Dark Embrace Chapter Four
Day two and CJ had the early shift; actually she was just an early riser, and the fragility of the Colonel's condition made her more wary. With his history, and she had read his file, he had to be watched closely. One thing he was infamous for his was his Houdini tricks, slipping out the infirmary before he was completely well.
She recognized the M.O, it was similar to what she had seen and studied during her nurses training and psychiatric internship. Most of her medical career so far had been spent in V.A. hospitals, when she hadn't been on the front lines during Desert Storm.
Warriors like O'Neill and all the Viet Nam vets she knew were the same, Delayed Stress Syndrome was the hidden enemy they fought daily whether conscious or unconscious of the battle. Hell, what he had put himself through and been through, he could be the poster boy for post traumatic and delayed stress syndromes. Regardless of how handsome and heroic he was he was still a man, albeit a very extraordinary one, but a man, flesh and blood and heir to all the weakness and sufferings of his humanity.
"Oh crap!" His bed was empty and the IVs were dripping on the floor. The rat bastard had gotten loose. CJ had to spring into action.
Sounding a general alarm now would be the worst thing to do. He had slipped into his commando mode; the wounded animal feeling trapped had escaped and now needed a dark place to hole up, away from all those who were perceived as wanting to harm him. In his condition he wouldn't be able to travel far and the personnel of the base would figure out pretty fast the bandaged and battered silver haired man should not be out with out a keeper.
Out in the hall she found two SF's. She sent one off to find Fraiser and Hammond. The other she took with her with specific instructions to hang back and follow her orders, two silver bars helped. A quick check of the infirmary came up empty but there were plenty of places to hide. The first room was a utility room for all the medical gear, too loud and too light. The next one revealed a door that had not been closed completely.
The S. F. stepped far enough down the hall so when he radioed for backup his voice was not heard in near the storeroom. C.J. opened the door slowly easing the light in. There were rows of supplies and shelving units, many places to hide, to hole up. This was the tricky part. She had been attacked before by vets in the throes of flash backs and still had a few scars to prove it.
"Colonel O'Neill?"
There was a slight rustling sound from the farthest corner. She motioned for the SF to fall back. CJ was tuned into the spot and her eyes became accostomed to the darkness. She could just make out a shape huddled against the wall. How this man could make it out of a bed only a day after he had nearly had total blood loss was beyond her.
She approached, lowering herself into a squat then kneeling next to him but yet not too close as to threaten him. She knew enough not to try to touch him.
"It's okay Airman. You are safe now. No one is going to hurt you. You're with friends." Her voice had become soft, soothing, and maternal.
Jack waved his hands in front of his face squinting against the invading light. Something silver glinted in his hand. Of course he'd armed himself, as many times as he had been in the infirmary he probably knew where every thing was kept. The metal was silver and probably a scalpel.
"I am not going to touch you Airman."
"Stop" He mumbled his right hand touching his neck protecting it, shielding it from an imaged renewed attack. The voice was thinned by pain and garbled by the shattered face.
"Airman, safe now, stand down. Your mission is completed." She used every tactic that had helped her with the Viet Nam vets.
His body language showed he was confused and stressed. His right hand held the scalpel while he rubbed the heel into his right eye. The left side of his face was still swathed in bandages. Sweat glistened over his forehead and upper lip, he was getting shocky again. He'd probably damaged some of the repairs Janet had made. He was mumbling now and it was in Farsi. The Colonel was flashing back to Iraq.
"Stand down Airman." She continued to sooth reaching out for him. Her hand just touched his shoulder as he was starting to make contact with her, his wounded umber eyes starting to focus on her. "That's right Airman, we got you home." CJ had her hand on his right hand with the scalpel but at that precise moment Samantha Carter dashed into the doorway, with Janet a step behind.
"Oh g-d sir." Sam gasped out taking in the pitiful huddled mass that was her CO.
"Crap." C.J. muttered as in a nanosecond she watched the Colonel lose all focus and fear and anger glared black. He lashed out, the scalpel slashing her before he could be subdued. There was no other way. CJ threw herself on top of him using her weight to hold him down as Janet injected him. He went rigid and then limp.
C.J. had him cradled in her arms now, ignoring her own injuries. Making hushing noises she rocked him gently. For a brief moment he focused on her before the drugs carried him off.
"We got ya Airman." She whispered.
"Colonel" Jack managed with the barest trace of a crooked smile
The orderlies came and the Colonel was gently returned to his hospital bed.
"Let's get you checked out..." Janet took C.J. by the elbow.
"Get him taken care of first... I haven't been here long enough to know if this was normal for him or what but that was a bad flash back." C.J continued. She leaned closer to Janet. "Keep Carter away from him. She set him off."
'Yea, we'll discuss that over getting you stitched up. You're bleeding all over the stockroom. "Janet tried to offer a smile but she read the concern in her nurse's face. She also patted herself on the back for having made the right choice when she had CJ transferred in over the other candidates.
Sam was leaning against the wall hugging herself, barely containing tears. It hurt so much to see Jack in pain. He was more than her C.O. He was a friend, a comrade in arms, the man she cared too deeply for. It seemed again her presence was not welcomed in fact it had been twice now detrimental. What had she done to bring about these reactions? Was the Colonel angry with her because she didn't get him out fast enough, kept him from being captured? Sam could not offer him comfort. She couldn't touch him if even for a moment, or gain, for herself, the comfort of touching him, physically knowing he was alive and going to make it through again. Sam left the infirmary and hid in the darkness of her lab, emitting stifled sobs as she desperately tried to pull it back in.
Janet put the final of thirty stitches in the three deep gashes, ten each, defensive wounds on CJ's forearms and hand. Daniel was trying not to watch but was fascinated with the artfulness of each stitch. He was swimming in his own guilt for he had relieved a recalcitrant Teal'c who was in great need of deep Kelnoreem, yet he had encouraged the Jaffa it would be fine for him to leave. That in itself was not unusual in the team's vigil over the injured member, but he had left his post to make a fresh pot of coffee and had fallen asleep waiting for it to finish.
This had given Jack the window of opportunity he needed to make his little nocturnal escape.
"This is going to put a crimp in my bowling night." CJ remarked looking at her right hand now expertly encased in gauze and tape.
"You okay?' Daniel asked both to Janet as he affectionately rested his hand on CJ' shoulder, the glimmer of growing attraction glistening in his azure eyes. There was also admiration in his concerned voice when he had been told of CJ's actions. There was more to the perky blond nurse than could be seen under her country fresh appearance.
'Yes, fine Daniel." CJ leaned against him for a moment and then jerked to attention when the General entered the room.
"Major, I just heard what happened." He looked at Janet with a frown and turned on her injured nurse. "Captain?"
"Sir, we have to discuss this." CJ's voice was heavy with foreboding. "In private just the three of us." She nodded to Janet.
"When you're up to it, Captain, in my office."
"This can't wait sirs." She slipped off the table and took a step towards the door.
Daniel knew he had lost any moment for intimacy but he could offer one more thing.
"General you think you could give CJ, I mean the Captain here a moment to change." It was then when the three acknowledged her blood covered uniform.
"Ten minutes the both of you." Hammond headed back to his office. It wouldn't do for the rest of the SGC to see another blood spattered uniform in as many days.