Sorry to keep you waiting. I've had company again for just over a week and it was difficult to get much writing done. Having said that, here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy it!
Thanks to everyone for all the reviews once more. I couldn't live without them! I love to read your comments.
NOTHING IS EVER THAT SIMPLE
By LetitiaRichards
Previously:-
On leaving the infirmary he spotted Ellie who was approaching Jack, making sure he was comfortable. He saw how good she was with him and how Jack accepted her help. Without her none of this would have been possible. Jack would still be lost out there somewhere. How long those people would have kept him alive and like that was anyone's guess. They owed this young woman a great deal.
He had an idea and called Janet to his office for a conference.
Chapter 11 – Tension
"Dr. Jackson?"
Daniel didn't recognise the voice on the other end of the phone although it did sound familiar.
"Speaking," Daniel answered cautiously.
"How's Jack?"
"Excuse me? Who is this?" Daniel asked, curiosity eating at him.
"An old friend, Dr. Jackson."
Daniel gasped in recognition.
"May..."
"Don't say it Doctor," Maybourne interrupted quickly. He didn't have long to say what he needed to, and couldn't afford to get caught.
"You've got a nerve. Jack is sooo gonna kill you next time he sees you...in fact I'll do it for him. Why'd you do that?" Daniel demanded angrily.
"I didn't do it. I swear I didn't, but if you want to know who was behind both incidents, take a good look at your old friend Colonel Frank Simmons. He's hiding a mutual 'Friend', shall we say. I will tell you this though, Jack's little mishap was no accident Daniel. So, tell me, how is he?"
"Simmons? He's behind all this?" Daniel cried incredulously, ignoring Harry's enquiry about Jack. "And he's hiding Conrad?" He paused as Harry's words sunk in at last. "They arranged for Jack to be run off the road?" Daniel's mind was exploding with all this shocking new information.
"I just said that didn't I?" he sighed needing to hurry. "Look, how's Jack? Just tell me he's gonna be okay will ya!" Harry Maybourne snapped impatiently. Time was getting short.
Daniel hesitated. Janet had said he'd recover but he may still have problems.
"I can't say," Daniel sighed, his voice heavy with regret. "Jack's legs were badly broken in the accident and that so called Doctor didn't set them properly. He may have to retire after all on medical grounds." He couldn't say anything about Sam trying her best with the healing device, at least, not over the phone.
Maybourne couldn't believe his ears. Jack may have been the one to bring him to justice, but he'd not held it against him; in fact, heaven forbid, he was beginning to like the man. It took him a while to find his voice again.
"I can't do much, but I'll do a little more digging. Jack knows how to contact me, if he needs to. Tell him... well, tell him I'm sorry, but I'm not his enemy."
With that, the phone emitted a wail to show that the connection had been terminated.
Daniel replaced the phone, thinking over Harry's words. In a way it was a big relief to know that Maybourne wasn't the one responsible for treating Jack that way. The disgraced former Colonel was turning out to be a likeable rogue; one that had been instrumental in getting Sam back when Conrad had held her captive. But...
Simmons?
Wow!
Go figure! The man was just as much a thorn in their side as Maybourne had been...only he was proving a lot worse!
So, it was he who was hiding the Goa'uld on Earth and therefore must be responsible for shooting Jack that time, leaving him for dead, and escaping with Adrian Conrad, now host to the missing Goa'uld.
He had to see the General, and then Jack.
OoOoOoOoO
Daniel found the General's office empty. Only Walter was there with some paperwork he was putting into the General's 'in' tray.
"Have you seen General Hammond?" Daniel asked the sergeant.
"He's in the infirmary Dr. Jackson. I thought you were supposed to be there too?"
Daniel checked his watch. Damn! He was late, having completely forgotten the time.
He ran from the room and snagged the first elevator, hitting the button for the infirmary floor. He bounced on his feet impatiently, waiting until the car stopped before dashing down the corridor to Jack's room.
He stepped into the room to see the rest of his team-mates, along with General Hammond and Janet, surrounding Jack's bed.
The Colonel appeared to be asleep, and Janet was adjusting the monitors at his side. Sam was in tears, being comforted by Teal'c whilst Hammond looked on frowning angrily.
