I had originally intended for this to be a one-chapter story but for some reason the site didn't mark it 'Complete'. I then had some reviewers asking for more – or whether it was, in fact, finished. Well, how can I refuse my lovely reviewers! So – here's for you! I'm almost finished with the story so will post all the chapters tonight.

As always – they're not mine!

Happy New Year everyone - 2011

"It's almost Christmas Eve." Daniel said softly as he sat in the big vinyl covered armchair in the waiting room.

"Typical", laughed Sam bitterly.

"What do you mean?"

"How many holidays have we sat waiting while one of our friends was fighting for his or her life? It seems like we can never catch a break."

"I do not believe that is true Colonel Carter", answered Teal'c seriously. "I believe we have caught 'many breaks' in our years together. We are all still here are we not? Many men and women have died in the fight against our enemies. I would say we are most fortunate."

"Yeah, he's right Sam. And you know what else? I'd say we're all pretty lucky to have each other. We've all sat waiting when one of us has been hurt, and we've all also been the one hurt – and we can always count on one another. I always knew, whenever I was in the Infirmary that one or more of you would be there for me. So, I agree with Teal'c – I think we're pretty fortunate."

Sam smiled again, but this time in gratitude. Yes, her friends were right. They had been lucky, even with all they'd been through. She just prayed that that luck would hold tonight.

Jack had been flown into Lincoln General Hospital; the weather too bad and the distance too far to take him back to the SGC or the Academy Hospital in Colorado. They had worried, wishing he could be taken where he was known. The medics had reassured them that it was a good hospital with good doctors. And the fact was, that this time his injuries were normal, although serious, and not caused by some weird, alien induced weapon or sickness.

A trauma team had been waiting on the helipad and he had been immediately whisked into Emergency when they'd arrived at the hospital. By the time the helicopter had taken off from the crash site he had been unconscious. The fact that he'd held on for almost twelve hours before being rescued was a miracle in itself. His body had reached the end of its endurance however, and, when he knew he was safe, he had given in to the pain and weakness.

Sam had sat beside the gurney on the trip to the hospital, holding his hand, as if, by doing so she could send her strength and life-force into him.

The medics monitored him closely and looked worried. They didn't know the extent of his injuries, other than the obvious ones, but it was clear that he had lost a lot of blood and was suffering from hypothermia. He hadn't even been shivering when found, which was a very bad sign.

It had been hours since they'd seen him and no one had been out to give them an update. A couple of nurses had come by to see how they were doing but had no news. That was one of the bad things about being in a regular hospital. If they had been in the Infirmary or even at the Academy, they would have been kept in the loop – or at least the General would have and he would have passed on the information.

It was times like these that the entire team wished that Janet were with them. She would have come for the rescue operation and would have asserted her rights as Jack's Physician. They all missed the tiny firebrand and friend.

Daniel had immediately called General Hammond when they'd got back to the hospital and he was waiting anxiously, along with half the base, for any news. They just wished they had something to tell him.

"Does anyone want a coffee?" Daniel asked. He had to do something before he went crazy.

"Yes please Daniel", Sam answered. She was so tired but she was determined to stay awake until they heard something about Jack.

"I will have a hot chocolate, Daniel Jackson." Teal'c didn't like coffee although he could tolerate it now that his symbiote was a thing of the past.

"I'll be right back." By the time he returned, ten minutes later, it looked as if his friends hadn't moved. They were sitting in exactly the same position, with the same expressions, as when he'd left.

"Here", he handed Sam her coffee and Teal'c his hot chocolate. He'd also brought a couple of apples and some crackers although no one seemed interested.

"He's gonna be okay you know." he said. "The fact that he was conscious when we found him was a good sign, even the medics said so."

"That's just because O'Neill is too stubborn to give up", answered Teal'c. "It does not mean he was not seriously injured."

"Hey, I know that, I'm just trying to be positive here. And what's up with you Teal'c? Usually you're Mr. Optimistic."

