Doctor Frasier: Medicine Woman
1.2: Falling Up (Part 1)
By JolinarCarterOkay, this is the second episode. If you haven't read "Because Its There," then do so now. This won't make sense without it.I hope you enjoy this as much as the last...thank you for all the feedback! Keep it coming!Enough chit chat, here is FALLING UP!Where is this title from? It's from an episode of Higher Ground, I thought it really suited this.----- Wednesday -----Samantha Carter sat up in her bed, and immediately began crying. Nightmares were still plaguing her. They just wouldn't stop coming. She reached over to the nightstand, attempting to pick up her glass of water. Her hand slipped and she ended up knocking it on to the floor.
She was cursing, about to get out of bed when the door opened and a very sleepy looking teenager entered in her Homer pyjamas. She walked in to the bathroom across the hall and returned with some paper towels and a dustpan and brush. She carefully managed to avoid stepping on the glass shards, as she dusted it up. She looked up at Sam and smiled. "It's okay, Sam, really. Are you all right?"
"I had a nightmare, reached for my water. I guess I'm still rather shaky, and all," she sniffed. "I'm so sorry."
"Yeah," Cass nodded. She placed the pan and brush on the floor and left the paper towels to do their work, climbing up on to the bed beside her friend. "Nightmares every night. Have you told that psychologist dude?"
"No. Uh, please don't tell your mother about this," Sam begged. Cassandra thought for a moment, and then reluctantly agreed.
"Okay, I won't tell. I think you should tell her if you're having problems though," Cass shrugged, getting under the covers.
"Was I really that loud?" Sam frowned. She had tried to be quiet with her cursing.
"No...I was already awake," The girl replied, resting her head on the left pillow.
"Why's that?"
"Nightmares," she sighed.
"Every night too, huh?" Suddenly Sam felt kind of bad. There she was complaining about a few weeks worth of nightmares, when Cassandra had spent most of her life dealing with them.
"Yep. Every night for around seven years," she laughed, sadly.
"Stay with me?" Sam offered, stretching out her arm, indicating that she wanted the girl to snuggle up.
"Gladly," she agreed, grinning and lying closer. "Good night, Sam."
-----
Cassandra was up quite early the next morning – well – four hours later – it had been early morning when she had gone in to the guest room with Sam.She made herself some toast and a cup of herbal tea and sat down on the couch to watch some t.v. She flicked through several channels before stopping on Fox, watching a The Simpsons repeat. Jack had gotten her addicted in recent years.
Janet emerged at around 7am, as bright and perky as usual. "Hey, honey, been up long?" She asked, making herself a coffee and sitting down.
"No, about an hour maybe. Simpsons marathon," she explained, looking back to the screen and laughing at Bart's antics.
"Cool. I bet Colonel O'Neill is watching. I think I need to call him for a long chat," Janet joked, kissing her daughter's forehead.
"Do you have a death wish?" Cassy giggled.
Sam was awoken by all of the giggling coming from the lounge. She smiled slightly, and got out of bed. She put on her dressing gown and slippers and joined them in the living room. "Morning."
"Good morning Sam," Janet beamed. "How did you sleep?"
Cassy looked at Sam, but she just smiled and said, "Great. Thanks. You know, I really appreciate you putting me up for a while."
"Oh, it's no problem. Sorry your room is so small though," the doctor nodded. "Do you want some tea?" She asked, starting to get up.
"No, I can make it," Sam nodded, making her way over to the kettle. "See?"
"Great. You'd better get dressed in a minute, and me actually. We're meant to be on the base early today. It's 8 til 8," Janet informed her. "Cassy, what are you up to today, on your leave?"
"I'm not sure. Gracie and I were gonna hit the mall," the teen replied, with a big shrug. "I'm not sure if we're going though."
"We have this amazing new invention," Sam called from the kitchen. "It's called the telephone!"
"Yeah I'll call you later let you know our plans," Cass told her mom, getting up and placing her cup next to the kettle. "Another herbal tea I think."
"Which one would you like?" Sam asked as she made her own up.
"Uh, the berries one please," she replied, taking the box out of the cupboard. "So you have more physio and stuff right?"
"Yeah. I'm going to do extra again," Sam replied as she put the kettle down. "There you go sweetie."
"Thanks. Don't work too hard!"
"You sound like Janet!" Carter giggled, taking a sip of her tea. When Janet turned back to the t.v, and Cassy was en-route to the couch, her face fell and she put down her mug, and rested on the work surface. Cassy did notice, but decided not to say anything. She was bound to find it hard, she had nearly died a few weeks ago. Think about something else like rabbits, or Joan of Arcadia, or umm, umm, anything but that. Yeah, that's it, think about Evanescence. Good. Cass told herself, feeling rather emotional. The thought that Sam might not have made it was horrible.
