So sorry for the lengthy delay in posting. I've been away all week at a conference in California and was too busy to write.
"Grandma! Did you go see Jack?" Chris had been playing happily with his Lego when Molly was 'beamed' back by Thor.
"Yes, I saw Jack."
"How come I didn't get to go? I wanna see him. It's no fair!" Chris had been feeling left out the last few days and was starting to worry that something really bad was wrong with his friend. They'd all promised that he was okay but then why didn't Jack want to see him?
Molly realized that her grandson's whining and bad behavior was simply his way of showing his worry. When you're seven you don't always know how to express your feelings. Heck, she laughed to herself, it's not just seven year olds who were having trouble with that!
Molly reached over and pulled the little boy to her, giving him a big hug. "Jack has been sick but he's getting better and I'm sure he'll want to see you real soon. Why don't I ask Sam to find out when you can visit?"
"Really?" a gap-toothed grin appeared. "Can I go today? I'll take him some of my drawings. I made pictures of other aliens. Grandma? Do you think there are other aliens besides Thor? Maybe there are snakey aliens?" Molly quickly discovered that an excited boy could be every bit as tiring as a whiny one.
"Why don't you go and ask Daniel and Teal'c? I believe they're downstairs. I'm sure they'll tell you about other aliens." She figured they were big strong men and could handle the whirlwind that was young Christopher.
She watched with real delight as Chris skipped out of the room. She'd been right. Jack O'Neill was just what this family needed!
"Molly?" Sam's voice penetrated her thoughts and she glanced up to see the young woman looking at her, anxiety in her eyes. Poor soul, thought the old woman, she's afraid she's going to lose that man of hers. Well, not if I have anything to say about it!
"How's Jack?" Sam almost didn't want to ask, afraid that the answer would be one she didn't want to hear.
"He's fine. Or at least he will be as soon as you get there."
"I don't think he wants to see me."
"That's not what he said to me. His last words were, 'tell Carter I'm sorry for being such an idiot'. He also told me to tell you to please go and see him that he – and I quote – 'really, really needs you'."
"He actually said he was sorry and that he needs me?"
"Yes he did. I suggest not waiting too long though. You know him, he'll end up convincing himself you're better off without him or some idiotic thing like that."
"Did – he say anything else? Anything about what was bothering him?"
"Oh yes, he said a lot. But I don't think it's right for me to tell you. I think you need to hear it from him and, unless I'm mistaken, he's ready to talk."
"Molly, you're amazing!" Sam walked over to the tiny woman and gave her a big hug. "I wish we'd had you around years ago! Thank you." Sam stepped back and smiled at this woman who had filled a hole in all their hearts. Sam knew that in some ways Molly was the mother that all of them had lost – but whom they all desperately needed. She immediately went and found the communicator and asked Thor to bring her up to his ship. The poor alien must be feeling like that's all he did anymore!
When she arrived she had to stop for a minute before entering the room Jack. Even though Molly had told her that Jack wanted to see her she was still nervous. She wasn't sure what he was going to tell her. She just prayed it was all going to be okay. With a deep breath she walked into his room.
As soon as she entered she laughed at herself – all that angst and the man was sound asleep! Oh well, this would give her a chance to rest and watch over him. She always enjoyed having the freedom to watch him while he was unaware of her doing so. It allowed her the opportunity to let her true feelings show. There was no need to hide or be careful.
Jack slept for over an hour, obviously exhausted after his talk with Molly. Little did Sam know that getting things off his chest finally allowed Jack the opportunity to rest. He had been so worried, so angry that his sleep had been disturbed.
As he slowly began to wake up he knew instantly that Sam was here. After all these years he could 'feel' her presence. He kept his eyes closed for a moment, savoring the sense of contentment that washed over him with her here. Knowing that she could probably tell he was awake by his breathing he decided to open his eyes. He knew now was the time to open up and talk to her. Frankly, he was terrified.
"Jack?" her soft voice penetrated the fear that was building in him. He turned his head and looked at her, relaxing the instant he saw her face. Rather than anger or hurt, he saw a face filled with love and concern. God, what did he do to deserve this woman?
"Sam", he replied gently. "I'm glad you came."
