A huge thank you again to the lovely Mara for her beta skills!

Migraine

Chapter 2

Warm. She sighed softly. Even the dull thud in her head couldn't stop the tiny glow of contentment that sparked within her. Softness surrounded her, blanketing her in warmth and comfort. She took a moment to relish in the enjoyable tactile sensations of her bed. She was no longer in the cell. She was sure of that. For the first time in ages she allowed herself to feel just a bit secure. Prison would not have the warm hands that brushed back the hair that was tickling her nose. Nor the strong hands that would occasionally squeeze her own reassuringly though she was too tired to squeeze back.

She slowly began to become aware of her surroundings. There was an incessant beeping in the background which kept time with the thudding in her head. Wires engulfed her. She could see the glow of monitors beside her. Numbers flashed across the screen, beating into her head. The feel of needles pricking raced across her right arm. Panic began to edge her consciousness. The beeping increased in speed and volume, banging a rhythm that increased the pounding in her mind.

A panicked voice called out, "Doctor!"

The noise and lights surrounded her, intensifying the pain.

"No signs of physical trauma."

Why were they yelling? She wanted to beg them to be quiet, to stop yelling. She opened her mouth, but only a whimper came out.

"Sam, honey, you're safe. You're in the infirmary."

The voice was calm, soothing. She tried to relax into the warmth, and the pounding pain began to retreat at least a little.

Soft hands swept across her body.

"Where are you hurt, Sam?"

"Head. Hurts." She collapsed within herself at the effort it took to throw out those words. She was unaware of the flurry of activity that surrounded her as she sank deeper into unconsciousness.

The next time she awoke, the lights were dimmed and the aggravating beeps were gone. She blinked a few times, testing the throbbing pain in the back of her head. It was still there, but it was almost as if it had faded into the background. She decided to test the limits of her pain threshold. How far could she go this time before the throbbing escalated into agony? This was a continual battle, but one she knew she could never give up. She knew it was important-to beat this pain, but she couldn't remember why.

This time she blinked, trying to bring the room into focus. It was a bit blurry, but she could make out gray walls, wires, monitors. She made herself quickly slide past those as the throbbing began to increase. Don't look! Don't think about it! She felt the pain recede. She sighed and lifted her hand to rub the side of her head.

"Carter."

The voice conveyed warmth and affection in that single word. She turned toward it and tiredly opened her eyes once again. Not far from her were the intense brown eyes she remembered from the dark gazing at her. She quickly closed her eyes, not wanting to see the disappointment she knew she'd find. Wasn't that the way it always turned out? She couldn't work past the pain, so the eyes would frown their displeasure. She knew she failed them somehow. She tried to ignore the frustrated sigh that came out beside her.

"Hey Sam. How're you feeling?"

She turned to the opposite voice, blinking in confusion. Another one? She thought about it, wondering why this voice cared.

"Not sure," she finally whispered.

The voice continued gently, "Can you tell us what happened?"

She didn't want to think, to remember. Not now. Keep the pain at bay.

"No."

She closed her eyes and hoped they would stop talking. She allowed herself to drift to sleep. It seemed the safest thing to do.

When she awoke, she could hear whispered voices floating over her bed. It took a moment before she realized that the voices were not pounding inside her head. The throbbing pain in her mind held steady, but it was not intensifying. Deciding to risk the chance of pain, she tried to tune in on the lowered conversation being held around her. Words such as "ribbon device" and "brain damage" drifted back and forth. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she felt herself weep.

I'm going to be gone for the rest of the week without access to my computer. I will try to update as soon as I can. Thank you for reading!