My apologies for the long delay. In between getting my classroom ready for a new school year and moving my daughter back to college, my close friend was diagnosed with cancer. It's been a harrowing past few weeks, to say the least. Thanks so much for reading and reviewing. I hope you enjoy this final chapter of Days Like This!
Closing his eyes briefly, Jack whispered into Sam's hair, "I'm really sorry, Carter." Then he released his hold on her and stepped back. Before she could turn around and question him, Jack aimed his Zat at her and fired quickly, then dropped his weapon and caught her before she hit the ground.
Chapter 8 – Things Can Only Get Better
Sam very slowly became aware of her surroundings. Keeping her eyes firmly shut, she took stock with her senses. The first thing she noticed was the tingling sensation throughout her body; a tingling that was unfortunately way too familiar - a tingling that told her she had been zatted very recently. Sam's brain tried to grasp the how, when and why of being zatted, but she just couldn't seem to manage it yet.
Moving on, the next sense that kicked in was her hearing. She registered the beep and hum of machinery, the low mumbling of voices, and the click-clack of heels on the linoleum floor. Grimacing in recognition, Sam cracked open one eye, then groaned out loud as her intuition was confirmed. For the second time in under two hours, she found herself back in the infirmary.
Sam closed her eye again, trying desperately to recall what had put her there this time. Her mind was fuzzy on the details. She remembered something about her lab…a white gauze covering everything…being held by the Colonel…Her eyes popped open at that thought. Had that really happened? She looked around, blinking her eyes into focus and found herself rather surprised to find that she was alone. Usually, when she awoke in the infirmary, at least one of her team mates was likely to be found sitting next to her bed. Sam turned her head to her right, then smiled faintly. Good, some things were as they should be, she thought as she took in the sight next to her. Daniel sat slouched in the chair by her bedside, his head resting on his chest as he snored softly in sleep. Sam couldn't blame the man; neither one of them had slept a whole lot in the last 24 hours.
Sam's smile faltered. Had it really been less than 24 hours since she and Daniel had talked in her lab? Lifting her wrist to check her watch, Sam was dismayed to find it missing. She frowned fiercely at the IV tube leading out of her arm and into a packet of fluid hanging next to her left side. Great – just what she needed – to be hooked up to an IV for God knows how long. Sam decided that her next plan of action should be to find Janet and get some answers; there wasn't a chance in hell she was going to just sit here and wait for someone to tell her what had happened. She cast a quick glance at her sleeping friend before flipping the covers back and moving her legs to the side of the bed.
Unfortunately, as Sam got to her feet, a strong wave of dizziness came over her, causing her to moan out loud and sink back onto the bed. Another, louder groan was emitted at the burning pain that shot across the top of her chest due to her abrupt movement. The noise brought Daniel out of his slumber quickly. His head shot up, glasses askew, as he looked across the bed at the slumped form of his friend sitting on the edge across from him. "Sam?" Daniel jumped to his feet and was around the side of the bed in an instant. He put his hands on her shoulders and eased her back into bed. "Just take it easy, Sam. You need to rest for a while."
Sam let herself be laid back against the pillows, her face wincing in discomfort even as her eyes remained focused on Daniel's concerned gaze. Once she had been settled back to his satisfaction, Daniel stood. "I'll just go and get Janet," he pointed toward the cubicle's opening. He was prevented from doing so when he felt a firm grip on his wrist. Eyebrow raised in surprise at the tight grip, he waited for her to speak.
She got right to the point. "What happened Daniel? Who shot me with a Zat?"
Daniel looked uncomfortable for a moment, then opened his mouth to answer. Before he could reply, a voice came from the opening in the curtain surrounding her bed. "Uh, that would be me."
Sam leant to the side, peering around Daniel. Although she knew who the voice belonged to, she just had to see for herself. Identity confirmed, she leaned back again and with a confused frown asked, "Sir?"
Jack winced slightly at the utter confusion in her voice, then stepped more fully into the room. Clearing his throat, he stated simply, "Sorry about that Carter. There didn't seem to be another choice at the time." Sam could see by the way his gaze roved over her and the pained look in his eyes that he felt true regret over using the Zat on her. But why had he? The frustration of not remembering made her frown deepen. Sam looked away as she tried to corral her spinning thoughts. Jack cast a worried look at Daniel, both men assuming her actions spoke of her anger with Jack for his unexpected actions.