"I'm glad you asked." She replied with a soft smile.
"I'm sorry about before." He looked at her for a moment but she didn't answer. He knew she was waiting for more.
"I – I was angry."
"Why?" she asked, although she was pretty sure she knew.
He closed his eyes, frightened again by what her reaction would be. He knew his feelings weren't logical, or right, but that didn't stop him from having felt hurt and angry.
"I was sure I could trust you guys and it tore me apart to find out I'd been wrong. It felt like everything I believed in had been ripped apart."
Oh boy, she thought. She would definitely have to find out what Molly had said and done. Never had she seen or heard Jack be quite so honest. She went to speak but he held up his hand, stopping her.
"I know that it wasn't your fault. I understand about the drug – but you have to know that the last six months felt like I had lost everything for the second time in my life. As much as I tell myself it wasn't real, it wasn't really a betrayal, I think it's going to take some time to get over those feelings. I'm sorry – I know you don't deserve my anger – but I wanted you to know how I was feeling."
She sat quietly for a while, contemplating what he'd said. It was logical – and not unexpected, although a part of her was angry at him in return – angry at the unfairness of it all.
"Do you think you'll ever forgive us?" she had to ask because if he couldn't then there was no point in remaining.
"Forgive you?" he asked, shocked. "Sam, I forgave you the moment you stepped in front of that weapon and died for me. This isn't about forgiveness, this is just about me feeling pissed – which I know is totally unfair. I think if I was able to get up and move around and take out some of my frustration on something other than you I'd get over it pretty quickly. This isn't something that's going to last, it's just having lived with these feelings for so long I can't suddenly feel like everything's back to normal." He paused and looked at her with a worried look. "Does that make sense?"
"I think so", she answered, and then continued. "But you didn't have to feel that way for so long. If you hadn't run away we could have dealt with this much sooner."
Jack realized Molly had been right. His friends were probably pretty mad at him but didn't allow themselves to acknowledge it out of a sense of guilt – and probably worry over his physical condition. He sighed – it was now his turn to apologize.
"I know. I was stupid – go figure, eh, Jack O'Neill, unable to deal with feelings." With a somber look in his eyes he reached over and took her hand in his good one. Holding it softly, his thumb gently rubbing the back of her hand, it took him a moment to gather his thoughts. Finally he spoke. "I'm so sorry Sam. I should have stayed, should have given you all a chance. As much as I was hurt I know that it was as hard for you. I was never good at dealing with things like this and you have to know I'm … terrified …of being betrayed. So, when it seemed like it was happening again I ran away. But running was also a way to hurt you all as much as I felt I'd been hurt. It was wrong, and I'm sorry." He stopped, hoping it was enough.
They sat like that for a long time, neither one saying anything. At least she hadn't pulled her hand away, he thought. That must be a good sign!
Finally she spoke. "I think maybe we all need to forgive each other. We were all hurt – and yes, I confess, I was angry too. But you know what? We got through this okay. We're still friends and I think we've all learned a valuable lesson. Maybe when you're better we can go to the gym and try to whup each other's ass – maybe that'll make us both feel better." She smiled, hoping that that would bring a smile to his face, but instead he simply turned away, clearly distressed.
"Jack?" she reached out with her other hand and turned his face towards her. "What is it? What's wrong?" There was something else clearly bothering him.
He bit his lip, not wanting to say anything. He was glad they'd dealt with how they were feeling but now there was the whole issue of his disability. He didn't know how to deal with it so he just jumped in.
"I don't think I'll be going to the gym."
"Okaaaay?" she responded, confused. "Why not?"
"Sam", he paused and took a deep breath "I don't think you realize … I'm not getting any better." He stopped, frightened to go on.
"What do you mean? Of course you're getting better. Oh, I know it's not as fast as you'd like but you're much better than you were. It'll just take some more time."
"I don't think so. I think this is about as good as I'm going to get. Sam, I know none of you have said too much but I knew, back in Angry's lab, that she'd done some major damage. I'm just thankful she didn't leave me a vegetable – but still, I think I'm as good as I'm going to get."
