Sam turned slowly and carefully, and saw her attacker's face as he held the knife to her throat.
"Come to get your friend?" he sneered. His breath was foul, and Sam could feel it hot on her face. She saw from the glassy look in his eyes, and the telltale trace of white powder under his nose that he was stoned. Stoned and therefore unpredictable, she realized. She'd have to play this one carefully.
"You're quiet a piece of ass yourself," he said, appreciatively, looking her up and down. "Maybe you want to give your dyke pal the evening off?" And he lowered the knife, using it to pop the top button on her shirt, eyeing her lustfully.
Sam took advantage of his momentary slip in concentration to knee him hard between the legs, simultaneously knocking the knife out of his hand. He doubled in agony, lashing out as he jacknifed. Purely by chance he cracked Sam in the jaw, sending her head back against the concrete, where it ricocheted sickeningly and sent her to her knees. Dazed by the impact, and struggling to remain conscious, Sam reached out to seize the knife. Her attacker was quick on his feet, however, the drug in his system giving him an unnatural speed. Just as Sam got her fingers round the knife's handle, he stomped hard on her wrist, snapping it like a twig, and then ground his heel onto her vulnerable fingers. Sam cried out, involuntarily, cradling the shattered limb in her other hand.
"Bitch!" bellowed her attacker. "Think you can get away from me? I'll show you." And he kicked her viciously in the ribs, repeatedly. Sam panted in agony, her vision greying alarmingly. She knew she had to remain conscious, or all would be lost. The final kick dislodged her gun from its holster; her attacker seized it quickly, and stepped back a few paces. He trained the gun on Sam. "You gonna co-operate now, little lady?" he whined in a suggestive tone, grabbing crudely at his crotch to make his intentions clear. "I've got a soft spot for blondes. You've gotta give me a reason to keep you alive."
Sam raised her head painfully. She looked at him straight in the eye. "Fuck you, asshole," she rasped.
"Sam!" screamed Rebecca, as the goon raised the gun and aimed it straight at Sam's skull. As the gun went off, she screamed again and turned away, hiding her head in her arms, sobbing helplessly. So she wasn't sure she heard right, when Sam's weak voice called over to her.
"Rebecca?" Sam said. "It's okay; it's over. It's gonna be okay. I promise. No, don't look over there." Sam wanted to save her the sight of the goon splattered all over the walls; she had clearly been through hell in the last few days, and this was the last thing she needed. But it was pointless, and she saw Rebecca blanch as she looked over to where her rapist had stood. He was unrecognizable. Sam had been wrong, he hadn't blown his arm off. However, over half of his head had been blown off by the explosion, and blood and brain were strewn all over.
"Sam?" Rebecca's voice was no more than a whisper.
"I'll be okay," Sam told her. She was in too much pain to move. "I need you to do something for me, can you manage that?" Rebecca was almost non-responsive, the shock of the last few days and the preceding minutes finally registering. "Rebecca?" Sam's tone was harsher. "Are you listening?"
She saw Rebecca shake herself, willing herself to co-operate. "Sorry," she said, and got carefully to her feet, wincing in pain, making her way over to Sam. She put her hand gently on Sam's uninjured arm. "What d'you need?"
"Hold me as tight as you can," Sam panted. "Then push the button on my watch," Sam knew she'd never manage it herself with her shattered hand. "It's gonna be okay. We're getting out of here."
Very carefully, Rebecca gathered the injured woman in her arms. "Tighter," Sam said. Rebecca complied, and Sam tried to muffle the cry of pain when her battered ribs protested.
"M'okay," Sam told her. "Now hit the button."
A second later, a white light enveloped them both, beaming them out of the building and depositing them, none too gently, in the Odyssey's cargo bay. Sam screamed in agony as they hit the floor in the bay.
Rebecca had no idea what had just happened. Despite her pain, Sam managed a small smile. "It's over, Rebecca. You're safe now. It's over." And she finally allowed the pain to take over, and gave herself up gratefully to unconsciousness.
Seconds later, Janet came running into the cargo bag. "Rebecca?" she called urgently, as she saw her cradling the unconscious woman.
"She's okay. We're both okay. Well, not entirely, but we will be." Rebecca struggled to control her emotions.
