Here it is guys - the last chapter. I hope you've all enjoyed the story and thank you to all the wonderful people who took the time to review and give me your encouraging comments. I'll be following this up with another story soon.

She sat watching him as the nurses bustled in and out of the room, keeping a close eye on the wounded man. Every few minutes one of the staff would check him closely, looking at the monitors but also feeling his pulse and ensuring his breathing tube was positioned correctly. They clearly took their direction from Janet who was going to make sure that this man survived his injuries!

Sam sat next to the Colonel, only moving when asked to by a nurse who needed to check some of the myriads of tubes entering and exiting his body. Every once in a while he would begin to make small movements as if he couldn't rest – at these times she'd reach out and touch his hand or face and he would immediately settle down.

Janet came by regularly to check him as well. The frown and concerned look on her face a clear indication that O'Neill wasn't out of the woods yet. She would give a quick glance to Sam, smiling briefly and shaking her head. There was nothing to say. It was now a waiting game.

Sam didn't know how long she'd sat there. The minutes ticked by and time lost all meaning. Eventually, she became so tired she started to nod off. Her head would start to fall and she'd jerk back up, trying to keep awake. She had to stay with the Colonel.

She finally lost her fight, her head dropping down to rest on the back of the chair. She started dreaming, scenes of the Colonel and Daniel and Teal'c all mixed up. She was dropping deeper into sleep when a sharp 'Damn it' woke her up.

Sitting up quickly she looked to where Janet was staring down at the Colonel. She looked angry, which confused the exhausted Captain.

"What is it Janet?" The doctor glanced at her quickly and then turned back to Jack.

"His fever's going up. I was hoping the antibiotics would kick in but they don't seem to be working. Come on Colonel", she spoke to the unconscious man. "now's not the time to be pig headed. Just let the damn medicine do its job."

Sighing in frustration she turned to the nurse who was on Jack's other side. "We're going to have to try something else. Can you get Dr. Rasmussen please? Maybe he'll have some ideas." Dr. Rasmussen was the hospital internist but he specialized in lung conditions. He might have some suggestions as Janet had tried everything she knew.

"Sam – why don't you go get some coffee or something." Turning again to her friend the Doctor frowned. "On second thought, you'd better get to sleep. You look like you're ready to collapse."

"But Janet …"

"No 'buts' Sam. I can't have you here right now anyway and I don't need another patient. You go get something to eat and drink and then head to bed. You can tell Daniel he can come and sit with the Colonel in a little while. Don't worry – we're not going to lose the Colonel!" She said this in a voice which meant trouble for anyone who would even think such a thing.

Under protest, but taking heart in Janet's words, Sam made her way out of the room, looking back at the pale faced man surrounded by every kind of life saving piece of technology. She knew she had to be grateful for the care he was getting, but right now she could have used a good old-fashioned miracle.

Knowing Janet was right, she made her way to the cafeteria and forced herself to eat a bowl of soup and some juice. She figured coffee was the last thing she needed right now. Heading back to the room with the cots she walked in and saw that Daniel was still sleeping.

Looking at her watch, she realized it was early morning. She'd sat with Jack for almost four hours. Walking over to Daniel she spoke softly,

"Daniel" When he didn't wake us she repeated his name.

"What?" he grumbled sleepily, his eyes not opening.

"Daniel, it's your turn to sit with the Colonel. I have to get some sleep." At these words the Archaeologist sat up quickly.

"Is he okay?"

"No – the medication isn't fighting the infection. Janet's bringing in another doctor who's a specialist or something. She made me leave – said we couldn't be there right now. But she told me to tell you that you can sit with him in a little while – probably when this other doctor is finished."

"Okay Sam", he said, standing up and stretching. "You get some sleep – you look like hell."

"Thanks", she snorted, knowing it was true and not really caring.

"Don't worry. I'll watch out for him." Daniel knew some of what Sam was feeling – that somehow by watching over him his team would ensure he would get better. He didn't understand it – thought it was probably supersticious – but he believed it. He had the same feeling.

