Title: Mis-Adventures of Jack and Sam (Seven Days)
Author: dcChic
Email: [email protected]
Notes: This is it. The moment you've been both looking forward to and dreading. The End. (Epilogue not with standing) I can't thank everyone enough for all the positive feedback you've given me. Seriously, I wouldn't have worked nearly as diligently without all the kudos.
I had forgotten how much I love to spin a good yarn and am looking forward to some serious brainstorming for inspiration on the next Jack and Sam adventure. I think I'll strive for more prominent roles for both Teal'c and Daniel as well! First I have to think of a good premise though. Something a little different... I'm working on it!
And then there's my amazing beta-reader Kath. A very sincere thank you for all your help. Couldn't have done nearly as good a job without you. Girl, you rock. And Chrissy, I have enjoyed our little chats as well, so you keep me in the loop on your future military aspirations ok?
Chapter 12
Day 5, P3X-677
1300
Teal'c watched as one after another the medical personnel hooked up their harnesses and were lifted out of the cavern. It had taken some time to stabilize Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter. Both had yet to regain consciousness and after nearly an hour of monitoring vitals, patching up the worst of the cuts and administering IV's and blood transfusions, Dr. Frasier declared them ready to be moved. Well, as ready as they were going to be.
Janet was taking a chance moving both of them, but for entirely different reasons. After giving Sam Daniel's generous blood donation, Janet had decided to keep her "cold" until they got back to base. She knew that although Daniel's assistance had aided Sam greatly as far as blood volume went, it did little to heat her up due to the extreme coldness of her underlying tissue. 88( F was cold and dangerous, but if monitored, not life threatening. Well, not in itself.
What Janet was really worried about were Sam's organs; especially her heart. She knew Sam would most likely seize once her core temp got above a certain level. And out here, Janet was just not prepared to deal with that. She would perform an EEC (Extra Corporeal Circulation) only once back at base. Rapid re-warming was Sam's best bet, but it could not happen out here in the field. Sam had been dressed in warm clothes, but without additional warming techniques, her temperature was remaining stable at 88( F. She was receiving fluids to help with the dehydration, but now that she wasn't in danger of organ failure due to blood loss, it was best to keep her cold until they returned to the SGC. Jack on the other hand..
Janet decided to take a chance on Jack. She needed him warm to better assess how serious the head injury was. Slowing down the heart to decrease circulation was fine if he was bleeding to death, but in this case it was imperative that he be warmed up ASAP. Heated transfusions helped bring his blood pressure up to normal levels and hot packs were applied under his arms, chest and groin. Jack was pinking up but still remained unconscious. Janet bit her lip and hoped she was doing the right thing. It was going to be a long trek back to the gate.
"The Colonel's set!" Janet yelled as she finished double checking the stretcher. She watched apprehensively as he was slowly lifted out of the hole and gently placed on solid ground. Now it was Sam's turn.
Janet hated seeing her friend like this. It killed her to know that underneath the light blanket and dry clothes lay a very battered, weakened woman. Janet wished that in all the planets the SGC had visited, some team could have brought back technology akin to Star Trek. She would give anything to be able to "beam" Sam and Jack back to the gate. Hell, straight into her infirmary on earth would be ideal.
Only after making certain Sam had successfully reached the surface, did Janet allow herself to be hooked back into her harness and raised out of the cavern. Her last stray thought before returning to her injured charges was of Daniel and how she hoped he was drinking plenty of fluids.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Teal'c watched as Dr. Fraiser was lifted out of the cave and wondered again if he should have notified her of Dr. Jackson's condition. He knew that Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter were dangerously incapacitated, but Daniel Jackson truly didn't look well either. Daniel lay slumped against a wall of the cavern looking way too pale and breathing in short, rapid breaths. A sheen of sweat lay across his brow and his eyebrows were bunched together as if in discomfort. Teal'c had hoped that allowing him to rest for a few minutes would be prudent, but it had now been nearly an hour and they needed to leave presently to get to the Stargate before it became dark.
Teal'c bent down and lightly tapped Daniel on the shoulder.
"DanielJackson, I believe it is time for us to go."
"Sure Teal'c." Daniel said slowly standing up. The room tilted jarringly to one side before righting itself. Daniel was very nauseous, had a splitting headache and was having problems focusing. Plus he was awfully tired. He wiped a cold hand across his sweaty forehead. Why was he sweating if he was so cold? This was going to be a fun walk back to the gate. Never a taxi around when you wanted one...
