"Oh God!" She reached out and carefully touched his cheek. He was alive – that she could tell from the agonized breathing – but he was burning up. His face was bruised and bloody, and it looked like his hands were torn where he'd tried to fight or defend himself. "Daniel", she shouted, "Call an ambulance. We've found him."
"How is O'Neill?", Teal'c asked from outside the little hut.
"He's in a bad way guys. He needs help quickly."
"I will go with Daniel and we will return shortly. Maybe Nurse Alvarez can assist him."
"Please", Sam looked at BJ, "Can my friend come in? She's a nurse."
BJ considered for a minute but the groan from his friend convinced him. "Yeah okay, but just the woman."
"Thank you. Tina, you can come in."
Tina squeezed into the small enclosure and immediately knelt down beside her former patient. She winced when she saw the shape he was in. She quickly began examining him, although there wasn't much she could do without any medical supplies.
"The General's hurt bad I think", BJ said, looking down at his friend. "Wouldn't let me tell anyone. Said they'd come and get him."
"Who would come and get him?" Sam asked. She'd had to scoot out of the way when Tina had begun to examine the Colonel. She hated waiting and not being able to help.
"The bad guys. He didn't know who they were – just that they would take him to 'the room'. He had lots of nightmares about that room. That and people he called the Golds." BJ grimaced. "He talked a lot about Golds and aliens and going into space. He also told me about his buddy – Thor I think he said his name was."
Sam glanced up at the big man briefly at this, although most of her attention was on Jack. "Space?" she asked in concern.
"Yeah, people around here called him the 'Spaceman' – they all think he's crazy. That's okay down here, though, most of us are crazy. Anyway, I didn't call him that – I called him the General."
"Why?"
"Cause he said he was in the Air Force. He couldn't remember anything about it but I kinda figured he looked like a General. He seemed to like it when I called him that. He also told me he knew his team would find him. When I asked him who they were he got all upset – he couldn't remember and that made him feel real bad."
BJ watched as the nurse looked the General over. He didn't want his friend to die. For the first time, in a long time, he'd met someone who cared about him. Even if the man was crazy, he was a good man. He just hoped they could help him – although he hated the fact that he was going to be taken away. He'd probably never see the General again.
"Where is that damn ambulance", muttered Tina under her breath.
"Don't know if it'll even come here", BJ added. "They don't like to come to Skid Row at night. It's too dangerous."
"What happens if someone is really sick?" asked Tina.
"They either get better or they die", BJ said, without much emotion. "Sometimes it's better if they die. Not much of a life down here."
"No!" Jack began to toss his head and murmur. "No, please don't!" He began to struggle and turn.
"He gets like this sometimes", BJ explained. "He can't ever remember in the morning, at least he says he can't."
Jack continued to toss, so violently that the three of them had to hold him down. At one point his eyes opened and he looked around wildly. His eyes were glazed and he was clearly out of it. He clearly didn't recognize anyone or even where he was.
"Please no", he cried again.
Sam was terribly disturbed to see the Colonel begin to cry. Even with all he'd been through over the years, she'd never seen him break down like this.
"It's the fever", explained Tina. "It's not really him, don't worry."
"Is he going to be okay?" Sam asked.
"I hope so", the nurse answered. "His chest isn't sounding good though. The pneumonia has gotten much worse. I'm gonna kill that doctor!"
A couple of minutes later they could hear a noise outside and then Daniel's face peeked through the boxes. "The ambulance won't come!" He said furiously. "We're going to have to drive him."
"What! What's wrong with everyone?" Sam asked.
"They're scared", answered BJ. "It's dangerous", he told them again.
"Okay, we've got to get him out of here", Tina took control. "See if you can find something to use as a stretcher – a door would be good. We'll carry him to the car and then take him to the hospital ourselves."
It didn't take long before Teal'c had returned with a door. Sam didn't want to ask where it came from. She wouldn't have been at all surprised if she found out that Teal'c had simply removed it from the front of some building.
They quickly moved Jack onto the door and covered him with all of their jackets. Fortunately he'd calmed down by then so they were able to remove him somewhat quietly.
"You and Tina take him to the hospital", Daniel said. "There isn't room for all of us in the car. Teal'c and I will follow."
"Are you sure?" Sam asked, as she watched Teal'c carefully place him on the back seat.
"We are sure Major Carter. We will find our way there as quickly as possible. We shall go and speak with Joe and ask his help."
"Okay guys. We'll see you soon."
It didn't take long to drive to the hospital as the traffic was much lighter at night. They went to Tina's hospital, as it was the closest, although Sam had heard how Jack had been treated before and wasn't too happy about returning.
"Oh, I'm sure he'll be treated just fine this time. As soon as they know who he is things will be different. It's just homeless people they treat like crap", Tina said bitterly.
