A/N: Okay, folks, this is it... the final chapter! As always, thanks so much for all the reviews! Hope you enjoy this installment. Please R&R!
Chapter 7
The ambulance ride to the base passed in a haze for Sam. She was conscious but exhausted, her body completely worn out from stress and lack of food and water. Her eyes kept closing on her, but as she was wheeled through the corridors of the SGC, she caught a glimpse of Daniel and Colonel O'Neill following close behind the stretcher and the sight of them still sticking close to her was very reassuring.
She was rolled into the infirmary and soon became aware of Janet talking to her. She saw the relieved smile on the doctor's face, but didn't have the energy to process her words. But it didn't matter. The sound of her friend's voice was enough at the moment. She knew she was in good hands.
Even in her current foggy state, Sam was fairly certain that she'd never been so relieved to be in the infirmary. It wasn't exactly a place that one tended to visit for good reasons. But it was a familiar place. A safe place. And at the moment, safety and familiarity were the two things that Sam craved the most.
By the time Dr. Frasier had checked her over and treated her injuries, Sam was seriously beginning to lose her battle against her exhaustion. It probably didn't help that Janet had given her a dose of painkillers upon her arrival at the infirmary. But even without the drugs, Sam's body was desperately clamoring for her to sleep. The problem was, she didn't want to sleep. Not now.
She wasn't aware of too much at the moment, other than the only slightly dulled throbbing of her battered feet and slashed arm, but she did know that at some point her three teammates had gathered around her bed to keep watch over her. Her eyes didn't seem capable of opening fully, but even halfway was enough to keep her friends in sight. To keep herself assured that they were there with her.
Every so often she heard one of their voices, speaking quietly. Sometimes they were talking to her, sometimes to each other, but either way the sound helped to keep her anchored in this safe environment. Helped to keep her from slipping into the clutches of her nightmarish memories that were lurking at the shadowy edges of her foggy mind.
At some point, Janet reappeared at her side and Sam forced herself to focus on her friend's face and words.
"How's the pain?" Janet asked her.
Sam closed her eyes momentarily. "Throbbing."
Did she say that out loud? She wasn't sure.
"I'll get you something more," Janet said.
Must have been out loud, Sam thought groggily.
Janet disappeared from sight, reappearing a moment later to inject something into Sam's IV.
Soon, Sam felt the pain in her arm and feet begin to ease. But along with the relief came a further increase in drowsiness. The luring fog of oncoming sleep began to creep over her, thick and heavy. Sam struggled against it, not wanting to give in. She wanted to keep the awareness of her friends by her side, giving her strength and support just by being there with her. She wanted the familiarity of their presence. She needed it. But the combination of the pain killers and her exhaustion was becoming too much for her. Against her will, her eyes closed.
Turning her head on the pillow, Sam tried to force them open again. She tried, but it wasn't working. As her brow furrowed with the effort, she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder and Janet's voice reached her through the fog of drowsiness.
"Relax, Sam. Don't fight it."
And as soon as the words were spoken, sleep won out and pulled Sam into a deep and dreamless slumber.
OoOoOoOoOoOoO
After twenty-four hours of near-solid sleep, Sam was finally feeling somewhat alert and even a little bored. And more than causing her frustration, boredom felt dangerous to Sam. Without anything specific to focus on, her mind kept straying to unpleasant thoughts. It kept threatening to replay the worst of her recent memories over and over again in her head.
Propped up against her pillows, Sam fidgeted with the edge of her blanket and looked around the quiet infirmary. She considered asking Janet to let her pay a visit to her lab, but in the end she decided not to bother. She knew the doctor would just say no, and if she were honest, Sam really didn't feel up to moving very far anyhow.
Maybe she could convince Daniel to sneak her laptop into the infirmary. Now that was an idea with definite possibility. Or it would be if Daniel were anywhere around. Sam hadn't seen him for hours and had no clue as to when he might return. If he was buried in one of his translations, it could be ages.
As Sam let out a sigh of frustration, a slight movement off to her right caught her attention. Turning, she saw Colonel O'Neill poke his head into the infirmary, checking to make sure the coast was clear before quickly making his way over to Sam's bed, his hands behind his back. She sat up as he reached her side.
"You're not here to spring me, are you, sir?" she asked hopefully. A high-speed wheelchair trip through the halls of the SGC might not put them in General Hammond's good books, but it would definitely be fun.
But apparently not destined to happen.
"Sorry, Carter, no can do. I wouldn't want to risk the wrath of the Napol --" He quickly cut himself off as the click-click of Janet's shoes reached their ears, growing steadily louder.
As Janet came into view, making her way across the infirmary, the Colonel quickly fixed a look of complete innocence on his face. "Hey, Doc!" he greeted, flashing her a lopsided grin and all the while keeping his hands firmly behind his back and out of her line of sight.
"Colonel," Janet returned suspiciously, pausing at the foot of Sam's bed. "I hope you're not here to disturb my patient. She needs rest."
"That's exactly what I was about to tell her," Colonel O'Neill agreed, perhaps a little too enthusiastically.
Sam had to bite her lip to keep herself from grinning.
"I'm sure," Janet said dryly. "Don't keep her awake too long." Casting one last suspicious glance in their direction, the doctor continued on her way across the infirmary.
"You came here to tell me I needed rest, sir?" Sam asked skeptically, not believing it for a moment.
"Well, maybe not just rest. Maybe something more along the lines of rest and... cake."
"Cake?"
"Yes, Major. Cake." And with that, he finally revealed what he was hiding behind his back.
A plate with a piece of cake sitting on it. A piece of fluffy white cake. With icing. Lots of icing.
Sam's mouth began to water for the first time in days.
The Colonel set the plate on her tray and swung it out in front of her. Then he held out a fork. Sam accepted it eagerly and slid the plate closer. As the Colonel pulled up a chair and sat down, she took a fork full of cake and slipped it into her mouth.
Oh. My. God.
This had to be the best cake she'd ever tasted. She closed her eyes as the icing began to melt on her tongue.
Bliss.
Pure bliss.
She opened her eyes again to find Colonel O'Neill watching her with a hopeful expression. She swallowed, and this time was unable to prevent a grin from spreading across her face. "You didn't by any chance bring another fork, did you, sir?"
His face lit up. "Funny you should ask," he said, digging a hand into the pocket of his BDUs. "Because I just happen to have another one right here." He produced the second fork with a flourish.
Sam's grin was full-fledged now as she nudged the plate closer to him. "Dig in, sir."
He grinned back at her and wasted no time sinking his fork into the fluffy dessert. Sam took another fork full of her own, and they set about devouring the cake in companionable silence. As they worked their way through the delicious dessert, Sam found herself savouring both the taste and the company. Her spirits were suddenly much higher than they had been only a few moments earlier. Much, much higher.
Maybe she still had healing to do. And maybe she was going to have to deal with some not-so-pleasant things over the coming days -- like talking with the police and dealing with her memories -- but at the moment Sam didn't care. She really didn't. Because at the moment, everything was just fine.
The End.
A/N: So you made it this far, huh? ; ) Thanks for reading! In case anyone is interested, a sequel to this story is in progress. So if you want to know how Sam's dealing with things after she's released from the infirmary or whether or not Jack sees the pictures taken by the psycho... or if you just want a good dose of Sam angst followed by some Jack/Sam comfort, then I hope you'll keep an eye out for the sequel. I'm struggling with it a bit at the moment but I'm hoping to have the first part up within the next couple of weeks. Not entirely sure what the title will be but it's likely to be the next story that I post. Once again, thanks for reading this story... I hope you enjoyed it!
Gwil