PART 8
�Aw, Carter,� Jack said, the tears gathering in his eyes at the remembered image of her beaten body, �I am so sorry this happened. I-I don�t know what I would have done if I�d lost you.�
She pulled away slightly to look at him. Jack could tell she wanted an explanation, but he didn�t know if he could totally explain.
�Look,� he began, �I know I�m not supposed to � to . . . care about you . . . but I do. Besides Daniel, I think you�re the best . . . friend I could have. I-I feel like SG-1 is my family. If you disappeared from my life . . . I don�t know . . . All I do know is, I�m glad you�re on your way to recovery. I need my Second in Command by my side. You�ll be that for as long as you want, but until you�re back and whole again, SG-1 is not complete . . . and neither am I.�
�Really, sir?� she asked, the sparkle of remaining tears making her eyes shine like sapphires.
�Ah! For cryin� out loud, Carter!� he grinned, �How can you be so smart and so dumb at the same time? You, Daniel and Teal�c are essential to my being the man I am. How you can�t see that is beyond me.�
�Just lucky, I guess, sir,� she smiled back at him.
Even with all the bruises, he could see just a little more than a hint of his old Carter in her eyes . . . the Carter she�d been before . . . before the rape, before Harry Maybourne and the NID, before Edora. She was still there, just hidden behind bruises and emotional pain that she needed to work through. It gave him hope and made his heart just a little lighter.
�It�s Jack, ya know,� he said lightly, �I mean, we are off duty . . .�
�Well . . . Jack,� she said slowly, as if she were savoring his name on her lips, �Okay. But then you should call me Sam.�
He chuckled. Fair was fair.
�But �Sam� is so boring,� he said with a grin, �I was thinking more along the lines of �Boo-boo Bunny� . . . Ow!� he jumped as she punched him in the ribs.
She laughed as she backed out of his arms.
�You deserved it! I�d rather you call me Major than that! How awful!�
�Okay, okay, okay,� he laughed, �I get it! Sam it is!�
With his concession, she slid back into his arms without prompting. He smiled over her head. He really enjoyed having her in his arms. He sobered at that. Feeling like that could really make things complicated. With a deep sigh, he realized that they had better move from that position or there could be trouble.
�Right now,� he said gently, �I think we better decide what you�re going to do for the night. It�s getting pretty late and I get the feeling that you really don�t want to stay in your room tonight, right?�
�Right!� she said a little more strongly than he�d anticipated.
�Okay, uh, right . . . Well, since Doc Frasier says someone is supposed to stay with you and I really don�t relish sleeping on your floor, what say we get your stuff so we can get out of here?�
�S-sure,� she said hesitantly, �I-I guess.�
�Look, Sam,� he said gently, �if you want, I can go throw some things in a duffle for you.�
She looked at him gratefully.
�I-I�d really appreciate that, s-, Jack,� she smiled, �I-it�s just that � well. . .�
Jack grinned at the blush creeping up her neck and on to her cheeks.
�Hey, I won�t look at your underwear,� he teased, �I�ll just grab handfuls with my eyes closed, �k?�
�No,� she giggled, �though I thank you for the consideration, but that�s not it.�
�Then what?�
�Well,� she said slowly, �I need something from my nightstand that I�d rather get myself. . .�
Jack�s grin faltered. Something from her nightstand that she didn�t want him to see. Now he was intrigued.
�Tell you what,� he said with a gentle smile, �let�s go in together. I�ll grab clothes, you grab whatever it is that you need.�
She visibly relaxed at his suggestion. It was obvious Sam didn�t want to go in that room by herself. �Damn the man to hell that put that fear into her,� he thought then smiled inwardly. The man probably already was in hell. He helped her stand carefully and then walked with her to her room, her hand still gently clutched in his.
Sam averted her eyes as best she could from her bed. It was no longer her bed, she reminded herself. She would never sleep in it again. She was desperately saddened by that. She and her mother had picked it out not long before her mother had died. It had always brought good memories of the laughter they�d shared that day . . .
�But Mom,� eleven year old Sam had whined, �I really want a queen sized bed! Please? I need all the room!�
�Sammy,� her mother had smiled, �No one needs that much room in a bed.�
�Not if they�re alone,� Sam replied with a grin, �but with Harry, Max, Andrew, Joey, and Goliath and of course Sadie, there�d hardly be any room for me.�
Her mother had laughed at that and the smile she�d given Sam was one that many people had compared to Sam�s when she�d gotten older. Sam also knew she�d won.
�Samantha Erin,� her mother had joked, �one of these days, you and your animals, stuffed or otherwise, are gonna be the death of me . . .