Watching Sam for a minute as she took her shoes off and got under the covers (fully dressed this time) he waited until her eyes had closed. It took only a few seconds before her breathing deepened and slowed as she fell asleep.

He went and grabbed a coffee from the machine in the hall. It was probably the worst coffee ever made but right now he didn't care, he simply needed the caffeine. He then made his way to Jack's room.

Peaking in he saw Janet with another doctor and two nurses bustling around. Realizing that it wasn't time to go in yet he leaned against the wall outside the room.

It was another ten minutes before the second doctor left, followed after five minutes by Janet.

"Janet", he called to her as she turned in the other direction. God, she looks like hell too, he thought. "How is he?"

"He's holding his own Daniel. We've just started him on some new medication. It's experimental but Dr. Rasmussen says it's worked well in trials so we're hoping it kicks the infection. How are you doing?"

"Me? I'm fine. I was able to sleep a few hours. Can I sit with Jack?" he asked anxiously.

"Yes, as soon as the nurses have finished getting the IV set up. Just stay out of their way as much as possible. Normally we don't allow visitors into the ICU for any length of time."

"Thanks Janet. I think we all know it's important."

Smiling at the earnest young man she nodded. "I think you're right. Why it makes a difference I don't know but somehow it does. I'll go find Teal'c and tell him to relieve you in a couple of hours."

"I can stay longer than that!"

"Yes, I know you can but I don't want you to. Daniel, this may be a long process and I don't want any of you getting sick. The Colonel is going to need you for quite a while so you have to look out for yourselves. Just think of it as being on watch. You can each take three hour shifts then I want you to eat and rest. If you don't I'll refuse to allow you in the room. Is that understood?"

"Yes Doc. I understand. You'd better tell Sam as well. She'll try to fight it you know."

"Yes", she sighed again, "I know. Don't worry – I'll sick General Hammond on her if nothing else works!"

Janet then left to go get some rest herself. She knew her words to Daniel held true just as much for herself as for any of them. She knew the nurses would watch out for the Colonel and would notify her if need be. She prayed she didn't hear anything from them!

After another few minutes standing in the hall Daniel was relieved to see a nurse come out of the room.

"You can go in now. Just watch the equipment and the tubes." Smiling with an encouraging smile she turned and left.

Daniel slowly walked into the room, almost frightened to see his friend. Like Sam, he barely recognized the man in the bed as the 'larger than life', irrepressible Jack O'Neill. This ill, bruised and bandaged man looked nothing like the friend and soldier he'd grown to admire. Instead, he looked almost childlike – but llike a hurt child. Walking up to the bed he carefully reached out and touched Jack's hand, noticing how hot and dry his skin was. As he touched him Jack's hand moved, almost as if trying to grasp something.

Daniel took his hand away which caused frown lines to appear on Jack's forehead. He began to move his hand, searching the covers, agitated at the loss of contact. Realizing his friend needed the comfort of his touch he reached down and grasped Jack's hand in his. Immediately O'Neill relaxed, again appearing to be in a deep sleep.

For the next two and a half hours Daniel stood by Jack's bed, holding his hand. Anytime he tried to move away the sick man would become restless. The nurses gave him sympathetic glances, knowing he must be getting exhausted. Finally, one of them retrieved a stool from one of the examination rooms. It had a seat that could be raised and it allowed Daniel to sit and still stay close.

"How is O'Neill?" Teal'c's voice startled him. He hadn't seen the big man enter the room.

"Oh, hi Teal'c. Ah – he seems to be okay. He's still unconscious." He glanced over at one of the nurses who nodded in agreement. "They started him on some new medication and they're hoping it works better."

"It will work", Teal'c said with certainty. Oh, thought Daniel, to have such confidence! He still worried for Jack.

"I will sit with him now, Daniel Jackson. You must rest."

"No, no, it's okay Teal'c. I'm fine."

"You are not. You are tired and Dr. Frasier has indicated that you are to remain no longer than three hours. It has now been almost that long."

