Thanks to everyone who read this and supported me throughout with their reviews. I really did appreciate them. Thank you all.

Here's the last chapter, hope you all enjoy it.

A Tropical Nightmare.

By Lingren.

Previously:

General Hammond sat in his office, his arms leaning on the desk and fingers entwined in a loose grip together, a smile across his face. He was satisfied with the results of his labours, and now all he wanted was the phone to ring and tell him his teams had arrived home, and that Jack was going to be okay.

Chapter 7

Both Sam and Daniel took turns in sitting with Jack, mopping his fever ridden brow when his temperature rose, and holding his hand when he grew restless, stilling him with their cool touch on his heated flesh. Teal'c would stand like a sentinel at the foot of his bed, just watching in silence as his friend slowly recovered.

The three team-mates watched over their Commanding Officer for the next few days, until his fever broke and he became aware of his surroundings.

Jack sensed the presence of Daniel, long before he could force his eyes open to see him for himself. Daniel was reading aloud from some dry and dusty old book on archaeology, and Jack fought to gain full consciousness if only to shut Daniel's persistent droning out from his muzzy head. Daniel was totally unaware of the struggle going on by his friend, and only realised Jack was awake when he heard his croaky voice.

"Daniel. So help me if you don't..."

"Jack. You're awake."

"Yeah, no thanks to you. Geesh Daniel, couldn't you have chosen something a little less..."

"Dry? Sure, but I had to get you to wake up somehow. I knew you wouldn't be able to resist telling me to shut up."

Jack blew out an exasperated breath.

"Where are the others? Carter? Teal'c?" he asked, needing to know if they were okay.

"Sam is working in her lab, and Teal'c is down in the gym."

"What the hell happened anyway?"

"You got shot..."

"Yeah...I remember that bit and I hit my head, so why is it I hurt everywhere?"

"You knocked yourself out, and then fell from the helicopter. Sam tried to save you but you were too heavy for her, so you fell about 15 feet to the ground. Janet thinks that's when you dislocated your shoulder, she says you chipped a piece off the bone too."

"Ouch...I knew it had to hurt for some reason."

"Colonel Lee refused to return for you. We tried to get him to go back for you Jack, but he wouldn't turn round."

"Rightly so too. It was too dangerous Daniel. You could've all been killed or at least captured. It wasn't worth the risk and he was right to refuse."

"What happened to...'no-one gets left behind?' That includes you Jack."

"I would have done the same if the situation had been reversed Daniel. It was too great a risk. It was important to get Dr. Cruz and the Naquadah out of there," Jack sighed patiently, then reached out with his hand and touched Daniel's arm. "Thanks for coming back anyway."

"You know darn well we'd never have left you there."

"I didn't believe for one minute that you would. How long ago was that exactly? I don't remember much about it."

"You've had a high fever Colonel," Janet's voice interrupted them, now she could hear he was awake. "We brought you home just on a week ago."

"Doc. Really? A week, huh?"

"How do you feel Colonel?"

"Ever been run over by a semi-truck and then toasted?"

"No."

"Well, there ya go!"

"So...you have experienced that before then? so you know what it feels like do you?"

"No, but you get the idea right?"

Janet grinned down at him.

"I think I understand Colonel," she said as she busied herself checking him over while Daniel made excuses to go and tell the other members of SG-1 that their friend was now awake.

At least, he was. When Daniel returned with Teal'c, Jack was asleep again. Sam had made her excuses, saying she'd pop by later.

OoOoOoOoO

Jack's recovery was typical for him. A rapid step from really sick to driving the petite Doctor and her staff up the wall with his constant whining to be released from her domain. It was still too soon of course, and Janet refused to be baited into letting him go home just yet. Daniel and Teal'c came everyday and sometimes spent all day with him, trying to occupy his mind and keep Janet from strangling him. Through all the days of his recovery though, Sam had only put in an appearance once, just after he'd initially woken up; but he was sleeping when she did finally turn up to see him. It was a fleeting visit, if only to make sure he was doing okay.

Jack had not actually seen her, or recall seeing her, since the rescue and it worried the hell out of him. Then when Daniel or Teal'c apologised to him for her absence, he knew they'd felt embarrassed by her excuses as if they themselves were guilty too. He knew he would have to go find her and make her see that her guilt was misplaced if their relationship was to survive. He explained everything to Janet using her friendship with Sam to extract a promise that it came under patient confidentiality, and so she gave him permission to wander round the base looking for her, but with strict instructions to be back again in an hour or so, and not to tire himself out.

He sought her in her lab; he looked in the locker room; he scanned the crowd in the commissary; he poked his head round the door to the gym; he searched everywhere he thought she might be, but to no avail, then he recalled what she'd said about escaping the SGC for a moment or two of quiet when things got too hectic, so he made his way to the elevator and rode it to the surface, feeling weaker than he would like to admit.

