"Daniel, what the hell happened?" Jack shouted as he and SG-8 came bursting through the front door.
But Daniel ignored the question. "Don't let her out of your sight!" He told Jack, gesturing towards Janet, who was passed out on the kitchen table. With that, Daniel turned on his heel and led the medical team to the back room.
'Huh, since when do I take orders from Daniel?' Still, Janet was sick…
"Teal'c! Stay here and keep an eye on Doc while I go find out what happened."
Teal'c gave a slight nod of acknowledgement as Jack took off towards the back of the house. He paused in the doorway, seeing that the room was bustling with activity. Daniel stood cross-armed and off to the side as Carmichael and his team were working on Sam.
Jack caught Daniel's attention. His friend's eyes widened when he saw that Jack was not watching over Janet. Jack realized Daniel's concern, and gestured backwards with his head. Daniel relaxed as he understood what Jack was getting at…Teal'c was watching her.
Jack edged his way around SG-8 and stood next to Daniel. From this vantage point he could see Sam more clearly. Blood soaked the bed sheets that Sam was lying on, and he could see a deep gash in her middle. He shuddered inwardly at the sight.
Memories of being stabbed repeatedly by Ba'al danced across his mind. Jack could certainly understand how much pain Sam must have been in after what had happened…come to think of it…whathadhappened? Daniel had never given him an answer.
Jack had just opened his mouth to speak, when Dr. Carmichael stepped away from Sam's bedside, allowing the other medics to tend to her wound.
"How is she?" Jack asked him.
Andrew Carmichael sighed and subconsciously rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, Colonel, on the whole she was lucky. We're patching her up as best we can, but she still needs medial attention in a proper facility."
"And we can't send her home."
Carmichael nodded his head. "Exactly. At this point, my greatest concern is infection. It may not be a problem at all…but on the other hand she could develop something as nasty as peritonitis."
"And that would be…bad."
"She could die from it. That is, if the disease she has now doesn't kill her first."
"And Doc?"
"We compared her blood tests with that of Elyn Viccars, it seems we were right. Janet's test shows the disease has advanced in her system more so than the others."
Daniel nodded, "In that case, we need to keep a close watch on them. Janet's been having paranoid delusions." Daniel paused briefly before continuing. "She…she grabbed my knife and…stabbed Sam. She honestly believed that Sam was planning to kill her…and all of us."
Deep down Jack had figured that something like that had happened. But still, hearing Daniel say it took him slightly aback. Janet didn't inflict wounds, she healed them. Yet she had damn near killed Sam, her best friend. God, what was this disease doing to them?
"We're doing everything we can for them at the moment," Carmichael continued. "And we're still trying to identify a treatment for Croa'tan, but…"
"What you're saying is, you don't think they're going to make it." Daniel stated, his voice sounding hallow.
Dr. Carmichael sighed, "What I'm saying is, we're going to keep trying. But, if you can find a way to help them…the time is now."
Teal'c could tell by Colonel O'Neill and Daniel Jackson's expressions, that all was not well with Major Carter. Not that Doctor Fraiser was fairing much better. She was still unconscious, though he had moved her small body from the kitchen table over to the long wooden bench the Viccars family had in their sitting room.
Teal'c cocked his head to the side and raised an eyebrow in a silent question. O'Neill merely shook his head.
It was Daniel Jackson who spoke first. "They're doing all they can for her. Sam's fairly stable for now, but what she really needs is to be cured of this Croa'tan disease."
"What of the journal you were reading, Daniel Jackson? Did it not give you some insight into this matter?"
Daniel licked his lips and thought a moment before replying. "According to the book, the last time the Croa'tan disease was released, Elizabeth Viccars, the woman who wrote the journal, offered herself up as a sacrifice to save the others. From what I can tell, the last journal entry was written by her brother quite some time after this had all taken place. According to what he wrote, three days after giving them the disease, Morrigan returned to the village, cured one of the women, and took Elizabeth away. They never saw her again."
"Three days?" Jack repeated, looking thoughtful.
"Yeah, why?"
"Well, didn't you say that the first time around ole Marge…"
"Morrigan."
"…whatever, returned three days later?"
"Hmm." Daniel replied as his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. "Could be." He said, picking up the journal and flipping back through its pages.
"If that is the case, O'Neill," Teal'c said. "Perhaps Morrigan will follow the same pattern and return here tomorrow."
Daniel had stopped turning pages and was now skimming over one of the passages. Slowly he nodded his head. "Looks like you were right, Jack. She came back three days later in both cases. That could just be a coincidence, or…"
"Or?"
Daniel sighed. "Well, that means no one has ever had Croa'tan for longer than three days, so…"
"Morrigan returns just before the disease advances enough to become deadly." Teal'c concluded.
Jack shook his head. "What you mean to say is: if they don't get cured by tomorrow, they'll die."
"Jack."
"Daniel."
"Jack…"
"Daniel!"
"We don't have any choice!" Daniel said, gesturing emphatically with his arms. "If we don't take the chance, they'll die."
"FYI: Megan is a System Lord. We don't have the fire power to…"
"You know as well as I do that Anubis has taken most of the power and dominance from the other System Lords. She's on her way out as it is."
"And you think this is the best way to save Carter and Fraiser?"
Daniel sighed. "Well, we're running out of time here. Do you have any better ideas?"
"I think we should go ask Carter what she thinks."
"We can't. She's delusional."
"Well, so are you if you think surrendering to a Gould is a good plan!" Jack retorted.
"She wants the naquadah, right? So, we rig the mines with explosives, and if things go wrong, we tell her to do things our way or we take out the mine…and her only chance of defeating Anubis' new army."
"Daniel?" Jack said with raised eyebrows. "Explosives and naquadah usually don't mix too well."
"Exactly…she'd be foolish not to agree."
"I believe Daniel Jackson is correct, O'Neill." Teal'c spoke up. "This may be the only opportunity we will have to save Major Carter and Doctor Fraiser, as well as the other women in the village."
Jack let out a breath, and looked at the ceiling, as if the answer might appear up there. Realizing they had no other choice, he finally conceded. "Fine."
With that, Jack got up and headed out of the room.
"Where are you going?" Daniel asked.
"To go think of a Plan B. I'd like to be prepared for when Plan A gets blown to hell."