Swenson had not moved an inch in the past hour. She was still sitting in the chair next to Jackson's bed. She was still holding his hand, rubbing it mindlessly with her thumb. Her eyes had never veered from his face.
"Jack?" she heard the weak voice. It startled her and she let his hand fall from hers. She then realized that Jackson was calling for O'Neill, and she quickly got to her feet to make room for O'Neill at Jackson's side. She backed away one step at a time, until she had reached the door. When she felt she could get no further, she turned and fled through the door.
"Jack?" Jackson repeated. "It's alright buddy, I am right here," O'Neill answered. He continued to whisper comforting words to his friend, while Carter left to find Dr. Fraiser.
"Jack, what happened?" Jackson asked. "You tell me, Danny. You had us quite scared there for a while. Do you remember anything?" "Damn, my head hurts. Can I have some water, please?" Jackson asked weakly, just as Janet, Carter, and Teal'c made it to his side. Janet handed O'Neill a cup with ice chips and told him to give some to Jackson. "How are you feeling, Daniel?" Janet asked, as she took his vitals. "Aside from a splitting headache, I am doing just fine. What happened?" Jackson drew in a sharp breath when he put his hand to his head. He had not been prepared for the pain the bruises produced when touched. "Daniel, you were in a car accident. Do you remember any of that?" Janet asked, while she was pointing her penlight in his eyes. "Umm… not sure. Give me a minute to think, and stop with the light all ready." O'Neill had helped him up into a sitting position, and he now sat consumed in thought for a few minutes, while the others stared at him with great concern.
Finally, he looked up and spoke. "Yeah, I think I remember something. I went to Pike's Peak to think, and then I was going to meet you at O'Malley's. I was running late and I think my tire blew. The rest is a blur. It got dark and I started to walk, but my head hurt so badly that I had to lie down and rest. Next thing I remember I woke up here. I take it I am late for dinner?" He looked shyly at O'Neill. "You can say that again, it is nearly noon Friday," O'Neill answered with a grin. Janet told Jackson about his injuries, and that he would have to stay in the infirmary for at least another 24 hours for observation. "There goes that camping trip," O'Neill said. "I wasn't planning on going," Jackson answered, "I made other plans." O'Neill didn't answer that, he just looked at his friend. He knew what was going on, but didn't want to get into a argument with him now. He knew that no matter what he said, he could not convince his friend that he had no interest in Swenson.
"Okay people, Daniel need some rest. Why don't you all come back later," Janet said as she attempted to usher them out of the infirmary. "Not so fast Doc. I am going to sit with Daniel for a little while," O'Neill protested. Janet knew that she could not make him leave his friend. They have had that fight so many times in the past, and she had lost more times than not. "Okay then, just a little while. Do not wear him out. He will need his strength to heal." She replied as she, Carter, and Teal'c left the room.
O'Neill pulled the chair back so he could sit next to Jackson's bed. For a few minutes, they just sat in silence, then Jackson decided that there was one question he needed to ask. "Jack, was that you holding my hand while I was out?" "No Danny, that wasn't me. I was sitting over there with Carter," he answered while pointing at the two, now vacant, chairs on the side of the bed. "Then who?" Jackson was curious and felt he needed to know. "Jessie sat by your side from the moment you arrive here, 'till the moment you woke up," O'Neill answered with a grin. "She ran when you woke up." "Why would she run?" Jackson questioned. "Oh I don't know. Maybe that little fact that you were calling my name when you woke," he nearly laughed as he answered Jackson. No one said anything for a while, then O'Neill got up to leave, so Jackson could get some rest. "Hey Jack? If you run into Jessica, could you tell her I would like to see her?" "Sure Danny, no problem." O'Neill left the infirmary and went it search of the young woman.
Jackson made himself comfortable, as comfortable as he could get. He was starting to feel the bruises that covered most of his chest, stomach, hip, and face. He closed his eyes to attempt to get some rest. However, he kept thinking of Swenson. Wondering why she had left when he woke up. Sure, he had called out for Jack, but that was only natural. He always did that after waking up after an injury. Jack was after all his best and closest friend. They were like brother. He wondered why she had even spent all that time sitting by his side. Usually, that was Jack's job. Maybe she had some interest in him after all. On the other hand, was she just putting on a show for Jack? With all those thoughts rushing through his mind, he drifted off to sleep.
O'Neill went to the linguistics department to tell Swenson to go see Jackson in the infirmary. However, she was not there. No one there had seen her all day, except for briefly in the corridor outside the infirmary, earlier in the day. Since she had left the infirmary, no one seems to have seen her. He then went to Carter's lab, maybe she would know where Swenson had to. However, again he was disappointed. The young woman was nowhere to be found. O'Neill decided to give up the search for now, and headed to his office to do some much needed paperwork. They were still getting their downtime, and he really needed to get a few things out of the way before he could leave for his extended weekend. He was debating with himself if he should cancel the camp trip this weekend, or if they should postpone it until Jackson could join them. He would need to speak with the others before making that decision.
