Summary: Janet and Daniel look after Jack while Teal'c is away.

Timeframe: Before "Changes."

Characters/Pairing: Jack, Daniel/Janet

Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Family

Rating:PG

Note: Just so I don't confuse anyone too bad, these little snippets aren't being posted in any particular order.

Sleepover

"He's impaired, he isn't stupid!" Janet growled at the new orderly, a bad-tempered young man with a chip on his shoulder. "Just because he isn't able to really communicate, doesn't mean he can't understand. And if I ever catch you taking that tone with a patient again, you'll be out of here so fast, you'll get whiplash!" She jabbed her finger into his chest.

"Yes, ma'am. Sorry ma'am," the orderly muttered his clenched-jaw apology repentantly.

Janet pointed to the door. "You're off duty for the rest of the day, Sergeant. Now get out before I decide to report you to General Hammond." As the young man scampered away with his tail between his legs, Janet quickly hurried over to Jack. He was sitting on the floor beside the exam bed, with his knees tucked to his chest, arms wrapped tightly around his long legs.

"Jack?" she called softly. "Are you alright?" He didn't answer, but Janet hadn't expected him to. She crouched beside him, brushing her hand through his hair. "Teal'c's still off-world, so you're going to come stay with me and Daniel and Cassie tonight, okay?"

He blinked slowly, but continued to stare straight ahead.

Janet got back to her feet, grabbing Jack under his arm and pulling him up with her. "Lt. Rush told me you let her do your exam today without much of a fuss. I'm really proud of you, Jack." She smiled, standing on the tips of her toes so she could kiss his cheek. Janet knew he only allowed very few people to touch him, and when the other medical personnel needed to, he only tolerated it. And that was on his good days.

Jack jerked his chin to the side and shrugged his shoulders up and down.

Lightly tugging on his arm, Janet guided him to the door. "Come on; I'm off duty in a few minutes. Let's go tell Daniel we're leaving, then we can get out of here."

-

Jack was quiet during dinner, as usual, but he ate all of his food, and even helped to clear the table afterwards, with Cassie's gentle guidance.

Cassie and Janet had retired for the night a while ago, so Daniel stayed up with Jack. His friend had odd, sometimes very erratic sleeping patterns, which Janet attributed to the brain damage, and tonight was no exception. Since Daniel was already awake, trying to make sense of his hastily-scribbled notes from off-world, he didn't mind keeping an eye on Jack for the time being.

After giving up on his notes when exhaustion kept making his vision blur, Daniel slipped his hands under his glasses and rubbed at his eyes. He yawned loudly, glancing sideways at Jack, who was slumped on the couch beside him, staring fixedly at the television.

Reaching over to lightly swat Jack's leg, Daniel called for his friend's attention. "C'mon Jack, what do you say we turn in for the night, huh?"

Jack wordlessly rose to his feet when Daniel gestured for him to do so.

Daniel took him to the spare room, where Jack always slept when he stayed over, and patiently waited just outside the door after handing his friend some pajamas. Jack even had his own dresser in the room, with some extra clothes of his, so he wouldn't need to bring anything when he spent the night. The spare room had pretty much become Jack's room anyway, since no one else really used it. Cassie had her own room, and Daniel was in with Janet.

When he poked his head back in the room, to check if Jack was done, he found his friend sitting on the edge of the bed, and waved him over. "Come on, Jack. Bathroom before bed; you know the drill."

Jack stood slowly to follow Daniel again, lost without any other guidance.

-

When Jack was settled in bed, Daniel stayed until he fell asleep, then turned on the nearby baby monitor, plugged in the nightlight, and quietly left the room to crawl into bed beside Janet.

She stirred slightly as he wrapped an arm around her, pressing a kiss to her shoulder. Janet hummed softly, wiggling slightly to conform to his warm body behind her. "Jack asleep?" she murmured in a half-asleep voice.

Daniel turned his face away for a moment so he wouldn't yawn in her ear. He nodded against the back of her neck. "Yep, he's out." He relaxed against her, feeling comfortable and warm as he drifted off to sleep.

-

A peculiar noise woke Daniel from his comfortable slumber. Reluctantly rolling away from Janet, he squinted at the baby monitor next to the bed on his side, it's green light flickering as more sounds emitted from the speaker.

There were rustling noises and groans. That was never a good sign where Jack was concerned.

