Big tissue warning here guys...sorry, but bear with me on this, there will be some good news in a later chapter.

Thanks for all your wonderful reviews. Keep 'em coming.

NOTHING IS EVER THAT SIMPLE

By LetitiaRichards

Previously:

They were met at the landing pad and taken straight into the hospital while their bags were taken to the hotel. Neither one of them could delay seeing their friend and Co. They all needed to know how he was.

Chapter 4 – The Waiting Game

Time stretched endlessly in front of them as they waited in the side room. Janet had been gone for over an hour now and apart from a young nurse popping in to see if they had everything they wanted, nobody disturbed the tense silent atmosphere.

Sam stood staring out of the window, overlooking the smallflower bedsand the busy city street. The well kept little patches of colour in front of the hospital a stark contrast to the uniform dullness of the glass buildings opposite; the grey leeched from the scudding clouds that obscured the sun and was reflected in the glass walls of the office blocks around them. It seemed to sum up how Sam felt. Glum.

Daniel had gotten through countless cups of coffee as he'd alternately sat or paced the little room. His impatient muttering interrupting Sam's gloomy thoughts.

Teal'c was the only one who appeared outwardly calm, but Sam knew better. The Jaffa was just as troubled about his warrior brother as they were; he just kept his emotions well hidden.

After what seemed like hours, the door opened and Janet entered. Sam knew at once it was bad news but the way Janet's eyes were red and puffy as she allowed the friendship she had developed between the team members and herself to show through the professional mask.

Daniel was on his feet immediately, taking her by the arm and propelling her to the nearest chair.

"Janet? Is he...?" Daniel couldn't bring himself to ask if they were too late. He could feel the tears threatening to fill his eyes already knowing that Janet wouldn't have cried if the prognosis had been better.

"He's hanging on Daniel, but...maybe just this once he should let go," she sniffed brokenly.

"What?" Daniel demanded in shock.

"Janet?" Sam gasped, appalled by what her friend had just said.

Janet knew she had surprised them with her statement, but she knew the prospects of the Colonel's survival was not what he would have wanted.

"What exactly do you mean by that?" Sam asked, a puzzled frown furrowing her brow.

Janet sniffed back the fresh burn of tears and sucked in a deep breath, fortifying herself to tell them the truth. It would be brutal to say the least, but thy deserved the honesty. Jack was more than their CO; he was their family. Vaguely she wondered if knowing the truth would do what in essence the Goa'uld could never do and that was to destroy the team. It could finish them.

"I mean, with the extent of his injuries he... he'll never be able to return to the SGC."

Shocked gasps came from Daniel and Sam, along with a plethora of questions.

"Why?"

"What's wrong with him?"

"AreO'Neill's injuries that severe Dr. Fraiser?" Teal'c asked, his concern mounting.

"What, so you think that he'd wish he'd died instead?" Daniel speculated.

Janet let the rush of questions wash over her while she sat with her head bowed. She wiped the tears from her eyes again and pulled herself together. Jack. Not Colonel O'Neill. He was her friend. On her first duty at the SGC, when practically the whole of the SGC had succumbed to that Neanderthal type virus, he was the one who understood, and begged her to test her theory on him. He was always putting himself forward, hoping to save the others. For all his hard ass attitude, underneath he was a generous, selfless and caring man, and it had been her privilege to put him back together on several occasions. Despite the fact that he was a major pain in the ass as a patient, she wouldn't have it any other way. To see him lying so helpless she wished with all her heart that he was bitching and complaining back in her infirmary. It tore at her very fabric to see him like that.

"Janet?"

Daniel's soft voice brought her back to the here and now.

"I'm sorry," she said, apologising for drifting off like that. How unprofessional was that? These were Jack's friends too and needed to know the worst.

She cleared her throat, having been handed a plastic cup of water by the ever solicitous Teal'c. She thanked him, took a sip then began the sorry tale.

"Right now he's in a coma. He's breathing with the aid of a ventilator. His injuries are extensive and it took hours of surgery to correct them. Though they could do nothing..." she paused swallowing hard. "He's... If he survives through the next 48 hours, he'll..." she gulped, swallowing hard. " he'll be paralysed, unable to do anything for himself. His neck was broken during the accident, damaging the spinal chord. He has several broken ribs, a punctured lung and there was a small rupture in his spleen which they've repaired. His left arm is fractured and both his legs were badly broken in the wreckage. And, if by some miracle his spine hadn't been broken, even then it would be doubtful he could return to work at the SGC, let alone walk. He would be confined to a wheelchair."

Sam looked devastated, and Janet's heart went out to her.

"I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do," Janet sniffed, feeling helpless.

"Then we have to get him back to the SGC where I can use..." Sam's words dropped off, knowing she couldn't actually mention anything in particular where they were, but knew they would all understand what she wasn't actually saying out loud.

