Chapter 3

Jack parked his truck in front of Carter's house again, and the three got out to unload it. Jack unlocked the door with a bag under his arm, and immediately went to check on Carter. True to her word, she hadn't moved from the sofa. In fact she looked like she had taken a nap while they were out, because she was blinking her eyes sleepily and her short blonde hair was sticking up in places. Carter grinned as she saw her CO, with Daniel and Teal'c appearing behind him in the doorway.

"Hi guys. Back so soon?" She said. She frowned as she glanced at the clock on the VCR. "Oh, sorry, must have fallen asleep." She smiled ruefully and ran her hands through her hair, making more of it stand up instead of smoothing down like she'd intended. Sam stretched a bit and winced. She definitely had a lot of bruises.

"Relax Carter, naps are ok, besides the docs want you to take it easy." Jack told her. He changed the subject; "I thought we'd have burgers for lunch. We got lots of stuff; you didn't have much in the kitchen you know. Teal'c even thought you'd like some fruit." He said as Teal'c set the wrapped basket down on the coffee table.

Sam's eyes wandered over the large number of bags that the guys were bringing in. She wondered if there was room for all of it in her kitchen. She noticed Daniel carrying a plastic bag at arm's length, as if it contained something that was going to bite him. She frowned.

Daniel noticed her gaze, and hastened to reassure her. "We got the, ummm, things you wanted Sam." He said motioning towards the bag. "Um, I'll just put them in the bathroom." Daniel blushed again and quickly left the room with the bag.

The Colonel coughed and shifted, catching Sam's attention. "Uh, yeah Carter, about that..."

Teal'c decided to help out. Tauri customs still confused him, as did the extreme embarrassment over something that was so natural and universal among women. "Major Carter, I regret to inform you that the particular product you requested was not available. However, I believe we have chosen satisfactory substitutes."

Sam's eyebrows rose. Substitutes? Plural? She wondered if she should be worried. Daniel returned to the room and Sam smiled at her guys. Oh well, better go take care of business. Sam quickly excused herself on the excuse of wanting to change clothes and freshen up a bit, and the men quickly headed to the kitchen to put things away and start lunch, telling her to call if she needed anything. They made sure she was moving around OK on her crutches before leaving her alone, she was, even if she was a little slow and stiff.

The three men quickly divided up the chores and soon had everything crammed away where it belonged and were putting together the meal when they heard what was obviously a howl of laughter from the bathroom. Teal'c looked up an eyebrow raised; Daniel blushed, and Jack just muttered "women" and decided to ignore the outburst, concentrating on making hamburger patties.

Lunch was ready before long, and by unspoken agreement the team decided to eat in the living room, so Carter would be able to stretch her leg out and keep it propped up on the sofa. They entered the room with plates of food as Sam returned from the bathroom, looking more relaxed having washed up and combed her errant hair, and changed into a baggy t-shirt and soft oversized sweatpants that fit over her cast. She maneuvered herself to the couch grinning as she let the guys fuss over her, grabbing pillows to prop her leg and covering her with a blanket again, before handing her a plate of food, which she accepted with thanks. She was actually pretty hungry.

Sam paused as Teal'c addressed her. "Major Carter, I trust that you found our selections to your satisfaction?" Sam nearly choked. She regarded her hamburger closely looking down at her plate to hide her warming cheeks. "Um, yes Teal'c, more than satisfactory. Thank you." Sam had to hide her amusement at the pleased looks the three men shared. She wished Janet were here, to share the joke, she couldn't believe they'd bought her three packs of pads. Big packages too, the large multi pack ones that gave a quantity discount. One small one would have been more than enough. Not that she'd ever tell them that. Sam hid the smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

Teal'c wasn't finished asking questions yet however. His next question floored her, as she dropped her burger onto the plate and stared at Teal'c, mouth open and eyes wide with surprise. "Major Carter." He had said. "I was wondering why do they have wings?"