"I am optimistic Daniel. I am also a realist. It may take him time to recover from this. We must be prepared to help him as he mends; and you know O'Neill - he will resist our help just as he resisted our attempts to change our plans for Christmas. He does not like to feel beholden to anyone."

Daniel took a deep breath and let it out slowly, rubbing his sore eyes at the same time.

"Yeah – I know. It's gonna be rough, but better that than ….." the rest didn't need to be said.

Sam sat quietly through the conversation, her thoughts not just on the man she knew she loved, but on her life and where it had taken her to this point.

She hadn't given Pete a single thought all day, hadn't even called him to tell him the General was okay. She'd thought about telling Hammond and even Ferretti and Harriman but not her own fiancé. What kind of person did that make her?

Pete was a good man; a man who loved her and who had never treated her with anything other than kindness and respect. And what had she done but pay him back by shrugging him off the moment something happened to one of her teammates. Okay, not just one of her teammates – but Gen – Jack.

She actually debated calling him right now but when she realized it was close to midnight stopped herself. If he'd been at his house she would have called but she didn't want to disturb his parents and family. She'd call first thing in the morning.

It was going to be difficult to know what to say to him. If this episode had shown her anything it was that Pete deserved someone much better than her. He deserved someone who loved him with her whole heart, someone who wanted nothing more than to be with him. He didn't deserve a woman whose heart belonged elsewhere.

She knew that she was going to have to tell him these things, and that it was going to crush him. Better now, however, than after they were married. The problem she faced was that he deserved to be told in person – not over the phone – and there was no way she was going to leave the General until he was well and truly better. She also knew that Pete would insist on flying up to be with her as soon as he knew she was in Nebraska and not at the SGC. How to stop him was the question. She couldn't –

"Sam." A hand reached over and touched her on the arm. She jerked in surprise.

"What?" she looked up at Daniel who had a concerned look on his face.

"Whatchya thinkin'?" he asked. "You look like your world is about to end. Jack's gonna be okay you know."

"I know Daniel. It's not that – well, it is that – I mean I'm worried about him but I was also thinking about Pete."

"Oh?"

"What am I going to tell him? He's going to want to come here and be with me."

"And that would be -?"

"That would be bad, Daniel. Really bad."

"Why is that? You're still engaged to him. It seems only natural that he'd want to be with you."

"Of course it is, and that's the problem."

"That's the problem?" asked Daniel, confused.

"I'm going to break it off Daniel. How can I do that if he rushes up to be with me? I'll feel like a complete witch. It'll be just as bad if I tell him over the phone. I can't do that to him – he doesn't deserve that from me."

Daniel looked at her for a moment, relieved beyond belief that she'd come to her senses and was going to ditch – ur – break things off with Pete. He just hoped she was doing it for the right reasons and not because she was upset and worried about Jack. Even though she'd told him of her feelings for O'Neill, Daniel knew that the regulations were still a problem and always would be. No matter what they did, it would always appear as if they'd carried out a secret affair.

"I'll call him if you like. I can tell him that you asked me to call and let him know about Jack and that you'll call him as soon as you're free."

"Free from what Daniel? He'll know I'm just avoiding him. No, I have to do it. Thanks anyway. I'll just have to figure out a way to keep him from coming up here."

They all sat quietly after that, waiting for news, until one of the doctors, who had been working on Jack, finally arrived. He was still wearing his scrubs and looked incredibly exhausted. Daniel glanced at the clock and saw that it was almost 2:00 am.

"I'm looking for General O'Neill's family." The doctor asked, looking around the waiting room.

"We are his family", answered Teal'c

The doctor looked in surprise at the very large African American man. He cleared his throat and spoke again.

"I'm sorry – I need to speak to next of kin or a direct relative."

"Why", Sam asked, panicked now. "Is something wrong?"