Frustrated, Daniel wanted to argue with Teal'c. He'd had a good sleep and could hold out for much longer. Just as he was about to speak he noticed Teal'c's expression. The Jaffa was looking at O'Neill – with an expression of concern and compassion on his face. Daniel suddenly realized that this wasn't just about relieving Daniel or following Janet's orders. Teal'c was Jack's friend too. He also needed to feel useful, to be by his friend's side. Daniel was being selfish to insist he be the one. With that realization he stood up.

"Okay Teal'c. I'll go and rest for a while. Jack seems to be comforted when I touch him and grows restless when I'm away. You may want to sit on this stool – it's easier than the chair. Try talking to him. The nurses say a few words might comfort him as well."

Teal'c simply nodded his head in acknowledgement. Daniel knew that he was often a man of few words but, in this case he understood that Teal'c was finding it difficult to speak. He wouldn't claim the man (or Jaffa) was choked up – but he was close to it.

Slapping Teal'c gently on the back he turned and headed out of the room.

"I'll send Sam back in a few hours."

Teal'c nodded again, but this time his focus was purely on Jack who was beginning to grow restless again.

At first he didn't know what to say or do. Watching over a 'sick bed' was not something that he had much experience with until he'd come to this planet. Jaffa healed quickly – or died – and compassion wasn't a big part of their culture. He did not know what to say to his friend and he certainly had never held another man's hand.

Knowing that O'Neill was what was important, he reached out and gently laid his hand over that of the man on the bed. Instantly, the Colonel's movements stilled. Daniel Jackson was right – he seemed to need the contact.

Sitting down on the stool he began to speak in soft, melodious tones. He began by telling O'Neill of his childhood – those far off days of innocence and joy before he joined the service of the false god Apophis.

When Sam woke up she couldn't figure out, for a moment, where she was. She had slept deeply and had that fuzzy feeling you get when you take a 'too-long' nap in the middle of the day. When it all came back to her she immediately stood up and stretched. Following a quick stop in the bathroom – where she also washed her face with a cool cloth – she headed down the long hall to Jack's room.

When she arrived, all was quiet. Knowing they would have come for her if anything was wrong she slowly entered the room. What she saw surprised her. Teal'c – their very own 'inscrutable' Jaffa was holding one of Jack's hands in one of his. With his other he was gently wiping a cloth over Jack's forehead. It was an incredibly tender scene and she felt her throat tighten with emotion.

This man, who had left his home and family to travel to a distant planet, had found in Colonel O'Neill not just a brother – but a guide, a mentor – and a soul-mate. She had known, since the beginning, that he felt allegiance to the Colonel. What she hadn't known was the fierce love and friendship he felt towards this man who had called him to freedom.

"Teal'c", she called softly. He simply turned his head and nodded in his usual, stately manner.

"O'Neill is resting. Do you wish to sit with him now?"

"Yes, I'll take over Teal'c. Thank you."

"There is no need to thank me Captain Carter. It is my privilege and honor to watch over O'Neill. I leave him with you – knowing that you too will ensure his well-being."

Smiling she couldn't help but lean over and give Teal'c a warm kiss on the cheek. They were all so lucky to have each other.

He actually smiled in return. She had to admit that his smile was deadly. Good thing he didn't pull it out too often or half the women in the SGC would lie fainting on the floor!

As he stood up to give Carter his seat he spoke, "You must hold O'Neill's hand. It gives him comfort."

"I will Teal'c." As the big man left the room she turned and looked down at the Colonel. She was hoping that she would have seen a difference after her six hour sleep but he appeared the same. He clearly had a fever as his skin was flushed an unnatural red color on top of the stark whiteness underneath.

"Oh Sir", she whispered softly, taking his hand, "you have to get better."

It was about an hour after she'd arrived that she was startled, when looking up, to see his eyes open. They were glassy, as he was clearly heavily drugged, but they were looking directly at her. He stared for a few seconds until his eyes slowly began to close."

"Nurse, he opened his eyes." She called softly to the uniformed woman on the other side of the small room.

"I'm sure it was just reflex. He's pretty deeply unconscious. We don't expect him to regain full consciousness for a few days yet." The nurse smiled at her in sympathy.

Rather than upsetting her the words somehow brought comfort. The nurse spoke confidently of him waking up in a few days. That gave her hope.

