Chapter twenty-three
Megan found the boys in the General's office. She had left Jonas and the girls at the elevator to go in search of her by now hungry children.
"George thank you for keeping an eye on them. I know this isn't a crèche. I think I need a nanny, do you think there is one, with enough clearance?" Megan joked trying to lighten the mood.
"I doubt it very much. But don't worry about the boys, they are in good hands." George said while bouncing Johnny on his knee.
"The twins got a little restless about half an hour ago, but they calmed down as soon as I gave them their bottles. They are fed and burped and on they're way to sleep at this very moment." He continued while he looked over the desk into the twin pram.
Megan picked Nick up to give him a cuddle and noticed that something hadn't been done.
"George, can you keep an eye on Johnny for a few more minutes? I need to go and change some nappies. Ill go into dad's office." Megan quickly left with the boys across the conference room to her father's office.
* * *
After about ten minutes Megan returned to her former CO's office with two clean boys.
"Megan, Jack rang while you were gone. Major Carter has come out of surgery. She had some internal bleeding and other damage but it appears to have all been fixed. She is in recovery at the moment, she looks like she is going to be fine."
"That's fantastic. Did he say anything about Daniel yet?" Megan asked, fear written all over her face.
"No, dear. I'm sorry. He is still waiting. They let him in with Teal'c while he's waiting to see Major Carter. Take the boys down to see him that should cheer him up a bit. I'm sure that Dr Jackson is going to want to see them when he comes out of surgery." George added as he let Johnny slide of his leg.
Megan just nodded and picked Johnny up and rested him on her hip and pushed the pram to the elevator.
While they were waiting for the elevator to stop at the right floor, Johnny laid his head on his mothers shoulder and started fiddling with her hair. He always did that when he knew something was wrong. It was his way of cheering his mother up.
It worked slightly as Megan gave the boy a hug and kissed him on the cheek.
"Johnny, we are going to see grand-dad. He is a bit upset cause Auntie Sam was in an accident and she got hurt. So you make sure you give him a hug and a kiss when you see him. Ok." Megan asked of her son.
The boy nodded into her shoulder as the elevator arrived.
* * *
Arriving at the infirmary floor, Megan went straight in the double doors.
She found Jack sitting beside Teal'cs bed. He looked ten years older sitting there.
Johnny squirmed his way out of her arms and walked quietly over to him. He rested his hand on his grandfather's knee and waited for the older man to pay him some attention.
Jack looked up from the place on the wall that he had been staring at and put his hand over the toddlers. A smile crept on to his face as Johnny climbed into his lap and hugged him.
It touched Megan's heart to see her son and her father have such a close relationship.
"George told me about Sam. I'm so glad she's all right. Have you heard anything about Daniel yet?"
"No Megan O'Neill, we have not." Teal'c answered as Dr. Field entered the room.
"Colonel O'Neill. You can come in and see her now, she is starting to wake up." He said as he approached Jack.
Jack put Johnny up beside Teal'c on his bed as he stood up. "Doc, this is my daughter. She is Dr Jackson's fiancée, have you heard any word about his condition yet?" He asked as he took Megan's hand in his own.
"Not as of yet, I'll go and check on him right now. I'll be back in a few moments." He said as he walked towards the other operating room.
Jack was hovering between checking on Sam and staying with Megan until she heard some news.
"Dad, go and check on her. Ill be fine. I'll stay with Teal'c until the doctor comes back. Go." She told him not trying to appear like she was about to cry again.
He kissed her on the cheek and looked over towards Teal'c, relaying some silent message that those two had perfected years ago and then went to the recovery room.
Megan took his seat beside the bed and watched Nick and Lachie sleep as Johnny played quietly with his Uncle Teal'c.
Eventually the Doctor came back into the room as Megan stood to meet him.
"Miss O'Neill, I just checked with Dr Fraiser as to the condition of your fiancée. He had lost a lot of blood, it appears that he has been whipped across the back and chest using some sort of leather strap. He has a few cuts on his head and hands, but they are mainly superficial. The reason that it is taking so long is because of the stiches. He needs a lot. He is going to be in a lot of pain when he wakes up. But the main thing is that he appears to have no internal injuries, and he should make a full recovery just with a few scars."
"Thank you doctor." Megan said as she slumped back into her chair.
Teal'c lent over from his bed and placed a hand on her shoulder. He knew she didn't need words right now. He knew she needed a shoulder to cry on to let all the worry ebb away.
She leaned her head forward on to the bed, next to his chest and cried while he rubbed small circles on her back.
* * *
Jack walked into the brightly lit room and surveyed the surroundings. A tiny figure occupied the bed with bright white sheets, surrounded by beeping and humming machines.
