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A Time to Heal

Saturday: The Calm Before The Storm

Sara was woken the next morning by a whisper of warm breath on her neck
and the smell of coffee wafting under her nose. She moaned dozily,
curling and stretching her legs sleepily against the quilt as she felt
gentle lips nibbling her earlobe.

"Sara," Jack's soft voice breathed against her hair, "You know, sooner or
later, you have to wake up, no matter how good your dreams are!"

She murmured again, burying her head deeper, trying to escape his
tickling lips. "It can't be morning already," she said with a muffled
groan, snuggling down into the blanket that she noticed had somehow found
its way over her body during the night.

"Almost afternoon actually!" he informed her in amazement, still somewhat
unable to believe for himself that he had slept so soundly and for so
long. Jack couldn't remember the last time he had been in bed that late
on a Saturday morning, or any morning for that matter. He certainly felt
refreshed for it, apart from the expected ache in his ribcage.

"Do you want any breakfast?" he asked, smiling as he tried to tempt Sara
out from under the covers with the aroma of her favourite beverage, but
she wasn't buying it and simply responded with a negative grunt.

With a twinkle in his eye, Jack changed tack, "I have to go out soon, I
have a date!" That got Sara's attention at last, her head reappearing
from beneath the blanket and her eyes flickering open with a brief hurt
look before he grinned at her. "With a twelve year old!" he added
quickly, leaning down to gently kiss her lips now that they were
accessible to him.

He offered her the steaming mug of fresh coffee that he knew she would
need to kick start her day. "You don't have to get up yet if you don't
want to. You can stay here as long as you like," he said almost shyly,
not really knowing what reaction to expect from her after the night they
had shared. "But I have to go out, I promised Cassie."

Sara gave him a quizzical look, noticing that he was already showered and
dressed in blue jeans and a black t-shirt as he sat on the bed beside
her, his hair still damp and sticking up in that loveable way that made
her want to run her hands through it. Curiosity growing, she shifted to a
sitting position to look at him properly, moving up to squash her back
against the pillow. She flushed pink when she caught Jack gazing
appreciatively at her naked body where the blanket had drifted down to
her midriff. Pulling it up to cover herself again bashfully, she took the
hot coffee from him and began to sip it. Watching him from beneath
lowered eyelashes, she waited for him to explain.

Jack tried to remember what he had been about to say, his mind wandering
off on an erotic tangent as he desperately tried to convince himself that
there really was no time at all to entice Sara into a repeat performance
of the previous night's escapades. If he didn't leave in the next half
hour he would be late and this time he was determined to keep his
promise.

"Oh, yeah, Cassie!" Jack shook his head to refocus his thoughts, "She's
Doctor Fraiser's daughter, well adopted one anyhow. I owe her a Saturday
afternoon." He shrugged, "I broke off our last 'date' when I went to
Egypt. I was going to teach her how to play ice hockey," Jack wiggled his
fingers, now strapped back up into the injury support, none the worse for
their ad hoc exercise. In fact, he could swear they were moving a little
easier than before. "I guess I won't be able to do that for awhile yet. I
have no idea what she's got planned instead, but you know me," he grinned
lasciviously at her, his words full of hidden meaning, "I love
surprises."

Sara blushed again, scarcely able to believe how bold she had been, but
knowing she had loved every moment. She couldn't help feeling
disappointed that she had reached a decision point already. She had known
that sooner or later, she would have to go home, she just hadn't expected
it to be now. "Can you do me a huge favour?" she asked in between
swallows of the deliciously hot coffee. Jack nodded. "In the back of my
Jeep there's a sports bag. Can you get it for me? My keys are in the
kitchen somewhere I think. If I can just have a quick shower, then I'll
be out of your hair."

Jack frowned, "You don't have to leave."

She gazed at him for a long moment, knowing what she truly wanted to do
and realising that she didn't need to hide her feelings from him anymore,
so apparent were his own. "I have a few things I ought to do," she said
hesitantly. "Why don't I drop you off on the way? When you get back home
later, give me a call," she suggested, leaving it open, the choice up to
him, hoping he would make the correct one. "Please?" she added, suddenly
unsure that he would.

"You bet!" Jack smiled, taking the now empty mug from her hands. He
reached across her to place it on the nightstand. On his way back he
paused, drinking in the sight of her. His hand moved to stroke her cheek,
trailing down her jaw and around to the nape of her neck, tangling in her
mussed blonde hair. Sara held her breath, her eyes fixed on his liquid
brown gaze, as he leaned closer, pulling her to meet him.

