Thanks everyone, for your lovely reviews! I'm home sick with flu (hence the severe whump – my misery was a catalyst to inflict pain on poor Jack). It has also enabled me to update quickly. I don't plan for this to be a long story as I have two others in progress and don't want to leave my faithful readers hanging on those.
As for the whump – the bad stuff was in chapter 1 and the rest of the story is mainly about the psychological (and physical) aftermath. So for any that avoided the 1st chapter you shouldn't worry. If I do decide to go with more whump (unlikely) I will definitely warn people.
When I feel better I'll probably write a story with flowers and babies and romance!
Thanks again!
The three friends knelt by their commander and simply looked at him for a moment, unsure what to do next. O'Neill had curled back into a fetal position and, although awake, was staring at nothing. He didn't seem to even be aware that he had changed locations and was now safe.
"Should we try and clean him up a bit?" Sam asked. He was filthy and smelled, although that was he least of their concerns. From the little she had seen of him before Daniel had placed the cloak on him, his body was sporting new scars along with many contusions and bruises. She couldn't begin to imagine what he'd been through.
"How long until we reach the gate?" Daniel asked Polan.
"Another three hours."
"Maybe we should simply leave him be for now and let Janet handle it. We don't know how seriously he's been injured. Let's keep him warm and give him something to drink." Sam forced herself to stand and went and retrieved her canteen. She stopped halfway there and impatiently pulled off the robes she was wearing. They made her hot and reminded her too much of the planet they'd just left.
"How is O'Neill?" Freya/Anise stopped her on the way back.
Sam wanted to snap at the Tokra woman, until she saw the true concern in her eyes. And then there was the fact that Freya/Anise had risked their lives to save the Colonel. "He's in a bad way, but we don't think it's anything that's immediately life threatening. We'll wait to get back and have Dr. Frasier look at him."
"I can examine him if you wish?"
Sam took a deep breath and forced a smile. "Thank you, but I think it's better if we let Janet handle things. She knows him really well."
Freya nodded in understanding. "If there is anything I can do, please let me know."
"I will and – thank you." She reached out with her hand and then, at the last minute, reached over and hugged the woman.
Freya started in surprise, but then gave a small smile. "You are welcome. We – value – O'Neill as well."
"Come on Sam, I want to give him some water." Daniel looked up at her impatiently.
"Sorry, here."
"Jack, here's a canteen. Can you drink?" Daniel held it to his lips and poured a bit in but the water simply flowed out of his mouth. "Damn! Come on Jack, you need to drink." He tried again and this time it looked as if O'Neill swallowed a little."
"Keep trying", Sam told him. She kneeled down on his other side and gently put her hand on the Colonel's. "We're here Sir."
As she touched his hand she felt something strange and looked down. "What the - !" The back of the Colonel's hand had a wicked looking scar. She puzzled at it a moment and then carefully turned his hand over until she could see the palm. "The bastard!" she hissed.
"What is it Major Carter?" Teal'c had been mostly quiet during this time, although he had stood over O'Neill as if guarding him. "What is wrong?"
She lifted Jack's hand and showed it to the big man.
"Kree Shal Kek Raijin!" he spat.
"What is it?" Daniel looked between the two of them, startled to see Teal'c so lividly angry. "Sam – what's the matter?"
"It looks – I think they crucified him Daniel. Look at his hands."
This time it was Daniel who swore. Polan looked around, startled, and only relaxed after Samel spoke to him softly.
"I wish we'd killed the bastard!" Daniel said.
"As do I Daniel Jackson. But now is not the time. First we must help O'Neill and then we shall return and remove the monster from this universe!"
Sam would like to have pointed out that the Air Force wasn't about to let them go on a mission for vengeance, but one more look at the Colonel's hands had her agreeing totally with Teal'c. They would definitely hunt the bastard down and kill him.
Daniel kept trying, over the next hour, to get drops of water into the Colonel. Although he would swallow a bit, he didn't respond in any other way and they grew more worried as time went on.
"Look, we can't expect him to sit up and say 'Howdy Campers' after a couple of hours. It's going to take time for him to come back", Sam told them, although it was more to convince herself than any of the others.
Sam looked down at the man on the floor and wanted to cry. He looked so lost and alone. She realized suddenly that he was lying on the cold hard floor without anything under him. She made a soft sound and then grabbed the cloak she'd worn and rolled it up. "Here Sir", she said softly, placing it under his head.
That got the first reaction they'd had from him, but it wasn't one they had expected. He actually appeared distressed and moved until his head was again lying on the floor. Sam frowned, wondering what was going on.
"He is not used to it", Teal'c explained. "He has had no comfort for many months and does not know what to do with it."
"HELL!" shouted Daniel, standing up quickly and moving away from his friend.
That too got a reaction and Jack curled up even tighter than he had been before.