As soon as Swenson had left the infirmary, she had gone straight to the general's office to ask for the rest of the day off, and to ask if he could have someone take her home. She didn't have her car at the mountain as she had gone to the hospital with O'Neill. She was exhausted. Spending the night half asleep on the couch, and then all the excitement of the morning had taken it's toll on her. This whole deal had struck just a little too close to home for her. It brought back so many bad memories. While she had sat by Jackson's side in the infirmary, she had prayed and prayed for him. However, several times it had been her late husband and son who had occupied her mind. It was as if she had felt them both there, yet the man in the infirmary bed had been Jackson. She didn't know what to make of it all. Right now, all she wanted was to get a shower and then some sleep. She would call O'Neill later and tell him that she would need to cancel their weekend plans. She just did not feel at all like socializing. After she had heard Jackson call for O'Neill when he had awoken, there was no doubt in her mind that they were a couple. She decided that she needed to find her own place to live and as quickly as possible. She just could not stay with Jackson while her feelings were so out of control. She was now certain that she was in love with him. Moreover, she knew it would tear her heart apart watching O'Neill and Jackson together. She needed to get away.
O'Neill had finished as much of the paperwork as he could. It was hard to concentrate on doing actual work when his best friend was laid up in the infirmary. Even though he knew his friend was going to be all right, his mind still kept drifting. He decided to call it a day, and was going to go spend some time with Jackson. After that he would go find Carter and Teal'c to tell them that he thought it best that they cancel their weekend plans. Before he left his office, he made a quick call to Jackson's house to find out if by any chance Swenson had gone home. He was in luck, after the third ring, the phone was picked up. He heard a very sleepy Swenson on the other end. He told her that he had been looking for her, because Jackson had asked to see her. He also told her that he was canceling the weekend plans. He wasn't quite sure if she had heard him, as the only response he got from her was grunts. O'Neill thought she sounded just like Jackson when he was woken from a dead sleep. He chuckled a little, and told her to go back to bed.
When he arrived in the infirmary, he found a very irritated Jackson waiting for him. "Do you realize how annoying it is to sit here all day with nothing to do and no one to speak with?" Jackson asked before O'Neill had even made it to his bedside. "And why didn't you tell Jessica that I needed to see her?" "Yes, Danny, I am fully aware of how this place can be annoying, and I didn't tell Jessie, because I was unable to locate her all day. I just talked to her on the phone, although I doubt she will remember that when she wakes up. She went home after she left here when you woke up." O'Neill tried his hardest not to sound annoyed. He was fully aware of how much Jackson hated that place, and despite the fact that everyone loved him; they could not wait to get him out of there. He was a lousy patient. "There is a reason why sick people are called patients, Danny. Be patient and you will soon be out of here." Just then, Janet walked in. "Please, Janet. Let me go home. I promise to be good. I am fine, I swear." Jackson was pleading, and O'Neill was betting it was not the first time that day, that Jackson was using his puppy dog eyes and the pouting lip. Moreover, he guessed that it would not be the last time either. Luckily, for Janet, the bruised face didn't have the effect that it usually did. Jackson couldn't quite get the batting eyelashes and the lip to work in his favor. O'Neill tried his best not to laugh at the pathetic sight. Janet just shook her head and walked right out of there. "I'll tell you what, give me half an hour and I will be back to keep you company for a while. Would you like that?" O'Neill asked, hoping that a little company would cheer up his friend. "Yeah, whatever," Jackson replied as he settle back in his pillows and closed his eyes. "All righty then, I shall return," O'Neill said as he headed out of the room.
O'Neill went first to Carter's lab, certain that the scientist was still there. Surprisingly, she was not. He was told that she had left only minutes earlier to go home. So O'Neill made a mental note to call her before going back to the infirmary and then he walked off to speak with Teal'c. As he arrived at Teal'c's quarters, he gently knocked on the door and quickly received an "Enter!" from a muffled voice from inside the room. As he opened the door, he saw both Teal'c and Janet sitting on the edge of the bed. Janet's hair was a little ruffled, and it did not take a genius to guess what had been going on. "Am I interrupting something?" he asked with a serious face. Anyone who knew him could tell from his eyes that inside he was getting a good hearty laugh. Janet's face turned bright red, which just added to the humor of the situation. "Not at all, O'Neill," Teal'c answered, "How may we be of assistance?" he continued, not even attempting to explain why O'Neill had found Janet in Teal'c's quarters. "Well, big guy, I just wanted to let you know that I have cancelled our trip this weekend. I didn't feel we should go through it with Daniel in the infirmary." O'Neill said. "Indeed," was the very short and precise answer he got from Teal'c. "Well, I will leave you two alone. Carry on with whatever you were doing," O'Neill said as he turned to leave. Before he turned and walked out the door, he did notice a look on both their faces. He wasn't quite sure what it was. Relief? Were they relived to get rid of him? On the other hand, were they relieved that no one was going away for the weekend? Probably both. He had known for quite some time now about their relationship, but he got such a kick out of pretending that he didn't. He was certain that Teal'c was aware that he knew, but Janet probably didn't have a clue. And he so enjoyed surprising her when she least expected it. Finding her in Teal'c's quarters was just a plus. That should throw her off for a little while. He had arrived at his office and made a quick phone call to Carter, but unfortunately, he only got her voicemail. Damn machines. He left her a message and then headed to the infirmary to keep his favorite archaeologist company.