The touch of his lips was electrifying, a soft gentle kiss that he
quickly turned into something more passionate, his mouth moving on hers,
controlling the deepening intensity until she was breathless, her heart
racing. He pulled away gradually, his lips lingering, brushing against
hers. A smile curved the corners of his mouth when he saw the look in
Sara's eyes, the rosy pink flush of her cheeks and the quiver in her
intake of breath and Jack knew he had obtained the desired effect. A
promise of things to come, that left him feeling assured that she would
return to him that evening.

"Shower!" he whispered against her face as he slowly pulled away, "I'll
go grab your bag." He leaned back across to collect the empty coffee mug,
unable to resist dipping his lips to kiss the soft rise of her breasts
where they now peeked out from beneath the blanket that had slid down
again slightly as he moved on the mattress. Then Jack bounced gingerly
off the bed and sauntered nonchalantly from the room. He licked his lips,
appreciating the taste, grinning softly to himself when he felt her wide
eyed stare follow his exit.

Sara watched him go, a smile playing across her lips as she admired the
way he moved. The way his faded blue jeans hugged his backside
gorgeously. The way his black leather belt pulled in at his slim waist to
accentuate endless legs and an equally long, slim body. Sara caught
herself thinking about being entangled with those naked legs. She shook
herself back to the present and jumped off the bed to grab a shower
before she made Jack late, knowing she could have him to herself again
that Saturday night, if they so desired.

Sara arrived downstairs, dressed, refreshed and raring to go exactly
twenty minutes after Jack had woken her up. She carried the sports bag on
her shoulder and jangled her keys in her hand expectantly. Jack looked up
from where he was sitting on the edge of a chair pulling on his boots.
"You were quick," he laughed, noticing her still damp hair dripping
slightly onto the collar of her white t-shirt, she had a pale blue v-neck
sweater on over the top, along with her washed out blue jeans and brown
leather ankle boots.

"Practise! It comes from being called into work at a moment's notice,"
Sara told him, deciding there was one other thing she needed to explain,
"And before you get any ideas about the bag, I'm not so calculating as to
plan what happened last night and pack a bag beforehand!" she said
worriedly. "I always carry it in the Jeep just in case I get stuck
working late somewhere and have to make an overnight stop."

Jack smiled slyly, "You mean you didn't set out to seduce me? Oh, now I'm
hurt!" Boots zipped, he stood up and caught an arm around her waist,
pulling her into a hug. "Guess there's always tonight!" he whispered into
her ear, grabbing his door key off the hall table and whisking her
outside, before he changed his mind completely about going anywhere.

                         *******************

Exactly seven weeks to the day when Colonel Jack O'Neill had been forced
to break a promise to a young friend, he arrived at her house to accept
his due punishment.

"You will at least stay long enough to meet them, won't you?" Jack asked
Sara hopefully as they pulled into the driveway. He wasn't sure why, but
he knew that he really wanted Cassie and Janet to meet her. Sara took one
look at the eagerness on his face and nodded agreement, switching off the
engine and waiting for him to get out before she opened the driver's side
and did the same, leaning on the top of the door as she watched him
curiously.

The moment Jack stepped from the unfamiliar car that had delivered him to
her door, Cassie ran out of the house and jumped up to give him as
restrained a hug as her usual overexuberance could manage, trying to be
careful of his healing left side. "Jack! How are you?" she cried happily.

Janet Fraiser watched the display of hugs and laughter from the porch
step, surprised by the presence of a blonde woman driving the vehicle.
She was even more surprised when Jack introduced her, holding out his
strapped up right hand towards her, gesturing for her to come around from
the driver's side to join him.

"This is Sara," he said with a smile Janet didn't remember ever seeing in
his eyes before. Then she recalled the woman's face from a picture on his
mantle of some long ago family celebration.

Sara smiled brightly. "Don't worry, I'm not going to encroach, I just
offered to drop him round as I was passing," she explained.

Both members of the Fraiser household raised eyebrows in tandem. Janet
wondered curiously how Sara happened to be in Jack's neighbourhood in the
first place. But it was Cassie in her usual uninhibited manner, who
actually said what she was thinking. "So you're Sara!" She grinned
knowingly, "Jack says you're the best lock picker he knows!"

Sara withered slightly under Janet's shocked gaze. "I've just had a lot
of practice!" she told the young girl, turning to her mother to explain,
"When you've locked yourself out as often as I have, it comes in useful!
I think it was one of the first tricks Jack taught me when we met!"

"Are you sure?" Jack's questioning grin echoed with hidden meaning that
caused Sara to blush furiously.

