Chapter Three

"Easy, Carter, it's just water. I'm not going to torture you with blood any more."

Reassured Sam drank the clean water, wincing with each swallow from her raw sore throat. When she was done she laid back down and looked up at Jack. Her voice hurt too much to use so she just gazed at him. The sun had risen on another day and despite everything Sam was alive and awake. Jack could see that her every breath took effort, sweat rolled off her skin, and her injured leg was trembling from the constant pain, but she didn't complain. She even smiled. Jack ran his fingers through her soaked hair, staring at her in pure admiration.

"You amaze me, you always have." Jack purred. "How can you be so strong?"

Sam's expression changed slightly.

"I can't possibly be helping you that much." Jack replied.

Sam nodded and squeezed his hand.

"Don't be afraid to leave me here. I don't want you holding on to any pain that you don't have to. I'll be fine on my own."

The corners of Sam's lips twitched in a smile and she shook her head.

"You're right. I'd be a wreck." Jack admitted with a sad smile. "Still, if you see any light, go for it."

Sam's eyebrows knit together.

"It's not that I want to give up, Carter." Jack sighed. "However when I try to answer 'what do I have, what do I need?', I need a way out of here and I don't have anything."

Jack found a sudden angry fire in Sam's blue eyes.

"Yes, I do have you." Jack corrected with a chuckle.

Sam managed a full smile. She was so beautiful, even on the brink of death her spirit showed through the adversity.

"Hey, if you get a chance at that whole Ascension thing, you should give it a try. I mean if Daniel thought I was good enough, they should accept you no problems."

Raising an eyebrow Sam looked up at Jack skeptically.

"If you do though you have to promise me that you'll go pester Daniel, he used to drive me nuts. I mean he's almost as infuriating in the flesh, but as an Ascended he didn't have to worry about me losing my temper and hitting him, so he could push a little harder."

Sam rolled her eyes before staring at him.

"No, I won't be able to follow you to do it myself." Jack smiled. "For one thing I don't really want to join any club that would have me as a member."

Sam started to chuckle but the action set her into a violent fit. Her muscles suddenly snapped tight as she went into a seizure. Not knowing what else to do Jack held her tightly against his chest as she continued to convulse. Holding on to her he started to black out himself, he'd almost forgotten that he was dying as well. The edges of his vision turned black, but he battled against the darkness to stay with her.

When it was over Sam clutched Jack's shirt. She buried her face against his chest and broke down into silent tears. As tremors continued to assault her she whimpered and began crying harder. Jack rocked her gently, desperate to ease her burden. His own head was pounding and spinning with dizziness, every muscle ached, his joints protested each motion, and nausea twisted his insides. He couldn't imagine what she was going through. She'd had less body mass to work with to start, and the alien animal bite infection made her blood toxic.

"Please, please, Carter...just let me end this for you."

Sam shook her head head emphatically. To make her point she pushed away from him, arching her back over his arms that were still wrapped around her waist. She fought hard to speak however the extra effort cost her everything. Sam's eyes rolled back and she passed out. Jack was just quick enough to reach up and catch her head before it fell back. He stared at the helpless creature in his arms as if he'd never seen her before.

"Kill her, O'Neill, kill her now." Jack snarled at himself. "She's delusional, she doesn't know what she wants. She is going to die anyway, you're torturing her by keeping her here. You're her Commanding Officer...she's your responsibility. Show some Goddamn courage!"

In a sudden fit of insanity Jack laid Sam out on the hard floor and straddled her. He put one palm down next to her head to support himself as he bent over her. He clamped his other hand down on her mouth like a rapist trying to keep his victim from screaming. On her next breath Sam's frame automatically tensed. Although her eyes were still closed she bucked against him. Tears streaming down his face Jack held her tighter until she relaxed.

When her chest no longer rose Jack released her and cried out in panic. Looking down at Sam he saw that her pulse still throbbed at her delicate throat, but her skin was turning a bluish ivory. Frantic to return what he had just stolen Jack pinched her nose shut. Locking his lips to hers he pushed breath back into her weak lungs. After two forced breath Sam gasped violently and began breathing on her own again.

He doubted that she had been conscious for any of it, but the horror of what he'd just done crushed down on his heart making him suddenly as breathless she had been. Jack scrambled off her and backed himself against the bars. Raking his trembling hands through his hair Jack pulled his knees up to his chest and began screaming.

Crazed by the stress Jack whipped himself around to face the bars. He gabbed one in each hand and started to try and force them apart. Snarling and growling in frustration he strained his starving muscles to the breaking point. Crying out from pent up rage and animalistic fear he tore at the unbendable bars until his body physically failed him and his hands lost their ability to grip.

Kneeling on the stone floor Jack rested his forehead on the cold bars that were slowly caring out their death sentence and broke into a bitter weeping. He put his hands back on the bars but lacked the strength to yanked at them again. Pushed beyond his endurance Jack pitched forward and began dry heaving, his stomach blazing with agony with each powerful spasm. When his abdomen could simply no longer contract he bowed all the way to the floor and moaned pitifully.

"Help us, anyone, please...help us. Don't let her die like this." Jack whispered. "I'll give anything, everything. Someone please just...just save her..."