Authors Note: For all those wondering I never really intended to go further into depth with Sam and Pete's conversation, especially since the characters have other things on their minds right now. I may do an epilogue later if anyone's really interested in their conversation, we'll see. Thank you all for your wonderful reviews. Happy reading :-)
Sam watched in horror as Jack fell to the ground at her feet. She tried to scream but her throat was frozen in fear. Her gun fell from her hands, clattering to the ground unnoticed. The world seemed to be moving in slow motion as Sam sank to her knees beside him. Her hands moved unsteadily to Jacks face, one hand caressing his cheek while the other fumbled to find his pulse point.
Sam felt her heart drop, her chest contracting painfully, her breathing shallow and pained. There was no pulse. Sam felt tears sting her eyes. She heard someone call to her, tell her to get to the gate, but she didn't care. She couldn't care, not anymore. The only thing that mattered was gone, and it was her fault. He had stepped into a shot meant for her. If she'd been a better soldier, if she'd been quicker, if she'd paid more attention, he wouldn't be lying there on the cold hard ground on some alien planet.
She should've been the one to take the hit, not him. 'Not him'. She felt tears falling down her face. Sam lowered her head placing a small shaky kiss chastely on his lips, not caring who saw her. She lowered her head, her cheek resting on his chest. Her shoulders shook with the force of her sobs, her breathing ragged. She almost didn't hear it, almost convinced herself that it was her mind playing tricks. She listened closely, slowing her breathing. Thump. Thump. Thump. His heart was beating. His heartbeat was irregular, but it was there. Sam felt an overwhelming wave of relief wash over her. She raised her head and glanced around. "I need some help over here," she yelled.
Sam was the last one through the gate, firing several long bursts of gunfire to make sure Teal'c could make it through carrying Jack. As soon as she stepped through she heard someone yell the order to shut the iris. It slid quickly shut and was followed rapidly by several loud thuds as the Jaffa that had been close behind them collided with the barrier. Sam turned away from the gate. She watched as the medics rushed into the gateroom with a gurney. She felt Daniel at her side, asking if she was okay. But she barely heard anything he was saying, her attention on Teal'c as he gently lowered Jack to the gurney. She watched as the medics pushed the gurney out of the room, running alongside, Dr. Warner shouting orders as he hurriedly checked Jack's wound.
Sam started after them, not wanting to leave Jacks side. She took a step and her head grew fuzzy, her eyesight dimming, and she stumbled a little, her legs feeling numb. Daniel caught her arm and stopped her from falling. "Are you okay Sam?" Daniel asked, his face crowded with concern. "I'm fine Daniel," she said trying to free herself from his grasp. "I have to go," she said weakly, her vision growing dark. "He needs me," Sam said before passing out, her body going limp.
The doctor ran over to the bed where Sam had been deposited only moments before. When she had collapsed in the gateroom Daniel had scooped her up in his arms and ran all the way to the infirmary, he broke through the doors yelling that she needed help. Her skin felt fevered even through the material of his shirt, her face was pale, and she was groaning constantly like she was in terrible pain.
Daniel had never been so scared in his life. Sam was like a sister to him, they had been through so much, and he didn't know what he would do if something happened to her. He stood by her bedside protectively, Teal'c at his side. Sam was shivering, her teeth clattering together.
The doctor shouted out orders for broad spectrum antibiotics and blankets as Daniel and Teal'c stood by watching helplessly. The doctor turned to face them. "What happened to her?" She asked. "I have no idea. She was fine one minute, and the next she collapsed," Daniel answered. The doctor gave a brusque nod and turned to her nurse. "We'll need a full blood workup, head and chest films, and full body exam done stat," she ordered. "We need to catch whatever this is before it's too late."
It was dark as a tomb, though Sam could hear the noises of the infirmary all around her. She heard the steady beat of the heart monitor by her side. What had happened? The last thing that she remembered was watching the medics as they rushed Jack out of the gateroom. 'Oh god, Jack.' She had to get to him, she had to make sure he was okay. Sam tried to force herself to get up, to open her eyes, to move, but her body wouldn't respond. Panic took over, her heart beating rapidly. She tried to scream, tried to thrash, but her body remained unresponsive to her commands. Sam tried to calm down. She took several deep breaths and tried to reason with herself. 'At least I can breathe,' she told herself. 'I just need to stay calm, try and figure this out,' she reasoned.