Cassie watched the two of them, a mischievous smile forming on her face,
"Why don't you join us, Sara? Then maybe Mom will come along too if she's
got someone to gossip with. She doesn't have many Saturdays off and I
think we should get her out of the house for a change! Besides," Cassie
declared confidently, "This is going to be fun!"

With that, Jack grabbed Cassie around the waist with his left arm and
lifted her off her feet tipping her horizontally until they were both
giggling so hard that Jack's ribs were starting to hurt even worse and he
had to put her down. He ignored the way Janet was glaring at him with
doctorly concern and turned back to Cassie, "So what punishment do you
have in store for me?"

"Well since you're not allowed to play ice hockey yet, I figured maybe
simple ice skating would do."

"Really?" Jack looked as excited by the prospect as she was. "Cool!" He
glanced towards Sara, hoping she would stay, but reluctant to pressurise
her into doing something she didn't want to.

Before he could say anything, Janet solved the dilemma for him. The
petite doctor turned to Sara and smiled, deciding this could be a prime
opportunity to finally get to know a bit more about what made Jack
O'Neill tick, "So what do you think, Sara? I'm game if you are."

"Yes, okay," Sara flashed a smile, she didn't quite feel ready to leave
yet. She was enjoying the sight of Jack interacting with kids again after
so long, he always was so great with them, she thought wistfully.

Janet saw the look in her eyes as Sara watched the laughing pair. "How
about a coffee first?" she asked, already certain she was going to like
this person.

                         *******************

Together the two women leaned on the barrier watching the pair whizz
round and round the ice rink. At times Jack hauled Cassie along, the
fingers of her small right hand wrapped in his left, or tucking her under
his arm like a football and racing so fast that her hair streamed out
behind her, or simply skating in tandem at a less frenetic pace that her
much shorter legs could keep up with and which gave his aching ribs a
sorely needed rest.

Janet and Sara chatted like old friends, it had been a fun afternoon for
them too even if neither had felt up to tackling the ice, or maybe they
simply didn't want to encroach on the intense father daughter type
bonding that was going on before their eyes.

Now they watched Jack standing with Cassie in the empty centre of the
rink, teaching her to spin around on the spot. He twirled her by the arm,
using his right hand only for careful support as his left did all the
work.

Janet chuckled at the pair on the ice, trusting Jack implicitly with her
daughter's safety despite their antics. Still she couldn't help holding
her breath every time he did something that might overstress his damaged
ribcage. At least his stitches were all healed now, she didn't have to
worry about him bursting any, and the fun form of exercise Cassie had
come up with seemed to be doing him the power of good.

"He looks so different to two weeks ago," Sara eventually said with a shy
smile.

For a long moment, Janet studied the laughter on Jack's face and the look
in his eyes and it finally occurred to her just what the difference was.

"He looks free!"

"Thanks to you and Daniel," Sara said softly after awhile.

Janet looked at her, surprised by her words, a slight smile curving the
sides of her mouth as she realised that she really was learning a lot
more about the Colonel in that one afternoon than she had thought
possible, considering how greatly he valued his privacy. It seemed she
had finally met someone whom Jack willingly confided in and Janet found
that simple fact somewhat astonishing, deciding she really did want to
know more. "Jack told you about that?" she asked curiously, noticing how
Sara never took her eyes off him as he messed about on the ice.

Sara nodded. "Some of it, you know. Not all of it, not yet," she said
meaningfully. "But I know he only survived because of what you and Daniel
did for him. We both owe you a great debt." She paused timidly, wanting
to ask a question, but uncertain whether she really wanted to hear the
answer. Besides which she wasn't too sure how the doctor would react,
after all they didn't really know each other.

Finally, she took a deep breath and asked anyway. "Jack told me about the
drugs they injected him with," she said, a slight quiver in her voice. "I
know there can be long term effects, but I wondered if I could ask you
honestly," she trailed off and Janet patted her arm reassuringly, urging
her to continue, whatever it was, to get it off her chest. "Well is he in
any danger from the after effects?"

"No, not physically," Janet looked at her, trying to walk the fine line
between patient confidentiality and telling a family member any truth
that would aid recuperation. "Jack will recover from all his injuries
eventually. He needs to take it easy on his ribs and hand, but everything
else is more or less healed already. It's the psychological effects that
could be most damaging."

Sara finally turned her gaze away from Jack to look directly at the
doctor, "What do you mean?"

"He went through a lot, Sara, stuff that will be hard for him to face
himself sometimes let alone explain to others." Janet paused for a
moment, trying to gauge the strength of this woman before her, wanting to
be sure that what she said would not scare her off. "He talked to Daniel
about what happened, but you know what men are like, even when they're as
close as those two. They never really get down to the deeper issues."

