Chapter 25

So, I am hoping to get this finished by the summer holidays. There are three chapters left including this one. This has not been beta'd so I hope you don't find any glaring errors, but it will not be as slick as my beta can make it. Enjoy.

"Damnit, Sam! C'mon!" Janet worked furiously on her friend, desperately trying to stem the bleeding while searching for the bullets that had entered her body. But her friend wasn't helping her.

Other staff were moving with speed but efficiency around their CMO, to either provide her with immediate assistance or to collect things that they knew she'd be needing as part of the procedure.

"Got bullet 1," Janet stated, removing it. "Tie off that bleeder," she instructed another doctor.

The machines Sam was attached to seemed to calm slightly with that piece of work completed.

"Major," a young doctor called for assistance. "The one in her abdomen is proving difficult to see."

"Let me see." Janet moved down Sam's body from her chest area to the wound in her right side. "God," she murmured, "There's a lot of blood." Then, louder, "Let's clear the area! Get some suction here!" She waited a moment while the nurse tried to clear the area.

"Ma'am, it keeps filling," the female nurse stated professionally.

"Atkins, keep the blood going! She's gonna need it," Janet ordered another member of her staff who was in charge of the transfusions.

"We're going to need more, Major," Atkins responded.

"I'll go, Ma'am," Rush, another nurse, stated and then quickly left the room.

"Lieutenant!" Janet called out to her. "If supplies are running low, set up a blood drive! Compulsory!"

"Yes, Ma'am!" Rush called out as she hurried away.

"Right, let's see what we can see... The bullet's nicked her small intestine and her kidney... oh, crap... and a major blood artery." Janet took a deep breath. "Okay, one thing at a time. Clamp the intestines, stop the bleeding, then find the bullet." Janet put down the instrument she'd been using. "This time I need to feel for myself," she said as she carefully began to search Sam's abdomen for the missing bullet. "There's a great deal of damage here..." she commented as she continued to move methodically. "Keep on with the suction."

"That's the intestine resected, Ma'am."

"Good, that should help. I assume you didn't find the elusive bullet." Janet tried a small laugh. Gallows humour was what the Colonel would call it.

"No, Ma'am."

Janet pulled back from Sam and indicated to her assistant to wipe her brow. "Are we absolutely sure that the bullet didn't go right through the Major?"

There was silence in the room and Janet looked at her staff. "Right, people, let's eliminate the obvious. We need to turn her over gently and check for an exit wound in her back."

Gently, and in one coordinated, fluid movement, the staff turned Sam over.

"It's clear, Ma'am. The bullet didn't exit here."

"Then where the hell is it?!" Janet was getting frustrated. She couldn't fix up the rest of her friend until the metal that had done the damage had been removed.

"Ma'am, how did she fall?" a nurse asked.

Janet thought for a moment. "The Colonel said she covered the President and fell on her right side. Shoulder wound and abdomen. He moved her to stop the bleeding."

"But she was face down?"

"Yeeesss..." Janet said quietly.

"Ma'am, we need to check the floor in the observation room." The nurse pulled off her mask and ran to the door. "I've seen it once before, the glass would have slowed the bullet, keep looking, but it might not be there anymore."

"Okay, you heard her. For now, we assume it's still there. Check everything. All the gauze. Someone check her uniform. Check the cavity and try to stop the bleeding but assume you're looking for a bullet." Janet barked out the orders as her hands went back inside her friend.

"We have some blood left, Ma'am," Rush said as she hurried back into the room. "But I've told the General to activate the blood drive. He's even made the President's people give if they're the right type.

"Very good, Rush, but only as a last resort. They haven't been tested for anything… else."

"Yes, Ma'am, that's what I said to the General. Our people are being prepped right away."

"Good," Janet said, just as the phone in the room rang. "Get that, Atkins."

"Surgery." Atkins listened intently to whoever was on the other end of the phone. "Wow! Okay, I'll tell her." She hung the phone back up on the wall. "Major, they found it. The bullet isn't inside her."

"Thank god! Right, let's work as quickly as we can. Close up the wounds. Clean and irrigate. Let's get her sewn up to stop any infection getting in."

Janet and her team worked in silence for several minutes and, as they worked, the machines monitoring Sam's vitals began to show that she was starting to hold her own.

********SG1********

Several hours later an almighty row was brewing in the SGC briefing room.

"The Goa'uld must remain inside your soldier, it is the only way to get information!" The President raised his voice, which in turn raised the blood pressure of both the General and the Colonel in the room.

Jack couldn't take it and taking temporary leave of his senses shouted back at his boss "But when it was your friend, we were to 'with all haste' free him from the prison he was in!...Sir".

Not used to anyone speaking to him that way, the President pulled himself up in his chair and yelled back, "We need to know if the threat has been eliminated on earth."

Jacks hackles were now definitely up, "Well maybe if Carter hadn't jumped in front of you the threat would have been eliminated." He snarled.

Hammond decided to take control and stop the Colonel's career from completely imploding and waved Jack down, "Colonel." He spoke sternly.

"Sorry, Sir." Jack immediately calmed and sat back down, still glaring at the President.

