"General, this is Reynolds, do you copy?"
"Loud and clear, Colonel. We're almost at the gate, what's your situation?" asked Jack.
"We've got a Jaffa patrol approaching the gate General, I suggest you hold position, over"
"Reynolds, Carter doesn't have time to hold position, she needs to get back to the SGC now" yelled Jack.
"Sir, we will have the gate clear as soon as we can" Goddammit muttered Jack to himself as he and the others came to a halt less than a mile from the gate.
"Daniel, stay with the Doc and Carter, Teal'c you and I are going to help Reynolds at the gate" ordered Jack.
"Sir? I really need to get Sam back to the SGC as soon as possible" replied Janet.
"I know Doc, you think you can handle this here?" She nodded in response, "OK, Daniel with me as well, let's go" Jack helped Janet maneuver the stretcher away from the main path before leaving her with Sam who had begun to stir.
"Jan, what's going on?" asked Sam drowsily.
"Nothing for you to worry about, how're you feeling?"
"Pretty rubbish" she admitted with a grimace.
"I'm not surprised, I can give you another shot of morphine if you'd like?"
"Maybe in a bit" she replied as Janet frowned at her.
"What?"
"Sam you don't need to pretend around me, let me help you" Janet told her.
"I'm not" Sam replied indignantly, "I just don't want to be high on drugs when there's a potential threat nearby"
"Sam, not that I don't doubt your abilities as a soldier, but you're in no fit state to get up from this stretcher let alone fight a Jaffa patrol"
"Fine" replied Sam, finally giving in, "but I don't want any morphine at the moment, it's making me really nauseous"
"Fair enough but the moment the pain gets too much, I want you to let me know" Janet told her, setting her bag back down and dropping back down beside Sam.
Jack, Daniel and Teal'c c approached the gate from behind, they could see the Jaffa patrol standing near the DHD and much to his annoyance, they didn't look in any hurry to go anywhere.
"We need a distraction"
"That might bring others" replied Daniel.
"Maybe, but it only needs to be enough to get Carter through the gate" Jack told him.
"I agree with Doctor Jackson" replied Teal'c.
"What?" spluttered Jack.
"You do?" asked Daniel.
"The element of surprise is our greatest strength here, we are equal in numbers also. We can surround them and incapacitate them without gaining anymore attention"
"Huh" replied Jack and Daniel together but each for entirely different reasons.
"Reynolds, do you copy?" whispered Jack into his radio, "listen up, we've got a plan"
"Do you think the silence is a good thing?" asked Janet, having just taken Sam's pulse again.
"Maybe, although it might also mean they've been captured"
"Without a firefight and the General blowing something up?" replied Janet with a smirk. Sam could only manage to smile weakly in return and the smile on Janet's face was quickly replaced with one of concern.
"Sam, is there something I should know?" she asked, feeling for her pulse again.
"I really don't feel good" she replied, the colour having completely drained from her face. Janet gasped as she watched Sam's eyes roll back in her head as she passed out.
"Sam, don't do this to me" she ordered, knowing the General wouldn't want her yelling out over the radio, Janet had no choice but to try and contact him anyway.
"Well that actually went a lot better than I expected" said Jack as he surveyed the scene in front of him. Between SG3 and him, Daniel and Teal'c they'd successfully managed to surprise the Jaffa patrol and zatted them without so much as a murmur. If he didn't know better, he'd have said Teal'c had the distinct look of smugness covering his face. His joy was short lived though when Janet's panicked voice came across the radio.
"General, Sam needs to go now!" Springing into action, Daniel ran to the DHD and began dialing whilst SG3 took up defence positions around the gate. It was times like this that made Jack immensely proud, everyone knew their role and they did it, time and time again, without question. Taking off at a run behind Teal'c, he headed back to Sam, hoping they weren't going to be too late.
Teal'c reached them first which was probably a good thing as it took all of Jack's resolve not to fall to his knees at the sight before him. Janet was frantically giving CPR to a completely unresponsive Sam, looking at them both as they approached, he was glad someone was still in control of the situation.
"Teal'c, can you carry her?" shouted Janet. He simply nodded as he reached down and gently picked her up in his arms.
"I need you to get her to the SGC as fast as you can" Janet told him, she'd barely finished before he turned and ran. Jogging to keep up, Janet placed an arm on Jack's as they followed.
"She's strong General" He couldn't reply, even if he wanted to, there were no words to express how he felt right now. It took all his energy just to place a foot in front of the other as they ran up the steps and through the Stargate.
By the time Jack and Janet had reached the SGC, Teal'c was already on his way to the infirmary. Leaving a shell shocked General in the gateroom, Janet hurried off after him as Daniel and SG3 came through before the gate shutdown.
"What happened?" asked Daniel.
"She wasn't breathing Daniel, I left her too long and she wasn't breathing" replied Jack as she slumped down at the bottom of the ramp. The rest of the personnel in the gateroom filed out, leaving Daniel with an inconsolable Jack who was resting his head in his hands.
"Hey" said Daniel as he placed a firm hand on his friend's shoulder. "You know as well as I do that Sam isn't a quitter and she wouldn't expect you to be either"
"She wasn't breathing Daniel" he yelled, "did I not make that clear?"
"Maybe she wasn't then but do you really think Janet would let her go that easily? Shouldn't you be down there now, waiting for her like she would for you? he asked. After a few minutes, Daniel held out a hand and watched as his friend grabbed it, gripping it tightly.
"C'mon" he grunted, pulling him up. "Let's go and annoy Janet whilst she's trying to work"