Carter had called Swenson before leaving the mountain. The first time she didn't get through, but she had waited a couple of minutes to try again. She talked with Swenson only for a minute but could clearly hear in the young woman's voice that she wasn't doing well. So she decided that she should go see her. She had then told Swenson that she would be leaving the SGC shortly and that she would be stopping by to hang out for a while. She told her that since Daniel and Jack would probably be staying at the SGC at least until the following day, Daniel in the infirmary and Jack in his personal quarters, she thought that it would be a good time for some girl bonding. Swenson had reluctantly agreed, she had felt that she really wanted to be alone, but Carter had insisted.
As soon as Carter had ended the phone call, Swenson got up to get yet another shower. Trying to wake up a bit before her guest would arrive. With a towel wrapped around her hair, she put on a tank top and sweatpants, and went to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. She made a quick phone call to the SGC infirmary and talked to a nurse about the status of Daniel Jackson. She didn't want to speak with him, just needed to know when she might expect him home. Then she went to relax on the couch awaiting the arrival of Samantha Carter.
Carter pulled into the driveway, got out of her car, and then opened her passenger door to retrieve the bags of groceries she had bought on her way. She had several bags, but managed to get them all positioned in her arms and then walked to the front door. Unable to use her hands to knock, she gave the door a little tap with her foot. Swenson heard the tap and went to look through the peek hole and immediately saw Carter with her arms full. She opened the door to let in her new friend, and rescued a couple of the bags before they hit the floor. They put the bags on the breakfast bar and gave each other a small hug. Carter couldn't help but notice that Swenson looked even worse than she had earlier in the day in the infirmary. "Are you okay?" she asked as she went to unpack all the bags. "Sure, I am fine. Just been one hell of a day," Swenson replied while she helped Carter with the groceries. "You know, I have a friend who always says he is fine, and that is usually an indication that he is not," Carter said with a smile. "I got us alcohol, ice cream, chocolate, and tons of other sweets. Let's take this to the living room and we can get to know each other." Carter proceeded to pull some wine coolers, a bottle of Bailey's, a couple of beers from the refrigerator. "I wasn't sure what you like, so I got a few different things. Hope this is okay. What kind of ice cream do you like?" Carter said as she pulled a couple of pint size ice cream containers from the freezer. "Rocky Road or Cherry Chocolate Chip?" Swenson indicated that she preferred the triple C. They went to the living room and got comfortable on the couch.
O'Neill was again seated next to his friend's bed in the infirmary. This time Teal'c had joined him, and together they watched the sleeping figure of Jackson. He had finally fallen asleep shortly after O'Neill had left earlier. The two could tell that it was a restless sleep, probably do to the pain from all the bruises that were decorating his body. They tried their best to be quiet, but Jackson soon started to wake up. "Jack?" was again the first word crossing Jackson's lips. Teal'c left the room to tell Janet that the patient had awoken again. "Yes, buddy, I am right here. Do you feel any better?" O'Neill said getting up from his chair to stand at the side of the bed. "No… No my head still hurts like crazy." "That sucks. Teal'c went to get Doc; maybe she can give you something to help you out." O'Neill said. "I am sure she will be more than happy to give you a shot using a big needle," he added with a big grin. Jackson just groaned, frustrated that the headache just didn't want to let up. They sat in silence for a little while, until Janet walked in followed by Teal'c. "So how's the not-so-patient patient doing?" Janet asked as she pulled out the penlight and shone it into Jackson's eyes. "I would do a lot better if you would stop doing that and let me go home," a very annoyed Jackson replied. "I'm fine, really I'm fine," Jackson tried to put on a smile, but his bruised face just made him hurt that much more, and he made a grimace and let out a small groan. "Yeah, you sure sound fine to me," Janet said, trying to be serious, but couldn't help a chuckle escaping. "You will be staying here until at least tomorrow. Do you want something for the pain?" she asked. "No, I'm fine and ready to go home," Jackson put on a brave smile, despite the pain. "Yes he does want something for the pain. Daniel, just give it up." O'Neill interrupted.
