What's Next?

Chapter Five

"Sir. Sir, are you ok?"

Sam leaned over Jack but he didn't move, not even an eyelid. She was worried.

"Sam……don't leave me. I love you. I need you."

Sam's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open.

"What's he saying Sam?"

Sam turned around to find Daniel standing behind her with Janet right behind him.

"Oh not much. He's just mumbling."

Janet walked around to the other side of the bed to chick his vitals. She couldn't understand why he hadn't come out of the coma. It had been two weeks. The strange thing was that he had been mumbling the entire time which was unusual for someone in his condition. Luckily she had been the only one around when he had started to mumble. He had told Sam how much he loved her. Sam had told her one night over dinner and a few bottles of wine, how close they had gotten when they thought that they were Thera and Jonah. Janet had advised her to put it behind them or they could jeopardise their careers. Sam had agreed and had said that they had been under the influence of alien technology and she couldn't be sure of anything about that time.

Daniel looked at Sam. He knew what Jack had just said or near enough anyway. Even though he hadn't heard him this time, he had been here one night when Jack had murmured that he loved Sam and something about a baby. Daniel felt sorry in a way for them. They obviously loved one another but the Air Force wouldn't allow them to follow through on those feelings. He did know that when Jack and Sam thought that they were Thera and Jonah they had gotten close but how close he didn't know.

"Incoming Traveller"

"Close the iris." Responded General Hammond. "Any signal?"

"Yes sir, it's the Tok'ra."

Nodding, Hammond ordered the iris to be opened as he left the control room. When he entered the gate room he saw Jacob walking down the ramp.

"Jacob, what brings you here?"

"Just wanted to check up on Jack. How is he George?"

"He's still in a coma."

"WHAT! Doctor Frasier, what does she say?"

"She can't understand it. She says that physically there's nothing wrong with him. He should be up and around by now."

"What about the healing device. Has Sam used it?"

"She tried, but it didn't work. She thought that she might not be strong enough."

"Do you want me to give it a try?"

"Thanks Jacob. Airman, go and retrieve the healing device and bring it to the infirmary."

"Yes Sir."

When they entered the infirmary, Jacob walked over to Sam and put his arm around her shoulders.

"Hey kiddo."

"Dad! What are you doing here?"

"Checking up on Jack. George here says that you couldn't get the healing device to work."

"No, it worked but I don't think I was strong enough."

"Let me have a go."

Jacob took the healing device from the airman and put it on. Placing his hands over Jack, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The device started to glow. Everyone around the bed was watching, there eyes travelling between Jacob and Jack.

Lying on the ground, holding Sam in his arms, Jack was weeping. He was mourning all that had been taken from him. Sam and their child as well as his friends. Daniel and Teal'c were gone. Jacob was lying on the other side of Sam. Jack couldn't understand why he was still alive.

Suddenly he felt heat all around him. The sky had turned a deep orange. Jack prayed that his death would be quick. As he prayed, Jack was sure that he heard Selmac's voice. Opening his eyes, he looked at Jacob and was surprised to see his eyes open.

"Colonel O'Neill. You do not belong here. You must follow the light."

"I can't leave Sam. I won't leave everyone here."

"Colonel O'Neill, you do not belong here. Go, follow the light."

"Jack, it's ok. Selmac is right. Go. We'll be fine, you'll see."

"Sam?"

Jack shook his head and blinked. What was going on? He'd checked, they were all dead.

"Jack go."

"Indeed. You need to follow the light O'Neill. All will be fine."

Realizing that he must be mad, Jack stood up and looked at his friends. The heat had intensified. He didn't want to go. Looking once again at Sam and seeing her tear streaked cheeks, Jack started to walk towards her. Sam shook her head.

"Go Jack. Please go."

He didn't want to leave but Sam kept telling him to go, that everything would be fine.

"Sam, Oh God Sam, I'm sorry."

"Good bye Jack."

"NO!"

Jack opened his eyes but instead of seeing a dark forest he was blinded by a bright light. Now he knew that he was dead.

