Never had soup and a turkey sandwich looked so unappealing. Jack stared at
his bowl in the cafeteria, a thousand thoughts racing through his mind all
at once and so quickly that he was having trouble focusing on anything in
particular. Jack didn't even bother to pretend to eat. He was so tense he
probably wouldn't have been able to hold anything down anyways. What was
wrong with her? What were they doing to her? He sighed, frustrated. He
shouldn't be sitting in the cafeteria, he should be with her.
"She'll be fine, Jack." Daniel said, setting his fork down. He'd been trying to eat to set a good example for O'Neill, but since it was obvious that Jack wasn't going to eat, there was no sense in him trying to. Jack looked at Daniel, but he didn't say anything smart-assed as he might have. He was too worried to bother.
"I am certain of it as well, O'Neill," Teal'c said. The Jaffa hadn't bothered to get anything to eat. He wasn't hungry, and Hammond wasn't there.
Jack knew what they were trying to do, and he knew that later he'd appreciate it far more than he did just then, when worry was all he could feel. He looked back down at his soup, and pushed the bowl away, unwilling to even pretend to be interested.
"Jack O'Neill, please report to the 5th floor Nurse's station. Jack O'Neill, please report to the 5th floor Nurse's station."
He was on his feet before the announcement over the hospital intercom had finished the first time, and was out the door before the repeated message was done. Daniel and Teal'c right behind him. The elevator wasn't fast enough for O'Neill's nerves, and he practically bolted out of it the moment the doors swooshed open on the 5th floor.
Hammond and Fraiser were both standing by the Nurse's station, and Jack made a beeline for them.
"Is she awake?"
Fraiser nodded. "She's very groggy, though, Colonel."
"Can I see her?"
"Yes, as long as you don't try to carry on a conversation. Nothing more than hello. Okay?"
Jack nodded. He would have promised anything just then to see Sam.
"Two minutes, no more."
He nodded again, and Frasier pointed to a door that was labeled 509. Jack didn't stop for any more instructions. He went to the door, and opened it.
The top of the bed was raised up, so Sam wasn't lying flat on her back. She was propped up with a pillow as well, and Jack thought she looked as pale as the sheets that she was sleeping on. He walked over silently, frowning at the dizzying and frightening array of wires and monitors and tubes that were keeping tabs on her health. Her eyes were closed, but Jack reached out and carefully took her hand, looking back at the door as he did so. Frasier hadn't said he couldn't touch her, but she hadn't exactly said he could, either, so he checked to see if anyone was going to stop him. No one was even looking.
Carter's eyes opened when she felt him take her hand, and she looked up at him, her eyes glassy and unfocused.
"Hey," Jack whispered softly, trying to force a smile even as he was biting his lower lip to keep from allowing her to see his fear. The last thing she needed was to worry about him.
"Hi." Her voice was soft, and as unfocused as her gentle gaze. "What happened?"
He didn't have a clue. How could he tell her?
"I don't know. Do you hurt?"
She shook her head. "I don't... feel anything. Are you okay?"
"Yeah. Just worried about you."
He couldn't help himself; Jack leaned over and pressed his cheek gently against her own.
"Fraiser says I have to let you rest, so I'm going to go."
"No."
"I'll be close by if you need me, Sam, but you need to get some sleep."
She would have argued with him, but she was already starting to drift off. Jack watched as her eyes closed slowly and he felt her grip slacken in his own. He waited for her to fall asleep, which didn't take long. Once she was asleep, he held her hand a moment longer, then walked back out into the hall, silently closing the door behind him.
"She fell asleep." He said to the group as he walked over to them. His voice was matter of fact, but his gaze was questioning as he looked at Frasier. She nodded.
"She's pretty medicated, Colonel. It's not uncommon."
"What's wrong with her?"
"The tests haven't come back, yet."
"What do you think is wrong with her?"
"I don't want to guess until I have all the facts. We'll know soon."
It wasn't the answer Jack wanted, and it was obvious he wasn't satisfied with it, but Hammond nodded.
"Is she in any danger?"
Frasier shook her head.
"When will she wake up?" Jack asked.
"Sometime this evening, most likely. There's no sense in any of you staying. I'll watch her and call you."
Jack wasn't having any of that, and everyone in the hall knew what was coming before he even opened his mouth.
"I'm not-"
"You can stay, Colonel. As long as you stay out of the way." Frasier didn't feel like arguing with him, and there was no reason to keep him away, as long he agreed to do what she told him.
Jack nodded, and the others were gently shooed off down the hall with promises that they'd hear the moment she woke. O'Neill leaned against the wall next to Carter's door, and watched as the others left.
"Did you eat?" Frasier asked as Daniel took one look back before turning the corner out of sight.
"I got soup."
"Did you eat it?"
Damn, she knew him pretty well after so many years. Jack didn't lie, he just evaded.
"No."
"I won't tell you that you need to eat, but if you don't take care of yourself you're not going to be any use to her."
"What's wrong with her?" Jack asked. "You must have an idea."
Frasier nodded. "I do. But I can't tell you until I tell her. And I can't tell her until I get her more stabilized."
"What is it, Janet?" It was obvious he was frustrated. And worried.
