Here is the last part of the story. Thanks for sticking with it all the way, and thanks again for the reviews.
Darth Tater - I'm confused. You do realise that you are talking to 2 people here? Me (Flatkatsi) Jackie's beta and fic poster, who is definately a non S/J shipper, and Jackie, the writer of these fics, as well as the other two you mentioned, who is so much a S/J writer that I have to cut lots and lots of gooey loovey doovey stuff out of her stories before I let her finish them. You do know that, right? So ya back!
Zeilfanaat - I wasn't putting myself down. I personally like my stories, or I wouldn't write them. What I was commenting on was the fact that most of you will only read S/J centered fic and therefore miss out on a lot of other good stuff. Thanks for saying you like them. It's nice to know at least some of Jackie's readers read my work as well.
I'll start posting another of Jackie's stories soon, after I check which one she wants me to do. It may be a few weeks though as I really have to concentrate on the long fic I'm writing, plus my series. Don't worry - I won't make you wait too long.
Flatkatsi
Soldiers of Misfortune – part 26
Daniel and Sam watched in shock as Janet's repeated attempts to bring the Colonel back showed no result, but the Doctor wasn't going to let him escape that easily. She called for a larger dose of epinephrine and upped the output on the defibrillator, before shouting clear once more.
They all watched in agony as the Colonel's body jerked in response and the seconds ticked by excruciatingly slowly. They watched, horrified, as the medical staff worked over him, until finally one of the nurses called out she had a pulse.
"Okay, we've got him back. Let's get him stabilized then we can see to the bleeding." Janet caught sight of Daniel and Sam by the door and gave them a flash of a smile before ordering them out.
As soon as the door closed behind them, Sam's knees folded and she slid down the wall to sit on the floor. Daniel quickly joined her, his pale face looking to her for what? … reassurance?
"Oh God, I thought he was … it was an act!" he cried, snatching his glasses off and dangling them in one hand while rubbing at his eyes furiously with the other.
Sam shook her head mutely. How could she have not noticed … how could she have ignored his pleas for help when he really needed them?
"Christ – he almost died because I …" continued Daniel, his voice muffled as he drew his knees up and sank his head onto them in despair.
"Us, Daniel …" whispered Sam as she put a hand out to squeeze his arm. "Us … I did the same. He … how could I do that? Is this what we've become?"
"No," said Teal'c's voice from above them, making them both jump slightly before looking up to see their friend towering over them. To Sam's immense surprise the Jaffa moved opposite them and slid down the wall to mirror their own positions as he faced them. "How could you have known?" he continued.
"Teal'c, I …"
"We …" amended Sam and continued, "stood and watched him and let him die. We did nothing."
"O'Neill is not dead."
"That's beside the point. We …"
"No, Daniel Jackson, that is the point. The journey O'Neill travels will be pitted with falls and diversions. How can you expect to know his path as it changes?"
"We are supposed to know Jack. We're supposed to be friends … and yet we don't seem to know the difference between him pleading for help and …"
"And setting a trap?" finished Teal'c. "You are not meant to. O'Neill is a consummate warrior and if you see a trap coming then, O'Neill will be whipping a deceased equine."
Sam looked at Daniel, who in turn glanced at her before frowning at Teal'c.
"Jack's right – you do do that on purpose," he stated.
"You must believe what you believe, Daniel Jackson, as does O'Neill," said Teal'c with almost a glimmer of a smile on his lips.
Sam frowned, and then shook her head. "I appreciate what you're saying Teal'c but the fact is …"
"The fact Major Carter, is that O'Neill's condition means he is not choosing his path, so we can expect many diversions until he returns to us." And with that the massive Jaffa rose gracefully from the floor and brushed himself down before taking a stance once more to wait to enter O'Neill's room.
Sam digested her friend's words, and whilst she still didn't like what she had done, it helped her come to terms with it. She gave Daniel an askew glance and he shrugged at her. Replacing his glasses he hauled himself to his feet and held a hand down to her. She grasped it, holding it for a second before using it to get to her feet.
They stood together quietly, their dilemmas and irrational thoughts tucked away for the time being as they basked in the gentle support of each other.
xoxoxoxoxo
Eventually Lt. McPhee came out to speak to them. She informed them they had stabilized the Colonel, but that the Doctor would like them to wait in her office and she would join them as soon as she could.
It wasn't long before they were joined by a weary General. His eyes at once lit on Daniel's bruised and battered face. "Are you all right, Doctor Jackson?" he asked quietly.
"I'm fine Sir … I err, well I forgot what a great actor Jack can be," he said, giving a small smile and a shrug.
The General nodded, a glimmer of a smile lighting his face. "At times son, so do I. He would have made a great living in the movies. Sometimes I wonder who got the better deal … us or Hollywood."
