Sam lay on her back, pain coursing through her body and stars twinkling behind her closed eyelids. She wasn't entirely sure where she was, for a moment at least. Or why she was on the floor. And then it all came flooding back.
The smarmy, arrogant Goa'uld that had captured them. The cell they'd been dragged into, cold, damp and musty. And the pain stick that bastard had held to her cheek until she'd passed out.
Remembering the pain stick drew her attention to the agony on her face, just inches from her mouth. Christ, it hurt. Burning and stabbing and tearing all in one hellish sensation.
She groaned.
"Carter?" His voice. Filled with concern. Then the smell of him, and his firm hand on her shoulder, tugging her mind from the pain on her face to the feel of him holding her.
She tried to open her eyes, but the room was too bright and even squinting she couldn't stand it.
"Keep your eyes closed. I got you."
"Yessir." She grumbled.
"Teal'c and Daniel will be back with SG-3 soon." He said, though she was pretty sure he didn't quite believe it himself.
"Mmhmm."
"That's a hell of a cut you've got on your face there, Carter."
"Yeah. Hurts." She felt him beginning to poke at it. To be fair to him he was probably being gentle, and she felt him dressing it with fabric, though God only knew where he got it from. It felt anything but gentle though. It just hurt worse.
"Quit it or I'll bite." She muttered under her breath.
He chuckled at that, though she really didn't see the funny side. "Cool it, Major, save the biting for the enemy."
He'd finally stopped prodding at her face, and she felt him move down her side. Then he grabbed her ha and squeezed it, and her eyes shot open.
The light wasn't blinding her so much now and she glanced at him curiously, sitting there, shirtless, holding her hand. Well, now she knew where the fabric had come from.
Her cheek was throbbing and she winced. He squeezed her hand again. She looked at him curiously.
"Distraction, Carter. Take your mind off the pain." He squeezed again.
This time she squeezed back. Looking directly at him. Letting him distract her until rescue came.