With Teal'c's help, they emerged from the hole only to discover they were the last ones around. *Hmmm. Wonder how much time I sat on that cold cave floor?* Daniel thought to himself. Teal'c quickly gathered the remaining equipment and they set off towards the gate with Daniel staggering like a drunkard. Several times he had to sit down and more than once he needed to vomit. He assuaged Teal'c's concerns by saying this was normal after blood donation. He hated lying to the guy but didn't need him worrying Janet or General Hammond. Daniel was going to be awfully glad to see those two, even if it meant receiving a scathing lecture on his health by Janet.
Numerous times Teal'c asked Daniel if he needed assistance. Daniel declined at first, but after several hours found himself leaning heavily on Teal'c. He concentrated on taking one step at a time and spent most of the next hour staring at his feet and making a concerted effort to remain upright. He felt utterly miserable. He knew this was entirely his fault and that he must have given Sam too much of his blood, but he didn't know what else he could do except get back to the SGC.
Teal'c stopped. Looking up, Daniel was shocked to discover that the sun was setting. They had found Sam and Jack around 11. Which meant that over 7 hours had passed. They had to be near the gate.
"Teal'c? Are we almost at the Stargate?" Daniel asked in a raspy voice.
"We are not DanielJackson."
"We're not?" That didn't make sense.
"No we are still several miles away."
"We are?"
"Indeed."
"I guess we stay here tonight, yeah?"
"I believe we should."
"OK." Daniel sat down on the ground like a puppet with cut strings. His head ached and the dizziness was getting worse. He also thought he was kinda thirsty, but having left his canteen in the cave, he was embarrassed to ask Teal'c for his. Closing his eyes, Daniel promptly passed out. Teal'c would keep him safe, of this he was certain.
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Day 5, P3X-277
1800 hours.
They were nearly at the gate and Janet allowed herself a small sigh of relief. Janet knew that the first 30 minutes of transport was going to be the most dangerous, and yet both Jack and Sam had remained stable throughout. They had been moving uncomfortably slow, but they were nearly there and Janet began mentally prepping herself for Sam's upcoming surgery and re-warming. She hovered like a bird passing between one patient and the other as they carefully made their way through the forest. Luckily it was a beautiful day and had warmed up considerably since the snowstorm two days previously. Patches of slush could still be seen under protected bushes, but for the most part the ground was bare and damp. Janet took back her last thought; they WERE making pretty good time.
Of course it had been too good to last.
"Dr. Frasier, Colonel O'Neill is seizing!"
Shit! Janet ran to the Colonel and was shocked to learn that his body core temperature had dropped two degrees. Dammit! If this was supposed to happen, it usually occurred in the beginning of a transport, not now! Not when they were so close to home! Janet removed the warm air oxygen mask from the Colonel's face and motioned for his cot to be set down. Immediately after Colonel O'Neill's convulsion subsided, Janet began chest compressions. It was what she had been afraid of; cardiac arrest.
"Someone run ahead and have an emergency team standing by!" Janet yelled as she continued to work on the Colonel; she had to be extra careful of his injured ribs.
"Come on Colonel!" She yelled as a nurse exchanged the oxygen mask with an oxygen bag and began squeezing the bag in sync with Janet.
The gate was just visible and Janet cursed internally as she bemoaned the timing once again. She stopped compressions for a moment and looked up expectantly at another nurse with a stethoscope. The nurse shook her head. He wasn't going to make it without help.
"I need 4 more people here!" Janet shouted as she climbed on top of the stretcher and continued compressions. Jack needed CPR and Janet needed to get him back to the SGC- this was the only way.
With Janet riding astride the Colonel, the stretcher was efficiently raised again with the additional hands and slowly they made their way towards the gate. For the first time in many, many years, Janet was thankful she was small in stature and hopeful that they would make it back to the base in time.
Day 5, Earth
2300 hours
General Hammond hated to wait, and yet these last few years, waiting took up over 50% of his time. He sighed as he turned away from the Stargate and motioned for the petite doctor to take a seat.
She looked haggard and worried but not in a 'General I have some bad news' sort of way. He breathed a small sigh of relief; it looked like his favorite team was going to be ok. At least the part he had found... He had been so worried as the party of medical professionals returned through the Stargate bearing one frozen Major and a Colonel in cardiac arrest with the CMO sitting on his legs applying chest compressions. He shuddered again at the thought.
"Report Doctor." General Hammond requested as Janet took a seat.
"Colonel O'Neill is still in a coma, Sir. But I think it's a healthy one General. All the tests we have done so far indicate no brain damage. Of course we won't know for sure until he wakes up, but I'm optimistic. After getting his heart rhythm under control, we treated him for severe hypothermia and serious dehydration. He did take three pints of blood, but being able to give it to him warm helped immensely. You saw the problem that occurred right as we were about to gate home. Luckily, we were able to quickly stabilize his arrhythmia and after he was sufficiently warmed he responded positively to drug therapy. It took nearly 12 hours Sir, but his stats are finally normal."
