Doctor Frasier: Medicine Woman
Episode 1.1: BECAUSE IT'S THERE (PART 4)
By Jolinar at Carter
This is set in early series 6 and there might be some things that aren't in line with the series.
If you want to see what Bryalle really looks like, go to www.joelando.tv. He will be a major player in this series.
Why Climb Mount Everest?
Because It's There.
"Good morning," Janet Frasier beamed as she picked up Sam's chart, checking the notes from the night shift. Sam turned over on to her side and groaned. "I said, good morning."
"Am I required to be at work?" Sam grumbled.
"No, but..."
"Then it's 8 am and I am going to sleep," She insisted, closing her eyes. "Usually you want me to sleep."
"Do I have to go find Colonel O'Neill, drag him down here and..." Janet began.
"Fine, fine. I'm awake," Sam rolled her eyes and slowly turned over.
"Good morning, Major Carter," Frasier began again, cheerfully. "How are you feeling?"
"Please leave me alone," Carter sighed. Frasier frowned, concerned for her friend. Sam was usually the perfect patient. Obviously not today.
"No. You might feel like giving up but we won't let you," Janet replied firmly. "Doctor Jennings will be stopping by later, around 10. He wants to have a chat with you."
"I'd rather chat with a Goa'uld," the patient sighed again. "Possibly Kinsey."
"Well we don't have a Goa'uld, or a Senator. So, you will talk to him," The doctor sat down on the end of the bed and shook her head. "And then we're going to get you started on your recovery. You've had enough time sleeping and lounging around. And don't bother telling me how mean I am, because I already know. Believe me I can get meaner. Now, Daisy is on again so she will be bringing you your breakfast. I'll be back later. If you eat it all, I won't bring Teal'C."
"I like Teal'C..." Sam laughed slightly.
"Not when he's in Jaffa Prime mode, I'm guessing. He didn't get all that way to the top being a sweetheart did he?" Janet reminded her. Sam shrugged. "Be good, and no Teal'C."
"Fine. Any news from my Dad?" Janet froze as soon as Sam asked the question, but she quickly recovered and smiled.
"We haven't heard anything yet. Shouldn't be long," She lied. "I have another patient waiting, so I will see you later. Don't give Daisy any trouble."
"Morning Doc," Jack O'Neill called from down the hallway. "Were you looking for me?"
"Yes, yes I was actually," Janet nodded, catching up to him.
"What's up?" He asked, opening the door to his office, and waving his hand, signalling for her to come in. She followed him in and sat down. "Is it Sam?"
"Yes it is," Janet replied, watching as Jack closed the door, turned on the lights and sat down behind the mountain of paperwork. She could just about see his head poking through.
"Right...she was healing quite well, wasn't she?" He thought, picking up his yo-yo.
"Yes, she still is healing well.
"Okay...so...why do you look so worried?" He asked, his tone for once very serious and without its usual humour or happiness.
"It's her attitude that puzzles me. Sam's been in terrible scrapes, been very ill before but she's never acted in this way. Last few days she's been a bit..." Janet trailed off there, wondering how to phrase this.
"Bitchy? Snappy? Croc-ish? Angry? Pissed?" Jack guessed.
"Yes, maybe just the latter," she agreed sadly.
"She nearly died, she's in a lot of pain, she's doubting herself as a soldier. Can you give me a reason she shouldn't be angry and upset?" Jack asked, sitting back in his chair and looking at the Doctor expectantly. "You're the doctor, not me."
"I've asked Jennings to stop by later," Janet finally told him. She knew he wouldn't be happy, he'd had many bad encounters with the shrink himself.
"Jennings?" He laughed, but angrily. "She's not a basket case. She just needs time and support. I've been where she is, I know how she feels. Not in her exact state, but similar. Very similar."
"You know the drill, he needs to be involved. Maybe only once or twice, but he might be able to help her. She's frustrated and angry, like you said," Janet protested. She stood up and headed for the door. "She'll start work with Sophie tomorrow. You'll be best to visit her after lunch if you're going to."
