Ice Lessons 5

The two other occupants in the pen looked at Jack, he stared back. He could not believe this - it felt like some cheesy TV adventure series. Damn, he had no duct tape handy, although he might have a stick of gum somewhere…

The cavalry has obviously stopped off to completely re-shoe themselves he thought to himself.

"What'cha in for?"

A young man in his mid twenties, jeans slung low on bony hips, black T shirt with faded lettering claiming 'it wasn't me, the aliens made me do it!' appeared in front of him. He was shuffling his feet, nervously swinging his arms. The third man, closest to the old man asleep on the bench, turned his cap round and leaned against the wall to watch Jack and the youngster.

"Excuse me?" said Jack distractedly

"The cops do that to you? That's brutal man."

"No, someone else."

"So, what you in for?" repeated the skinny guy.

"Helping with enquiries."

They could hear police officers talking in the corridor.

"You hear the news? They're bringing some guy in for those attacks on the girls in town."

"Where'd ya hear that?"

"Upstairs- the cops are rushing around like crazy."

"We got a new one in the pen I see- that him?"

"Maybe. Time flies down here when you're having fun."

The awake occupants of the cell turned to look again at Jack.

"They talking about you?" asked the twitchy young man

"No."

"Well they were looking for some one like you I seem to remember." said the man. His grimy face peered at Jack intently.

"Well, maybe they got the wrong guy. How about you?"

"Nothin'. I'm waiting for them to let me go. I didn't do anything either. Any minute now. You'll see." His eyes skittered across the pen to the locked gate.

"Right. I'm waiting to go too."

"Don't distract me. Don't talk to me like I'm nothing. I see how you look at me."

"Ok just calm down then."

"Don't talk to me like that- you pervert."

"What did you just call me?"

They were both yelling now. This awoke the old man. Startled he slid off the bench. The guy in the cap went to help him up, Jack glanced over as well. The young man who was needling him was hyper alert and saw his chance with Jack.

Suddenly strong wiry hands were around Jack's throat, shoving him back against the wall. His head thudded hard, hitting the already tender spot from earlier. Black dots danced in front of his eyes.

Using his right hand he punched at the man, but the grip only lessened slightly. His hand moved to the one around his throat and tried to pry it off, he kicked but the youngster had superhuman strength. In the tussle Jack toppled sideways onto the bench.

He couldn't breathe – it felt like his throat was being crushed - it was all going black. The pressure suddenly went, and he struggled to breathe. can't blow the bugle to tell the cavalry where I am he thought.

Shouting was heard in the background, one voice sounded familiar

"Get this door open now! Get an ambulance."

"That's not nice, people tell me off, so I'm going to make things right. Yeah, get it right- they think I'm nothing. Gonna do something right."

Jack dimly heard the man rambling on and on. Suddenly hands grabbed his head and hit it against the bench. Agony spiked through his abused skull. He lay there, gasping.

Then hands pressed over his mouth and throat. He struggled to breathe again, his heart hammering away, chest heaving, wrist pulsing with pain, head exploding with effort as he tried again to push the person away. The cell door clanged open. He fell to the floor as his assailant was dragged off. He lay there listening to the scuffling and shouting carried on as the man was taken away.

Polished shoes stopped and knelt down and a familiar blue uniform reached out to him

"Colonel? Quickly Doctor Frasier, he can't breathe!"

"Colonel? Stay with me here. Colonel? Where's that ambulance?" said another voice.

He slid off into the waiting dark.

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Awareness stole upon Jack slowly and he drifted with it, not wondering where he was or anything. He just…was. He went back to sleep.

The next time he surfaced he could make out beeping noises and sensed he was lying on a bed. Trying to concentrate on things made his head hurt badly. He swallowed, and realized that there was something in his throat. He struggled to move and breathe, his hands wildly grabbing for his throat. One hand didn't seem to grip very well.

Now other hands were stopping him, alarms shrilled in the background as he weakly tried to fight them off.

"Jack! It's ok, you're ok, and we're ok."