"What happened?" He demanded, having guessed that he'd missed something major.
Hammond turned to him with a sigh, uttering a few terse words before he stalked from the room, frustration oozing from every pore.
"It hasn't work," he'd said.
Daniel gasped in disappointment. No wonder Sam was so distraught. But, maybe it would take a lot more sessions with the hand device before Jack showed any signs of improvement.
He stepped up to Sam, engulfing her in his strong arms, comforting her with his soft voice and pleading with her to persevere.
"Don't give up Sam. You have to keep trying. It might take a little longer, but don't give up on him. Please!"
Sam sobbed into his chest. She'd tried her best, but it was difficult and her concentration kept wavering, so the device kept stalling. She felt useless, unable to do this for Jack when he needed her so much.
Their attention was taken at that moment by Jack who started the thrash feebly; his limbs jerking spasmodically. It was something they never thought they would see again, after lying so unnaturally still since the accident.
Jack's head thrashed from side to side as he muttered a whole string of unintelligible words, then fell silent before the writhing grew worse.
"Janet?" Sam cried as his body jerked and spasmed.
"He's having a seizure!" Janet yelled, jolting her staff into action.
Daniel and Sam helped to hold his body down while Teal'c held onto Jack's ankles so that he couldn't kick out, hurting himself or anyone else. After a moment Jack calmed and lay still once more, sweat beading on his brow.
Janet leaned over him and wiped his forehead with a cool dampened cloth.
"What's wrong with him Janet?" Daniel asked, stepping nearer to the bed, his hand automatically reaching out to take his friend's hand in his on the premise of keeping it from flailing.
"It's the withdrawal Daniel. He's developed a fever which is spiking again. I think he's also in a lot of pain from his legs, but until I get a clearer idea of what's going on inside him, I daren't give him very much medication to take the pain away. It could make matters worse. I need to take another blood sample to see how well that drug is dissipating. It's a good sign though; it does indicate that his nerve responses are good."
After a few moments of further tension Jack's body spasmed again slightly, then he slumped back into a quiet, exhausted sleep and Janet replaced the cloth with another cooler one. Sam took it from her hands and began to smooth it over his heated brow, allowing the Doctor to take her blood sample.
Janet smiled as Sam took over, and checked his pulse once more. She patted Sam on the shoulder and reached for the needle.
"Like Daniel says Sam," she said as she drew the Colonel's blood. "we can't give up on him. I'll get some more X-rays done and we can compare them with the earlier ones to see if there has been any improvement from the device.
Sam nodded silently, sniffing back the residue of her tears, forgotten in the sudden crisis.
OoOoOoOoO
She sat beside his bed long after the others had retired on Janet's orders. Janet had been pleased that the newest X-ray results had shown a slight improvement, and this had encouraged Sam and boosted her confidence in her ability to use the healing device once more after she had rested.
On Janet's orders, a small cot was set up for Sam to rest on after she had used the Goa'uld healing device. The energy it sucked from her was exhausting in itself but Sam continued to use it on a regular basis; though Janet forbid her to use it for very long. Five to ten minutes at a time and only once in every twelve hours. In between that, Janet took more X-rays and fresh blood samples.
Hammond was aware of just how much the effects of this trauma were having on Sam and he called her into the office after he'd seen her holding Jack's hand and talking to him softly while he slept, all the while wiping the sweat from Jack's brow. He'd always suspected a closeness between them, but until now, he had been loathe to mention it because of their obvious professionalism; putting their duty to the AF before their own personal needs. He could see that the whole deal would need to be redressed now before it got out of hand. Rumours about them were already rife, running through the base like wildfire. He needed to clear things up before anyone outside learned of their 'connection'.
Sam knocked on the open door and stood waiting for Hammond to acknowledge her.
The General looked up and smiled sombrely, beckoning her into the room. He took notice of her weary features; the bags under her eyes through lack of sleep; the tiny lines of worry now creasing her forehead and the way her shoulders slumped, where once she had always been alert and ready for action, now she looked careworn and miserable.
"Take a seat Major. We have something important to discuss."
TBC