"Oh thank God," Janet was on her knees, checking Sam over.
"Broken wrist, fingers and probably cracked ribs. And she's likely got a concussion too," Rebecca told her. "But she should be fine. She saved my life."
At that moment, Cassie entered the bay. She paled at the sight of Rebecca's bruised and battered face and the injured Sam, who was now slowly coming to, in Janet's arms.
"We're okay," Rebecca told her, painfully getting to her feet. "We're okay."
Cassie flung herself into her shaking lover's arms. "I was so scared I'd never see you again."
"I'm here, Cass," Rebecca reassured her, "and I'm not going anywhere." Despite her assertions that she was fine, though, Cassie could see that this was far from the truth. Physically she had obviously been attacked, probably more than once. And if what Cassie feared were true, the mental scars would be even harder to recover from. She held her tight, trying to pour some of her own strength into the woman she loved.
"We'll get you through this Bec," she whispered. "It's all gonna be alright."
Rebecca nodded tearfully. "Thanks to Sam," she said. "She saved me."
"Yeah," Cassie agreed. "That's what she does."
SG SG SG SG SG SG SG SG
On the bridge, O'Neill was still watching the building on the abandoned airstrip. Just as he was about to give the order to move out, he saw a vehicle returning. Zooming in, he was able to discern Brehme and four members of his gang.
He then looked on the screen that showed the small group in the cargo bay, which only served to heighten his resolve.
"Take 'em out," he commanded Major Watts, who was at the controls.
"Sir?" the major queried. After all, the vehicle posed no threat to the Odyssey.
"Eliminate them," O'Neill confirmed, ice in his voice. "I don't want him free to do that to anybody ever again. The Air Force'll cover it up. Exploding gas tank, that's what we'll say."
So Watts directed the energy weapon at the small truck, which immediately became a fireball.
"Get us back to the SGC stat," O'Neill commanded. "We need to get those two to the infirmary."
SG SG SG SG SG SG SG SG
Twenty minutes after Sam and Rebecca arrived in the cargo bay, they had been loaded onto gurneys at the SGC and taken to the infirmary.
Sam was by now fully awake. Despite her pain, she knew her injuries were superficial - comparatively, at least. She reached out with her good hand and touched Janet's arm. "I'm okay, hon. Carolyn can help me. Cass and Rebecca need you now. He was an animal Jan," tears threatened to spill over. "Carolyn can patch me up, go to them will you hon?"
"Okay, sweetie, if that's what you want. I won't be far, okay?"
SG SG SG SG SG SG SG SG
One look at Rebecca, and Janet ushered her, and Cassie, into an area she had always prayed she would never have to use - the rape suite. Just one glance at the shaken woman's face was enough to tell her that all their worst fears had been confirmed.
Shortly before her death, the 'first' Janet had insisted on a rape suite being built near the infirmary. So far, the SGC had been lucky, and there had never been a need for it, despite a few close calls. But the luck had finally run out, and Janet was grateful for her counterpart's foresight. The suite was nicely decorated, and was a warm, soft area that had none of the sharp edges or coldness of the infirmary.
Rebecca was almost silent as Cassie led her to the bed in the suite, but was shaking, more with shock than the cold. Gently, Cassie pulled the blankets up over her lover.
Janet knew that sensitivity was vital, and that, most important of all, Rebecca should feel in charge of her own treatment. She had had control wrested from her in a violent and hideous manner; Janet was determined she would not feel so helpless again.
She went over quietly to her side, and laid a hand on her arm softly. "Rebecca?" she said, quietly. Rebecca turned and looked at her. "You know what we've got to do, right?" Janet hated even having to ask. She knew Rebecca was a doctor, and probably knew as much about the procedures as she did. She also knew that everything changed when you were the patient. Even in her mind, Janet didn't want to use the word 'victim'.
Rebecca nodded. "I know," she said in a very small voice. "It's okay."
"No," Janet replied. "It's not okay, I know that. But we'll try and make this as easy as possible for you. The good news," she tried not to stumble over the words, knowing the futility of talking about 'good news' at a time like this, "the good news is that there won't be any trial. So we don't have to worry about evidence. All we have to do is to check you out, and treat any injuries."