"Physically, the Colonel has two cracked ribs and one broken one. We're pretty certain Major Carter did it to him while performing CPR. How she managed to do it with her stomach in ribbons is anyone's guess." Janet sighed and set down her charts. God she was tired!
"Major Carter is currently in post-op and she has good odds at recovering fully. She was a mess General. The only reason she stayed alive as long as she did was due to Colonel O'Neill's impromptu surgery." Seeing the confused look on the General's face, Janet explained how Colonel O'Neill used a sewing needle and fishing tackle to stitch Major Carter's laceration. And a very serious laceration it was as well.
Janet smiled wryly, *He hadn't done that bad a job either*
"As it was, she had lost a lot of blood, and was severely hypothermic as well as seriously dehydrated. Actually the hypothermia probably saved her life. Or at least sustained it until Daniel came along. It was only Daniel's generous blood donation that enabled her to hang on long enough to return to the Stargate." Janet then paused and looked around. Speaking of whom... Where was Daniel? He was always afoot when a member of SG-1 was ill/wounded/incapacitated. (That is when it wasn't him) Janet was quite surprised she hadn't heard from him yet. In fact, she didn't think she had seen him at all since returning through the Stargate 4 hours ago. Or Teal'c for that matter.
"General, have you seen Dr. Jackson?"
General Hammond let out a worried sigh. "No doctor, I have not." Janet gave the General a look that urged him to continue.
"After you came through with the Colonel and Major Carter, there was a lot of gate activity as medical personnel and SG teams converged for both debriefings and medical clearance. At first I just thought Daniel and Teal'c had gone straight to medical to be with Sam and Jack, but it soon became clear that they weren't there. Besides, usually at least one of them seeks me out to let me know what's going on. They may not be U.S. military, but they know I worry just as much as they do." The General stood up abruptly and began pacing.
"After nearly 40 minutes I started asking around for status reports on the missing SG-1 members. I was shocked to hear that no one had seen or heard a thing from them since Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter were found. Doctor, neither Dr. Jackson or Teal'c made it back through the Stargate." He turned to face the doctor and could see the her mind racing frantically as she quickly grasped the situation.
"General," Janet said her voice becoming agitated. "Right before we put Sam under, I asked one of the nurses for her BP. She told me it was 100/60. This is nearly normal for Major Carter and I asked the nurse if someone had given her any more whole blood. She told me that to her knowledge, no one had administered anything to Major Carter except fluids and pain medication."
"What are you saying Doctor?"
"I'm saying Sir that Daniel, *that idiot * gave Sam way too much blood! Sir, we have to find him. He's in serious danger!"
"Calm down doctor. We'll find him. Odds are that Teal'c is with him, and if Dr. Jackson is incapacitated in any way, Teal'c will watch out for him. I have faith in those two, Doctor. As much as I would love to send a team out to look for them tonight, the only ones available are exhausted and in need of a good night's sleep. I'll send SG-3 back out first thing in the morning."
"Thank you Sir."
"Dismissed. Oh, and Doctor?"
"Yes, Sir?"
"Thank you for bringing the Colonel and Major Carter back to us."
Janet nodded slightly and left the room. She hoped to god Daniel was all right.
Day 6, P3X-677
0600
"DanielJackson, it is daylight. I believe we should depart." Teal'c was worried about the archaeologist. Having never witnessed the human blood sharing procedure, Teal'c did not know what was normal. He was surprised by how weakened DanielJackson had become and shocked that no members of the earth medical community was around to supervise.
"DanielJackson?" Hearing no answer Teal'c knelt down beside his friend. Truth be told, Daniel didn't look good at all. He was extremely pale and his breathing was irregular. Teal'c picked up his friend and made his way quickly towards the Stargate.
He had been walking for over 2 hours when he heard the shouts. Sg-2. And they were searching for them.
Day 6, Earth
0900 hours
The klaxons whirled as they received an outside transmission and attempted to establish a secure wormhole.
"It's Sg-3 Sir."
"Open the iris. Medical team stand by." General Hammond shook his head. No wonder the Colonel always got agitated when another team requested Dr Jackson. The man might be brilliant, but he needed his own to look out for him. He watched as the stretcher bearing Dr. Jackson came through and was instantly enveloped by medical personnel. Teal'c stood passively to one side. At least there was one member of SG-1 not in need of medical attention at the moment.