Sam could feel herself start to get angry again. Why in hell was he doing this? This was him all over again – when it came to others he'd fight to the death – and beyond. But, when it came to himself he'd run or hide, or worse, simply give up. For the first time since this whole thing started she wanted to hit the man.
Standing up she pulled her hand away and began to speak. "General, I don't know if this is it or not – you may be right, you may not get any better – but that isn't the point right now. The thing is, you've just decided this is it and you've given up." When he didn't say anything she pushed. "Isn't that right? You're not even trying to fight this thing – or see if you can get better. No, you're just gonna lie there and feel sorry for yourself." She was so mad she wanted to stomp her feet.
At that moment Sam looked down at this frustrating man and stopped. Suddenly, she realized that he looked frightened – and broken. This wasn't about giving up, this was about someone who had almost reached his limit. He'd been through so much over the last six months – hell, over the last ten years – it was not wonder that he didn't have anything left inside with which to fight.
With a soft sob she reached in and grabbed his hands. Pulling them to her face she kissed them. "I'm sorry Jack – that's unfair of me. I know it's hard but please, don't give up. I'll be here to help and so will the guys. General Hammond and the whole SGC is there for you. That doesn't even include half the aliens throughout the universe and then, of course, there's this little old lady I know and her grandson who think you're the best thing that's ever happened to them. We all love you Jack and we're going to help you get through this – we're going to help you get better."
"But what if I don't? What if I don't get any better?"
"Well then, we'll deal with it just like we've dealt with everything else. I already told you – we'll just go and retire to your cabin in Minnesota. It'll be wonderful." He looked at her seriously for a moment but then she could begin to see his face relax. He was still frightened but her confidence – and the fact that she seemed able to accept whatever happened made him feel immeasurably better.
"You'll get bored in a week."
"I will not! I'll take my computer and I'll write that book I've always wanted to write."
"I thought you finished that – you know the time we wore those armbands."
"Oh, that book. Yeah, I finished it. I'm not talking about a text book – I'm talking about the novel I want to write."
"A novel?" he smiled. She was relieved to see he was starting to look a lot better.
"Yes. I've always wanted to write a novel. I'm thinking … science fiction?"
"What a great idea. I know", he said with a gleam in his eye, "you could write about evil aliens who are trying to conquer earth and take over our bodies. There'd be this team of people – well, three humans and one alien – who were all that stood between the earth and total domination! The commander would be this sexy – but smart – athletic hero. He could have a strong, silent side-kick, the uber-smart geek and of course his beautiful, blond lieutenant."
"Beautiful? Lieutenant?" she raised her eyebrows at him.
"Definitely beautiful – but okay, she could be a Captain." When she raised her eyebrows again he sighed, "Okay, Colonel!" He continued. "And she'd wear these really, really sexy clothes. She'd have this skin tight outfit that was short and cut down" he demonstrated on his own chest. "Yeah, she'd secretly be in love with the commander but couldn't tell him - "
"Why not?" she interrupted, enjoying the story immensely.
"Uh?" he paused for a second. "Because, it wasn't allowed!" he said triumphantly.
"Because of regulations?" she asked, a bit more seriously.
"No, because … she was an alien!" he intoned.
"An alien?"
"Yes! You see, she had four arms and her skin was blue. They could never fall in love or be together because of the children."
"The children?" she asked, starting to smirk.
"Yes. You see, if they got married the children would be born with three arms and purple skin – just think how they'd be teased. No, they could never do that to their children so they stayed forever apart." He ended dramatically, his hand held over his heart.
By this time she was laughing outright, pleased at his sense of the ridiculous. "Uh, I think I'll stick to a romance – no science fiction."
"Too bad!" He lay back down, a small grin on his face. As she looked at him her smile began to fade. She knew he'd attempted to sidetrack her with his little humorous story but she still needed to deal with his fears.
"Jack – you know, don't you, that I meant what I said. I hope for your sake that you'll get better – and I honestly believe you will. It's going to take some work, and you may never get back to 100% but it won't stop me caring about you or wanting to be with you. You have to believe that. I promised I'd never leave you and I meant it."
He reached out with his hand and took hers back. Squeezing it he smiled. "I know Sam. I hate this, you know. I want to jump up and hug you but I feel trapped. I just wish to God this hadn't happened."