Sara smiled slightly, "Yeah, I told him about as much myself last night."

"Well it's good that you're talking about it with him, because that's the
only thing that will help him completely recover. If Jack can work
through the trauma of everything that happened then any recurring
flashbacks as a result of the drugs he was given will have a lot less
impact, whether they happen twenty five days from now or twenty five
years."

"How likely is that?" Sara asked, digesting the possible length of the
term, a significant amount of time compared with Jack's nonchalant
mention of long term effects the night before. Sara was beginning to
wonder what else he wasn't telling her, suspecting a great deal judging
by what the doctor was and was not revealing.

Janet shrugged, "It's hard to say. Studies have shown recurrences of
flashbacks that much later, but usually only in extreme cases of drug
overdose."

"From what Jack said, it sounded like the amount they gave him was an
extreme case," Sara argued quietly.

Janet grimaced uncomfortably, realising that Sara perhaps knew a little
too much. "Admittedly, the amounts in his system and the speed with which
he was dosed up, combined with his weakened state, could be categorised
as extreme. But let's not get hung up on 'what ifs', Sara. The fact is
that Jack survived and he's recovering far better than could have been
expected given the seriousness of his original condition, not to mention
the additional injury he sustained less than two weeks ago."

"In the last few days he's come along in leaps and bounds. Now if he can
only deal with the deeper issues, there will be no reason to expect any
permanent or long term backlash. But it's not going to be easy. I mean,
we're talking about psychological effects Jack probably hasn't even
noticed himself yet."

"Like the trouble he's been having eating," Sara murmured.

"You spotted that?" Sara nodded. "Yes, getting him back on a proper food
intake would definitely be a help to his recovery. An active man like
Jack can only stay healthy for so long on protein shakes. It's all a
question of finding the real root cause of the problem, why he's
developed this aversion to what was perfectly normal food to him before."

"I managed to get him to eat my vegetable lasagne last night," Sara said
almost shyly.

Janet smiled encouragingly, "That's definitely a good start and that
could be all it will take, just one step at a time."

Sara agreed with her choice of words, but a worried frown creased her
forehead. "Seems like a lot of steps still to go," she said quietly.

"Worth it though, don't you think?" Janet turned her gaze back out onto
the ice rink where Jack and Cassie were currently ballroom dancing.

Jack's left arm was wrapped around Cassie's waist, her skates two feet
above the ice. Her small hand lightly held Jack's strapped wrist, as he
skated in slow circles to the waltz that was being played on the speakers
surrounding the arena. He had a wonderful look of mock seriousness on his
face as Cassie giggled hysterically.

Sara smiled at the sight. "Yeah, I guess it is," she said, trying to
quash the nagging voices in her head. The ones that were telling her that
she still had no real idea what Jack had been through and that maybe they
would both be better off if she got out before it was too late, before
she was completely sucked back into Jack's frightening world. Before they
both got badly hurt again. Trying to ignore the voices that were telling
her that she was barely strong enough to survive her own life, let alone
help him to survive his.

                         *******************

Jack and Cassie finally skated towards the barrier to exit the ice rink
and Sara and Janet went along to meet them. Both skaters looked rosy
cheeked and happy. "Colonel, I trust you enjoyed that," Janet gave him a
stern look.

"Uh-oh," Jack grinned to Cassie, talking out the side of his mouth as he
leaned towards her, "I think your Mom's about to put her doctor's hat
on!"

Cassie giggled as Janet frowned at him. "I seem to recall giving you a
list of rules on what not to do with that hand and those ribs, Colonel. I
can't actually remember any that you didn't break this afternoon!"

Jack looked truly chagrined, the smile leaving his face totally for a
remorseful moment as he recalled his promise to himself to not do
anything to worry Janet further about his health. "I'm really sorry. I
guess I got carried away," he said apologetically.

Janet was taken aback by his unusually meek response, regretting sounding
quite so harsh. She flashed a smile, "Don't worry, Jack, no harm done I
hope. Just promise me, if you wake up tomorrow with more pain than
normal, you'll call me, okay?" Jack nodded obediently.

"So, anyone for a milkshake?" Sara asked, trying to lighten the mood as
the two began to take off their skates, or at least Cassie did. Jack
realised he couldn't actually bend over double to undo them. Instead, he
lifted one foot onto the bench and blinked at Janet with big brown puppy
dog eyes until she gave a long suffering sigh and leaned over to begin
unlacing the boots, lowering her head to hide the smile she couldn't stop
from appearing on her face.