Daniel sat on the edge of her bed and took her hand in his. "Look Sam, there really wasn't any time to consider other options. None of us would ever hurt you on purpose. You know that." His voice was quiet but firm as he looked pleadingly into her eyes. Jack's look of regret deepened at his friend's words, but he remained quiet.
Sam gave Daniel an exasperated look. "I know none of you would hurt me on purpose, Daniel." The tone of voice made it clear that should be obvious. "I just can't remember why Colonel O'Neill shot me!" her voice rose in frustration as she looked at Daniel, then over to Jack.
The two men looked at each other, eyebrows raised in surprise, before Daniel got to his feet. "I'll just go and get Janet," he said, before hurrying out of the room.
Jack's eyes conveyed his worry as he looked at Sam. What if he had acted too late? What if a side effect of being bitten by the spider was memory loss? Instead of worrying how it might have looked, he should have reached inside her shirt and grabbed that damned spider when he had the chance! So engrossed in his own thoughts, Jack missed the look of uneasiness that crossed Sam's face as he continued to stare at her. "Sir? What happened?" The quietly stated question shook Jack from his thoughts.
Sighing, he walked to the side of Sam's bed and took the chair Daniel had recently vacated. Pulling it close, he sat down, rubbed a weary hand over his face, then looked into her expectant eyes. "You remember Felger telling us something was wrong in your lab?" At her nod, he continued. "And you remember breaking into your lab…then finding all the webs covering everything?"
Sam's brows knit in concentration as she recalled the state of her lab once they had entered. That's what all that gauzy stuff was, she thought to herself. Sam nodded her head in response to his question, but remained silent, willing him to continue as pictures began to form in her mind. "Uh, you remember what makes webs, right Carter?" He waited expectantly, eyebrows raised, as she processed his question.
"Spiders," Sam answered automatically, her mind still stuck on the state of her lab. Her gaze went to the covers of her bed, fingers absently plucking at the blanket, before what she had said sunk in. Lifting her head quickly, her eyes widened as realization sunk in. "Oh my God. Spiders," she whispered in alarm.
Jack grimaced. "Yeah. Spiders. Although there were only the two, thank God. Not the hundreds that Ferritti implied might be lurking around." He suppressed a shudder as he thought about that possible scenario. "The giant one's been taken down to the labs. Seems you were right about how it got so big. Fed on the electrical doodads in your lab. The smaller one, well…" he faltered as he waved absently at her gown, his cheeks flushing slightly.
Sam's face paled alarmingly, then flushed brightly as she suddenly recalled exactly where the second spider had ended up. Not caring that her CO was watching her intently, Sam pulled the neck of the gown away and looked down at her chest. Rationally, she knew it wouldn't still be there, but for some reason, Sam just had to check for herself. She absently noted the small red bump high on her chest and the surrounding area of tender red skin, but heaved a sigh of relief at not finding an eight legged creature lurking under her gown.
Jack put his hand on her arm, drawing her attention back to him. "It's dead, Carter. Didn't survive the Zat, just like you said." He looked deeply into her eyes. "Sorry," he offered quietly, but both of them knew that he was apologizing for much more than killing the spider.
Sam gave him a soft smile of reassurance. "Better the spider than me, I guess."
"There's no guessing about that, Carter," Jack replied, the husky tone of voice and light squeeze to her arm telling her more than words ever could.
They looked at each other for just a moment longer before Sam blushed again and looked down. "Uhm, Sir, did you…er, do you know who…ah, how did the spider…" she bit her lip, unable to form the question.
Luckily for both of them, Janet chose that moment to enter the curtained off area, Daniel close behind her. As she had heard Sam's attempts to ask a question, Janet felt obligated to answer. "I removed the spider once we got down to the infirmary, Sam. It's been taken to the medical labs. We need to see if the spider venom is at all poisonous." At the worried looks that crossed all three faces, she hastened to assure them, "But so far, everything looks good. You're having a slight reaction to the spider bite, but I don't think it's anything to worry about. I'm giving you antibiotics, just in case," she indicated the hanging IV bag, then began to take Sam's vitals. "I've also applied a topical analgesic, to help with the itching and burning sensation. How are you feeling?" She looked up from her work and waited for Sam to answer.