"We're scaring him", Sam said. "We have to calm down." She carefully reached out and touched the Colonel's arm and began to stroke it gently. "It's okay Sir. We're here and we're not going to let anyone hurt you."
He continued to lie there, unresponsive except when startled. None of them could get through to him, no matter how much they spoke with him.
"What did they call him?" Teal'c asked suddenly.
"What?" Sam looked up at him.
"They did not refer to him by name. They called him something else."
"Raijin said he took his name from him", Samel said, approaching them carefully. "They called him Surebu, but I don't know what that means. I believe he was punished any time he responded to his real name so that he would come to reject it and only respond to Surebu."
The three teammates looked both sick and angry. It was Sam who pulled herself out of it and turned to Daniel. "Do you know what it means?"
"No – not offhand. It's not a Goa'uld word is it?" He looked at Teal'c and the Tokra but they all shook their heads. "But then Raijin isn't a god from the Egyptian pantheon either. I'll have to look it up when I'm home."
Sam suddenly looked over at the Colonel. "Surebu?" she said softly. The Colonel turned towards her and tried to move. "No, no, that's okay. Just stay still." She looked up at her teammates, tears in her eyes. "He responded to that. He's not Jack O'Neill, just Surebu now."
"No way Sam – he's just been conditioned to respond to that. Jack is still there and we're gonna make sure he gets better. Janet will know what to do."
A short time later Polan told them that they were approaching the planet with the gate. Sg1 would take the Colonel home through the gate while the Tokra remained on board the Tel'tak.
"Thank you, all of you", Daniel said. "We couldn't have done this without you. We owe you for this."
"You do not owe us anything Daniel Jackson", Freya answered. "We were glad to help our friend and comrade. If there is anything else you need, do not hesitate to contact us."
After saying goodbye, the humans exited the Tel'tak and made their way to the gate. They carried Jack on a mobile stretcher they'd brought with them. They laid him down at the base of the stairs to the gate and Sam began to dial.
"Tell the General to clear the gate room", Daniel said suddenly. "Jack would hate it to have a bunch of people gawking at him in this state. Tell him it should be Janet and her staff only."
Sam nodded and then dialed. She spoke briefly to the General and then waited ten minutes. With a nod she finally indicated it was time.
Teal'c and Daniel picked up either end of the stretcher while Sam walked beside the Colonel. Without a single look back they entered the event horizon and were immediately on their way home.
The moment they were through things started happening quickly. Janet approached and immediately took charge. She had them lay Jack down on the gurney that was waiting. She then took one look at the Colonel and her face hardened, appearing as if it was set in stone.
She began tossing around orders to her staff, completely ignoring Sg1. Soon the Colonel was hooked up to an IV and was on his way to the Infirmary. The whole thing had only taken a couple of minutes, but when she left everyone looked like they'd just experienced a hurricane.
General Hammond was one of those. He finally looked at the rest of Sg1, who continued to stand there as if uncertain as to what to do. "Good job team. You brought him home."
It was Dr. Jackson who lifted his head, his eyes filled with tears. "I hope so Sir", was all he said.
The General nodded. "Go get cleaned up and then meet me in the briefing room. It's going to be a while before we hear from Dr. Frasier and in the meantime you can tell me what happened."
Janet looked down at her patient as they walked through the corridors to the Infirmary and felt herself fill with rage. Even from the brief look at the Colonel she could tell he had been put through hell. She just prayed that she'd be able to put him back together again after this latest episode. Privately – and she wouldn't say this to a soul – she already had her doubts.
"Let's get this this robe off of him", she called as soon as they arrived. She knew he needed to be cleaned up, but first she needed to see if there was anything more urgent to deal with. She ordered blood work and fluids and soon had him hooked up to all the 'hoses and wires' as the Colonel put it, that he needed.
He would hate this, Janet thought as she began to examine him. The Colonel was an intensely private man and he hated to be poked and probed. She glanced up and started when she saw that his eyes were open. Crap – he was awake.
"Colonel", she said softly, moving up to his head and looking down at him. He didn't acknowledge her, but suddenly, without warning, he moved. He tried to curl up on his side, disturbing the tubes and IV's that were running into and out of him.
"Help over here", the doctor called. It was amazing how strong he still was as he resisted lying flat on the exam table. They had quite a fight on their hands, although at no time did Jack look at them or speak.
"We may have to restrain him", she finally called out. She hated it – sure that psychologically it would be torture, but she didn't know what else to do. First she called for sedatives to see if that would be enough to calm him down. After a few minutes he began to relax and the nurses were able to straighten out his limbs.
Janet then looked at the metal bracelets – manacles really – that adorned his wrists and ankles and the large one around his neck. She winced when she saw the scarring and bruises caused by the metal rubbing against his skin. She'd have to get them off before sending him for XRays or an MRI. "And get Siler down here stat to see if he can remove these things", she called. She looked down at her patient and sighed.
