Another chapter and another big thank you to Naliza for the beta and all the encouragement you've sent me!
Me, how could I hate any of you. You all keep me going with all the amazing feedback, I'm doing my own happy dance here (just so you don't feel left out Lynn! LOL) KaliedescopeCat, don't worry, I'm getting grey hairs of my own, I love getting feedback but knowing how much people seem to enjoy the story really piles on the pressure to keep the chapters coming. Grey hairs at 20 it makes me feel kinda outta place. Dietcokechic, I'm really glad that you don't hate me, I LOVE all your fics!!
Anyway, enough of me going on so on to the fic…
*~*~*
Jack kept hold of Sam's hand as he waited for the medical team to arrive. He looked up at Daniel as he felt Sam's hand move again.
"You saw that right?" Jack pleaded.
"I don't know Jack," Daniel admitted.
"I believe I saw something O'Neill," Teal'c announced.
"Good, where the hell is that medical team?" Jack asked insistently, looking over at the door.
After what seemed like hours a medical team arrived, seeing no obvious casualty the doctor in charge looked confused. As O'Neill explained the reason they had been called the doctor's look changed from confusion to scepticism.
"She's alive; you need to run some tests or something. Look, I'm not crazy okay, just run some tests, please."
"I saw Major Carter's hand move, she is indeed alive," Teal'c added.
The doctor grudgingly reconnected the ECG; it was obvious to everyone that he did not believe what they were telling him. He looked up at the monitor in shock as it registered a heart beat.
"That's not possible," he muttered as more beats registered on the monitor.
Taking the stethoscope from around his neck he listened to Sam's chest, shaking his head. He heard a few shallow breaths, spaced apart but she was breathing spontaneously. Her heart beat was so weak that it was barely enough to produce a discernable pulse.
"I have no idea what's going on, let's get an EEG, an ECG and get a full blood work up. This can't be happening," he added, shaking his head in utter disbelief.
"So what's going on doc?" Jack asked impatiently.
"It would seem that you were…right Sir. Major Carter has a heart beat and is breathing, it's totally impossible. I was here when she was pronounced dead, there were no life signs."
"So what now?" Daniel asked.
"I really don't know, she appears to be breathing spontaneously but not enough to get much oxygen pumped into her blood and her heart is beating but barely strong enough to produce a pulse. I'm kind of reluctant to do anything, at least until we know more. I don't know what caused this and I don't know what effect treatment will have on her already frail body. I do have to warn you though Sir, there is no way to tell what damage has been done and the oxygen starvation may have caused severe brain damage. That is if she recovers," he added as an afterthought.
"So what, we just wait?" Daniel inquired.
"We'll keep a close eye on her. I'd like to see what the EEG shows and I'd like to get a PET scan and an MRI to see if we can get any idea of what's going on."
"How long until we know more?" Jack asked.
"I don't know Sir, a couple of hours."
"I'd better tell Jacob what's happened."
*~*
Jack found Jacob in the infirmary; he was sitting in the corner next to General Hammond's bed. Jack was relieved to see that the General had not been intubated since Daniel mentioned that it had been discussed. He could see Janet across the infirmary, she was unconscious and one of the doctors was standing by her bed looking concerned.
Jacob had a large file open on his lap. He appeared to be reading it but Jack could see that he was far too distracted to concentrate. As Jack kept on observing him Jacob sighed deeply and leant back in the chair, his red-rimmed eyes closed.
Jack approached slowly. As he neared Jacob sat up straight and opened his eyes. Jack was slightly surprised to hear the unnaturally harsh voice of the older man's symbiote.
"Colonel O'Neill, no progress has been made at this time."
"Okay, but that's not why I'm here. I really need to speak to Jacob, is he around?"
Jacob's head dipped as Selmak relinquished control. After a few seconds Jacob started speaking.
"Jack," Jacob said wearily.
"Look Jacob, let's go through here," he said, indicating the office.
"What's going on Jack?"
"Just come on."
Jacob stood and followed him into the office.
Jack sat on the desk while Jacob chose to stand by the door.
"So what's this all about?"
"Sam's alive," he said simply.
Jacob looked over at Jack, his face painted with disbelief and confusion. From Jack's face he could tell that he was not lying.
