The battle had raged on into the night. It was quite now so they waited. SG-1 had been on planet for over 2 days now, MTR's getting low, not to mention the ammo. O'Neill was not at all worried, after all this is the U.S. Military. Hammond would not let them sit on this God forsaken planet without backup, for much longer. So when they heard the Gate opening around 4:00 a.m. Earth Standard Time. He breathed a small sign of relief. His team still in the ready position, locked and loaded, awaiting anything out of the ordinary hadn't moved from there posts.
O'Neill had his team strategically positioned around the gate. Teal'c had there back, Daniel covered the left flank, Carter the right, leaving O'Neill to cover the point. They'd been in this situation before, a few times the Colonel recalled silently, to himself in the dark. The standard 'Whoosh' of the Gate being activated was a welcoming sound to all ears. Not moving from there current positions, awaiting O'Neill's next command, before coming out in the open, into the light of the Gate itself. O'Neill had the best vantage point, recognizing SG-3 from Makepeace's booming voice. Smiling to himself, the Colonel stepped forward coming into plain view. Motioning to his team mates, to join the already growing number of Marines at the front of the Gate. Carter was the last to move, she had her weapon in front, ready as she crested the side of the Gate. What Carter didn't see however was Colonel Makepeace's newest team member Captain Tignor, spin around quickly about 20 feet in front of her, without thinking she raised her weapon to indicate non hostile. Unfortunately, the new Captain, had only seen quick movement out of the corner of his eye, he was working on pure instinct, after all this was his first Gate experience, he was pumped, he was ready.
He pulled the trigger before a single thought crossed his mind. A micro second later, there was a small cry of pain, then a slumping sound, like something had fallen over but had not quite hit the ground... yet. The teams reacted as expected. Crouching low, guns ready, scanning the immediate area for anything, any movement, any sounds. There were none. Makepeace barked out his command "Captain, Report" There were a few seconds of complete silence while the Captain covered the distance between his target and the Gate itself. He looked down, and the only words escaping his mouth were "Oh My God".... he immediately bent down to feel for a pulse. There was one. Fast and steady. Good she was alive. He hadn't killed her. Captain Tignor could only raised his head and called for his Commanding Officer.
O'Neill had heard the shot fired, crouching again, waiting for another onslaught from the tree line. There were no more shots. He waited. Using his radio he called out to Daniel, then to Teal'c and finally to Carter. Both Daniel and Teal'c replied quickly. He waited a few more seconds for Carter to report. There was only silence, the occasional crackle from the radio, but still no Carter. Glancing over his right shoulder, O'Neill saw the newest member of SG-3 slowly walking towards the right side of the gate, the soldier had his gun leveled and was advancing quickly. He heard the muffled "Oh My God". O'Neill knew that was roughly the area Carter was covering. Fearing the worst O'Neill, slowly started to make his way over the right side of the Gate, Makepeace already 2 feet in front of him. He was stopped suddenly by Makepeace's words. "Jesus Christ Tignor... That's Major Carter..." leaving the rest of the statement to hang.
That was all O'Neill needed to hear, he was around Makepeace in a second and at Sam's side. Running his hands over her quickly, checking first for a pulse then for any other wounds. He would have to stop the bleeding in her left shoulder, by the looks of it the bullet had gone clean through, which was good and bad in O'Neill's mind, nothing to dig out thank God, however if he doesn't stop or at least easy the bleeding this could be very bad. Very Bad. The chance of infection with a open wound like this one, in the middle of no where, Sam still lying in the dirt. Yes this could get very bad very quick. O'Neill took one look over his right shoulder, making eye contact with the good Captain for the first time. He merely said. "Captain, I will deal with you at SGC.... now get away from her. Now" O'Neill's voice came out as a controlled whisper through clinched teeth. Nothing more.
