oOo Chapter 12: Didn't I Tell You I Hate Surprises?

Laura was working on a presentation in an AV room when she suddenly found herself in a painful, vice-like grip.

"Did you enjoy your little covert op, Doctor?"

"Jack! I was just -- ow!"

He intensified the pressure and she gasped, trying to squirm away. "Just what, Doctor?"

"Just trying to help. I -"

That angered him all the more and he increased the pressure again.

God! That hurt! "I helped you!" she objected.

"By pretending to be a friend?!"

"No! That was real. I swear!" She was all but whimpering now, begging him to believe her.

"You doctors always talk shop about your friends?"

"He doesn't know! I could lose my license for this!"

He considered her words. Before he could reply, the door opened and the lights came on fully, McKenzie stood there, looking stunned. "Security!" He yelled.

Jack promptly released the woman and she stepped back, smoothing her jacket. He looked at her, waiting to hear what she would say.

"No need for that, Dr McKenzie. Colonel O'Neill was just┘ showing me a self defense tactic."

"In a dark conference room?" He asked skeptically.

"Uh... " She said

"Just making a point. She was so engrossed in her presentation that she didn't see it coming."

"I see," he said in that professional tone that Jack hated. "We can discuss it more in our session tomorrow. And, for the record, any further approvals about your activities will be signed off by all of the psychiatrists." His confidence grew as the security officers arrived. "I'll also ask you not to conduct any more self-defense training until you are cleared for active duty."

"Doctor, if you please?" he waved her out in front of him. There was no way he was letting O'Neill have access to her until he understood what was going on. That bigshot bastard might be second in command of the base, but that didn't give him the right to push his staff around.

oOo

"I am not sending Colonel O'Neill off base, for any length of time."

"General. I just want him safely away while I do my evaluation. He's a dangerous man. And he knows how to hurt people."

"Every one on this base knows how to hurt people," the General pointed out, enjoying the discomfited look On McKenzie's face as the man realized that he was one of the few people on base who would not be classified as dangerous in hand to hand combat. "No one on this base does it for fun."

"I know what I saw," he insisted. "I think he was trying to coerce her."

"To do what? You're his therapist."

"So she'd persuade me to send him on another mission."

"Why not coerce you to persuade her to send him on another mission? He has daily access to you."

"She's a woman. An easier target."

The General couldn't suppress a smile at that. As if the Colonel would have the least trouble intimidating the pompous psychiatrist! Aloud, he said, "I disagree. I know the man. He wouldn't do that."

"I know what I saw," he repeated. "He was hurting her."

"What does Doctor Standish say about this?"

"That he was showing her some self defense move."

"And that doesn't seem more reasonable to you than a decorated officer beating up a woman at work? And doing it after she gave him what you claim he wanted? She agreed to the first mission. By all accounts, it was a success. Why would he think she wouldn't approve a second?"

McKenzie hesitated; he hadn't thought about that. "It must be worse than I thought. I wonder if there's a pattern..."

"I wonder if you're the one who needs to be evaluated?" Hammond asked incredulously. "The people involved have given a perfectly reasonable explanation for what you saw. The woman has no marks on her to support your claim. This matter is closed."

oOo

"So. Major, how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, sir. If I may ask, why am I here?" It was hard to see how anything good could come from being unexpectedly called to the psychiatrist's office.

"Just a follow-up after being injured on your recent mission."

She looked surprised. "It was just some cuts and bruises."

"And how did you get them?"

"A ledge broke away under me."

Interesting, he thought, that she described it that way. "How far did you fall?"

"Just a few feet- the Colonel caught me and pulled me back up. Look. I don't see what the big deal is. We've all had worse injuries."

"The Colonel pulled you up? Where were the other members of your team?"

"By the stream. About a mile away."

"Could they have heard or seen you fall?"

She was wary suddenly. Was he suggesting they hadn't followed procedure? "It's just not possible for all of us to stay together at all times. It's SOP to split up in pairs. The Colonel could have called them on the radio if I'd fallen."

"I thought you said you did fall?"

"I did. The Colonel caught me."

"Then how were you injured?"

"It was just bruises! From the ledge."

"On your belly, What about the large bruise on your back?"

"The Colonel's P90 hit me when he caught my hand."

"He pulled you up by the hand?"

"Yes."

McKenzie made a note- she had had bruising on her wrist, yet claimed she was pulled up by her hand.

"That's all there was to it? You slipped and he grabbed your hand?"

"Yes. No worse than if I'd tripped on the stairs here."