"What? No. I just can't give out medical information to non-relatives."

Daniel spoke up at this, understanding the dilemma but desperate to hear how his friend was doing.

"Murray", he nodded at Teal'c, "is the General's adopted brother. I'm a friend and this is his wife", he gestured towards Sam. She twitched in surprise but had enough sense to keep quiet.

"Oh, okay then", the doctor looked suspicious but was too tired to argue. Instead, he walked over to Sam and sat beside her.

"How is he?"

"He's doing as well as can be expected. As I'm sure you know he was hurt pretty badly. Besides his wounds he lost a substantial amount of blood and was suffering moderate to severe hypothermia. If he'd been there much longer we would have lost him. As it is, I'm optimistic that he'll make it through this. The next 24 to 48 hours are critical."

"What … what were his injuries?"

"Well", the doctor sighed deeply. This was the part he always hated – it made things sound so desperate and was usually extremely upsetting for family members – although he still wasn't convinced these people were the General's family.

"He had a concussion and head wound which bled pretty freely. His arm was fractured in three places, one of which was a severe compound fracture. We had to do surgery on that and place pins in the arm to stabilize it and so it will set correctly. He'll be in a cast for quite a while and will have to do some intense physical therapy to get it back to full working order."

Oh joy, thought all three of Jack's friends, he was going to love that.

"He had a number of cracked ribs and one which was broken. It nicked the lung but fortunately didn't penetrate it. He'll simply have to go easy for a while and it will be painful but should heal just fine." Here he stopped, wishing he didn't have to go on. These injuries were enough for anyone to endure.

"Is that all?" the woman – his wife? – looked at him expectantly. She seemed to know he hadn't disclosed everything.

He was surprised at how calmly she'd taken his rundown of the General's injuries. It seemed to confirm his suspicions that they weren't married. Or, he thought, their marriage was on the rocks.

"Uh – no, not all. I'm afraid the worst of it – other than the hypothermia and danger of pneumonia – is the internal damage he suffered." He stopped, looking at each of the waiting 'family'.

"His liver and right kidney received extensive trauma. We managed to save the kidney although it's still touch and go – he may yet loose it. We had to resect a good portion of the liver but it should regenerate."

"What does this mean?" again the woman spoke, calmly.

"Uh – for now he is on dialysis and we're watching him closely. At his age it takes longer for things to repair but he looked to be in pretty good shape in general so, barring complications, he should heal just fine."

"How long?" asked Daniel.

"There's no telling. I expect he'll be in the hospital for at least a couple of weeks but it'll probably be months before he's back to full speed." If he ever is, thought the doctor. An accident this traumatic could leave permanent and lasting damage, especially in someone over 50.

"Outside of all that he experienced extensive bruising. That'll mean he's very sore and it adds a bit of complication with his kidneys not working at 100% but again, for now things look okay."

He went to stand up, the news delivered. He would check on his patient once more and then get some sleep. It had been a long day and he really wanted to get home to see his family for the holidays.

As he turned to leave he spoke again to the woman. This time he looked at her closely and could see the wounded look in her eyes. She was pale, her skin almost translucent, and he noticed the sheen of tears in her eyes. He had been wrong – this must be his wife – and she clearly loved him deeply. Being married to a General must have taught her to be strong. By the number of scars on his body O'Neill had suffered a lot of injuries in his life. She had obviously been here before.

Turning to her with more gentleness this time he spoke again. "I know it's impossible not to worry but I think he'll do just fine. That's a man who has a lot to live for and he's strong. It'll take a while but you will be able to take him home soon." With a small smile he turned and walked towards the ICU.

"Doctor", called Daniel, "when can we see him?"

Stopping he looked at the 'friend' and spoke. "I'll have one of the nurses come and let you know. He'll be in ICU for a few days at the least. At first only his wife will be able to visit. Don't worry – I'll make sure she's told as soon as it's okay to visit." With that he finally walked out of the waiting room.