Over the next couple of hours Jack's eyes opened two or three more times. Each time he would look around for a second, growing restless, until he found her. He would then simply stare, without blinking, until his eyes drifted shut.

While at first she thought that the nurse was probably right, and it didn't mean anything, after a while she changed her mind. She was sure Jack was looking at her. It was as if he was checking to make sure a member of his team was there. Once satisfied, he'd go back to sleep. Maybe she was dreaming – or hoping something – that wasn't true. But she was sticking to it!.

When Daniel came to spell her off after her three hours were up she told him about the waking episodes.

"I'll watch for it Sam, don't worry. You just go and get some rest and I'll keep an eye on Jack. I suggest you go out and get some fresh air. It's chilly out but it'll do you good. I know I felt better afterward. Oh, and you should probably call the General. I think Janet's keeping him informed but he might like to hear from you as well."

"Okay Daniel", she didn't want to leave – she felt like she was abandoning the Colonel – but she knew Janet meant business. Anyway, going outside did appeal. She felt 'stale' after having been in the hospital for so long.

"Daniel", she turned to him.

"Yeah?"

"I'm going to ask the General if he'll send someone with some clean clothes for me. Do you want me to have him do the same for you?"

"That'd be great – and my toothbrush and some shampoo."

As she turned once to the door she couldn't help one last look at the Colonel.

"Look after him for us Daniel."

"I will Sam, don't worry."

Daniel was quick to discover that Sam was right about Jack. He regularly opened his eyes and would stare at Daniel until he fell back asleep. He wondered if it really meant anything or if it was just reflex, like the nurses claimed. He was soon to find.

He had sat by O'Neill's side for a couple of hours when one of the nurses asked him to step away while they checked some of the machinery and tubes. Daniel moved back into the corner, watching as the nurses efficiently checked and changed bags and lines. It was while they were working that Daniel saw Jack's eyes open again.

For a few seconds he looked around, his eyes moving to the side where Daniel had been sitting. Almost immediately Jack started to grown agitated. The heart monitor sped up, the beeping sounding unnaturally loud in the small room. His head began to toss back and forth and soft moans could be heard coming from his throat. His hands started to move on the mattress, obviously seeking something.

The nurses were alarmed, moving quickly to his side. One of them tried to hold his head so he wouldn't disturb the breathing tube, but his movements grew steadily more violent and the sounds from his throat more distressed.

"Get a sedative!" one of he nurses shouted, "and call Dr. Frasier. Something's wrong."

It was then that Daniel realized – Sam was right. He quickly moved towards Jack.

"I'm sorry Dr. Jackson", Nurse Menendez said sharply, "you'll have to leave now. Don't get in our way, please."

"No – nurse, Jack needs to see me. That's what's wrong. Please – just let me stand beside him."

Menendez grew angry, insisting he leave. It was about to turn into a shouting match, with the nurse trying to hold on to Jack while forcing him to leave, when Janet walked into the room.

"What the hell is going on?" she asked - looking at each of them in turn.

"Dr. Jackson won't leave Doctor – and something is wrong with the Colonel."

Janet looked at Daniel – this wasn't like him. "Daniel, you have to go." She walked to her patient, concerned at his frantic movements and the monitors which were shrieking their warnings.

"No – Janet – it's Jack, he needs to see me. That's what's wrong - he's panicking. Don't you understand, he needs to see me. Please!"

If it had been anyone else – anyone other than Colonel O'Neill and his team, she would have scoffed and quickly expelled the person. In this case, however, she paused. Nothing that happened with SG1 surprised her. Making a quick decision she spoke,

"Let him come over here. We'll see quickly if it makes a difference. If not, you have to leave immediately, Daniel, do you understand?"

"Yes Janet, of course." As he was speaking he was moving quickly to Jack's side. He took the man's hand in his and spoke quickly and clearly.

"Jack, I'm here. Look at me. I'm here now and I won't leave." For a fraction of a second there was no response, Jack kept up his frantic movements. Suddenly, however, he turned, his eyes searching for something. Daniel reached down and gently touched the Colonel's cheek, turning his face towards himself.

