Author: Kazza Email: kazzak999@hotmail.com Story Status: Complete Sequel/Series Info: None Season: Season 6 Spoilers: None Categories: Hurt/Comfort Pairing: None Rating: PG Content Warning: Spotty Jack Summary: A child’s disease makes itself at home with the good Colonel Archive Permissions: Jackfic, Incoming Wormhole Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, Gekko Productions; all the powers that be, not me; This story is for entertainment purposes only File Size: 38KB Authors Notes: I’m pushing 30 and I am currently suffering from my first bout of Chicken Pox. So, being the mean and nasty person that I am, I decided that Colonel Jack O’Neill should also suffer a bout of Chicken Pox.
Chicken Pox by Kazza
Stumbling into the bathroom, he grabbed hold of a wash cloth and ran it under the cold water tap before pressing it to his face. Typical, three days of downtime and he was coming down with flu. Crap. With his entire body aching, he tiredly hauled himself back into the bedroom and crawled under the blankets, shivering as a chill hit him. * Fifteen minutes later all the blankets had been tossed onto the floor as his body felt like it was on fire. * As dawn broke, he forced himself out of the bed and, draping a blanket around him, shuffled downstairs to the kitchen. The thought of food turned his stomach so he settled for a bottle of water, which he took through to the lounge where he slumped down on the couch. Sipping the cool water, he tried to look on the bright side of being sick during downtime. At least he wouldn’t have his team fussing around him and Janet wouldn’t be able to threaten him with huge honkin’ needles. Eventually a wave of exhaustion overwhelmed him and he drifted off to sleep. * “Doctor Fraiser?” The nurse hovered in the doorway of Janet’s office, clutching a file to her chest. Janet, her mind on the stack of patient charts in front of her, glanced up absentmindedly. “Yes?” “I think you need to see this.” She stepped further into the office and held the file out for Janet. “It’s Colonel O’Neill’s post mission blood results.” At the mention of the Colonel’s name, Janet took the file and focused on it immediately. The nurse stayed stock still waiting for the explosion. She wasn’t disappointed. “Dammit!” She was now on her feet. “Is the Colonel on base?” The nurse shook her head. “I don’t know, doctor.” * He woke a couple of hours later and wasn’t surprised to discover that he felt even worse than when he had fallen asleep. Not only did his body ache, his skin felt like it was on fire. Struggling off the couch he looked blearily around, not quite sure what do with himself. As he stepped back, he bumped against the coffee table and grabbed hold of the side of couch to stop himself falling. It was then that he saw the spots on his arms. “Crap.” * Janet pulled up in the Colonel’s driveway and, medical bag in hand, hurried up to the front door. “Colonel?” She rang the doorbell and then knocked urgently on the door. * Dragging his eyes from the spots when he heard Janet calling, he pulled all his strength together and made his way to the door. * As soon as she saw him, she knew that the blood results hadn’t been a mistake. “Colonel.” He looked at her groggily. “Doc? How did you know.” She took hold of his arm and helped back inside the house, steering him towards the stairs and the bedroom. * She rested the cool damp cloth against his forehead and took in the rash that was still erupting across his body. It seemed to be confined to his chest, abdomen and back but it was a severe case. “Colonel, you have chicken pox. The virus showed up in the post mission blood work.” She opened her bag. “I’m going to give you a shot of an anti viral drug and another shot of anti-histamine to help relieve the itching sensation. Both these drugs are going to make you woozy, so don’t fight it. Let them do their work.” He nodded and let himself sink into the comfort of his bed, trying desperately to ignore the itching. “I thought I had flu.” She gave a small smile. “Flu symptoms are often the first sign of chicken pox, sir.” She drew up the first injection. “In children, this virus can be shrugged off in a few days but for some reason in adults, the risks are a lot higher.” She gave him the injection and he grimaced. “Ow!” Discarding the first needle, she shook her head. “And I thought that you were supposed to be tough.” “Tough, yes, but not masochistic.” He grimaced again as she gave him the second injection. “Get some sleep, Colonel.” She got up from where she had been sitting on the edge of the bed. “And no itching.” * “Chicken pox.” Sam sat at the kitchen table and looked at Janet in disbelief. “Where did he get that from?” “You know the Colonel and kids, Sam. He’s been helping out at the youth centre in his spare time and there’s been an epidemic in the local schools.” Janet handed her a mug of coffee and then sat down opposite her. “It’s hit him fast, the rash is already severe and it’ll get worse before the anti viral drugs kick in.” Sam winced. “The poor Colonel. What can I do to help?” She shrugged. “I guess that’s why you called me.” Janet nodded. “I can’t take him back to the infirmary with a contagious virus. In a closed environment like the SGC, we would be looking at more cases. Thankfully, your last mission was to an uninhabited planet and having counted back the days, he was only at the SCG for a few hours when he would be have been contagious. However, I have already instructed Dr Warner to start screening people for the virus.” She hesitated before continuing. “I’m going to stay with him until tomorrow but he’s not going to in any fit