THREE

Jack's legs were weak and barely able to hold up his body weight any longer, but Sam had sensed this coming and managed to open the passenger side of her little sports car before letting him slump into the seat. She drove steadily toward the base at a slightly higher speed than what was legal, but she was really worried about Jack. Her CO wasn't usually so compliant when he was injured or ill, and when it rarely happened it was because whatever was wrong with the Colonel was serious.

Upon arrival to the SGC, Sam immediately wished she'd thought of calling Janet beforehand. It was a hard task trying to get ahold of the doctor without alerting anyone else, and she had received very strange looks from other military personel while dragging her blanket-covered, and barely conscious CO down the corridors. Luckily she ran into Teal'c before going much further.

"Major Carter," he stopped in front of them, brows knit together while his gaze shifted to Jack. "Colonel O'Neill's condition seems to have worsened since the previous night." The Jaffa commented with a twinge of concern in his normally steady voice.

"I know Teal'c, I need to get him to the infirmary so Janet can take a look at him," Sam explained to the hulking form blocking the hallway.

He gave a slight nod. "I will assist you," Without saying anything further, Teal'c took the full burden of Jack's weight, lifting the man into his arms and cradling him as though he were a child. The Colonel didn't even bother protesting.

When the Jaffa turned and began marching off with the Colonel, Sam hurried after him to ensure that Jack was well taken care of, though there was no doubt in her mind that Teal'c could handle the task.

-

"Doctor Fraiser, I believe Colonel O'Neill requires your assistance," Teal'c announced flatly while striding into the infirmary and surprising Janet while she'd been organizing some medical supplies.

The doc's face went slack when she noticed the blanket-wrapped bundle of Jack O'Neill held carefully in the large Jaffa's arms. She called some nurses over and instructed Teal'c to set him down on a bed when Sam came over to explain. Janet immediately took in Jack's appearance; the sallow complexion and sweat-soaked skin. He looked as though he could barely move on his own. "Colonel," When he was laid down, she pressed her hand to Jack's forehead before waving at a nurse to get her a thermometer. Drawing a penlight from her white coat's pocket, she held one of the man's eyes open before shining it at his pupil.

"Hey," Jack flinched and weakly jerked his head to the side, trying to pull away. "Whas'sat for?" He moaned, squinting. For a little while his head had stopped pounding, but after that flash of light he was feeling it again. But atleast he wasn't nauseous. For the moment anyway.

Janet pressed her hand to his forehead again, trying to keep him still. "Colonel, look at me," she ordered, her voice firm, but worried.

"Ugh, lemme alone Doc," Jack grumbled irritably, feebly trying to pull away.

The doctor's gaze flashed between Teal'c and Sam. "Do you know how long he's been sick like this?"

Teal'c gave a brief shake of his head. "I am not sure. I was only informed last night by Major Carter while I was with Daniel Jackson."

"I stopped by his house last night," Sam admitted, slightly embarassed. However, she knew Janet was worried about her patient and not about to ask why Sam was going to visit her CO at night. "I found the Colonel passed out on the floor," She finished explaining softly. "When he woke he seemed alright, just a little tired and disoriented. Later he complained of a headache and had a fever. I let him sleep for awhile before trying to get him to go to his own bed."

Janet listened carefully while checking Jack's vitals and preparing some IV fluids.

"I stayed over to look after him once Daniel and Teal'c stopped by. During the night the Colonel was cold and shaking, and then this morning he was throwing up, sweaty, and weak, like he is now." Sam knew that saying her CO was weak right in front of him probably wasn't the best choice of words, but she had to tell Janet his symptoms and figured he wasn't paying much attention anyway. She also made sure to leave out the part that she'd spent the night in Jack's bed trying to keep him warm.

"Alright," Janet heaved a sigh, glancing at a few nurses. "Well, I'd like to get him out of these damp clothes," She ushered a reluctant Teal'c and Sam out of the infirmary. "You two out, I'll let you come back in when I've got the Colonel settled."

Teal'c stood ramrod straight for a moment after the doors to the infirmary were closed, effectively shutting them out. He seemed to frown briefly before looking to Sam. "I shall find Daniel Jackson and inform him about O'Neill," he announced, nodding slightly to her before stalking down the hall.

Sam nodded absently, but she wasn't paying much attention. Her blue eyes were still fixated on the infirmary door, the image of Jack's pale face imprinted in her mind. She hadn't realized she was crying until her vision began to blur with more tears. Sniffling, she wiped hastily at her dampened cheeks before walking away determinedly, deciding to stop by the locker room to take a shower and change quickly before she was able to see Jack.

