Doctors and nurses inspected their patient every 10-15 minutes.
They left the men of SG-1 to their silent vigil.
The hours passed and she didn't die. She showed no signs of improvement, but neither did she show signs of deteriorating. She was hanging on.
====o0o==== End Part 14 ====o0o====
.
Part 15: Finally Home
.
And then, Jack saw some changes. Her breathing was …just…a little easier….and her pulse was a little steadier….her face relaxed just a little from the constant fight….. -his- heart almost stopped…..
Was he watching her die?
He jumped up and quickly got Doctor Frasier to her bedside. Daniel and Teal'c were both standing out of the way on the other side. The doctor quickly noted all of her readings and vital signs and made some more notations on her chart before she turned to the three faces staring at him.
"She's showing signs of improvement," she stated carefully and guardedly as she saw their faces light up. "However, you must not get your hopes up too high… she may dip up and down a bit as the hours progress," and she saw their faces dim as they reluctantly heard her warnings.
-------------
And the doctor was correct. Sam struggled up and down over the next three days. Several times, they thought she was going to be gone within the hour, but then she would drag herself back from the edge. She didn't arrest again, and her breathing never stopped. Not quite…although, there was one time when Jack could barely see the rise and fall of her chest. She had gotten so still that time that he was convinced that she'd left them.
And, then, on her fifth day in the ICU, she'd started getting progressively better. The doctors said that the infections were almost completely under control. Her breathing was evening out and becoming deeper. The pain was not as evident on her face and she seemed to be almost simply sleeping.
All three men were there late on the fifth day, when Jack saw her right hand move. Just a little. Almost a twitch. Jack sat straight up and Daniel and Teal'c stepped over to his side. Her right hand moved again and then her right arm moved slightly. She moaned a little and moved her head slightly as her eyes started to flutter a little.
----
She didn't hurt quite as much.
That surprised her.
And it was dark.
The flashlight must have finally gone out.
The second set of batteries must have worn out.
And she was still alive?
Couldn't be.
She'd seen battle injuries before…
… and hers were too severe…
So…maybe she was dead, now?
And, then, she heard something....
…indistinct…unintelligible…
must be too far away…
Now… she could almost make it out…
mutterings… and mumblings…
"H'lo..?" she tried to greet whoever it was, but all that came out was a low moan.
And, then the voices grew nearer… they were next to her.
Why couldn't she see them?
Had she opened her eyes?
Err…D'oh…ok, try that….
Light squinted in and her eyes reflexively shut again.
OK… try that again… slowly…
Light… and dark… shapes…
some of them were moving…
all of them fuzzy…
There was lots of noise, now.
She tried to focus… and the images quickly sharpened… as did the words…
"Hi Sam!" Daniel was beaming at her.
"Welcome Back, Major," the Colonel was grinning as well.
Teal'c simply nodded.
Her eyes shut again and then she opened them more fully and looked straight at -her- men. "Hi guys," she mumbled very softly.
"Carter, don't do that to us," Jack chided her.
"Sir?" she asked muzzily.
"Sam, you just scared us all. We thought we'd lost you…so I agree with Jack…Don't do that to us again, OK?" Daniel sort-of explained for her.
"I concur, Samantha. You must refrain from any similar future actions," Teal'c grinned at her. She didn't understand what they were talking about, but she knew that she enjoyed it when Teal'c smiled, it lit his whole face up.
"Yes, sirs!" she said softly to appease them all. She'd ask Daniel to explain it all to her later, after she got some sleep.
===============
She slept a lot over the next few days and the doctors moved her into the regular ward as her condition improved. The doctors couldn't explain how she'd come back… but then, things happened like that in medicine… or in spite of it. Even doctors often found the need to look to a higher presence for some explanations.
The three men of SG-1 were always around.
They never left her alone.
They always made sure that at least one of them was on hand.
Each time she woke up she was momentarily confused and wasn't sure where she was. The events of the past two weeks were muddled in her pain and drug-filled mind.
They would patiently re-explain to her that she was back in the SGC infirmary. She would stare at them with a puzzled, quizzical look, but then she'd lie back and it was obvious that she'd simply decided to trust them.
.