"I know." They stayed silent for a long time until Jack finally realized that Sam was right and he'd just given up. Well, it was time to change that! Turning his head he began to speak.
"I want to get up Sam." He announced quietly.
"It's too so-"
"Okay, maybe today is to soon but in the next few days. I need to move around, even if only for a bit. That's the only way I'll get better."
Knowing it was true Sam told Thor. Later on that day, after Sam had returned to Molly's, she told Teal'c and Daniel some of what had happened. The next day the two men went to visit the General.
"Hi Jack."
"O'Neill."
Jack looked over and saw his two closest friends standing in the doorway, obviously hesitant about their welcome. Had he been that much of a bastard he wondered? Yeah, probably. He knew he could freeze people out really quickly when he felt like it – or when he felt particularly bad. He recognized that he had some repairing to do.
"Hi guys!" he smiled and waved them over. "Come to keep a bored General happy?"
"If that's what you want." Daniel walked over to the 'pod' but still spoke hesitatingly. Teal'c followed the archaeologist but kept silent.
"Oh yeah – I definitely want the company. Thor tries but he's just no good at 20 questions. Come on, pull up some chairs." The two men sat and looked at Jack. No one said anything for a moment.
"So, I guess I've been a jerk." Jack figured he might as well jump right in. The others looked startled. It dawned on him that they weren't angry at him but were feeling guilty. That actually made him feel a bit better – for himself, not for them.
"Jack, you haven't been a jerk. In fact I can't believe you even want to see us." Daniel ran his head through his hair, looking like he wanted to get up and run away.
"O'Neill, I owe you an apology. I betrayed our friendship and I do not ask for forgiveness but I want you to know that I will spend my life in an attempt to make amends."
Jack looked at his two guilt ridden friends and the last bit of his anger drained away. He knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt that his friends loved him. What had happened was not their fault. In fact, they were as much a victim as he had been. Looking at each of them he rested his head back on his pillow. He finally knew everything was going to be okay – maybe not perfect – but good enough.
"Okay, enough! Neither of you have anything to be sorry about. You were drugged and didn't 'betray' me. I, however, owe you an apology. I can't claim to have been drugged when I ran off. I was angry and hurt and wanted to hurt you and I'm sorry. I should have stayed and tried to explain. Can you both forgive me?"
If it hadn't been such a serious moment Jack would have laughed at the expressions on his friends' faces. They had come here worried that Jack was going to be angry and still blame them, instead he was apologizing. It was Teal'c who finally spoke.
"O'Neill, I believe you have nothing for which to apologize. We were all the victims of a plot by a radical group of Asgard. I am grateful that you are not angry at us any longer. You must know, my friend, that nothing would ever induce us to betray you. You are our friend and our brother."
Jack had to consciously clear his throat and blink a few times to make sure his emotions didn't get the better of him. All this 'love' could get rather embarrassing. Daniel must have realized how he was feeling because he was suddenly sporting a small smirk.
"Jack, of course you're forgiven. Anyone of us would probably have reacted the same way." When Teal'c raised his eyebrows Daniel quickly continued. "Okay, maybe not Teal'c – he would probably have carried out some brutal Jaffa revenge thing – but I think we all understood how you felt. I'm just thankful you're not angry. Oh, but the next time something like this happens – we'll all collectively kick your ass if you run off like that!"
This time it was Jack who looked startled, but then he too started to grin. Following that he put out his hand and Daniel reached down and grasped it. Putting his other hand on Jack's shoulder he squeezed. "I know you're worried about things right now, but you know we're not going to leave you until you're all better and kick us out?"
Teal'c nodded. "That is so O'Neill. We have much work ahead of us but we are brothers and we will help you to regain your health."
Jack was again almost overcome with emotion. Okay, this was getting to be a bit too much. Pulling his hand away he looked between his friends with gratitude.
"So, you gonna help me escape? I'm so getting tired of this place! And by the way – did either of you bring some pizza?"
For the next couple of hours the three men laughed and joked around. Jack even got Teal'c to help him sit up for a few minutes. He was incredibly dizzy after having been flat on his back for so long but for the first time felt like maybe he could get better.