He moved closer to the prone figure on the bed and almost couldn't recognise her. Her hair was still tinged with blood, and her face had swollen out of proportion. Her hands were bandaged up and part of each arm had bandages wrapped up them.
Her eyes were fluttering open and closed as he got closer. He pulled the chair beside the bed and placed his arm on a bare part of skin on her arm.
She turned her head towards him slightly and revealed how wide spread the bruising on her face was. It stretched down her neck under her hospital gown.
"Sam, can you hear me?" Jack asked in an almost whisper.
She nodded her head slightly and tried to lick her lips through her partially wired jaw.
"Don't try and talk. The new doc said that he had to wire your jaw shut, cause some one apparently used your face as a punching bag."
"You scared me Sam. I definitely don't like this stay at home thing I'm keeping fit from all the pacing. I don't think I have to make another trip to the gym for a long time." He said trying to lighten the mood.
Sam tried to smile, but could only grimace as her mouth caught on one of the parts of the mouth brace.
Jack sat there in silence for a few minutes while she nodded off back to sleep. He whispered in her ear that he loved her and went back out of the room to find Megan and see what news the doc had on Daniel.
He entered the outer infirmary to find Megan with her head in her arms on the side of Teal'cs bed, with him comforting her.
The worst came to his mind. Shit something has happened to Daniel.
"Megan, what did the doc say? Is Daniel alright?" He asked as he approached the bed.
"I believe Megan O'Neill is crying tears of joy, O'Neill. Doctor Fields said that he was going to have scars and the reason it is taking so long is the stitching that he needs. He was whipped, and Doctor Fraiser is repairing the damage now." Teal'c said in a hushed tone as to not disturb Megan.
Jack knelt down beside his daughter and gently pushed her back slightly so she wasn't leaning on the bed anymore.
"Megan, it's ok. Daniel will be fine and Sam is fine." He said as he gathered her up in his arms and slowly rocked her back and forward until she calmed down.
* * * Eventually Megan was allowed in to see Daniel. She left the boys with Jonas, Cassie and Caitlin in the hall as she prepared her self to see him all bandaged up.
Jack offered to come in with her for moral support as he put it, but she knew she had to do this herself. She had been so scared, next to no body got a second chance at happiness like she had been given. And it had almost been lost to her again.
As she opened the door she heard the usual hum of the infirmary machines and the beeps of the heart monitor that was attached to the figure laying deathly still in the bed in the middle of the room.
She slowly walked up to the bed and moved the seat quietly so she could be closer to him. When she sat down she took his hand in her own and noticed that the nurses had cleaned him up rather well. You couldn't see a trace of blood on his hands from where he had held Sam.
She stopped her self before she thought of it anymore. That image would now always be in her nightmares, Daniel kneeling down on the ramp in front of an open stargate with a limp Sam in his arms and there blood dripping together on to the floor.
Shaking her head slightly to get rid of the image, Megan almost didn't feel the hand she was holding move slightly.
Staying still for a moment and looking at the bruised face before her she waited for another movement.
The doctor had told her that he wouldn't wake up for at least an hour, so she was surprised when she felt his fingers clench around her own.
"Daniel, can you hear me?" Megan leaned forward and spoke quietly.
He responded by opening his eyes slightly and grimacing at the bright lights then squeezing her hand again.
Megan lifted his hand to her cheek and rested it there while his eyes slowly adjusted to the light.
"Hey. How's everyone else?" He asked after a few moments, while rubbing his thumb across her smooth skin.
"They are all fine, Sam and you are the worst off, but you'll both make it. Janet said that you just needed a lot of stitching and that you were going to be in a lot of pain. She also said not to fight the pain, if it is too much she will give you something stronger."
"You worry too much Megan. What are you doing here anyway?" He asked after taking a sip of the water that Megan offered him.
"I think I have every right to worry too much. This is you we are talking about, after all your not known for your immunity from danger. Quite the opposite I would say. And I was here to go shopping with Janet after she finished work. I was waiting in dad's office when you guys arrived. Daniel I'm so glad you're all right. You really scared me."
"I know and I'm sorry, but payback is a bitch isn't it. I believe that you scared me a little while ago." He said trying to lighten the mood.
"Well then we're even. No more infirmary visits for a while for either of us. Ok." Megan said, glad that he was feeling well enough to joke around a bit.
"Agreed. After all, we do have a wedding to go to in a month." He added.
THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT SO FAR. FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DON'T KNOW I AM PREGNANT AND IM STILL SUFFERING VERY BAD MORNING SICKNESS AND I AM FIVE MONTHS GONE NOW. SO MUCH FOR IT FINISHING AT THREE MONTHS. WELL EITHER WAY I JUST WANTED TO EXPLAIN WHY IT HAS BEEN A FEW WEEKS SINCE THE LAST CHAPTER.
ENJOY AND DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW.
