"Jack!"
Daniel came running in only a short time after Frasier had arrived, and was followed closely by Teal'c and General Hammond. O'Neill stopped his pacing as they came up to him, but the inactivity only increased his fretfulness and he was practically quivering when Hammond and the others reached him.
"Jack. How is she?"
"I don't know. They won't tell me what's wrong." He looked over at the Nurse's station, and his temper flared, driven by his anxiety. "They won't tell me anything!"
Heads turned, but Jack ignored them.
"Calm down, Colonel," Hammond said, putting a hand on his shoulder. The General understood Jack's concerns, but he knew it was important to keep a bit of discipline as well. Especially since Jack was in uniform. The last thing they needed was a scene.
Jack shrugged Hammond's hand off, turning back towards the door that he'd last seen them take Carter through. He'd never felt more useless or helpless in his life. He crossed his arms over his chest, practically hugging himself. It was all he could do to keep from rushing in there and insisting they tell him what was going on. If Fraiser wasn't in there and Jack wasn't sure Carter was absolutely in the best care possible, he might have done it. As it was, he simply stared and stewed. It was all he could do.
~*~
The day that had started so well slowed to a crawl for Jack and the others. Nurses came and told Jack he had to move from the door to let doctors and nurses in, but aside from that they ignored him. Then they ignored Daniel, who went up to ask if there'd been any change. They'd even ignored Hammond. Teal'c wasn't so easy to ignore when he went up, and the nurse that he glared at broke down a little and said they were taking the best care of Carter that they could, and that a doctor would be out to see them as soon as possible. It wasn't much, but it was more than the others had heard. Hammond was almost constantly on the phone, running the base from the hospital for the afternoon, and Daniel and Teal'c had taken positions on either side of Jack. Close enough to be comforting without seeming to smother if he needed to pace.
Then Fraiser had appeared. Jack saw her first, since he was still staring at the door, but the others weren't far behind, and by the time she had the door all the way open and was out, she was surrounded.
"Doc?"
She had a guarded look in her eyes that Jack knew was bad. Right away he knew it was bad. She didn't smile as she would have if things were okay. Even the fake bedside manner smile would have been preferable to the look she gave Jack. He felt his stomach clench as fear gripped him. Was it that serious?
"She's stable."
Janet said, softly, more to Hammond than the others. Janet was having trouble looking Jack in the eye. The hurt and fear in O'Neill's gaze were heartbreaking to one who knew him so well and had very rarely seen him so vulnerable.
"What's wrong with her?" Hammond asked, beating Jack to it.
"I can't tell you, Sir. Not yet."
"You mean you don't know?" Daniel asked.
"I mean we need to run some more tests and get her awake."
"She's unconscious?" Jack asked.
Frasier nodded. "We had to put her under for a while, Colonel. She'll come around soon. We could move her to the SGC, but they have very good facilities here, and I think it'd be better for her if we just keep her here."
"Whatever you think is best, Doctor." Hammond said.
"Can I see her?"
"As soon as they move her upstairs, yes. But only for a minute." Frasier looked at Teal'c and Daniel, "Maybe you two can take Colonel O'Neill down to the dining room and get something to eat while you wait."
"Um, sure." Daniel looked at Jack, expecting resistance. Which he got immediately.
"I'm not hungry. I'll wait here."
"You can't wait here. You're annoying the nurses."
"Too bad." Jack looked over at the nurse's station and glared.
"Colonel? Do I have to order you to keep a civil tongue?" Hammond understood O'Neill was upset, but the man was really pushing it. Jack turned to the General, his temper flaring once more, but this time he quelled it before he could say something that he didn't mean, to one of the people he most respected in the world. He visibly pulled himself together a little, and shook his head.
"No, Sir."
"Good." Hammond had seen the emotions on O'Neill's face and was glad that nothing had been said that couldn't have been taken back. "Civil tongue, and a civil attitude, or I'll order you back to the base."
"Yes, Sir."
"Good." Hammond turned to Teal'c and Daniel. "Take him down and get some lunch. All three of you. Doctor? Is there anything we can do for her?"
Frasier shook her head. "She's getting the best care we can give her, Sir."
"I know she is." It was a compliment that was well earned. Fraiser took good care of the SGC's people, and they all knew it. Fraiser accepted the compliment with a slight nod. "I'd better get back in there. I just wanted to let you know what was happening."
"Thank you, Doctor."
Frasier left, and Hammond turned the others.
"Are you still here? Go on, get to the cafeteria. I'll send for you when they've got her moved and Doctor Frasier lets me know it's all right for you to see her."
A very reluctant Colonel followed his team down the hall, looking backwards every now and then until they went around a corner. Hammond watched every move, waited until they were out of sight and well on their way, then went over to one of the chairs and sat down to wait. Rank has its privileges, after all. No one in the hospital could order him out of the room, and he had every intention to sit there and wait until he knew what was wrong with Carter.
