Thank you again for the lovely reviews! Hope you're feeling better soon Allimoo - I missed you! I'll try and get back to you individually tomorrow. I've been writing and then sleeping. Thanks again.
Oh - and I hope I haven't screwed up the medical stuff. I try and look it up so if there are mistakes, blame the internet!
They almost lost him on the way to the hospital. Sam had watched as the paramedics desperately worked to keep him alive long enough to get him to where the doctors were waiting. She had rarely felt so helpless in her life – all her knowledge and intelligence and skills were useless here – and couldn't help one of the most important people in her life.
She had a brief flashback to Antarctica – but at least there she had tried to do something to help, even if her efforts had only been partially successful. She was also reminded of the time that the Colonel was pinned to the wall, in agony. She had managed to use her skills then to help him. There were other times of course, the most recent being his time spent with Ba'al. Saving him had been a group effort, but at least she'd played an important role.
Now however, all she could do was sit and watch and pray. She thought briefly of the healing device, but knew there wasn't time to bring it back from Nevada, even if it was still usable.
The Tokra were a possibility, but hadn't always been prompt when called – and she knew that Jack would absolutely refuse another symbiote, in case that's all they could do. No – now it was time for Earth medicine to try and save him. She hoped it would be enough.
They pulled into the emergency entrance to the hospital and the Colonel was unloaded and raced inside before she could even blink. One of the paramedics directed her to the emergency waiting area but then hurried after his colleagues. In a matter of moments she was standing alone, wondering what had happened and why. Her mind refused to dwell on the future for it was too frightening to contemplate. She had seen his face as they'd whisked him away – and it had looked like the face of someone who was already leaving this world.
It wasn't until one of the nurses spoke to her that she blinked and came out of her semi-trancelike state. She dutifully followed the woman over to the desk and gave her all the information she could on the Colonel.
"Uh, I'm sorry – I didn't bring his things. I don't – I know he has insurance – he works at Cheyenne Mountain – he's with the Air Force."
"I've got his wallet Sam." Daniel's voice came from behind her and she turned quickly, suddenly wanting to throw her arms around him. He was opening up the Colonel's wallet and soon had the insurance card, which he handed to the nurse. "How is he?"
"I – don't know. He was alive when we arrived but we almost lost him on the way here. They've taken him to the triage unit and told me to wait here."
Daniel was clearly frightened as well, but he could see that Sam was on the verge of breaking so he quickly stepped forward and put his arms around her.
That was all she needed to collapse. She felt the hot tears begin to roll and soon she was shaking, only held up by the strong arms around her. "He looked – he looked -"
"I know Sam", he whispered into her hair. "But he's strong. You know him – he's too stubborn to give up. He'll make it through."
"But he almost died Daniel. They could barely keep him alive long enough to get here."
"But they did, and now the doctors are with him. You have to be strong for him Sam – you can't give up."
"I know – but, why him? Why do these things always happen to him?"
"Sam, we do a dangerous job", he told her gently as he led her to the couch. "All of us have had bad things happen, but it's because we're standing up for what is right and we're fighting against tyranny. That puts us in the way of a lot of bad people and we've had to bear the consequences – and Jack often is the first to throw himself in front of those bad people. But remember – we've always come through – he's always come through and is okay in the end."
"I guess", she agreed half-heartedly. "It just feels like the Colonel has had more than his fair share." She suddenly lifted her head. "Who did this? Why would they want to kill him?"
"I don't know but I contacted Hammond and he's sending over a security team. The police are also on it because of the 911 call. They'll look into it and find whoever was responsible. In the meantime we need to be thinking of Jack."
She nodded. "What about Janet?"
"Hammond said he'd call. I expect she'll be here shortly." True to his word, Janet arrived just a few minutes later and both of them breathed a sigh of relief. If there was anyone they trusted it was Janet Frasier.
The doctor sat beside Sam and reached out and took her hands, which were still covered in dried blood. Janet glanced over at Daniel and nodded to him. "Tell me", was all she said.
Both Sam and Daniel explained all that had happened, or at least all that they knew. "They took him into emergency but we haven't heard anything since then", Sam said, a hiccup in her voice. "I don't know what's happening."
