It was late. As had become her custom, Sam Carter was sitting vigil in the small room that Jack had been placed in. A quiet room that would keep him from being disturbed by any noises coming from the daily routine of Carson Beckett's infirmary, and would also keep people from popping in and checking on him every ten minutes – which might be a distraction for Talon, even though there hadn't been any sign that the symbiote was aware of anything that was going on outside of Jack O'Neill's still form. Sam was certain that if he had any idea how much trouble Colonel Mitchell was in, he'd be speeding up the process as much as he could. Or maybe he did know and already was doing the best he could.

She'd fallen asleep sometime in the wee hours of the night, slouched in a chair that was far less comfortable than the bed in her quarters, the sound of the monitors keeping track of Jack's vitals beeping softly and hypnotically in her ears. Carson, who was never out of the infirmary for more than a few minutes at a time and was showing his own signs of strain, stopped in and covered her with a blanket before returning to his own watch, standing at the window of the isolation room with his forehead against the glass and his tired eyes keeping track of the monitors that were telling him that Melony's fight wasn't going to last much longer.

"Sam…"

Carter bolted awake at the sound of her name, her eyes going to the bed. For the first time since he'd been put there, Jack's eyes were open, and although he looked tired and pale, there was no doubt that he knew where he was and who she was.

"Jack."

He put his hand out to hers, and she took it, her heart pounding.

"Melony?"

Sam understood the question immediately, and her hand tightened on his.

"She's in bad shape… everything's failing…"

He nodded and tried to sit up, and when he spoke again, it was a deep voice that wasn't his own.

"Get Beckett."

Sam didn't even argue. She tangled in the blanket when she jumped to her feet, but managed to cross the room and get out the door without stumbling. She passed Daniel, who was crashed on one of the examination beds, and headed for the lone figure standing at the window of the isolation room. Exactly where she'd known he was going to be.

Carson turned at the sound of her approach.

"He's awake and wants you."

"Thank God."

He hurried back to the room with her, and found Jack sitting up in his bed, the monitors going crazy because he'd pulled all his IVs out of his arm.

O'Neill looked up when Beckett entered, but again it was Talon who spoke.

"I need to get to Melony."

He felt a stab of relief and hope.

"Is Colonel O'Neill healthy enough to survive the transfer?"

Jack shuddered and took over.

"Yeah, he tells me I am. But even if I wasn't… we need to get her snake back into her."

Don't call me that

You are.

It's not very nice

We can discuss it later.

Yes

"Give me a hand…"

They both came forward, one on either side, and helped him get to his feet. Wearing only a pair of pajama bottoms – although that was better than running around naked – he stumbled his way to the door, leaning more and more on them as they went. Despite three full days of power healing, Jack wasn't at a hundred percent, but he knew his own body well enough to know that he'd recover fine on his own now. And Talon had agreed.

"Melony's condition?" Jack asked for Talon.

"Critical," Carson said. "She has an infection I haven't been able to control, and she's in shock. Her lungs are filled with fluids; her blood pressure's off the map one minute and under the scale the next. She's fevered and nothing I do can bring it in check, and-"

He trailed off, because as he'd been talking they'd been working their way across the infirmary and had reached the door of the isolation room. Beckett opened it while Sam supported Jack, who didn't need anyone to tell him that Melony was in bad shape, now.

Both O'Neill and Talon were anxious to get across the room and help her, and Carson and Sam were forced to walk faster than they'd thought Jack was able to walk just then.

"Help me to the bed," he ordered.

She looked awful. Just awful. He'd never seen someone pale and flush at the same time, but she'd managed it. Her face was sheened with sweat, and her pale hair was dark with it, despite Carson' attempts to keep her cool with wet towels.

Jack sat down heavily beside her, and leaned over her, brushing a tender kiss against her lips.

Carson and Sam didn't see the exchange, but they could see the effect immediately. Jack slumped a bit in the bed, and Melony tensed, her breath coming in a gasp as Talon reentered her body and firmly attached himself back where he belonged, already checking on her condition from the inside out now.

Carson reached to take Jack's arm, ready to take him back to his bed, but the General pulled away, weakly.

"I'll stay here…"

He was already leaning to the side, so it was a simple matter to help him lie down beside Melony, intimately close to her – especially when his arm went around her protectively. She responded immediately to that touch – and probably, Sam thought, to the feeling of completion that came with having Talon back. Her head came to rest on Jack's chest, her cheek smearing his bare skin with sweat. Neither noticed. Jack was already falling asleep again, and Melony had never really come around in any instance.

Sam watched as Carson checked their vitals, uncertain if he'd allow Jack to stay where he was – he was still deathly afraid of allowing anyone near Melony while she was so vulnerable. Finally, though, he simply covered both of them up and looked at Sam, his eyes filled with hope for the first time in many days.

"I guess they'll be okay like that…"

Sam nodded. She couldn't be jealous that Jack was holding Melony so close, and knew Carson wouldn't be jealous that Melony had reacted so comfortably to the embrace. The two of them had a bond that went beyond love, and always would. It wasn't something to be jealous of.

She put her hand in Carson's, and then moved it and took hold of his arm instead, smiling.

"Come on, Doctor Beckett. I'll buy you a cup of coffee while we wait for them to wake up."

Carson smiled.

"Tea?"

"Whatever."

They were still smiling when they left the room, closing the door carefully behind them. They weren't completely out of the woods, yet, but the trees were definitely thinning.