"Jack, look at me." Finally, the Colonel looked directly into Daniel's eyes. The change was immediate. His movements stopped and the heart monitor began to slow as stared at Daniel. He didn't blink, didn't move his head or his eyes – he just stared.

Janet smiled a small, but satisfied smile. Yup – SG1 strikes again. She turned to the stunned looking nurses and spoke, "Any of the members of the Colonel's team are to be allowed to stay at all times." The nurses simply nodded – Menendez looked apologetically over at Daniel.

"I'm sorry Dr. Jackson, I had no idea."

"That's okay. You were just doing your job. And anyway – it's Jack – he always does things to confuse people!"

For the next few days the team continued to sit by his bed. They didn't once allow him to be alone. Although he never regained consciousness completely, he continued to open his eyes regularly to check and make sure a member of his team was there. If he couldn't see one of them he always became upset – so the nurses worked around the team members, not even wanting to have them move to a different spot in the room.

Jack slowly got better – with some setbacks – but finally he was out of danger. His team sighed a collective sigh of relief and thanksgiving when Janet gave them the news. Looking at each other, they all smiled. Their friend would be okay.

He had long ago lost any awareness of where he was or what had happened. There were brief moments when he thought he might be in the Infirmary or hospital – he would occasionally smell that pervasive smell of 'sickness' that lingered in those places. But, other than that he knew nothing.

For the most part he wasn't in pain – although at certain times it would return and burn through him. Those times were quickly followed by soft movements, a tug on his arm and a blessed feeling of relief.

The one thing that kept him grounded during this time (how much, how long he had no idea) was the knowledge that someone was watching over him.

He was not aware of the opening of his eyes, or his checking to see if a friend was near. All he knew was that he felt safe and loved. There had been a couple of times when that feeling had disappeared. That had left him feeling lost and frightened and so cold. He had tried to cry out, to beg for help, but no sound had come. The feeling of terror had grown until suddenly, someone or something pulled him to safety and to a feeling of warmth.

He rested, safe in the knowledge that he was not alone.

It was on the fifth day after his return from the cabin that he started to become aware of his surroundings. He cautiously opened his eyes. Hearing a sound, he slowly turned them and saw Sam sitting by the bed. She looked directly back at him but didn't seem to react to his being awake. Even though he still felt incredibly weak and 'fuzzy' this kind of irritated him. He didn't expect a brass band, but he could have at least received a "hi Colonel, nice to see you're awake' or something similar.

He went to say something, to show her he was a little unhappy at her reaction, but found he couldn't talk. There was something stuck in his throat. Okay, what the hell was going on? Sam sat like a zombie and there was a bloody stick in his mouth! Would somebody please tell him what this was about?

He made a soft noise and tried to glare at the Colonel. That did it! He suddenly saw her eyes grow big and she sat up.

"Colonel! My God, you're awake!"

Well good for you Captain! What gave it away? The open eyes, he said to himself.

She stood up and instantly reached for the cord to call the nurse. Since he had been out of danger for the last 24 hours the nurses no longer stayed in the room every minute.

She looked back at O'Neill and saw him reaching for the breathing tube.

"No Sir, don't touch. Janet will be here soon. You're on a respirator – don't try and remove it."

Oh, so that's what it was. He should have known. He'd experienced the hellish things before. He was starting to feel a bit sharper although he still felt incredibly exhausted and – sore – okay, maybe sore was too tame – he – well damnit – he hurt! He could use some of those nice painkillers – if he could only TALK he'd tell them so.

It was a couple of minutes before Janet and the nurses arrived. In the meantime he'd watched Captain Carter, a silly grin on her face, try and smooth his covers, remove the hair from his eyes (okay, she got embarrassed as soon as she reached to do that) and generally 'fuss'. What the hell was wrong with her? It's not like he was dying or anything.

"Colonel. Nice to see you're really awake this time." Really awake? What did that mean, he wondered? Could you be 'unreally' awake?

"Okay, I'm going to remove this tube – I think you're ready to start breathing on your own. Stephens, monitor his breathing and O2 levels carefully. We may have to reinsert if this doesn't work." She turned to the Colonel once again.