Teal'c looked for an explanation of that remark and when it wasn't forthcoming he squared his shoulders and stored it away to ask O'Neill when he was better. O'Neill was much better and usually had much patience with him on questions like this. He was of course just a little suspicious that he did not always get the appropriate response from the man – but that just made life more interesting.
"If it makes you feel any better, Doctor Jackson, he has me guessing on a daily basis," continued General Hammond dryly.
Sam let a smile form on her face and sat up a little straighter. Her eyes told the General she appreciated what he was doing.
"Yup, if the Colonel was a one-horse race, he would still throw up a surprise before the finish line." The General smiled at them as he spoke, his eyes crinkling with humor.
Teal'c cocked his head in puzzlement, but was forestalled from commenting by the timely appearance of Janet Fraiser.
xoxoxoxoxo
Janet hesitated at the doorway when everyone turned to her expectantly, then she took a deep breath and gathered her thoughts as she made her way over to her desk. She acknowledged the General with a respectful nod and as he returned it, sank down into her chair.
Noise sprang at her as everyone began speaking at once. Although their questions were phrased differently, it was basically the same question – one the did her best to answer.
"The Colonel is stable for now. One of his broken ribs has penetrated a lung and although the bleeding is minimal as yet, it's given us some concern. I can't operate with him awake and I can't give him anything." She paused and swallowed harshly as the profound silence from around her became almost overwhelming.
She continued. "I've inserted a chest drain and deflated the lung. I'm hoping this and the manipulation of the rib will allow it to heal. Failing that I will have to give him more of the painkiller and he'll be back to square one. I know …" she held her hand up as Daniel opened his mouth to interrupt, "that is something we need to avoid, especially as the dose to actually put him out and keep him out for an operation would be large and in itself life threatening in his current condition. He's also sustained a broken wrist in his struggles and we've managed to set that. We've adjusted the restraints the best we could and tried to make him more comfortable, but that's all we can do for now." Janet slumped back slightly as she finished speaking. The horrors of restraining an injured man and being unable to relieve his pain in any way would haunt her for a very long time. She just hoped the Colonel's recovery would help her get over it – if he did recover …
General Hammond cleared his throat before speaking. "Thank you, Doctor Fraiser. I know this isn't easy, but I also know it is necessary if we want our Colonel back."
The General's words moved each of them, for different reasons perhaps, but essentially because they all cared deeply for the Colonel, and the thought of not getting him back was unacceptable.
xoxoxoxoxo
The silence was only broken by Jack's harsh breathing as he struggled to breathe with only one functioning lung. He drifted in and out of consciousness; his soft panted moans as he drifted harsh on their nerves, nerves that jangled each time it seemed he would wake.
Janet set up a slow transfusion to ensure the small blood loss would be replaced and Daniel found himself concentrating on the slow drip that fed the tube. It was better than watching the pain on his friend's face, and made the waiting just a little more bearable as he fought to take his mind elsewhere.
Once they felt reassured a little by Jack's continuing stability, they began to re-organize themselves back into shifts. Teal'c insisting on taking the first and he resolutely planted himself at the foot of the bed, daring Sam or Daniel to object. They didn't, and forced themselves to retire to eat and sleep … or try to.
xoxoxoxoxo
Hours dragged by into days and gradually Jack became aware of another plane of existence to the darkness. The pain-filled fog tried to drag him back again, but this time it wasn't as binding and the blurred dark figure standing over him revealed itself to him.
"Te …l'c," he whispered as the fuzzy image became just slightly sharper.
"It is I, my friend. Rest."
The mists pitched and rolled … enveloping him once more … dragging him, torturing him with pain and nightmares … his senses reeling – drowning him.
xoxoxoxoxo
Teal'c settled his stance once more. The night would be long, but for O'Neill, the journey longer still.
xoxoxoxoxo
Daniel entered the room quietly. It was still very early, but he was unable to rest any longer and had decided to relieve Teal'c.
Jack was struggling against his restraints, his body's weakness evident, his features contorted with pain, his breathing harsh and uneven. Teal'c was standing, gently bathing Jack's face with a cloth, trying to give some measure of comfort.
"He is very restless. His pain is still great."
Daniel nodded wordlessly as he came closer, surprised when Jack opened his eyes to regard him blearily. What gave him hope was the lack of coldness as his friend struggled to focus.
"Hey, Jack," whispered Daniel, allowing a small smile to grace his face.
Jack regarded him solemnly and Daniel knew it was Jack, his friend Jack, looking at him. That look buoyed Daniel immensely, giving him hope and the resolve to continue.
The days were long and Janet continued to come in and out frequently. Her face was pale and she looked exhausted, the dark shadows under her eyes standing out.
