Sam Alone: Road To Recovery

Teal'c clutched the bag of groceries while Jack rang the doorbell. When he received no response, he banged on the door.

'Carter will you open up!' Jack called out impatiently, knowing Sam was in as her car was parked out front. After five minutes of trying Jack gave up knocking and pulled out the spare key to Sam's house, letting them both in.

'Carter?' Jack spoke softly as he led the way through to the lounge, not wanting to startle Sam.

The lounge was dimly lit and music was playing softly. Jack and Teal'c both noticed Sam at the same time, curled up on the couch wearing a t-shirt and sweat pants, hugging a pillow to herself with a crumpled tissue in one hand. She was asleep, her eyes red rimmed and swollen, looking very much like she had cried herself to sleep. Jack felt an immense surge of guilt at what she had been going through on her own, torn between gathering her up in his arms to comfort her and leaving her to sleep. Her pale face decided him, figuring that she looked exhausted and would benefit from sleep right now.

Jack pulled Teal'c into the kitchen and spoke quietly to him before he proceeded to make himself at home, preparing something for them all to eat later. Teal'c, meanwhile, found a comforter and covered Sam up before making himself comfortable on the floor to wait until Major Carter awoke or dinner was ready, whichever was the sooner.

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Something was wrong. Her head felt like a ton weight and her stomach was churning restlessly. She gradually swam towards wakefulness and noticed first that she wasn't alone and second that cooking smells were coming from her kitchen. She took a moment to realise that she hadn't been burgled but that Teal'c was sitting opposite her and that it was the Colonel who she could hear whistling softly to himself in her kitchen, before she threw aside the comforter and made an unsteady dash for the bathroom.

Crashing down on her knees in front of the toilet bowl, her stomach heaved until she had emptied its contents. Sitting back on her heels she reached an unsteady hand for the flush, only to find a large black hand doing this for her before it placed a damp flannel in her hand, the other hand rubbing her back in soothing circles. Sam closed her eyes, feeling weak and unable to move just yet, tears trickling down her face, her head pounding.

She sat without moving, trying to bring her rebelling body under control, but she could hear voices. Teal'c right behind her, the Colonel in the doorway, and she felt comforted at their presence.

'How's she doing?' Jack was asking.

'I am unsure. Major Carter appears to be unwell.' Teal'c replied.

'Well I coulda figured that one out for myself Teal'c,' Jack retorted. 'Shouldn't we get her to bed or something?'

'I believe that when Major Carter is ready to move she will let us know,' Teal'c spoke calmly, with authority, and Sam was glad she didn't have to think about moving just yet.

A few minutes later a smell wafted through from the kitchen, the smell of cooking food that would normally have made her feel hungry but in her present condition, all she could think of was getting back to the toilet bowl and heaving what was left in her stomach. This time it was over quickly as there was little left to come up and Sam sat back again, allowing Teal'c to flush the toilet and resume rubbing her back. The nausea was passing rapidly leaving her with a dull ache in her stomach while the pounding in her head continued, accompanied by a feeling of dizziness. Deciding that it was really too much effort to move, she closed her eyes, her body relaxed and she passed out, to be caught by Teal'c before she could hit the floor.

Teal'c lifted her easily and carried her to her bedroom where Jack had preceded them to turn down the bed coverings. Between them they made her as comfortable as possible, Jack placing a hand on her forehead and realising she was also running a temperature.

'I guess when she rang in sick she really was sick,' Jack spoke quietly to Teal'c before he made his way to the phone to call Dr Fraiser, knowing she would make a home visit for her friend.

***********

'…probably a combination of the ribbon device Osiris used on her and a reaction to what happened to Daniel.'

Sam could hear a familiar voice talking and she wondered which poor soul in the infirmary was receiving such a gloomy sounding diagnosis. She cracked an eye open and saw Janet with the Colonel and Teal'c near the door. More alert now as she realised it was her they were talking about and that she was in her own bed, she sat upright, catching the attention of the others in the room. Janet was at her side immediately.

'Take it easy, Sam,' Janet said calmly, pressing her back down on to the bed. 'You'll feel much better if you lie down.'

Sam lay gratefully back on the pillows, her head was throbbing and spinning and she looked hazily at the faces watching her, wondering why they were all in her bedroom before her eyes closed again.

'I want her in the infirmary,' Janet continued speaking to Jack and Teal'c. 'Even after all this time I'm still unsure what effect a ribbon device has on humans and I don't want to risk her deteriorating further.'

'Is that absolutely necessary?' Jack tried to argue.

'Yes it is,' Janet's words were uncompromising. 'Give her a couple of days to get over the worst and then I'll see about releasing her, but right now I need her where I can keep an eye on her.'

'She is going to be alright isn't she doc?' Jack asked.

'I think so,' Dr Fraiser replied. 'Hopefully the nausea and fever should subside pretty quickly and once that happens, she should begin to recover.' She paused for a moment, then continued, speaking bluntly. 'I know you've all had a tough time with Daniel leaving, but for some reason Sam is taking it harder and her body has basically protested and is forcing her to slow right down.'

'How may we be of assistance in aiding Major Carter's recovery?' Teal'c asked the burning question.

'She needs her friends around her and when she's ready, to talk things through with her. In fact,' Janet looked straight at Jack, challenging him, 'You all need to work things out between you.'

***********

'…he's dead…stop…already told you…dead…dead…' Jack, waking with a start, could hear Sam mumbling in her sleep. He straightened up in the hard plastic chair he was sitting on, easing the kinks out of his neck and listened for more. There was silence for a while, disturbed only by the sound of Sam tossing and turning in her sleep, then came a sound of sobbing and she spoke again. '…he's gone…dead…he's dead…not coming back…no!'

'Carter - Sam,' Jack spoke her name softly, trying to bring her back to the present, but she seemed oblivious to his presence and continued moving restlessly. He placed a hand on her shoulder, shaking her gently. This time she stared at him and she stilled for a moment, before her eyes drifted away again and she resumed tossing in the bed.

Jack, sitting on the edge of the bed now, patted her shoulder, leaving his hand there as he noticed an immediate change. Sam's body relaxed, her muttering stopped and she became still, soon her breathing deepened, became more regular and she slept more peacefully. Easing himself away from the bed and back to his chair, he noticed Sam becoming restless the minute she felt the physical contact break. Sighing, he took one of her hands in his and squeezed it gently, thankful that it had the desired effect. With his other arm on the bed, Jack rested his head on it and was soon asleep.

'Daniel!' Jack was woken suddenly by Sam calling out for their missing friend. Jack spoke soothingly to her, maintaining his hold on her hand, and eventually she calmed down, but he could see the pain in her face and knew that the surviving members of SG1 needed to work something out before the team fell apart.

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To be continued…