"Yes, please!" Cassie grinned at Sara's question, pulling her sneakers on
quickly. "I'll come and help," she offered, grabbing the opportunity to
get to know Sara a little more.

As the two of them headed over to the burger bar, Jack watched them go,
admiring the unobstructed rear view of Sara as she walked away. His lips
curved into a soft smile as he heard Cassie begin to chatter, her first
question drifting back towards him before they moved out of earshot. "So
what do you do, Sara?"

By the time Sara and Cassie had reached the back of the line, Cassie had
reached the point of her conversation, "Are you and Jack getting back
together?"

Sara was beginning to understand why Jack so obviously doted on the
youngster, she had none of the usual false airs of a twelve year old
girl. Instead, Cassie was honest and forthright, polite and genuinely
friendly, and her mutual affection for Jack was apparent. She smiled at
the question, replying with equal openness, "I honestly don't know
Cassie."

"Jack really loves you, you know?" Cassie grinned, "Besides he's cute,
funny and the bravest human I've ever met. What's not to like?"

"It's not that simple," Sara said, wishing it was.

"Why not?" Cassie asked directly.

But before Sara had to answer they reached the front of the queue and
there ended that line of conversation. Instead they began to discuss
favourite milkshake flavours.

Cassie and Sara returned to find Jack alone with their coats, leaning on
the rail and staring out onto the ice. Janet had apparently gone to
return the hired skates.

Seeing the distant look in his eyes, Sara wondered what Jack was thinking
about, but she didn't get a chance to ask. He sensed their approach and
looked around, returning to the present, a grin creasing his features.
"All my favourite things together! Talk about spoilt for choice!"

He accepted the banana milkshake Sara offered, tucked his right hand
around her waist and drew her towards him for the sweetest of soft
kisses, his eyes sparkling at the look of surprise on her face. Then he
let her go and sat down next to Cassie on the bench. Lowering his head to
the straw, the two of them proceeded to begin a contest on who could make
the loudest sucking noises.

Janet returned to find Jack and Cassie giggling and snorting like kids.
Sara was standing with her hand over her eyes, shaking her head in mock
disgust. She passed Janet her favourite chocolate flavour shake and
picked up her own banana one.

"What do you reckon?" Janet asked, "Shall we show these kids how it's
really done?" Sara's laughing eyes met hers in agreement and they both
joined in.

By the time all four milkshake cartons had been noisily drained of every
last delicious drop, the four of them were breathless from sucking and
laughing and were hard pushed to decide just who had been the loudest.

Janet looked at her watch realising how late it was already and wondering
what to suggest for food. Remembering what Sara had said earlier about
Jack's eating habits, she made a decision, "So kids, how about we all go
back to my place and I'll cook us something? I don't know about you, but
I've been eating at work all week, I really need a decent home cooked
meal tonight, rather than eating out. If that's okay with everybody?"

Sara smiled, "Well maybe I ought to be getting on home myself, I don't
want to overstay my welcome."

"You can't go yet, Sara," Cassie objected, "Not at least until you've
sampled Mom's cooking. She's really good!" The youngster added loyally.
Besides she wanted Sara to stay with Jack for as long as necessary to
make her realise they really were made for each other and that it was
that simple.

"Yeah Janet's cooking is great," Jack joined in with a grin, "Just watch
out if she serves chicken. Don't break the wishbone or she'll try and put
a splint on it!"

"Actually, Colonel," Janet said disapprovingly, "I've been experimenting
with vegetarian lately and I've got a great recipe I'd love to try out on
somebody." She caught Sara's eye and winked at her.

Jack reached out his hand to tangle with Sara's nearby, looking up from
his seat on the bench next to Cassie. "So, how about it?" he asked
softly.

It only took one look into those eyes for Sara to give in. She nodded,
holding his gaze as she replied, "Okay, why not. So long as you really
don't mind Janet."

"Good, come on then, let's go," Janet said, watching closely as Jack
stood up, wanting to see how his ribs were faring after that afternoon's
exercise. Jack held his right hand to his chest as he rose to his feet,
wincing slightly at the deep ache in his ribcage. He smiled to himself,
knowing it was worth the pain for the fun he'd had with Cassie, not to
mention that he finally felt like things were getting back to normal
between them after everything that had happened.

Janet saw the shadow pass across his face and could almost imagine what
he was thinking at that moment. She was relieved to see the look quickly
replaced by a smile, but she didn't like the second wince as he
straightened upright.