"Oh God, Daniel, it sounds bad."

"I know Sam but I think the Doctor was right. Jack has a lot to live for and he's strong. He'll make it through this."

"What?"

"What? I mean what are you asking Sam?"

"What does he have to live for? We all deserted him for Christmas. He has no other family, at least none that we know of. His son is dead. What does he have?"

"He has us Colonel Carter." Teal'c answered. He had been quiet throughout the doctor's recital. "Although we were wrong to leave O'Neill at this season he was not unsure of our regard for him. He cared for us enough to let us go and do what we wished for the holidays. He knows that we care for him, that we are his family. Do not belittle his love for us by saying this."

She looked at the big man, impressed again with his simple view of life and his wisdom.

"And he has you Sam." Daniel added softly. She glanced at him sharply, not sure what he was saying.

"You love him and I think you're ready to tell him that. Didn't you tell him you'd go fishing with him?"

"Yes, but – I was so glad to see him alive. How can I though Daniel? It's still wrong, it's still not allowed."

"What? You're telling me the Air Force has a regulation that prohibits officers from going fishing together?"

She had to grin at that, although the expression was fleeting. If it really had been about fishing of course it would be okay. They all knew, however, that it didn't have anything to do with that activity.

"I … don't think I can go. It would mean trouble for Jack. There are too many people who would like to see him brought down and this would be the perfect excuse."

There was silence in the waiting room as both of her friends looked at her, Daniel in frustration, Teal'c with a puzzled look on his face.

"You would lie to O'Neill?" he asked.

"Lie? No, of course not Teal'c."

"But did you not tell him you would go with him? Did you not tell him you 'had everything you needed' when you were with him?"

"Yes, but that was because I was so happy to see him alive."

"So, it was not true?"

"What? Of course it was true – it's just that it's not that simple."

"So, you lied to make him feel better for the moment but you have no intention of holding to your promise. How do you think that will make O'Neill feel?"

"He'll understand."

"Will he Sam?", Daniel asked. "He's had to understand a lot lately. He understood when you went off with Pete. He understood when you got engaged. He understood when you went to spend the holidays with Pete's family. He's never asked for anything from you Sam. Even when you found him in the plane he asked about Pete. You were the one who said Pete was over, that you'd go 'fishing' with Jack. And you know what? I saw his expression when you said that. He was sitting there, frozen, bleeding to death, in pain – and he had an expression of pure joy on his face. You'd better be sure you know what you're doing before you destroy that." Daniel leaned back and closed his eyes, too tired to continue to argue with Sam.

Teal'c looked at her for a few moments, an expression of concern and compassion on his face. He was extremely worried for both of his friends.

For the first time since they'd arrived at the hospital Sam felt like she was going to break down and cry. She knew that what Teal'c and Daniel said was true. She knew she would hurt Jack, perhaps unbearably, were she to go back on what she'd said. The truth of the matter was, when she'd seen him alive, she'd been so overjoyed that all else had dropped by the wayside. The years of ignoring and denying what they felt for each other suddenly seemed wasted. She had known then that the time was now – that if they missed this opportunity there never would be a time for them. It had all seemed to clear, so right.

Sitting for hours in the waiting room had brought reality crashing down. It had allowed her to think of all those reasons that had kept them apart for so long. The part of her that was the obedient soldier, the little girl who always obeyed, gained the upper hand and convinced her that she couldn't just go and be with Jack. There were too many problems, too many roadblocks to make such a decision. And what she'd said to Daniel was true too – it could and probably would destroy Jack's career. It wouldn't do hers any good either although since he was the superior officer he would bear most of the guilt.

Why was it then, when she had determined to do the 'right' thing, it felt so wrong? Certainly her friends didn't think she was doing the right thing. In fact, she got the distinct impression she'd have two very angry members of SG1 if she reneged on what she'd told the General.

God – what was she to do?