Thanks again to each and all of you who reviewed the last chapters. Glad you're still enjoying this.

UNITED WE STAND

By Lingren.

Previously:

"Uh…shoulders," Jack ground out as pain radiated through his abused body. "Chest… head." He gave up the struggle to right himself, and collapsed back onto the metal ramp beneath him with a groan, wincing at the contact, holding onto his gasp to quell the agony. He felt like he'd been run down by a semi-truck.

Chapter 7

"It's okay Sir, just relax." Janet reassured him, and then turned to her team. "Let's get him to the infirmary."

"Friedman?" he rasped then, suddenly recalling the incident in the temple.

"I don't know yet Sir. He's still unconscious, but physically he appears to be fine."

"Damn, that entity!" Jack muttered, locking eyes with Sam at last, standing quietly behind the General. He was gently lifted and placed onto the waiting gurney and a silent communication passed between them as he was wheeled away. Teal'c and Jonas following in his wake.

Sam knew without a doubt that Jack was thinking of the entity that had possessed her body a while ago. At least the entity that had taken over her body wasn't violent and hadn't attempted to use her to hurt him or anyone else in any way, despite its threat to destroy the Earth. Had he been injured because she hadn't been there? She could read regret and distress as well as a hint of perhaps, reproof, in his eyes.

If she had been at his side then surely none of this would have happened. They had worked so well together, that each other's thoughts were clearly read and understood, and if she had gone with them, they might have been able to avoid the entity altogether. Because of the Naquadah in her blood she had the ability to sense things, undefined ambiences, if you like, that he couldn't detect. She might have felt its presence and they could have acted accordingly.

General Hammond's hand on her shoulder startled her from her reverie.

"There's no time or place for 'What ifs?' Major. The outcome may not be any different even if you had been with them."

Sam's eyes stung with his unsympathetic words and she looked down at the floor. Knowing that they were true didn't make them any easier to hear. She blinked away the watery residue, and nodded.

"I know Sir," she answered, her voice tense and strained.

General Hammond looked beyond her outward calm, and knew at once she had regretted leaving the team. He knew it would take a while for her to adjust. They had been a close knit team, just how close he could only stab a guess at. Maybe he was reading too much into it. Pushing away the unwelcome thoughts, he relented a little.

"You have an hour before the briefing Major. Go reassure yourself he's okay."

"Thank you Sir." Sam walked away quickly, clamping down the urge to run. She desperately wanted to see how Jack was.

OoOoOoOoO

On reaching the infirmary, she found Teal'c and Jonas waiting patiently outside in the corridor, waiting for news.

"Major Carter! Are you well?" Teal'c asked.

"Yeah Teal'c, I'm fine. Anything yet?"

"Nothing!"

"Are you guys okay?"

"We are well, are we not Jonas Quinn?" Teal'c stated, seemingly unperturbed by the events.

"Yeah, we're fine Sam. I don't know if Lt. Friedman will be though. He was...freaky. I don't think Colonel O'Neill's hurt badly. Maybe just a concussion and more than likely a lot of bruises. He did hit that wall pretty hard."

"What happened to Friedman exactly?"

"I am unsure. I believe the entity wished to use Lieutenant Friedman to escape the confines of his exile and flee through the Stargate."

"...And knowing the Colonel...he refused to let Freidman go. Right?" Sam speculated.

"It seems most likely."

"Well we all know who would have won that fight, if Teal'c hadn't shot him with the Zat gun," Jonas informed them blatantly. "He was really strong. He literally lifted the Colonel off his feet and threw him across the room."

"A Goa'uld?" Sam asked knowing they were renowned for their strength.

"I do not believe so Major Carter. It could not have been. When I Zatted Lieutenant Friedman, the entity left him immediately and did not return. A Goa'uld would not be so easily persuaded to abandon a host."

Teal'c was right. Sam thought over his words for a while. The three of them falling silent. Then who?

"So, we've no idea who or what this entity was?" She sighed with frustration.

