Chapter 17 – Accidents Happen
Sam was only out for a few minutes but, when she came to, she wished she hadn't. There was an intense pain shooting up her left arm and her head ached from where she had smacked it against the sidewalk. A small crowd had gathered around her and she could hear Cassie's panicked voice above all others.
"Sam? Sam! Oh my God Sam, are you all right? I am so sorry; oh please Sam, open your eyes!" Cassie's hand was on Sam's shoulder and there were tears streaking down her face.
A softer voice tried to calm the teenager, "Dear, we need to bring your little friend to the hospital. I can take you both in my car; we'll be there in ten minutes."
Knowing that she couldn't go to a Community Hospital, Sam opened her eyes and looked directly at Cassie. "Cass," she said in a quiet voice, "you have to take me to the mountain. Please...you have to," she pleaded, the pain making her voice come out in short gasps.
Cassie nodded, trying to pull herself together. Cheyenne Mountain was twenty minutes away, farther than the local hospital, but Sam was right. There would be too much explaining to do if she took her anywhere else. Not to mention all the paperwork and insurance hassles.
"My mom is a doctor," Cassie said, standing up. "I'll take Sam to her clinic. It's not far away. Can you carry Sam to the car for me?" she asked one of the little boy's mothers who was hovering over her.
Uneasy with the idea of this teenager driving a little girl to a clinic when she herself was obviously upset, the lady never-the-less picked Sam up and walked with her to where Cassie had parked the car. "Are you sure this is the right thing to do young lady?" she asked after placing Sam gently into the car. "I don't think you are in any condition to drive and this child needs immediate help."
"I'll be fine," Cassie insisted as she got into the car. All traces of her earlier upset were replaced by the countenance of a strong, clear-headed young lady. She knew that Sam was counting on her and she wouldn't let her down. She quickly took down the lady's number and promised to call her once she had Sam safely taken care of.
Sam lay back against the seats, cradling her injured arm in her lap and closing her eyes against the pain. Her rollerblades had been removed as well as the helmet and were both rolling around the back of the car. The noise from the backseat, along with the excruciating pain in her arm, gave Sam a queasy stomach and she prayed that she would not once again lose a meal.
Cassie drove as quickly as possible, keeping a close eye on Sam as she drove. The pale face of the young girl next to her terrified her. At the next stop light, Cassie pulled out Sam's cell phone and called her mom at the base. She wanted to be sure that someone was on the surface, ready to whisk Sam to the infirmary as soon as they arrived.
Jack was still arguing with Daniel as they made their way down the ramp. It was now 4:45 and they were 15 minutes late. Granted, 15 minutes wasn't much; but when you've been bored out of your mind all day while watching other people read rocks, 15 minutes was a life time. Compounding the fact of his boredom, Jack was more than a little anxious to get back and see how Sam and Cassie had fared. Not that he would admit it to anyone of course!
"Jack, one more check around the ruins wouldn't have hurt anything. General Hammond was more than willing to give us a little leeway with the time." Daniel followed Jack down the ramp, Teal'c on his heels but refraining from adding any comments. It wasn't worth the effort for him to get in the middle of one of their inane arguments.
"Danny, I am not discussing this anymore. We are back and that was my goal all along. Hello General," he greeted Hammond as the older man entered the gate room. "Sorry we were late; Danny here was trying to get some overtime pay."
Ignoring the comment and Daniel's glare, General Hammond looked at the three team members, wondering if he should try and debrief before breaking this latest news to them. Teal'c took the decision out of his hands.
"General Hammond, is something wrong? You appear to be preoccupied at the moment."
"Yes Teal'c, I am." The general sighed; this wouldn't be easy. "Cassandra brought Major Carter into the SGC 20 minutes ago. It seems there was a little accident at the park."
Before the General could even finish, Jack interrupted, "An accident? What happened? Is Sam, I mean Carter, all right?"
"Take is easy son, Major Carter is being taken care of by Doctor Frasier. She has a broken wrist and a bit of a bump on her head. She is getting a cast put on as we speak."
"A broken wrist?" Daniel asked. "How did she break her wrist?" All thoughts of the recent mission were replaced with concern for his friend.
"I'm not exactly sure, Cassandra was pretty upset. All I heard was something about rocks and rollerblades. You'll have to ask her when you get down there."
The three members of SG-1 looked at each other in confusion and worry, then turned as one toward the doors. Jack belatedly turned back to the General. "Ah Sir, permission to..."
"Go head SG-1. We'll debrief later. And Jack, try to stay calm. It's only a broken wrist," he reminded the officer.