-

Janet along with her nursing staff had all gotten Colonel O'Neill situated before allowing the rest of SG1 to come in and see him. Sam was the first to burst through the doors, followed by a worried-looking Daniel and a reserved, as always, Teal'c.

"How's he doing?" Daniel asked Dr. Fraiser immediately.

Sam went right beside the bed and took a seat in the swivel chair nearby. Her eyes were brimming with tears, but she tried her hardest not to let them fall. Gaze falling to Jack, she was saddened to see that he was unconscious.

"Well, so far I haven't been able to explain his ailments. The Colonel seems to be suffering from nausea, dizziness, fatique, headaches, fever, and the chills. I suspected the flu, though from what you described, these symptoms have come across much too quickly to be that." Janet sighed, her eyes trailing over Daniel, Sam, and Teal'c. "I'm concerned this is an illness not from Earth," she focused solely on Sam for a brief moment. "He wasn't showing any signs of sickness before you went through the gate?" Her brows furrowed.

Frowning, Sam shook her head and crossed her arms. She worriedly began chewing on her bottom lip. "No, he seemed fine."

Daniel nodded in agreement, while Teal'c did the same.

"And all of you feel alright?" Janet studied the team with a practiced doctorly gaze.

"My symbiote would protect me from contracting such an illness." Teal'c informed the small woman steadily with a brief nod.

"I'm feeling okay," Daniel responded quietly, attention shifting to his unconscious friend.

"Me too," Sam sighed with a nod.

"Hm," Janet looked down at the floor thoughtfully before her chin jerked up. "I don't know why nothing showed during his post-mission check-up. Is there anything the Colonel could have eaten on the planet that possibly effects us humans differently from the inhabitants of that world?"

Daniel was shaking his head, still watching Jack. His cheeks puffed out for a moment while he released a frustrated sigh. "We all ate the same things."

Smiling tightly with a nod, Janet moved around Teal'c and Daniel to better access Jack's IVs. She checked the fluids in the hanging bags briefly before her attention shifted to a nearby monitor and she lowered the volume so that the beeping would not disturb the sleeping Colonel. "I'll run some more tests, and I suppose we'll just have to keep a close eye on him to look for any changes in his condition." Dr. Fraiser put a hand on Sam's shoulder, smiling reassuringly at the woman. Janet could tell that the Major was very concerned about her CO, and it was apparent to her that it wasn't just because he was a teammate and an officer of higher rank. Sam was deeply worried, and Janet knew that she cared very much for Jack O'Neill.

-

Dr. Jackson had spent most of the day trying to convince General Hammond that a trip back to P2J-795 was necessary to gain samples from the planet so they'd be able to analyze the data and possibly find something that could have caused the Colonel's current illness. He was frantically going over everything that had happened during the mission in his head. Nothing particularly had stood out to suggest anything wrong. Daniel couldn't think of something Jack had maybe eaten that they hadn't. The team had been together most of the time, and they weren't on O'runak for long anyway.

Despite Janet's suggestion that Sam try and get some rest and head to the commissary for something to eat, the stubborn Major had refused and insisted upon staying by the Colonel's bedside. With a knowing sigh, Dr. Fraiser had given in, though she'd kindly asked Teal'c to bring Sam a tray of food. To her knowledge, the Jaffa had been keeping himself fairly busy, though after he went off for kel-no-reem, Teal'c was standing guard outside the infirmary for some reason. Janet could only guess that he felt he was serving the Colonel by being out there, alert for any signs of intruders. She almost found it amusing that he carefully scrutinized anyone wishing to enter the inifirmary aside from herself, General Hammond, Daniel, and Sam.

Sam's chin jerked up in attention when she heard a groan from Jack, and she found herself locked onto his hazy-looking deep brown eyes. He seemed uncomfortable, and a bit confused. "Colonel," Before she could say anything further, Sam watched his face seem to turn a greenish shade, and he lurched forward, searching for anything he could use to throw up in. Jumping to her feet quickly, the Major found what was commonly referred to as a "barf bucket", then grasped for the container before thrusting it out toward her commanding officer.

Sam winced as Jack expelled more than a mouthful of bile before dry heaving for what seemed like forever. Although she was feeling a strong urge to look away, she remained in place, holding the basin out for him while he placed a shaking hand to hers. When he managed to stop vomiting, Jack slumped forward breathlessly with a groan. Sam had set the bucket down and began to gently rub his back in slow, soothing circles. She noticed that he was now dressed in a pair of medical scrubs instead of the sweat-dampened clothes he'd had on when she brought him in.

"Are you alright Sir?" she asked him gently, brows furrowed.

Jack simply groaned before flopping back on his pillows, eyes closed.

