Sick

Author: Jess

Fandom: Stargate SG-1

Rating: PG

Archive: Anywhere, just let me know where it's going and keep my name on it.

Pairing: Sam/Daniel

Subjects:  Friendship, hurt/comfort

Summary: Sam is feeling a little (okay, a lot) under the weather. Daniel attends to her and comforts her.

Spoilers: The Broca Divide, very small ones for Cor-Ai and Enigma. Takes place in season one sometime after Cor-Ai and directly before Enigma

Disclaimer: I am not making any money off of this. The characters do not belong to me (though if Daniel was up for grabs, I'd gladly take him), they belong to MGM, Gekko Film Corp. and Double Secret Productions. This story is copyrighted October 2003 and may only be used with the expressed permission of the author.

Note: This fic was written as I was suffering with a horrible upper respiratory infection, and is dedicated to all those who've ever been sick and received comfort in an unexpected place. Sometimes fic writing is the best medicine. :)

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She exited the elevator and began to walk briskly down the corridor toward her office.

"Hey, Carter," her CO acknowledged her as he walked past her in the opposite direction.

Something about her appearance made Jack stop in his tracks and take a couple of steps back toward her.  "What the hell happened to you??" he inquired.

Her face was paler than pale, and she looked like she hadn't slept in days. From her general appearance, he guessed that she was probably suffering a hangover.

"Had a wild night, huh?" he joked, grinning.

She didn't answer him, but instead shot a hateful glare at him. In truth, she was suffering from one heck of a cold ... sore throat, cough, headache, the whole nine yards.

She hoped the intensity of her glare would be enough to make him back off, but it merely ushered a raised eyebrow and an expectant look. He practically stood in her way, as if waiting for an explanation from her before letting her pass.

Given that she felt she didn't owe him any explanation, and that her throat was too sore to even utter words, she thrust her arm forward and pushed him out of the way, never looking back as she walked quickly toward her office.

The colonel stood silently in the middle of the corridor, furrowing his brow in confusion and wondering what the hell was up with his second-in-command. He became so lost in thought that he didn't notice the young archaeologist who appeared behind him.

He snapped his head around as he heard Daniel Jackson clearing his throat. The young man looked at him curiously.

"Stay away from Carter today," Jack advised. "She's in one hell of a mood."

Daniel raised his eyebrows questioningly.  "Is she all right?"

"Well, she looks like hell. I think she might have a hangover or something."

The young man rolled his eyes at his friend's statement.  "Maybe I should go and see her."

Jack's eyes narrowed. "You really are a glutton for punishment, aren't you?" he said dryly, more of a statement than a question.

"She might be sick," Daniel shot back, his eyes full of concern for his fellow teammate.

"Ya think?"

Daniel looked at Jack impatiently.

"If you think she's sick, why don't I call Doc Fraiser..."

Daniel cut him off.  "No. Jack, let me just see how she's doing. Don't...don't do anything," he called out as he began to walk down towards Sam's office.

The colonel shrugged.  "Okay, but if you end up being flung out of the room with a black eye and a bloody nose, I'm callin' the Doc," he muttered, more to himself than to the scientist who had already disappeared from view.

She sat at her desk and tried to concentrate on the schematics for the UAV. Her sickness wasn't giving her much strength to concentrate, however. As she tried to review the notes she had printed out and the information on her computer monitor, she was interrupted by a coughing fit, one which flooded her body with a sickening warmth. Groaning, she removed her olive green BDU jacket, exposing her black, short-sleeved military issue t-shirt. She hastily hung the jacket on the back of her chair.

She grabbed a tissue and blew her nose, then tossed it into the small wastebasket, which it missed. She cursed under her breath and bent down uneasily to pick up the tissue. As she bent her head down, a sharp pain stabbed her in the sinuses.

"Uhh..." she groaned as she reached up and pinched the bridge of her nose. In the nine months she'd been with SG-1, she hadn't been this sick before, with the exception of the virus she came down with when they came in contact with The Touched. She wondered if any of the Byrsa people from their last mission had been carrying something akin to a cold virus, and had passed it on to her. Or perhaps someone on the base had given it to her, as there seemed to be quite a few people complaining about cold-like symptoms lately.

Suddenly she felt a tickle in her chest, and another coughing fit ensued. She edged up slightly to grab another handful of tissues, in which to dispose of the infected sputum that was causing her so much trouble. She threw them into the wastebasket, when the overwhelming wheezing made her feel dizzy.

She sunk to the floor, her back up against the wall. She sat there until the dizziness passed. Once it did, however, she found herself still sitting there, unable to move. Whether it was because she didn't think she had the strength or the will to stand up, or because she felt defeated in her attempt to make any more progress on the UAV, she did not know. Perhaps it was both.