"Okay Sir, I'm going to pull this out. When I say 'go' breathe out. It may be uncomfortable but it'll be over quickly. And Colonel – we have to watch to make sure you're ready for this, okay? If not we may have to re-intubate. Do you understand?"

He nodded his head – he just wanted her to get on with it. He was starting to fade fast, so tired he could barely keep his eyes open – but first he wanted to breath on his own.

"Okay Sir – now." He did as she said and breathed out. The feeling of the tube leaving his throat made him gag – it also hurt. His throat felt like someone had moved in and had decided to sand paper the whole damn thing!

"How's he doing?" Janet looked over to the nurse who was watching the monitor.

"Good so far Doctor. His levels are staying up." They all watched for a couple of more minutes. When it was clear that he could handle breathing on his own Janet turned and looked at him with a pleased expression (as if she had anything to do with it he thought – he's the one who was doing the work!).

Although thankful he didn't have to have the tube again, he admitted to himself that breathing was not the easy, comfortable thing it usually was. Every breath burned his lungs and took a lot of effort. He had to actually concentrate on the in/out motion. His throat was also incredibly dry and painful. So much so that he didn't even want to ask for a glass of water.

"Here Sir", Sam handed him a cup with a lid and straw. Okay, Captain, that'll help me forgive you for not welcoming me back! He took a couple of sips – it hurt but at the same time felt wonderful. Yeah – I definitely forgive you Captain.

While he'd been sipping the water Janet had been doing a quick check. Satisfied that he was doing well she stood back and watched him. He was looking terrible – pale, bruised, gaunt – but also wonderful. He looked alive.

"I didn't realize he'd even woken up Janet", Sam was saying. "I thought it was just another one of his 'check's'. He then started looking really mad", she giggled, "and I realized he was awake. He must have thought I was ignoring him."

Yeah Captain, I did. What's this about my 'checks'. What's she talking about now? Sometimes he found it impossible to understand his Captain. ….. his? Where had that come from, he wondered in confusion?

Oh well – he was really much too tired to worry about it right now. He figured he'd might as well go back to sleep. He was warm, relatively pain free (had he seen Frasier sneak something into his IV?), and had nothing to do. As he closed his eyes, ready to head back to 'dreamland' he had one last, extremely pleasant, thought. He imagined an 'almost naked' Carter, snuggled up against him. Yeah – fantasies were wonderful!

"Ah, come on Doc. I've been here almost three weeks. Can't I get outta here? You can take me to the Infirmary and I promise I won't complain."

"Ha! If I believed that I'd rush out and by myself a lottery ticket because it would mean a miracle had occurred. Colonel – you always complain in the Infirmary."

"Yeah – but I won't this time if you let me out of here. I hate the hospital even more than I hate the Infirmary. Hey, I have an even better idea – why don't you let me go home? That way I won't complain at all and I won't bother anyone."

"Nice try Sir but no way. I'm afraid you have a while longer in the hospital. You need to let your injuries heal more before I'll let you out. You can't even walk yet for goodness sake."

The Colonel whined, just like a child denied a longed for treat. "Okay – but at least the Infirmary? Please?"

"Why do you want to go there Colonel? It's dark and not nearly as nice. At least here you can see the outdoors."

"Yeah but …." And here he stopped, uncomfortable with his real reason for wanting to return to the mountain. He was lonely! His team had stayed with him for days but eventually he'd made them go home. They were all looking almost as bad as he was! He appreciated, more than he could say, or ever would admit, their faithful watching over him – but he couldn't let them do more.

That didn't mean, of course, that they didn't visit. No, they all came regularly and tried to keep him entertained. At first he did not much more than sleep. He would wake up for short periods of time but would then fall quickly back to sleep. His body needed the rest.

No – as much as they were good about visiting – he knew that he would see them even more at the SGC. He could also get visits from some of the other guys and women stationed there. He hadn't yet been allowed other visitors – other than General Hammond and Jim O'Reilly – but knew that if he were in the Infirmary there'd be a steady stream of people coming to see him.