"I'll talk to her, Janet," Jack said as he stood up himself. "You let me talk to her. I'll decide whether Jennings should see her or not. Fact is it might make her worse. I'll decide, I know her better than anyone."
"Yes sir," Janet nodded, obviously not happy. But she agreed reluctantly, and left.
"Avon lady calling," Jack called, through the curtain. He was stood in the infirmary, outside of Sam's cubicle. "Is it safe?"
"Yeah, come on in," Sam replied, finally in her usual louder voice. She had been very quiet ever since, so this was probably a good sign. Jack pulled the curtains apart and made a small hole for him to step through. He closed them again, once he was in. "I don't think you're a saleswoman."
Jack chuckled and sat down. "Why's it closed? Don't feel like socialising?"
"Don't want everyone watching my recovery," Sam mumbled. "I hate the way they're looking at me."
"I haven't seen anyone look at you any differently. Maybe a slight case of paranoia?" Jack suggested, sitting down. "You feel weak and useless and angry because you let a Jaffa blast a hole in you and you think they doubt you when actually you only doubt yourself."
"I didn't know you were a head doctor," Sam frowned, unimpressed, although Jack knew he was right.
"Head case perhaps," Jack shrugged. "I have a friend who is a shrink, or at least thinks he is. Babbling to me all the time."
"Janet is making me talk to Jennings. I wasn't tortured or assaulted or anything. I was shot and fell off a cliff. I don't need counselling for...God's...sake!" Sam exclaimed, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.
"You wanna swear? Swear. I don't care Carter. Swear at me as much as you want. Scream at me. I don't give a damn. I know you'll do it to try and piss me off, so I'll leave you alone to moap. Not gonna happen. You can scream at me, hit me, call me names all day. Won't do anything. I'll still be here," Jack told her calmly, just sitting there, smiling still.
"I wish Janet would leave me alone, let me handle it myself," Sam said, quietly, calmer again now.
"Why are you taking it out on her? She saved your life damn it!" Jack buried his head in his hands and sighed. "She saved you."
"Well maybe she shouldn't have!"
'Calmness didn't last long.' He thought. "I will come back later, Sam. When you've quit feeling sorry for yourself."
-
And he picked himself up, opened the curtains totally, and left. 'What happened to I'll be here?' He wondered. That had soon changed. Once he was out of view, he punched the wall, and stood for a minute.
"No matter what she says, she does want you there," Shelby Kyle told him, walking over and taking his hand in hers, looking at it. "Ouch."
"It's nothing. Thought Janet was on today?" He said coldly.
"Paperwork to finish. I'm out of here in ten minutes," the young woman replied, re-tying her long blonde hair. "What did she say to get you so mad?"
"She said maybe Janet shouldn't have saved her."
"Heard that before. Many times. Usually a different name, not always Janet. Sometimes Steve, or, or Fred. But always a similar message. She doesn't mean it," She smiled softly.
"Many times? You're barely old enough to be a Doctor. You can't have been at this long," Jack said, eye brow raised.
"I've been in hospitals all my life. Dad was a Doctor. Anyway, she really doesn't mean it. It's hard for her right now, she's in a lot of pain. But in time, she will be glad we saved her ass. I should hope so anyway, I was kinda afraid of heights. Went and helped her anyway," the girl shrugged.
"An AF Doc afraid of heights? How did you get here?" He laughed.
"I can do it. Just don't like em. I'll see you later, sir," she nodded, before walking off.
Samantha Carter lay in her bed, staring at the ceiling. She could see people looking at her, every so often, as they walked by or through the infirmary. She sighed. They were looking at her with pity, wondering how she had come to look so pathetic.
That's what she was wondering. How had she let herself become so weak?
"You didn't let yourself. It happened, get over it," A familiar voice told her gently, but firmly. She just thanked god it wasn't Janet again. She was being a Grade A Monster at the moment. She looked down and saw that Jack was standing in the doorway. "You heard me. Get over it. The mission is more important than you are. We both know that. So you have to struggle on, so that the mission continues. So that the world doesn't end for everyone else."