A single tear rolled down her cheek. She realized her sickness wasn't going to allow her to be able to finish this up on time, and have the UAV ready before their next mission. No question about it, she definitely felt defeated. For once the coughing subsided and she began to sob softly.

A faint knock was heard on the slightly ajar door to her office.

"Sam?" a familiar voice called out.

Oh, great, the Colonel must have sent Daniel here to get the inside scoop on what's wrong with me, she thought angrily. Why couldn't anyone just leave her alone for once? Let her suffer in peace?

"Sam? Are you around?" the voice persisted.

She did not answer, but sniffled loudly.

That must have been enough for him to realize that she was inside. He stepped into the dimly lit office and flicked the light switch for the overhead light.

She immediately screwed her eyes shut and grimaced, as if in pain, as the room became unbearably bright for her.

"Oh, gosh, I'm sorry," he said hastily, an intensely apologetic look on his face. He flipped the switch again, and this time he walked over to the standing lamp and switched it on, allowing for just a bit more light.

"There, that's a little better," he said softly.  He edged his way over to her and bent down as she was still sitting up against the wall.  "Sam? Are you all right?" he asked with genuine concern.

She looked into his passionate blue eyes and shook her head slowly, her lip quivering and her face red and tear-stained.

"What's the matter, Sam? Please, tell me. I'm worried about you."

Her lip stopped quivering and her face assumed an expression of anger...not so much at Daniel, but at the Colonel.  "Are you?" she rasped out. "Or did Colonel O'Neill put you up to this?" Her voice was filled with a vehemence that surprised even herself.

For a second Daniel had a look of surprise fixed upon his face, then he sighed and put his head down. She looked at him intently.

He looked back up with her with apologetic eyes.  "No, Sam. Jack told me you were in a bad way, but that was all. I was worried..."

His face reddened at his choice of words. She would have smiled, but she lacked the energy to do so at the moment.

"...concerned," he quickly corrected himself.

He reached out and put his hand on her right shoulder, almost expecting her to flinch. She didn't.  "Sam...I care about you," he said seriously, emphasizing the word "care".

Her cold expression slowly melted and the corners of her mouth slightly lifted up into the faintest of smiles. Daniel smiled back one of the sweetest smiles she'd ever seen from him in the relatively short time she'd known him. For a moment it made her feel warm inside, not the sick, intense warmth her sickness bestowed upon her, but a cozy, gentle warmth.

His smile faded and he averted his eyes.  "Ah...so, are you, um..." he fumbled for words.

"...sick," she finished for him, rasping out the word before she was overtaken by another coughing fit, turning her head away from Daniel so as not to make him sick.

"Oh," he said softly. He winced upon hearing the deep wheezing noise emanating from her chest. When she turned back around to him, his blue eyes were filled with pity.

"What's bothering you, exactly? I mean, besides the cough."

She shut her eyes and leaned her head back against the wall.  "Oh, God..." she sighed. "Headache...sore throat...stuffy nose..."

"I think you should be lying down," Daniel said.

She shook her head.  "No, I'm fine here," she muttered weakly.

"Sam, please, you should really lie down," he persisted.

She looked up at him as he reached for her hand. She reluctantly offered it to him, and he slowly pulled her up off the floor. She felt oddly warm and comfortable being in his arms as he led her to her couch. He slowly set her down until she was lying across it.

He motioned for her to lift her head up, and as she did so he took one of the small throw pillows and propped it up for her.  "You'd probably want to have your head elevated," he muttered.

She set her head back down on the pillow, which felt strangely comfortable.

He moved to the other end of the couch and grabbed the other pillow.  "Uh...would you like your feet propped up?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

She looked at him bewilderingly before replying. She couldn't believe he was making such a fuss over her.  "Yeah, I guess..." she shrugged.

Daniel smiled and lifted her feet, sticking the pillow underneath them. Just as he was about to set them down, he looked at them intently, then looked back up at her with a sly grin.  "You're not...ticklish, are you, Sam?"

She shot him an intense look which could be translated into, 'don't you dare, or I'll rip your eyes out.'

Turning his eyes downward, he grinned and nodded.  "Okay, never mind. I should know better than to bother you like that when you're sick."

She looked at him blankly.

"Uh...I'll be right back, I'm just going to get a cup of coffee," he continued, gesturing toward the doorway.

She nodded.

Daniel wasn't a medical doctor by any means, but he knew the simple remedies for a cold. Bed rest, drinking lots of fluids...

"Can I get you something? Maybe some warm tea?"

She shut her eyes and shook her head. The thought of any liquid hitting her horribly sore, swollen throat made her feel queasy.