Hammond took control and turned to his boss, "We need to leave the Goa'uld in the SF for now." he reluctantly agreed. Noticing Jack's incredulous look he turned to him "However," he placated "as soon as the Tok'ra get here we will have this discussion again. Colonel, you and Teal'c need to go and interrogate the Goa'uld. Maximum security to ensure that it isn't able to jump again into someone else."

"Yes Sir!" Jack got up from the table, just as Janet appeared at the door.

"Sirs."

Hammond waved her in.

Janet stood at the side of the briefing table and gave her report. "Major Carter is stabilised in ICU, she had two bullet wounds, one to the shoulder which did not hit anything vital but the second to the abdomen has caused a great deal of damage. We will have to closely monitor her for any signs of infection, the intestine is susceptible to this."

Hammond nodded, grateful to hear the news. "Very good Major, ensure that both Teal'c and Daniel have also been informed."

Janet nodded and relaxed her stance a little "Yes Sir, Daniel is in the infirmary and he called down to Teal'c. Sir can I ask whether the Tok'ra have made contact yet?"

"We called as we came up here from the observation room, they insist they are unable to send a qualified operative to complete the extraction for at least a day. However, we told them of Major Carter's injuries and that we requested her father's return"

"Good, he would want to be here. If you hear from them Sir, perhaps you could ask, if he can't come for someone else who can use the healing device on the Major, it has been proven to be helpful in the past."

"Very good Doctor, although to be honest I expect Jacob will here as soon as he receives the message."

Hammond returned his attention to Jack who was visibly calmer on hearing the word that his 2iC was in better condition.

"Colonel, interview the Goa'uld and report back. Dismissed"

"Yes Sir." Jack walked from the table unable to stop himself giving a glare to the President, something quite unlike him, but he really was infuriated at the man who had put them all in this situation and who was now happy to leave an SF in 'prison'. Janet walked along beside him eager to get back to her patients leaving the two men sitting at the briefing table.

The President, keen to assert some authority stated, "I assume Colonel O'Neill will be suitably disciplined for his actions here."

Hammond took a deep breath, "No Sir, I think there are bigger things to deal with than insubordination from the man who just saved our country from enemy infiltration."

Quite taken aback by a mere 2 star's response he slowly replied, "And what would they be?"

Hammond looked around the briefing room. There were no SGC personnel but several of the President's security team and out of respect for the Office of President he stood, "Let's go in to my office Sir." Hammond moved from the table to his office, not waiting to see if the President would follow, but sat behind his desk. He was relieved when the President joined him. Once they had both got seated Hammond sighed.

"Sir," Hammond decided to just lay it on the line. "the Chairman wanted me to ensure that your actions in this matter were fully investigated in case your political enemies discovered you had put the safety of your family ahead of national security."

The President visibly deflated in the chair opposite him so Hammond continued. "Sir, it's not that we don't understand the pressure that you were under but you must have realised that if you had taken yourself out of the equation we might have been able to solve this problem without anyone being at risk."

"It wasn't that easy General. Don't you think that I would if I could have?"

"Perhaps Sir but you were under duress, for several months, and that put our country at risk."

Hammond shuffled in his chair, unhappy that this was his duty but he was going to follow the orders. "Chairman Gibson would like a detailed list of all policy decisions that Mr Martin has been involved in while under alien influence. He would like details of any accounts that he had access to and any way in which he could have jeopardised our nation."

Hammond breathed and scrutinised his superior before continuing. "I am to get you to write a report and also get one from Mr Martin, who will hopefully have memories of his time under the control of the Goa'uld."

The President nodded, but Hammond knew the crux of the orders were still to come. He took a second to compose himself. "However, I am to make it very clear to you that while your Chief of Staff has been immediately cleared of any wrong doing, there is still the option of charges being brought against you."

Hammond could see the President was getting very angry again so he quickly continued. "The Chairman wished me to tell you that because you are our Commander-in-Chief, all effort will be made to keep the investigation under wraps but if it is deemed necessary by the Joint Chief's the evidence collected here will be presented to the Senate Defence C,ommittee and it will be up to them to see the appropriate steps are taken."

The President bristled, going red in the face. "This is ridiculous, I don't believe that is necessary"

Hammond stood, he'd finally had enough of the attitude of the man in front of him. "With all due respect Sir, what you think about the situation is no longer relevant. Your actions almost got my team killed! That would be the team on whom the defence of our nation from other world threats relies on. You risked our nation's security for the sake of your family, and to be frank Sir, made a deal with the devil. Use this paper to make a list of what I asked. I will be outside when you are finished." Hammond left the room after placing the pad in front of the President.

He stood in the briefing room taking a deep breath, he had never in his whole career spoken to a superior in the way he just had. His musings were interrupted by the sound of the gate activating. Having just dealt with a father who had put his children ahead of the country, George did not relish having to deal with another father whose child had put the country ahead of herself and was seriously injured attempting to save a President who George now believed had not lived up to the office and oath he had taken.

AN: Thanks for sticking with this. I appreciate it. Will hopefully finish the story during the week.