"I'll find out", Janet told her reassuringly. "It's actually good that you haven't heard", she comforted. "That means he's still in there fighting – and the doctors are doing their part. I know it's hard to wait, but the best thing for you is to go get cleaned up -" she held up her hand as Sam attempted to speak. "Sam, it's not helping you or anyone else to have you sit here covered in blood. I'll ask the nurses if they can get you some scrubs and then I want you to wash up. You'll feel better and there's nothing you can do but wait anyway. Daniel, you need to clean up as well. In the meantime I'll find out what's going on."
Both of them finally nodded and watched as the Doctor headed towards the desk. A few minutes later a nurse showed up with some scrubs, towels and soap and pointed them to a place they could wash up.
Sam quickly washed and changed, worried that if she wasn't in the waiting room when Janet got back it would be bad. Logically she knew that wasn't true, but right now she wasn't thinking with the logical side of her brain. In fact, she wasn't thinking at all – she was feeling.
It was only seconds after she got back to the waiting room, feeling slightly refreshed and much cleaner, that Daniel arrived from his own clean up. She gave him a small smile. "Janet was right", she indicated her new clothes.
"She usually is", Daniel agreed, sitting down beside her and looking her over closely. He was worried about her. Sam was usually the one that was able to keep things together but this time – this time she was close to losing it.
"I'll be okay", Sam assured him, seeming to sense his worry. "It was just - this shouldn't happen, not when we're on down time."
"It should never happen" Daniel corrected her. "No word yet I take it?"
"No. I mean, I know Janet said that's probably a good thing but – I'm so worried Daniel."
He nodded, not knowing what else to say. He was worried too. "He'll make it", he said, trying to reassure himself as much as her. The two of them sat quietly, nothing else really left to say, and waited for word.
It was almost an hour later before Janet returned. By the look on her face it wasn't particularly good news – but it wasn't the worst either. Both Sam and Daniel had learned to read the Doctor's face over the years, and could tell when she was preparing to give bad news.
"So?" Daniel tilted his head back and looked up at the tiny doctor who was standing in front of them.
She sighed and before answering grabbed a chair and pulled it over so that she was closer to her two friends. "He's still alive", she said bluntly, knowing that was the most important fact for now.
"But?" Daniel got to the heart of the matter quickly.
"He's in critical condition. The knife pierced his lung and nicked the pulmonary artery. By the time he was brought in he'd gone into hypovolemic shock due to blood loss. They've been working to stabilize him and replace his blood volume. He's just gone into surgery to repair the chest wound but -"
"But?" he asked again.
"It doesn't look good Daniel. Even if he survives the surgery – which is in question – there's no way of knowing the damage that's been done."
"What kind of damage", Sam asked quietly.
Janet sighed and rubbed her eyes. "With that much blood loss we're talking major organ failure – as of right now his kidneys may or may not have shut down permanently, there could be gangrene in his limbs- the broken leg is especially at risk -"
"Gangrene?" Daniel gasped. "How in hell could he get gangrene?"
"When the body loses that much blood, what's left in the body goes to the organs – it's the body's way of protecting vital functions. That means that the extremities are in danger of not receiving an adequate blood supply for too long. Look – I'm just telling you what could happen. I don't know anything for sure at this point."
"So, major organ failure and gangrene?"
"That's not all", Janet said, her eyes not wanting to meet those of her friends.
"What Janet – we need the truth." Sam expression was calm, but only because she knew if she allowed the slightest break she'd lose it completely. As it was she was barely hanging on and the news about Jack was devastating, to say the least.
Janet took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. "Brain damage", she said bluntly. "It's highly likely that the Colonel suffered some kind of brain damage. We won't know how much until – if – he wakes up."
Sam closed her eyes. No – there was nothing worse that she could think of than that. The Colonel would rather die. "You're positive?"
"Sam – at this point I'm not positive about anything. You know as well as I do that the human body is unpredictable. The Colonel may come out of this with little or no long term affects – he could have major permanent damage. I just can't say right now."
"It doesn't matter anyway", Daniel said fiercely, standing up and walking towards the small window looking out over the parking lot. "He's going to live, that's all that matters right now – and we'll be there for him regardless of what happens."
