XXXXXXX

Authors: Ariel Carter-O'Neill and Eridani Moon

Rating: Teen to Mature

Email: in bio

Eridani's note: Thoroughly douses flaming reviews with fire extinguisher If you don't have something nice to say, keep your fingers quiet! Ariel has worked very hard on this story and doesn't deserve the nasty reviews you are tossing her way. Sure, Sam is level 3 combat trained, but that doesn't stop the shock that fills you when someone you have cared for turns on you. The shock that immobilizes you and makes you unable to fight back. If you think it does, go talk to someone that has lived through it; you might be surprised by what you hear. As for Jack calling the EMT's and police on his way to Sam's… His mind was otherwise occupied and he just didn't think of it. He's used to handling similar situations all on his own and that's what he did. Finally, if you don't like the plot of the story, don't read. The rest of the reviews are welcomed.

Ariel's Note: I know that I'm overreacting, but as Eridani said, I've worked very hard on this story and since I'm only human, I can forget stuff. But then again, show me a fic where EVERYTHING is right. Even the series writers are making mistakes. I'll try to pay more attention on future chapters, if there are any... Thanks for the encouraging reviews, I hope you'll like this chapter as much as the others.

Thunder 5

Regrets

As the elevator doors slid open on the medical floor, they found Janet and two nurses waiting for them. Janet gave a horrified intake of breath and switched into doctor mode, yelling, "We'll take it from here! Let's get her inside people; I want X-Rays and a CT-scan! Move!"

The petite woman was full in charge of her friend. The little group rushed into the infirmary as Janet yelled at Jack to stay out while she and the nurses examined Sam, and sliding down the wall to sit on the floor, he stared blankly at the wall, praying he wasn't about to lose the lively blonde that had stolen his heart. He sat there, unmindful of the cold that seeped into him, making his bones stiff, impatiently waiting for Janet to make an appearance. Time seemed to stand still, each tick of the clock on the wall taking a millennium as he silently cursed himself for not being there with her when she'd told Pete.

Two hours of self-recriminations later, the little brunette slipped from the medical ward, her face etched with exhaustion as she tried to offer the general a smile, failing horribly. Sliding down the opposite wall, she met his gaze as he softly questioned, "Is she okay?"

General O'Neill's concern for the Colonel didn't surprise her, it had always been that way between the two of them, but the pain and fear clearly written on his face shocked her and she knew that if Sam didn't make it, they'd be losing their commander as well. Sighing, she took a moment to compose her thoughts, replying, "It was touch and go for a while, but she's stabilized now. She has several severe injuries but she'll be fine in a few weeks... Sir, what the hell happened?"

Jack opened his mouth to reply, struggling to put the horrible scenario into words and finding himself unable to speak. Shaking his head, he jumped as a comforting hand landed on his shoulder and Daniel quietly reiterated, "Yeah, what the hell happened?"

The memory of Sam's frantic call and the horror of finding her on the floor, bloody and battered, filled his mind and Jack began to shake as he felt rage invading his body. His was soft, but as deadly as any blade as he stated, "Pete."

"Pete?" Janet couldn't contain her shock. She had met the guy once or twice and didn't much care for him, but she never thought he would hurt Sam. Shaking her head, she angrily demanded, "Pete did this to Sam?"

Jack nodded slowly, his hands clenching and unclenching as he imagined wrapping his hands around the other man's throat. The look in his eyes was one Daniel had seen too many times as they had dealt with the Goa'uld and his head drew back as Jack asked in a clipped tone, "How is she right now?"

"She has a severe concussion and she's unconscious but not in a coma. But… she's in bad shape sir." The petite doctor's voice wavered as she ran her hand through her hair, quietly explaining the extent of Sam's injuries. "She has a few broken ribs, a punctured lung; her left wrist is broken; there is a lot of bruising on her legs and I had to put a cast on the left one in case she has a stress fracture… That won't show up right away. The bruise to her head worried me but I think she's going to be fine if she wakes up soon."