They pulled into the Emergency driveway and Tina hopped out. "I'll go get someone with a gurney."
A few minutes later she came with two orderlies, pulling a stretcher. They quickly transferred Jack and he was raced into the Trauma ward. "Go park and meet me inside", Tina slammed the door and raced after Jack.
By the time Sam had parked and returned she was a mass of nerves. The Colonel had looked terrible and had continued to moan and mutter. He was saying all sorts of classified things and, although she figured most people would think it was just the ravings of an ill man, she knew she had to contact Hammond. Anyway, he'd want to know as soon as they found O'Neill.
By the time she'd made it into the Trauma ward she'd managed to call Hammond and give him a quick update. He was going to have transport waiting, in case the Colonel could be transferred. What was even better news was that Janet was on her way. Sam felt much better knowing their own, favorite doctor would soon be on hand.
She'd been here for hours, waiting for word on the Colonel's condition. Tina had come out after a few minutes and told her they were examining him and they'd find out soon. She sat down beside Sam and the two women sat quietly, both thinking about the man who was so ill, and whom they both cared about, although in very different ways.
"Sam, any word?" She looked up to see Daniel and Teal'c – and BJ and Joe – all standing looking at her.
"Uh, no, nothing." She looked at Daniel with her eyebrows raised, a silent question in her eyes.
"They both wanted to come to make sure he was okay. Joe drove us."
"Thank you", she looked at the young man. "And to you too BJ. I know Jack will be glad to have you here."
"Jack? That his real name?" BJ asked. "Yeah, I can see that. He looks like a 'Jack'. He a real General?" he asked the others.
"Close – he's a Colonel."
"Colonel eh? Why that's good, although he'll always be the General to me."
"I'm sure he'd like that', Sam said gratefully. "Thank you for watching out for him."
"I didn't do a very good job. Paco and his boys really hurt him. If he dies -"
"O'Neill will not die", Teal'c answered definitely. There was no doubt in his mind that his friend would survive to fight another day.
The dark night soon turned into day and still the unlikely and new-found friends waited. There was no real news, even although Tina spoke with some of the other nurses to try and get some information.
"He's being prepped for surgery", she finally found out. "He has some internal bleeding but they don't know how bad yet. They're going to go in and repair whatever it is. After that they'll come and talk to us."
"It's taken long enough", Daniel huffed.
"It's a busy night", Tina explained. "They're probably short of doctors."
It was an hour later when they heard a flurry at the door and in walked Janet Frasier, followed closely by General Hammond. Sam closed her eyes briefly, feeling a huge sense of relief. Having the two of them here suddenly made her feel like everything was going to be okay.
"How is he?" the General asked, getting straight to the point.
"We don't know Sir", she answered. "They've just taken him to surgery. They said he's bleeding internally and they have to fix that then they can tell us more."
"I'm going to go and see if I can find out anything", Janet stated as she walked to the nurses' station.
"I'll see if I can help her", Tina stood up as well and showed Janet through the doors into Trauma.
"What do we know about where he was?" Hammond asked. He'd only gotten the barest minimum details from Sam's call so the team spent the next half an hour bringing him up to speed.
"Do you think Samuel's man saw you?" he asked.
"I don't' know Sir, although it's likely. We probably stuck out like sore thumbs."
"I'm going to arrange for security here at the hospital and then as soon as he's able we'll transport him to the SGC. It'll be easier to watch him there and safer for him."
It was almost noon by the time the doctor appeared to give them any information.
"Are you with Mr. O'Neill?" he asked the group seated in the waiting room.
"Yes", General Hammond rose, "I'm Colonel O'Neill's Commanding Officer and these are his teammates and friends."
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize he was in the military." The doctor pulled off his cap and wearily ran his hand through his hair. "Well, your friend is stable for now although he's still critical. We repaired the damage to his kidney and have stopped the bleeding. We'll keep him on dialysis for now but that should heal, barring complications."
"You said he's critical – is there something else wrong with him?" Hammond asked.
"Yes", the doctor answered bluntly. " He's suffering serious pneumonia in both lungs. We've had to put him on a respirator and we're pumping him full of broad spectrum antibiotics. Besides that, he suffered severe bruising over a large portion of his body, along with a broken arm and three broken fingers. It's the combination of everything that's serious. We'll know better how he is in the next 24 to 48 hours. If we can get ahead of the infection he should be fine – although he looks like he was in bad shape to begin with so his recuperation is going to take a while."
"Can we see him", Sam asked softly.
"Only for 5 minutes and then no more than two of you can go in for now. Until he's out of the ICU we can't have too many people – they'll get in the way of the nurses."
