CHAPTER SIX

The next morning dawned bright and clear. Samantha Carter could tell that from the way her eyelids no longer were black to her but were gradually getting redder and redder. She finally decided to put forth the energy to open them and look around. Sam had been in and out of consciousness for the last several days, and found it difficult to stay awake for more than a few minutes at a time. She knew this was from the pain medications they had her on, and although she was pretty disoriented and confused half the time, she was pretty happy, all things considered, so she was grateful for the drugs. She had been told, several times, about her injuries, and her mind still functioned well enough to tell her it was bad news. Thankfully, though, she didn't have to make any decisions about her care. She'd given her brother medical power of attorney years ago in case of something just like this happening. Well, not something just like this, but something similar. When she had signed the affidavit giving Mark the right to make the hard choices about her care in case of an emergency, Sam had expected him to be dealing with a battle injury, not a motorcycle accident, but all the same it was a good thing she had done so. Especially now, as she had been taken to a civilian hospital and was in no condition to move to a military institution at this time.

Mark had been by to visit at least once, she was sure, and Sam remembered an embarrassing incident with Daniel, but couldn't remember the details. She thought someone else had come by, too, but couldn't remember who it had been. She shook her head to try to clear some of the cobwebs up there, but it didn't work. The memory wouldn't come. Then, as she looked around the TICU to watch the morning routine kick in, she saw him. A tall, grey-haired man was coming toward her tentatively, like he was afraid of how she would react to him. And suddenly, Sam remembered. Jack. Jack had come to see her. She'd been mostly asleep and too drugged to respond to him, but she remembered him just sitting there, holding her hand for what seemed both a very short and very long time. He hadn't said anything. Sam didn't know how to take that. She and Jack had drifted apart over the last few months, after ever so briefly testing the waters of maybe becoming more than friends. Of maybe exploring that area that for so long had been roped off from them. It had been odd to interact that way with him, but Sam had enjoyed it, and she was sure the General had, too. Nothing had happened between them, really, but Sam had seen the spark of a twinkle in Jack's eye that said he really was happy with her. Smiles had come more often, and while things were a little awkward at times, Jack and Sam had grown a little closer. The walls they had both built up around themselves had started to weaken just a little. And then, suddenly, it just stopped. Why they had just dwindled away was a bit of a mystery. Sam had to admit she had been a little scared of where they might have gone, but they didn't even talk anymore. Suddenly that seemed ridiculous to her, and she was angry. Angry at herself. Angry at Jack. Angry at her situation now. Angry that he wasn't here anymore. Angry that they were hardly even friends anymore. Angry at life for getting in the way.

Jack reached Carter's bedside and stood there fidgeting for a second. He seemed to not know what to do with his hands or his eyes. He looked everywhere other than at Carter. Finally, after a few big breaths and big swallows, he greeted the blonde patient with a tiny grin. "Hey, there, Carter, how ya feeling?"

"Oh, just peachy keen, General." Sam bit out the words and threw them at Jack like daggers.

Jack seemed taken aback by this tone from his friend and former 2IC. He blinked a few times in surprise, and then even took a small step back. "Look, Carter, I can go if that's what you want. I just thought I would say hi and see how you were feeling today. If you need me to leave…" He trailed off at the narrowing of Carter's eyes and the vicious glare he was receiving.

"Oh, sure. Run away from anything you're not comfortable with. Run away from what scares you. Run away from everything you can't easily categorize. Run away from what you can't defend against or attack. Fine. Go ahead and go. See if I care." These words were delivered from Carter in a quiet voice, but one that would have scared even the toughest Goa'uld. They were vicious and meant to cut to the core.

They did the job well. General Jonathan 'Jack' O'Neill took two steps back now and muttered something like, "Look, Sam, I'm sorry. I don't know what I did…don't know what to do here…don't know…"

Sam was quick to respond and let O'Neill know what she wanted from him. "Oh, you don't know what to do here? I'll tell you what to do. Get the hell out of here!" These last words were delivered several decibels above the others, and Jack began to panic. He took more steps back, looking wildly around the room for help. Several nurses had noticed Sam's outburst and were rushing over.

One of them came up to Jack and put a hand on his shoulder. It was the kind faced nurse from the other day. She gently led Jack backwards and murmured at him. "Time to go for now, hon. Sometimes they're like that. It's the drugs. Don't pay it no mind. She didn't mean it. She's been having a real hard time with meds. We changed her up today, so she's likely to say anything. Sometimes it's nice, sometimes it ain't. She didn't mean it, love. Just come on out here with me. There you go."

Now, normally Jack O'Neill would have resented being led around and coddled like a small child, but he took it with no argument now. He was completely lost after Sam's outburst, and despite what the nurse said, he thought Carter meant it. Every bit of it. And even if she didn't, she didn't know how close to dead on right she was. Despite the obvious influence of drugs, Jack felt that they had just loosened Sam's tongue enough that she spoke the truth. Jack looked back over his shoulder and with a single short glance, he saw more nurses around Carter's bed, with restraints ready. It looked like the nurses and orderlies were going to have a battle on their hands, and Jack didn't envy them at all, but he felt he would rather be in their shoes than his. He threw open the door to the TICU and stormed out, never looking back again. Teal'c's puzzled gaze followed his retreating back.