"Okay," said Rebecca.
"You're in charge, though," Janet reminded her. "You have full control. Would you like me to get you a different doctor? Carolyn Lam's in the infirmary, she's a great physician, and she'll be very gentle."
"No," Rebecca's voice was muffled. "Would you do it? I feel... I feel safe with you. Unless you don't want to?"
"Whatever you want," Janet reassured her. "I may need some help though. Do you want Cassie to stay, or should I get Sharon in?"
"I don't want Cassie to see this," Rebecca's words were rushed and panicky. She turned to her lover. "Cass? I'm sorry. There are some things I don't want you to see. Not yet. Is that okay?"
"Of course it's okay," Cassie's heart was breaking; she wanted nothing more than to hold Rebecca, to stay with it at this terrible time. But she realized that the best thing she could do for her would be to do as she asked. "I'll be outside. You just say when you want me back, and I'll be there. Just remember, I love you and I always will." And she bent down and kissed her very softly on the forehead.
Rebecca reached out and grasped her hand. "And I love you too Cassie. It'll be okay. We'll get back to normal eventually, I promise. I love you too much to let this change anything. It'll take a while is all."
Squeezing her hand, Cassie left the suite. O'Neill was waiting on a chair just outside the room. As soon as he saw Cassie, he jumped up. He gave one look at her tense face and pulled her into a bear hug. "Hey Short Stuff," he soothed. "We'll make it right. All of us."
And he held the girl he thought of as his niece as she gave way to the relief of tears.
SG SG SG SG SG SG SG SG
"Okay," Janet said. "Just remember, anything you're uncomfortable with, or want me to stop, you just say so."
And very gently she took a warm washcloth and cleaned off Rebecca's dirty face, taking care with the bruises under her right eye. As the dirt came off, she saw a gash under the bruise, so cleaned that off too, dabbing antiseptic cream on it. She then took her hands, and washed them.
"Can I take your shirt off?" Janet asked. Rebecca nodded. Janet helped her into a sitting position. Now that the adrenaline of the rescue was wearing off, Rebecca was starting to ache horribly from the myriad contusions and cuts that her attacker had inflicted on her.
With Sharon at the other side of the bed, Janet peeled off the filthy shirt. She tried not to gasp when she saw the mosaic of bruises on the young woman's torso. Dried blood was caked onto several wounds, some of which looked deep. The bite-marks were particularly horrific.
"Okay, we need to get these cleaned up. You may need a couple of stitches. We can decide that once we've got all this dirt off." Janet felt it was important to talk Rebecca through everything she was doing. She dipped a soft sponge into warm water that held a light antiseptic wash. "This may sting a little. Be nice to be clean again though, huh?"
Rebecca nodded. She was hardly speaking, which didn't surprise Janet one bit.
"Once we're all done, we'll get you in a warm tub, won't that be nice?"
"Don't think I'll ever feel clean again," Rebecca's voice cracked.
"We'll be there for you, all the way," Janet told her with utter sincerity. "We're all going to help you."
She continued in her ministrations, cleaning the wounds and applying butterfly sutures to some of the deeper cuts. She could see Rebecca's bloodstained bra, which had hardened and stuck to her skin. She soaked it with warm water until it softened.
"I'm going to take your bra off now, okay sweetie?" Janet asked. Rebecca didn't respond. Janet smoothed her hand down her cheek, and put a supportive hand on her back, unsurprised to feel her trembling. "Can I take it off Rebecca?"
Rebecca nodded her agreement, so Janet unhooked it at the back and carefully slid it off her shoulders. She took special care when the badly bloodstained cup seemed to stick to the side of her left breast, running more warm water from the sponge over the area until it came loose easily. The sight that met her was terrible; it was clearly a bite, though it looked more like it had come from an animal than a human. The surrounding area was badly bruised, and the cut itself looked deep and was already infected. When Janet put her hand to the wound, she felt the skin too warm under her fingers.
"Okay," she swallowed, trying to hide her shock. "This one needs a good clean, and likely a couple of stitches. I'll numb the area first, okay?"