Anyway – the SGC was his second home. If he couldn't be in his 'real' home, then he'd still much rather be there.

"Okay Colonel, I tell you what, I'll talk to Dr. Woodward (the Orthopedic Surgeon) and see if he thinks you can be moved. If he says it's okay we'll arrange it for this Friday – and no sooner", she added when she saw he was going to argue. It was Tuesday today so that meant another three days. Damn! Oh well, he could handle it as long as he knew he was getting out soon.

Finally the day arrived. The orderlies came and carefully moved him onto a gurney. Okay, that hurt! He hadn't realized how sore he still was. He hadn't been out of bed yet and was told it would be awhile – now he understood why.

By the time he'd arrived at the Infirmary he was exhausted, in pain and incredibly bad tempered. He snapped at everyone, including his team who'd accompanied him. Finally, after biting Carter and Daniel's noses off for about the fifteenth time, the two members of SG1 stood up together.

"Jack, when you're decided to stop acting like a five year old, we'll be back." He and Carter turned and walked to the door.

"Hey – where you going. Come on guys – don't go. I'll get bored." He looked at Teal'c – at least the Jaffa wasn't running away.

"Come on Teal'c, you want to play cards or something?"

"No O'Neill, I do not. I do not play cards with whining infants!" And on that note he turned and left.

Jack lay there, feeling very sorry for himself. Hey, he knew he'd been a jerk – but couldn't they cut him some slack? He was feeling miserable and very alone.

As he lay there, no one around, he thought back to some of the bad things that had happened to him. The latest memory at the cabin was simply added to the rest of the garbage he had to deal with. What was the hardest, right now, was the memories that were starting to surface about Iraq. This whole episode – and seeing Hall again – had brought back memories he'd hoped were long suppressed.

This was another reason he'd wanted to come back to the SGC – he had too much time at the Hospital to ponder about all the crap in his life. He'd hoped that by being here he'd be distracted. Boy, was he wrong!

By the time Janet came to check on him he'd worked himself into a pretty heavy-duty depression. He was listless and quiet – simply obeying all Janet's instructions without one argument or sarcastic comment.

This caused her to grow very worried. She knew that depression could be a serious aftereffect of going through any kind of physical trauma. She hoped the Colonel wouldn't have to deal with that too.

"Where's your team Colonel?" she asked, hoping to cheer him up. "I thought they'd be here with you."

He simply shook his head, not saying anything.

"Colonel?" she asked, "Is something wrong?" He again shook his head.

"No, just tired. I think I'll sleep." He closed his eyes, effectively shutting off any more questions.

Now, she had no doubt that the trip had been tiring, but something didn't seem right. Leaviing Jack to – hopefully – sleep, she walked out of the Infirmary in search of three missing people.

Finally finding them all in the Commissary eating lunch, she grabbed a coffee and sat down beside them.

"Janet/Dr. Frasier" Sam and Daniel both smiled at her. "How's everything."

"Okay I guess", but she didn't sound too sure.

"What?" asked Sam, catching something in Janet's tone.

"Hmmmm?" Janet turned and looked at Sam. "Sorry – what did you say?"

"I simply said 'what'. I was wondering if something was wrong. You look worried."

"Oh, hopefully it's nothing", she took a sip of coffee.

"Janet! Come on …. What's 'nothing'?"

"Oh – it's just the Colonel." At that the rest of SG1 sat up and suddenly looked serious.

"What's wrong with the Colonel?" Sam wanted to know.

"It's just that I thought he'd be pleased to be back here. He begged hard enough! It's just that he seems kind of depressed. I could barely get him to talk." Looking up suddenly at the three friends and teammates she frowned. "I thought you guys would be with him. Did he kick you out?"

The faces in front of her suddenly looked shamefaced. She knew then that 'something' was up.

"What happened?" she asked firmly.

"Jack was acting like an ass – you know how he gets Janet. We decided we didn't want to take it anymore so we left. We had no idea he was depressed. He just seemed his usual cantankerous self."