Captain Tignor had gone stark white as he slowly understood the implications of what he had just done. He fired his weapon like he had been taught, he was a good soldier, he had followed mission protocol. So then why had he just shot one of his own. Worse yet, one of O'Neill's famed SG-1 team members. Captain Tignor, backed away carefully, murmuring more to himself than to anybody in ear shot "Oh My God ... I'm Sorry... I'm Sorry"
After confirming her pulse was infact strong and steady. O'Neill made the first attempt to pick Carter up, she was unconscious at this point, so that was one good thing, he thought to himself. He called out for Daniel to get his sleeping bag out and Teal'c to retrieve the first aid kit. Both men jumped at the Colonel's voice, he sounded anxious, almost scared. They quickly and efficiently did as they were told. O'Neill laid Carter down careful, noting the blood was now spreading down the front of Carter's uniform. He had to get a look at the wound. He had to pack it properly before engaging the gate to bring her home. O'Neill had done thousands of field dressing before, he was trained for this sort of thing, actually he would never admit it out loud but he was pretty good at this sort of thing, had a knack for it even. Whispering softly to the still unconscious Carter, "Carter, your okay, we are going to get you home right away.... nothing to worry about here" He continued to whisper as he careful undid the first few buttons of her jacket.
He felt Cater move under his hands, on the third button from the top, Carter grabbed his hand with her right hand, effectively stopping O'Neill's process. He leaned in closer to her face and whispered. "Sam, I need to undo your jacket, it's okay... you took a bullet in the shoulder, please I need to look at it"
Carter forced her eyes to focus, then her mid to focus on his voice. She knew his voice. She found comfort in his voice. She looked directly into his dark brown eyes, before speaking. "Sir, what happened.... I mean... I didn't hear anything where did the shots come from"
O'Neill smiled. Carter hadn't said one thing about the pain, okay it could be the shock, but somehow O'Neill didn't think that was it. He had watched her the last few years, more so since the Jollinar thing. O'Neill knew she was as tough as they come. He was thankful for that on more than a few occasions. This day being one of them. He thanked the gods silently as he watched her eyes roll back in her head, passing out once again from the pain.
He carefully cut away the remaining sleeve of her jacket, now to cut away the T-shirt. He motioned for Teal'c to stand guard. O'Neill thought to himself 'There is no special treatment on my team... but I will be God damned, if these guys get one look at my Major, she will have her dignity in tack' So with a nod of his head Teal'c blocked SG-3's view so the Colonel could complete his field dressing. Daniel looked back occasional to ensure Sam was still okay. The minute O'Neill started to cut away her T-shirt, he turned around and faced the same direction as Teal'c. O'Neill hadn't expected the site which greeted him, he groaned softly. Not only had the bullet gone clean through, it had punched a hole the size of a silver dollar through her left shoulder. There was so much blood. 'Too much blood' thinking to himself. O'Neill quickly cut away the strap of Sam's bra, then cutting across the T-shirt completing exposing Carter from the top of her breasts upward. He wasted no time once the wound was completely exposed, he wanted to clean it and cover it as fast as possible before giving the command to activate the Gate.
Once O'Neill had completed his task of securing the packing, in and around Carter's wound, and using his own jacket he covered her bare skin, being careful not to disturb the packing and make shift bandage. Teal'c had came around to the Colonel's side just as he was about to pick Carter up, hesitantly, he motioned that he would take her. O'Neill met his eyes and with a quick shake of his head, he merely said "I've got her Teal'c, grab her pack and weapon will ya" and with that said, he picked the still unconscious Carter up and started making his way to the Gate steps. Looking back to Daniel at the DHD, he gave a solemn nod and immediately started to hit symbols, once all symbols had been entered for Earth, and the Gate was in motion, Daniel entered SG-1 iris code. The Gate opened seconds later. O'Neill stepped through with Carter wrapped safely in his arms, followed closely by the rest of his team and taking up the rear was Makepeace and the rest of SG-3.
There was no time wasted once the reached the ramp on Earth's side, a medical team was dispatched to the embarkment room as soon as Lt. Simmons saw the package Colonel O'Neill was carrying. Lt. Simmons felt his heart sink a bit in his chest. He was drawn out of his own thoughts when he heard General Hammond bark his command into the microphone, to the remaining team members still standing around the Gate below. "I want to debrief now.... You have 5 minutes to stow weapons and gear. Dismissed" The only members at the debriefing 5 minutes later were SG-3. Hammond demanded a report.