There was silence as both of the women looked at him, but slowly Sam nodded. "He's right. What's important is that he survives. The rest – well, we can deal with that later. I can contact – my Dad – and have him bring a – you know what. That should take care of any problem."
Janet nodded although she looked rather doubtful. She didn't know how well a healing device would work on the injuries the Colonel had, but she was certainly willing to try. Just then she glanced up, to see General Hammond walking towards them. He was dressed in his civilian clothes and looked tired.
"Major, Dr. Jackson, Dr. Frasier. Is there any word?"
Janet went through everything again, explaining to the General that O'Neill was still in surgery. He didn't say much, although it was obvious that he was worried about his officer – and friend.
"Any idea who did this to him General?" Daniel wanted to know once Janet was finished.
"No. The security forces have checked his house out carefully but there don't appear to be any clues as to who attacked the Colonel. We'll have to wait and see what he has to say when he wakes up."
For some reason, Hammond's confidence that the Colonel was going to wake up and that he was going to tell them what happened, gave her more hope than anything had done to this moment. And, although Sam knew he really couldn't do anything, she also knew that General Hammond wasn't going to let something like this take away his best officer. She could feel hope begin to seep in.
The four of them remained in the waiting room for hours. Occasionally Janet went to see if she could get an update, but all they told her was that Jack was still in surgery. Hammond also checked in to see if there was any news from the SF's and to check and make sure everything was running smoothly on base. There was no news and everything else was fine, so he sat and waited.
It had been almost nine hours since the Colonel had been brought to the hospital and it was getting close to dinner time. None of them had had more than a coffee and it was Janet who finally looked around and realized she had gotten so caught up in the vigil that she'd ignored the health and well-being of her colleagues.
"Okay everyone – it's time we all got something to eat. I know, I know", she held up her hand, "you aren't hungry. But we need to be here for the Colonel when he gets out of surgery and we won't be any use to him or anyone if we pass out from hunger and exhaustion." She looked over to the General for support.
"Dr. Frasier is correct", he agreed. "I'm going to suggest that we eat in shifts. Two of us can stay here and wait – and call if there's any news. The other two will go down to the cafeteria and get something to eat."
"And I want everyone to step outside and get some fresh air for a few moments. A short walk would be good too. Look, I know it's hard and we all want to be here in case someone comes – but we're not helping the Colonel. Come one – who is going to go first?"
Sam wanted to kick her heels and refuse to move – but one look at Janet and then at the General and she knew she didn't have a choice. With a small groan she stood – her limbs had grown stiff from sitting so long. "I'll go."
"Good." Janet stood up too. "I'll come with you if it's okay with the men?" Both Hammond and Daniel nodded. "We'll be back in a little while and then you can go. Come on Sam."
The two women walked slowly down the hallway towards the cafeteria, both too caught up in their thoughts to speak. It wasn't until they'd both served themselves some food and sat down that they began to talk.
"What are we going to do Janet? What if it's – bad?"
"We'll take one day at a time Sam."
Sam snorted. "A cliché Janet?"
That made the doctor laugh. "The Colonel would never let me live that down, would he?"
"No – but I guess it's a cliché because it's true. There really isn't anything we can do, is there?"
"We can be there for him – I know, another cliché, but also true. He'd going to need us, especially if there's -" she stopped talking and shrugged.
"But there is a possibility right? I mean, he could be okay?"
"Of course. He's one of the toughest people I've ever seen Sam – if anyone can get through this it's the Colonel. And then there's the – uh – thing your father has – hopefully that will work if we need it."
There was a pause and then Sam looked up directly at her friend. "I think I made a mistake Janet."
The doctor frowned. "What do you mean?"
"The zatarc test – I made a mistake. I – shouldn't have agreed to keep it in the room. Oh God Janet", she suddenly cried, dropping her head down. "I – I love him and I could lose him and never have the chance to tell him!"
Janet stared at her for a moment, her eyebrows raised. After a second she reached out and covered the other woman's hand. "I know Sam. And – you still have time, I'm sure of it."
"But even if he gets better, the regulations are still there. I don't know what to do."
"Look– there is time to figure that out. Let's get the Colonel back on his feet and then you and he can talk. I agree you need to resolve this, but now is not the time to be worrying about it."
