Teal'c concentrated on coaxing every bit of speed out of the death glider as the craft hurled through the silence of space. The orbital trajectory had been calculated by the craft's navigational systems at an hour more than his highest estimate. He had been unable to communicate that to O'Neill without returning to the planet since radios had not survived their evacuation of the Ha'tak. He would not further delay his primary mission since there was no part of their plan that would be changed by precisely knowing the round trip travel time. Major Carter needed medical care more than O'Neill needed peace of mind.
Still, it bothered him that he had conveyed an incorrect estimate, and the extra hours added more risk to the team. While the immediate forest around the camp seemed free of large predators, he had not had enough time to fully scout the area. He found only small mammals, but those sharp talons and teeth had a practical purpose, either hunting for aggressive prey or defense against larger predators. More likely both.
He heard a soft scraping sound from the rear seat and he turned his head to listen until he heard a hitched breath. "Major Carter, are you well?" he asked quietly, his voice so low it barely carried through the confined space. He only wanted her to answer if she was indeed awake. He tipped his head and listened some more.
"Teal'c," she replied breathily after a moment. Her relieved tone told him she was answering an internal question, probably after an initial disorientation. She had been asleep since before O'Neill had carried her to the craft and settled her in the seat. Her fever was not so high then, but O'Neill had explained that was because of the Tylenol she took and that she would need more to stay comfortable. Teal'c had listened carefully to the instructions.
"Major Carter, you will find medication in your left jacket pocket. O'Neill said you should take two pills by this time, even if you are feeling well," he paused as if expecting her to protest. "He said that is how the medicine works."
Carter grinned at the uncertainty in the man's voice as she pulled out a small foil pouch. "I will, Teal'c. He's right, actually. Taking it now will help control my symptoms before they worsen."
"Does this medicine not make you well?" he asked with concern.
"No, I will need other medication, specifically antibiotics, if I have an infection. Tylenol takes away some pain and reduces my fever, but does not destroy the bacteria causing the infection."
"Is this medicine masking your illness? Is that not dangerous if you still have the infection?" He was not sure his questions made sense, but he was determined to better understand. His symbiote had always taken care of his injuries, and illnesses rarely had a chance to take hold, but the major was afflicted with a sudden illness that was clearly very serious.
"Yes and no," she answered softly to avoid stirring up a cough, but her voice did not sound as weak as before. "An infection is caused by bacteria that is attacking the tissues in my lungs, making it difficult to breathe. Antibiotics are a specific medicine that kills bacteria," she explained, settling lower in her seat to get more comfortable. She pulled up the collar of Daniel's jacket realizing they kept her smaller one on the planet. She quashed the protest forming in her mind that she knew she would not voice out loud. They will figure something out, she admitted to herself, actually grateful for their decision.
She had never been so cold as in that ocean. Even stranded in Antarctica, at least the colonel shared… She stopped herself short of that memory as it tried to surface for a second time. She needed to fill the silence with any other topic to keep her mind occupied, so she continued out loud, "The fever is caused by my body's immune defenses trying to eradicate the bacteria, which may eventually work, but fevers are uncomfortable and unpredictable. They can cause delirium, even death, if they get too high, so they have to be monitored closely. It's a trade off that I use Tylenol to keep the fever under control, but it means I will still need the other medicine soon." She could feel a tickle rising in her throat, so she stopped abruptly and took a drink of water, breathing slowly until the sensation passed. Her chest was still tight and she felt light-headed, but pulled in breaths as deeply as she could.
"I understand. Thank you for the explanation," he spoke up, accepting her pause as the end of the lesson. "We will arrive at the outer moon in five hours. Are you comfortable?"
"Yeah, I'm alright, Teal'c. At least it is warm and dry in here," she paused, suddenly realizing she still had gaps in her memory. "How was Daniel doing when we left? He broke his arm. How did that happen?"
Teal'c cocked an eyebrow toward the rear seat without turning around. It was not unusual for the Major to string together multiple questions on a topic, so he waited a moment before he answered. "Daniel Jackson still slept when we departed. A blast wave from the Ha'tak's secondary drives had overtaken the death glider. I believe he damaged his hand at that time, based on his atypical use of expletives from several languages, including Goa'uld."
"Really?" she smirked at the image forming in her mind, but immediately caught herself and said more soberly, "I mean, that's terrible. He must be in some serious pain."
He did not answer and it was only a moment before she started searching for another safe topic.
"Oh, the Ha'tak! Do you know what condition it was in?" It was an important question. Despite the catastrophic nature of an exploding drive system, spacecraft were surprisingly resilient. Fire could not survive or spread in a vacuum and explosive concussion dissipated quickly into space if the blast exited the hull easily enough. Human survival in that situation was a very different matter, but the ship itself was not necessarily a total loss.
"As we departed the planet I was able to observe the Ha'tak for a short time. It seemed largely intact however it was in a very low orbit. Without engines I believe it is only a matter of time until it crashes into the planet." He paused for a response but she stayed quiet. "I am sorry, Major Carter. But I believe our current plan is the only viable course of action to return all of us to Earth."