Measure After Measure
With a grimace, Jack shifted awkwardly and tried to relieve the throbbing ache in his arm. He'd never say it out loud, but he was starting to regret turning down the painkillers Doctor Something-Or-Other had offered back at the hospital. But it was too late to change his mind now; all he could do was hope the others showed up soon. He wanted nothing more than to get back home so Janet could set him up with a steady supply of her happy drugs. Just this once, he wouldn't even wait for her to offer them up; he'd ask for a hefty dose of painkiller right away. As far as Jack was concerned, there was more dignity in whining to a friend than admitting weakness to a stranger.
The clatter of footsteps on the metal stairs leading up from the tarmac gave him hope that his wish might finally be granted. Ignoring the flash of hot pain it sent shooting through his arm, Jack straightened up and twisted awkwardly in his seat, eyes fixed on the entryway.
Teal'c's giant frame appeared first. The former First Prime had to duck slightly to clear the hatch, but even as he lowered his head, his eyes were busy scanning the cabin for any hint of danger. Deeming the area safe, he made his way down the wide aisle running between a dozen rows of seats, trusting the others to follow. Nodding in greeting, he joined Jack, already settled in one of four seats all facing each other.
Even though Jack knew she had spent the last two hours or so safe in the company of Daniel and Teal'c, he was relieved to see that Sam was next to board. Given the slight sag in her shoulders as she stepped through the hatch, it seemed that relief went both ways. Before she had even stepped clear of the entryway, parts of Daniel were appearing, first a hand pressed reassuringly to the small of her back, then the arm the hand was connected to, and last but not least, the rest of the archaeologist materialized.
Having the three of them in sight lifted a weight he hadn't even been aware he'd been carrying off Jack's shoulders. They were all more than capable of taking care of themselves and each other, he knew that, but he couldn't help himself; he always had and probably always would worry about them when they were off dealing with bad guys and he wasn't there to watch their backs.
"How are you feeling, O'Neill?" Teal'c asked quietly as the others made their way over, Daniel pausing part way to nod his thanks at the crewmember that closed the hatch in preparation for take-off.
"Oh, you know how it is," Jack said flippantly, adopting an air of nonchalance despite the sharp throbs of pain that made a liar out of him. "It's just nice to have someone poking holes in my right arm for a change."
"I'm sure it is," Daniel placated, letting Sam pick the seat beside Jack before settling into the remaining space. "But that doesn't answer the question. So, how are you really?"
"It hurts," Jack grudgingly admitted, stretching the truth by adding, "It's only a two on the O'Neill Pain Scale, though." It was more like a five, but they'd all done enough worrying lately; he wasn't going to give his team something else to fret about.
"I'm sorry, sir," Sam said quietly. She squirmed uncomfortably in her seat and kept her eyes locked on a spot somewhere in the general vicinity of his left ear.
Jack spared a quick look at both Daniel and Teal'c, but they looked as confused as he felt; they were no help at all. Leaning a little to his left, he tried to catch her eye, but she was a split-second too fast at shifting her gaze to somewhere over his right ear instead. Rolling his eyes in exasperation, Jack gave up and asked, "What for?"
"It's my fault you were shot," she replied tersely, her eyes still glued to the nothingness to his right. There was anger in her voice, but the guilt shining in her eyes made it clear that anger was directed at herself and not anyone else.
"How do you figure?"
"If you hadn't come after me…"
"Sam…" Daniel interrupted, shaking his head firmly. He trailed off when Jack raised a hand for silence, waiting expectantly for their leader to do something to dispel her irrational guilt.
"Carter, were you skulking in the basement, waiting for a chance to shoot whoever walked past?" Jack asked impatiently. The next moment, the engines were powering up, gentle vibrations running from the engines up though the cabin of the plane. The rhythmic rattle sent fresh sparks of pain through his arm, but he bit the inside of his cheek and did his best to ignore it.
This time it was Sam's turn to look confused, a deep groove forming between her eyebrows as she tried to make sense of his question.
"Well?" Jack pressed, tilting his head to the right and finally managing to meet her gaze.
"No, sir."
"Did you send me into the basement knowing Mayborne was hiding down there, prepared to shoot his way out?"
"No, sir."
"Did you pull the trigger?"
"No, sir."
"Then don't apologize and for God's sake, don't beat yourself up over it," Jack dismissed, a hint of command creeping into his voice. "I'm just glad I didn't send you down there."
"Yes, sir," Sam replied automatically. If her answer didn't make it clear she was merely placating him, the fact that she was back to studiously avoiding meeting his gaze did.