Over the next few days his 'team' visited him almost constantly. He worked hard at improving his strength. Although half of his body still didn't want to respond he could tell that he was getting stronger. He knew that any improvement would require a lot of hard work and therapy.
It was the afternoon of the second day that something happened that brought home to him some of the other changes that were occurring with his body and mind.
Although he was feeling better all the time he still spent a large part of his day sleeping. His friends would take turns sitting with him but often brought books or a computer with them to have something to do when he was resting. This day he woke up and saw that Daniel was reading a thick, hard cover book. The younger man didn't realize he was awake so Jack just watched him for a while, incredibly comforted be the presence of his friends in his life.
He glanced at the title of the book and sighed to himself. He wasn't surprised that Daniel was reading a book on 'Ancient Mesopotamian Mythology and the Old Testament '. It was exactly what Danny would think of as 'light reading.'
"Hey Daniel."
"Jack, how you feeling?" Daniel set the book down and pulled his chair up closer to the pod. He was relieved to see how much better Jack was beginning to look.
"Good. Hungry. Did you bring any snacks?" He'd enlisted the guys into bringing things from earth. Molly sent up a regular plethora of great meals but he could count on Daniel (and especially Teal'c) to bring 'goodies'.
"Yeah, I brought some chocolate." He pulled out a couple of bars and handed them to Jack who quickly devoured one.
"So, Mesopotamian Mythology eh? Sounds fascinating."
Daniel looked at him curiously. "Yeeaaah", he said hesitatingly. "Uh Jack?"
"yeah?" Jack had started on the second chocolate bar.
"How did you know I was reading about Mesopotamian Mythology?" Jack looked up from his chocolate bar and simply pointed to the book.
"I just read the title of your book – 'Ancient Mesopotamian Mythology and the Old Testament' – not a hard task, you know. I may have trouble lifting my arm but I can still read!" He looked a slight bit peeved.
Daniel still looked a bit puzzled. "Ah Jack?"
"Yes Daniel?" Jack sighed in frustration.
"Do me a favor?" He handed the book over to his friend. "Could you read the first couple of pages and tell me what they say?"
Jack was starting to look ticked. Did Daniel really think he couldn't read? What! Were his friends worried that he'd suffered more damage than they were letting on? Grabbing the book Jack quickly read the first two pages.
He would never admit it to Daniel, of course, but it sounded kind of interesting. It put forth the idea that many of the stories in the Old Testament were common to a lot of ancient society's – Mesopotamia in particular. He'd have to figure out a way to get a hold of the book without destroying his 'dumb General' routine. He'd never want Jackson to know he actually enjoyed reading things like this.
He handed the book back. "Okay, so now what. I read it." He looked at Daniel, a look of enquiry on his face.
"What did it say?" Daniel asked seriously.
With another sigh Jack gave a quick overview of what the first couple of pages had said.
"Satisfied Dr. Jackson?" he asked, peeved.
"Uh Jack?"
"Now what?"
"Just one more question. Since when did you learn to speak German?"
"German? I don't speak German Daniel. I know some Russian, a little Arabic and some Spanish but the only German I know is 'sauerkraut and wienerschnitzel'." What's this about?"
"Uh – it's just that this book is in German." He held up the book Jack had just read. O'Neill looked at it as if it was about to jump up and bite him.
"It is not!" he finally muttered.
"Is too Jack.
"No way Daniel. I don't speak German!"
"Well, you do now." Jack stared at him in horror. What the hell was this about? Daniel was rummaging around in his small backpack and finally pulled out a pen and pad of paper. He wrote for a couple of minutes and handed the pad to Jack. "Read each sentence."
Jack stared at him for a few minutes and then glanced at the paper. There were a half a dozen sentences written down. He began to read.
"To be or not to be, that is the question." He glanced up at Daniel who nodded and told him to proceed.
"Mary had a little lamb, whose fleece was white as snow." He grimaced but continued. "I am Jack O'Neill and I like pizza, beer and the Simpsons!" This time he looked up and grinned. "This is my friend Daniel Jackson. Please listen to him as he's usually always right!" Jack rolled his eyes. "Please sir, can I have some more." He finally got to the last sentence. "The previous five sentences were written in Dutch, Urdu, Swedish, Goa'uld and Portuguese. This sentence is written in Ancient." Jack just stared at the page for a couple of minutes. He was hoping this was a joke but somehow he didn't think it was. He eventually looked up at his friend who was staring at him, no expression on his face.