Janet hadn't reappeared so they assumed she had gotten in to see Jack. After a short discussion it was decided that Daniel and Sam would go in to see him. Teal'c hated having to wait, but knew he'd probably be of more use to O'Neill during his recovery phase. His calm presence would help the Colonel when he began to get frustrated with his recuperation. For now, Teal'c knew that his two teammates would bring the most comfort.
Sam took a deep breath and looked to Daniel for courage. He gave her a small smile – needing her support as much as she did his. Together they walked into the ICU room where Jack was being looked after.
"Janet, how's he doing?" Dr. Frasier was standing by the bed, looking down and her friend and colleague. She glanced up when she heard Sam's voice.
"Sam, Daniel, hi. Did the doctor tell you anything?"
"Just a bit. He said the Colonel has pneumonia as well as some broken bones. He also told us about the surgery." She took another deep breath. "Is he going to be okay?"
"I don't know", Janet answered truthfully. "He was in pretty bad shape already and the pneumonia is bad. If the antibiotics don't get to it quickly well -" she stopped and didn't say anything more for a few seconds. "On top of that he's suffered physical trauma, both recently and over the last few weeks. I'm just hoping his body can withstand the infection."
"Is there anything we can do Janet?" Daniel asked.
"Pray."
"I mean with – you know – special technology?" He glanced at the ICU nurse sitting at the station in one quarter of the room.
"Maybe, although we'd have to take him to Colorado for that and he's not well enough to travel. If he takes a turn for the worse I'll ask General Hammond. In the meantime, we'll just have to hope that the Colonel's usual stubbornness keeps him going."
Sam finally approached the bed and was shocked to see how pale and lifeless the Colonel looked. She hated seeing all the equipment hooked up to him – which she knew was keeping him alive – but which she also knew he would hate.
"Colonel, you get better now, okay? We need you back in the SGC. Things just aren't the same without you. We need you Sir", her voice cracked. "Come back to us – please." With a small sniff, which she tried to cover up, Sam stepped back to allow Daniel the chance to see and speak to the Colonel.
"Jack, if you can hear me, I want you to listen closely", Daniel said firmly. "You've got to get your butt back here because there's no one to look after Sam and me. We haven't had anyone come to bug us in our offices, or fiddle with our priceless and rare objects – or tell us corny jokes. We really need you Jack. Listen to Sam and come back to us, please."
A couple of more minutes and the nurse looked up and nicely suggested that they let the Colonel rest. With a smile and a gentle touch on his cheek, Sam turned and left the room. Daniel followed immediately and a couple of seconds Janet came out as well.
"I hate to see him like that", Daniel stood, looking stricken. "He just doesn't look like Jack."
"How do you expect him to look Daniel. He was kidnapped, tortured and left for dead!"
"I know Sam, I'm sorry – I just – I feel so terrible and I want to do something."
"I know Daniel, so do I."
"The best thing you two can do is look after yourselves so that you're up to helping the Colonel when he's awake. The next few weeks are going to be difficult – so for God's sake don't allow yourself to get sick."
Janet was right! The next couple of weeks were hard on all of them as they took turns sitting with a comatose Colonel. As soon as the Colonel was out of immediate danger, Hammond had had to return to the SGC. He had one of the team call him with daily reports, and he was frustrated he couldn't be with Jack, but knew he was needed on base.
He wasn't the only one feeling frustrated. Sam, Daniel and Teal'c took turns sitting with the Colonel and softly talking to him. He'd been moved out of ICU, but was still unconscious, even though the respirator had been removed as well as some of the equipment. He still had an IV and an oxygen canula under his nose but otherwise there was little in the way of technology surrounding him. The only problem now was, he wouldn't wake up.
The doctors weren't quite sure what was going on. According to them, he should be waking up. Teal'c was the one who finally said what they were all thinking.
"He does not want to wake up. He believes he will return to the room, or possibly even to the streets. I believe he feels safe where he is."
Sam had to agree. The last couple of months had been horrific for the Colonel. If it had been her that had gone through what he went through, she would want to stay unconscious too.
It was almost two weeks since he'd been brought in. The pneumonia was under control and the other injuries were healing. Sam was sitting by his bed, reading a book she'd been wanting to get to in a while. At first she didn't notice anything, but, after a few minutes it felt like someone was watching her. She slowly lifted her head, until she was looking into the brown eyes of one Colonel Jack ONeill.
"Oh my - crap! Colonel, hi – how are you feeling?"
She watched as he continued to stare at her, with no change in expression. She tried again to speak with him, but he began to get a look of fear on his face so she stopped and backed off.
"What did they do to you Sir", she asked quietly. "I wish you'd let me help you."
He stared at her for a bit longer and then rolled over on his side, his back to her. She closed her eyes in pain. She wondered if Jack O'Neill was gone – or if he'd ever return.