PART 5
�Y�know,� he�d grinned just that morning after her procedure, �Maybe I�ll suggest it to the Doc. She�s been saying you need to take some time off. Maybe I can get her to order medical leave where there are no distractions, no naquada reactors, no projects and no do-hickeys that I can�t touch. Yeah, I�m likin� this idea alot!�
She smiled in amusement.
�Tell her there�re no mirrors and she might just take you up on that,� she said with a grin.
Jack looked at her in an odd way and Sam flinched.
�Honestly, sir, do I really look that bad?� she asked seriously.
He looked her over for a moment. Jack knew that ol� Doc Frasier had refused to give her a mirror in the entire time Carter had had her jaw wired. He understood why. Even after four weeks, Sam�s face still looked like she�d gone ten rounds with Oscar De La Hoya and lost. Her left eye was healing nicely, but still had a hint of yellow rimming it where Jake�s fist had impacted the hardest. Her cheek and jaw line still showed more than a few traces of the deep tissue bruising the fracture and the wiring had caused. He reached out to brush the hair from her eyes and brushed her still very swollen cheek gently.
�Well, Carter,� he said honestly, �you have looked better and you�ve definitely looked worse, but you don�t look bad to me at all.�
He pulled his hand from her face and shoved it in his jacket pocket. Sam felt the loss of the gentle warmth of his hand and sighed.
�I�m getting out of here today,� she said quickly to cover the awkward silence, �Janet says I�m not allowed to drive. Would you be willing to chauffeur?�
�Yeah,� he smiled at her, �I can do that. What time?�
�Well,� she said, �I have to be out of here before one, 1300 hours, or I�ll be stuck �til tomorrow. I have to wait for some test results, but Janet said she�d have those no later than 1100 hours.�
��K,� he grinned, �I�ll be here. I promise I won�t let you suffer another night of Air Force hospital food.�
She laughed softly, �Thanks, sir.�
The opening of the door drew her back to the present.
�Ready to go home Sam?� Daniel asked from the door, startling her out of her reverie, �Jack�s in the lot. You�re all checked out and your chariot awaits!�
�Good!� she said emphatically as she carefully hopped down from the bed, �Get me out of here, Daniel.�
He reached down to pick up the small duffle of personal items.
�Then let�s go,� he said as held open the door.
She left the room without looking back.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The climb up the stairs to her apartment was a little more than Sam had expected. She had needed to stop twice before she reached her door on the third floor.
�Y�know,� she huffed, �I picked this building . . . specifically because . . . there was no . . . elevator . . . How stupid was that?�
Jack and Daniel looked at each other and then grinned.
�Well,� Daniel smirked, �We could�ve gotten you the Teal�covator, but he�s off world with SG-8 tonight. If we�d known you were going to refuse our help, he would have demanded.�
�Well . . .� she said, �You could have . . . been a little more . . . insistent.�
�Yah! Right!� Jack snapped sarcastically, �Like that woulda helped!�
Daniel handed her the key to stop the bickering.
�We. . . um . . . cleaned up a bit for you,� he said with a slight blush.
�Thanks, Daniel,� she replied as she opened the door.
Everything looked exactly the same in the living room, only cleaner. All remnants of her attempted casual evening the night of the attack were completely gone. She could see that the kitchen had been cleaned as well. She stepped further into the living room to head down the short hallway to the bedroom, but stopped.
�I-I can�t,� she said as she turned and looked at Jack, �Everything I own is in that room and I-I can�t go in there, sir.�
�It�s okay, Carter,� he said quietly as he stepped up to her, �We�ll go in there together . . . He�s not in there. Daniel and I made sure there were no signs of his ever being there.�
Jack put a hand on her shoulder and guided her down the hall. She walked through the door, took one look at the bed and stopped. She felt the tears welling up in her eyes. She thought she�d dealt with this crap at least enough to be able to live in her own home. Now she knew it wasn�t going to happen any time soon, and that hurt more than everything else Jake had done.
She turned to flee the room and found herself enveloped in Jack�s arms. The warm comfort of his body combined with the soft scent of his aftershave sent her over the edge. The tears flowed in earnest and the sobs racked her body.
�Sh-h-h-h, sh-h-h . . . it�s alright,� Jack whispered very quietly, �It�s okay Sam, just let it out. Sh-h-h-h, sh-h-h.