Sorry to keep you guys waiting. It's a little difficult to get time to write at the moment as I have company for a while. I hope you will be a little patient with me while I try my best to write this. I don't want to rush it through and get it wrong.
Thanks to all of you who sent in some great reviews. Keep them coming! Pretty please?
Title: Unity.
Author: LetitiaRichards.
Previously:
"Well, he's Colonel Jack O'Neill, USAF and currently 2IC of Cheyenne Mountain. We're his team. Sam...em...Major Carter, is his second in command," Daniel explained.
Chapter 17
"Ma'am," the Lieutenant nodded and saluted with respect to Sam. "Just glad to be of service, specially after all he's done for me. I won't ask any questions, there were plenty of rumours flying about, but it's a damn shame they had to put him through that again."
"Thank you Lieutenant," Sam smiled. "And yes it was. He shouldn't have been made to go there in the first place."
"I hope he'll be okay soon Ma'am. I'm sure he'll have plenty of help to get him through this."
"He will Lieutenant. That's for sure. Thanks," Sam said with a big smile.
"Ma'am. Mr. Jackson. Te'alk," he drawled, unsure of the dark man's strange sounding name.
Sanchez smiled thinking how lucky Jack was to have the lovely Major as his 2IC. He bade them good-bye and returned to his seat further up the plane with a pronounced limp, a legacy left over from his own traumatic time in captivity.
Sam looked over to Jack, but he appeared to be asleep again, though she could still the sweat beading over his brow and the tremors that ran through his body every now and then. Teal'c gave her a nod and she got as comfortable as she could and closed her eyes, prepared for a short nap.
OoOoOoOoO
Sam woke an hour later to hear Jack cry out again and again. She watched as he cringed under Teal'c's touch, unaware that it was his friend.
Daniel came awake with a jerk and winced when the movement pulled at his damaged flesh. He released a groan which he stifled as best he could in order to repeat the one word that Jack understood.
"Mariposa!" Daniel cried and was gratified when Jack stopped his struggle and sat there, panting hard, his face screwed up in pain from the many injuries that were still healing on his body.
Teal'c helped him to lay back again which he did, though he still wouldn't make eye contact with anyone, preferring to close his eyes instead.
Jack muttered softly under his breath, several times repeating the Spanish word as if to reassure himself.
Sam indicated to Teal'c to swap seats once more so that she could sit next to Jack. She wanted to wipe his face over, to freshen him up and clean away the evidence of his flashback as they would be landing soon, thankful that Janet would be with them for the last leg of their journey.
She offered him some water from one of the small bottles they carried and he drank it down thirstily as if he was afraid there wouldn't be any more for a long time.
"Mariposa," he sighed, actually looking at Sam when she took the bottle away from him to stow it away for landing.
Sam gasped in shock, but when she saw his dark sunken eyes finally fix on hers, her heart soared with relief. He was still in there, and maybe now he was coming out of it.
Daniel held his breath waiting for Jack's response as Sam reached out to cup Jack's cheek.
"Yes Jack. Mariposa. You're safe now. I'm here."
"Ssaamm?"
Sam's tears tracked down her face as she nodded; her broad smile decidedly wonky, but it lit her face as he closed his eyes.
"Ssafe?"
"Yes Jack. You're safe. We're almost home."
Moments later Jack's eyes flew open, panicked and his hand gripped the armrest of his seat.
"No! No! No!" he repeatedly cried, shaking his head from side to side.
"Jack? What is it?" Sam gasped worried that he had regressed into another flashback again.
"Daniel?" he responded breathlessly, suddenly afraid he'd left his friend behind or worse that he'd died.
"I'm here Jack." Daniel reached across the little table between them and grasped Jack's hand. "It's okay. I'm fine. We're both safe. Mariposa Jack!" Daniel sighed, hoping that it would help Jack relax again.
The sound of Daniel's voice and that word again calmed him, and together Sam and Daniel held on to him, as Jack fought off the numbing mantle of drugs and the horrors of captivity that he'd remembered, to see his friends around him. Everything was hazy, and he didn't know where he was. He hurt, just about everywhere, though the worst pains were in his chest, thigh and feet, although it was a close run thing with his headache and his throbbing fingers.
"Jack? Are you in pain?" Sam asked, seeing him screw his face up.
"No!" he barked, then softened a little when she flinched under his terse reply. "No more drugs," he sighed. He felt disoriented now, and more drugs would only make him worse. He hated the feeling of floating free, detached from everything. He'd rather put up with the pain than not be in control.
"I have to fasten your belt now, we should be landing in a few minutes."
Jack nodded and allowed her to reach across him. He was tired, feeling adrift, and a little lost if the truth were known. He didn't recall anything other than his captivity and even then the memory was hazy at best. He had no memory of being rescued or whatever it was that had happened to find himself here. All he could remember was days upon days of agony; Of Daniel being hurt; there was more pain and the weirdness of a cocktail of drugs being injected along with endless questions. He hoped to god he hadn't given anything away. He'd never be able to live with himself if he had. There was a niggling doubt at the back of his mind, and he felt sure he had broken. The guilt of which was more than he could bear to admit to himself.
It was good to see his friends were there alive and to know that Daniel was okay; but he couldn't face them right now, so he would do the only thing he could think of to protect them from himself; he would shut them out, and keep quiet. Once the truth was known, they wouldn't want to know him anymore. He'd let them down. He'd let George down and the whole of the SGC as well as his country and possibly he'd endangered the whole world.
He'd let Daniel down too. The young man's faith in him would be shattered if he only knew the truth. Better to push him away and disappoint him now, rather than have him think favourably of him only to become disillusioned later with his misguided trust. The same for Sam too.
He sank into a deep depression, wanting nothing but to get better and then retire if he could get away without being court-martialled; if it came to that, then so be it. And as for Sam, well, she was young and pretty enough to get over him and find someone else. She deserved someone better than him anyway. It might hurt for a while but he couldn't bear to think that she would waste her life over him. As soon as he could he would go.
OoOoOoOoO
"Colonel?" Janet spoke softly with infinite patience.
Jack opened his eyes and came face to face with the petite CMO of Cheyenne Mountain.
"Doc," he sighed resignedly.
"I'm fine Doc," he responded with a slight shrug.
Janet wasn't happy with that brief description, but knowing Jack would hide anything and everything from her, she let it pass for a while. At least until they reached the SGC.
"We're going to get you comfortable in the infirmary of the SGC sir, just as soon as we arrive."
He shook his head.
"I'd rather go to the Academy hospital Doc."
"What?"
Janet was in shock. He almost hated to be a patient there. He was usually dead set against it. So why now? She asked herself.
"Why Colonel?"
Jack ignored her question and closed his eyes again, but Janet wasn't having that.
"Colonel? I asked you why?"
"I need a room with a view, okay?" he snapped.
Janet bit her lip and fought back a biting retort about his manners, but when she thought back to his captivity, she had to agree. She wasn't sure it was the answer she was looking for or that it was the real reason behind his decision, but a man who'd had only four blank walls to stare at for over a week, would probably need to be reminded that he was free at last. She sighed and nodded.
"Very well Colonel. I'll see to it."
"Thank you!" he sighed, closing his eyes again.
Janet cast her eyes up to catch those of Sam and she shrugged at Sam's questioning look. It wasn't up to her to go against Jack's wishes. The Academy was more than equipped to deal with his injuries just as well as the SGC was. She didn't doubt for one minute that he would throw a wobbly if she insisted on the infirmary instead. He could be so pig-headed and stubborn when he wanted.
TBC