"W-what?" He stuttered.
"I saw her hand moving, she's got a heart beat and she's breathing."
"She's going to be okay?"
"I don't know, the doctor's running some tests, he's as confused as everyone else."
"Where is she, I want to see her."
"I actually don't know. She may still be in the same room."
"Look Jack, I really am sorry about what I said before. I didn't mean it. I know you'd do anything for your team. I forgot about what happened to you, with your son, I wasn't thinking," Jacob said sincerely.
"Forget about it, you didn't say anything that I wasn't thinking myself," he admitted.
"Jack-"Jacob started.
Jack dismissed him with a shake of the head.
"Don't worry about it. I understand why you reacted the way you did, I felt the same way," a small smile painted his lips, "Now go find Sam Jacob."
Jacob looked at Jack before leaving the room, looking and feeling considerably brighter than he had before.
*~*
Jacob, Jack, Daniel and Teal'c stood around Sam's bed; they were all staring at the monitors next to her head. The ECG was showing a more regular heart beat, even Jack could tell that. The EEG was another matter, to him it was incomprehensible, just a squiggly line.
They all looked up at the door as the doctor re-entered the room, holding a metal clipboard in his hand.
"What's the news Doctor," Jacob asked with obvious impatience.
"Major Carter's got a regular pulse, it's bradycardic at 35 bpm but steadily increasing, her breathing's also improved."
"What did the tests say?" Jack asked.
"They don't give us any idea as to why this happened. It also seems that Major Carter is a unique case, we've tested the other casualties, there's no change."
"You mean they're still dead," Jack said bluntly.
"Yes, the tests also seem to show that Major Carter may be aware of her surroundings."
"She can hear us?"
"Possibly, I can't say for sure."
"Is she going to be alright? Is she
gonna wake up?"
"I really don't know Colonel, only time will tell."
"Can you hear me Sam," Jacob asked as he took hold of her hand.
He waited, barely daring to breath; he smiled brightly as Sam moved her hand.
"Hey Carter, tap your finger twice if you're in there," Jack said gently.
Jacob turned and looked at O'Neill, who shrugged his shoulders.
"Just checking," Jack said.
Jacob gently put Sam's hand back on the bed so that everyone could see it, his face fell when there was no reaction.
"That doesn't mean that she can't hear you, she just might not be able to control her movements enough," the doctor assured Jacob.
"That's okay Sam," Jacob reassured her.
*~*
For the next hour Jacob, Jack, Daniel and Teal'c stayed at Sam's side, none of them wanted to leave. They were talking to her, in the hope that their voices would help bring her back to full consciousness.
They decided to take turns talking to Sam since there were every day things that needed to be done. Jacob asked to be given the first turn.
Jack went to inform the off-site medical teams and the President of the latest developments. He hoped that he would speak to someone different; he did not think that he would be able to keep calm if he spoke to the same Captain he had before. The captain had repeatedly referred to Carter as the 'index case' which had angered O'Neill.
Jacob sat with Sam, trying to think of something to talk about, eventually he started recounting tales of Sam's childhood.
After almost two hours Jack slowly opened the door.
"Jacob, any change?"
"Not really, she's still moving a bit but it's not like I understand most of this though," he said, indicating the monitors.
"I thought it was just me nodding along," Jack admitted.
"Call me if there are any changes, I'll be in the infirmary," Jacob asked as he moved towards the door.
"Of course."
"So Carter, I guess you're kinda back with us. I don't know what to say really. Never was too good at the one sided conversation thing, sounds funny but I don't really have a lot to say. Daniel will be down soon, he'll probably tell you all about Ancient Greece or Egypt or something so you might wanna wake up before that," he said with a slight grin.
After a short silence Jack started talking about his cabin and how he would get her up there when she had recovered. He looked down at her face, even in the last two hours her face had regained much of the colour it had lost and her lips were no longer blue.
He turned to look up at the monitors and as such did not see the movement underneath her eye lids.
"Colonel?" Sam croaked.
*~*~*
It's a slight cliff hanger but at least it's nicer than some of the others I've written, it's almost a happy cliff hanger which is almost unheard of for me!
Please send me some of that lovely feedback, you all write it so well!!