It had all happened so quickly. One minute the four of them had been walking through the forest, laughing and joking as usual (except Teal'c, who just looked confused) when Carter had suddenly screamed and fallen to the ground.
Jack hurried to her side. She had only screamed that once, but he could tell she was in incredible pain. All the blood had drained from her cheeks and lips, so the only colour in her face was her blue eyes. He pushed the grass aside and winced. Carter's leg was caught in a particularly savage man-trap.
"Help me, will ya." he snapped at Daniel, but no matter how much they pulled at the trap, it wouldn't open. Carter said nothing, but Jack was all too aware of how she paled, and bit her lip to stop from crying out every time they touched the trap. The pain must have been immense, but Jack had to get her out somehow. He was beginning to feel some sympathy for what Sam had gone through when she had set his leg.
"Can't you just faint?" he said to her, trying to keep her spirits up.
"Sorry, Sir." she replied with a sickly smile. "I'm not the fainting type."
"Umm, alright, I think I've got it." Daniel said. "Teal'c, fire here, will you?"
"Wait!" Jack shouted, worried Teal'c would take Sam's leg off, but he had already fired. Jack looked down at Carter, expecting to see her missing a leg. Instead, thankfully, he saw that her leg was free and whole. Unfortunately, it was also gushing blood at an alarming rate. Daniel was tying a bandage around it, but judging by the worried expression on his face, it wasn't going to help much.
At that moment, Jack suddenly became aware of rustling in the bushes. 'The natives are becoming restless.' he thought. 'Probably want to see what they've caught in this damn trap.'
He glanced down. "Hey Carter, can you walk."
No answer. He looked closer at her.
"Oh great." he said. "NOW you decide to pass out."
"She's lost a lot of blood." Daniel explained. "Why, what's wrong?"
"Oh nothing important. Just the usual bloodthirsty natives waiting to slice and dice."
"Oh."
"Captain Carter will not be able to make it back to the Stargate." Teal'c observed.
"Ya think?"
Teal'c ignored him. "Daniel Jackson should stay with her and you and I will return to the Stargate."
Jack nodded.
"Good plan." he said. "Except DANIEL will go back with you and I will stay here."
Daniel started to protest, but Jack said, "I don't leave anyone behind Daniel. I go home when we all go home. Is that clear?"
Daniel nodded.
"And anyway," Jack continued, "I'm sure the bad guys will be back soon, and I can defend her better than you."
"Alright." Daniel conceded. "We should only be a couple of hours. Don't move away from here though, or we'll never find you."
And with that, Daniel and Teal'c left Sam and Jack alone in the forest.
xxxxx
Jack settled down next to the unconscious Carter to wait for the attack. It wasn't long coming. Arrows, probably tipped with poison, and spears flew through the trees from silent, invisible hands. They fell short of Carter and Jack, and he reckoned they were just testing their strength. Jack fired his gun twice into the air, and the attack stopped, but he knew they would be back. He was heavily outnumbered, and only had a finite amount of bullets.
"Carter." he whispered. "Sam, wake up."
Her eyes opened, then she winced as the pain hit her again. Jack watched the agony cross her face, creasing it into a tight frown. He doubted she could have hidden it even she had wanted to, she had such an expressive face. He always knew what she was thinking - well, almost always.
He watched her struggle to control herself, then said, "Ok?"
She nodded, carefully. "For now." she replied. "Where's Daniel and Teal'c?"
"Back through the Stargate. Carter, we can't stay here. We'll be attacked again."
"I think I can make it to the gate Sir."
"I'm afraid not. They're between us and the gate. We'll have to find another way round. Sorry."
Carter looked at him, realising that he was worried about her, and doubted she could last the journey. Hell, even SHE doubted she could last the journey. Still, she nodded bravely, and tried to stand. However, she had underestimated how weak she was, and she fell again. Jack watched her tried to stand again, but turned away. He couldn't bear to see the agony on her face. She fell again, heavily.
"That didn't work." she said, trying to laugh.
"Hold on." he replied. "I may have an idea." He looked around, then walked over towards one of the smaller trees. He pulled at it until a branch came off. He held it out to her.
"Crutch?" he asked.
She stared at it dubiously for a second, then took it. She started to walk gingerly, leaning heavily on the McGyvered crutch. She stumbled, and Jack grabbed her, but she looked at him sternly and said, "I can manage Sir. Thanks anyway."
