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Jacob should have known he wouldn't be able to slink out of the SGC so easily. He had seen Colonel O'Neill lounging against the wall near the stairs up to the control room, but the man's arms were crossed over his chest and his head bent, and he looked so lost in thought that Jacob believed he might be able get past without Jack noticing. But just as he took the first step, Jack's hand shot out to detain him.
"Jacob. Leaving so soon?" the inquiry was careful, measured.
Jacob sighed. He was leaving his baby girl for God-only-knew how long, and he wasn't feeling too keen about it. The last thing he wanted to do was get into it with the one man who was probably more protective of Sam than himself. He turned to face Jack, and they sized each other up for a long moment. Finally Jacob broke the staredown. "What’s up, Jack?"
Just thank him already and let us go, Jacob. Selmak's voice in his head was wooden, and he knew she was deeply troubled by their position with the Tok'ra and the failed alliance.
Right. Sorry, Sel.
He cleared his throat. "We didn’t thank you, before. I didn't thank you. For bringing her back, I mean. I really owe you one, Jack." He saw the brief flicker of surprise in Jack's eyes and gave a half-hearted chuckle. "What? Not used to Tok'ra words of thanks?"
"No, not really, but that's beside the point."
"Well, what is the point Jack? 'Cause I'd love to stay and chat, but I really need to meet up with the rest of the Tok'ra."
"Yeah, where is that, exactly? You guys gonna let us know where you are staying?" Jacob heard the barely concealed jab and chose to mostly ignore it.
"Jack, I'm going to the Beta Site. And from there, I really don't know. I'm not privy to the Tok'ra High Council's thoughts anymore, remember?" Jacob said with no small amount of bitterness.
Jack waved his hand with impatience. "OK, whatever. I don't want to delay you from the good times to come with your snake buddies."
Jacob gave him a glare, but the colonel looked anything but repentant. They stared at each other again, until Jacob turned away with a shake of his head. "I gotta go Jack," he said, once again trying to move up the control room steps. "Good luck around here."
"Jake."
There was something in Jack's voice that made him turn back around.
Jack was studiously examining the hall floor. "If you were serious about owing me one, then I'm calling in the marker."
Jacob regarded him carefully through narrowed eyes. Gone was the relaxed, self-assured, Colonel O’Neill. Jack was chewing his bottom lip, and looking decidedly conflicted.
"What can I do for you, Colonel?" he asked carefully.
Jack glanced up and down the hall to ensure their privacy, before pulling an object out of his pocket and thrusting it towards Jacob.
"You don’t have to fix her up completely. She's tough; it never takes her long to bounce back. I just thought—" he paused and flushed slightly. "I thought maybe you could take care of the cuts on her face. So she won’t have any scars."
Jacob stared at the Goa'uld healing device, and then closed his eyes as realization and guilt nearly floored him.
Shit, Sel. Some kind of parent I am.
He felt her remorse flood through him like a wave. Oh Jacob, I am so sorry! I completely forgot that the Tau'ri possess a healing device! We must go back and treat Samantha!
When he opened his eyes again, Jack was fidgeting in obvious agony over the prolonged silence. Which was sort of... not ironic, but something. Jack had no reason to be anguished, whereas Jacob...
"Well. I am officially the world's worst parent," Jacob announced slowly. "It never once occurred to me—" he stopped speaking abruptly and turned on his heel, moving swiftly down the hall to the elevator.
Jack followed him to the elevator and punched the number for the infirmary floor, but offered no comment, for which Jacob was grateful. He could feel the Colonel's eyes on him as he concentrated on preparing for the healing process. Physical injury was a lot more difficult to heal than disease. He'd concentrate on her face, as Jack asked, and that horrible gash on her leg. After that, if he and Selmak had enough energy, maybe they could do something about the infection that was surely raging through Sam's body after all that time running around untreated in the woods surrounding the former Alpha Site.
The elevator doors opened and the pair silently made their way to the infirmary and Sam’s bedside. She was asleep—exhaustion, heartache, and infection finally taking their toll, not to mention whatever the medical staff had given her for the pain.
"Does George know?" Jacob asked as he slipped the healing device over his hand.
From the corner of his vision he saw Jack look around furtively, like one of Janet Frasier's staff would be jumping out with a "Gotcha!" at any second. "Ah...not exactly," was the cagey reply.
Jacob snorted. How very Jack O’Neill to just take matters into his own hands, and damn the consequences. He closed his eyes and raised his hands over his sleeping daughter.
OK Selmak, gimme all you got.
Instantly he felt the familiar energy surge flow down his arms and through the device. He focused intently on closing the layers of skin until at last there was nothing but his daughter's smooth, unblemished face. He moved down to her leg, and started the painstaking process of rebuilding and reconnecting jagged and burned tissue. He was fading fast, but quickly moved the device over her torso, searching for the infection that was trying to grab hold and stopping it in its tracks. The device clicked off and he slumped against the bed, grateful for Jack’s hand under his elbow.
"Jake, you OK?"
"Yeah, just give me a minute." He took several deep breaths and while Selmak tried to give him a little energy boost. When he opened his eyes, he was relieved to see Sam had slept through the healing. He did not want to have to say goodbye again, nor see her anger and disappointment at his leaving. Maybe it was the coward's way out, but Jack could fill her in on her "miraculous" healing. He straightened up and felt Jack release his arm. He lightly brushed her now perfect cheek with the back of his hand, and whispered, "Bye kid. Love you."
Then he slid the device from his hand and returned it to Jack, who accepted it solemnly. "I’ll swing by George's on my way out and tell him what I did."
"Jacob—" the Colonel started.
"Don’t sweat it, Jack. What's he gonna do, kick me off the base?" he asked, rhetorically. "No, you were absolutely right to ask this of me. I have to live with the fact that I didn’t think of healing her in the first place; nothing George could do or say is worse than that."
The other man nodded, but made no reply, which was just fine with Jacob. He knew that Jack understood completely, and there was nothing left to say, anyway. Jacob moved towards the exit, before pausing at the door and turning to take in his beautiful girl one more time.
And with all that had happened recently, he could not even process the scene in front of him. What it meant for Jack to be standing there at her side, with her hand cradled in his and desperate relief coloring his every feature. Selmak would help him process later, and so he did nothing more than whisper his thanks once more and slip quietly from the room.
/end