Janet was soon making her way back in the room to check up on her patient when she noticed he was moving slightly, clearly awake. She also noted the distressed look upon Sam's face, then her eyes dropped slightly and she found the offending "barf bucket" on the floor beside the bed. "What happened?"

"He was awake and then...he threw up," Sam explained quietly, eyes glistening worriedly while she looked over at Janet.

The doctor studied Jack, placing a hand lightly to his forehead. As she drew back with a faint sigh, Janet frowned while her patient began shivering, his teeth chattering noisily. She waved at an incoming nurse that had managed to get past Teal'c. "I need some extra blankets over here. Please,"

Sam sat herself down beside the bed and took Jack's hand while looking to Dr. Fraiser. "Janet, he was like this early this morning. I found him throwing up, and then he was shivering and sweating."

Janet thanked the nurse while she handed her some blankets, then draped them over the Colonel and reached for a nearby thermometer that she'd used earlier. "I'll check the Colonel's temperature again. He had a low-grade fever before, but it had gone down hours ago. It seems like it's gone back up now though." She frowned with a faint, frustrated sigh.

Teal'c entered the room to see Dr. Fraiser and Major Carter hovering about Colonel O'Neill. He approached slowly, stopping just at the foot of the bed.

For a few short minutes, it seemed that Jack was asleep, but then he abruptly threw his hands up to his forehead. "Can I get somethin' for this headache Doc?" He grumbled hoarsely, gaining the attention of those in the room.

Sam's eyes flew down to him, and she smiled faintly. He sounded a bit irritable, but she understood, and Dr. Fraiser did as well.

"Of course Colonel," Janet told him gently, touching his shoulder and asking a nurse to get him something while she took his temperature. She lightly pried his hands from his forehead enough to stick the thermometer in his mouth.

Teal'c cocked his head to the side as a disgruntled look spread across Jack's face. His attention was drawn to the door however, when Daniel Jackson made his way in the room.

Daniel's eyes traveled to his teammates and Dr. Fraiser that were all surrounding Jack. His brows furrowed faintly. "How's he doing?"

Janet sighed, glancing over at Dr. Jackson. "Could be better," she told him with a faint smile.

"Ya think?" Jack muttered around the digital thermometer in his mouth, hands still pressed to his forehead.

With a friendly smile, Sam patted Daniel's shoulder and whispered, "He's pretty grouchy at the moment too," She gave a worried frown upon noticing Janet's expression as the doctor drew the thermometer from her patient's mouth.

"Hmph. Yeh, I can tell," Daniel muttered in return, brows raising and falling briefly.

Sam was watching Janet intently, expecting her to announce the Colonel's temperature.

Seeing the Major's urgency to know what she herself had just learned, Janet spoke aloud. "He's running a mild fever of 102.3," She said solemnly with a faint sigh of frustration. "If the Colonel's temperature rises too drastically he could go into convulsions. I'll need to closely monitor him for the next few hours or so," Janet spoke around the room.

Jack didn't seem to be paying much attention. He merely tried to concentrate on not having a headache while the drugs he'd been given by the nurse worked their way into his system to do some magic. It wasn't long before he was drifting off again, and within moments was snoring softly.

Smiling upon seeing her patient finally getting some rest, Janet began ushering everyone out except Sam, whom she knew would not be leaving unless it was of her own accord. The doctor stopped in the doorway as Teal'c and Daniel left reluctantly, then turned and strode back toward Jack's bed. "Sam? You gonna be okay?"

The Major nodded absently. "Yeh," Her blue eyes were fixated on the Colonel while she sought to get the doctor's attention off herself. "I'm pretty sure he hasn't eaten anything since we were on the planet."

"I'll try and get him to eat a little when he wakes," Janet assured her gently. "Now Sam, how about you get yourself something, hm?"

Sam sighed and chewed her lower lip, trying to ignore the persistant rumbling of her stomach. She looked to the side as a hand settled on her shoulder gently, and Janet was giving her a kind, understanding smile.

"It's okay Sam, I'll bring you a tray," Janet patted her shoulder and turned, leaving the Major to sit with her beloved Colonel.

-

Blurring visions swept past half-closed lids while Jack fought for complete consciousness. His hazy stare was met by the smiling face of a blue-eyed, blonde-haired Airforce Major who seemed practically overjoyed to see that he was awake. Still struggling to focus, Jack blinked a few times, his eyes having a hard time adjusting to the lighting, though it was somewhat dim. He absently wondered what time of day it was. "Hey, Carter," he croaked slowly.

