Chapter 16
Shortly after their arrival, General Hammond entered and sat with them.
"Colonel, what happened?"
"Well, General, we haven't been able to talk with her. She's been out of it since we found her. He's had her for a while at least. He keeps calling her Karen and says she's his wife. I don't know what happened but she has an injury to her head that has been bleeding and some problem with her leg. Other than that, you know as much as we do.
They sat in silence until Janet came out to meet them. O'Neill jumped to his feet and rushed to her side.
"How is she?" He asked anxiously. Daniel, Teal'c and General Hammond followed him.
"Well," Janet said with a sigh," all things considered, she's going to be alright, I think. She has a concussion along with a gash that required 17 stitches. There's evidence of a much more serious concussion that could be several weeks old. Looks like he has had her on some serious pain meds. I don't know what he's been giving her, but they're several things floating around in her system. Her right leg is broken. It looks like an old break, but has since snapped again. We have set it, but it will be a while before she'll regain full use. X-rays show that she has 2 broken ribs, but they are healing. And looks like she's recovering from a bout of pneumonia would have left her weak. She has some bruises and is somewhat malnourished. I think he tried to take care her, but the drugs knocked out her appetite and it had to be difficult getting her to eat. She's lost weight. Physically, she should be alright in a couple of months after some rehab, but mentally we'll have to wait and see. If he's held her captive for almost 3 weeks, then...."
O'Neill stood quietly during Janet's recitation, clenching his fists. "Did he do anything else......" He trailed off, leaving the sentence unfinished, not really wanting to know the answer, but unable not to know.
"No, Colonel, there's no evidence of any of that. Overall, he seems to have taken pretty good care of her.
He let go the breath he was holding. "Can we see her? O'neill asked quietly.
"She'll be out of it for quite a while, but I don't see why not ...but only for a minute," Janet replied, turning and leading the way to her room.
She ushered them in. Sam looked small and pale lying there on the bed. There were tubes attached to various parts of her body and an EKG kept track of her heartbeat. A bruise darkened one cheek and her head was bandaged. Her leg was splinted and elevated on a pillow. All in all, she looked terrible.
Janet stepped up to O'Neill and touched his arm. "She will be monitored around the clock and we will let you know when she starts to wake up. Why don't you all get some rest. You look like you could use it!"
O'Neill nodded and left the room, followed by the rest of the team and the General. Janet turned and looked at her friend lying on the bed. "Come on Sam, come out of this. We need you... he needs you," she said quietly, patting Sam on the arm.
O'Neill left the emergency room and headed for his truck, ignoring Daniel calling after him. He needed space, needed time to think. He had almost lost her this time. This was too close. He knew he couldn't go through this again. He had to let her know how he felt, couldn't keep this inside anymore.
He started his truck and tore out of the parking lot.
Janet picked up the chart from the foot of Sam's bed. Looking over the tests that had been run, she could see traces of several different types of heavy pain meds in her blood. "She must have been out of it for quite a while," Janet thought to herself. "This is going to be difficult to get out of her system and she may have a hard time with this."
She looked up when she heard a movement from the bed. Sam's eyes slid open, but promptly shut again with a groan. Her hand reached tentatively to head.
"Sam," Janet said softly going up to her side and placing a hand on her arm. "How are you feeling?"
Getting no response, she tried again. "Sam, tell me how you feel."
Sam slowly opened her eyes again and looked to Janet's face. "Are you talking to me?" she whispered.
Janet smiled and nodded. "Sam, I know everything is a blur right now, but tell me how you feel."
Sam gave her a confused look. "I don't know who you're talking to. My name is Karen, Karen Thomason. Where is my husband Jackson?" She looked around wildly and began to try to sit up. Janet quickly pressed her back onto the bed.
"Shhh," Janet said softly. "You've got a concussion. Everything is confusing right now. Relax and rest."
Sam continued to struggle to get up. Janet called to a nurse, asking for a sedative. "I really don't want to do this to you right now, but you have to lie still," she muttered more to herself than to Sam. The nurse entered and together they managed to inject the sedative into Sam's IV. Slowly, she settled down and slipped back into sleep.
"Well, Sam, we have a situation. Now what are we going to do?"