Jack turned to find Janet staring at him and he quickly dropped his hand
away from supporting his chest. With a sheepish grin he realised it was
probably too late when he saw the frown of concern on her face.

Cassie saved him from a telling off when she jumped up and down beside
him. "Can we go skating again next week Jack, please?"

"I think you'll have to ask your Mom that, honey," he told her, still
looking at Janet.

The petite doctor saw the look of sheer happiness on her daughter's face,
the first time in a long while that there wasn't a slight pensiveness to
her expression. Then she saw the sparkle in Jack's own eyes and realised
that perhaps this was one of the best forms of therapy they would ever
find. "I suppose so," she said reluctantly, "So long as Jack takes care
of his ribs in the meantime."

"Yippee!" Cassie yelled excitedly, grabbing Jack's arm and dragging him
out towards the parking lot.

Janet watched them go, her smile fading as her mind automatically went
back to the cause of all her worries. It was odd because she wasn't
usually one to dwell on things, but somehow she couldn't get what had
almost happened to Cassie out of her mind.

It was understandable really, after all, she cared more about her
daughter than she had ever cared for anyone else in the world, any world
for that matter. Janet didn't know what she would do if she lost Cassie.
Well actually she had a feeling she did know, because she had two
examples of what could happen right in front of her in Jack and Sara. And
somehow Janet didn't think she could possibly withstand the pain they had
gone through and survive. At least they had each other again. Or did
they?

Janet frowned to herself, from what Sara had said that afternoon it
seemed like the jury was still out on that one. Well she would personally
do everything she could to ensure Sara made the right decision. Janet
certainly did not want to see Jack go through the pain of losing the one
woman he obviously truly loved a second time.

Although Sara may be undecided on what she wanted, Janet did not believe
Jack had any such problem. From the expression in his eyes every time he
looked at Sara, Janet knew that he was already captivated again, hook,
line and sinker. If Sara gave up on him now, Jack would be devastated and
the effect on his recovery and his mental state would be appalling. Janet
frowned again, wishing she had a crystal ball to see what was going to
happen. Oh well, she thought to herself, just another thing for you to
worry your little head about.

It was hard to believe that one man could cause her more concern than the
rest of the world put together, more even than her ex-husband ever had.
Maybe she could understand it if she was attracted to him, but it was
more like Jack brought out the maternal instinct in her. From the first
time they had met, the first time he had been under her care, Janet had
been sucked in along with just about all the other females on her medical
team.

There was a side to the Colonel that most people never got to see unless
they had to treat him when he was sick or wounded. The vulnerability in
his eyes, the deep sadness that was always there, but remained suppressed
all the time he was being his usual witty tower of strength. The boyish
look on his face when he slept, not to mention the ease with which he
charmed all of her nurses until they would do anything for him, including
bringing in a television so he could watch the hockey game, or letting
him wear pyjamas so he didn't have to wander around in one of those awful
hospital gowns that barely covered his long torso and flapped open at the
back.

Little did the Colonel realise that the nurses had long since decided it
was much more pleasing on the eye to see his naked chest all the time he
was in the infirmary hooked up to all those monitors, than it was to get
a brief glimpse of his butt on the rare occasions he was allowed up and
about. Especially since most of them had taken their turn to give him the
regular vaccination shots and had already seen that part of his anatomy.

Jack was so self-effacing, he was completely unaware of the effect he had
on her nurses, never noticing the fact that it was always a different one
who administered the injection. The female staff in the SGC infirmary had
drawn lots to see who went first right from the beginning, acting with
the stereotypical manner of military nurses as they discussed the entire
male population of the base with their usual ribald humour. The
conversation turned to Colonel O'Neill and the other two male members of
SG1 on a more regular basis than any other, debating the finer points of
the human anatomy until Janet had to flee the room in embarrassment.

Perhaps it was simply because she had gotten to know the person before
she had to examine his body. Janet had become privy to Jack's overly
large medical file almost as soon as she had transferred into the SGC,
since his growing number of unscheduled attendances to the infirmary had
already put him at the top of their hitlist, for albeit minor wounds up
to that point. Unfortunately, Doctor Fraiser's arrival seemed to herald a
new era of more serious injury as Jack seemed hellbent on damaging every
part of his body, internally or externally, in one way or another.

So Janet probably knew more about what the Colonel had been through
during his lengthy military service than he could possibly imagine and it
all simply added up to one thing, a doctor who had grown to understand
the real reason behind every one of his flip comments or his
insubordinate actions. A doctor who greatly admired Jack's strength of
character, his principles and his depth of compassion, his resilience and
his courage. A doctor who never ceased to be amazed by the Colonel's
perpetual sense of humour and the way he instilled a positive attitude
into the people around him. And a doctor who worried constantly about the
chinks in his armour and the intensity of the pain buried within him.

