Title: Home Sweet Home Author: Kazza Email: kazzak999@hotmail.com Story Status: Complete Sequel/Series Info: None Season: Any Spoilers: None Categories: Hurt/Comfort Pairing: None Rating: PG Content Warning: None Summary: The neighbours rally around Colonel Jack O’Neill 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: 48KB Authors Notes: This idea grew from something Mary ‘Badgergater’ said….Why do we assume that it’s always Jack’s team that looks after him when he’s hurt? Once again, thanks goes to Karen (Kent) for her excellent beta’ring skills.
Home Sweet Home by Kazza
Home. It was times like this that he truly appreciated his humble abode. Dismissing the airman who’d driven him home, Jack closed the front door, leaned back against it for a moment to gather his strength, then threw the door keys onto the hall table and shuffled slowly into the kitchen. Retrieving a bottle of water from the fridge, he continued his painful progess through to the living area, before easing his aching body down onto the couch. With a sigh, he leaned back and closed his eyes. He’d been clever, persuading Janet to release him from the Academy Hospital whilst his team were out on a mission with SG9. He was guaranteed at least three days without the well intentioned mothering of his team. He was feeling pretty pleased with himself; totally unaware that the unofficial neighbourhood ‘Colonel Watch’ was about to swing into action.
* Mrs Dawson, a 76 year old widow, had been alerted to the fact that the handsome Air Force Colonel, who lived across the way, was home when the nondescript sedan pulled up in the driveway opposite her own home. She watched from the window as the Colonel slowly made his way to his front door, the driver of the car hovering behind him. There was no evidence of the Colonel’s usual entourage. She waited a while after the driver left, but there was still no sign of the large, forbidding-looking, coloured man, the pretty blonde woman nor the be-spectacled gentleman,. Also absent was the petite woman whom Mrs Dawson was certain was a doctor. It appeared that the Colonel was being left, unusually, to fend for himself. She tutted and shook her head, before reaching for the phone.
*
Albert Johnson put the telephone down and looked across at his wife. “Nettie Dawson says the Colonel’s home.” Sylvia Johnson looked up from the crossword she had been concentrating on. “It’s about time. How long has it been this time? Three weeks.” Albert Johnson nodded in agreement. “And she said he wasn’t moving too well, and his friends seem to have left him on his own.” With a shake of her head, Sylvia got to her feet. “Just as well it was bake day yesterday then.” She headed towards the kitchen and then stopped, turning back to look at her husband. “You’d better give Donna a call.”
*
Donna James snatched up the phone before it rang a second time and glanced anxiously at her baby son, relieved to see the noise hadn’t disturbed him, before speaking in a low tone. “Hello.” She moved into the kitchen and closed the door behind her. * And so the telephones continued to ring in the quiet Colorado Springs suburb. *
Waking up wasn’t a pleasant sensation. His ribs were still sore and the stitches in his side still pulled. His common sense had told him sleeping on the couch wasn’t going to be one of his better ideas, but the journey from the hospital had tired him and he’d found himself drifting off. Levering himself up into a sitting position, he scrubbed his hand through his hair and looked blearily around the room, his eyes resting on the clock. He’d been asleep just over two hours. He tried to remember what had woken him. It wasn’t the aching pain, he was sure it was something else. A knock of the door refreshed his memory. Mustering all his energy, he pulled himself to his feet and made his way across the lounge, up the stairs to the front door. Each step hurt more than he cared to admit. As he reached out to for the handle, whoever it was knocked again and he winced as the sound reverberated inside his skull. “Okay, okay, okay,” he muttered under his breath.