"No", Sam laughed bitterly. "I'll wait until he's all better and then things will just go back to the way they were before. That's always what happens."
"Well, this time it's up to you to make sure they don't. Look, you know the Colonel will never say or do anything – he can't – not if he doesn't want to get into trouble. So you have to decide what you want. But again, this isn't the time to make that decision. You will have time to do that later. Now finish your dinner! It's time to get back and let the men eat."
Sam sighed and then laughed – a small one, but this time it was real. "What would I do without you Janet?" she asked.
Her friend grinned and stood up and then reached her hand down. "Come on, let's get going. And what would you do? Oh, you'd keep getting into trouble with your teammates – but there wouldn't be anyone there to heal your butts. Now stop worrying and let's go see how the Colonel is doing."
Daniel and the General went and grabbed a quick bite but soon returned to the waiting room. By this time everyone was exhausted but there was no way they were going to leave until they heard how the Colonel was doing.
"I wish Teal'c was here", Sam suddenly broke the silence.
"Yeah, me too", Daniel agreed. "He has a knack for making you think everything's going to be okay."
Just then the doors to the emergency wing opened and a man walked out. He was wearing a white medical coat and the four people waiting looked at him expectantly.
"Are you here for Jonathan O'Neill?" he asked.
"Yes", Daniel rose up and spoke. "You're his surgeon?"
"Yes, I'm Dr. Laroque – uh, can I ask – are any of you family?"
"I'm Colonel O'Neill's commanding officer", George stepped forward and shook the doctor's hand, "and this is his doctor, Dr. Frasier. These two are members of his team and are like family. I'm afraid he doesn't have any actual family who live close by. I've informed his brother and sister, but they won't be here until tomorrow."
"I see", Dr. Laroque looked curiously at the four of them but then gave a small smile. "So, to cut to the chase, Colonel O'Neill made it out of surgery and he's in recovery right now. He'll be taken to the Intensive Care Unit shortly."
"How is he doctor?" Janet stepped forward.
"Well, the wound was a serious one, but could have been worse. If it had been even a fraction of a millimeter over he wouldn't have made it. I'm afraid the worst thing we're dealing with is the loss of blood. We're still watching him closely to see how he's responding to the surgery and to the increase in blood volume. We've placed a heart catheter to monitor him and we're also checking his kidney and liver function carefully. He's on a respirator and will be for the foreseeable future – at least until his lung heals. Fortunately his leg seems to be fine – it was a simple break and there doesn't appear to be any residual effects from the blood loss. As much as I hate to say it because I know it sounds trite – but, well, the next 24 to 48 hours are critical. If he makes it through those, then his prognosis is good."
"Can we see him?" Sam stepped forward, not having said anything until this point.
"I can allow one person in for just for a few minutes each hour. The nurses have to have access to him and it's rather crowded in there. I'll have one of the nurses come and tell you when he's settled and you can decide who should go in." He turned to leave but then looked back with a sincere expression on his face. "I know this is hard – but stay positive when you're with him. As long as he keeps fighting he should make it."
"Thank you doctor", Hammond stepped forward and put out his hand. "We can't tell you how much we appreciate what you've done. Jack O'Neill is – special – to a lot of people."
"I'm just doing my job", Laroque said with a smile, "although I must admit I'm pleased when someone like the Colonel makes it through. I doubted for a while there – but he's a tough one." With another smile he nodded at his patient's friends and headed back toward the emergency ward.
The four people he left all stood there, staring after him. They were exhausted, and worried but now full of a tiny bit of hope. It was Daniel who first moved. "He's going to be okay."
"Yes – yes he is", Janet nodded. She wasn't going to let any doubts in – not now, not when the Colonel needed them to be strong.
"Like the doctor said, Jack's a tough one. In fact, I don't think I've ever met anyone tougher. He's going to be just fine." Hammond stood tall – even without his uniform looking the general he was. He too was going to make sure he stayed strong and positive – and be sure that Jack was going to survive.
Suddenly all three of them turned and faced Sam. She hadn't said anything since her question to the doctor, and was still looking at where the doctor had disappeared. Finally, with a deep breath, she lifted her head and smiled. "Of course he's going to be okay. He's Jack O'Neill and he has to be okay."