced her fingers together. " I don't know how that is accomplished but that seems to be what's happening."
"So you mean...we can't sleep without each other?" Sam asked hesitantly.
"Exactly." The Doc nodded at her.
I grinned, "Sleepover at my place!" I said excitedly.
Sam chuckled but Doc Fraiser just rolled her eyes. "We've got more things to worry about than sleeping arrangements, Colonel. " She held up what I guessed were our x-rays. She put two of them up on the light box thing. "This is Major Carter's x-ray. See this blotchy area? " She pointed to a black lump on the sheet. "This shouldn't be there, I don't know what it is. But in the next x-ray I took, about five minutes later, it's shrunk dramatically." She put two different x-rays on and pointed again to a black lump a lot smaller. "This is Colonel O'Neill's x-ray, he also has this unknown growth but it is much smaller, in the next one I took it also has shrunk. I'd like to take another x-ray of both of you. I expect the growth will have disappeared on both of you based on it's rapid shrinking, however I just want to be sure." She motioned a nurse over to take the x-ray. She waited patiently until the nurse left to make sure the x-rays came out okay, then picked up her clipboard again.
"Okay you two, I want you to replay your day for me detailing when you started having chest pains and the severity of them. Let's start with you Colonel." The Doc turned to me with an intense look on her face, I knew nothing good could come from it.
"Okay, when I got up Sam was still sleeping, when I left her...um arms I got this pang in my chest but I just figured it was cause I didn't want to leave her." I shifted uncomfortably, I didn't like having to tell the Doc how I was feeling. I wasn't really sure I wanted to tell Sam yet. Oh well...I sighed and continued on with my recount of the day, "That was about nine thirty this morning, I think. Then I got in my truck to run a few errands, the further away I got from my house the worse they got, I decided to go home and lay down when I was having trouble breathing. As I drove towards home the pain lessened. When I got home though, it started up again. That was quarter to eleven. I remembered I had to drop of my report to General Hammond so I drove here, then the pain got less and less now I don't feel it at all."
"Okay Major, your turn." Janet said after scribbling down some notes.
After the Colonel told his version of the day I couldn't help but feel the same way, he did when he left me this morning. "Actually a pang in my chest is what woke me up this morning," I looked over at Jack his eyes spoke of longing unfulfilled. I knew exactly what he meant. "It was just after half past nine. My chest was kind of sore but it wasn't really painful, I just assumed I had slept funny." The Colonel gave me a lopsided grin for that but I persevered. "I had coffee and it got a little worse, I decided I'd best get home I called a cab and left just after ten. A little ways from my apartment the pain got much worse and I had trouble breathing. I told the cab driver to drive me here instead, so you could check me out." I finished, wondering if I was catching on to what Janet was thinking.
"Some how you've developed some sort of bond. It explains the chest pains, they seem to occur when you're separated. The farther apart you are the more severe the chest pains are. I'm afraid if you're separated by too much distance or for too long that each of you could lapse into cardiac arrest." The nurse came back in with the x-rays and Janet took a quick look at them. "This just confirms it, looks like you two have to stick together until I figure out what's happened. In the mean time we better go inform General Hammond."
I sighed as I stood and walked behind Janet following her to the elevator, she's all business now but later I know she'll be picking my brain to know what it was like to be 'connected' to the Colonel. Maybe I'll remind her of this when she wants me to 'dish'.
As we got to the elevator Doc Fraiser motioned us inside then pressed the floor for the General's office. I was leaning back against the wall with Carter slightly in front of me. She turned back and looked at me, then whispered in my ear, "I miss your arms..." She leaned back and gave me an uncertain smile.
I bent down breathing her in again, I was quickly becoming addicted to that scent. I whispered back at her, "I'm kind of attached to them myself." I heard her giggle and I grinned in response. That is until the Doc gave us a glare over her shoulder, Sam turned away and I just put up my hands in defense. Finally, after a rather slow elevator ride we made it to the right floor.
The General was already waiting for us; we stood until he waved his hand for us to sit. Instead of sitting beside me like she always does, Carter sat across from me, beside the Doc. As we sat down I felt her legs wiggle in between mine. I reach my hand under the table and squeezed her knee affectionately. I understood how she felt, when we weren't touching there was this compulsion do to so whether it was holding her in my arms or having our legs brush against one another.
"You called this meeting Doctor Fraiser what do you have to report?" General Hammond's deep voice took control of the room.
As Janet explained the tests she ran on us and her theories about our 'condition', I couldn't help but sense Jack's feelings. I felt a wave of irritation from him, he didn't want to be here. But there was also an undertone of longing coming from him, despite his joke in the elevator and think he missed me in his arms as much as I missed them being wrapped around me. I gave him a small smile, hoping he'd understand that we'd have to be patient and that we'd be together soon. He nodded and squeezed my knee again. I brought my attention back to what Janet was saying, hoping she was almost through.