The level of understanding grew between them each time Jack came under
her medical care or whenever they talked about Cassie and their lives in
general. Not that Jack talked about himself much, he always found a way
to avoid discussing himself at any length. Still, for Janet it had all
served to provoke the deepest mothering instincts imaginable for another
man and given her a friend whom she valued and loved and certainly didn't
want to see get hurt. Yet she knew that sometimes there was nothing you
could do to stop it, you just had to be there for them if the worst did
happen.

With a deep troubled sigh Janet turned to pick up her coat as Jack and
Cassie headed out of the exit into the parking lot. She found Sara
watching her curiously, trying to comprehend everything she had seen in
the interaction between Jack and Janet and the consequent reaction on the
doctor's face.

Janet flushed red, hoping Sara couldn't tell what she had been thinking.
"Ready?" she asked with an innocent smile and they followed Jack and
Cassie out to the Jeep.

                         *******************

Janet certainly was a good cook and a tactful one at that. She made them
all a delicious vegetarian nut loaf along with roasted vegetables and a
sundried tomato and basil sauce. Tasty, but not too rich, and decidedly
healthy.

They had all eaten hungrily with lots of pleased looks passing between
Janet and Sara as they watched Jack empty his plate. Sara even caught
herself wondering what she could cook him tomorrow that would be equally
as enticing to his feeble appetite, then she stopped herself short with
the realisation that she still wasn't sure there would even be a
'tomorrow'. One step at a time, Sara, she reminded herself, uncertain
what the rest of the evening held in store.

Janet and Sara offered to clear the dishes when Jack and Cassie started
yawning in unison. It wasn't late, but they had both had a lot of
excitement and exercise that day.

When the two women took their cups of coffee into the living room they
found Jack asleep on the sofa with Cassie curled up beside him, his arm
wrapped around her shoulders and her hand lightly hugging him as she
dozed against his chest. The breeze from the open window behind them
ruffled his tousled hair as he rested tiredly.

Sara and Janet grinned at each other. "Seems like we might have finally
found a way to ensure the Colonel gets a decent night's sleep for a
change!" Janet said softly.

"I slept fine last night too," Jack whispered, surprising them both with
his wakefulness. He opened his eyes and grinned meaningfully at Sara, who
immediately flushed red and hid her face behind her mug of coffee.

Jack shifted slightly on the sofa, his ribs beginning to ache even more
than normal in his present position. Cassie stirred sleepily, lifting her
head up to frown at him accusingly as if to complain about him moving her
pillow. "Hey sweetheart," Jack smiled lovingly at her, brushing her long
hair away from her face. "How about I take you up to bed?" he asked
softly, "I promise I'll read you a story if you can get ready for bed and
brush your teeth before we both fall asleep again!"

Cassie nodded dozily, murmuring incoherently and nestling deeper into his
chest. Jack scooped her up gently, lifting himself gingerly off the sofa
using all the power in his strong legs. He held Cassie around the base of
her back as she wrapped her arms around his neck, her legs around his
waist, and rested her head on his shoulder, her eyes still closed.

Janet put her cup down and went ahead of them, knowing the only way
Cassie was going to avoid sleeping in her clothes that night was with a
helping hand from Mom. Judging by the tired look on her face there would
be no need for any story telling either, in fact it was touch and go
whether Cassie would even notice that Jack's shoulder had been exchanged
for her bed.

Jack returned downstairs a few minutes later, leaving Janet to put Cassie
to bed properly. "So what are you going to do now?" he asked Sara
directly, a question he had desperately wanted to ask all day, but this
was the first time they had been alone.

"Well," Sara hesitated indecisively, but before she got a chance to
continue Jack gathered her into his arms and planted a kiss on her lips
that dissolved all sensible thought from her mind. When he eventually
pulled away he looked at her questioningly, licking his lips nervously.

"I need to get some things from home on the way to your place," Sara said
bashfully, feeling like a teenager being seduced for the first time. Jack
nodded, an odd shadow on his face, which Sara knew was due to his
reluctance to go anywhere near that house and all the memories it held
for him.

Sara had thought about selling, after all she didn't need anything nearly
so big, but she couldn't do it, anymore than she could change anything in
Charlie's bedroom or get rid of any of his stuff. Even his bike still
rested where he'd left it all those years before when he had arrived home
on that fateful day. It was leaning up against the side of the house,
rusting with age now, the same way that she had felt about her heart
until the last twenty four hours.