Carefully slipping from the bed, amazed that Janet could still sleep through all the movement and noise, Daniel turned off the monitor, and quietly padded down the hall to the spare room. There was enough light from the hallway and the nightlight to clue Daniel in as to what was wrong with Jack.

Daniel grimaced as he slowly strode up to the miserable-looking man in the bed. There was vomit down the front of Jack's t-shirt, in his lap, and on the bedcovers. His nose crinkled involuntarily with disgust as he turned on the bedside lamp. He felt like he could have slapped himself in the forehead. "I forgot to give you your nausea medication, didn't I?" he muttered aloud with realization.

Jack stared blankly, looking sick and pale in the light.

"Okay," Daniel heaved a sigh and lightly grasped Jack's arm as the other man slid his legs over the edge of the bed and rose to his feet. "Let's get you cleaned up." He led his friend into the bathroom with a disgruntled sigh, reminding himself that this was his fault, and not Jack's.

Daniel wanted to be frustrated with him, but he couldn't. Sometimes, he just wished that the old Jack would come back. But things were rarely ever that simple, and certainly not tonight.

While Jack was in the shower, Daniel gathered up all the soiled linens and loaded them into the washer. He was too tired to bother finding new sheets for the bed, and grabbed an armful of extra blankets instead. He piled the blankets up in the corner of his and Janet's room, tossing a pillow down as well, before going to check up on Jack.

He knocked on the door, waiting patiently for the answering knock before going inside. Daniel had given Jack a fresh set of pajamas, and he was all dressed and ready for bed again. Daniel thought he was still looking a little pale, and brought him into his and Janet's room to lie down before going to get the medication he'd forgotten earlier.

Daniel knelt beside Jack while his friend swallowed the pills, washing them down with a cup of water. When he took the half-empty glass back, Daniel let his gaze travel over Jack slowly, studiously. Brows furrowing, he softly asked, "Are you okay now, Jack? 'Cause you can tell me if you aren't, you know." Going out on a limb, Daniel leaned closer. "Or . . . if you just want to talk. You know, say anything to me at all, really. Tell me to shut up, tell me you're tired, you hate this, that you-"

"Daniel?" Janet's soft, tired voice stopped his sudden tirade.

He turned around, with tears in his eyes, to see her leaning toward the edge of the bed, watching him, and propping herself up on an elbow. Daniel heaved a sigh. "I'm sorry. It's just . . . I just want him to . . . I don't know." He frowned, embarrassed and surprised at himself. He wanted the old Jack back.

Janet smiled tightly, glancing between him and Jack. With an understanding nod, she quietly said, "I know. We all want him to get better; to talk to us again, do things for himself again. It's hard on all of us." Her rational, sympathetic voice was nearly Daniel's undoing. "But just imagine how hard this is on Jack."

Daniel turned back to his friend, sitting on the floor atop a pile of blankets, an unreadable expression on his face. Much to Daniel's surprise, though, Jack's dark brown eyes were staring fixedly at his blue ones. It was like he knew.

Working at a smile, Daniel lightly patted his friend's leg, then gently pushed on his shoulder to get him to lie down. "I'm sorry, Jack." He pulled the blanket over him. "You know we'll all take you any way we can, because the alternative is just unfathomable."

Feeling tears prick his eyes again, Daniel leaned down and gave his friend a brotherly kiss on the forehead before getting to his feet. "No matter what happens, or doesn't happen, you'll always be my best friend, Jack."

When Jack made a noise low in his throat, then turned on his side, Daniel smiled gently and rubbed his friend's shoulder. "Go to sleep, Jack."

Janet moved over and made room as Daniel got back in bed and turned off the light. She grasped his hand in hers, giving it a loving squeeze as she curled up beside him and kissed his cheek.

"Do you think we're doing the right thing?" Daniel asked suddenly, his voice a low whisper. He felt Janet move against him, slightly. "Taking care of him like this, I mean."

"Yes, Daniel, I do." Janet whispered confidently. "I think keeping Jack around those he cares for most is going to do him the most good in the long run."

"Yeah." He nodded, tilting his head to kiss her temple. "I just . . . Sometimes I feel like I don't know how to help him."

"We all feel like that sometimes, Daniel. Even me, and I'm a doctor." She craned her neck and kissed him on the chin. "All we can do is be there for him. We're doing all we can."

Daniel sighed softly, nodding again and pulling her tighter against him. "I sure hope so."

-