Title: Unity.
Author: LetitiaRichards.
Previously:
"Sir. This is Miguel Sanchez."
Chapter 28
This drew a gasp of surprise from Janet and General Hammond looked as if he'd already guessed that this was the man they were after. He turned his attention to the nurse who at that point looked as if she wanted the floor to open up and swallow her.
Hammond cast a warning glance towards the SF's at the other end of the room and without a word spoken they moved silently into position beside the door.
"You're sure?" Hammond asked, looking between Daniel and Sam for confirmation.
"Absolutely sir," Sam assured him.
"I'm certain too General."
Hammond turned to the young woman who was looking more nervous now and casting anxious looks around as if trying to think of a way out of the room.
"Bodegas...do have anything you wish to say?"
"No sir. I don't know anything," she cried, the fear in her eyes plain to see.
"I believe you do know something," Hammond said, his grey/blue eyes piercing her soul, seeking the truth. "Why are you covering up for this man?"
Bodegas became flustered and agitated, wringing her hands.
Janet stood and went over to her, placing her hand gently on the nurse's arm. She was a good nurse and one of the better workers, but they needed to know the truth.
"Gloria, please. Don't lie to us. We'll do all we can for you if only you will tell us about this man. Where did you meet him? How did you meet him? So far you haven't done anything wrong, but please, we need to know everything about him. He's dangerous, and he may still pose a threat to Colonel O'Neill."
"I didn't know. Honestly I didn't know what would happen. He told me to somehow read that phrase out loud when I was near to Colonel O'Neill; and not to stop him from reacting," she cried. Tears were now running freely down her face.
Hammond indicated that she take a seat so that she could compose herself and tell them the whole story.
After a few moments, with help from Janet who still comforted her, Gloria began to reveal her secrets.
"He's in the Marine Corps based at Camp Pendleton sir, in California. We met when I visited my sister and her husband in Oceanside a few months ago, he was a friend of my brother -law. He wanted to know where I was based and made me promise to write to him. He kept pumping me for information. It wasn't secret stuff sir. Honestly, it was just who I worked with and things like that."
"What exactly did you tell him? Did you tell him anything about Colonel O'Neill?"
"I did mention that the Colonel was going to Iraq, and that he wasn't particularly happy about going, but only because he said he was going there too. I didn't think it was a secret..."
"That's okay. No it wasn't a secret as such, but you know you shouldn't really have told him anything," Hammond admonished. He would deal with disciplining her later. Right now he was only interested in what she could tell them of this character.
"I know sir, it's just that he said he knew Colonel O'Neill from their time together recently, before he got injured; that they were buddies and he wanted to play a joke on him. He said if I could manage it, I was to read out that phrase. He said that the Colonel would wake up suddenly and do something 'funny', but he didn't tell me what, just that it was a standing joke between them. Sir. I swear I had no idea what it would do to the Colonel. He said it was just a joke. I'm so sorry General," she said breaking down into fresh sobs again, her heart breaking under the truth of her relationship with the handsome stranger who had made a fool of her.
Hammond sighed and sat back in his chair, tapping his pen on the top of the file on the table. He was inclined to believe her story and in her naivety.
He nodded to Janet to take the nurse away and look after her.
Janet pulled the weeping woman to her feet and led her away; the SF's standing down, no longer needed.
The room was unusually quiet as everyone digested the revelation.
Hammond moved to the phone and called for his aide.
"Get me the Commander of Camp Pendleton. I'll take it in my office."
Hammond replaced the phone and picked up his file.
"Dismissed people. Let's see where this gets up. Keep looking for connections Major. We need to go further. See if this character does indeed know the Colonel at all. We'll resume again tomorrow."
"Yes sir," Sam snapped off sharply. She was even more determined to get to the bottom of things.
OoOoOoOoO
Teal'c looked up as Sam entered the infirmary, a tiny smile playing on his thick lips.
"How is he Teal'c?"
"He has not stirred at all Major Carter."
Sam sighed with frustration. She was hoping that he would have awakened by now.
"Did you discover anything new during the briefing?" Teal'c asked. He'd been charged with staying by Jack's side as a precaution against another attempt at taking his own life and preventing some other person from causing that reaction in him. So far Teal'c had been the only visitor on the ward.
"We have a few leads to go on now. And we found our Lt. Sanchez. He is a Marine but he'd used a false name. He's actually one Enrico Diaz. I'm gonna do some research while I sit with the Colonel," she said, laying her lap-top on the over-bed table. "Why don't you go and get something to eat Teal'c!"
"I will indeed Major Carter, would you wish me to bring you some coffee?"
"Hmm. Please Teal'c, and some blue Jell-O? Thanks. I think you'll find Daniel down in the commissary too."
Teal'c dipped his head in acknowledgement before he left the room, and Sam settled herself on the hard grey plastic chair, putting her lap-top computer onto the edge of the bed and started it up.
"I really, really wish you were awake Jack and that you could tell me exactly what I'm doing on here!" she sighed, talking to Jack; including him on all her work. "This sort of investigation is so much more your territory than mine."
She typed a few commands into the computer, searching Jack's past for any mention of Enrico Diaz, but so far she had come up with nothing. Not that, that in itself was anything to go by because most of Jack's records weren't available for her to scrutinise, seeing as he had been in Black Ops. She sighed long and hard from frustration.
"God, Jack why don't you wake up and help me with this. It has to be here somewhere, though I have no idea from when or whatever in your past where you could have met him."
"Met whom?"
The husky voice startled her into almost dropping the computer. Her wide eyed surprise elicited a slightly croaky chuckle.
"Jack!"
"Whom else were you expecting?"
"You're awake?" she stated dumbfounded.
"Let's see, eyes open, vision of perfection in front of me in perfect focus. Voice - sorta working. Hearing seems to be okay. Yep, I'd say I was awake!" he said, his voice laden with sarcasm and a smile as wide as any she'd seen.
Sam hurriedly shoved the lap-top onto the table again and pressed the nurse-call button to summon the doctor. She was grinning like a fool, and she knew it, but then who wouldn't. Jack sounded so like...well, Jack.
"How are you feeling Jack?"
Jack looked all around, taking in the infirmary.
"What happened?" he asked when he couldn't figure out why he was lying flat on his back again. He remembered Daniel taking him out to the Cemetery and being confined to bed by the Doc, but after that it was all a blank.
Sam offered him some water and he sipped it from the glass gratefully, before handing it back.
"You...you...em...tried to... You don't remember?"
"Remember what exactly?"
Just then Janet came hurrying into the ward, wondering what had happened. She stopped for a moment seeing Sam chatting to Jack. A fully awake Jack. She smiled widely and approached the bed.
"Colonel. Good to see you're awake. How do you feel?"
"Okay I guess, a little sore in places."
"He doesn't remember much of anything lately Janet," Sam informed her. She stood back so that Janet could check his vitals, watching with moist blue eyes at the miracle before her. She could hardly believe he was awake and appeared to be his old self.
"That's to be expected sir. You've been though a lot."
"Yes well, let's not dwell right now huh?"
Sam and Janet exchanged looks, wondering how to explain the past so many days to him and that he would have to visit MacKenzie a few times before he could even think about going back to his duties. Even light ones.
"So Doc...when can I get outta here?"
TBC
Sorry to keep you waiting for an update guys. RL always intrudes into my fantasy world. Hope you liked this chapter.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to review. Always appreciated. Thanks...I love all your comments.