"Sam. You have to drink something. I've had my share of colds, and warm liquids are great for helping a sore throat."

She rolled her eyes, annoyed and frustrated.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'," he grinned.

He made his way toward the door and turned to face her once again.  "I'll be right back. And, uh..."

He looked down and gestured toward her feet.

"...I'll ask you again when you're feeling better," he winked.

She rolled her eyes and shook her head as he exited the room.

As he made his way back toward Sam's office with two coffee cups in his hands, Daniel ran into Doctor Fraiser.

"Working through the night, Doctor Jackson?" she inquired casually.

Daniel blinked.  "Oh...no. This one is a cup of tea for Sam," he answered, indicating the cup in his left hand.

"Tea?" Janet asked curiously. Sometimes it seemed that Sam was almost as addicted to coffee as Daniel was.

Daniel nodded.  "She's very sick, Doctor Fraiser," he said softly, the concern for his friend coming through his voice and showing in his face.

Janet raised her eyebrows.

"She says she has headaches, a sore throat, and a stuffy nose," he continued.

"Hmm, sounds like she just has a bad cold," Janet surmised. She could tell from the overly concerned look on Daniel's face that it must have been something more, however.

"Doctor Fraiser, she looks awful," he said somberly in barely a whisper. "And she's coughing her head off."

"Wheezing?" Janet pressed.

Daniel nodded.

"Okay, if she's wheezing a lot, I think we might be dealing with something more serious. I'd like to do a chest x-ray on her. Tell her to come down to the infirmary, or walk her down there if she's too weak."

"Thank you, Doctor Fraiser," Daniel said gratefully.

Janet nodded.  "Doctor Jackson," she added as he was about to turn away.

He turned around and looked at her questioningly.

She reached into the pocket of her white lab coat and produced a small box of pills.  "These were developed by an elementary school teacher who was tired of catching colds from her students. Each pill has a good dose of vitamin C, zinc, and some herbal extracts which may or may not be helpful in warding off colds. Since you've been around Captain Carter quite a bit, I'd suggest that you take one of these as soon as possible if you don't want to catch whatever she has."

Daniel nodded and accepted the pills.  "Thank you."

Janet nodded and watched him head back down the corridor toward Sam's office before returning to the infirmary.

She was just about to drift off to sleep when she heard the door creak open ever so slightly.

"Sam?"

She opened her eyes and slowly her vision pieced together an image of Daniel standing in front of her with two coffee cups. He set one of them down on the desk and approached her with the other.

He walked over to the couch until he was standing by her side.  "Hey. How are you feeling?" he asked soothingly as he bent down so that he was at eye level with her.

She slowly lifted her head from the pillow as another loud, rattling cough ravaged her body. Daniel took a couple of steps back. After she finished, he approached her again.

"I brought you some tea. Do you feel like drinking something?"

Her throat was on fire, but it was also parched. She nodded.

He eased back down and offered the styrofoam cup to her. She took it and curled her fingers around it, lifting it up to her mouth. Daniel stood and watched her as she was about to take a drink...

...and quickly spit it out, managing to get a bit of it on her t-shirt.

"Ugh!!" she exclaimed.

"Oops. I, uh, should have warned you that it was hot," Daniel answered, a bit flustered. "Sorry."

He nervously raked his hand through his hair and then took the cup from her.  "Let's, uh...set this down somewhere and wait a few minutes for it to cool," he said as he looked around and finally set the cup down on the small table next to the side of the couch closest to her head.

He fetched his own coffee cup and took a small sip. She watched as he took a small box from the pocket of his BDU jacket, removed a pill from the blistered packaging inside, and popped it in his mouth, swallowing it with another sip of coffee.

She looked up at him and furrowed her brow in confusion.

He noticed the look she was giving him and blushed slightly.  "Oh. Um...Doctor Fraiser gave me these," he explained, holding up the box. "They're supposed to be good for preventing colds."

Suddenly she felt bad that he was going to all this trouble for her.  "Daniel," she rasped out. "I appreciate all you're doing for me. But I don't want you to get sick."

He looked at her soberly.  "Sam, honestly," he began as he made his way over toward her. "It's no trouble at all. Remember, I care about you." Again he emphasized the word "care."

A weak smile formed on her face. He smiled back and bent down, stroking her hair.  "Listen, you think you can make it down to the infirmary?"

Her smile faded.  "Infirmary?" she returned groggily. "What for?"

"Doctor Fraiser wants to do a chest x-ray on you..."

She rolled her eyes heavenward.  "Great. Now I'll never be able to finish this," she muttered, gesturing toward the mess on her desk.

