Chapter 6

He awoke early the next morning; the sun wasn't even near rising yet. He hadn't slept well, and for obvious reasons. He never expected the woman that he had somehow fallen for to admit to returning those very same feelings. It almost made him want to tell her just how he felt, it was only fair that she knew, but alas, the circumstances were not in his favor. He wasn't about to be a rebound thing, even if he did love her. At this point he didn't see any real merit in confessing his attraction if it wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. Dating your doctor probably wasn't a good idea either.

When Janet found him, he was on his thirty fifth push up out on the porch. Physical things always managed to take his mind off of the matter at hand. She moved in front of him and he looked up. She was still in her sleep shirt and shorts. At least she had the mind to tame her messed up hair that looks unreasonably good in the early morning light.

"Morning." He wasn't big on talking while working out.

She made a sound in her throat that he took as a greeting and rested her forearms on the railing. He did fifteen more and then got up and mimicked her pose. They were both quiet for some time. She was watching the water and he was watching her, out of the corner of his eye, of course. He knew this game. He was to wait for her to let him know what was on her mind.

"Jack," she sighed, "yesterday shouldn't have happened. I know I put you in an awkward, difficult position. For that, I am sorry. I'm not sorry about how I feel, though."

He nodded and put a hand on her shoulder. She finally looked up at him. "You shouldn't have to be. I mean, who could blame you? I have been described before as this insatiable stud who woos all of the ladies."

She playfully punched him in the shoulder. "You're a good friend, Janet. Any man would be lucky to have you. Even a lonely old Air Force Officer." He smiled when he saw the corners of her mouth tug upward and a faint blush rise on her cheeks.

"I'm going to make some coffee." She ran a hand through her messy auburn hair and before she could think twice of it and before he could blink, she pressed her lips to his lightly. Even though the kiss only last three seconds at most, Jack thought it felt like eternity and every opposition he had of being with her was mundane and not very important, at all.

She pulled away, a small smile on her face, and left for the kitchen to make the coffee like she said she would. Jack shook his head and dropped down to do more push ups. Anything to get his mind off this, this crumbling resolve. He really was in love with his doctor. Damn.

She kissed him. She really did it. And it felt wonderful. Granted, next time she would really like it if he were to kiss her back.

Her hands shook a little as she prepared a pot of coffee, setting the filter and dumping in the grounds. His lips were unbelievably soft, not what she had expected at all, and she couldn't stop thinking about how much she would like to do that again.

She shook her head, trying to rid these inconvenient thoughts from her head, at least for a couple more days. Once they were back at Cheyenne mountain, she could see herself easily slipping back into her doctor persona and tucking away any inappropriate feeling she may have for the Colonel. She was sure her issues with Sam would require all of her attention after this vacation, so forgetting her feelings for Jack might be easy. Maybe.

She sat down at the kitchen island and listened to the coffee percolate into the pot. It was an oddly comforting sound. She could see Jack doing more push ups on the porch. The sun was finally up, illuminating the beautiful mountains and the smooth lake. The warm light filled the entire cabin, and despite her spur of the moment kiss, she was feeling monumentally better than she had the entire trip.

She left the island in pursuit of her bedroom so she could change into something a little more fitting then pajamas. She wasn't too sure if Jack had anything specific planned for today, but whatever they ended up doing, she definitely couldn't do it in her pjs.

Just as she was getting down on her knees to pull her luggage out from underneath the bed, her phone on the bedside table began to ring. She sighed, standing up and using the bed for balance, and grabbed her cell without even looking at the caller id. Big mistake.

"Hello?" Her voice was light and airy and happy. She had been expecting Cassie to be on the other end of the line.

"Janet." Her eyes widen uncomfortably at the angry tone. Sam.

"He-ey, Sam." She shook her head at how small and weak her voice sounded. Now Sam would know she was nervous, which was not what she needed at this point.

"Where are you?"

"I'm not home."

Sam scoffed. "Well, clearly."

Janet imagined Sam standing in her house, her bike parked in the driveway. She knew where the spare key was.

When she didn't respond, Sam said, "Where are you?" more firmly than the first time.

"I'm on vacation."

Sam was quiet this time. "Where?"

Janet sighed. Why was she so reluctant to tell her former lover where she was? It's not like they were in a relationship anymore. She didn't have to tell the woman where she was at all hours of the day. So what if she went to the Colonel's cabin with him, alone, for a little over a week? They were just friends. Friends who were adults. They were allowed to do things like this.

"I'm in Minnesota. With Jack."

She couldn't even hear Sam breathing on the other line anymore.