"None!"

"I think the General should lock the co-ordinates of that planet out of the dialling computer. That 'thing' might still be out there waiting for us to return; and it maybe just a little upset at being thwarted," Jonas commented.

Janet opened the door, and Sam pounced on her. Figuratively speaking, of course.

"Janet how is he?"

"Colonel O'Neill is comfortable. He's got a lot of bruising to his shoulders, and his chest, especially round the area of his heart, but nothing incapacitating. He's very tired, as well as suffering from a concussion where he collided with the wall. Apart from that he'll be fine. Much to his annoyance, I'm keeping him in overnight, just to be sure."

"Can I see him?"

"Sure Sam, go ahead."

"Doctor Frasier…what of Lieutenant Freidman?"

"That's a tough one Teal'c. Physically he's fine, but I'm going to have to consult with Dr. Mackenzie on this one. He's very much traumatised."

"Colonel O'Neill was concerned about him. He was acting kinda strange almost as soon as we stepped out of the gate. Like he was jumpy and on edge all the time. Kept seeing things we didn't," Jonas stated, puzzled by the whole incident.

"Perhaps gate travel does not agree with him," Teal'c surmised.

"Maybe you're right Teal'c. You could try talking to him; he could really use some friends right now. Apart from you two, he's virtually a stranger here."

Teal'c bowed his head slightly in acceptance of his participation in Freidman's therapy.

"We will try our best Doctor Frasier."

"I know you will, guys. Thank you."

Teal'c and Jonas entered the room and spotted Sam chatting to Jack at the far end. Jack waved to his team-mates, calling them over.

"O'Neill...are you well again?"

Jack ignored the question and plunged in with his own.

"Hey, Teal'c, Jonas. You two okay?"

"We are well O'Neill."

"Good. What about Freidman?"

"He is not so good, although, according to Doctor Frasier, there is nothing physically wrong with him. She is recommending that he consult with Doctor MacKenzie," Jonas stated, still a little vague about what exactly that entailed.

"Great. First trip through the gate and he ends up as a head case."

"It was not his doing O'Neill."

"I know that. It does mean is that I have to go through finding someone else now. Again."

Sam sucked her breath in and stood up.

"I should go. I'm sorry," she mumbled, refusing to look Jack in the eye.

"Sorry for what, Carter?" Jack asked perplexed, until it struck him she was feeling guilty.

"Carter...stop!" he called as she stepped away from the bed to return to her lab. "This is not your fault! No way am I pointing a finger at you for this, it has absolutely nothing to do with you leaving the team. You know I had a real problem choosing Jonas, for cryin' out loud."

Sam hesitated, turning back to look under her lashes at his face, trying to see if he was sincere or merely bluffing for her benefit.

"Stay!" he pleaded with his eyes. "Please?" he added, shooting her a brief smile. "I'm just particular with whom I work with, is all," he shrugged, and then winced in pain as he forgot his battered body.

Sam looked at his face, wreathed in worry, tiredness and pain. Looking up at the considerably large clock on the wall at the other end of the room, she noted the time. She really wanted to stay, but time waited for no man.

"I'm sorry Sir. I really do have to go. I've got a briefing in 10 minutes and I should collect my notes."

"Another mission? Already? How's the wrist?"

"Yes Sir, and its fine."

"Good. Just...go careful out there Carter! Okay?"

She flashed him a dazzling smile in response, genuinely pleased at his concern.

"It's just a visit to Cimmeria Colonel. But...I will Sir. Thank you."

"I know you will Major. Don't be late home though; the kids are likely to get restless."

"No Sir I won't," she answered dryly, a snigger escaping her lips as she left.

"Okay everyone, Colonel O'Neill needs to rest," Janet interrupted. Jack was about to protest until the petite medic glared straight back at him with a 'no-nonsense' frown. Jack gave in to her and waved his team away. He was reluctant to admit to it, but he really was more than ready to fall asleep.

TBC