Chapter 8 - Extinguished
Jack stayed with Sam all night through. After she had stopped crying they had sat together talking about what had happened. Sam's confused thoughts scared Jack. What Baal made her believe about them made his heart sink. They could not talk around it easily. He knew the situation had been different, if Sam remembered the true outgoing was hard to say. At the moment she seemed far too perplexed to get anything right. All Jack could do was ease her gloom and be by her side as long as possible.
Some minutes ago Sam had fallen asleep. O'Neill was still sitting by her side thinking about what was going on. He did not look up as he heard the curtain behind him being pulled aside.
"O'Neill", Teal'C was now standing by his side accompanied by Janet.
"Hey, T", Jack greeted him still not looking up. "What's going on people?"
"You haven't slept for a long time, sir", Janet responded him, "maybe it'd be better if Teal'C would replace you here for the moment and you go and have a nap."
"Well, no thanks, not yet", Jack said disapprovingly. But the next moment he could not hold back a yawn and he had to rub his eyes.
Janet folded her arms before her chest questioning: "You sure, sir?" then adding reassuringly, "if something happens you'll be the first to know."
"Okay, okay ya got me, I'll go", Jack finally decided raising his hands. He took a last look at Sam, who was still peacefully asleep on the bed in front of him, before he stood up and left.
But he did not go to his quarters for now, he was still much too agitated to sleep. He went to the cafeteria to get himself some coffee and a little something to eat, he realized that his stomach felt sort of empty, it was even growling a bit. He set his tray down on a table where Daniel had already sat down and was absently stirring around in his mug of black coffee. As O'Neill took the seat opposite to his, Daniel looked up.
"Hi Jack."
"Hey."
"How's Sam?"
"At the moment she's sleeping. Teal'C's with her."
"Oh. By the way you look as if you could use some sleep yourself."
"Yeah", Jack sighed, "I got that."
For some moments quiet settled between them. Then Daniel came up with news for Jack:
"By the way Pete called me up this morning."
Jack glanced at him raising his eyebrows. "What Pete? You mean Shanahan?"
"Yeah, that Pete", Daniel replied.
"He's got your phone number?", Jack looked startled.
"We exchanged them, yes. He told me he was worried because he couldn't reach Sam for some weeks now."
"What did you say?" O'Neill wanted to know.
"Well...", Daniel began.
"You told him?"
Jackson nodded slowly.
"Holy crap, Daniel..."
"I thought he had a right to know that his girlfriend...", he defended his position.
Jack retorted: "Yeah, whatever Daniel, but have you ever thought of Carter for a second? All she needs now is a concerned boyfriend hopping around her making things difficult."
"Maybe it'd help her."
"Tell me one thing, Daniel", Jack exquired, "have you been around to see Sam, yet? She's sorta puzzled because that goddamned snakehead altered her memory. You should've seen how she's reacted as she saw me by her side, what she remembered was badly wrong, she thought she'd left me alone. And to make myself clear here: I don't know and I don't wanna know how she reacts on her 'boyfriend'."
Daniel frowned. "Well Jack we may have a little problem now. I've already spoken to General Hammond and he's spoken to Janet and they've agreed to grant Pete a visit..."
Jack bashed his flat hands on the table exclaiming: "Great, Daniel, really great." He rose from the table leaving the cafeteria without another word to say.
Pete Shanahan entered infirmary and was welcomed by Janet who walked over as soon as she saw him. "Hello Dr Fraiser", he greeted her.
"Hi. Nice to meet you again. Beautiful flowers you've brought, I think Sam will like them. "
"How is she at all?" Pete asked her.
"She's better generally, but I'm still a little worried about some of her vitals", Janet forced herself to a little smile, "She has just woken up again, you can see her right away if you want to; but I haven't told her you're coming, yet."
"This is okay, perhaps a little cheering surprise won't be so bad for her", Pete smirked a bit.
"Well, perhaps..." Janet showed him to follow her.
Having reached Sam's bed she pulled the curtain aside and went through to her shoving Pete who seemed to hesitate now with her a little.
"Sam" , the person addressed by Janet looked up at the two visitors, "here someone who wanted to see you."
Fraiser nudged Pete to step closer to Sam's bed. He smiled the biggest smile he had. "Hi Sam."
A pair of icy blue eyes scanned Pete from top to bottom resting on him for over a minute before Sam's forehead formed a frown. "Who are you?" she questioned softly.
Janet and Pete exchanged a shocked glance.
"Sam, this is Pete your boyfriend", Fraiser tried to remind her.
Carter blinked at her then let her glance wander between her and Pete before she stated: "I don't remember him, I'm sorry."
Sam knew this man from somewhere, she did not remember from where exactly. They seemed to be a couple, to love each other. She tried to dig deeper in her memory, but the more she tried to remember him, the more throbbed her head. All of a sudden everything started to spin. Somewhere under her right temple she felt a sharp twinge then she passed out.
Suddenly Sam collapsed onto the bed, for some seconds she was twitching with pain and terror and her closed eyelids were flickering wildly. Janet rushed over to her friend, checking her pupils , they were motionless and unnaturally widened. Sam seemed to suffer from another neural shock. The implant had to have caused short-circuit to hold her from remembering.
Janet turned around to look at Pete, he was staring at her with disbelief, white all over his still shocked face.