-----
At 8:30 exactly, Doctor Frasier and Major Carter arrived in the SGC, ready for some hard work. Janet headed straight for the infirmary, leaving Carter to go where she wished. Sophie wasn't arriving for half an hour yet.She had brief conversations with Siler, Satterfield and Davis as she passed them in the corridors, and Lieutenant Simmons who seemed extremely relieved to see her in one piece. She could tell he had been worried about her. Bless him, she thought, as she waved goodbye as she headed for Hammond's office.
"Hello, sir," She said with a grin, poking her head around Hammond's door. The Texan looked up and smiled.
"Major Carter!" He said warmly, "Sit down, sit down!"
"Thank you sir, I will," She nodded, entering and sitting down infront of his desk. "How are you?"
"I'm very well, thank you. How are you?" He asked, putting all the work on his desk in to his drawer. He rested his arms on the desk.
"I'm okay, thank you sir. Better than I was. It's helping, being out of here, in a house. Not my house, but...it's nice being with Cassy and Janet," She explained. "Wish I was with SG-1."
"Not long now, Major," he assured her. "I am certain Lieutenant Hailey is doing a great job."
"I'm sure she is, sir," Sam agreed. "After all, I did pick her myself."
Hammond chuckled, "yes, yes, you did. When you brought her here that day...I wondered what the hell you saw in that girl, that I couldn't see. I see it now. We all do."
"Yes sir. How are your grandchildren?" She asked, watching as his face lit up. He was such a warm man, she'd always really liked him. He was like her second father. He loved those grandkids.
"They're wonderful. It was Tessa's birthday last week, we had a big party," He replied, pulling a box from the drawer. He pushed it over the desk to Sam, and she opened it. "Photos."
"Oh she is so cute, that's Kayla right?" Sam checked, as she looked at the first photo. "With the shorter hair."
"Yes."
"And that's your daughter Georgina?" She asked, showing him the photo of him and a woman of around 35, with long blonde hair.
"Yeah, you've only met her once haven't you?" He asked, trying to think back.
"Her and her husband – Matt? It was New Year's Eve 2002," Sam recalled. "She was beautiful."
"Isn't she?" He grinned. "Looks a lot like my wife when she was younger." Sam finished looking at the photos and slid the box back over to him. He closed it and put it back in to the drawer. "Are you in for long?"
"Until 1. Harrison will have finished his shift by then, and he's going to run me to Janet's," She explained. She had been relieved when he had offered, she didn't fancy spending all day there.
"Good," he said. There was a knock at the door, and Sophie entered. "Good Morning."
"Morning General Hammond. Major Carter, let's go climb that mountain shall we?" Sophie asked, cheerful as ever.
"Mountain? Are you sure? She wasn't walking a week ago," The General frowned.
"It's a metaphorical mountain, sir," Sam laughed. "I'm really just going to be in the gym."
"Oh, the George Mallory quote, I was concerned then," Hammond sighed. "Go get that mountain."
-----
"Hey, Major, you should really leave it at that for today. You've worked very hard, and I don't want you to over-do it," Sophie advised, a fair time later."No, I'm not stopping now, just a little longer?"
"All right," She agreed.
-----
By the time she got back to Janet's house, Cassandra was home from her shopping trip. Sam slowly dragged herself in to the living room and crashed down on to the chair. Cass looked up from her magazine. "Hey Sam.""Hey."
"Are you all right? You don't look well. I knew you'd over do it!" She growled. "You need to slow down a little."
"I will, I promise," she smiled. Cassandra nodded, but doubted that she would. "You couldn't make me a cup of tea could you?"
"Sure," the girl nodded, throwing her magazine on to the coffee table.
"Buy anything?" Sam asked, sitting back and closing her eyes for a minute.
"Some white make-up. And my magazine, some black nail varnish and some black eye shadow and lip stick," Cass called from the kitchen, as she reached up in to the cupboard and pulled out a box of Spiced Apple herbal tea.
"Going Goth on me hun?"
"Yehah," Cass replied, switching the kettle on. She jumped up on to the worktop while she waited for it to boil.
"Cool."
"Cool? Mom's gonna go mental," she thought.
"Don't worry about it, it's not like you got a tatoo," Sam laughed. There was a silent pause, and then she added, "Is it?" She frowned.
"No," Cass confirmed, trying to conceal a laugh. She loved messing with people.
"Good."
"It's a piercing," she said, grabbing two mugs from the mug tree.
"WHAT?" At Sam's yell, Cass started laughing out loud. She heard Sam sigh with relief.
"Chill. Joking!"
"Don't do that to me Cass!" Sam shook her head, laughing still.
