This was the day Jack dreaded. Losing another one. Losing her.
They brought her body back in a bag, which was something he was extremely grateful for. But like a moth to a flame, he had to see her. Had to see her face.
She was pale and cold. She looked like she was sleeping. She was relaxed. He wanted to wake her up. Wake up already.
The SGC mourned the loss of sunshine.
Janet found him in the morgue.
"What are you doing, colonel?"
He couldn't reply. He didn't want to hear no.
"I know where a sarcophagus is."
He watched her catalogue the information. He waited for the words.
"…Isn't it too late?"
It wasn't something he wanted to think about, but he was afraid of that. Fear joined gut-wrenching sorrow now?
"I... I'm going to do this. Just leave. Please."
He watched her walk to the phone on the wall. This was going to be worse than no.
"I'm going to help you."
It was easier than he thought it would be. Of course, he hadn't expected help.
Between the two of them, they'd zatted and locked out enough people for him to take her body through the gate.
There would be hell to pay later, but he didn't care. If this didn't work, he didn't care about anything.
She'd been in the sarcophagus for three hours now. At least it was still working on the problem. Was it supposed to take this long?
"Step away!"
Five men stood at the entrance to the chamber. He was going to plead for them to let him finish. Or kill them.
"I said, step away!"
Guns were pointed at him.
"I'm just trying to save my friend. Let the machine do it's job. Please."
Another one came in. He was dressed different than the rest. The leader.
"Who are you? Where are you from? Why are you using our God's bed?"
Bed?
"My friend... she died. I'm trying to bring her back... I'm begging you."
In the end, the machine stopped before our round robin did.
He pushed past them and came to the sarcophagus. It slowly opened. He was tempted on prying the damned doors open.
She took a deep breath before her eyes opened.
"Carter?... "
She squinted and tried to talk. Nothing came.
"Do you know who I am?"
She tried to talk again but failed.
"Is my name Daniel?"
She stared at him.
"Nod if my name is Daniel."
She shook her head.
"Is my name Jack?"
She nodded.
He released a breathe he didn't know he was holding. At least that part of her brain was working. He needed to get her home.
The caretakers of the sarcophagus helped him bring her to the gate.
His return was met with what he thought it would be; a sharp reprimand and guns pointed at him.
"Punish me later, general, but Sam needs help! Something's still wrong."
General Hammond asked the basics, but he was as worried about her as the rest of us. We were waiting in the briefing room, for Janet to finish. Did I destroy Janet's career?
"How is she, Dr. Fraiser?"
"Is she alive? Really?"
"Major Carter is strong. She will prevail."
"Did it work?... Did I... "
"She's alive. But her CT scan resembles that of a stroke victim. How severe... I just don't know. There's no precedence for this."
Janet and I have black marks on our records now. Mine's almost all black. But we're still here.
Three weeks and she's still not talking. She has trouble walking, feeding herself. But she knows who we are. She knows what's happened. She knows what happened to kill her.
She's discharged from the military. She's Doctor Carter now. Her brain's still sharp. Just her body's not working all that great.
She doesn't hate me.
I was afraid she'd hate me for bringing back a broken person.
She saw me crying at her bed one night. I didn't know she did. Janet told me.
She knows I love her.
She knows the SGC is sunshine again. Enough people have told her.
She spoke her first words in three months and five days.
"I love you, Jack."