O'Neill parked the truck around a curve several hundred yards from the cabin. Getting out, he reached under the seat and pulled out his gun. Daniel sucked in a breath.
"Jack, what are you doing?" He asked softly.
"Not taking any chances, Daniel," O'Neill replied. "Better safe than sorry."
O'Neill, Teal'c and Daniel crept back toward the cabin. The going was difficult in the melting snow and soggy ground. O'Neill gave hand signals to his team to fan out and check the outbuildings surrounding the cabin. He took the garage for himself. He broke the padlock holding the door closed and slipped inside. Bringing out his flashlight, he shone it around the dark room. At first glance, nothing looked out of place. Everything was neat and orderly. Looking closer, he saw a motorcycle helmet lying on a workbench. Walking over and picking it up, he knew it belonged to Sam. He turned and stared around the room. At one end, a tarp covered an object. His heart thumped as he slowly moved in that direction, afraid of what he might find. Shaking himself at his reluctance, he strode over to the tarp and pulled it back to see her cherry red Indian. The bike was scratched up, and had mud all over it.
"That's it...she's here, or has been anyway," he said to himself, both happiness and worry filling his thoughts. He immediately left the garage and went to find the others. Spotting them, he motioned them behind the garage.
"Her bike is here. Either she is in there with him, or he's done something to her. We're going in, so let's find a way to minimize injuries."
Daniel spoke up. "Let's contact the police and let them come out here."
"Daniel, she's been here for who knows how long. We need to get her out of there. She may be hurt. I'm not waiting any longer."
Sam limped to the doorway of the living room. Jackson was sitting in the chair by the fire, dozing. She looked at him, recognizing him as the man who had been taking care of her. But that was all. She knew that he said he was her husband, but she still had no memories of a life with him, other than the last days. No memory of making love with him, of time outside the cabin together. Nothing. She quietly moved to his side and touched his shoulder gently.
He jumped as if shot. Leaping up, he turned to her. "What the hell are you doing up?" He shouted at her. "Why aren't you asleep?"
She stepped back, frightened, never having seen him like this. "I...I just woke up. I was looking for you."
"You shouldn't be out here," he continued, enraged. "You need to be in bed." He roughly grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him, into his arms. He stopped, looking into her eyes. All the anger he felt suddenly melted away and his lips slowly moved toward hers.
As their lips touched, her eyes flew open wider.
"No, you're not Jack," she cried, stumbling back. "I don't know you. Where am I?" The panic in her voice spurred him into moving towards her. She turned as quickly as she could with her bad leg and started to scramble back towards the bedroom, Jackson on her heels.
"No, you can't leave me now. I won't let you. Our life together will be perfect. Karen, I lost you once, but now you're back. You are mine!" Anger reasserted itself again and he clasped her arm and jerked her back. She screamed as she felt his hand tighten painfully around her arm. As she was pulled toward him, her leg gave out and she crashed to the floor. In the fall, she hit her head hard on the coffee table and darkness crashed in.
O'Neill heard the scream just as they were coming from behind the garage. Without waiting for his friends, he flew to the front porch and kicked open the door, gun at the ready. What he saw turned his blood cold. Sam was lying on the floor, blood flowing from a head wound. Jackson was leaning over her trying to lift her.
"Don't touch her," O'Neill snarled. "Get away from her now."
"Karen fell. This is my wife Karen and she fell..." Jackson said tearfully, all holds on reality gone. "I need to get her into the bed and take care of her." His voice was almost childlike, almost pleading.
"I said get away from her now," O'Neill roared as he came further into the room and gestured Jackson away from her with the gun. "Teal'c, get in here now and take care of him. Daniel, I need your help with Carter."
Teal'c passed O'Neill and pulled the tearful man away from Sam. O'Neill never let the gun leave its target. Daniel rushed to Sam and knelt beside her. He quickly examined her head and looked her over, feeling for her pulse.