"I know it's hard, Colonel, but you'll have to wait."
It was all she'd say, and he didn't dare press her too hard, knowing that if he did, chances were she'd call Hammond and have him order O'Neill out of the hospital. He didn't have a choice but to wait as she said.
"She'll be fine, Jack." Daniel said, setting his fork down. He'd been trying to eat to set a good example for O'Neill, but since it was obvious that Jack wasn't going to eat, there was no sense in him trying to. Jack looked at Daniel, but he didn't say anything smart-assed as he might have. He was too worried to bother.
"I am certain of it as well, O'Neill," Teal'c said. The Jaffa hadn't bothered to get anything to eat. He wasn't hungry, and Hammond wasn't there.
Jack knew what they were trying to do, and he knew that later he'd appreciate it far more than he did just then, when worry was all he could feel. He looked back down at his soup, and pushed the bowl away, unwilling to even pretend to be interested.
"Jack O'Neill, please report to the 5th floor Nurse's station. Jack O'Neill, please report to the 5th floor Nurse's station."
He was on his feet before the announcement over the hospital intercom had finished the first time, and was out the door before the repeated message was done. Daniel and Teal'c right behind him. The elevator wasn't fast enough for O'Neill's nerves, and he practically bolted out of it the moment the doors swooshed open on the 5th floor.
Hammond and Fraiser were both standing by the Nurse's station, and Jack made a beeline for them.
"Is she awake?"
Fraiser nodded. "She's very groggy, though, Colonel."
"Can I see her?"
"Yes, as long as you don't try to carry on a conversation. Nothing more than hello. Okay?"
Jack nodded. He would have promised anything just then to see Sam.
"Two minutes, no more."
He nodded again, and Frasier pointed to a door that was labeled 509. Jack didn't stop for any more instructions. He went to the door, and opened it.
The top of the bed was raised up, so Sam wasn't lying flat on her back. She was propped up with a pillow as well, and Jack thought she looked as pale as the sheets that she was sleeping on. He walked over silently, frowning at the dizzying and frightening array of wires and monitors and tubes that were keeping tabs on her health. Her eyes were closed, but Jack reached out and carefully took her hand, looking back at the door as he did so. Frasier hadn't said he couldn't touch her, but she hadn't exactly said he could, either, so he checked to see if anyone was going to stop him. No one was even looking.
Carter's eyes opened when she felt him take her hand, and she looked up at him, her eyes glassy and unfocused.
"Hey," Jack whispered softly, trying to force a smile even as he was biting his lower lip to keep from allowing her to see his fear. The last thing she needed was to worry about him.
"Hi." Her voice was soft, and as unfocused as her gentle gaze. "What happened?"
He didn't have a clue. How could he tell her?
"I don't know. Do you hurt?"
She shook her head. "I don't... feel anything. Are you okay?"
"Yeah. Just worried about you."
He couldn't help himself; Jack leaned over and pressed his cheek gently against her own.
"Fraiser says I have to let you rest, so I'm going to go."
"No."
"I'll be close by if you need me, Sam, but you need to get some sleep."
She would have argued with him, but she was already starting to drift off. Jack watched as her eyes closed slowly and he felt her grip slacken in his own. He waited for her to fall asleep, which didn't take long. Once she was asleep, he held her hand a moment longer, then walked back out into the hall, silently closing the door behind him.
"She fell asleep." He said to the group as he walked over to them. His voice was matter of fact, but his gaze was questioning as he looked at Frasier. She nodded.
"She's pretty medicated, Colonel. It's not uncommon."
"What's wrong with her?"
"The tests haven't come back, yet."
"What do you think is wrong with her?"
"I don't want to guess until I have all the facts. We'll know soon."
It wasn't the answer Jack wanted, and it was obvious he wasn't satisfied with it, but Hammond nodded.
"Is she in any danger?"
Frasier shook her head.
"When will she wake up?" Jack asked.
"Sometime this evening, most likely. There's no sense in any of you staying. I'll watch her and call you."
Jack wasn't having any of that, and everyone in the hall knew what was coming before he even opened his mouth.
"I'm not-"
"You can stay, Colonel. As long as you stay out of the way." Frasier didn't feel like arguing with him, and there was no reason to keep him away, as long he agreed to do what she told him.
Jack nodded, and the others were gently shooed off down the hall with promises that they'd hear the moment she woke. O'Neill leaned against the wall next to Carter's door, and watched as the others left.
"Did you eat?" Frasier asked as Daniel took one look back before turning the corner out of sight.
"I got soup."
"Did you eat it?"
Damn, she knew him pretty well after so many years. Jack didn't lie, he just evaded.
"No."
"I won't tell you that you need to eat, but if you don't take care of yourself you're not going to be any use to her."
"What's wrong with her?" Jack asked. "You must have an idea."
Frasier nodded. "I do. But I can't tell you until I tell her. And I can't tell her until I get her more stabilized."
"What is it, Janet?" It was obvious he was frustrated. And worried.
"I know it's hard, Colonel, but you'll have to wait."
It was all she'd say, and he didn't dare press her too hard, knowing that if he did, chances were she'd call Hammond and have him order O'Neill out of the hospital. He didn't have a choice but to wait as she said.