"There she is-"

"Oh, God..."

Emmett didn't need Sam to point out Janet's arrival through the Stargate. He was watching for her, and his heart went into his throat when he saw her very still form being carried by a medic.

"Come on."

Sam's hand was on Emmett's arm, pulling him by the sleeve of his shirt as she headed for the door of the command center. She needed to be closer anyways. Jack should be coming through any minute, and she wanted to see why he wasn't.

He let her pull him, even though he was a lot larger than she was, and could have resisted. As numb as he felt suddenly, though, he couldn't have done more than follow her. God, what if she was... he wouldn't think that! She was fine! She had to be. He hadn't even had a chance to ask her about another date...

Sam didn't lead him into the embarkation room. There just wasn't room for anyone in there that didn't need to be. People were coming through the gate at a run, now, and there was a lot of blood flowing – testimony to the seriousness of the fighting. Fighting that Jack was in the middle of. Without her.

Instead they went to the doorway, where they could see people coming out of the gate room. Medics were hauling the injured away on gurneys doing triage as they went to see who would need surgery immediately and who could wait until more medics and doctors were free. Sam and Bregman stood waiting, and there were a lot of gurneys coming through before one came out the door with the same big medic pushing it that had been carrying Fraiser's still form.

"How is she?" Sam asked, walking beside the group of doctors who were working to stabilize one of their own.

"She took a staff blast to the side," the big medic told Sam as they rushed past. He didn't say more, and when Emmett tried to follow, Sam held him back.

"They're not going to let you in."

"But-"

"Emmett. Trust me, I know. You're just going to be in the way..." Sam's eyes were filled with sympathy – as well as her own very real concern for her friend's health – but she knew that if they went barging into the infirmary, they'd be doing more harm than good. Especially with the huge number of casualties. Add to it that a number of the injured were medics, and you already had a disaster. One that Sam wouldn't add to.

"But..."

She pulled him to the side as another gurney came through, this time carrying a young Sergeant and being pushed by a medic who was splattered with blood but didn't seem to be injured himself. Daniel came through the door as well, and stopped when he saw Sam and Bregman.

"How's Janet?" He asked, coming over. "Did you see her? Was she conscious?"

Sam shook her head.

"We saw her, but she wasn't awake, and they didn't tell us how she was." Sam hesitated. "Where's Jack?"

"He's coming. He took a hit to the shoulder – but he's okay, Sam." Daniel was quick to reassure when he could. "He's on his feet last I saw."

"And Teal'c?"

"On his way back to cover Jack's retreat."

Sam nodded, feeling concern and relief both sweeping through her. A moment later Teal'c came through the door as well, carrying a P-90 and his staff weapon, and obviously looking for someone. Beside him walked Jack (the dog), who was splattered in blood.

"Is he okay?" Sam asked, gesturing to the lab.

"He is fine."

"Where's-?"

She was interrupted by Jaffer's sudden appearance. Where Teal'c's yellow lab was splattered with blood, Jaffer looked like he'd been bathing in it. Crimson was literally dripping off his jet-black fur and pooling under him.

"Oh my God!"

Emmett had never seen anything bleeding so badly and still standing on its feet. He started to reach for the lab, but Sam pulled him back.

"Don't touch him, Emmett."

"But he's-"

"He's not hurt, but when he's riled up like this, he might bite," Daniel said. "He's-"

Again they were interrupted, this time it was Jack who came through the door. He was being followed by a pair of young medics who were pushing a gurney and obviously trying to get him onto it.

"Colonel –"

Jack turned on them both, obviously out of patience. They must have been following him since he'd emerged from the gate.

"I'll be in the infirmary in a minute, I said! Go take care of someone who's really hurt – before you join them..."

A low growl echoed in the corridor, and everyone looked down at Jaffer, who had pulled his lips back, revealing bloody fangs that looked no less sharp for being smeared. Jaffer wasn't in the mood for an argument. The medics paled, and headed down the hall, and Jack turned to Sam.

"How's Janet?"

"They didn't say..."

She was looking at him, studying him to see where he hurt.

Like Daniel had said, there was an obvious shoulder injury. Jack's arm was hanging uselessly. He was splattered with blood, but Sam couldn't tell if it was his or if it was someone else's. She suspected it wasn't his. He didn't seem to be in too much pain, and he didn't seem to be going into shock.

Aware of her scrutiny, Jack gave her a smile – a slightly forced one, but one that reached his eyes. He handed his Beretta to the closest person – Emmett Bregman – and took Sam's hand with his good hand.

"Don't look so worried. I'm fine." He assured her. "It wasn't even close."

Sam felt tears welling up in her eyes, and she tried to turn her head and hide them, but Jack knew her very well, and didn't miss much – not when it came to Sam. He pulled her into a hug, wrapping his good arm tightly around her and ignoring the fact that he was smearing her with blood.

"Shhh..." He whispered, as Teal'c and Daniel moved to block the scene from everyone else who was passing them. "I'm fine... I promise..."

She clung to him, needing his strength for a long moment, stealing his courage because hers was gone completely. She hated being left behind. Hated the way she'd been forced to worry about him. Hated the not knowing...

"I'm sorry..." she sobbed into his vest.

"Don't be..." He ran his fingers through her hair, calming her, and continued to whisper reassurances in her ear. "It's okay, Sam... it's fine."

Finally, she pulled away with a last forlorn sniff, and wiped her eyes, looking down at Jaffer, who was watching the two of them, the deadly gleam in his brown eyes finally fading.

"He's a mess," Sam said, using the black lab as a distraction from her own outbreak.

"Not as much of a mess as the Jaffa," Daniel told her, with a certain amount of satisfaction.

Emmett looked down at the bloody Beretta in his hand, and gave it back to Jack, looking for a place to wipe the blood off his hand. There wasn't anyplace, though. The whole world was suddenly bloody, it seemed.

"Thanks," Jack said, taking his gun and tucking it into the waistband of his pants. "Let's go see how Fraiser's doing."

"They won't let us in."

He looked down at Jaffer, knew the lab would get him in anywhere he wanted to go, but decided that threats weren't going to help just then. Then he looked at his arm.

"I'm wounded. They'll let me in. I'll let you guys know what's happening."

With that assurance, Jack led them all down the corridor, Jaffer and Jack following, and leaving a trail of bloody paw prints.