AN: Less than 24 hours since my last post, I know. I actually wrote this before I went to bed, which turned out to be a bit of mistake. I think I was starting to feel a bit like the characters here. Anyway, this is for Rach5, (I dedicated this chapter to you, so you have to like me, right? =P )
Daniel's stomach was twisting into knots as they rode in the helicopter towards the motel. Even though Jack hadn't had his phone on speaker, they had all clearly heard Olivia screaming through the earpiece. Jack had winced in pain and shoved it away from his ear. His blood had just about frozen solid, he had pushed himself up off the couch immediately. If only that had been the end of it. It took Jack precious moments to get her to calm down enough to coherently tell them what had happened. That Sam had taken off.
She had said something at the end, too much distortion in the phones small speaker for him to make it out. It wasn't until Jack had answered that the rest of them had understood the true plight.
The sentence still rang in his head. "She took your gun?"
He was absolutely terrified, and he would have said it to any one that asked. But it didn't need to be said, the others fears ran along the same vein. Janet's face was pale, her dark eyes staring blankly out the window. Teal'c's jaw flexed, the working muscle clearly vibrating through his cheek. Jack sat next to the copilot, rigid as a pole. His right hand was mottled with scratches and fresh bruises.
He had told Olivia to stay put, that they were on their way, that the state police and the locals were all searching for that car. The phone had barely shut when Jack had put his hand through the wall with a sharp yell. He had waved away Janet when she tried to tend to it.
Daniel clutched one hand in the other, nervously worrying the flesh beneath. Sam was growing more volatile, that was more than evident. And now she was armed. What did she plan to do with it? Protection, he hoped to God it was for protection. He couldn't stomach the alternative. Couldn't think of her in a place where she'd even contemplate that option.
It had taken them all of an hour to cross the distance, the sun starting to peak over the horizon. But it may as well have been a week.
Olivia stood barefoot in the parking lot as the helicopter touched down thirty feet away. Jack jumped out as the rails kissed the pavement.
"How the hell did you let that happen?" Jack screamed, to be heard over the engine as it throttled down, and for the sake of yelling.
Teal'c beat Daniel out to race after him.
"I didn't think she could..." Olivia shouted back. her face was streaked with tears. The wind from the rotors disheveled her already mussed hair.
Jack was in her face, causing her to take a step back, pointing with his injured hand. "No, you didn't think! And if you were worth any salt as a detective, if you knew anything about Sam, you wouldn't have underestimated her like that!"
The pain that echoed across her face showed that his words cut Olivia deeper than any knife could ever hope.
"O'Neill!" Teal'c's bark echoed through the air, the engine no longer competing with their fierce yells. Daniel barely paid any attention to the motel clerk staring out the window. The man clearly knew better than to come outside.
The jaffa's thick hand grabbed Jack's shoulder, pulling him back with enough force to cause him to stagger so as not to fall over. He kept a firm grasp.
Jack tried to shrug out of the grip. "Teal'c, let me go!"
But Teal'c didn't relent. By the wince that flashed across Jack's face, Daniel could only assume his grip tightened briefly.
"Recriminations benefit no one." Though he was no longer yelling, Teal'c's words were final.
Olivia's hands clenched into fists, her knuckles going white from the pressure. "It's my fault. You don't think I get that? Believe me, I blame myself more than you possibly could."
"You couldn't have known," Daniel said. But against Jack's outburst, his words of reassurance rang hollow. While logically he knew better, deep down he couldn't help but blame her himself. Whether it actually showed in his words, or if he was merely projecting, he couldn't be sure.
Whichever the case, they clearly brought her no comfort. Teal'c finally allowed Jack to work his way out of his grip. He glared at the jaffa as he smoothed his shirt. Teal'c gave no reaction.
"What was her condition?" Janet demanded, working her way in front of the larger men.
Olivia clasped the back of her neck with both hands, staring up into the sky. Her voice quaked with emotion. "Um. She was spiking a fever. I tried to wake her up to get her some fluids, but she just wouldn't. I didn't think she could roll over, much less..."
She trailed off, but Daniel couldn't be sure if it was because the rest didn't need to be said or she was refusing to defend herself. Jack still eyed her dangerously, but Teal'c's proximity kept his mouth firmly shut.
"When was the last time she ate?" Janet continued.
"Around lunch. But... she threw it up almost immediately. I've barely been able to get her to eat anything."
"You should have called us sooner." Jack's voice was ice cold now. But it only increased their weight.
Olivia's mouth worked momentarily, anger apparent in her own face. But she quickly deflated, her voice a mere whisper. "I wanted to."
"Your position was not an enviable one," Teal'c said. It was not an exoneration, merely acknowledgement that things were not so cut and dried.
Silence descended. Olivia's stare stayed far from Jack's accusing eyes. Daniel shifted awkwardly. Janet stared off into the distance, a frown on her face.
"Sir!" the pilot called from the helicopter. "Locals report spotting the car abandoned on the side of the road twenty miles west. It appears the driver has taken off into the nearby woods."
Jack's head whipped around, his voice curt. "Tell them to hang back. I don't want anyone in those woods but us."
"Yes, sir."
Jack stopped briefly on the way back to the helicopter, the rotors again spinning up to speed. He stopped Olivia with him. Daniel could barely make out his words over the noise.
"Whatever happens now, it's on you."