Title: Assistance
Characters/Pairings: Sam
Notes/Warnings: Written in 10 minutes on writeordie site for writerverse challenge. No editing after the ten minutes were up.

The sound of birdsong filtered through her mind, and she slowly stretched, feeling the muscle ache that comes with overlong sleep. Her eyes blinked open to see an unfamiliar ceiling that became an unfamiliar room as she looked around. She was struggling to sit upright when a woman came in and hurried over to help her.

"You must not strain yourself, Major."

"Where am I?" Sam asked. "Where's the rest of my team?" She was searching through her memory but could not figure out how she'd wound up here.

The woman averted her eyes. "I am Nehyal. I have taken care of you."

Sam tried to smile gratefully, not wanting to push too hard. "And thank you for that. But I don't know how I came to be here, but I was with three men. They would have been dressed similarly. Do you know anything?"

"Please, let me get you some refreshment," Nehyal offered.

Sam sighed, frustrated and a little scared. "I don't want refreshment. I want to know where my friends are."

"They are not here."

"I can see that. Do you know where they are, if they're okay?"

Nehyal looked back toward the open doorway and lowered her voice when she turned back to Sam. "They were taken away. They were sick, much like you."

Sam leaned closer to the young woman. "Why weren't we kept together? Where were they taken to?"

An embarrassed smile crossed Nehyal's lips. "Keep men in the same facility as the women? We could not. But I assure you, your men are being cared for and will be returned to you when you leave."

"My men? Returned to me?"

"I am afraid they are not well enough to attend you at this time, but should you need assistance, the Administrator has several that are not spoken for."

"Assistance?" Sam's eyes widened at the impish grin on Nehyal's face. "Oh my god. No! No! No assistance needed. In fact, I think we should just leave. Now. Can you arrange to have my t... my men meet me at the stargate? And assure me that no one else is seeking their 'assistance'?"

Nehyal nodded, confused but willing to overlook the stranger's odd manners.

"It will be done. All the same, we will miss them."

~fin~