"Carter, just drop it. You had a dislocated shoulder and maybe some head stuff. The Doc says you can leave the base if someone takes care of you for a couple days, so you're coming home with me," Jack says, hands up and flourishing to emphasize his points. "Now, we can do this at your house or at my house; I don't care. But we're doing it."

Sam rolls her eyes and blows out a deep breath she'd been holding. "Fine," she says. "Your house is fine, but I need to stop at mine to get things."

"Whatever you need, Major," he says, smiling as he offers his arm to help her off the infirmary bed. She takes it, but he feels like the look she gives him might qualify as insubordinate.

They head toward the surface to sign out and he helps her up into his truck. He takes her to her house and walks in with her to help gather whatever she needs. Working with only one arm because the other is in a sling is difficult, as he knows from experience, so he hangs back as she tries to do things and only interferes when needed.

At one point she can't unzip her duffle bag and he leans in to do it, on accident seeing her open underwear drawer and the many treasures it holds, which will live rent free in his head for eternity. He manages to keep quiet as she scoops up a handful of cute little cotton panties and zero bras and tosses them into the duffle. It only occurs to him later that she won't be able to manage a bra with her injury and he decides not to be weird about it, but it is a struggle.

The next stop is the grocery store to make sure they have plenty to eat for their mandated downtime. He knows she likes yogurt so he makes a point to ask what she wants, which is apparently only the key lime and raspberry. Interesting, he thinks. He buys more produce than he normally would because he knows she likes it, and he asks if she wants any blue jell-o. "I mean we can make it at home," he says. She smiles at him and starts to shrug a yes, but immediately regrets it because of her wounded shoulder.

"Carter, you okay?"

"Yeah, you know. Usual issue with one of these," she says, nodding toward her shoulder. He does know.

"Let's get the jell-o, he says," and he tosses it into the cart.

When they arrive at his house, he helps her down from the cab of his truck first and escorts her inside. He asks if she wants a drink or anything and she pretty much tells him to chill out because she knows where everything is if she does want it, so he goes outside and brings in her duffle and the groceries. They put her duffle in the guest room and he shows her everything about the guest bathroom. "I'm sorry it's only a three quarter bath. If you, uh, want to take a bath or anything you can use the master."

"It's fine, sir. Showers are fine."

"I'm just saying if you do decide you want to do a soak or someth-"

"Sir, this is fine," she smiles. He nods and drops it.

After unpacking everything and settling in, Jack drops down next to Sam on the couch and lights up the TV. "Movie or show?" he asks.

"Hmmmm, show."

Jack pulls up the Preview Channel and they watch what's on and what's coming up for a few minutes before settling on an episode of The X-Files called "Ascension."

"This title feels a bit on the nose, Sir."

"Oh yeah?"

"Orlin?"

"Ah, yes, that." Jack closes his eyes and sighs. "I owe you a few apologies about that still don't I."

"You didn't believe me," she says, and Jack's heart doesn't quite break but it does fracture. Her voice has the weight of her wound inside it, and he feels that weight on his chest.

"I did, Carter," he says. "But I can't… look, I can't be too obviously, you know, too…" he sighs and leans forward to rest his elbows on his knees while his fists scrub his face. "Goddammit, Carter, I can't look like it's no question with you." He leans back against the cushions of the couch and turns his head to look at her. "I believe everything you say always, Carter. But sometimes that's bad for us."

"Oh," she says. She looks around the room and then back at him and waits a couple minutes. "What about this right now," she asks, "how does that look?"

Jack leans forward and grabs her free hand. "It looks reasonable. You can't be alone and Daniel lives in a tiny apartment and Teal'c lives on base in a room with more candles than a store at the mall, and it's inhumane to keep anyone in that infirmary for too long." He sighs and stares down at their hands as he runs his thumb against her palm. "We can get away with this," he says. His eyes trail back up towards hers as his thumb trails from her palm toward the pulse on her wrist. "I can't get away with being supportive of my second in command when she says an invisible alien is hanging out. I have to deal with that just like I dealt with it. I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay. I get it."

His brown eyes turn toward hers in a way she didn't expect, in a way that is deep and warm and wanting. She shudders a little under the heat and drops her gaze to his large hand gently trailing over her wrist. "I mean it," she says. "I do get it."

"Okay, Carter," he murmurs, thumbs working back from her pulse point to her palm and fingers.

"It's getting harder, Sir," she says.

He nods. He doesn't have to ask what she means; it's getting harder to keep all this shit in The Room. He looks up at her and feels his stomach drop when he meets the light of her eyes. They're so bright and so blue he almost can't stand it, but he knows he'd rather let it blind him than look away.

"Will you tell me what happened there?" he asks. "With Joe."

"It's what I told you. I had to cut the rope. He died fighting them to give me time."

"Yeah," Jack says. "Yeah. It just seemed like you were, you know, close."

She sighs and rolls her eyes. "Sir."

"I'm sorry. I don't have any right."

"Yes you do."

"I feel shitty about it."

"Why?

Jack permits himself to put an arm around Sam and when she leans in he squeezes her good shoulder, feeling comforted by her consent.

"You're a strong, independent woman, and I shouldn't be in your business like this."

"I like you in my business like this."

"Really?"

"Yeah," she says. "I know it's not the most feminist thing I ever said."

"You're my favorite feminist," he says quietly.

"Really?" she asks.

"You're my favorite everything, Carter," he whispers, dropping a light kiss on her nose because that's the closest he can get away with.