"Yes sir," Jack replied as he hustled out the door and down the corridors. Stay calm, stay calm, he kept repeating to himself. I'm going to lock her in her room until Danny figures this out! No – stay calm, stay calm. His thoughts changed back and forth as he made his way to the infirmary.
Cassie had remained stoic until she saw her mother, at which point she promptly fell apart. "Oh mom, it's all my fault! I feel so horrible. Please tell me Sam's going to be OK!"
"Cassie, calm down. Let me take a look at Sam. I'm sure she'll be fine. Why don't you wait out here while I take care of Sam OK?" Doctor Frasier tried to settle Cassie down at the same time she was taking a preliminary look at Sam. She could see right away that there was a broken bone in her left arm for her wrist was swollen and turning an unnatural shade of purple. She was also concerned that Sam might have a possible concussion, judging by the lump on the side of her head and her report of feeling nauseous.
Cassie sat down in a chair outside the curtained off area and waited while Sam was examined. She broke down in sobs when Sam was wheeled away to be taken to x-ray. Sam, hearing the sobs, called out to Cassie, "I'm going to be fine Cassie. It's just a slight break." Cassie stood up and followed Sam out, begging to be allowed to stay with her during the x-ray and the subsequent casting of her lower arm. Seeing as it was the only way to calm her daughter down, Janet readily agreed.
"So tell me how this happened Cassie," Janet asked her daughter. Cassie had calmed down and was watching the proceedings with interest. "We were rollerblading in the park and came across an area that was strewn with little rocks. I was able to get to the side but Sam..." she was unable to continue as the image of Sam going head first onto the pavement was still fresh in her mind.
"Rollerblading?" the doctor asked in disbelief, "What were you doing rollerblading? Sam shouldn't be out doing things like that! I thought you had more common sense than that Cassie!" She was beginning to get more than a little upset with her daughter.
Sam, somewhat sleepy from the pain killers, intervened. "Janet, take it easy. This wasn't Cassie's fault, or mine for that matter. I may be small but I don't have to be treated like a China doll. There were younger kids than me zipping around the park on rollerblades and scooters. It was just an accident."
"Yes, but still...," the doctor continued.
"No Janet. If Cassie would have been with one of her friends and this had happened, would you be mad at her?" Sam questioned.
Janet thought for a moment while she worked on Sam's cast. "No, I guess not. I would however like to say that, although I am glad you had helmets on, you should have had wrist guards on too. Next time you two go rollerblading together, make damn sure you wear wrist guards!"
"Yes mom!" they chorused together. Janet scowled at them, then laughed. They were quite a pair!
The cast was almost complete when one of the nurses poked her head in the door and announced, "Dr. Frasier, General Hammond wanted me to inform you that Colonel O'Neill and the rest of his team were on their way down. The General informed them that Major Carter was here."
Cassie looked at Sam, a new look of panic settling on her features. "Oh my God, Sam! Jack is going to kill me!"
"I think he'll kill me before he kills you Cassie," Sam stated softly. She was rapidly losing her battle against the sleepiness that was overtaking her. But she had to stay awake, at least for Cassie's sake. She really hoped that Jack wouldn't overreact and blame Cassie for this.
"No one is going to kill anyone. Susan, have the Colonel and his team wait until I can get out there." Janet turned to Cassie and Sam. "I'll talk to them and make sure they know what's going on." She patted Sam's shoulder, smiled at Cassie in reassurance and left the room, leaving the two ladies alone with their thoughts.
"Doc, how is she?" Jack asked the good doctor as soon as she appeared. Daniel and Teal'c stood directly behind Jack, eager to receive news about Sam.
"Sam is going to be just fine Colonel O'Neill. She took a spill while the girls were out rollerblading in the park. She has a fractured wrist and a very mild concussion. Luckily, they were both wearing helmets. It could have been a lot worse."
"Rollerblading? What in the hell were they doing rollerblading?" Jack's voice was beginning to rise as he tried to move around Janet and get into the room. Staying calm was no longer on his agenda. Janet was not going to allow him to see Sam or Cassie when he was in this condition however. She pulled him by the arm into her office, indicating to Daniel to close the door. It was crowded in the room but it would have to do.
For his part, Jack was too stunned that this little woman was pulling him across the floor to do much of any protesting. He had the feeling that he was about to get an earful. He was right.
"Now you listen to me Colonel O'Neill and you listen well. I will not allow you to go in and see Sam when you are angry and out of control. Those two girls already heard it from me and I will not put them through it again. As Sam already told me, it was just an accident. They were having a good time today and just had a little mishap. No one is to blame for this; not Cassie and definitely not Sam, and you will not raise your voice to either one of them. Do I make myself clear?" Janet finished her speech, never once taking her eyes off the Colonel.
