Thin Lines
Chapter 3
AU of 'In The Line Of Duty'.
"… no sir, I don't have an explanation."
General Hammond regarded his CMO across his desk. "Speculation?"
Janet narrowed her eyes slightly, before sighing. "I would rather not, but it is almost like Jolinar's body is being kept from cellular decay. We have some medical examples of that happening in a pregnancy - lithopedion, where instead of the deceased fetus being broken down or expelled, it is instead preserved. But we're talking only a handful of cases across the entire world where that's happened, and none under modern medical care."
"Bottom line, Doctor. Can Captain Carter return to duty?"
"Sir…" Janet hesitated and bit her lip before continuing. "Carter's physical health, while anomalous, appears to be stable. She's certainly fit for any on base duty. But we have no idea of what might trigger a change and sending her off-world is a risk that we can not quantify."
.s.g.1.
Jack scowled at the retreating shape of Lieutenant Isaac Wilson. The kid had a stubborn streak a mile wide and a distinctly imperfect grasp on when to dig his heels in and when not to argue with his CO.
"Jack."
"Daniel."
"It's only a scratch."
Teal'c, sitting one bed over and enduring his own post-mission check now Wilson was cleared, raised an eyebrow slightly. "A mere scratch does not require six stitches, Daniel Jackson."
"Seven stitches," muttered the junior doctor, his fingers deftly tying off the seventh.
Daniel gave his calf and the 'scratch' a sour glance. "The point is, it isn't serious."
.s.g.1.
"Daniel!" Sam planted herself in front of her ersatz team mate where he leaned against the wall just outside his office. "You look like you're about to fall over… Daniel?"
"Ah, uh, hi Sam!" He tried to smile and couldn't. It was taking all his attention to stay upright. "I… ummm…"
She looked down at him holding his injured leg off the ground and then sideways into his office, where a pair of crutches leaned on the wall. Looking back to his face, she considered his pallor and put her hand up to his (hot) forehead. "Don't move. I'm calling the infirmary."
It took a full three days of antibiotics before Daniel was allowed out of bed again.
.s.g.1.
Cassandra was a warm, comforting weight against Sam's side as they sat on Janet's couch and watched the end of Honey I Blew Up the Kid, and Sam craned her head around to see if Cassie, who hadn't moved in at least ten minutes, was asleep.
"Sam?"
Nope, not asleep. Sam groped for the remote, found it and silenced the TV. "I think it's almost bedtime."
"It's Saturday. I can stay up late."
Sam smiled and dropped a gentle kiss on Cassie's head. "Not too late."
Cassie mumbled something and snuggled closer.
"Hmm?"
"I said, that was a silly movie."
"But you liked it."
"It wasn't scary."
"Did you want to watch a scary movie?"
"No!"
Sam tightened her arm around Cassie briefly. "It's ok then."
"Yeah…" Cassie was twiddling with a button on her pajamas and just as Sam opened her mouth to speak again, she blurted out a question. "Would Jolinar really have hurt me?"
Sam gaped, frozen for a long moment in shock. "Cassie…"
"Please!"
"No." Sam shut her eyes and concentrated on breathing. Just breathing. "No, Cassie. Jolinar wouldn't have hurt you. She just wanted to keep you safe and because of the ashrak, that meant keeping you away from her."
"The ashrak was a goa'uld, wasn't it?"
"Yes. And it was hunting Jolinar. If you'd encountered it, it would have sensed the naquedah in your blood and killed you. Or if you'd been in the way." Sam's words were uneven, thick with emotion that just wouldn't let her go. "And that would have destroyed me. Cassie. I know Jolinar scared you… but I promise she hated doing it. But scaring you was better than seeing you get hurt."
"I'm sorry."
"Cassie…? Umm… what?"
"If I'd not told Jack about Jolinar, she would have gotten away and she'd still be alive. I'm sorry, Sam."
"Oh, Cassie." Sam relaxed again and hugged Cassandra tight. "You have nothing to be sorry for. Despite how events turned out, you did the right thing." Her voice cracked, and she fought the lump in her throat. "Please, believe me. Promise you'll do it again if you ever sense another symbiote in someone."
"Okay. I promise, Sam."