"Oh Sir – what are we going to do with you!"
"Dr. Frasier wanted to see me?" Siler arrived at the doors to the Infirmary, tool kit in hand. So far only the medical staff had been informed that Colonel O'Neill had returned. The General knew that people would begin to stream to the Infirmary to find out how he was and he wanted the staff to have a little space.
"Yes. I'll send Dr. Frasier out to explain."
A moment later the good doctor arrived. Siler frowned when he saw her face. Usually Doc Frasier was pretty calm in the face of the worst disaster, but this time she looked pale, and as if something terrible had occurred. He stood up straighter. "What can I do for you Doc?"
"Siler", she smiled and rested her hand on her arm. "Something -" she paused and took a deep breath and tried again. "I need you to help get metal manacles off – both the wrists and ankles and one around the neck."
"Manacles? Did one of the teams come through the gate in trouble?"
"Well yes – so to speak. Siler, it's Colonel O'Neill."
"What!" He looked shocked – something unusual for the normally calm and unflappable handy man and engineer.
"It's true. The Tokra discovered that he'd been kidnapped and kept as a slave by a Goa'uld. Sg1 was able to find him and bring him back."
"But he's got manacles on? Is he okay otherwise?"
"No, not really. Look, I'd rather you not say anything to anyone else right now. You know the Colonel, he values his privacy. He was treated cruelly and will have a lot to overcome but he's strong. The first thing we have to do is get those damn bracelets and the choker off. Can you do it?"
"I'll try", he said, looking determined. "Where is he?"
"Right through here. Come with me." She stopped right in front of the door. "He looks bad Siler – he's lost a lot of weight. But physically he's going to be fine, okay?"
Siler nodded. "I'm ready Doc."
When Siler saw the Colonel he stopped and drew in a quick breath. God, the man looked like something out of the concentration camps. He felt a quick surge of anger. "I hope they killed the bloody Goa'uld!"
"Me too", Janet agreed. "What do you think about the manacles?"
Siler looked at them for a moment and finally nodded. "I'll have to cut them off and it's going to be tough, but I think I can do it. I'll need to cover his wrists and ankles with something sturdy in case the cutter slips."
Janet raised her brows at that, not liking the sound of that. "Okay, what do you suggest? All we have are bandages and I don't know if they'll be sturdy enough."
Siler thought for a moment and then nodded once, quickly. "I know what I'll get. I'll be right back."
In the end it took almost two hours to get everything cut off. The easiest was actually the neck collar as it was the thinnest.
"Thanks Siler and remember, please don't tell anyone about this."
"I won't Doc. Uh – look after him please. And if there's anything else I can do, let me know."
"I will, thank you."
Janet looked down again at the Colonel, agreeing with Siler that he looked like he had just been released from a prison camp. "Oh Sir!"
Now that the metal had been removed, Janet knew it was time for XRays and an MRI. She got her team moving again in order to get the tests done as quickly as possible.
By the time all the tests came back Janet was even angrier – if that was possible – than she'd been before. The tests confirmed that there was nothing immediately life-threatening, although he was severely dehydrated and malnourished. His kidneys were on the verge of shutting down, but she hoped that with careful hydration and drugs they could save them.
Other than that, there was evidence of numerous broken bones, many of which had never been set properly. They were going to have to have an orthopaedic surgeon rebreak and set some of them again. There was severe bruising over a large part of his body and evidence of burns. They may have been from a pain stick, although the one on his chest was obviously a brand, although it wasn't new and head healed.
There was extensive soft tissue damage including torn tendons and ligaments as well as pulled muscles. She could see definite muscle loss in a number of areas, and shortening of others – probably due to being held in a confined space.
Over all he was in bad shape – but his physical wounds would heal, although he'd probably have some permanent effects from some of them. She needed to have a surgeon look at his hands. They'd been pretty damaged and she didn't feel capable of determining what needed to be done. For now the fingers looked okay although they curled inward as if the tendons and bones had been damaged – which was likely considering the look of the wounds.
"Damned Goa'uld", she muttered.
"What Doctor?" Lieutenant Nial asked.
"Huh? Oh, nothing. Just muttering to myself. Keep a close eye on him. I want someone with him every moment."
"Of course", Nial nodded. "Uh, would you like me to clean him up now Ma'am?" She was looking at the Colonel with compassion so Janet sighed and smiled. "Yes. He'll feel much better for that. I'll help you."
"Of course Doctor", the nurse smiled. "Uh, what about his hair and beard?"
"We'll have to cut his hair pretty short I'm afraid – we should check for lice – and definitely get rid of the beard. It's just not – the Colonel with it on."