Sam shrugged her shoulders. "Ok, I guess. Kind of stupid, to tell you the truth," she flushed as she recalled her actions in the lab earlier.
Janet patted her hand reassuringly. "Nothing to feel stupid about, Sam. You had an alien creature climbing on you. Your reactions were completely natural." She squeezed Sam's shoulder, then turned to check the IV bag before continuing. "Once my medical team is finished with it, the entomologists will get the smaller spider. But I think they are more excited about studying that huge one." Janet visibly shuddered at the memory of the gigantic spider lying on the floor of her friend's lab. The good doctor absolutely hated spiders and made a mental note to call an exterminator once her shift was over. After the events of this afternoon, she didn't want to take any chances that there might be spiders lurking in her rather damp, cluttered basement.
Janet was drawn back to the present by Daniel's question. "What about the memory loss? Sam couldn't remember what happened in her lab." His gaze fell on Sam, his eyes filled with wary concern.
"I remembered, Daniel," Sam offered with a look of embarrassment. "Colonel O'Neill clued me in."
Daniel's eyes showed his relief. "That's a relief. Not all the stuff that happened to you," he added hastily, then he gave her a smile. "You just had us all worried for a while there."
Sam gave him a small smile and muttered a quiet, "Sorry."
"The memory loss was probably just a side effect of being shot with the Zat gun," Janet explained, throwing Colonel O'Neill a quick look of displeasure. Even though she knew there hadn't been any other choice, the idea of her friend being on the wrong end of a Zat blast didn't sit well with her. And especially when the shooter was sitting right next to her. "Fortunately," she continued, looking back at Sam, "The Colonel had the foresight to catch you before you hit the floor. Otherwise, we could be dealing with more serious consequences."
At that announcement, Sam looked to Jack, eyes widened in surprise and face once again flushing in embarrassment. She did manage to squeak out a, "Thank you, Sir," before she looked away. First he sees her dancing around like a crazed woman, then with her hand down her shirt. Finally he has to catch her when she falls unconscious. How much more embarrassing was this going to get?
Her question was answered with the arrival of Colonel Ferritti. "Hey, our very own spider woman! Good to see you awake!" He grinned widely as he entered the curtained off area. Sam groaned and sunk further down under the covers. She felt a little better when Teal'c entered the room as well and none too gently pushed the annoying Colonel aside, throwing him a warning glare in the process.
"I am pleased to see you awake once again, Major Carter. You will be comforted to learn that your lab has been cleared of arachnids and the hazmat team is working on clearing the remainder of the webbing from your electronic machinery."
Sam smiled at Teal'c and sat up a bit straighter. "Thank you Teal'c.' She frowned slightly, looking around the room at the men gathered. If they were all up here, then who was in her lab? "Uh, do you know who's in charge down there?"
Teal'c inclined his head. "I believe that task has been given to Doctor Felger."
Eyes widening, a look of shock crossed her face. Sam gulped loudly, then squeaked out, "Felger? Felger's been left in charge of my lab? Oh my God, I've got to get down there." Sam threw back the covers and slid her legs over the side of the bed, heedless of the crowd in her room or their looks of surprise.
She didn't get far though, as Janet put a restraining hand on her arm. "You're not going anywhere, Sam. Not until I've made sure you won't have a reaction to the venom." As Sam continued to push against her hands, Janet's voice became more firm. "Sam! You've been bitten by an alien spider and just been zatted. You aren't going anywhere, do I make myself clear?"
The two women's eyes clashed for a few moments before Sam gave in and pulled her legs back under the covers. "Fine," she mumbled grumpily as her thoughts turned to what state her lab would be in when she could return.
"Uh, Sam? I'll go down and make sure things don't get moved around too much, OK?" Daniel offered hesitantly. He knew how he would feel if someone else were in charge of cleaning up his lab; he'd hate it as much as Sam hated the idea of Felger in her lab.
"I will accompany Daniel Jackson," Teal'c offered as well. "With our presence, I do not believe Dr. Felger will be overly fervent in his clean-up duties."