Jack's breath hissed in his chest, as he hoarsely demanded, "What about her spine? She had trouble moving her toes."

"She has a very big bruise at the base of her spine; several along the entire spinal column, indicating the severity of the attack, but don't worry she'll walk again." Janet played with the edge of her lab coat, glancing at Daniel and then nodding at the general. That she wanted him to ask the questions she couldn't was obvious, and with a sigh, the archaeologist slid to the floor beside them, asking, "Jack? Why were you the one to bring her in? How did you know she was in trouble?"

"Because she called me for help!" Slamming his head back against the concrete wall, he barely registered the pain as he whispered, "It was horrible, I could hear him hitting her and I couldn't do damn thing to save her… May I go see her?"

Janet nibbled at her lower lip; replying, "She won't know you're there, sir."

Jack was already pushing to his feet as he flatly stated, "I don't care, I just want to be near her when she wakes up."

"All right." Nodding, the doctor watched as the General began to push through the swinging door, calling, "Call me if there are any changes!"

"Thanks Janet." His tone was completely emotionless as he stepped into the infirmary and allowed the door to swing closed behind him. Glancing at Daniel, Janet gave her friend a confused look, as she demanded, "What's going on with them? I've never seen him that upset."

Giving one of his wry smiles, Daniel pushed to his feet, offering his hand to the woman as he questioned, "Do you want to come with me to the mess? I'll explain what Teal'c and I concluded on our last mission."

Curious, Janet followed Daniel to the mess, praying that whatever was going on, her friend could recover and find happiness with the man that cared enough to risk his career to save her. Each grabbed a cup of coffee and moved to take a table in an isolated corner. After taking a refreshing sip of the hot brew, Janet asked, "So… What exactly did you and Watson conclude, Sherlock?"

Leaning towards the doctor, Daniel questioned, "Did you notice that Sam has looked a lot happier in the last four days?"

Raising a curious eyebrow, the doctor prompted, "Yeah… and?"

The smile on Daniel's face grew as he added, "And Jack is happier too."

Exhausted from the hours of treating her friend, Janet shook her head and questioned, "So?"

Giving the woman an exasperated sigh, Daniel threw his hands up, declaring, "So, one plus one, equals two!"

Sudden understanding filled her eyes as she stated, "You mean they both finally woke up and saw what was right in front of them?"

"Think about it!" Nodding swiftly, Daniel shoved his glasses back up on his face, continuing, "It makes perfect sense. Why else would Pete have hit Sam, and why else would Jack be the one to bring her in?"

"Of course!" Rising, Janet threw her arms around his neck, dropping a kiss on his cheek, laughing at the blush that filled his face. She knew that most people in the SGC didn't understand their relationship, but since she'd almost died on a mission earlier in the year, they had all become much closer to each other.

Daniel's eyes widened at the unexpected embrace, something he wasn't used to receiving from the whirlwind CMO. "Uh… Janet? What are you doing?"

Realizing that the doctor was uncomfortable, Janet released his neck with a sigh, offering, "Oh! I'm sorry Daniel…"

xxxx

Slipping into Sam's room, Jack sat beside the bed, holding her right hand and silently begging her to wake up. He felt the tears pricking at his eyes, but he really didn't care. If someone wanted to penalize him for loving the most amazing woman on Earth, let 'em.

Brushing the damp hair away from her bruised forehead, he whispered, "Hey Sam… Doc says you're going to be okay… just as soon as you wake up. You got to wake up baby… I know that asshole did this to you, but the police won't believe me until you tell them." Giving a sardonic laugh, Jack thought of the various torture methods he'd come up with in the last few hours and offered, "I'm about to give the NID his picture and tell them he's an alien, just to see what would happen... C'mon Sam… you gotta wake up now… Please baby, you have to wake up… I can't find you, to loose you now."

