Title: Seven Days, The Return Home
Author: dietcokechic
Email: [email protected]
Category: J/S, Humor, Recovery
Spoilers: Only my story so far. (Seven Days- The Mis-Adventures of Jack and Sam)
Season: 4th Season
Summary: Jack and Sam wake up and debrief. 1/ ?

Part 1:

"Colonel, how are you feeling this morning?" Janet Fraiser asked with a smile as she walked
into the infirmary. All of SG-1 were now officially out of danger and while secondary infections
were always a possibility, Janet felt confident she could treat those with a strong course of
antibiotics. Her favorite team was back and that was always half the battle.

All three of her patients held a healthy temperature of at least 98 degrees, were breathing on
his/her own, and were blissfully sleeping in peace. Well almost all of them.

"A tad bit Antarctic if you really must know." Jack said with a sigh. The drugs he had been
given had helped ease the pain in his ribs and head, but he couldn't stop the involuntary
shivers that coursed through his body every couple of hours. He knew it was probably some
phantom, PTS symptom, but he didn't particularly like it.

Janet nodded compassionately. "It'll go away in time Colonel. You feel up to a little company?
I sent Teal'c back to his quarters late last night but promised him a visit in the morning. He
sat with all three of you for most of the last 24 hours."

"I'm sure he did." Jack said quietly. His face broadened into a wide smile as a nurse showed
Teal'c inside SG-1's "suite".

"Teal'c!"

"Colonel O'Neil it is good to see you awake."

"It's great to BE awake Teal'c! I hear you stayed behind with Daniel on the planet. You
probably saved his life getting him back to the Stargate." Jack said with complete sincerity.

"I'm glad at least one member of SG-1 managed to steer clear of this place! Don't get me
wrong Doc, you're the best, it's just the less I see of this place the better."

"No offense taken Colonel." Janet said jotting down notes in his chart.

"I am sorry I was unable to stop DanielJackson from giving so much of his blood." Teal'c
remarked in a somber voice.

"Not your fault Teal'c." Teal'c's sense of honor was just about as high as Jack's himself. Jack
knew he'd be beating himself up.

"I know this. And yet I am still troubled. How are Major Carter and DanielJackson?"

Jack looked warily at Janet for an answer.

"They'll be fine Teal'c. I expect them to wake up later this morning." Teal'c nodded his head
slightly as he sat down. "I will wait if that is not a problem."

"Never is Teal'c. I'm sure they'd appreciate that."

"Colonel, you up for a short debriefing? The General, and quite a few others would like to
know what happened to you and Sam on that planet."

Jack sigh deeply and instantly regretted the act as his ribs flared in pain. Might as well get it
over with. It wasn't so much the debriefing that troubled Jack, as how he would react the
retelling of the story. He knew his emotions were still pretty raw.

Jack shrugged. "Might as well. It's not like I'm going anyplace."

Janet gave Jack a small smile and patted his leg. "It will be fine Colonel."

"All right folks, time for everyone to take a break." Janet said in a normal conversational
voice. Although nothing militarily sensitive happened on this mission, she knew the Colonel
and General would appreciate the privacy.

"Teal'c."

"Yes, O'Neill?"

"You should stay." Teal'c nodded somberly. "Heck, " Jack continued you might know more of
this story than I do!"

"I doubt that Colonel." A voice said from the doorway.

"Good to see you General." Jack said with a nod.

"I can say the same to you Colonel. You had a bit of a rough time on that one."

"Carter, more than me Sir." Jack said with a frown.

"Dr. Fraisier, I'd appreciate if you stayed as well."

"Certainly General." Janet said putting down Jack's chart and taking a seat.

Holding his water cup like a talisman, Jack began the debriefing. In a steady voice Jack
explained how he and Carter had headed south and how everything had been normal until
they had both fallen down the hole. At first, Jack was able to keep his emotions in check, but
as his story progressed his calm demeanor crumbled and Janet became worried this was
becoming too much for him. It just wasn't possible to hide one's emotions when you're
attached to a heart monitor.

Janet bit her lip as she listened to the Colonel's description of Sam's injuries while her eyes
remained focused on the heart rate monitor. 95, 100, 115. Jack tried to keep his eyes on the
General but found he kept glancing furtively again and again at Sam. How could she still be
alive? He was one damn lucky son of a bitch that's for sure. And yes, he thanked whatever
snake-less gods there were that they had made it. He paused in his narration to take another
breath.