"I see." Interesting that she should choose that particular metaphor. He made a note. A certain Lieutenant Hinton had, in fact, tripped on the stairs here. And was saved by one Colonel O'Neill. No damage other than a sprained wrist. From where he caught her. "And will you still pair off on missions?"

"When it's appropriate."

"Do you always pair off the same way?"

"No. It depends on what we're doing."

"And do you have any feelings about that?"

"I don't understand."

"A frightening thing happened to you. It would be perfectly understandable if you felt safer being assigned away from... ledges? Or with, say. Mr Teal'c?"

Was he suggesting that she should be reassigned? "Of course not! I am not afraid of heights. And if anything I should be more comfortable with the Colonel since he saved me."

"But you're not?"

"I didn't say that!" God. She hated this man and the way he twisted words around. "I do not have the least qualm about going out to do my job."

"You seem to be reacting strongly to my question. Is there a reason why?"

"No. This was no big deal! I didn't even fall."

"There's nothing to get excited about. Major. Unless you have anything you'd like to talk about?"

"No. I told you. I'm fine."

"If there's any thing you want to talk about, I'm always available. And our records are confidential. Not even the General gets access."

"Sir. I'm fine. I don't have anything to discuss. This was a routine mission."

"Glad to hear it, major. If you decide otherwise, I'm always here to talk."

oOo

Jack's watched from his desk as Carter closed the office door behind her. Something serious must have happened.

"Carter. What's up?" She looked somewhere between angry and upset.

"Sir, did you speak to Dr. McKenzie about me?"

"What? God, no. I'd shoot ya before l'd ever consider that!"

She relaxed somewhat. Dropped into a chair. "Well, someone did."

"What??"

"He asked a lot of questions about the Pansy Planet."

His mouth tightened. Should have known the shrink would check up on him. Probably grilled Daniel and Teal'c, too. Her next words couldn't have surprised him more.

"He asked about the ledge breaking away. Like he had some reason to think it scared me off."

"That was no big deal!" he objected.

"That's what I told him. Then he asked if I'd feel better if I were reassigned."

"What! No way! There is no frickin' way you're going anywhere!" He half rose in anger, the words loud in the closed office.

She smiled. His reaction was obviously genuine. "Thanks, sir. That's all I needed to know."

He rounded the desk to her side. "Look, Carter, we'll.."

He never finished the sentence. The door banged open and there was McKenzie, looking quickly around and seeing the Colonel standing over the Major.

"I heard raised voices. Are you ok, Major?"

"She's fine," Jack snapped, annoyed that he could possibly think otherwise. Did someone tell him that Carter'd become a basket case or something?

"The Major is a grown woman, Colonel. She should be able to answer for herself."

"I'm fine," she supplied automatically.

"Good. If you have a moment, Major. There's something I'd like to discuss with you."

"Can't it wait?" Jack asked. "We were having a discussion of our own here."

"Of course," he said. "I'll just wait in the hall here."

Jack shut the door behind him. Looked at Carter. "What the hell was that about?"

"That's what I was telling you. He thinks I've gone chicken shit or something."

"Why?"

"I don't know! Nothing happened."

"I'll get to the bottom of this, Carter. Don't worry about it."

When she left the office, McKenzie was waiting as promised. She started walking and let him catch up.

"Major. I couldn't help but overhear the Colonel say you're not going anywhere." He said quietly. "I can help you get a transfer if that's what you were asking for."

"No! I don't want a transfer! I want to stay with SG-1. I don't know what you're getting at. But I'm fine."

oOo

Jack was looking for Carter, to tell her his investigation hadn't turned up anything yet, and just to see how she was doing. He found her atop the Stargate, some technical looking tool in hand. He half smiled, pleased that even underground she'd found a way to demonstrate that she was not afraid of heights, and angry that she felt she needed to do so.

McKenzie turned up at his shoulder. Was the man watching Carter?

"Been talking to Carter a lot lately?" He asked casually.

"Yes," the doctor confirmed with a knowing look.

Jack wanted to punch him. Instead, he gave a low whistle. Carter heard the field signal and looked up from her task and waved. He gave a few hand motions, field signals to meet up in three hours, then finished by flipping his middle finger up then pointing in McKenzie's direction. She grinned and nodded.

"What was that?" the doctor asked suspiciously.

"That's how we communicate in the field. She can't hear us from way up there, you know. Too high." He hoped McKenzie had taken note that she was calmly working high off the floor. He should take the opportunity to try to pump the doctor for information about his interest in Carter, but Jack knew that he was too angry about the whole thing right now to do it effectively. At least this was a situation that didn't revolve around him; Jack was sick to death of daily therapy and solicitous inquiries about his health and implied questions of his fitness. He wished everyone would just leave him alone for a while.