He stepped back, unwilling to offer help she didn't want. If only she weren't so damn stubborn! They moved off, Jack keeping a careful, but discreet eye on Carter.
xxxxx
They walked for a while through the difficult woody terrain. Jack wasn't quite sure where they were going. He had no maps, and compasses were useless on alien planets. He just had to hope that he could lead them back to the Stargate while avoiding the natives. He sneaked a look at Sam. She was struggling, he could see, but she would construe any offer of help as an attack on her as a soldier. Why did she have to be so independent and tough anyway? It wasn't as if he was planning to swing her over her shoulder and play caveman, he was just offering her an arm to lean on.
He glanced again at her. Her face was pale, and there were lines of pain across her forehead that he made his heart ache to see. She was struggling with the crutch on the uneven ground, and she kept slipping. Jack couldn't
take it anymore.
"Alright, that's it!" he said. She looked up at him in surprise, and he winced to see how much pain that small movement cost her. "Put your arm round me. Lean on me. No arguments Carter, that's an order!"
She opened her mouth to argue, then gave in and smiled gratefully. She slipped his arm round his neck, and he put his arm round her waist. He was surprised to feel how small she was. She had always been so bulked up by her fatigues he had never realised how small she really was. He had to bend slightly to keep her arm round his neck.
He could see her glancing down at her foot every so often. He guessed she was worrying about it, worrying she would lose it, never be able to walk again, be a soldier again. He could feel the depression settle down. This was bad. They had moved quite a way from where Daniel and Teal'c had left them, and it would take a long time for any rescue time to find them. If she was to survive, Jack had to keep her morale up - and she HAD to survive. Jack couldn't imagine SG1 without her... didn't WANT to imagine life without her.
He had to talk to her, raise her spirits. Trouble was, his brain had gone loopy, and he could only think of one thing to say. Oh what the hell - if it kept her going it was worth it.
"Well, here we are Carter, all alone on this planet, arms round each other. You'll be the envy of every woman on the base." He winced as he heard himself say it. For crying out loud, couldn't he think of just one intelligent thing to say right now?
She smiled. She knew what he was doing, and decided to play along. He could do with a bit of teasing, he did it to her often enough! It was time for revenge.
"Actually Sir," she said innocently. "On the women's league table..."
"The women have a league table!"
She kept her face straight only with difficulty. "Oh yes." she continued. "The women on the base do. Anyway, on this table, Daniel is number one choice to be stranded on a planet with."
"Daniel! Daniel Jackson! With the glasses! And the allergies!" He was totally blown away, and a little hurt.
"Oh yes Sir." she continued innocently, loving the reactions she was provoking. "He's a bit helpless..."
"A bit!"
"And women love that. And he's cute."
"Cute!"
"Oh yes." she said, enjoying herself. She was loving this. It was not often she got a chance to tease Jack. "Of course, you do run a close second Sir, but Daniel is that touch younger and... owwww!"
Jack looked round. He had dragged Carter's bad leg over a tree stump without noticing! She, or rather he, had banged her leg and the bandage had come loose. For crying out loud,what had he been thinking, to hurry her like that! Couldn't he take a little teasing! He reached down to adjust her bandage.
As he got up he said. "I'm sorry. I'll be more careful."
She looked into his eyes. He looked very contrite, and very concerned, and she had never been able to resist that look. "Sir?"
"Carter?"
"You do run a VERY close second. And I never did like helpless men."
He stared down into her bright blue eyes, trying to work out if she was apologising for teasing him or... He shook himself out of the spell of her gaze, and returned to her side. they continued the long trek.
They left the woods after a while, and found themselves on great open plains. The going was easier here. Jack saw Sam was still frowning though.
"You ok?" he asked.
"Yeah. I just feel like such a... a cliche!"
"Beg pardon?"
"You know, hurting myself, having to lean on a man, being suddenly so helpless and needy."
"Carter." he said, turning to face her. "Samantha, I have never known anyone who needed other people less."
"Thanks." she said, puzzled by the bleak look she had briefly seen in his eyes.
"Anyway," he continued, "What's so wrong about leaning on me?"
"Absolutely nothing Sir." 'In fact,' she thought, 'if it wasn't for the fact that I'm in excruciating pain, I'd be enjoying us walking here, arms around each other.'
'Absolutely nothing.' Jack thought. 'That's not bad for someone who comes in second to Daniel'.
xxxxx
Night fell suddenly, silently, before Jack even noticed. He had had no time to find an adequate camp, so they sat down where they were.
"Are we going to have a fire Sir?" Carter asked.
"Can't. Grass is soaking wet, and we left the woods behind a long time ago."
"Oh." She sounded odd, and Jack looked at her, trying to fathom what was wrong.