"Can we stop for a while?" Rebecca begged. "Just for a while. I don't think I can do this."
"Sure we can sweetie," Janet knew that forcing her to submit to any treatment would be counter-productive. "We're gonna do this at a speed you're comfortable with. Thanks Sharon," her nurse had brought another warm blanket and wrapped it round the shaking woman. "You want anything Rebecca?"
"Just want to be warm again," she replied in a shaky voice.
"You're in shock. I'd like to give you a mild sedative, I think that'll help. Can I do that?"
"Okay," Rebecca said.
A few minutes after the sedative had been given, her shaking eased. "You can continue now," Rebecca told Janet. "Let's get this done."
Janet recognized the young woman's bravery in continuing with the ordeal, and her heart broke for her. "Okay, we'll be as quick as we can," she gave her a quick reassuring hug. Swiftly she drained and cleaned the wound on Rebecca's breast, and inserted two stitches. Her heart was heavy as she recognized that the next part of the examination would be even harder, for both of them.
She helped Rebecca into scrubs on her top half. "You want to take your jeans off yourself?" she asked her. Rebecca tried to shift down the bed, fumbling at her waistband.
"Think I need help," she whispered.
"Okay, that's what I'm here for," Janet was businesslike. Her touch was gentle as she eased Rebecca's jeans down, followed by her underwear.
If she'd been appalled by what she'd already seen, this was nothing compared to what was in evidence now. No wonder Rebecca hadn't wanted Cassie to witness this.
"His name was Eddie," Rebecca said, unexpectedly, in a dull monotone. "They called him 'Crazy Eddie'. He does this with every woman they take. Brehme likes him to do it. Says it breaks them. Us. It breaks us. He has a few lines of coke first, to really get him in the mood. Helps him to last too. He said he likes to make the most of every opportunity. He was like an animal. It hurt so much. I was so dry; I thought I was going to split in two. Oh God." Rebecca felt the nausea rise in her suddenly. "Think I'm gonna be sick," she gasped, swallowing convulsively.
Fortunately, Sharon had noticed her changing expression, and managed to place an emesis bowl on Rebecca's lap in time. Janet held the shocked woman as she retched violently into the bowl. The vomiting continued for some minutes, as she fought to expel every last memory of her ordeal. Finally she collapsed, sobbing into Janet's arms.
Janet raced through the rest of the examination as fast as she could. She knew Rebecca couldn't take much more, but she also knew that the thought of having to come back to this could break her. So she cleaned and stitched the wounds, applying soothing antibiotic cream once she had finished. She then gave Rebecca a hefty dose of antibiotics to counter the infections that had already set. Finally, she took several vials of blood, to test against anything that 'Crazy Eddie' could have passed on.
"Thank you," Rebecca whispered. "Cassie's so lucky to have you as a mom."
SG SG SG SG SG SG SG SG
Janet and Sharon helped Rebecca into the tub in the adjoining bathroom. They gently soaped her down, washing her hair and cleaning her fingernails. After nearly an hour in the tub, Rebecca indicated that she was ready to get out.
Sharon had already collected a pair of Sam's brush cotton pajamas that she kept in her and Janet's quarters. Janet knew that Sam found them warm and comforting, and hoped they'd be more comfortable for Rebecca than infirmary scrubs. Sam was only an inch or so taller than Rebecca, so they were a fairly good fit.
Once they were done, Janet helped Rebecca into a wheelchair, and wheeled her down the corridor to the guest quarters. Sharon had already been in, and turned on the electric blanket in the bed. She had also, somehow, managed to get hold of some cut flowers which she had put on the nightstand. Janet was touched by her thoughtfulness; she had sent one of the guys out to get them, she guessed.
She tucked Rebecca up in the warm bed, and took her hand. "Anything you need?" she asked her.
"Cassie," Rebecca replied. "I want Cassie."
Cassandra responded immediately to the request, and was by the bedside in moments. "Hold me," Rebecca asked. So Cassie climbed gingerly on the bed next to her, and gathered her in her arms.
"Shh," she told her. "It's gonna be okay." And she rocked her gently until finally the sedative took hold. It was going to be a long road, Cassie realized that. But it was a journey they would travel together, with the support of all those who loved them.