She flashed him a brilliant smile with watery, red-rimmed eyes that proved she'd been crying. "Hi yourself, Sir," Sam looked him over, noticing Jack's hair was matted down with sweat. Without thinking, she reached out and smoothed back his greyed hair. She abruptly pulled away when she heard the door open and Janet made her way into the infirmary.

Janet brought with her a tray of food. There was a plate of lasagna for Sam, and a bowl of chicken soup for Jack. She smiled gently while setting the tray down on a nearby table and looking over at her patient. "Colonel, now that you're up I'd like you to try and eat something."

Groaning, Jack made a face. Just thinking of food reminded him of the nausea he'd suffered a few times already, and his throat fell too raw at the moment for him to begin hurling again. "Not hungry Doc," he moaned, knowing very well that she'd make him eat anyway.

"Just a little soup Colonel, please," Janet urged, pressing the remote for the bed so that the back slowly rose, forcing Jack to sit up. She suppressed a frown. He looked miserable.

Sam got up from her constant spot beside the Colonel to stretch a little. She wandered around the bed and picked up the plate of lasagna while Janet held the soup out to Jack. Smiling faintly, she took her food and utensils before wandering toward another bed where she began eating.

Jack had a look of disgust on his face while Janet rose the spoon from the bowl. He frowned, then rose an arm weakly and took the utensil from her hand, not willing to sit there and be fed like some sort of invalid. "I'm not paralyzed," he murmured sarcastically with both brows up. As Janet rolled her eyes at him, Jack smirked, then reluctantly slurped up some soup. He had to admit that he felt much better than he had been earlier, but was still feeling rather lousy.

Noticing the Colonel's hand begin to shake when he'd eaten nearly half the small bowl, Janet was about to help him when he dropped the spoon into the remaining soup and sighed heavily, facing her. She smiled sympathetically.

"Don't got much of an appetite," he told her quietly.

Sam looked over as Janet took the bowl from Jack and set it back down on the nearby tray. She was just finishing up her own meal. Her eyes traveled about the room distractedly while Dr. Fraiser retrieved a thermometer and shoved it in Jack's mouth to check his temperature.

Glaring weakly, Jack crossed his arms over his chest while he waited impatiently. It seemed to take forever before the little 'beep' of the digital thermometer sounded, and Janet was taking it out of his mouth. He rose a bushy eyebrow in question, waiting for her to say if his fever had gone up again.

"Your temperature is still around 102. Atleast it hasn't gone up. That's a good sign," Janet said confidently. Tilting her head to the side, she studied Jack carefully while he attempted to get more comfortable, fiddling with the buttons on the bed's remote so he could lay flat. "How's your headache Colonel?"

"Fine," he said plainly without elaborating further. Jack blinked a few times before curling up on his side, careful with the IVs in his arm.

"Alright," Janet gave a small smile then glanced past the Colonel's bed to the bed where Sam had seated herself. "Well, I'll let you rest now." She looked back toward Sam, slightly tilting her head to the side and waving her over. "Major, could I speak with you a moment outside?"

Sam looked up, brows furrowed almost worriedly. "Uh, yeh. Sure." She slid off the bed she'd been sitting on and slowly followed after Janet. Once outside, she stared at the doctor in question. "Something the matter Janet? Is the Colonel alright?"

"No, no," Janet shook her head, waving a hand as if to ease Sam's worries. "Jack's fine for the moment. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Me?" Sam shot Dr. Fraiser a quizzical look. "I'm okay. I was just, you know, worried...about the Colonel and everything."

"I understand." Janet nodded with a knowing smile. She reached out and laid a friendly hand on Major Carter's shoulder. "Maybe I was wrong, you know, about him being ill because of something on that planet you visited. He seems to be doing better. It could have just been some kind of twenty-four hour bug." The doctor explained confidently, continuing to smile warmly. "The test results didn't show anything unusual. The Colonel's blood sugar was a little low, but nothing to worry about. I'm sure it's because he hasn't eaten in awhile."

With a nod, Sam managed a faint smile, but something in her gut was telling her that she shouldn't stop worrying about her favored CO just yet. She leaned to the side, glancing back into the infirmary. "He seems pretty tired,"

Janet just kept her eyes locked with Sam, expression unwavering. "Sometimes when you've got just a little virus, like a twenty-four-hour bug, it takes alot out of you. I won't be surprised if he's feeling completely better by morning."

Sam returned to the infirmary to find that Jack was still sleeping, seemingly peacefully. With a faint smile, she did a quick scan of the room to make sure no one was around, then moved close to the bed and tugged up the blankets to keep the Colonel snug and warm. She yawned tiredly, not having realized she was so exhausted until that moment. Heading toward the vacant bed besides Jack's, Sam sat down for a moment and watched him pensively for a while before laying on her side and nodding off.

-