"Colonel?"

Hang on, that was Hammond's voice. Jack knew that Hammond wasn't dead. He slowly opened his eyes again and allowed them to adjust to the light.

"Steady Colonel. You're in the SGC. Can you talk?"

Jack was stunned. He didn't know what was going on. Doc Frasier and General Hammond were standing to his left. Moving his eyes only, he saw Daniel and Teal'c standing at the foot of his bed.

"Colonel?"

Jack quickly turned his head. Ignoring the pain that this action caused, he looked into the eyes of the woman he loved.

"Sam," he croaked. "You're alive. You're all alive."

"Sir?"

Daniel stepped in.

"Jack, you collapsed two weeks ago. You'd just come back through the gate when, bang, down you went. We'd just brought Brenna and the other workers through the gate. You'd stayed till last to make sure no one got left behind and when you stepped through you just…..collapsed."

"Indeed, Doctor Frasier brought you here immediately. You have been unconscious since that time."

"I ran a gamut of tests but couldn't find anything seriously wrong with you. It looked like you had been stunned by a Zat but apart from that nothing else. You should have been fine. You were perfectly healthy but for some reason you slipped into a coma."

Jack didn't understand any of this. He looked at Sam again. He could see the same questions in her eyes as were in the others.

"Let me get this straight. I," looking at Sam "didn't just spend a week at my cabin? We didn't go on a mission to save Jacob from a battalion of Jaffa? You all didn't get killed as we tried to get home?"

"Janet is he all right. He sounds a bit confused."

"Yes Dr Jackson. He'll be fine. When coma patients wake they are quite often confused or disoriented."

"Hello, still here. I'm not confused. In my mind that is what happened over the last week and a bit."

"Well Jack, sorry to say but you've been lying in this bed for the last two weeks."

Jack lifted his hand and covered his eyes. Seeing this, Janet ushered everyone out saying that the colonel needed his rest. Jack gave a weak smile when he heard Daniel saying that he'd been asleep for the last two weeks. Jack couldn't hear what she said in reply but knew she would give Daniel some sort of lecture. No on questioned her decisions. Jack discovered that he was indeed quite tired. Noticing that someone had dimmed the lights he tried to go to sleep.

It was late when Sam walked into the infirmary. Stopping at the desk, she checked on Jack's condition with the nurse sitting there. She'd wanted to come back sooner; actually she hadn't wanted to leave. She needed to know what had gone on in Jack's mind over the last two weeks. Pulling up a chair, she sat and waited for him to wake up. She was glad that he seemed more at peace now.

Hours passed and all she did was sit and watch him sleep. Eventually he began to stir. Sam sat up straighter in the chair and moved herself so that he wouldn't be able to miss seeing her. Slowly he turned his head and looked at her. She felt like she was drowning in chocolate. She didn't get much of a chance to just stare into his eyes so she took full advantage of the situation.

"Sir, how are you feeling now?"

"I'm fine Carter. Thanks for asking. By the way, what are you doing here in the middle of the night?"

"Sir I wanted to ask you about some of the things that you've said over the last two weeks."

Jack raised his eyebrows. He didn't want to talk about it, especially to Sam.

"Carter, I'm still feeling tired. Couldn't this have waited until tomorrow?"

"No sir, it can't. You said that you loved me."

Jack had to think fast. He couldn't go down this path. Now that he knew nothing from the last two weeks was real, his feelings would once again have to be buried. Unfortunately they'd been here before when Anise had been doing her Za'tarc testing.

"Carter you must have heard wrong. You know that given our, how did you put it, oh yeah. Given our working relationship and military rank, neither one of us can admit to anything."

At this he looked her in the eyes.

"I don't know what you thought you heard but I don't remember saying anything. OK."

"Yes sir."

Nodding, Sam stood and walked out of the infirmary. Jack watched her leave. When she was gone, he closed his eyes and wished that things could be different. He held out hope that one day their time would truly come. He had liked the idea of him and Sam becoming parents. One day he promised himself. One day they would be together the way his mind had shown him.