Title: Link

Author: PapayaK

Category: Hurt-Comfort, whump

Spoilers: Anything up to the end of Season 7

Summary: Jack is injured and this time Janet has help putting humpty back together again. Not a 'ship story. (for once) Set late in Season seven.

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. Just having fun.

This is a rewrite of an old story. Hope you enjoy it.

oO0Oo

Link

oO0Oo

The Gate began to spin; Normal procedure for off world activation. Sg-1's code was received, and they were returning pretty much on time, for a change. Everyone on base breathed a sigh of relief at the expected safe return of yet another SG team.

In the infirmary, Janet was still tense. This was SG-1. Somewhere along the line she had begun to memorize their schedule and refused to relax until she knew they were all home and medically cleared. She made a point of being the one to examine them when they returned. 'They're not back yet, boys…'

The shimmer of the gate was broken by Daniel and Teal'c stepping through together. But to their surprise and everyone else's, the Gate closed behind them. General Hammond immediately became concerned; he reached for the mic, "What is going on? Why are you back early and where are Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter?"

Daniel and Teal'c exchanged glances and looked back at the gate. Daniel responded, confused, "What? You called us back. Jack and Sam…" he looked around puzzled, "I have no idea! It…it was a perfectly normal mission! I found some artifacts, Sam was taking soil samples, Jack was bored to death…"

"I assisted the Major, nothing out of the ordinary occurred."

"Then where exactly are your artifacts, Dr. Jackson?"

"They're right…" He reached into his rather limp pack, then looked, then turned it upside down and shook it. He didn't even have the tools he had left with. He looked up at the General.

Hammond looked back and forth between them and asked once again, "Where are Colonel…"

The General was interrupted as the Gate began to spin once again.

"No signal, Sir." Walter reported.

There was a long pause as Hammond weighed his options.

"Sir?" Walter prompted.

"Leave it open." He turned the mic on again, "Look alive, people."

The sound of cocking weapons filled the room once again. Teal'c readied his staff. Everyone waited tensely until Major Carter stepped through and stopped immediately at the top of the ramp. Her eyes, void of any expression, stared straight ahead, she was virtually catatonic.

Almost immediately behind her the calm ripples were broken again as a bloodied, severely injured and unconscious Colonel appeared. It looked as though someone had held him upright and pushed him in. He stumbled once and crumpled to the floor without a sound. He brushed against Carter in his fall, leaving a smear of blood on her pant leg. She showed no sign of having noticed.

oO0Oo

Concerned by the delay in hearing something that would assure her they had returned safe and sound, Janet had already started towards the Gate room. They would probably give her a hard time about showing up, but she needed to see for herself that her fears were not, once again, realized.

As a result she was already coming through the door by the time a medical team was called for. She ran to Jack and knelt by the still form. "He has a pulse," she announced, "but it's very faint…" She continued to work over him, "Major?" she glanced up, "Sam!" There was no response, but there was no visible injury either. The Doctor decided not to stop working on Jack's extensive injuries. She was trying desperately to keep what was left of his life from flowing away. She knew her techs would take good care of Sam.

Sam allowed herself to be led to the gurney, offered no resistance as she was gently maneuvered onto it, offered nothing, didn't even blink. There was no response to Daniel's shocked and increasingly urgent calls as he tried to get through to her, tried to find out what happened.

As Sam's gurney left the room, Jack's heart stopped. "We've got to get him to the infirmary! Now!" They loaded the Colonel onto the second gurney and rushed him out, with Janet onboard performing CPR. Daniel and Teal'c stared after them.

TBC…