Here is the next part. See, I'm not evil.

Well, maybe a little evil..

Okay, all right, I admit it - I'm a lot evil. Being evil is much more fun than being good.

Grey Dims to Black – Part 6

Janet Fraiser actually found herself whistling, something she hadn't done in public for years – not since that embarrassing time when…

She was in such a good mood that she smiled at the memory. Nothing was going to get her down, not after the great vacation she'd had. Everything had gone perfectly. Cassandra and Helen had hit it off immediately, and the two girls had become inseparable for the whole time they stayed at Annabelle and Greg's house. As for Disney World – Janet grinned as she pictured her daughter's face as she raced from ride to ride, her teenage poise lost in the excitement.

She couldn't wait to show Sam the photos.

There didn't even seem to be much work waiting for her return. Her in tray was surprisingly empty and the infirmary only had two patients – a young lieutenant from SG-10 with a minor rash on his hands and face that seemed no worse than poison ivy, caused by an offworld plant, and one of his colleagues, with a matching rash on a rather more embarrassing part of his body.

There was a rap on the door and Doctor Hamilton entered. Janet smiled a greeting and gestured for him to sit.

"Thanks for all your hard work, Peter. I hope there wasn't too much to do while I've been gone."

The man smiled back as he stretched his short legs out in front of him and crossed them at the ankles. "No, nothing major at all – quite a disappointment considering all the warnings you gave me. It probably helped that SG-1 was taken off the mission roster."

"They were?" Janet raised an eyebrow inquiringly. "Any medical reason I should know about?"

"No, nothing. Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c completed one offworld mission but checked out fine on their return, and Doctor Jackson and Major Carter stayed on base." He shifted uncomfortably. "Of course, now the colonel is under arrest SG-1 is grounded indefinitely."

"Under arrest?" Janet winced at the high note her question ended on, almost making it sound like a squeak rather than a word. "What do you mean under arrest? Why?"

"I thought you knew." Hamilton sat forward, his pleasure at being the first to tell her the gossip obvious. "No one knows why. He's been in a holding room on Level 16 since Tuesday."

"Haven't you spoken to the general about it?"

Hamilton shook his head. "No. I saw no reason to, and he's been in a terrible mood all week, since he ordered Colonel O'Neill be brought back to base under arrest."

"What?" This time Janet almost shouted the single word. "Brought back here from where?" What had been going on while she was away? And all this was on Colonel O'Neill's own planet!

"That's something else no one seems to know. The colonel just turned up again without any warning and was thrown in the holding room straightaway."

"Didn't you do the normal medical examination required on a prisoner?" Janet knew he hadn't, if he had there would have been a report in her tray, but she waited for her fellow doctor's answer.

He had the grace to look embarrassed. "I didn't see that it was necessary. I examined him only a few days before, on his return from his mission. He had nothing more than some minor contusions to his neck."

She shuffled through the files, finally pulling out the one containing the latest personnel medicals, and leafing through them until she found the colonel's.

After a few minutes she looked up and fixed her colleague with a glare. "This isn't very thorough, Doctor. In fact I would go as far as to say it is perfunctory." She pushed her chair back on its rollers. "We'll speak about this further later, Doctor Hamilton, at the moment I have a patient to see!"

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"I'm sorry, Doctor Fraiser, General Hammond's orders were clear – no visitors what so ever under any circumstances."

Janet tapped her foot, using it as a release for her agitation. "I am not a visitor. I'm a doctor – the chief medical officer of this base – and I have authority to see any prisoner without needing the general's permission to do so."

She was pleased to see the guard gulp. "General Hammond is with the colonel now, ma'am. Perhaps you could take it up with him?"

"Why don't I just do that, Sergeant?" She pushed past the Marine, taking advantage of his reluctance to physically stop her.

Her tactic didn't get her far. She was only a few feet down the corridor when she saw the general hurrying toward her, his face thunderous. He came to an abrupt halt.

"Doctor. Welcome back."

"Thank you, sir." She frowned as she took in his flushed face. "I understand Colonel O'Neill is a guest in the holding rooms." She flourished her bag. "I was about to examine him."

"That won't be necessary, Doctor."

The general stepped aside to let Lieutenant Wheeler pass. Janet noted the tray of food he carried and wondered at its quantity, but she dismissed that issue for the moment, continuing her argument, while keeping her tone polite and respectful.

"Oh? Has another doctor carried out the examination as per regulations, General? I understood Doctor Hamilton hadn't done so."

She held the general's gaze and saw his eyes narrow slightly. With some internal trepidation she waited for his reply.

"Colonel O'Neill is …" Hammond's words were drowned out by the P.A.

"Medical emergency in holding room 7-26. Medical emergency in holding room 7-26."

They both took off running.

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General Hammond's rush ended abruptly when he reached the door of Colonel O'Neill's room. The sight that met him stopped him cold.

"I think he's killed himself."

The general tore his horrified gaze from his fallen officer to find Lieutenant Wheeler's wide eyes staring straight at him out of a pale face. He reached out his hand, gripping the lieutenant's arm tightly as the young man swayed.

"What happened?" He was surprised at how calm he sounded.

"I …" Wheeler swayed again, and Hammond tightened his grip. "I heard a thump and found …" He turned his head slightly in the direction of the holding room's interior, but stopped, paling further. "Is he …?"

Hammond released his arm. "I don't know, son. Go and sit down. I'll send someone to take your report as soon as I can."

He didn't wait for the lieutenant to leave. He turned quickly and hurried as near to Doctor Fraiser's side as he could reach without stepping in the ever-widening pool of blood that surrounded O'Neill.

It seemed to be everywhere.

"Doctor?"

"He's still alive, sir – barely." She had already shifted O'Neill into the recovery position, on his right side. "I can't see any obvious wound and most of the blood seems to be from his mouth. Although …" She looked down and Hammond saw the spreading stain covering the colonel's lower body. "He could have ingested poison."

They both heard the strangled gasp from the fallen man.

"Oh, dear Lord." George felt his heart clench at the desperation in the sound.

"Damn it, where's the medical team!"

They were arriving as she spoke and the general moved aside to give them room while Fraiser snapped out rapid orders, including for someone to search the room for possible sources of poison. It was mere minutes before they were once again heading up the corridor, the doctor glued to the gurney's side.

Hammond stood, staring after them.

Then he stared back down at the pool of red staining the floor.

Had he driven Jack to this? To taking his own life?

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TBC