Day 6, Earth
1700 hours
"Doctor," General Hammond asked looking at his pale, unconscious people lying on the beds. "Shouldn't they be awake by now? It has been nearly 24 hours since Jack and the Major returned, and nearly 8 hours for Dr. Jackson.
"Actually, Sir they this is exactly what they need. I admit I am helping them stay unconscious a little, but only slightly. They need their rest Sir and we're providing them with a nice comfortable environment to do so. Sam and the Colonel spent over 96 hours in a very cold, wet environment, and to be honest I'll be very surprised if neither one of them come down with pneumonia or a post operative infection. Their bodies are severely depleted."
Janet checked her charts again before turning back to the General.
"And then there's Daniel. He scared us with this latest stunt of his Sir." She shook her head in disbelief; the guy DID have more lives than a cat.
"Daniel came in full blown hypovolemic shock. He had lost over 30% of his blood volume and his heart was about ready to give up the battle." Janet swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. "He nearly didn't make it Sir."
"But he DID doctor." General Hammond said forcibly. Sometimes he forgot just how much Janet cared for her charges. Cared for her friends. "You brought him back."
"With a whole lot of help and a flotilla of guardian angels, we sure did General." Janet's lips twitched in a small smile.
"They're resting comfortably General and should wake up on their own in the next 12 hours or so."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Day 7, Earth
0100
Jack awoke first. It was always the noises that he became aware of first. Beeps and hisses. He sighed. Hospital. He was in a hospital. They had made it back. His eyes started closing again before snapping back open. Sam!
He was vaguely aware of one of those beepy noises increasing in tempo as he searched wildly for his Major. He sat up too fast and a sharp pain in his chest forced him back down. Somehow along the way he had managed to mangle some ribs without being aware of it. Jack began to sweat as he waited for the bed's hydraulics to raise his body. Where was she? His eyes frantically searched the room for his 2IC.
"They're all ok Colonel." A voice behind him said. Janet was glad she had decided to spend the night on Base. She was pretty certain something like this would happen. If it hadn't been the Colonel, it would have been Sam who would have awoken scared and alone. Those two needed each other. Janet idly wondered if they had realized that yet.
"Doc?" Jack asked a bit confused. He was still very tired and his chest hurt like a son of a bitch. Not to mention that he had a vicious headache.
"One and the same." Janet said as she took his pulse. "How are you feeling?"
"Where's Sam?" Jack demanded. *Sam, huh? Guess they did talk. *
"She's right here, Colonel." Janet said pointing to a bundled form on his left. Jack could barely tell it was even Sam. If it wasn't for the curve of the body (definitely female) and the bit of visible blonde hair, it could have been anyone. Janet would have preferred Sam to be resting on her back, but every time she or one of the nurses moved her, Sam would quickly turn back on her left side and go all fetal again. After 5 nights of sleeping curled up to retain body heat, Sam hadn't quite caught on to the fact that other positions were available to her. Janet shuddered at imagining what they must have gone through. First Antarctica and now this. Those two NEVER seemed to get a break.
"Is she cold?" Jack asked in a small voice. She had been so cold...
"No Colonel." Janet said squeezing his hand. "She isn't cold. She's going to be just fine."
Jack let out a shaky breath. They had made it. He honestly didn't think they would. But they had. Jack promised himself he would buy Sam the biggest damn chocolate bar he could find once they were out of here. He smiled at the thought.
"And over here is Daniel."
"Huh?" Jack said still watching Sam breathe. He turned his head to look at the doctor. Sure enough, on the other side of the room was Daniel. He was hooked up to just as many machines as he and Carter. Shit! Why couldn't his team stay out of the infirmary?!
"What's Daniel gone and done to himself this time?" Jack asked with a sigh. Under normal circumstances, Daniel was usually the one Jack most worried about. But this time, Sam occupied the majority of his worry receptors.
"Actually Colonel, he saved Sam's life." Jack's eyes widened as he listened to Janet's tale. It took a good 15 minutes to fill him in on how they were found and Daniel's subsequent role in the rescue.
"And now Colonel, I think you should rest. And you do NOT have permission get up and check on either Sam or Daniel. I have it rigged here so that if you even set one foot out of this bed, I will be notified." Jack looked stricken. Janet softened her voice.
"They are going to be fine Jack. And they won't be going anywhere either. You can stare at them all you want. I'll even leave a nightlight on." With that Janet walked out of the infirmary leaving Jack with his own thoughts.
They were all going to be fine. Jack closed his eyes and smiled.
And on the 7th day, he (finally) rested.
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The End!
Thanks for coming along on the ride. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. As always, feedback would be MUCH appreciated. First fanfic done! Yippee!
Dena
[email protected]
ps- I can kinda see an epilogue to this whole thing. Let me know if you think I should attempt one.