Janet left to get some painkillers, and left the three men alone. They did some small talk for a little while until Janet returned with the pills. Jackson took them without resisting. Even he knew that he would be better off just doing as he was told. "I need to go check on my other patients. Gentlemen, don't stay too long," she said with a hint of warning, as she left the room.
The men were again left on their own, and small talk ensued. The conversation soon fell on Teal'c's new hobby. Both Jackson and O'Neill tried to hide their amusement when he announced that he found the Tau'ri board games fascinating. He told his friends how he had discovered these board games through an online website called Yahoo! Games, and that he had indeed enjoyed it so much so he had purchased several games through online shopping. He politely asked the two, now very amused men, if they would be interested in partaking in playing a game. They agreed that it could be fun and a great way of spending some of the evening together. Teal'c got up and with a slight nod; he left the room to go retrieve the game he had in mind.
A few minutes later, Teal'c returned with a box perched on one hand. He proceeded to set up the game on the over-the-bed table. As soon as O'Neill and Jackson saw which game they had agreed to play, they both burst out laughing. "Candyland Teal'c? Candyland?" O'Neill asked the now slightly confused Teal'c. "Yes O'Neill. Candyland promotes thinking as well as patience in the form of waiting one's turn to play. By playing games with others, you are encouraged to socially interact in a more controlled manner, which helps develop character for future endeavors." Teal'c replied without even blinking, "This seems to amuse you. Why?" he then asked. This time it was Jackson who replied; "Candyland is considered a game for small children, preschoolers, and it is usually not a game that adults play alone without the participation of children. However, who's to say we can't change that. Over the Rainbow Trail and through the Lollipop Woods … to candyland we go," with that the three men engaged in a heated game of candy land.
Carter and Swenson were both on the couch, each with a drink and a pint of ice cream. Until now, they had just been talking about trivial things such as their colleagues at the SGC, previous job, and travel experiences. However, Carter knew that she would need to start prodding to get the younger woman to open up. "So what do you think of Daniel?" she asked with a deliberate grin on her face. She couldn't help notice the deep red blush spreading rapidly across Swenson's face and neck. "Umm… he is a brilliant scientist," Swenson answered, trying not to reveal her true feelings. "Uh huh, so you haven't noticed that he is stunningly good looking, not to mention one of the kindest men around?" Carter said, letting a small laugh escape. "Sure I have, but I also know that it would take a lot more than little me to make him switch sides," Swenson replied with a straight face. "W-what?" Carter attempted to say, but had a hard time as most of her drink was making passage through her nose. She somewhat regained some composure, and asked her friend again what she had meant. "Well, it doesn't take a genius to see that Daniel and Jack are together… as in an intimate relationship… a couple." Swenson said, still being one hundred percent serious. "Oh my God… You think they are gay?" Carter first blushed and then just as fast all color left her face. "Well, FYI… they are both very much straight," Carter continued "They both like women… A lot." Color was back in her cheek and she started to giggle again. Swenson was blushing even more than before at this revelation. She was immensely embarrassed, but at least neither of the two men knew about her misconception of their relationship. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to laugh," Carter said, "I know why you would think they were gay. They are best friends, and do spend most of their time together, both at work and on their free time away from the mountain." Swenson felt a little better now knowing this, but she had made up her mind. She could not get involved with Jackson. Even though she knew she had fallen in love with the man.
The two women continued to talk about Jackson, and Carter soon realized that there was something else she needed to know. She sensed that Swenson was interested in Jackson, but she had made it clear, that she was not going to get involved with him. Swenson had expressed that there were skeletons in her closet that wouldn't allow her to pursue a relationship with the archaeologist. She had not offered any details, but had made it clear that she wasn't emotionally strong enough to get involved with him. Carter was curious, however, she decided to let it go, at least for now.
A/N: I need reviews. Reviews are my insentive to continue this story. So please please tell if you like it or not. Yes, I am begging. I really really would like to know if I should bother continue, or if I should just quit writing right now.
Thank you to those of you who have already reviewed my story:
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