state to look after himself for a few days yet.” Sam shrugged. “I can hang around.” * “Okay, sir, don’t be a pain.” Janet looked at the electronic display of the aural thermometer. His temperature had risen to 102.5 and he was tossing and turning in his sleep. “Janet, what’s wrong?” Sam stood in the doorway watching the scene worriedly. “The Colonel’s temp is little too high for my liking.” She rested her hand on his forehead and his eyes flickered open. “Still here, doc.” “You know how much of a pain in the ass I can be.” She smiled and then took a deep breath. “Sir, you’re running a temperature because you’re fighting the virus. And as you know, a high temperature isn’t good for anyone.” He grimaced. “No kidding.” ”So I need to get you in a cool bath with some ointment. It will help your temperature and also help with the rash.” She looked over her shoulder at Sam. “Sam, can you run a bath. Keep the water cool….room temperature.” Jack struggled to sit up. “Carter’s here?” “Yes she is, sir.” She pushed him back down onto the bed. “Now just lie still.” * Sam checked the water temperature one last time and then poured the ointment into it, her nose wrinkling from the smell. Giving the water a swirl to dissipate the lotion, she then back to the bedroom. “Janet, the bath’s ready.” Janet nodded. “Okay, let’s get him onto his feet.” She turned her attention to Jack. “Sir?” His eyes cracked open again. “Bathtime?” She nodded. “Yes, sir. Sam and I are going to help you so let us do the work.” She indicated for Sam to join them and together they got him to his feet. * Still in his boxers, they lowered him gently into the water and he immediately protested about the temperature and the smell. “Jeez, doc, this smells like yaks milk!” His eyes glistened feverishly as the two women smothered giggles. “Relax, colonel, you’re only going to have to be in there for five minutes. Then it’s back to bed.” * Back in bed and after another round of shots, Jack slipped back into a restless sleep. Sam had gone for the night with the promise that she would be back in the morning to take over as chief babysitter and Janet found herself curled up in a chair at his bedside. He was still running a fever but his temperature hadn’t risen any further, although the rash was still breaking out. She hoped that this would stop within the next 12 hours as the anti viral drugs took hold. With a sigh, she closed her eyes and fell asleep. It had been a long day. * Twice in the night he awoke from feverish dreams and Janet had found herself sitting on the bed next to him, gently stroking his sweat soaked hair and talking to him gently as he went back off to sleep. Then in the early hours of the morning, his temperature began to drop and he lost the restlessness, slipping into an easier sleep. * When Sam arrived back just after 8am, armed with hot coffee and bagels, she found an exhausted Janet in the kitchen. “Hey Janet, are you okay?” She put the coffee and bagels down on the table. Janet looked at her tiredly. “Just an interrupted night’s sleep.” She snagged one of the coffees and a bagel, biting into it hungrily. “The Colonel’s doing a lot better this morning. The anti viral agent is working well and I don’t expect there to be any complications.” Sam looked pleased. “That’s good news. What do you need me to do?” Janet finished the bagel and took a sip of the coffee. “He’s pretty wiped out so I imagine that he’ll sleep most of today. Keep an eye on his temperature, make him drink plenty of water and try and get him to eat something……nothing much, maybe some soup. I’ve already given him a dose of anti-histamines that should keep the itching at bay this morning but I’ll leave some in tablet form if the itching gets too bad again.” She took another sip of coffee. “If his temperature rises again, call me immediately. I’ll be at the base.” * True to Janet’s word, he did sleep the majority of the day away, waking only to drink a little water. Sam’s attempt to get him to eat something failed miserably as he complained of feeling sick, which Janet assured her over the telephone was perfectly normal. * When Janet returned in the evening, Jack was awake again and even surprised himself by admitting that he felt better. “Dr Fraiser, miracle worker, strikes again.” He gave her a weak grin as she took up position on the edge of his bed. “I think you need to thank the drugs, sir.” She took his temperature and checked his pulse, please to see that everything was slowly returning to normal. “Is the rash still coming out?” Sam shook her head. “No new spots since early this afternoon.” Janet looked pleased. “That’s excellent news.” Adopting her stern expression to looked at Jack. “Your body is still fighting the virus with the aid of the drugs, so even though you may be feeling better you still need to take it easy. I want you to stay in bed for at least another 24 hours and only then will you be allowed to move to the couch. I’ve brought plenty of fresh food for you to eat, no junk food and definitely no alcohol as you need to stay on the anti-histamines for the itching. I also want you to drink plenty of fluids. Major Carter will be here for the next couple of days to make you sure you obey my orders. Is that understood?” He nodded meekly and she smiled again. “Good. Now, I’m going home to catch up with my sleep and I don’t want to hear anything from Sam that will cause me to have to come back before the morning.” As she left the room, she thought she heard him mutter ‘Napoleonic powermonger’ under his breath and she grinned. Yep, he was definitely feeling better.
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