"What is it Carter?"
She glanced at him. "Jack?" she said softly.
"Yeah?" he replied, suddenly aware of a change in the air that both frightened and excited him.
"Did you know you're going grey?"
He laughed, partly, in relief. Sam smiled. She loved that laugh, but heard it so rarely.
"Well, can you blame me? Between you trying to liberate every woman in the universe and Daniel's passion for rocks, and the fact that I'm constantly having to rescue the two of you, I'm surprised I haven't dropped dead of a stroke!"
"I don't need rescuing! Besides, we've rescued you more than once."
"Sam." he said, quietly, seriously, changing the subject. "What is wrong."
"Nothing Sir."
"Oh, come on, I've known you long enough to know when something is wrong. What is it?"
"It's nothing Sir... just something silly."
"Tell me."
"You'll laugh."
"I won't."
She turned to him, looking very young and vulnerable in the moonlight. "I'm afraid of the dark."
He stared at her for a second. "I thought you said you hadn't been afraid of the dark since you were two."
She shrugged. "That's indoors. Out here, there's no walls to keep the monster out, just a great heavy blackness that goes on forever. I know it's silly but..."
"No. I understand." He did understand, but he was amazed. He couldn't imagine Carter being afraid of anything, let alone the dark. It didn't make him want to laugh. It made her seem vulnerable, and he was suddenly aware of needing to protect her. He felt like that to all his team, but with her it was stronger. With her, he was fighting down a constant need to hold her close and safe out of the line of fire, all because he...
"Come here." he said.
"Sir?" She didn't believe she'd heard him right. He glanced up at her. She looked slightly anxious and surprised. She looked pale and ill. Maybe it was the moonlight, but he had a sudden feeling that if he didn't hold her close now, he would never hold her again. He knew she had lost a lot of blood, and might not last the night. He was suddenly very afraid for her, and for himself if he lost her.
"Carter, I'm cold, and its about to get colder. We need to share body heat, like we did in Antarctica.".
She hesitated.
"C'mon." he continued. "I swear, it'll still be my sidearm."
She smiled, nodded and crawled over to him. He put his arm round her and she snuggled into him, her body fitting perfectly against him. Like Antarctica, he fell asleep listening to the soothing gentle rhythm of her breathing, but this time, he didn't need to imagine it was Sara. This time, he had the only woman he wanted in his arms, and his dreams weren't filled with his wife, but the woman next to him.
xxxxx
He awoke gradually. He listened again for her breathing, but it was no longer gentle and regular. It was ragged and hoarse, and her breaths were shallow. He could feel thick sticky dampness where her leg lay across his. He sat up suddenly, but she didn't stir. He looked at her wound, getting more and more worried. Her bandage, and the ground underneath her were soaked with blood.
"Oh my God!" He tried to tighten the bandage, but it didn't stop the flow of blood. "Carter wake up." His voice was desperate, but she didn't stir. He reached up and shook her shoulder. "Sam!" Nothing. He slapped her lightly on her face, then recoiled in horror at the bloody imprint he had left on her cheek.
"Jack?" she murmured, and he had never heard a more beautiful sound.
He shook her gently.
"Sir?" she said, as her eyes opened. "Sir, why are you covered in blood? Are you alright?" He stared in anguish at her.
"It's your blood, Sam." he said quietly.
Her eyes opened wider, and she tried to sit up, but she was too weak and she fell back down again. "How much." she murmured.
He looked at it. He couldn't tell, he wasn't a doctor for crying out loud! He couldn't help her at all, all he could do was watch her bleed, and kick himself for not risking the natives, not getting her back to the gate.
"I dunno. A pint, maybe two. Sam..."
"I'm still bleeding, aren't I." There was a finalty to her voice which chilled him to the bone.
He nodded miserably.
"Sir, the human body only holds eight pints of blood. At the rate i'm losing it, I'll be dead soon."
"No, you won't!" he yelled, frustrated because deep inside he knew it was true. He pushed the bandage onto her as if he could push the blood back into her. "You won't die." he said intensely. "I won't let it happen."
"You don't have any choice." she replied, her heart aching for him. She knew how he hated to lose members of his team, and to have one die in his arms would be hell for him. She wished she could spare him. "I'm already dizzy and weak. It won't be long now."
"No, Sam." he growled. "YOU don't have a choice. You are going to live. Don't you see Sam, I..." He stopped. He could hear rustling in the grass, but he couldn't tell where it came from, or how far away it was.
"They're back." she whispered. "How many bullets have you got?" He checked the magazine in his pistol.
