Within a few hours, Daniel was showing similar symptoms of fever and malaise to Sam, and was ensconced in the bed next to Sam, who was by now curled in a little ball, fast asleep. She'd finally given up on protesting that she'd felt fine, admitted that she felt like crap, taken something for the fever, and fallen promptly asleep, barely stirring even when the nurses checked her vital signs.
Across from them, in the large isolation room Dr. Fraiser had moved SG-1 to when Dr. Jackson had started exhibiting symptoms, Jack sat on the edge of his own bed, fully clothed, engaged in a game of cards with Teal'c on a table between the other two beds. Neither man showed any signs of the infection the other two had. Jack was oddly pleased that Carter's current state gave him little cause for distracted thoughts. Not that he was happy that his 2IC was sick as a dog across the room from him. It was just hard to have libidinous thoughts about someone when she looked like death warmed over, and all you could see of her was a few tufts of hair and an unidentified lump that occasionally moaned. Which was all the better in his mind when you were stuck in the same room with the object of said thoughts for an unknown length of time. Hopefully, by the time they got out of here, Jack will have found a way to control his new thoughts, or he'd be taking a lot of cold showers. So far, Jack had also managed to keep the thoughts to himself, and for now, he planned to keep it that way. It wasn't exactly something easy to bring up anyway. "Oh, by the way, I'm having inappropriate thoughts about my second in command." Yeah, right. That one would fly.
A knock on the door made the three men look up from their activities and interrupted Jack's introspection, then the door opened, heralding the arrival of Dr. Fraiser and a tech pushing a cart with a tantalizing aroma. Both of the arrivals were wearing isolation gowns, gloves, and surgical masks.
Jack jumped up off his bed while Teal'c stood more slowly Daniel remained in his bed, but did put his book down. Carter didn't move, in fact she didn't even seem aware anyone had come in. Janet sent a glance her way, with an inquiring eyebrow. Jack just shrugged, and turned his attention to the cart with a grin. "That doesn't smell like commissary food Doc."
Janet stepped out of the way, revealing wrapped sub sandwiches. "It's not Colonel. General Hammond sent an airman out. Seems he had a craving for some Philly steak and cheese." Janet looked slightly amused. Jack just grinned and pounced on the loaded cart, tossing one of the greasy wrapped sandwiches to Teal'c, and snagging three more. He dropped one on his own table and passed another off to Daniel, before unwrapping the third and approaching the unmoving figure on the last bed.
"Perhaps we should wait until Major Carter wakes O'Neill." Teal'c sounded hesitant to disturb the sleeping Major. Jack sent a look at the doctor who just shrugged.
"She's been sleeping for hours Teal'c, it's about time she rejoined the land of the living and had something to eat." With that, Jack firmly grabbed the sleeping woman's shoulder, and gave her a little shake, while using the other hand to wave the juicy aromatic steak sub under the unsuspecting Major's nose. "Up and at 'em Major. Hammond got us dinner, time to eat."
Sam groaned and stirred as he waved the sub enticingly, and then he got a response he'd not been expecting.
Hands blindly shoved the sub into his chest, making a greasy blob of his shirt front, while at the same time the bleary eyed, deathly pale Major shot up, a hand firmly clamped over her mouth, eyes wide and frantic. "Oh God," she mumbled. Staggering to her feet, she lurched out of bed. Clinging to the bed frame and wall for support, she wavered to the bathroom before anyone had time to react. Once there, the unmistakable sounds of someone heaving could be heard through the door that she hadn't quite managed to close all the way.
The three men grimaced in sympathy, and Daniel suddenly picked at his half unwrapped sub, pushing it away. "Uh, I'm not really hungry anymore."
Jack looked down at his sub-encrusted shirtfront, which was dripping onto the floor. "Well that was unexpected. I think, I'll, uh, change."
Janet just glared at all three of them in disgust and went into the bathroom after the Major, who could still be heard retching rather spectacularly. It sounded like she was trying to bring up her toes. Daniel and Teal'c stared at Jack accusingly. "What?" he said. "I didn't know she'd do that." Jack brushed at his shirt ineffectively, dropping the ruined sandwich in the nearest bin, before hunting out a spare shirt.
