10. Resolutions

SAM'S ROOM

"So Carter? You feeling like yourself?"

She nodded weakly.

"No little voices here or there? No 'who are you'? No…."

"No sir!"

"That's my girl!" he grinned widely before turning to Derek "So doc, you think she's really stable this time or will she keep on scaring us like this?"

"You're the one who knows what's wrong with her. You tell me!" Derek replied almost harshly. He was still mad at these guys for hiding vital information from him. He hated it when patients acted like this. As much as he tried to convince himself that it's not their fault, it's probably their job, there was still some small part of him that didn't accept it.

"I told you doc, it must have been some toxic metal she's been exposed to at work, without us knowing. I thought, or actually- as always- she did, before ever so graciously blacking out again, that it might be its interaction with her blood that was causing these aneurysms to appear and burst at will and I told you how to reverse its effects."

"Well if that metal was the cause then she should be fine. If there's something else you're hiding from me I can't be sure that…."

"I told you doc. No one hid anything from you. We just guessed it might be that she got exposed to it at work." Jack repeated, his patience running thin but he still had his best cover up face on.

"Deep Space Radar Telemetry?" Derek pushed his luck.

"Right!"

"I have one question." Meredith interrupted "How come we didn't find traces of any metals in her blood. I mean our tests should have picked it up." 'Maybe we can get there the other way round!'

Sam's weak voice replied from behind her "Because Antimony Polonium Compound, isn't usually picked up in your ordinary blood work. I'm sorry I didn't tell you about it sooner. But I honestly didn't know I'd been exposed to high concentrations of it's gas. There must have been a leak in the lab or something." Sam replied more innocently than was even possible.

Derek and Meredith both believed her in a heart beat. All they're skepticism was gone. Sure these two worked in some classified government business but it was probably really just about space radars and radioactive materials from the sound of it. Nothing wrong with that.

'Nice save Carter.' Jack mouthed to Sam who was looking at him with a small smile. She nodded back 'Always.'

"Well, Sam up till now everything checks out just fine. Let's just hope it remains so." Derek changed the subject.

"We'll leave you to rest."

Jack asked Meredith after having moved closer to her, not wanting Sam to hear "Doc? About that blue jelly?"

"I'll see what I can do." she smiled sensing that this was some kind of small gesture from Jack's side.

"Something going on sir?" Sam asked as Jack returned to sit by her bedside and the two doctors took their leave.

"Not at all Carter. Not at all!" he smiled contently.

A small pause of relief.

Sam had been resting her head for a few minutes and Jack was just savoring her laying in front of him, with even breaths and presumably her full mental capabilities.

"So sir what's the mysterious emergency that had Daniel and Teal'c fly back to the SGC?" Sam interrupted the silence.

"Oh I'm sure it's nothing Carter. They probably were just trying to get out of having to go fishing." he replied as casually as possible.

"Sir what's going on?"

"Nothing Carter. You're the one with the scrambled brain remember?"

"Sir?" she raised a skeptic eyebrow showing that she'd not buying it that easily.

"I don't know, Carter. For real. Landry said there was some kind of situation and that Daniel and Teal'c should head back."

"What situation?"

"I don't know Carter." 'Well, you're gonna have to tell her sooner or later.' "I haven't heard of them since Daniel called to confirm they'd landed."

"What?" Sam started to sit up "What do you mean? Did you try calling the base? Maybe you should call the President. What if it's a foothold…" her head began to race and the room started spinning again but she completely ignored it.

"Carter. Carter. Slow down. I'm already on it. Can't reach the base! And every time I call the President I get told that he'll call me back after dealing with some "stuff"" he drew quotations in the air.

"Sir! We need to get there." she announced while starting to remove her IV with a wince.

These black spots started to dance in front of her eyes again but she blinked them away.

"Carter! We're not going anywhere till you're 100%, ok? And even then I'm gonna head back alone, till you are fully rested. You've had three major surgeries in the past two days you're in no shape…."

"Sir, I'm fit. We need to get to them and you know it!" she looked into his eyes with determination.

"Let me try reaching the president one more time, before we decide on anything." He replied after giving it careful thought without taking his eyes off her.

"I'm ready when ever you need me sir. She sat up a bit straighter to signal her return to military front.

"No one's going anywhere just yet Carter." he said while leaving the room to try and get hold of the president once again.

'Let's just hope he picks up and has good news. I don't wanna have to tell her about Vala if I can help it. And I don't wanna have to leave her…. Well I'll jump off that bridge when I come to it.'

