oOo Chapter 14: He Lost His Marbles
The General sighed, looking at his second in command. "Why, Jack?"
"I guess I lost control, sir."
Hammond glared at him. It had taken six Security Officers to pull Jack off of McKenzie. "Six SFs? And all uninjured? McKenzie in a lot of pain, but not with a lot if marks on him? You did not lose control. You deliberately hurt him."
It was hard to put one over on the General. "I did lose it, sir. For a moment."
That would be the fractured jaw and broken ribs, the General thought.
"Then... I guess I wanted to punish him for what he did to Carter."
And that would be all those painful spots without marks -- Jack's retribution.
"She never would have tried something so risky if she wasn't trying to prove she wasn't a coward. I'm not proud of what l did, sir, but he did deserve it."
"What's this about Major Carter?"
Jack told him about McKenzie's innuendos, his offer to get her a transfer. Hammond listened with a sinking feeling. He knew what this was about. But how could he tell Jack without him going back to finish off McKenzie? He decided not to tell him. He would have that discussion with Major Carter and McKenzie. Together, so McKenzie could see her reaction, see how ridiculous this whole thing was. He hoped it would be enough to convince the obstinate doctor.
He sighed. "I'll look into the whole thing. In the meantime, I am ordering you to stay away from Dr McKenzie and the infirmary." He raised a hand as Jack started to object. "I'll see that you are kept updated regarding Major Carter, but for the time being you are not to communicate with her, either."
"General!"
"May I remind you that you are currently accused of attacking a fellow officer?" Hammond hated to do that to him, but he knew it would head off the man's temper.
Jack reluctantly dropped the objection. "What about that, General? Am I still under arrest?" McKenzie could really get him for this. For that matter, so could the SFs.
"Keeping you in a holding cell would ensure you stay out of trouble," Hammond agreed, watching his second's face. "And it might even appease Dr McKenzie." He paused for effect. Even if this wasn't the heart of the matter, it still wouldn't hurt to send the message-- incongruous as it might seem in a military facility-- that violence wasn't the solution to all problems. "However," he began slowly, picking up a sheaf of papers from his desk, "the SFs report that an orderly spilled a bag of marbles, and that you slipped on them and fell onto Dr McKenzie."
"Marbles, sir?" His careful tone tried to hide his surprise.
"Apparently, one of the orderlies is quite a collector."
"I...see."
"They say that you made several unsuccessful attempts to regain your balance, and they tried to assist." Hammond looked back at the reports. "While you fell on both them and Dr McKenzie, several times, they were impressed that no injuries were sustained beyond the first regrettable slip."
"Thank you, sir."
"Don't thank me, Colonel. I'm just responding to the reports that were filed."
"Yes, sir. I understand." Nice to know he had friends in the SFs. He rose to leave.
"One more thing, Colonel."
Jack turned back.
"Please do not discuss Dr McKenzie's alleged accusations about Major Carter with anyone, especially the SFs. Apparently, they were quite incensed that he questioned her character."
"Understood, General." So it wasn't he who had the friends in the SFs.
oOo
She woke to find Teal'c at her bedside. She blinked to clear her vision, and attempted a small smile.
He inclined his head gracefully in acknowledgement. "It is good to see you awaken, Major Carter." He held a glass of water for her, his large hand making the paper cup seem small.
She finished drinking and sighed, settling back into the pillows. Her body ached, and her eyelids felt like lead weights, but she wasn't ready to sleep again yet. She remembered...something. Something important. She felt herself drifting off, and fought the temptation. She needed to know... her eyes opened all the way. "Daniel was here."
"Indeed. He is resting, but he will return. I will stay by your side."
"You need to rest, too. I'll be fine."
"I have given O'Neill my word that I will stay by your side."
The Colonel. That was what had been driving her away from the cozy fog of the pain medicine and toward wakefulness. The Colonel wasn't here. Hadn't been here at all, as far as she knew. "The Colonel...is he ok?"
"He is uninjured."
"Oh." He saw her face fall before she rallied. "Good. I'm glad he's ok." She wasn't looking at him. The Colonel was so disappointed in her that he didn't even check on her.
Teal'c guessed what she was thinking. "O'Neill is forbidden to see or speak with you."
Her head snapped up. "What? Why?"
"O'Neill holds Dr McKenzie responsible for your injury. There was an altercation. O'Neill is now forbidden entry into the infirmary and contact with McKenzie or you until the matter is resolved."
This was difficult for her to follow. He watched her eyes glaze and refocus, only to glaze over again. She would not remember this conversation. That allowed him to speak freely, where normally he would keep his own counsel.
"I am concerned for O'Neill."
"It'll be ok, T," her voice was growing fuzzy again. "He'll do his punishment and it'll go 'way."
"I am not concerned about the disciplinary action. He will bear it well." Indeed, these humans had very simplistic punishment rituals; few of them even involved physical pain. He had no fear for O'Neill in that area.
"I am concerned for his mind."
Her eyes faced him, but they were glazed again. She was trying to follow his words, but it was difficult.