Author: dcChic
Email: [email protected]
Notes: This is it. The moment you've been both looking forward to and dreading. The End. (Epilogue not with standing) I can't thank everyone enough for all the positive feedback you've given me. Seriously, I wouldn't have worked nearly as diligently without all the kudos.
I had forgotten how much I love to spin a good yarn and am looking forward to some serious brainstorming for inspiration on the next Jack and Sam adventure. I think I'll strive for more prominent roles for both Teal'c and Daniel as well! First I have to think of a good premise though. Something a little different... I'm working on it!
And then there's my amazing beta-reader Kath. A very sincere thank you for all your help. Couldn't have done nearly as good a job without you. Girl, you rock. And Chrissy, I have enjoyed our little chats as well, so you keep me in the loop on your future military aspirations ok?
Chapter 12
Day 5, P3X-677
1300
Teal'c watched as one after another the medical personnel hooked up their harnesses and were lifted out of the cavern. It had taken some time to stabilize Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter. Both had yet to regain consciousness and after nearly an hour of monitoring vitals, patching up the worst of the cuts and administering IV's and blood transfusions, Dr. Frasier declared them ready to be moved. Well, as ready as they were going to be.
Janet was taking a chance moving both of them, but for entirely different reasons. After giving Sam Daniel's generous blood donation, Janet had decided to keep her "cold" until they got back to base. She knew that although Daniel's assistance had aided Sam greatly as far as blood volume went, it did little to heat her up due to the extreme coldness of her underlying tissue. 88( F was cold and dangerous, but if monitored, not life threatening. Well, not in itself.
What Janet was really worried about were Sam's organs; especially her heart. She knew Sam would most likely seize once her core temp got above a certain level. And out here, Janet was just not prepared to deal with that. She would perform an EEC (Extra Corporeal Circulation) only once back at base. Rapid re-warming was Sam's best bet, but it could not happen out here in the field. Sam had been dressed in warm clothes, but without additional warming techniques, her temperature was remaining stable at 88( F. She was receiving fluids to help with the dehydration, but now that she wasn't in danger of organ failure due to blood loss, it was best to keep her cold until they returned to the SGC. Jack on the other hand..
Janet decided to take a chance on Jack. She needed him warm to better assess how serious the head injury was. Slowing down the heart to decrease circulation was fine if he was bleeding to death, but in this case it was imperative that he be warmed up ASAP. Heated transfusions helped bring his blood pressure up to normal levels and hot packs were applied under his arms, chest and groin. Jack was pinking up but still remained unconscious. Janet bit her lip and hoped she was doing the right thing. It was going to be a long trek back to the gate.
"The Colonel's set!" Janet yelled as she finished double checking the stretcher. She watched apprehensively as he was slowly lifted out of the hole and gently placed on solid ground. Now it was Sam's turn.
Janet hated seeing her friend like this. It killed her to know that underneath the light blanket and dry clothes lay a very battered, weakened woman. Janet wished that in all the planets the SGC had visited, some team could have brought back technology akin to Star Trek. She would give anything to be able to "beam" Sam and Jack back to the gate. Hell, straight into her infirmary on earth would be ideal.
Only after making certain Sam had successfully reached the surface, did Janet allow herself to be hooked back into her harness and raised out of the cavern. Her last stray thought before returning to her injured charges was of Daniel and how she hoped he was drinking plenty of fluids.
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Teal'c watched as Dr. Fraiser was lifted out of the cave and wondered again if he should have notified her of Dr. Jackson's condition. He knew that Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter were dangerously incapacitated, but Daniel Jackson truly didn't look well either. Daniel lay slumped against a wall of the cavern looking way too pale and breathing in short, rapid breaths. A sheen of sweat lay across his brow and his eyebrows were bunched together as if in discomfort. Teal'c had hoped that allowing him to rest for a few minutes would be prudent, but it had now been nearly an hour and they needed to leave presently to get to the Stargate before it became dark.
Teal'c bent down and lightly tapped Daniel on the shoulder.
"DanielJackson, I believe it is time for us to go."
"Sure Teal'c." Daniel said slowly standing up. The room tilted jarringly to one side before righting itself. Daniel was very nauseous, had a splitting headache and was having problems focusing. Plus he was awfully tired. He wiped a cold hand across his sweaty forehead. Why was he sweating if he was so cold? This was going to be a fun walk back to the gate. Never a taxi around when you wanted one...