"You know, I used to be a Goth. After my mom died, for about a year. I really got the guys attention that year. Goth can be very sexy and beautiful," Sam grinned, remembering her self at sixteen and her brother and dad going mad each time a new guy dropped her off. "It can be freaky and ugly too. Depends. Some people do go too far."
"Glad you're cool with it."The next few days were basically the same routine – nightmares, up early, to the base, hours of work with Sophie, and then home. On the Friday, Sam was there in the Gate Room to meet SG-1 as they arrived home.
Jack walked down the ramp and grinned, waving casually to her and then reporting to Hammond. Once he'd done that, he turned back to her. "Hey! How are you?"
"I'm okay, thank you," She smiled. "You?"
"Good...Glad to be off of that planet. Trees, trees, and more trees," He sighed. "Yo Hailey, good job," he called to Jennifer, as she headed out of the room. She nodded and thanked him.
"Wow. You never praise a temp," Sam frowned.
"She didn't get shot! I have more confidence in her now," He explained. "Someone always gets injured, this time, it was Daniel."
"Daniel? Oh god, hey!" She panicked, and then looked up to the ramp to see he and Teal'C were examining some artefact. Daniel looked up, and when he saw her, handed the object to Teal'C. He jogged down the ramp and gave her a gentle hug. "You got shot?"
"What? Yes. Yes, I did," he nodded. "It's nothing, it just grazed my arm."
"Once he stopped screaming, I gave him a shot of drugs. He's much better now aren't ya Danny boy," Jack laughed. "Hey, shouldn't you be at home by now? Resting?"
"I should, but I heard you guys were coming back."
"Liar," Jack said, shaking his head. "You haven't changed which implies you were still working out when the Gate dialled up. You came to meet us."
"You caught me, mommy," Sam grinned. "Could I get a lift to Janet's? I assume you'll be going home after you've seen her, after a long mission like that."
"Yeah, sure. Get cleaned up and get a drink. No labs, no work, no gym. Just blue jello and possibly coffee," he commanded. "I'll meet you there."
"I have returned," Jack announced as he strolled in to the infirmary, finding Doctor Frasier waiting for him. He jumped up on to the nearest bed.
"Welcome back," She said. "Daniel the only injury?"
"Yes, he is, me, Teal'C and Hails are all fine," Jack nodded. "Hows the living arrangement?"
"It's good," Janet replied, as she put her gloves on. "I think she's struggling. And I think she's probably having nightmares, not that she will tell me."
"Oh," he sighed. "She was still working out before we arrived."
"She was?" Janet growled. "Oh dear. She's working too hard. I've warned her and warned her."
"I said I'd drop her at your place after I'm done here," He told her, "I'll talk to her."
After they'd had a coffee, Jack drove Sam back to Janet's, and he told her all about the mission, and after around 20 minutes, he finally managed to bring up the subject of her. "Are you over doing it Carter?"
"No...why do you say that?" She frowned, looking out of the window.
"You look worse now than when I left," he told her, bracing himself. She was not going to be happy, but it was the truth.
"But now, I can walk, so I must be better," She shrugged. "I'm almost there. I'm nearly back to being me."----- Two Weeks Later -----"I just don't..." Jack trailed off as he saw his Second In Command knock on the door, and enter.
"Am I interrupting?" She asked, taking a step back.
"Kind of," He sighed, obviously frustrated about something.
"Colonel O'Neill and I were just discussing who should fill in for you. Lieutenant Hailey already has a job, and we can't spare her any longer. She's needed here," Hammond explained, with a half smile. "The Colonel isn't too keen on any of my nine suggestions."
"Oh," She paused for a moment. "I'll come back later."
"No, Colonel O'Neill will come back later," Hammond told her, nodding to Jack. "Dismissed."
"Yes sir," he mumbled, leaving and closing the door behind him.
"What can I do for you Major?" George asked, sitting back in his chair and relaxing slightly. Jack was a great guy, but he didn't half cause some problems for Hammond.
"Sir, I am here to request that you return me to active duty. I'm ready to rejoin SG-1," She announced. There was silence for a minute, and she felt like she was going to be sick. Hammond didn't think she was fit enough.
"I'm not sure, Major, I'd need a report from Doctor Frasier, and," he paused again, and thought for a moment. "I will consider it."
"Thank you sir," she grinned. "Thank you."
On her way out, she made sure she snapped a salute and then closed the door. She descended the stairs, keeping a hand on the rail. She smiled and then paused when she reached the bottom, placing a hand on her stomach. She shook her head and headed off to find Daniel, putting on her best smiley face.
A bit of nausea wasn't going to stop her from getting back to work.
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To Be Continued...Feedback Please!