*
“Good morning, Colonel.” Sylvia Johnson, his across-the-road-neighbour, stood on the porch step, a large box in her hands. Donna James stood just behind him, two groceries bags in her hands and baby Michael nestled in the baby sling across her chest. She beamed at him. “Hi, Jack.” Jack eyed the two of them suspiciously. “Hello….” The wariness in his voice was very clear. Sylvia beamed at him. “We saw you were home and figured you probably wouldn’t have much in the house in the way of food.” Without waiting for a reply, she bustled past him into the house. “So we brought some essentials over to keep you going until you’re feeling up to fetching groceries yourself.” Jack stared after her as she disappeared into the kitchen, his jaw slack. Donna chuckled. “Be careful, Jack, Sylvia can be a formidable foe.” She moved to his side and eyed him critically. “Sometimes I think you’re a magnet for accidents.” He looked at her ruefully. “Ain’t that the truth.” He looked down at baby Michael, sleeping soundly. “He’s getting big.” “Eats everything in his path.” She held up the bags. “Speaking of which: milk, bread, coffee…..all the essentials, as Sylvia said.” She followed Sylvia’s path into the kitchen. With no choice but to follow, Jack closed the door and headed for the kitchen as well. Sylvia was already in her element, unpacking the box she’d carried in. “I’ll leave a homemade stew in the fridge for you to heat up tonight. If you don’t fancy that, there’s chicken soup in there as well. I’ll put the other stew and the two meat pies in the freezer.” Jack watched in disbelief as, with Donna’s help, she took over his kitchen. “I also whipped up my special pancake mix as well. Try some for breakfast tomorrow.” She took the grocery bags from Donna, emptying the contents out onto the kitchen table. “Juice, eggs, bacon, milk…..if there is anything else you need, we can bring it over tomorrow.” “Mrs Johnson, I really appreciate this but….” Jack finally found his voice, but she swiftly cut in. “Nonsense, Colonel. I don’t want to hear a word. You’re clearly under the weather and should be resting.” She looked at Donna. “Why don’t you make sure the Colonel rests while I finish up here.” Donna took hold of Jack’s arm and deftly steered him out of the kitchen and back into the lounge. “It’s no use arguing with Sylvia once she gets going. You’ll only run out of breath.” Jack lowered himself down gently onto the couch. “Why?” he asked in a bewildered voice, gesturing weakly towards the sounds of military style organisation going on in his kitchen. Donna took up residence in one of the armchairs and unstrapped Michael from the baby sling, settling him in her arms. “Surely,” she smiled sweetly, you are aware of the neighbourhood ‘Colonel Watch’?” “Huh?” He looked at her, clueless. “Jack, every time you leave the house the neighbours log you out. And when you return, they log you back in. If you’re gone more than a few days, speculation grows about your absence.” She shook her head. “You were inviting trouble by coming home alone, clearly unwell. They were galvanised into action. I tagged along for damage control.” Jack groaned. “You are joking, aren’t you?” Donna laughed and shook her head. “You’re a magnet for these people, including me. If there’s help needed with fixing a roof, you’re there to help. A lawn needs mowing, you’re there. Kids want to play street hockey, you’re out there making a complete ass of yourself with them. Bad weather, you get your truck out and make the grocery runs for the old folk. They remember it all. Hell, Jack, I landed on your doorstep and gave birth on your living room floor, without having ever met you before, and you just shrugged it off.” She looked serious for a moment. “How are you doing?” “I’m good.” He smiled wryly. “Just a few aches and pains.” “Colonel,” Sylvia bustled into the room with a tray. “I assume you haven’t eaten lunch?” She put the tray down on the coffee table. “Sandwich and juice.” She looked at her watch. “I have to go now, Albert will be wanting his lunch.” She waved him back down as he moved to rise to his feet. “Stay there and take it easy.” It was an order if he’d ever been given one. Master Sergeant Johnson had spoken! Jack shook his head. “I don’t know what to say. Thank…” Again she cut him off. “Nonsense, Colonel. No thanks needed. It’s about time you let us do something for you.” She smiled at Donna. “I’ll give you a call later.” Donna nodded and both watched as Sylvia turned on her heel and left. “You’d better eat your sandwich, Jack.” Donna finally looked at Jack again. “There’ll be trouble if you don’t.”
*
When he’d been stuck in the hospital recuperating from his latest list of injuries, Jack had wished for nothing more than his own bed. This morning, a bright, sunny, Sunday morning, he regretted his wish. Feeling like he’d aged fifty years overnight, Jack forced himself out of bed reminding himself that he was lucky to be alive. In the midst of fight with a squad of Jaffa, he’d been targeted by one of their ‘big’ guns. A warning shouted by Daniel hadn’t been enough and he’d found himself thrown through the air like a rag doll by the force of the explosion. That had been the last thing he’d recalled until he’d woken in the Academy Hospital ten days later, to listen to Dr Fraiser reel off a long list of injuries, including broken ribs, a punctured lung and a nasty skull fracture. On his discharge from the hospital, Janet had warned him that he’d be feeling the effects of his injuries for a while to come. She wasn’t kidding. A hot shower was definitely the first order of the day.
*
It was just gone 10am when Jack finally made it down the stairs. Not feeling the slightest bit hungry, he made do with a cup of coffee which he decided to take out on the deck, so he could take advantage of the beautiful weather. But as he stepped outside, he stopped in his tracks and groaned. “Morning, Jack.” Albert Johnson took a moment from mowing Jack’s lawn, and waved to him. “The weather is just perfect to tend to the garden. I was up early, finished mine so I thought I’d pop over and do yours.” With a grin, he restarted the mower and continued. Jack slumped down into one of his garden chairs and could do nothing but watch, as he nursed his cup of coffee.