With Teal'c's help, they emerged from the hole only to discover they were the last ones around. *Hmmm. Wonder how much time I sat on that cold cave floor?* Daniel thought to himself. Teal'c quickly gathered the remaining equipment and they set off towards the gate with Daniel staggering like a drunkard. Several times he had to sit down and more than once he needed to vomit. He assuaged Teal'c's concerns by saying this was normal after blood donation. He hated lying to the guy but didn't need him worrying Janet or General Hammond. Daniel was going to be awfully glad to see those two, even if it meant receiving a scathing lecture on his health by Janet.
Numerous times Teal'c asked Daniel if he needed assistance. Daniel declined at first, but after several hours found himself leaning heavily on Teal'c. He concentrated on taking one step at a time and spent most of the next hour staring at his feet and making a concerted effort to remain upright. He felt utterly miserable. He knew this was entirely his fault and that he must have given Sam too much of his blood, but he didn't know what else he could do except get back to the SGC.
Teal'c stopped. Looking up, Daniel was shocked to discover that the sun was setting. They had found Sam and Jack around 11. Which meant that over 7 hours had passed. They had to be near the gate.
"Teal'c? Are we almost at the Stargate?" Daniel asked in a raspy voice.
"We are not DanielJackson."
"We're not?" That didn't make sense.
"No we are still several miles away."
"We are?"
"Indeed."
"I guess we stay here tonight, yeah?"
"I believe we should."
"OK." Daniel sat down on the ground like a puppet with cut strings. His head ached and the dizziness was getting worse. He also thought he was kinda thirsty, but having left his canteen in the cave, he was embarrassed to ask Teal'c for his. Closing his eyes, Daniel promptly passed out. Teal'c would keep him safe, of this he was certain.
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Day 5, P3X-277
1800 hours.
They were nearly at the gate and Janet allowed herself a small sigh of relief. Janet knew that the first 30 minutes of transport was going to be the most dangerous, and yet both Jack and Sam had remained stable throughout. They had been moving uncomfortably slow, but they were nearly there and Janet began mentally prepping herself for Sam's upcoming surgery and re-warming. She hovered like a bird passing between one patient and the other as they carefully made their way through the forest. Luckily it was a beautiful day and had warmed up considerably since the snowstorm two days previously. Patches of slush could still be seen under protected bushes, but for the most part the ground was bare and damp. Janet took back her last thought; they WERE making pretty good time.
Of course it had been too good to last.
"Dr. Frasier, Colonel O'Neill is seizing!"
Shit! Janet ran to the Colonel and was shocked to learn that his body core temperature had dropped two degrees. Dammit! If this was supposed to happen, it usually occurred in the beginning of a transport, not now! Not when they were so close to home! Janet removed the warm air oxygen mask from the Colonel's face and motioned for his cot to be set down. Immediately after Colonel O'Neill's convulsion subsided, Janet began chest compressions. It was what she had been afraid of; cardiac arrest.
"Someone run ahead and have an emergency team standing by!" Janet yelled as she continued to work on the Colonel; she had to be extra careful of his injured ribs.
"Come on Colonel!" She yelled as a nurse exchanged the oxygen mask with an oxygen bag and began squeezing the bag in sync with Janet.
The gate was just visible and Janet cursed internally as she bemoaned the timing once again. She stopped compressions for a moment and looked up expectantly at another nurse with a stethoscope. The nurse shook her head. He wasn't going to make it without help.
"I need 4 more people here!" Janet shouted as she climbed on top of the stretcher and continued compressions. Jack needed CPR and Janet needed to get him back to the SGC- this was the only way.
With Janet riding astride the Colonel, the stretcher was efficiently raised again with the additional hands and slowly they made their way towards the gate. For the first time in many, many years, Janet was thankful she was small in stature and hopeful that they would make it back to the base in time.
Day 5, Earth
2300 hours
General Hammond hated to wait, and yet these last few years, waiting took up over 50% of his time. He sighed as he turned away from the Stargate and motioned for the petite doctor to take a seat.
She looked haggard and worried but not in a 'General I have some bad news' sort of way. He breathed a small sigh of relief; it looked like his favorite team was going to be ok. At least the part he had found... He had been so worried as the party of medical professionals returned through the Stargate bearing one frozen Major and a Colonel in cardiac arrest with the CMO sitting on his legs applying chest compressions. He shuddered again at the thought.
"Report Doctor." General Hammond requested as Janet took a seat.
"Colonel O'Neill is still in a coma, Sir. But I think it's a healthy one General. All the tests we have done so far indicate no brain damage. Of course we won't know for sure until he wakes up, but I'm optimistic. After getting his heart rhythm under control, we treated him for severe hypothermia and serious dehydration. He did take three pints of blood, but being able to give it to him warm helped immensely. You saw the problem that occurred right as we were about to gate home. Luckily, we were able to quickly stabilize his arrhythmia and after he was sufficiently warmed he responded positively to drug therapy. It took nearly 12 hours Sir, but his stats are finally normal."
