CHAPTER THREE

Daniel Jackson sat in the waiting room and…waited. It had been 18 hours since Sam had been admitted to this hospital, and there wasn't much else he could do. He'd been given the most recent updates from Sam's doctors only 30 minutes ago, and he had visited the TICU briefly. Things didn't look great for Sam, but she was alive, and that was all that mattered right now. Daniel knew that somehow Sam would find a way to get through this. He constantly reminded himself that she'd been through worse. She had to get through this. The alternative was not an option in Daniel's mind. He tried not to think of all the things that could still go wrong as he fought against the boredom and frustration that came with waiting on doctors.

Doctors. With one very notable exception, Daniel had never been very keen on doctors, and waiting around for one to bring news of a loved one was excruciating. However, that nervousness seemed like child's play compared to the anxiety Daniel was feeling now as he waited for his next expected visitor.

Daniel now had the unenviable task of waiting not on a doctor (he knew they wouldn't be around again for about 6 hours) or even a nurse, but on Jack O'Neill. His former CO had jumped the first flight he could find to Colorado from Washington when he heard of Sam's accident.

Daniel sighed. He still couldn't get over the accident itself. It wasn't supposed to be this way. He leaned his head back to rest against the wall behind his chair for just a minute, trying hard not to think too much…and slipped into an exhausted oblivion.

BANG!

Daniel woke with a start. He realized quickly that the bang that had awakened him was made by the impact of a door against a wall. The door had been thrown open by none other than General Jack O'Neill. Jack's eyes were wildly scanning the waiting area for something. When they found Daniel, they stopped moving, and Jack's body came toward him with speed that rivaled anything a locomotive could do. At least it seemed that way to Daniel.

"Jack." Daniel stood to meet the slightly taller man.

Jack completely ignored the greeting and came out with all that mattered to him. "How bad?"

"Jack, I think you should sit down."

"How bad?"

"Jack why don't we go somewhere a little more private?"

"Daniel, how bad? They wouldn't tell me…how bad?"

Jack O'Neill seemed incapable of saying anything else at the moment, and it was obvious that he wasn't going anywhere or doing anything until he got the information he wanted.

Daniel reluctantly gave in. "Alright fine, have it your way."

"Daniel…"

"Ok. First off, she's stable at the moment. They're still worried about potential hemorrhage, but at this point, there appears to be no immediate danger except the possibility of a blood clot causing issues. She's got multiple fractures of both legs and her pelvis. She has some sort of neurologic damage to her lower limbs. No spinal fractures or obvious disc problems, but something is going on that is interfering with sensation and motor functions in her legs. They don't know if it's just swelling or what at this point. Could also be that the broken bones in her pelvis are putting pressure on things they aren't supposed to and interfering somehow."

"So they can fix that, right?"

"Um…from what I understand, yes to the broken bones, but they don't know about the nerve thing. At this point, they're not even sure what's causing it, so…and they are still being cautious. She's still fragile from blood loss and surgery and…"

"Daniel, what are you saying? Bottom line this for me." Jack had sat down since this conversation had started, and Daniel now followed his lead and took the chair across from his. Jack did not look at all well. He was pale, holding his head in his hands, and quite frankly looked like he needed to throw up. Daniel was worried about how his friend would take the news he had to give him, but there was no sense in delaying any longer. The archeologist took a deep breath and steeled himself before speaking.

"They don't know if she'll walk again, Jack."

Jack shot from the chair as if it were on fire. He began to pace back and forth in the little area between the chairs like a caged animal. He kept alternately running his hands through his hair and extending his arms out to the side like he didn't know what to do with his own appendages.

It pained Daniel to see his friend so upset, but he knew there wasn't much he could do for him. His own reaction yesterday hadn't been so different. Jack would settle down eventually.

Eventually was in about three minutes. Jack collapsed on the chair next to Daniel's and sighed heavily. His head went down between his knees for a minute and then came up to rest in his cupped hands. Finally, the question that he'd wanted to ask since he arrived came out.

"Can I see her?"

Daniel looked uncomfortable as he answered. "Um…not likely. She's still in the trauma ICU, and they only let you in there a few times a day. I went in about 2 hours ago, so…probably not until tonight. It would probably be best if you went alone-they don't like a lot of people in there, but I know Sam would want you there."

Jack actually laughed a little at that. Daniel thought it very odd, but that was Jack O'Neill for you. His next words made the snort make sense, though. "Is she even conscious? Will she even know I'm there at all?"

Daniel didn't quite know how to answer that one. His last interaction with Sam had been limited to holding her hand and talking to her while she slept. But the time before that had involved a Samantha Carter who, while awake, was anything but rational. "Well, she's in and out of a drug induced sleep, but she is awake sometimes. I did get to talk to her earlier, but…well, it was pretty much a one sided conversation. I think Sam was talking to her hand, which seemed to fascinate her, and she kept asking for room service. I just let it go. They said it was pretty common with the drugs she's on. They're going to try her on something else today and see if she's any more lucid."

