Okay, chapter 11 is finally here, I know it took me longer than usual to post but I've been doing work for uni and then my computer went and broke on me, so that really didn't help!!!
Thanks to Naliza, a great beta and a great friend!!!
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"A cure, really? You're sure about this?" Jacob asked frantically.
"Well not sure exactly. It looks promising but..." the doctor replied nervously.
"But what?"
"We're going to have to run a test on someone."
"Where's the 'but'?" Jacob asked, obviously confused.
"We have no idea what will happen if it doesn't work," he admitted. It was clear to Jacob that he was concerned as the consequences could be serious.
"Who do you have in mind for the test?"
"We don't know, we need to discuss this with Colonel O'Neill."
"Right."
Jacob knew that Jack would not be happy making the decision about who would participate in the test, especially once he knew the risks involved.
*~*
Jack sat at the head of the large table in the briefing room. He was impatient, having heard that there was a possible cure he was eager to know more but instead he was forced to sit and wait. He already felt totally helpless about the whole situation, having so many people critically ill and him not being able to help at all. It made it worse that he had just heard about the death of another SGC officer.
Major Markson of SG-7 had become the third casualty of the epidemic. Jack knew the Major to some degree, he knew that he left a wife and two young daughters at home, two daughters who were now without a father and they would never understand what had happened to him. They would probably be told, just like Sergeant Martin's family, that he died in service of his country. The SGC would, as usual, make sure the family were provided for, the children would have a college fund but it would and could never replace a father.
It made it much worse that Markson had died just before they had found a cure, Jack wanted to get this cure sorted before anyone else died, before another family lost their mother or father.
He looked up as Daniel and Teal'c came in, they both sat down at the table. Daniel looked at Jack and recognised immediately that there was something wrong with him.
"Jack, what's wrong?"
"You know Markson from SG-7?"
"Yeah," Daniel said with foreboding, anticipating the bad news that Jack had.
"He just died," Jack said simply.
Daniel sighed deeply and leant back in the chair. Teal'c nodded deeply but remained silent.
Jacob was the next to enter, looking much more cheerful than Jack had seen him since his arrival and he could not blame him for that.
"So, a cure then?" Jack asked Jacob as he sat down.
"It would seem so, it's hopeful at least," Jacob offered with some caution, not wanting to raise any false hopes.
The doctor, Dr Green was the next to enter, they heard him coming before they saw him, deep coughs resonated through the corridors. The doctor arrived looking breathless and slightly pale.
"Are you alright doctor?" Daniel asked as the doctor took his seat.
"If this cure works then I will be."
"If?" Jack asked. He did not like the uncertain tone which the doctor had used.
"It looks good but we need to run a clinical test first."
"Okay but before we get to tests what exactly dos this cure involve?"
"Well, as I said before some of these organisms have mutated to kill the others. We've managed to stimulate their reproduction using the water sample brought back from P5J 347. There must be a chemical in it which stimulates them somehow."
"And that's it?" Daniel asked with the faintest glimmer of hope in his eyes.
"Not quite. With the chemical the organism reproduces but it's otherwise dormant. For lack of a better word it requires a jump start to get it to work. We think that a large dose of epinephrine given to a person in conjunction with the organism will cause the desired effect."
"So, where's the bad news?" Jack asked.
"The dose of epinephrine needed is large, close to overdose levels. With people already weakened by the disease," the doctor trailed off. Everyone around the table knew what he was going to say.
"Right," Jack said slowly, absorbing the information. As CO of the SGC it was up to him to give the go ahead for testing this cure. Not like it was much of a decision, without this cure more people were going to die.
"Who do you want as a test subject?" He asked blatantly.
"I don't know Sir. I had thought about testing it on myself."
"No, if this doesn't work we'll need you to keep trying," Jacob warned, the doctor nodded.
"I'd say one of the least symptomatic people first and if that is successful then one of the more critically ill people."
"Okay, who was the last person to become symptomatic that you know of?" Jack asked, his voice strained with exhaustion and stress.
