Chapter 24: A Little Cold
Sam passed tiredly through the nearly empty halls of her school building. Despite having gotten a full night's sleep the previous night, she felt like she'd barely rested at all. Still, she had an errand to perform, and despite her fatigue, she would do nothing to make herself seem less than fit for the job. It was near the end of the third week of school, and somehow, earlier that week, she'd been given the all-important task of taking the attendance rosters to the main office. She wasn't quite sure how she'd landed the position, having been sent to the time out chair more than just about everyone else in the class thus far, despite her best efforts since last Friday. In any case, she wasn't going to question it too much. The job got her out of the classroom, if only for the few minutes it took to walk the records to the office and go back to classroom.
As much as she wanted to take her time, both from her fatigue and from a desire to snoop around, she knew if she didn't come back in a reasonable time it would set off a warning back in the classroom. But it was good to know that she had at least one legit reason to leave the room daily. As an added bonus, Wednesday had found Daniel in the faculty lounge, having a morning cup of coffee before his first class while he brushed up on the day's lesson. Since Daniel taught her class, they were able to exchange a few friendly words without raising suspicions. She still had yet to run into Teal'c during school hours though. She'd found out over the weekend that Teal'c usually canvassed the upper school, and had few responsibilities that could conceivably take him into the lower school. At least it spread the team out over a wider area to cover more ground, though none of them liked being away from one another.
At least Jack had gotten a position as a recess monitor. She would have seen him later today, if he hadn't been going out of town. The joint chiefs had wanted a personal update on the progress of their mission and General Hammond had chosen Jack to go. Ordinarily, Major Carter would also have gone, but the General had decided that the risk of the secret on the nature of her unique transformation getting out was too great and so only Jack would go. Sam would be spending the weekend with Janet and Cassie.
Lost in thought, Sam didn't really pay attention to the footsteps approaching her from an intersecting hallway until a larger body collided with her, sending the papers she carried flying.
"Hey, watch where you're going runt," growled an older boy. From his size, Sam judged he was likely in the fifth grade. While he was only a child, he towered over her at her current size, and his posture told her he was up to no good. What she wouldn't do to have a few good marines from the SGC at the moment, though any adult would do!
Sam frowned, narrowing her eyes slightly, and then wisely decided not to say anything, instead, bending to gather her papers.
"Kindergarten baby, stick your head in gravy," chanted a second boy, coming up behind the first. Sam didn't look up, doing her best to ignore the older boys, having recognized them for what they were. She had started to notice a group of older students that seemed to hang around each other, intent on terrorizing the younger children. They all wore identical badges showing membership in some sort of club, and while teachers would put a stop to anything they were up to if caught in the act, nothing permanent ever seemed to be done about the trouble they were causing. The group was a puzzle, but so far, she had nothing concrete about them to report back to her team besides a few suspicions.
Still, it was only the first few weeks of school, and she'd already noticed that the older children tended to choose their targets well, keeping out of sight from adults or selecting those that would have trouble complaining or identifying them.
"Hey, didn't you hear me?" demanded the first boy, unhappy to be ignored. "I said watch where you're going."
"Maybe she's too stupid," said a third voice, this one female. It took all of Sam's willpower to keep ignoring them. Unfortunately, the group didn't like being ignored, and a foot appeared squarely in the center of the last piece of paper she was trying to pick up. "Hey, dummy, why don't you pick up the mess you made?" The other two laughed. Sam rolled her eyes but kept her head down. Honestly, for a school that prided itself on academic performance among other things, some of the students were surprisingly unimaginative. Sam knew if she exerted even the tiniest amount of effort, she could really wind this group's collective tail. And if it hadn't been for an unaccustomed feeling of fatigue and a growing headache, she would have done just that. After all, she was far from defenseless, and the group was completely unprepared for what was underneath her innocent appearing exterior. However, a fight was the last thing she needed, whether it was with words or fists. She took a moment to compose her features before she finally looked up into the face of her antagonist.