Back on yet another marathon sitting with his friend, Daniel watched from his chair, his feet propped against the lower part of the bed's metal frame, his eyes almost closing as Janet checked Jack and the readings.
"Doc?" croaked Jack, moving his head towards her. Daniel sat up, his feet falling to the floor, all thoughts of sleep vanishing as he watched intently.
"Colonel," said Janet softly. Her expression changed as she regarded him closely.
"Hurts …" he whispered weakly.
"I know, sir, I know," Janet whispered back. She gently touched his shoulder, her fingers barely tracing his skin. "Just hang on in there, please."
Jack's eyes closed and he nodded weakly.
Janet turned to Daniel, her eyes lit with unshed tears and she offered him a hopeful smile, before resuming her checks and before quietly leaving the room.
xoxoxoxoxo
Janet retired to her office and locked the door behind her with a snap, before giving way to a rush of emotion. She sobbed helplessly across her desk, giving herself a much needed release.
xoxoxoxoxo
Sam felt hopeful. She had sat with Jack for several hours and he had wakened and turned to her, regarding her blearily, with no signs of his previous behavior. He was quiet and, although a little restless, Janet had indeed confirmed he was at last perhaps coming to the light at the end of the tunnel as the drug was steadily declining in his system.
She wet the cloth in the cool water and gently bathed his face. The fear she had of touching him in case it sparked an adverse reaction was mostly gone, and the slight tremble in her fingers was mostly down to nervous exhaustion. He turned his face to the comfort of the cloth and sighed, taking her by surprise.
"Jack?" she whispered. When he opened his eyes she lowered the cloth from his face.
"Car…ter?" he panted at her, still struggling with his breathing, and her own chest heaved with an extra deep breath for him.
"Hi," she whispered back, suddenly feeling a little shy and awkward.
"Hey," he answered, also in a whisper. He regarded her face solemnly, his expression puzzled.
Sam smiled at him. The relief was so apparent in her face that it caused Jack to frown slightly. "Guess things were a little rough?" He indicated the restraints with a slight nod and a movement of his good wrist.
"You could say that Sir," she replied gently.
Jack looked as though he might say something else, but the sound of the door opening interrupted him.
Daniel came into the room and stood beside Sam, looking down at him until Jack squinted up and demanded, "What?"
"You're … you're awake!" cried an enthusiastic Daniel as he moved to the bed.
Jack gave Daniel a smile. "Ya think?" The talking seemed to tire him, eyes began to close, and before long he was sleeping.
Daniel stood watching, his face lit with a goofy smile.
Sam squeezed Daniel's arm gently, tugging it to get him out of the room. She laughed. "If he wakes up and you're standing over him smiling at him like that he'll get worried."
"Uh? Oh! Sorry," he apologized, as he realized what she meant. "It's just the relief … I …"
"Don't be sorry. What you did was to believe in him and that means a lot to Jack. That's what a good friend is … does for you. I, on the other hand, thought I'd lost him and I was mourning him even though he wasn't dead."
"Shush. We all did what we could," said Daniel, a little awkwardly.
"If you hadn't seen and spoken up we could have lost him. He could be in a padded cell right now and there wouldn't have been a damn thing we could do. You stood up for what you believed, and I know that isn't easy. I didn't want to believe it at first either."
"That's because you were frightened to hope."
Sam cocked her head a little to the side and regarded him solemnly. She chewed her lower lip as she digested what he said.
"What's next? I mean you are in love with each other?" asked Daniel quietly.
"Well, that largely depends on what Jack wants, but…"
"No buts, Sam. Life's too short. You're good for him, good for each other. Go for it!"
Sam smiled and nodded, a twinkle of light appearing once again in her eyes, and Daniel could see the love that shone in them. He just hoped things would work out for his friends. They deserved it.
xoxoxoxoxo
Sam stretched restlessly and pulled her chair closer to the bed. She reached tentatively for Jack's hand, gently winding her fingers through his. He stirred softly, sighing and murmuring her name.
She leaned even closer. "Jack?"
His eyes flickered open to regard her solemnly. His hesitant expression troubled her for a fleeting moment, before remembering just how confused he would be after everything that had happened.
"It's okay," she whispered comfortingly. The smile that lit her face seemed to reassure him. His dark eyes gazing into hers showed warmth and her heart expanded just a little more in its all encompassing love.
"Everything's going to be fine Jack, everything." She squeezed his fingers lovingly, allowing her heart to show itself, allowing her buried emotions to come to the fore. She had no doubt at all that he understood, his soul lighting his eyes, the liquid brown accepting all she offered. The warmth and love was reflected back at her and although she knew many battles had yet to be fought – they would face them together…
The End
Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed it.