Jack stayed with Sam all night through. After she had stopped crying they had sat together talking about what had happened. Sam's confused thoughts scared Jack. What Baal made her believe about them made his heart sink. They could not talk around it easily. He knew the situation had been different, if Sam remembered the true outgoing was hard to say. At the moment she seemed far too perplexed to get anything right. All Jack could do was ease her gloom and be by her side as long as possible.
Some minutes ago Sam had fallen asleep. O'Neill was still sitting by her side thinking about what was going on. He did not look up as he heard the curtain behind him being pulled aside.
"O'Neill", Teal'C was now standing by his side accompanied by Janet.
"Hey, T", Jack greeted him still not looking up. "What's going on people?"
"You haven't slept for a long time, sir", Janet responded him, "maybe it'd be better if Teal'C would replace you here for the moment and you go and have a nap."
"Well, no thanks, not yet", Jack said disapprovingly. But the next moment he could not hold back a yawn and he had to rub his eyes.
Janet folded her arms before her chest questioning: "You sure, sir?" then adding reassuringly, "if something happens you'll be the first to know."
"Okay, okay ya got me, I'll go", Jack finally decided raising his hands. He took a last look at Sam, who was still peacefully asleep on the bed in front of him, before he stood up and left.
But he did not go to his quarters for now, he was still much too agitated to sleep. He went to the cafeteria to get himself some coffee and a little something to eat, he realized that his stomach felt sort of empty, it was even growling a bit. He set his tray down on a table where Daniel had already sat down and was absently stirring around in his mug of black coffee. As O'Neill took the seat opposite to his, Daniel looked up.
"Hi Jack."
"Hey."
"How's Sam?"
"At the moment she's sleeping. Teal'C's with her."
"Oh. By the way you look as if you could use some sleep yourself."
"Yeah", Jack sighed, "I got that."
For some moments quiet settled between them. Then Daniel came up with news for Jack:
"By the way Pete called me up this morning."
Jack glanced at him raising his eyebrows. "What Pete? You mean Shanahan?"
"Yeah, that Pete", Daniel replied.
"He's got your phone number?", Jack looked startled.
"We exchanged them, yes. He told me he was worried because he couldn't reach Sam for some weeks now."
"What did you say?" O'Neill wanted to know.
"Well...", Daniel began.
"You told him?"
Jackson nodded slowly.
"Holy crap, Daniel..."
"I thought he had a right to know that his girlfriend...", he defended his position.
Jack retorted: "Yeah, whatever Daniel, but have you ever thought of Carter for a second? All she needs now is a concerned boyfriend hopping around her making things difficult."
"Maybe it'd help her."
"Tell me one thing, Daniel", Jack exquired, "have you been around to see Sam, yet? She's sorta puzzled because that goddamned snakehead altered her memory. You should've seen how she's reacted as she saw me by her side, what she remembered was badly wrong, she thought she'd left me alone. And to make myself clear here: I don't know and I don't wanna know how she reacts on her 'boyfriend'."
Daniel frowned. "Well Jack we may have a little problem now. I've already spoken to General Hammond and he's spoken to Janet and they've agreed to grant Pete a visit..."
Jack bashed his flat hands on the table exclaiming: "Great, Daniel, really great." He rose from the table leaving the cafeteria without another word to say.
Pete Shanahan entered infirmary and was welcomed by Janet who walked over as soon as she saw him. "Hello Dr Fraiser", he greeted her.
"Hi. Nice to meet you again. Beautiful flowers you've brought, I think Sam will like them. "
"How is she at all?" Pete asked her.
"She's better generally, but I'm still a little worried about some of her vitals", Janet forced herself to a little smile, "She has just woken up again, you can see her right away if you want to; but I haven't told her you're coming, yet."
"This is okay, perhaps a little cheering surprise won't be so bad for her", Pete smirked a bit.
"Well, perhaps..." Janet showed him to follow her.
Having reached Sam's bed she pulled the curtain aside and went through to her shoving Pete who seemed to hesitate now with her a little.
"Sam" , the person addressed by Janet looked up at the two visitors, "here someone who wanted to see you."
Fraiser nudged Pete to step closer to Sam's bed. He smiled the biggest smile he had. "Hi Sam."
A pair of icy blue eyes scanned Pete from top to bottom resting on him for over a minute before Sam's forehead formed a frown. "Who are you?" she questioned softly.
Janet and Pete exchanged a shocked glance.
"Sam, this is Pete your boyfriend", Fraiser tried to remind her.
Carter blinked at her then let her glance wander between her and Pete before she stated: "I don't remember him, I'm sorry."
Sam knew this man from somewhere, she did not remember from where exactly. They seemed to be a couple, to love each other. She tried to dig deeper in her memory, but the more she tried to remember him, the more throbbed her head. All of a sudden everything started to spin. Somewhere under her right temple she felt a sharp twinge then she passed out.
Suddenly Sam collapsed onto the bed, for some seconds she was twitching with pain and terror and her closed eyelids were flickering wildly. Janet rushed over to her friend, checking her pupils , they were motionless and unnaturally widened. Sam seemed to suffer from another neural shock. The implant had to have caused short-circuit to hold her from remembering.
Janet turned around to look at Pete, he was staring at her with disbelief, white all over his still shocked face.