ELLIE MAE.
Megan found the boys in the General's office. She had left Jonas and the girls at the elevator to go in search of her by now hungry children.
"George thank you for keeping an eye on them. I know this isn't a crèche. I think I need a nanny, do you think there is one, with enough clearance?" Megan joked trying to lighten the mood.
"I doubt it very much. But don't worry about the boys, they are in good hands." George said while bouncing Johnny on his knee.
"The twins got a little restless about half an hour ago, but they calmed down as soon as I gave them their bottles. They are fed and burped and on they're way to sleep at this very moment." He continued while he looked over the desk into the twin pram.
Megan picked Nick up to give him a cuddle and noticed that something hadn't been done.
"George, can you keep an eye on Johnny for a few more minutes? I need to go and change some nappies. Ill go into dad's office." Megan quickly left with the boys across the conference room to her father's office.
* * *
After about ten minutes Megan returned to her former CO's office with two clean boys.
"Megan, Jack rang while you were gone. Major Carter has come out of surgery. She had some internal bleeding and other damage but it appears to have all been fixed. She is in recovery at the moment, she looks like she is going to be fine."
"That's fantastic. Did he say anything about Daniel yet?" Megan asked, fear written all over her face.
"No, dear. I'm sorry. He is still waiting. They let him in with Teal'c while he's waiting to see Major Carter. Take the boys down to see him that should cheer him up a bit. I'm sure that Dr Jackson is going to want to see them when he comes out of surgery." George added as he let Johnny slide of his leg.
Megan just nodded and picked Johnny up and rested him on her hip and pushed the pram to the elevator.
While they were waiting for the elevator to stop at the right floor, Johnny laid his head on his mothers shoulder and started fiddling with her hair. He always did that when he knew something was wrong. It was his way of cheering his mother up.
It worked slightly as Megan gave the boy a hug and kissed him on the cheek.
"Johnny, we are going to see grand-dad. He is a bit upset cause Auntie Sam was in an accident and she got hurt. So you make sure you give him a hug and a kiss when you see him. Ok." Megan asked of her son.
The boy nodded into her shoulder as the elevator arrived.
* * *
Arriving at the infirmary floor, Megan went straight in the double doors.
She found Jack sitting beside Teal'cs bed. He looked ten years older sitting there.
Johnny squirmed his way out of her arms and walked quietly over to him. He rested his hand on his grandfather's knee and waited for the older man to pay him some attention.
Jack looked up from the place on the wall that he had been staring at and put his hand over the toddlers. A smile crept on to his face as Johnny climbed into his lap and hugged him.
It touched Megan's heart to see her son and her father have such a close relationship.
"George told me about Sam. I'm so glad she's all right. Have you heard anything about Daniel yet?"
"No Megan O'Neill, we have not." Teal'c answered as Dr. Field entered the room.
"Colonel O'Neill. You can come in and see her now, she is starting to wake up." He said as he approached Jack.
Jack put Johnny up beside Teal'c on his bed as he stood up. "Doc, this is my daughter. She is Dr Jackson's fiancée, have you heard any word about his condition yet?" He asked as he took Megan's hand in his own.
"Not as of yet, I'll go and check on him right now. I'll be back in a few moments." He said as he walked towards the other operating room.
Jack was hovering between checking on Sam and staying with Megan until she heard some news.
"Dad, go and check on her. Ill be fine. I'll stay with Teal'c until the doctor comes back. Go." She told him not trying to appear like she was about to cry again.
He kissed her on the cheek and looked over towards Teal'c, relaying some silent message that those two had perfected years ago and then went to the recovery room.
Megan took his seat beside the bed and watched Nick and Lachie sleep as Johnny played quietly with his Uncle Teal'c.
Eventually the Doctor came back into the room as Megan stood to meet him.
"Miss O'Neill, I just checked with Dr Fraiser as to the condition of your fiancée. He had lost a lot of blood, it appears that he has been whipped across the back and chest using some sort of leather strap. He has a few cuts on his head and hands, but they are mainly superficial. The reason that it is taking so long is because of the stiches. He needs a lot. He is going to be in a lot of pain when he wakes up. But the main thing is that he appears to have no internal injuries, and he should make a full recovery just with a few scars."
"Thank you doctor." Megan said as she slumped back into her chair.
Teal'c lent over from his bed and placed a hand on her shoulder. He knew she didn't need words right now. He knew she needed a shoulder to cry on to let all the worry ebb away.
She leaned her head forward on to the bed, next to his chest and cried while he rubbed small circles on her back.
* * *
Jack walked into the brightly lit room and surveyed the surroundings. A tiny figure occupied the bed with bright white sheets, surrounded by beeping and humming machines.