"Jack, we need to get her to the hospital. Her pulse is sluggish. Her leg is probably broken judging by the way she's laying, and I don't like this head wound. It looks like it's deep and it's bleeding heavily."
O'Neill reached into his jacket and threw Teal'c the keys. "Get the truck. You," gesturing to Jackson, "you will be going with us, so sit down over there and wait until we get ready to go. We'll call Janet while on the way. "O'Neill's anger was barely held in check. He would like nothing better than to kill this guy right then and there, but held himself back.
Teal'c sprinted out the door. Daniel moved towards the bedroom and returned with towels and a quilt from the bed. He placed a towel on the head wound and pressed down to try and stop the bleeding. O'Neill came and knelt beside Sam, assessing her condition.
"What did you do to her?" he demanded of Jackson, rising and walking toward him.
"That's my wife Karen. She's just getting over cancer. I've been taking care of her. She went outside and fell in the snow. She's recovering from pneumonia." Jackson sounded proud. "She's had a rough time, but she's getting better. I can't lose her," he said with a hysterical hint to his voice. "She went away once, but then she came back. I have to keep her safe. You can't take her from me. You can't!" Jackson jumped to his feet, and started toward O'Neill, whose finger tightened on the trigger.
"Um, Jack," Daniel said, slowly standing up and stepping between the two men. "Take it easy. He's obviously not living in 'our world'. Let's get Sam back to Janet and turn him over to whoever can take care of him. Sam needs us now."
O'Neill took a deep breath and nodded to Daniel. They heard the truck pull up outside the cabin. O'Neill handed the gun to Daniel and moved to where Sam lay on the floor. Grabbing the quilt that Daniel had picked up, he gently lifted Sam and placed it around her. Teal'c came jogging back into the cabin and took Sam from him, already moving towards the doorway with O'Neill right behind. Daniel motioned with the gun for Jackson to precede him as they left the building.
Teal'c moved to the passenger side of the truck and allowed O'Neill to open the door for him. He lifted himself and Sam into the seat. O'Neill returned to the drivers side and pulled the seat up to allow Daniel and Jackson to get in the back in the jump seats. All the while, Daniel held the gun on Jackson.
"Where are you taking her? She doesn't want to go to a hospital. She wants me to take care of her here. That's what she told me." Jackson was becoming more upset by the moment.
O'Neill grabbed Jackson by the shirt and slammed him against the truck. "Listen, she is NOT your wife. We are taking her to the hospital and you are going with us." He roughly shoved the tearful man into the back seat, followed by Daniel and the gun.
The ride out was quiet. Each was lost in his own thoughts. O'Neill drove as quickly as he could through the twist and turns. Daniel held the gun in his hands, but not pointed directly at Jackson. Teal'c cradled Sam in his lap. Her breathing was shallow and pulse continued to be sluggish.
O'Neill checked his cellphone every few miles to see if he had a signal. At last, seeing the signal strength increase, he called the SGC infirmary and demanded to be put thru to Janet.
"We've got her, Janet. She has a head injury and possibly a broken leg. I don't know what else is wrong with her, but she's unconscious and has been since we got to her, for well over an hour now. Where do you want us to take her?"
Janet moved into full doctor mode, and started asking questions. O'Neill handed the phone to Daniel so he could concentrate on driving. Daniel answered her questions and then clicked the phone off.
"Take her to the Academy Hospital. Janet will meet us there. She is informing General Hammond even as we speak."
Turning onto the main road, O'Neill ignored the speed limit signs and arrived at the Academy Hospital in record time. As promised, Janet was waiting at Emergency with her team. Teal'c bundled Sam onto the gurney provided and they all watched as she was rushed away.
O'Neill dragged Jackson out of the truck and over to a nearby policeman. General Hammond had contacted the authorities and had someone waiting to take him into custody. Before O'Neill released Jackson he whispered in his ear. "She had better be alright, or I will kill you. That is a promise!"