====o0o==== End Part 15 ====o0o====
.
They left the men of SG-1 to their silent vigil.
The hours passed and she didn't die. She showed no signs of improvement, but neither did she show signs of deteriorating. She was hanging on.
====o0o==== End Part 14 ====o0o====
.
Part 15: Finally Home
.
And then, Jack saw some changes. Her breathing was …just…a little easier….and her pulse was a little steadier….her face relaxed just a little from the constant fight….. -his- heart almost stopped…..
Was he watching her die?
He jumped up and quickly got Doctor Frasier to her bedside. Daniel and Teal'c were both standing out of the way on the other side. The doctor quickly noted all of her readings and vital signs and made some more notations on her chart before she turned to the three faces staring at him.
"She's showing signs of improvement," she stated carefully and guardedly as she saw their faces light up. "However, you must not get your hopes up too high… she may dip up and down a bit as the hours progress," and she saw their faces dim as they reluctantly heard her warnings.
-------------
And the doctor was correct. Sam struggled up and down over the next three days. Several times, they thought she was going to be gone within the hour, but then she would drag herself back from the edge. She didn't arrest again, and her breathing never stopped. Not quite…although, there was one time when Jack could barely see the rise and fall of her chest. She had gotten so still that time that he was convinced that she'd left them.
And, then, on her fifth day in the ICU, she'd started getting progressively better. The doctors said that the infections were almost completely under control. Her breathing was evening out and becoming deeper. The pain was not as evident on her face and she seemed to be almost simply sleeping.
All three men were there late on the fifth day, when Jack saw her right hand move. Just a little. Almost a twitch. Jack sat straight up and Daniel and Teal'c stepped over to his side. Her right hand moved again and then her right arm moved slightly. She moaned a little and moved her head slightly as her eyes started to flutter a little.
----
She didn't hurt quite as much.
That surprised her.
And it was dark.
The flashlight must have finally gone out.
The second set of batteries must have worn out.
And she was still alive?
Couldn't be.
She'd seen battle injuries before…
… and hers were too severe…
So…maybe she was dead, now?
And, then, she heard something....
…indistinct…unintelligible…
must be too far away…
Now… she could almost make it out…
mutterings… and mumblings…
"H'lo..?" she tried to greet whoever it was, but all that came out was a low moan.
And, then the voices grew nearer… they were next to her.
Why couldn't she see them?
Had she opened her eyes?
Err…D'oh…ok, try that….
Light squinted in and her eyes reflexively shut again.
OK… try that again… slowly…
Light… and dark… shapes…
some of them were moving…
all of them fuzzy…
There was lots of noise, now.
She tried to focus… and the images quickly sharpened… as did the words…
"Hi Sam!" Daniel was beaming at her.
"Welcome Back, Major," the Colonel was grinning as well.
Teal'c simply nodded.
Her eyes shut again and then she opened them more fully and looked straight at -her- men. "Hi guys," she mumbled very softly.
"Carter, don't do that to us," Jack chided her.
"Sir?" she asked muzzily.
"Sam, you just scared us all. We thought we'd lost you…so I agree with Jack…Don't do that to us again, OK?" Daniel sort-of explained for her.
"I concur, Samantha. You must refrain from any similar future actions," Teal'c grinned at her. She didn't understand what they were talking about, but she knew that she enjoyed it when Teal'c smiled, it lit his whole face up.
"Yes, sirs!" she said softly to appease them all. She'd ask Daniel to explain it all to her later, after she got some sleep.
===============
She slept a lot over the next few days and the doctors moved her into the regular ward as her condition improved. The doctors couldn't explain how she'd come back… but then, things happened like that in medicine… or in spite of it. Even doctors often found the need to look to a higher presence for some explanations.
The three men of SG-1 were always around.
They never left her alone.
They always made sure that at least one of them was on hand.
Each time she woke up she was momentarily confused and wasn't sure where she was. The events of the past two weeks were muddled in her pain and drug-filled mind.
They would patiently re-explain to her that she was back in the SGC infirmary. She would stare at them with a puzzled, quizzical look, but then she'd lie back and it was obvious that she'd simply decided to trust them.
.
====o0o==== End Part 15 ====o0o====
.