Daniel drew up the corners of his mouth tensely.  "Sam, the UAV can wait. You're not in any shape to be doing a lot of work like that!"

"But we'll need it for the next mission," she insisted, her voice barely a whisper.

"If you keep working like that you won't be on the next mission," he replied.

She rolled her eyes once more.

"Sam, please. I'm..."  His stern image softened and he lowered his voice.  "I'm worried about you."

As she looked back at him he noticed a tear rolling down her cheek. He reached out and helped her off the couch.

"Come on," he coaxed her. "I'll walk you down there."

She nodded and sniffled, managing to hold back her tears as they made their way out the door and down the hall.

"Captain Carter?"

She blinked and looked up to see the two doctors standing over her as she sat on the edge of the bed, wearing a hospital gown. Janet had a serious look on her face, and Daniel looked a bit worried. It was definitely not great news.

"Your chest x-ray indicates a small abnormality," Janet began.

She looked at Janet with widened eyes, a bit worried herself.

"We're probably dealing with bronchitis here, maybe even a touch of pneumonia," Janet said softly.

"Oh, God," she muttered.

"I'm going to get you on a course of antibiotics right away and recommend that you get plenty of rest."

"Do I have to stay in here?" she groaned.

Janet looked at Daniel and sighed. "Normally I'd say yes, but whatever makes you comfortable, Captain. As long as you get plenty of rest and promise that you won't be working hard..."

"I'll check up on her," Daniel cut in.

"Okay, then you don't have to stay here," Janet answered. "I'll give you ten days of antibiotics, and you should start feeling better in a few days," she smiled.

"But...we're due to go on our next mission in four days!"

"Actually, we're on stand down til you get better," Daniel interjected.

She looked up at him curiously.

"After the results of your x-rays came in, I explained everything to General Hammond, and he didn't want us going offworld with you being sick."

"Gee, I'm that important, huh?" she grinned in spite of herself.

Daniel nodded.  "Of course!" he answered, almost taken aback .

"So we're on stand down for ten days, then? The Colonel's not going to like that."

Daniel nodded grimly.  "Well, I'm sure he can find some way to keep himself busy. Your health is much more important, Sam."

She blushed and smiled weakly at him, not even noticing that Doctor Fraiser had left the room.

"Here you are, Captain," she said, presenting Sam with a small bottle.  "Take one of these twice a day with plenty of water. There aren't really many side effects with these, you just might find yourself very tired. If you get lots of rest it shouldn't be a problem."

She nodded. "Thanks, Janet."

Janet smiled. "Feel better," she said softly, patting Sam on the back. She pulled the curtain across and let Sam change back into her clothes.

"Will she be all right?" Daniel asked the petite doctor.

"As long as she takes the antibiotic religiously and gets lots of rest, she should be doing much better in a few days' time," she answered.

Daniel nodded.

Sam, fully dressed, pulled the curtain back and Daniel went to help her off the bed.

She awoke, greeted by a stark, dimly lit scene. As her vision came into focus, she realized she was back on the couch in her office, and Daniel was standing over her.

"Hey. How are you doing?" he asked her softly.

"Um...a little better," she replied sleepily. "Very tired..."

Daniel smiled slightly.  "Probably from the medicine. I got you some more tea. Do you feel like drinking something?"

She raised her head slightly and nodded.  "Not too hot this time, okay?"

Daniel chuckled in spite of himself.  "Don't worry, I made sure this time."

He offered the cup to her and she began to drink the tea slowly. She was surprised by her reaction. Her throat didn't actually burn any longer as she swallowed. It had been two days since she'd been down at the infirmary. Hopefully the antibiotic was starting to kick in.

"Is it okay?" Daniel asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Mmm," she nodded. "Orange pekoe, my favorite."

He grinned.  "Oh...what I meant was... how is your throat?"

"Better," she answered thoughtfully. "It doesn't actually burn anymore when I drink."

Daniel nodded and smiled at her.  "I'm so glad you're feeling better, Sam."

She smiled back.  "Thanks, me too. Actually I probably wouldn't have done it without you."

He furrowed his brow in confusion.  "Me?"

She nodded.  "Uh-huh. If you hadn't insisted that I get some rest and then go down to the infirmary, I would have made myself crazy over this UAV and worked myself to death."

Daniel grinned and nodded.  "How's your head?" he changed the subject.

She turned her eyes upward.  "Better, actually. I don't think I've had a headache since last night."

"Good," Daniel nodded. "So, I guess you're much better, then?"

She grinned.  "Well, at least 65% I'd say."

Daniel nodded once more and suddenly looked down at her feet. For a moment he looked back up at her, and a grin spread across his face.

"Tickle tickle?" he asked mischieviously, raising his eyebrows.

THE END