"Look, you're tired, rather than make you wait about at my place, how
about I drop you off first? I can pop back out and pick up a few things
and then meet you back at your house," Sara offered.

"No really, it's okay," Jack assured her quietly, but his eyes told her
differently in the way they would not meet her gaze.

Before they had time to get into a debate over it, Janet came back down
the stairs. "Anyone want another coffee?" she asked, stifling a yawn
herself.

"No thanks, Janet. We really ought to be going, before Jack falls asleep
again," Sara smiled at her, "It's been really great to meet you and
Cassie. And thanks for a lovely meal."

Janet nodded happily and followed them both out into the hall. Sara
headed on out to the Jeep and Jack was about to follow, when Janet
touched his arm lightly. He turned to look at her, a quizzical expression
on his face. "Be careful, Jack. Look after those ribs, okay? I don't want
to see you get hurt again," she said meaningfully.

"I'll be fine, honest. I'll take care, don't worry," Jack assured her
quietly, knowing exactly what she really meant. He leaned in and kissed
her cheek. "Thanks Janet, you're a good friend. Thanks for everything."
With that he turned and walked down the drive.

Janet watched him climb into the passenger seat of Sara's shiny black
Wrangler, unable to stop herself from saying a silent prayer for them
both.

                         *******************

Jack fell straight to sleep in the car as Sara drove through the dark
tree lined suburbs. She headed directly to his house, parking in his
driveway and practically having to haul him from the vehicle to send him
inside. She took his doorkey, promising faithfully that she would be back
within the hour, before he would let her go.

True to her word, the black and chrome Jeep arrived back outside Jack's
home an hour later. Sara retrieved an overnight bag from the passenger
seat and let herself in through the front door using his key. The house
was peaceful as she wandered up the stairs to find him.

The bedroom light was on and a window had been opened to cool the stuffy
room where it had been shut up all day in the summer heat. Sara leaned on
the door frame, a soft smile on her lips as she regarded the sleeping
figure curled up on the bed, recalling all the lustful thoughts about his
body that had been preying on her mind throughout the day.

Jack looked like he had fallen asleep as soon as he sat down. His boots
were still on his feet, his jacket half heartedly pulled down off one
shoulder, before he had succumbed to the temptation of the comfortable
bed.

Silently, Sara entered the room and put her bag down on the floor,
unzipping the top and lifting out a small case of toiletries. She headed
into the bathroom, quietly shutting the door behind her. When she
emerged, she sat down on the sofa and removed her boots, then she undid
the belt of her jeans and slid them down her legs. Finally, she pulled
her sweater over her head, shivering slightly beneath the open window in
just her white t-shirt and underwear. She reached up and pulled the
window closed, leaving it slightly ajar. Then she turned to face the bed,
a slow smile creeping across her face as she considered her next move.

Crossing to the bed, Sara sat down on the edge to unzip Jack's boots,
pulling them off so gently that he barely stirred. Dropping them quietly
to the floor, she crawled across the mattress to tackle the removal of
his jacket. Knowing the difficulty of easing the cuff over the strapping
on his right hand, Sara decided to undo the Velcro support and take that
off first. The touch of her hand on his fingers was so light that Jack
continued to sleep undisturbed until she had his left arm out of his
jacket and needed to move him in order to slide it off his other shoulder
too.

Knowing there was no easy way to achieve that, Sara dipped her head
towards his, stroking her fingertips through his greying temples. She
nuzzled against his neck, her lips closing on his earlobe, nibbling
softly. Breathing against the fine hairs on his neck, she watched them
stand on end in response.

Sara paused to whisper seductively into his ear, "Jack, sooner or later
you have to wake up, no matter how good your dreams are!" she repeated
his own words from that morning, kissing his neck and gradually working
her way along his jaw towards his lips.

"Hmm, I was dreaming that a beautiful woman was trying to seduce me,"
Jack murmured softly, his eyes still closed as he finally began to stir,
turning his head slightly towards her approaching lips.

"And what happened?" Sara asked, willingly taking the bait as she
continued kissing her way towards his mouth.

"I had to fight her off because I knew my ex-wife would turn up any
minute!" Jack opened his eyes, a sly smile creasing his face as he
wrapped his left arm around Sara and pulled her down onto the bed beside
him, covering her yelp of indignant surprise with a breathtaking kiss.

His mouth smothered hers passionately with the hunger of one deprived of
everything but a fervent imagination for far too long. Their jaws began
to work together, pressing against each other ardently, tongues tasting,
tangling until they both ached for more than the joining of their lips
could provide.

                         *******************

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