The General and Janet exchanged glances. Jack really wasn't in any condition to continue. But
just as Janet opened her mouth to say so, Jack began to speak again. This time his voice was
calm and collected and very matter-of-fact as he retold how he had used both morphine and
Tylenol with codeine to control the pain. He didn't give out all the details, but he mentioned
how Sam had passed out several times due to pain and how he had used up the last of the
antibiotics 2 days ago.

He glanced again at Sam, and Janet was glad to see his heart rate had settled back down to
somewhere in the 70s.

"She's fine you know Colonel." Janet assured him after she caught him glancing Sam's way
again.

"I know." Jack said with a strained sigh. "It's just hard to believe." He took another breath and
continued. After 15 minutes his version of events was nearly at completion.

"The last thing I remember is letting go of the ledge and hitting my head. The next thing I
know, I'm here." Jack let out a small "whoosh" of air as finished his tale and tried to find a
more comfortable position.

"Sure would like to know how I busted my ribs though." He said a bit crossly as Janet helped
him with his pillow.

"That would be my fault Sir." A faint voice said from the bed next door.

"Carter!"
"Sam!"
"Major!"

All three voices said simultaneously as Teal'c released one of his rare smiles.

Janet quickly walked over to where Sam lay and checked her vitals.

"Everything looks normal Sam." Janet said with enthusiasm. "Welcome back!"

"It is good to see you awake Samantha Carter."

"Thanks Teal'c! It's good to BE awake." Sam said with a little more enthusiasm than she felt.
She had heard most of the Colonel's story and didn't like that version any better than living it
the first time. She glanced over at the Colonel and found her eyes locking on his. Jack stared
right back at her.

Janet helped Sam with some water and after a little rearranging, allowed Sam to sit up
slightly. Janet really wanted to pull the drape close and examine Sam more carefully, but
grudgingly admitted it could wait until after the General left.

"Major, I know you just woke up, but if you're up to it, I would like to hear your version of
events after the Colonel fell into the water."

"General, I really don't think that's such a good idea. I'd really like to wait..."

"No, Janet. I'm fine." Sam said gingerly touching the bandages across her chest as she sat up
a little straighter. The room gave a brief spin, but quickly stopped. Sam could feel the effects
of morphine and perhaps something else in her system. She frowned slightly. "I could use
another blanket though." Maybe a couple. She still felt cold.

Janet didn't like the idea much, but like Jack, Sam could be quite stubborn if she wanted too.
Best to let Sam talk a little now and then shoo everyone away.

"No more than 10 minutes General." Janet said with a sigh tucking another heated blanket
around Sam's thin body.

Jack just continued stared at Sam in silence. She was alive and talking and rosy pink. He had
never seen anything more beautiful in his life.

Sam greedily drank a second glass of water and took a moment to get her bearings. Jack *I
mean the Colonel* was on her right looking at her as if she were a priceless work of art. She
gave him a brilliant smile, which he immediately returned. She then spied what could only be
Daniel lying in the bed next to the Colonel. Sam creased her eyebrows in confusion and
concern.

Jack instantly knew what was worrying her. "He's fine Sam. Lost a little too much blood but
he's going to be just fine. Right doc?" He worded it in a way he hoped would convey to Janet
that Sam shouldn't worry herself as to how he Daniel had come to be so grossly anemic.

"Right Colonel." Janet said understanding completely.

"Major?" The General prompted. He wanted to finish the debriefing as soon as possible and
allow his people some rest.

Sam never was much of an actress and her version of events held much more emotion than
O'Neill's. Sam had to stop several times in her narration to make eye contact with Jack. It
helped calm her own rapidly escalating heart rate as well.

"So let me get this straight Major." The General said as she finished her 5-minute version of
events.

"Hypothermic and wounded, you managed to haul yourself at least 50 feet to where the
Colonel had fallen into a very cold body of water. You then dragged a man twice your weight
out of said water, performed CPR, hauled over gear, and then managed to cut the wet clothes
off the Colonel before wrapping the two of you in blankets?!"

Sam looked down at her fingertips and nodded.

General Hammond shook his head in disbelief, marveling once again at the tenacity of this
team. One uses fishing line and a sewing needle to save the other's life and then the second
goes ahead and does something equally impossible.