Sam looked at her two friends and smiled gratefully at them. Sinking back a bit more comfortably, for she was more tired than she wanted to admit, Sam quietly replied, "Thanks guys. I really appreciate it." She sat up again as she thought of something. "Daniel, don't let him near my computer. Last time he was in there…"
Daniel held up a hand and smiled. "No problem." As they turned to leave, he quickly turned back. "Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you. That box the spiders came out of? Turns out it belonged to a Goa'uld named Anansi. He used spiders during his rule as a way to intimidate and control people. There was a hidden panel under the base that explains how the spiders were used." Daniel shuddered slightly as he recalled what he had been able to transcribe. "Not a nice guy, that Anansi. Sometimes, he'd wait until the spiders were even bigger than the one we found, and…"
Noting Sam's pale face, Jack interrupted. "That's OK, Danny. I think Carter's had enough of spiders for a while."
Sam gave him a grateful look, then gave a small wave as Teal'c and Daniel left the room. "And enough visitors," Janet added, giving Jack and Ferritti a meaningful look. "Sam needs her rest."
Sam sat up a bit. "Can I at least have my laptop? I have reports that are due in…" she looked to the clock on the wall, "Less than 2 hours?" her voice squeaked as it rose to the edge of panic.
Jack stood up and pushed her gently back into the pillows. "Take it easy, Carter. General Hammond is graciously going to accept my reports on the mission for the time being." She stared at him in shock. "I'll get Daniel to help with some of the bigger words, don't worry," he winked at her when she continued to gap at him in disbelief.
"But," she protested.
"Uh-uh," he raised a finger in warning. "You need to rest, like the doc says. That's an order," he added a bit more firmly when it looked like she was going to protest once more. "Besides, Hammond is going to order you to take a few days down time as well, so you'd better get used to it."
Visibly deflating, Sam mumbled, "Well, that's just great. Tons of things to do and everyone wants me to rest." Jack smiled at the less than submissive comment, then turned to Ferritti. "Come on Ferritti. We've got reports to write and Little Miss Muffet needs some peace and quiet." Ferritti chuckled and turned to follow Jack out the door, neither man seeing Sam roll her eyes after the two officers.
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Sam let out a yawn and looked at the clock on the wall. 2340. She hadn't seen nor heard from any of the guys for the past hour. She knew they were busy with tasks that she should be doing, which didn't make it any easier for her to lie quietly in bed. Feelings of guilt assailed her: not only were there reports that she should be writing, she was also itching to get back to her lab. Sam didn't mind admitting it: she was bored to death lying here with nothing to do. The thought that she might have to spend another two days "resting" was enough to make her want to scream.
The infirmary was quiet; all but a few night duty nurses going about their work. Janet had gone home an hour ago with strict instructions not to allow Major Carter out of bed for anything except to use the bathroom. She would be kept in overnight, just to make sure she didn't have any late onset reactions to the spider venom. Janet had even gone so far as to threaten her with a sedative if she didn't agree to stay in bed. Sam had given in, albeit with protest.
The antibiotics in question were slowly dripping in Sam's arm via the IV. She glared at the contraption with distain, then tugged experimentally on the tubing. Her head shot up in surprise when she heard a voice from the doorway. "Ah-ah, Carter. Doc doesn't like it when you play with her medical contraptions. Makes her cranky." Jack smiled as he stepped closer to the bed, one hand held firmly behind his back, the other in his front pocket.
Sam returned her hands to her lap and sighed. "That would make two of us."
Jack's smile widened. "You? Cranky? Never!" he protested with mock outrage.
Her lips quirked just a bit before the smile disappeared. Sam leaned back against the pillows and shook her head. "I'm sorry, Sir, but I just can't shake this feeling of…frustration? Anger? I don't even know what to call it."
"Ah," Jack nodded his head knowingly. "You're in what I like to call an advanced state of pisstivity. Had those once or twice myself, Carter."
This time, the smile broke through. "Pisstivity? Is that even a word?"
"Sure it is," Jack shrugged as he came closer to the bed. "You knew what I meant the minute I said it, didn't you?"
