WOW! I can't believe it has been so long since I updated. I really do apologise for keeping you all waiting. My muse decided to take another hike, and then I was away for a few days without access to a computer. But I'm back now and hope to have another chapter up and running again soon.

No more news on getting my daughter's tests results as yet. I think they have settled for complacency and I'll need to remind them we're still waiting!

Anyway, I won't keep you from this chapter any longer. Hope you enjoy this...and thank you so much for all those great reviews. I'm still amazed by your comments and support! Thanks!

Censure.

By LetitiaRichards

Previously:-

"Yes sir, thank you sir. Right now I could use a little help with the translations."

"Take all the personnel you need Doctor. Dismissed."

Chapter 9

Sam fairly flew all the way to the infirmary.

She'd had a phone call from Janet to say that Jack was awake now. She poked her head round the door and saw that although he was alone, he appeared to be sleeping again. Approaching the bed quietly, she took her place beside him, sinking onto the hard plastic chair. It creaked a little as she sat down and sleepy brown eyes opened to meet with hers.

"Carter," he sighed.

"Sir! Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. How are you feeling?"

"You really wanna know?" he mumbled, half asleep.

"That bad huh?"

His lazy smile was infectious.

"So, what's new?" he asked, despite his tiredness.

Janet chose that point in time to enter the room too, cutting off Sam's answer. She closed in on her patient and took his wrist in her fingers, checking his pulse.

"You should get some sleep Colonel. Don't fight the tranquiliser I gave you."

"I just woke up Doc!" he tried to complain, but Sam knew there wasn't much energy left in him to really argue, besides which he wasn't supposed to get upset.

Janet cast a quick look over his recumbent form towards her friend.

"No more questions sir," Janet ordered. "Sleep! It's the best thing for you right now sir. Daniel's still working on finding how to go about reversing this, but in the mean time I want you to forget everything else and just relax."

He sighed and nodded, only vaguely understanding what was happening to him. Janet had done her best to explain it, but he wasn't really with it at the time. Not that he was any more alert now, but he just couldn't be bothered with anything, let alone argue with anyone. The Doc had got him so doped up to the gills that everything was a little hazy.

"Fine, whatever!" he said finally giving in to her wishes.

She smiled and with a warning frown at Sam to let him sleep, she left them to it.

"Go to sleep Jack. Get some rest!" she said, sliding her hand round his, giving it a little squeeze. "I'll stay here with you for as long as I can."

"Promise?" he asked, closing his eyes only when she nodded. "Thanks! Love you," he added, relaxing back into dreamless sleep.

Sam watched him drift away, and couldn't help the tears that sprang up now. He was so weak and vulnerable like this, that she found it hard to hold back on her emotions How much more could he take?

OoOoOoOoO

Janet kept Jack so drugged up that he hadn't even the energy to argue, or get tetchy with anyone or about anything, which was just fine for now. The alien device had stopped growing, though the pressure inside his head was still giving her cause for concern. He was wired up to every monitor that Janet needed to keep a close eye on his progress.

It was several days later when Daniel burst into Hammond's office, his face alight with that 'Eureka' moment, though it was still lined with doubt and worry for his friend. He'd been feeling a little put out that Thor hadn't yet turned up to help Jack out, after all, Jack was meant to be a link to their past and to Earth's future. So where was the little grey guy?

"Dr. Jackson?"

"I think I found the answer..." he gasped out excitedly though hesitantly.

"Do I sense a 'But' in there Doctor?"

Daniel hesitated and looked down at his boots before drawing in a huge sigh.

"Yes sir, you do."

"And just why is that?"

"I figure that we need to take Jack back to that building in order to put right the problem," he said quickly, looking nervous as he spoke.

Hammond picked up on it right away, but, taking Jack out of medical care and through the Stargate would be a risky affair, surely, especially in his present condition.

"I'm not sure that Dr. Fraiser will allow that son. Colonel O'Neil is a very sick man at the moment. If you took him off-world that could pose a potentially greater risk of him dying than there is stuck in the infirmary. I need to know more of the details Doctor. I think we need to call the rest of SG-1 and Doctor Fraiser in on this. I'm sorry, but it's her call son. We'll meet back here in one hour!"