"Are you telling the truth?" he waved the paper around.
"Yes. Each sentence is written in a different language. You can obviously read all of them. Can you tell the difference between them when you look at them or do they all seem like they're written in English?'
He lowered his eyes back to the paper and concentrated on each different sentence. After a bit he began to be able to tell that they were, in fact, written in different languages although his brain still seemed to see them as English – or at least as something he could understand.
"How's this possible Daniel?" he asked, although he had a good idea.
"It's obviously as a result of whatever Angrboda did to you. Somehow it's giving you the ability to decipher all these languages."
"But surely the Ancients wouldn't know all of these? Some of these languages developed long after they were gone."
"I know – that's what's so interesting. I don't think this is just a 'download' of information, like a encyclopedia. I think somehow your brain is able to decipher things – it's more like a computer. Let's try some verbal languages and see what happens." Daniel began to speak different languages. At first Jack heard them all as English but after concentrating he began to be able to tell they were different, although he could still understand each one perfectly. This was beyond weird!
"Okay, try speaking to me." Daniel asked him various questions, in different languages. Jack responded to each one. It was only when Daniel told him that he was speaking each language perfectly that he really began to freak out.
"What the hell Daniel! What am I going to do?" He covered his eyes with his forearm.
"Well, I don't really see that it's a problem. It sounds like you can tell what you're doing after a while so you shouldn't make any mistakes once you've caught on. And just think how easy it will be to travel."
Jack pulled his arm down and gave his friend and exasperated look. "Yeah – you wouldn't think anything of it. You already speak all of these languages. Can you imagine what will happen if I suddenly start to speak – Swahili or something!"
"Hey, what are you complaining about? I don't think this is such a bad thing. Look at the bright side, you can still speak and understand English just fine – unlike the last time."
He realized Daniel was right. This wasn't the worst thing that could have happened. What was creeping him out however was what other things he would find.
It was when Sam returned the next day that he found out just how much things had changed. She brought in one of her more difficult physics textbooks. She didn't even pretend to be reading it herself, she just handed it to him. When he raised his eyebrows at her she spoke.
"Aren't you curious?"
"About physics?"
"No! Daniel told me about the languages. I thought you'd like to see if there were any other abilities you'd gained."
"I already know I can read! We figured that one out yesterday", he answered sarcastically. She just looked at him, holding out the book. He grabbed it from her and opened it defiantly.
He read for about 20 minutes. He told himself it was to bug her but in actual fact he was finding it quite fascinating – until, of course, he came to the part that was totally wrong. He snorted! Who wrote this? It was pure fantasy. He looked up and handed it back to Sam and lay back down.
"Well?" she asked.
"Well what?"
"What did you make of it?"
"Not much." She looked rather disappointed at that. He figured she was secretly hoping that he'd developed an interest in and understanding of physics.
"So, you didn't understand it?"
"No, I didn't say that. I said I didn't think much of it. It was mostly wrong."
"Wrong? What do you mean wrong?" she looked confused.
"Wrong. As in incorrect, inaccurate, mistaken, erroneous, off the mark, etc, etc."
"But it's not wrong. It's one of the most well-respected and accepted books about theoretical astrophysics that's ever been written."
"Well respected by whom?"
"By astrophysisicts."
"Oh, them."
"Oh them?" she asked, bemused. "Who else is there?"
"Oh, I don't know, maybe somebody who knows what the hell they're talking about. Sam, all I know is is that book is incorrect in a bunch of places. Oh, they've got some of the stuff right but the basic premise is off." For the next fifteen minutes he explained to her what was wrong about the book and the way he saw it. He didn't even realize what he was doing. It was only as he caught her with her mouth literally hanging open that his voice faded away and he stopped.
"Shit", he murmured, "I did it again, didn't I?" He looked at her hopefully, praying she would tell him it was all just a big joke.