The three men silently traded looks with one another, knowing they weren't going to be successful in talking her out of her guilt, illogical as it was. They would need to talk to her about it eventually, but right now, when they'd only gotten Sam back a few hours ago, none of them felt like fighting with her about it.
"If there is nothing further requiring our attention, I will perform kel'no'reem on the journey back to Cheyenne Mountain," Teal'c stated, effectively changing the subject. He looked to Jack for approval, please with the subtle nod it earned him.
Daniel recognized the tactic immediately, but that didn't keep him from jumping on the idea with genuine enthusiasm. "Ooh! Sleep!" he all but moaned, his face lighting up.
Jack's body agreed wholeheartedly; catching a couple hours of shuteye on the way back sounded like heaven. Unfortunately, the pain radiating out from his arm would probably keep him awake for most of the trip. But that was no reason to keep the others awake. He knew for a fact that Daniel and Teal'c had both been going virtually non-stop since Monday morning, and if the dark smudges under her eyes were anything to judge by, Sam could do with some sleep too.
"T's got the right idea," Jack declared, raising his voice a little to be heard over the growing hum of the engines. "Everybody grab a few seats, stretch out and get some rest."
"Are you going to be okay?" Daniel asked as he stood, eyes narrowed suspiciously. It was clear he'd noted every awkward shift and barely suppressed grimace his friend had made since they'd set foot on board the plane.
"I could sit up with you, sir," Sam offered hopefully despite the yawn she tried to hold back. "I've been out a lot in the last few days, so I'm not really tired."
Daniel and Teal'c raised their left eyebrows in perfect synchronization, though neither said a word. It was testament to just how off her game Sam really was; pointing out how much time she had spent unconscious in the last few days wasn't exactly a convincing argument for not needing rest. Never mind that it completely contradicted her constant reassurances that she was fine.
"'Unconscious' is not 'asleep'," Jack said firmly, making it clear that the matter was not open for debate. "If nothing else, sleep off some of the drugs in your system."
"But…" she protested.
"Major…" Jack drawled warningly. His carefully arched eyebrow silently asked if he would have to make it an order.
Genuine panic flitted across her face for a fraction of a second before she clamped down on it and schooled her features. "Yes, sir," she replied crisply, pushing up from her seat.
No sooner had she planted her feet on the floor than she swayed dangerously, hands instinctively shooting out to steady herself on a wall that wasn't there. Daniel and Jack both made to grab for her, but Teal'c, with his lightning fast reflexes, beat them to it. Before the other two were even out of their seats, he was on his feet and had grabbed her elbow, stopping her descent.
"Are you all right, Major Carter?" the big man asked quietly, studying her with concern.
"What's wrong?" Daniel asked, getting to his feet. He kept a careful eye on Sam, in case she passed out and he needed to grab her other arm to keep her from hitting the floor.
"I'm okay, I just stood up too fast," she assured, blinking rapidly to clear the spots dancing before her eyes.
She flashed the trio a shaky smile, trying to put their minds at ease. In truth, it had been a dizzy spell and not a head rush that had made her so unsteady on her feet, but they didn't need to know that. Admitting it would be tantamount to confessing she wasn't all right, and she wasn't ready to take that step. Not yet.
"You sure?" Jack pressed, eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"Positive," she replied, shrugging off Teal'c's assistance and squeezing past Daniel to lay claim to a row of three seats. Without further comment, she raised the armrests separating the seats and laid across, curling up on her side facing away from them.
The men watched her in concern but knew better than to say anything. They alternated between studying Sam and trading worried glances with one another for several long minutes before she finally broke the silence.
"Really guys, I'm okay," she reassured, her voice muffled by the arm thrown over her face.
"Just make sure you wake one of us if you stop being okay," Daniel reminded. He squeezed her shoulder once before copying her and stretching out on the row of seats to her left. The few extra inches of height he had on her dangled awkwardly over the edge of the third seat, but he didn't mind; it felt so good to be horizontal. "I'm never flying commercial again," he sighed happily.
"My entire adult life in the air force, and this is the first time I've been in a plane like this," Jack commented off-handedly, squirming as he tried to get comfortable. "I wouldn't get used to it, Danny."
When no one responded, Jack looked up from his contemplation of his much-hated sling. His lips quirked upwards when he realized his two scientists were already down for the count – although he suspected Sam was feigning sleep, he didn't call her on it – and his resident Jaffa was slipping deeper and deeper into kel'no'reem.
No longer bothering to hide his pained grimaces, Jack shifted some more before deciding he was as comfortable as he was likely to get. When the plane began to taxi down the runway a few minutes later, he was the only member of SG-1 to notice.