The girl had long, straight, dark hair and green eyes that would have been pretty if not for the cruel glint in them. Sam had yet to figure out this group. She'd caught sight of other similar groups in some of the older classes, and they all seemed rather petty, with an inflated view of themselves. She made a mental note to talk to Daniel and Teal'c about them this weekend. For now though, she had to extricate herself before she lost her patience. The last thing she wanted was to lose her modicum of freedom because a few puffed up bullies wanted to have a good time. She mumbled something uncomplimentary as she picked up what she could off the floor. She was really tired today, obviously not as recovered from her recent cold as she thought she was. In addition to a mild headache, an annoying discomfort was starting to grow on the right side of her head, and Sam rubbed absently at the ache. She really wasn't in the mood for bullies. Fortunately, she had an idea that was elegant in its simplicity.
"What did you say?" the girl demanded, having picked up on her mumbling.
Sam gritted her teeth against what she really wanted to say. "I said," she began, pausing, and then leaned around the girl, waving cheerfully. "Hi Mr. Stevens!" she called.
As predicted, the girl looked startled, turning automatically to look down the hall behind her, as did the two boys. Quick as lightning, Sam grabbed up the last papers and darted down the hall towards the office. She'd known the rather uncreative pre teens would fall for that old trick. Still, angry calls followed soon after. Fortunately, the office was right ahead, and Sam slipped in, drawing a deep breath as she leaned against the closed door. The group wouldn't dare follow her inside. Her muscles relaxed, but the headache continued to throb dully, and she rubbed distractedly at her forehead with one hand. Perhaps she should have stayed home from school after all, but it had only been a cold the last two days, and she'd been feeling better yesterday, or at least she'd thought she had been.
"Sam?"
She turned, finding Daniel getting up from the utilitarian armchair he'd been sitting in while reading. The lounge was empty, this time of the morning only those without a homeroom class using the room. Even then, Sam spoke quietly lest someone overhear them. "Just losing a few bullies," she said. She glanced at the door as she heard a few whispers on the other side.
Daniel caught her glance. "Followed?" She nodded. "Well, I've got ten minutes before my class starts, maybe I can walk you back?" he offered.
In only took Sam seconds to decide. After all, no matter what she'd done, she likely would have inflated the group since she refused to cave in to their desire to make the smaller kids cry or do what they want. "I'd like that, thanks. Let me just drop off the attendance sheets." Daniel nodded, and went back to where he'd been sitting to gather his things, while Sam slipped through the door to the office, leaving the papers on the desk. The secretary gave her a distracted thank you.
She and Daniel walked out of the office together. As predicted, the little group was waiting for her, and they looked more than a little disappointed to see that a teacher accompanied her. Sam gave them an innocent smile, even as she recognized one of the boys as one of the two that had been tormenting the two kindergarteners the first week of school. Daniel kept up a steady stream of chatter as they walked toward her classroom, and Sam could feel the eyes of the older students on her as she moved away. She resisted looking back over her shoulder, but somehow she knew this would not be the last time she would deal with this group of troublemakers.
Daniel dropped her off at her classroom, and Sam waved goodbye. She joined her group at their table, for once, relieved to find them engaged in a simple counting activity. Right now, she felt too weary to do anything requiring energy. Frowning, Sam rubbed again at her forehead. In addition to the headache and the pain that seemed to center around her ear and jaw, she ached all over. She was regretting not taking up Jack's offer to stay home but she knew had she done so, someone would have had to stay home with her. With the confusion of Jack leaving, that would have had to been Janet. In that instance, Sam knew there would have been no way of her escaping the professional side of her friend. Sam didn't think she needed to see a doctor for a little cold.
Picking up the pencil and paper that had been left out on her desk while she'd been running her errand though, Sam rethought the wisdom of continuing to "soldier on" with the cold she'd had the last two days despite the risks of Janet getting involved. Honestly, she thought she'd feel better later in the morning. After all, she generally weathered colds pretty quickly. Well, the morning was still young, she thought as she resisted the urge to cough. The headache seemed to be spreading and she rubbed at her ear in response, too distracted to put much heart into her schoolwork. On automatic, Sam followed directions as the first activity was completed and the groups were moved onto another. Fortunately for once, Sam was grateful for the basic nature of the lessons, which meant she didn't have to concentrate very hard on anything she did. She could make it through the rest of the day; she'd done more feeling much worse after all.