Daniel tried not to look too disappointed but his heart sank beneath the waves of despair. He would have to make his case for this so positive that they would be left in no doubt about it curing Jack. He nodded his acquiescence, then left the room to better prepare his notes.

OoOoOoOoO

"...And we haven't even heard from the Asgard yet General," Daniel sighed. All he wanted to do was give Jack a chance at being cured and the General was putting every imaginable obstacle in his path without fail. "I believe it's Jack's only chance sir. We have to do something or we could lose him anyway. What have we got to lose? What does Jack have to lose? Only his life! If we don't do this, and he dies, I'll never be able to live with that. I don't know about you, but, Jack is my friend. And you've said yourself that he's a damn good officer. One I am sure you don't want to lose. We have to give him this chance General. Please!" Daniel knew he was whining, but someone had to fight for Jack.

"Dr. Fraiser? What do you think, as Colonel O'Neill's physician?" Hammond asked again, further frustrating Daniel.

"I have to say sir, that I'm not sure that the Colonel could survive a trip through the wormhole."

Daniel sighed, rubbing his hands over his face, pushing his glasses up to rub his eyes.

"but," Janet continued, startling him from his misery, "on the other hand, I have to agree with Dr. Jackson. It is perhaps a slim chance of survival for the Colonel, but one which could prove beneficial. As Daniel says sir...'What has the Colonel got to lose?'"

Janet looked across at Daniel with a shrug and a small smile. As things were, Jack wasn't going to survive. She couldn't keep him drugged up for the rest of his life, could she now?

Daniel returned the smile and looked eagerly towards the General for consent and almost crowed along with Sam when the General nodded thoughtfully.

"Very well people. SG-1 prepare to return the Colonel to PZ4 295. You leave in two hours at 14:30 hrs."

"Yes sir!" Daniel and Sam snapped off smartly.

Sam was so happy to be doing something practical to help Jack at last, that she could have hugged Janet there and then, and only the General's presence prevented her from doing so. She hurried to the infirmary to tell Jack, if he was awake that was!

OoOoOoOoO

Janet took her time with the preparations. She had injected Jack with something to get him on his feet again, hoping that it would give him enough strength to get him to the planet without incident. She knew that the others would have to help him. Teal'c could even carry him if necessary, but knowing the Colonel as she did, he would prefer to go through on his own two feet. That said, Teal'c appeared with a wheelchair not five minutes later, followed by the rest of the team, ready to leave.

She unhooked Jack from the paraphernalia and settled his shaky form into the chair.

Jack knew he couldn't allow himself to hope for too much, and wouldn't let himself get worked up. He still had enough of the drugs in his system to keep him from thinking too much too. He accepted their help, and even smiled up at Sam as she knelt by his side once he was settled comfortably in the wheelchair.

Sam took his hands in hers while Daniel kept watch at the door and Teal'c engaged Janet in a quiet conversation behind them, receiving last minute instructions from Janet about what to do if he got worse. She handed him a small pouch containing specific medication if it was needed.

"Jack, I don't know if this is going to work or not, but I want you to know we're trying our best for you. Hang in there please, because we need you...I need you. I love you Jack and I don't want to lose you." She looked up into his face. There was a single tear running from the corner of his eye to match hers. She smiled and brushed it away, as he did the same in a mirroring action. She leant forward and they kissed, chastely as she held his cheek in her palm.

"We'd best get going," she sighed, sniffing back her tears and standing up. She gave his hand one more squeeze before turning back into professional mode again, and led them from the room.

They pushed Jack to the gate-room amid fond greetings and good luck from everyone they passed. The whole of the SGC would be waiting with bated breath and fingers crossed that Jack would be cured.

The door slid back to reveal the shimmering blue light of the open wormhole. General Hammond met them at the ramp. Teal'c and Daniel both helped Jack to stand.

"Good luck son. I hope you find what you need among the ruins," Hammond stated with a wry smile. He shook Jack's hand and nodded for them to go ahead.

With great dignity, Jack straightened as much as he could, slung between his team-mates and walked towards the vertical puddle of water like matter. He paused and turned to take a look round and gave a crisp salute to General Hammond before relying on his 'kids' to take him through. All four abreast of each other.

The wormhole snapped off shortly afterwards, but Hammond stared at the idle gate for a long time afterwards, wondering if he had done the right thing. He hoped to god he hadn't sentenced his young friend to death.

TBC