"Physically, the Colonel has two cracked ribs and one broken one. We're pretty certain Major Carter did it to him while performing CPR. How she managed to do it with her stomach in ribbons is anyone's guess." Janet sighed and set down her charts. God she was tired!
"Major Carter is currently in post-op and she has good odds at recovering fully. She was a mess General. The only reason she stayed alive as long as she did was due to Colonel O'Neill's impromptu surgery." Seeing the confused look on the General's face, Janet explained how Colonel O'Neill used a sewing needle and fishing tackle to stitch Major Carter's laceration. And a very serious laceration it was as well.
Janet smiled wryly, *He hadn't done that bad a job either*
"As it was, she had lost a lot of blood, and was severely hypothermic as well as seriously dehydrated. Actually the hypothermia probably saved her life. Or at least sustained it until Daniel came along. It was only Daniel's generous blood donation that enabled her to hang on long enough to return to the Stargate." Janet then paused and looked around. Speaking of whom... Where was Daniel? He was always afoot when a member of SG-1 was ill/wounded/incapacitated. (That is when it wasn't him) Janet was quite surprised she hadn't heard from him yet. In fact, she didn't think she had seen him at all since returning through the Stargate 4 hours ago. Or Teal'c for that matter.
"General, have you seen Dr. Jackson?"
General Hammond let out a worried sigh. "No doctor, I have not." Janet gave the General a look that urged him to continue.
"After you came through with the Colonel and Major Carter, there was a lot of gate activity as medical personnel and SG teams converged for both debriefings and medical clearance. At first I just thought Daniel and Teal'c had gone straight to medical to be with Sam and Jack, but it soon became clear that they weren't there. Besides, usually at least one of them seeks me out to let me know what's going on. They may not be U.S. military, but they know I worry just as much as they do." The General stood up abruptly and began pacing.
"After nearly 40 minutes I started asking around for status reports on the missing SG-1 members. I was shocked to hear that no one had seen or heard a thing from them since Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter were found. Doctor, neither Dr. Jackson or Teal'c made it back through the Stargate." He turned to face the doctor and could see the her mind racing frantically as she quickly grasped the situation.
"General," Janet said her voice becoming agitated. "Right before we put Sam under, I asked one of the nurses for her BP. She told me it was 100/60. This is nearly normal for Major Carter and I asked the nurse if someone had given her any more whole blood. She told me that to her knowledge, no one had administered anything to Major Carter except fluids and pain medication."
"What are you saying Doctor?"
"I'm saying Sir that Daniel, *that idiot * gave Sam way too much blood! Sir, we have to find him. He's in serious danger!"
"Calm down doctor. We'll find him. Odds are that Teal'c is with him, and if Dr. Jackson is incapacitated in any way, Teal'c will watch out for him. I have faith in those two, Doctor. As much as I would love to send a team out to look for them tonight, the only ones available are exhausted and in need of a good night's sleep. I'll send SG-3 back out first thing in the morning."
"Thank you Sir."
"Dismissed. Oh, and Doctor?"
"Yes, Sir?"
"Thank you for bringing the Colonel and Major Carter back to us."
Janet nodded slightly and left the room. She hoped to god Daniel was all right.
Day 6, P3X-677
0600
"DanielJackson, it is daylight. I believe we should depart." Teal'c was worried about the archaeologist. Having never witnessed the human blood sharing procedure, Teal'c did not know what was normal. He was surprised by how weakened DanielJackson had become and shocked that no members of the earth medical community was around to supervise.
"DanielJackson?" Hearing no answer Teal'c knelt down beside his friend. Truth be told, Daniel didn't look good at all. He was extremely pale and his breathing was irregular. Teal'c picked up his friend and made his way quickly towards the Stargate.
He had been walking for over 2 hours when he heard the shouts. Sg-2. And they were searching for them.
Day 6, Earth
0900 hours
The klaxons whirled as they received an outside transmission and attempted to establish a secure wormhole.
"It's Sg-3 Sir."
"Open the iris. Medical team stand by." General Hammond shook his head. No wonder the Colonel always got agitated when another team requested Dr Jackson. The man might be brilliant, but he needed his own to look out for him. He watched as the stretcher bearing Dr. Jackson came through and was instantly enveloped by medical personnel. Teal'c stood passively to one side. At least there was one member of SG-1 not in need of medical attention at the moment.
Day 6, Earth
1700 hours
"Doctor," General Hammond asked looking at his pale, unconscious people lying on the beds. "Shouldn't they be awake by now? It has been nearly 24 hours since Jack and the Major returned, and nearly 8 hours for Dr. Jackson.