Somehow, she kept up the charade even as the class broke for lunch, following her classmates to the cafeteria where she picked at her lunch. Everything was tasteless, and eating required an effort she didn't have the energy to undertake. She glanced at her watch noting with relief that the day was nearly half over as she threw out her mostly uneaten meal and trooped outside with her class, suppressing a shiver despite the warm day. She took a seat under a tree and gave into the chest-rattling cough she felt like she'd been holding in the entire morning. Spent, she leaned back against the tree trunk and sighed, closing her eyes and enjoying the feel of the sun on her closed lids. The whistle of the recess monitor startled her, and she realized she'd dozed off. Reluctantly, Sam got up, stretching, and trudged over to where her group was forming.
They filed back to the classroom, ready for quiet time. After a brief pause, Sam followed the group into the coatroom, collecting her thus far unused towel and a sleep mat. Usually, she joined the small group of students doing a "quiet activity," having managed to convince Jack of her preference when he had been filling out the paperwork the first day. She caught Ms. Hans watching her as she chose a spot on the carpet, but couldn't really care about the response. She was just too tried. Conditioned by her many years as a soldier sleeping on the ground or in other less comfortable environments, Sam had little trouble relaxing despite her aches. So little trouble in fact that she was startled to feel someone shaking her awake what felt like only moments later.
In a fog, Sam blinked at Ms. Hans; the woman had a slight worried frown on her face as she looked at her. "Sam? Quiet time is over, it's time to put away your towel," she said. Sam nodded, sitting up with a quiet groan. Ms. Hans steadied her with a hand, and then, frown growing, she touched Sam's forehead, gently brushing her hair back. "You feel warm, I think you may have a fever. Do you feel ok?" she asked.
It took Sam a minute to respond. In actuality, she felt worse, and she shook her head, wincing as she remembered the headache. "I think we should go to the nurse's office," Ms. Hans told her. "Wait right here."
Sam sighed, the sigh turning into another rattling cough. Ms. Hans exchanged a few words with Mrs. Guilford who was getting the rest of the class settled into their activities. Sam frowned as she realized she was the last one left on the carpet from the nap group. She saw Mrs. Guilford look in her direction and nod at something Ms. Hans was saying. The aide rejoined her and offered her a hand, and Sam gratefully placed her hand in the woman's cool one, letting the woman help her stand up. She could probably take a longer nap at the nurse's office she thought, as the two of them walked down the hall, her only thought focused on being able to rest, preferably somewhere horizontal.
The door to the nurse's office was open, and Sam wrinkled her nose at the familiar pungent aroma of antiseptic. She looked up as Ms. Hans greeted the nurse. "Hi Betty, this is Sam. She's not feeling well today and I think she has a fever," she said, and glanced down to give Sam a reassuring smile.
Betty got up, coming around the desk and crouching down in front of her. "Hi Sam. Not feeling so good today hmm?"
Careful not to shake her head this time, Sam answered honestly. "No ma'am," she said softly, unable to avoid glancing at the cot wistfully. Betty smiled, rising and holding out her hand. Sam let go of Ms. Hans' hand and dutifully took the nurse's, letting the woman lead her to the cot. The nurse settled her, and turned to a drawer, pulling out an ear thermometer. Sam obediently turned her head.
"Ow!" she yelped in surprise, jerking away from the probe, one hand going up automatically to cup her ear. Betty blinked, but didn't look too surprised as she murmured soothing words.
"I'm sorry Sam, does your ear hurt?" she said, as she put the ear thermometer back in the drawer, exchanging it for an oral thermometer. Sam nodded carefully, still holding a hand to her ear as Betty slipped a cover over the thermometer. "We can take it this way instead, just open your mouth and put this under your tongue, now there's a big girl," the woman said. Sam could only wrinkle her nose at the comment as Betty turned toward Ms. Hans and exchanged a few words with the waiting aide. The thermometer beeped.
"Hmm, 102.1," Betty murmured. Sam noticed the nurse now held an otoscope. She narrowed her eyes slightly. Noting her look, the nurse gave her a reassuring smile. "I'll be very gentle Sam, I just want to take a look in your ear to see why it's hurting." Reluctantly, Sam turned her head and lowered her hand. Betty was very gentle, but it still was sore, and Sam was beginning to get an idea of what was wrong with her even as the nurse made knowing sounds, withdrawing the scope and gently turning Sam's head to check the other ear. "Looks a little red, no wonder you feel sore," Betty said, straightening up and looking at Ms. Hans.