Daniel came running in only a short time after Frasier had arrived, and was followed closely by Teal'c and General Hammond. O'Neill stopped his pacing as they came up to him, but the inactivity only increased his fretfulness and he was practically quivering when Hammond and the others reached him.
"Jack. How is she?"
"I don't know. They won't tell me what's wrong." He looked over at the Nurse's station, and his temper flared, driven by his anxiety. "They won't tell me anything!"
Heads turned, but Jack ignored them.
"Calm down, Colonel," Hammond said, putting a hand on his shoulder. The General understood Jack's concerns, but he knew it was important to keep a bit of discipline as well. Especially since Jack was in uniform. The last thing they needed was a scene.
Jack shrugged Hammond's hand off, turning back towards the door that he'd last seen them take Carter through. He'd never felt more useless or helpless in his life. He crossed his arms over his chest, practically hugging himself. It was all he could do to keep from rushing in there and insisting they tell him what was going on. If Fraiser wasn't in there and Jack wasn't sure Carter was absolutely in the best care possible, he might have done it. As it was, he simply stared and stewed. It was all he could do.
~*~
The day that had started so well slowed to a crawl for Jack and the others. Nurses came and told Jack he had to move from the door to let doctors and nurses in, but aside from that they ignored him. Then they ignored Daniel, who went up to ask if there'd been any change. They'd even ignored Hammond. Teal'c wasn't so easy to ignore when he went up, and the nurse that he glared at broke down a little and said they were taking the best care of Carter that they could, and that a doctor would be out to see them as soon as possible. It wasn't much, but it was more than the others had heard. Hammond was almost constantly on the phone, running the base from the hospital for the afternoon, and Daniel and Teal'c had taken positions on either side of Jack. Close enough to be comforting without seeming to smother if he needed to pace.
Then Fraiser had appeared. Jack saw her first, since he was still staring at the door, but the others weren't far behind, and by the time she had the door all the way open and was out, she was surrounded.
"Doc?"
She had a guarded look in her eyes that Jack knew was bad. Right away he knew it was bad. She didn't smile as she would have if things were okay. Even the fake bedside manner smile would have been preferable to the look she gave Jack. He felt his stomach clench as fear gripped him. Was it that serious?
"She's stable."
Janet said, softly, more to Hammond than the others. Janet was having trouble looking Jack in the eye. The hurt and fear in O'Neill's gaze were heartbreaking to one who knew him so well and had very rarely seen him so vulnerable.
"What's wrong with her?" Hammond asked, beating Jack to it.
"I can't tell you, Sir. Not yet."
"You mean you don't know?" Daniel asked.
"I mean we need to run some more tests and get her awake."
"She's unconscious?" Jack asked.
Frasier nodded. "We had to put her under for a while, Colonel. She'll come around soon. We could move her to the SGC, but they have very good facilities here, and I think it'd be better for her if we just keep her here."
"Whatever you think is best, Doctor." Hammond said.
"Can I see her?"
"As soon as they move her upstairs, yes. But only for a minute." Frasier looked at Teal'c and Daniel, "Maybe you two can take Colonel O'Neill down to the dining room and get something to eat while you wait."
"Um, sure." Daniel looked at Jack, expecting resistance. Which he got immediately.
"I'm not hungry. I'll wait here."
"You can't wait here. You're annoying the nurses."
"Too bad." Jack looked over at the nurse's station and glared.
"Colonel? Do I have to order you to keep a civil tongue?" Hammond understood O'Neill was upset, but the man was really pushing it. Jack turned to the General, his temper flaring once more, but this time he quelled it before he could say something that he didn't mean, to one of the people he most respected in the world. He visibly pulled himself together a little, and shook his head.
"No, Sir."
"Good." Hammond had seen the emotions on O'Neill's face and was glad that nothing had been said that couldn't have been taken back. "Civil tongue, and a civil attitude, or I'll order you back to the base."
"Yes, Sir."
"Good." Hammond turned to Teal'c and Daniel. "Take him down and get some lunch. All three of you. Doctor? Is there anything we can do for her?"
Frasier shook her head. "She's getting the best care we can give her, Sir."
"I know she is." It was a compliment that was well earned. Fraiser took good care of the SGC's people, and they all knew it. Fraiser accepted the compliment with a slight nod. "I'd better get back in there. I just wanted to let you know what was happening."
"Thank you, Doctor."
Frasier left, and Hammond turned the others.
"Are you still here? Go on, get to the cafeteria. I'll send for you when they've got her moved and Doctor Frasier lets me know it's all right for you to see her."
A very reluctant Colonel followed his team down the hall, looking backwards every now and then until they went around a corner. Hammond watched every move, waited until they were out of sight and well on their way, then went over to one of the chairs and sat down to wait. Rank has its privileges, after all. No one in the hospital could order him out of the room, and he had every intention to sit there and wait until he knew what was wrong with Carter.