Shortly after their arrival, General Hammond entered and sat with them.
"Colonel, what happened?"
"Well, General, we haven't been able to talk with her. She's been out of it since we found her. He's had her for a while at least. He keeps calling her Karen and says she's his wife. I don't know what happened but she has an injury to her head that has been bleeding and some problem with her leg. Other than that, you know as much as we do.
They sat in silence until Janet came out to meet them. O'Neill jumped to his feet and rushed to her side.
"How is she?" He asked anxiously. Daniel, Teal'c and General Hammond followed him.
"Well," Janet said with a sigh," all things considered, she's going to be alright, I think. She has a concussion along with a gash that required 17 stitches. There's evidence of a much more serious concussion that could be several weeks old. Looks like he has had her on some serious pain meds. I don't know what he's been giving her, but they're several things floating around in her system. Her right leg is broken. It looks like an old break, but has since snapped again. We have set it, but it will be a while before she'll regain full use. X-rays show that she has 2 broken ribs, but they are healing. And looks like she's recovering from a bout of pneumonia would have left her weak. She has some bruises and is somewhat malnourished. I think he tried to take care her, but the drugs knocked out her appetite and it had to be difficult getting her to eat. She's lost weight. Physically, she should be alright in a couple of months after some rehab, but mentally we'll have to wait and see. If he's held her captive for almost 3 weeks, then...."
O'Neill stood quietly during Janet's recitation, clenching his fists. "Did he do anything else......" He trailed off, leaving the sentence unfinished, not really wanting to know the answer, but unable not to know.
"No, Colonel, there's no evidence of any of that. Overall, he seems to have taken pretty good care of her.
He let go the breath he was holding. "Can we see her? O'neill asked quietly.
"She'll be out of it for quite a while, but I don't see why not ...but only for a minute," Janet replied, turning and leading the way to her room.
She ushered them in. Sam looked small and pale lying there on the bed. There were tubes attached to various parts of her body and an EKG kept track of her heartbeat. A bruise darkened one cheek and her head was bandaged. Her leg was splinted and elevated on a pillow. All in all, she looked terrible.
Janet stepped up to O'Neill and touched his arm. "She will be monitored around the clock and we will let you know when she starts to wake up. Why don't you all get some rest. You look like you could use it!"
O'Neill nodded and left the room, followed by the rest of the team and the General. Janet turned and looked at her friend lying on the bed. "Come on Sam, come out of this. We need you... he needs you," she said quietly, patting Sam on the arm.
O'Neill left the emergency room and headed for his truck, ignoring Daniel calling after him. He needed space, needed time to think. He had almost lost her this time. This was too close. He knew he couldn't go through this again. He had to let her know how he felt, couldn't keep this inside anymore.
He started his truck and tore out of the parking lot.
Janet picked up the chart from the foot of Sam's bed. Looking over the tests that had been run, she could see traces of several different types of heavy pain meds in her blood. "She must have been out of it for quite a while," Janet thought to herself. "This is going to be difficult to get out of her system and she may have a hard time with this."
She looked up when she heard a movement from the bed. Sam's eyes slid open, but promptly shut again with a groan. Her hand reached tentatively to head.
"Sam," Janet said softly going up to her side and placing a hand on her arm. "How are you feeling?"
Getting no response, she tried again. "Sam, tell me how you feel."
Sam slowly opened her eyes again and looked to Janet's face. "Are you talking to me?" she whispered.
Janet smiled and nodded. "Sam, I know everything is a blur right now, but tell me how you feel."
Sam gave her a confused look. "I don't know who you're talking to. My name is Karen, Karen Thomason. Where is my husband Jackson?" She looked around wildly and began to try to sit up. Janet quickly pressed her back onto the bed.
"Shhh," Janet said softly. "You've got a concussion. Everything is confusing right now. Relax and rest."
Sam continued to struggle to get up. Janet called to a nurse, asking for a sedative. "I really don't want to do this to you right now, but you have to lie still," she muttered more to herself than to Sam. The nurse entered and together they managed to inject the sedative into Sam's IV. Slowly, she settled down and slipped back into sleep.
"Well, Sam, we have a situation. Now what are we going to do?"