'I hope they're ok. Jack seems like… I don't know. I can't really think straight. I'm far from fit. But if they need our help, we have to get there, fit or not. I guess I can just rest my eyes till he comes back. I'm feeling a little lightheaded all of a sudden' Sam thought to herself as her body started to surrender to a much needed sleep.

…

IN FRONT OF SAM'S ROOM

"Sir, finally!" Jack said in relief as soon as he heard the president's voice on the other side.

"Jack! How is Colonel Carter doing?"

"Out of the woods, sir. What's going on?"

"The SGC is under quarantine as of 1800 yesterday. We're still unclear about the exact nature of the situation but General Landry managed to communicate that Vala Mal Doran was overtaken by an unknown entity off world that managed to get back through the gate with her, similar to what happened to Colonel Carter, years ago. To my information, no one was seriously injured but I haven't heard from them since the lockdown. They're taking the highest precautions."

"Where do you need me, sir?"

"Right where you are, General."

"But, sir. I…."

"There's not much you can do, Jack. The SGC is under complete lockdown, meaning from you and I as well. Just sit tight. I'll let you know as the situation progresses."

"Thank you, sir. And if theres anything you need…."

"I'll let you know, Jack. My best regards to Colonel Carter." And with that the voice on the other side of the phone hung up

'No one was seriously injured, hah! One of SG-1's members is overtaken by an off world entity , again. The SGC is under lockdown, again. And this time I can't be of any assistance. I'm just standing by and watching. Hell, I'm not even watching this time. I'm useless completely useless. Which seems to by my mantra for this weekend: See everyone in trouble and not being able to do a thing to help them. Way to go Jack! What if Daniel and Teal'c and the rest of the base are in trouble. What if they're waiting for me to come. Oh Jack, they're grown ups, they can very well manage without you. I hope. Well at least I know Carter's ok. At least she's not in the mountain. That's something.'

"Sir? You asked for blue jell-o?" Of the nurses approached him as he was lost in thought.

"Yes." he replied still absentmindedly.

"There you go. Dr Grey went to great lengths to find a blue one." she noted before leaving.

'She did, huh!' he smiled

…

SAM'S ROOM

Jack returned with the jelly only to find Sam had already fallen into a deep sleep.

He smiled contentedly that she was finally resting peacefully. She's needed it. He'd tell her the news from the SGC later, after she'd rested.

The jelly could also wait. So could the fishing. And the cabin. And everything else as long as she was alive and well.

He sat down on the chair next to hers after putting down the jelly on the table.

And for a long while he just watched her.

He suppressed the nagging urge to caress her cheeks or fiddle with her hair. He suppressed it as long as he could, until he couldn't.

'No one's there. No one will see you. She's asleep. No one will know. It's just for a second. I just need to touch her cheek. Run my fingers through her golden hair, just once.'

As soon as he touched her skin, her eyes started to open, but only barely. She wasn't completely aware of her surroundings but she knew she had to check on her team. She didn't register anything else. She managed a faint "Th..G..C?"

"They're fine. Everything's fine, Sa,. Go back to sleep." he reassured her while stroking her hair to help her go back to slepp.

And with a sleepy smile on her face, she did.

After an hour of stroking her soft hair, an hour of caressing her tender cheek, an hour of telling himself 'just one last second' he fell asleep. He fell asleep, with one hand of his holding hers, the fingers of the other slowly loosening from her hair so he could rest his head on her bed, almost on her lap.

And his final thought before sleep took full control over him, his final thought where he was no longer coherent enough to think about anything but the thought itself was 'What a sweet way to fall asleep.'

And indeed it was!

…

IN FRONT OF THE HOSPITAL

Derek had been waiting for Meredith for half an hour, until he finally saw her come out of the hospital building, having changed out of her scrubs.

"Hey!" she greeted.

"You got it?"

"I did. But it wasn't easy."

"Well love never is."

"And apparently neither is blue jell-o."

"So we're ready to head home?" Derek couldn't wait to get home in order to finish what they'd started earlier in the supply room. The words 'baby' and 'sex' popped to mind.

"I have a better idea." Meredith grinned, as she grabbed the car keys from his hands and lead him to the car.

"You do?" he laughed waiting to hear what brilliant idea his newly-turned romantic wife came up with now.

"Let's not head home. It's crowded there. It's too much people. Not a healthy environment to conceive a child."

"I know exactly what you mean. And I like it. A lot." he'd already started kissing her neck.

"So a suite?"

"A suite!" he agreed "I mean I never even took you on a real honeymoon."

"Well we'll call this a sneak preview then!" and with that she started the ignition.