"Well done Major!" What more could he say?

With that, Janet shooed everyone out of the infirmary and ordered Jack and Sam to both try
and get some sleep.

They were now left alone and found themselves staring openly at one another as machines
whirled and wheezed around them.

"Nice to see you Major!" Jack said with a grin.

"Nice to be warm Sir!" Sam said snuggling further into her blankets.

"So...." Jack started.

"Sorry again about the ribs Sir. I knew I had heard a crack, but I was just trying to get you
breathing again."

"Ah for crying out loud Carter! You saved my life!! What the heck you apologizing for?"

"Sorry Sir"

"There you go again."

"Sorry."

"Carter!"

Sam let out a small laugh. God it was good to be home.

"So how long have we been here?"

"About 36 hours I think. They found us on our 6th day in that cave and I came to for the first
time early this morning.

"Wow." Sam said amazed.

"What part are you wowing?" Jack asked.

"They found us yesterday morning?"

"More like afternoon I think. Around 12 or so? Something like that. Why?"

"That means we survived another night in that cave. I really didn't think we would Sir. "

"You did good Carter." Jack said with a big yawn.

"You too Sir. We wouldn't have been found at all if it wasn't for you setting up the antennas."

"I don't know about that. Seems Danny had found some sort of device that would have
located us eventually."

"Maybe. But I don't know if they would have found us in time if it hadn't been for you." Sam
let out a yawn herself.

"Sleep Carter, we'll compare notes more when you wake up. Maybe by then Danny will join in
our slumber party."

"Night Sir." Sam said closing her eyes. She wasn't quite sure why she still felt cold and she
really needed to stop thinking about asking the Colonel to cuddle with her. She felt strangely
out of sorts. Like the Colonel belonged spooned against her back. 'Stop it Carter!' They were
back on Earth. Totally inappropriate. Sam shivered again. She was very tired. And if she really
thought about it, she didn't feel so great either.

"Sam?" Jack asked sleepily from his bed.

"Hmmm?" Sam asked already half asleep.

"Just how much of my clothes did you cut away?"

Sam didn't answer his question right away. "Sir, why weren't you wearing any shoes?"

"Huh?"

"When I ...found you. You were shoeless. And sockless as well."

"I couldn't get a grip on the rocks with hiking boots." Jack said his voice falling away. His feet!
He hadn't even asked Janet about his feet. Without a semblance of grace Jack kicked away his
blankets and tried to take a look at his toes without bending his torso.

"Ouch!"

"Sir! Stop that! You'll hurt yourself" Sam didn't know whether to laugh or be serious. The
Colonel looked ridiculous in his short hospital gown attempting to examine his toes."

"Help me out here Carter!" Jack beseeched. "What do you see?" He stuck his left leg out and
wiggled his toes in Carter's direction.

"Definitely gangrene." Sam said seriously trying to keep her eyes focused solely on the foot.

"Carter...."

Sam laughed. "From what I can see Sir, your foot looks pretty battered but all the digits are
accounted for." That and Jack still has nice looking legs. Focus, Carter. Focus.

Jack tucked his leg back under the cover. "Glad to hear it." He said gruffly attempting to
reposition his pillow without success. He yawned loudly, the brief surge of adrenaline was
gone and Jack could feel his eyelids closing against his will.

"I guess you were thinking ahead by not putting on your extra pair of socks earlier."

"What?" Jack said once again totally confused.

"After I ... revived you." Sam said softly. "I had to go back for the sleeping bag and blankets.
I also discovered a pair of discarded wool socks. They had been in your bag the entire time.
After I got you out of the wet clothes, I put on the dry socks."

"I'd forgotten about those." Jack said to himself.

"Glad you did Sir." Jack smiled and then yawned again. Useless battle. His eyes had already
won.

"Sam?"

"Yeah?"

"You didn't answer my question."

"You sure you want to know Sir?" Sam said with a touch of flirtiness.

Jack swallowed. Nope. Don't want to know.

"Yeah."

"Enough to know you prefer boxers to briefs." Sam said was a small smile.

"Did ya see my appendix scar?"

"Maybe."

"Sam..."

"Good night Sir."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

End Epilogue 1. This might go on awhile. We'll see. What can I say? I like chapter writing.
Mores a comin'!

Oh yeah. Feedback please!! And hey! there will actually be a plot in this as well.