Daniel and Teal'c stood in the background, smiling slightly at the tone she had taken with Jack and in effect, how she had rendered him speechless. Before Jack could answer, she turned her glare on them and added, "And that goes for you two as well."
"I would not dream of upsetting Major Carter at a time like this Doctor Frasier. Nor would I blame Cassandra. My concern is only for the welfare of my friends." Teal'c bowed slightly to indicate his sincerity.
"Me either Janet," added Daniel. "I just want to make sure they are both OK."
The three of them looked at Jack who was still slightly shell-shocked from the chewing out he received from this diminutive doctor. He sighed and answered, "You have my word Doc. I will be the picture of a calm and caring friend. No ranting or raving."
Janet nodded at him in acceptance. "Good. Because if you do anything to upset either one of them, you will find the biggest needle stuck in your behind in a matter of seconds!" With that parting remark, she got up and led them to the recovery room she had left Cassie and Sam in.
Cassie jumped to her feet when Jack and the others entered the room. She had butterflies in her stomach at the thought of facing him after what had happened to Sam. She stood close to Sam, holding her good hand tightly, not seeing Sam's grimace as she squeezed a bit too tight.
"Please don't be angry Jack," Cassie spoke up right away, her voice wavering. "I know you told me to watch out for Sam. It was just an accident. I am so sorry."
Sam struggled to sit up and protect the younger girl. If Jack was going to get angry, she wanted it to be directed at her, not Cassie. "Cassie didn't need to watch out for me! I can take care of myself. At any rate, this is my fault, not Cassie's. I was going too fast and not watching the path. Anyways," she said, lying back once again. "I've had a lot worse injuries than this. At least this time, I was doing something fun!" She gave him a smile which was quickly replaced by a yawn.
Jack, who had seen the squeeze Cassie had given Sam and the look of fear in the younger girl's eyes, felt terrible. That she felt afraid of him was beyond ridiculous; he would never intentionally hurt either of them. OK, he had been known to lose his temper, but still!
Jack walked slowly over to the two girls, noting Cassie's look of trepidation and Carter's sleepy look of defiance. He smiled at them and said quietly, "I knew you would get into some sort of trouble Carter. I'm glad you were able to rescue her, Cass and bring her in to get fixed up." He reached out for the teenager and enfolded her in a hug, gently cradling her head as she cried against his shoulder.
Janet smiled her relief at his change in demeanor. She wouldn't have to get out the big needle after all!
Jack moved over to Sam's bed and picked up her uninjured hand. "So, you decided to have some fun today without me, huh? Do you want to tell me what caused my normally graceful Major to fall on her arse?" he grinned at her.
Sam smiled back, "It was my wrist and my head actually, Sir. Apparently, some little boys were having fun using rocks as projectile weapons. They were all over the path. We never saw the rocks until it was too late and, well, you know the rest." She lifted up her broken wrist and grinned crookedly.
"Ah, little boys and rocks will get you all the time Carter. You should know that by now." He gently brushed the hair back from her face as she smiled at him.
"I'll have to remember that next time I guess." Once more Sam yawned sleepily, which was Janet's clue to end the visit. Her patient needed some rest.
"OK, everyone out for a while. Sammy needs her rest." At the hated nickname, Sam narrowed her eyes at Janet, who instantly apologized. "Sorry Sam." Then she shooed everyone out except for Colonel O'Neill, who was still holding Sam's hand.
"When can I take her home Doc?" he asked her quietly.
"She'll sleep for an hour or so, then I'll check her once again. If everything looks all right, you can take her home tonight. The concussion is pretty mild so she's safe to sleep. Just no field trips tomorrow, OK?"
"I am still in the room, in case you forgot," came Sam's voice.
"We'd never forget you Carter," Jack replied. "I'll fill you in on everything once you're more coherent."
"Time to let her rest Colonel," Janet said as she headed to the door.
"Just one more second, Doc?" he asked. Janet nodded and left them alone.
He sat down on the bed next to Sam and ran his hand down her cheek. "Are you sure you're OK to be left alone Sam?"
"I'll be fine, really," She replied quietly. "I am sorry that you had to come back to this though. Thank you for not yelling at Cassie, she was pretty upset about everything."
"Yeah, well, accidents happen right? I just wish you'd try and be more careful. My poor heart can't take much more of this!" He gave her a grin so she would know he was only teasing.
"I will." She smiled at him, then closed her eyes. He almost didn't hear her whisper, "I guess I'd better not tell you about the Go-Cart racing then."
Go-Cart racing? Oh for crying out loud!