"Three." he said grimly.
"That's not enough. Go now, Sir, you can save yourself. You'll never survive if you stay here." 'I want you to go', she thought. 'I can't bear that you should die'.
"No!" How could he make her see, understand, that every fibre in his body revolted at the idea of leaving his Sam behind? "I'm not leaving you Sam. Not now, not ever."
"It's too late." she pleaded. "I can't last much longer!"
"Yes you can!" He moved forward and lifted her into his arms so her face was only inches away from his. "Sam, I order you to live. Do you hear me? What am I supposed to do without you? Who will laugh at my jokes? Who will explain to me what Daniel is talking about?" He was rambling he knew, but if she would only answer! Her eyelids were beginning to flutter, and he wasn't sure she heard him any more.
His voice was begging, pleading, desperate. "Sam please. I need you. After Charlie died, the world went black, but you bought the light back into my life. Don't leave me know, I'm begging you!"
He was crying, and a tear fell onto her cheek. She opened her eyes, and looked at him, and her hand reached up to stroke his cheek. "I'm sorry Sir." she whispered.
"Sam, I love you." he replied, but her eyes had already closed. He stroked her cheek, then slapped her, but she didn't wake up. He held her close. He could still hear her faint breathing, but it wouldn't last long. He would never hold her again. Never hear her voice, or her laugh. Never see her smile. It was all slipping away slowly in his arms. Only a few more moments, and she would be gone forever.
He clutched her to his body and screamed, "God no! Not my Sam! Please!" but no-one answered, and the only sound was her last laboured breaths and his own frenzied sobbing.
xxxxx
He didn't know how long he sat there, rocking Sam's body back and forth in his arms, listening to her final breaths, and sobbing quietly. He heard the rustling, closer now, and picked up his gun. He would take a few of the bastards with him before he died too. he picked up the gun, and aimed through his tears as someone parted the reeds.
"Jack!" Daniel cried joyfully. Then he saw the anguish and pain on Jacks face, and the tears running down his cheeks, and then he saw Sam's body.
"Oh my God. Janet, Teal'c over here!"
Janet rushed over to Sam. "She's still breathing!" she said. "She's still alive, but only just. Bring the oxygen!" She tried to move Sam onto the ground, but Jack held tight onto Sam. Janet looked up at Jack. "Let her go now Colonel." she said gently. "We can save her."
He let her go.
xxxxx
A few hours later, he sat in the infirmary, watching her wake up.
"Hey there." he said softly.
"Hey." she replied, smiling. His heart lurched. He had been so sure he would never see that smile again.
"You're going to be ok." he said gently. "You're going to have a slight limp for a while, but you're not going to need a peg leg."
"Good."
He nodded, then turned to leave. "Sir?"
"Yes, Captain?"
What was she about to say? Would she say she loved him too? He felt his heart stop as he waited.
"Thanks for staying with me." she said. He was surprised. Not a word about what he had said. Janet did mention she might not remember much about the last hour, but he hadn't really been listening.
"I'd do the same for anyone." he replied. It was no use, he had to know. "Carter... how much do you remember?"
"Pretty much nothing after we went to sleep that night. Why? Did something happen?"
"Nothing important." he said, feeling strangely deflated, yet relieved. "Get some sleep." and he left.
Just outside the door he met Daniel, keeping watch, like the faithful friend he was.
"Daniel, do me a favour." he asked.
"Sure Jack, anything."
"Don't tell her how I was when you found us.".
Daniel stared at his friend. He wished... but no. It was up to Jack when and where he told her. He wasn't going to interfere. "I won't." he promised as he watched Jack walk off down the hall.
'She doesn't remember.' Jack thought. 'I finally told her, and she doesn't remember. Well, I can live with that. It would have been impossible. Against regs, for a start. And I don't know how she feels. I'm probably just an old guy with severe emotional disability who just happens to be her colonel. Well, I don't care if she doesn't remember. As long as she's alive, and I can see her everyday, I can live with her not knowing. I'll be there, beside her, always.'
The End
Story Notes: SPOILERS: Solitudes, Brief Candle
here comes another story! this is a very old one, that I wrote ages ago, before i discovered you wonderful people. however, it does have a major sam-whumping, and elyssa wanted some, so elyssa, this is for you.
here comes another story! this is a very old one, that I wrote ages ago, before i discovered you wonderful people. however, it does have a major sam-whumping, and elyssa wanted some, so elyssa, this is for you.
DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognisable characters, settings, etc, are the property of their respective owners. Any original characters and plots are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended. ... [ read more ]