AN Hi guys, finally I've got another chapter up. It's nearly 1am but I've done it! Unfortunately, this 1 (or two if i decide to split it in half) will be the last one for a while as it's exam season and I'm going away for 3 ½ weeks after that. (Unless the same thing happens as last time and I write more in order to avoid revision :D) Anyway...hope it's a good one (or 2), to tide you over 'til late July...

Chapter 19 - Misplaced Sense of Guilt

Sam had no idea when she first regained consciousness. She had a few disconnected moments of awareness and when she fully awoke she struggled to focus on the person sat beside her on the ground. Shifting her head she felt the lining of an SGC jacket against her cheek. Blinking several times, she thanked god it was dark - just having her eyes open started a headache off.

'Daniel?'

Roan jumped when her hoarse voice broke the silence.

'No, I uh...' he reached out to touch her shoulder 'Are you feeling ok?"'

'Yeah...' her voice felt prickly in her throat. She would kill for some nice chilled mineral water. She made to sit up but the pain was back, though different now and she felt the familiar tug of stitches. Gritting her teeth she gave up and laid her head back on the jacket. Roan saw her discomfort, he watched her closely for a few seconds. Seeing the pain clearly marked in the set of her jaw and also seeing the way she turned her face away to hide it.

'I'll uh...' apparently making up his mind as to what to do he sprang to his feet and yelled. 'Colonel O'Neill! Colonel!' Glancing down at the woman on the ground with a slightly embarrassed smile, he only had to wait a few moments before the thump of boots announced the Colonel's arrival. And he'd brought a scowl with him.

"Jeez Roan, do you think you could yell a little louder? I don't think everyone heard you. The point of us spending the nights lying in filthy ditches is to stay hidden - not just 'cause we enjoy getting dirty!' Roan felt a flash of irritation at the man's attitude but quashed it, opting instead for a carefully confused expression. 'Sorry I-- She's awake.'

This caught Jack's attention, stopping him as he was about to go into another tirade about the wonders of radio technology. His eyes flew down to Sam's prone figure. He crouched beside her, checked her pulse, it was stronger now and he breathed an almost inaudible sigh of relief.

'Carter?' He could have sworn his heart stopped for a whole fiver seconds while those fabulous blue eyes opened, regarding him seriously for a second and then her face lit with a smile – a small one but given the circumstances, he'd take it.

'Hey, what have I told you about dosing off on the job major?' Listening closely, Roan was shocked at the change in the man's tone. To have gone from hissing anger to this gentle mock admonishment within a few heartbeats had to be some kind of record.

'How'd it go?' having asked the question, Sam wasn't entirely sure she wanted to hear the answer.

'It was fine, scary but fine.' Sam's eyes widened at his admission and Jack could have kicked himself for how sentimental this woman could make him. It was downright annoying sometimes.

Luckily for both of them, the embarrassing moment was broken by more boots and some huffing and puffing from Teal'c and Daniel, who's lungs were still not quite up to scratch.

'Hey Sam!' She grinned back at Daniel's joviality.

'It is good to see you again Major Carter.' Teal'c gave a half bow of his head.

'Why Teal'c, did I go somewhere?' Sam teased and tried again to sit up, this time assisted by her CO. Having gotten her sat upright against the tree trunk again, jack helped her pull her jacket round her shoulders; checked her stitching; helped her gulp some water and talked her into taking some painkillers. He was just about to ask her if she wanted more water or another jacket for warmth when she cut him off, 'Sir, I'm fine ...really, thank you.' She tried to smile reassuringly and the Colonel O'Neill took the hint backing off enough to sit at the opposite side of the ditch facing her.

Teal'c and Roan arrived some minutes later, having left Daniel to take the first watch of the night. They discussed the surgery, briefly and what they could expect for the rest of the trip back to the gate. All three men watched the major closely, for any sign of discomfort – something she was aware of and grateful for. As a team, it was just what they did. She was obviously tired but managed to hold conversation and eventually excused herself to lay down and sleep. A wile later, long after the major was asleep, the three men, moved closer around her, shielding each other somewhat from the wind that blew between the branches of the gorse and pulling ferns across to provide some layers of warmth. Teal'c settled behind Sam with Jack in front and Roan beside him.

At one point in the night, Sam woke, barely becoming aware of her surroundings more than enough to recognise the silver head beside her and giving into a moment of weakness, pressed her face against the heat of his shoulder to go back to sleep.

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'Carter, you have just had abdominal field surgery, there is no way, honestly no way in the sphincter of hell, you are gonna hike today. You've got a tube sticking outa your gut for crying out loud.' he gestured to her stomach, flabbergasted that she could even entertain the notion

Sam gave him the best withering look she could muster while sat in a muddy ditch with the Colonel towering over her.

'Sir I really don't see what the tube has to do with it.' She reached up, grabbing a fistfull of gorse and began to laboriously haul herself to her feet. Jack made no move to stop her. Only when she had stood upright-ish and given him a triumphant smile, right before he saw her eyes lose focus and her knees give way did he move to catch her. She recovered quickly as he set her firmly on her butt on the ground but had the grace to look slightly sheepish. Jack folded his arms.

'You were saying, Carter?'

After that, Sam made no further objection to being carried by makeshift stretcher, even though the branches were rough and snapped off twigs prodded her in places they had no business being.

The going over the next few days was slow. It was taken in turns to carry the stretcher. Daniel and Roan always working together, as with Jack and Teal'c to keep the height level.

By the third day, Jack was allowing Sam 15 minute periods of walking, with good long rests in between. On occasion she fell asleep, though it was rare. Her dressings still needed cleaning, though it was a lot cleaner now. Still, the rest of her team watched her like hawks. No wince of recovery pain went unnoticed despite her best efforts.

On the forth night, Sam sat, in charge of a tiny campfire. Gear was piled behind her against one of the trees that were scattered around. They were now on the long decline into the next valley and the nights were mercifully growing warmer. Jack and Teal'c had gone scouting and Daniel sat on the opposite side of the fire to Sam, chewing and energy bar in between touching up the stretcher, which Sam dismissed as pointless since she wouldn't be needing it much longer. Daniel however, thought that if their master and commander had anything to do with it Sam would still be taking it easy for a few more days.

Jack had been overly protective of the whole team since leaving the institute, often referred to in much more colorful terms, whenever it came up in conversation.. He had been hovering around both Daniel and Sam over the past few days, like a mother hen. Daniel's analytical mind attributed this to some misplaced sense of guilt over getting them stuck in 'that shit-hole' to start with. That was just what Jack did.

In the growing dark, the conversation turned to Earth, to Janet and Cassie, and good food and as often happened on long off world trips they talked longingly about what they would do when they were back earth-side.

Sam was recovering from a fit of laughter at something Daniel had inadvertently implied about Janet and a bubble bath, while her wide eyed friend tried to explain that he didn't mean it as it had sounded when they were cut off by a familiar discharge of energy and an enraged roar from behind them.

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okey dokey. Next chapter will be posted tomorrow and things are getting GOOD! It's all already written. I will post it in the morning. It is now 1.30 am so I apologise for any mistakes. Let me know what you think

prometheus246