Even Makepeace looked nervous, he started slowly. "General, upon arriving at P7X482...."
The General listened with interest and then annoyance as he visualized the mess Captain Tignor had created. What was he going to do with this guy now. First off Captain Tignor hadn't even spoken a word yet. He looked pale, sick to his stomach. Hammond thought to himself. "Son, I sure wouldn't want to be you when Colonel O'Neill gets through in the infirmary". Hammond dismissed the remaining team members with the exception of Captain Tignor. Hammond needed to hear what happened from the Captain himself. No audience required. Makepeace, of course, wanted to stay but with a curt nod to the exit from Hammond, he simply saluted and left.
The infirmary was a mad house. O'Neill came through the doors with Carter still in his arms, he waved off the medic's and gurney in the hallway, not wanting to waste anymore time he simply moved passed them and down the hall as quickly as he could without jostling Carter anymore than he already had. He could hear her murmur softly, not quite making out what she was saying, he leaned in closer bringing his ear close enough to feel her lips brush against the lob itself. He heard her clearly this time. "Jack.. it hurts..."
O'Neill looked down at the still closed eyes of his Major and whispered "Sam, your okay now we are in SGC... Janet is here too. Your okay Sam" He couldn't think of anything else to say to her. He looked over into the concerned eyes of Doctor Fraser. She attempted to smile at him, motioning him to place her on the trauma bed in the far right corner. He did this without another word. Doctor Fraser watched as he lowered Carter's still form on to the bed. Gently brushing a few errand strands of blonde hair off her forehead before he straighten and stepping away.
Colonel O'Neill refused to leave the trauma area, Doctor Fraser, not wanting to waste any more time, simple told him to stay out of there way. Daniel and Teal'c waited out in the main infirmary, soon they were joined, first by Makepeace and his team and then General Hammond.
Makepeace looked over to Hammond and raised an eyebrow, before speaking quietly to the General "Sir, where is Captain Tignor?"
Hammond taking a few moments before he spoke, looked Makepeace in the eye and simply said "Tignor is in his quarters, I didn't want him around when the Colonel came out of there" pointing now to the closed door of the trauma room. "I'm afraid Tignor may need the good Doctors services, once Colonel O'Neill is through inside"
Makepeace shook his head in understanding. Silently thanking the General. Tignor will have a lot to deal with and the Colonel is one factor. One very big angry factor. Well they will deal with that later. Right now, all they can do is wait. Wait for word on Major Carter's condition.
The wait lasted 2 1/2 hours. Doctor Fraser was the first out to the room. She headed straight for General Hammond. "Sir, Major Carter has extensive damage to the shoulder, muscles and collarbone itself, however the bullet had gone completely though, it had been cleaned and packed properly and Colonel O'Neill got her here quick enough. I see no reason Major Carter will not make a full and complete recovery. She, of course, will not be doing much for the next few weeks, but after that, she should be able to return to lab work, nothing off world yet, but that will come eventually" The room seemed to have been holding its collective breath.
A relieved, expelled sigh was heard through out. Hammond spoke. "Doctor I want a full report when your ready." and almost as a after thought he said "and Thank you Doctor, you do good work" The news, having sunk in now seemed to brighten the room a bit, some smiled, some clapped other's on the back.
Daniel looked around for Colonel O'Neill before asking the Doctor quietly "Janet is Jack staying?" motioning with a nod of his head to the room off his right shoulder.
Janet looked up and smiled with a quick nod yes she leaned in closer "He's not going anywhere... actually he told me as much" Janet winked up at Daniel as a soft smile spread across his face. A knowing smile. Finally.
Sam woke up 4 hours later, groggy from the medication Janet had her on. 'Wow' thinking to herself 'I feel great' that is until she moved. Then a fire so intense started down her left shoulder to the tips of her fingers, she could feel the pain spreading down her back muscles as well.