"I'll go get her things," the other woman said.
Sam frowned, trying to grasp where the conversation was going, and still trying to digest the situation. The nurse noted her frown. "It's ok dear, everyone gets sick. You'll feel better in no time. Here," she said, unfolding a blanket from a neat stack. "You just lay down and rest while I call your mother."
Realization dawned, even as Sam lay down on the cot, letting the nurse cover her. "Can't I just rest for a little and go back to class?" she asked, fighting the fatigue. Betty just smiled, unconsciously smoothing back her hair, and Sam closed her eyes reflexively. It had been a long time since someone had done that, and it brought back memories.
"I'm sorry Sam, but you should let a doctor look at you. He'll give you some medicine, and when you feel better, you can come back to school." Betty gave her a reassuring pat, and went to her desk, opening a file drawer. Struggling against fatigue, Sam spoke one more time.
"My mom is in Europe," she said, "and my Dad had to go to Washington D.C. I'm staying with my Aunt." The nurse frowned at her words, but recovered swiftly, nodding as she turned back to the file cabinet.
"Don't worry Sam, you just rest, and I'll make sure you get home." Sam nodded, closing her eyes with a sigh. Dimly she heard the nurse shut the file drawer and dial the phone, the conversation lost as she gave in to sleep.
The soft murmur of voices woke her an unknown length of time later. She recognized the nurse's voice, but the second voice was male, and Sam cracked her eyes open, startled to see a familiar, if unexpected profile. She pushed back the cover, struggling to sit up, "Sir, I thought…" she mumbled as she tried to gain her feet. Turning at her words, General Hammond crossed the short distance to her, gently putting a restraining hand on her shoulder to keep her from standing in the automatic and ingrained gesture of respect for a subordinate to their commanding officer.
"It's ok, Sam," the General said quickly. "Grandpa is here to take you home." Sam's eyes widened. It took her a minute under the General's warm and concerned gaze to realize that Jack hadn't listed Janet as her emergency contact, but had instead put down her "Grandfather." Trust Jack to have a little fun. It would be just their luck to actually need the emergency contact! Under the General's steady gaze, Sam bit her lip against the stream of apologies she wanted to give. Reassured that Sam wouldn't say or do anything else to raise questions, he turned back to the nurse, letting the woman finish her explanation.
"She's all yours," the nurse said. "You'll just need to sign her out at the main office on your way out," the woman said. "Feel better Sam," she added.
Sam nodded as the General expressed his thanks. Sam slid off the cot and frowned as she remembered her bag back in the classroom. Belatedly, she realized that Hammond was already holding it as he waited for her by the door. Sam waved a goodbye to the nurse as she followed the General out of the office. "Sorry sir," she said softly as soon as they were out of earshot.
General Hammond just smiled, slowing his step so she could come alongside. "No worries Major," he told her just as softly. "Don't forget I've done this before. I am after all, really a grandfather," he added.
She blushed, looking down to watch her feet. "Yes sir, but still…"
Hammond shook his head. "I know it wasn't anything you did."
"I should have checked the paperwork though," she protested. Sam was mortified that the General himself had to come pick her up early from school. Jack would have gone out of town just when she managed to pick up some virus. Probably from Nathan and his perpetually runny nose.
General Hammond stopped, forcing her to stop and look up. The hallway was quiet and they were the only ones traversing it. The classrooms lining the way were absorbed in various afternoon activities. The murmur of voices floated out to them. "Sam," he said, the use of her first name indicating he'd set aside military formality. "I really don't mind. Besides, it gave me a chance to take a look around. Now, why don't we say we get you back to base and let Dr. Fraiser take a look at you? She would have come as well if Corporal Hanes hadn't come back from SG-12's mission this morning with a broken arm."
After a moment, Sam nodded. Despite the nap, weariness was starting to descend and she returned the Generals reassuring smile with a sheepish one of her own, following him the rest of the way to the office, where she gravitated to one of the nearby chairs while he spoke with the secretary and took care of the paperwork. She blissfully gave in to the mental fuzz that had been hovering at the edges of her mind. When Hammond returned from the desk, he paused in front of her and offered her his free hand, still holding her backpack and lunch bag in his other hand. She looked up into his face and only saw his care and concern looking back at her. Quietly, she took the proffered hand and let her commander lead her outside the school. He had parked in one of the nearby visitor spaces, and Sam was only mildly surprised to see the familiar SUV parked there. Jack had left the keys for Janet after getting a ride to the airport that morning. Knowing that the booster seat was installed, the doctor had no doubt given the keys to Hammond.