"He fears for you in this place, though he will not say for what reason. He tried to have you transferred to the public hospital, but Dr Fraiser did not allow it." Teal'c did not understand his friend's fear; the infirmary was a place of physical care and safety, surely more secure than a public facility. And Teal'c and Daniel would remain by her side, as they always did when one of them was recovering. Still, the agitated O'Neill had stopped just short of a direct order to keep Major Carter under heavy guard. "Do you know the source of his concern?"
Carter's half-sedated mind fastened on the one phrase that frightened her most. He tried to have you transferred. Tried to have you transferred, tried to have you transferred, her own mind mocked her with the words. He had said he would fix things. She had trusted him, and he tried to have her transferred. "No," she whispered. "No..."
"It does not matter," Teal'c told her firmly. "He has his reasons, as always." Actually, the big man doubted that there were factual reasons behind his friend's odd behavior. Still, he would guard his teammate every moment, if only for O'Neill's peace of mind. But it would be far easier to defend her from a known threat than this unknown menace that left O'Neill pacing about his office like a caged tiger. "We will not speak of it again."
He would think about it, though. He had been thinking much about it in the days since his friend's return. O'Neill had been tortured, and starved, and deprived of sleep for weeks. Any of those conditions, and most certainly the combination of the three, would confuse a man's mind. He had seen it in many liberated warriors, had himself induced such conditions in enemy Jaffa to gain information from them. He suspected that O'Neill had also been subjected to deception and trickery during his captivity, as he had refused to believe in his own rescue until presented with the incontrovertible proof of Junior's presence.
Teal'c had been pleased to be the one to return O'Neill to his senses, to convince him that he was indeed among friends once again. He knew full well that it would take days at least for the doubts to recede, for the former captive to cease to question his freedom. For that reason he had stayed close to O'Neill, not overtly comforting him-- he doubted the warrior would accept any such comfort-- but always being present, a silent and steady support in an unspoken time of need. The effort was not in vain; he could sense that his own nearness calmed O'Neill when the memories weighed heavily upon him.
Perhaps it was merely the fact that he, alone among the group, could prove his identity beyond any deception. Twice on the journey home, O'Neill had seemed to withdraw, sitting apart and watching his companions tensely. Teal'c recognized the signs of disbelief and suspicion returning; it was not uncommon for recent escapees to question their good fortune, particularly if they had been given false freedom by their captors. He did not attempt to speak of it, for what words would be trusted? Instead, he calmly sat down and cleaned the lips of his pouch. In plain view, which he had never done in the past. Far from turning away, O'Neill had watched the simple hygiene procedure raptly. Proof of safety; life-giving water to a man trapped in a desert of doubt.
The bizarre ritual forced upon O'Neill by Dr McKenzie did not assist in his recovery. Teal'c saw no sense whatsoever in subjecting a man who had just been tortured incessantly, and whose nerves were already on edge, to an hour of continual touch daily. In fact, it seemed designed to prolong the recovery by keeping the memories vivid.
Perhaps that was the cause? He was relieved by that idea; O'Neill simply required additional time to overcome the events because of the Tau'ri's odd insistence that he dwell upon the memories.
Teal'c focused on his own thoughts as Carter's eyes glazed over again. Had he looked closer, he would have noticed that they were brimming with unshed tears.
Carter was too engrossed in her own misery to continue the conversation with Teal'c. She had tried to prove her bravery, and had only demonstrated a lack of judgment. And now the Colonel had written her off. How long ago had he stopped believing in her? She had thought all those odd looks he had given her since their return meant nothing, but perhaps he had been showing his misgivings about her? What about before? Two more incidents came to mind. Her drug-fogged mind wandered.
"Teal'c, you take first watch, then Daniel. I'll take last." They were working their way home with the injured Colonel.
"What about me?"
"We need you to take care of the Colonel, Janet."
"He's sleeping. And probably will sleep for as long as we let him."
"If he wakes up, he'll need you."
"Then I'll wake you up."
"No, Janet."
"You don't trust me, do you?"
Sam sighed and looked her in the eye. If the doctor wasn't going to take the hint, she'd just have to take her medicine straight. "Janet, this is a covert operation. There is no backup. You are not prepared for this."
Janet had put her hands on her hips, taking her no-nonsense doctor pose. "I am a major in the air force, the same as you."
"I am a Colonel in the air force," came a voice from the bed. "And I'm ordering you to do what Carter says, Major Fraiser. And do it quietly; there's people trying to sleep around here." He hadn't even opened his eyes.
"Yes, sir!" Janet snapped, not looking at either of them. She flopped down in a corner and started arranging her own blankets, jerking them angrily around.
Sam sighed. She knew Janet wasn't sleeping; the woman's blankets were so stiff she could probably still bounce a quarter off them. She started to smile at the image, but the situation really wasn't funny. Janet hadn't accepted her orders, and that stung. Even so, she thought she was being a good commander, not giving in to a friend, sticking to the best defense she could manage under the circumstances she had. But the Colonel had felt the need to reinforce her command, clearly not convinced she could control the situation on her own. His lack of faith in her hurt more than she let on.
Later, he had mentioned that event. In the infirmary, when he was asking for medical clearance to go home. He had patted her shoulder and made exaggerated reference to her military skills. She had been surprised by it, had thought it a joke. But maybe the joke was on her-- maybe he thought her a laughable soldier.
Her despondent mind gave in to the comfort of the drugs, and she fell into a troubled sleep.