She felt Jack's hand in her hair, stoking gently, his face close to her own, before he spoke. His voice was soft and comforting, not his usual tone, she thought to herself. "Sam, don't try and move... relax now, easy...."
Maybe it was the combination of the hair stoking thing Jack was doing or maybe it was just his tone of voice, either or, Sam seemed to relax again. She slowly opened her eyes. She was looking directly into the darkest brown eyes she had ever seen. Thinking to herself 'These are not the eyes of Colonel O'Neill... his eyes never look like this'.
He smiled before he spoke again. "Sam, your awake and right on schedule..." Jack's smile never faltered, even when he winked quickly at her before continuing on "Doc said you would be out for a few hours. Try not to move to much, she has you wrapped pretty tight... you took a bullet in the shoulder. Sam do you remember anything that happened before well... waking up here? Jack waited a few moments for Sam to get her bearings, he could tell she was working her way back through the events earlier this morning. She spoke in a hushed whisper a few minutes later.
"I remember.... P7X482... the firefight, I remember it had all but stopped, we were waiting on SG-3 to come through the Gate, and I remember the Gate opening, then coming around the side....." Sam never finished her last thought outloud as the scene played out in her mind. A minute later looking directly at Colonel O'Neill, Sam spoke in a shocked whisper "Oh my God Jack, he shot me... I moved my gun and opened my arms to show 'no hostile intent' and he shot me anyway.....Jesus Christ its was 'Friendly Fire!" Sam was looking at Jack, now for confirmation of her recollection.
Sam knew right way, he never had to speak, it was clearly readable on his face. Instead Jack took his right hand and softly started to stroke Sam's hair again. His other hand, he entwined his fingers around Sam's good right hand. "Sam, we won't worry about that right now... Captain Tignor is being dealt with. General Hammond promised me he would look after it..."
Sam's eyes sparkled at Jack's last comment. "Sir, what did you have to promise the General..." she left her statement hang while a warm sleepy smile spread across her face. Sam waited for Jack to continue.
He smiled back at Sam before finally speaking again. He looked flushed, but he met her eyes anyway. "Actually, I had to promise not to "Kill' the good Captain, before the investigation has been completed. I have a feeling he is not long for a transfer outta here, which would suit me just fine... How about you?"
Sam's brow creased as she thought about Captain's Tignor's options. "Well I wouldn't want to be him after the investigation is over, that's for sure" She said and then quickly stifle a giggle which had already started another shooting pain down her shoulder and arm.
"Hey no giggling Major.. I thought we covered that one in the Antarctic" Jack's brown eyes lite up when he spoke his last few words, smiling warmly down at Sam, he hesitated a brief moment before brushing his lips against Sam's gently.
Pulling back slightly, Jack realized what he had just done, but before he could utter an apology, Sam disentangled her good hand from Jack's, reached up and stroked his cheek, enjoying the feel of early stubble under her hand, before gently bringing him down to her level once again, kissing him softly, murmuring "good night" before drifting off to a drug induced, pain free sleep.
Doctor Fraser found the now sleeping couple an hour later when she came for her rounds. Jack had managed to slip in behind Sam, cradling her close enough to himself without actually touching her bad shoulder. He too had drifted off to a much needed sleep. After checking her IV dip and recording fluid levels on her chart, Janet slipped quietly from the room, latching the door firmly behind her. As Janet turned she noticed the sleeping forms of Teal'c and Daniel, having asked her nurses to clear the room of all other personnel, with the exception of the Major's team members, besides she knew they weren't going anywhere, just like the Colonel. Janet thought to herself as her slipped into her office, leaving the door slightly ajar. Doctor Fraser finished her report to General Hammond.
Her last entry was: 'Major Carter is now resting comfortably and is in good hands'. She smiled as she signed off on her report to the General. Thinking to herself 'Okay so the old man doesn't need to know "Who's" hands she is resting comfortable in.'
Fin.
Story Notes: Notes: Okay, I know after that whole Sam @...sequel thing, I swore I wouldn't write anything else. Yeah right!
Feedback: Yes, please....
Feedback: Yes, please....
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 ]