Nial smiled and nodded. She knew how important this man was to a lot of people on the base. And the truth was, she'd always had a bit of a crush on him, even though everyone knew he was secretly in love with Major Carter.
It took a long time to get the filth off of him and even longer to cut off his hair and beard. They were both so matted that eventually they had to use an electric razor to shave his hair extremely short. Fortunately there were no lice, but once the hair was gone they could see, even better, how gaunt and sick O'Neill truly was. They could also see a number of bruises and cuts all over his head and face.
"I can't believe anyone would do this to another person", the Lieutenant said as she worked. "What kind of beings are they?"
"The Goa'uld? They're power hungry monsters – but no different then some people on this planet", Janet muttered. She knew, as well as anybody, the awful things that humans had and continued to do to one another.
Once the Colonel was cleaned up they moved him to a permanent bed, carefully moving all the lines, wires and machines that were hooked up to him. Janet regarded him closely and wanted to cry at how small and thin and sad he looked. "I hope you come back to us Colonel."
Then, with a sigh she nodded to Lieutenant Nial, who was the first duty nurse and made her way out to the corridor where she was positive Sg1 would be waiting.
"Janet!" Sam immediately stood up. "How is he?"
"Doc? Is he okay?"
"How does O'Neill fare?"
She looked at the Colonel's three teammates and friends and gave them a small smile. "Mind if I sit? I'm exhausted." She walked over to one of the chairs and plunked herself down. All she wanted to do right now was sleep, but she knew she first had to reassure his friends.
"The Colonel is doing as well as can be expected", she said.
"Janet!" Sam scolded. "Come on – we don't need the public line."
"It's not Sam. It's the truth. He was hurt – tortured – badly for months. His body has suffered severe trauma, although much of it has healed over time. Right now the main dangers are severe dehydration and the effects on his kidneys. Those, at least, are the most immediate things. But there's been a tremendous amount of tissue and bone damage and the Colonel is going to need some surgery and a lot of physical therapy. We also have to watch out for infection from some of the long standing wounds."
"But he will get better?" Teal'c asked.
"Physically? Yes, I think so. Oh, he may have some long-term problems – in fact I expect he will. His knees are a mess and they were bad to begin with so – it won't be a hundred percent recovery but he will recover."
"What aren't you telling us?" Daniel asked.
Janet sighed. "Nothing – as far as his physical health is concerned. I'm not going to go into detail because that's privileged information. But we all know that his physical wounds aren't the most serious thing in this. It's the mental and emotional trauma."
"And what's your prognosis?" Again it was Daniel who asked.
"I don't have one, not at this point. He was just brought in and I'm no psychologist. He may start to get better as his body heals or he may not. I have no way of knowing. So far he hasn't really been aware of anything, although he did resist lying on his back."
"Why would that be?" Sam asked curiously.
"It's because he spent the last seven months in a god-damned cage that was too short to hold him", Daniel snapped.
"That's probably near the truth", Janet admitted. "He's used to being on his side. I expect too that that was a protective way of holding himself. He probably feels less vulnerable that way."
"So what did you do?"
"I gave him a sedative, but I can't keep doing that. I might have to restrain him."
"Janet – no! You can't do that, not after what was done to him."
"I know Sam – believe me it will be a last resort. But I can't have him hurting himself or others. Look, right now all we can do is wait. We need to get him healthy and then we can figure out what to do about the other."
"Can we see him?" Sam asked.
"Just for a minute. I have him in intensive care and nursing staff will be with him every moment. I'm afraid there isn't room right now for you. The nurse needs clear access to him."
Sam nodded, although Daniel looked upset.
"Look, in a day or two we may move him back to a regular room and then you guys can stay all day if you want. For now though, don't spend more than five minutes with him. He's sleeping and won't know if you're there or not."
Janet closed her eyes and leaned back as he team made their way into O'Neill's room. She sighed and prayed that the Colonel was going to be okay.
Daniel, Sam and Teal'c approached the bed quietly. The nurse on duty gave them a smile and a thumbs up, indicating he was doing well at the moment.
Daniel reached the bed and stopped cold. This couldn't be the Colonel – not the pale, gaunt man covered in bruises and cuts. He could see the brand just peeking out over the bandages on Jack's chest and wanted to curse, probably for the tenth time that day.
"He looks – so small", he whispered. "Oh Jack."
Teal'c looked down at his friend and didn't speak, although after a moment he reached out and placed his large hand over that of his friend and brother.
Sam didn't know what to do. She wanted to reach out and touch him, hold him – but he looked so fragile, as if anything would break him in two. She could feel the tears start to fall and finally took his other hand in hers.
O'Neill's three closest friends – people who were more like family – stayed with him and simply prayed, and wished and hoped that he would soon be better and that he would once again be the Colonel, the man, they all knew and loved.