Janet shook her head.

"What?" Daniel gasped in horror. What are you saying? That it wouldn't work? That you won't let Sam try? Janet...!"

"You don't understand Daniel. There's nothing anyone can do. He is in a critical condition and I won't be responsible for moving him. It would kill him before we'd gotten anywhere near Colorado, and probably before we'd even reached the helicopter. All we can do is sit tight and wait to see if he recovers. If he does show signs of pulling through this, then we can contemplate the alternative, if and it's a big IF, the Colonel wants it. He made a living will guys. No revival if there was no hope."

"There's always hope Janet."

Janet glanced up at Sam, her eyes hard and penetrating.

"Who for Sam? For him, or for you!"

Sam gasped in shock at her friends harsh words and the tears began to flow faster. Janet sobbed too. She hadn't meant to say it like that, it just popped out of her mouth.

"I'm sorry Sam. I didn't mean it. I'm so sorry."

Janet stood, and threw her arms round Sam's quaking shoulders. She had known of the attraction between the two for a long time now, and obviously it was still a sore subject. Sam melted into her friend's embrace as they wept in each others arms. A release they both needed.

Daniel stood by, looking out of the window; his own thoughts were with Jack, lying somewhere in the hospital fighting for his very existence. Would he be able to pull through as he always did, or would the dreadful reality of looking at life from a wheelchair put an end to the man he knew and loved? Yes, he loved Jack in his own way. Jack was the older brother he never had, the one friend whom he'd allowed to get close to him. He'd never had a friend like Jack; he'd never really had a friend before.

The man was unique, he'd actually cared for Daniel when no-one else knew what to do with him; Jack had taken him in and looked after him. He was a real friend, and someone it was always good to be around, despite his short temper and his weird sense of humour. What was to become of their friendship now? Knowing Jack, the man would try to shut himself away and not want to see anyone, but Daniel knew he would never turn his back on Jack; he owed him too much already. He vowed that if Jack survived, he would be there for him no matter what.

Teal'c stood by almost guarding the intimate moments his team-mates were sharing, daring anyone to interrupt them. They needed time to come to terms with the devastating news and to bond together, making each other strong in order to face the future whatever it brought. He himself was saddened to hear of the fate of his friend and brother. O'Neill was one of the strongest humans he knew, but he also knew that this could break his friend's spirit should he indeed live past this crisis.

Janet pulled away, straightening up her white coat. Sam brushed away her tears and sniffed, pulling her sweater down where it had ridden up slightly.

"Can we see him?" she asked.

Janet nodded.

"I'll take you down there, but it won't be a pretty sight. I'm warning you now, that it will be quite distressing to see him like this. Are you sure you want to do this?"

There were three affirmative answers. Janet nodded and turned towards the door. Teal'c opened it and she led the three of them to a bed at the far end of the ICU.

At first sight of the battered features; the pale face beneath the ventilator and the swathes of dressings covering the upper body, Sam thought that it couldn't possibly be Jack under there. As she looked closer though, she could see that little patch of hairless skin in the middle of his left eyebrow was sporting yet another deep cut; it seemed to split with the slightest provocation, like a weak spot. The short spiky hair was iron grey on top with touches of silver at the temples. The nose had been broken and there was a sticking plaster covering the swollen bridge. Livid purple bruises marred the wide expanse of forehead, but even through the swelling, Sam could still see that little vertical crease that nestled in between his brows. There was no mistake; this was definitely Colonel Jack O'Neill. Her heart bled again for the loss of the man he was and whom he might never be again.

His legs were encased in plaster casts, showing that despite his prospects of never walking again, they had set the broken bones properly. She could only wish that he made it through this so that she could use the healing device on him, hoping that it might give him back his life again.

He looked so lost lying there in a world of his own hovering on the brink between life and death, and she couldn't help but think of him as lost somewhere between the worlds, waiting for someone to claim him. She hoped that with what had passed between them that night, even though their actions were misinterpreted by the other, that he was seeking her out and would return to her one day. She realised that she wanted him more than anything, and now it seemed he might just need her. Them. Because it would probably take all of them to get him through this.

She knew him well enough to know he would try to push them away, telling them to get on with their lives and to forget him, but what he would never realise was he was already so much a part of their lives. They were all friends and would stick by him no matter what. He wouldn't be alone. They never left anyone behind and certainly not him.

How they would achieve this she had no idea, not really understanding the simple day to day needs of one who was paralysed. Her only experience of such as he would be, was from various movies and documentaries she'd seen the TV.

She felt a hand on her shoulder, and realised when that hand reached up to brush away the moisture on her cheeks, that she had been crying. Daniel offered her a tearful smile back and they melted into each others arms, bringing strength to one another and to prepare for whatever the future held for them all.

TBC