Chapter 4

Carter visited with Amiri as much as she could. Amiri slept for days as if she had never slept. She slowly started to regain her coloring, and the bruises had gotten lighter. Between gate repairs and diagnostics Carter was quite busy. But she made it a point to see Amiri every-day. She knew the road ahead of her was going to be a tough one.

Carter sat in her lab running her usually diagnostics. She was extremely tired, more than her usual tiredness. She attributed it to the stress she was under with Amiri and wanting her to be ok.

KNOCK KNOCK-- "Carter" O'Neill stated. He walked in to see a sleeping Carter. She had drifted to sleep in her lab. Her head was down, lying on her arms.

"Carter" O'Neill stated again, but she didn't respond. He leaned into her cheek, and whispered "Major Carter".

"Hmmm...mmm" she slowly awoke. When she realized she had drifted to sleep, she immediately sat at attention. "Sir...I'm sorry Sir.....i guess I fell asleep" she said, still groggy.

"I guess you did Carter." O'Neill stated with concern in his voice. As she tried to gain her focus, she placed her hands on the desk, with her arms stretched out straight.

"Carter you o.k?" O'Neill said seeing she was trying to regain her balance.

"I'm fine Sir....just a little dizzy" Carter admitted.

"Carter, when's the last time you ate something?" He asked.

"Sir...I'm really not that hungry" Carter said. The thought of food, made her stomach turn. For the past several weeks, she was not able to even think of food.

"Carter we are going to the mess hall, and we are getting you something to eat" O'Neill stated.

"Sir, please, you don't understand" Carter said as she tried to fight the wave of nausea that was suddenly creeping up on her.

"Carter I am not asking. That is an order" O'Neill stated as he grabbed her arm and started escorting her to the mess hall.

"Sir" was all Carter was able to get out before she threw up all over Colonel O'Neill.

"God Carter" O'Neill said as he was bathed in vomit.

"I'm sorry Sir, I tried to warn you" Carter said as she tried to steady herself.

"Carter what is going on with you?" O'Neill said. He helped her back into her chair, and went to grab some towels to clean themselves up.

"I'm sorry Sir, I just haven't been feeling myself lately" Carter admitted.

"How long has this been going on?" He asked, wondering if this had anything to do with Amiri.

"It's just been a couple of days...." Carter said.

"Carter?" O'Neill said knowing she was lying remembering her episode in the briefing room.

"o.k. it's been a couple of weeks, but Sir, its ok...it's probably just a bug. It will pass" Carter stated trying to convince her CO she was fine.

"You and I are headed to the showers" O'Neill said, "well separate showers of course" he restated. "You are then to report to the infirmary".

"Sir..I am fine, please" Carter tried to convince him.

"Carter, I can make it an order, but I'd rather not" O'Neill stated trying to not throw his rank.

"Fine, Sir" Carter agreed reluctantly. They both made their way to the showers and changed out of their soiled clothes. When they reached the infirmary, Dr. Frasier was their adjusting Amiris medication.

"Major? Colonel?" Dr, Frasier stated. "What can I do for you?"

Before Carter could get a word out, O'Neill spat out "You need to check Carter out"

"Sam, what's going on?" Frasier asked.

"Really it's nothing, Janet, just a queasy stomach that's all" Carter stated trying to down play how she was really feeling.

"She's not eating, she threw up all over me in her lab, and could barely stand" O'Neil stated. "I call that something"....

"Janet, I'm fine, it's the Colonel that insisted I see you" Carter stated

"Well since you are already here, let's just run some test, and see if we find something ok?" Dr. Frasier said.

"I'll be back in an hour. From here you are going home Carter. I'll watch Amiri, and I'll let you know how she's doing. Please don't have to make me make that an order?" O'Neill stated.

"Sir, please, I am fine. I really do not want to leave the base till Amiri wakes up. We connected at her planet, and I am not sure how she is going to react when she wakes up to people she does not know" Carter said with deep concern in her voice.

"Know? Carter, you met her for 5 minutes on her planet. You don't know her, and she doesn't know you" O'Neill stated. He was starting to get annoyed.

"You still feel a connection to her, don't you Sam?" Dr. Frasier asked.

"Yes, and before you ask, I don't know why?" Carter said. Starting to feel queasy again. She grasped her stomach.

"Ok..Ok...relax Sam its ok. Why don't you lie down, and let me run some test. In the meantime you can rest here." Dr. Frasier said as she helped Sam down on the gerny.

"How is Amiri?" Carter asked trying to fight the nausea.

"Her condition remains the same" Dr. Frasier stated. Carter was saddened. She had hoped that she had improved a little. She could only hope that she would awaken soon.

Carter's tests were done. She was showing signs of dehydration so Dr. Frasier ordered an IV drip. By this time she was quite annoyed. She just wanted to get back to work. She laid there thinking about Amiri. The connection was started to make her wonder. Then she thought back to the planet. She remembered the energy surged she experience when Amiri touched her. And then again, when she touched her again when she arrived at the SGC.

"Could that be our connection?" she asked herself. But how? Her mind was filled with questions. O'Neill had walked into the infirmary. Carter was so lost in thought she didn't even realize he was standing at the foot of her bed.

"So you're fine huh?" He said sarcastically.

"I'm just a little dehydrated Sir. All my test came back normal" Carter stated.

"Well if you were fine you wouldn't be hooked up to IV, would you?" O'Neill said with some gratification in his voice. He knew his 2IC very well. Well enough to know when she wasn't herself.

"Carter, as soon as Dr. Frasier clears you, I want you to go home. Do you understand me?" O'Neill stated in a firm voice.

Once Dr. Frasier released Carter she headed back to her lab. She knew she had been practically ordered to go home, but it wasn't exactly an order. They had already come and cleaned up her lab from her previous bought of nausea, so she was able to return to a clean lab. Just then O'Neill walked by.

"I'm sorry, I must be seeing things. It seems I see a Major Carter in her lab, when I ordered her to go home" O'Neill stated annoyingly.

"Sorry Sir, but I just wanted to collect some things before I left. And technically you did not order me too......Sir" she answered back sarcastically hoping to lighten the already tense situation.

"Fine then...Major Carter I am ordering you to get your geeky ass home to rest" O'Neill shouted.

Carter was surprised at his reference. She was upset. She knew he was concerned but she didn't want to leave.

She bowed her head in embarrassment for O'Neill was definitely heard by the airman outside her lab.

"Yes Sir" was all she was able to get out. She grabbed her laptop and her brief case, and headed out. O'Neill knew her well enough to know she could get distracted so he followed her out. She wanted to tell him she didn't need the escort, but she knew she had already pissed him off enough; she just let him escort her to her car.

She unlocked the car and placed her belongings in the passenger seat.

"Carter" O'Neill broke the silence.

"Listen I didn't mean to yell, but I know you well enough to know that you are not yourself. And if you keep pushing yourself you are going to burn out. I need my 2IC 100%, not 80 not 90" He said trying to show her how concerned he was.

"I know Sir, and I'm sorry I defied your order....Sir" Carter said.

She started the car up, and he stood in the driveway till he saw her taillights fade away. Something was up. Something was happening, but he had no clue what it was or how to stop it. But if it took everything in him, he wasn't going to get to the bottom of this.