Daniel clapped a hand on O'Neill's shoulder as they watched Jackson being led tearfully away. Turning, they all went inside and sat down to wait.
"Jack, what are you doing?" He asked softly.
"Not taking any chances, Daniel," O'Neill replied. "Better safe than sorry."
O'Neill, Teal'c and Daniel crept back toward the cabin. The going was difficult in the melting snow and soggy ground. O'Neill gave hand signals to his team to fan out and check the outbuildings surrounding the cabin. He took the garage for himself. He broke the padlock holding the door closed and slipped inside. Bringing out his flashlight, he shone it around the dark room. At first glance, nothing looked out of place. Everything was neat and orderly. Looking closer, he saw a motorcycle helmet lying on a workbench. Walking over and picking it up, he knew it belonged to Sam. He turned and stared around the room. At one end, a tarp covered an object. His heart thumped as he slowly moved in that direction, afraid of what he might find. Shaking himself at his reluctance, he strode over to the tarp and pulled it back to see her cherry red Indian. The bike was scratched up, and had mud all over it.
"That's it...she's here, or has been anyway," he said to himself, both happiness and worry filling his thoughts. He immediately left the garage and went to find the others. Spotting them, he motioned them behind the garage.
"Her bike is here. Either she is in there with him, or he's done something to her. We're going in, so let's find a way to minimize injuries."
Daniel spoke up. "Let's contact the police and let them come out here."
"Daniel, she's been here for who knows how long. We need to get her out of there. She may be hurt. I'm not waiting any longer."
Sam limped to the doorway of the living room. Jackson was sitting in the chair by the fire, dozing. She looked at him, recognizing him as the man who had been taking care of her. But that was all. She knew that he said he was her husband, but she still had no memories of a life with him, other than the last days. No memory of making love with him, of time outside the cabin together. Nothing. She quietly moved to his side and touched his shoulder gently.
He jumped as if shot. Leaping up, he turned to her. "What the hell are you doing up?" He shouted at her. "Why aren't you asleep?"
She stepped back, frightened, never having seen him like this. "I...I just woke up. I was looking for you."
"You shouldn't be out here," he continued, enraged. "You need to be in bed." He roughly grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him, into his arms. He stopped, looking into her eyes. All the anger he felt suddenly melted away and his lips slowly moved toward hers.
As their lips touched, her eyes flew open wider.
"No, you're not Jack," she cried, stumbling back. "I don't know you. Where am I?" The panic in her voice spurred him into moving towards her. She turned as quickly as she could with her bad leg and started to scramble back towards the bedroom, Jackson on her heels.
"No, you can't leave me now. I won't let you. Our life together will be perfect. Karen, I lost you once, but now you're back. You are mine!" Anger reasserted itself again and he clasped her arm and jerked her back. She screamed as she felt his hand tighten painfully around her arm. As she was pulled toward him, her leg gave out and she crashed to the floor. In the fall, she hit her head hard on the coffee table and darkness crashed in.
O'Neill heard the scream just as they were coming from behind the garage. Without waiting for his friends, he flew to the front porch and kicked open the door, gun at the ready. What he saw turned his blood cold. Sam was lying on the floor, blood flowing from a head wound. Jackson was leaning over her trying to lift her.
"Don't touch her," O'Neill snarled. "Get away from her now."
"Karen fell. This is my wife Karen and she fell..." Jackson said tearfully, all holds on reality gone. "I need to get her into the bed and take care of her." His voice was almost childlike, almost pleading.
"I said get away from her now," O'Neill roared as he came further into the room and gestured Jackson away from her with the gun. "Teal'c, get in here now and take care of him. Daniel, I need your help with Carter."
Teal'c passed O'Neill and pulled the tearful man away from Sam. O'Neill never let the gun leave its target. Daniel rushed to Sam and knelt beside her. He quickly examined her head and looked her over, feeling for her pulse.
"Jack, we need to get her to the hospital. Her pulse is sluggish. Her leg is probably broken judging by the way she's laying, and I don't like this head wound. It looks like it's deep and it's bleeding heavily."