Unlocking the door, the General let go of her hand to allow her to climb inside. Fortunately, Sam was used to the buckles enough now that she was able to fasten herself in even as tired as she was. Tiredly, she leaned back in the seat, and gave up the battle to stay awake.
The cessation of movement and engine noise roused her, but only enough that she was aware of her door being opened. "Major?" Hammond asked.
Sam forced herself to move. "Yes sir," she said, sluggishly moving to release the restraints. After a moment, the General's hands joined hers, and she sighed, letting him do most of the work, too tired to be embarrassed. She was amused in a detached short of way over the General's grumbling as he fumbled with the buckles. Finally, he freed her, only Sam found herself unable to summon the energy to move. "Sorry sir, I just need a minute," she mumbled, concentrating on gathering the will to climb down out of the truck. She felt Hammond regarding her quietly before she felt him move, his hands reaching around her to scoop her up.
"Sir," she protested as he settled her against his shoulder, pushing the door shut with his hip. Her surprise gave her enough energy to push feebly against his hold, squirming in the older man's grasp.
"Nonsense," Hammond told her, tightening his arms as he settled her more securely. Sam sighed, and reluctantly relaxed, unconsciously letting her head rest against the General's shoulder as he carried her into the base. Some looked upon the pair curiously but no one made any comments as they made their way to the infirmary. Sam closed her eyes, shutting them out.
"General?" spoke a familiar voice. Heels clicked towards them, and Sam opened her eyes at the cool touch on her forehead.
"Hey Janet," Sam greeted tiredly as Hammond deposited her on an empty bed. The infirmary was quiet, and Sam saw only one occupied bed, the soldier in it sleeping.
"The school nurse said she had a fever, and what looked like an ear infection," General Hammond explained while he pulled off her shoes and tucked the covers up over her. Sam tried to rouse herself to tell the doctor how she was feeling but was overcome by a coughing fit. Janet laid a hand on her.
"Sounds like a touch of bronchitis as well," she said. "Don't worry sir, I'll take care of her."
"I know she's in good hands, carry on Doctor, and keep me apprised," Hammond replied in clear dismissal, and Sam heard his retreating footsteps.
Sam looked up to see her friend looking down at her, concern overlaid with bemusement. "Sam, you sure know how keep me busy."
"Sorry," Sam apologized, coughing again.
"Easy," Janet said, before getting down to business with an exam. The doctor quickly confirmed the nurse's assessment, confirming that Sam definitely had an ear infection and that her cold was developing into bronchitis. Janet left her bedside only to return a short time later with several bottles. Sam was too tired to protest the elixir medications, and dutifully swallowed the Tylenol and antibiotic, then held still as Janet put some drops in her ear.
"I don't have to stay here do I?" Sam asked, fighting to stay awake. Janet looked thoughtful, and then shook her head.
"No," the petite redhead decided, "though I think it may change our plans a bit this weekend. We should probably just have a quiet weekend in. I don't think Cassie will mind."
Sam sighed, relieved enough about not having to stay in the infirmary to not be too disappointed in the change of plans. They had planned a day at the mall Saturday followed by a movie, and a day the next day at the beach of a local park where they had intended to rent paddleboats and picnic by the water. With Jack out of town, Sam had needed a new temporary guardian, and he and Janet had conspired to keep Sam from locking herself in her lab the entire time. Sam hadn't told either of them that she was more than pleased with the solution. It had been some time since she'd been able to spend time with Janet and Cassie, and had been looking forward to the weekend. With any luck, the meds would kick in while Cassie was in school Friday, and they'd still be able to enjoy each other's company over the weekend.
"Thanks, Janet," Sam told her friend.
Janet smoothed the covers over her. "There's still a few hours left in my shift, why don't you rest and I'll wake you when it's time to go."
Sam nodded, eyes already sliding shut.
A/N: Well, I meant to have this one out last weekend, but things came up. Here it is now, and I hope the length makes up for it.