"You stopped Jennings coming?" Sam asked, looking back up at the ceiling.
"He's coming tomorrow, after you start your work with Sophie. She's a doll, very sweet. Very good, helped me after my knee surgery," he commented, closing the curtain around them and sitting down again. "I'm baaack."
"Wonderful," she said.
"Isn't it?" He grinned, tapping a beat on his knee. "Love that song. Don't know what the hell it is."
"Doesn't sound much like a song," Sam replied, rolling her eyes.
"No, it doesn't, does it?" He sighed, although he was still smiling. "Guns N Roses or something."
"Thought you liked Opera and Classical. Snoozeville," she teased, possibly smiling a little.
"I like rock music too," he defended himself. "It is not snoozeville. Whatever that is."
"Is Sophie a total slave driver?" She asked, attempting to sit up. Jack propped her pillows up and she smiled.
"Yes. But in a good way. You'll be kicking alien ass before you know it."
"Sir, I'm sorry for the way I acted this morning. I feel like an idiot," Sam apologised, looking down at her hands rather than face him.
"It's fine," he told her, patting her hand. "Fine. I am your punch bag. But only for a few weeks. Not forever."
"It means a lot, you being here. But I can't guarentee I won't be a total bitch tomorrow. I'm extremely drugged up now. It's that fresh drugged feeling. So the effects aka me being normal won't last long," she babbled, and he could tell she was definitely on a lot of meds.
"I understand. You're in a lot of pain. It hurts. I can get that. But you have to try, and work hard to get better. Will you please try? I need you. Don't want to get stuck with some geek," Jack asked her.
"I will."
"Good," He nodded, smiling, and taking hold of her hand. "Good."
"Well done, Major Carter. I'll see you bright and early tomorrow," Sophie Rayner congratulated her, brightly, the next morning. "We need to build it up slowly."
"Yeah."
"Well, see you tomorrow. Be very proud of yourself," she grinned, and left, meeting Colonel O'Neill on her way out.
"Did she do okay?" He asked her quietly.
"Yes," Sophie replied. O'Neill smiled and sat down at Sam's side.
"Hey."
"Hey. Thank god Miss Perky is gone. I swear she should be working with very young children," Sam giggled. Jack agreed. "On one of those kids shows where they dress up as weird coloured blobs and sing and dance."
"She said you did well. That's good. How was it?" He asked, wanting her opinion. Sophie may have thought it had gone well, but Sam's thoughts may differ.
"It went fine. I would die for french fries and a nice long bath right now though," she moaned, dreaming of a nice soak.
"Fries can be arranged, but not the bath. Look on the bright side, the more you stand Sophie, the closer you are to your bath," He winked. "French fries coming up."
"Really? Thought they were weekends only."
"Nah, we'll change that. You do well with Sophie, and you can have french fries, or pizza, or whatever you want. Deal?" He asked.
"Deal."
"Janet?" Jack said, poking his head around her office door. She looked up from her files and smiled.
"Come in, sir," she told him, sitting up straight. "What can I do for you?"
"I brought Sam some french fries for lunch. Hope you don't mind. It's just she wanted them, and she worked hard this morning," Jack informed her, wondering how she was going to react.
"I'm sure that was nice for her," She nodded.
"I'm sorry about earlier, clashing with you. I told Jennings to pay her a visit tomorrow," Jack shrugged, putting on his best cute look, the one that always worked on Sam.
"It's fine, sir. Honestly. Perhaps you were right. Soph says she'll be up and about sooner than expected."
"That's good. How is Cassy?" He wondered. He hadn't seen her for a couple of days.
"She's all right. She's been acting a little oddly. But it's probably just the normal teenage girl stuff," Janet replied, with a half smile now. "I'm not sure."
Part 6 is coming up. It was destined to be the last in episode one, but leave me feedback and I might extend further. If that's what you guys want...