Supporting Rumors - Part 46
Sam defied every attempt to get her away from Jack's bedside. In the end they stayed together, keeping on the masks that were insisted on as a precaution, taking turns in helping bathe his face and upper body as his temperature rose to 104, much to everyone's alarm and despite the best efforts of the nursing staff.
They could only watch helplessly as Jack's body was wrought by shaking chills and the choking cough that creased him with pain. Doctor Hill changed the oxygen mask for a nasal cannula because of the amount of the thick and bloody mucus that threatened to choke him as he coughed.
Sam repeatedly and deftly used the suction tube to help remove some of the sputum from his mouth and wiped his face down.
Occasionally his eyes would flicker open, regarding them through a haze of fever, no sign of recognition from them, before they slammed shut with the pain as he drew a rattled breath that turned into a choking spasm of coughing.
It seemed to take forever to get the results of the tests and it was a relief when they witnessed the first of many of the bags of antibiotic fluids that were erected alongside the saline bags.
Teal'c quietly arranged for another bed to be brought into the room and would not take no for an answer when he guided Sam to it and made her lie down. He watched as she lay on her side across the room, her gaze not leaving her husband's restless form and saw her eyes gradually closing, exhausted and unhappy.
Doctor Hill made frequent checks and gave the men a brief smile when she saw that they had at least made Mrs O'Neill rest, before donning her mask,
She straightened up with difficulty after checking her patient, obviously exhausted herself, taking the mask from her face as she moved away from the bed. "His temperature hasn't risen since the last check. We should see it begin to come down in the next few hours."
"We still have to wear these?" asked Daniel, indicating the mask.
"I know they're a bit annoying to say the least, but although there's only a small chance of infection with the droplets, it's certainly the last thing any of you need now. Our immune systems seems to take a beating when the body is placed under stress and it's better to be safe than sorry," explained the Doctor apologetically.
Daniel sighed and nodded. If Teal'c with his ox-like constitution could put up with it, then so could he.
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They'd changed places quite a few times over the next seventy two hours, only leaving to eat and shower.
Much to Sam's chagrin when she found out, Daniel was the first to be rewarded by Jack's first lucid moment. He'd changed the water in the bowl and grabbed a new wipe as he sat down, to find Jack's dark eyes watching him intently.
Forgetting he wasn't supposed to, he pulled his mask down to speak. "Hi."
Jack blinked and croaked a response; at least Daniel thought it was a response, not just a groan.
"It's okay, Jack, just take it easy. You've been, erm, a little out of it, but it's going to be okay." Daniel reached for the buzzer as he spoke, his attention on Jack, watching him closely.
Jack groaned and shifted his head a little, blinking rapidly in the soft light.
"Headache?" guessed Daniel. He brought the cool fresh wipe to Jack's forehead and bathed it gently.
"Anks," croaked Jack.
Daniel smiled and nodded. "You're welcome. Sam won't be long. She'll be really annoyed you woke just when she went to shower and change. Oh, and you just missed General Hammond."
Jack blinked again. His eyelids began to droop, fatigue and pain engraved deeply in his face. He was once more drifting on the troubled seas when Doctor Hill entered the room...
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It seemed to Jack that every time he opened his eyes, at least every few minutes or so, it was a different person who stared down at him. It was like that game ... pop up people, for cryin' out loud ... were they never still? Sam, Daniel, Teal'c ... jeez they were fast at changing places – George, good old George, yep he kept jumping in too.
He tried to ask why the heck they were wearing those stupid masks, but it seemed to take way too much effort and it only got him nods and smiles – he could tell they were smiling by the way their eyes crinkled – at least he thought that was it – when did crinkles become wrinkles? And just how old was Daniel for cryin' out loud?
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God he ached. It seemed every bit of his body ached – no strike that – it seemed that everything he could feel ached – what he wouldn't give for everything down there to ache too.
He'd forgotten at first, forgotten that he couldn't move anything down there and he'd panicked a bit until he remembered. But, with the remembrance, the cold sickening panic, the gut screaming emotion engulfed him, squeezing the breath from his heart, threatening to overwhelm him, until he began to fight it again, pushing it away, boxing it down, nailing the lid on that coffin. He was going to make it, he was going to walk again!
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TBC