Freezing as her head began to move slightly on the pillow, Jack found himself holding his breath as she blinked a few times before her eyes fell closed again. Leaning closer, he couldn't keep the hope from his voice as he begged, "Hey blue eyes… c'mon… open them again…"

Struggling with the action, Sam managed to open them for several long seconds before the long lashes drifted down again. Trying to open her mouth, she became frustrated when nothing came out and seeing this, Jack encouraged, "That's it… talk to me Sam… Come on…"

Fighting through the layers that seemed to encase her head, Sam forced her eyes open again, her fear evaporating as she saw his concerned smile hovering above her. Licking her lips, she whispered, "Jack…"

The smile grew as his hand brushed over her head, and he replied, "Hey beautiful… how you feeling?"

Stupid question, but so typically Jack... "Bad…"

"Kind of figured that…" His eyes closed briefly and she saw him swallow with difficulty before he added, "The Doc says you're going to be ok… Sam… what happened?"

The tears filled her eyes with no warning, trickling out the sides to trail down into her hair. Remorse filled his face as he comforted, "Shhhh don't cry..." Cursing himself for what needed to be done, he prompted, "I need to know baby… I can't fix it if you don't tell me."

"I… I can't… it's too hard…"

"You have to tell me baby. You know what will happen if you keep this bottled inside you."

Sam forced herself to focus on what happened, images of Pete hitting her popping into her mind and causing her to cringe as she began to cry harder. Shaking her head from side to side and wincing at the pain, she begged, "Please, Jack… leave me alone…"

Jack felt his heart drop, knowing that nothing would drag the story out of the colonel before she was ready. Brushing his hand over her disheveled hair, he offered, "Ok, baby… whatever you want… but you'll have to talk to me. I know it's hard but you'll need to do it."

Sighing as she fixed her gaze on the far wall, apparently lost in the memories of her attack, Jack leaned forward to brush a kiss on her forehead, trying not to feel hurt when she unknowingly cringed. Slipping from the room, he silently made his way through the nearly empty corridors of the SGC, praying that the person he sought hadn't yet left for the day. Reaching his destination, he gave a swift knock and began to tap his foot as he waited for some kind of response.

"Come in!"

Jumping as the voice suddenly called out from inside, he opened the door and stepped inside, realizing he'd never been in the office before. Strange how they stopped sending you to see shrinks once you stopped going offworld…

Slowly pushing open the office door, Jack offered the petite woman a weak smile and quietly closed the door behind him. Even with her auburn hair in a tight bun and her serious eyes shining from behind her glasses, Dr. Anna Carrelli was nothing like he'd imagined the new base counselor would be. Her surprise at seeing him was obvious as she shifted nervously behind her desk and questioned, "Sir! What can I do for you?"

"At ease captain!" Running a tired hand over the back of his neck, the general forced himself to state, " I need you to check on Colonel Carter."

Frowning, Anna raised an eyebrow, the single word full of questions as she said, "Sir?"

Gritting his teeth to keep from yelling, Jack explained simply, "Colonel Carter was attacked by her… boyfriend." God! He hated calling the asshole that, but he didn't exactly have the choice at the moment…

Shock colored the doctor's voice, as she exclaimed, "Oh! Is she all right?"

"She's in the infirmary for now… She's in pretty bad shape, but Fraiser said she'd be ok physically." Pausing as he thought about Sam's near-breakdown in the infirmary, he added, "Mentally it's another thing."

"I see." God knew she'd seen enough of it in her residency. "You want me to determine how much psychological damage he did to her?"

"Exactly." Nodding emphatically, Jack offered one of his dazzling smiles in an effort to get his wish, asking, "Can you go right now?"

"Yes Sir, that will be no problem" Gathering a notepad and a tape recorder, Anna moved towards the door, stating, "I'll speak with Dr. Fraiser first… to get a better idea of Colonel Carter's injuries, and then I'll speak with the Colonel."

Relief poured through him, and offering his hand, Jack quietly said, "Thank you, captain… You don't know what this means to me."

Studying the general, Anna smiled, the effort lighting her face as she replied, "Actually… I think I do."

