PART 4
�No,� she said slowly, �not . . . faithful.�
�Not faithful?!� he said incredulously, �how can you say that? You�re always by my side. Even when we argue, you back up whatever decision I make. And I know when I�ve made the right decision by a . . . feeling I get in the pit of my stomach . . . I know I�ve made the right decision when I feel you�ve accepted my decision. Ah, hell! . . . Am I making any sense of this?�
She smiled with tears in her eyes and nodded. He felt himself get warm in the face and looked away.
�Look, Carter, I didn�t mean to get all sappy on you. I just needed to get all that out while you couldn�t talk so we can get back to being what we�re supposed to be . . . uh . . . friends? I hope?� he asked tentatively as he looked up. He continued before she could try to say anything to him, �One last thing and then I�ll shut up . . . Thank you for bringing me home. I know I should have said it when you first walked through that �gate. I should have told you that you�re the best thing that has ever happened to me and I blew it. No excuses. I�m sorry.�
She squeezed his hand, the tears falling down her cheeks. He used his free hand to wipe the tears gently from her bruised face.
�Sh-h-h,� he said quietly, �Sam, don�t cry.�
He was about to continue. Hell, he was on a roll. Why not tell her everything? But at that moment, the door opened. Jack realized how close in proximity he was to Sam. Guiltily, he pulled his hand away from her face and the other from her grasp and sat back in the chair.
If he hadn�t caught a glimpse of the battered, tear stained face of Samantha Carter when he first walked in, Daniel would have probably laughed out loud at Jack�s guilty start as he�d walked through the door. He was disappointed that he had to break up such a beautifully intimate moment. The two of them needed those moments and never seemed to catch a break. That Jack had so quickly moved from comforting friend to �bastard-in-charge� mode only served to confirm Daniel�s theory, Jack was in love with Sam. Granted, Jack hadn�t denied it in the waiting room, but he really hadn�t had time to confirm or deny the �accusation� before Janet had interrupted.
�Uh, Jack,� Daniel said slowly, �Janet says, and I quote, �Tell the Colonel to get his keister out of there and let my patient sleep.� Sorry.�
�Aw, for cryin� out loud!� Jack growled.
Before he could continue, Daniel heard Sam giggle and then whimper in pain. Daniel saw the flash of concern cross Jack�s face as he glanced quickly in Sam�s direction. It was obvious that her pain made the decision for him.
�Well,� he said slowly, �Alright. But I�ll be back, Carter. Don�t go anywhere, �k?�
�No problem, sir,� she said as she smiled painfully at the Colonel.
�And hey, no talking or Doc�ll have my butt in a sling in that bed next to ya!�
She smiled as best she could at that and waved him away as he walked out the door. Daniel saw the tears in her eyes as he approached her bed.
�Hey, Sam,� he smiled, �You scared us there, Sweetie.�
The tears started to fall in earnest and he realized that he was crying, too.
�But Janet says you�re going to be okay, Sam,� he continued, �You�ve got a lot of people rooting for you.�
At her look of concern, he put a finger over her mouth gently to silence her.
�No,� he said, �don�t talk now. Just get better and we�ll talk later.�
With that, he tucked the sheet and blanket around her shoulders, kissed her forehead gingerly and turned out her light.
�Good night, Sam,� he whispered as he saw her eyes drift closed, �Sleep well.�
* * * * * * * * * *
It was nearly four weeks later. Four weeks of forced rest, intense forays into physical therapy for her ribs, surgery on her leg, and many visits from friends. Teal�c had returned from Chul�ak and her father had arrived as soon as he could after a mission for the Tok�ra. In spite of it all, Major Samantha Carter was completely bored and ready to go home.
They had wired her jaw shut two days after she�d arrived to help it heal. She suspected Janet had had it done so she couldn�t talk, but she had no proof. Now, after three weeks of enforced non-movement, Janet finally had declared Sam�s jaw healed enough to have the wires removed. The procedure had been done the night before.
Now, she was restlessly waiting to be released. Janet had promised she could go home that day, but had ordered that she not be alone for a couple more days due to her still healing ribs. It was nearly 12:30 pm and she was getting antsy, waiting impatiently for her ride, Jack O�Neill.
Sam had spent nearly four weeks in the hospital healing, both physically and mentally. She had had to learn how to walk with a cane after surgery because she couldn�t use both arms with crutches. It had taken a lot longer than she or Janet had ever expected to get the hang of it.
She had also spent a lot of time with the psychologist trying to work out her feelings about the rape. She had decided that it was the doctor who had been nuts and he hadn�t helped her at all. Sam also thought it interesting that everyone, including her father, had suggested she talk about what Jake had done to her. She knew for most, like Daniel, that it was genuine concern for her well-being. For some, it had been just morbid curiosity. Either way, every person she�d spoken with over the course of her time in the hospital had brought up Jake. Except Jack.