"Uh uh, no way." Said Sam waving her hand and shaking her head. "Never gonna happen."
"Sam," said Janet, trying to reason with her friend, "You can't go home by yourself. You've never had to maneuver in a chair before. And you can't get to and from rehab on your own. And who's going to shop for you...and"
"Janet, look, it's not that I don't get that I'll need some help getting used to stuff and maneuvering but I don't want someone I don't know in my house with me 24/7."
Jack walked in on the last part of Sam's statement, "Who don't you want in your house 24/7?"
Sam turned to Jack, "Will you please explain to Janet that I'm a trained soldier who can take care of herself." Jack looked confused, "Janet wants me to go home with a nurse and I am so not doing that."
Jack smiled, "Oh, I see. Well, I have to agree with Janet on this one. Sam, you can't go home by yourself. At least not right now."
"I'm not an invalid..." The words came out of her mouth before she realized what she'd said. As their meaning sank in her sudden confidence disappeared, "Damn. That's exactly what I am right now." She looked down at her hands, her fight all but gone.
Jack went over to sit on the bed, "I've got an idea. Now, the doc wants someone in the house with you right doc?" Janet nodded, "And you don't want a nurse, right?" Sam nodded, "Ok, then how 'bout a houseguest?" The two women looked at him strangely. "Look, I am staying in Colorado Springs until I know Sam has recovered enough to go on active duty, and that means that I need somewhere to stay, and well you have a guestroom right?" Sam nodded her head, "Ok, so I can get you home and be there if you need anything. A ride to and from rehab, grocery shopping, whatever. But I can also be there without crowding you. What do you say ladies? Isn't it much better to have one of your oldest friends with you than some nurse?"
Janet and Sam exchanged looks, "Well, I'm ok with that. There'd only be a few things you'd need to attend to, medically speaking. Pain meds and changing the dressing on the back wound. Think you can handle that General?"
Jack nodded, "With your expert teaching I sure can." He looked at Sam, "Well, whaddaya think?"
"If having you watching over me means I can get out of here, then I guess that's what we do." Sam looked over at Janet, "So when can I leave?"
"I'll get some things together and then I'll get the General up to speed on bandage changing and you'll be good to go." Janet headed off to gather up the supplies they would need, leaving Sam and Jack alone.
"Are you sure you want to do this? I'm not the best patient. I might be crabby. And what about your job?" Asked Sam.
"I've already told you, I'm not leaving until you are on active duty again, or until you kick me out, whichever comes first." She looked at him questioningly, "Don't look at me like that. I've already taken steps to do my job from here." He flashed her a Jack smile and she flashed him one back, then suddenly got somber.
"Look, Jack, this wasn't your fault. You had nothing to do with me getting hurt. You weren't even there..."
"That's right Sam, I wasn't even there." He spat out in a harsh tone. "I wasn't even there, but I shoulda been"
Sam put a hand on his arm, "You have to stop this. There is no blame here. I do this everyday, you know that. This is no different than it was when you were my CO."
Jack got up from the bed and moved to the doorway, seemingly scrutinizing a tiny spot on the wall, "It's very different."
"How?" she asked, "How is it different? Jack?"
He took a deep breath and blew it out quickly, "It's different. That's it, it's just different."
"That's crap and you know it. Jack, what's got you so upset?"
He turned around to look at her; "I wasn't there to keep you safe, Sam. I shoulda been. You know, I took the promotion and the job in Washington thinking it was what I should be doing. I mean who's more qualified for homeland security than me. Well, except maybe for you, of course." He waved his hands, "No matter. I'm sittin in an office controlling the security of our nation, but I'm sitting behind a desk while you're still out there risking your life every day. Don't get me wrong, I like Mitchell, but well..."
"He's not you." Said Sam, finally understanding where all of this was coming from, "Cam's not you." Jack looked down, suddenly very interested in his shoes. "Come sit, " she said patting the edge of the bed, "Look, whether or not you're my CO you're still my closest friend. We've been through so much together. We always have each other's back, out in the field and in our personal lives. It's only natural to feel like you should still somehow be there watching us. We were together for so many years as a team, as a family. Don't think that I don't catch myself sometimes out there offworld calling for you instead of Cam. He gets it though. Old habits and all. So you need to get rid of this whole guilt thing. The same thing could have happened while you were my CO and it still wouldn't be your fault, ok?" Jack nodded, "So how bout you see what's keeping Janet so you can get me home. I don't want to spend any more time here than I already have.
Jack squeezed her hand, "Thanks, Carter."
Sam squeezed back, "You're welcome, Sir."
She smiled at him, their usual General to Colonel names putting them both at ease. Sam lay back in bed. She was looking forward to going home. And Jack would be with her. As much as she tried to fight it, she had to admit it set her mind at ease to know he would be there for her. But part of her was afraid of how she would handle things knowing he was there. She wanted to be brave about her injury and what lay ahead in her recovery, and she could do that with anyone else, except Jack. Nope, with him it would be impossible to hide her pain and her fears. He knew her too well. But at least she had someone she loved taking care of her.
Jack strode back into her room, carrying a bag of supplies and her clothes, "Ok Colonel, ready to go home?"
Sam smiled back and nodded, "Let's do it."