"Jack I saw her! She wasn't a hallucination!" Daniel's insistent pestering is driving me insane
"OKAY!" I snap at him with my fist against the door to the Prometheus infirmary "I believe you but before we go on a hunt for this 'thing' we don't even know if we can find, we have other issues at hand" I explain trying to calm myself and speak reason to Daniel.
"Sorry, uh Ronson has a plan to locate a stargate in the works already and Janet says Sam's resting. Teal'c has been helping seal off the flooded levels and hopefully we won't sink." Daniel explains finally and I sigh
"How is she?" I ask peering into the infirmary intent on going in
"um, I don't know" he paused waiting for me to look at him expectantly and when I did "Janet said she's been asking to be left alone" I know I frowned at that and I aught to have, sure Carter had been in a strangely crappy mood as of late and the recent occurrences haven't been particularly cheerful for the major but this is Carter and she is nothing short of a workaholic.
Something's up.
"Jack, are you listening?" Daniel asks suddenly.
"Hmm?" I ask not bothering to cover the fact that I wasn't. He frowns with a low grumble in his throat.
"Well basically what I was saying is that you should go see her anyway, you still need to talk to her and she's obviously just using this time to clear her head. Clear things up a bit…" Daniel suggested "for the both of you" he adds. I know what he's doing but I can't be bothered stopping his medaling. He's right and I'm going to sort this all out whether she likes it or not, she's stuck there and I'm going to make her talk.
Ok here goes… I stay firmly planted to the spot.
Maybe she needs to rest a bit longer, Ronson probably needs me to assist in the search anyway. I'm far better off searching out a stargate then searching through Carters feelings anyway. Like she said there isn't anything to talk about anyway. Things are fine.
So it's settled…
---
"Hey Carter, how ya doing?" The man asks as he approaches, the man who saved me. I don't know his name but he knows mine. Carter. A strange name, it sounds masculine. Perhaps it is a shortened name?
"Carter?" he asks leaning on the strange bed I lay in
"Yes" I respond looking up at him expectantly. I know that I know him but I don't know where from, his face seems familiar and I feel comfortable with him here. Maybe he is my friend.
"Are you alright?" he asks with a look of confusion and I return the look with a smile and a nod not knowing what else to do.
"What's your sentence?" he asks casually
"Sentence?" I ask and he shows a blank look
"Prison term…" he explains. I'm a prisoner? Is this a prison? That would explain the lack of walls and why there are so many men in uniform with weapons "geez Carter, how long has doc Frasier got you in here for?" he says in response to my lack of response. That name is familiar. I remember it from the tag on the woman's white coat.
"Uh she said she would have me 'up and around' in no time" I recite the woman's words. He nods not saying anything and a long silence passes
"Can I ask you something?" I say finally and he looks at me expectantly "what did I do?"
"Huh?"
"To be sentenced here" I explain and he looks confused for a moment before a look of realization passes over his features
"Uh well you bumped your head when we crashed and couldn't get out of your quarters when the level started flooding" he explains…I don't understand "you almost drowned"
"You saved me" I respond and he grimaces
"Well don't sound so surprised Carter, you woulda done the same" he adds
"I would?" I ask, am I a brave person?
"Now Carter I know we have some 'issues' to mow over but that's no reason to start being all hateful and un-Carter like on me" he looks concerned and mildly offended
"We have issues?" I ask and he frowns
"Yeah Carter before you try to pretend everything's fine, It's not and we both know it." He states with a warning tone, almost demanding. Maybe we aren't friends, perhaps we are enemies… but he saved me.
"It's kinda the reason I'm here. I know you said there was nothing to talk about but avoidances aside, we need to talk" talk? About what? I have to tell him.
"I can't…" I start but he cuts me off
"Yes you can Carter! That damn security footage has stirred up too much for you to deny." He insists "too much for either of us to deny and we can't hide behind the regulations anymore, well we could but it's just an excuse like you said. I thought I'd lost you, I can't lose you and never know" He pauses and I can tell he's studying my features. There is a lot of emotion in his eyes but yet his features are blank. But his eyes burn for an answer, an answer I don't have.
"I…uh guess so" I answer randomly, choking on my thoughts. He sighs bowing his head.
"Carter… no Sam." He smiles briefly looking up to my eyes and approaching my side "I do care about you, I always have, I've just been too much of a stubborn ass to do anything about it. With the whole saving the world thing and our needing to work together. Court marshalling kinda puts a damper on that." He laughs but I'm too confused to see the humor. My name is Sam, another masculine name. After a long pause he smiles to ease the tension "I guess this is the part where I admit I'm in love with you and that I've been planning on resigning so that I can love you without having to worry about those pesky regulations" he says. …This man loves me… I guess we can rule out enemy then.
"Samantha?" he asks at the look of surprise. That's a better name.
"Yes" I blank for anything else to say and he steps closer, holding my hand in his and rubbing it gently
"Before you say anything, can I ask you something?" he asks looking into my eyes intensely
"Yes" I repeat
"What happened on the footage that had such an impact?" he asked and I panic
"Happened?" I ask
"When you said 'one more thing'" he explains but it doesn't help. I have to tell him. I have to let him know that I don't know …anything… but I'm guessing by what he just told me, it's taken him a long time to admit that. I can't ruin it for him by admitting that I don't know who he is or who anyone is for that matter.
"Uh…nothing happened" I try and he frowns. His face changes and I realize that he is realizing I haven't been very responsive.
"Are you alright?" he asks looking concerned. Here goes…
"Uh no…" I admit
"What's wrong?" he asks looking around for the woman in the white coat he calls doc Fraiser.
"Okay" I exhale "I'm sorry, I realize this was probably very difficult for you but it didn't mean anything to me" I state and his features drop "at least I don't think it did. I don't know..." he looks confused. You think you're confused.
"You see I don't remember anything. All I know is that I woke up in that room that was filling with water and I thought I was going to die but you saved me. I don't even know your name but you seem to be in love with me and I don't know if I love you… I don't know who I am"
"Oh" he mutters letting my hand go "I'll uh get Janet" he says looking around wildly and then spotting the woman in the white coat he rushes over to her
"Hey doc, you missed something!"