Thanks so much for all the reviews! I hope you enjoy chapter 2.
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Daniel and Teal'c entered the infirmary. Jack was sitting at Sam's bedside. They were all supposed to go out for the evening, since Jack and Cassie were in town.
"Jack"
Jack turned his head slightly.
"Jack, what happened?" Daniel asked, coming up on the other side of Sam's bed.
Jack sighed. "We were attacked at Carter's house."
"By who?" Daniel asked.
Jack shook his head. "They're finding that out."
Teal'c crossed his arms. "How is Colonel Carter?"
"She got shot. She's been sleeping." Jack said.
Daniel realized that Jack wasn't going to be much for conversation. "Teal'c and I will go see if we can get some answers."
Jack nodded. With that Daniel and Teal'c headed for the General's office.
Sam stirred and then opened her eyes slowly. She had an IV in one arm, pulse ox meter and blood pressure cuff on the other. She had a heart monitor on, Oxygen in her nose, and more tubes leading out of her chest.
"Hey" Jack said from Sam's left side. She tried to talk, but her throat was so dry.
"It might be hard to talk; they had to put a tube down your throat. You managed to puncture a lung." Jack said, gesturing to the tubes.
Sam nodded.
"You okay?" Jack asked.
Again, she nodded and managed a smile. Her expression shifted. "Cass?" She whispered.
"She's fine, just a little shook up. She's not quite ready to come back to the infirmary. Y'know." Jack said, looking down at his hand.
She nodded and slid her hand over Jack's. He looked up. "Why?" She rasped.
Jack shook his head. "Don't know. Danny and T and checking it out now."
Sam took a deep breath and began to cough. The hand that Sam had placed over Jack's tightened around his fingers.
"Do you need the doctor?"
Sam closed her eyes and shook her head. She opened her eyes, blinking back tears that had formed.
"Okay?" Jack asked.
Sam nodded and squeezed Jack's hand and released, but didn't let go.
"Carter"
Sam looked at him. Just as she was about to say something, the nurse came with her medication. Sam's hand quickly pulled away from Jack's.
"Here is some pain medication for you Colonel." The nurse said as she handed Sam a cup of water. Sam took the medicine and whispered a thanks to the nurse.
The intercom came to life and echoed through the infirmary. "General O'Neill, please report to General Landry's office."
Jack sighed. "Well, hopefully they're going to fill me in."
Sam nodded and looked down.
Jack touched Sam's arm. "I'll fill you in later, I promise." He smiled as she looked up. "Get some rest for now."
Sam nodded a slight smile on her lips.
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When Jack arrived at the General's office, Daniel, Teal'c, and the doctor were there.
"Jack." General Landry nodded, reaching out a hand.
Jack shook it. "So what's going on?" Jack asked, getting straight to the point.
"Right, the four men we have in custody have done some talking. They weren't as eager to cooperate until…well Teal'c can be quite persuasive." Landry said with a chuckle.
"Yeah, that's our Teal'c." Jack smiled. "What did they have to say?"
"It seems that they are part of an organization quite interested in alien technology. They have had access to classified information through the NID."
"Great, what did they want with Carter?"
"They were actually after both Cassandra Fraiser and Colonel Carter."
Jack got a bad feeling in his stomach. "Why?"
Daniel spoke up. "Because Sam has been host to more than one alien entity; namely Jolinar. They wanted her for…" Daniel choose his words carefully. "Study."
"And Cassandra Fraiser is not of Earth and has the element naquada in her body." Teal'c continued.
"They wanted to experiment on them?" Jack asked, voice rising slightly.
Landry pushed a folder that was in front of him slowly forward. He gestured for Jack to take a look at it. "This contains all the specifics of their 'confession'. I will say that I was somewhat disturbed by some of their answers."
Jack opened the folder and began to read. His brows furrowed and he closed the folder. He tossed it back on the desk.
"So what happens now?" Jack asked.
"Now, we let the CIA handle them. They already have some leads." Landry said, sitting back in his chair. "In the mean time, Ms. Fraiser will be in protective custody and Colonel Carter will remain here until she has had some time to heal."
Jack nodded.
"Jack, when do you have to go back to D.C.?"
"Tomorrow evening." Jack muttered.
"Okay, don't worry, we'll keep them safe." Landry said.
Jack looked up at Daniel, and then at the General. "I'm going to check on Cassie." He stood and strode through the door.
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Jack knocked on the door to the room Cassie was staying in. Cassie opened the door and pulled Jack into a hug. Jack slowly guided her into the room and shut the door. Cassie didn't let go. She began to quietly sob into Jack's chest. Jack put his hand on the back of Cassie's head and smoothed her hair. He patted her back gently with the other hand.
He held her for several minutes before she spoke. "Is Sam okay?"
He nodded. "She'll be okay. She's just got to heal."
Cassie sniffed. "She isn't mad at me is she? I just…just can't. I…"
"Cass, she's not mad. She understands."
Cassie brought her head away from Jack's tear soaked chest.
"They told me that I would be in protective custody because those guys were after Sam and me." She paused, "I wish I wasn't different. If I was normal…"
"They will take care of you Cass. Daniel and Teal'c will be with you. They won't let anything happen." Jack said, squeezing her tightly.
"Can you stay for awhile?" Cassie asked quietly. "I mean, here in Colorado?"
Jack sighed and shook his head. "I have to go back tomorrow."
Cassie suddenly pushed away from him and flopped face down on the bed.
Jack ran his fingers through his hair and sat down on the edge of the bed.
"Sam needs you." Cassie said quietly into the pillow. "I need you."
Jack almost hadn't heard her. He closed his eyes and let his head fall into his hands. "Cass, I can't. I wish I could, believe me. But I can't." He said through his hands.
Cassie sat up and scooted close to Jack. "I know, I'm sorry."
Jack put his arm around Cassie and pulled her close. He kissed the top of her head. They sat in silence for a while until Jack asked, "You hungry?"
Cassie shrugged.
"I'll have them bring you something, if you want."
Cassie nodded.
"I'm going to go check on Sam, but I'll be on base tonight. I'm staying here, so just get one of the airmen if you need something, okay?"
Cassie nodded. Jack gave her a final squeeze and headed for the door.
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