Daniel scrubbed his hands over his face, stretching as a yawn broke from his mouth. His mind had been constantly turning, even while he slept. His two best friends on this, or any other planet, were in serious trouble. And there was nothing he could do about it. Jack had been in surgery for over nine hours, there had been no news except that it was touch and go. Sam was still unconscious, no one knew exactly what was wrong with her, which was more frightening then Daniel would admit. He'd sat beside her for hours, his weariness winning as he fell into an uncomfortable slumber sitting in the chair at her bedside.
A nurse woke Daniel from his restless sleep when she spoke, her voice loud and jarring. He opened his eyes to see the nurse standing beside Sam's bed, glancing between Sam and the monitor she was hooked to. "Colonel Carter, can you hear me?" The nurse inquired. There was no response from Sam. Daniel got to his feet. "What's going on?" He asked the nurse worriedly. "I'm not sure Dr. Jackson. I'm going to get the doctor," she said hurrying off.
Moments later she returned with the doctor. The doctor looked at the monitor quickly before pulling a penlight from her pocket. "What's happening?" Daniel asked as he watched the doctor shine the light first in Sam's left then right eye. She talked to Sam, asked if she could move her arm, her foot, open her eyes, but there was no response. The doctor took hold of Sam's arm and raised it until it was suspended in the air, asking Sam to try and keep it elevated. She released the arm and it fell quickly back to Sam's side.
The doctor breathed a deep sigh, turning to face Daniel. "Colonel Carter is awake," she answered, her voice solemn. Daniel just looked at her. "Okay," he said slowly. "What's going on?" He asked. "There seems to be a significant loss of control in her muscle functions," she paused, allowing him to process the information. Daniel just stared at her in disbelief. "Are you saying ..." His voice trailed off, not wanting to voice what his head already knew. The doctor nodded faintly. "She appears to be paralyzed."
Teal'c stood outside the door to the room where the doctors were operating. No one would ever be able to tell by looking at him, but Teal'c was scared. O' Neill was like a brother to him, there wasn't anything he wouldn't do for him, he'd give his life if it could save him. He wasn't used to being helpless. He was used to fighting, being in control. But there was nothing he could do, only wait to see whether he would live or die.
The doors to the OR swung open and Dr Warner walked out, pulling his mask down from his face. When he looked up he noticed Teal'c and walked over to him. "We've got him stabilized for now. However he's sustained some serious injuries. We've put him into a medically induced coma to give his body a chance to heal itself." Teal'c just looked at the doctor, one eyebrow raised, his head tilted to the side, a bewildered look on his face. Dr Warner gave him a tired smile. "He's resting now, but he should be fine," Warner said simply. Teal'c gave a short nod, the corners of his lips lifting in a small smile. "That is good to hear."
'Paralyzed.' Daniel couldn't believe what he'd heard. This wasn't possible. This couldn't be happening. He stared down at Sam, her body unmoving, her eyes firmly closed. He couldn't imagine what was going through her head. Trapped in her own body, unable to move or speak. It must be a nightmare. "We're going to figure this out Sam," Daniel promised. "I know it's hard but just hang in there." Daniel took a deep breath, not knowing what to tell her about Jack, but knowing she must be going out of her mind worrying about him. "There's not much news about Jack yet. Tealc's over there right now. I'm sure he's going to be fine Sam, so don't worry."
Sam heard every word Daniel spoke echo through her. She knew that he was trying to help her stay calm, and she silently thanked him. Between trying to figure out what had happened that caused her body to become paralyzed, and worrying about how Jack was doing, her brain had been working overtime. If anything happened to Jack, she would never be able to forgive herself.
She had overreacted, treated him like he'd done something wrong. Had she really expected him not to have someone in his life? Had she really expected him to spend the rest of his life in solitude because they couldn't be together? She had no right to be angry with him for being with someone when she had done the same thing. The thought of Jack with someone else caused her heart to seize in pain. Was this what it had been like for him? All these years, seeing her with other men? Had she caused him this much pain? She felt tears pool in her eyes, running down her cheeks, unable to do anything to stop them from falling.
The doctor came rushing into the infirmary waving an x-ray at Daniel. "I think we may have found the cause of the Colonel's paralysis," she declared, her face triumphant.
Like it? Don't forget to hit review!