"Actually, Sir they this is exactly what they need. I admit I am helping them stay unconscious a little, but only slightly. They need their rest Sir and we're providing them with a nice comfortable environment to do so. Sam and the Colonel spent over 96 hours in a very cold, wet environment, and to be honest I'll be very surprised if neither one of them come down with pneumonia or a post operative infection. Their bodies are severely depleted."
Janet checked her charts again before turning back to the General.
"And then there's Daniel. He scared us with this latest stunt of his Sir." She shook her head in disbelief; the guy DID have more lives than a cat.
"Daniel came in full blown hypovolemic shock. He had lost over 30% of his blood volume and his heart was about ready to give up the battle." Janet swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. "He nearly didn't make it Sir."
"But he DID doctor." General Hammond said forcibly. Sometimes he forgot just how much Janet cared for her charges. Cared for her friends. "You brought him back."
"With a whole lot of help and a flotilla of guardian angels, we sure did General." Janet's lips twitched in a small smile.
"They're resting comfortably General and should wake up on their own in the next 12 hours or so."
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Day 7, Earth
0100
Jack awoke first. It was always the noises that he became aware of first. Beeps and hisses. He sighed. Hospital. He was in a hospital. They had made it back. His eyes started closing again before snapping back open. Sam!
He was vaguely aware of one of those beepy noises increasing in tempo as he searched wildly for his Major. He sat up too fast and a sharp pain in his chest forced him back down. Somehow along the way he had managed to mangle some ribs without being aware of it. Jack began to sweat as he waited for the bed's hydraulics to raise his body. Where was she? His eyes frantically searched the room for his 2IC.
"They're all ok Colonel." A voice behind him said. Janet was glad she had decided to spend the night on Base. She was pretty certain something like this would happen. If it hadn't been the Colonel, it would have been Sam who would have awoken scared and alone. Those two needed each other. Janet idly wondered if they had realized that yet.
"Doc?" Jack asked a bit confused. He was still very tired and his chest hurt like a son of a bitch. Not to mention that he had a vicious headache.
"One and the same." Janet said as she took his pulse. "How are you feeling?"
"Where's Sam?" Jack demanded. *Sam, huh? Guess they did talk. *
"She's right here, Colonel." Janet said pointing to a bundled form on his left. Jack could barely tell it was even Sam. If it wasn't for the curve of the body (definitely female) and the bit of visible blonde hair, it could have been anyone. Janet would have preferred Sam to be resting on her back, but every time she or one of the nurses moved her, Sam would quickly turn back on her left side and go all fetal again. After 5 nights of sleeping curled up to retain body heat, Sam hadn't quite caught on to the fact that other positions were available to her. Janet shuddered at imagining what they must have gone through. First Antarctica and now this. Those two NEVER seemed to get a break.
"Is she cold?" Jack asked in a small voice. She had been so cold...
"No Colonel." Janet said squeezing his hand. "She isn't cold. She's going to be just fine."
Jack let out a shaky breath. They had made it. He honestly didn't think they would. But they had. Jack promised himself he would buy Sam the biggest damn chocolate bar he could find once they were out of here. He smiled at the thought.
"And over here is Daniel."
"Huh?" Jack said still watching Sam breathe. He turned his head to look at the doctor. Sure enough, on the other side of the room was Daniel. He was hooked up to just as many machines as he and Carter. Shit! Why couldn't his team stay out of the infirmary?!
"What's Daniel gone and done to himself this time?" Jack asked with a sigh. Under normal circumstances, Daniel was usually the one Jack most worried about. But this time, Sam occupied the majority of his worry receptors.
"Actually Colonel, he saved Sam's life." Jack's eyes widened as he listened to Janet's tale. It took a good 15 minutes to fill him in on how they were found and Daniel's subsequent role in the rescue.
"And now Colonel, I think you should rest. And you do NOT have permission get up and check on either Sam or Daniel. I have it rigged here so that if you even set one foot out of this bed, I will be notified." Jack looked stricken. Janet softened her voice.
"They are going to be fine Jack. And they won't be going anywhere either. You can stare at them all you want. I'll even leave a nightlight on." With that Janet walked out of the infirmary leaving Jack with his own thoughts.
They were all going to be fine. Jack closed his eyes and smiled.
And on the 7th day, he (finally) rested.
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The End!
Thanks for coming along on the ride. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. As always, feedback would be MUCH appreciated. First fanfic done! Yippee!
Dena
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ps- I can kinda see an epilogue to this whole thing. Let me know if you think I should attempt one.