"...and that's as much as we know at the moment, Sir." Janet summed up her findings.
"What will this mean for their performance in the field and off world, Doctor?" General Hammond asked.
"Some precautions have to be observed. For instant when stepping through the stargate they will need to maintain physical contact. I'm afraid that if half a galaxy separated them, in for a couple seconds they would both lapse into cardiac arrest. However I believe this bond will prove a tactile advantage though." Janet replied.
"How so, Doctor?" I cringed, stop asking questions General and let us get out of here.
Janet smiled, "I'll demonstrate. Colonel O'Neill please stand." I quickly untangled our legs, it wouldn't do any good to have the Colonel fall flat on his face. No matter how humorous it would be.
As he stood he looked over at me, "What's so funny Major?" he asked slightly puzzled. I looked up in shock, it hadn't occurred to me that he could sense my feelings too.
"What was that Colonel?" General Hammond's voice broke me out of my shock.
Jack answered quickly, "Major Carter felt something was funny, I was just wondering what it was, Sir."
It was Janet's turn to be confused, "How did you know what she was feeling?"
He ran a shaky hand through his hair, "I don't know, cause I felt it too." He answered uncertainly.
"Is this true Major? Can you sense each other's feelings?" General Hammond's intense gaze was now centered on me.
"It's true," I turned to look up at the Colonel, "he feels frustrated because he doesn't understand what's happening to us. Also irritated and he has a headache." I responded, rubbing my temples.
Janet looked back at me and frowned. "I think Sir that the link is becoming stronger, Major Carter and Colonel O'Neill didn't have this ability earlier today. In any case let me show you my experiment." She turned towards Jack and I felt a wave of uncertainty and 'Why me?' coming from him. She led him away from the conference table "Okay Colonel when I give you the word I want you to close your eyes, spin around in a circle three times and point to where you think Major Carter is, keeping your eyes closed."
Jack rolled his eyes, before closing them. "Oooookkkkaaaayyyy"
Janet crooked her finger at me and pointed to the corner of the room, farthest away from the Colonel. I too rolled my eyes as I was banished to the corner.
"Okay Colonel spin away." Janet called out. I watched as the Colonel twirled his way around, and smiled. I suddenly came up with a mental image of the Colonel in a tutu.
Jack stopped and pointed straight at me, he then opened his eyes and gave me a look. "Not funny Major." He growled as we made our way back to the table.
"What was that about Colonel?" General Hammond inquired.
"Nothing Sir, just a feeling of humor from Major Carter. I'm not positive but I believe she found my twirling skills to be funny. " He gave me another glare.
Even Janet couldn't hide a smile at that one, she coughed slightly, "You can see why this would be a tactical advantage, they will know where ever each other are in the field no matter what the weather conditions are."
"I see. So basically, I'm stuck with both of them if I deem they are able to go into the field and neither of them if I find them unfit?" General asked standing.
"I'm afraid so sir." Janet said smiling.
"I'll take that under advisement Doctor Fraiser, for now you're dismissed." The General nodded at us and then walked out.
Janet turned to us with her hands on her hips; "I want you two to stay in the infirmary overnight for observation."
"Oh for crying out loud!" Jack cried out as a large wave of irritation washed over me.
"Please Janet, we'll be good. If I have to feel the Colonel's irritation all night long I'm going to have a monster headache. " Jack and I looked up at her pleadingly.
"Alright. But I want to see you to at eleven sharp tomorrow so I can run some more tests." She replied, shaking her head as if she knew better than to give in to us.
Jack jumped up grinning, and offered me is arm. "Come on Major, I believe I owe you some pancakes." We walked out together, leaving a confused Janet in our wake.
Despite what he said at the base Jack didn't make pancakes for me when we got back to his place. Instead we picked up a movie and ordered a pizza. After much searching and arguing in the video store we'd managed to agree on Entrapment. He wanted an action movie while I wanted something a little more on the romantic side. Entrapment seemed to have both in it, as well as Sean Connery whom we both heartily approved of.
We had each taken an end of his couch, stretching out towards each other, our legs intertwined. It didn't seem to matter which part of us were touching as long as we were in constant physical contact. Although I had to admit, some physical contact was much more appealing than others.
In fact one that was quickly becoming high on my list of to do's was having Jack massage my feet. About half way through the movie and completely through the pizza and beer, he lifted my feet off the couch and placed them in his lap. He then took my right foot and started rubbing at the sole with his thumbs in circular motions.
I couldn't contain a moan at the feel of his hands working such magic, before long he switched to my other foot and gave it some much-needed attention. Bubble baths, foot rubs and cuddling, Jack was quickly becoming the boyfriend I had wished for all my life. I smiled and gave a happy sigh at the thought.
