Control: Treatment

Jack barrelled into the infirmary, barely slowing down from his sprint. The door swung heavily, knocking against the wall and springing back at him attempting, but thankfully failing, to break his nose.

Just about everyone in the room was startled by the sound. The two people most noticeably unfazed were Teal'c, who stood waiting for him and Sam, still lying unconscious on a bed.

'Colonel!' Janet barked unhappily, approaching him. 'Just what do you think you're doing barging in here like this!?'

He struggled to recover from his sprint, each breath rasping painfully in his throat. 'Carter.' he managed to groan.

Janet watched him a little warily with soft eyes. 'We're doing everything we can, Sir. But you can't be here...'

'I'm not leaving.' He stated, his composure starting to return. As the sound of his blood thrumming through his body reduced to a dull roar, he could hear Sam's heart monitor beating away reassuringly helping to calm him further.

'Sir...'

'Major.' he growled out her rank to emphasize his superiority. 'I am not leaving this room and that's final. If you have a problem with that, discuss it with General Hammond.'

Janet frowned and bit her tongue, more than a little surprised with the Colonel's hostility. 'Yes, Sir.' she acknowledged a little reluctantly.

'Good. So, how's she doing?' Jack asked looking over the woman's shoulder at Sam's body.

She lay there still and pale. Strips of fabric of what was left of her shirt and bra littered the bed and floor, a gown was set loosely over her body to allow them to continue to work but shield Sam's body from prying eyes. A drip fed directly into her left arm. Freya hovered over her, the healing device glowing in her hand.

'She's stable.' Janet answered whilst subtly taking in the Colonel's concerned gaze and nervous posture. 'Her wound isn't life threatening, it seems as though the energy discharge of the weapon is what had caused her heart to stop rather than the injury itself. We're treating her for shock and when Freya has done what she can we'll dress the wound. We think she my have a mild concussion from when she fell but we'll have to wait for her to regain consciousness to confirm. And there's not too much we can do about her ribs at the moment though.'

'Her ribs? Did I...?' he gulped not wanting to finish the question, his gaze still fixated on Sam.

'Yes, Sir. The bruising is quite severe, she may have a broken rib or two but without CPR we would have lost her.'

He nodded numbly.

'Doctor Fraiser.' Freya called.

Janet gave the Colonel one last warm look before making her way back over to Sam's side.

Jack sighed loudly and scrubbed his hands over his face and though his short unruly hair.

'Major Carter is strong. She will survive.' Teal'c murmured.

Jack nodded.

'You conducted yourself admirably, O'Neill. Both you and Major Carter embodied the qualities expected of a warrior.'

'Thanks, Teal'c.' he murmured softly, glancing at his team mate. He was glad of the man's company and his reassuring words but at this exact moment he couldn't bring himself to think about their situation with the Air Force. All that mattered was that Sam made it through this.

'Colonel O'Neill.'

He turned and saw Freya approaching him.

'I have attended to Major Carter with the healing device. Doctor Fraiser I requested focus on the potential shock to her system. Her wounds are still quite severe but she should regain consciousness soon. We must wait a few hours before using the device again.'

Jack nodded. 'Thank you.'

He frowned a little, his gaze set over his shoulder to where he last saw Sam but his view had suddenly been obscured by curtains. A wave of panic and nausea suddenly came over him having her out of his sight. He strode over and slipped behind the curtain stealthy and silent, instantly feeling better at the sight of her despite her deathly pale colouring.

He watched in silence as Janet cleaned and dressed Sam's wound carefully. She shifted the gown from over her body to check her ribs.

His breath caught when he saw the sickening mix of colours between her exposed breasts drawing the attention of the Doctor.

Janet gawped at him. 'Colonel! This is highly inappropriate!' she said attempting to cover her friend.

A look of hurt and frustration came over his features. There was no where else in the world, heck the galaxy where he should be at that exact moment and he was at a loss as to how to explain that to her.

'It's fine, Janet.' whispered a shaky voice at her back.

'But...' she started turning to her friend. She stopped seeing the look in her eyes that was focused on the man standing behind her. Janet glanced between them and shook her head, worried about the obvious emotions moving between them. For some time she had had an idea that her friend was somewhat enamoured with her CO but what she was witnessing now was proof that the Colonel reciprocated Sam's feelings. Perhaps there was something more than a professional relationship between them.

'I need to check your ribs.'

'Can't it wait?'

'I guess.' she said somewhat dubiously glancing between them again before heading for the curtain barrier. 'Just shout if you need anything, Sam.'

Now alone, Sam smiled softly at her husband.

Jack blinked, took a deep breath and offered up a small smile.

'Taking a hit for the President is a job for the Secret Service.' he murmured stepping to her bedside.

She grinned. 'It seemed like a good idea at the time.'

'And here I thought you were supposed to be some kind of genius.'

The exchange was enough to let each of them know they were okay, but the weight of their situation and the events of the day crept over them quickly.

A visible wave of sorrow came over Sam.

'What happened?' she asked.

'Martouf is dead. I shot him.' he said softly, 'If you couldn't get through to him then there was no chance. No one else was hurt.'

Sam nodded, clearly saddened by the turn of events but none the less she took them in her stride. She frowned a little feeling Jack's hands enclose around her left.

'I take it from this,' she said squeezing his hand, 'and our little conversation with Janet that the secret is out?'

'Not really, I just...' he sighed, he cast his eyes to the ceiling before meeting her gaze again. 'Sam, your heart stopped. I had to do CPR, it was me that...' His eyes shifted to her chest, recalling the mix of colours that mottled her skin. He sighed and continued. 'Right now, nothing else matters more to me than you.'

'What about...?'

'I heard Hammond say he was going to talk to the President about us. If they can't figure something out after you take a hit for the God damned President of the United States and a lie detector confirmed that this isn't a problem on missions then the whole damned Air Force can go to hell.'

She smiled at him softly and blinked slowly in a way that betrayed her exhaustion.

'Will I get the Doc back in to check your head and ribs then you can have a nap?'

Sam nodded. 'You'll stay?'

He smiled. 'Hammond ordered me to stay here until he says otherwise. I'm going no where.' Leaning in close, he brushed his lips against her temple and murmured, 'I love you.'

'I love you too.' she whispered back.

Jack waited on the other side of the curtain as Janet confirmed she had a slight concussion, checked over her ribs and helped her into a gown. Once finished, Janet shot him a warning look before disappearing into her office. He glanced at Teal'c who was standing in front of the curtained area, for all intents and purposes guarding over Sam. Jack smiled at the man's kind gesture, it seemed like Teal'c was an old romantic at heart.

He ducked back behind the curtain.

Swamped by the large gown she looked tiny and fragile. Despite the obvious effort it took she still managed to smile warmly at him as he approached. She shifted over a little on the bed, the meaning clear, and he was only to happy to oblige as he slid onto the bed next to her. He grimaced in sympathy when she hissed in pain as she curled carefully against his side.

'This okay?' he said putting his arm around her gently.

'Perfect.' she mumbled sleepily.

'Get some rest.' he murmured kissing her temple. 'I'll be here when you wake up.'