O'Neill reached into his jacket and threw Teal'c the keys. "Get the truck. You," gesturing to Jackson, "you will be going with us, so sit down over there and wait until we get ready to go. We'll call Janet while on the way. "O'Neill's anger was barely held in check. He would like nothing better than to kill this guy right then and there, but held himself back.
Teal'c sprinted out the door. Daniel moved towards the bedroom and returned with towels and a quilt from the bed. He placed a towel on the head wound and pressed down to try and stop the bleeding. O'Neill came and knelt beside Sam, assessing her condition.
"What did you do to her?" he demanded of Jackson, rising and walking toward him.
"That's my wife Karen. She's just getting over cancer. I've been taking care of her. She went outside and fell in the snow. She's recovering from pneumonia." Jackson sounded proud. "She's had a rough time, but she's getting better. I can't lose her," he said with a hysterical hint to his voice. "She went away once, but then she came back. I have to keep her safe. You can't take her from me. You can't!" Jackson jumped to his feet, and started toward O'Neill, whose finger tightened on the trigger.
"Um, Jack," Daniel said, slowly standing up and stepping between the two men. "Take it easy. He's obviously not living in 'our world'. Let's get Sam back to Janet and turn him over to whoever can take care of him. Sam needs us now."
O'Neill took a deep breath and nodded to Daniel. They heard the truck pull up outside the cabin. O'Neill handed the gun to Daniel and moved to where Sam lay on the floor. Grabbing the quilt that Daniel had picked up, he gently lifted Sam and placed it around her. Teal'c came jogging back into the cabin and took Sam from him, already moving towards the doorway with O'Neill right behind. Daniel motioned with the gun for Jackson to precede him as they left the building.
Teal'c moved to the passenger side of the truck and allowed O'Neill to open the door for him. He lifted himself and Sam into the seat. O'Neill returned to the drivers side and pulled the seat up to allow Daniel and Jackson to get in the back in the jump seats. All the while, Daniel held the gun on Jackson.
"Where are you taking her? She doesn't want to go to a hospital. She wants me to take care of her here. That's what she told me." Jackson was becoming more upset by the moment.
O'Neill grabbed Jackson by the shirt and slammed him against the truck. "Listen, she is NOT your wife. We are taking her to the hospital and you are going with us." He roughly shoved the tearful man into the back seat, followed by Daniel and the gun.
The ride out was quiet. Each was lost in his own thoughts. O'Neill drove as quickly as he could through the twist and turns. Daniel held the gun in his hands, but not pointed directly at Jackson. Teal'c cradled Sam in his lap. Her breathing was shallow and pulse continued to be sluggish.
O'Neill checked his cellphone every few miles to see if he had a signal. At last, seeing the signal strength increase, he called the SGC infirmary and demanded to be put thru to Janet.
"We've got her, Janet. She has a head injury and possibly a broken leg. I don't know what else is wrong with her, but she's unconscious and has been since we got to her, for well over an hour now. Where do you want us to take her?"
Janet moved into full doctor mode, and started asking questions. O'Neill handed the phone to Daniel so he could concentrate on driving. Daniel answered her questions and then clicked the phone off.
"Take her to the Academy Hospital. Janet will meet us there. She is informing General Hammond even as we speak."
Turning onto the main road, O'Neill ignored the speed limit signs and arrived at the Academy Hospital in record time. As promised, Janet was waiting at Emergency with her team. Teal'c bundled Sam onto the gurney provided and they all watched as she was rushed away.
O'Neill dragged Jackson out of the truck and over to a nearby policeman. General Hammond had contacted the authorities and had someone waiting to take him into custody. Before O'Neill released Jackson he whispered in his ear. "She had better be alright, or I will kill you. That is a promise!"
Daniel clapped a hand on O'Neill's shoulder as they watched Jackson being led tearfully away. Turning, they all went inside and sat down to wait.