If I knew I could make Sam putty in my hands so easily I would have given her a foot rub ages ago. She silenced her moaning a moment ago and now seems to be in a relaxing trace, eyes closed slumped back against the arm of my couch.
I finish up with her left foot and kiss them each in turn before I rise to bring our dishes and empty bottles into the kitchen. When I return however she is alert and ready for me. She's moved and is now sitting with her feet firmly on the floor beside the space I vacated a few minutes ago. Apparently she wants more than just our legs to be touching for the remainder of the movie, can't say that I blame her.
I sit down beside her, between the arm of my couch and the arms of my second in command. I smile at the thought, I don't think she'll ever be just my second in command ever again, even if this connection we have disappears. I catch sight of movement out of the corner of my eye, just in time to see her stand up. I turn my head and watch her as she sits down in my lap, snuggling against my chest. Her arms tug mine around her and I hurry to comply with her wishes.
I don't think I'll ever grow out of the wonderment of having her in my arms, she's so smart and capable and beautiful yet she chooses to spend her time in my arms, bond or no bond. God I love her, the feel of her, the smell of her. This is more than I ever imagined I'd get and I'm more than greatful for it.
"Is that your side arm or are you just happy to see me?" Her voice brings me out of my thoughts. I grin ruefully down at her.
"Actually," I say, placing the offending object in her lap, "it's the remote control but I am still very happy to see you and be with you." That earns me one of her most beautiful smiles. I can't help but smile back as I nuzzle her hair.
The movie ends in a happy ending; the two lovers get away together, happy for the chance of more adventures even if they have lost a substantial amount of money.
I'm still curled up in Jack's arms, sitting on his lap. His arms are holding me while his chin rests on my forehead. I can feel us both close to giving into sleep, but I know that there are much more comfortable positions and places to sleep in tonight. So I pull away from him slightly and cup his cheek in my palm, his eyes are drawn to mine and I smile, "Bed time."
He nods flicks off the television and carries me into his bedroom. I remember always thinking that damsel's in distress fairy tales were irritating. Women are just as strong as men and don't need to be rescued or saved all the time. And certainly not carried around like they have no use for their legs. Now however, I can't get enough of Jack's arms. I don't want him to put me down even for the short walk to his bedroom.
But all good things have to come to an end; he sets me down on the bed. My eyes are drawn to his movements as he steps back from me. He takes his T-shirt off, and tosses it at me. It lands on my head obstructing my view of him. "Hey!" I call to him as I throw the shirt in the corner. He just chuckles and grins as he slips his jeans over his slim hips. I smiled, I love those hips. He throws his jeans by his shirt.
I took a moment to look him up and down, loving the sight of him but just craving his touch. He smiled down at me and sat on the bed behind me. I waited impatiently, anxiously anticipating the feeling of his hands on me. Finally I was rewarded as he brushed his fingers across my cheek. I leaned into his touch; I missed it in the brief time we were separated.
This is driving me nuts. Every time I'm not touching her, her voice in my head would call to me, 'C'mere, touch me, hold me...Jack'. I wondered if she heard my voice beckoning her in her own mind. Judging by the way she sighed and leaned into the brush of my fingers, I'd say yes.
I placed my hands firmly on her shoulders, hoping to calm us both down. I gently pulled her shirt over her head and returned my hands to her now naked shoulders. I rested my head on her shoulder and breathed her in, nuzzling at her cheek. Without thought I wrapped my arms around her waist and pushed my chest up against her back, I couldn't help it.
I felt her shudder against my grip, squeezing my hands where they lay at her waist. She then pushed my arms away; I couldn't hide my disappointment and hurt from her. "Sam...?" I questioned; I didn't understand what I had done wrong.
I felt a way of acceptance and understanding; I caught on to what she was doing. She unclasped her bra and helped it to fall always from her chest. I reached behind us, grabbed my jersey and gently pulled it over her head. I turned off the overhead light as she makes quick work of her jeans. We met up at the bed as I pulled back the covers.
Jack had a sweet surprise for me as we slipped under the covers; a change of position. Instead of my head on his chest, he went for the reverse. His head placed right over my heart while his arms were wrapped around my waist. I took the opportunity to nuzzle his forehead and run my fingers through his soft hair. There was something so pleasing to know that Jack is so close to my heart both physically and emotionally.
"Jack?" I whispered at the top of his head; I wanted an answer to my question before he went to sleep.
"Saaaammm..." he mumbled his reply against my chest.
"Can I have this?" I pinched the fabric of his jersey between my fingers.
He brought my fingers to his lips and kissed them gently, "It's yours...as long as," he yawned dreamily, "I can have you..." he intertwined our fingers.
I smiled and kissed his forehead, whispering to him as I drifted off to sleep, "...yours forever..."