Jack's eyes widened at the doctor's words, his mouth opening and closing several times as he struggled with the immediate denial that filled his mind, the years of hiding his feelings for Sam an instinctive reaction. Swallowing past the lump in his throat as he began to speak, he froze as the klaxons suddenly sounded, relief filling him. Shrugging as he turned on his heel, he muttered, "Talk about being saved by the bell…"

Following the general with a laugh, Anna turned towards the infirmary, meeting up with Janet and Daniel as they return from the mess. Offering a professional smile, she called, "Ah, Doctor Fraiser! May I have a word with you?"

Turning in surprise, Janet raised an eyebrow, returning, "Of course… What can I do for you?"

Lowering her voice, Anna replied, "It's about Colonel Carter. General O'Neill has requested that I check on her, but I'd like to know her physical condition first."

"Well she's in pretty bad shape." Sadness filled the CMO's eyes as she gave the same run-down of injuries she'd given Jack earlier. "She has a concussion, a few broken ribs, a punctured lung, a sprained leg; there is a lot of bruising on her legs and a broken wrist. And she has a big bruise at the base of her spine, so she'll have trouble moving her legs and walking for a few days, but she'll walk, so try to comfort her about it if she panics. I'll be in the infirmary in a few minutes so if you need me, just call."

"I will." Moving towards the swinging doors to the medical wing, she added, "Thank you Doctor Fraiser." Nodding to Daniel, she offered, "Nice to see you in a non-medical capacity, Doctor Jackson."

Slipping into the isolation room Janet had moved Sam in to, Anna frowned at the desolate look on the patient's face as she stared at the opposite wall. Pausing at the foot of the bed, she quietly asked, "Colonel Carter?" No answer. No movement. This wasn't good. Clearing her throat, she tried again. "Colonel Carter? I'm Doctor Anna Carrelli, the new counselor. General O'Neill asked me to speak with you."

"Jack?" When Sam finally reacts, Anna jumped in surprise and then quickly asked, "Yes… uh… May I call you Samantha?" As Sam nods, Anna prompted, "Samantha, tell me about your relation with Jack."

Sam's tone was as quiet as a sick child's as she replied, "Jack… he saved me…"

Anna sees the obvious right away and encourages, "Tell me how you feel about Jack."

Sam murmured something, but Anna couldn't hear her. Moving closer, she questioned, "What was that?"

"I love him. " A quiet peace filled Sam's trouble eyes as she repeated, "I love him."

Ah… Definite progress! "Does Jack ever hit you?"

Shock filled Sam's face at the question as she exclaimed, "NO! Jack saved me!"

Sitting cautiously on the edge of the bed, Anna placed her hand over the patients, probing, "Who hurt you, Samantha?"

The blue eyes closed down again as Sam whispered, "Pete…"

The boyfriend. Keeping her tone even, the doctor continued, "Can you tell me what happened?"

Tears began to creep from her eyes once again, and swiping angrily at the unaccustomed moisture, she whispered, "He was mad… he slapped me… I tried to escape but he was so strong… I just couldn't believe that he hit me, yelled at me… and the pain… God, there was so much pain everywhere… darkness…JACK! I want Jack!"

She starts to shake with emotion, and hearing her patient's cries; Janet ran into the room and quickly assessed her friends condition and gave her a sedative. As Sam began to calm down, finally drifting back off to sleep, Janet turned to Anna, demanding, "What the hell happened?"

"She's in shock about what happened with her boyfriend." Shaking her head, Anna sighed, explaining, "She's in a very fragile state of mind right now and pushing is only going to make it worse. I'll have to treat her when she's healed a bit."

Nodding, Janet agreed, "That's what I thought."

Biting her lower lip, Anna suddenly asked, "Doctor Fraiser, what exactly is the relationship between General O'Neill and Colonel Carter?"

"Oh!" Panic laced her tone as Janet quickly back-pedaled, replying, "I'm not sure I should talk to you about that. It's very…"

A sharp laugh escaped the psychiatrist as she offered, "Risky?"

"Yeah…" Shrugging, Janet glanced at her sleeping friend, adding, "Not to mention the Doctor-patient confidentiality and the fact that Sam is my best friend, so I can't betray her."