*
“Colonel Jack!” The shout of a kid roused Jack from his doze just before midday and as he recovered from the initial shock, he found a gathering contingent of kids from the local community project on his freshly mowed lawn. Standing with them was Matt Simpson, the community project leader, grinning from ear to ear. “Hey, Jack. We heard you weren’t feeling too great and because the weather is looking good, the kids decided to come over and help out. Maybe wash your truck or something?” Jack looked at the kids milling around with their eager faces, and knew he didn’t have the heart to turn down their offer. With a sigh he stood up. “Truck’s in the garage. I’ll go get the keys.”
*
He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. All day, well meaning neighbours had trooped through his house and garden. His windows had been cleaned by the kids after they finished the truck, Donna’s husband Michael, and Kevin Phillips from ‘round the corner’, had turned up early in the afternoon to start on cleaning his guttering, and Sylvia had checked in on him to make sure he had eaten something and to do a little spring cleaning. None of them would take no for an answer. Maybe he was losing his edge. He retreated to the couch and pulled a comforter over his head.
*
Janet brought her car to a stop outside the Colonel’s house and wondered what on earth was going on. Jack was standing in the driveway surrounded by the kids, as he inspected his shining truck. When he gave it the thumbs up, the kids all gave a little cheer before being herded into a minivan, by a happily smiling man. Shaking her head, she got out of her car, retrieved her medical bag and walked up the driveway. “Sir?” He gave the kids a wave as they drove off and then gave Janet a weary smile. “Hi, Doc.” She glanced around her, noticing Michael and Kevin up on the roof. “Sir, what’s going on?” He shook his head. “It’s a long story.” “Well you can tell me while I’ll check you over.” She indicated to the open front door. “I assume you will want to do this inside?”
*
Two days later, the remaining members of SG-1 stepped through the wormhole and arrived home at the SGC. Heading straight to the infirmary for their post mission check ups, they were also eager to get an update on their CO. “How’s Jack?” Daniel sat on the edge of the gurney and presented his arm for a blood pressure reading. Janet wrapped the cuff around his arm. “He’s fine, Daniel. Suffering no more than a few aches and pains now.” “Good. I’ll swing by the hospital and see him after the debriefing.” “He’s home.” She finished taking his reading and unwrapped the cuff. “I discharged him three days ago.” Daniel stared at her, aghast. “On his own?” She nodded. “Yes, Daniel. You see, the Colonel is an adult and fully capable of looking after himself.” If he had a chance she thought.
*
He had woken this morning feeling remarkably better; the aches and pains had begun to ease off, and he was finally moving without resembling an old man. The previous evening, he’d finally found himself alone. Sylvia and Donna had popped in and out most of the day but he’d managed to persuade them he was doing fine, so he’d had a quiet evening and even found himself laughing over the events of the previous couple of days. It was ironic that he’d been so pleased to evade his team’s fussing, only for his well meaning neighbours to step into the breach. This morning he’d whipped up a batch of pancakes, using Sylvia’s mix of course, and with a mug of freshly brewed coffee, he found himself sitting on the deck thinking that life wasn’t really that bad. Just after 11am, Sylvia had popped her head around the side of the house “Morning Colonel.” He put down the magazine he was reading and grinned. “Morning, Mrs Johnson.” Sylvia stepped up onto the deck and helped herself to the spare chair. “Sylvia, Colonel. I told you to call me Sylvia.” “And I told you to call me Jack.” He shot back. She smiled. “Touché.” Jack leaned forward in his chair, resting his elbows on the garden table. “Sylvia, I just wanted to say how much I’ve appreciated everything that you and the others have done for me. It wasn’t necessary but…..” He trailed off, not quite knowing what to say. Sylvia shrugged it off. “Think nothing of it, Jack. It’s nice to have been given the opportunity to do something for you for a change.” She managed to look a little sheepish. “Even if we did go a tad overboard. I’m afraid that was my fault….I kind of rallied the troops.” In the brief silence that followed, the sound of car doors slamming could be heard. Jack leaned over and gently squeezed the older woman’s hand. He knew she’d lost her daughter many years ago in a car accident and took every opportunity she could to help others. Sylvia Johnson had a heart of gold. The hammering on the front door broke the moment, and Jack glanced over his shoulder into the house. “Daniel.” He sounded resigned. As Sylvia left, her own brand of mothering went with her. In her wake, arrived Daniel, followed closely by the rest of SG-1, to start another round of mothering. Life could be so cruel.
The End.
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