"Colonel! Calm down that tube in your throat is helping you to breathe. It's staying in. I'm sorry I'm going to have to sedate you for a little bit."

Gradually he drifted off again, confused and tired.

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Daniel and Dr Fraiser looked at each other as O'Neill relaxed into sleep again. Dr Fraiser hadn't expected him to come round quite so soon. Given what had happened in the police station and on Hathor's planet she'd expected him to come out fighting even if he didn't already react badly to the ventilator in his throat. Daniel was here because it was his turn for Jack watching duty.

Daniel watched his friend, he looked like he'd gone a few rounds with an unfriendly Jaffa- punched out, busted wrist, head bounced and throttled. Battered and bruised certainly covered it.

"I'd better inform the General of the latest news." said Janet briskly, going to a phone.

"I'll be right here." said Daniel sitting down again in the hard plastic chair next to the Colonel's bed in the ICU room at the base Infirmary.

Janet Fraiser returned bringing a coffee for Daniel.

"Thanks Janet." and he gratefully stretched his aching leg out in front of him (his own souvenir from Hathor's planet). "You know I still can't believe it. Only Jack can escape writing reports for the afternoon only to end up being almost killed in a police station a couple of minutes before he was due to be released!" said Daniel shaking his head.

"I know. It was a bit unreal. Cass is upset and angry for Jack. He was just taking a little time out! The General and I are glad that we were able to save him at the police station." replied Janet.

"But he'll be alright won't he? I mean the bump on the head and the not breathing bit?" asked Daniel staring again at Jack's strapped nose and the black eyes. His eyes followed the IV'ed right arm to the cast on his left wrist extending to just below the elbow.

"Oh yes; the MRI and CT scans didn't show any obvious intracranial bleeds. Lucky for the Colonel that I hung around at the police station, otherwise things might be different." She reassured him as she remembered arriving at the cell door.

The General had had the foresight to retrieve her medical bag from her car at the ice rink. She had needed it- Jack wasn't breathing by the time she got to him on the floor of the pen. Having a partially crushed larynx was not good, in combination with the broken nose. And that was without a possible head trauma. She'd had to perform a hasty tracheotomy to get oxygen into his airway. The General had made sure that the Colonel was transferred to the Academy General Hospital as fast as possible- it being closer than the SGC.

Janet's emergency treatment meant he had some oxygen in his system. At the Hospital his saturation levels continued to drop and they had to intubate. After several hours' treatment in ICU, Jack had been stabilized, and he was transferred to the SGC infirmary. This was easier on personnel for security reasons.

The General stayed at the police station to sort out the paperwork and situation once and for all, while Dr Fraiser had gone with the Colonel to the Hospital. Several hours later everything had quieted down, and the General had confirmation that Jack was in no immediate danger. The next step was to bring him to the base Infirmary, and it was at this point he gathered the rest of SG1 to inform them of the situation.

Naturally they'd all been shocked at what had happened at the station let alone the fact that he'd been brought in for routine questioning on such a distressing case.

Now they all waited for him to recover and come round from the beating he'd taken. One thing that might make him feel better would be the news that the man he'd almost been accused of being had been brought in by police later the same day in a strange twist of fate.

Jack O'Neill was a very private man. He kept his hurts and pain hidden deep inside. Jack was adept at presenting the 'dumb' wise ass Colonel act most of the time. It deflected people from knowing the real Jack O'Neill, who had more layers than an onion Yes, he could be a cold killer, a touch paranoid and cynical, but no one you'd want more in tight spot on an alien planet or Earth.

But with children, he was different. He would do silly things to amuse them, teach them games, he'd break the rules for them. He knew he couldn't fool them. Kids seemed to know that Jack was an adult they could trust without hesitation. There was nothing he wouldn't do for them if he could. This whole incident would be painful for Jack in more ways than one. No one did guilt and suffering like Jack O'Neill, just ask his ex wife or his ex Forces teams.

SG1, his Doctor and his CO wondered how they were all going to deal with this when Jack woke up.