"I understand." And she did… really, but that wasn't going to help her new patient. Taking a deep breath, Anna added, "But if I want to treat Colonel Carter, I need to know what's going on between her and the General. I can assure you that nothing compromising will be in any report and I can keep my mouth shut. I'm not here to cause any trouble for them or report anyone for an infraction of the fraternization regulations. I'm here to help Colonel Carter heal and if that means she needs to have a relationship with her CO; well, I'll do whatever I can to make it happen."

Janet studied the doctor for a few seconds, silently judging the other woman and deciding that she liked her. Turning on her heel, she moved towards her office, motioning for Anna to follow her and then offered her a seat. Linking her fingers together, Janet began,

"Since I've known Sam and General O'Neill, they've been very close to each other. It's never disturbed their work and they hide it very well. Once, they had to admit in front of me that they had feelings for each other, but even after that, they continued to behave like they were supposed to. But in the last few days, they've seemed even closer than before. I have no idea what happened to change things, but something is definitely going on between them and I suppose Pete found out and he started hitting Sam because of that."

"Oh!" A combination of shock and understanding filled Anna as she thought of the other woman's words, finally saying, "Now I understand the situation a bit better… Well, I have to work out what I've learned here, so if you'll excuse me, I'll get to it."

Following the other doctor from her office, Janet paused at the foot of her friends bed and watched her sleep, praying that once again, Jack O'Neill had the magic it took to bring the woman back from the edge of sanity.

A few hours later, Jack finally returned to Sam's room, feeling as though he'd been gone a year. Seeing that she's still asleep, he sits next to her bed and does what he does best… watches her. The feeling of someone staring at her pulled Sam from the drug-induced sleep, and slowly opening her eyes, she spots the general in his usual chair, his eyes glued to her face. Shifting slightly, she smiled and whispered, "Jack!"

Returning the smile, he questioned, "Hey, beautiful, how you feeling?"

Frowning as she tried to gauge the pain in her body, Sam settled for, "Groggy…"

"Trust me, that's completely normal when you're in Fraiser's infirmary… Needle-happy power monger…" An unusual seriousness filled his face as he suddenly asked, "Feel like telling me what happened?"

Nodding carefully she gasped, "He… he became crazy when I told him it was over between us… He said horrible things… That I belonged to him and that I'd played him for a fool… that I was a bitch… He said that he always knew I'd never give up on you, that I've always loved you… and then he started hitting me." A sob escaped her as she apologized, "I'm so sorry Jack... He caught me by surprise, I couldn't defend myself…"

She was apologizing to him? For crying out loud! Pulling her carefully into his arms, he kissed an un-bruised portion of her forehead as she sobbed into his arms, whispering, "Oh baby… I'm so, so sorry. I should have been there for you." His voice grew hard as he vowed, "I'm going to kill him Sam. I promise you, he'll never hurt you, or any woman, ever again."

The sobs continued to be pulled from her as she cried, "It was awful Jack…"

Rocking her gently, Jack silently vowed to kill Pete no matter what it took, as he soothed, "I know baby… shhh… go back to sleep. Sleep now… He'll never hurt you again… never.

He wasn't sure how long he'd held her, when he felt her body begin to relax, her breathing even out as she murmured, "Jack?"

Brushing her hair away from her face, Jack murmured, "Shhhh…"

A smile crossed her face at the sound of his voice, the smile barely recognizable amid the bruising and swelling as she whispered, "Love you…"

Watching as she slipped into a healing sleep, Jack gently kissed her lips and replied, "Love you too."

Motioning for the nurse to come closer, he eased Sam to the bed and quietly gave the order for Daniel and Teal'c to be sent to him. His eyes never left her sleeping form as he waited for their friends, his mind continually turning over new ways to destroy the Denver detective. Glancing at the men when they arrived, he quickly explained to them what had happened and what needed to be done. It was quickly agreed that Daniel would remain in case Sam awakened again and with a silent nod, Teal'c slipped from the room to retrieve what would be needed, his eyes glimmering dangerously with the need for Jaffa revenge.

