Sam had never felt more helpless. She was hovering just out of the way of Janet Fraiser and her team of medics, who were working over the still form of Jaffer like a swarm of irritated bees, trying desperately not to ask – again – how he was doing or what they were doing to him. Fraiser had given Jaffer a shot of some kind, and had laid on an IV of some sort, and now her and her team were focusing on x-rays they'd taken of the lab's stomach and chest, but Sam could tell that Janet wasn't sure what was wrong. She knew her friend very well, and could read the worry and confusion in her expression as she looked down at the black lab that meant the world to Jack.
"Oh, God, I have to call Jack..." Sam whispered, wiping yet another tear from her cheek. "He's got to be told."
Hammond had been right beside her the half hour they'd been in the infirmary, and the General handed her yet another tissue. Despite his stoic demeanor, Hammond was beside himself with worry and self-incriminations. This was all his fault, after all, and he knew it. He was the one who'd sent the two off-world, and he was the one that had put Sam into such a situation. He could have thought of something else to send her to do, something that wouldn't have involved any kind of danger to the black lab.
"We'll wait and see what the vet says when she gets here, Major," Hammond said. "Doctor Fraiser says he's stable, after all."
It had been the only good news Janet had had to give them. She had Jaffer's heart beating regularly, and she had him breathing more or less on his own, but she couldn't get him to wake up with any of the medications she'd tried, and she didn't dare try too many, for fear of doing more damage than she was trying to fix. She just didn't know the physiology of canines well enough, and she didn't dare gamble, since she knew Dr. Ray was coming, and she knew Jaffer's insides better than anyone else.
A med-tech had just brought another round of test results over to Fraiser when there was a commotion at the entrance, and another flash of white in a sea of white lab coats was seen heading through the crowd. This jacket was different from the ones worn by the Military personnel, but the person wearing the jacket took in the scene immediately, and headed over, right at home in the middle of chaos.
"Monica!"
Sam breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Jaffer's vet arrive, and Daniel came over to stand next to the distraught Major.
"You made good time," Hammond noted, watching as Monica Ray took the first set of x-rays from Janet Fraiser with a greeting, and ran one hand along Jaffer's side while she held the film up to a light so she could see what was going on inside him.
"I ran every stoplight from here to her office," Daniel said, softly. "How is he doing?"
"He's stable." Sam said, wringing her hands together, worriedly.
"How are you doing?" Daniel asked, putting his arm around her.
"He's going to hate me..."
He knew immediately who she was talking about, and shook his head, "He loves you, Sam." Daniel assured her, hugging her. "They both do."
Before Sam could say anything else, Janet turned and walked over to them, and Monica Ray reached into the black bag she'd brought and pulled out a long tube, which she began to feed into Jaffer's mouth and presumably down his throat.
"What's happening, Janet?" Sam asked, stepping out of the comfort of Daniel's embrace. "Is he going to be all right?"
"Monica says it's pharmalogical, and the tests seem to agree with that. We're going to treat it as an overdose, and pump his stomach, then force liquid charcoal down into his stomach. The charcoal should bond with anything the stomach pump missed, and it'll keep him from digesting any more than he already has."
"Is he going to be all right?"
Janet shrugged. "I can't say, Sam. I'm not familiar enough with the metabolism of canines to be certain. When Monica's done, she'll come and talk to you."
"I'm going to call Area 51," Hammond said. "I'll get clearance for O'Neill to fly home immediately, and inform him of what's going on. He should be here in a couple hours."
"I should call him, Sir," Sam said. "This is my fault."
"It's not your fault, Sam," Daniel disagreed. "Jaffer's always eating things that –"
"I was supposed to be watching him, Daniel!" Sam told him, furious with herself for not paying attention. "I was responsible for him, and I didn't do what I was supposed to do and..."
"Major, that's enough." Hammond shook his head. "I'll call him. You stay here in case Jaffer wakes up, since he's going to be disorientated, and the first person he should see should be someone he knows and likes."
She hesitated, but then nodded, and Hammond left the room just as the stomach pump machine whirred to life in the background.
.................
They were just starting their pie when Jack's cell phone rang. Jacob watched as Jack fished it out of his pocket and answered it.
"O'Neill."
Jack's eyes met Jacob's, and even though he couldn't hear the conversation on the other end, he knew immediately something was wrong.
"What?"
"Is she okay? Daniel's okay?"
"No, I'll be right there."
"Yes, Sir..." He hesitated, still looking at Jacob, but his eyes were utterly unreadable. "Tell her I love her, no matter what."
He hung up the phone, and stood up, already reaching for his wallet.
"What's going on, Jack?" Jacob asked, standing as well.
"Your stupid stunt has backfired, Jacob. Jaffer got hold of something on that planet and has had some kind of reaction to it, now he's in the infirmary, and Sam's beside herself, apparently convinced that she's killed him."
"What?"
Jack dropped a twenty on the table and headed for the door, followed by Jacob, who hurried to catch up to him.
"What's going on, Jack? What's happened to Jaffer? Is Sam all right?"
"I have to get back."
"I'm coming, too, Jack. Tell me what's happened."
"I don't know any more than what I've already told you," Jack said, already beside himself with worry. "He got hold of something that he shouldn't have, and he's paying for it, now."