Jack knew where she would be hiding, but he hesitated slightly, wondered what sort of reception he would get when he found her. The elevator deposited him topside, and he made his way up the well worn path by the side of the mountain, and up into the trees to the clearing beyond the security camera's range.

By the time he could see her sitting quietly beneath the tree, staring out over the city below, his limp had worsened, and he felt everyone of those bruises and still healing ribs. He stood leaning against a tree to catch his breath, watching her for several moments just resting momentarily before he faced her, not wanting her to feel more guilt at his weakness.

When he'd recovered his breath and his legs weren't shaking quite so much, he pushed himself away from the roughened bark and stepped from the undergrowth, approaching her noisily making sure to snap a twig or two so as not to startle her too much.

Sam turned at the sound of snapping twigs and leapt to her feet, shyly avoiding his eyes.

"Sir...J..Janet's released you already?" she stammered.

"It's only temporary. If I'm not back in an hour she'll set the bloodhounds after me."

"I can't believe you talked her into this..."

"Compassionate leave. Doctor's orders."

"So what brings you up here sir?"

"You."

"Me?" she whispered with a strangled cry, not sure whether she was ready to face his wrath just yet.

"You've been avoiding me Carter, and I'd kinda like to know why?"

"I've been busy," she excused herself, turning away and wrapping her arms around her chest in a classic guilty pose.

"You could at least look me in the eye when you lie to me," he sighed, limping round to face her again.

"It's not a lie," she countered half-heartedly, cross and yet guilty at his accusation.

"It's not exactly the truth either, is it Sam?"

She looked down at her feet, trying to avoid looking into his dark piercing eyes.

"The truth is that you blame yourself, and you can't bear to think that I blame you too."

She did look up at him then, and he knew he'd hit the nail right on the head.

"Sam, I don't blame you. I knew you wouldn't leave me behind if you could help it." He took a few steps nearer, and could now see the tears as they welled up behind her eyes. "Sam, please don't blame yourself. It wasn't your fault. It was just one of those things. I wasfar too heavy, a dead weight, for you to hold onto. It could just as easily have been Ferretti, or Andrews, or even Daniel, or worse...it could have been you. I dread to think what those rebels would have done to you for revenge. I'm glad it was me, that way I at least knew you were safe." He reached out to cup her cheek tenderly, his dark eyes softening with love. "I'd have died if anything had happened to you, you know that don't you Sam. You mean everything to me."

"Oh God Jack. I tried to hold on to you. I just couldn't..." she cried, her voice breaking, turning her puppy dog eyes to meet his. "I did try to get the pilot to turn back for you," she sobbed, the tears streaking down her face now, unchecked.

"No. He had a duty to get Cruz, the Naquadah, and all of you back safely. I would have done the same thing. But... and here's the clincher... you did come back for me Sam, and that's all that really counts. I never gave up the hope that you would show up. I know you. I trained you well." He wiped the tears from her eyes with his thumb, gently running his fingers down her cheek, following the flow. "I don't blame you for dropping me. Hell I'm no lightweight. I know you did your best out there, and I'm proud of you Sam. I trusted in you then and I trust in you now, so let it go. Forget it; it's over. I'm okay, at least I will be soon, and I'm here. Right here for you."

She looked into his eyes, searching his soul, studying his face to see if he really did forgive her.

"I also love you...very much Samantha Carter, and so help me if you don't stop this nonsense, I am so gonna..."

Her eyes widened in surprise, but she giggled, and he saw her smile for the first time since the beginning of the mission. He pulled her chin up now so their eyes would meet. Looking deep into the blue depths, he saw the guilt and remorse behind the tears. His heart went out to her and he pulled her into an awkward embrace, encumbered as he was with his left arm still strapped across his chest. Sam responded by wrapping her arms around his waist, and clinging to him like there would be no tomorrow, losing herself in his total absolution.

"I'm so, so sorry Jack," she whispered, burying her face in his right shoulder. "I love you so much. I just didn't know what to do. I thought you'd hate me for letting you slip away and then leaving you there."

"Hey...it's okay. I could never hate you Sam, and there's nothing to be sorry about. I'm home now, I'll get over it. It's all over now. I'll be fine, and...more importantly, we'll be okay. Won't we?"

She nodded into his body and he kissed the top of her head, pulling her even closer to him. Guilt could eat away at even the hardiest of souls, and there was no need for her to feel guilty over anything she'd done, he wouldn't allow her to dwell on it any more. It was over and done with; it was history now. All in the past, just another chapter in their book of life and it would make them both stronger in the future. A future of being together, bound in a deep love, that nothing could tear asunder, no matter how hard fate tried.

The End.