He moved closer to the prone figure on the bed and almost couldn't recognise her. Her hair was still tinged with blood, and her face had swollen out of proportion. Her hands were bandaged up and part of each arm had bandages wrapped up them.
Her eyes were fluttering open and closed as he got closer. He pulled the chair beside the bed and placed his arm on a bare part of skin on her arm.
She turned her head towards him slightly and revealed how wide spread the bruising on her face was. It stretched down her neck under her hospital gown.
"Sam, can you hear me?" Jack asked in an almost whisper.
She nodded her head slightly and tried to lick her lips through her partially wired jaw.
"Don't try and talk. The new doc said that he had to wire your jaw shut, cause some one apparently used your face as a punching bag."
"You scared me Sam. I definitely don't like this stay at home thing I'm keeping fit from all the pacing. I don't think I have to make another trip to the gym for a long time." He said trying to lighten the mood.
Sam tried to smile, but could only grimace as her mouth caught on one of the parts of the mouth brace.
Jack sat there in silence for a few minutes while she nodded off back to sleep. He whispered in her ear that he loved her and went back out of the room to find Megan and see what news the doc had on Daniel.
He entered the outer infirmary to find Megan with her head in her arms on the side of Teal'cs bed, with him comforting her.
The worst came to his mind. Shit something has happened to Daniel.
"Megan, what did the doc say? Is Daniel alright?" He asked as he approached the bed.
"I believe Megan O'Neill is crying tears of joy, O'Neill. Doctor Fields said that he was going to have scars and the reason it is taking so long is the stitching that he needs. He was whipped, and Doctor Fraiser is repairing the damage now." Teal'c said in a hushed tone as to not disturb Megan.
Jack knelt down beside his daughter and gently pushed her back slightly so she wasn't leaning on the bed anymore.
"Megan, it's ok. Daniel will be fine and Sam is fine." He said as he gathered her up in his arms and slowly rocked her back and forward until she calmed down.
* * * Eventually Megan was allowed in to see Daniel. She left the boys with Jonas, Cassie and Caitlin in the hall as she prepared her self to see him all bandaged up.
Jack offered to come in with her for moral support as he put it, but she knew she had to do this herself. She had been so scared, next to no body got a second chance at happiness like she had been given. And it had almost been lost to her again.
As she opened the door she heard the usual hum of the infirmary machines and the beeps of the heart monitor that was attached to the figure laying deathly still in the bed in the middle of the room.
She slowly walked up to the bed and moved the seat quietly so she could be closer to him. When she sat down she took his hand in her own and noticed that the nurses had cleaned him up rather well. You couldn't see a trace of blood on his hands from where he had held Sam.
She stopped her self before she thought of it anymore. That image would now always be in her nightmares, Daniel kneeling down on the ramp in front of an open stargate with a limp Sam in his arms and there blood dripping together on to the floor.
Shaking her head slightly to get rid of the image, Megan almost didn't feel the hand she was holding move slightly.
Staying still for a moment and looking at the bruised face before her she waited for another movement.
The doctor had told her that he wouldn't wake up for at least an hour, so she was surprised when she felt his fingers clench around her own.
"Daniel, can you hear me?" Megan leaned forward and spoke quietly.
He responded by opening his eyes slightly and grimacing at the bright lights then squeezing her hand again.
Megan lifted his hand to her cheek and rested it there while his eyes slowly adjusted to the light.
"Hey. How's everyone else?" He asked after a few moments, while rubbing his thumb across her smooth skin.
"They are all fine, Sam and you are the worst off, but you'll both make it. Janet said that you just needed a lot of stitching and that you were going to be in a lot of pain. She also said not to fight the pain, if it is too much she will give you something stronger."
"You worry too much Megan. What are you doing here anyway?" He asked after taking a sip of the water that Megan offered him.
"I think I have every right to worry too much. This is you we are talking about, after all your not known for your immunity from danger. Quite the opposite I would say. And I was here to go shopping with Janet after she finished work. I was waiting in dad's office when you guys arrived. Daniel I'm so glad you're all right. You really scared me."
"I know and I'm sorry, but payback is a bitch isn't it. I believe that you scared me a little while ago." He said trying to lighten the mood.
"Well then we're even. No more infirmary visits for a while for either of us. Ok." Megan said, glad that he was feeling well enough to joke around a bit.
"Agreed. After all, we do have a wedding to go to in a month." He added.
THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT SO FAR. FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DON'T KNOW I AM PREGNANT AND IM STILL SUFFERING VERY BAD MORNING SICKNESS AND I AM FIVE MONTHS GONE NOW. SO MUCH FOR IT FINISHING AT THREE MONTHS. WELL EITHER WAY I JUST WANTED TO EXPLAIN WHY IT HAS BEEN A FEW WEEKS SINCE THE LAST CHAPTER.
ENJOY AND DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW.
ELLIE MAE.