Sam shrugged her shoulders. "Well, yes, but…"
"So there you have it. It's a word that means exactly how you're feeling right now; pissed off about just about everything. Am I right?"
Sam chuckled softly, amazed how a few words from this man could change her mood so quickly. "Yeah, I guess you are."
Jack smiled smugly. "And I know just the cure for blond Air Force Majors who are in an advanced state of pisstivity."
Sam's eyebrows rose in curiosity as a smile crossed her face. "You do? Pray tell, Sir, would you share this miraculous cure with me?"
"I would be delighted, Carter." He began to take his right hand from behind his back, but stopped before he could reveal what he was hiding. Holding up his left hand, index finger raised, he warned, "Now keep in mind, Carter, that cures for this disease are very individualized. What works for one person will not necessarily work for another. Very important to remember that."
Sam nodded solemnly. "I'll remember, Sir."
"Good," he nodded. Then, with an exaggerated flourish, he brought his right hand forward, revealing a glimmering, wobbling dessert cup filled with blue jello. "Tada – you're very own cure to help you get rid of the state of pisstivity!"
Sam's eyes shined with delight and gratitude. As she reached for the offering, she grinned up at him. "I think it's working already, Sir."
Jack let his fingers linger for moment over hers as he passed her the jello, then smiled as he released the cup. "A medical miracle, if I do say so myself, Carter!"
He watched her eat in silence for a few moments. Not wanting to ruin the light mood he had created with talk of reports, her lab, or in general her bad day, Jack cocked his head thoughtfully at her. Putting his hands into his pockets, he rocked back on his heels and said with all the seriousness he could muster, "So Carter. I've been wondering something." At her questioning look, he continued. "You been having any strange feelings yet?" When she cocked an eyebrow at him in question, he elaborated. "Heightened senses, feeling like you could jump 20 feet in a single bound, knowing something's going to happen before it does…you know, spidey-sense?"
Sam choked on a piece of jello, coughing and sputtering at his inane question. Jack reached over and pounded her on the back. When she had quieted down, he stated regretfully, "Guess not. Would have come in handy, out in the field, dontcha think?"
She gave him a look, wondering if he was teasing or not, before she mumbled, "I'd really rather not think about it, Sir."
"I suppose not," he sighed, but the twinkle in his eyes gave him away and she shook her head at him. "Well, guess I should let you get some more of that rest the doc ordered." When her face fell at his words, he lightly admonished, "Ah ah, Carter. Give that cure a chance to take hold, would ya?" He indicated the half eaten bowl of jello, then gave her a crooked smile. "By tomorrow, you should be feeling your bright, chipper self once more."
She gave him a doubtful look. "You sure about that, Sir?"
"Of course," he stated with confidence. "After the day you've had, things can only get better, right?"
They shared a long look before Sam replied quietly, "I think they already have, Colonel."
Jack smiled warmly at her. "Well then, my work here is finished. See you tomorrow, Carter."
Sam smiled back and whispered, "Thank you, Sir." They shared another smile of understanding before Jack turned on his heel, ready to take himself off for a good night's sleep.
As he turned to go, Sam felt a sense of peace and contentment wash over her that she hadn't felt all day...maybe all week. Looking at the hands of the clock across from her bed, she smiled to herself: 2358. In just two minutes, it would be the start of a new day. Sam lay back and let her eyes drift closed, ready to give in to her body's demand for sleep.
A soft sound wafted its way in to her and her eyes popped open. A content smile crossed her face. She could hear Jack as he made his way to the infirmary door, whistling softly as he went. The smile turned into a look of disbelief as she recognized the tune and she listened for a few moments to make sure she had it right. Sure enough, the melody drifting back to her was the fading tune of "The Itsy Bitsy Spider", being whistled by none other than Colonel Jack O'Neill.
Samantha Carter allowed herself to chuckle as she shook off the dredges of a bad day and began herself to look forward to the next. After all, as her CO had told her, things could only get better. As she drifted off the sleep, her mind conjured up the words to the song Jack had been whistling and she fell asleep knowing that she was bound to have a better day tomorrow.
The Itsy Bitsy Spider went up the water spout. Down came the rain and washed the spider out. Up came the sun and dried up all the rain, and the itsy bitsy spider went up the spout again.