Jacob reached out and grabbed Jack's arm, but O'Neill spun himself free, "I have to get back, damn it! I can't... I have to be there..." Jack suddenly couldn't speak, and he turned and broke into a run, heading for the outer door and the tarmac, where his F-15 was already being refueled, even though he wasn't supposed to be leaving until much later.
"Oh, God, I have to call Jack..." Sam whispered, wiping yet another tear from her cheek. "He's got to be told."
Hammond had been right beside her the half hour they'd been in the infirmary, and the General handed her yet another tissue. Despite his stoic demeanor, Hammond was beside himself with worry and self-incriminations. This was all his fault, after all, and he knew it. He was the one who'd sent the two off-world, and he was the one that had put Sam into such a situation. He could have thought of something else to send her to do, something that wouldn't have involved any kind of danger to the black lab.
"We'll wait and see what the vet says when she gets here, Major," Hammond said. "Doctor Fraiser says he's stable, after all."
It had been the only good news Janet had had to give them. She had Jaffer's heart beating regularly, and she had him breathing more or less on his own, but she couldn't get him to wake up with any of the medications she'd tried, and she didn't dare try too many, for fear of doing more damage than she was trying to fix. She just didn't know the physiology of canines well enough, and she didn't dare gamble, since she knew Dr. Ray was coming, and she knew Jaffer's insides better than anyone else.
A med-tech had just brought another round of test results over to Fraiser when there was a commotion at the entrance, and another flash of white in a sea of white lab coats was seen heading through the crowd. This jacket was different from the ones worn by the Military personnel, but the person wearing the jacket took in the scene immediately, and headed over, right at home in the middle of chaos.
"Monica!"
Sam breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Jaffer's vet arrive, and Daniel came over to stand next to the distraught Major.
"You made good time," Hammond noted, watching as Monica Ray took the first set of x-rays from Janet Fraiser with a greeting, and ran one hand along Jaffer's side while she held the film up to a light so she could see what was going on inside him.
"I ran every stoplight from here to her office," Daniel said, softly. "How is he doing?"
"He's stable." Sam said, wringing her hands together, worriedly.
"How are you doing?" Daniel asked, putting his arm around her.
"He's going to hate me..."
He knew immediately who she was talking about, and shook his head, "He loves you, Sam." Daniel assured her, hugging her. "They both do."
Before Sam could say anything else, Janet turned and walked over to them, and Monica Ray reached into the black bag she'd brought and pulled out a long tube, which she began to feed into Jaffer's mouth and presumably down his throat.
"What's happening, Janet?" Sam asked, stepping out of the comfort of Daniel's embrace. "Is he going to be all right?"
"Monica says it's pharmalogical, and the tests seem to agree with that. We're going to treat it as an overdose, and pump his stomach, then force liquid charcoal down into his stomach. The charcoal should bond with anything the stomach pump missed, and it'll keep him from digesting any more than he already has."
"Is he going to be all right?"
Janet shrugged. "I can't say, Sam. I'm not familiar enough with the metabolism of canines to be certain. When Monica's done, she'll come and talk to you."
"I'm going to call Area 51," Hammond said. "I'll get clearance for O'Neill to fly home immediately, and inform him of what's going on. He should be here in a couple hours."
"I should call him, Sir," Sam said. "This is my fault."
"It's not your fault, Sam," Daniel disagreed. "Jaffer's always eating things that –"
"I was supposed to be watching him, Daniel!" Sam told him, furious with herself for not paying attention. "I was responsible for him, and I didn't do what I was supposed to do and..."
"Major, that's enough." Hammond shook his head. "I'll call him. You stay here in case Jaffer wakes up, since he's going to be disorientated, and the first person he should see should be someone he knows and likes."
She hesitated, but then nodded, and Hammond left the room just as the stomach pump machine whirred to life in the background.
.................
They were just starting their pie when Jack's cell phone rang. Jacob watched as Jack fished it out of his pocket and answered it.
"O'Neill."
Jack's eyes met Jacob's, and even though he couldn't hear the conversation on the other end, he knew immediately something was wrong.
"What?"
"Is she okay? Daniel's okay?"
"No, I'll be right there."
"Yes, Sir..." He hesitated, still looking at Jacob, but his eyes were utterly unreadable. "Tell her I love her, no matter what."
He hung up the phone, and stood up, already reaching for his wallet.
"What's going on, Jack?" Jacob asked, standing as well.
"Your stupid stunt has backfired, Jacob. Jaffer got hold of something on that planet and has had some kind of reaction to it, now he's in the infirmary, and Sam's beside herself, apparently convinced that she's killed him."
"What?"
Jack dropped a twenty on the table and headed for the door, followed by Jacob, who hurried to catch up to him.
"What's going on, Jack? What's happened to Jaffer? Is Sam all right?"
"I have to get back."
"I'm coming, too, Jack. Tell me what's happened."
"I don't know any more than what I've already told you," Jack said, already beside himself with worry. "He got hold of something that he shouldn't have, and he's paying for it, now."
Jacob reached out and grabbed Jack's arm, but O'Neill spun himself free, "I have to get back, damn it! I can't... I have to be there..." Jack suddenly couldn't speak, and he turned and broke into a run, heading for the outer door and the tarmac, where his F-15 was already being refueled, even though he wasn't supposed to be leaving until much later.