A/N: Eek! That was a rather LARGE amount of reviews for such a short period...maybe I should give you guys more endings like that.
Jacob and Belle arrived at the hospital the next night at 1936, just in time for Helen to bring her son something to eat. When she had first brought in home cooked food that morning, the doctor had been dubious, but when Jack had eaten it all without complaining (whereas the previous time when they'd tried to feed him hospital food…key word being 'tried') Dr. Monroe let the food slide.
Jacob and Belle found Will sitting with Micah and Priscilla waiting for him to arrive.
"General," Jacob said when they were in earshot, "What happened?"
"Sam was shot," the General said as if it were common knowledge (which, by that time it was).
"I know that," Jacob said, getting testy, "What happened?"
William was still to angry to answer properly so it was Joel, walking up from behind them, who did so; "Jack was taking Sam home after Thanksgiving at our house. They got to the doorway and Carrie Smith, Jack's ex-girlfriend, was standing there with a gun. Jack tried to pull Sam out of the way but the bullet just passed through Jack's upper arm and lodged itself into Sam's chest, near her heart. Carrie then turned the gun on herself."
Jacob felt the world go dark around him, but he refused to succumb to the inviting darkness – it wouldn't help Sam now, would it? The scene just reminded him too much of when his wife had died five and a half years before.
"Was there any warning that Carrie was going to shoot her?" Jacob asked, his mind spinning still from the news.
Joel shook his head, "The police can't find any reason why Carrie would…and none of her friends have any idea either."
Belle looked at Joel and scowled, "I wanna see my Auntie!"
William stood up, "Joel, stay with your brother and sister. Come on Colonel, Belle, I'll take you to go see Sam."
A few long seconds later Jacob, Belle and William were standing outside Sam's room. "I'll just wait out here," William said, motioning for Jacob and Belle to go inside the room to see Sam.
Jacob opened the door and Belle darted in, only stopping when she saw all the wires coming out of her Auntie Sam. "Grandpa," Belle said, starting to cry at the sight of her beloved Aunt.
The Air Force Colonel held on tight to his granddaughter, "It's okay, Belle. She's going to be okay."
Jacob sat down in a chair pulled close to Sam's bed and held Belle in his lap as he watched his daughter. Oh, God, he thought, don't take her yet. Please…I'm not ready to lose her yet.
William watched them from the doorway for a few minutes, noticing how broken Jacob seemed despite the tough Colonel persona he emitted. All it took was one broken father to recognize another. Thinking about his own son's brush with death, William moved down the hall to check on Jack.
The doctor was in the room with Helen and Jack when William arrived. "So, Doc, when can he go home?"
Dr. Freeman looked at her chart before smiling at the young man and his parents. "Luckily the bullet passed through your muscle and not your bone, Jack. You won't be able to lift anything really heavy for a while, and other than the sling to make sure it heals properly…you can go home tomorrow night if you like."
Jack would have yelled with joy, but his mind was too focused on Sam. "And Sam?"
Dr. Freeman looked down, not wanting to admit what was wrong with the girl and how helpless she was to stop it, "She's lost a lot of blood and she's in a coma. It's entirely up to her whether she lives or dies at this point. I'm sorry."
"Can I see her?" Jack asked.
"Her dad and Belle are in with her right now," William said, putting a halt to Jack's request. "You can see her tomorrow."
A knock on the open door brought attention to the nurse standing there, "Dr. Freeman, Mr. O'Neill, Mrs. O'Neill, Jack, there's a couple here who really want to see you."
"Who is it?" Jack asked, wondering who even knew he was here.
"A Mr. and Mrs. Smith."
Jack turned to his parents, "That's Carrie's parents."
"Do you want to see them?" Dr. Freeman asked, "I can always tell them you're not up to any visitors right now."
Jack shook his head, "No, it's all right. They need the closure as much as any of us do."
Dr. Freeman turned to the nurse, "Send them in." She turned back to Jack, "I'm only a call away if you feel you're not up to it at any point, Jack. It's my responsibility to keep you safe."
Jack nodded as his parents looked at him, silently asking if they should go. "Stay, I can't face them alone right now."
Rebekah and Robert Smith walked into the room, tears a constant companion in Rebekah's eyes. "I'm so sorry," she whispered to the three O'Neill's.
Jack felt his resolve begin to fail him as he said, "I'm not the one she tried to kill, Rebekah. That was Sam."
"What are you talking about?" Robert asked.
Jack sighed, having hoped the police would have filled them in by now, "The gun was pointed at Sam. I put my arm around her and was trying to move her out of the way when Carrie fired – once. The bullet went through my arm and into Sam. That's why she's in a coma."
Rebekah felt her knees give way beneath her as she heard the news. Not only had her daughter fired a gun at a living person, she had purposefully tried to kill someone. "Carrie wouldn't do that."
"I thought so, too," Jack felt his own tears come to his eyes, but like the stubborn O'Neill he was, he refused to let them fall.
Robert noticed how uncomfortable the young man was getting and took the initiative, "Come on, dear, it's time to go. Thank you, Jack."
"For what?"
"Not letting Sam die. Not letting Carrie kill her."
Jack looked down at his hands – it was still up in the air whether Sam was going to live or not.
A/N: I feel I must remind you all that I'm one of the most avid S/J shippers out there - just look at the rest of my stories! Do you really think I could kill Sam...hehe, I have no problems killing my characters...as long as there's a way to bring them back. But who said life was better than death? And why did Carrie shoot Sam? Wanna find out? Review please.