Spoilers: major for Heroes 1 and 2, minor for Broca Divide, Meridian and Abyss . Season: 7
Content warnings: Jack's language…
Disclaimer:Stargate Sg-1 and its characters are the property of Stargate (II) Productions, Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author. This story may not be posted elsewhere without the consent of the author.
Author's notes: mostly written February 2004 to 31 May 2004. Revised 10 to 17 August 2004. Maybe this is a song fic too. Big thanks to GEM for the encouragement and comments.
"A crack in forever" by Roo
Part 1
Colonel Jack O'Neill began to come round as the medical team moved him from the gurney to the bed.
Feebly he tried to push their hands away from his chest. Hands were cutting off his clothes, the air suddenly cool over the fire that had ignited from his chest and back downwards. Pain was increasing steadily with each second now. Eyed screwed tightly shut, unable to contain himself he tried to roll over onto his side so that he could clutch at the beast in his belly. If he could just curl into the pain, it would go wouldn't it? The movement made his head pound, and he felt nauseous.
There was something round his neck constricting him, and he tried to get a grip on it to pull it off.
"Colonel O'Neill! Don't move! You've got a spine collar on! Let us do our job here." urged a male voice.
Hands gently unwrapped his clenched fists from his chest. Ports went in for IV fluids and blood was drawn for tests. He lay there panting, trying not to move so nothing could hurt and trying not to be sick from the pain in his head and the smell of singed cloth and something else.
"Stop fighting us, Colonel. You're okay, you're in the infirmary."
"Warner?" Jack asked, though he knew. The Doc was planet side with Daniel.
"Yes, Colonel."
Jack could hear activity going on in the room. God, how many others were hurt? he wondered worriedly as he was expertly disrobed, punctured, tested, and IV'd. He shut them out closing his eyes, trying to cope with the tiger. He could hear someone groaning and making distressed noises. It wasn't until a nurse lightly brushed his arm and Warner said "Easy Colonel, meds should kick in any second now. Then we need some x rays." that he realised it was him making the noise.
"Colonel, can you open your eyes for me please? I need to check for any head trauma."
"'m okay," mumbled Jack defiantly.
"Let me be the judge of that." Warner did not sound happy.
Jack reluctantly opened his eyes, only to slam them shut them a moment later as the penlight was flashed into them.
"Well, it looks okay, pupils equal and reactive. How do you feel Colonel? Any double vision, nausea?"
"Feel like I got run over! No and yes." replied Jack.
"Just stay still, sir." Hands expertly felt round his head. "There's a nasty contusion here, but the skin isn't broken."
There was a pause as the sheet now covering him was pulled off his feet.
"'Hmmm. Tell me if you can feel this Colonel."
"Ahh, yes"' panted Jack as something pointy was drawn up the soles of his bare feet, which jerked in reaction, making the back and chest pain flare again.
"Good. Good. That's one worry ruled out for now."
A warm fuzzy feeling slowly spread through him, relaxing his body at last. Dampening down the fires. His head was still thumping like a tambourine though.
"That's it, keep relaxed, and let us do the work. On three, roll him." ordered Warner. Once again hands gently but firmly moved him onto his side and propped him there.
"Colonel, I want you tell me if this hurts, at all." asked Warner as lightly probing fingers caused pain to ripple up and down Jack's back.
"That would be a yes, doctor!"
"Ok, chest and back series, head and spine just to be sure." Then he was moved onto his back again. Jack closed his eyes as he heard the x ray machine being rolled towards him, and ignored the clicks and whirs.
"Medical team to the Gate room!" announced the tannoy. Jack opened his eyes. He hoped it didn't mean anyone else was badly hurt. The machine was moved away again. He lay there painfully, trying to hang on until the medics returned.
Footsteps pounded, the wheels on the gurneys squeaking slightly. Babbling urgent voices came with them as they entered the Infirmary. Jack turned his head to track them as they went past. One he thought might be an Airman from SG13, bloody and bandaged. The other was small and still, and there were so many people working on the patient that he couldn't see who it was. Curtains whisked round each patient and he could see no more. There seemed to be an extra urgency and desperation. But Jack figured it must be Warner's happy juice wandering through his system.
The x ray developer beeped, and it was some minutes before a nurse appeared to retrieve the prints. Jack waited some more.
He must have dozed off for a while. Someone was gently tapping his arm.
"I'm sorry Colonel; I have to wake you to check your responses. I can't let you sleep too long after being knocked out." Dr Warner was back, looking tired and old.
"What's wrong?" Jack asked worried.
"You've got mild concussion. There's severe bruising to your chest and back and some bruised nerves, but no spine damage that we can detect so far, so we've taken the spine collar off now. You also have some first degree burns on your front." explained the doctor.
"No over there! What's happening? Tell me!"
"I'm dealing with you right now. You need to keep calm."
"Tell me, dammit, is it Daniel or Carter?" Jack shouted angrily and started to sit up. Monitors attached to him beeped fast and then shrilled, as he slumped back in agony. Dr Warner fiddled with the IV line.
Before the swirling blackness took him away he thought he heard Warner say "SG1 are fine."