Chapter 26- Blood Samples and Still Here

As the hours passed, more of the base personnel got sick, but others were like Daniel, Teal'C, Laura, and Dr. Frasier and didn't. Laura looked up from the airman she was putting sedative into as General Hammond came in. "Good news, General," Frasier said.

"I could use some of that about now. What is it?" Hammond asked.

"These gentlemen and Laura don't appear to have the organism in their system. Now, if we can just isolate why they've been able to resist it," Frasier said as Laura joined them.

"Perhaps we should ask the Untouched how they avoided contracting the disease," Laura said.

"She's right. Maybe they know something we don't," Daniel said.

"I could use a blood sample from one of the uninfected. Maybe they have something in their systems to protect them. Something we can synthesize," Frasier said. Hammond walked away, rubbing his chin in thought, before turning back to look at them

"All right. Any of you know how to draw blood?" Hammond asked. A few seconds of silence was Hammond's answer. "Doctor, teach them. You go through in half an hour. Gear up," Hammond said as he left the infirmary.

"Wait, wait, wait. Just the three of us?" Daniel asked.

"You're immune. I don't know anyone else who is," Hammond said.

"Doc, I can't go. I need to be here for Dad. Show Teal'C and Daniel how to draw blood," Laura said as Dr. Frasier pulled out a syringe.

As the day turned to night, Laura found herself in her father's small containment room, keeping an eye on him/ The grate in the door opened around 9:00 and an airman looked in. The door opened and a nurse led Hammond in, his arms in a straight-jacket. "I guess he's been infected," Laura said as Dr. Frasier entered the room.

"Yeah. Sorry, Colonel O'Neill, but your private room just became semiprivate. We're running out of places to put all the victims. We've used the brigs, we've used the temp quarters, some of the storage rooms," Frasier said, her voice despairing.

"Any word from Teal'C or Dr. Jackson?" Laura asked.

"Not yet. How is he?" Frasier asked, indicating Jack.

"I don't know what constitutes healthy in the Touched. He just cries out every few minutes like everyone else," Laura said. Dr. Frasier turned to leave.

"Doc? Doc?" A raspy voice asked. Laura and Frasier turned to look at Jack.

"Did you say something?" Frasier asked one of the orderlies.

"Give more," Jack said and they all looked in his direction.

"What? Give more what, Dad?" Laura asked as she stooped in front of him.

"More," Jack said, extending his arm.

"An injection? You mean you want more sedative? You've already had more than the maximum safe dosage. Twice as much as anyone else because you've been more violent," Frasier said in refusal.

"Give," Jack said, holding out his arm again.

"No, Dad. It's not safe," Laura said.

"Give! Give," Jack persisted.

"Why are you so insistent?" Frasier asked. When she didn't get an answer, she pulled out a syringe, cleaned Jack's arm and knocked him out.

"He must have been in a lot of pain," Laura said, pressing a kiss to her father's forehead before she and Frasier stood up.

"Laura!" Jack's voice called. Frasier and Laura turned to look at him.

"Dad?" Laura asked in shock.

"It's...me...kid," Jack said brokenly as Laura and Frasier stooped in front of him.

"So you are still in there somewhere," Frasier said with a big grin.

"A dream. A dream," Jack said.

"I'm afraid not, Dad. It's very real. This is interesting. Enough sedative must knock back the primitive mind and Dad figured that out. Dad, listen to me and Doc. We're not gonna be able to keep you at this level very long. It is too dangerous. It could cause permanent brain damage," Laura said, gripping her father's hand and squeezing it tight.

"What-what- What is it?" Jack asked.

"It's a parasitic virus. Laura doesn't have it on account of the Goa'uld DNA inside her as well as Teal'C. And we don't know why me and Dr. Jackson don't have it. All we can tell is that it seems to mess with body chemicals. All of them. Testosterone levels skyrocket, thus the aggressive behavior. It's a histaminolytic, which means it breaks down histamine. Wh-" Frasier said before Jack interrupted her.

"Experiment... On me," Jack said.

"Experiment on you? No, Dad, we can't do that," Laura said, tears coming to her eyes

Jack reached over and touched Laura's face tenderly like when she was very little and had a nightmare. "Use me," Jack said. Laura gripped his hand as the tears slipped out.