Jack was more than halfway through his own sub, consuming it with gusto, Daniel watching him with a look of revulsion on his face, when Janet led a very subdued Sam back to bed. The woman was considerably paler if it was at all possible. Sam crawled back under the covers without a word to anyone, and drew the blankets up over her head.
"Sociable." Jack commented, his mouth full.
"I can't believe you can eat like that," Daniel said, frowning. He was still picking at his mostly uneaten sandwich. Janet noticed, and came to remove it.
"I think we should probably switch you to something like soup and crackers for now Dr. Jackson." Remarkably, Daniel did not protest. Janet motioned for the tech to make the arrangements.
"Hey, more for us," Jack motioned to him and Teal'c, then pointed to the cart, which still had several uneaten wrapped sandwiches on it. At his words, there was a soft moan from the lump that was Carter. "Sorry Carter," he mumbled around another mouthful, not the least bit repentant. He was in an awful good mood all of a sudden, and nothing was dampening it. He wasn't sure why, but his moods kept taking rapid shifts, but for the moment, he didn't much care as long as Carter was out of sight again.
Janet noticed too. "You're cheerful Colonel."
Jack just shrugged, and took another big bite of sandwich.
Janet just rolled her eyes, and left him alone with his lunch.
RibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitRibbitSeveral more hours passed in isolation, and Jack's good mood had faded into boredom. He and Teal'c had played at least one round of every card game the two of them knew, and some he'd made up on the spot. Daniel was no fun, reading his book when awake, but mostly sleeping, and Carter had gone back into hibernation except for the one other time she'd made a mad dash to the bathroom to throw up again. Daniel seemed to have gotten off lucky. Other than suffering some nausea and loss of appetite, he was keeping down liquids and small amounts of dry foods. After Carter's second sacrifice to the porcelain god, she'd bought herself an IV, so now in addition to the lump under the blankets and tuft of blonde hair poking out of the covers, the thin bit of plastic tubing and bag of fluid testified that the bed in the corner was indeed occupied. Jack tried not to think much about it otherwise.
There was another knock on the door, and Jack looked up, Dr. Fraiser was not unexpected, however General Hammond decked out in isolation gear standing just behind her was a surprise. Jack rose to his feet, Teal'c a split second later, and Jack saw Daniel stir groggily. Carter as predicted, didn't move.
"As you were people." Daniel's eyes cracked open at the General's voice. Carter still hadn't shown any signs of movement, but the monitor that Janet had hooked up when she'd inserted the IV showed reassuring signs of life so Jack decided she was really OK, just probably wishing she were dead, if the way she had looked on that last trip to the bathroom were any indication on how she really felt.
"Dr. Fraiser has some news I thought you'd all like to hear." General Hammond inclined his head towards the petite doctor.
"We've figured out what Major Carter and Dr. Jackson have, and it's not communicable, and we're pretty sure it came from P3X-468." At Janet's words, Daniel breathed a sigh of relief. The other man always fretted about bringing back some potential plague, or being the cause of a potential plague on another world.
"Does that mean me and Teal'c can get out of here?" Jack jerked his thumb back and forth, looking hopeful.
"Not yet Colonel." Hammond looked apologetic and motioned for the Doctor to continue. Jack's face fell.
"While it's not communicable, its still spread by direct contact with contaminated body fluids, which means you might all have been exposed, and we aren't sure how long the incubation period is. It is viral, so hopefully will run it's course in a day or two. To be safe, we're going to keep all of you in here until Major Carter and Doctor Jackson are feeling better." Janet's voice was sympathetic. She knew the colonel hated being bored, and she felt sorry for the rest of SG-1 being trapped with him. At least Carter was oblivious, she spared a glance for the woman, who looked to have not moved since the last time she was in the room to start the IV and attach the monitor.
"So, maybe tomorrow?" The colonel was hopeful. He could put up with one more night.
"Maybe." Janet knew better than to make any promises.
Jack just shrugged. "They just gotta eat. No problem." He grinned.
Janet raised her eyebrows, casting a glance at the unmoving mound in the corner bed. "Ri-ight" she said slowly, remembering the disastrous events from earlier.
Jack's grin never wavered, and he seemed confident. "Just send us some tea and toast in the morning, I'll make sure they get something in them."
With a sigh, Janet just rolled her eyes, and exchanged a glance with the General. They bid SG-1 a good night, and left the team in peace.