Dropping a last kiss on Sam's lips, Jack turned and left the room, meeting his friend in the hallway without a word. Stepping into the elevator as he and Teal'c left to find Pete, Jack's lips pulled back in a snarl as he hoped the man had his will made out.

Watching as O'Neill steered the vehicle down the mountain at an accelerated pace, careening around the curves as though they were straight road, Teal'c grabbed the door, stating, "We will not be able to avenge Colonel Carter if we do not make it to Pete Shanahan's residence O'Neill."

Glancing at his friend, Jack's lips pulled back over his teeth in an evil smile as he replied, "Did I ever tell you that I used to race stock cars when I was a teenager? No? Well, don't worry T... I've been driving these curves for eight years... They aren't going to be the end of me now."

"Indeed." Teal'c knew that his friend's emotions were at the boiling point, and he couldn't help but wonder what the man planned to do when he found the unlucky detective. On Chulak, he would have been within his rights to publicly execute the man for what he'd done to Colonel Carter. Unfortunately, they weren't on Chulak... More's the pity.

Relaxing as the hit the open road, heading for Denver, Teal'c could only hope that it did not take too long to find Pete Shanahan... Otherwise, there might not be anything left of Denver once O'Neill got through with it.

Putting on his best shit-eating grin, Jack straightened his dress coat and flashed his military ID at the sergeant behind the counter. Quickly explaining who he was and that he needed to advise Detective Pete Shanahan about an accident his girlfriend had been, he listened with a sinking heart as the older man informed him that Detective Shanahan hadn't reported for duty in the last two days. Thanking the man for his time, Jack stepped out into the afternoon sunshine and whipped out his cell phone.

"Griggman? O'Neill... Remember that favor you owe me… yeah, the big one. How'd you like to wipe it clean?" Hearing the other man's eager acceptance of the offer, Jack gave a dangerous smile and began, "I need all the information you can get me on one Peter Shanahan, a detective with the Denver police department... Yesterday Tom... I need it yesterday."

Flipping the phone off as he received the man's promise to call back in twenty minutes, Jack stalked to his truck where Teal'c sat waiting impatiently for him. Sliding into the large vehicle, he grinned, stating, "Shanahan might have thought he had high connections when his FBI buddy checked Sam out, but I can guarantee you that his connections don't even come close to scratching the bottom of mine."

"You have called in the marker then?" At the general's nod, Teal'c smiled, adding, "I often wondered if you would ever let the man forget what he owed you."

"Teal'c buddy, there wasn't a chance in hell of that." Pulling into the afternoon traffic, Jack laughed, adding, "When the Secretary of Defense owes you a favor, you never let him forget."

Two hours later, Jack and Teal'c stood before the dilapidated cabin in the mountains just outside Denver, disgust clearly written on their faces. Glancing at his friend, Jack snickered, "And he bragged about this place? God, it looks like something out of a horror film."

"I believe the movie was entitled, "Wrong Turn", O'Neill." Frowning in distaste, Teal'c added, "It appears that Shanahan's tastes are as bad as that movie."

"What have I told you about watching that crap T... It's going to rot your brain." Moving off around the side of the cabin, Jack peered into a dusty window, smiling as he spotted his quarry passed out on what had once been a sofa. Motioning for Teal'c to follow him, they ascertained that there was only the one window and door before moving back to the front of the dwelling.

With a solidly placed kick, Teal'c knocked the door from its hinges, causing the inebriated man to slide onto the floor in shock. Crossing his arms as the man stared blearily at him, Teal'c felt a moment of pleasure when he saw the fear in the man's eyes. Fear that grew as O'Neill stepped from behind him, a zat pointed at his head.

Tears of panic flooded Pete's eyes as he saw Sam's CO and teammate stalk into the cabin and he knew he was a dead man. He hadn't meant to hurt her, but when she'd told him it was over, he'd lost it. He'd known it was never going to work between them long before she ever did... How could he not, when every other word out of her mouth was General O'Neill? Placing his hands behind his head, he stated, "I surrender!"