Samantha Carter woke up in pain. The pain gave an almost dreamy aspect to
the scene, mixing unreality with her memories. Had they really come through
the gate back in time, again? Before she opened her eyes she could tell
that there was considerable damage to her leg. She gritted her teeth and
opened her eyes. At the same time her hearing decided to start working as
well, and she realised that she was somehow strapped into a descending
helicopter. As she struggled but failed to sit upright, she felt the clunk
as the feet of the chopper set down on the floor. A face looked down on her
as she was offloaded the chopper.
"Say, we got a girl here!" said the corpsman incredulously, looking down at Sam's face framed by sweaty blonde curls. "What the hell?"
"She was with a unit I picked up, CIA special or something," yelled the pilot over the noise of the blades as he manhandled an injured soldier off his helicopter. At that point another man came over to have a look.
"Harman, what you got there? Bad leg wound? Hey!"
A face floated into Sam's world of pain. Handsome features, bright and merry blue eyes with a hint of fatigue. Ebony hair layered with silver. She tried to smile weakly.
"We got a woman fighting the wars now?" he said, keeping pace beside her as the litter was manoeuvred onto a jeep. "My name's Captain Pierce. I'll be with you later, don't worry. We'll take good care of you here."
He said something inaudible to the corpsman and then strode off to another case. As the jeep rattled down to the compound, Sam found herself turning her head to try and see where he had gone. Settling back, she suddenly had a chilling thought.
"My team," she tried to stammer out. "The Colonel..." the corpsman smiled. "Your unit members will be here soon, sweetheart. Get some rest."
As they were set down in the compound, Sam discerned other women scurrying about here and there. Those must be the real nurses, she guessed. The pain in her leg was unbearable, and she bit down on a yell as the blonde nurse attending to her lifted the dressing.
"Will it be okay?" she managed to grate out. The nurse looked up, and smiled.
"You'll be fine. I'll put you in pretty high up, how about it? and I'm sure we'll get to talk more after the wounded are dealt with." She got to her feet once more. "Father Mulcahy, over here!" she called as she went to the next patient.
Sam was given a painkiller – squinting at the bottle she guessed it was morphine. It gave her something to do whilst she waited to go in for surgery.
Sam blinked awake, putting up a shaking hand to her forehead. Those drugs they were using were harsh! She suddenly remembered the circumstances, and groaned. These were probably the best they had in these times. She wished Janet were there, and then laughed softly at the futility. At the sound the nurse at the other side of the room came hurrying over. Sam realised that it was the same one from the compound, and smiled in greeting.
"How are you feeling, Major?" the nurse asked, looking at the chart and then at the tightly bandaged leg in front of her.
"Fine thanks, considering the circumstances," laughed Sam wryly. "I – how did you know I was a Major?"
"Dog tags, Major Carter," she replied warmly. "Though strange in the extreme – but I was so happy to see another nurse in a position of responsibility! Welcome to the M*A*S*H 4077. I'm Major Margaret Houlihan, head nurse here."
Sam felt an immediate affinity for the blonde nurse, and hastily corrected the mistake.
"Can you keep a secret, Major Houlihan?" she said in a low voice.
"Call me Margaret."
"I'm Sam. Anyway, truth is... I'm not a nurse."
Margaret's face was a picture of confusion. Sam tried desperately to work out what cover story the others might have faked. In that hurried conversation with Daniel they'd plunked on CIA... guess that would have to do.
"...I'm with the CIA," continued Sam. "So please don't ask me too many medical questions..."
Margaret looked at her strangely, then shrugged. The CIA were there to support the American way of life. If they decided to employ a woman, then good for them.
"Are not a real Major then?" she asked, annoyance in her tone.
"Yes, yes! I'm still a real Major," said Sam, wincing as she moved her leg. "I'm not going to lie to you..."
Margaret nodded, unconvinced but still with a feeling that she was going to like this enigma of a woman.
"By the way, someone called ahead to say that your unit members are on their way, as soon as possible. Colonel O'Neill, was it? Irish?"
"God, no. I'll have to tell him that one, one day," laughed Sam.
"Say, we got a girl here!" said the corpsman incredulously, looking down at Sam's face framed by sweaty blonde curls. "What the hell?"
"She was with a unit I picked up, CIA special or something," yelled the pilot over the noise of the blades as he manhandled an injured soldier off his helicopter. At that point another man came over to have a look.
"Harman, what you got there? Bad leg wound? Hey!"
A face floated into Sam's world of pain. Handsome features, bright and merry blue eyes with a hint of fatigue. Ebony hair layered with silver. She tried to smile weakly.
"We got a woman fighting the wars now?" he said, keeping pace beside her as the litter was manoeuvred onto a jeep. "My name's Captain Pierce. I'll be with you later, don't worry. We'll take good care of you here."
He said something inaudible to the corpsman and then strode off to another case. As the jeep rattled down to the compound, Sam found herself turning her head to try and see where he had gone. Settling back, she suddenly had a chilling thought.
"My team," she tried to stammer out. "The Colonel..." the corpsman smiled. "Your unit members will be here soon, sweetheart. Get some rest."
As they were set down in the compound, Sam discerned other women scurrying about here and there. Those must be the real nurses, she guessed. The pain in her leg was unbearable, and she bit down on a yell as the blonde nurse attending to her lifted the dressing.
"Will it be okay?" she managed to grate out. The nurse looked up, and smiled.
"You'll be fine. I'll put you in pretty high up, how about it? and I'm sure we'll get to talk more after the wounded are dealt with." She got to her feet once more. "Father Mulcahy, over here!" she called as she went to the next patient.
Sam was given a painkiller – squinting at the bottle she guessed it was morphine. It gave her something to do whilst she waited to go in for surgery.
Sam blinked awake, putting up a shaking hand to her forehead. Those drugs they were using were harsh! She suddenly remembered the circumstances, and groaned. These were probably the best they had in these times. She wished Janet were there, and then laughed softly at the futility. At the sound the nurse at the other side of the room came hurrying over. Sam realised that it was the same one from the compound, and smiled in greeting.
"How are you feeling, Major?" the nurse asked, looking at the chart and then at the tightly bandaged leg in front of her.
"Fine thanks, considering the circumstances," laughed Sam wryly. "I – how did you know I was a Major?"
"Dog tags, Major Carter," she replied warmly. "Though strange in the extreme – but I was so happy to see another nurse in a position of responsibility! Welcome to the M*A*S*H 4077. I'm Major Margaret Houlihan, head nurse here."
Sam felt an immediate affinity for the blonde nurse, and hastily corrected the mistake.
"Can you keep a secret, Major Houlihan?" she said in a low voice.
"Call me Margaret."
"I'm Sam. Anyway, truth is... I'm not a nurse."
Margaret's face was a picture of confusion. Sam tried desperately to work out what cover story the others might have faked. In that hurried conversation with Daniel they'd plunked on CIA... guess that would have to do.
"...I'm with the CIA," continued Sam. "So please don't ask me too many medical questions..."
Margaret looked at her strangely, then shrugged. The CIA were there to support the American way of life. If they decided to employ a woman, then good for them.
"Are not a real Major then?" she asked, annoyance in her tone.
"Yes, yes! I'm still a real Major," said Sam, wincing as she moved her leg. "I'm not going to lie to you..."
Margaret nodded, unconvinced but still with a feeling that she was going to like this enigma of a woman.
"By the way, someone called ahead to say that your unit members are on their way, as soon as possible. Colonel O'Neill, was it? Irish?"
"God, no. I'll have to tell him that one, one day," laughed Sam.