"Yeah Sir, you definitely did it again." Oops, he knew he'd really blown it if she was back to calling him 'Sir'. "I think you may just have revolutionized a lot of science as we know it." She shook her head in wonder, still blown away by everything he'd said.
"You can't say anything Carter."
She looked up in surprise. It was only then that she realized. Of course she couldn't say anything. This would all have to be kept a secret or Jack's life, or certainly his freedom, would be over.
"No, I know that S-Jack. It's just so amazing!"
"Amazing? It's creeping me right out!"
"But don't you find it fascinating? I mean, suddenly all these things have opened up to you now."
"That's what I mean about 'creepy' Carter. I never really wanted to be interested in this stuff." He held up her book. "How can I maintain my 'dumb' routine around you guys? You're the science geeks, not me!" She had to laugh. He sounded mortally pissed over the fact that he was now brilliant. Leave it to Jack!
She decided it was time to change the subject. The poor man was obviously having trouble coping with all of this. They would eventually have to find out what more he knew – or could do – but for now he still needed to simply rest.
"So, you feel like a small visitor?" she asked with a smile.
"By small you don't mean Thor do you?" he asked hopefully.
"No. I know this little boy who is simply dying to come for a visit. He really wants to see you – and I think he also wants to see Thor's ship again."
"I'm sure he does. What other seven year old can say he's been on an actual alien spaceship?"
"Well, he can't actually say anything – at least to anyone but us, but it's still pretty exciting for him!"
So, it was later that day that a very excited, but on his best behavior, boy came and visited Jack.
"Jack!" he ran over and practically threw himself on the General. Fortunately Daniel grabbed him at the last minute, saving Jack from a small hurtling body!
"Chris! It's great to see you." Jack reached out with his good arm and pulled the little boy closer, giving him a hug. Almost instantly Chris moved from excited to teary. He began to sniffle and then to cry.
"Hey! What's wrong?" Jack pulled him slightly away to look at the little boy but he pushed himself back into O'Neill's arms. He muttered something into Jack's chest but he couldn't get what the little boy was saying. Finally he was able to calm him down. With Daniel's help Chris was able to jump up and sit beside Jack, cuddled up to him.
"Okay, so tell me what that was all about?" he asked the boy.
"I thought you were dead." Chris whispered.
"Dead? But didn't they tell you I was okay. I was just a little sick is all but I'm getting better real fast."
"At first I believed them but they wouldn't let me visit you and then I thought maybe you'd died and they didn't want to tell me."
"Oh Chris", Jack pulled him into another hug. "They would never lie to you. It was just that I was sleeping most of the time. I'm sorry you were worried but I'm getting better, I promise."
"Grandma says you're going to come and stay with us and we're going to make you all better!" Jack looked over at Daniel and Sam who both looked sheepish. This was the first he'd heard of it.
"Uh, yeah Jack", Daniel answered. "Thor figures the pod has done everything it can so it's up to you now. We've spoken to the SGC and the Doc is coming to check on you and prescribe some physical therapy. We figured you'd prefer to stay at Molly's rather than in DC or in the Infirmary."
Well yes, he would, but he hated to put everyone out. "Are you sure it's okay with her? I don't want to create a lot of extra work for everyone."
"She's thrilled Jack", Sam spoke for the first time. "It's not really any different than when you were staying there after your broken leg. The only difference is I'll be there to help."
He looked at her in surprise. "You will?"
"Yes, if that's okay with you?"
He stared back at her as if she were crazy. Okay with him? Hell, it was great – fantastic – wonderful. Yeah, this recuperation was going to be alright. He spared a brief thought for where she'd stay in the tiny house. He wondered if he could work it out so she shared his – no – too soon to go there Jack. Still, the idea was pretty attractive.
He smiled. "Sweet!"
So, after two weeks spent in Thor's healing 'chamber' he was beamed back down to earth. He knew the next little while would be difficult, but he was actually looking forward to moving forward with his life. As he lay in his bed at Molly's he looked over to his friends who were chatting in the doorway. He caught the eye of a little boy who ran over and jumped on the bed beside him.
"I'm glad you're home Jack!" Chris whispered in his ear.
He leaned over and whispered back …. "So am I!"
One more chapter to go folks!