"What!" Janet looked quite angry. "What the hell is wrong with you people? The Colonel is just recovering from major injuries and trauma. He almost died – many times. It's a miracle that he survived. He just spent the morning being moved here – something which I really shouldn't have allowed – and he's exhausted and in pain. And the three of you decided that because he was 'grumpy' you'd walk out on him. Shame on you." Janet stood up, so angry she could spit.

"Of course he's grumpy. It's the way he deals with things when they're bothering him. I thought you all knew him well enough to know that by now. Well, the three of you just stay here and enjoy your lunch. I have to go visit a friend who's all by himself." She turned and stomped out of the room.

"Dr. Frasier is correct. We were unfair to O'Neill.' Teal'c stood – he had to return and see his friend.

"Yeah, she's right, all right. I don't know why we let him get to us. We should have known." Standing up he too prepared to go back to the Infirmary.

Sam felt the worst of all. How could she have been so mean? She knew what the Colonel was like. He was amazing when hurt – but hell when recuperating. That didn't mean he didn't want or need his friends with him.

"Okay – let's all go. What are we going to do to make the Colonel feel better?" They all looked at each other, wondering how to help the Colonel. Sam suddenly grinned and walked over to the cafeteria line. Grabbing a big piece of chocolate cake she returned to where her teammates were standing.

"Cake!" Weapon number one in the 'how to cheer the Colonel up' campaign. Daniel grinned and turned to the door.

"I'll be right back. I'm gonna get my chess set." Hurrying from the room he went to retrieve weapon number two.

"Excuse me Captain Carter. I too must retrieve something from my quarters." When she looked questioningly at him he answered,

"GameBoy – O'Neill gave it to me for your 'Christmas'. I believe he enjoys playing the games."

Grinning, Sam walked to the Infirmary. She arrived before the two men and so walked into the room. The Colonel was sleeping – or at least resting – so she had a chance to look at him for a while.

He was starting to look better although it would be a while before he was back to his old self again. Even though he was bruised and battered, he was still an incredibly attractive man, she thought. Feeling a shiver pass through her she tried to stop her thoughts.

"He's not even interested Sam", she said to herself. "You're just a young officer under his command – get over him!" She knew she was falling for her Commanding Officer – something positively, absolutely not allowed in the military. It really didn't matter anyway, she thought. He wasn't interested in her in the same way.

Still – it was nice to dream. And who knows – maybe one day we'll get a chance to find out if there could be something between us – maybe one day when she no longer served under him!

"Hey Captain. Whatchya doin'?" Jack had opened his eyes and had seen his 2IC standing watching him. God, she was beautiful, he thought. Now that he was getting better he'd have to put a stop to all these fantasies he'd been allowing himself. There was no way any kind of personal relationship would happen (even if she'd been interested) so he'd better get a grip. Still – it was nice to dream. Who knows, he thought, maybe someday?

"Hi Sir. I came bearing gifts", she held up the cake and a fork.

"Sweet!", he grinned. "Can you roll me up a bit there Captain." He couldn't sit up completely but Janet did allow him to have the bed raised slightly. He was going crazy flat on his back.

"Sure Sir." Putting the cake down on the side table she carefully raised the head of his bed a few inches. She then reached over and handed him the cake.

"I'm sorry Colonel."

"What for?" he asked through a mouthful of cake.

"For leaving you here. I know you're tired and I think we are too – otherwise we would never have left."

Her words were like a balm to his soul. They hadn't deserted him! At least Sam still cared (as a subordinate and friend of course). He did have to admit, however, that he'd been a bastard.

"No apologies needed Sam. I was being a jerk and you did the right thing. You were right. I was tired and ended up taking it out on you. I'm just glad you came back …. with cake of course!" He smiled at her and they both felt relieved (and something else although they both refused to acknowledge it).

A few minutes later the remaining members of his team entered, also bearing gifts. As tired as he was, he enjoyed spending the afternoon laughing and playing games. His team was here – his new family that he'd gained – was surrounding him and he felt at peace. He could feel the healing taking place. Yeah, he was going to be all right.

There was a lull in the conversation and he looked up at his team.

"So, what are we gonna do for Christmas?"

The End – Thanks for coming along on the ride with me! Another story is coming soon.