Jack smiled. A rare treat in any case, but certainly now. "Well, that I have to see. Carter loopy. Must be a nice change from the usual stuff that comes out of her mouth, huh?"

"Actually, I couldn't help but think of you when you went Ancient on us," answered Daniel.

A grunt was the only response Jack gave this time, and then silence fell between the two men like a curtain at a theater. It reigned for a long while. Finally, Jack broke the tension and the silent barrier that had been built.

"It wasn't supposed to happen this way." His voice was barely louder than a whisper, and filled with pain and bitterness.

Surprised, Daniel looked up and silently asked Jack to continue with his eyes. Jack didn't look at his friend, but he didn't have to. He knew the look Daniel was giving him, and for once he didn't mind opening up just a little bit. He was hurting too badly this time to keep all of it in, and this was Daniel, the one person he felt almost comfortable enough with to actually talk to.

"I mean, a staff weapon. A gun. Even a disease picked up off world. A super soldier. A gate malfunction. A crashed aircraft, even…but her own damn bike?"

"I know…"

"I thought she was selling the damn thing, anyway?"

"Her Indian? She did…like six months ago. This was her new one-a Suzuki, I think. Jack-when's the last time you talked to Sam?"

"I don't know…probably about six months ago."

"Seriously?" Shock and surprise danced across Daniel's features at this information.

"Yeah, why?" Jack's response was surly, and carried a hint of warning.

"Oh, I don't know. I thought…maybe…"

"What?" Jack was obviously a little irritated with where this conversation was going.

"I don't know, that you and Sam were maybe…since you weren't in her direct chain of command anymore…I don't know…maybe…" Daniel stuttered and stopped. He was having a hard time wrapping his brain around the fact that Jack and Sam hadn't talked in half a year. What was going on here?

"What are you trying to say, Daniel? Just spit it out already!"

"I just thought you and Sam were, I don't know, closer than that."

"Yeah, well, things change." The bitter note in Jack's voice could not be missed, and Daniel was more concerned than ever about both of his friends-the one laying in a trauma bed, and the one right beside him in the waiting area.

Silence fell again for a bit, but Daniel just couldn't let this one go.

"Jack?"

"Huh?"

"What happened?"

"Huh? What are you talking about, Daniel?"

"With Sam."

"I don't know, I wasn't there. She wrecked her bike. Ask the police or the doctors or whoever."

"That's not what I meant."

"What are you talking about, Daniel?"

"Jeez, Jack, don't be so obtuse. What happened with you and Sam?"

"What are you babbling about? I got promoted and transferred. We don't talk that often anymore. It's not like we both aren't pretty busy, you know. End of story. I'm sorry if I don't live up to your expectations of me. Damn!" And with that, Jack was pacing again.

As much as he knew he should let it lie, Daniel just couldn't do it. His tired mind was still just not processing this information. Jack, Jack O'Neill, his former CO and best friend, was pretending like him not talking to Samantha Carter was no big deal. Acting like it was to be expected. Quite the opposite was true, at least in Daniel's mind. He half expected Jack and Sam to be a full fledged, if discreet, couple by now, since Jack was out of the SGC, at least officially. Granted, the two had had their ups and downs through the years, but here lately, both Jack and Sam had been called out on the carpet about their feelings for each other and things seemed pretty solid. It didn't take multiple degrees in the humanities to figure out that these two had something between them. But even if they hadn't acted on their long denied feelings for each other, Daniel at least expected them to remain close friends. Not talking for six months? Something was going on. Besides, Jack was pretty riled up now, and that only happened if something was hitting close to the mark.

After a few minutes, Jack threw his lanky frame back into one of the chairs, a few away from Daniel this time, and sighed with exasperation. He couldn't take the look on Daniel's face after just a minute, though, and finally gave in.

"Alright, WHAT?"

"Look, Jack, I'm sorry…I just thought, with the rules pretty much not an issue now and, well…you both being free and, well, you know…I just thought…you know…you might…give it a shot?"

Jack didn't pretend not to know what Daniel was talking about this time. He was tired, and tired of having this conversation. The easiest way to shut Daniel up when he was onto something was to just give him what he wanted, and Jack knew it.

"Oh. That." Jack's eyes hit the floor and stayed there.

Daniel looked at his friend and sighed before he answered. "Yeah. That."

"Not much to say, really. Things didn't work out. We drifted. It happens."

"Did you at least give it a shot?"

"I don't know…went to dinner a few times…it was just weird. Felt all wrong somehow."

"Huh. Sorry."

"Yeah, whatever. Probably better that way anyhow. It's still not entirely kosher, and there's some other stuff. I mean, don't know if you noticed, but Carter's a bit my junior."

"Not enough to matter, Jack."

"Yeah, whatever."

It sounded like an excuse to Daniel, and the barely controlled pain in Jack's voice was obvious, but Daniel decided to let it go. He was saddened that his friends hadn't found the happiness they so deserved, but there wasn't much he could do. He would let it go for now, despite his sorrow about it.

Besides, Sam's doctor had just hustled past him.