"Friends are allowed to take trips together, Sam."

When she finally did speak, Sam's voice was rock hard. "You know, you would do this."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me!" This was the first time in the conversation Janet was starting to feel angry, and the anger was building. Fast. "We haven't been broken up for than a couple days and you go on a damned trip alone with the one person you knew would piss me off. You couldn't have gone with Daniel, could you? No. You did this to piss me off and I know now more than ever that you are truly a selfish bitch, Janet Fraiser."

Janet blinked once, and then twice. She honestly couldn't even speak, she was so angry.

"Have fun fucking the Colonel. How does it feel to know that you are a last resort for him?"

After that, Sam hung up. Janet put the phone back on the bedside table and sat down on the edge of the bed. Thick tears were just about to spill over her lashes and her chest was feeling awfully heavy. She was doing so well. She hadn't thought of Sam in two days, and it was nice. She wasn't feeling guilty for something that wasn't even her decision. She wasn't feeling guilty for her feelings for Jack, either, but now, she definitely was. She knew that Sam was wrong. She didn't agree to this trip just because it would piss her off. She didn't even agree to coming out here alone with Jack because she had feelings for him. She accompanied him because he was her friend and she needed a friend right now.

She covered her face with her hands as tears rolled silently down her face. Sam's meanness was not all that surprising but it didn't stop the things she said from hurting more than she would ever like to admit. Her head jerked up out of her hands at the knock on the door and she felt the blood rise to her cheeks. She didn't want him to see her crying.

Without saying a word, he let himself in and sat down next to her on the edge of the bed. She held her breath, trying to regain her composure and prevent herself from crying more, but when he took her shaky hands in his, her breath hitched and she couldn't hold it in anymore. She had to let these feelings out.

Jack held her hands, wet from her tears, and clenched his jaw. He had been standing in the hallway the whole time during her conversation with Sam. When he heard Janet try and defend herself, he could only imagine the things Sam was saying on the other line and he wanted to punch something. Hard.

It was hard to keep himself from barging in and taking her phone and giving Sam a piece of his mind. He wanted to respect Janet's privacy though, so he controlled himself. Seeing her cry, though, we not something he could ignore.

After he heard her sob, he dropped her hands back into her lap and stood, pulling her up with him. Her arms immediately wrapped around his neck and his around her shoulders and middle back. She buried her face into the base of his neck, her tears soaking the collar of his tee shirt.

He swallowed hard, but didn't say anything. Her muffled sobs grew quieter until she was sniffling into his shoulder. He felt her arms relax a little from their previous stronghold and he let go.

"Sorry," she said, down casting her eyes and wrapping her arms around herself. She crawled into bed, got under the covers and laid on her side, facing away from him. She pulled the comforter up to her nose and let out a long sigh.

"Janet." She didn't respond or look at him, so he said it again.

"I think I'm going to lay down for a bit, if you don't mind." She was feeling guilty, upset, and angry all at the same time. It was difficult to handle. She just wanted to go to sleep, wake up, and forget about this whole morning. She was even feeling guilty about that kiss. She let out a long sigh again, willing him in her mind to just leave.

Jack stared at the back of her head, at least what he could see of it, and made up his mind. "Janet, scooch over."

"Jack, I just want to go to sleep."

"Janet. Please."

She reluctantly slid to the left a bit, just a little, and closed her eyes again. She felt the bed behind her sink down with his weight and the covers lifted up for just a minute, and then his hand was on her upper arm and his body was directly behind hers.

She knew he was just trying to help, to comfort her, but all he was doing at this point was making her feel worse. She felt like he was proving Sam right. Janet was sure she would feel guilty even being in the same room with him the rest of the day, let alone spooning in bed with him.

"I just realized I was actually feeling tired, too." He let out an exaggerated yawn. He could tell how tense she was even just by touching her arm."Just relax, okay? It's just a nap. Lift up your head for a second."

She did as he asked and felt his arm snake underneath her head and his lean body press against hers. He bent the arm under her head at the elbow and rested his hand on her chest just above her breasts and the other he draped lightly across her side.

"It's okay, Jan. Just go to sleep." She listened to him whisper soothing sounds into her ear and felt herself considerably relaxing in his arms. She tried her hardest not think about Sam but instead to just focus on him and how incredibly sweet he was being. Before she knew it, she was fast asleep.

When he felt her breathing slow and deepen, he smiled and closed his own eyes, burying his face into her cinnamon hair, breathing in her scent.

"I love you, Janet."

Within minutes, he was asleep, too.