"I believe Sergeant Davis reported the onset of symptoms just before I left the infirmary."
"Right, we'd better go talk to him."
Davis was in the control room, he was the only person there, which was very unusual. The whole SGC was being manned by a skeleton staff. Not that there was much to do, the base was on complete stand down and the gate had been quiet since Jacob had arrived, he was just there to monitor the situation. That and wait until he was too ill to work, he had seen so many officers taken to the infirmary and he knew it would happen to him sooner or later. He turned in his chair in surprise as he saw Colonel O'Neill, Dr Jackson, Teal'c, General Carter and a doctor he did not recognise come down the stairs from the briefing room.
"Colonel," he said in greeting.
"Sergeant, how are you feeling?"
"Not too bad, thank you Sir," he replied, not sure why they were in the control room.
"Look, apparently the doctors might have found a cure."
"That's good news Sir," Davis said, smiling slightly. He still did not understand what that had to do with him.
"Yeah but, um...we need to test it and..."
"I'll do it," Davis said quickly as the penny dropped.
"You don't have to, it could be dangerous. This isn't an order okay?"
"I appreciate that Sir. I'll do it," Davis said definitely. Jack had to give credit to the man, they had not told him what the test would entail, let alone the dangers associated with it and yet he was more than willing to volunteer.
*~*
Davis was laying on a bed, attached to an ECG, in what had to be one of the few empty rooms left in the SGC, almost every available space was being used to house the sick. The doctor had explained exactly what was involved and the associated dangers. Despite the candid warnings and frequent opportunities to withdraw, Davis was more willing than ever to participate.
Daniel had gone to sit with Cassandra, fulfilling a promise he made to Janet in what seemed like weeks before. Teal'c was helping to staff the SGC, with practically everyone infected to some degree it was getting harder and harder to find people to man the essential stations and so Teal'c had offered his skills. Jack was standing by the door watching the doctor nervously prepare the injection for the test scenario.
"We ready doc?" Jack asked.
"I think
so, yes."
"Good, then let's get this show on the road. If you're sure?" Jack said, checking
with Davis one last time.
"I'm sure," he replied exasperated.
"Okay," the doctor said before injecting Davis with the prepared syringe.
The doctor watched the ECG monitor closely as the adrenaline took effect. Jack became concerned as the doctor quickly reached for one of the other syringes that he had prepared but to his relief he did not deliver its contents.
After a few minutes the doctor relaxed and announced that Davis was stable, Jack breathed a huge sigh of relief. Davis was more relieved, especially as he was feeling better already. The doctor sceptically checked his temperature and with some surprise announced that it had already decreased. Despite a number of protests Dr Green insisted that Davis be kept under observation for 24 hours to check for side effects.
"We're still going to run another test right?" Jack asked, concerned that the doctor would want to wait the full 24 hours before testing the cure further.
"Of course, we can't wait 2 hours let alone 24," the doctor said candidly.
Jack was slightly taken aback by that answer, he was expecting more of an ambiguous answer involving lots of big words he did not understand.
"Whose the next 'volunteer'?"
"Well, the most critically ill patient is Dr Fraiser."
"Really?" Jack asked with some shock.
"Yes, she has deteriorated rapidly since her collapse."
"Doc Fraiser it is then."
Jack watched once again as the doctor administered another syringe of the vaccine to Janet. He watched silently as alarms began to sound, the doctor injected another syringe immediately which silenced the alarms to Jack's immense relief. Even Jack, who did not understand most of what was ever said in the infirmary, could see that the lines of the ECG were becoming slightly less erratic, which he took to be a good sign.
After ten minutes the doctor relaxed enough to turn his attention to the patient in the next bed. Jack took the opportunity to take a seat by Janet's bed.
He sat there for almost a half hour, watching the line on the monitor become steadily more and more regular. Jack saw movement from Janet out of the corner of his eye and looked down to see her eyes slowly open.
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Is it just me or are the ends of the chapters getting happier??
Please send me feedback, it's better than chocolate!!