It was too warm for the tent, and Daniel and Teal'c had decided to try and pack it up. They'd managed to tear it down, and under other circumstances, watching them try to fit all the pieces back into the bag might have been amusing.
It wasn't.
Carter shifted again on the ground to his right, trying to get more comfortable – though none of the positions she'd tried so far seemed like they would be. Her nearly untouched dinner sat on the ground next to her. "Is there anything else that might help?" he asked.
The words had lost the anger of earlier, but still, she cringed. "I thought about the hand warmer packs, but we didn't bring them. Usually some sleep gives the ibuprofen a chance to catch up. But then I keep sleeping through doses."
He kinda wished she'd mentioned that earlier. "All right. Sack out, then. You get last watch."
"Thank you, sir." She looked truly grateful, relieved, and humiliated all at once. "Once we get back, I swear-"
"Yeah." He waved her off and checked his watch. "When was your last round of meds?"
She checked hers, too. "Almost two hours ago."
"Okay. Get some sleep."
~/~
The beep on Jack's watch pulled his gaze from the deep woods, and he stared at it for a moment before remembering why he'd set it. It had been four hours since Carter's last dose of painkillers. He'd meant to wake her, but he glanced at the sleeping bag and second guessed himself. She'd tossed and turned up until the last forty-five minutes or so – it seemed cruel to put her through that again when she'd finally found some peace.
But it was better to stay on a schedule – to take the meds and keep the dose up – than wake in the morning with nothing in her system. If the last few mornings hadn't proven that, he'd learned with his first broken arm: certain the drugs weren't doing anything, he'd stopped taking them. And been horribly wrong. And it had taken hours for them to kick back in.
With a sigh, he walked around the fire and touched the lump in the sleeping bag that he really hoped was her shoulder. "Captain." When she didn't answer, he shook a little harder. "Captain."
But there was no reaction at all, and an uncomfortable feeling bubbled in the pit of his stomach. He found the top of her sleeping bag in the firelight and tugged it back to touch her face. "Captain Carter."
The skin under his fingers was covered with sweat and icy cold. He yanked the flashlight from his belt and found her pale, edging on gray but for a flush around her nose. She shivered and didn't open her eyes.
"PMS, my ass," he muttered. "Carter."
It was loud enough that time to rouse Teal'c, who rolled to his feet. "Is Captain Carter unwell?"
"Daniel!" he yelled, searching for the sleeping bag zipper and yanking it open. "Grab the flashlight and lead the way. Teal'c, smother the fire and catch up."
"What?" The archaeologist blinked as his friend lifted their teammate into his arms. "What happened?"
"Move, Daniel," he snapped. "Leave your gear." The small light he'd started with would have to do until the other man got his ass in motion. Jack shoved to his feet and started toward the Gate as fast as his legs could carry him.
